Indian stabbed to death in Russia

Nitesh Kumar Singh was stabbed several times

An Indian student has been killed in the Russian city of St Petersburg, in what police say may have been a racially-motivated attack.

The 27-year-old medical student - named as Nitesh Kumar Singh - was stabbed to death outside the hostel where he lived on Sunday evening.

It is the latest in a series of attacks against foreigners in Russia's second biggest city in recent years.

Racist violence in Russia is seen as a growing problem by human rights groups.

The sixth-year student from St Petersburg's Mechnikov Medical Academy was stabbed several times by unknown attackers.

His fellow students called an ambulance, but he died in hospital without regaining consciousness.

Police are keeping an open mind as to the motive for the murder, but they have not ruled out that this was a racially-motivated attack.

In April, a Senegalese man was shot dead on his way home from a night club - apparently because of the colour of his skin.

In March, a nine-year-old girl of mixed Russian and Malian parentage was seriously injured in a stabbing attack in the city.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered police to tackle the growing problem in his home city.

But foreign students say they feel that not enough is being done to protect them.