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Third edition of Lebanon’s Favorite Village

20-7-2018

In partnership with Fransabank, Suk el Tayyib, Live Love Beirut initiative and Dbayeh Waterfront, L’Orient Le Jour launched the third edition of Lebanon’s Favorite Village at Dbayeh Waterfront City. The 10 participating villages are: Ain Dara, Baaqline, Bkassin, Brummana, Anfeh, Jib Jnin, Jwaya, Kfur, Marjey3oon and Qartaba. During the event, the minister of state for planning affairs in the caretaker government, Michel Pharaon, sustained his conviction in rural tourism which he said boasts tremendous potential for growth. Pharaon stressed that each town or village has its own particular charm and distinctive features to attract tourism. Similarly, the head of marketing and corporate communication at Fransabank, Dania Kassar, said that due to official slackness towards the industry, private initiatives, including L’Orient Le Jour/ Fransabank initiative, seek to promote internal tourism, mainly cultural and eco-tourism. “But how far can we achieve in the absence of a real tourism policy and budget?” Kassar asked. To vote, kindly press the following link: https://www.lorientlejour.com/village. (An Nahar, July 20, 2018)

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Butterfly Project to empower refugee girls in Lebanon

20-7-2018

Lebanese student at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, Firyal Birjawi, launched her humanitarian initiative the BetterFly Camp for which she was awarded the Lang Opportunity Scholarship to be funded as one of the best proposed projects by university students. The programme aims at raising awareness among refugee girls and motivate them to become pioneers of change in their own communities. The undertaking implemented in partnership with Smart Center kicked off in July 28 over a period of six weeks, and covers diverse educational and psychosocial support activities targeting 30 underprivileged adolescent girls from Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, in addition to awareness sessions for their parents. Elucidating her project, Birjawi said participants were selected from Syrian and Palestinian refugee girls living in camps who at the start of the project have filled out questionnaires which showed that only 20 percent of them knew their rights, two thirds objected to the idea of sharing housework between the husband and wife and that half of the respondents believe the woman is not a key decision maker in matters related to marriage and reproduction. Birjawi pointed out that the project also seeks to spread awareness on sexual violence, sexual and reproductive health as well as enhancement of the beneficiaries’ physical and psychological safety. (Al Mustaqbal, July 20, 2018)

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Women athletes in South Korea subject to harassment

20-7-2018

In its today’s edition, Al Akhbar newspaper wrote that despite South Korea’s repute as a global sporting power, however, society remains hierarchical and patriarchal in many respects, especially in the male dominated sports sector. The newspaper said many incidents including rape and sexual harassment clandestinely occur within sports camps and institutions, where many young women athletes are forced into silence because speaking up could mean an end to their aspirations to become sports stars, until a bold female athlete decided to go public. On this issue, Al Akhbar said, Kim Eun Hee, 27 years, recounted to an international news agency the repeated sexual assaults by trainers against their students, stating that she was only 10 years old dreaming of tennis stardom when her coach raped her for the first time. In a related context, a 2014 study by the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee has shown that one in seven female athletes were subjected to sexual harassment in the previous year, but that 70% did not seek help. For his part, a prominent sports commentator Chung Hee joon revealed that parents of underage victims refrain to press charges when faced with the question, do you want to see your child’s future as an athlete destroyed?. (Al Akhbar, July 20, 2018)

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Farmers' misfortunes: Blocked borders, unfair competition, unpaid compensations

19-7-2018

After Syria regained control over the Nassib land crossing on the Syrian Jordanian borders (c.f: https://bit.ly/2uOr6zu) the minister of agriculture in the caretaker government Ghazi Zeaiter revealed that negotiations are underway with concerned Syrian authorities to reopen the borders to Lebanon’s agricultural exports to Arab countries. Zeaiter was speaking during the opening on July 14 of a modern olive oil press in Hermel. Also during a press briefing on July 1, the minister said he plans to visit Damascus to discuss with Syrian officials the necessary arrangements in preparation for an imminent resumption of the export activity from Lebanon. Meanwhile, a number of farmers in Zahleh Caza dropped their tomato and cucumber produce on the streets of Furzul leaving them to rot after they failed to sell it due to fierce competition from similar goods smuggled from neighboring Syria causing a sharp decline in prices of their crops. Regarding compensation earmarked for olive farmers in Hasbaya and Marjeyoun, and after the finance minister’s confirmation last February to this effect, (c.f::https://bit.ly/2NX5Ct0), the Development and Liberation bloc MP, Anwar Khalil, disclosed this week that the heads of the parliament and cabinet have raised the matter with the concerned minister during the parliamentary session for the election of members of the Committee, to which the finance minister reiterated that the imbursement is final pending the executive orders of the prime minister. (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, July 17, 18, 2018)

