Karnataka reports 4,537 fresh coronavirus cases, 93 more die on Saturday
Bengaluru: Karnataka recorded 4,537 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the biggest single-day spike of the pandemic, bringing the total number of those infected by the deadly virus in the state to 59,652.
With 1,018 discharges, the number of patients who recovered and were discharged reached 21,775, the health department said in its latest bulletin.
The total fatalities in the state climbed to 1,240 with 93 deaths, the department said.
Out of 4,537 fresh cases reported, 2,125 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone.
The cumulatively 59,652 COVID-19 positive cases confirmed in the state include 36,631 active cases, 21,775 discharges, and 1,240 deaths, the bulletin said.
It added that 580 patients among the active cases are in the ICU.
Most of the dead are either with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI).
Among the districts where new cases were reported, Bengaluru urban accounted for 2,125 cases, followed by 509 in Dakshina Kannada, 186 in Dharwad, 176 in Vijayapura, 155 in Ballari, and others.
The state capital has so far reported the highest number of 29,621 positive cases including 6,540 discharges and 631 COVID-19 deaths.
It is followed by 3,306 cases in Dakshina Kannada and 2,674 in Kalaburagi.
On Saturday, 34,819 tests were conducted taking the cumulative tests so far to 9.84 lakh.
Till now 8.99 lakh tests came negative including 28,550 on 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.
