1,500 stranded in flood-hit Kodagu of Karnataka; CM visits affected areas
Kodagu (Karnataka), Aug 18 : Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday visited the flood-hit Kodagu district in the southern state, where hundreds are marooned in villages and towns due to heavy rains.
"At least 1,500 people are stranded in various parts of the district, but the rescue officials have not been able to reach them due to bad weather and landslides. Efforts are being made to rescue them," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.
The Chief Minister earlier in the day held a meeting with district officials on the flood situation in Kodagu, and on heavy rains lashing coastal and south interior districts.
He made an aerial survey of the coffee-growing district, about 270km from the state capital Begaluru. THe district is one of the worst-hit districts in the southern state.A
"The officials are trying to airlift people in the district, but the weather has not been very favourable," the Chief Minister said.
Heavy rains, flooding and landslips in the district have claimed six lives so far, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.
The state has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of those who lost their lives due to the rains.
The Chief Minister earlier announced Rs 200-crore fund to take up relief measures in the rain-hit districts.
Kumaraswamy, who also visited a relief camp in Madikeri in the hilly district in Western Ghats, told people that the state is taking up rescue and relief operations on a war-footing.
The water being released from Harangi reservoir in the district across Harangi river, one of Cauvery's tributaries, has been flooding several towns and villages in the region.
Over the last 24 hours, Madikeri received a very heavy rainfall measuring up to 30 cm, while the district received an average rain upto 16 cm, according to the weather office.
About 60 Dogra Regiment soldiers and 12 expert naval divers rescued 873 marooned people in the flood-hit district till Friday, where overnight heavy rains caused landslides and inundated low-lying areas at Makkanduru.
Another 525 personnel from the fire services, home guards and civil defence teams are working on the rescue operations in the district.
In all, 948 specialised rescuers from various state and central agencies are working in Kodagu district, a CMO statement said.
So far, more than 1,250 people have been rescued and shifted to about 30 relief camps set up across the district, the statement added.
Heavy rains have also been lashing coastal districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada over the past few weeks.
The Bengaluru division of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts heavy rains will continue over the next two days in the coastal and south interior districts of the state, including Kodagu.
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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.
