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The chief of the syndicate of wheat farmers in Lebanon, Khaled Shuman, confirmed in a statement last Monday, that the Ministry of Economy & Trade (MoE&T) has begun the disbursement of funds for wheat farmers as planned. This measure comes after a cabinet decision to allocate a sum of LBP175,000 for each dunum in compensation for not buying the annual wheat harvest as was the norm in past years. The statement estimated the “number of beneficiaries at 561 farmers, while in fact more than 200 thousand Bekaa farmers, including the families of wheat growers, land proprietors and agricultural companies, benefit from the compensation.” Shuman finally hoped that the Lebanese government would draw a quick and clear vision for the present wheat production in order to avoid the bad experience of the previous season. (L’Orient Le Jour, April 14, 2016)

 

Related links: 

Wheat growers await dues while the new season set off

http://www.weeportal-lb.org/news/wheat-growers-await-dues-while-new-season-set

 

USD 115 per dunum in financial compensation for wheat farmers

http://www.weeportal-lb.org/news/usd-115-dunum-financial-compensation-wheat-farmers

 

Wheat growers confused over compensations and new directives

http://www.weeportal-lb.org/news/wheat-growers-confused-over-compensations-and-new-directives

 

In collaboration with L’Orient Le Jour newspaper and Commerce Du Levant magazine, the Middle East Office of the Francophone University Agency (AUF) organized yesterday a meeting under the title ‘the Francophone Women Initiative 2016’. The meeting was devoted to discuss the latest developments related to the empowerment of women entrepreneurs and supporting their businesses. On the occasion, AUF director Ervet Saboran announced the launch of the fifth edition of the francophone women initiative which aims to encourage innovations and ventures in a francophone framework in order to make the voice of women heard. For her part, Christel Abi Khalil representing Berytech technological development center pointed out that her institution seeks to support initiatives in general and to create a proper work environment that assists women entrepreneurs in kicking off their businesses. Also, Abi Khalil added, Berytech contributes to the management and orientation of economic projects. For those who wish to participate in the competition, please visit the websites below before May 15: http://www.berytech.org and http://www.auf.org/bmo. (An Nahar, April 13, 2016)

 

The Lebanese American University (LAU) held a ceremony early this week to honor a number of influential women in different fields of life.  These included Carmen Lebos (actor), Pascale Saqr (singer), Rabia Zayat (media figure), Paula Yakoubian (talk show host), Eva Makdesi (fashion and beauty consultant), Roula Chamiyeh (comedian) and Claudia Marshalian (writer for television drama series). In the health sector, the honored women were, Dr Zenat Hijazi (LAU medical school dean), Dr. Soula Aoun (deputy dean), Dr. Zena Tanous (head of dermatology department) and Gladys Moro (deputy CEO of LAU Medical Center). (As Safir, April 13, 2016)

 

Some 25 Arab women journalists from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt took part in the ‘women in the news’ forum for the year 2016 which is financially supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The congress it should be noted is managed by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), an umbrella for over 18000 newspapers and 15000 electronic news portals in over 20 countries.  The forum which took place in Alexandria, Egypt, from April 4 to April 8 tackled the following topics: principles of management and leadership, theglobal trends of the media industry business environment, gender-based concerns inside the news rooms, human resources management, marketing and the use of modern technology, in addition to the challenges of innovations. The participants are journalists working at Al Akhbar daily newspaper, Al Modon online newspaper, Al Arabi Al Jadid electronic news portal, Al Jadid TV channel, the Lebanese Forces website, Now Media and Daily Star newspaper. (The Daily Star, April 13, 2016)

 

In its issue of April 8, Al Akhbar daily newspaper quoted business circles and experts in the food industry in the country as warning of an imminent danger to the sector, despite having relatively maintained a steady growth in the volume of businesses and exports over the past few years. The majority of food companies have admitted a decline in the size of investments and sales as a result of the rise in the cost of production combined with the fierce competition in the local and foreign markets, as well as the disruption of the land transport for exporting. Meanwhile, the president of the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL), Nabil Itani, commended the resilience of the sector which he said possesses many mechanisms that allow it to increase its exports to record levels. He noted that food manufacturing establishments now observe the latest international standards and specifications in both production and packaging. Itani was speaking during his tour to Michel Daher food factories in Forzol, Beqaa. IDAL President clarified that despite the border crisis and the disruption of land shipments which forced a decline of the 2015 exports, the food industry exports stood nearly at 36.5% of total industrial exports while recording an increase of 32% between 2011 and 2015. Itani cited a study prepared by IDAL which showed that the total number of companies in the sector now represents more than 20.3% of the total number of industrial companies. (Al Akhbar, April 8, Al Mustaqbal, April 13, 2016)

 

