Gang-Rape In India: Teen Victim Kills Herself

A 17-year-old Indian girl who was allegedly gang-raped killed herself after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers, police and a relative said on Thursday.

It comes as the 23-year-old Indian medical student who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi arrived at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital for further treatment.

A hospital spokesperson said the patient is in an "extremely critical condition" after the attack on December 16.

She was transferred overseas for better treatment.

The latest case, in the Patiala region in the Punjab, has again shone the spotlight on the police's handling of sex crimes.

One police officer has been sacked and another suspended over their conduct after the assault during the festival of Diwali on November 13, according to officials.

The teenager was found dead on Wednesday night after swallowing poison.

Her death came as it emerged that the names, addresses and photographs of convicted rapists will be posted online by police in India to publicly shame them for their crimes.

Inspector General Paramjit Singh Gill said that the teenager had been "running from pillar to post to get her case registered" but officers failed to open a formal inquiry.

"One of the officers tried to convince her to withdraw the case," Gill, the police chief for the area, told AFP.

Before her death, there had been no arrests, although three people were detained on Thursday. Two of them were her alleged male attackers and the third was a suspected woman accomplice.

The victim's sister told Indian television that the teenager had been urged to either accept cash or marry one of her attackers.

"The police started pressuring her to either reach a financial settlement with her attackers or marry one of them," her sister told the NDTV network.

Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India reported that a police officer has been suspended for allegedly refusing to register a rape complaint in the northern state of Chhattisgar.

The woman and her husband later brought the case to the attention of a more senior officer and a hunt has now been launched for her attacker, an auto rickshaw driver.

Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year in India were against women.

The real figure is thought to be much higher as so many women are reluctant to report attacks to the police.

During an address to the chief ministers of India's states on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to bring in new laws to cover attacks on women.

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India: Gang Rape Victim Dies In Hospital

Indian police are bracing themselves for more protests after a 23-year-old woman who was gang raped on a bus in New Delhi died in a Singapore hospital.

The attack in which the medical student was savagely beaten and raped for almost an hour before being thrown out of the moving vehicle sparked demonstrations across India.

The chief executive of the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, where she was flown for specialist treatment on Thursday, said she had suffered severe organ failure.

Kelvin Loh added: "Her family and officials from the High Commission of India were by her side. The Mount Elizabeth team of doctors, nurses and staff join her family in mourning her loss.

"Despite all efforts by a team of eight specialists ... to keep her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days. She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain.

"She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome."

The Indian High Commissioner to Singapore told reporters a chartered aircraft would fly her body back to India on Saturday, along with members of her family.

Protesters have demanded better safety for women

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was deeply saddened by the woman's death and described the reaction to the case as "perfectly understandable from a young India and an India that genuinely desires change.

"It would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channelize these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action," he added.

Police have arrested six people over the attack, which happened two weeks ago as the woman was travelling home on a bus with a male friend after a trip to the cinema.

According to media reports, six men on the bus beat them with metal rods and repeatedly raped the woman. Her male companion survived the assault.

The case triggered nationwide protests which culminated last weekend in clashes with police in the Indian capital.

It has brought renewed focus on police and community attitudes towards sex crimes against women.

Indian authorities have been accused of belittling rape victims and refusing to punish their attackers.

In a separate case, a 17-year-old Indian girl who was allegedly gang raped has killed herself after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers.

The deaths come after it emerged the names, addresses and photographs of convicted rapists will be posted online by Indian police to publicly shame them for their crimes.

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General Norman Schwarzkopf Dies Aged 78

General Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded the US-led coalition that drove Saddam Hussein's forces out of Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War, has died.

The 78-year-old died on Thursday at his home in Tampa, Florida, where he retired after his last military posting as commander-in-chief of US Central Command.

His sister Ruth Barenbaum said he passed away following complications from pneumonia.

Gen. Schwarzkopf was known as Stormin' Norman for his explosive temper

A much-decorated combat soldier in Vietnam, Gen. Schwarzkopf was known popularly as Stormin' Norman for a notoriously explosive temper.

