New
Age Islam News Bureau
15
October 2020
• Two Sikh Women Face Acid Attack Threat Online In Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
•
Indonesian Woman, Suspected to be Suicide Bomber, First to Be Tried under
Philippines’ New Anti-Terror Law
•
Saudi Arabia Retailer Lulu Promotes Reusable Bags in Breast Cancer Campaign
•
Death of a Woman in Cairo Suburb Sparks Anger In Egypt
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-telecom-company-reports-22/d/123151
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Saudi Telecom Company reports 22 Percent Rise in Female Employees In 2020
October
15, 2020
STC
is currently working on providing its female employees with easy access to
educational resources, aiming to enrich their knowledge and increase their
expertise.
-----
The
number of female employees at the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) shot up by 22.6
percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, while the percentage of female
employees in leadership positions also increased dramatically, making up around
18 percent of the members of the company’s High Potential (HiPo) leadership
program. It is STC’s most important program designed to prepare outstanding
employees for leadership positions. Only three years after the company began
hiring women, STC now employs around 3,000 female employees.
During
the Women’s Forum event held on Wednesday at the STC headquarters in Riyadh,
Nasser Sulaiman Al-Nasser, STC group CEO,
said that the accelerating numbers in female recruitment and empowerment
reflect STC’s commitment to implementing the company’s “DARE” strategy in
accordance with its corporate values, namely dynamism, devotion, and drive,
which in turn have been inspired by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Al-Nasser
said the empowerment of women is not limited to recruitment and leadership
positions, but also comes in the form of opportunities for continuous
development. STC is currently working on providing its female employees with
easy access to educational resources, aiming to enrich their knowledge and
increase their expertise in the areas required to achieve its strategy. He said
women are encouraged to be a part of the company’s development programs such as
the Specialist Development Program (SDP), noting that female employees
represent 33 percent of the organizers of this program.
During
the forum, Al-Nasser launched a campaign celebrating the recently initiated
women’s board, titled “For Her,” with the aim of promoting STC’s values of
dynamism, devotion, and drive, and utilizing them in the service of female employees.
He
noted that the framework and objectives of the board during its first session
have been completed, and 16 female employees were selected to represent their
sectors and to help the company identify the obstacles standing in the way of
their female staff. The board will also share its views and suggestions to help
the company develop a better work environment. Al-Nasser called on all leaders
and colleagues to support this board and the outcomes they reach in order to
bring about real change and development.
The
chief executive said that STC remained committed to building, developing, and
recruiting national talents despite the economic turmoil brought upon by the
COVID-19 pandemic. “We have joined forces
with
all sectors, thus ensuring the continuation of the recruitment process.
We
have received two batches of recruits from the talent incubation program TIP.
We have also recruited experienced specialists to the required positions by
utilizing our digital transformation systems and advanced technologies,”
Al-Nasser added.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1749036/corporate-news
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Two
Sikh Women Face Acid Attack Threat Online In Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Oct
15, 2020
Photo
for representational purpose only. iStock
-----
Two
Sikh women in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have filed a court case
against alleged threats and harassment on social media.
In
the complaint, filed under 22A of Pakistan Penal Code on Wednesday, the
plaintiffs alleged Shah Alam Masih and Manmeet Kaur from Christian Colony Shoba
Chowk in Peshawar were sending them intimidating messages on social media
through fake accounts.
The
complaint mentions the accused as of Christian faith. The women said that the
accused were also calling them from unknown numbers and threatening them with
acid attack.
The
women said their complaint was ignored by the Federal Investigation Agency. The
complainants are from Gulshan-e-Rahman Colony in Peshawar.
The
sessions court asked the local police to file a report in the matter.
Additional
Session Judge Zeba Rasheed will hear the matter on October 26. The accused have
been summoned for the hearing. PTI
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/2-sikh-women-face-acid-attack-threat-online-in-pakistans-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-156164
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Indonesian
Woman, Suspected to be Suicide Bomber, First To Be Tried Under Philippines’ New
Anti-Terror Law
October
14, 2020
MANILA:
Philippine authorities on Wednesday said that a suspected Indonesian suicide
bomber who was arrested in a joint military and police operation in Sulu four
days ago would serve as a test case for the country’s newly signed anti-terror
law (ATL).
“This
is the first major case, I think, where certain persons suspected of being
foreign terrorists are being charged with violating our new anti-terrorism
law,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told Arab News.
