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Agriculture in Lebanon not doing well

27-2-2018

Problems continue to plague the agricultural sector in Lebanon. The minister of agriculture Ghazi Z3aiter met on February 25 with potato and onion growers, and a delegation from Al Mashate and revealed that one office at Lebanon’s Audit Bureau is impeding the works of his ministry in a number of files, including payments to Al Mashatel. On the other hand, the finance minister announced on February 24 that the sums allocated by a premier’s decision to support olive oil production in Marjey3oon and Hasbaya still awaits the publishing of the general budget, pledging to step up the execution of the decision delayed by bureaucratic procedures. Meanwhile, the Zgharta-Ehden Municipality, in cooperation with the Chamber of Tripoli and the Federation of Municipalities of Zgharta District and the patronage of tourism minister, organized on February 25 the first olive festival in the town of Kfarhata which included rural cooking and children’s recreational activities. On the fate of potato and potato farmers, after the entry in the first week of February of the Egyptian ship loaded with 7 thousand tons of potato, the chief of the Beqaa Farmers Association, Ibrahim Tarshishi, disclosed to An Nahar that the distributed quantities have dumped the local markets incurring huge losses on both the Lebanese and Egyptian traders and causing further decline in the price of the products. An Nahar pointed out that the minister of agriculture is under pressure to concede the entry of the Egyptian potato before the agreed date to safeguard the political and trade interests between the two countries. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, February 24, 26, 2018)

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Private sector initiatives to support innovation and employment

27-2-2018

Ora Union concluded the Forum of Opportunities and Capacities 2018 at the Forum de Beyrouth (news) with the participation of 225 banking, agricultural, craft and industrial cooperatives, publishing houses, bookshops and universities. The event saw the attendance of over 26 thousand people and the provision of some 2600 jobs in various sectors and included a number of seminars and exhibitions, namely a talk on rural development which focused on organic agriculture, medicinal and aromatic herbs cultivation and subsidized loans and how to benefit from them. On the other hand, the Antonine University faculty of Business Administration distributed prizes among winning students in the entrepreneurship contest, organized in its 6th edition in cooperation with Kafalat and RDCL. Around 180 students partook in the competition presenting 15 projects focusing on the principle of social entrepreneurship and the role of creativity and innovation in bringing about change and community service. Meanwhile, AUB School of Agriculture, organized the Raji & Fawzieh Sinno Promising Leader in Agriculture Award 2018 motivated by the decline in admission to the schools of agriculture in the past few years. To recall, the competition is open to grade 12 students from all public and private high schools to develop projects that present added value, innovative and feasible solutions to the challenges faced by the agricultural sector in Lebanon. (Al Akhbar, An Nahar, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, L’Orient Le Jour, February 24, 26, 27, 2018)

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Despite promises, political parties fail in backing women nominees

27-2-2018

Al Hayat wrote today about the failure of political parties to nominate women for the upcoming parliamentary elections in light of the non-inclusion of the women representation quota in the new electoral law. Reflecting the number of announced names or those leaked from the anticipated lists, the newspaper concluded that women candidates are few. The Future Movement, for example, has not yet revealed its electoral lists to help determine the number of women nominated, but should MP Bahiya Hariri be a recurrent candidate, the Future affiliates should expect the nomination of more than one woman, especially considering premier Hariri’s pledges to support women and young people to this effect. In its analysis, Al Hayat said the situation with other parties is not better. According to the Free Patriotic Movement’s leaked names, it does not seem that it will give much room for women, as MP Alan Aoun lamented: “Unfortunately, the number of women nominees at hand are but a few.” On the other hand, while the Lebanese Forces Party secretary general disclosed that the LF electoral lists will include more than one woman, the Progressive Socialist Party has already decided on its nominees and which do not include any female nominee. To date, Al Hayat went on to say, the House Speaker can boast that he was the first politician to officially declare his recruitment of a woman candidate (minister Inaya Ezzedine) on Amal Movement’s list in the South, while for Hizbullah, the newspaper added, things are clear about the exclusion of women from elections, as publicly stated by Hizbullah head, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. (Al Hayat, February 27, 2018)

