Hopeful Of Getting UAE Aid: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the Kerala government embarked on a fund mobilisation drive for reconstructing the flood-hit state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said today he was hopeful of getting the offer of aid made by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
His statement assumes significance in the wake of a row over the centre's refusal to accept UAE's reported offer of Rs. 700 crore to the flood-hit state.
At a function organised to honour IAS officers who coordinated in operations to rescue stranded people from flood affected areas, Mr Vijayan said several foreign countries have come forward to help the state.
Referring to the reported offer of Rs. 700 crore made by the UAE to carry out relief operations and centre's decision not to accept it, Mr Vijayan said he does not believe that the stand (of the Centre) would continue.
Noting that the state was receiving good support for fund mobilisation from the country and abroad, Mr Vijayan said the effort should be to make use of it properly.
The chief minister said the state government had asked for a special package to tide over the situation besides the compensation for the loss and damage caused in the devastating deluge.
However, he said there were limitations on part of the centre to fully compensate the loss and damage suffered by the state.
"So the state has to find resources to overcome the shortage of funds for taking up the rehabilitation and rebuilding exercise," Mr Vijayan added.
Alluding to the cabinet decision to appoint KPMG as project consultant partner for rebuilding the state, Mr Vijayan said, "We will not restrict the consultancy to one agency. We will ensure that we get the assistance of all."
As part of the fund mobilisation initiative, the cabinet has decided to seek financial aid from abroad through non-resident Keralites, from major cities in the country and also from educational institutions in the state.
As many as 483 people have lost lives in the state since the onset of the monsoon on May 28 and 14 were still missing.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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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.
