Rolf Harris has been sentenced to five years and 9 months in jail for 12 assaults against four girls.
Rolf Harris, 84, who was found guilty of offences that took place between 1968 and 1986, was told by the judge he had “no-one to blame but himself”.
The judge said Rolf Harris had taken advantage of his celebrity status and had shown “no remorse”.
One victim said the abuse had taken away her “childhood innocence”.
Rolf Harris’s sentence of five years and nine months has already been referred to the Attorney General’s Office under the “unduly lenient sentence scheme”.
Rolf Harris has been sentenced to five years and 9 months in jail for 12 assaults against four girls (photo AP)
A spokesman for the office said it “only takes one person to trigger the process”, and the sentence must be considered within 28 days for possible referral to the Court of Appeal.
The judge said Rolf Harris had “clearly got a thrill from committing some of these offences” against the four girls, one of whom who was just seven or eight.
The other victims were two young teenagers and a childhood friend of Rolf Harris’s daughter Bindi, whom he abused between the ages of 13 and 19.
The judge said the assaults resulted in her suffering panic attacks, anxiety and led to her becoming an alcoholic, saying she had “suffered severe psychological harm”.
Speaking after sentencing, she said the jail term was “immaterial”.
“I feel fine, I think the guilty verdict was actually what I wanted, what I went to court for,” she said.
She added: “I do hope that women will come forward now, celebrity or not.”
Rolf Harris is likely to serve half the sentence in prison and was told he would not have to pay compensation to his victims. However, the judge said he could have to pay the costs of the prosecution.
Two of Rolf Harris’s victims were in court for the sentencing, which saw members of the press and public fill the public gallery and watch from an overspill court via a video feed.
According to a recent Quinnipiac University survey, 44% of Americans think the US “would be better off than it is today” if Mitt Romney were president today, versus 38% who say the nation would be in worse shape.
Mitt Romney has denied any interest in another campaign
These numbers have stoked speculation on whether Mitt Romney could be considering another try for the presidency in 2016.
It would be an unusual move, as most defeated candidates in the general election tend to disappear from the national political scene – or at least give up on their presidential aspirations.
The exact number of people who now own an iPhone or iPad is unknown but you would expect it to be a pretty hefty proportion of the population. The truth of the matter is that people quite simply love Apple products.
Going hand in hand with the rise of iPhones and iPads has been the rise of new, unique, app based companies and the rise in other traditional businesses changing their business plan. Here are some existing and new businesses that, in economic terms, have been the genuine free riders of the Apple revolution.
The betting industry
Going hand in hand with the advancement of smart phones has been the rise of mobile gambling. Ten years ago the idea of betting from your phone would have seemed utopian. The idea of being able to bet on your phone, in-play, has become ever more prevalent in recent years with numerous companies allowing for instantaneous gambling from anywhere with a signal. While that is impressive, the fact that some apps, such as the Unibet iPhone app, allow one to watch upwards of 10,000 sporting events is simply incredible. Credit the gambling industry: they modernised fast and they modernised well whilst other sectors of the economy missed the boat.
Twitter
Twitter has grown into a $24billion company since being founded in 2006. The first iPhone was released in 2007. In direct correlation to the iPhone sales were the active Twitter users. They currently have 255 million active users, of which, 78% use Twitter via the medium of mobile. Simply without iPhone and then Android, Twitter would have been dead in the water. Have you tried Twitter solely on your laptop? You won’t find it overly impressive. It’s not just Twitter though; Instagram was bought by Facebook for $1billion, whilst the founder of Snapchat turned down a $3billion offer from Facebook and a $4billion offer from Google. It is startling that the advent of one phone can create so much wealth.
The Game Industry
The beauty of the game industry and the rise of the iPhone, and more so the iPad, is that the manufacturers who had hegemony of the video game market had no foothold whatsoever in the App store. This meant that for a long time the market was near perfect in terms of wide-ranging competition. Small games flourished: Angry Birds has sold over two billion copies which is stupefying, 2013 game Flappy Birds caused a pandemic when the developer pulled it from the App store (phones with the game preinstalled were attracting bids of $90,000 on EBay). Has the iPhone and iPad saved the gaming industry? No, but they have certainly bolstered it.
When you sit back and think of all the companies that have grown rich through Apple, Android and the internet you start to see that this is the technological revolution, and it is only going to get better.
Lindsay Lohan has decided to sue the makers of Grand Theft Auto as the latest installment of the game, GTA 5, used her image to create a character based on her without her permission.
Lindsay Lohan’s lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in a court in New York.
Game makers Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. and Rockstar Games have released the game in September.