Former president George HW Bush, himself sick in intensive care in Texas, was the first to issue a statement mourning the loss of the man he chose to lead the war that came to define both of their careers.

"Barbara and I mourn the loss of a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation," his statement said.

The General salutes an Iraqi general to set Gulf War cease-fire terms

"A distinguished member of that Long Gray Line hailing from West Point, General Norm Schwarzkopf, to me, epitomised the 'duty, service, country' creed that has defended our freedom and seen this great nation through our most trying international crises.

"More than that, he was a good and decent man - and a dear friend. Barbara and I send our condolences to his wife Brenda and his wonderful family."

During the 1991 Gulf War, he became the public face of the coalition troops who ousted Hussein's forces from Kuwait.

After retiring from the Army in 1992, Gen. Schwarzkopf wrote a best-selling autobiography It Doesn't Take A Hero.

He was knighted by the Queen and honoured with decorations from France, Britain, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

At the peak of his post-war national celebrity Gen. Schwarzkopf - a self-proclaimed political independent - rejected attempts to persuade him to run for high office.

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Gang-Raped Indian Teenager Kills Herself

A 17-year-old Indian girl who was gang-raped killed herself after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers, police and a relative said on Thursday.

It comes as The Indian medical student who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi arrived at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital for further treatment.

A hospital spokesperson said the patient is in an "extremely critical condition" after the attack on December 16.

She was transferred overseas for better treatment.

The latest case has again shone the spotlight on the police's handling of sex crimes.

One police officer has been sacked and another suspended over their conduct after the assault during the festival of Diwali on November 13 in the Patiala region in the Punjab, according to officials.

The teenager was found dead on Wednesday night after swallowing poison.

Her death came as it emerged that the names, addresses and photographs of convicted rapists will be posted online by police in India to publicly shame them for their crimes.

Inspector General Paramjit Singh Gill said that the teenager had been "running from pillar to post to get her case registered" but officers failed to open a formal inquiry.

"One of the officers tried to convince her to withdraw the case," Gill, the police chief for the area, told AFP.

Before her death, there had been no arrests over her case although three people were detained on Thursday. Two of them were her alleged male attackers and the third was a suspected woman accomplice.

The victim's sister told Indian television that the teenager had been urged to either accept a cash settlement or marry one of her attackers.

"The police started pressuring her to either reach a financial settlement with her attackers or marry one of them," her sister told the NDTV network.

Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India reported that a police officer has been suspended for allegedly refusing to register a rape complaint in the northern state of Chhattisgar.

The woman and her husband later brought the case to the attention of a more senior officer and a hunt has now been launched for her attacker, an auto rickshaw driver.

Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year in India were against women.

The real figure is thought to be much higher as so many women are reluctant to report attacks to the police.

During an address to the chief ministers of India's states on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to bring in new laws to cover attacks on women.

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Tornadoes Hit US As Christmas Storms Kill Six

At least six people have died after a major winter storm system swept through the southern US, triggering tornadoes and heavy snowfall.

A driver was killed when a high winds knocked down a tree, crushing his pickup truck and a 53-year-old Louisiana man died after a tree fell on his house.

A 28-year-old woman died after crashing her car on a snowy highway.

Two passengers in Arkansas highway died Wednesday when their car crossed the centre line and struck an SUV head-on; and a 76-year-old Wisconsin woman died Tuesday in Oklahoma in a similar car crash. 

The National Weather Service said a tornado struck Mobile, Alabama, a city with a population of about 200,000. Homes were damaged and power lines and trees were toppled.

Storm clouds head towards the East Coast

Firefighters carried out door-to-door checks in the affected areas but did not find any serious casualties.

A large section of a church roof was missing and the front wall of the parish wall was gone, said Scott Rye, a senior warden at the church in the Midtown section of the city.

Another apparent tornado caused damage in the west Alabama town of Grove Hill, about 80 miles (130km) north of Mobile.

Near McNeill, Mississippi, a likely tornado damaged a dozen homes and sent eight people to the hospital, none with life-threatening injuries, said Pearl River County emergency management agency director Danny Manley.

At least three tornadoes were reported in Texas, although only one building was damaged, according to the National Weather Service.

A man is put in an ambulance after a tornado in Mobile

The storms also contributed to a 21-vehicle pile-up that shut down a major highway in Oklahoma and caused thousands of power cuts.

More than 400 flights nationwide were cancelled by Tuesday evening, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.com. More than half of those were either in or out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which saw several inches of snow.

The snowstorm pushed out of Oklahoma as Christmas Day ended, carrying with it blizzard warnings for parts of northeast Arkansas, where 10 inches (25cm) of snow was forecast.

Freezing rain clung to trees and utility lines in Arkansas and winds gusts up to 30 mph (48kph) whipped them around, causing about 71,000 customers to lose electricity.

Blizzard conditions were also possible for parts of Illinois, Indiana and western Kentucky with predictions of four to seven inches (10 to 17.5cm) of snow.

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George HW Bush: Condition Worsens In Hospital

The health of former US President George HW Bush has worsened and he is in intensive care with a "stubborn fever".

Mr Bush was admitted to the intensive care unit on Sunday and has been put on a liquids-only diet.

He has been battling bronchitis for the last month and has been in and out of hospital.

Spokesman Jim McGrath: "It's an elevated fever, so it's actually gone up in the last day or two. It's a stubborn fever that won't go away.

"He's had a series of setbacks now that have landed him in guarded condition in the intensive care unit."

Mr Bush had been making a good recovery early last week, he added.

Mr Bush, a Republican, served a single term in the White House from 1989 to 1993, despite sending US forces to victory in Iraq in the first Gulf War, expelling Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.

The 88-year-old was first admitted to Methodist Hospital in Houston on November 7 for bronchitis treatment and released on November 19.

He was readmitted on November 23 after his cough flared up once more.

Doctors had initially hoped to be able to send the elder statesman home for Christmas, but instead he spent the holiday in hospital, where he was joined by his wife Barbara, son Neil and grandson Pierce.

Mr McGrath said: "I wouldn't say he was able to celebrate it in the traditional sense.

"His family was with him, and he's conscious and he's able to engage in humorous banter with his doctor."

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Firefighter Ambush Shooting: Killer Left Note

The gunman who ambushed two firefighters as they approached his burning house left a note saying he wanted to torch the neighbourhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people".

Gerald Pickering, police chief in Webster, New York state, said that 62-year-old William Spengler armed himself with three weapons and set his house on fire to lure emergency services into a death trap.

Spengler killed two firefighters - Mike Chiapperini, 43, and 19-year-old Tomasz Kaczowka - and shot two others before taking his own life in the small New York town of Webster on Monday morning.

Police believe human remains found in the burnt-out home are those of the gunman's 67-year-old sister, Cheryl, who has been missing since the blaze. The remains will be examined before identity is confirmed.

The full contents of the two-page, typed note - which police said does not reveal a motive - have not been published, but Mr Pickering said it clearly shows the killer's "intent".

Victims: Michael Chapperini (left) and Tomasz Kaczowka

One of the guns used was a semi-automatic Bushmaster rifle, the same type of gun used in the December 14 school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. Mr Pickering said Spengler was "equipped to go to war".

Mr Chiapperini's full-time job was as a public information officer with the Webster police department, and was named firefighter of the year for 2012.

Mr Kaczowka worked as an emergency call dispatcher and Mr Pickering described him as "a tremendous young man".

The two injured volunteer firefighters, Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino, remain in hospital. They are said to be awake and alert and are expected to recover despite suffering "significant" injuries.

Webster is northwest of New York City

Spengler was released from prison in 1998 after serving 17 years for beating his 92-year-old grandmother to death with a hammer in 1980.

Authorities have said he had lived a quiet life and had done nothing to bring himself to police attention since his parole.

Spengler's mother Arline, who had lived with her two children, died in October, leaving Spengler on his own with his sister, Cheryl, whom he "couldn't stand", according to neighbour Roger Vercruysse.

Spengler "stayed on one side of the house and [Cheryl] stayed on the other," Mr Vercruysse said.

The sister is missing and there are fears she was inside the house when Spengler set the fire.

Dozens of people turned out on Monday night for an impromptu vigil to mourn the firefighters, leaving bouquets and messages of condolence at the local fire station.

One man left a crate of beer, the local newspaper told Sky News.

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Egypt Constitution In Affect After 'Yes' Vote

Egyptian voters overwhelmingly approved a constitution drafted by allies of President Mohamed Morsi, despite opposition from liberals, leftists and Christians.

The constitution was adopted with 63.8% of the vote after the referendum held over two days earlier in the month, according to results announced by the elections commission.

However, the final turnout was just 32.9% of Egypt's nearly 52 million voters.

Opposition groups staged mass protests against the draft, complaining that the new constitution could allow Muslim clerics to intervene in the making of legislation, while leaving other religions and women with few protections.

But Mr Morsi and the dominant Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement have insisted that the document provides adequate protection for minorities while providing stability following the uprising that forced former President Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011.

The President signed a decree putting the constitution into affect shortly after the official results.

Murad Ali, a senior official in Mr Morsi's Freedom and Justice Party, said: "I hope all national powers will now start working together now to build a new Egypt.  

"I see this as the best constitution in Egypt's history."

Female protesters cut their hair off to demonstrate their opposition

Immediately after the announcement, a small group of protesters set tyres on fire and blocked traffic near the central Tahrir square, the hub of the uprising against Mubarak.

New parliamentary elections are expected to take place in the coming months with the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies again expected to dominate.

Meanwhile, in possible a sign of the impact that weeks of unrest have taken on the economy, the government ordered new restrictions on foreign currency apparently designed to prevent capital flight. Leaving or entering with more than $10,000 cash is now banned.

The government has criticised the opposition for prolonging the country's economic problems with the weeks of demonstrations against them.

"The main goals that the government is working towards now is plugging the budget deficit, and working on increasing growth to boost employment rates, curb inflation, and increase the competitiveness of Egyptian exports," prime minister Hisham Kandil said.

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Firefighters Shot Dead In House Blaze 'Trap'

Two volunteer firefighters have been shot dead and two others injured when a gunman opened fire as they were responding to a house fire in New York state, police said.

The gunman, named as William Spengler, opened fired on the four men as they arrived shortly after 5:30am on Monday to put out the blaze in Webster, said police chief Gerald Pickering.

Spengler set fire to a car and house to lure the firefighters to his house on the shore of Lake Ontario, police said.

"It does appear it was a trap," an emotional Mr Pickering said at a news conference.

Spengler, 62, had served more than 17 years in prison for beating his 92-year-old grandmother to death with a hammer in 1980 at the house next to where the attack happened.

The gunfire initially kept firefighters from battling the blaze

Police said Spengler died at the scene after shooting himself in the head.

One of the firefighters who died, Mike Chiapperini, was also a town police lieutenant, but it was not clear whether he returned fire.

The other firefighter who was killed was named as Tomasz Kaczowka.

The two wounded  firefighters, named as Joseph Hofsetter and Theodore Scardino, remained in a critical condition in hospital.

Police were concerned that Spengler's sister, Cheryl Spengler, was in the house where the fire started, reports said.

Spengler reportedly lived there with his sister and mother, Arline Spengler, who died in October.

An off-duty police officer who was driving past the scene also has injuries from shrapnel, Mr Pickering said.

Firefighters were called to the blaze in the early hours of the morning

The fire spread and destroyed six other homes in the quiet lakeside town, around 340 miles (550 km) northwest of New York City.

The gunfire initially kept firefighters from battling the blaze.

The neighbourhood's residents were evacuated and searched by police, and a SWAT team was called to the scene.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the shooting was "a senseless act of violence" and offered his condolences to the victims' families.

"New York's first responders are true heroes as they time and again selflessly rush toward danger in order to keep our families and communities safe," he said.

Monroe county sheriff Patrick O'Flynn said: "It's sad to see that that this is becoming more commonplace in communities across the nation."

The shooting in Webster comes 10 days after the shooting rampage at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, in which 20 children and six adults were killed.

The Newtown massacre has revived debate in the United States on the country's gun laws, which are far more lax than in most other developed nations.

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Protests: Indian PM Urges Calm Over Gang-Rape

The Indian Prime Minister has appealed for calm and vowed to protect women as police struggle to quell outrage over sex crimes following the gang-rape of a student.

As authorities shut down roads in the heart of India's capital, Manmohan Singh said he understood the public anger at the "monstrous crime" but added that "violence will serve no purpose".

"There is genuine and justified anger and anguish at this ghastly incident," he said in a televised address.

"I feel deeply sad at the turn of events leading to clashes between protesters and police forces. I assure you that we will make all possible efforts to ensure security and safety to all women in this country.

"As a father of three daughters myself, I feel as strongly as you. We will ensure justice is delivered," he added.

His pleas for calm were echoed by the victim's father.

"Please pray for my daughter and do not resort to any violent activity. She needs your support and your prayers," the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the Hindi-language News 24 network.

"My daughter is fighting for her life, but she is very strong and has a strong will to live."

Protests have been taking place across India over the last week to denounce the police and government over the gang-rape of the 23-year-old student in the capital and the surge of violence against women.

Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year were against women, with the number of rapes in the capital rising 17 per cent to 661 this year.

The biggest protests were in New Delhi on Saturday, prompting police to cordon off areas around government buildings.

However, fresh clashes erupted on Sunday and police said more than 100 people were injured including 60 policemen.

The clampdown was further tightened on Monday, with commuters having to make lengthy detours to get to work.

Thousands of armed police and paramilitary troops blocked roads in central New Delhi to prevent protesters from marching to the presidential palace. 

A small group of demonstrators gathered at a venue less than a mile away from India's parliament to press the government to ensure the security of women in the city.

The city ground to a halt as commuters found themselves caught in massive traffic jams after most roads in central Delhi were barricaded by police.

A television journalist was shot dead in the Indian town of Imphal on Sunday by police trying to control a protest over the attempted rape of an actress whose attacker remains at large.

Five police have been suspended over the shooting, the Press Trust of India reported.

Police have said some of the Delhi protesters have been intent on causing trouble and the demonstrations have been "hijacked by hooligans".

While many of the protesters have been women carrying placards, the crowds have drawn increasing numbers of young men who have been hurling stones at security forces.

The government has been on the defensive not only over the levels of crimes against women but also over the notoriously slow criminal legal system.

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India Rape Protests: Reporter 'Shot Dead'

A journalist has been killed in violent demonstrations against sex attacks in India as police failed to contain fresh violence.

A television reporter, 36, was reportedly shot dead when officers opened fire on a protest in Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, over an attack on a film actress.

The star, known as Momoko, was dragged from stage in full public view last week by an armed militant who tried to rape her. She managed to fight him off and fled.

Momoko, also a popular model, has waived her right to anonymity to make a public appeal for her attacker's arrest.

Crowds in Manipur pelted police with stones on Saturday, prompting a curfew to be imposed for parts of the state.

This was relaxed on Sunday but soon a huge crowd assembled again to confront police who opened fire in retaliation, according to police spokesman A. Singh.

A women's rights activist Bala Bedi said: "We want a strong message to be sent that perpetrators of such crimes have no place in our society."

Water cannon were fired on the crowds

The death of the reporter, who worked for the Doordarshan network, came as separate angry protests over the brutal rape of a young woman were staged in New Delhi for a second day.

