By: Mary Emily O’Hara Recently, Trump revoked the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order then-President Barack Obama put in place to ensure that companies with federal contracts comply with 14 labor and civil rights laws. The Fair Pay order was put in place after a 2010 Government Accountability Office investigation showed that companies with rampant violations were being awarded millions in federal contracts. In an attempt to keep the worst violators from receiving taxpayer dollars, the Fair Pay order included two rules that impacted women workers: paycheck transparency and a ban on forced arbitration clauses for sexual harassment, sexual assault or discrimination claims. Noreen Farrell, Director of the anti-sex discrimination law firm Equal Rights Advocates, said Trump went “on the attack against workers and taxpayers.” “We have an executive order that essentially forces women to pay to keep companies in business that discriminate against them, with their own tax…

The Chief Justice of South Africa’s Judicial Service Commission Mogoeng Mogoeng has called on women to take on leadership roles in the judiciary. According to the Chief Justice during the first day of interview for new judges, more needed to be done to fast-track gender transformation. The first round of interviews was focused on positions for the Deputy Chief Justice and for a position at the Supreme Court of Appeal. Mogoeng and other commissioners questioned the first interviewee, Constitutional Court Justice Raymond Zondo, the only candidate nominated to replace retired Deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke. The panel focused on gender transformation and balance, and the challenges facing women in the legal fraternity. President Jacob Zuma nominated Zondo. If chosen, he would replace current acting Deputy Chief Justice Bess Nkabinde, whose term ends in December. Zondo said more women needed to be supported and nominated to positions in the courts. “The…

Iranian sports authorities say they have banned five female billiards players from competing for a year for allegedly violating Islamic codes of conduct during a tournament in China. The Iranian Billiards and Bowling Federation did not reveal the specific allegations, saying only that they would be announced at a later date. “The female players who attended the China Open will be banned from participating in all domestic and international competitions for one year due to violations of Islamic principles,” the federation’s disciplinary committee said in a statement on March 30. Iranian women are permitted to participate in a number of international sporting events, but must respect strict rules regarding Islamic dress at all times. Iran enforces a dress code that requires women to cover their hair with the Islamic head scarf, or hijab, and enforces the measure through periodic crackdowns. Female officials, athletes, and other national representatives are also required…

Stunned witnesses in Peru took out their cellphone cameras as a woman escaped a mudslide that swept her into a swamp of debris, trash, and farm animals. Intense rains and mudslides over the past three days have killed at least 62 people around the Andean nation. Some 12,000 homes have been destroyed. Evangelina Chamorro, 32, had just dropped her two daughters at school and was feeding her pigs with her husband when they were pulled into a landslide. Armando Rivera, Chamorro’s husband, told RPP radio they climbed a tree but the trunk broke. They held on to each other’s hands but Chamorro eventually lost his grip and got separated. She emerged near a bridge, lifting herself from a current of wooden planks and walking toward the shore covered head to toe in mud. “There’s a person there!” an onlooker cried out. Chamorro collapsed as she reached land and was quickly…

By: Zee Media Bureau Latest figures of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) for 2015-16 indicate that obesity may be the next major health challenge in India. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), one-fifth of Indian women, or 20.7 per cent to be precise, in the age group of 15-49 are overweight. The country’s most apprehensive health survey also shows that 31.3 percent or almost a third of urban women obese, while 15 per cent of rural women are overweight. What is shocking is that the overall obesity figure of 20.7 for women is a quantum jump from 12.6 from 2005-06 when the last NFHS was conducted. It is nearly a 60% jump. Overall, 20.7 per cent women in the country were found to be overweight or obese during NFHS-4 in comparison to 12.6 per cent during the NFHS-3 – a jump of nearly 60 per cent. The…