Malik takes oath as J&K Governor, Vohra skips ceremony
Srinagar, Aug 23 : Veteran politician Satya Pal Malik on Thursday took oath of office as the 13th Governor of Jammu and Kashmir here at a ceremony, which was skipped by outgoing Governor N.N. Vohra, who had held the post since 2008.
Chief Justice Gita Mittal administered the oath to Malik, 72, at the sprawling lawns of the Raj Bhavan.
His warrant of appointment by President Ram Nath Kovind was read out by Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam.
Former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, Union Minister of state (PMO) Jitender Singh, Speaker of Legislative Assembly Dr Nirmal Singh, judges of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, MPs, legislators, senior civil and Army officers, heads of constitutional bodies, Governor's Advisors -- B. B. Vyas, K. Vijay Kumar and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, and Director General of Police S.P. Vaid attended the event.
When the media approached Malik for comments on his appointment, he said: "The Governor does not speak."
Born on July 24, 1946 to a family of agriculturists in Uttar Pradesh, Malik was previously the Governor of Bihar and Odisha, and was appointed Jammu and Kashmir Governor by the President on August 21.
He was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly during 1974-77. He was also the member of the 9th Lok Sabha and represented Aligarh Constituency from 1989 to 1991. He was member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh for two terms -- 1980-86 and 1986-1992.
Malik served as Union Minister of State, Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism, from April 21, 1990 to November 10, 1990. He has been member of several parliamentary committees including Panel of Chairman, General Purposes Committee, Business Advisory Committee, Chairman, Joint Sub Committee on Telecasting of Proceedings of both Houses of Parliament, Chairman, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, and Parliamentary Consultative Committee.
A poet and author, Malik has authored two books on poetry and a political commentary.
Having special interest in history and archaeology, Malik is also known for his social activities including establishing day-care centres for the children of poor labourers. He has also organised several farmer and youth movements during his political career stretching over six decades.
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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.