Police had tried to ban demonstrations in certain parts of the city after violence on Saturday.

On Sunday, all the routes leading to landmark government buildings were cordoned off and metro stations in the vicinity were closed to the public.

But several hundred protesters managed to breach the cordon around India Gate and braved tear gas and water cannon for the second day in a row.

The case of a 23-year-old student who was gang-raped by six drunk men last week has sparked a public outcry.

Promises by the Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to consider demands for the six suspects to face the death penalty have failed to quell the anger.

Mr Shinde had also vowed on Saturday night that the government would take further steps to keep women safe.

A group of protesters met Sonia Gandhi, the governing Congress party chief, on Sunday to demand a speedy trial of the suspects.

The 23-year-old woman, a physiotherapy student, was attacked by six drunk men when she was travelling on a bus with a male friend.

They took it in turns to rape her and attack her with an iron rod, causing serious internal injuries. She is still fighting for her life in hospital.

Campaigners want tougher sentences for sex attackers

Her case has caught the public mood amid dismay at a massive rise in the number of sexual attacks in India.

Government figures show a woman is now raped in the country every 20 minutes after a major rise in assaults.

National crime records show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year were against women.

Delhi has been dubbed the rape capital of India with government figures showing the number of rapes in the city rising 17% to 661 this year.

One of Delhi's most senior police officers has pleaded for an end to the unrest, saying the protests were being "hijacked by hooligans" and insisting that the case against the six suspects was being fast-tracked.

"We have met all the demands of the protesters," Special Commissioner Dharmendra Kumar said.

Sushma Swaraj, a leader of the main opposition Bhartiya Janata Party, called for an all-party meeting to end the violence between protesters and the police.

"Please do not resort to violence. That is not the solution," she wrote on Twitter.

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Russian Adoption Ban: Pressure Grows On Obama

More than 50,000 people have urged Barack Obama to escalate the diplomatic feud that led Moscow to propose a law barring Americans from adopting Russian children.

Two petitions on the White House website are asking for sanctions against Russian politicians who backed a bill that one of the documents says will "jeopardise lives and well-being of thousands of Russian orphans".

Moscow sees the ban on adoptions as retaliation for a US human rights law that allows the seizure of assets from Russian officials implicated in the 2009 death of a Russian lawyer.

Some Russian politicians denounced the petitions, saying any further action would cause tensions between the countries.

President Obama is under pressure to get tough with Russia

However a senior member of the Duma - Russia's lower parliamentary chamber - suggested there might still be a way for the measures to be softened.

One petition said Russian politicians "breached all imaginable boundaries of humanity, responsibility, or common sense and chose to jeopardise lives and well-being of thousands of Russian orphans".

The petitioners urged the president to "identify those involved in adopting such legislature responsible under the Magnitsky Act".

A second petition asks that the Magnitsky Act "be extended to supporters of this law in (the) Russian Duma".

According to White House rules, an official response will be issued if a petition reaches 25,000 signatures within 30 days. One already has more than 45,000 signatures, while the other has 6,000.

Russian deputy Irina Yarovaya, who heads the Duma's security committee, denounced the petitions.

Such initiatives "cross the limits of international law, of international relations and of a nation's sovereign rights", she said.

Another politician, Vyacheslav Nikonov, told Moscow Echo Radio that if Washington acted on the petitions, it could lead to "very serious diplomatic complications".

But deputy chairman of the Duma Sergei Zheleznya has hinted that the measures could be softened.

Between 2008 and 2011, American parents adopted 5,177 of the 14,660 Russian children adopted by foreigners.

The US human rights law has been dubbed the Magnitsky Act after Sergei Magnitsky, the lawyer who blew the whistle on what he said was a $235m (£145m) police embezzlement scheme.

Moscow's proposed ban is unofficially called the Dima Yakovlev bill in memory of a Russian child who died of heat stroke while locked in a car by his adoptive US parent in the summer heat in 2008.

