News
June 27, 2016
At just 37 years old, lawyer Virginia Raggi has taken up the helm of one of the world’s oldest cities and pledged to fix its most enduring issues. Raggi – who turns 38 next month – will also become the youngest mayor in Rome’s history. Raggi grew up in the central quarter of Rome’s San Giovanni and studied law at the Roma Tre University before joining local neighbourhood boards. Raggi is married to radio director Andrea Severini (who reportedly introduced […]
June 13, 2016
Marriage can wait: Syrian teen in Jordan sets sights on starry career Hind Bakri, a teenage Syrian refugee, dreams of becoming an astrophysicist despite economic and social pressures on her to marry. ZARQA, Jordan – As a teenager obsessed with science, Hind Bakri grew up scouring NASA’swebsite, reading about everything from exoplanets to black holes. It was there Bakri found an online questionnaire for astrophysicists interested in NASA scholarships. Seeing nothing to deter her, Bakri filled it out and clicked […]
June 2, 2016
An 18-year-old Pakistani schoolteacher died Wednesday from injuries after her body was set on fire for refusing a marriage proposal, police said. The perpetrators beat Maria Abbasi, then drenched her in petrol and set her body ablaze before leaving her for dead. Maria was at home baby-sitting her 5-year-old sister while her family went to a funeral in a nearby town. The horror of what had happened set in Monday night when her family returned home to the village of […]
May 29, 2016
(CNN) The leader of a Pakistani Islamic council has proposed a bill that allows husbands to “lightly beat” their wives as a form of discipline. In the 75-page proposal, Mohammad Khan Sheerani suggests a light beating is acceptable should the need arise to punish a woman. The proposal bans forceful beating, saying only a small stick is necessary to instill fear. The Council of Islamic Ideology is a powerful constitutional body that advises the Pakistani legislature whether laws are in […]
May 21, 2016
The WNC welcomes the return of the first Chibok teenager who escape from Boko Haram’s Sambisa Forest stronghold. Let’s hope her freedom adds pressure on international bodies and the government to do more to rescue the 218 other missing girls. The 19-year-old, who was 17 when she was kidnapped, was with her mother carrying her 4-month-old baby. It is indeed the force of women who defy fundamentalists who will stop further pain and sufferings.