NEW YORK (Xinhua) – The United Nations observed the first International Day to Combat Islamophobia with a special event, emphasizing the need for concrete action against rising hatred, discrimination, and violence against Muslims. The observation followed the unanimous adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution last year, which proclaimed March 15 as such an international day, calling for global dialogue that promotes tolerance, peace, respect for human rights and religious diversity. Nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide face bigotry and prejudice solely because of their faith, according to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Moreover, Muslim women face “triple discrimination” because of their gender, ethnicity, and faith. Discrimination towards any group “diminishes us all,” said Guterres, urging people to stand up against it. Guterres highlighted UN measures such as a Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites and called for ramping up political, cultural, and economic investments in social cohesion.

***
MEXICO CITY (AFP) – Colombia’s government and the left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group have hailed progress in their efforts to end decades of armed conflict in the South American nation, as a second round of peace talks concluded in Mexico City. The negotiations come as part of an effort by President Gustavo Petro – the country’s first left-wing leader and former M-19 rebel – to reach peace or surrender deals with armed groups and bring “total peace” to Colombia. The ELN, founded by Catholic priests in 1964, is the country’s largest remaining rebel organization. “We took the first steps to firm up a bilateral, national and temporary ceasefire which will create better conditions for Colombians’ mobilization and participation in the peace process,” the ELN’s Pablo Beltran said. Otty Patino, the head of the Colombian government’s delegation, said creating a ceasefire will be a top challenge for the next cycle of talks set to take place in Cuba, as will developing a “pilot plan” for peace and expanding participation in the negotiations.

***
WARSAW (RT) – The number of shoplifting crimes in Poland increased by almost a third in 2022, newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported citing police data. Statistics showed that the number of thefts increased by as much as 31.1% on an annual basis, to over 32,000 cases. Out of 16 Polish regions, only Lublin reportedly did not record an increase in such crimes. The rise in theft is “a clear signal of trouble on the market,” the president of the Polish Trade and Distribution Organization Renata Juszkiewicz was quoted as saying. Soaring prices have been pushing people to commit such crimes, she suggested, adding that it is “a huge challenge” for stores while prompting further increases in operating costs. The report indicated that food was stolen most of all, followed by luxury data-x-items such as expensive perfumes and spirits, as well as small electronics. The Polish economy slowed in 2022 amid soaring inflation and a plunge in consumer spending brought on by the conflict in neighboring Ukraine and the impact of sanctions on Russia.

***
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) – The Daesh group has issued a statement claiming responsibility for killing more than 35 people and wounding dozens in eastern Congo. In the statement, posted by Aamaq, the militants’ news agency, it said it killed the victims with guns and knives and destroyed their property in Mukondi village in North Kivu province. It also published a photo of the houses on fire. The announcement comes after local authorities confirmed that at least 45 people were killed last week in several attacks on different villages by militants from the Allied Democratic Forces, a militia with links to Daesh. Conflict has been simmering in eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups fight for power, influence and resources, and some to protect their communities. The ADF has been largely active in North Kivu province but has recently extended its operations into neighboring Ituri province and to areas near the regional capital, Goma. Efforts to stem the violence against ADF have yielded little.

***
NEW DELHI (Al Jazeera) – Police in India have arrested three men in eastern Bihar state in connection with the death of a Muslim man who was attacked because he was suspected of carrying beef, a police official said. The victim, Naseem Qureshi, 56, died earlier this week after being attacked by a mob on suspicion of carrying beef, the sale and consumption of which is restricted in some parts of the country by local governments. Qureshi was allegedly surrounded by more than 20 people and attacked, according to a police statement in court. Police intervened but he died on the way to the hospital, according to the statement. Ramchandra Tiwari, head of Rasulpur police station in Bihar, where the crime took place, told Reuters news agency by phone on Saturday that three people were arrested. Cows are sacred in Hinduism, and there have been frequent attacks on those accused of killing them for meat or leather, predominantly Muslims.

***
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Emergency officials in several California counties spent patrolling levies and swollen rivers as an “atmospheric river” storm drenched the already-sodden state with torrential rains, causing floods that washed out roads and prompted evacuations. The latest deluge from dense streams of Pacific moisture sweeping California’s skies soaked some mountain areas still clogged with piles of snow dumped by a recent spate of paralyzing blizzards, while bringing even more snow to higher elevations. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said it was investigating what role, if any, late-February snowstorms may have played in the demise of at least eight people, most of them elderly, found to have died alone while snowbound in their homes over the past two weeks. Residents in the town of Big Bear and nearby mountain enclaves have said their communities were ill-prepared for the severity of winter storms that local authorities called unprecedented for Southern California’s high country.