New Zealand is “halfway down Everest,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said of the country’s battle with the coronavirus. New Zealand, Taiwan, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway all have notably low rates of fatalities and Germany stands out in central Europe for its low death rate. The seven countries have something else in common: All are led by women. Is it a coincidence or are women leaders better at managing the coronavirus?

A record 490 women have filed to run for U.S. House seats in 2020, surpassing the previous record of 476 set in 2018, according to new data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University. That figure includes a record 195 Republican women who have filed to run, shattering the previous record of 133 in 2010.

Motoralivoa Hilda Lini stands at the front door of Vanuatu’s parliament, wearing an elegant pink dress and customary pig tusks on her wrists, signifying her chiefly status. When the Guardian apologises for being late, because we had been waiting on the street unaware it was possible to simply walk into Parliament House, she replies: “Hemia ples blong yumi evriwan” – this place is for everyone.

Except it isn’t. At least not at the moment.

“Gender in this race?” Senator Elizabeth Warren said outside her home on Thursday. “You know that is the trap question for every woman. If you say, ‘Yeah! There was sexism in this race,’ everyone says, ‘Whiner!’ And if you say, ‘No, there was no sexism, about a bazillion women think, ‘What planet do you live on?’”

She added: “I promise you this. I will have a lot more to say on that subject later on.”

With Lebanon’s next parliamentary elections slated for 2022, coalitions should begin pushing to ensure women are equally represented in politics, activists and local advocacy groups said following the release of a U.N. Women report Tuesday entitled "Pursuing equality in rights and representation: women’s experiences running for Parliament in Lebanon’s 2018 elections."

Researchers are studying the association between the campaign promises made during state elections and the chances of women politicians getting elected in four districts of Bihar.