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Al Mashghal in Tripoli to match graduates with job market

27-2-2018

The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Tripoli and the North, sponsored last Sunday a scientific seminar outlining the basic pillars of Al Mashghal/ Labor Market Observatory aimed at creating a link between fresh graduates and the labor market needs. The outfit acts as a reference and database for the needs of the private and public sector companies through a complete partnership between the Chamber, Beirut Arab University, Al Jinan University, Lebanese International University, Beyond Reform and Development and the Italian NGO COSV which supports the project. On the occasion, the Chamber president, Tufic Dabbusi, underlined the importance of partnership and cooperation between academic institutions and the private sector firms in the search for employment opportunities. For his part, the trainer from Beyond, Omar Abdel Samad, expounded the general scheme of Al Mashghal to provide required services for university students, higher education institutions, business community and NGOs. Thus, Abdel Samad explained, it works to gather the largest amount of statistics resulting from the joint work between universities and private sector companies, as well as, studies the labor market requirements and facilitates the lookout for prospects for innovative entrepreneurs. (Al Mustaqbal, February 26, 2018)

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Women in Algeria still pressured to bear children

26-2-2018

In its issue of today, Al Hayat newspaper shed light on the continuous pressure Algerian women put up with to bear children, together with the high cost of fertility treatment. Many women, the newspaper wrote, tend to sell their jewelry or borrow money to cover the expenses to this effect, while many resort to traditional herbal remedies that give them the slightest hope of getting pregnant. Under mounting social pressures and the habitude of blaming women for any negative outcome, many women find it difficult to articulate, even to the closest person, the husband, the pain they endure each and every day. Many women, the newspaper said, are insulted and ridiculed when faced with the truth of non-procreation. On the subject, Al Hayat spoke to Hafiza (41 years) who plainly mentioned that she sold all her gold jewelry and borrowed money from her relatives “to force herself out of this unfavorable situation.” Likewise, Noura (35 years) explained that she “became schizophrenic and lost touch with reality for she couldn’t face or handle criticism and unkind remarks at every occasion,” as she put it. Sakina, for her part, told Al Hayat reporter that she distanced herself from her parents and relatives to give herself and her marriage a chance to get the necessary treatment away from pressure. “I am fed up with sneaky and harmful criticism, especially about whether my husband will stay with me or choose the most hated halal and find a woman that gives him children,” Sakina lamented. For the full article: : https://goo.gl/UXcNXc. (Al Hayat, February 26, 2018)

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Lebanese Commander praises women’s role in the army

26-2-2018

During his inspection last Friday of women soldiers enrolled in the Presidential Guard Brigade basic training course, the Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, stressed the significant role of women in the army, particularly in the administrative, logistical and medical units. Aoun underlined the Military Police women’s special performance and the brave confrontation spirit they boasted during the recent Arsal hostilities which has considerably contributed to and facilitated support to the combat units. Aoun lauded the successful volunteering of females in the Military Establishment which began with the term of President Michel Aoun back in 1989, and continues to date, stressing the need to activate their role and increase the numbers of women soldiers in keeping with the Army’s conviction in promoting equal opportunity and gender equality. (An Nahar, February 24, 2018 )

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Syrian women refugees engage in trades originally held by men

26-2-2018

Al Hayat drew attention in its issue of today to the difficult living conditions of displaced Syrian households within refugee camps deployed along the borders with Turkey. The lack of support and scarcity of jobs and steady income, combined with the absence of male providers, have forced women to look out for, and sometimes invent, new skills in bread-winning, Al Hayat wrote. Girls and women have engaged in occupations that were exclusive to men, like for example mobile vending. Others have chosen to work in commerce through opening a small shop within the camp’s premises or display merchandise inside their tents and selling them to other women refugees, Al Hayat said. What inspired the women vendors to embark on their business, the newspaper noted, are their own peers who continually defy the circumstances of war and the inherited social traditions which prevent women from working. The newspaper spoke to one mobile woman vendor, Farida Yousef (a mother of 5) who, since the death of her husband two and a half years ago, has been roaming the campsites to sell her merchandise. The harsh life conditions and privation, she explained, has forced her to seek out a vocation that can secure a stable income for her family. The article can be found in Arabic on the following link: https://goo.gl/AmymzT. (Al Hayat, February 26, 2018)

