Leading Pakistani political figure Zahra Shahid Hussain has been shot and killed outside her home in southern Karachi. She was the senior vice-president of Pakistan’s Movement for Justice Party (PTI). Shahid was shot by gunmen on a motorcycle. ‘The assailants opened fire on Zahra, 60, as soon as she reached the gate of her residence….
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ABC’s Radio National program Bush Telegraph is giving the public the chance to determine the quality of life for a newborn piglet over the next six months. Bush Telegraph are allowing the public to vote on Facebook about key decisions relating to various free range rearing practices which will ultimately determine how Wilbur 101, a…
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* Trigger warning : some content contained in this article may be disturbing to some readers.* A Philadelphia doctor has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the first-degree murders of two babies, and will receive a mandatory life sentence for the murder of a third. He will also be sentenced today for the involuntary manslaughter…
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A Tasmanian pharmacist, Rod Scaife, has claimed that he will boycott stocking and selling RU486, the controversial abortion drug, if it becomes legal in Tasmania. Scaife’s statement comes after the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recently recommended that RU486 be covered under the benefits scheme. If the drug is legalised and incorporated in this scheme,…
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American television networks are moving to cut gay characters from screens. An article from The Hollywood Reporter says that television series The New Normal and Partners have been cancelled. Both shows featured predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) characters, with members of the gay community also being involved in the creative process. The New…
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Actress and director Angelina Jolie has revealed she has had a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer. In an op-ed for the New York Times, she discussed her motivations for the choice and encouraged other women to find out if they were at risk of the disease. Jolie’s mother died from…
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Audrey Mbugua Ithibu is a transgender woman in Kenya. She was diagnosed with gender identity disorder (GID) after completing high school in 2001. Afterwards, she went about getting her name and gender changed on a host of documents: her national ID card, passport and examination certificates that prove she’s completed her schooling. The Kenya…
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Opposition leader Tony Abbott was on the receiving end of backlash and mockery online after comments surrounding his proposed parental leave regulations. At a press conference on 7 May, Abbott told reporters the regulations were necessary if educated women were going to pursue careers. ‘If we want women of that calibre to have families, and…
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A police presence was necessary at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Friday, as women from the liberal Women of the Wall group prayed at the site for the first time legally. The Washington Post reports that hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men and women gathered to prevent the group from praying at the holy site….
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The ‘Say It With Chicken’ KFC ad featuring a man thanking his mate (with chicken) for introducing him to the joys of Pilates has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Board, despite receiving a number of complaints. The ad (by creative agency Ogilvy Sydney) features the men looking out across a class of lycra-clad women,…
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New figures suggest that the proportion of families travelling to Australia by boat to seek asylum is increasing. The news comes as the federal government seeks to alleviate pressure on the overcrowded detention system by granting bridging visas to families. According to The Australian, approximately 40% of new asylum seekers are now coming as part…
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The internet has been flooded with articles and commentary on the Ohio kidnapping rescue story that broke Tuesday AEST. While many articles simply recap the events, other pieces have surfaced that reflect the underlying issues of sexism, racism, and discrimination against the mentally ill that pervade the media. The story itself is captivating, and it…
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A decade ago, three young Cleveland women went missing. In 2002, 20-year-old Michele Knight disappeared. In 2003, 16-year-old Amanda Berry called her sister to let her know that she was getting a ride home from work. She never made it home, and the day after her disappearance, the Berry family faced her 17th birthday without…
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Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has brushed off threats from the Catholic Church regarding the country’s plans for abortion reform. Politicians who support the upcoming legislation have been threatened with excommunication. The proposed bill would legalise abortion in situations when the pregnant woman’s life was in danger. Legislators stress the bill clarifies rather than changes…
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