News Features
Top Australian mathematician mistaken for waitress
Eryk Bagshaw 4:36 PM "Australia is frozen in time," is the view of one of the nation's top mathematicians, Nalini Joshi.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews: 'We simply haven't been prepared to face up to the reality of family violence'
Clementine Ford 12:30 PM Victoria's Royal Commission into Family Violence calls for immediate increase in funding to prevent family violence, help victims recover, and help perpetrators change their behaviour.
Trump staffer charged after new video emerges
Latika Bourke 6:40 AM Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.
Trump campaign manager arrested, charged with battery of reporter
3:00 AM Corey Lewandowski, 42, was charged for intentionally grabbing and bruising the arm of Michelle Fields, a journalist at the time for the conservative news outlet Breitbart, at a Trump campaign event on March 8.
Manspreading
Study suggests everyone looking for a date should get into 'manspreading'
Jenny Noyes 10:46 PM New research* finds people who use more expansive, dominant gestures are the ones most likely to attract a mate. *Research was not conducted on a train.
Sex workers call for better education around kids and porn - not censorship
Judith Ireland 10:04 PM The peak body for Australian sex workers has called for better education to help children deal with pornography if they are exposed to it, rather than increased censorship.
The crime of rubbing poverty in people's faces
Daniella Miletic 'Maybe the reason we are punishing the homeless for begging us to help isn't because we object to taking some coins out of our pocket. Maybe our real objection is the guilt we are forced to carry away with us when their poverty is rubbed in our face.'
The Immigration Department made a $6 million propaganda telemovie to deter asylum seekers
Adam Gartrell The taxpayer-funded movie eclipses the budgets of 'Priscilla: Queen of the Desert', 'The Castle' and 'Wolf Creek' combined. You can watch it via YouTube.
North Carolina law barring anti-discrimination measures draws sharp backlash
MOTOKO RICH "[The folks that want this passed] are using their outdated, misguided ill-informed religious teachings to discriminate."
AI
Microsoft apologises for AI's 'offensive and hurtful' tweets
Hannah Francis It took less than a day for Tay, the teenage chatbot, to learn how to be a racist, abusive internet troll.
Reproductive rights
Indiana becomes first U.S. state to require 'funeral' for aborted fetuses
Jenny Noyes The controversial new bill also bans abortions sought after fetal anomalies or a disability such as Down syndrome have been detected.
Domestic violence
Josie's plea sets a new course: Domestic violence prevention to be taught in schools
Eamonn Duff It all began with a heartfelt plea to politicians, typed on her grandmother's laptop, three weeks after her mother's suicide.
Secret archive of paedophile crime kept by Catholic Chuch's insurers
Rory Callinan Nearly 2000 files which include evidence about at least 63 offenders have been amassed by the church's insurers but the church appears intent on paying millions of dollars in victims compensation settlements to ensure the documents are not made public.
Parents call for Safe Schools in primary school
Timna Jacks At the age of four, Arlow developed on odd blink.
AI
Microsoft's teenage chatbot, Tay, turns into a racist, abusive troll
Hannah Francis What happens when you create a sprightly, millennial robot designed to learn from the people it interacts with on the internet?
Jones and Turnbull clash in Lateline interview
Aisha Dow Malcolm Turnbull says voters are not interested in leadership tensions.
#StopIslam
#StopIslam trended on Twitter for all the right reasons
Caitlin Dewey Anti-Muslim rhetoric spikes disturbingly on social media after an attack, but the spike of anti-anti-Muslim rhetoric is even more dramatic.
Federal election 2016
The big reason the female vote will be crucial at the next election
Jenna Price There is an interesting gender gap in the country's marginal seats worth paying attention to.
Upskirting
Man charged after woman caught him 'upskirting' her on a Sydney to Newcastle train
Jenny Noyes A young woman fell asleep on the train and woke up to a guy sneaking his phone under his seat, apparently trying to film her. Unlucky for him, she filmed him back.
