International | Culture

Nordic Nations Among the Best Countries for Women, Survey Finds

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They may pay among the world’s highest taxes, endure long winters and watch the sunset before 4 p.m., but Danish women still remain the envy of many in the world. The Kingdom of Denmark is the best country for women, at least according to the more than 7,000 women who filled out surveys for the 2016 Best Countries rankings. The rankings, formed in partnership with brand strategy firm BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, aim to gauge global perceptions of the world’s biggest economies in terms of specific attributes associated with countries. The Be
South Asia | Australia | Media

Australian Women’s Weekly editor-in-chief Helen McCabe resigns after six years

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Helen McCabe has resigned as editor-in-chief of the Australian Women’s Weekly after six years in the high-profile role at the nation’s highest-selling magazine. The former News Corp Australia journalist and Channel Seven reporter joined the magazine world in 2009 after a stint as deputy editor of the Sunday Telegraph and high-level roles on the Australian. McCabe has grabbed some headlines of her own for some of the editorial choices she made at the magazine, once owned by Kerry Packer but now owned by German publishers Bauer Media. The news of her resignation came on the same day
Latin America | Mexico | Crimes

Captured Fugitive: Mexican Female Drug Lord Bribed Feds in Texas

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Mexican authorities arrested a top female drug lord wanted in the United States for bribing federal officers. The female drug trafficker, known for her glamorous photographs on social media, was a common sight in this border city and in the Mexican cities of Reynosa and Miguel Aleman. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (PGR) announced this week, the arrest of 38-year-old Ana Marie Hernandez, better known as “La Muneca.” She was arrested at the request of the Interpol and the U.S. Marshals Service, information provided to Breitbart Texas revealed.
Europe | Germany | Politics

Angela Merkel ‘firm favourite’ for Nobel prize over refugee crisis – but losing favour in Germany

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Speculation is mounting that Angela Merkel will win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her handling of the European refugee crisis and the war in Ukraine, just as public opinion in Germany is hardening on the migrant issue. The German Chancellor has emerged as the firm favourite for the 2015 peace prize, the winner of which will be announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee next Friday. But even as she is lauded on the international stage, Mrs Merkel is facing growing opposition to her refugee policy at home, where her personal approval rating with voters has plummeted n
Europe | U.K. | Health

Advent of the virgin births: Women who have never been in a relationship paying £5,000 to get pregnant

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Dozens of young heterosexual women have had virgin births after undergoing IVF in Britain, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Some are using the £5,000 fertility treatment to bypass the need to involve a man, and others so that they can save themselves for a ‘special relationship’. Doctors said last night at least 25 straight women had given birth in the past five years despite being virgins. But campaigners for the traditional family said the ‘distorted’ move turned babies into little more than ‘teddy bears’ to be ‘picked off the shelf’. Religious groups said it undermined the
North America | United States | Health

American women are waiting longer than ever to become mothers

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More and more women in the United States are waiting until they're older to start having children. The average age of women having their first child was a record high of 26 years old in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics Report. That's an increase of 3.3 years since 1980, when the average age was 22.7. The average age of first-time mothers is increasing because more women are waiting until their 30s and 40s to start having kids and fewer women are having their first kids in their teens and 20s, the CDC report says. Since 19
International | Law

Amnesty International row: Should prostitution be decriminalised?

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It's not often that a liberal newspaper like The Guardian rails against an organisation like Amnesty International. But last week the paper ran a stinging editorial questioning the wisdom of the human rights group. It said Amnesty would make a "serious mistake" if it advocated the decriminalisation of prostitution - a decision the group's international council will vote on later on Tuesday. It's not just The Guardian that is upset. Several women's groups have got together with a host of big-name actresses - including Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet - to criticise Amnesty af
Africa | South Africa

Why black women in South Africa don’t fully embrace the feminist discourse

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There are at least two aspects to consider in understanding the reluctance of many black women to fully embrace women’s rights discourse and make violence against women a matter of political importance. Firstly, this has to do with the historical context of the discourse and how black women joined it. Secondly, black women have different perceptions of current pressing needs and priorities in their struggles for basic survival and broader communal liberation. This reluctance has not stood in the way of women being active in South Africa’s struggle against racial oppression. The country
Latin America | Argentina | Politics

Kirchner tells students to study Shakespeare villain to better understand debt crisis

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Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said Argentina's economic woes could be understood through reading "The Merchant of Venice," which involves a cruel Jewish moneylender seeking revenge on his debtors, reports the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. She described in her Spanish-language tweets shortly after the meeting that she asked the 10-years-olds about which Shakespeare play they were reading and they responded "Romeo and Juliet." She tweeted "I said, you have to read the 'Merchant of Venice' to understand the vulture funds," and that everyone laughed. "No, don't laugh,"
Africa | Uganda | Culture

Why women in Uganda don’t care about work-life balance

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Consistent research is highlighting the disadvantage faced by women, particularly mothers, in today's modern workplace. The most recent data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency suggests that women in management are paid 45% less than their male counterparts. Many women are torn between trying to be a 100% excellent worker and 100%perfect mother, and often feel like a failure at both as they are stretched too thin. I think it serves no purpose to dwell on all the difficult things that women have to deal with. We seem to reinforce this caricature of ourselves as working mother
International | Economy

The Countries Where Female Entrepreneurs Have The Greatest Chance Of Success

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If you were to think of a nation with the most confident and eager female entrepreneurs, it’s unlikely that Nigeria would come to mind. But more than the United States, France, China, and many other richer nations, Nigeria is where the highest percentage of women feel they have the skills to start a business and see opportunities to do so. Women in Ghana come in at a close second. The problem for would-be African startup founders, whether male or female, is that the deciding is the only easy part. "You can start a business, but there’s a lot of corruption. Business regulations are also
Latin America | Brazil | Politics

Why does everyone in Brazil hate their president?

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President Dilma Rousseff’s relationship with the White House hit the skids two years ago, when she learned that the National Security Agency had tapped her cellphone. This coming week, with the Brazilian economy in trouble, her poll numbers at an all-time low and political scandals looming large, Rousseff will visit Washington to restore relations with President Obama and attract U.S. investment. On the eve of the trip, she spoke with The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth at her home in Brasilia. Edited excerpts follow: People say that you are a micromanager. But they also say that since
North America | United States | Politics

Clinton kicks off 2016 bid, embracing chance to make history

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Hillary Rodham Clinton formally kicked off her presidential campaign on Saturday with an enthusiastic embrace of her potential to become the first woman to win the White House, asking supporters gathered at an outdoor rally to join her in building an America "where we don't leave anyone out, or anyone behind." With the downtown New York skyline and new World Trade Center over her shoulder, Clinton offered herself as a fierce advocate for those still struggling from the Great Recession.  
North America | United States | Business

Cisco’s top woman engineer leaves in shake-up

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Padmasree Warrior, probably Silicon Valley's most senior female engineer, is stepping down as the chief technology officer of Cisco as part of a leadership overhaul by the company's new CEO. The new 10-person management team, announced on Thursday, does include five women, high by Silicon Valley standards, but none in engineering roles. Ms Warrior is to be replaced by Hilton Romanski, who was previously Cisco's head of merger and acquisition strategy.