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"Barakat" by Lebanese Manon Namoor to Toronto Festival

22-8-2019

Lebanese director, Manon Namoor will launch her new short film ‘Barakat’ within the short film competition at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. Namoor, who graduated from the Audio Visual Art division at Notre Dame University was selected as one of the rising directors in the Arab world by the Arab Stars of Tomorrow magazine and by juries of short films at several festivals, notably, Namur’s Festival International du Film Francophone (Francophone Film Festival in Namur) and the Beirut International Women Film Festival. Currently, she is the coordinator of Notre Dame International Film Festival and the art director in a number of films. (NNA, August 21, 2019)

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Women's Cultural Week in Ehden

22-8-2019

The Rishat Itr Forum inaugurated on August 17 the women’s cultural week at the Ehden Serail with the participation of women poets, painters, singers and women associations. The event included poetry readings, as well as painting and handicraft shows. Within this week, Koura Government Hospital, in collaboration with Rishat Itr, conducted free blood and diabetes screening tests for people of all ages. Endocrinologist Dr. Salam Sisi lectured on the risks of diabetes, its symptoms and how to treat it. (NNA, August 19, 2019)

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Women only beaches in Lebanon: Religion is not the only reason

22-8-2019

In its issue of August 20, Al Akhbar daily featured the women only beaches in Lebanon, drawing attention to the deceptive clichés raised about them and which to a great extent are not true. The newspaper cited a New York Times article published a year ago that attributed the booming business to a resurgence of religiosity within the Islamic environment. In its analysis, Al Akhbar said NYTimes has exposed only a partial truth about such places, stating that faith is but one of many reasons involved. While the majority of these beach goers are conservative devout women, others go because they are simply shy about exposing their bodies in mixed-gender beaches. Or, they just do it for social reasons because they enjoy and are more comfortable in decent swimming pools tailored for families, away from the ‘immoral and wild behavior’ invading mixed sex beaches. Contrary to the commonplace, the women only pools are not exclusive to Muslim women; Christian women go in large numbers as well. Some accompany their Muslim friends who prefer segregated beaches, while others have different motives, including ‘dieting’ or just for ‘meddlesomeness’. Such ‘religious diversity’ inspired women only beach resorts to offer spirits, noting that the music and dance atmosphere is all-over. (Al Akhbar, August 20, 2019)

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Achieving equal gender financial terms in US soccer

21-8-2019

After pointing to the wage disparities between women and men soccer players (https://bit.ly/2MsujjD), Al Akhbar newspaper reported today that the US Women National Team players (USWNT) who, last month, have won their 4th world title, are closer to achieving equality in wages and workplace conditions with their male peers. In this regard, the court has set the date for pronouncing its decision in the equal pay lawsuit against the national soccer federation (USSF). Al Akhbar wrote that 28 members of the US Women’s National Soccer Team filed on March 8 a lawsuit against the Federation for gender discrimination and unequal pay. Los Angeles district judge, R. Gary Klausner, set May 5, 2020 as the deadline to decide on the case, after the mediation between USSF and USWNT reached a deadlock. On the subject, the women players’ spokesperson, Molly Levinson, said, the team is looking forward to the jury trial in May 2020 to claim their demands. More on the following link: https://bit.ly/2TNXG0u. (al-Akhbar 21 August 2019)
 
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Wage differences between women and men in soccer
 
 

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Promoting rural tourism, sustainable forest management in Batloun

21-8-2019

The Rene Mouawad Foundation (RMF) CEO, MP Michel Maouwad, sponsored yesterday the completion of ‘Promoting rural tourism and sustainable management of forests in Batloun-Shouf’ initiative. The latter, to note, is funded by USAID and implemented by RMF in partnership with the Municipality of Batloun as well as Al Shouf Cedar Society. Mouawad on the occasion underlined the importance of the USD 175,000 project in transforming one of Lebanon's main forests from a source of firewood to a source of sustainable income through ecotourism, pointing to the rehabilitation of the 20 km walking trail to this effect. The project has once again, reaffirmed the competence of the local authorities as a core for transparent and effective development, Mouawad said. With modest potentials, we have managed to secure a local economic cycle and create jobs for the town’s youth, he concluded. (Al Diyar, August 21, 2019)

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First time in Sudan: Christian woman at the top

21-8-2019

For the first time in the history of Sudan, a woman, and additionally a Christian, has reached the highest authority, Al Diyar reported today. The rule in Sudan, to recall, has been transferred from the Military Council to an 11-member Sovereign Council becoming the highest authority in the country under the terms of the Constitutional Declaration. The latter, to recall, has dissolved the transitional military council which ruled Sudan since the overthrow of Omar Hassan Al Bashir in April. Al Diyar said that following a lengthy meeting between the Military Council and the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) alliance, agreement was reached to appoint Raja Nicola Abdel Massih as a conciliatory member of the new Sovereign Council. Abdel Massih, born in Om Durman, holds a bachelor of laws from Cairo University (1980). She was appointed in the ministry of justice in 1982 and gradually promoted to an advisor in the ministry in 2005 to be recently nominated by FFC to represent the Christian side in the Sovereign Council. (Al Diyar, August 21, 2019)
 

