China President Calls For 'Great Renaissance'

China's new president Xi Jinping has said he will fight for a "great renaissance of the Chinese nation" in his first speech as head of state of the world's most populous country.

Mr Xi called for "arduous efforts for the continued realisation of the great renaissance of the Chinese nation and the Chinese dream" in a speech to delegates at the National People's Congress (NPC) parliament meeting in Beijing.

Calls for such a revival in the world's second-largest economy have been a motif of Mr Xi's speeches since he took the top post in China's ruling communist party in November, but he has not given a detailed account of the phrase's meaning.

He called for the armed forces to strengthen their ability to "win battles and ... firmly protect national sovereignty and security".

The speech also touched on corruption, which he has called a threat to the Communist Party's grip on power, and Mr Xi urged delegates to "oppose hedonism, and flamboyant lifestyles, and firmly fight against negative and corrupt phenomena".

Mr Xi stressed continuity with previous Chinese leaders, thanking outgoing president Hu Jintao and celebrating the past achievements of the ruling party.

The speech formally brought the almost two-week long NPC meeting to a close, and was followed by China's new premier, Li Keqiang, stepping into spotlight for a rare news conference.

Mr Li, who has taken over day-to-day running of the government and is number two in the ruling party, pledged to strengthen economic reforms.

"What the market can do, we should release more to the market, what society can do well, we should give to society. The government should be in charge of and manage well the issues that it ought to govern."

But he did not give any specific examples of planned changes.

Mr Li went on to say "practising frugality in government affairs" across the country would help "win" the trust of the people.

Public discontent over China's unequal wealth distribution is commonly directed towards officials, who are often viewed as being corrupt, and is a key concern for authorities anxious to avoid social unrest among China's 1.35 billion people.

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Colorado Approves Historic New Gun Laws

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

The US state of Colorado - the scene of two of the worst shooting massacres in the country's history - has passed historic new laws which could prove a model for gun control measures across the country.

Politicians were prompted into action by the shooting spree at a cinema in Aurora near Denver last summer which claimed 12 lives. The killings at Newtown in Connecticut in December added renewed impetus.

So while the national effort at new restrictions appears to be stalling, Colorado's legislature has passed a ban on high capacity ammunition magazines and tightened requirements for background checks on people buying a gun.

It is seen as a remarkable success for the gun control movement in a 'frontier' state famous for its love of hunting and liberty.

Even though there is no ban on military-style assault weapons, the new restrictions are enough to anger gun enthusiasts in the state.

George Horne, owner of The Gun Room in Denver

George Horne, who owns Denver's oldest gun shop The Gun Room, told Sky News that gun owners were being unfairly targeted.

He said: "There's plenty of ways to create violence and inflict harm on other people other than firearms, so I think the emotion of firearms is being used. They're not addressing the problem which is the person, but the firearm which is just the tool.

"I always tell people it is not the arrow, it is the Indian."

One of his customers put it more bluntly. Mike Rosenthal said: "I think they are violating our constitution and I think they're all traitors."

He said that if authorities try to remove guns from owners the result "won't be pretty".

Daniel Mauser, a victim of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999

He said the Second Amendment to the US constitution, guaranteeing the right to bear arms, should allow people to own a bomb "if they could afford it".

Colorado has followed New York in being the first to put in place new restrictions as politicians and lobbyists in Washington continue to lock horns on a national framework.

Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed in the shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999, has long campaigned for tighter controls.

He says he is proud of what the state has done and hopes others will follow.

Tom Mauser wears his son Daniel's trainers to gun control events

"Two weeks before he died my son said to me 'Dad, do you know there are loopholes in the Brady law', the law that requires background checks, and then he was killed with a gun that was purchased through one of those loopholes.

"That is what has driven me. I have wanted to close those loopholes for him and for the sake of others."

Mr Mauser wears his son's trainers when attending gun control events. "I literally walk in his shoes," he said.

The scale of the task facing him is perhaps illustrated by the popularity of a website called gunsforeveryone.com

Its founder Edgar Antillon said it started out as a joke but had now taken on an activist role.

He said: "We don't think any new restrictions are the answer. Law abiding gun owners don't carry out massacres. If they put new laws in place, we will simply not follow them."

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Pope Francis: Fond Memories In The Slums

By Amanda Walker, US Correspondent

When it comes to Villa 1114 in Buenos Aires - the local advice to tourists is simply "don't go".

