Tamil Tiger rebels said yesterday that they are ready to resume stalled peace talks with the Sri Lankan government based on their proposal for self-rule.
"The Liberation Tigers are fully prepared to resume the negotiations ... talks can begin when the government of Sri Lanka says it is ready," the Tigers' political chief, S.P. Thamilselvan, was quoted as saying on the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site.
Thamilselvan conveyed the rebels' stand during discussions with Norwegian peace-brokers in the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi earlier yesterday.
The rebel leader stressed that the group is prepared to resume negotiations on its blueprint for self-rule, called the Interim Self-Governing Authority, the Web site said.
The discussions were held one day after mediator Eric Solheim and Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesenmet with President Chandrika Kumaratunga and said talks between the insurgents and government were unlikely to resume anytime soon.
Kumaratunga's government and a Marxist party, her junior coalition partner, have in the past criticized the Norwegian-brokered peace process and have rejected the Tigers' proposal for wide autonomy.
"It might take some time before the parties are in a position to return to the negotiation table," Helgesen said in a statement after Sunday's meeting.
He didn't give reasons why talks might not resume soon but he urged both sides to abide by a ceasefire agreement signed two years ago.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS