Jordanian Prince marries Saudi Princess

Jordan's Prince Hashem on Saturday welcomed guests to the Royal Court, where King Abdullah hosted lunch for tribal and refugee camp leaders, journalists, diplomats, senior officials and officers in celebration of Prince Hashem's marriage to Princess Fahdah, daughter of Sheikh Mohammad Ben Ibrahim Ben Suleiman Abu Niyyan. The Monarch and other Royal family members also welcomed guests from Saudi Arabia and Oman. A captain in the Jordan Arab Army's 3rd Royal Rangers Battalion, Prince Hashem, born in 1981, obtained last year his undergraduate degree in comparative studies from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Services. He is the son of King Hussein and Queen Nour. (Photo by Yousef Allan)

The Fabulous Four Exhibits in Dubai

Dubai will host four food-production oriented exhibitions and scientific seminars in late April.
The four events take place simultaneously and have some overlapping interest for those associated with the food and agricultural sectors.
The events are: The Agri-Business Expo; the Mideast Poultry Show; the Middle East Flower and Garden Show; and the Middle East Aquaculture and Fishing Show.
They run from 22-25 April 2006 at the Dubai International Exhibition Center.
Agri Business Expo. Middle East is the 10th edition and its goal is to make a contribution in it's own special way by introducing modern technology and equipment to the Middle Eastern region and thereby influencing the development of the agricultural sectorThe event targets the rapidly evolving Agriculture, Floriculture, Horticulture, Irrigation, Animal Husbandry, Poultry and Aquaculture industries, and will be held in Dubai, the business hub of the Middle East.
The Four-In-One exhibition plays a very important role by promoting and networking the varied trade activities of the Middle East market such as date cultivation, farming, landscaping, irrigation systems, green houses, horticulture, fertilizers, agro-chemicals, agricultural and garden tools, coir products, fencing etc., and will also have a special focus on pest control.
The Middle East is undoubtedly one of the biggest consumer markets for poultry products and the show is specifically aimed at promoting the flourishing poultry industry in the region.A number of local and international dairy, poultry and animal feed companies will participate in this event, very much of it was evident in the last show, with a strong emphasis on incubators, farms and hatcheries, humidifiers, state-of-the-art poultry vaccine manufacturing technology, poultry processing and much more.
Last year the show saw tremendous growth, support and representation from all parts of the world. Two well attended Scientific Symposiums were conducted last year by Arab Poultry Breeders (OMMAT) from Saudi Arabia and (Middle East Agriculture Publishers) MEAP from Lebanon.
The Middle East Aquaculture & Fishing Show caters to the vast potential for fishing and fish farming methods being implemented in the Middle East and aims at tapping the same, the slow but steady growth of the event is ample proof that it has been acknowledged as the exhibition most befitting the industry. The innovative exhibition will offer exhibitors an ideal venue to cash in on the unique opportunities.Spanning all aspects of the industry the focus will be on hatcheries, fish farming, fish farming equipment, processing methods such as fish skinning and scaling machines, consultancy and diagnostic services, fish feed, insulated tubs and all fish related activities.
The Floriculture industry in the Middle East has undergone a revolutionary transition into hi-tech growing and distribution. The post-harvest technologies, proper packaging, efficient cool-chain and excellent transportation are the most critical elements in distribution of the flowers from the growers to the ultimate consumer in their freshest forms.
GARDENEX, formerly known as 'Agriflor' is a specialized floriculture event with an emphasis on cut flowers, flower care equipment, flower arrangements and anything to do with flowers. The exhibition is into its 5th year and owes its success to the increased representation and interest of the many countries which are rich with floricultural related industries, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Kenya and South Africa, Holland and France, Brazil and Venezuela which now recognize the growing potential of the Middle East Market.
The setting up of the US$ 300 million 'Dubai Flower Centre' as a Free Zone operation, gives a further boost to the event. The excellent infrastructure and world-class cool chain will be very instrumental in transforming Dubai into a specialized and highly efficient redistribution hub.
Feedback from both exhibitors and visitors has prompted GARDENEX go beyond the essentials of Floriculture and embrace all the other related service and product providers which support this industry. This will extend across both commercial and domestic applications. It will seek to encompass tooling and equipment, displays and fixtures, packaging and preservation, leisure (swimming pools), Furniture and general flower care. Plus of course the latest developments in what it takes to be a leader in this fast growing global industry.If you would like to attend or participate in these events please contact: http://www.mideastconsultants.com

First Arab Catholic woman to be member of Israeli parliament

By Judith Sudilovsky, 4/5/2006, Catholic News Service (www.catholicnews.com)

JERUSALEM – Israel will have its first Catholic Arab female parliament member when Nadia Hilou is sworn in April 17 at the opening of the Knesset's 17th session.

Nadia Hilou, a Catholic and an Israeli Arab, is seen during a visit to the Hirsch Early Childhood Development Center in Jaffa, Israel, April 3. She won a seat in the Israeli parliament and will be sworn in April 17. (CNS)

The social activist for early childhood education and women's rights won the seat reserved for a woman candidate March 28.

Hilou, 51, national vice president of the Na'amat women's organization, said she first decided to enter politics in 1995 with the signing of the Israeli peace accords with the Palestinians.

She said she chose to run on the Labor Party ticket rather than with one of the Arab parties because she believes she can accomplish more as a member of a large political party. She described herself as a "woman of action."