The GTA 5 became the fastest-selling entertainment product ever, taking three days to generate $1 billion in revenue.
Lindsay Lohan’s case claims GTA 5’s Lacey Jonas character is an unequivocal reference to her
Lindsay Lohan’s case claims a character named Lacey Jonas is an “unequivocal” reference to the Mean Girls star.
The actress claims image, voice and styles from her clothing line are depicted in the game.
The suit also claims that the game features West Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont hotel, where Lindsay Lohan, 28, used to live.
In addition, the character asks for help to avoid paparazzi photographers during the story mode of the game.
GTA V, which is set in “a satirical reimagining of modern Southern California”, is the first game in the series that allows players to jump in and out of the lives of three simultaneously playable lead characters.
The picture of Bethany Townsend, who suffers from Crohn’s disease and posed in a bikini, revealing her colostomy bags, went viral being seen by more than nine million people on Facebook.
Bethany Townsend suffers from Crohn’s disease
Bethany Townsend, 23, from Worcester, England, posted the picture of herself on holiday in Mexico in December. She had decided to wear a bikini and not cover up her bags.
According to a US study, more than 99% of drug trials for Alzheimer’s disease during the past decade have failed.
There is an urgent need to increase the number of potential therapies being investigated, say US scientists.
More than 99 percent of drug trials for Alzheimer’s disease during the past decade have failed
Only one new medicine has been approved since 2004, they report in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.
Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in Las Vegas, and colleagues, examined a public website that records clinical trials.
Between 2002 and 2012, they found 99.6% of trials of drugs aimed at preventing, curing or improving the symptoms of Alzheimer’s had failed or been discontinued.
This compares with a failure rate of 81% for cancer drugs.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.
Entertainer Rolf Harris is due to be sentenced for assaulting four girls in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Rolf Harris, 84, was found guilty of all the 12 charges he faced after an eight-week trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court.
One of the girls was a childhood friend of his daughter, whom he repeatedly assaulted from when she was 13.
The judge had previously warned Rolf Harris that he was facing jail.
Rolf Harris is due to be sentenced for assaulting four girls in the 1960s, 70s and 80s
The trial, which ended on Monday, had heard how Rolf Harris used his “status and position” to abuse his victims and that the former television presenter had a dark side to his personality.
The central allegation concerned Rolf Harris’s daughter’s friend, whom the court heard he had molested from the age of 13 until she was 19.
An Australian woman Tonya Lee – who has waived her legal right to anonymity – said he had abused her three times on one day while she was on a theatre group trip to the UK at the age of 15.
Six women also told the court about assaults Rolf Harris had carried out against them in Australia, New Zealand and Malta. He could not be prosecuted over these incidents in a British court but the evidence was introduced as an added illustration of his behavior.
Rolf Harris, from Bray, Berkshire, was first questioned in November 2012 in Scotland Yard’s Operation Yewtree investigation set up in the wake of revelations about abuse committed by BBC presenter Jimmy Savile.
Lawyers for Rolf Harris wrote to media organizations at the time warning them against naming the entertainer and threatening libel action.
When Rolf Harris was arrested again in March 2013 the police did not name him and the entertainer was not identified in the mainstream media until a few weeks later.
It wouldn’t be the Fourth of July in NYC without the annual Macy’s fireworks show, which made its debut in 1976 to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial.
The iconic display will return to the East River this year; fireworks will be set off from the Brooklyn Bridge and from barges in the water below.
The best viewing spots will be from Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and along the east side of Lower Manhattan.
If you plan on heading to where the action is, arrive by 5 PM to snag a good spot (the light show starts at 9 PM).
It wouldn’t be the Fourth of July in NYC without the annual Macy’s fireworks show
Fifty thousands of pounds of fireworks will go off in time to music.
The highlight of the spectacular 25-minute show is a flag made out of fireworks that will burst in the sky while the national anthem is performed.
The musical score accompanying the display also includes the Military Salute and Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Celebrities bringing some extra sparkle to the show include Enrique Iglesias, Ariana Grande, Miranda Lambert and Lionel Richie.
The live stream is being hosted by America’s Got Talent‘s Nick Cannon and gets underway at 5 PM ET/PT.
That gives plenty of time for those not able to make it in person to get warmed up ahead of the fireworks display kicking off at will be set off from the Brooklyn Bridge and barges on the East River.
Beginning at 8 PM ET/PT or 7 PM CT/MT, the fireworks display will start in earnest at 9 PM.
For those who are lucky enough to go see it in NYC, there will be elevated viewing platforms on portions of FDR Drive.