"Villas" are the city's slums - ghettoized neighbourhoods ridden with crime, poverty and drug abuse.

And Villa 1114 is one of the most notorious. Its 50,000 residents have little hope of escaping to a better life.

The Catholic church plays a big role by offering some light in an otherwise bleak world. The only safe way in is to be escorted by a priest.

As we enter, children and dogs rifle through rubbish strewn across pavements. Unemployment is high here - few stand a chance of getting work.

If potential employers know your address, residents say there's no chance - living in a Villa is a stigma. For many, drugs are the only way out of a depressing existence.

When Father Gustav Carrara wanted to set up the Hogar de Cristo drug rehabilitation centre he turned to a friend for help.

The leader of the Catholic Church was known for kissing the feet of addicts

Within 10 days he was granted a spacious building on the fringes of the Villa to use as a base. It's now a lifeline for those who otherwise feel forgotten and ignored. That friend who made it happen is now Pope Francis.

A year ago when he was Cardinal Bergoglio, he came to the shelter, in an area where few dare to tread, to hold Mass.

He washed and kissed the feet of recovering drug users. It's a ritual he's performed regularly for those in need across Buenos Aires.

He also baptised their children - including Catriel Tisiano, who is now two.

Pope Francis baptised children in the slum on his last visit

His mother Celia Dias said: "He blessed him - he opened up and brightened up son's life. The fact that he came here to wash the feet of someone like me shows humility. It felt like he was one of us. There aren't many people who would do that."

From someone so high up in the church it was a rare act but those who know him well say it's typical of Bergoglio.

Softly spoken Father Gustav Carrara, who runs the project, said: "In some places this might be unusual but we became used to the Cardinal doing these things - we came to see them as natural."

The recovering addicts finish lunch and then form a circle for their group therapy session.The big problem drug here is known as "paco" - a cocaine residue that's cheap and highly addictive.

These are some of the city's most vulnerable people, but despite Bergoglio's powerful new position they still relate to him as a friend.

The Pope speaks to villa residents last year

It's not just about curbing drug addition. Upstairs is a training centre where skills, such as woodwork and sewing are learnt with a view to rebuilding lives.

Arturo Lopez is in his fifties and it's obvious how much pride he takes in passing on his carpentry skills to young people at the centre.

Throughout this place there's a pervading and genuine admiration for the man who is now Pope Francis.

Arturo said: "I've known him for many years. He's had a big impact here and has given us the opportunity to help all these youngsters."

Bergoglio's appointment as pope may not change the fact that these people still face a tough future. But having a powerful new global voice to vouch for Catriel and others like him certainly offers some hope.

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Pregnant Lacrosse Coach Killed In Bus Crash

A lacrosse coach who was six months pregnant has been killed in a crash in Pennysylvania after her team bus veered off the road and hit a tree.

Katrina Quigley, 30, and her unborn child were both killed in the accident as well as the bus driver.

The Seton Hill University team players and coaches were among 23 people on the bus when it veered off the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Ms Quigley, from Greensburg, was flown to a hospital but died of her injuries. Authorities said her unborn child also did not survive.

The bus driver, Anthony Guaetta, 61, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, died at the scene.

Workers from the Coroners' Office examine the wreckage

The collision appeared to have shorn away the front left side of the bus, which rested upright about 70 yards (65m) from the road at the bottom of a grassy slope.

No other vehicle was involved and the cause was not immediately clear to detectives.

The team was heading to an afternoon game at Millersville University, around 50 miles from the crash site in central Pennsylvania.

Saturday's game and a Sunday home game were cancelled after the crash, which is now being investigated by police.

Seton Hill, a Catholic school of about 2,500 students near Pittsburgh, said a memorial Mass was planned for Sunday night on campus.

Ms Quigley, a native of Baltimore, was married and had a young son, according to the school.

Duquesne University women's lacrosse coach Mike Scerbo remembered her as a warm, outgoing person who immediately impressed him when he hired her to be an assistant during the 2008 season.

Ms Quigley spent just one season under Scerbo before moving to South Carolina to coach Erskine College's lacrosse team.

She spent three years at Erskine before taking the top job at Seton Hill for the 2012 season.

Bus operator, Mlaker Charter & Tours, of Davidsville, Pennsylvania, was up-to-date on its inspections, said Jennifer Kocher, a spokeswoman for the state Public Utility Commission, which regulates bus companies.

