SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia will scrap exemptions for judges and politicians from sexual harassment laws, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, as his government struggles to contain a backlash over allegations of mistreatment of female lawmakers and staff.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden released his first slate of 11 federal judicial nominations on Tuesday, nine of them women of diverse backgrounds including several Black candidates and an Asian American.

“This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession,” Biden said in a statement that emphasized their “broad diversity of background experience and perspective.”

With female participation in this week’s election in the Netherlands breaking records, one campaign group can be excused for feeling optimistic.

Stem op een Vrouw(Vote for A Women) was set up in 2017 to achieve parity in the Dutch parliament and have as many women and men in the 150-seat parliament.

A three-day conference aimed at breathing life into Afghanistan’s stalled peace process has been launched in Moscow, but Afghan human rights activists have raised the alarm that the delegates included just one woman.

Dispute over protocol prompts charges of sexism at meeting in Ankara

Turkey and Europe are trading blame over who left the European Commission chief on her feet, in a spat over protocol that has prompted charges of sexism and overshadowed a critical meeting.