The Feminist Majority Foundation in the US has picked up on the news that the latest reshuffle has resulted in Margaret Beckett receiving a substantial promotion from environment secretary to foreign secretary.

This makes her the UK’s first ever female foreign secretary, just one more step on the career ladder which has seen Mrs Beckett take on the positions of trade secretary, leader of the commons, and (very briefly) leader of the Labour party.

So far, so rosy. I for one can’t help but wonder if she’s been moved on up at least partly because of her awkwardly anti-nuclear views. And her loyalty, but of course.

Meanwhile, the Vatican could be about to condone the use of condoms for the first time - but only by married couples if one spouse has HIV/AIDS. Although this falls a long way short of the truly moral solution, to embrace contraception as the life-saver it is, this is still a move in the right direction. Read more here.

And Women’s eNews runs with a feature on how poor working conditions are hitting women hardest in Bulgaria, which is preparing to join the EU next year.

On a more lighthearted (sort of?!) note, AlterNet reveals how the Iraq war has proved a boon for the teledildonics industry. I’m sure that’s at the top of Beckett’s agenda :)

Posted by Jess McCabe on 6 May 2006, at 1:59 AM