- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
Showdown looms over 'boys' club' lineup for EU commission
A showdown is brewing over the gender makeup of the next European Commission after member states put forward an overwhelmingly male candidate lineup -- in open defiance of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
With the clock ticking down on a Friday deadline for European Union capitals to offer nominees for von der Leyen's 26-person team, 16 of the 21 names known so far are men.
That is despite the fact the commission chief asked states explicitly, following her re-election in July, to give her a choice of one male and one female candidate.
Not a single country has done so -- and as it stands, women may occupy as few as six posts in the next EU executive, including von der Leyen herself and the nominee for foreign policy chief, Estonia's outgoing leader Kaja Kallas.
The European Women's Lobby (EWL), an umbrella group working toward gender equality in the bloc, said the situation was indicative of an "old boys' club" mindset, calling it "beyond embarrassing".
"If member states truly believe only men are fit for these roles or that there are no qualified women in their countries, they're not just out of touch -- they're delusional," said the group's spokesperson Mirta Baselovic.
Lina Galvez, chair of the European Parliament committee on gender equality, likewise said the numbers suggested a clear lack of "political will" from member states that sent a "very bad signal, especially to younger women and girls".
At the root of the situation is a power play between von der Leyen and European capitals that may well back goals like gender parity on paper, but in practice resist having their hands tied in any way.
"As member states we expect von der Leyen to strive for gender parity," said an EU diplomat on condition of anonymity. "At the same time, we also believe that it is up to us to propose the commissioner we prefer."
"Unfortunately those two desires don't seem to align this time around."
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said the quiet part out loud when he unveiled his candidate -- a man -- reminding the EU chief that the bloc's treaties require only one nominee.
- 'Bare minimum' -
Von der Leyen made gender equality a priority of her first term, and between them she, Kallas and European Parliament president Roberta Metsola clinched an unprecedented three of four top EU jobs following June elections -- with European Council chief Antonio Costa rounding out the ranks.
But short of a radical shakeup, her ambition for a gender-balanced commission -- which steers EU policy on issues of trade to climate and migration -- already looks dead in the water.
So what options does von der Leyen have, once the full lineup is in?
Option one, according to EU law professor Alberto Alemanno, is to accept the list, divvy up the various portfolios and let the nominees face the music in parliamentary hearings planned for September and October.
Bearing in mind, he said, that "parliament won't pull its punches" with an overwhelmingly male candidate list.
"There's a risk that instead of voting down four or five commissioners, they might vote against half of them," Alemanno told AFP.
To avoid such a scenario, Alemanno said the commission chief would be within her rights to send states back to the drawing board.
"From a legal standpoint, there is no question she has the authority," he said. "The question is more a political one -- whether she will choose to exercise that prerogative."
"If she puts her foot down now, she avoids finding herself in a position of weakness," he said. "And it's a chance to assert her independence."
Option three would be a half-way solution where von der Leyen turns down this or that male candidate -- using her power to dish out plum portfolios as leverage with individual member states.
The EWL said it was counting on the commission chief to "stand firm", calling it her "prerogative and responsibility to ensure that the EU leadership reflects the diversity of its population".
"This isn't a radical ask -- it's the bare minimum," its spokesperson said.
Pressed on the point, the lead commission spokesman said the EU chief "stands by her conviction that in the modern world, we need to have as many women as possible in positions of responsibility".
"She is doing everything in her power in order to ensure that we have a well-balanced college with people who are competent for the role of commissioner, and a college that will include as many women as possible," Eric Mamer told reporters Tuesday.
L.Mason--AMWN