Delhi sees coldest January morning since 2024; AQI worsens
New Delhi (PTI): Since 2024, Delhi recorded its coldest January morning on Friday, with a biting chill gripping the city as temperatures dropped to their lowest levels so far this winter, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 19.7 degrees Celsius, which was 0.7 degrees above normal, indicating near-normal daytime conditions despite the sharp overnight cooling and parts of Delhi witnessing light rainfall.
The minimum temperature plunged to 4.6 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees below the seasonal normal, marking the coldest morning of the ongoing winter season.
The last comparable lows were recorded on December 4 and 5 last year, when the mercury dipped to 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed by December 1, when it stood at 5.7 degrees.
According to the weather observations recorded, maximum temperatures across Delhi varied across stations, with Safdarjung recording a high of 19.7 degrees, which was 0.7 degrees above normal.
Ayanagar followed closely with a maximum of 19.0 degrees Celsius, 2.1 degrees above normal, while Lodhi Road recorded 18.8 degrees Celsius.
The Ridge station logged a maximum temperature of 17.9 degrees Celsius, whereas Palam recorded the lowest daytime maximum among the listed stations at 17.2 degrees.
Station-wise data showed Safdarjung recording a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, while Palam logged 5 degrees, Lodhi Road 5.2 degrees, and the Ridge 5.4 degrees.
On the rainfall front, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded trace rainfall during the past 24 hours till 8.30 am, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of rainfall. Palam and the Ridge station recorded no rain during the same period.
The IMD said dense fog was observed at several places, and a yellow alert for dense fog has been issued. Relative humidity stood at 100 per cent at 8.30 am, dropping to 73 per cent by 5.30 pm, leading to reduced visibility during the morning hours.
Cold wave conditions are likely to persist over parts of north and northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, in the coming days, though no severe cold wave conditions are threatening yet, the weather office said.
Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 345. Up to 26 monitoring stations reported very poor air quality, deteriorating from poor levels recorded a day earlier.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board classification, an AQI between 0–50 is considered 'good', 51–100 'satisfactory', 101–200 'moderate', 201–300 'poor', 301–400 'very poor', and 401–500 'severe'.
According to the Decision Support System (DSS), vehicular emissions remained the biggest contributor to Delhi's pollution load at 16.9 per cent, followed by Delhi and peripheral industries at 13.1 per cent. Other local sources included waste burning (1.6 per cent), construction activities (2.1 per cent) and residential emissions (4.3 per cent).
Among neighbouring NCR districts, pollution contribution was led by Sonipat (13 per cent), followed by Baghpat (8.9 per cent), Jhajjar (5.5 per cent), Ghaziabad (5.4 per cent), Panipat (4.8 per cent) and Gautam Buddh Nagar (1.7 per cent).
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, the air quality is likely to remain in the 'very poor' category on January 10, while it is expected to improve slightly to the 'poor' category from January 11 to January 12, provided meteorological conditions remain favourable.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
