UGC-NET, IIFT exam postponed in some centres over cyclone 'Jawad'
Bhubaneswar, Dec 4: The University Grants Commission - National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) and an entrance exam of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) that were scheduled for Sunday has been postponed in some centres of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal due to Cyclone 'Jawad'.
The UGC-NET 2020 and June 2021 has been rescheduled for the centres in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur in Ganjam district and Gunupur in Rayagada district of Odisha, the National Testing Agency said in a notice on Friday.
Entrance examination of the MBA (International Business) of the IIFT has been postponed at the centres in Kolkata and Durgapur in West Bengal; Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Sambalpur in Odisha; and Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, it said.
The date of the exam of the candidates who are admitted to the exam centres in the mentioned cities will be announced later, the NTA said.
However, candidates are advised to note that the postponement is applied only to the cities mentioned and the exam will be held at all other cities of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and other states as per schedule, it said.
Candidates check the NTA website www.nta.ac.in for latest updates, information, and contact the helpdesk 00140459000 or email at ugc.net@nta.ac.in for queries, it added.
The NET is conducted on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC) for determining the eligibility for assistant professorship, junior research fellowship or both.
The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified on Friday into Cyclone 'Jawad', pronounced as 'jowad' and the name has been proposed by Saudi Arabia.
The weather system is likely to reach west-central Bay of Bengal off the north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts by Saturday morning, the India Meteorological Department said.
Then, the storm is likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move along the Odisha coast, reaching near Puri around Sunday noon. Subsequently, it is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards along coastal Odisha towards West Bengal coast.
The impending threat of cyclonic storm 'Jawad' over the weekend forced the Odisha government to cancel an ongoing classical dance festival and a sand art event in Puri, the state's tourism department said on Friday.
The Konark Festival at Sun Temple, and the International Sand Art Festival on Chandrabhaga Beach were being held since Wednesday, and were scheduled to end on Sunday.
The festivals are being called off with immediate effect, the tourism department said in a statement.
The Konark Festival has been organised every year since 1986 at an open-air auditorium against the backdrop of the 13th-century monument. This is the first time that it was called off.
Leading exponents and dance enthusiasts of many Indian classical dance forms -- Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Sattriya and Kathak -- take part in the five-day event.
Barely 3.5 km from the UNESCO World Heritage Site, sand artists from across the world assemble to sculpt their unique creations on different themes at the International Sand Art Festival.
The art extravaganza was supposed to witness the participation of around 100 artisans from 10 states, including Odisha, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.
The Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district also suspended tourism for two days from Saturday in view of the cyclone alert.
"Visitors are requested to plan their travel according to prevailing weather conditions," it tweeted.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government cancelled public holidays on Sunday.
"Staff have been instructed to stay at their respective headquarters. Employees on leave have also been ordered to return," the Information and Public Relations Department said.
The East Coast Railway has so far cancelled operation of 95 trains for three days from Thursday.
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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.