“We are thrilled to be working with our partners in the City of New York to have the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge as our canvas and stunning backdrop for this year’s bigger-than-life display,” said Amy Kule, Executive Producer of Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, according to CBS New York.
Hurricane Arthur has made landfall in North Carolina, as thousands abandon their Fourth of July holiday plans.
Packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, Hurricane Arthur made its landfall on the Eastern Seaboard late Thursday, after prompting thousands of residents and vacationers to flee the coastline in anticipation.
The first hurricane of the season, now a Category 2 storm, reached land between Cape Lookout and Beaufort at 23.15 local time, the US National Hurricane Center said.
At 2 a.m., the eye of the storm was moving up the west side of the Pamlico Sound.
Hurricane warnings were in place Thursday evening along the North Carolina coast up to the Virginia border, and tropical storm warnings were issued as far north as Nantucket Island and Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Arthur is expected to bring dangerous surf and rip currents, torrential rain and power outages and extensive flooding in the Outer Banks.
Packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, Hurricane Arthur made its landfall on the Eastern Seaboard late Thursday
Strong winds had already caused thousands of outages Thursday evening in North Carolina, where Beaufort and Dare counties had mandatory evacuation orders in place.
But many were staying put and didn’t think the threat was a serious one.
Emergency officials warned that vacationers could become trapped by rising water if they don’t pay attention to warnings.
In Virginia, beachfront communities scrambled to prepare for the storm, as Arthur’s path moved westward. Virginia Beach and Chesapeake are the areas expected to be hit hardest, but no hurricane watches or warnings were issued in the state.
Late Friday or early Saturday, Hurricane Arthur is expected to make its closest approach to Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Island.
But even those areas not affected by the hurricane’s strong winds and heavy rain may still be under rip current alerts, which have been issued all along the Eastern Seaboard, from Maine to Florida. Rip currents, which pull swimmers away from the shore, are responsible for 80% of surf rescues.
Hurricane Arthur put a damper on Fourth of July celebrations even before making landfall. Boston moved its holiday Pops concert to Thursday. Atlantic City, New Jersey, rescheduled its fireworks display for Sunday. Coastline cities in North Carolina, such as Surf City and Nags Head, either canceled or postponed their scheduled events.
Fireworks displays were also moved to the weekend in Ocean City, Maryland, and Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Thursday night’s Philadelphia concert was moved indoors, while Macy’s annual fireworks display in New York City is scheduled to take place July 4.
Drake has announced he will no longer be performing in the headline slot at this year’s Wireless Festival over the weekend.
The Canadian musician said he had to drop out because he “got sick a few days ago” and doctors have said he is not “physically fit to fly or deliver the performance my fans expect”.
He was due to play gigs in both London and Birmingham.
Kanye West, the other headline act at Wireless Festival, will now headline two nights in London.
In a statement, Drake said: “To my beloved fans, it truly breaks my heart that I won’t be able to perform as planned at Wireless and Roskilde this weekend.
Drake will no longer be performing in the headline slot at this year’s Wireless Festival (photo Getty Images)
“I got sick a few days ago and although I am on my way to bouncing back, my doctors have made it clear that I am not physically fit to fly or deliver the performance my fans expect and deserve from me.
“I will be focused on resting for a quick recovery.
“I have the best fans in the world and I can’t wait to come back to make more incredible memories together.”
Organizers have confirmed that all three days of Wireless Festival will go ahead as planned in both London and Birmingham.
They said Rudimental would play an extended set on July 4 in Birmingham to compensate for Drake’s absence.
The group will also be joined by “an array of very special guests” who are yet to be announced.
Ticket holders attending the show on Friday in Birmingham will also receive £20 ($32) of “Wireless Credit” upon arrival at the site. This will be redeemable anywhere on site including food, beverages, merchandise and funfair.
Refunds will be available from point of purchase before the event but will not be available at the event, organizers confirmed.
It has moved from the Olympic Park in east London, where it took place last year.
It is based at Finsbury Park in London and Perry Park in Birmingham and this weekend is also the festival’s 10th anniversary.
Other acts performing include Pharrell Williams, Outkast, Tinie Tempah, Basement Jaxx, Ellie Goulding, Wiz Khalifa, Azealia Banks, Robin Thicke, Clean Bandit, Rudimental, John Newman and Angel Haze.
Shakira will perform at this year’s World Cup closing ceremony, which takes place before the final in Rio de Janeiro on July 13.
The 37-year-old singer will perform La La La (Brazil 2014) at the Maracana stadium.
It is Shakira’s third consecutive appearance at a World Cup closing ceremony, after performing in South Africa in 2010 and in Germany in 2006.
