Amazons Watch Magazine
Tag

Slider

Browsing
In Women in Diaspora

The Masterpiece of the Woman-columnist

No Comments

Pakistani-Canadian journalist Habiba Nosheen is a successful woman of color representing other women of color in the United States.

She was born in Pakistan by her Arab parents in 1982, and spent the early years of her life in Lahore. Her family migrated to Canada when Habiba was nine years old. The family became refuges on their arrival in Canada, but things fell into place after they gained right to residency. 

Growing up in Toronto, Canada Habiba obtained a bachelor’s degree from University of Toronto and master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism as well as from York University, Toronto in Women’s Studies. 

Habiba articulates four different languages fluently─ English, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. She started her career in journalism as a reporter at the CBC Radio Pakistan where she was later nominated to report for the prestigious Kroc Fellowship, on-air for NPR ‘s Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

In 2012, she started her PBS investigation, “To Adopt a Child,” which told the story of the murky side of adoptions from Nepal that left many families caught in the middle. The investigation won the Gracie Award for Outstanding Correspondent and led to a resolution in the Nepalese adoption system, after the government accepted faults for the first time that the whole system has a mistake.  

In 2013, she successfully shot the film Outlawed in Pakistan, she was totally responsible for directing, reporting and narrating of the film which was aired on PBS Frontline. The film was won the Emmy for Outstanding Research and Nosheen’s third Overseas Press Club Award.

Outlawed in Pakistan also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it was called “among the standouts” of Sundance by The Los Angeles Times. The film also got her the David A. Andelman and Pamela Title Award by The Overseas Press Club which honors “the best international reporting in the broadcast media showing a concern for the human condition.”

Another outstanding piece that brought her many ground breaking awards was her work for This American Life, a radio documentary “What Happened at Dos Erres?”. The pieced put together a massacre in Guatemala that happened 30 years earlier partly by tracking down the men responsible for the killings and interviewing them about what happened that day. 

The documentary was tagged “a masterpiece of storytelling” by New Yorker and it won her various awards including; The George Foster Peabody Award, The Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma, The Third Coast Radio Award, The New York Radio Festival Award and two Overseas Press Club Awards in addition to being a finalist for The Livingston Award for Young Journalists.

In 2014, Habiba joined 60 Minutes and she was nominated for the Emmy Award and named a finalist for the George Foster Peabody Award.

Pakistan’s leading newspaper named Habiba Nosheen as one of the “top 5 Outstanding Pakistani Women” in 2014. 

Her documentaries have received various supports from The Fund for Investigative Journalism, The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, The Nation Institute’s Investigative Fund and ITVS. 

Her reporting has also been published by The New York Times, TIME, The Washington Post, BBC and ProPublica among others outlets.

Two years ago she was announced by CBC as the new co-host of Canada’s leading investigative news-magazine show, “the fifth estate.” She has since been offering viewers deep and enticing stories, of ongoing events, on the fifth estate’s 42nd season premieres.

She also currently teaches journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Habiba is a happy mother of two lovely children.

Keep Reading
By
In Women in Stem

A Champion in Africa’s Tech-World

No Comments

The African Technology Industry is beginning to feel the heat of many innovative women who are uniquely building the tech industry in their various regions. In West Africa, Rebecca Enonchong, stands as a dedicated tech entrepreneur with unrestricted dedication towards upholding technology in Africa.

Rebecca was Born in Cameroon in 1967. In her early teens she relocated to the United States with her family. While in the States, she started working as a door-to-door newspaper subscription vendor at the age of 15. When she was 17 she was promoted to the position of a manager at the same company.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Economics from the Catholic University of America. Having concluded her undergraduate studies, she went on to work for a number of organizations including Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and Oracle Corporation, and she was also an independent consultant serving multinational clients.

In 1999, after Rebecca founded her footing in tech she pitched her tent in digital technology when she founded AppsTech. AppsTech is a Bethesda, Maryland-based global provider of enterprise application solutions, an Oracle Platinum Partner with customers in over 40 countries in three major continents. It is therefore safe to say that the company has grown into a leading global provider of enterprise application solutions.

