DUBLIN, 20 September 2020 (Conor Trindle): The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday updated the government's 'Green List' of countries on the basis of the current ECDC data.

This is in line with the government's decision to include EU /EEA countries with a 14-day cumulative disease incidence rate of 25 or less per 100,000, based on data provided by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC). The changes to the list will take effect from midnight on Monday.

The list of countries will be Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Irish citizens considering travel to these locations are being made aware that these countries continue to announce new restrictions on arrivals from abroad, including the requirements to quarantine on entry. This can include restrictions on arrivals from Ireland.

"The government agreed that Ireland should broadly support the European Commission proposal for a common approach to travel within the EU / EEA, which is currently under discussion in Brussels. Between now and the EU signing off on a system, Ireland's Green List will be updated on a weekly basis. The changes announced today will come into effect on Monday. People should use our travel advice to carefully consider their need to go abroad and take into account the restrictions that other countries may have on travellers from Ireland," the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said Thursday.

With effect from Monday 21 September, Cyprus, Germany, Poland and Iceland have been added to the list and their security status rating has been changed to "normal precautions". From Monday 21 September onwards, passengers arriving in Ireland from these countries will not be requested to restrict their movement.

With effect from Monday 21 September, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Greece, Norway and Estonia have been removed from the list, and their security status rating has been changed to 'avoid non-essential travel.' Passengers arriving in Ireland from these locations will be requested to restrict their movements.

The general advisory to avoid non-essential travel remains in place, the department says, except for countries on the 'Green List', and for certain exempted categories. The security rating for countries on the 'Green List' is 'Normal Precautions' (green).

The government says citizens should be aware that many countries, including some of those on the Green List, are imposing quarantine, testing or other restrictions on arrivals from abroad. This can include restrictions on arrivals from Ireland. Citizens who are considering travel to particular locations are advised to monitor news and information from the public authorities in their destination, the department said.

Reviews to the Green List will take place on a weekly basis, using the ECDC data published every Thursday, with any changes to the list taking effect from the following Monday.

SRINAGAR, 19 September 2020, (TON): Indian puppet Jammu and Kashmir government has notified new housing policy 2020, with a set target to construct one lakh residential units in next five years, for marginalized section and lower income groups.

A notification issued by Jammu and Kashmir Housing and Urban Development Department reads: “In supersession of all the previous policies/notifications/orders on the issue and in the interest of general public, the government of Jammu and Kashmir hereby notifies the Jammu and Kashmir Housing, Affordable Housing, Slum Redevelopment and Rehabilitation and Township Policy -2020.”

Under the policy, the government has set an initial target of 1 lakh dwelling units to be constructed over the next five years for economically weaker section and lower income group households.

As per the sources in Jammu, already multiple stories apartments and houses have been built in Jammu and Srinagar and other localities to settle mostly non-Kashmiris and Government Servants. Separate scheme have been announced by Hindus of Jammu and other districts.

GENEVA, 17 September 2020 (TON): United Nations Organization’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for positive move on Kashmir and cautioned India that restriction on movement of Kashmiris could exacerbate human rights situation in the region.

UN Chief made a statement and asked both, India and Pakistan that, “it is absolutely essential to move forward in a positive way”. He said, “I made a statement last year and I maintain it today.” While expressing concern over reports of restrictions on movement on the Indian-side he said, “The position of the United Nations on this region is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions,” and “it could exacerbate the human rights situation in the region.”

TEHRAN, 17 September 2020 (TON): Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed the US State Department chief Mike Pompeo secretary's tweets “as “a psychotic reaction to Washington's successive defeats”, on the issue of execution of Iranian convict Navid Afkari as Iran's internal affairs. The spokesman underlined that the U.S. government itself has the darkest human rights record as there is no single day without protests from the American people against violence, discrimination and racism. He added, "Unfortunately, the U.S. state secretary, who is witnessing the failure of the policy of maximum pressure and unilateralism on Iran more and more, is attempting desperately to retrieve part of the lost prestige of Trump's regime by claiming to advocate human rights."

SWITZERLAND, 17 September 2020 (TON): Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , Director General World Health Organisation  said in a statement that more than 170 countries have joined the World Health Organisation’s COVAX global vaccine plan to help buy and distribute immunisation shots for COVID-19 fairly around the world.  The deadline ends on Friday to join the facility.

