Karnataka Bal Vikas Academy confers Honourary Award on Shaheen Group of Institutions
Six others honoured across various categories
Dharwad: The Karnataka Bal Vikas Academy (KBVA) has conferred its prestigious Academy Honorary Award on the Bidar-based Shaheen Group of Institutions, alongside six other distinguished awardees for the year 2023–24.
The Academy, headquartered in Dharwad, functions under the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka.
Sangamesh A. Babaleshwar, President of the KBVA, announced the recipients of the academy’s prestigious “Academy Honourary Award” for the year 2023–24 at a press conference held in Dharwad on Thursday.
The honours recognise outstanding contributions in the fields of children’s literature, education, theatre, culture, and social service.
The Shaheen Group of Institutions was selected for its notable contribution to children’s education and social service.
The institution has been widely recognised for its sustained efforts in providing quality education and educational opportunities to children from diverse and underserved backgrounds.
The other recipients of the Academy Honourary Award for 2023–24 are
1. Pandit Ramakrishna Shastri, Dakshina Kannada, for contributions to children’s literature
2. B. Go. Ramesh from Mysuru for contributions to children’s literature
3. Aruna Narendra from Koppal for contributions to children’s literature
4. Malatesh Badiger, Bengaluru, for contributions to children’s theatre
5. Pratap R. Bahuroopi, Hubballi, for contributions in education and fine arts
6. Nagasimha G. Rao, Bengaluru, for contributions to literature and culture
The award ceremony will be held on 16 December 2025 at Suvarna Soudha, Belagavi, where the awardees will be formally honoured in the presence of Cabinet Ministers, officials, and other dignitaries.
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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.