This included bus and driver safety checks.

The agency's motor safety inspectors could think of no accidents or violations involving the company that would raise a red flag, she said, though complete safety records were not available on Saturday.

On Tuesday, another bus carrying college lacrosse players from a Vermont team was hit by a sports car that spun out of control on a wet highway in upstate New York, sending the bus toppling onto its side, police said. One person in the car died.

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Father And Son Die Hiking In The Alps

A British father and his 12-year-old son who went missing while hiking in the Alps have been found dead.

Rescue services in Chamonix were called by the 48-year-old man at 2pm local time on Saturday.

He apparently said his son had fallen into a crevasse near Mont Blanc and that they were lost.

Captain Patrice Ribes, a French police officer, told Sky News that emergency services tried to trace the mobile phone call and launched a rescue mission.

But the rescuers lost contact and had to launch their search with little information about the pair's location.

A helicopter eventually spotted their bodies on Sunday morning at an altitude of 1,600m.

Capt Ribes said: "We think the father tried to find his son after he called us and asked for rescue. We believe he fell as he tried to find his son. Their bodies were found together this morning at 7.40am."

The father and son, who have not yet been named, had ventured into the Glacier des Bossons area of the Mont Blanc mountain range.

Capt Ribes said they had inadequate equipment and were exploring a "dangerous, deep, snowy" mountain trail.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are urgently looking into reports that two British nationals have been found dead in the French Alps."

Richard Mansfield, a mountain guide who has worked in the area for 20 years and lives near the Bossons glacier, said: "I don't know exactly where the accident happened but all the trails on the north side of the valley are covered in snow at the moment.

"The footpaths usually don't get that many people out at this time of year because they are much more difficult to navigate, although yesterday was a beautiful sunny day."

Mr Mansfield described a "number of footpaths which weave in and out of indentures in the mountainside" and this "is where they may have slipped off".

The valley, which boasts five ski resorts, receives a lot of British tourists throughout the year, with many owning holiday homes in the area.

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Pope Francis Ad Libs During His First Angelus

Pope Francis has broken with tradition while delivering the first Angelus of his papacy.

As he made his first Sunday window appearance from the balcony of a papal apartment high above St Peter's Square, he delivered off-the-cuff remarks about God's power to forgive instead of reading from a written speech.

And the 100,000-strong crowd gathered down below roared with delight.

Dozens of flags from his native Argentina were waving in the packed piazza as the former Buenos Aires archbishop began his first Angelus.

Tens of thousands packed into St Peter's Square for the Angelus

"Thank you for your welcome, and for your prayers," said the first pope from Latin America. "Pray for me," he added.

The occasion is traditionally used to comment on international issues, but Francis instead used the moment to emphasise his Italian roots.

The former cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, whose parents hailed from Italy's northwestern Piedmont region, said he chose to name himself after St Francis of Assisi because of his "spiritual ties with this land".

Flags from other Latin American nations including Colombia, Peru, Paraguay and Mexico, could also be seen in the crowd.

Pope Francis greeting crowds earlier on Sunday

One banner read: "Francis, You Are the Springtime of the Church", reflecting a groundswell of hope that the choice of a humble outsider has inspired in many Catholics weary of Vatican scandal and dysfunction.

Gabriel Solis, 33, an Argentine pilgrim, said: "He will bring much peace because he seems more humble, more spontaneous. He seems closer to the people. We didn't feel that with the pope we had before."

Earlier on Sunday, Francis made an impromptu appearance to the public from a side gate of the Vatican before celebrating Mass.

Dressed only in a white cassock, he waved to the crowd in the street outside St Anna's Gate before entering the church.

The Pope conducts a mass in Santa Anna church inside the Vatican

The Pope took the opportunity to shake hands with well-wishers, and kissed their babies, plunging into crowds pushing against barricades as security men and Swiss Guards stood nervously by.

Chanting "Viva Il Papa" and calling his names, the faithful jostled to greet the new pontiff, who has projected a common touch by breaking with many formal traditions since his surprise election to lead the world's 1.2bn Catholics on Wednesday.

Francis then went over to the chief of his security detail and appeared to indicate he wanted to greet two priests in the crowd, who approached and embraced him.

One said: "I think he is very different to what we are accustomed to. He has a different style, he is from the south. More natural. He is not so Vatican."

