Subscribe to newsletter

Custom Search 1

You are here

Home

News updates

Lebanese university female students reap first place in world competitions

23-5-2017

The Lebanese Packaging Center (LibanPack) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) honored last week 41 Arab students who won in the first edition of the Arab Student StarPack competition for best packaging design. Female university students from Lebanon were at the forefront of winners as follows: Carine Oweida (LAU), came first place in the category of visual packaging design; Diana Abdel Khalek (MUBS), first in food safety packaging design; Sarah Wahidi (RHU) came second place for the category of visual packaging design; Samia Khattab (AUL) second in structural packaging design; Sarah Dheini (LIU) second in food safety packaging; Lilian Jaafar (MUBS) came third in visual packaging design; Kinda Afifi (LAU), won Banqe du Liban prize; Nour Hilou (Lebanese University) won Gemayel Freres prize, and Rayan Birnawi (male student from LIU) came first for the category of best structural packaging design. On the other hand, and for the second consecutive year, the interuniversity contest ‘Unleash your Creativity’, organized by Fernand Hosri Group, awarded the winning teams for the best promotional campaign idea for the leading Italian Urmet International. The winners, Emila Abu Hanna and Remi Ballout, from the Lebanese University, won a trip to Italy including training at Urmet. Participating universities to recall were: AUB, USJ, USEK, NDU, UL, LAU and AUST. (L’Orient Le Jour, Al Diyar, May 19 and 20, 2017)

Share on

Updates on Eliane Saftali case and domestic violence in Lebanon

23-5-2017

The Military Court of Cassation began yesterday the questioning of the released defendants, sergeants Taleb Hamiyeh and Yassir Hamiyeh, in the case of the murder in 2015 of Eliane Saftali by Hasan Ahmad Hamiyeh who ‘managed to escape from prison’. The head of the above court has earlier, on March 28th of this year, agreed to retry the three parties accused in Saftali’s killing. (cf: http://bit.ly/2nfVwVI). However, new information has been uncovered yesterday which proved the crime was ‘not accidental’. The forensic doctor who examined the body of the young woman stated that the shooting was direct and at point-blank range. The culprit in the past interrogation claimed he fired bullets at the nightclub’s sign which fell back and killed Saftali, who as he mentioned, happened to be leaving the place. The doctor was asked about the disappearance of the report from the murder case file during its review by the Military Court which never summoned him to hear his testimony as is usual in criminal investigation. The next hearing was adjourned till June 5, 2017 for the questioning of Hassan’s friends and the victim’s mother. Meanwhile, in the latest of domestic violence incidents, Majida Reda Haidar was found yesterday blood-soaked in her home in Athar neighborhood of Tyre from repeated stabbing with a knife in the neck. Security forces rushed to the scene of the murder and successfully detained the husband, Safi Ezzedine, who, after being faced with evidence, admitted to slaying his wife. In parallel, Mount Lebanon Attorney General ordered the arrest of the father and mother of the Syrian child I’tidal on charges of beating their 3-year-old daughter who died last Saturday at Saint Louis Hospital. The forensic report has shown bruises and burns on the child's body and internal head bleeding. (Al Mustaqbal, May 23, 2017)

Share on

Micha Karam Lebanese student with high distinction in Saudi Arabia

23-5-2017

In a ceremony held on May 15 at the Lebanese Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Consul Ziad Atallah, honored the 9th and 10th grade Lebanese students with distinction. The students were selected from 12 schools in recognition of their academic achievements. Atallah distributed the certificates of appreciation among 98 male and female students from different schools in the province, notably, Micha Karam, daughter of MBC TV employee. The event saw the presence of director general of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sami Abdallah, Senior Diplomatic Representative, Ambassador Ali Ayache, the Consuls of Yemen, Palestine and Bahrain, in addition to a large number of Lebanese expatriates in the Kingdom and parents of honorees. On the occasion, Atallah motivated the students to continue their achievements for a better future for Lebanon. (An Nahar, May 15, 2017)

Share on

Lebanon short of more than 7,000 nurses

23-5-2017

Member of Parliament, Wael Abou Fa3ur underlined on Sunday a pressing need for male and female nurses in the local labor market. Abou Fa3ur was speaking during the inauguration of the Nursing Division in Rashaya upon the invitation of the Lebanese University School of Public Health, in cooperation with the Federation of Mount Hermon Municipalities. Abou Fa3ur considered that the launch of the division is of utmost importance as it goes beyond academic achievement and employment to a level of trust in a government that gives due regard to the regions, pointing to the drawback in not linking labor market policies with educational outcomes. A main purpose of the nursing division is to generate jobs in a discipline that is deficient in the country, Abou Fa3ur stated, disclosing the need for over 7000 men and women nurses. He further drew attention to a black market in the profession in Lebanon which smuggles nurses across local hospitals and to outside of the country. He lamented that some hospital owners demand bringing in nurses from the Philippines. “Why is nursing looked down upon? Is there a more upright and noble career than nursing?” said Abou Fa3ur, drawing a similarity to medicine in terms of practice and humanitarian worth. Most hospitals are short of nurses, he warned. (Al Mustaqbal, May 22, 2017)

Share on

Saradar Bank women’s race in Junieh

22-5-2017

The Beirut Marathon Association organized yesterday the Saradar Bank- Women’s Race in Junyeh north of Beirut. The event kicked off from Fuad Shehab Sports Complex in the presence of Chantal Aoun Bassil representing the First Lady, Nadia Chami Aoun, and the minister of state for women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, and with the participation of some 1026 Lebanese, Arab and foreign runners. On the occasion, Bassil, President Aoun’s daughter, said she was happy to partake in the marathon for women. Women, she emphasized, represent a role model in society, and boast a reservoir of ideas for the development of the community, and are not confined to their traditional roles as mothers and educators-upbringers, and as such, they deserve a greater position in the political and social life of the country. Similarly, Ogassapian said the Lebanese woman has continuously proved herself “academically, culturally, mentally and physically, and that she is present across all walks of life.” “When I speak of equality, I mean equality at the level of society as a whole, that is in activities that are expressive of freedom,” the minister said, maintaining that “equality is also needed in politics at the level of constitutional institutions.” For her part, founder and president of Beirut Marathon, May Khalil, pointed out that as she believes in the power of sports, she seeks to motivate the Lebanese woman to take part in sportive events, notably running, in order to fuel her boldness in all that she does. (Al Diyar, May 22, 2017)

Share on

Ivanka Trump learns about rights from Saudi women!

22-5-2017

On the sidelines of a parade involving US President Donald Trump during his weekend visit to Saudi Arabia, his daughter, Ivanka met with a group of Saudi women leaders. Trump praised the progress reached in recent years in the Kingdom in the area of women’s rights, describing this as “very encouraging”. But, she added, “there is still a lot to be done and freedoms to be fought for,” and urged Saudi women to continue with their struggle to attain more freedoms. In a tweet after the above roundtable meeting, Ivanka said she has “learned directly from the successes, achievements and the future visions of Saudi women.” “Stories of Saudi women aspiring for change inspire me,” she tweeted. “Women around the world continue to struggle to achieve unprecedented levels of rights and freedoms, and today, you are standing in the front lines of the battle for equality,” she concluded in her address to Saudi women. (Al Diyar, May 22, 2017)

Share on

Rita Shibley yet another victim of confessional personal status law

19-5-2017

Another victim is added to a long list of women impaired by Lebanon’s personal status law that discriminate against women. Rita Shibley was jailed for three days for refusing to comply with a ruling by Shmistar Jaafari Court ordering her to handover of her two children, Youssef and Maria, to their grandfather from the deceased father’s side. The Court however revoked its decision on custody of the children and released Rita after informing her of a case of forgery on part of the father’s family in respect of the ‘religion of their son’. In the details, Al Akhbar newspaper narrated the story of the couple which began with the marriage of Rita and Wassim. The husband has converted to Catholicism and was baptized as George after signing a pledge to return to the Catholic Court in all matters related to said marriage, Al Akhbar wrote. After Wassim died, Rita started to face problems with her in-laws who sought by all means to win custody of the grandchildren, with resort to force in some instances. When the family failed, the newspaper went on to say, it reverted the conversion of deceased George to his original Shiite faith, and to Wassim Abdel Hassan Chehadeh as he was called before being baptized. The transfer was made seven days after Wassim’s death, which constituted a problem. Rita today awaits a decision by the Catholic Religious Court that will give her custody of her two children. In its comment on the subject, Kafa - Enough Violence and Exploitation organization said in a statement yesterday that Rita has been subject to injustice, discrimination, fraud and stalking. It stressed the rights of women and mothers in particular to custody and guardianship of their children, questionning the government about its responsibilities towards its women citizens! “Aren’t women’s heartbreaks reasons enough for the decision-makers to act put the personal status laws at the highest position in their priorities?”  (An Nahar, Al Akhbar, May 19, 2017)
 
Previous related news: 
Fatmeh Hamzeh victim of Lebanon’s confessional constitution and laws
 

