You've my total commitment to reject anti-Muslim bigotry, hate: UN chief to OIC members
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced his "total commitment" to rejecting anti-Muslim bigotry, hate and all forms of intolerance, urging all to draw from Ramzan the lessons of compassion, mutual respect and solidarity.
Guterres, in his remarks on Friday to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states on "COVID-19 Solidarity: Promoting Co-Existence and Shared Responsibility", called for solidarity in speaking out against the rise in ethno-nationalism, stigma and hate speech targeting vulnerable communities and exacerbating suffering.
"Now more than ever, solidarity and unity must be our leading principles... We also need solidarity in speaking out against the rise in ethno-nationalism, stigma and hate speech targeting vulnerable communities and exacerbating suffering.
"You have my total commitment to actively challenge inaccurate and harmful messages, promote non-violence and reject anti-Muslim bigotry, hate and all forms of intolerance," he said.
With millions around the world observing Eid in the shadow of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, Guterres said that the pandemic has demonstrated the world's inter-connections, inter-dependence and also "our fragility. Our world is like one body. As long as one part is affected by this virus, we all are affected".
The UN chief said that as "millions of Muslims around the world celebrate, let us draw from the many Ramzan lessons of mercy and compassion, of dignity and rights, of mutual respect and understanding, of unity and solidarity".
As the world faces a humanitarian and economic crisis due to the pandemic, Guterres underlined the need for solidarity for a large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive health response, guided by the World Health Organization (WHO), with a focus on developing countries, pooling efforts for those at greatest risk, and strengthening health systems as well as humanitarian response.
"Solidarity in tackling the devastating social and economic dimensions of the crisis keeping households afloat and businesses solvent. And prioritising the most affected: women, older people, children, low-wage earners and other vulnerable groups.
"Solidarity for peace. And I thank so many of you for supporting my appeal for a global ceasefire to focus on the fight against the virus," he said.
The UN chief also expressed his gratitude to governments and people throughout the Muslim world who live by their faith, supporting those fleeing conflict in the best Islamic tradition of "hospitality and generosity a remarkable lesson in this world where so many doors have been closed to those in need of protection, even before COVID-19".
The OIC, an international organisation comprising 57 member states, states that it is "the collective voice of the Muslim world" and works to "safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony".
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Rupee falls 21 paise to 91.29 against US dollar in early trade
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Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 21 paise to 91.29 against the US dollar on Monday, amid higher crude oil prices, a strong American currency and intense global volatility due to the escalated Middle East tension.
Negative equity market sentiment and massive withdrawal of foreign funds also weighed on the Indian currency, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 91.23 and declined further to 91.29 against the greenback in initial deals, trading 21 paise down from its previous closing level.
On Friday, the rupee lost 17 paise to settle at 91.08 against the dollar.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.22 per cent higher at 97.78.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was up 3.91 per cent at 76.78 per barrel in futures trade.
Analysts said that crude prices soared after the US and Israel launched military strikes against Iran.
In the latest strike, the US and Israel forces pounded targets across Iran on Sunday, dropping massive bombs on the country's ballistic missile sites and wiping out warships. The attack was intensified after the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Experts say that India faces the risk of a sharp increase in its import bill with the rising crude prices in the international market as the country's 85 per cent fuel requirement is met through imports.
On the domestic equity market front, the Sensex tumbled 691.47 points or 0.85 per cent to 80,595.72, while Nifty tanked 240.95 points or 0.96 per cent to 24,937.70 in early trade.
On Friday, foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 7,536.36 crore, according to exchange data.
According to the government data released on Friday following a revamp of the GDP calculation framework, the country's economic growth has been projected at 7.6 per cent in the currency fiscal.
The latest RBI data released on Friday showed India's forex reserve dropped by USD 2.119 billion to USD 723.608 billion during the week ended February 20. The overall reserves had jumped by USD 8.663 billion to an all-time high of USD 725.727 billion in the previous reporting week.
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