President of Benin to visit Algeria on Monday

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Monday 02 Feb 2015 - 11:29 Makkah mean time-13-4-1436 Algiers (IINA) – Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi will start on Monday a three-day visit to Algeria, at the invitation of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria Press Service (APS) reported. The visit is expected to give a fresh impetus to cooperation and exchanges between the two countries, which have a long tradition of friendship and collaboration, according a statement issued Sunday by the presidency of the Republic. The president of Benin and the delegation accompanying him will meet business managers and visit economic facilities, the statement said. The discussions between President Bouteflika and President Boni will be an opportunity for the two countries to "boost consultation on issues of mutual interest, as well as issues relating to the Africa continent," the statement added. AB/IINA

UNESCO: Gaza's higher education institutions directly targeted by Israel

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Sunday 01 Feb 2015 - 20:35 Makkah mean time-12-4-1436 Gaza (IINA) – A report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has documented the "material, human and educational damage" sustained by Gaza's higher education institutions during Israel's assault last summer. University World News, an online publication that reports higher education news from a global perspective, said the UN agency concluded that "higher education institutions in Gaza were directly targeted during the hostilities." UNESCO stated that Israel's "failure to treat learning environments as safe spaces and protect universities from attack, constituted "a serious violation of the right to education and is prohibited under international law." UNESCO said it used primary data, questionnaires, and interviews with researchers, conducted field visits to 26 higher education institutions in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, "staff and students suffered heavy casualties during the conflict, sustaining loss of life and serious injuries." Israeli forces killed 421 students and injured other 1,128 during the so-called 'Operation Protective Edge'. In what UNESCO calls a "shocking statistic", student deaths represented 27.4% of the total civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip. The majority of students killed in the conflict were hit by shelling. AB/IINA

UN chief asks Pakistan to step up efforts to combat terrorism

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Sunday 01 Feb 2015 - 13:40 Makkah mean time-12-4-1436 New York (IINA) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the deadly bombing of a Shiite mosque in Pakistan, and called on the country to step up efforts to protect religious minorities and combat terrorism. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban said he was appalled by such vicious targeting of people on account of their religious affiliation. While condemning the bombing of the Shiite mosque in the Shikarpur district of southern Sindh province on Friday, which killed at least 61 people gathered for prayer, the Secretary-General "called upon the Pakistani authorities to redouble their efforts to protect religious and ethnic minorities in the country and to combat terrorism in all its forms". He extended his condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and the government of Pakistan. AB/IINA