Newscast for Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Opposition grows to proposals that would restrict reproductive rights in Washington DC and Virginia

The debate about reproductive rights in Washington DC and Virginia is stepping up this week. A bill recently introduced by Republicans from Arizona and Utah would ban abortions performed more than 20 weeks after conception, in the District of Columbia. Today, reproductive rights and DC statehood advocates gathered on Capitol Hill to speak out against the legislation, calling it a violation of women’s bodies and the Constitution. Women’s rights groups are also protesting a bill up for a vote in the Virginia House of Representatives this week, that would mandate a trans-vaginal ultrasound for any woman seeking an abortion. FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more, in Washington, D.C.

In Yemen, voters end three-decade-reign of Saleh as calls for prosecution mount

Voters in Yemen went to the polls today to formally end the rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled the country for more than three decades. Violence hit some polling stations amid high security. At least nine people were killed and half the stations closed early, in some areas in the south, according to the BBC. Two bombs hit polling stations in Aden Monday. In the capital, Sanaa, however, there appeared to be high turnout, with long lines outside poll centers in schools and mosques, according to international observers. The voting follows more than a year of protests and violent clashes, as a youth-driven movement demanded the end to Saleh’s power and a transition to a democratic government. There’s only one candidate on the ballot - the vice president under Saleh - and some are concerned about the former ruler’s continued influence after the vote. For more, we’re joined by Ibraham Qatabi. He’s with the Yemeni American Coalition for Change and also works for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which today called on the US Department of Justice to investigate Saleh for allegations of torture and other human rights violations during his rule.

In Honduras, killings in Bajo Aguan continue as corporations seize more land

In Honduras, family members continue to demand answers after a prison fire killed more than 350 people. On Monday, relatives broke into a morgue, demanding their loved ones remains. Many Hondurans are also questioning a second fire that erupted over the weekend at the country's largest outdoor market in Tegucigalpa. no one was killed, but many vendors now lack a place to sell their goods. The fires are just the latest disasters to hit the country with the highest homicide rate in the world. human rights in the country have declined since the 2009 coup and one of the most violent regions is the Bajo Aguan. There, at least 64 farm workers -- or campesinos -- have been killed over the last two years because of complex land conflicts with the country’s wealthiest landowner, Miguel Facusse. Over the weekend, more than 1,400 campesinos, indigenous people and their allies met to continue their efforts to fight repression. from Tocoa, Honduras, FSRN's Tim Russo reports.

Medical facilities expand in Nigeria, but most still find health care out of reach

Across Africa, the poor state of health facilities has led many people to seek treatment overseas. Dubbed “health tourists,” a number of travelers have been going to India.  Now some of India’s largest hospitals Are opening specialist hospitals in Africa. Such facilities are bringing high quality health care closer to millions of Africans. But the cost of quality health care is beyond the means of the majority of the continent’s residents. FSRN’s Sam Olukoya reports from Abuja, Nigeria.