COVID-19 cases reach 1.29 lakh with 5,172 fresh infections in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Karnataka's COVID-19 tally rose to 1.29 lakh with the state on Saturday recording 5,172 fresh infections and 98 fatalities.
The death toll mounted to 2,412 with the new fatalities.
There were as many as 53,648 discharges including 3,860 on Saturday whereas there were 73,219 active cases in the state including 602 in the ICU, the department said in a statement.
The spike in cases and deaths on Saturday was led by Bengaluru Urban district, which recorded 1,852 fresh cases and 27 deaths.
The city has so far reported 57,396 cases and 1,056 deaths.
There are 37,760 active cases including 338 in the ICU and 18,579 discharges including 1,683 in Bengaluru.
According to the health bulletin, 365 fresh COVID cases were reported in Mysuru, 269 in Ballari, 219 each in Kalaburagi and Belagavi, 184 in Dharwad, 146 in Hassan 139 in Dakshina Kannada, 136 in Udupi, 134 in Bagalkote, 129 in Vijayapura, 119 in Shivamogga, 109 in Raichur, 108 in Davangere and 107 in Koppal.
The coronavirus cases were also reported in Tumakuru, Gadag, Mandya, Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapura, Chitradurga, and other districts.
The department said nine COVID deaths took place in Mysuru, eight each in Dakshina Kannada and Dharwad, six in Udupi, five in Kalaburagi, four each in Belagavi, Shivamogga, Davangere, and Bidar.
It added that three deaths each occurred in Yadgir and Chitradurga and two each in Hassan, Koppal, Tumakuru, and Gadag.
Among the deceased, six each were in their thirties and forties and 18 in their fifties. The rest were above 60.
Most of those who died of coronavirus had Severe Acute Respiratory Illness or Influenza-Like Illness.
However, there were six persons who did not have any pre-medical conditions nor had developed any complications after contracting coronavirus, the health bulletin revealed.
The department said as of Saturday, 1.09 lakh primary contacts and 96,460 secondary contacts were under observation.
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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.
