Saturday, January 21, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

New leader of WIZO says they are adapting to world of social media

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Summary of story from Haaretz.com, January 20, 2012 A 92-year-old women’s group and its 74-year-old incoming president, Tova Ben-Dov, are taking to social media to rejuvenate the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO ). At the organization's conference in Tel Aviv this week, Ben-Dove drew attention to Twitter and “other new technologies”.  The conference drew more than 800 [...]

Iranian women’s rights activist gunned down in Texas

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Summary of story from ABC news, January 18, 2012 Iranian women's rights activist and medical student Gelareh Bagherzadeh, 30, was found shot to death in her car, just yards from her Texas home on Monday. Authorities said nothing appeared to have been stolen from her car. Her cell phone and purse were found inside. “Homicide [...]

Frequent bone scans may not be needed for many women

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Summary of story from ABC News, January 19, 2012 A new study has shown that many older women do not need to be screened for bone density as often as recommended. Government advisers and leading doctor groups urge osteoporosis screening, but no one has known how often that should happen. If an initial bone scan [...]

Pakistan government to create powerful women’s commission

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Summary of story from Dawn.com, January 19, 2012 The Pakistan National Assembly unanimously passed a government bill to create a powerful National Commission on the Status of Women on Thursday. One of its main objectives (cited in the preamble) is to fulfil a government promise to promote the social, economic, political and legal rights of [...]

Non-governmental organisation in Nigeria urges more support for women

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Summary of story from Nigerian Tribune, January 20, 2012. The coordinator of the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Progress and Development Initiative, in Northern Nigeria, has called for increased collaboration between stakeholders on women’s empowerment. Malam Umar Danballaji made the call during a courtesy visit by officials of the NGO to the office of the Pan African Development [...]

Figures show more UK women becoming professors

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Summary of story from BBC, January 20, 2012 The number of female professors at UK universities rose by four percent last year, but some say more steps need to be taken towards equality. Male professors still outnumber female professors, who additionally make up only 20 percent of those with senior posts, according to the Higher [...]

Clinton asked to testify in document leak case

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Summary of story from The Independent, January 20, 2012 Bradley Manning’s lawyers hope to force US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to give evidence at the ex-military analyst’s court martial. While defence attorney David Coombs redacted Ms Clinton’s name from the request, which he posted on his website, the Associated Press reported her identity. Mr [...]

United Nations Women marks first anniversary and remains optimistic

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Summary of story from UN Women, January 18, 2012 UN Women marked its first anniversary this month with a larger budget and hopes to further empower women in the next year. The United Nations created the gender equality organisation in July 2010 by combining four separate entities, including the former UN Development Fund for Women. [...]

Venezuelans re-examine costs of breast implants

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Summary of story from BBC, January 15, 2012 Women in Venezuela with faulty breast implants are getting help from the government to pay for their removal. Poly Implant Prothese, a French company, had been producing faulty implants and distributing them around the world (see WVoN coverage). About 400 Venezuelan women are suing distributors who used the [...]

Activists condemn ‘Asylum Seeker’ playwright’s deportation

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Summary of story from The Guardian, January 17, 2012 Activists and writers have condemnded the recent UK Border Agency decision to deport Cameroonian playwright Lydia Besong and her husband from the UK. Prominent authors and human rights figures such as Monica Ali and Michael Morpurgo have written to Home Secretary Theresa May to protest the [...]

Malawi women beaten for wearing trousers

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Summary of story from BBC, January 20, 2012 Some female vendors were this week beaten and stripped for wearing trousers on the streets of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi and its largest city, Blantyre. Close to 3,000 people gathered in Blantyre, Malawi to protest the attacks. Until 1994, women were banned from wearing trousers or [...]

Thai airline takes on transgender flight attendants

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Summary of story from the Guardian, January 17, 2012 A Thai airline has become the first to employ transgender people. After founding PC Air last year, Peter Chan, a property developer, immediately confronted what he calls a “question of human rights” in this generally open-minded but still socially conservative nation of 69 million. “Ladyboys in [...]

UN and South-east Asian nations partner to end violence against women and children

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Summary of story from UN News, January 18, 2012 Representatives from the United Nations and South-east Asian nations have teamed up to explore ways of addressing the issue of violence against women. "Violence against children is hidden, widespread and occurs in all contexts, including where children are expected to benefit from special protection," said Marta Santos [...]

Transportation Security Administration admit they ‘violated procedures’ with two elderly women

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Summary of story from LA Times, January 18, 2012 The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the US has admitted they violated procedures when they asked two elderly women, in separate incidents, to reveal medical devices concealed beneath their clothing. The women say they were strip-searched at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in November [...]

UK inquiry accuses slimming clubs of setting unrealistic expectations

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Summary of story from The Guardian, January 17, 2012 A UK inquiry into body image has sparked argument that slimming clubs lock members into ‘straitjackets’ of unrealistic expectations. Author and psychotherapist, Susie Orbach, gave evidence to a parliamentary inquiry on body image. She criticised companies such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World for misleading slimmers by giving [...]

UK women in 2020 Olympic Kabaddi bid

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Summary of story from BBC, January 18, 2012 The England women’s kabaddi team say that the sport is growing thanks to their showing in the recent World Cup. Kabaddi is a field sport originating in India, in which two teams take turns to send a raider to the other’s territory, or half, tag members of the [...]