Page 774 - War Conflict
UN court orders Nicaragua to pay USD 379,000 to Costa Rica
The UN's highest court today ordered Nicaragua to pay less than USD 380,000 to Costa Rica in compensation for damaging protected wetlands on the river San Juan. The sum was well below the USD 6.7 million demanded by Costa Rica for the environmental harm done to the area, and to compensate its efforts to restore it. "The court concludes that the total amount of compensation to be awarded to Costa Rica is USD 378,890.59," judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf told the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Managua has until April 2 to pay the amount, after which it will incur a higher rate of interest, judge Yusuf warned at the court in The Hague, in what was its first ever ruling for environmental damage. The dispute centres on a tract of land known in Costa Rica as Isla Portillos and in Nicaragua as Harbour Head -- a biological preserve lying in a border area long disputed by both Central American nations. The compensation ruling came more than two years after the ICJ found that ..
No counter FIR by Army in firing incident: Mehbooba
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said the Army had not filed any counter FIR in a firing incident in Shopian district in which civilians were killed.
Putin marks 75 years since Battle of Stalingrad victory
Russia today marked 75 years since the Soviet Union's victory in the major World War II Battle of Stalingrad, extolled as a symbol of the country's resilience at a time when President Vladimir Putin campaigns for his fourth term. Putin flew to Volgograd, the current name of the city, which staged a military parade involving about 1,500 troops, armoured vehicles and jets flying over a crowd of spectators bundled up to protect against the sub-zero temperatures. The 1942-43 battle in the Volga river city was one of the bloodiest in history. It was a disastrous loss for Nazi Germany, and is glorified by Russia as the event that saved Europe from Adolf Hitler. "There was no other such battle in the history of mankind," Putin told a crowd of veterans he met at the Volgograd philharmonic for a concert commemorating the event. "The unified resistance and readiness for self-sacrifice were truly undefeatable, incomprehensible and frightful for the enemy." "Defenders of Stalingrad .
Lebanon museum unveils artefacts looted during civil war
Lebanon's national museum today unveiled five ancient sculptures, including a Phoenician bull's head returned by the United States, that were looted during the civil war. The life-size 4th century BC white marble bull's head, the star artefact among the works that were all looted in 1981, had been loaned to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). The five pieces were discovered on the Phoenician site of Eshmun, near the southern port city of Sidon, during excavations carried out in the 1960s and 1970s. "We are committed, as much as we can, to repatriating pieces stolen during the war," Lebanese Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury said during a ceremony at the National Museum of Beirut. Lebanon's civil war lasted 15 years from 1975 to 1990. The five statues were stolen from a storeroom in Byblos and later surfaced "on the international antiquity market", the culture ministry said in a statement. They were repatriated over the past two months. The bull's head had been ...
Pakistan is Taliban's Headquarters: Ghani
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has alleged that Pakistan is the "headquarters" of the Taliban.In a TV speech on Friday, Afghan President demanded that Pakistan should start taking immediate action against the insurgents instead of making pledges.He also highlighted that they have shared a list of individuals who plotted recent attacks in Kabul and expects "practical steps" from Pakistan.Earlier this week, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry Office said they have handed at least 27 suspects belonging to Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network to Afghanistan.The extradition of the suspects took place back in November 2017, before Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's maiden visit to Kabul.However, the handover had been kept confidential till now.Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry Office declined to share more details of the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network.Kabul in the past asked Islamabad to hand over the Afghan Taliban suspects who are allegedly hiding in Pakistan.Also, this was the ..
Rs 69 lakh looted from Jharkhand bank
Unidentified masked criminals looted Rs 69 lakh at gunpoint from a Bank of Baroda branch in Jharkhand's Jamtara district on Friday.
China in talks over military base in remote Afghanistan:
Worried about militants sneaking into a restive Chinese region from war-torn Afghanistan, Beijing is in talks with Kabul over the construction of a military base, Afghan officials say, as it seeks to shore up its fragile neighbour. The army camp will be built in Afghanistan's remote and mountainous Wakhan Corridor, where witnesses have reported seeing Chinese and Afghan troops on joint patrols. The freezing, barren panhandle of land -- bordering China's tense Xinjiang region -- is so cut off from the rest of Afghanistan that many inhabitants are unaware of the Afghan conflict, scraping out harsh but peaceful lives. However they retain strong links with neighbours in Xinjiang, and with so few travellers in the region local interest in the Chinese visitors has been high, residents told AFP on a recent visit there. China's involvement in the base comes as President Xi Jinping seeks to extend Beijing's economic and geopolitical clout. The Chinese are pouring billions of ...
Pune girl tops CDS exams
Pune law student Shruti V. Shrikhande has emerged as the national topper among girls in the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exams.
Afghan president slams Pakistan for harbouring Taliban
The Afghan president slammed Pakistan today, blaming it for a wave of massive deadly attacks that have ravaged his nation recently and accusing Islamabad of harbouring the Taliban. In a televised speech to the nation, Ashraf Ghani insisted the "centre of Taliban terrorism is in Pakistan" and demanded that authorities in the neighbouring country "show some concrete action to rid their territory of insurgents." Ghani, flanked by Afghanistan's top Islamic clerics, also urged those among the Taliban who wanted to talk peace with the government to separate themselves from those who want only to fight. On Wednesday, Afghan officials visited Pakistan with what they describe as evidence of Taliban attacks emanating from militant training centres in Pakistan. Afghanistan's Intelligence Chief Masoom Stanikzai and Interior Minister Wais Ahmed Barmak presented documentation and confessions from arrested insurgents claiming to have been trained in Islamic seminaries in Pakistan. "The
Two women killed in Afghanistan explosion
Two women were killed and five persons were injured in an explosion in Afghanistan's Ghani province on Friday, an official said.