Continuity and change: Turnbull's new favourite phrase lifted straight from Veep
Michael Koziol There's never been a more exciting time for continuity and change.
Safe Schools
Mother says she received personal email from Cory Bernardi telling her Safe Schools promotes "unheathy ideas"
He said the program, which aims to prevent the bullying of LGBTI kids, was introducing "unhealthy ideas" to young students.
Doctors, health professionals support Safe Schools program
Jane Lee Hundreds of doctors and medical students have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull supporting the Safe Schools Program, following the government's decision to restrict it to high schools under pressure from conservative back-bench MPs.
Stolen wages
The stolen wages that continue to hold indigenous Australians back
Celeste Liddle It's time Australia stops profiting from the free labour of Aboriginal people, writes Celeste Liddle.
Q&A; recap: Student's passionate Safe Schools plea
Neil McMahon Carter Smith who stopped the show in its tracks when debate shifted to Safe Schools and the fate of a program which, in his words as a queer student, saves kids from self-harm and suicide.
Buffer zones
Anti-abortion protestors risk fines as buffer zones come into effect
Megan Gorrey Pro-life supporters have been banned from protesting within 50 metres of Canberra's abortion clinic under new laws that come into effect on Tuesday.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron wins EU backing to end "tampon tax"
Alastair Macdonald David Cameron won backing at a European Union summit on Thursday to end tampon tax.
US World War II women pilots fight for military burial honour
Patricia Zengerle US lawmakers railed at the military on Wednesday over its refusal to let women pilots from World War Two be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
All-female crew lands plane in country where they're forbidden to drive
Adam Taylor It wasn't just the pilots' gender that brought attention: it was where they were flying to.
Conservative MPs angry after Safe Schools review finds program should not be scrapped
Michael Koziol Conservative opponents of Safe Schools have quickly gone on the attack, branding the review a "joke", a "stitch up" and a "fraud".
Political machismo
Italy's Berlusconi says a woman cannot be a mother and a mayor
Meanwhile, another mayoral candidate dropped out of the race, saying she had been shaken by criticism of her looks and weight.
President Obama in White House rap with Hamilton creator
Neelima Choahan Barack Obama has upped his cool credentials after helping musician Lin-Manuel Miranda rap to an assortment of random words in the White House's famed Rose Garden.
'I felt robbed": Rosemary Stanton tells of time in Exclusive Brethren
Chloe Booker Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton has revealed the trauma she experienced as a child growing up in religious sect the Exclusive Brethren.
Donald Trump
The latest anti-Trump ad is just women reading aloud horrible things he has said about women
Jenny Noyes His own words speak for themselves.
Q&A; sizzles with celebration of science but grim cloud hangs over proceedings
Neil McMahon Theories abounded on a special science edition of Q&A;, from Einstein's old high-stakes hunches to more recent propositions and pre-occupations. But there was one hypothesis that didn't get a look in, so we are pleased to share it with you here.
Best teacher
Ex-refugee crowned best teacher in global award
Sami Aboudi A Palestinian school teacher won a $1 million education award on Sunday to applause from world leaders for helping children to learn through play.
Land rights
World Bank says poverty, child marriage and domestic violence decline when women own land
Ellen Wulfhorst The organiser of this week's World Bank conference says when women have land rights, children's health and education improves, household resources increase, there are fewer child brides and women can escape abusive partners.
Gay marriage plebiscite will cost the economy more than $500 million, study found
Arguments opposing marriage equality in the media would also have an impact on the mental health of LGBTI people and become a health cost.
South by Southwest organisers apologise after Muslim Olympian told to remove hijab
"Even after I explained it was for religious reasons, he insisted I had to remove my hijab for the photo to receive my badge."
Gay marriage plebiscite to cost the economy $500 million
Latika Bourke Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.
From sandwiches to sirens: changing CFA culture for women a slow burn
Royce Millar and Gina McColl A stoush between unions and the government has highlighted the 'beyond appalling' representation of women in the ranks of Victoria's firefighters.
