W MAN LEADERGLOBAL W MAN LEADERGLOBAL 9 SEPTEMBER2026SCIENCE & ACHIEVEMENTThe Women's Training and Development Center of the Al-Bayda municipal council in Libya has launched its first training course in handicraft skills, aimed at helping women build practical, income-generating abilities. Council member Fatima Gleish told the Libyan News Agency the course marks the start of a wider programme designed to equip women for employment or small business ownership, with courses tailored to local community needs. She said further classes across other sectors are planned, framing the current course as the beginning of a sustained training pipeline rather than a one-off initiative. The centre's holistic approach combines skills training with support for turning those skills into income, with the long-term aim of building a sustainable institution addressing women's economic inclusion in Al-Bayda. Sophie Adenot has become the first French woman to perform a spacewalk, stepping outside the International Space Station on 18 August 2026 alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon. The 6-hour-23-minute EVA, designated US EVA-97, saw the pair remove a failed Space-to-Ground Antenna that had stopped tracking NASA's data relay satellites; stuck bolts prevented installation of its replacement, which NASA will schedule separately. A 44-year-old aerospace engineer and former helicopter test pilot, Adenot joined the European Astronaut Corps in 2022 and travelled to the ISS in February 2026. She becomes only the second European woman to complete a spacewalk, after Italy's Samantha Cristoforetti. AL-BAYDA LAUNCHES WOMEN'S HANDICRAFT TRAINING PROGRAMMESOPHIE ADENOT BECOMES FIRST FRENCH WOMAN TO SPACEWALKKZN PREMIER CHAMPIONS WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP AND EQUALITYPOLICY & ADVOCACYKwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli called for stronger women's leadership and gender equality while addressing the Office of the Premier's Women's Empowerment and Wellness Conference in Pietermaritzburg, held as part of Women's Month. Speaking at Grey's Hospital Recreational Hall, Ntuli praised women as "pillars of hope, healing and transformation" for their contribution to families, communities and institutions. He called for workplaces that support women's participation and career growth, and urged stronger action against gender-based violence. The conference brought together women from across the Office of the Premier to discuss empowerment, workplace wellness, resilience and professional development, reinforcing a wider push to embed women's leadership and wellbeing into the province's institutions.
< Page 8 | Page 10 >