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English

Legalisation of cannabis and general amnesty law

27-2-2019

A few days from now, farmers start throwing their cannabis seeds in the vast planes of the Baalbeq-Hermel area known for its semi-arid continental climate, An Nahar newspaper wrote today. According to An Nahar, the majority of local farmers persists in cannabis cultivation, despite the fact that is illegal, because of the deteriorating living and economic conditions. The newspaper noted that authorities have halted the combating of cannabis since six years ago, thus giving the impression that it is implicitly tolerating it, while formal discussions proceeds on ways to legalise the growing of cannabis and its use for medicinal purposes. The newspaper also reports that total areas under cannabis cultivation continue to steadily expand and has exceeded 250,000 dunums last year. ِAn Nahar concludes that with the inclusion of general amnesty law in the program of the new government, farmers now strongly believe that the legalisation of cannabis will move in pair with progress of the amnesty law. (An Nahar, February 27, 2019)
 

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Three women shake up US politics

27-2-2019

In its issue of February 24, Al Diyar newspaper talked about women in the current US Congress, spotlighting three recently elected members who shook up US politics. These women, the newspaper wrote, are women of color and have won the Democratic Party seats in the past November elections. Though they are only few months in their position, the upheaval they brought challenged the traditional orthodox norms of the US Establishment, on the level of internal and foreign affairs. The three women are: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, of Puerto Rican origin, became the youngest woman to serve in the Congress, worked as a waitress in New York City; Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, 38, Somali origin, first to wear hijab in the Congress, arrived to the US as a refugee in 1995; and Rashida Tleib, 42, Michigan State, an American-Palestinian attorney. To recall, Omar and Tleib are the first Muslim women US Congress members. Al Diyar in conclusion said, that the three women above are staunch advocates of LGBT rights, the right of women to abortion and the rights of immigrants in line: with the progressive policy of the Democrats. For more, kindly visit the link below:
 https://goo.gl/Vjrq8W. (Al Diyar, February 24, 2019)
 

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Body of Ethiopian woman washes ashore Antelias 

27-2-2019

In the latest violence incidents against women notably MWDW, the local media reported on February 22nd the news of an Ethiopian national whose body was washing ashore the Antelias coast north of Beirut and retrieved by a Civil Defense Maritime Rescue squad. The body was transferred to Baabda Government Hospital after being examined by specialized security units. In this respect, the ISF General Directorate-Public Relations Department asked in a statement anyone who has information about the victim to come to the hospital or contact Antelias Regional Gendarmerie Unit. (Al Mustaqbal, February 22, 2019)
 

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Agricultural unions demand a plan to salvage the sector

26-2-2019

The Beqaa Farmers’ Gathering appealed to the new minister of agriculture, Hassan Lakees, to put an emergency plan to salvage the waning agricultural sector. The suggested plan includes the following: suspend import licenses issued earlier and re-organise them to meet local market needs; revise licenses for the importation of all kinds of fruits and vegetables; cancel all licenses involving the export of banana from Syria and Jordan or livestock to Arab countries, as well as cancellation of licenses for the import of pesticides, frozen potato, cheeses and dairy products, apples and pears. The Gathering asked Lakees to seek the regulation of agreements made with Syria, Jordan and Egypt to protect the Lebanese farmer, and negotiate with the Syrian authorities to reduce the tariffs enforced on trucks crossing through the Naseeb crossing. On the other hand, minister Lakees promised a delegation of poultry and livestock farmers who visited him on February 20, to look into the sector’s needs, particularly on the matter of halting the issuance of any import licenses to protect the industry. A delegation member, Saad Raad, said Lebanon currently produces its domestic needs from poultry, protesting against imported products that dump the local market at very competitive prices. For the same purpose, a delegation of poultry producers in Akkar visited MP Hadi Hbeish decrying the suffering of farmers and the deprivation threatening thousands of households because as a result of illicit competition of the frozen broilers imported from Brazil or smuggled from Turkey via the illegal border crossing which led to the price slump. (Al Diyar, An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, February 22, 23, 24, 2019)

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Abortion in Lebanon and Syria

26-2-2019

In its issue of February 23, Al Akhbar daily spotlighted the phenomenon of abortion practiced by specialized and non-specialized physicians and rampant between Lebanon and neighboring Syria. Operations are carried out clandestinely, protected by the fear of scandal which constitutes the core of the ‘trade’, wrote Al Akhbar. In the details, the newspaper said many operating tables thrive under the blind eyes of the law, in the southern suburbs and outside, profiting from women who keep silent in the face of abuse and scandal. The cost of abortion varies according to geographical location and circumstances, Al Akhbar said, ranging from USD 800-1500 in the capital Beirut, USD 400 to 600 in the southern suburbs and USD 50-100 in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The reported cost is often a setback to many women, which opened the door to a black market extending from Beirut and its suburbs to Rif Dimashq. On the subject, Al Akhbar spoke to Faten who traveled to Syria for the operation because she cannot afford to do it in Lebanon. Faten mentioned a Lebanese broker who drives customers from Beirut, takes care of required documents at the borders, delivers them straight to the clinic and back to Beirut. For his part, the new health minister, Jamil Jabak, told Al Akhbar that he gives the matter a great deal of attention, especially in the clinics that are not prepared and largely put the lives of patients at risk. The ministry, Jabak said, is currently collecting data to locate all such clinics, pointing to involvement of some hospitals in this file. (Al Akhbar, February 23, 2019)

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Lebanese woman among the laureates of UNESCO 2019 International Awards