Beyond AppsTech, Rebecca has built several other startups and incubators and she sits as the Board chair of several organisations.

She is Board Chair of Afrilabs, a Pan-African network of over 100 innovation centers in over 20 African countries that help mentor entrepreneurs. Also she is the Board Chair of ActivSpaces (African Center for Technology Innovation and Ventures) supporting entrepreneurs from two tech hubs in Cameroon. She is the cofounder and CEO of I/O Spaces, an inclusive co-working space in the Washington DC metro area. She sits on the board of Venture Capital for Africa (VC4Africa), of Salesforce.org, the African Media Initiative, Eneza Education and iamtheCODE.

Rebecca was named a Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) along with other tech entrepreneurs such as Google co-founder Larry Page and Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff by the World Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland in 2002.

In 2013, she was recognized as a finalist for the African digital woman award. 

Rebecca has also gained fame as one of the more followed sources for African tech news on Twitter, with over 30 thousand followers. Her handle, @Africatechie, has become a nickname for Rebecca in IT circles.

In the media world she is not left out been listed as one of the ‘10 Female Tech Founders to Watch in Africa’ by Forbes magazine in March 2014. Also, the New African magazine named her one of the most influential Africans in 2014, 2016 and 2017. She was also listed as one of Africa’s 50 most influential women of 2017 and as one of world’s 50 most influential Africans in 2018, in Jeune Afrique magazine.

She is co-founder of Cameroon Angels Network and co-founder and Vice-President of African Business Angels Network. Rebecca currently serves as a mentor/advisor to several technology startups. She was the founder and Chairperson of the Africa Technology Forum, a non-profit dedicated to helping technology startups in Africa.

The Tech Industry has been greatly impacted by this rare amazon, and we undauntedly consider this a great pleasure to celebrate this great woman in STEM.

Keep Reading
By
In South America News

Bolivian Opposition Senator Jeanine Áñez Declares Herself Interim President

No Comments

Bolivian opposition senator Jeanine Áñez has declared herself interim president of the South American country following Evo Morales’ resignation.

Ms Áñez said she was next in line under the constitution and vowed to hold elections soon.

Her appointment was endorsed by Bolivia’s Constitutional Court.

Lawmakers from Mr Morales’ party boycotted the session, and the former president branded Ms Áñez “a coup-mongering right-wing senator”.

Mr Morales has fled to Mexico, saying he asked for asylum there because his life was in danger.

He resigned on Sunday after weeks of protests over a disputed presidential election result. He has said he had been forced to stand down but had done so willingly “so there would be no more bloodshed”.

How did the senator become interim president?

Ms Áñez, 52, is a qualified lawyer and a fierce critic of Mr Morales. She was previously director of the Totalvision TV station, and has been a senator since 2010, representing the region of Beni in the National Assembly.

As the deputy Senate leader, Ms Áñez took temporary control of the body on Tuesday after Bolivia’s vice-president and the leaders of the senate and lower house resigned.

That put her next in line for the presidency under the constitution.

The parliamentary session to appoint Ms Áñez was boycotted by lawmakers from Mr Morales’ leftist Movement for Socialism party, who said it was illegitimate.

“Before the definitive absence of the president and vice president… as the president of the Chamber of Senators, I immediately assume the presidency as foreseen in the constitutional order,” Ms Áñez said to applause from opposition lawmakers.

Bolivia’s highest constitutional court backed her assumption of power.

Writing on Twitter from Mexico, Mr Morales condemned the “sneakiest, most nefarious coup in history”.

How did we get here?

Mr Morales, a former coca farmer, was first elected in 2006, the country’s first leader from the indigenous community.

He won plaudits for fighting poverty and improving Bolivia’s economy but drew controversy by defying constitutional limits to run for a fourth term in October’s election.