He shakes hands with well-wishers leaving the church

Some young American tourists said: "This is history in the making. It's great to be part of it and really exciting for us."

Soon after the Angelus, Francis sent his first tweet. It read: "Dear Friends I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me."

The 76-year-old has displayed an informal style that contrasts sharply with that of his more academic predecessor Benedict XVI.

Hours after his appointment, he shunned the papal limousine for a shuttle bus with other cardinals to return to a residence inside the Vatican for a formal supper.

He also showed his humorous side during the meal. As Francis toasted the cardinals, he said to them: "May God forgive you." It brought the house down, according to US cardinal Timothy Dolan

The first tweet from the new pope

The official car was dropped again on his first full day in office when he slipped out the Vatican for private morning prayers at Santa Maria Maggiore. The priest at the ancient Rome basilica was given just 10 minutes' notice of his arrival.

On leaving the place of worship, he insisted on settling his bill at the hotel he stayed in before the start of last week's conclave.

Pope Francis has a busy week ahead. On Monday, he will meet the President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, one of the many world leaders who are flying into Rome for the Pontiff's Inaugural Mass on Tuesday.

On Wednesday and Thursday, he holds meetings at the Vatican, and then on Saturday he will fly by helicopter to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo on the outskirts of Rome for an unprecedented meeting with Benedict who resigned last month.

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Ohio Rape: High School Players Found Guilty

Two Ohio high school football players have been found guilty of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl in a case that roiled a small city and stirred reaction from activists online.

Judge Thomas Lipps ruled on Sunday in a juvenile court that Steubenville High School students Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond were guilty of attacking the girl after an alcohol-fuelled party last August.

The judge sentenced Mays, 17, and the 16-year-old Richmond to at least one year in juvenile jail and said both can be held until they are 21.

The case rocked the small Ohio community

Mays was sentenced to an additional year behind bars on a charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, to be served after his rape sentence is completed.

Both have been ordered to avoid contact with the victim until they are 21.

The two were accused of assaulting the West Virginia girl, first in a car and then in a house.

Prosecutors had said the drunken girl was taken advantage of and treated like a toy, but defence attorneys countered that she has a history of heavy drinking and telling lies.

The case gained international attention after photos of the alleged victim and postings about the attack were circulated on the internet.

Online activists publicised tweets and other social media postings made the night of the alleged rape, including a 12-minute video where one student joked about the alleged attack and others also comment.

In sentencing the boys, Judge Lipps urged everyone who had witnessed what happened in the case, including parents, "to have discussions about how you talk to your friends, how you record things on the social media so prevalent today and how you conduct yourself when drinking is put upon you by your friends".

The case divided the community amid allegations that more students should have been charged and led to questions about the influence of the football team, a local source of a pride.

Ohio's attorney general announced following the verdict that a grand jury would be convened to determine whether additional crimes had been committed.

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Five Arrested Over Tourist Gang Rape In India

Five villagers in India have confessed to the gang rape of a Swiss tourist, according to police.

The woman was on a cycling holiday with her husband in the impoverished state of Madhya Pradesh state when they were attacked.

The five men were all arrested after they admitted to the crime.

Senior police officer D K Arya said detectives were searching for two more men involved in the attack.

The couple told police that the woman had been raped by seven or eight men, but that it was dark and they could not be sure of the exact number, Mr Arya said.

The alleged rapists live in a village near the forested area where the couple had stopped to camp for the night.

They were en route to the popular tourist destination of Agra in northern India.

"They were passing by, noticed the couple putting up their tent and saw an opportunity to attack and rape the woman,"  local police official M S Dhodee said.

It is believed the man was beaten and tied to a tree while his wife was sexually assaulted.

The woman, who is thought to be around 39, was treated in hospital but released on Saturday.

The Swiss embassy said it was in touch with local authorities in Madhya Pradesh and has urged a "swift investigation and for justice to be done".

The attack comes just a few days after the man accused of leading the fatal gang rape of a student on a New Delhi bus was found hanged in his prison cell.

Police say Ram Singh took his own life in the high-security Tihar jail, where he had been on suicide watch in an isolated cell.

The case made headlines around the world and raised the issue of sexual violence against women in India.

The student's internal injuries were so horrific she died two weeks later in a hospital in Singapore despite surgery to try to save her.

Four other men and a juvenile are on trial for that attack.

