• Fahmida Mirza elected first woman speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly The former doctor was elected by 249 out of 342 votes. She is a veteran politician from Sindh and a loyalist of Benazir Bhutto's PPP party. (Dawn, 19 Mar 2008)

• Taslima Nasrin "exiled again" Protests by Muslim groups forced her into hiding in Nov 2007. After months of confinement she has decided to move to Europe. (BBC World News, 19 Mar 2008)

• The story of the £9 jeans Fred Pearce tracks the origins of his jeans to a group of sweatshop seamstresses in Dhaka, who work long hours producing clothes that are sold in Wal-Mart and Gap, H&M and M&S, Sears and Asda. But they also gain a measure of financial independence. (Independent, UK, 28 Feb 2008)

• 160 refugee Sri Lankan women workers return Sri Lankan women who were working in the Middle East sought refuge in embassies, citing citing harassment, non payment of wages, abuse by employers and agents and the like. At least 160 will return to Sri Lanka. (Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka., 28 Feb 2008)

• Pakistan's women's cricket team qualifies for the World Cup The group of largely unknown young women have defied the odds to beat Zimbabwe, Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands to set up a final date with South Africa. (Rediff, 23 Feb 2008)

• Wedding sleuths find their niche Wedding detectives who check out prospective grooms are being hired in increasing number in India. (Washington Post, 23 Feb 2008)

• Tackling a Society’s Boundaries, on TV and in a Family India's newest Tamil talk-show, Ippadikku Rose, is hosted by the transgender Rose. (NY Times, 20 Feb 2008)

• Indian politician expelled from tribe for taking father's name The Khasis are matrilineal, and Mr. Kyndiah broke their legal code by taking his father's surname. (BBC World News, 5 Feb 2008)

• Qurratulain Hyder dies at 80. The noted Urdu writer dies after a long illness. (multiple sources, 21 Aug 2007)

• India's first female President 'I Will Be A Political President', says Pratibha Patil. Interview at Rashtrapati Bhavan (Outlook, 13 Aug 2007)

• Afghan women boxers fighting for peace Women boxers in Afghanistan aspire to take part in the Olympics. (BBC World News, 31 July 2007)

• Using the internet to fight corruption in India The wife of an IAS whistle-blower is blogging about her husband's experiences, in the hope that increased publicity will protect her husband. (International Herald Tribune, July 2007)

• Haryana boys heading south in search of brides A shortage of women in Haryana and poverty in Kerala leads to Haryana-Kerala marriages. (Hindustan Times , June 2007)

• Pani puri funds Infosys dreams The wife of a pani puri vendor has become a software engineer in Infosys, thanks to her husband’s support. (Deccan Herald, 24 May 2007)

• Women in the Indian Paramilitary Heading for Liberia to assist in UN operations (Telegu Portal, Sep 2006)

• Nepali becomes both male and female citizen The authorities in Nepal have granted a man who dresses and behaves as a woman both male and female citizenship. (BBC World News, 4 Feb 2007)

• Let's Burn the Burqa "The Quran does prescribe purdah. That doesn't mean women should obey it.", says Taslima Nasrin. (Outlook India, 22 Jan 2007)

• Ira Pande remembers Shivani The prolific Hindi writer Shivani (Gaura Pant) died in March 2003. In this interview, Kamla Bhatt talks to Ira Pande, Shivani's daughter, also a writer. (The Kamla Bhatt Show, 2006)

• India's bank for women A woman-run cooperative bank in Pune helps women gain financial independence. (BBC World News, 28 December 2006)

• Orissa tribe blesses lesbian marriage Although same-sex relationships are outlawed in India, the two women persuaded their Kandha tribe to approve of their marriage. (BBC World News, Dec 2006)

A random selection of previous news items..

• Storm over Indian women's mosque. (BBC News, Jan 2004)

• Women, Sex and Marriage: Restraint as a feminine strategy Madhu Kishwar writes about the power of celibacy and restrained sexuality. (Manushi. Reproduced here with permission, 1997)

• Scimitars in the Sun N. Ram interviews Arundhati Roy about a writer's place in politics. (Frontline, Jan 2001)

• "Independence has failed." Mahasweta Devi in the Rediff Interview (Rediff, Dec 1997)

• Survival Guide for Write-at-Home parents The author of 8 mystery novels and parent of two toddlers talks about survival strategies. (Sujata Massey, )

• Women lead rural India's internet rush (BBC News, July 2004)

• sleeping arrangements Jaishri Abichandani thinks that adultery in the Indian context may be reasonable. (ms magazine, Apr 1999)

• The woman killed for pop music Shaima Rezayee, a television presenter for Kabul TV, is shot dead. (Times, UK, May 2005)

• Going home Surina Khan writes about going home to Pakistan when her mother developed cancer, and how coming-out as a lesbian has changed (and not changed) her relationship with her family. (Boston Phoenix, Oct 1999)

• The Great Indian Rape-Trick Arundhati Roy's pair of articles about Shekhar Kapoor's movie, Bandit Queen. This controversial article led to a court case, after which she retired (temporarily) to write her book, The God of Small Things. August, 1994)