For the second year in a row, Syria will participate  via internet  in the World  School Debating championships ( WSDC )  2020 in  Mexico..

The WSDC , which  will be held  from 19-24 July  with the participation of 75 countries, is an annual English-language debating tournament for high school level teams representing different countries.

The Distinction  and Creativity Authority stated in a statement , which  SANA  received a copy on Thursday ,  that the Syrian team participating in the championship consists of five members ,  the coach and referee.

 The statement  indicated that the debates will be in  English, where the first round includes six  tournaments .  The duration of each one is one hour.  The team must win at least four tournaments  to ensure qualification to the second round and reach the final debate.

Syrian youth George Marrash  has recently won the world  Ten Outstanding  Young Persons  ( TOYP )  Competition  , which was  held by the  Junior International  Chamber (JCI ) ..

The young Marrash  won the category  of "Contributing to Children's Peace, Global  Peace and Human Rights" due to his active contribution in the field of community development.

The winner Marrash  told SANA   that he  had started volunteering   as a facilitator of teenagers  Clubs in Damascus countryside before he contributed to the establishment of the "Peace Makers “ Civil Society  Association in Lattakia.

The English poet and writer, Oscar Wilde says that, “Beauty is the wonder of wonders. It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible”.

The history of make up

Civilizations have always used cosmetics for centuries in religious rituals to enhance beauty and to promote good health though not always recognizable compared to today’s advanced products. Cosmetics usage throughout history can be indicative of a civilization’s practical concerns, such as protection from the sun or conventions of beauty.

 The timeline below represents a brief history of cosmetics, beginning with the Ancient Egyptians in 10,000 BC.

10,000 BC:

Cosmetics were an integral part of Egyptian hygiene and health. Men and women in Egypt use scented oils and ointments to clean and soften their skin and mask body odor. Oils and creams were for protection against the hot Egyptian sun and dry winds. Myrrh, thyme, marjoram, chamomile, lavender, lily, peppermint, rosemary, cedar, rose, aloe, olive oil, sesame oil, and almond oil provided the basic ingredients of most perfumes Egyptians used in religious rituals.

About the typologies of cosmetics in use among the Phoenicians, little is known. In this context, generally references come from bibliographic Latin sources: in antiquity, women preferred to paint white their face, red lips and cheeks, yellowish eyes and black to surround their eyes.

The Ministry of Information honored on Saturday the cast of the series “the  Guardian of Jerusalem” for the resistance, human and national impact that this work has had on the Syrian and Arab public at a time of normalization and surrender.

During the honoring ceremony that took place at the Ministry’s headquarters, Minister of Information Emad Sarah praised the efforts made by the series’ cast starting from writing the script, scenario, directing, to the performance of the actors.

The songs composed by the musician Najeeb Al-Sarraj during his rich career, which lasted for nearly half a century, are still alive in the minds and hearts of a large number of people on the Arab scene.

Al-Sarraj who was born in the Souk Al-Shajarah area in Hama in 1923, began his musical lessons since he was three years old . He learned to play the oud-taught  by the famous musician Omar Naqshbandi. Later on he headed to  Damascus where he studied the principles of musical notation.

World Day Against Child Labour 2020 focuses on the impact of crisis on child labour. The COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market shock are having a huge impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, children are often the first to suffer.

The crisis can push millions of vulnerable children into child labour. Already, there are an estimated 152 million children in child labour, 72 million of which are doing hazardous work. These children are now at even greater risk of facing circumstances that are even more difficult and working longer hours.

This year, the World Day Against Child Labour is conducted as a virtual campaign and is being organized jointly with the Global March Against Child Labour and the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA) .

In Syria, the government and civil societies  continue to exert relentless efforts to put an end to child labor that has increased during the terrorist war on Syria which led many children to drop out of schools and become victims of violence and different abuses. Many children also lost family care, became beggars and were recruited by terrorist organizations as child fighters which is the worst form of child labor.

Engineer Ahmed Mohamed, head of the Department of Agriculture in Jableh, stated that the high temperature that prevailed in the region during May led to fall of the olive flowers, which negatively affected the fertility rate of the olive fruit

This year is the season for olive trees, as the fall of olive blossoms starts from the beginning of June until the tenth month of it naturally to get rid of the excess crop

The total number of olive trees in the Jableh region is more than two million trees, of which a million and 896 trees are productive.. The production is about "20,000" tons, and olive is an important source of income for people of Jableh countryside.

Lama Razzouq