EGYPY SCRAPS RAPE LAW

THE Egyptian parliament has unanimously scrapped a century-old law that exempted a rapist from punishment if he married his victim, a parliamentary source said on Tuesday. Parliament adopted the change on Monday evening. The move came amid a media campaign that followed outrage from women’s groups over the freeing in December of three rape suspects when one of them offered to marry the victim and she accepted. Egypt’s Islamic spiritual leader recently declared his strong opposition to the law.