Australia

• Older, Affluent Women Drinking While Pregnant. [Daily Telegraph, Australia] Almost half of expectant mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy, despite the risk to their babies. A study says as many as 47% of Australian women are drinking while pregnant or while breast feeding. Lead researcher Cate Wallace, from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, said the main culprits were tertiary educated, older and relatively affluent women. The study will be published in the February issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. "Women are having babies later in life and older women tend to have entrenched patterns of alcohol consumption," Ms Wallace said.

• Women IR Losers: Combet. [The Australian, Australia] Women were the big losers from John Howard's workplace laws, with new research showing that real average earnings of those in the private sector had fallen by 2% since their introduction a year ago, ACTU secretary Greg Combet said. Mr. Combet also said 27,000 workers were losing coverage under awards every month and being put on to Australian Workplace Agreements or other non-union contracts that removed conditions including overtime, penalty rates and public holidays. At the Australian Workers Union national conference on Queensland's Gold Coast, the ACTU leader released the findings of commissioned research by Griffith University professor David Peetz showing no significant economic benefit of the new laws and widespread disadvantage for low-income earners. Mr. Combet said Professor Peetz had made a detailed study of the Government's own workplace statistics gathered by the Office of Employment Advocate. "They show it as a lie for the Government to claim its laws are good for the economy and good for working people. Productivity growth has declined and this research also tells the real story behind employment growth."

• Promoting Women in the Workforce. [Advertiser Adelaide, Australia] The aim to have 50% of women in executive positions in the State Public Service—and ultimately the wider workforce—is commendable. It should only be achieved on merit, with community acceptance and proper workplace support facilities. The Office of Public Employment says it will be at least 20 years before gender equality is achieved in the public sector—well short of the 2014 target originally set in the State Strategic Plan. In any section of the workplace, promotion and recognition must be earned not accomplished by some unworkable system of quotas and fast-track selection based on gender rather than ability. The Liberal Party in South Australia is grappling with a top-heavy list of male members and candidates that could leave the party, and the Opposition Leader, Iain Evans, with only three Liberal women in State Parliament after the 2010 election. That may be politically unacceptable, yet it is futile to foist inadequate candidates on an electorate solely because those candidates are women. The party is also at fault for not acting on the problem earlier, the Labor Party has.

• Models 'Unhappier' Than Most Women. [The Age, Australia] Models feel like clothes horses stripped of their autonomy and happiness by a lonely life strutting the catwalk, new research has revealed. A London study has found that models have poorer mental health, and lower life satisfaction and psychological fulfillment than people in other careers. Despite being icons of beauty, those in the glamorous profession felt less satisfied and more isolated than their peers working in ordinary office jobs. An Australian psychologist says the results prove women should stop striving for so-called physical perfection, because even those that have it aren't happy. "There's clearly no point in trying to look perfect," says Professor Jane Ussher, a women's health expert from the University of Western Sydney

• Female Firefighters Join Front-Line. [Desastres.org, Peru] Female firefighters now have their own squad to fight blazes alongside their male colleagues. The first female operation squad "Operation Branch C" consisting of 37 personnel, who act as "second responders" to emergencies, was officially launched at the Fire and Rescue Headquarters, Old Airport Road. According to one of the female firefighters, Dayang Ruhaini Binti Hj Ali, Assistant Station Officer, "It`s a proud moment for female firefighters". "I feel honored and delighted to be one of the first batch of female firefighters to fight fires alongside the male firefighters," said Dayang Ruhaini, who is also in charge of the new Light Fire Attack Vehicle (LFAV) that the Fire and Rescue Department has acquired. The vehicle that can hold up to 50 liters of water and is manned by four female firefighters, is used in combating blazes in buildings, houses and bushes. Dayang Ruhaini said they went to Singapore to train how to use the vehicle.

• All-Female Fire Fighting Force. [Borneo Bulletin, Brunei Darussalam] Meet the all-girl Fire Fighting Force, the proud contingent of 37 female firefighters that make up the newly established Operation Branch C of Brunei's Fire and Rescue Department. At their headquarters at Old Airport Road to mark the officiating ceremony, these girls with guts exhibited some of their daredevil tactics needed to keep the community safe and sound from fire hazards as well as from dangerous interlopers like cobras and pythons. This is the first ever all female fire-fighting squad in the Sultanate.

• Military Targets Karen Women for Abuse, Report Says. [Voice of America] A new report details widespread human rights abuses against Burma's ethnic Karen, particularly aimed at women, by the country's military over the past 15 years. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, a military offensive against the Karen has accelerated a pattern of abuse that includes rape and torture. The report released Monday by the Karen Women's Organization says Burma's military government is maintaining a "regime of terror" in the Karen state in northeastern Burma. In graphic detail the group charges the military using sexual torture to intimidate and humiliate members of the ethnic minority group. Women and children are also subjected to forced labor and displaced from their homes.

• Report: Two Myanmar Flight Attendants to Become Country's First Female Pilots. [The Associated Press] Two women are set to become Myanmar's first female pilots, after being selected along with four other employees of a local airline to receive flight training in Malaysia, a state-run newspaper reported. The trainees will pilot domestic and international flights for Air Bagan after completing a two-year course at Malaysia's Integrated Aviation Academy, The New Light of Myanmar said. The two women, May Cho Win, 20, and Hnin Oo Wai, 25, are flight attendants for the airline. May Cho Win holds a Bachelor of Computer Technology degree and Hnin Oo Wai is a Bachelor of Arts degree-holder specializing in international relations. The trainees were selected from among 40 candidates after competitive examinations conducted by international pilots and officials, the newspaper reported. Only one other Myanmar woman is known to have ever piloted an aircraft, but in a very limited capacity. Hla Than flew a glider at the age of 27 in 1956. She had been trained in England and Israel, as well as in Myanmar by a Yugoslav instructor.

• Chinese Police Investigate Affairs of Female Tycoon. [Taipei Times, Taiwan] Chinese police are investigating accusations of illegal money raising against a 26-year-old businesswoman who built a paper fortune in businesses, including coffee shops and construction materials, news reports and the local government said. The probe into Wu Ying and her assortment of shops and companies underscores a drive against corrupt tycoons and their government helpers that last year brought down the top official in nearby Shanghai, together with a number of businessmen. The daughter of poor farmers, Wu attracted creditors by offering high returns on investments in her businesses, the Southern Metropolitan Daily newspaper said. Wu started out in 1998 running a chain of beauty parlors, and last year invested 300 million yuan (US$38.5 million) in 15 companies ranging from a hotel to auto repair shops in her hometown of Dongyang in eastern China. A notice issued by the Dongyang police department said Wu was under investigation for suspected illegal money raising and the companies in her Bense Holding Group were being audited and their debts registered.

• Comfort Women Victims Testify at Congress, Demand Japan's Apology. [Yonhap News, South Korea] Three elderly women, all victims of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement, testified before the U.S. Congress, denouncing Tokyo for its refusal to apologize and vowing that they will not let the issue die out. Two Korean and one Dutch woman appeared before a House subcommittee in what was the first congressional hearing on "comfort women," a euphemism for the young girls, mostly from Korea, who were lured or forcibly taken to frontline brothels to provide sex to Japanese soldiers. "I am so embarrassed. I am so ashamed. But I have to tell my story," said Lee Yong-soo, 79-year-old South Korean who was 16 when she was put in a brothel where she was often beaten and tortured until she lost consciousness. "I will never leave Japan alone," she said, her voice cracking in tearful emotion. "You cannot leave Japan alone. Never," she told the congressmen in the hearing room so packed that people waited outside or were turned away. Estimates vary, but some 200,000 women, including those from China and Europe, are believed to have been sexually enslaved by Japan, which from 1910 to 1945 colonized the Korean Peninsula. The plight of comfort women is one of the primary historical issues Tokyo is accused of refuting to this day. Japan acknowledged that comfort women existed but denies that its imperial government was involved in running the brothels. Its officials have expressed "regrets" to the victims, but there has been no official apology from the government.

• Japan's Minister Urged to Quit for Calling Women "Baby-Machines". [VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam] Some Japanese female lawmakers urged health minister Hakuo Yanagisawa to resign for calling women "birth-giving machines" in an earlier speech. The protest letter to Yanagisawa, signed by 16 female lawmakers, said that his remarks treaded on women's human rights and were totally unacceptable. The letter also urged the minister to resign over the issue. Yanagisawa said to a local assembly that "the number of women aged between 15 and 50 is fixed. Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head," according to Kyodo News. The remarks immediately drew criticism from opposition parties and the ruling bloc. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Diet that he has strictly warned the minister about the inappropriate comparison. Yanagisawa apologized for making the remarks, saying "I used such an expression to make it easier to explain about population projections. It was really inappropriate."

