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Indian bus rider allegedly gang raped

NEW DEHLI, India, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Police said they arrested six men who allegedly gang raped a 29-year-old woman after she boarded a bus, the second such incident in India in a month.

The 29-year-old woman said the bus driver and one man on the bus took her to an undisclosed location where five other men joined to rape her throughout the night Friday in Gurdaspur district in Punjab.

Police said they are searching for the seventh suspect, CNN reported Sunday.

"They threatened me with a sharp edged weapon and did wrong things with me," said the alleged victim, whose name was not reported. "They kept me confined all through the night and forced me to do what they want."

The case is similar to another incident of gang rape aboard a bus Dec. 16 in New Delhi. The attackers raped a 23-year-old woman and brutally beat her and her male companion before dumping them by the side of the road. The woman later died of her injuries.

The incident sparked rallies throughout India over the treatment of women.

Former Egyptian President Mubarak gets retrial

CAIRO, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- An Egyptian court Sunday granted the appeal of former President Hosni Mubarak and ordered a new trial on charges related to protesters' deaths and corruption.

A Cairo court last June ordered Mubarak, 84, to spend life in prison for the deaths of protesters killed during demonstrations demanding he step down during the Jan.25, 2011 revolution.

The Court of Cassation in Cairo also ordered a retrial for Mubarak's former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, who was sentenced to life on similar charges, Gulfnews.com said. No date has been set for the retrials.

The court also ordered a retrial in another case against Mubarak and his sons Gamal and Alaa, accepting a challenge to the Cairo Criminal Court verdict that cleared them of illegally exporting gas to Israel and abuse of power, al-Masry al-Youm said.

Mubarak suffers from ill-health and is currently in the Maadi military hospital in Cairo after a fall last month in the Tora prison where he was incarcerated.

The former Egyptian leader was questioned Saturday about gifts he received worth millions of dollars while he was in power, Ahram Online said.

Report says EU has Mideast peace plan

JERUSALEM, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The European Union is preparing a peace plan that would result in a Palestinian State with east Jerusalem as its capital, sources told Yedioth Ahronoth.

The EU intends to present the plan to Israel and the Palestinians in March in an effort to force the sides to return to the negotiating table and reach a peace agreement, the newspaper reported Sunday.

The plan calls for the formation of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital, and also calls for land swaps and a demand that Israel freeze all settlement construction, the newspaper said.

"The Europeans cannot force an agreement upon us, but they can embarrass us. They are currently putting together a document that stipulates the parameters for a future peace plan which they will place on the table as a challenge. It is possible the Palestinians will accept such a plan, but for Israel it will be difficult. It will push us into a corner," an unnamed Israeli government official told the newspaper.

Foreign ministers from England and France are the driving force behind the plan that also has Germany's support and is currently being examined by EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton, who intends to turn it into a binding document, the paper said.

European officials are consulting with U.S. officials on the subject, but agreed to an American request to hold back on publishing the plan until after Israel's general elections Jan.22. The plan was also raised by European Union officials during a visit to Amman, Jordan last week.

Europeans were also studying the possibility of organizing a regional conference with the participation of Israel, the Palestinians, Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf countries, where the peace plan would be discussed. If Israel refuses to participate in such a convention, it would be viewed as a refusal to seek peace, the newspaper said. The Palestinians have already told the Europeans they were ready to participate.

British girl, 8, shot, killed in Jamaica

DUNCANS, Jamaica, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- An 8-year-old British girl was shot and killed when a gunman opened fire on a shop in Duncans, Jamaica, authorities said.

Three others were wounded in the shooting in the northwestern town of Duncans, Sky News said, citing local media reports.

The girl, from South London, was visiting relatives with her mother and older sister.

"We can confirm the death of a British national on 11th January in Jamaica. We are providing consular assistance and liaising with local authorities," the British Foreign Office said in a statement.