A pregnant widow was publicly flogged 200 times before being executed in the Qades district in the Badghis Province of western Afghanistan on Sunday. Agence France Presse reports that Taliban commander Mohammad Yousuf executed Bibi Sanubar by shooting her in the head and chest. According to the Daily Mail, Sanubar was accused of adultery after […]
Iranian human rights lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, has sought asylum in Norway to flee a warrant for his arrest. The lawyer was defending Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, an Iranian woman who was convicted of adultery and originally sentenced to stoning in 2006, before he went missing at the end of July. At the time, it was unclear […]
Malaysia’s first two women Islamic court judges will have the same power as male judges, the Malaysian government has confirmed. “The female judges can hear all criminal or civil cases that fall under the Islamic court’s jurisdiction,” Sharia Judiciary Department official Mohamad Na’im told Agence France Presse, adding they would also rule on divorce cases. […]
Honorable Elena Kagan became the 112th United States Supreme Court Justice when she was sworn in on Saturday. Kagan took two oaths, according to AFP: one in a private ceremony with Chief Justice John Roberts and her family, and a second in a public ceremony. Kagan is the fourth female justice to ever serve on […]
Letitia Long will become Director of the National Geospatial Intellingence Agency (NGA) today, making her the first woman to head one of the government’s 16 major intelligence agencies. The NGA works with satellite technologies to create three dimensional maps of every location on Earth. Their work serves to support the Department of Defense and the […]
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger filed a brief Friday urging US District Judge Vaughn Walker to allow same sex marriages to resume immediately. Walker, who issued the ruling that overturned California’s same sex marriage ban last week in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, has issued a stay of his ruling until the case is heard by the District […]
Sixty-seven percent of Kenyan citizens voted to implement a new constitution late last week, which will decrease the powers of the presidency, expand the rights of citizens and advance the status of women. The referendum vote replaces colonial-era legislation and makes Kenya one of one of the most politically progressive nations in Africa. The campaign […]
Sponsors of Proposition 8 filed an appeal yesterday of this week’s District Court ruling that overruled California’s Proposition 8, the electoral referendum passed by voters in California in 2008. Literally minutes after Judge Walker released his ruling on Proposition 8, a notice of appeal was filed. If the appeal is accepted, the Ninth Circuit Court […]
President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Citizens Award, the second highest civilian award in the US, to thirteen people yesterday. According to the Times-Standard, Obama asked the American people to nominate the recipients for the first time since the award’s inception in 1969, resulting in over 6000 nominations. Eleven of the thirteen recipients were women, […]
Mexico’s Supreme Court upheld the law that permits gay-marriage in Mexico City yesterday, rejecting an appeal from the federal attorney general’s office, which argued that the law is destructive to families. In the 8 to 2 decision, the majority stressed that that while the Mexican constitution guarantees protections for families, it does not define what […]
US District Judge Marvin Garbis heard arguments yesterday from the City of Baltimore to dismiss a suit filed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore against a recent city law requiring truth in advertising by crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) regarding their services. The suit was filed in March. The law requires CPCs to post signs […]
The United States Senate has confirmed the Honorable Elena Kagan as the 112th United States Supreme Court Justice, making her the fourth woman in US history to serve on the High Court. Kagan was confirmed on a 63 to 27 vote, which was largely along party lines. Five Republicans voted for Kagan and one Democrat […]
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a media regulator in the United Kingdom, announced yesterday that it has rejected 1,054 complaints about the UK’s first television commercial for family planning services including abortion. The advertisement, part of the ‘Are You Late’ campaign, was sponsored by Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of the world’s leading family planning […]
Voters in Missouri passed Proposition C Tuesday, a referendum attempting to nullify part of the federal health care reform law that will require most Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a tax penalty. The vote is largely seen as symbolic, according to NPR, because federal law trumps state law. The tax penalty Missourians voted […]
Lady Gaga spoke out against Arizona’s anti-immigration law, SB 1070, at a show in Phoenix, Arizona last Saturday. Gaga, who had the phrase “Stop SB 1070” written on her forearm, instructed the audience to peaceably protest the state. Gaga told the crowd of over 14,000 that, “We have to be active. We have to protest,” […]
San Francisco federal judge Vaughn Walker has overruled California’s Proposition 8, the electoral referendum passed by voters in California in 2008. The California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8 in a 6 to 1 ruling in May 2009. The proposition, which passed 52 percent to 48 percent, overturned a May 2008 ruling of the state Supreme […]
A Malasian woman’s attempt to nullify her childhood Muslim conversion was dismissed by the secular High Court, who said they did not have the jurisdiction to nullify it. Malaysia has two different justice systems, Shariah (Islamic law), for the 60% Muslim population, and a secular court for non-Muslims, according to the Associated Press. The court […]
The WNBA received an A+ grade for its diversity hiring practices from the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports “Racial and Gender Report Card.” Richard Lapchick, the leader of the study, said “the WNBA remains the best employer overall for women and people of color in any sport,” according to […]
This weekend, July 31st, was Africa Women’s Day, as mandated by the African Union 48 years ago. There were celebrations around the world, showcasing the triumphs and trials of African women today. From London to Cameroon, the event was used as an opportunity to highlight the African Union’s “Africa Women’s Decade”, entitled “Gender Equality and […]
Modern-Orthodox Rabbis, educators, and mental-health professionals from the US and Israel issued a statement this week urging support and respect for gays and lesbians. The document, which has more than 100 signatures, was issued last week on the eve of the one-year anniversary of a deadly shooting at a gay club in Tel Aviv and […]