• Abe Apologies for Yanagisawa's `Baby-Making Machine' Comment. [Bloomberg] Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, apologized in parliament for comments by his health minister for days ago calling women ``baby-making machines,'' and rejected calls for him to step down. The apology didn't stop opposition politicians calling for Hakuo Yanagisawa's resignation from boycotting a budget committee meeting that was then adjourned until tomorrow. Members of Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party said party leaders should consider asking the minister to relinquish his post as one way to end the controversy. In a Jan. 27 speech discussing Japan's falling birthrate, Yanagisawa said that ``the number of machines that produce babies is fixed, so each woman has to have more babies.'' Abe said he was ``deeply sorry'' for the remarks, and Yanagisawa also apologized in parliament, echoing comments two days ago.

• Japanese Magazine Makes Female Power DS Game. [Kotaku.com] Reclaiming lost readers or targeting new ones? This summer, magazine anan is putting its name on Female Power Emergency Up! DS, a title designed to help young working women improve themselves over a three-month period. ("Female Power" encompasses "beautiful," "cute" and "strong" in case you were wondering.) Improvable areas covered by the game include "romance," "body" and "manners." Sounds good, but three months?! That sounds like a commitment I'm just not ready for.

• Japanese Women Take Lead in Wooing Their Valentine. [Telugu Portal, India] Japanese women are spending many sleepless nights trying to think of the perfect gift for their special Valentine. Unlike in the West, women are expected to take the initiative in Japan. To ease their minds, confectioners and department stores have already started offering this year's new chocolate-related products, as the delicacy is the preferred means of expressing love on Valentine's Day Feb 14. Women can select either designer-brand bite size chocolate or brown square pieces with photographic images printed on them.

• 'Korea Should Promote Female Employment, Reform Pensions'. [Korea Herald, South Korea] The government should promote female employment and reform the national pension scheme in an effort to tackle looming economic problems triggered by the fast ageing population, the Korea Development Institute said. A report released the state-run think tank warned the low birthrate may reduce the nation's labor pool in the coming decades, dragging down economic potential. The KDI called for the economic participation of women and older people as part of efforts to offset an upcoming decrease in the working population. "Female economic participation is very low compared to those in other developed economies," the paper noted. Korea's female economic participation rate posted 53.9% as of 2004, far below those of other industrialized peer economies such as Iceland with 81.8% and Sweden with 76.6%.

• S. Korea's Flagship Carriers Lift Age Ceiling for Female Flight Attendants. [Yonhap News, South Korea] South Korea's two flagship carriers have decided to abolish the age limit for female flight attendants amid criticism of ageism, the national human rights watchdog said Monday. Asiana Airlines removed the age limit when it released a recruitment notice on Jan. 19, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea said in a press release.

• Malaysian Business Women to Invest in Pakistan. [Pakistan Times, Pakistan] The businesswomen of Malaysia are interested in investing in Pakistani garments, beauty saloons, food items and ladies fashion products. This was stated by Board of Investment Director General, Arif Elahi while talking to a 20-member delegation of the Association of Bomi Putra Women Enterprise Network of Malaysia, a private television reported. DG Investment told the delegation leader Umar Shah, that presently over 600 multi-national companies are doing business successfully in Pakistan. They include 18 Malaysian companies and the trade between Pakistan and Malaysia is estimated at $777.430 million.

• Males Allowed to View Female Athletes Who Are Decently Clad. [Malaysia Star, Malaysia] Males can be allowed into sporting events provided female athletes are decently clad. Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said organizers of sporting events that require much physical movement, must observe two elements. One is to advocate fitness through health-beneficial physical activities while the other is to ensure such activities do not lead to negativity, such as arousing males. If both can be balanced, then males should be allowed to view female athletes in action, Dr Mohd Asri said in an interview. He was commenting on a statement by state women and sports committee chairman Abdul Fatah Mahmood that males would be barred from being part of the audience for the inaugural Malaysian All-Women Games to be hosted here this Saturday. Some 1,000 female athletes from throughout the country will participate in the two-day event to be officiated by Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Fatah said males will be allowed to view only the opening ceremony.

• Malaysian: Chastity Belts Can 'Help' Women. [Bangkok Post, Thailand] leading Malaysian Muslim cleric has suggested that all women should be fitted with chastity belts as a deterrent to rape and incest, a news report said. Abu Hassan Al-Hafiz, an influential cleric from the northeastern Terengganu state, said that women were most safe from sexual predators if they donned some form of barrier to their sexual organs. "We have even come across a number of unusual sex cases, where even senior citizens and children are not spared. The best way to avert sex perpetrators is to wear protection," Abu Hassan said in a sermon, quoted by the Star daily. "My intention is not to offend women but to safeguard them from sex maniacs. Besides, husbands could also feel more secure, if you know what I mean." Abu Hassan said that the practice of women wearing chastity belts in Malaysia could be traced to as recent as the mid-1960s.

