Good morning, WMPW readers! Welcome to the debut issue of the World’s Most Powerful Women, the ultimate must-read about women to watch across the globe. In today’s headlines: Embattled Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff gets a surge of support, hijab-wearing fashionistas in Turkey become a hot retail market, and the U.S. venture capital world is still a boys’ club. Got a tip for a future issue? Send it my way at laura.cohn@gmail.com or @laurascohn. Have a great Monday!
THE BIG STORY
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
| Hot hijabs |
| Rising levels of education and wealth in Turkey's conservative class have made women who wear the hijab an attractive fashion market. In all, Turkey spends $39.3 billion each year on Islamic clothing. Among those courting the market: DKNY, Mango, Uniqlo, and H&M. |
| Financial Times |
| . |
| Bridging the gap—slowly |
| New regulations in the U.K. will require businesses with 250 or more workers to reveal what their male and female employees are paid each year. Companies must report the figures by April 2018, which gives them a full two years to fix any gross disparities. |
| Management Today |
| . |
| A Syrian speaks out |
| A Syrian refugee, identified only as "Laila," presses the European Union to do more to help refugee families. |
| New York Times |
| . |
| Tapping tech |
| Female entrepreneurs in Africa are using low-cost technology such as BlackBerry's messenger feature to start their own businesses. |
| Huffington Post |
ASIA-PACIFIC
| An elegant entrepreneur |
| Japanese artist Natsuko Minegishi has used her knowledge of the traditional craft of lacquerware to start a business creating jewelry. Her handmade, multi-colored creations include Western-style pieces as well as Japanese accessories. Minegishi's Tokyo-based brand, Miyabica, is derived from the Japanese word "miyabi," which means "elegance." |
| New York Times |
| . |
| Provocative portraits |
| Nimisha Bhanot, a Canadian artist of South Asian descent, paints provocative portraits of liberated Indian women and says "all women are badass." Her goal? To explore “the perception of self and societal roles from a bi-cultural perspective.” |
| Quartz |
| . |
| Hong Kong assaults rise |
| The number of sexual assault cases in Hong Kong is up nearly 50% over the past decade. |
| South China Morning Post |
THE AMERICAS
| A pause for Hillary |
| The State Department is taking a break from its review of classified information on the personal email server of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It is waiting to complete its process until the Federal Bureau of Investigation finishes its own review. |
| Wall Street Journal |
| . |
| VC still very male |
| According to an analysis by Fortune, just 6% of the decision makers at U.S. venture capital firms are women. The small bit of good news? That figure is up from 4% in 2014. |
| Fortune |
| . |
IN BRIEF
| Women-only art shows are on the rise |
| New York Times |
| Russian figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva, 16, breaks a record |
| Wall Street Journal |
| She connects female VCs with women-owned social businesses |
| Financial Times |
| Harrison Ford auctions his Han Solo jacket to raise money for epilepsy, his daughter's condition |
| Reuters |
PARTING WORDS
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| —Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff |
