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Anti-Trump women’s march in Washington

20-1-2020

On Saturday, thousands of women gathered in Washington for the annual march in protest against US President Donald Trump. Smaller marches were organized in other cities, mainly NYC. Marchers wore pink hats in allusion to their rejection of Trump’s demeaning comments to women, expressing caution against his winning a second presidential term next November. During the march, Kim Elliot, 40, living in Washington, carried a placard which read, “I am even more outraged than I was 3 years ago.” Another protestor, Lauren Sloniger, 26, from Washington suburb, sent a message to Trump saying, “We know what you’ve done and we’ll hold you accountable for that.” Recalling, that the street women’s movement started back in 2017 with Trump’s arrival at the White House and were repeated every year becoming a tradition uniting all Trump’s opponents and policies. (An Nahar, January 19, 2020)
 

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Agro-food initiative to provide 100 jobs to women

17-1-2020

Berytech launched on January 15 the ACT Smart Innovation Hub funded in partnership with the Embassy of The Netherlands. The program is an upgraded copy of Agrytech with a supplement clean tech sector (energy, waste and water) which aims to build up economic growth and create jobs in the agri-food and clean technology industries. According to Berytech chairman and CEO, Maroun Chammas, said program is expected to provide around 200 direct employment opportunities and some 400 indirect prospects, including 50% targeting the youth and 25% linked to women. It will also allocate necessary know-how resources to concerned startups to help them expand and grow their ideas into international businesses in addition to a funding of USD 100,000. The ACT Smart Innovation Hub extends over 36 months from September 2019 to August 2022. During the launch, Berytech deputy general manager, director of the program, Rami Bou Jawdeh, explained that the program will benefit from Agri-tech achievements with new areas directed to improve access to markets and partnerships through technology transfer, supportive research and focus on actual market challenges. The Dutch ambassador, Jan Waltmans, for his part, said the current status quo in Lebanon underlines the need to prop innovation and job creation for youth. He pointed out that investment in agro-food and cleantech is a priority for Netherlands in Lebanon. (L’Orient Le Jour, January 17, 2020)

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Woman nominated for the top post in Greece

17-1-2020

Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Wednesday nominated progressive female judge, Ekaterini Sakellaropoulou, as head of the state. To note, that should the Greek legislature approves said nomination, the judge (63), who heads the Council of State, will become the first woman to assume this honorary post in Greece. On this, Mitsotakis said in a televised address: “It is time for Greece to open up to the future.” He stressed that his choice breaks the mold, not because Sakellaropoulou is a woman, but because she does not belong to any party. Her nomination reflects unity and progress, he stated. For her part, Sakellaropoulou, told the official INI news agency that her candidacy was an honor for her, expressing willingness to devote all efforts to serve this high duty. (Al Diyar, Janaury 17, 2020)

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Home-based kitchens popular in Syria, subsist women

17-1-2020

In its edition of today, Al Akhbar wrote that the harsh economic conditions associated with the conflict in Syria, have encouraged the emergence of so-called home-based kitchens which are easy to set up, fast to produce and their profits are guaranteed. The newspaper spotlighted Leen Saaddedine (26) who, with the help of her mom and other enthusiastic women, prepare a list of meals and orders for special occasions and events at affordable prices. Manal Masri (28) is another young woman who manages a Facebook group under the name of her kitchen through which she posts the menus with prices and catchy photos. She then communicates with the customers via whatsapp to order from the list of scrumptious home-cooked meals. Speaking to Al Akhbar, Saaddedine explained that conditions were difficult after the extended family was forced to live under the same roof because of the war. Only then, she said, one can change his/her own destiny by contemplating reality from a different perspective. Saaddedine said her clientele’s trust in the hygiene of her kitchen and the lip-smacking recipes she prepares, in addition to her good management, were a key factor in promoting her work. She stressed that social media platforms also contributed to the reputation and attracted more customers. In turn, Masri said she started her kitchen with only USD 100 and some home provisions, of course with the help of her mother and aunt. Today, our number grew and the kitchen project supports more than 7 households, she boasted. More on the following link: https://al-akhbar.com/Sham/282616. (Al Akhbar, January 17, 2020)

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First woman named as senior diplomat of the Vatican

16-1-2020

In a bold move breaking traditions, Pope Francis appointed a woman to a senior post in the secretariat of state. Italian Francesca Di Giovanni (66), a specialist in international law and human rights, will assume a managerial role in the Section for Relations with States holding the rank of undersecretary, one of two deputy foreign ministers. Commenting on this, Giovanni told Vatican News that her appointment was ‘unprecedented’. Women may have certain skills for finding common ground and shared aims to heal relations with loyalty, she maintained. To recall, the Catholic Church allows only men to be ordained as priests and women traditionally work in administrative posts and are always in the shadows. However, women rights groups, namely the International Union of Superiors General, under the umbrella of Catholic nuns, have demanded the pope to assign more females to higher positions within the Vatican administration. (An Nahar, January 16, 2020)
 

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Posters of world women leaders to raise awareness on domestic violence

16-1-2020

Italian pop artist and activist, Alexandro Palombo, launched ‘Just because I am a Woman’ street art campaign in Milano featuring famous women politicians as victims of gender-based violence. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness on domestic violence all over the world, and urge political institutions to respond to eliminate this serious scourge. Among the battered faces of most prominent women, are German chancellor Angela Merkel, US Democratic Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, First French Lady, Brigitte Macron, First US Lady, Michelle Obama, former US secretary of state, Hilary Clinton and the president of the Indian National Congress, Sonia Gandhi. (Al Akhbar, January 16, 2020)
 

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Workshop to support women’s leadership skills

15-1-2020

In partnership with GPG and Atlanta, Fiftyfifty Lebanon organized a workshop yesterday entitled, ‘Stronger with Women’, which is part of the women political participation program. The latter, to recall, aims to support independent women or women members of political parties to access decision making positions in order to develop policies that are nondiscriminatory toward Lebanese women. Experts attending the workshop sessions spoke on how to improve partisan policies and prop leadership skills of their women members. There were also interventions by representatives of the workshop organizers, who underlined the need to address the root causes of inadequate or non-existent equality and the political empowerment of women; consider practical ways to obtain the support of party leaders for gender-equality policies, as well as training on elections matters. The beneficiaries were also trained on how to acquire skills that help them achieve the required contribution and involvement in the partisan and political life. (Al Mustaqbal, January 14, 2020)

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Women-sponsored export facility

14-1-2020

In collaboration with the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL), Women Leaders Council of Lebanon (WLC) kicked off an export facility to support Lebanese companies to export their production. During the ceremony, WLC president, Madiha Rislan, said the initiative seeks to increase the volume of Lebanese exports in an attempt to save local firms and the economy from collapsing. Lebanese establishments are currently going through difficult times, Rislan said, stressing the need to prop them by all legal means at hand. She lauded the Council’s efforts to inspire Lebanese women to invest in youth, create more jobs and improve exports. A statement issued by WLC pointed out that the export facility or division, in coordination with the ministry of economy and the Federation of Lebanese Chambers, will work to introduce products who partners are from these firms, to global markets, notably Saudi Arabia. It will support them to participate in IDAl-run initiatives as well as in international exhibitions. (Al Diyar, January 14, 2020)

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Displaced Syrian women preform in Zukak

14-1-2020

Zukak, located in Karantina, will be showing a play on Friday entitled ‘Harir’ (silk) by a group of displaced Syrian women. These women have undergone training with ‘Action for Hope’ to develop the play’s main elements, and also engaged in imaginative and narrative build-up exercises. Finally, the women stood up as actors in a fictional journey on stage questioning coping with reality up to reaching the stability they seek in this world. The invitation to the play is public. For more info: 01/739243. (Al Akhbar, January 14, 2020)

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6 female astronauts (including one Iranian) join NASA

14-1-2020

A new class of six women and seven men have graduated from the space agency NASA, and are now eligible for spaceflight assignments after completing a two and a half year training course at the space agency, An Nahar reported yesterday. The new cohort, nicknamed ‘The Turtles”, reflects an approach to increase female representation and diversity within NASA, An Nahar said. The latter pointed out that among the female crew, is the Iranian, Yasmine Mokbili, MIT graduate, who was a helicopter pilot before joining the NASA. Mokbili was known as a tough woman when she flew an attack helicopter in Afghanistan before becoming the first US astronaut of Iranian origin. In an interview with AFP, Mokbili said she hoped she would become a role model for others of similar ethnicities and backgrounds. (An Nahar, January 13, 2020)

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