Colombia elects first Black woman vice president, Francia Marquez
Marquez is a celebrated environmental activist whose opposition to gold mining in her home municipality of Suarez saw her receive the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2018.
World leaders
Joe Biden issues executive order to fight conversion therapy & LGBTQ fostering discrimination
The executive order tells the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue rules that ban the use of federal funds for programs that offer conversion therapy.
Paolo Rondelli of San Marino becomes world’s first openly gay head of state
The move has been welcomed as a “historic event” not only for San Marino but for the LGBTQ community around the world and all of humanity.
Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes the first Black woman nominated for the U.S. top court
Ketanji Brown Jackson, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge, was selected by president Joe Biden to be his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court to succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
Xiomara Castro becomes Honduras’ first female president
Castro, a democratic socialist, won a landslide victory in last year’s presidential election after campaigning on a radical agenda to counter years of governance plagued by corruption and scandal.
Tunisia’s president appoints woman as prime minister in first for Arab world
Tunisian President Kais Saied has appointed Najla Bouden Romdhan as the first female prime minister in Tunisia and the Arab world.
World leaders pledge $400 billion to boost clean energy and renewables
More than 35 countries — from small developing island states to major emerging and developed economies — have made significant new energy commitments in the form of energy pacts, the UN said.
Christian leaders call for climate action, issue unprecedented joint statement
In a statement, the heads of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion appealed to COP26 delegates to take action “for the sake of the earth which God has given us.”
Biden bans discrimination against LGBTQ people in healthcare
The Biden administration has reversed a Trump-era policy that allowed healthcare providers to discriminate against LGBTQ people if they claimed a religious exemption.
Biden administration reverses Trump’s ban on rainbow flags at embassies
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken authorized the rainbow flag at all American outposts, in time for Pride Month.