• Malaysian Muslim Convert Loses Bid to Cut Maintenance to Hindu Ex-Wife: Report. [The Associated Press] A Malaysian court ordered a Muslim convert who has two new wives to support to also pay full maintenance payments to his Hindu ex-wife. The Court of Appeal rejected a plea by L. Ganesan, also known as Abdul Ghani Abdullah, for a reduction in his 1,000 ringgit (US$286; €238) monthly maintenance payment to A. Letchimidevi, following their divorce, national news agency Bernama said. Ganesan had asked that the amount, which was set by a high court in July 2005, to be cut to 300 ringgit (US$86; €71), the report said. Ganesan converted to Islam in June 1996 and separated from Letchimidevi after she refused to convert too. He later married two Muslim women, one in 1997 and in 2000, Bernama said. Under Malaysia's Islamic laws, Muslim men are allowed to take up to four wives but they are required to treat all their wives equally.

• Female Police Graduates Dominate Prize List. [Northern Courier, New Zealand] In the first graduation of new police officers for 2007, 73 officers will graduate from The Royal New Zealand Police College tomorrow with many of the top prizes going to female graduates. A third (24 recruits) of this intake are women and they have taken out major prizes including first and second in their recruit wing, the academic prize and a tactical skills prize for defensive tactics, firearms and driving. The New Zealand Police wants to attract more women to the profession and this crop of female graduates doesn't hesitate to encourage others to join. Constable Lucy Field, who was previously working in recruitment, will be posted to Orewa. She was awarded first in wing and is excited about the job ahead. "Police College has been everything I hoped for and more. The defensive tactics training in particular was completely new to me. I was concerned that I had never done any self-defense training before, but I've been taught that size doesn't matter. More than anything, communication skills are our most important tool." Currently 1,294 or 16.4% (at 31 December 2006) of New Zealand police officers are female. This has increased from 14.7% in mid 2003. The number of women joining the Police is steadily growing, but it would be good to have even more, says National Manager: Training and Professional Development Superintendent Alistair (Olly) Beckett. The graduation will take place at The Royal New Zealand Police College on Thursday 8 February at 2:00pm. • 73 recruits will graduate – 49 males and 24 females • The average age of wing members is 28 (the youngest is 18 and the oldest is 45)

• Women - Where the Bloody Hell Are They? [New Zealand Herald, New Zealand] Perhaps they need to put down the glass and put on a bit more class. That's the friendly advice to the dateless young men of Hamilton. Census figures show single men aged 25-34 far outnumber females of the same demographic in the suburbs surrounding Waikato University. University gym instructor Julie Shaw said the blokes in the area only needed to take a good look in the mirror to discover why they were not getting hooked up. "They are just a bunch of rugby heads, drinking and being stupid, they have a whole different mannerism." Sport and leisure student Adam Rangitaawa, 28, was not worried about the accusation. Being single was a choice, he said. He was happy, not fearful, about his single status. "Sometimes when I've drunk too much and I wake up in the morning I might get a little bit scared," he admitted.

Philippines

• Three Female Trekkers to Scale Mt. Everest in May. [GMA news.tv, Philippines] It’s now the turn of Filipino women climbers to scale the 29,035-foot Mt. Everest. The Philippine Coast Guard said three Coast Guard officers will to duplicate the feat of three male climbers to reach the world’s highest peak in May last year: Heracleo Oracion, Erwin Mata and Romy Garduce. Oracion became the first Filipino climber to scale Mt. Everest on May 17, followed by Mata on the 18th and Garduce on the 19th. Incidentally, Oracion and Mata are both from the Philippine Coast Guard. In May this year, Coast Guard chief Vice Admiral Carlos Damian said Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon and Janet Belarmino will join the Mt. Everest Expedition. All three have the rank of seawoman first class.

• Men Stress Good Looks While Women Place It at Bottom of List: Survey. [Channel News Asia, Singapore] A new survey has been conducted to find out what attributes men and women look for in their soul mates. Almost 36% of men surveyed said how good a woman looks is their main concern when playing the dating game. Another third said it depends on the woman's character. The survey, conducted by dating agency Lunch Actually, found women placing good looks right at the bottom of their lists. The majority of women said they want someone with sound character and similar beliefs, which may explain why more women join dating agencies than men. Violet Lim, Founding Director of Lunch Actually, said: "Ladies are very comfortable with what we do. They know we will be pre-screening the people they'll be meeting. They're a bit worried that people may not be genuine or may not turn out to be who they say they are." Some agencies say women also look out for men who are financially, as well as emotionally, stable. "They want someone who can commit to the long term. If the relationship actually works out, he's matured enough to handle it," said Ada Wong, Co-Founder of The Dating Loft.