As England fans fly the flag of St George at pubs, out of windows and from cars during the World Cup, an Italian mayor has suggested claiming back centuries’ worth of arrears from England for its use of the red cross. Genoa, once a powerful maritime city, adopted the St George’s Cross as its flag and St George as its patron saint during the Crusades. The symbol was adopted by England toward the end of the religious wars, in the 13th century, with English ships flying the flag of Genoa as a deterrent to enemies.

For the privilege, the English monarch paid an annual tribute to the doge of Genoa, or ruler of the Republic of Genoa. However, the tribute apparently fell by the wayside after the republic collapsed. Marco Bucci, the mayor of Genoa, said the arrears claim could be the “biggest stroke of marketing” for the city. He said he would write to the Queen seeking to recoup funds that could then be spent on the city’s needs. “Your Majesty, I regret to inform you that from my books [it] looks like you didn’t pay for the last 247 years,” he joked.(theguardian)…[+]

In a prison in the Balkh province of Afghanistan, more than 200 girls and young women are crammed into dirty prison cells. Many have been here for months – and some for more than a year. When they are eventually released, they face a future defined by shame, exclusion and destitution. Their crime is that they all failed a virginity test performed by a health professional at a clinic or hospital.

Last year, under increasing pressure from human rights campaigners, Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan president, promised that forensic virginity tests – invasive examinations to check whether the hymen is intact – would be banned as an official procedure. The tests nonetheless remain widespread, and the implications for girls and women who are deemed to have failed them are both immediate and catastrophic.

“I’ve been inside a jail in Balkh province and the majority of those who have failed virginity tests and found themselves locked up are between 13 and 21 years old,” said Farhad Javid, country director for Marie Stopes International in Afghanistan. “What I saw there was so upsetting, the conditions were so bad, more than 12 young girls to each very small cell. And even though they are supposed to only be in there for three months, many are kept for a year or a year and a half. When they get out, their families have disowned them; they are in a very precarious position.”(theguardian)…[+]

Port of Spain, Trinidad. The Honourable Mr. Justice Saunders was installed as the third President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in Montego Bay, Jamaica by His Excellency, the Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen, ON, GCMG, CD, KSt.J, Governor General of Jamaica. The ceremony was held on July 4th, ahead of the Opening of the 39th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and was attended by Prime Ministers, Presidents and Premiers from throughout the region.

In his remarks, the 3rd CCJ President, a national of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, noted “as I take up the responsibilities of President of the CCJ, I consider myself to be exceptionally fortunate. I have been preceded in that office by two outstanding Caribbean jurists and I was privileged to have enjoyed a close collegial relationship with both of them. Each in his own way, Mr. Justice de la Bastide and Sir Dennis Byron, have contributed to the solid platform upon which the Court now rests.”

He has served as a Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice, since the Court’s inauguration in 2005 and has acted as President numerous times in the past. Prior to his time at the CCJ, he served a barrister and solicitor for 19 years before being appointed as a Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme (ECSC). He served as Judge at the ECSC for 7 years and was then confirmed as a Justice of Appeal in 2003. A year later, he was appointed to act as Chief Justice of the Court…[+]