''Magnificent Mary'' in semis, assured of 7th medal at World Championships
New Delhi, Nov 20: The celebrated M C Mary Kom Tuesday assured herself a seventh medal at the Women's World Boxing Championship by advancing to the semifinal here, making her the most successful pugilist in the event's history.
The 35-year-old mother-of-three defeated China's Wu Yu 5-0 in the light flyweight (48 kg) category quarterfinals to enter the last-four stage and be assured of at least a bronze.
Mary Kom entered the event with a remarkable tally of five gold medals and a silver to her credit. She last won a world championship medal in 2010 -- a 48kg category gold.
"It was a tough bout. Not very tough but not very easy also. There are a lot of good Chinese boxers who keep coming. I have faced a lot of them but this opponent I have not faced earlier," the diminutive star said after her bout.
"But once I got her game I thought out what to do and I had not much of a problem after that," she added.
The Olympic bronze-medallist next faces North Korea's Kim Hyang Mi in the semi-final on Thursday. The Indian had beaten her in the Asian Championships last year.
"So, I am confident of winning but not overconfident," she added.
In a bout which saw little action, Mary Kom was the better boxer with clean punches. More importantly, the local favourite rarely allowed Wu to get a clean shot at her. The five judges ruled in her favour with the elaborate scoreline reading 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27.
Mary Kom was tied with Irish legend Katie Taylor on the number of medals won before this edition.
But with Tuesday's win, the Manipuri became the most successful boxer in the marquee tournament. Taylor now plies her trade in the professional circuit.
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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.
