India beat Ireland 2-0 in men's hockey competition at Paris Olympics
Paris, Jul 30: Reigning bronze medallist India beat Ireland 2-0 to consolidate their position in the tough Pool B of the men's hockey competition at the Paris Olympics here on Tuesday.
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh (11th, 19th minutes) scored a brace for India, converting a penalty stroke and then a penalty corner to hand his side the crucial win.
India had earlier defeated New Zealand 3-2 in their opener before securing a 1-1 draw against Argentina.
Unlike the last two games, India started on the offensive against Ireland and secured their first penalty corner in the second minute but Harmanpreet failed to beat the first rusher.
But India took the lead in the 11th minute when Harmanpreet converted a penalty stroke.
Gurjant Singh made a fine interception in the midfield and then linked up with Mandeep Singh to enter the circle where the Irish defence committed a foul, resulting in the stroke.
India secured back-to-back penalty corners in the 19th minute, and Harmanpreet was on target with the second chance.
India will next play reigning Olympic champions Belgium on Thursday before finishing their pool engagements against the mighty Australia on Friday.
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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.