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Quality control: Lebanese nuts banned from entering Japan

19-7-2018

The Lebanese Industry ministry issued a statement yesterday in response to posts on social media alluding to a letter sent from Lebanon’s ambassador to Tokyo to the foreign ministry warning of the health risks of Lebanese nuts, namely roasted pistachios. According to the letter, the Japanese authorities have banned the import of said products based on tests which showed they were carcinogenic. The ministry of industry made clear that it is conducting periodic tests on random samples taken from the different roasters across the country, stating that since two years to date, the results were consistent with the required specifications, implying they were carcinogen free. Concerning the ban of entry of made in Lebanon nuts to Japan, the statement said it could be related to an old shipment, stressing that Lebanese agri food manufacturers, particularly roasteries, are committed to the highest European and American standards in the field. Similarly, the director general of the ministry of trade and economy said that after examining samples of the nuts sold in the market or in nut roasteries, the reason could be possibly related to the method of storage of the above mentioned shipment. For her part, Rifai Roastery described the letter of Lebanon’s ambassador as “inaccurate and lacking scientific evidence”. Concurrently, the minister of trade, Raed Khoury, ordered the suspension of Joseph al Amm Mill products for noncompliance with food safety requirements. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Akhbar, July 17, 18. 2018)

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Veiled women barred from beach resorts

19-7-2018

In its issue of today, Al Akhbar newspaper reported that as usual every summer incidents related to racism and discrimination appear in beach resorts and pools. These places, Al Akhbar wrote, bar the entry of certain people based on their ethnicity, race or external appearance, pointing especially to the ban of the veil in some of these resorts even if the veiled woman simply wants to enjoy the sun, on the pretext that this is the institution’s internal policy! The newspaper recounted what happened to Ali Farhat and his family who were insulted when they attempted to enter La Siesta beach in Khaldeh south of Beirut. It started when one of the staff asked Ali: “Is this (veiled woman) with you?”, making clear that should he let her in, she should stay by the porch. What is important he said, is that she should not be seen by beach goers. In brief, Al Akhbar said, resort owners prevent veiled women from entering their property, and in case they agree, it will be reluctantly, and on condition they stay invisible! This is a clear discriminatory and demeaning attitude against a significant segment of the Lebanese society, and is simply an antipathy towards the looks of a muhajabah in water, Al Akhbar wrote, adding, this bigoted behavior continues in the absence of any deterrent action on part of the government. It concluded by saying, “All this carries on under the excuse, ‘the rules and regulations of the institution’, while noting that the beach access is a universal right for the public.” (Al Akhbar, July 19, 2018)

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Lebanon towards legalizing cannabis cultivation

19-7-2018

The Speaker of the House Nabih Berri notified yesterday the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard, that the Lebanese parliament is reviewing necessary studies to legalize the cultivation and production of cannabis for medicinal purposes similar to many European countries and some US states. An Nahar newspaper reported in this respect, that the global consultancy firm McKinsey & Company, commissioned by the Lebanese government to set out a vision to revive economic growth, has proposed legalizing and regulating the sale of marijuana for medicinal uses. On the subject, the British Guardian published a report yesterday entitled, ‘How Cannabis Can Transform Lebanon’ pointing to the no go Bekaa town of Brital and its environs where cannabis is planted, and which if economic experts continue with their plans, could be transformed to a billion dollar business profiting the national economy. The newspaper quoted Lebanese trade minister Raed Khoury who earlier said that the quality of cannabis Lebanon boasts is one of the best in the world. Marijuana has been grown in the Bekaa since the Ottoman era and it reached its peak during the civil war, the Guardian went on to say, noting that the war in Syria has contributed to a new boom for farmers, who confirm that trade has increased by 50% since 2012 where they exported it clandestinely through the borders. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Lebanon is considered the third largest exporter of cannabis in the world, pointing out that exporters yield an estimated USD 175-USD 200 million a year from their exports to the Arab Gulf, Europe, Africa and North America. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, July 19, 2018)