Shakira will perform at this year’s World Cup closing ceremony on the Maracana stadium
Shakira, whose home team Colombia will face Brazil in the quarter-finals, said she was “thrilled” to be performing.
“I have an intricate relationship with football for obvious reasons, and I truly understand what the World Cup means to so many people, myself included,” the singer said in a statement.
“The fans have shown the most incredible support for this song and I can’t wait to perform it for them.”
Shakira had a son with Spanish defender Gerard Pique last year.
She also performed the official song of the 2010 World Cup – Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) – which is reportedly the biggest-selling World Cup song of all time.
The Brazil ceremony, which marks the end of a month of football, will also see Carlos Santana and hip-hop star Wyclef Jean perform the official anthem Dar Um Jeito alongside Brazil’s Alexandre Pires.
Ivete Sangalo will perform a medley of well-known Brazilian songs, while there will be a Samba performance by students from a school in Rio.
Allegations that GSK systematically bribed doctors in China are credible, says Peter Humphrey, an investigator hired by the pharmaceutical giant.
Peter Humphrey was hired only to investigate who was behind a suspected smear campaign against GSK.
After he finished his report, the investigator learned the details of further allegations against the company and told colleagues he believed they were true.
The allegations against GSK’s China operation first emerged in an email in January 2013 from an anonymous and self-styled whistleblower to the company.
The email alleges that GSK’s sales teams targeted influential doctors with expensive gifts and cash to win business.
Four senior executives and the former head of GSK China have been detained by Chinese police
It also alleges that some doctors were sent on all expenses-paid holidays masquerading as conferences. The payments were funneled as fictional expenses through a travel agent.
Peter Humphrey’s company, ChinaWhys, was hired to try to indentify who the anonymous whistleblower was. GSK China suspected a former senior staff member, Vivian Shi Wen, who was dismissed at the end of 2012.
Vivian Shi Wen has previously denied being the GSK whistleblower.
Since the case came to light, four senior GSK executives have been detained by Chinese police and the former head of GSK China, Mark Reilly, is also effectively detained. Peter Humphrey will stand trial later this year for illegally buying and selling private information.
What is notable about the documents is not just the scale of the allegations against the company, but also the detail within them. The whistleblower’s email alleges that the company’s aggressive marketing strategies “constitute bribery in the vast majority of cases”. It further alleges:
GSK falsified its records to conceal illegal practices including bribery and promoting the use of drugs for not yet approved purposes
The practice of giving cash to doctors to sell products was common
GSK fabricated an internal “compliance” scheme which effectively covered up widespread corruption
GSK failed to investigate its entire sales team
The email names specific doctors and hospitals and also quotes individual GSK executives and their private email accounts.
GSK said in a statement that its own investigation had not found evidence to back the claims in the email.
“Our China business is now subject to an ongoing investigation by the Chinese authorities with which we are fully cooperating. We have also hired an external law firm, Ropes and Gray, to conduct an independent review into what happened in our China business during this period,” the statement said.
Bribery is widely believed to be endemic in China’s pharmaceutical sector, which has witnessed explosive growth in recent years.
While GSK has accepted that individual employees in China may have behaved inappropriately in China, it has consistently denied they acted on instructions of the company. If the company were found to be liable, it could face enormous fines from UK and US authorities who have fierce anti-bribery regulations.
Ukraine’s newly appointed Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey has promised that the army would retake Crimea, restoring the country’s territorial integrity.
Addressing parliament in Kiev, Valeriy Heletey said: “There will be a victory parade… in Ukraine’s Sevastopol.”
Russia annexed Crimea – which has a Russian-speaking majority – in March after a controversial referendum.
In eastern Ukraine, a government offensive against pro-Russian separatists is continuing.
Lt. Gen. Valeriy Heletey was approved by Ukraine’s parliament as new defense minister after being recommended by President Petro Poroshenko
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conference call to use his influence to put pressure on the rebels in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Vladimir Putin said he was “deeply concerned about the rise in deaths among the civilian population and sharp increase in refugees” entering Russia from south-eastern Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
All three leaders agreed that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) should play a more active part in monitoring the situation in the conflict zone.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko later said he was ready to return to a ceasefire provided it was observed by both sides, all hostages were freed and borders secured by government forces.
His statement came after he spoke on the phone with US Vice-President Joe Biden. Petro Poroshenko called off a unilateral truce on June 30, accusing the rebels of staging deadly attacks on Ukrainian government troops.
Lt. Gen. Valeriy Heletey, 46, was approved by Ukraine’s parliament after being recommended by Petro Poroshenko as someone who would work day and night to restore the military capability of the country’s armed forces.
