Women

‘Backward’ photo panned for display of patriarchy, signaling that ‘women’s voices don’t matter in shaping global order’By the time Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday, the bilateral had featured all the expected pomp and pageantry: a meticulously choreographed display of Chinese soldiers, children waving American and Chinese flags, and rows of senior officials and the US’s top business executives.Conspicuously absent at the table, however, were women from either delegation – a stark visual that quickly drew criticism from observers who saw it as an unmistakable display of patriarchal power. Continue reading...

An investigation into how the women came to be in the water is ongoing, but there is no evidence to suggest criminalityPolice believe they have identified three women whose bodies were recovered from the sea off Brighton beach.Sussex police said next of kin have been informed, but it would not be appropriate to publicly name them until the process of formally identifying them is complete. Continue reading...

• University at Buffalo women's basketball announced the signing of Holy Cross transfer Asia Wilson, a Rochester, NY native with three remaining years of eligibility. • Wilson appeared in 27 games for Holy Cross in 2025-26, helping the Crusaders achieve 23 wins, a Patriot League Championship, and an NCAA Tournament berth. • The addition of Wilson strengthens Buffalo's roster as the program looks to build on recent success and compete at a higher level.

Sussex police say officers are working to identify women and understand what had happened to themThe bodies of three women have been recovered from the sea off Brighton, Sussex police said.The force said emergency services were called to concerns for the welfare of three women in the sea off Brighton at around 5.45am on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Decades-long campaign powered by patient perspectives results in switch from PCOS – a name that caused confusion and undue suffering – to PMOSAfter more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – a condition that affects one in eight women – has been renamed.The hormonal disorder, estimated to impact 170 million women worldwide, will now be known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). Continue reading...

• North Korea crushed Thailand 6-0 in the quarterfinals on May 11 at Taihu Football Sports Center in Suzhou, China, maintaining a perfect record of 4 matches, 27 goals scored, and 0 conceded. • Defending champions North Korea now face China in the semifinals on May 14, with the winner advancing to the final on May 17 at Suzhou Sports Center Stadium. • Their dominant run, dubbed 'scary' by observers, positions them as favorites for a World Cup spot and showcases their youth team's offensive prowess.

• CommBank Junior Matildas beat Vietnam 2-0 in the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup quarterfinals, securing their first-ever qualification for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2026. • The historic win advances Australia to the semifinals against Japan on May 14. • This milestone marks a breakthrough for Australian women's youth football on the global stage.

• India takes on China in the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup quarterfinal on May 10, 2026, at 5 PM IST, with the winner qualifying for the U17 World Cup. • The match is telecast live on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube channel, highlighting India's young women's football talent against regional powerhouse China. • This clash matters as it determines Asia's representative for the global youth tournament, building on India's strong group stage performance including a victory over Lebanon.

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, did not apply during brief hearingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo Australian women charged with slavery offences that allegedly occurred while they lived under Islamic State rule in Syria have faced a Melbourne court.Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter, Zeinab Ahmad, 31, were arrested by officers from the Victorian joint counter-terrorism team at Melbourne airport on Thursday. Continue reading...

• The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) hopes to keep politics separate from sports when women's clubs from North and South Korea face off in the AFC Women's Champions League semifinals on May 20 at Suwon Stadium, 30 km south of Seoul. • The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time, pitting the two Korean teams against each other in a high-stakes encounter. • AFC officials emphasized maintaining focus on football amid historical tensions between the divided nations.

• India clinched their first-ever ICC Women's ODI World Cup title on Sunday in Navi Mumbai, defeating South Africa by 52 runs after posting 299 runs. • Shafali Verma starred with 87 runs off 78 balls and took 2 wickets, while Deepti Sharma claimed a five-wicket haul to bowl out South Africa for 246 in 45.3 overs. • The historic victory marks a milestone for Indian women's cricket, boosting its global profile amid growing investments in the sport.

• Australia's CommBank Joeys beat India 4-0 in their opening match of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 on May 6, 2026, at King Abdullah Sports City Training Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. • Goals came from Becvinovski (4'), Court (30' penalty), Demuth (74'), and Oliveira (86'), with kick-off at 7:00pm local time. • The emphatic victory positions Australia strongly to advance from the group stage and qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026.

Scores of women have told how they were affected by placenta accreta spectrum for an awareness campaignWomen have had to undergo major emergency surgery, including a hysterectomy, when medical staff failed to detect they had a rare but potentially fatal complication of pregnancy.Scores of women have come forward to tell their stories of how they were affected by placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) since the launch in February of a campaign to raise awareness among NHS staff and mothers-to-be of the dangers it poses. Continue reading...

• India retained their top position in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings with 275 points, following their title defense in the 2026 T20 World Cup hosted in India and Sri Lanka. • Australia held first place in the Women's T20I Rankings, with their lead over England reduced to 12 points; in men's, India's lead over England narrowed to 13 points. • USA climbed to 13th in men's rankings by overtaking Netherlands and Scotland, while Nepal rose to 17th ahead of UAE, Italy to 23rd, and Germany advanced in women's rankings.

Home affairs minister says government continues to refuse to assist the group of 13, who are expected leave Syria soonThe Albanese government has confirmed that four Australian women and nine of their children who were linked to suspected Islamic State fighters in Syria are set to travel home.The group of 13 were expected to fly into Australia very soon, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Civil rights inquiry claims policy may breach Title IX as administration escalates attacks on trans rightsSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe US education department is investigating one of the country’s largest women’s colleges over its admittance of transgender women in another escalation of the Trump administration’s attacks on trans people.The department’s office of civil rights announced the investigation on Monday in a press release, saying the Massachusetts college could be violating federal law by “allowing biological males into women’s intimate spaces”, including dorms, bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams. Continue reading...

