PM Modi to visit Germany, UAE from June 26-28
New Delhi, Jun 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Alpine castle of Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 26 and 27 to attend the annual summit of G7 that is expected to delve into pressing global challenges including the Ukraine crisis and the situation in the Indo-Pacific.
From Germany, Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president of the Gulf nation.
Modi is attending the G7 summit following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Germany is the current chair of G7, a grouping of the world's seven richest nations. It comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Schloss Elmau, Germany at the invitation of Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, for the G7 Summit under the German Presidency on June 26 to 27," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Modi's last visit to Germany was on May 2 when he travelled to the country to attend the meeting of the sixth edition of the India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC).
US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are among the top leaders attending the summit.
"During the summit, the Prime Minister is expected to speak in two sessions that include environment, energy, climate, food security, health, gender equality and democracy," the MEA said.
In an effort to strengthen international collaboration on these important issues, other democracies such as Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa have also been invited, the MEA said.
Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries on the sidelines of the summit.
The MEA said the invitation to Modi to the G7 summit is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany.
As chair of G7, Germany invited Modi and leaders of some other countries to the summit as guests.
"After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler," the MEA said.
It said the prime minister will also take the opportunity to congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the Gulf nation, passed away on May 13 after battling illness for the last several years.
In a gesture of goodwill, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu visited the UAE to offer India's condolences over the demise of the Sheikh.
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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.