In the framework of the monthly ‘Rendez-vous at the Serail’ initiative, Ms. Lama Tammam Salam honored last week a number of talented young men and women for their international achievements. Salam stressed in her words that the genuine wealth of the country lies in the capacities, education and innovative minds of its young generation.  Salam then handed Lyn Hayek, winner of The Voice Kids TV program, an appreciation certificate. Salam also presented two awards for brothers Jaafar and Mohamad Rammal who came in the first and fourth places at the Castor Informatique championship, in addition to their winning in local chess and other mental games competitions back in 2014. Salam honored as well a 5-student team from Jamhour School who won the gold medal at the 67th Nuremberg (Germany) Industrial Exhibition in November, 2015. The winning project “Follow Me Suitcase” which was selected among some 750 inventions, is about a smart suitcase equipped with a robot and GPS system which mechanically tracks the traveler’s moves. (An Nahar, April 11, 2016)

 

In cooperation with the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW), MP Ghassan ‎Mkheiber submitted to the Parliament yesterday a draft law that gives married woman the right ‎to run for elections at her place of birth before marriage. The NCLW has prepared the text of the ‎bill, which is an adjustment of the current municipality bill, and which ends the discrimination ‎against married women in this respect. To note, that by virtue of the provisions of the law in ‎effect, the membership of a woman at the municipal board ends with her relocation, and ‎therefore, the transfer of her registry, to her husband’s birthplace upon her marriage. Therefore, ‎the proposed draft considers that the current law is in contradiction with the Lebanese ‎Constitution which states full equality between citizens, as well as with the International ‎Declaration of the Human Rights and relevant UN agreements and conventions to which ‎Lebanon is a party. It calls for the elimination of the “provision that requires mentioning the name ‎of the candidate who wishes to become a member of the municipal board on the electoral list ‎because it is not in the interest of married women candidates whose names have been removed ‎from the list after moving their registry outside the constituency as a result of marriage.” (Al ‎Mustaqbal, April 12, 2016)‎

 

The president of the Saint Joseph University, Prof. Salim Daccache, signed yesterday an agreement with the Paul Bocuse Gastronomy Institute represented by Paul Flori in the presence of the director of the school of business, Joseph Chehab and the general consul of France, in addition to a number of university staff and figures from the hospitality sector. The agreement provides for the training of St. Joseph University students at the French institute on the latest innovative culinary approaches and techniques, particularly in the sweets and pastries industry. It also arranges an exchange of faculty staff between the two parties. On the occasion, Daccache pointed out that the accession of the University’s business school, which comprises the hospitality department, to the Institute Paul Bocuse Worldwide Alliance designates a determination for partnership and cooperation in the culinary industry and the training of professional chefs.” Flori, in his turn, stressed the importance of commitment by the University to the academic education because as he said “the needs in this respect are huge around the globe, especially in view of the unstable conditions everywhere.” (Al Mustaqbal, April 12, 2016)

 

 

The Office of Women Affairs at the Phalangist Party Batroon District in the North honored last Sunday women from the local community during a ceremony held at the Holy Family University-Batroun, in the presence of Joyce Amin Gemayel, MP Samer Saadeh, the head of the Phalangist Batroon District, Arz Fadous and a number of local figures. Addressing the honored women, Fadous praised their capacities and pledged to support them and to step up efforts to pressure the civil society and youth organizations, in particular, to increase the number of women candidates in the upcoming municipal elections. He called for the formation of alliances with the various political and family groups to this effect. For his part, Saadeh, describing the woman as the “pillar of society”, said he shares and backs her demands and rights, “particularly in the wake of the horrific corruption scandals infecting our communities.” Among the honored women, are the director general of Petroleum Resources, Aura Feghali, the National News Agency director, Laure Sleiman Saab, the mother of the martyr pilot Samer Hanna, Yvette Saba Hanna, the president of the Holy Family University, Marie Basbous, the president of the Lebanese Red Cross in Batroun, Claude Darazi and mothers of martyrs. (Al Mustaqbal, April 12, 2016)

 

Politicians in Lebanon have lately referred to unsubstantiated figures on the size and rate of unemployment in Lebanon that are far from logic and are not based on any reliable official statistics. In a latest statement, the Labor Minister Sajaan Azzi stated that nearly one million out of four million Lebanese citizens are jobless, i.e. 25% of the total population (and not of the workforce). Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the total number of refugees in the country at present is one million persons according to UNHCR estimations, thus giving Minister Azzi the opportunity to persevere in trying to link the chronic problem of unemployment in Lebanon to that of Syrian displacement.  Azzi’s statement concerning unemployment was made last Friday during his launching of the ‘We Act for the Recruitment of Youth’ initiative, in cooperation with USAID and Microsoft. On that occasion, the minister urged the United States to help Lebanon in relieving the burden of the refugee crisis on unemployment!? (For the full article, please visit: http://www.almustaqbal.com/v4/article.aspx?Type=NP&ArticleID=699761)

An Nahar, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, April 9, 2016