South Asia | India | Business

Meet Captain Monica Khanna, who safely landed SpiceJet flight after engine fire

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Captain Monica Khanna’s quick-thinking saved the lives of around 185 passengers on board the SpiceJet flight that caught fire shortly after takeoff on Sunday. The Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight safely returned to Patna after cabin crew noticed sparks flying out of the left engine of the aircraft and alerted the pilots. Captain Monica Khanna – the pilot in-charge – acted calmly and took control of the situation. After consulting with First Officer Balpreet Singh Bhatia, she switched off the affected engine and landed the ‘overweight’ aircraft skillfully in Patna.
Europe | Russia | Leadership

Eurasian Women’s Forum: Women in the Changing World

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Women play an increasingly important role in resolving issues that society and the state encounter and in the modern world, they should not face the choice between family and self-fulfillment, According to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the third Eurasian Women’s Forum held in St. Petersburg on October 13-15. “It is completely obvious that in modern conditions a woman should not face the choice between children and family or professional fulfillment. That is why in Russia the conditions are consistently created for a woman after childbirth to begin or resume her professional ca
Europe | Sweden | Politics

Swedish Finance Minister Tipped to Become Country’s First Female PM

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Magdalena Andersson is favourite to become Sweden's prime minister when her Social Democrat colleague Stefan Lofven steps down in November, but major challenges face the current finance minister if she is to keep the top job longer than a few months. If Andersson is picked to head her party in November, she is likely to become Sweden's first female prime minister - 40 years after neighbour Norway got its first woman leader and more than 60 years behind Sri Lanka, which was the first country to do so.
North America | United States | Business

Bumble Cofounder Becomes World’s Youngest Self-Made Woman Billionaire, Thanks To IPO

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Whitney Wolfe Herd ended the day Thursday with a net worth of $1.5 billion based on Bumble stock closing at $70.31.] Shares of dating app Bumble soared in its IPO on Thursday, turning its 31-year-old CEO and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd into the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire. Her nearly 12% stake in the company was worth $1.6 billion as of 12:40 p.m. EST on Thursday. Bumble stock opened at $76, much higher than its initial IPO price of $43 per share. The company made its debut hours after the markets opened on Thursday.
North America | United States | Courts

Amy Coney Barrett Confirmed To Supreme Court, Takes Constitutional Oath

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The Senate has voted 52-48 to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, just about a week before Election Day and 30 days after she was nominated by President Trump to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a White House ceremony following the vote Monday evening, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the constitutional oath to Coney Barrett. President Trump spoke at the event, thanking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and calling today a "momentous day" for America, the constitution and the rule of law. He also praised Barrett's intellec
Africa | South Africa | Activism

Revealed: Meghan told entrepreneurs in Cape Town that she’s determined to ‘fulfil her heart’s desires’ and refuses to let her own needs ‘fade away’ amid her royal duties

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Meghan Markle is determined to 'fulfil her heart's desires' and not let her own needs 'fade away' now she's a member of the Royal Family - and wants to be a role model for young boys as well as girls. The Duchess of Sussex, 38, reportedly made the remarks during an event for inspiring female entrepreneurs at Woodstock Exchange in Cape Town earlier this week during her tour of South Africa with husband Prince Harry. Woodstock Exchange, the UK-SA Tech Hub, focuses on skills development and access to markets by assisting entrepreneurs, particularly women, to acquire skills, resources and
Africa | Liberia | Activism

Advancing Sexual Health and Rights for Liberia’s Next Generation

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In Liberia, cultural norms, patriarchy, and government inaction all puts girls at risk. Discussing sex is considered taboo, which keeps girls disempowered and puts them at risk for exploitation by men in positions of authority (such as teachers). While the government has passed laws that support and affirm the sexual and reproductive health rights of girls and women, these laws often directly contradict accepted cultural practices, and implementation of the laws aren’t well enforced. (For example, the Children’s Act—which guarantees the rights of children and specifically addresses issue
North America | United States | Career

