Priya Nair

Business Today's 2026 Most Powerful Women list ranks 100 women-led enterprises with FY26 profits of Rs 2.11 lakh crore; Nitin Gadkari presented the awards on October 23.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that a dowry demand made after marriage is punishable even if no amount was agreed before the wedding, restoring a husband's conviction.

Former badminton international Kuhoo Garg won the IPS Sword of Honour as best outdoor probationer of the 78th batch at Hyderabad's police academy on 17 October 2026.

Premier Health said on 22 October 2026 that Rosanna Morris, a registered nurse and MD Anderson executive, will become its CEO in early 2027.

A poll reported on October 20, 2026 has Rick Jackson at 46% and Keisha Lance Bottoms at 45% in Georgia, where she seeks to be the first woman governor.

A year after Sanae Takaichi became Japan's first woman PM, a Jiji Press poll reported on Oct 22, 2026 shows her cabinet's support among women fell to 42.9% from 65.9%.

Orange County prosecutors charged six more parents on October 21, 2026 for letting children ride e-motorcycles illegally, after a 13-year-old's death.

Cook Political Report moved Minnesota's Senate race between Peggy Flanagan and Michele Tafoya to Lean Democrat on October 20, 2026; a woman will win the seat either way.

A Deel study reported on October 21, 2026 finds Indian mothers take a median 130 working days of parental leave and fathers 7; 25% of mothers quit within six months.

Democrat Amy Acton leads Vivek Ramaswamy 50% to 43% in a Marist poll of October 15-18, 2026, as an ad featuring her mother roils the race.

Dr. Garima Mishra, a former Indian Air Force engineer, became CEO of Apple distributor HP Telecom India on October 21, 2026.

A MUSC study in JAMA Pediatrics, announced on October 19, 2026, finds US teenage girls have vaped regularly at higher rates than boys since 2021.

Bank of the Philippine Islands named consumer banking head Ginbee Go its first woman president and CEO on October 22, 2026, effective April 26, 2027.

The UAE nominated minister of state Lana Nusseibeh for UN Secretary-General on October 21, 2026, a late entry to a race where leading candidates face vetoes.

Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan led the sixth UN Security Council straw poll on October 16, 2026 with nine 'encourage' votes, but two permanent members opposed her bid to be the first woman UN chief.

Australian independent MP Helen Haines has lost both legs after a targeted vehicle attack in Wangaratta on October 19, 2026; a 43-year-old man has been charged.

Starling founder Anne Boden has sold her last 2.7% stake, worth about £45 million, at a £1.7 billion valuation, it was reported on October 20, 2026.

ManpowerGroup said on October 15, 2026 that president Becky Frankiewicz will become CEO on January 1, 2027, with Jonas Prising moving to executive chair.

On 18 October 2026, Venezuela's opposition alliance backed exiled Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado as leader and set 14 demands, with no poll date.

Mary Duggan's Lion Green Road, 157 council homes in Croydon, won the RIBA Stirling Prize on October 15, 2026, on her studio's first shortlisting.

A University of Sydney study published October 14, 2026 found recorded family violence against Australian children rose 8-20% a year from about 2020.

Mari ZT Lalrithangi of Lawngtlai, Mizoram, became the first Mizo woman named among FAO's 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems, reported on October 16, 2026.

Col. Leah Lorenzo-Santiago, one of the PMA's first seven women graduates, became its first woman Commandant of Cadets on October 17, 2026.

The MP High Court ruled on October 13, 2026 that a grandmother raising a child can claim maintenance for the child without first becoming legal guardian.

Christiane Amanpour announced on October 19, 2026 that she will leave CNN in June 2027 after 43 years, scaling back her show from January and ending her PBS programme this year.

Jahangirnagar University professor Nahreen Islam Khan was appointed Bangladesh's first woman Chief Information Commissioner on October 17, 2026.

The FA said on October 19, 2026 that Sarina Wiegman will coach England women to the end of Euro 2029, two years beyond her old deal.

Chhattisgarh High Court granted a husband divorce in October 2026, ruling insults over income, assaults and pressure to leave his elderly mother were mental cruelty.

Morocco's first government led by a woman, PM Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, was sworn in on October 16, 2026, with only two women as full ministers.

The International Council on Mining and Metals named Froydis Cameron-Johansson its first woman president and CEO on October 14, 2026; she starts November 23.

Jahangirnagar University professor Nahreen Islam Khan was appointed Bangladesh's first woman chief information commissioner on 17 October 2026.

