India, Australia players wear black armbands in tribute to Austin during World Cup semifinal
Navi Mumbai (PTI): India and Australia players on Thursday wore black armbands during their Women’s World Cup semifinal as a tribute to teen cricketer Ben Austin, who passed away after being hit by a ball during training.
The 17-year-old Austin was hit in the neck while batting at the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club in suburban Melbourne on Tuesday.
He was wearing a helmet which had no neck guard while training for his club, and was hit by the ball which was thrown by a side-arm.
Austin was batting against fast bowlers in the nets ahead of a T20 match when he suffered the fatal blow in front of his teammates.
After the incident, Austin was put on ventilator but he succumbed to his injury, which revoked the memories of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes' tragic death in 2014.
Ferntree Gully confirmed Austin's death on Thursday.
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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.