"You can make changes when you are in a big party. You can have more influence, you can serve better," she said in a telephone interview. "I will continue in politics my work of 30 years regarding social issues, including the status of woman and equality and integration for the Arab sector. There is a clear gap from which Arab society is suffering."

With former labor union head Amir Peretz now at the helm of the Labor Party, it is the first time the Labor Party – or any party – has put social issues at the head of its agenda, said Hilou.

"The Labor Party has now clearly placed the individual at the center of its agenda," she said. "Peretz is a social activist, and I have worked with him in the past. He is a person of peace, both politically and socially. I know his history of fairness within the Arab sector. For him all races, creeds and religions are equal."

Although at first it looked like Kadima Party head and acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert – a protege of former Prime Minster Ariel Sharon who founded the new party – was a shoo-in as the next prime minister, some Israeli newspapers have speculated that perhaps Peretz will have a better chance of forming a coalition. The Kadima Party won the most seats in the elections.

One of Hilou's main goals is the passing of a bill for free education – including university studies – for all. That would also allow more women in the workforce, she said. If the government is not able to provide funding for free higher education, her plan would include government interest-free loans, which would then be paid back at the end of the studies based on the assumption that the recipient is able to find employment that pays an average salary, she said. If the recipient is unable to earn such a salary, then the loan would become a grant, she said.

Many young Arabs in Israel complete their academic studies only to discover they cannot find suitable employment in their field and are forced to work in lower-paying jobs.

It is also important to work toward the integration of Arab women in the workforce while still following the tenets of societal traditions, added Hilou.

Establishing peace with Palestinians is a personal issue, she said. She has family members living in the Palestinian territories.

"We need to find a way to (continue) with the peace process," she said.

A mother of four, Hilou is one of only a handful of Catholics who have served in the Knesset since the founding of Israel in 1948.

As a member of St. Anthony Parish in Jaffa, Hilou said she still tries to attend Mass every Sunday despite her pressing schedule.

"I love to go to Mass; for me it is very important. I believe in my faith, and it is important for me to pass on these morals to my children," she said.

Hilou ran unsuccessfully for a Knesset seat in 1996 and 1999 and is the second Arab woman to serve in the Knesset. Hussniya Jabara was the first Arab woman and served in the Knesset 1999-2003 as a member of the Meretz Party.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Kuwaiti women vote for first time

Jinan Boushehri

Kuwaiti women have begun casting votes for the first time, less than one year after winning full political rights in the oil rich Gulf state.
Tuesday's by-election for a municipal council seat is being seen as a test-case of how women might fare in next year's parliamentary elections.
Two of the eight candidates running for the seat in the district of Salmiya, about 15 km southeast of the capital, are women.
They are Jinan Boushehri, 32, a chemical engineer who heads the food-testing department at Kuwait municipality, and Khalida al-Khader, 48, a US-educated physician and a mother of eight.
The seat became vacant when the council's speaker, Abdullah al-Mhailbi, was appointed to the cabinet in February.
Historic Voting began slowly as Tuesday is a normal working day, but is expected to pick up before ballots close at 8pm (1700 GMT).
The district has 28,000 eligible voters, 60% of whom are women.
Men and women are voting in segregated booths in accordance with a provision in the election law introduced last year by Islamist and conservative lawmakers.
Kuwaiti women were granted full political rights in a historic vote in parliament in only May 2005.
The government subsequently appointed two women members of the municipal council and named the first woman cabinet minister.
The council - a civic body that carries out tasks such as city planning, organisation and regulation of housing - has 16 members, 10 of whom are elected and the rest appointed by the emir.
Kuwaiti women will also be able to vote in the general election scheduled for 2007.

The first Library for Arabic Poetry opening in Kuwait

The Al-Babtain Central Library for Arabic Poetry will be inaugurated next Saturday under the auspices of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, said Monday the Director of Al-Babtain Foundation Abdul-Aziz Al-Babtain.

In a press conference held today, Al-Babtain said that the library's objective was to collect scattered Arabic poetry in an attempt to assist intellectuals in preserving their Arab identity.

"Establishing the library in Kuwait is an honor for us all, but the ownership of its collection will be to all Arabs," Al-Babtain said.

Al-Babtain stressed the importance of the project as change has been storming our region attempting to alter our heritage, noting that the library would preserve the Arabic Language and its poetic heritage.

The library, said Al-Babtain, contained 80,000 books, noting that the collection's number would double up this year as large number of books was still in storages waiting to be shelved.

He noted that the library contained tens of rare books, some of which dated back to the 15th century.

The library, he added, would also organize computer courses for people over 35-year-old and lectures concerning cultural issues.

The library's director, Suad Al-Atiqy, explained that the ground floor of the three-story library would contain references, periodical and rare documents in addition to lecture halls, multimedia rooms, internet laboratories, the Arab Information Bank and Ibsar Center for people with vision impairment.

The first floor, she added, would contain Arab poetry books and university thesis books; meanwhile, the third floor would be dedicated for Abdul-Karim Al-Babtain library, which contains very rare documents and books.

Al-Atiqy noted that all floors would have reading halls and access to the library's electronic index.
Established in 1989, Al-Babtain Foundation for Poetic Creativity is a cultural non-profit organization based in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The foundation has been organizing semi-annual prizes for creative poets since 1990.