Katie Zacharia left the White House press secretary job on October 16, 2026, after five days marked by a rocky debut and questions over her bar exam.

Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett raised about $3.9 million in July-September 2026 against Republican Tom Kean Jr.'s $974,612, filings released this week show.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, commissioned work on nature and early emotional growth on October 16, 2026; a poll found only 33% of UK children get outdoors daily.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri's government was sworn in on October 16, 2026, with seven women among 32 members, one more than Morocco's previous cabinet.

Portugal's parliament unanimously passed a law on October 16, 2026 giving parents 180 days of fully paid leave if they share it, from January 1, 2027.

A Swedish study released on October 15, 2026 links young adults' long unemployment or low-paid work in their 20s with poorer mental health in their ageing parents.

Former IAS officer Divya Mittal launched a new party, Jan Neeti Bharat, on October 15, 2026, and said it will contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Outgoing UK envoy Lindy Cameron bid India farewell on October 16, 2026; she is set to become the first woman Permanent Under-Secretary of the UK Foreign Office.

Chrystia Freeland's memoir Unreliable Boyfriend, out October 13, 2026, recounts how she lost Canada's finance job and her view of the US.

Allahabad High Court on October 12, 2026 ordered a six-year-old handed to his mother, saying a child kept from her cannot make an intelligent preference.

The Centre may call a special Parliament session in late October 2026 to retry delimitation and women's quota bills, reports said on October 16.

Sudha Yadav, a chemistry PhD and former Haryana MP, took oath as Karnataka's 20th Governor on October 16, 2026, the second woman in the post.

Trump endorsed Republican Michele Tafoya on October 12, 2026 in Minnesota's Senate race, where she trails Democrat Peggy Flanagan 43% to 47% in the latest state poll.

Australia introduced a Digital Duty of Care bill on October 15, 2026, making platforms responsible for shielding under-18s from harm, with fines up to A$109.2 million.

September 2026 job survey data released October 15 show urban women's labour force participation at 25.9%, its highest since October 2025, while their unemployment rose to 9.2%.

The University of Dayton named provost Darlene Weaver its 20th and first woman president on October 12, 2026; she takes office on July 1, 2027.

On the International Day of Rural Women, 15 October 2026, UN Women called for land rights, finance and a policy voice for women farmers under the theme of caring for nature.

Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign said on 13 October 2026 it raised $17 million in Q3, a record for an Alaska Senate candidate, in her race against Dan Sullivan.

New India women's captain Smriti Mandhana said on 14 October 2026 her first talks were about the team's direction for the next two to three years, not just the next series.

Amy Fenton became chief executive of research technology firm Toluna on 15 October 2026, succeeding founder Frédéric-Charles Petit after 25 years.

Reliance Foundation and the Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation on October 14, 2026 announced a plan to build skills of 1 million girls aged 14-20.

All-woman races mean Minnesota and Tennessee will elect their first women governors on Nov 3, 2026; a record 26 women are nominees, CAWP says.

Varnali Deka, a 2009-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IAS officer, has been appointed Joint Secretary at the National Health Authority until August 2030.

Katie Zacharia held her first briefing as White House press secretary on 13 October 2026, a 14-minute session that drew criticism and questions about her background.

At Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, held October 12-14, 2026, speakers warned women's C-suite progress has stalled near 30% as AI reshapes how firms are run.

A JNCCN study announced on 13 October 2026 found 81.2% of families of 420 children treated for curable leukaemia reported major household changes within 26 months.

Sagal Abdi-Wali, who fled Somalia's war as a child and led Camden Council, was sworn in as MP on October 12, 2026 after winning Holborn and St Pancras.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Morocco's first woman head of government, announced a four-party coalition with 207 of 395 seats on October 12, 2026.

Former Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari formally returned to active politics in the CPN-UML on October 8, 2026, taking oath as senior leader, second only to chair KP Sharma Oli.

Chhattisgarh MLA Bhawna Bohra's free bus service for women college students reached Baiga tribal villages at Kui-Kukdur on October 12, 2026.

A BCEC-WGEA report released October 13, 2026 finds women leave leadership roles faster than men, and only 13.2% of Australian employers design part-time management jobs.

Nari Shakti Seva Samiti, a new women's organisation led by founder Jyoti Baghel, was launched at Hardoi's Nagar Palika auditorium to promote equal rights, respect and support for women.