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More Women vie for political office in 2018 elections in Brazil

Andrea Werner is the mother of a 10-year-old autistic child. It was because of Theo that she became an activist for the rights of special-needs children and created a blog for them and their families. As her name grew in popularity, two political parties invited her to run for office this year. Andrea accept and will run as a left-wing Liberty and Socialism Party (PSOL) candidate—trying to win a seat in Brazil’s male-dominated Parliament. “It’s a battle but it’s ok. I am prepared and I am not afraid. More women should do this because the men there are not thinking about problems in our daily lives”, said Andrea. “When you see some countries that have more women working in the Congress, they worry more about health and education.” In 1997 Brazil enacted a law determining that the parties’ candidates list had to have at least 30 percent of women. However,…

High school students in the Philippines paint “roads to safety for women and girls”

At the 17 June event, Student artists from Quezon City high schools show their painting skills on the roads leading to the main building of Quezon City Hall. Photo: UN Women/ Dominic Mananghaya On a day celebrating the Philippine’s freedom from colonial rule, 65 high school students painted pictures on roads by Quezon City Hall to call for another kind of freedom—for women and girls to go about public spaces without fear of sexual harassment. The Quezon City Local Government held the Street Art Painting Project on 17 June, Independence Day, in partnership with UN Women Safe Cities Metro Manila Programme. In bright, bold colors, the student artists painted the roads from the entrance to the main building of Quezon City Hall with words and images depicting the problem of harassment and calls for everyone to help build safe public spaces. “Stop Violence against Women,” was among the painted appeals.…

South Africa: Kgothatso Montjane Records another Swiss Open Victory

Kgothatso Montjane, a wheelchair tennis woman has successfully defended her Swiss Open title on Saturday with a victory in the final over world No 7 Lucy Shuker in Geneva, Switzerland. Montjane ranked world No 8 defeated the British top seed 7-5, 6-2 to make it a fourth triumph at the 31st Swiss Open tournament in a match which showcased the best of women’s tennis. She had won the title in 2013, 2015 to ease past current world No 6 Katharina Kruger in a stunning 6-2 6-3 victory to record her third title in 2017. Kgothatso hopes the success acts as motivation for what lies ahead in the season including this week’s Wimbledon event. “I’m very satisfied with the way I played and I always enjoy coming back to the Swiss Open. This was an important win for me especially after defending my title. These are vital points to maintain my…

Young Chinese-American Skates Across U.S to Raise Funds for Girl Child Education in Africa

A 23-year-old Chinese-American girl, better known as the Bladress, is on a Cross Country tour of the United States, on Rollerblades, to break the Guinness World record for distance skating, while spreading her message of love and positivity. Yanise Ho who was born in Hong Kong in 1995, is pushing to raise funds to educate girls in Kenya and Uganda. Ms. Ho who started travelling at 16, is driven on this quest by her desire to show that the world is filled with love and kindness. She grew up as a special girl different from many of her peers, she studied in a high school in Rome, Italy, and attended three different universities in Washington State, California, and New York. She obtained a degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts.. Yanise Ho has been “on the road” since she was sixteen. She began her career as a backpacker at…

International: UN Secretary General Advocates for more Women Law Makers

Antonio Guterress, United Nations Secretary-General recently called for the more women participation in the lawmaking process. He made the call while speaking at the International Day of Parliamentarians in Geneva Switzerland. Mr. Guterress maintained that Parliaments in different countries of the world are filled with men who sometimes do not support or fully understand the principle of gender equality. “Parliaments are still largely dominated by men,” he said, adding the world needs more women parliamentarians. “As we mark this new international day, I express my support for members of parliaments worldwide, as they strive to deliver for the people they serve,” he said. “The International Day of Parliamentarians, a new United Nations observance, recognizes the pivotal role played by parliaments,” according to the United Nations Chief. He further stated that “As a former parliamentarian, I have felt, first-hand, the responsibility of representing people and trying to advance their aspirations.” He…

Tokyo University to Accept Transgender Students from 2020

A national women’s university in Tokyo will start accepting students in April 2020 who were assigned male at birth but identify as female. The education ministry said it believes Ochanomizu University will become Japan’s first women’s university to accept transgender students. Ochanomizu, founded in 1875, was also the country’s first institution of higher education for women. Ochanomizu officials said recently that they will hold a news conference soon to explain the details of the admissions changes, including how the university will confirm whether an applicant is a transgender. The school issued a statement saying it intends to accept “transgender students who hope to study at a women’s university based on their gender identity.” Women’s universities in Japan have previously restricted applicants to those registered as females under the family register system. Many of the schools, including Tsuda University and Japan Women’s University, both in Tokyo, are considering modifying their admissions…

First Black Female Chancellor to be Appointed at University of Witwatersrand

The South African University has confirmed that for the first time in its history, the next chancellor will be a black female. This information was made on Monday 25th of June, 2018 after the university made a call for nominations to fill the chancellor vacancy in April 2018. Sequel to the call, Dr. Judy Dlamini, and Dr Anele Mngadi emerged as contestants to replace the former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke‚ whose term ends in November 2018. According to Peter Maher, the Director of Alumni Relations, “Between the two candidates‚ it is certain that one of them will be the next chancellor of the University”. Shirona Patel‚ Head of Communications at the university stated that those who are qualified to participate in the election process include the 160‚000 graduates‚ full-time academic staff‚ and retired academics with 10 consecutive years in service with the university. Furthermore, in the statement of Peter…