The World’s Most Powerful Women: May 9

THE BIG STORY

The Jennifer Lawrence effectThanks to actress Jennifer Lawrence, we all know that women in the movie business don't make as much money as men. But sometimes it's hard to realize just how bad things are until you see them in black and white. A new report that looks back over 10 years of British filmmaking finds a grim reality: an "unjustified" and "unconscious" bias against women. There are signs of hope, however. Three female directors are in the running for the top prize at the Cannes film festival. Meanwhile, Anna Serner, who heads Sweden's film institute, is shaking things up by pushing to put more women filmmakers behind the camera. And it's working: Movie execs in Ireland, Canada, and Australia are following her lead. Hollywood, are you listening?

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

ASIA-PACIFIC

THE AMERICAS

IN BRIEF

PARTING WORDS

Brow biz boom

Don't raise your eyebrows, but brow grooming is becoming a serious business. Vanita Parti, founder of Blinkbrowbar in London, expects a surge in sales of her specialized eyebrow products this year.

Financial Times

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From Russia with love It may be freezing cold in Russia, but the basketball teams pay well and coddle their players with perks like personal drivers. No wonder a group of former WNBA players, including Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, have flocked there. ESPN

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Let's talk about sex Scanning the global news reports each day, I see little, if anything, about the sexual frustration of women in the Middle East. Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian Muslim who wrote "Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution," is trying to change that. New York Times

India's glass ceiling While I've written about a number of the successful female entrepreneurs in India, it's not so easy for women to reach the upper ranks of the country's biggest companies. In fact, just 17 of the 500 largest listed firms in India are headed by women. The Economic Times

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Bao bun boom Ever tried a bao bun? The delicious Chinese bread roll served at Taiwan-born chef Erchen Chang's London restaurant Bao has become so hot that people queue for hours to get a bite. Chang, whose partners include Shing Tat Chung and his sister Wai Ting, started selling her buns as street food. Financial Times

Bankrolling the next president Everyone knows the next U.S. president may be a woman. But behind the scenes, women are playing another key role in this year's presidential campaign: political fundraising. New York Times

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Bye, bye, Alicia I will miss Alicia Florrick, the character played by Julianna Margulies on the compelling TV show "The Good Wife," which ended over the weekend. If you aren't addicted yet, check it out. It depicts a woman who in public sticks by her cheating and corrupt politician husband (played by Chris Noth of "Sex and the City" fame), while trying to revive her legal career and be a mom. Washington Post

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Taking on Trump Senator Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump are at it again. In another Twitter fight, the presumed Republican nominee called Warren's Native American heritage "phony." Warren, for her part, said Trump was a "bully" who uses "offensive lines" on "anyone who calls him out." Time

"Saturday Night Live" ribs Hillary Clinton with President Barbie bit Entertainment Weekly

Sarah Palin wants to push out House Speaker Paul Ryan Fortune

Is Angelina Jolie running for office? Fortune

Angela Merkel is the 9th highest paid global leader Gazette Review

How the Indian women's frisbee team plans to crowd fund its way to London Live Mint

Pregnant women and new mothers in Hong Kong face serious discrimination South China Morning Post

You have to make double the effort a man makes. — Lixy Enriquez, an assistant referee for men's soccer in Mexico