Crowd Attacks Afghan Women Protesting New Marriage Laws

He's at large, mom who aided him busted: cops

(NEWSER) - An Afghan militiaman strangled his wife for giving birth to a third daughter instead of a son, according to law enforcement authorities. The 28-year-old victim was killed in her home in the northern province of Kunduz by her husband and his mother just three months after the woman had the baby, reports the Guardian . The victim's mother-in-law has been arrested, but the husband has fled. It's uncertain who will care for the couple's daughters. Two months ago, attackers in the same province poured acid over parents and three children after the parents refused to hand over their young daughter in marriage. The rejected suitor has been arrested. More»

Death toll hits 60 in twin Afghanistan bombings

(AP) - Hamid Karzai vowed today to confront the government in Islamabad over a devastating suicide bombing against a Shiite shrine in Kabul that he said originated on Pakistani soil. At least 56 people were killed in yesterday's bombing at the shrine, and four more when a second bomb hit a Shiite vehicle procession. A man claiming to be from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami, a Pakistan-based splinter group of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi that has carried out attacks against Shiite Muslims in Pakistan, has called various media outlets to claim responsibility for the Kabul bombing. More»

They mark first major sectarian assaults in a decade

(AP) - A suicide bomber struck a crowd of Shiite worshippers at a mosque in Kabul today, killing at least 54 people and wounding more than 160 in one of two deadly attacks on a Shiite holy day—the first major sectarian assaults since the fall of the Taliban a decade ago. Four other Shiites were killed in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif when a bomb strapped to a bicycle exploded as a convoy of Afghan Shiites was driving down the road, shouting slogans for the festival known as Ashoura. An additional 21 people were wounded in that attack. More»

Yemen, Congo, Niger among lowest ranking

(NEWSER) - To mark International Women's Day, AoL News takes note of countries that treat their women the worst. The findings are based on a UN index that factors in categories such as jobs, education, political representation, and reproductive health. The worst offenders:

1. Yemen: Its female citizens routinely face "violence and discrimination," says Amnesty International.

A look at the women who choose fire as a way to escape ... but survive

(NEWSER) - In Afghanistan, the most desperate women turn to items that even the poorest have access to as a way of escape: matches and cooking fuel. The New York Times takes a heart-wrenching look at the women who burn themselves in failed suicide attempts driven by forced marriages, abuse, and crippling depression. The patients of the Herat burn hospital, the country's only center focused on such victims, are growing in number—75 were admitted early last month, up 30% from last October. More»