The WHO and the GAVI vaccine alliance are leading the COVAX facility, which aims to procure and deliver 2 billion doses of approved vaccines by the end of 2021.

VENEZUELA, 17 September 2020 (TON):UN appointed panel of investigators that published its findings on 16 September 2020. As part of their work, the investigators examined 16 police, military or joint operations that resulted in 53 extrajudicial executions. They also reviewed 2,552 more incidents involving 5,094 killings by security forces, not all of which were arbitrary. 

The investigators highlighted “Senior military and ministerial figures were likely aware of the crimes”. The Report said, “They gave orders, coordinated activities and supplied resources in furtherance of the plans and policies under which the crimes were committed.” It highlighted, that President Nicolas Maduro also likely side-tracked the chain of command, to ensure the commission of crimes, including the head of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN).

Investigator Francisco Cox claimed in the report, “We have reasonable grounds to believe that the President Maduro did give orders to the director of SEBIN as to who to target”.. “After that, these people were surveilled, information was gathered, their communications were intercepted and finally they would be detained without judicial order, just because there was such an order by the President.” He pointed out, “We have involvement on contribution to the crime by Mr. Maduro, either directly through the chain of command”, or sometimes bypassing commanders, “and giving the direct order.”

The Report said, “Increasingly violent response” to mass opposition protests including last year. Alleged violations included the killing of 36 protesters, as well as torture in detention, including beatings and humiliation, sexual and gender-based violence and mock executions. 

The Report said that these crimes were part of a widespread and systematic course of conduct, thus amounting to crimes against humanity and call further action by the International Criminal Court (ICC), along with justice and reparations for the victims and their families.

If we recall in March 2020, the United States announced a reward of $15 m for information leading Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s arrest. The US charged Venezuela's President and other senior officials in the country with narco-terrorism, flooding the US with cocaine and using drugs as a weapon to undermine the health of Americans. US and Venezuela remained biter enemies of each other.

SRINAGAR, 17 September 2020 (TON): In a hardcore operation, on 17 September 2020, in which beside Indian army troops, personnel of Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) carried out joint operation in Batmaloo area, Srinagar. As per the witnesses, four dead bodies were brought at 92 Base hospital. It was also reported that a Kashmiri woman identified as Kounsar Riyaz resident of Batmaloo was also seriously injured and admitted at the same hospital. Indian authorities claimed that the slain Kashmiris were hardcore militants.        

Despite the claims by the Indian authorities that the law and order situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir has improved the things are moving from bad to worse. Few days back, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy while giving statistics at Rajya Sabha, New Delhi about the law and order situation in disputed Jammu and Kashmir State informed the House that since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution from period, 5 August 2019 to 10 September 2020, a total of 45 civilians and 49 security personnel were killed due to militancy-related incidents. He claimed that prior to the abrogation of Article 370 from 29 June 2018 to 4 August 2019, there were the figures were much higher. 

There is no doubt that it has become a routine that Indian Army and security forces kill Kashmiri youth in illegal confinement and extra judicial custody and later pronounce that they are killed in encounters or joint operations.  However, it is a common observation that dead bodies are brought at the site of joint operation and it is later claimed that the killed Kashmiris are militants killed in an encounter.

Today also Kashmiris took to the streets to protest. This time it was against extra judicial killing of Irfan Ahmed Dar in a fake encounter. Their demand is simple, “handing over of the dead body of Irfan Ahmad Dar”. As usual puppets of Indian fed Jammu and Kashmir Police proudly read out statement from the script written by Indian agencies, “the dead youth was an over-ground worker (OGW) for militants and had was trying to escape taking advantage of darkness and terrain so he was killed and some recovery from the site of encounter has also been made.”

As per the details, on 15 September 2020, Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operation Group (SOG) raided the house of Irfan Ahmad Dar, a 23-year-old shopkeeper, at Sidiq Colony in Sopore, district Baramulla and arrested some of his family members including his brother Javed. Irfan Ahmed Dar was arrested from his shop near his house was dragged to unidentified location by Indian Military Intelligence (MI) and Police personnel. Javid was released on 16 September 2020 but Irfan Ahmad Dar was claimed to be killed in an encounter while making an attempt to escape.  

