No, Pakistan PM did not thank people of Karnataka for electing Congress, Viral picture fake
Bengaluru: A viral photo circulating on WhatsApp and Twitter claims that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted a thanking message to the people of Karnataka for electing the Congress party in the Karnataka Assembly elections. The tweet allegedly stated that he hoped Congress, along with the SDPI, would work towards strengthening Islam in India and the sovereignty of Karnataka. However, a fact-check investigation has confirmed that the claims are false, and Shehbaz Sharif did not post the tweet from his official handle.
“I would like to heartily thank the people of Karnataka for electing Congress, I hope that Congress along with our SDPI will work for the strengthening of Islam in India and the sovereignty of Karnataka.” The picture of the tweet states.
Upon scrutiny, it was discovered that on the mentioned date of May 13, 2023, Sharif had only posted three tweets, none of which were related to the Karnataka elections or India. The analytics tool, Social Blade, also verified that no other tweet was made by Sharif. The photo containing the alleged tweet was fabricated, and the information it conveyed was completely baseless.
Even senior BJP leader and MP Subramanian Swamy had tweeted the picture questioning the authenticity of the tweet adding that he had received it on WhatsApp. Several other BJP workers and activists had also shared the image on Twitter with false claims.
This is not the first instance of a fake tweet attributed to Shehbaz Sharif. Another similar fake tweet went viral on May 7, just before the voting day of May 10. In that tweet, Sharif was purportedly urging the people of Karnataka to vote for the Congress party to reactivate the PFI (Popular Front of India) and strengthen Islam in India. However, like the previous instance, this tweet was also proven to be false upon investigation.
Is this real? I got it from a Whatsapp account pic.twitter.com/p2Shz5fvnW
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) May 15, 2023
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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.
