Kerala situation improving, NCMC told; another review meet on Monday
New Delhi, Aug 19 : The Kerala government on Sunday informed the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) that the situation in the flood-ravaged state was gradually improving, even as some rainfall was forecast for the coastal state from Monday onwards.
The information was shared in an NCMC review meeting -- the forth consecutive meeting since August 16 -- which was attended by Secretaries of Defence, Health, Civil Aviation, Food Processing and Power Ministries, Chairman of Railway Board and senior officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The NCMC meeting is held to coordinate rescue and relief operations in Kerala.
"Kerala Chief Secretary (Tom Jose) participated in the NCMC meeting through videoconference. He said that the situation is gradually improving (in Kerala)," said the Union Home Ministry on Sunday.
A Ministry statement said that "India Meteorological Department has forecast less rainfall from Monday onwards in Kerala".
Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha, during the meeting, directed all Ministries concerned to focus on emergency supplies of food, water, medicines and restoration of essential services as flood waters recede.
He said thousands of defence force personnel, NDRF and paramilitary forces were engaged in rescue and relief operations with support of dozens of helicopters, aircraft, and motorboats and the "operations will continue till the situation becomes normal".
The Indian Railways said that two special trains will be run on Monday from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam to Kolkata and that the train services are expected to be restored on all lines in Kerala by Monday evening.
The Railways said it would provide blankets and bedsheets to the affected people in Kerala.
"A train with 14,00,000 litres of water and a Navy ship with 800,000 litres of water will reach Kerala by Monday. Commercial flights will also start operating from Kochi Naval Base from Monday. All logistic arrangements have been put in place. Over 50,000 metric tonnes of food grains have made available, with more quantities in the pipeline. Arrangements are being made to airlift 100 metric tonnes of pulses by Mondy, with more to be sent by train.
"Over 9,300 kilolitres of kerosene has been made available while another 12,000 kilolitres will be allocated. The LPG bottling plant in Kochi has also been reopened," the NCMC was told.
The Civil Aviation officials informed the NCMC that Air India has offered to airlift relief material free of cost, while the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that it was airlifting 60 tonnes of medicines on Monday and put six specialised medical teams on standby in the state.
The NCMC, which commenced its meetings on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directions, will meet again on Monday.
In the worst ever torrential rains in Kerala in this monsoon season, 370 lives have been lost and 724,649 persons evacuated to 5,645 camps so far.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
