Finland’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention has formally taken effect, six months after notification was submitted to the United Nations. The decision allows Finland to plan for the reintroduction of landmines while maintaining its international legal obligations. Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, which also share borders with Russia, have already completed their withdrawal from the treaty.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found the number of personnel deployed on peacekeeping operations around the world fell by over 40 percent between the years 2015 and 2024 because of budget cuts, refusal of host states and geopolitical tensions, and noted the growing reliance being placed on private military companies.
Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony Tuesday left for Japan on a daylong visit where he is expected to explore opportunities for furthering the bilateral military relations in global and regional security matters, maritime security, anti-piracy operations, counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance.
India came out in all out support for a Palestinian bid for membership of the United Nations as a Security Council committee met behind closed doors to begin considering its application.
An Indian Army aviation unit, comprising six light helicopters and 70 personnel, will leave Wednesday for a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Congo’s restive Kivu province.
India will focus on the issue of UN peacekeeping during its UN Security Council presidency for the month of August, Hardeep Singh Puri, Permanent Representative of India to the UN has said.
India has been elected to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member, along with four other countries on Tuesday. In the first round, India got 187 votes, the highest number of the winning candidates, South Africa got 182 and both Pakistan and Swaziland got 01 vote each, presumably their own.
On a specific request from the Seychelles, Defense Minister AK Antony has agreed to provide one new Dornier and two Chetak helicopters from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for maritime surveillance at the earliest.
