Abortion in Colombia, Woman Running for President in Yemen

Reproductive Rights

*An international women's group is filing another lawsuit seeking to legalize abortion in Colombia, just days after the country's highest court rejected a similar request. Pro-choice groups say even though the procedure is illegal in Colombia, more than 300,000 abortions take place in Colombia each year, with hundreds of women dying from botched procedures. "We are committed to this," Monica Roa, a Bogota lawyer who works for Women's Link Worldwide, said in an interview with the New York Times on Friday. "The problems continue to exist, women die and we have to find a solution."

International

*Sumayya Raja, the first woman to run for president in Yemen, says the official press is refusing to run stories about her candidacy.

*India's women get their first newspaper. Mahila Paksh covers issues and subjects ranging from achievements to violence. "Our main purpose is to create awareness in the women not about the social issues but awareness for the self. They don't understand themselves and realise their potential. We want them to recognise their potential, caliber and capability. They can take their own independent decisions," said Samanvay Kumar, the newspaper's chief editor.

*The Pakistani government plans to form a committee to trace women and children who have either been displaced by the earthquake or kidnapped.

*Hoping to attract more female tourists, India's government is allowing its women to drive taxis in New Delhi. Drivers are taking karate lessons to protect them from potential attacks.

*A banned Islamist group in Bangladesh is threatening to kill women, including non-Muslims, if they don't wear a veil. "Women, including non-Muslims, are hereby advised not to go out of home without burqa. Seclusion has been made compulsory for you," said the statement obtained by Reuters on Friday. The group also ordered women students at Dhaka University not to step out after sunset.