First Olympic medallist from Kerala, hockey player Manuel Frederick passes away
Kannur/Bengaluru (PTI): Manuel Frederick, the first person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, died in a Bengaluru hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, on Friday morning, family sources said.
He was 78.
Frederick, who hailed from Kannur district of Kerala, was the goalkeeper of the Indian team that won the bronze medal by defeating Holland in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
He played for the Indian team for seven years and was honoured with the Dhyan Chand Award in 2019 for his contributions to sports.
He also has the distinction of being the goalkeeper who helped his team win 16 national championships in tiebreakers.
Frederick started as a striker in football and a goalkeeper in hockey. He became active in hockey through the St. Michael's School team in Kannur.
Born on October 20, 1947, Frederick played in the Bombay Gold Cup at the age of 17 and played his first international match for India in 1971.
He is survived by his two daughters.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
