Onion prices remain high in national capital; all India average rate at Rs 53.75 per kg
The all-India average retail onion prices increased by Rs 3.40 per kg to Rs 53.75 per kg on Tuesday from yesterday, according to the latest official data.
Onion prices in the national capital started inching up from October 25 when the rates were at Rs 40 per kg, which doubled to Rs 80 per kg on October 29.
Prices, however, fell marginally to Rs 78 per kg on October 30 and remained at the same level on Tuesday as well, the data from the consumer affairs ministry showed.
At present, the average retail onion prices are ruling at the highest level in Delhi compared to other states and union territories.
The second highest increase in the prices was in Goa and Puducherry where the average retail price was at Rs 72 per kg on Tuesday.
In other states, the retail prices were ruling in the range of Rs 41-69 per kg.
According to official sources, prices in both wholesale and retail markets across the country have shot up purely due to speculation despite 15-20 lakh tonnes of rabi crop stock available in Maharasthra that is sufficient to meet the demand for a month.
A likely fall in fresh kharif output and two weeks' delay in arrival cannot be the sole reason for the sudden spike in onion prices. There is enough old crop stock to meet the domestic demand and even the government has maintained 5 lakh tonnes of buffer stock, the sources said.
Further, the sources said the imposition of minimum export price on onion on October 29 at USD 800 per tonne till December-end is helping in cooling down prices, especially in Maharasthra, where prices fell 4-10 per cent on October 30.
The kharif crop has started arriving in small quantities in mandis but in bigger quantities will start coming from the second week of November from key growing states of Karnataka, Maharasthra, and Andhra Pradesh.
Till the new crop hits the market, the government will release buffer stock to increase the availability and check price rise. So far, 1.8 lakh tonnes of onion have been released in the market.
The country has exported about 15 lakh tonnes of onion till October 20 of this fiscal. Total onion exports stood at 25 lakh tonnes in the 2022-23 fiscal, as per the official data.
Onion is grown in three seasons -- kharif, late kharif and rabi. It is only rabi onion which is stored as the variety grown in this season has a longer shelf life.
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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.