Exclusive: women ‘massively underrepresented’ in next week’s local and devolved elections, campaigners say Women will be massively underrepresented on ballot papers across the UK next week, campaigners say, with research revealing that almost twice as many men as women are standing as candidates across the local, mayoral and devolved elections.Democracy campaigners say men of all political stripes are likely to dominate local government, with women’s views on issues from social care to bin collections sidelined by the huge gap between the numbers of male and female candidates. Continue reading...

Students taking part in university’s annual ritual say images of them in swimwear are being published without consent in national newspapersWhen the sun rises at dawn on Friday, hundreds of St Andrews University students will brave the chilly North Sea for the annual May Dip, an undergraduate ritual said to bring good luck in exams. But the students won’t be alone at the beach. In recent years this quirky ritual has become a target for agency and freelance photographers looking to cash in on images of students in bikinis, including some who camp out overnight on the East Sands dunes near the Fife coastal path.“It ruined my night,” said Anna, one of the students whose photo appeared in a spread published by the Scotsman. “Now when I think about that May Dip, I think about that image, and that’s it.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Cambridge research finds socioenvironmental stressors may influence body’s ability to function healthily in pregnancyStress from racism and deprivation could explain why black women are more likely to die during childbirth, a study has found.Researchers reviewed 44 existing studies that examined three physiological pathways associated with worse pregnancy outcomes: oxidative stress, inflammation, and uteroplacental vascular resistance, and found black women had higher levels of the three metrics. Continue reading...

Repatriation attempt comes after group was turned around when leaving camp in February. Albanese government says it’s not assisting cohortGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFour Australian women and nine of their children and grandchildren have left al-Roj camp in north-east Syria, seeking to return to Australia.The group is reportedly travelling across Syria by road to the capital Damascus, under the control of the Syrian government. Continue reading...

Georgia players celebrated championship at White HousePresident shakes hands of men, not women in videoFormer tennis star Navratilova leads criticismA White House photo celebrating a champion women’s sports team has drawn backlash due to the positioning of Donald Trump and a group of men, who overshadowed the female athletes by lining up in front of them.The University of Georgia women’s tennis team was one of several collegiate teams to visit the White House on Wednesday to mark a recent championship win. In a photo shared by press aide Margo Martin, a group of six men, including Donald Trump, took up the front row of a stage setup, with 11 women standing in the background largely obscured. Continue reading...

Asa Ellerup said Rex Heuermann confessed to killing multiple women in their basement while she was awayThe convicted Gilgo Beach serial killer who recently pleaded guilty to seven murders confessed to his ex-wife that he had killed multiple women in the basement of their home while she was away, a new documentary reveals.In a teaser clip released on Tuesday to promote Peacock’s The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, Asa Ellerup said her ex-husband, Rex Heuermann, told her he killed eight women without hesitation. That was the case, though he was only formally charged with – and pleaded guilty to – seven. Continue reading...

Cerina Fairfax in Virginia and Nancy Metayer in Florida were also killed by their husbands, yet deaths of Black women are least likely to garner calls for policy changeOn Sunday, eight children were shot and killed in the deadliest US mass shooting in nearly two years. The gunman was the father of seven of the deceased children and the cousin of another.Three others were shot and injured: the shooter’s wife, with whom he shared four children, the mother of his other three children, and a 13-year-old boy. Continue reading...

Opposition accuses Narendra Modi government of using quotas as cover for redrawing electoral mapThe Indian government has failed to pass a bill to increase female representation in parliament after being accused of using the plan as a guise to redraw the country’s electoral map.It was the first time in 12 years in power that a constitutional amendment proposed by Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government was not passed by parliament. Continue reading...

Legislation will expunge convictions and end prosecution of women who terminate their pregnanciesLegislation to pardon women who have been convicted of illegal abortions has passed its final parliamentary hurdle, paving the way for a landmark change in the law.The amendment to the crime and policing bill, which will also expunge the police records of those arrested and investigated over illegal abortions, was considered in the House of Lords during a phase of parliamentary ping-pong, where a bill passes back and forth between the Lords and Commons. Continue reading...

The magazine company is also shuttering some editions of Allure, Glamour and Wired deemed to be unprofitableCondé Nast is planning to shutter Self, its women’s health magazine, after 47 years.In a memo published on the magazine giant’s website on Thursday, the CEO Roger Lynch explained the decision by saying: “As audience behaviors shift, we have not seen a path for Self to continue in its current form as a digital publication.” Continue reading...

Men aged 18-29 who see religion as central rises to 42%, Gallup survey finds, compared with 30% of young womenYoung men are now more likely than young women in the US to say religion plays a major role in their lives, according to the newest findings from Gallup.Data covering 2024-2025 indicates that 42% of men ages 18 to 29 describe religion as very important to them, a significant rise from 28% in 2022-2023. In comparison, young women’s responses have remained largely unchanged over the same period, holding at roughly 30%. Continue reading...

Women using informal warning systems to protect themselves and others, comedian tells equalities committeeUK politics live – latest updatesSexual harassment and abuse on the comedy circuit has is persistent and under-reported, with protections available to women often limited or absent, a comedian has told MPs.Performers and campaigners said many female comedians are left to rely on informal warning systems to try to keep themselves safe but added that these systems can expose women to further risks. Continue reading...