Rahul Gandhi assures to resolve problems facing flood-hit in Wayanad
Wayanad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday assured the flood-ravaged people of his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency that he would strive to resolve the various issues plauging them.
On day two of his four-day visit to the constituency, Gandhi was told by the local people that there were issues relating to connectivity in various remote areas where roads and bridges had been washed away or destroyed in the floods and landslides.
"We will work together to resolve these issues", he said. The issues being faced by farmers in Wayanad, the man-animal conflicts were complicated and they cannot be resolved with a magic wand, he said.
"My commitment is I will work with you to resolve the issues.. Our first priority is compensation to the flood-affected and we must persue it", he said.
It is the duty of the government to ensure compensation to those who had lost their near ones and loss of homes and property in the deluge, Gandhi said.
He assured that Congress workers would put pressure on the government to ensure that all those affected would be compensated. At the Chaligama tribal colony at Mananthavady, some people wanted not only compensation, but that their loans to be written off. They also told Gandhi that wild animals, including elephants, were making their life difficult.
On August 29 and 30, the MP would be visiting relief camps in Kozhikode and Malappuram assembly segments, forming part of the Wayanad Lok sabha constituency.
Gandhi was here early this month after heavy rains and floods had triggered a series of landslides and caused havoc in the northern districts of Wayanad and Malappuram.
At least 125 people have lost their lives in the heavy rains and landslides. While 60 people have died in Malappuram, 14 have lost their lives in rain related incidents in neighbouring Wayanad district.
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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.
