Mangaluru: Two dead, five missing as tug boat capsizes in sea
Mangaluru: Two people died and five others were missing after their tug boat that was assisting a ship capsized 10 nautical miles off the coast here.
Nine people were on the boat that left New Mangalore Port on Friday to carry out maintenance work at the single point mooring facility, which is located 17 km from the port.
The boat was caught in the rough seas in adverse weather conditions and capsized while they were returning to the shore on Saturday, police sources said.
The damaged boat was found at Katipatna near Padubidri beach in Udupi district. The tug boat was contracted by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) for its single point mooring facility.
In a statement, MRPL said the tug vessel, 'Alliance', with nine men on board faced distress while assisting the company in cargo unloading at its single point mooring facility.
The company's cargo operation was completed on Friday and the vessel was supposed to return on the same day.
However, it started only on Saturday morning and had to face distress, the statement said.
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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.