Porn 'can lead children to child abuse, risky sexual behaviour'
Jane Lee Many children are being exposed to pornography online which can lead some to abuse other children and engage in risky sexual behaviours, a senate inquiry has been told.
School bully
Teacher caught telling high school student she's good for nothing but 'sex and children'
Jenny Noyes Too bad for him, she was recording the whole lesson on her school-issued iPad.
Domestic violence
George Tannous not guilty by reason of mental illness for murder of wife
Rachel Olding They had been married for more than 20 years. But, in the past few, George Tannous became increasingly obsessed with one thing.
Asylum seekers
Some voters believe asylum seekers get $10,000 and Nike shoes
Nicole Hasham Some Australians wrongly believe asylum seekers and refugees in this country are given a $10,000 lump sum, Nike shoes and preferential treatment for public housing, according to research that also found religious prejudice against Muslims is largely driving negative attitudes towards the newcomers.
Domestic abuse
A Spanish judge asked a woman seeking a restraining order if she had tried 'closing her legs'
Jenny Noyes Now a victims' support organisation is demanding an investigation into the treatment of alleged victims at the special women's violence court.
Mumbai women fighting for 'Right to Pee' want men to join campaign
Rina Chandran "This is about a woman's dignity. We urge the Mumbai corporation to think about that."
Border Force
Department of Immigration and Border Protection uses 'allegedly' in context of Nazi Germany
Kate Aubusson With one misplaced "allegedly" Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection appears to have stumbled into trouble.
Chinese feminist Li Tingting speaks out a year after her detention
Emily Rauhala, Liu Liu and Xu Yangjingjing In a video dispatch posted to mark the one-year anniversary of her detention, Li expresses "gratitude" to the Chinese government for "pushing the feminist movement to another peak."
15-year-old girl raped, set on fire in India
A 15-year-old Indian girl is fighting for her life in a New Delhi hospital after being raped and set on fire on the rooftop terrace of her family's home.
Turnbull's public servants lose domestic violence leave
Noel Towell Domestic violence leave considered an unacceptable "enhancement" by government.
#IWD2016
Childcare workers chain themselves to Malcolm Turnbull's office doors
Nick Toscano Prime Minister's Melbourne offices have been targeted by protesting childcare workers who are demanding better pay.
Pell editorial
Washington Post editorial condemns Cardinal George Pell
Josephine Tovey One of the most influential newspapers in the United States has noted George Pell's "stumbles" and condemned some of his testimony for seeking to "airbrush the church's staggering lapses."
'Do not let others define you': senior female ministers' advice
Judith Ireland "Do not let others define you," "don't fall into the trap of making excuses," "listen more, talk less."
Is Waleed Aly the most important man in Australian TV?
Jenna Clarke Waleed Aly is officially "The Most Important Man On TV" according to Men's Style Australia.
Mardi Gras 2016
'No Pride In Detention' activists say their Mardi Gras float was moved so politicians could 'save face'
Jenny Noyes The float organiser says Mardi Gras officials threatened to expel them for making Labor and Liberal politicians on nearby floats "uncomfortable".
IWD 2016
Turkish police fire rubber bullets to break up Women's Day rally
"You see the power of women. We are here despite every obstacle and we will continue to fight for our cause," one protester said.
PM puts the brakes on same-sex marriage pledge
Gareth Hutchens, Nicole Hasham Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has failed to endorse a pledge made by Attorney-General George Brandis to hold a same-sex marriage plebiscite by the end of 2016.
Call for women to be more militant in quest for equal pay
Bridie Smith Zelda D'Aprano is no stranger to campaigning for gender pay equity. In 1969 she famously chained herself to the doors of the Arbitration Court in Spring Street to draw public attention to the cause.
Domestic violence
Mobile women-only police stations to prevent domestic violence, expert says
Amy Mitchell-Whittington A "one-stop shop" that addresses the causes of domestic violence could be the best way to prevent the deaths of women at the hands of their partners, a Brisbane criminology expert says.