Wanted criminal killed in encounter
Indrapal, a criminal, was killed in an encounter with Special Task Force (STF) and Uttar Pradesh police on Friday.Indrapal was wanted in 30 cases of murder and loot.He was carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head.During the encounter, a Sub-Inspector (SI) of STF also got injured.
Afghan prez vows revenge after 11 detained over deadly attacks
Eleven people have been detained over a spate of deadly attacks in Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani said today, as he vowed to take revenge for the bloodshed. The government is under growing public pressure to improve security in the Afghan capital after three major attacks in the past two weeks demonstrated the ability of militants to strike at the heart of the country. Since January 20, militants have stormed a luxury hotel, bombed a crowded street and raided a military compound in Kabul, killing more than 130 people. A British charity in the eastern city of Jalalabad was also attacked. Officials said five people were killed. "People will not forget. Even if it takes a hundred years, the Afghans will take their revenge," Ghani said in a televised address to the nation after Friday prayers. He gave no further details about the 11 detained. Officials would submit a new security plan for Kabul on Sunday, Ghani said, speaking inside the heavily fortified presidential ...
Afghan forces uncover IS hideout house in Kabul district
Afghan security forces have uncovered an Islamic State hideout this week in a poor western neighbourhood of the capital, Kabul. An intelligence official says the IS house, hidden behind 10-foot green metal doors in the Qala-e-Wahid neighbourhood was packed with explosives, weapons and suicide vests when security forces found it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with his agency's regulations. He says the security forces were led to the house by an insurgent who was captured during Monday's IS attack on a military academy in Kabul, in which 11 soldiers died. Khan Mohammed, a resident of Qala-e-Wahid, says the locals rarely see a police patrol in their neighbourhood and stay at home after dark because of marauding gangs of thieves. They say the government can't provide security.
Libya destroys over 200 tonnes of war remnants
Libya has destroyed over 200 tonnes of remnants of war with the support of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), officials said.
India calls for peace in Maldives
India on Friday called for peace and stability in the Maldives after clashes erupted in the Indian Ocean archipelago after the Supreme Court ordered the release of exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed along with other high-profile prisoners.
'China in talks over military base in remote Afghanistan'
Worried about militants sneaking into a restive Chinese region from war-torn Afghanistan, Beijing is in talks with Kabul over the construction of a military base, Afghan officials say, as it seeks to shore up its fragile neighbour. The army camp will be built in Afghanistan's remote and mountainous Wakhan Corridor, where witnesses have reported seeing Chinese and Afghan troops on joint patrols. The freezing, barren panhandle of land -- bordering China's tense Xinjiang region -- is so cut off from the rest of Afghanistan that many inhabitants are unaware of the Afghan conflict, scraping out harsh but peaceful lives. However they retain strong links with neighbours in Xinjiang, and with so few travellers in the region local interest in the Chinese visitors has been high, residents told AFP on a recent visit there. China's involvement in the base comes as President Xi Jinping seeks to extend Beijing's economic and geopolitical clout. The Chinese are pouring billions of ...
Geelani, Mirwaiz defy house arrest in Srinagar
Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq were on Friday detained after they defied house arrest while Yasin Malik was arrested for trying to take out a march in Shopian town against civilian killings in the Kashmir Valley.
Pak SC seeks report on citizen's foreign bank accounts
Pakistan's Supreme Court has taken suo motu notice of funds deposited in foreign bank accounts and foreign assets held by Pakistani citizens.According to Dawn, the court has ordered the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to furnish on Febuary 15 a comprehensive report regarding steps taken to identify the citizens, who hold accounts in foreign jurisdictions.The SBP, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the finance ministry are also required to submit report on the steps taken.Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Military Intelligence and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) are also directed to share their information with the court.Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Mian Saqib Nisar stressed upon that many Pakistanis in positions of power hold accounts in foreign banks and have been looting the country's money and transferring it abroad through illegal channels.The CJP observed that the money looted has to be brought back ..
Thums Up's launch in other South Asian nations by March
Beverages major Coca-Cola India is planning to take the home-grown Thums Up brand to other South Asian countries by March, an official said here on Friday.
Chandan's kin provided security after his father threatened
Family members of Chandan Gupta, who was killed in violence here last week, were provided security after his father alleged that he received threats from some people, police said today. Sushil Gupta, the father of the 22-year-old college student, alleged that he was sitting outside his house when some people on a bike and threatened him. "Our lives are under threat, we demand licence for firearms for our safety and security," he told reporters here. Security was provided to Chandan's family after his father claimed that he had received threats, a senior police official told mediapersons. Communal clashes broke out in this western Uttar Pradesh town after stones were pelted on a 'Tiranga Yatra' taken out to celebrate the Republic Day. The police said some people were riding motorcycles carrying the tricolour and were chanting Vante Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai. When they reached a minority community-dominated locality, some "anti-social elements" pelted stones and opened