One woman is raped every 20 minutes in India, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

But police estimate only four out of 10 rapes are reported, largely due to victims' fear of being shamed by their families and communities.

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Sarai Sierra: Police Arrest Suspect In Turkey

Turkish police have detained a man wanted for the killing of a New York City woman in Istanbul, an official said.

The suspect, identified by authorities only as Ziya T, had been on the run since the body of Sarai Sierra was discovered last month.

Authorities said Ms Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, died of a fatal blow to the head.

She had travelled alone to Turkey to explore her photography hobby. 

Her body was found hidden near the city walls on February 12, days after her family reported her missing.

Governor Celalettin Lekesiz said the suspect was detained in Hatay province, near Turkey's border with Syria. 

He gave no further detail about the arrest or the man's identity.

Turkish news reports have described the suspect as a homeless scrap paper collector who used to hang around Istanbul's ancient city walls.

The man was expected to be taken to Istanbul for questioning and to face possible formal arrest and charges.

Reports said police identified Ziya T as the main suspect in the case after DNA samples taken from his two brothers and a sister matched those found beneath Sierra's nails.

Police would not confirm these reports, saying the investigation is ongoing.

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Cyprus Postpones Vote On Savings Raid Bailout

Cyprus has delayed a vote on whether savers will have to pay a levy on their bank deposits as part of an EU bailout.

The island's parliament had been due to decide whether to back the radical move later on Sunday but has pushed back the vote until Monday.

The delay came as Britain promised any UK government and military personnel would be compensated if their personal accounts were hit.

Chancellor George Osborne told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "People who are doing their duty for our country in Cyprus will be protected from this Cypriot bank tax."

Around 3,500 British military personnel are based in Cyprus.

George Osborne promises British troops will be protected

But there are tens of thousands more British residents in the country who do not fall into that category and will end up out of pocket.

Under the terms of the 10bn euro (£8.6bn) bailout by the eurozone, savers in Cyprus have to hand over up to 10% of their deposits.

The one-off levy has sparked anger in the eastern Mediterranean island, with queues at cash machines battling to withdraw their money.

Electronic transfers were blocked and the country's cooperative banks had to shut their doors after seeing a rush of savers keen to protect their money.

Christos Demetriades, 58, who was outside a shut Nicosia co-operative bank branch, said: "Politicians and senior bank bosses have covered each other's backs for years, now it's ordinary people who are paying the price and are being punished."

One disgruntled customer at a branch in the southern coastal town of Limassol briefly parked his tractor in front of its shut doors in a show of frustration.

The move marks the first time the 17 eurozone countries and the IMF have dipped into people's savings to finance a bailout.

An informal meeting earlier this morning for parties in the 56-member chamber to discuss the bank levy was also postponed by newly-elected Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.

He has said refusing the bailout would lead to the collapse of the island's two largest banks, badly burnt by their exposure to bailed out neighbour Greece.

Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades with Angela Merkel in Brussels

The tax on deposits in Cyprus, which accounts for only 0.2% of the eurozone's economy, is expected to raise up to 6bn euros (£5bn).

Those affected will include rich Russians with deposits in Cyprus and Europeans who have retired to the island as well as Cypriots themselves.

The size of foreign deposits in Cyprus - estimated at 37% of the total - was one reason the eurozone agreed to the tax on savings, to take effect when banks reopen on Tuesday.

It will apply to all deposits held in banks within Cyprus, including an estimated 2bn euros (£1.75bn) of British money, according to the European Central Bank.

It will not affect deposits held in the UK branches of Cypriot banks, such as Bank of Cyprus, whose UK subsidiary is regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

However, Laiki Bank UK said on its website: "Your eligible deposits with Laiki Bank UK are protected up to a total of 100,000 euro (£87.000) by the Cyprus Deposit Protection Scheme and are not protected by the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

"Any deposits you hold above the 100,000 euro limit are not covered."

Cyprus was badly hit by the Greek financial crisis because of its close links to the country.

Its two largest banks saw combined losses of 4.5bn euros (£3.8bn) - equal to a quarter of the island's gross domestic product.

The rescue package was agreed after 10 hours of talks in Brussels and was significantly less than the 17bn euros (£14.7bn) asked for.

As part of the deal, the government will also have to hike corporate tax to 12.5% from 10% and sell off state assets to help balance the public finances.

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