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Women refugees labor strengthens global GDP

20-8-2019

In its issue of today, Al Diyar newspaper published an article by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) chief executive, former UK foreign secretary, David Miliband, on the impact of access of refugees to the labor market. He reported that while male refugees face many constraints to this effect, female refugees have to deal with yet harsher circumstances, especially given their long term poverty situations and a higher rate of sexual assaults and abuse. Miliband cited a joint new report by the IRC and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security which predicted an enormous economic profit obtained by allowing refugees, particularly women refugees, greater access to jobs. According to the said report, female refugees can contribute to nearly USD 1.4 trillion to the global GDP every year if the gender gap in employment and earnings is closed in some 30 countries hosting around 90% of world refugees. The above report stressed that closing such gaps through achieving equal pay between men and women in those countries, could increase the global GDP to USD 2.5 trillion. (Al Diyar, August 19, 2019)

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BTA Retail Index: more institutions close, consumption decline

20-8-2019

The Beirut Traders Association (BTA) Fransabank Retail Index for the second quarter of 2019, has shown a steady decline in consumption in the absence of positive developments in the economic arena that will stimulate markets. The Index pointed out that the continuous deliberation for raising taxes on imported goods to protect national industry without providing credible studies on the impact of such measures on the trade activity, and the resulting flight of large deposits from banks due to the increasing taxes on the interest rates of deposits and a waning demand on new deposits, an additional rise in interest rates and the shrinking of banking facilities which in large part contribute to invigorating the economic cycle. According to Fransabank Retail Index, only growth can restore Lebanon’s economic stability and vigor. The state of anticipation among ‘a large number of traders’ has forced them to close their shops and institutions or rent them to non-Lebanese brokers, the Index noted, pointing to the shutdowns in Beirut alone which reached between 4% to 13%, with a higher rate in the regions. The Index also pointed out that the country has not seen a satisfactory number of incomers or a normal comeback of Lebanese expats recorded during the Ramadan, Al Fitr or Easter Holidays. Retail business figures during the second quarter of 2019 reported a continued decline in most sectors, and a more pronounced austerity in consumption and spending among households and individuals. The major sectors that witnessed continued decline during the second quarter compared to the same period in 2018, posted the following rates: Shoes and leather goods (- 54.78% against - 25.59%), smartphones (- 51.25% / - 35.03%), household electrical appliances (- 22.15% / - 15.62%), furniture (- 14.41% / - 6.42%) and hypermarkets and foodstuff (- 5.69% / - 8.41%). (Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, August 20, 2019)

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LF talk on domestic violence law

20-8-2019

In coordination with the Strengthening of Women’s Role division in the Lebanese Forces (LF), the Akkar LF sector, organized a talk yesterday on domestic violence in the area of Halba. During the seminar, the head of the division in Akkar, Esperence Shahin, commended the contribution of LF lawmakers to combat domestic violence through proposals aimed to modify relevant legislations. These include, Law no. 293 for the protection of women from domestic violence prepared by Kafa Organization in collaboration with NCLW. And they notably center on Articles 252 and 548 of the Penal Code aimed to intensify penalties on homicide and violence incidents against wives and women in general, Articles 503 and 504 aimed to criminalize marital rape, as well as the law for the protection of children from early marriage that sets the minimum age of marriage at 18. For her part, Nadine Saba, the Administrative Committee officer at Akkar Network for Development, expounded domestic violence incidences in the Akkar area, referring to a peak (26%) in the rate of the women’s tolerance of domestic violence. Similarly, while Kafa representative, Mustafa Akkari, clarified how Law 293 is applied, the head of the LF Activation of Women’s Role, Maya Zighrini, pointed out that the new bill expedites the reporting of domestic violence incidences. In the past, Zighrini said, security forces did not act on the reporting of similar cases, but today, things are more controllable through the hotline 1745. Battered woman should not be afraid to report, she added. (NNA, August 20, 2019)

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Decoration and design training for Tripoli prison inmates

20-8-2019

In cooperation with MP Dima Jamali, the Lebanese Charitable Association for Reform and Rehabilitation organized yesterday a training course for women inmates at Tripoli Central Prison. The course, which includes training on decoration skills, aims to help prisoners acquire professions to facilitate their reintegration into society after their release. On the occasion, the head of the Charity, Fatmeh Badra, considered that the empowerment of women prisoners through the acquisition of certain professions is a powerful and requisite tool to enable them to confront life challenges. Similar initiatives, Badra maintained, are classified under the humanitarian umbrella that brings us together, as she put it, stressing, that assisting female inmates is one of the pillars of this umbrella. (NNA, August 19, 2019)

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