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MP Dima Jamali promises Tripoli a sensible share from Cedar conference

18-7-2018

In its issue of today, Al Diyar newspaper published an interview with the only former and present member of Parliament from Tripoli, Future Movement MP Dima Jamali. The latter spoke about the appeal challenging the constitutionality of her victory in the elections filed by Naji Taha recruited on the list of Jam’iyyat al Mashari’ al Khayriyya al Islamiya, in addition to many economic and development undertakings planned for the northern capital. On the first issue, Jamali said she accepts any decision the State Shura Council renders, stressing that so far, all uncertain reports remain hearsay. Concerning the future projects for Tripoli, Jamali disclosed that the city has a balanced share from the Cedar donor conference, pointing out that prime minister Saad Hariri has prioritized this matter through a number of initiatives, including the construction of a large shopping mall anticipated to generate jobs and stimulate commercial activities in the city. Jamali also underlined the importance of Lebanon’s participation in the Conference on Sustainable Development in New York where the Lebanese delegation will present its first report on Lebanon’s commitment to the SDGs. Among the projects she is following up, Jamali also mentioned My Nationality is A Right For Me and My Family campaign, emphasizing the right of every Lebanese woman to grant nationality to her children without exception, in addition to the file of persons with special needs including the ratification of Law No. 220/200 which requires that all institutions integrate people with disabilities within them. (Al Diyar, July 18, 2018)

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EU recommends to Lebanon women quota, equality

18-7-2018

The president of the EU Election Observation Mission Lebanon 2018, Elena Valenciano, presented in a press conference yesterday the Mission’s final report which she handed to President Michel Aoun, pointing out that the assessment was very constructive (cf: http://lkdg.org/ar/node/17636). The report put forward 25 recommendations, including six which Valenciano described as essential. These are related to: the women quota as a transitional step to ensure better representation for women in Parliament; enhancement of the principle of gender equality; adjustment of the nationality law to enable Lebanese women to confer nationality to their family members; reform of the law to give the Lebanese woman the freedom to choose whether to move her civil status to her husband’s hometown registry or not; increasing the financial and administrative freedom of the Elections Monitoring Committee with relation to the ministry of interior and amendment of the elections law in terms of free and impartial access to the media in order to guarantee the rights of citizens in accessing relevant data. For his part, the chief observer Jose Antonio De Gabriel sustained that the above report does not necessarily reflect the official position of the EU, but rather conveys the reality in the way the election process took place, including the casting of ballots by electors, registration of candidates, political parties, electoral campaigning and media coverage of elections, the participation of women and people with special needs, the performance of local and international observers, and all the process from the ballot box to vote counting, the announcement of results and the post-election atmosphere and recommendations. (For more about the recommendation in Arabic, please visit: https://bit.ly/2LpDE7r)

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MP Geagea on honor crimes: women remain victims of archaic tribal system

18-7-2018

In her comment on the latest honor killings in the country, LF MP Sitrida Geagea said that Article 562 of the Penal Code which mitigates sentences for assailants in specific cases has been annulled in the texts but is still rooted in the souls and minds of some Lebanese, pointing that today as in the past, killing a woman displays itself as a means to reinstate the honor of some criminal mindsets. Geagea maintained that in the absence of official statistics on so called crimes of honor, the mere scanning of articles published in local journals is enough to expose the gravity of the situation, noting that while names change from one victim to another, the Lebanese woman is the scapegoat that carries away the ill doings of the felonious and obsolete family and clan system. In her reference to the recent murder of Rabia Hamiyeh, Geagea said she will not be the last victim unless effective and appropriate measures are taken to counter it. Speaking for the LF al-jomhouria-el-kawiya bloc, Geagea appealed to the Judiciary to be stricter in enforcing relevant court sentences and rulings and to severely penalize the perpetrators, calling on security forces to respond adequately to any complaint filed by a battered woman or any woman subjected to any form of violence. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, July 18, 2018)

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