‘It’s been everything I’ve ever imagined,’ Jackson’s first female firefighter says

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Annie Wallen has had one dream since the second grade: to be a full-time firefighter. In January she achieved that dream, becoming the first female fighter for the city of Jackson. But a round of layoffs ended her dream Thursday. “My dream was short lived, but I lived it,” Wallen said. “It’s been everything I’ve ever imagined.” Wallen and five other firefighters were laid off following the expiration of a federal grant Sept. 26, Jackson Police and Fire Director Elmer Hitt said.
North America | United States | Activism

It’s All About Health for Women and Girls: Ghada Khan on Ending FGM

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An estimated 3.9 million girls around the world are at risk of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) every year. About 513,000 women and girls in the U.S. are at risk of or have undergone this procedure. Ending FGM/C is an issue that many funders can engage in; those who are interested in gender equality, who want to end gender-based violence and child abuse, who want to defend women’s bodily autonomy, and who want to make sure all girls are safe, educated and empowered. Dr. Ghada Khan is a health program analyst and the network coordinator for the U.S. End FGM/C Network, a colla
Europe | U.K. | Business

Supermodel turned investor: what Natalia Vodianova did next

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The statistics on the struggles of female entrepreneurs are a depressing read: 90 percent of funding goes to all-male founder teams in the UK, and, in the US, all-male teams are four times more likely to get investment than if they have even one woman in the team. But the story is different if you cross paths with Natalia Vodianova, the supermodel. The 37-year-old is putting to good use the money earned in a two decades-long fashion career from huge contracts with brands such as Calvin Klein and Guerlain. Now she spends her days managing a portfolio of “impact investments”: busine
Europe | U.K. | Activism

HearHer Is The UK’s First All-Female Festival Giving Women In Music The Space They Deserve

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In 2018, UK festival line-up statistics were still rather disappointing. 70 percent of festivals featured all-male bands, leaving many to wonder why female artists were still being dismissed. These figures come from the founding members of the UK's first all-female festival, HearHer: three days of musical bliss performed exclusively by female artists. Set to take over Dorset's Sandford Holiday Park from Oct. 11 to 13, HearHer has enlisted over 20 incredible performers to share their talents with the nation. The festival has been curated by singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and actress-slash-mu
International | Society

Are women better ultra-endurance athletes than men?

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Through thunderstorms, scorching heat and icy rain, Fiona Kolbinger cycled 2,485 miles (3,999km) in a little more than 10 days over some of Europe's most demanding terrain. In doing so, the German cyclist became the first woman to win the Transcontinental Race this week. That in itself was remarkable: it was the first time she had formally competed in an ultra-cycling event. But what was all the more remarkable was the fact she finished the brutal journey from Bulgaria to France a full 10 hours ahead of her closest opponent. "I am so, so surprised to win," she said. "When I was coming i
Europe | U.K. | Activism

Women in science: Smashing glass ceilings and glass walls

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A woman engineer who worked on the moon landing spoke this week of how she was once told the control room was no place for women. Things have changed a lot in 50 years, but not as fast as some had hoped. BBC News spoke to five scientists from different generations who are breaking barriers in their field. Famous for discovering the first pulsar more than 50 years ago, Prof Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell has also been a lifelong advocate of women in science. As a school pupil in Northern Ireland in the 1950s, like other girls she was not permitted to study science until her parents (and others
International | Activism

Ivanka Trump’s women’s initiative announces $27M in grants

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A White House initiative spearheaded by Ivanka Trump to help women in developing countries get ahead economically announced its first batch of grants on Wednesday: $27 million for 14 projects in 22 countries, mostly in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. The Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative was launched in February with an initial investment of $50 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development. A little more than half of that amount, $27 million, went to an "incentive" fund for partnerships with private businesses and other groups. The 14 projects