The deteriorating security situation in Kashmir has turned from bad to worse but Indian occupying security apparatus, the Indian Army and the puppet administration in disputed Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir State are not pushed. For them Muslim and Hindu Kashmiris are just kile undesirable insects or weeds to be eliminated. The Indian Army and security apparatus have killed hundreds and thousands of Kashmiri Muslim youth so killing of 23-year-old Irfan Ahmed Dar in Tujjar area  of Sopore is nothing new or extra ordinary that Indian should feel ashamed of. Indian Army and the security apparatus in occupied Jammu and Kashmir State are deployed in bulk for same purpose; to kill all those who raise their voices for their right of sef determination on the basis of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.

According to the statement by Jammu and Kashmir Police, “Irfan Ahmed Dar was arrested for his involvement in terrorist activities and two Chinese Hand Grenades were also recovered from his possession”.  An FIR (257/2020) was registered at the Sopore Police Station under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which read, “During the course of investigation, a police team visited Chairdaji area of Tujjar Sharief along with OGW for affecting some more recovery on the disclosure of the OGW. The OGW while taking advantage of darkness and terrain managed to escape regarding which a separate Case FIR No. 71/2020 U/S 224 IPC was registered in Police Station Bomai and during search the body of OGW was found near Stone Quarry of Tujjar Sharief.”

Interestingly, the only demand of the Kashmirs is that they should be handed over the dead body Irfan Ahmad Dar but Indian authorities are not prepared to do that. Since the outbreak of so called COVID-19, the Indian puppet administration, the Indian Army and Para military Forces in disputed Jammu and Kashmir State secretly burry the bodies of those who are tagged as militants  or killed in so called encounters. When TON asked one of the members of Jammu and Kashmir Police, he said, “This is being done to prevent large gathering at Muslims’ funerals for killed militants.”  He added, “We have instruction from the Crops Commander and the Governor not to hand over the body of Irfan Ahmed Dar to his family and secretly burry the militant.”

Indian authorities have ordered an inquiry but thousand of such inquiries have been held in the past without results. Even Indian Supreme Court has censured Indian Army and Para Military Forces for fake encounters and extra judicial killings. But rather controlling barbaric actions, it resulted in abrogation of Article 370 and 35 (A) to include disputed State of Jammu and Kashmir, which is still under the United Nations mandate as disputed State, as integral part of India. One wonders where is the conscience of United Nations Organization (UNO), European Union (EU), Human Rights organizations and civilized countries of the world, who are still busy in holding human rights conferences, seminars and talks in world renowned Five Star Hotels. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

KABUL, 16 September 2020 (TON): The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on15 September extending the UN political mission in Afghanistan for another year  and welcoming the start of negotiations between representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban, encouraging the warring parties to aim for a permanent cease-fire.

Adopting Resolution 2543 (2020) unanimously, the 15-member Council decided to extend the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) mandate until 17 September 2021.

The Security Council called for women and young people to be included in peace negotiations and underlined 'that the economic, social, political and development gains made in the last 19 years, including in the field of human rights, especially the rights of women, children and minorities, must be protected and built upon.'

The Council expressed deep concern over the current high level of violence in Afghanistan, especially the number of civilian casualties. It also reaffirmed that neither the Taliban nor any other Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any other country.

GHAZA, 16 September 2020 (TON): Amid Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's signing of normalisation deals with the UAE and Bahrain in Washington, at least two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip by unidentified miscreant elements that landed inside Israel. The Israeli authority claims that one of rocket was intercepted by Israel's anti-missile system while the other hit Ashdod, wounding at least two people. Palestinian factions operating in Gaza had denied any involvement and claimed that it was an Israeli conspiracy to target Hamas. Palestinians said that they carried out only peaceful protests and demonstrations in the Palestinian territories.

Israel bombed Gaza on Wednesday morning after rocket fire from the territory coinciding with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's signing of normalisation deals with the UAE and Bahrain in Washington. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas issued a statement claiming that the deals would not achieve peace in the region until the US and Israel acknowledged the right of self determination of the people of Palestine. President Mahmud Abbas warned that "attempts to bypass the Palestinian people and its leadership, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organisation, will have dangerous consequences".