He
added that the Anti-Terrorism Council had approved implementing rules and
regulations (IRR) for the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA), which
President Rodrigo Duterte signed in July.
“The
provincial prosecutor of Sulu has been advised that the IRR of the ATL has been
approved by the Anti-Terrorism Council today,” he said.
The
Indonesian woman, Nana Isirani, also known as “Rezky Fantasya Rullie” or
“Cici,” was arrested in a house in Jolo, Sulu where government forces found a
suicide vest and bomb components.
Earlier,
the military said that Rullie, who is pregnant, had volunteered to carry out
the suicide attack after giving birth, “to take revenge” for the death of her
husband, Andi Baso, an Indonesian militant who was reportedly killed in a clash
with government forces on Aug. 29 in the Patikul town of Sulu.
Rullie
was arrested with two other women who are believed to be the wives of Abu
Sayyaf Group (ASG) members.
Meanwhile,
Guevarra also supported a statement by Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday that
Rullie’s arrest would be a good test case for the ATL, particularly its
provision penalizing “inchoate offenses.”
Lacson,
former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief-turned-lawmaker, said that the
bombs and other items seized from Rullie indicated that she was preparing for a
terrorist attack.
“This
is one example of an inchoate offense made punishable under the new
anti-terrorism law. By including inchoate offenses . . . we are criminalizing
the foregoing acts of the arrested suspects which include the planning,
preparation and facilitation of terrorism . . .” Lacson, who sponsored the
anti-terrorism act in the Senate, said in his speech before the Philippine
Army’s multi-sector advisory board summit.
He
added that one of the new features of the ATL was the penalizing of “inchoate
offenses,” or preparatory acts that are deemed criminal even without actual
harm being done, provided that the harmful act that would have occurred was one
that the law tried to prevent, such as terrorism.
This
would “prevent terrorism” even before the actual commission of the violent
terrorist act.
Penalizing
inchoate offenses, Lacson said, was covered by the mandate under United Nations
Security Council Resolution No. 1373, which states that “planning and
preparation, among others, are established as serious criminal offenses in
domestic laws and that the punishment should duly reflect the seriousness of
such terrorist acts.”
The
senator said that police investigators told him on Monday that Sulu provincial
prosecutor Anna Marie Pierreangeli Ledesma had advised against the filing of
cases under the ATL pending the release of the IRR.
Instead,
Ledesma recommended the filing of a case in violation of Republic Act 9516, or
illegal possession of explosives, against Rullie.
When
Lacson learned of Ledesma’s recommendation, he became concerned.
He
contacted the Justice Secretary who assured him he would issue the proper
guidance to the provincial prosecutor in filing charges against Rullie.
“(Secretary
Guevarra told me) he stands by his earlier pronouncement that the
Anti-Terrorism Law is already in effect upon its publication on July 18, 2020,
and its application is not dependent upon the issuance of the IRR,” Lacson
said.
In
August, the Justice Department began drafting the IRR of the ATL, which Duterte
signed on July 3.
The
new law repeals Republic Act 9372 or the Human Security Act of 2007.
The
new law criminalizes acts that incite terrorism “by means of speeches,
proclamations, writings, emblems, banners or other representations.”
It
also grants the president power to create an anti-terrorism council that could
name individuals and groups as terrorists, allows authorities to detain
suspected terrorists without charge for up to 24 days, and permits the government
to conduct 90 days of surveillance and wiretaps.
The
law also imposes a 12-year jail term on a person who voluntarily or knowingly
joins a terrorist organization.
More
than 30 petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court by opposition groups
and individuals questioning the validity of the law.
Earlier,
Duterte had stressed that the public has “nothing to fear” from the law, which
would be used to “protect the country from terrorism.”
“For
the law-abiding citizen of this country . . . Do not be afraid if you are not a
terrorist, if you don’t destroy the government, blow up churches or public
utilities . . . just to see the nation fall,” Duterte said in a taped address
in July.
Duterte
said that the new anti-terror law was a much-needed legal weapon that the
government could use to fight terrorism, citing attacks in Mindanao which “have
killed many people” and threatened peace and order in the southern part of the
archipelago.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1749001/world
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Saudi
Arabia Retailer Lulu Promotes Reusable Bags in Breast Cancer Campaign
October
14, 2020
Regional
retailer LuLu has launched a charity initiative, “Pink Now: Buy Green, Support
Pink,” wherein it will donate SR1 ($0.27) to Zahra Breast Cancer Association
for every purchase of a reusable bag across its stores. The campaign was kicked
off in a virtual event, inaugurated by Souad bin Amer, deputy chairperson of
Zahra Breast Cancer Association, in the presence of Hanadi Al-Othah, CEO, Zahra
Breast Cancer Association; Shehim Mohammed, director of LuLu Hypermarkets Saudi
Arabia; and other LuLu officials.
