Tell party workers to maintain calm, don't believe rumours: J&K Governor to leaders
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Governor S P Malik has asked political leaders in the state to tell their supporters to maintain calm and not to believe "exaggerated rumours" being circulated in the valley.
The Governor said this to a delegation of political leaders of various parties led by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, an official spokesman said here in a statement late Friday night.
The Governor requested the political leaders to ask their supporters not to mix up matters, to maintain calm and not believe exaggerated rumours being circulated all around.
The Governor himself had clarified matters on Article 35-A in Baramulla on Thursday and the day before in Srinagar, the spokesman said.
He said the delegation expressed concerns about the panic situation in the Kashmir valley created by the developments during the day including the advisory issued by the government asking Amarnath yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible.
Malik informed the delegation that there were serious and credible inputs which were available to the security agencies regarding terrorist attacks on Amarnath yatra.
He told the leaders there was a press conference earlier in the day by the Corps Commander of the Army and the DGP in which details of the weapons and ammunition recovered were given.
"Details of the seriousness of the threats that are there were also given. They also mentioned that the security forces were going to tackle these threats head on and will not allow them to succeed," the Governor said.
"It is in this context that the government had issued an advisory asking yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible. These are a vulnerable group of people who do not know the area and are extremely vulnerable to a terrorist or a fidayeen attack," he said.
"It is the responsibility of the state to provide security to all its citizens. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, yatris and tourists have been asked to return. This is to ensure that no terrorist attack takes place on them," he added.
Malik further said unnecessary panic was being created by linking the advisory to all kinds of other issues.
"A pure security measure is being mixed up with issues with which it has no connection. That is the cause of the panic," he said.
Peoples Conference leaders Sajad Lone and Imran Ansari and bureaucrat-turned-politician and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement leader Shah Faesal were part of the delegation.
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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.
