CHINESE EX-LAWMAKER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPES

a former Chinese lawmaker was sentenced to death for raping over 20 middle-school girls as part of a superstitious practice to prolong his virility, state press said. Wu Tianxi, 61, a member of the national parliament between 1998 and 2003, was sentenced to death by a court in central China's Henan province, the People's Daily reported. "Police investigators found that from spring 2005, Wu Tianxi began searching for virgin girls with the help of a young woman surnamed Liu," the report said. "For the following two years, Wu Tianxi laid his black hands on over 20 young middle school girls." He was arrested in April last year, it said. Liu was also sentenced to 20 years for her part in the crimes. According to previous news articles, she was also reported as a former victim of Wu. His death sentence was at least the third such penalty handed down by a Chinese court on Tuesday.