“According
to the latest reports, the Kingdom ranks first among the countries in the world
where women are affected by breast cancer, which is approximately 30 percent of
the total female population in the country. This is our third year of hosting a
double-purpose charity initiative with Zahra, which has definitely raised
awareness on caring for the environment through refusing, reducing, and reusing
plastics, while helping to combat this inevitable disease,” said director
Mohammed.
LuLu
has dedicated a special “Pink Now” checkout counter in its stores, where
customers can avail faster transactions that will save time and buy the
reusable bags. The campaign runs until Oct. 31.
October
is marked as Breast Cancer Awareness Month across the world.
The
annual international health campaign is organized by major breast cancer
charities to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research
into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.
Besides
being well-known for its wide product range and customer service, LuLu has
always been a key promoter of sustainability, and environmental protection.
Over
the years, the retailer has initiated many projects to help the less fortunate
people and aims to continue to do so in the future.
Garnering
more than 1,600,000 shopping patrons every day, LuLu is the fastest-growing
retail chain across 10 countries that include the GCC, India, Egypt, Indonesia
and Malaysia. Founded in the early nineties, it has successfully expanded to
different parts of the world and currently operates 193 stores with a workforce
of more than 55,000.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1749031/corporate-news
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Death
of a woman in Cairo suburb sparks anger in Egypt
15
Oct 2020
Egyptian
police have arrested at least one of the three alleged perpetrators involved in
the killing of a young woman in a Cairo suburb on Tuesday night in an incident
that sparked anger across the Middle Eastern country.
The
move on Wednesday came after Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered the arrest of
the perpetrators as investigations revealed the victim – identified as Mariam,
in her 20s – had been killed while walking home from work in Maadi, a calm
south Cairo suburb.
According
to the investigation, men riding a small white van, or microbus, tried to rob
the young woman. They snatched the victim’s bag, dragging her along with it,
which led to the young woman’s collision with a parked car, reported Egyptian
media.
An
ambulance arrived about 30 minutes after the incident and found the young woman
dead. Egyptian media reported that she had sustained serious head injuries,
fractures and wounds all over her body.
The
prosecution said it had gathered witness statements and forensic evidence to
help further investigate the incident.
Anger
in Egypt
The
incident was initially reported by several local media outlets as a sex crime,
with news websites saying that the young victim was sexually assaulted before
being killed.
The
claim sparked anger across Egypt, with many seeing the incident as part of
series of recent crimes against women amid a rare debate about sex crimes that
started on social media and which has fuelled a growing #MeToo movement.
Using
a trending hashtag in Arabic which translates to “Maadi_Girl”, many people
denounced the crime.
Following
the incident, Egypt’s Dar al-Iftaa, a top religious authority in the country,
emphasised the need to deter sexual harassment.
In
a statement on its official Facebook page on Wednesday, Dar al-Iftaa said
harassment is a heinous crime.
“Those
who harass by word or action are criminals deserving severe punishment in this
world and the hereafter,” said the statement.
Series
of sex crimes
The
incident comes after a series of serious sex crimes came to light earlier this
year.
In
August, Egyptian authorities ordered the arrest of a group of men accused of
being involved in a 2014 gang rape at a Cairo hotel.
Lack
of action over the incident – more widely known as the Fairmont Crime – was
reported to have involved six men from powerful families.
It
caused an uproar after being disclosed in July by an Instagram account – with
more than 180,000 followers – that aims to expose sex attackers.
Earlier
this year, a former university student was charged with blackmail and indecent
assault of at least three women in a closely-watched case also prompted by
social media.
In
September, the public prosecutor referred Ahmed Bassam Zaki – in his early 20s
and a former student at the American University in Cairo – to the criminal
court on charges of “sexually assaulting three girls under the age of 18 and
threatening them along with a fourth girl with disclosing matters related to
their honour”.
The
case has attracted widespread attention from media, religious figures and
women’s groups in a country where rights defenders say sexual harassment or
abuse often goes unpunished.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/15/death-of-woman-in-cairo-suburb-sparks-anger-in-egypt
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-telecom-company-reports-22/d/123151
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