Khawaja to challenge ICC reprimand, says armband was for a bereavement
Melbourne (PTI): Bewildered by the ICC's decision to reprimand him for wearing a black armband during the first Test against Pakistan, Australia's Usman Khawaja on Friday said he will contest the charge as he had told the governing body it was for a "personal bereavement".
Khawaja had worn a black armband during Australia's 360-run win over Pakistan in Perth last week. He had arrived for a training session on December 13 with "all lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" inscribed on his batting spikes and had reportedly planned to wear them during the inaugural Test.
"The ICC asked me day two (of the Perth Test) what (the black armband) was for, I told them it was for a personal bereavement. I never ever stated it was for anything else," Khawaja told reporters
"I respect the ICC and all the regulations they have, I will be asking them and contesting them From my point of view, that consistency hasn't been done yet."
"The shoes were for a different matter, I'm happy to say that, but the armband (reprimand) made no sense to me," he added.
The opener added that the global governing body had not applied the rules consistently.
"I followed all the regulations and past precedents guys have put stickers on their bats, names on their shoes, done all sorts of things in the past without ICC approval and never been reprimanded."
The ICC's regulations prevent players from displaying messages of political, religious or racial causes during international matches.
However, players can wear black armbands to mark deaths of former players, family members or other significant individuals after taking prior permission from the governing body.
The ICC reprimand for Khawaja wearing a black armband in Perth carries no financial or playing penalty.
Khawaja also denied he had "any hidden agendas" when he arrived for a training session with "all lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" inscribed on his batting spikes, apparently in reference to the war in Gaza.
"I don't have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strong about. I'm trying to do it in the most respectful way as possible," said Khawaja.
"What I wrote on my shoes was, really I thought about it for a while, what I was going to write. I made sure that I didn't want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs, communities."
"Hence why I kept religion out of this. I want to be really broad over my speaking because I'm talking about humanitarian issues. I'm talking about article one of Unified Declaration of Human Rights. That is literally the crux of it," added Khawaja.
"The reason I'm doing it is because it hit me hard. I told Nick (Hockley, Cricket Australia chief) literally just this morning that when I'm looking at my Instagram and I'm seeing kids, innocent kinds, videos of them dying, passing away, that's what hit me the hardest.
"I just imagine my young daughter in my arms and the same thing. I get emotional talking about it right now again. And for me, that's the reason I'm doing this. I don't have any hidden agendas.
"If anything, you know, if anything, this brings up more negativity towards me. People come and start attacking me. I don't get anything out of this. I just feel like it's my responsibility to speak up on this."
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