Pressure had been growing on him since contested election results suggested he had won outright in the first round. The result was called into question by the Organization of American States, a regional body, which had found “clear manipulation” and called for the result to be annulled.

In response, Mr Morales agreed to hold fresh elections. But his main rival, Carlos Mesa – who came second in the vote – said Mr Morales should not stand in any new vote.

The chief of the armed forces, Gen Williams Kaliman, then urged Mr Morales to step down in the interests of peace and stability.

Announcing his resignation, Mr Morales said he had taken the decision in order to stop fellow socialist leaders from being “harassed, persecuted and threatened”.

He fled to Mexico as unrest erupted on the streets of the Bolivian administrative capital, La Paz, with angry supporters of the socialist leader clashing with security forces.

After arriving in Mexico City on Tuesday, he thanked Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whom he credited with saving his life.

“While I have life I’ll stay in politics, the fight continues. All the people of the world have the right to free themselves from discrimination and humiliation,” he said.

Source: BBC

Keep Reading
By
In Middle East

Saudi State Security Apologises Over Promo Video Labelling Feminism as Extremism

No Comments

Saudi Arabia’s state security agency says a social media post on one of its accounts that categorised feminism as extremism was a mistake.

The promotional video categorised feminism, homosexuality and atheism as dangerous ideas and warned Saudis to be vigilant against them.

The security agency says it is investigating the video.

Saudi Arabia is trying to shake off its image as one of the most repressive countries in the world for women.

The animated clip was posted to the Twitter account of the State Security Presidency over the weekend. The agency reports directly to King Salman.

The agency said in a statement that the video contained multiple mistakes and the makers of the video did not do their job properly.

The Saudi Human Rights Commission also released a statement saying that feminism was not a crime. However, it did not make reference to homosexuality or atheism.

Saudi Arabia has no written laws concerning sexual orientation or gender identity, but judges use principles of Islamic law to sanction people suspected of extra-marital sexual relations, homosexual sex or other “immoral” acts, according to US-based Human Rights Watch.

The video has been criticised by human rights groups including Amnesty International.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director, said: “This announcement is extremely dangerous and has serious implications for the rights to freedom of expression and life, liberty and security in the country.”

The video comes as Saudi Arabia continues a programme of reforms, many of which focus on women’s rights.

The government lifted a long-standing ban on women driving in 2018 and made changes to the male guardianship system this August, allowing women to apply for passports and travel independently without permission from a man.

They were also given the right to register births, marriage or divorce.

However, women continue to face numerous restrictions on their lives, and several women’s rights activists who campaigned for the changes have been detained and put on trial. Some of them alleged to have been tortured in prison.

Men who had supported the activists’ cause or defended them in court were also arrested.

Source: BBC

Keep Reading
By
In Asia News

SMG’s Esther Ng Emerged the Winner of Asian Women Entrepreneurs Award

No Comments

Star Media Group’s Esther Ng was honoured at the Asian Women Entrepreneurs Awards in the Media and Communications category.

The company’s chief content officer was bestowed the award by the Malaysia Chinese Women Entrepreneurs Association (MCWEA) for her experience and work in the Star Media Group’s transformation to a digital-first media outlet.

Ng said it was good that the achievements of women in the media industry were acknowledged and honoured.

“I stand somewhat alone in this, in that there are so few female editors-in-chief among the main media in the country.

“It’s time, not just to sit up but stand up for ourselves. We need to mark and celebrate each milestone we achieve. In the tough and challenging world that is the media industry, editors of mainstream media need to stand together in combating fake news.

“Real news has become a necessity,” she said when met at the presentation ceremony at the Sunway Hotel Resort and Spa on Tuesday.

This year marks the second edition of the Asian Women Entrepreneurs Awards, which was founded last year with the aim of promoting women leadership in business in the region.

MCWEA president Datin Sri Jessie Wong said the awards honour outstanding women leaders who play a significant role in shaping Asia’s business landscape in the next few decades.

