Ghana’s gender minister causes storm over rape comments Accra, Ghana | AFP | Ghana’s new gender minister has warned schoolgirls that what they wear can attract rapists, sparking controversy and debate in a traditional but evolving society. Otiko Djaba told girls at a senior school in eastern Ghana they should …
Read More »Kenya court orders parliament to pass gender quota
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s High Court on Wednesday gave parliament 60 days to enact legislation that would make it obligatory to have more female lawmakers, or face dissolution. The 2010 constitution requires that no more than two thirds of lawmakers should be men, a principle hailed at the …
Read More »The leggings Twitter storm
Washington, United States | AFP | United Airlines has run into a social media storm after it barred two teenage girls from boarding a flight in Denver because they were wearing leggings. Another girl who was also wearing leggings was allowed to board the flight from Denver International Airport to …
Read More »Nude-photo scandal prompts US Marines to update social media rules
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Marine Corps has revised its social media guidelines amid a scandal involving the nonconsensual online sharing of nude Marines. The scandal centers upon the revelation this month that pictures of female Marines in various states of undress had been shared in a secret …
Read More »Women’s rights under assault worldwide: UN chief
United Nations, United States | AFP | Women’s rights are under fresh assault worldwide, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday as a two-week conference kicked off at the United Nations to take stock of the fight for gender equality. President Donald Trump’s “global gag rule” cutting US funding to groups that …
Read More »US military faces burgeoning nude picture-sharing scandal
Washington, United States | AFP | The Pentagon faced a burgeoning scandal Friday as more pictures of naked female service members apparently shared without their consent by male colleagues have turned up on secret social media sites. US Defense Minister Jim Mattis denounced the practice as “egregious violations of the fundamental …
Read More »Global marches, strikes demand equality on Women’s Day
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Protesters took to the streets in cities around the world Wednesday, marking International Women’s Day with strikes and marches demanding equal rights. In Moscow, a group of feminist activists was briefly detained after protesting inside the tightly guarded Kremlin with banners for an end to patriarchy, …
Read More »Hats, shiny leather and a ‘return to sex’: the big Paris fashion week trends
Paris, France | AFP | As the Paris fashion week autumn-winter shows reach their climax, we look at the biggest womenswear trends so far on the catwalk: – Mad hatters – Paris has fallen head over heels for hats. This week has seen an unprecedented sprouting of headwear on the …
Read More »Record number of female students get First Class at Makerere Graduation
Over 55% of the students being awarded first class honors at Makerere Univeristy’s 67th graduation ceremony starting today are female. A total 261 students obtained a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of above 4.40 to graduate with first class honors. Of these, 144 (55.17%) are female while 117 ( 44.8%) …
Read More »ANC women’s league wants Zuma ex-wife to lead party
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The powerful Women’s League of South Africa’s ruling ANC on Saturday chose outgoing African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as their candidate for party leader. Battle has been raging within the African National Congress (ANC) to succeed current leader and head of state Jacob Zuma. …
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