Share on

Chile lands in Iqleem al Kharrub for women’s sake

19-5-2017

In collaboration with the Embassy of Chile, the Ministry of State for Women’s Affairs organized on Wednesday, a seminar entitled ‘Poverty Reduction’ at the municipality of Barja, Iqlim al Kharub. The activity comes as part of a Chilean Week in Lebanon aimed at exchange of expertise relevant to women’s affairs between the two countries. Mayor Nashaat Hamiyeh stated that addressing the issue of women is fundamental, since women constitute a key pillars of society as well as its foundation. For his part, the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, Jean Ogassapian, emphasized that "the presence of men amongst us during our presentation of the rights of women is essential, they also should struggle towards achieving full rights of women, so that women become fundamental partners in positions of political decision-making in the nation." The Ambassador of Chile to Lebanon, Martha Shalhub, stated: “We do not seek to be equal to men, for we know that men and women are not the same. What women want are equal opportunities, rights, and guarantees.” For her part, Chilean former minister and expert in women’s affairs, Carmen Andrade, considered that inequality in pay and work impedes women’s economic independence. She emphasized the need to arrive at educational and cultural policies that strengthen [gender] equality in rights and opportunities in order to eradicate all conservative traditional practices that cause sustained poverty and inequality. )Al Mustaqbal, May 19, 2017(

Share on

Trial postponed of husband killer of wife Manal Assi

19-5-2017

The Criminal Court of Cassation, under Judge Suheir Harakeh, and in the presence of representative of Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Imad Qabalan, resumed the trial of Mohamad Nuheili, murderer of wife Manal Assi back in 2015 (news: http://www.lkdg.org/ar/node/10775). Earlier on, in August 22, the Court agreed to repudiate the ruling of the Criminal Court of Beirut to mitigate the death penalty to a 5-year imprisonment sentence according to Article 252 of the Penal Code that allows the perpetrator to benefit from a reduced sentence if the crime was committed in a fit of rage resulting from a wrong action. The Court listened yesterday to the testimonies of 5 witnesses including neighbors of the victim and relatives of the assailant. They all agreed that the culprit has left his marital house several times after beating his wife who never begged for help. The judge also heard the victim’s mother who stated that she arrived at [the victim's] home after receiving a call from the defendant. And the latter, in turn, commented on the testimonies of witnesses in the presence of his attorney Ahmad Badran. The Court decided to summon the victim’s mother and other witnesses to the following session set for July 4 [2017]. (Al Mustaqbal, May 19, 2017)


Previous related news:
Testimonies in the trial of killer of wife Manal Assi
Judiciary delays ruling in murder cases of Manal Assi and Ella Tannus child
Public Prosecutor appeals decision of mitigated sentence to killer of wife Manal Assi
Court of Cassation repeals decision in the case of Manal Assi
Justice fails Manal Assi while last hope resides in the Discriminatory Prosecution
 

Share on

Women, politics, and violence in Tripoli

18-5-2017

A seminar entitled, ‘women, politics and violence’, was held yesterday at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli and the North at the invitation of the office of the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, Jean Ogassapian, and the Embassy of Chile in Lebanon in the presence of a group of public figures. During the seminar, the Chilean former minister and expert in women’s affairs, Carmen Andrade, stated that “the presence of women in senior state positions, whether presidency of the republic or parliament presidency or in various political posts, remains limited”, and reflected on the main barriers that impede the effective participation of women. She added by saying “Some electoral systems are harmful to women, and do not provide them with opportunities to run for elections or to vote directly for their own interests. Among the electoral systems that best ensure representation of women, [she maintained], is the proportional representation (PR) system which guarantees the soundest requisites and circumstances towards ensuring victory of new groups, such as women and the youth.” The seminar included two working sessions: the first entitled ‘women in politics’, and was moderated by Dr. Ruba Dalati who examined the rate of women’s participation in the legislative branch of government in a number of Arab states, drawing attention to the low participation of women in governments, and adding that “ [women’s] participation is still linked to ministries that are considered traditionally as women’s specialties”. The second session entitled, ‘combating violence against women’, and moderated by Shaza Asaad, who pointed out forms of discrimination between men and women and causes of such discrimination which lead only to violence whether physical, mental or emotional that Lebanese women in general have to put up with. Asaad appealed to the Lebanese public to take action in this direction, urging the government and PM Saad Hariri to ensure equity for women and to contribute towards strengthening women’s role in the advancement of society. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, May 18, 2017)

Share on

Pages


Subscribe to RSS - News updates