India win Inaugural Blind Women’s T20 World Cup
Colombo (PTI): India on Sunday won the inaugural T20 blind women’s world cup after defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the final played at the P Sara oval here.
India restricted Nepal to 114 for 5 after opting to bowl and then coasted to 117 for 3 in just 12 overs to win the title.
Such was India's domination that their rivals managed just a single boundary in their innings.
Phula Saren top-scored for India in the run chase with 44 not out.
India had beaten Australia in the first semifinal, while Nepal had won against Pakistan in the second semifinal on Saturday.
Co-hosts Sri Lanka could win only one game -- against the USA -- out of the five preliminary round games.
Pakistan’s Mehreen Ali, a B3 or partially sighted player, was the star batter in the six-team tournament, scoring over 600 runs, including a 78-ball 230 against Sri Lanka. She also scored 133 against Australia.
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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.
