Saturday 2 November 2013

News for Today

Education for Women and Girls Is the Key to Economic Productivity
 
Australian Labor Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek told an aid conference in Canberra on Thursday there was no better tool for development than the education of girls and women, The Sydney Morning Herald reported Oct. 31. She said to the Australian Council for International Development conference that no other policy is likely to raise economic productivity, lower infant and maternal mortality, improve nutrition, promote health and increase the chances of education for the next generation.
 
 
Turkish Women Wear Headscarf in Parliament after 14 Years
 
Four female lawmakers from Turkey's Islamic-rooted government attended a parliament session on Thursday, Oct. 31, wearing headscarves, for the first time in 14 years, Yahoo News reported. After Turkish American lawmaker Merve Kavakci was booed out of the house and then had her Turkish citizenship revoked when she arrived in parliament wearing a headscarf for her swearing-in ceremony in 1999, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party lifted on Sept. 30 a decades-old ban on headscarves in the civil service as part of a package of reforms meant to improve democracy and freedoms.The headscarf is a sensitive symbol in Turkey as it is viewed by secularists a sign of political Islam in stark contrast to the republic's strongly secular traditions.


Pakistani Teenager Raped and Buried Alive
 
A 13-year-old Pakistani girl was raped and then buried alive in Punjab province, Time reported Oct. 29. The girl’s father told police his daughter was on the way to a religious lesson when two men abducted her, raped her, and then buried her near the roadside, believing she had died in the assault. When the girl regained consciousness she clawed her way out of her grave and hailed a passerby who took her to a clinic. After local police were criticized for being unresponsive to the family’s pleas for an investigation, the Lahore High Court Chief Justice Complaint Cell launched an inquisition into the case Saturday and directed police to arrest the rapists.
 
 
Police in China Accuse Women of Inadequate Driving
 
Police in China's capital have published a guidance for "inadequate" women drivers online, CNN reported, Oct. 30. According to a post on the official Beijing Police department account on Weibo -- China's popular micro-blogging service -- female drivers "usually have inadequate driving skills and often lack a sense of direction." The police also pointed out a few other potential perils to avoid, such as wearing high heels or driving without tying their hair back. Another post on the account cited a China News article, which claimed almost 70% of road accidents in China are caused by women.
 
 
Study Focuses on Men and Women’s Observation of Female Physique
 
Both men and women look at women's bodies more than their faces, a study published in the journal Sex Roles showed. The US study took 29 women and 36 men who were fitted an eye-tracking system which measures how many milliseconds the eyes remain on a certain spot. Both men and women focused on women's chests and waists and women with bigger breasts, narrower waists and bigger hips. The lead author of the study, Dr Sarah Gervais of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the explanation may be evolutionary as men are said to be drawn to more shapely women for childbearing, while women may be checking out their competition.
 
 
Saudi Columnist Detained for Supporting Women’s Driving
 
Police have interrogated and detained Saudi columnist Tariq al-Mubarak who supported ending his country's ban on women driving, Yahoo News reported, Oct. 30. Human Rights Watch and activists who know al-Mubarak say he stays in detention with no access to a lawyer. The New York-based organization called for al-Mubarak's immediate release and on authorities "to stop harassing and trying to intimidate activists and women who defied the driving ban."
 
 
Female Senators' Bipartisan Security Clearance Plan
 
Four female senators are set to present a bipartisan bill that would increase the rate of background checks on contractors and federal employees, The Washington Post reported Oct. 30. Two democrat and two republican senators suggest two random audits within five years of employment. As of now, security clearance occurs once every five, 10, or 15 years. This proposal is scheduled for Oct. 30, a day before the the court hearing for the DC navy Yard shooting in Sept.

Breast Cancer Cases in India on the Rise
 
Rise in breast cancer among women in India are becoming too much for existing medical infrastructure to handle, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 30. The staggering number of patients have caused examinations to lack privacy and conducted in a quick, almost haphazard manner.The reasons behind the prolific breast cancer cases remain unknown. Currently, cheaper, but effective technology, is being developed to better cope with the high volume of patients. 

Contributed by Norhana Kamid

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