The Philippine army was due to briefly put on hold its battle against insurgents while political squabbling is also suspended as the country prepared to cheer on boxer Manny Pacquiao in a world title fight in Las Vegas, reports said yesterday.
Military chief General Hermogenes Esperon told the Philippine Star newspaper that the armed forces would have a unilateral ceasefire against the communist rebel New People's Army (NPA) from 8am today to the end of Pacquiao's fight.
"We will have a suspension of military operations with the NPA except when you have to act against [the] enemy," Esperon said.
He expressed hope that the NPA would reciprocate.
"They shouldn't make trouble. Everybody wants to witness another win of Pacquiao," the Star quoted Esperon as saying.
The nation was expected to come to a standstill as Pacquiao tried to wrest the World Boxing Council (WBC) superfeatherweight title from Mexico's Juan Miguel Marquez in Las Vegas.
Prominent officials and showbiz stars were on their way to the US for the fight, which was be aired live on television in the Philippines.
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said she was extending her full support for Pacquiao, recalling that during his past bouts traffic and crime virtually ceased.
Arroyo's chief aide, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that "there will be a ceasefire for a day."
Ermita added that this "might help reduce the tension gripping the country today," referring to the protracted opposition campaign to unseat Arroyo who has been accused of corruption and vote fraud.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later