Ireland defuses pressure to replace ‘sexist’ constitutional language about mother’s role
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had pitched the referendum vote, held on Friday to coincide with International Women’s Day, as a chance to delete some “very old-fashioned, very sexist language about women”.
UN chief says legal equality for women could take 300 years, proposes Gender Equality Acceleration Plan
Guterres urged nations to prioritise equality for women and girls. He announced that the UN is launching a “Gender Equality Acceleration Plan” to support governments in designing and implementing policies and spending that respond to the needs of women and girls.
Candidates in Senegalese presidential poll have just two weeks to campaign after delays
The new date leaves the 19 candidates little more than two weeks, rather than the usual 21 days, to drum up support. It also means that for the first time campaigning in the majority Muslim nation will take place during the holy month of Ramadhan, which begins on Sunday night
Americans rush to buy knives in preparation for bloody presidential poll as new purchases hit 20 million
People motivated by climate change, Ellis said, tend to be homesteaders who grow their own food and move to more “climate proof” locations, such as the mild summer haven of Duluth, Minnesota. Others whose main fear is lawlessness are frequently the gun enthusiasts stereotypically associated with the prepper movement.
UN says number of women circumcised aged between infancy and adolescence rose by 30m to 230m since 2016
The practice, incorrectly believed to control women’s sexuality, can cause serious bleeding and even death. Girls are subjected to the procedure at ages ranging from infancy to adolescence. Long term, it can lead to urinary tract infections, menstrual problems, pain, decreased sexual satisfaction and childbirth complications, as well as depression, low self-esteem and post-traumatic stress disorder.
FGM: United Nations boss Antonio Guterres launches plan to tackle ‘baked-in bias’ in Kenya
The UN chief also launched a plan to boost empowerment of women and girls around the world on Friday, unveiling details at a meeting commemorating International Women’s Day on the theme of investing in women and girls.
How Kenyan activists embarked on mission to end gender-based violence as attacks on women spike
Kenya’s Demographic and Health Survey of 2023 found that more than 11 million women – or 20 per cent of the population – have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner during their lives, with 2.8 million of those women having experienced this type of violence in the last 12 months.
Port-au-Prince residents report heavy gunfire as Haiti opposition scrambles to form coalition against gangs
Haiti remained largely paralysed on Wednesday, with schools and businesses still closed amid heavy gunfire blamed on the gangs that control an estimated 80 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The country’s two biggest prisons were raided, resulting in the release of more than 4,000 inmates over the weekend.
Why schoolchildren are favourite fodder for abductors in northern Nigeria as region’s security crisis deepens
The kidnappings take place in the country’s troubled northern region, where relentless violence by insurgent Islamic militant organisations and by bandit groups with no particular ideology have crumbled communities and killed thousands of people.
Moscow on ‘red alert’ as US embassy in Russia warns of imminent attack by Islamic State extremists
Most Western countries advise against all travel to Russia and say their citizens should leave. The US has the highest level of warning for Russia – red “4 – Do not travel” – the same level as Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Iran.
