By: Nitin Srivastava, BBC Hindi The Congress party, which has ruled India for most of the time since independence in 1947, has been in a state of rapid decline in recent years. Now with elections in the politically key state of Uttar Pradesh just a few weeks away, the “grand old party” of India has allied with the regional Samajwadi Party which currently heads the state government, and is run by the powerful but feuding Yadav family. Interestingly, the credit for this strategic alliance is being credited to Priyanka Gandhi, sister of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. ‘Relevant dynasty’ Many in the party have fancied a larger role for Ms Gandhi for years, but this is perhaps the first time her backroom negotiating skills are being acknowledged publicly by the party. In the family stronghold of Rae Bareli district in Uttar Pradesh, Ms Gandhi is held in high regard. “If anyone…

The Africa Ministerial Pre-Consultative Meeting on the 61st Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 61st) on the theme “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work” was held recently in Addis Ababa with Deputy Executive Secretary Giovanie Biha of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) urging Africa to repeal legislation that discriminate against women and girls. In her remarks welcoming Africa’s gender ministers to the pre-CSW61 consultative meeting, Ms. Biha said sound actions must be taken to ensure that women’s rights to employment are fully secured and protected as this would enhance their prospects in the changing world of work, She stressed that the need for African governments to enforce the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against women (CEDAW) and the African Charter on the Rights of People by removing all discriminatory national laws. Ms. Biha said for a long time, women…

ANI | Kabul Afghanistan The Afghan Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said it has enforced a special salary scale and other incentives for female recruits to encourage more women to join the ranks of the Afghan National Army (ANA). MoD spokesperson Dawlat Waziri recently stated that more than 400 female recruits are in training at the Defence Ministry institutions currently, reports the Tolo News. “There are 5,000 positions for female recruits in the national army. We have introduced two categories of posts which are only allocated for women. In case a male officer is employed in the post, we immediately terminate his job and introduce a female officer for it,” he said. According to the MoD, over 30 women are in training at the National Military Academy, 62 women at the ANA Officers Academy, 143 women at Malalai Military School and another 109 female recruits are in training in Turkey.…

By Maria Corina Machado It was barely mentioned in the recent U.S. presidential elections, but Venezuela is suffering the consequences of being under the boot of one of the most atrocious and enduring Socialist dictatorships of our time. In fact, at the end of the first U.S. presidential debates, Venezuela received a minute of attention when Hillary Clinton mentioned a former Venezuelan beauty queen to spite Donald Trump, the former owner of the Miss Universe Organization. Interestingly, Venezuela leads in winning Miss World contests and is second in Miss Universe pageants. And while Venezuelan women are particularly beautiful, I am proud that in today’s desperate struggle for freedom, they have also proven to be extremely valiant and resilient. Hugo Chávez, the military-putschist-revolutionary-leader who was eventually elected president and then turned dictator, claimed that his government had apparently and uniquely highlighted the crucial role of women in society. Stating that— “women…

By: Ruby Hamad This week, Russia is on the verge of passing a bill that will decriminalise domestic violence except in cases of rape, and where it causes serious bodily harm. This seems a remarkable step backward in a country where 40 per cent of violent crime is already committed in family environments, and where more than 9000 women were killed in domestic violence incidents in 2013 alone. Quite simply – because there is always a danger that zealous religious conservatives will be appeased by politicians that, driven by their own agendas, are willing to use the rights of women as a bargaining chip: something that can be negotiated, traded away, and betrayed. The Russian bill has been spearheaded by ultra-conservative MP, Yelena Mizulina, demonstrating once again how patriarchy is all too often policed by women who bafflingly appear to view themselves as an exception to the gender stereotype they…