Asia

Thirty-seven women expect to run for mayor or head of local councils in municipal elections to be held on Oct. 22, while dozens more will try for council membership. If only a quarter of the contestants for the various positions will be elected, the results will still be considered a real revolution regarding the representation of women in local politics that is currently controlled by men.

An international human rights group is urging Yemen to ensure that its new constitution has adequate protections for women.

Human Rights Watch addressed Yemen's National Dialogue in its Tuesday statement. The conference brings together political and religious leaders and other representatives to decide on the country's political system before writing a constitution.

As always, another election was upon us; all eyes were on who voted for or against the 2002 Iraq War Resolution. As a consequence, or maybe out of sheer curiosity, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in attendance asked the delegation what members of Congress should tell American voters about the Iraq War.

The Secretariat-General of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) took part in a training project on raising awareness on women's political participation, organised by the Arab Women Organisation (AWO) in Abu Dhabi from August 31 to September 4, 2013.

With parliamentary elections due in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region later this month, female politicians are hoping to have more women in the regional legislature, despite what they say is an uneven political arena that is unfair to women.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that there was no cruelty bigger than depriving women from their right to vote.

The apex court issued notices to respondents in an appeal against the Peshawar High Court's suo moto notice regarding barring women from casting votes during the by-elections in NA-5, Nowshera.

The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and civil society members expressed concern over the reduced number of women's seats in local government bills enacted in Punjab and Sindh in a meeting held on Tuesday.

An exile women's rights group will for the first time co-host an event in Burma when the Women's Forum (Burma/Myanmar) kicks off in Rangoon on Friday.

In February 1997, four residents of the north who were mothers of soldiers then serving in Lebanon established a protest movement called “Four Mothers.” The movement was created following a helicopter collision that killed 73 soldiers on their way to the security corridor north of the border.

Saudi Arabia has passed legislation aimed at protecting women, children and domestic staff against domestic abuse, a human rights official said on Thursday.

The protection from abuse law is the first of its kind in a country that has often been criticised for lacking legislation that protects women and domestic workers against abuse.