A 'giant leap forward'? Saudi papers hail decree allowing women to travel without a male guardian.

The number of male tobacco users is falling for the first time worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, "good news", says Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at WHO.

Family-owned companies like Aldi, Würth and Haribo are often described as the backbone of the German economy. But gender equality and diversity appear to be weak spots in their dynastic business cultures.

Staff at Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri, say a female ball python has produced seven eggs despite having no contact with a male in over 15 years. The snake, identified by the number 361003 is over 50 years old, and the oldest ever documented in a zoo. Herpetologists are carrying out genetic sampling to find out if the python reproduced sexually or asexually, as snakes can store sperm for delayed fertilization.

Estelle Gnahoré Zita runs a workshop in Abidjan where produces decorations made of straw, bamboo or rattan. The craftswoman commands a team of eight men: “Here they don't see my feminine side”.

Although none of the 29 female candidates won a seat in Kuwait's elections they are far from stopping their efforts. But analysts fear calls for quotas and women's political leadership are falling on deaf ears.

In continuation of our celebration of our women and International Women's Month, we present to you Lasaki Omotayo, the remarkable woman who delved into the male-dominated field of carpentry and made it her own.⁣ ⁣

With a precise and delicate touch, Debonheur Koli paints the nails of his clients in his nail salon in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic. While the manicure and pedicure industry in the West is dominated by women, in Bangui, it's man's work.

Women have long been left to bear the responsibility of contraception. But more and more young men seem willing to share or even take on this burden. Some 37 percent of French men aged 18-30 would be prepared to use a free male contraceptive pill and 22 percent would agree to have a vasectomy, according to a recent study. Yet male contraception remains a taboo. The French medical community shares little information about existing methods, while scientific studies to broaden the spectrum of options are almost non-existent. Our team reports.

Disturbing new research has revealed that women who are operated on by a male surgeon, are more likely to die. Annette Young talks to the study's co-author, Dr Angela Jerath, from the University of Toronto. Also as outrage continues over the rising rate of femicide in France, we take a look at what steps are being tan by French authorities to prevent male perpetrators from reoffending. Plus we meet the female space engineers who are working on the Ariane 5 space project to unlock the secrets of humankind's final frontier.

Giant panda An An was euthanized at the age of 35 at a Hong Kong theme park, with park officials saying they were "deeply saddened" by the loss.

A female MP in Senegal is slapped, kicked and knocked to the ground in the country’s National Assembly, this after allegedly insulting a pro-opposition religious leader. Also, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to fight for his position after a preliminary investigation found he may have committed serious crimes. Finally, we bring you all the football news from the World Cup in Qatar.