Extreme weather claimed 1,750 lives in India in 2021
New Delhi, Jan 14: India saw 1,750 deaths due to extreme weather events in 2021, with Maharashtra being the worst-affected state with 350 fatalities, followed by Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday.
Thunderstorms and lightning reportedly claimed 787 lives in India last year, while 759 people died in heavy rainfall and flood-related incidents, it said.
Cyclonic storms claimed 172 lives and 32 others died due to other extreme weather events, according to the IMD's annual climate statement.
Heavy rainfall and flood related-incidents claimed 215 lives in Maharashtra, 143 in Uttarakhand, 55 in Himachal Pradesh, 53 in Kerala and 46 in Andhra Pradesh, according to the report.
Thunderstorms and lightning claimed 213 lives in Odisha, 156 in Madhya Pradesh, 89 in Bihar, 76 in Maharashtra, 58 in West Bengal, 54 in Jharkhand, 49 in Uttar Pradesh and 48 in Rajasthan.
The Met Department said 223 people died due to extreme weather events in Odisha, 191 in Madhya Pradesh, 147 in Uttarakhand, 102 in Bihar, 98 in Uttar Pradesh, 92 in Gujarat and 86 in West Bengal.
Sixty-seven died in Kerala, 62 in Rajasthan, 59 in Himachal Pradesh, 57 in Jharkhand, 50 in Andhra Pradesh, 45 in Karnataka, 34 in Tamil Nadu, 32 in Jammu and Kashmir, 25 in Telangana and 14 in Assam.
Of the seven deaths recorded in Delhi due to extreme weather events, four occurred because of heavy rainfall and flooding, the IMD data showed.
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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.