“These winners represent the diversity within Asia’s business landscape and the awards recognise these businesswomen as role models for their excellent achievements and contributions towards the industry and nation-building.

“MCWEA seeks to encourage, enhance and empower businesswomen in contributing towards the development of community, industries and the building of national economy,” she said in her speech.

Other winners include Sunway Group exco member Susan Cheah who bagged the Lifetime Achievement Award and Miss Fashion World president Isabelle Liow who took home the MCWEA most outstanding contribution award.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Keep Reading
By
In Africa News

South Africa’s Barbara Creecy Grants Fishing Access to Western Cape Fishermen

No Comments

Small-scale fishers of the Western Cape have for the first time been granted access to fishing during the 2019/20 west coast rock lobster season as part of the transition to the new small-scale fishing sector.

This was announced by the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Barbara Creecy, following a series of stakeholder workshops with fishing communities in the Western Cape.

“There was a general call for interim relief fishers to continue fishing for the next season and for fishers on the declared small-scale fishers list to be granted access to fish,” said the Minister adding that, in considering the requests from communities, the Department had been instructed to fast-track the roll-out of the small-scale fisheries sector in the province.

The Department was also directed to provide a transition from the current interim relief arrangement to a permanent and more structured small-scale fisheries sector in the Western Cape.

Minister Creecy says that it is imperative for small-scale fishers to be granted access to fishing while they are waiting on their 15-year fishing rights to be allocated. These 2 749 fishers were declared for the first time in 2018 as small-scale fishers as part of the roll-out of small-scale fishing sector in Western Cape. Minister Creecy also noted that the current interim relief dispensation will continue taking into account that some interim relief fishers have already signed contracts for the West Coast rock lobster 2019/20 fishing season. As a form of transition, the department has amended the interim relief lists to include fishers who have been declared small-scale fishers to be part of this last interim relief dispensation. Interim relief fishers and small-scale fishers will equally share the west coast rock lobster allocation allocated to them for the West Coast rock lobster 2019/20 fishing season.

During the Minister’s engagements, concerns were also raised about caretakers in the interim relief dispensation exploiting fishers.

“It is for this reason that in preparation for the West Coast rock lobster 2019/20 fishing season there will be no caretakers,” said the Minister.

All fishers will be required to sign a letter of authorisation drafted by the Department on the amended interim relief list for 2019/2020 fishing season. Interim relief fishers are to nominate an individual who will execute specific and spelled-out tasks on behalf of Interim Relief (IR) fishers. On signing, each fisher is given an opportunity to indicate which marketer they have signed with. This will also allow fishers who have not signed a contract to choose who they want to market their products without being influenced on the choice of marketer.

The person authorised by the majority of fishers in a community to assist interim relief fishers will be able to assist in the completion of permit and license application forms, collating all the

necessary supporting documents required by the Department, and ensuring that fishers do not sign more than one contract at a time. Among other responsibilities, the authorized person will also have to ensure that each fisher is able to exercise their right to enter into a contract with a marketer of their choice, submit completed permit and vessel application forms to the Department; sign landing slips and, if necessary, nominate additional fishers to assist with signing of landing slips against IR community’s permit; and assist any fisher with any information relating to the permit such as total of fish landed, information about export permits, and the like.

One of the many challenges raised by fishers was that the Western Cape small-scale fishers list did not include all small-scale fishers in the province and in that the process was not fair. As a result of the unhappiness among fishers about the final list of the declared small-scale fisher in the Western Cape Province, Minister Creecy appointed BDO auditors and advisory firm to conduct an investigation of the small-scale fisheries registration and verification process, as well as the final list of small-scale fishers for Western Cape Province.

Following the receipt of the preliminary findings of the probe, the Minister is considering the appointment of an independent panel to review the appeals of all unsuccessful applicants, and for it to provide a revised list of fishers who can be declared as additional small-scale fishers to the Minister for a decision.

Source: All Africa

Keep Reading
By