Portugal nominates former UNHCR chief for post of UN secretary-general

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Tuesday 01 Mar 2016 - 11:06 Makkah mean time-21-5-1437 Former UNHCR Antonio Guterres (Image from Internet) Lisbon (IINA) – The government of Portugal said Monday it proposed Antonio Guterres, a former UN high commissioner for refugees, as a candidate for UN secretary-general, Reuters reported. Guterres was Portugal's prime minister between 1995 and 2002 and served two terms as UN high commissioner from 2005 until last year. "With this step, Portugal actively contributes to the selection process by presenting a candidate who is exceptionally well qualified to be the next Secretary-General of the United Nations," the prime minister's office said in a statement. The prime minister wrote on Monday to the presidents of the UN General Assembly and Security Council to formally submit Guterres' candidacy. Guterres led UNHCR at the beginning of the refugee crisis caused by the war in Syria, which is posing increasing challenges for Europe. Ban Ki-moon, the current UN secretary-general, took office in January 2007 and is due to serve until the end of 2016. AB/IINA

Islamophobic crimes on the rise, go unpunished in Europe: Experts

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Tuesday 01 Mar 2016 - 11:01 Makkah mean time-21-5-1437 (Pic: Anadolu Agency) Vienna (IINA) – The Muslim communities in Europe not only face an increase in number of Islamophobic hate crimes since the recent attacks in Paris, but they also suffer due to legal loopholes that allow such offenses to go unpunished, experts told Anadolu Agency (AA). Discrimination against Muslims in Europe has increased since the November 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and injured many others, Bekir Gunes, head of Belgium-based think tank, Thinkout, told AA on February 19. Gunes noted that security policies in Europe were making a direct impact on the rights of Muslims, saying: “Our rights should not be restricted on the pretext of terrorist incidents.” He added there were certain legal loopholes in Europe that did not punish people who commit Islamophobic crimes. “In most places you cannot open a case personally [over a complaint of Islamophobic crime],” he said, adding that certain new legal arrangements for such crimes should be made. Azra Junuzovic, the deputy chief of the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Unit under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, was quoted by AA as saying on February 19 that intolerance and discrimination against Muslims posed a serious problem. He also said discrimination against Muslims is on the rise, according to recent research. More than 40 million Muslims live in Europe, according to the U.S.-based think tank Pew. AB/IINA

OICcondemns suicide bomb attack in Somalia

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Tuesday 01 Mar 2016 - 10:58 Makkah mean time-21-5-1437 OIC chief Iyad Madani Jeddah (IINA) – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned Sunday's twin terrorist attacks on a restaurant in the southern Somali city of Baidoa that killed at least 30 innocent people and injured over 61 others. OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani expressed dismay over the horrendous attack claimed by Al-Shabaab militant group, and denounced the act as a criminal and callous. Madani noted that the Somalis are trying to rebuild their country and those militants should join the peace building process and think of what is good for the country. He conveyed his deep sympathy to the families of the deceased as well as to the government of Somalia and wished a quick recovery to those injured. While appealing to the Somali authorities to intensify their counter terrorism efforts, the Secretary General reassured them of OIC's determination to continue to support them in their endeavor to restore durable peace, stability and development to Somalia. AB/IINA