By AFP 25 December 2023 | 8:31 am Philippine troops killed nine communist rebels in a series of firefights on Monday, about a month after the two sides agreed to resume peace talks, the armed forces said. Philippine troops killed nine communist rebels in a series of firefights on Monday, about a month after the two sides agreed to resume peace talks, the armed forces said. The fighting occurred in four remote villages near the southern city of Malaybalay, a military statement said, at the start of a two-day unilateral Christmas truce declared by the Philippines’ communist party and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA). The military’s Fourth Infantry Division did not immediately release details of the Malaybalay clashes that it said left nine NPA rebels dead. President Ferdinand Marcos’s government and the rebels announced last month that they intend to resume peace talks next year, following a series of failed negotiations launched by previous governments since the ouster of Marcos’s father, the late dictator, in 1986. The Maoist insurgency, one of the world’s longest-running, has claimed thousands of lives. The rebels had announced on Saturday that they would observe a two-day “suspension of tactical offensives” from Christmas Day to mark the insurgency’s 55th founding anniversary on Tuesday. The military had said it would not observe a Christmas ceasefire this year with the NPA, which it said has less than 2,000 members left after a high of around 26,000 guerrillas in the 1980s. 45 mins ago Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom has urged residents of the state to celebrate the Christmas with love, peace and unity toward one another and eschew tendencies that sought to divide the people. 52 mins ago The Acting National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon. (Arc.) Setonji Koshoedo has described Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as a selfless leader worthy of emulation. Koshoedo said this on the occasion of the governor’s birthday on December 25. “Special people are born on special days, so I celebrate with His Excellency, Governor ‘Seyi… 1 hour ago The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) command in Cross River, says a total of 2.05 tons of hard drugs were seized from drugs peddlers between January and December in the state. 1 hour ago Ukraine said Monday it had shot down 28 Russian drones out of 31 launched from the annexed Crimea peninsula, as the country celebrates Christmas on December 25 for the first time in a snub to Moscow. 1 hour ago Russia on Monday accused Western countries of stirring up tensions in Serbia, a Moscow-friendly Balkan nation that has been rocked by protests over alleged fraud in elections held on December 17. 2 hours ago Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe granted an amnesty to more than 1,000 convicts and released them from jails across the country to mark Christmas, a prisons official said Monday. 2 hours ago Lagos State Police has arrested a man identified as Emmanuel Achogwu for stealing a streetlight’s solar panels. Achogwu’s arrest was confirmed on Monday by the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin. “Recently, Lagos State Government installed some solar-powered streetlights in some parts of the state” Hundeyin posted on X. “A few… 2 hours ago Philippine troops killed nine communist rebels in a series of firefights on Monday, about a month after the two sides agreed to resume peace talks, the armed forces said. 2 hours ago The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a contractor, James Okwete. The arrest is in connection with the ongoing probe into the N37 billion allegedly laundered by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development under former Minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouk. Okwete’s arrest coincides with the probe of three other ministers, who… 2 hours ago Mr Michael David, Climate and Environmental Advocate Team Lead for Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP) has warned that food wastes especially at Christmas contribute to global warming.
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