India Elects First Female President

After 60 years of independance, "Pratibha Patil is to become India's first woman president after winning a comprehensive election victory...Patil, 72, won nearly two-thirds of votes cast in state assemblies and in India's parliament, they said."

Link to full article

Homeless and Pregnant

CBC recently did a radio show about women who are pregnant, homeless and addicted in Victoria, B.C.

You can listen to it here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The website.

British Unveil Campaign Against FGM

"Female genital mutilation, commonly associated with parts of Africa and the Middle East, is becoming a growing problem in Britain despite authorities' efforts to stamp it out.

The Metropolitan Police, Britain's largest police force, hopes a campaign beginning Wednesday will highlight that the practice is a crime here.

To make their point, police are offering a 20,000-pound (euro29,500; US$40,000) reward for information leading to Britain's first prosecution for female genital mutilation, Detective Chief Superintendent Alastair Jeffrey said."

I understand that in these cultures the women are looked down upon if they do not go through with the mutilation, but is it right to continue the practice when these girls do not live in the communities anymore? These girls are being taken on their summer vacation from England to their country of origin to have genital mutilation. Maybe being out of the country (in England) is a chance to change this practice.

See the article and video here.

Running of the Cows - A Move Towards Equality?

"A group of Spanish women are calling for equality at Pamplona's famed San Fermin running of the bulls festival: they're demanding cow runs.

'If the boys run ahead of the bulls, we (women) have to run with the cows. It's pure logic,' said a tongue-in-cheek petition on a Spanish student website, www.estudiln.net."

See the full article here.