U.S. -based Telephone System International has entered into a $240 million contract with the fundamentalist, repressive Taliban regime to build a communication network throughout Afghanistan. TSI Deputy Director Gary Brishinsky said that the network will be in service in approximately two years and will carry both “standard” and “advanced” communications. The Taliban has exacted its […]
The Food and Drug Administration has approved PREVEN, a post-coital contraceptive kit that will be available for sale by prescription in late September. Doctors and the FDA have allowed the emergency use of oral contraceptives for some time now, and European women have used emergency contraception for years. However, Gyn_tics Inc.’s PREVEN is the first […]
The state of New York has filed a lawsuit against Garban LLC and its parent company, London-based United News & Media, charging that the Wall Street brokerage did nothing to stop cruel and pervasive harassment of its female employees. The suit alleges that male employees called female employees obscene names and that one female employee […]
The U.S. Transportation Department has announced that it will now require automakers to use smaller, “female” crash-test dummies in safety tests. Until now, the government required automakers to test their cars using only dummies that resembled adult males. Last year, 105 people were killed by inflatable air bags. Most of those killed were small women […]
In an effort to educate women veterans about their employment benefits, the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, U.S. Employment Services and Veterns Employment and Training Service are sponsoring a poster-design contest. Veterans are encouraged to submit art work which reflects the theme, “Hire a Vet: A Model of Success,” focusing on women veterans. The […]
According to Al-Hilal, a weekly newspaper published by the militant Islamic group Harakat ul-Ansar, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar said of President Clinton, “It is absolutely not possible to negotiate with such a person and he should be removed [from power] and stoned to death.” Al-Hilah Head Maulvi Fazl-ur-Rehman Kahlil also published his own words […]
Women’s rights groups in Pakistan fear that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s plans to “Islamize” the country’s government will devastate women there. Pakistani women already face pervasive domestic abuse and discrimination. Shahnaz Bokhari of the Progressive Women’s Association believes that Sharif’s plan will devastate gains made in women’s rights by institutionalizing women’s status as invisible and […]
If approved by the Senate, doctor and cancer researcher Jane E. Henney, 51, will become the first woman to head the FDA. Henney served as deputy commissioner for operations at the FDA, was interim dean at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and is currently vice president for health sciences at the University of […]
The AFL-CIO’s Working Women department launched new Web site entitled, “Working Women Working Together,” http://www.aflcio.org/women yesterday. The site will focus on the important issues of child care, social security, women’s votes, and health care. Also featured is an “Equal Pay” page where women can input their age, income level, and educational level to find out […]
The Houston Comets are once again WNBA Champions after beating the Phoenix’s Mercury team last night, 80-71 before a sold-out crowd of 16,285. Last year, the Houston Comets became the WNBA’s first champions after edging-out New York’s team. The Comets’ Cynthia Cooper scored 23 points in the final game and was named the league’s most […]
A woman who escaped from the Preterm clinic in Brookline, MA during a 1996 attack by anti-abortion terrorist John Salvi III has sued Preterm for “wrongful birth” because her fear of future anti-abortion attacks kept her from returning to the clinic for an abortion. Salvi murdered two receptionists and wounded five others at the Preterm […]
After controlling for inflation, the average annual income of married heterosexual couples with kids rose by 25.3 percent since 1969, according to a recent report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau. Women’s wages accounted for all but 1.5 percent of that increase, and contributed substantially to the rise of income among married, heterosexual, childless couples […]
Two new studies published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest that women who had high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein produced by breast cancer cells, may be more likely to suffer recurrences or die from the disease than are women with low levels of VEGF. Cancerous tumors depend on surrounding […]
Two popular questionnaires that doctors use to diagnose alcoholism may be biased against women and minorities. A report published by the Annals of Internal Medicine contends that the two questionnaires are based on symptoms of alcoholism commonly experienced by white men and frequently fail to diagnose alcohol abuse in women and minorities. Researchers at the […]
A recent survey conducted by Student Monitor LLC found that 95% of undergraduate students at 100 nationwide campuses logged on to the Internet at least once during the Spring ’98 semester. Forty-six percent of the 1,200 students surveyed said that they accessed the Internet at least once a day. Students said that they used the […]
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this Wednesday that will determine if employers should be held responsible in court when an employee’s supervisor sexually harasses a worker, and if they should be financially responsible if they did not know about the harassment. Beth Ann Faragher, a 32-year-old Denver public defender, sued her harassers and […]
The US Senate on July 29 passed a resolution sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein condemning the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan. The resolution states that Congress “deplores the human rights violations,” “condemns the targeted discrimination against women and girls and expressed deep concern regarding the prohibitions on employment and education” in Afghanistan, and […]
The United Nations Fund for Women launched its campaign against gender-based violence in Africa today, which is also Pan-African Women’s Day. Although reports of domestic violence are on the rise in Africa, it has yet to be recognized as a serious crime, according to women’s and human rights organizations. Despite laws against assault, men in […]
New York US Senate Candidate Geraldine Ferraro proclaimed that there is “a need for women in leadership positions” because “we bring another dimension to the political process” in a speech delivered to the National Association of Women Business Owners. In a television campaign ad, Ferraro said “Instead of thinking in win-lose terms, women are more […]
Legislators are considering increasing the penalty for GHB, a so-called “rape drug” that has also caused seizures, comas, and death. GHB, or gamma hydroxy butyrate, is one of several drugs that rapists have used to subdue their victims before sexually assaulting them. Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R- Ark), a proponent of stricter penalties for possession of […]