26-2-2019

The L’Oreal Foundation-UNESCO announced on February 11 the names of laureates of the 21st International Awards for Women in Science which annually honors five women scientists from all over the world. These exceptional women, who represent world continents, are chosen for their distinguished research in the fields of material science, mathematics and computer science. The winners are: The Lebanese Najat Aoun Saliba, chemistry professor and director of the Nature Conservation Center at AUB (for Africa and Arab countries); professor Maki Kawai, chemistry (Asia); professor Karen Hallberg, physics (Latin America); professor Ingrid Daubechies, mathematical physics (North America) and Claire Voisin, Algebraic geometry, mathematics (Europe). Noting that, each laureate will receive 100,000 euros during a ceremony to be held on March 14 at the UNESCO Paris headquarters. (Al Akhbar, February 26, 2019)

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Yazidi girls decapitated at last ISIS stronghold

26-2-2019

During its offensive against the last ISIS stronghold east of Syria, the British Air Force Special Unit discovered decapitated Yazidi girls and dumped in waste containers while they were forced into sex slavery by the terrorists organization, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday. An informed source told the British newspaper that, during their defeat and retreat, extremists knew no limits. They have cowardly slain women leaving their heads behind. On the other hand, the Lebanese An Nahar daily drew attention today to the fate of the French Tunisian woman Um Youssef, 21, who joined ISIS since 2014 to wear the niqab freely. In an interview with AFP, Um Youssef said that her dream vision of the Islamic State has not ended with the shrinking of ISIS hegemony to only half a square kilometer. I still wear the niqab and have faith in the Islamic State, no matter how small it is, she maintained. Um Youssef also mentioned that she heard of the US President’s appeal to the European countries to claim back their citizens held by US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. I pray to God that this does not happen, Un Youssef grieved, stressing that she does not want her French citizenship back and does not recognize it in the first place. (Al Diyar, An Nahar, February 26, 2019)

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Civil marriage mobilizes both religious, sectarian circles

25-2-2019

The issue of the optional civil marriage in Lebanon, brought back to the forefront recently by minister Raya Hassan, is steering wide controversy after various religious authorities rallied to confront it. Following Dar el Fatwa’s admonition of the proposal, the Maronite Patriarch Rai’ declared on February 22 that the Church was not against civil marriage completely, but was against optional civil marriage, stating that laws should be mandatory for everyone. The Catholic Information Center director, Father Abdo abu Kassm, stressed on February 17, that the Church does not recognize civil marriage as it is entirely contrary to its rules. Likewise, the vice president of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali Khatib, on February 21, voiced strong objection to the issue for it encroaches on the Constitution and negates faith. Supreme Druze Sheikh Naim Hassan also rebuffed the proposal, according to Al Diyar newspaper. On the subject, House Speaker Nabi Berri reportedly told a Press Union delegation on February 18, that the optional civil marriage proposal is not on the table of discussion. Al Diyar said that prime minister, Saad Hariri, and minister Raya Hassan, faced by religious pressure, were forced to withdraw and suspend debate on the issue. On the other hand, dozens of civil marriage supporters staged a sit-in in front of the ministry of interior on Saturday asking the government to recognize civil marriages carried out in the country. Protestors hoisted banners which read: ‘Civil marriage not civil war’ and ‘I want civil marriage on home soil, I have flying phobia’. To note, the Lebanese State disallows civil marriage on its territory, but recognizes civil marriages completed abroad. Recalling, the government has proposed a civil marriage draft bill back in 1998, but was halted after wide opposition from religious authorities. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, February 20,22, 23, 25, 2019)

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First Saudi women ambassador in DC

25-2-2019

Saudi Arabia announced on February 23 the appointment of Princess Rima Bint Bandar Bin Sultan as its Ambassador to Washington for the first time in the Kingdom’s history. Rima grew up in DC where she studied and graduated from a US university. Early in 1984, she traveled with family to the US when her father was appointed as ambassador. Prior to her appointment, she served as the head of women’s affairs at the General Sports Authority since 2016 and chief executive of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports since October, 2017. She was selected as one of the most powerful 200 Arab women by Forbes Middle East magazine in2014 and is a winner of Sheikh Mohamad Bin Maktoum Creative Sport Award in 2017. On the other hand, and on February 22, Saudi diplomats obstructed at Hong Kong Airport two Saudi sisters who were planning to flee to Australia, while noting that this is the second incident reported in one month about Saudi teens and girls attempting to escape. In the details, the sisters’ lawyer said the two courageous young women who renounced Islam were living in chronic worry and fear and always hiding. They arrived in Chinese territory in September when they fled their family during a vacation to Sri Lanka, he added. Meanwhile, on February 13, the EU announced that it added Saudi Arabia to the dirty-money blacklist for posing money laundering and terror financing risks. (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, February 14, 24, 2019)

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Food safety: Egyptian onions confiscated, trade ban on other products

25-2-2019

As part of the national food safety campaign, and in collaboration with the Za7hleh Directorate- State Security, the ministry of agriculture confiscated yesterday around 2400 kgs of adulterated Egyptian onions at the central vegetable market of Furzol, in addition to expired local onions. On the subject, Louis Lahoud, the ministry’s general director, said the follow up of this file came upon instructions from minister Hassan Lakis, stressing the continuation of the campaign in all the Lebanese markets. To recall, the minister of economy in the new government, Mansour Tabsh, issued a circular on February 21 suspending work at Ghazal Mills in the southern town of Marwanieh after lab tests proved their violation of local standards. Tabsh, on February 20, also sanctioned in four separate decisions, the resumption in trading of several food and bottled water products for complying with food safety specifications and hygiene conditions. These include, Fariq Co for fresh cream (Na3meh), Al Salam wal Mahaba Restaurant (Beer el Abed) and Baker Golden products (Sehayleh), in addition to Saray bottled water in Shwayfat. (Al Mustaqbal, February 22, 23, 24, 2019)

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