Mortal remains of 2 Indians killed in Abu Dhabi drone attack to reach Punjab: India's UAE envoy
Dubai, Jan 21 (PTI) The mortal remains of the two Indian nationals who were killed in a drone attack in Abu Dhabi on Monday will reach Punjab on Friday, India's Ambassador in the UAE has said.
On January 17, two Indians and a Pakistani national, all staff of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), were killed and six others injured in the suspected drone attacks near the Abu Dhabi airport that sparked multiple explosions in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The attacks were claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels.
India's Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir said that the Indian mission in the UAE's capital has completed all formalities for repatriation of mortal remains of the two Indians.
Remains reach Amritsar tomorrow morning. Highly appreciate the fullest support extended by Govt of UAE & @AdnocGroup. Tied up with Punjab Govt for local support, Sudhir said in a tweet.
The identities of the deceased were not revealed.
On Wednesday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti, speaking at a Security Council open debate on the Middle East, expressed strong condemnation of the terror attack in Abu Dhabi.
Such an attack on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure is completely unacceptable. It is a blatant violation of international law. It is also against all civilised norms, he said.
Emphasising that India stands in solidarity with the UAE, Tirumurti said New Delhi extends its full support for an unequivocal condemnation by the Council of this terrorist attack.
It is important that the Council stands united in sending a clear signal against such heinous acts of terror, he said.
A statement from the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that the UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation.
Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said that the drone attacks, which struck ADNOC fuel facilities and the airport, will not go unpunished.
The UAE has been part of a Saudi-led military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.
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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.