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India: Woman Raped Every Twenty Minutes

By Alex Rossi, India Correspondent

Campaigners in India are calling for tougher penalties for sex offenders after a massive rise in the number of rapes.

According to the latest government figures, a woman is now raped in India every 20 minutes. But despite the increase in sex attacks the number of convictions is falling.

In the last 12 months there have been a number of high-profile cases which have caused outrage across the nation.

One of the most shocking attacks happened in the state of Haryana. Unusually the victim waived her right to anonymity.

Sixteen-year-old Shabnam was gang raped by eight men from her village. Her attackers filmed the assault on their mobile phones.

When her father became aware the images were being shared around the village he committed suicide out of shame.

Shabnam's attackers filmed the rape on their mobile phones

Haryana is a tight-knit - mainly agrarian community - where family honour and the avoidance of shame are a matter of life and death for many.

But the brave schoolgirl wants the world to know what happened because she says too many victims are either too afraid or too ashamed to speak out.

"I don't want the sacrifice of my father to be wasted," she said. "I've decided to get them all punished so that whatever happened with me should never happen to anybody else again."

The physical scars of Shabnam's attack have now healed but her mother Rani fears she will never fully recover psychologically from her ordeal.

"My daughter is scared and depressed. She barely speaks because there is so much fear in mind," she said.

The rise in sexual assaults in Haryana reflects what is happening in other states across India.

Delhi: demonstrators call for safety for women after the rape of a student

A preference for sons and the illegal practice of female infanticide and foeticide have left the state with a badly skewed sex ratio.

In Haryana there are just 830 girls per 1,000 boys.

Women's rights campaigner Rishi Kant says the problems are deep rooted within Indian society.

"Because of these problems we are facing with female infanticide and foetcide, due to (the fact there are) less girls, young boys are doing all these crimes which are very heinous crimes and they should be booked immediately with a fast track court so that a proper sentence can be given against them."

Campaigners say India's laws for the protection of women are robust but are demanding better policing and stiffer jail terms.

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Egypt's Constitution Gets 'Yes' Majority

Initial results show Egypt's controversial new constitution receives a 'yes' majority in the second and final round of voting.

The results, posted on the Muslim Brotherhood's website, show that eight of the 25 million Egyptians eligible to vote - a turnout of about 30%  - cast their ballots on Saturday.

The referendum was held over two days, on December 15 and 22.

In the first round, about 56% said "yes" to the charter. The turnout then was about 32%

The Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to power, has accurately predicted election results in the past by tallying results provided by its representatives at polling centres.

Mohammed Morsi came to power in June

Official results are not expected to be announced for several days, but when they are, Mr Morsi is expected to call for a parliamentary election to be held in about two months.

The low turnout in both rounds is likely to feed a perception of illegitimacy for the constitution, which Islamists say will lay the foundation for a democratic state and the protection of human rights.

But the opposition claims that it places restrictions on liberties and gives clerics a say over legislation.

The referendum on the constitution has left Egypt divided into two camps: the president, his Brotherhood and ultraconservative Islamists known as Salafis in one, and liberals, moderate Muslims and Christians in the other.

The two sides brought hundreds of thousands of supporters to the streets over the past month in rival rallies.

Clashes between both sides have left at least 10 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Mahmud Mekki said he wanted to quit last month

Hours earlier, Mr Morsi's vice president, Mahmud Mekki, whose post is not mentioned in the new charter, announced he was resigning.

"Political work does not suit my professional character," he said in a statement, referring to his past role as a respected judge.

Mr Mekki said he wanted to quit last month but stayed on to help Mr Morsi tackle a crisis that blew up when the leader assumed sweeping wide powers.

State television reported that Central Bank governor Faruq el Okda had also resigned, but this was followed by strong denials from Egypt's cabinet.

Both the former governor and Mr Morsi's deputy helped steer the central bank during last year's uprising that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak and worked to keep the Egyptian currency relatively stable despite the political turmoil.

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