How the UN is combatting COVID-19's "devastating" blow to women
CBSN
Women's gains in society have been dealt a serious blow by the coronavirus pandemic. The World Economic Forum estimates that the fallout from the virus could add another generation to the fight for gender equality, a goal it now predicts to be more than 100 years off.
In the face of this crisis, the branch of the United Nations that deals specifically with women's rights, U.N. Women, has launched a campaign to accelerate the implementation of commitments made by countries during the historic Fourth World Conference on Women. It was at that 1995 gathering in Beijing that then-first lady Hillary Clinton said, "women's rights are human rights." Having just wrapped up the launch of the campaign with a three day conference called "Generation Equality" in Mexico City, U.N. Women's Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka spoke to CBS News' Haley Ott about the obstacles facing women today.Noumea — France's president held a flurry of meetings with local representatives in the restive Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Thursday, urging calm after deadly rioting, and vowing thousands of military reinforcements will stay in place to quell what he called an "unprecedented insurrection."
Kathmandu — Nepali climber Phunjo Lama on Thursday reached Mount Everest's summit in 14 hours and 31 minutes, smashing the record for the world's fastest ascent of the mountain by a woman. Climbers usually take days to reach the top of the 29,032-foot mountain, spending nights on its different camps to rest and acclimatize.
New Delhi — Indian justice officials have changed course amid outrage over the bail terms set for a teenager accused of killing two people while driving a Porsche at high speed while drunk and without a license. The 17-year-old son of a wealthy businessman had been ordered to write a 300-word essay and work with the local traffic police for 15 days to be granted bail — a decision that was made within 15 hours of his arrest.
Zurich — A woman jogger was killed by a naked man who was screaming and attacking people in a lakeside park in Switzerland, police said Wednesday. The attack happened Tuesday evening in Mannedorf on Lake Zurich, around 12 miles southeast of Switzerland's biggest city, the Zurich cantonal police said.
Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they are recognizing a Palestinian state in a historic move that drew condemnation from Israel and jubilation from the Palestinians. Israel immediately ordered back its ambassadors from Norway and Ireland and appeared ready to do the same with its ambassador to Spain.