November 2017 – Page 5

Lebanese president won’t accept PM’s resignation until he returns: sources

adminNovember 5, 2017NewsComments are off for this post

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s president will not accept the resignation of prime minister Saad al-Hariri until he returns to Lebanon, palace sources said on Sunday, delaying for now politically difficult consultations on his successor. Lebanese Army Denies Uncovering Any Plot to Assassinate Hariri. BEIRUT (Daily Star.com.lb): Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has urged calm in […]

Saudi Arabia arrests 11 princes, including billionaire investor Prince al-Waleed bin Talal

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A Saudi government official with close ties to security says 11 princes and 38 former government ministers, deputies and businessmen are being held in five-star hotels across the capital, Riyadh, in an anti-corruption sweep. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. […]

Here’s what’s really terrifying about the Twitter employee who temporarily disabled Trump’s account on his last day

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by Alexei Oreskovic – Business Insider – For 11 minutes on Thursday night, the world experienced a first: US President Donald Trump was not on Twitter. Trump’s account was temporarily kicked offline by a Twitter employee. At first, Twitter said it was an “inadvertent” human error. The company followed up a couple of hours later, […]

Lebanon’s Prime Minister resigns, plunging nation into new political crisis

adminNovember 4, 2017NewsComments are off for this post

khazen.org greatly regret the resignation of Hariri government We hope strength peace and prosperity for Lebanon. Below article represents only the opinion of the author. (CNN) by By Chandrika Narayan, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri unexpectedly resigned Saturday during a trip to Saudi Arabia, saying his life was in danger, and creating a leadership vacuum in […]

Lebanese women entrepreneurs push for success

adminNovember 2, 2017NewsComments are off for this post

by Florence Massena – Al Monitor – BEIRUT — In Lebanon, women count for 3.1% of the deputies in parliament compared to 22% on average elsewhere in the world. Meanwhile, Lebanese parliamentarians refused to pass in June a quota guaranteeing that women must represent 30% of decision-making positions in politics. In this context, succeeding professionally as a Lebanese woman is challenging. But some incentives and business organizations are pushing potential candidates to try and launch their own businesses in this sexist climate. Aline Kamakian, the owner of Mayrig, an Armenian restaurant in Beirut, began selling life insurance policies at age 18, after her father died. “I faced a lot of sexual harassment, because at that time a woman selling stuff was considered selling herself,” Kamakian told Al-Monitor. “But I overcame my frustrations and succeeded. In 2003, I opened my father’s dream restaurant, Mayrig.” But without a father or husband, she couldn’t get a loan and had to ask her cousin to be her business partner. “It is not by law but common practice. It wasn’t until this year that I could buy my cousin’s shares,” she added.

Recognized as woman entrepreneur of 2014 by the Brilliant Lebanese Awards, Kamakian is also a board member of the Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB), an association launched in 2006 by 12 women to encourage their peers to strive in business. The LLWB is funded by various institutions like Mercy Corps, UK AID, the UN Development Program and Green Public Procurement. The LLWB’s projects mainly focus on developing businesses, such as the league’s “Join and Grow” networking sessions, where successful entrepreneurs come to talk and exchange ideas, as well as the monthly workshops on specific topics taught by experts. With connections to universities and financial institutions to implement business and governance programs, the LLWB is also involved in developing skills and community in rural areas and advocates actively for more rights and opportunities for women in Lebanon. “I think our activities are important because women are often reluctant to open their own company,” LLWB regional committee member Najah Jaroush told Al-Monitor. “Sometimes they are afraid or ashamed because of the way society might see them. As the market is overtaken by men, they could also be intimidated and wouldn’t dare to ask questions or ask for help. The LLWB intervenes here to create a role model and let women be encouraged by others, because if they see successful women they would think they can do it too. We then train them to develop a business language to propose their ideas and follow up on every step they take to help them grow. Not being alone gives recognition, motivation and power.”