News

A Manhattan judge yesterday sentenced former film producer Harvey Weinstein to 23 years in prison after being found guilty last month of rape and criminal sexual acts against a number of female celebrities during 2017 (https://bit.ly/ 2Q9kPKb). This ruling is less than the maximum 29 years requested by prosecutors, yet it is considered severe for the 67-year old producer. In his statement before the court, Weinstein presented himself as another victim of the #MeToo movement in the US. “I used to be an example but now thousands of men are suspects. I am worried about this country,” he said. For his part, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance, said in a statement: “We thank the court for issuing a sentence that puts on notice sexual predators, human wolves and their aggressors in all segments of society.” He thanked survivors for their remarkable statements and indescribable courage over the past two years. (An Nahar, March 12, 2020)
 

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, member states on Monday adopted a political declaration pledging to ramp up efforts to reach a full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The latter to recall, is an all-inclusive plan aimed to promote and achieve gender equality and women empowerment. The international community considers the above political announcement as the main outcome of the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which is the largest annual gathering on gender equality and women empowerment held at the UN. This year’s session will focus on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including an in-depth assessment of current challenges that affect implementation. On the subject, UN Women executive director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said that 25 years after Beijing, we realize that progress made in the field of women’s rights has not gone far or fast enough. It is 2020, yet no country has achieved gender equality, she said, adding, “women and girls will hold them accountable as we work together for true and lasting equality and the full enjoyment of our human rights.” (An Nahar, March 9, 2020) 
 

The Baalbaq-Hermel Governorate Council hosted on March 6 the closing ceremony for the training workshop on ‘Hospitality arts’ funded by the Bishops’ Conference of Cologne, Germany. The event was held under the patronage of Governor Bashir Khodr and the participation of the project coordinator at the Green Villages Association and Smart Center, in addition to the trainer Charbel Morshed and The training  graduates. The 3-month course included some 60 hours of training targeting owners of hospitality establishments and a number of employees with the aim to upgrade the performance of cafes, restaurants, hotels and touristic institutions in the Baalbaq-Hermel area. On the occasion, Khodr wished the beneficiaries all the luck they need, prompting them to use what they learned to develop their businesses. At the end of the ceremony, certificates were distributed among graduates. (NNA, March 6, 2020)
 

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the International Center for Human Sciences- UNESCO, in Byblos, organized a seminar on ‘Empowering women and lifelong learning’, in addition to a dialogue table with the theme ‘Generational differences and women’s rights’. The head of the Center, Darina Saliba, pointed out that today is women’s day, but also it is the day of every woman around the world suffering from patriarchal mindsets, as she put it. Notwithstanding the global discrimination against women, still rampant in several Middle Eastern countries, there is agreement, studies show, that when women are in the leadership, corruption at the workplace allays and production increases remarkably. (NNA, March 11, 2020)
 

The General Assembly of the Economic Journalists Association met on March 5 to elect its administrative body. The results appeared as follows: Sabine Oweiss unanimously elected as president, Bahij Abu Ghanem as vice president, Joseph Farah also vice president, Omar Natour as secretary, Rima Khaddaj as deputy secretary, Pierre Saad as treasurer, Adnan Hamdan accountant, Haidar Abdallah Husseini as commissior of the association with the government, Kawthar Hanbouri as information secretary, Nadine Chalhoub as PR secretary, and Simon Chehadeh and Khaled Abu Shakra as members. Noting, that Oweiss, a mother of 2, is a graduate of the Faculty of Information and Documentation at the Lebanese University. She works as a journalist in An Nahar and has previously worked at Future TV and her name was associated with economics in Lebanon and the Arab world because she made the understanding of economics and figures easier to the public. (Al Diyar, March 7, 2020 )
 

On the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD), the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Karkash, said the empowerment of Emirati women is one of the key achievements of the state’s journey towards public good and development. This, he added, was the culmination of the efforts of Sheikha Fatmeh Bint Mubarak, better known as “Umm al Emarat” (Mother of the Emirates) in supporting UAE women and girls. Emirates News Agency, WAM, reported that the Emirati record is rich with women’s achievements which stimulated women’s empowerment to make remarkable leaps in the life of the country in a short period of time. Indicators of competitiveness, WAM said, sustains that UAE has reached the first ranks and regional leadership as indicated in relevant international reports. One of the most significant undertakings and initiatives launched by the General Women’s Union is the National Strategy for Empowering Women kicked off in 2002 by virtue of which the Emirates became the first Arab Gulf country to this effect. WAM pointed out that said strategy, updated for the period 2015-2021, provides a framework of reference for federal and local government institutions, as well as for civil society organizations and the private sector. (Al Diyar, March 10, 2020)
 

A veiled Muslim woman in Occupied Palestine, made her way to the Israeli Knesset where she is expected to become the first member to wear hijab, after “Arab” parties scored their best result in elections on March 2. Iman Yassin Khatib, 55, who won a seat for the joint “Arab list” that gained 15 seats in the 120-member Knesset, is a mother of four, from the village of Yafa Nazareth, holds an MA degree, and is a social work specialist and director of a social center since 20 years. On being the first veiled woman in the Knesset, Iman explained: “This is a big challenge, and am ready to take it till the end,” noting that she received great support from her community. (Al Diyar, March 5, 2020)