Sixteen people were killed and 39 injured as security forces clashed with Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka's embattled north and east, the two sides reported yesterday.
Four soldiers died in the northern district of Mannar early yesterday when the rebels tried to breach a security line, the military said, placing guerrilla losses at nine killed and 36 injured.
A road-side bomb killed a university lecturer and a civil servant in the northern district of Jaffna yesterday, the defense ministry said, blaming the attack on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The ministry said the rebels had targeted soldiers on foot patrol. Three soldiers escaped with injuries while the two civilians died in the blast.
Nine rebels were killed and 36 wounded in one battle in the northwestern district of Mannar on Monday, after at least 10 rebels and possibly more than 20 were killed in two other clashes in the north the same day.
The LTTE, who say they are fighting for an independent state for minority ethnic Tamils in the north and east, said on Monday 10 of their fighters were killed in two separate clashes. The military put the rebel death toll at more than 20.
The LTTE yesterday called for international pressure to be cranked up to force the Sri Lankan government to halt military operations and return to peace negotiations.
The LTTE, commonly referred to as the Tamil Tigers, accused Colombo in a statement of pursuing a military campaign and committing human rights abuses.
The timing of the statement was intended to coincide with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's address to the UN in New York later yesterday.
The LTTE wants the international community to push the Colombo administration to honor a 2002 ceasefire arranged by peace broker Norway. The truce is in tatters after an escalation of fighting since December 2005.
They also accused the government of making "schizophrenic public statements" on how it plans to find a solution to the conflict, which has claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands since the war erupted in 1983.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
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