Saudi women have recently been allowed to work for the Ministry of Justice for the first time in Saudi History. Those Saudi women who have postgraduate degrees in Sharia, law, sociology and administration specializations can now be hired. Various fields are open for them now. They can be hired as social researchers, religious researchers, legal researcher and administrative assistants. This news is confirmed by Justice Minister Waleed Bin Mohammad Al Samaan. Responsibilities that would be given to the women will fall under women’s sections in courts and notary public offices. Soon the ministry will post job positions on its website. Women will be given an opportunity to work in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, and Dammam. Al Samaan said “The Ministry of Justice is keen to open the door to employment for Saudi women because they have an important role in facilitating the provision of services in the judicial and documentation…

Speaker of Namibia’s National Assembly, Professor Peter Katjavivi has pledged to advance the rights of women and girls through monitoring gender mainstreaming legislation passed by parliament.

He additionally promised to advocate new laws meant to further address the plight of women and girls and render his full support to the SADC-PF project on sexual reproductive health rights and HIV and AIDS for members of parliament, currently underway until 2018.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, says the current government is committed to increasing female representation in politics and is formulating required laws and enacting them to increase the number of women in local governments. Speaking at a function held Tuesday to launch the program “Eyata Balayak – Ratata Venasak” to raise awareness about women’s representation at the Local Government Election, the President said the lack of female representation in politics is a critical concern. “Though the women’s representation in the government service is at a proper level it is a critical issue that there is a shortage of their representation in political and constitutional sectors,” he said. The President, pointing out the many problems faced by women and how they cope with them, said the current government fully acknowledges the importance of women’s representation. Noting that women’s representation in the developed countries is at the same level to that…

In a first for the Israel Air Force, a female pilot has been appointed deputy commander of a combat squadron by the head of the IAF, Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin. The officer, “Capt. Y,” an F-15 navigator, will serve in the Spearhead Squadron, which flies F-15 fighter jets out of Tel Nof Airbase in central Israel. Currently serving in an operational capacity at IAF Headquarters, she will be promoted to the rank of Major in the summer and return to the skies. Capt. Y (her full name not disclosed for security reasons), is 27 years old and is from Tel Aviv. She is married to another IAF pilot and her grandfather, Maj. Shimon Ash served as a reserve pilot in a Skyhawk Squadron at Tel Nof Airbase during the Yom Kippur War. His plane crashed some 10 kilometers east of the Suez Canal, north of the Ismailia-Tasa road. While the remains…

Female veterans from the Vietnam War got recognized Tuesday for their service. About 70 women gathered at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ honor annex in Kansas City and thanked for what they have done. “Particularly with my era, so many Vietnam vets were being picked on. When I got out, I never made any kind of a big deal whatsoever about being a woman veteran,” said Teresa Curl, who served as an Army medic during the Vietnam War. Curl has spent more than five decades serving and volunteering in any way she could to support our armed forces. Her dedication was recognized Tuesday as she was presented with a Quilt of Valor. There was also a special pinning ceremony for each and every one of these women. Triumphant may be the best way to describe the mood in the room. All the women cheered each other on as they…

THE Irish Government has paid out €30,000 to a woman who had to travel to Britain for an abortion after a fatal foetal abnormality diagnosis. Siobhan Whelan was refused a medical abortion despite learning that her unborn son had holoprosencephaly – a congenial brain disorder. The Wexford woman, who was told her child would likely die in utero or soon after birth, was forced to travel to Britain for a termination in 2010. Following the procedure in Liverpool, Ms. Whelan brought a complaint against the Irish State to the UN Human Rights Committee, who concluded that her human rights had been violated. The Committee said that the Irishwoman had been treated in a “cruel, inhuman and degrading” manner. Today, the Irish Government confirmed it paid Ms. Whelan a sum – understood to be €30,000 (£26,500) – following the UN’s decision in June. In a statement, Ms. Whelan said: “The human…