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Tunis: A collective of Tunisian and foreign academics and intellectuals have recently issued a call for the inscription of Al-Muqaddimah (The Introduction ) by Tunisian scholar Ibn Khaldun on the Memory of the World Register of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The collective "proposes the joint inscription of Al-Muqaddimah on the 'Memory of the World' register by all partners worldwide who preserve its manuscripts, have translated them, disseminated them, or simply valued them through critical or analytical work as shared heritage for all humanity." It notes a long and complex process of appropriation and patrimonialisation of the man and his work, initiated and transmitted from generation to generation, primarily in Tunis, his hometown. The collective, on Friday, organised a tour in the footsteps of Ibn Khaldun" in the Medina of Tunis. The departure was from the Tunis City Library, passing through the most emblematic places in the life of this native scholar o f Tunis, such as the Quranic School and Tourbet el Bey Street where Ibn Khaldun's house is located. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: Various civil society organisations on Friday decried in a joint press release, the content of the booklet that had been withdrawn from the United Nations stand at the Tunis International Book Fair (FILT) and the handling of this issue by the fair's management, pointing out that this booklet is liable to "undermine the most essential values of the society, the family structure and the laws of the Tunisian Republic." These NGOs denounced "the interference of certain United Nations representations in Tunisia in social relations, in defiance of diplomatic customs and their obligations to respect the specific characteristics of each country," claiming that the image of the family conveyed in this booklet is far from being a reproduction of reality and aims to compromise family stability and cohesion." FILT Director Mohamed Saleh El kadri told a news briefing on Thursday that the management had decided to withdraw the booklet from the United Nations stand. "The booklets are in Tunisian dialect and contai n questions put by children to their parents about sex education," he said. The organisers of the UN stand had been called upon to withdraw the booklet after checking its content, which raises questions about homosexuality and relationships between people of the same sex, the official pointed out, adding that the information do not comply with the specific characteristics of the Tunisian society, which remains attached to its authenticity and identity, while at the same time being open to universal values. The Tunisian Association for Education Quality, the Tunisian Association of Parents and Students, the Coordination of Angry Parents, the Association "Our Pupils" and the National Organisation for Education and the Family expressed astonishment at the excesses noticed in publications at the International Book Fair and the "irresponsible" statements made by its director to the media. For its part, the International Organisation for the Protection of Children in the Mediterranean (French: OIPEM) expressed r ejection of the exploitation of children and teenagers for the purposes of implementing 'dubious programmes' which might undermined the society and its heritage and religious referential, underlining the right of children to all forms of knowledge and learning. Sex education must be included in school curricula and within the family in order to protect children, the OIPEM considered. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: Health Minister Ali Mrabet on Thursday met with President of the Accreditation Committee for Tunisian Faculties of Medicine and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board of the Arab Board of Health Specialisations (ABHS) Mohamed Hedi Souihli and ABHS member Chokri Hamouda. Several issues were discussed during this meeting, including notably the setting-up shortly of an ABHS office in Tunis, reads a Health Ministry press release. The meeting also helped review ways to step up exchanges between the Tunisian specialisation boards, notably the Family Medicine Specialty Board and the ABHS scientific councils, in terms of development of postgraduate studies and digital transition. The minister commended on the occasion, the role of the Accreditation Committee for Tunisian Faculties of Medicine in communication and rapprochement of points of view between the various players of the academic training and training centres related to the different health specialisations, pointing out the need for further coordinati on to launch the implementation of the ABHS' programmes in Tunisia. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Namibians from all walks of life are mourning the death of well-known banker Tomas Koneka Iindji who died on Tuesday, aged 44. The late Iindji who died in Windhoek, played a pivotal role in the banking sector where he served for decades. After many years with First National Bank (FNB) Namibia, he became the Head of Business and Commercial Banking for Standard Bank earlier this year. Iindji was a former Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) northern branch chairperson. Standard Bank Namibia in a message of condolences on Tuesday described Iindji as a great man and that his death is a great loss. 'It is with a heavy heart that we wish to inform the Namibian nation of the passing of their beloved champion lindji. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, children, family, our colleagues who worked closely with him, and the entire Namibian community,' read the message. On his part, former NCCI Chief Executive Officer Tarah Shaanika remembered the late Iindji as a passionate business leader and banker who inspired so many people. He said Iindji was a gifted leader who exuded so much energy and exhibited amazing natural human relations and networking abilities. 'As we mourn his untimely passing and celebrate his life so well spent, we cherish his great legacy that he is visibly leaving behind. He was a great gift to Namibia and humanity. May he rest well,' Shaanika said. Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Tunis: The Institute of Press and Information Sciences (IPSI) inaugurated on Thursday a research laboratory on "Media, Communication and Transition", which will give impetus to scientific research in this sector in Tunisia and promote its influence nationally and internationally," President of the University of Manouba, Jouhaina Gherib said in a statement to TAP. Gherib added that this research laboratory, which specialises in media, communication and transition, is of great importance in the era of the development of information technologies and artificial intelligence, which require in-depth analysis and a critical approach to phenomena through human sciences and communication. She pointed out that the University of Manouba currently has 15 academic units and 34 research laboratories that have proven their effectiveness in scientific research and innovation in a number of fields, including languages, history, geography, economics and management, information technology and biotechnology. For her part, IPS I Director Hamida El Bour said that the new laboratory is an asset for researchers at the institute, which is the only higher education institution that offers research opportunities in information and communication sciences and welcomes researchers from several Arab countries. El Bour pointed out that the laboratory covers four themes: "organisational communication", "political communication", "media and society", including women and information literacy, and "digital information and media". Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse