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Objections to university exam offensive to women

8-2-2019

A photo posted yesterday on social media for a partial text of an Arabic language exam given to psychology students at Lebanese University (LU), sparked wide disapproval by internet users who believe it ridiculed women’s role in society. Recalling, the text is entitled, ‘The woman and civilization’ extracted from Khalil Gibran’s ‘The Broken Wings’ (https://goo.gl/AhEz1H). On the subject, Al Akhbar newspaper spoke to professor Farid Othman, who justified that, when he wrote the exam, his only concern was to choose a text that “best serves the questions To be put to students”. He said he only heard about the uproar when he received a call from the director of the Humanities department at the LU first branch, who wanted to learn what happened. Othman explained that the questions are strictly grammar and language questions, and are totally irrelevant to the context of ideas included in it, adding that he found it convenient to serve the goals of the language course. (Al Akhbar, Al Mustaqbal, February 8, 2019)
 

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Outstanding female Palestinian student invents skin cream from a rare plant in Lebanon

8-2-2019

Palestinian student, Batoul Mohamad Khudr, 25, resident of Burj Chemali refugee camp in South Lebanon, earned an honorable mention in her master’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences from the Near East University in Cyprus. Speaking to Al Mustaqbal newspaper, Batoul said the title of her dissertation was, ‘The tender cream: from Krameria Triandra’, which is a plant grown in Latin America. Lucky to find the plant in Lebanon, Batoul explained, she used it to make a cream to treat certain skin diseases. The project, Batoul maintained, included applied scientific studies and articles about the plant, in addition to the cream she invented. (Al Mustaqbal, February 7, 2019)
 

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FEMPARL conference on gender equality and women empowerment

7-2-2019

The Embassy of Canada in Lebanon organized yesterday the regional FEMPARL conference which brought together women parliamentarians from 11 Arab countries to work towards the economic empowerment of women and identify challenges impeding gender equality. The conference addressed a number of issues, notably gender equality and the empowerment of women, in addition to matters related to women, peace and security. During the event, Canadian Ambassador, Emmanuelle Lamoureux, said the presence of a regional women network to promote larger participation in knowledge and capacity building is of utmost importance, stating that women’s taking over of leadership is key to solving the problems we face today. For her part, Lebanese MP Dima Jamali, lauded the role of women in transcending and overcoming obstacles to achieve their desired goals, pointing to an emerging generation of women leaders who are playing a greater role in the political arena. Jamali stressed the need to build and strengthen skills of the participants for a greater contribution in political decision making and the development of policies, nationally, regionally and globally. To recall, FEMPARL conference is held for the first time in the MENA region. It was launched in Cairo on February 3 and moved to Beirut on February 6 where it concluded its activities. (L’Orient Le Jour, February 7, 2019)

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Syria raises age of marriage to 18 years

7-2-2019

The Syrian People’s Assembly passed on Tuesday a number of amendments to the Personal Status Law of 1950, raising the age of marriage to 18 years for males and 17 years for females, SANA reported. Under the new changes, the legal guardian can only marry his daughter with her explicit consent. Guardianship has been extended to mothers over their underage children after her husband and the father’s custody of the children was extended to the mother and to the mother’s mother. Amendments approved by the Assembly covered over 60 articles of the above law, as explained by the minister of justice, Hisham Shaar. He pointed out that every spouse should restrict the marriage contract to his/her own terms that do not contradict with the Sharia or law, including the second marriage, travel, work, the bond of marriage and the refusal to live with a co-wife. In conclusion, Shaar said the ratified amendments have realized women’s interests and established the right of the mother to exercise the mandate and purposes of marriage. (An Nahar, February 5, 2019)

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Minister Raya Hassan to firmly apply law related to violence against women

7-2-2019

Newly appointed minister of interior, Raya Hassan, stressed yesterday that the law protecting women against violence shall be strictly observed. Addressing Lebanese women, Hassan said each police station in each village across Lebanon is responsible for their protection, noting that security is in agreement with respect for human rights and freedom of expression. Hassan, who was speaking during her taking over of the tasks of the interior ministry from former minister Nuhad Machnouk, outlined the main topics of her action plan. Hassan described her task as challenging, as the ministry is responsible for the enforcement of the law and serving citizens. Hassan made clear that from the security part, she will be firm in the issue of random use of weapons and firing guns, as well as in implementing the traffic law. (L’Orient Le Jour, An Nahar, February 7, 2019)

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Women’s brains younger than men’s

6-2-2019

A new study published recently by the Washington University School of Medicine showed that women’s brains are four years younger than men’s brains and outscore them in sharp memory tests, especially with aging. Participants in the study, 84 men and 121 women (aged between 20 and 82 years), underwent PET scans to measure brain metabolism or the flow of oxygen and glucose in their brains. As a result, female brains appeared younger than their male peers. The study also indicated that, while women’s brains were nearly 3.8 years younger than their chronological ages, men’s brains were 2.4 years older than their true ages. The assistant professor at Washington University School of Medicine, Manu Goyal, explained that this does not mean that men’s brains age faster, but that they start adulthood 3 years older than women, and continue throughout their life. (An Nahar, February 6, 2019)

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Mooneh Day at Antonine Sisters School, Roomieh

6-2-2019

The secondary section of the Antonine Sisters School Roomieh organized last week an event aimed at reviving the traditional Lebanese mooneh. Under the supervision of the life skills instructor, Mirsal Qalaani, and dieticians, students chose a variety of items they made themselves, like kishik, pickles, jams and compote. The head of the school, Basima Khoury, said that the students learned how to use nature’s resources, pointing out that the purpose of the activity is to teach them that healthy eating and fighting diseases caused by our polluted planet, is the only way to long life. (An Nahar, February 5, 2019)

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Young man in Germany blackmails Syrian woman

6-2-2019

The ISF Public Relations Department announced in a statement yesterday that, on 29/1/2019, it received through its ‘Report’ online service a complaint from a Syrian woman residing in Germany against a young man threatening to publish her photos on social media. Upon surveillance and investigation, the Anti-Cybercrime and IP Rights Bureau was able to identify the identity of the blackmailer, A.S (Syrian, born in 1994) and arrested him in the neighborhood of Barbour, Beirut. The suspect admitted under interrogation that he seized personal pictures from the woman’s electronic account and sent them to her sister threatening to publish them if she did not concede to him. The suspect has been referred to the competent judiciary. (Al Mustaqbal, February 5, 2019)

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Young women give up employment to start businesses

5-2-2019

In its issue of today, L’Orient le Jour investigated the factors that inspire the youth to leave their steady job to build an unsecure private business. Cybel George, 25, who worked two years at a Paris architecture firm, said she was not content or happy because of the environment of hypocrisy among colleagues and the exhaustion brough by her low pay job. In many instances, she had to execute ideas or designs that she was not convinced of, she told L’Orient Le Jour reporter. She resigned and decided to start her own business, creating an online cloth rental website. It was difficult in the beginning, Cybel said, but she persevered and eventually managed to implement her undertaking. Elucidating on the nature of the private business, Cybel said it makes one live with uncertainty. It lacks the structured pattern provided by a fixed salary job at a firm, but she never regrets her decision. Similarly, Yasmina el Baba, 28, said she was happy working as an engineer at a firm in Japan, but that after three years, her urge for independence, given the limited freedom she had to execute her own ideas, pushed her to resign. With a couple of friends, she founded a small enterprise back in Lebanon. Describing work in startups as compared to big firms, Yasmina said it is less bureaucratic. Competition between employees is minimal, she explained, noting that despite long hours of work, she is happy to build something on her own. (L’Orient le Jour, February, 5, 2019)

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Iranian women advance despite legal discrimination

5-2-2019

In its issue of today, An Nahar newspaper devoted a feature on the status of women in Iran, highlighting the story of Saba, 25, who gave up her job as an interior decorator in New York to work on a project to modernize the Tehran art house. Saba, the newspaper wrote, won three architectural renovation contracts in a period of three months after returning to her home town. The Iranian young woman told An Nahar that, two years after her return, she dreamt of having her own company, but that she never expected that to happen so quickly. “If I had stayed in NYC, I would not have had this opportunity,” Saba boasted. The situation of women in Iran during the past ten years has remarkably changed, she explained, saying that confidence in their capacity to hold management positions has increased. “Of course, there remain many difficulties, particularly on construction sites, but this is everywhere, even in New York,” Saba maintained. In conclusion, An Nahar pointed out that while the Iranian law places women in a position lower than their men peers, yet, the Islamic Republic of Iran has made big strides to educate women, which is one step to their liberation. Today, the number of female students in Iranian universities exceed the number of males, and hence, higher education opens new doors for them. (An Nahar, February 5 , 2019)

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