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Women’s football in Lebanon on the rise

26-2-2018

In a special feature, Al Akhbar newspaper highlighted the women’s football experience in Lebanon which started back in 2008 with the participation of six leagues, Al Sadaka, Al Ansar, Al Adab and Riyada Kfarshima, Al Arabi Tripoli, Al Shabab Al Arabi and Homintmen. While the past few years have witnessed a remarkable development at the administrative and technical levels, the women’s teams gained wider recognition in the last two seasons as a result of enhanced achievements and the entry of some popular clubs, namely, Al Ikhaa Aley and Al Salam Zgharta, Al Akhbar wrote, noting that two tournaments (as per age groups) are played every season. The Women’s Football Committee, the newspaper went on to say, is considered one of the Football Union’s most proficient committees in terms of the constant efforts it employs to bring the best of the football competitions and matches. Unlike men, women players change every three years to allow teams to recruit fresh talents, thus yielding significant results, including winning the 2015 Arab Under 17 Women’s Cup hosted in Doha. In figures, there are currently about 400 women players in the Union, with the participation of 9 clubs in the current round, the newspaper concluded, noting that the boosted popularity of the game has called upon a number of former players to partake in football arbitration. (Al Akhbar, February 21, 2018)

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28.5% of Lebanese live below poverty line, unemployment reaches 20%

23-2-2018

The economic bulletin for the fourth quarter of 2017 published by Fransabank indicated that the current rate of unemployment has exceeded 20% and that the country needs to secure annually some 22,000 jobs for young people anticipated to enter the labor market by 2019, noting that 28.5% of the Lebanese live below the poverty line. On the other hand, the bulletin showed that the performance of leading sectors has improved during 2017 as compared to 2016, which boosted economic growth from 1.1-1.4% in 2016 to 2-3% in 2017, according to the respective estimates of IMF and IIF. The report also revealed that the value of real estate transactions increased by 18.5% in 2017, the number of tourists by 10%, number of travelers via Beirut International Airport by 8.3%, hotel occupancy rose to 64.8%, electricity production increased by 14.6% and the Port Beirut revenues by 0.4%. The report said that the State’s finance has witnessed an improvement in public revenues by 13.7% between end-2016 and end-October 2017, while public spending increased by 2.8%, leading to a public deficit of USD 2.5 billion by 25% decline. (The report in English is available on the following link: https://goo.gl/EUkXHP). (Al Akhbar, February 20, 2018)

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Egyptian women still prisoners of archaic restrictions

23-2-2018

In its issue of yesterday, Al Hayat newspaper wrote about the life of Egyptian women in general who are unable to be independent life or take personal decisions, as simple as choosing their own attire, working or moving freely in the streets. Society acts as a permanent custodian which judges women She finds herself at the end of the day gripped by a resident partner, society, which judges women according to its own priorities, Al Hayat wrote. According to society’s rules, women could either accomplished housewives, beauty queens or professional career women unfit to be good wives. This society, the newspaper went on to say, has in the past two decades witnessed painstaking efforts to empower women economically and was largely inspired by the campaigns to promote the education of women and girls. Nevertheless, Egyptian women still weigh heavily under societal obstructions which are a blend of outdated traditions and hardline customs, and this, the newspaper said, needs to give precedence to socio-cultural empowerment and to allow the homecoming of enlightenment that reigned in the fifties of the past century. To conclude, AL Hayat quoted Rahaf Saadi (28 years) who said: “I feel that I am being watched all the time, what I wear, when I return home, how I speak… “ (For the full article, kindly visit the link below: https://goo.gl/kHYBA3). (Al Hayat, February 22, 2018)

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