His remark about Sevastopol was applauded by the chamber.
The status of Sevastopol, home port of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet for centuries, was disputed by Russia long before it annexed Crimea.
A new chief of the general staff, Viktor Muzhenko, was also appointed on Thursday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has hit 17,000 for the first time.
On July 3, investors pushed shares higher after a better-than-expected jobs report showed the US economy added 288,000 jobs in June.
Overall, low interest rates have led investors to pour money into stocks in an effort to make a profit.
That has pushed US indexes – including the S&P 500 – to new highs in 2014.
On Wednesday, the Dow closed at its 13th record high for the year, and the S&P 500 hit its 24th closing high for 2014.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has hit 17,000 for the first time
A string of positive economic news combined with increasing merger and acquisition activity has buoyed investor confidence on Wall Street.
Thursday’s positive jobs figure capped a week of good reports globally, including news that China’s manufacturing activity hit a six-month high in June.
Overall, investors have been pouring money into stocks over the past year and a half, partially as a result of the policies of the Federal Reserve.
The Fed has taken extraordinary measures to keep interest rates low in an effort to encourage banks to lend and thus stimulate economic growth.
Low interest rates, however, have also meant that firms are less inclined to keep extra cash on hand where it is not earning money.
That has spurred increased merger and acquisition activity, with companies in the pharmaceutical, food processing, and technology industries all announcing strings of acquisitions in recent weeks.
Some have worried that in keeping rates so low, the Fed is encouraging a bubble in the stock market.
However, on Wednesday, Fed chair Janet Yellen said in a speech in front of the International Monetary Fund that the central bank would not raise rates in an effort to deter financial excesses.
Germany has approved its first minimum wage, in a vote in the Bundestag on Thursday.
The wage will be set at 8.50 euros ($11.50) per hour, which is higher than the equivalent in the US and UK.
Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats approved the new policy as part of a power-sharing deal with the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Germany has previously relied on trade unions and business groups to fix minimum pay instead.
Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats approved the national minimum wage as part of a power-sharing deal with the Social Democratic Party
At the moment, Germany is one of seven in the 28-nation EU without a minimum wage level.
The minimum wage has been the subject of much controversy in Germany, with business leaders warning that it would result in fewer jobs, or force companies to move production facilities to other countries, where labor is cheaper.
Lobbyists have also claimed that the policy would make Germany less competitive.
However, others have been angered by concessionary measures, including a two-year grace period for some employers to phase in the policy.
Additionally, the wage does not cover minors, interns, trainees or long-term unemployed people for their first six months at work.
For the rest of Germany’s employers, the regulations will come into effect on January 1, 2015. The wage will be reviewed annually from January 1, 2018.
Regardless of the outcome of Thursday’s vote, the policy will still need to be passed by Germany’s upper house, the Bundesrat.
Other European countries have been adjusting their minimum wage policies.
In May, Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to introduce what would have been the highest minimum wage in the world, in a referendum.
Under the plan, employers would have had to pay workers a minimum 22 Swiss francs (about $25 or 18 euros) an hour.
According to latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US economy added 288,000 jobs in June 2014.
The unemployment rate dropped to 6.1%, its lowest level since September 2008.
That figure beat analysts’ expectations and is an encouraging sign after disappointing growth in the first quarter of 2014.
The strong report sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average above 17,000 for the first time as investors cheered the news.
The US economy added 288,000 jobs in June 2014
Economists blamed harsh winter weather for a 2.9% annualized decline in US economic output from January to March.
Jobs growth in professional and business services was particularly strong, with 67,000 jobs being created, followed by gains in the retail sector, which added 40,000 jobs.
Hourly wages – which is a measure watched closely by policy makers and has been recently highlight by Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen – rose 0.2% in June and have climbed 2.0% for the year.
“There really isn’t anything to be disappointed with,” wrote Jefferies bank economists in a note to clients, noting that manufacturing jobs growth was particularly strong.
“There was a 0.2% dip in the unemployment rate based on “good reasons” and household employment was up strongly,” they added.
One “good reason” was that unlike in past reports, where the unemployment rate has dipped primarily because many Americans had given up looking for work, the June decline seems to be mostly due to actual jobs growth.
The labor force participation rate remained steady at 62.8%, indicating that decline was not due to discouraged workers.
However, long-term unemployment remains an ongoing concern.
The number of US job-seekers who have been out of work for over 27 weeks decreased by 293,000 in June, to 3.1 million people – around a third of those who are out of work.
A video of Japanese politician Ryutaro Nonomura wailing and sobbing when quizzed by journalists about the public funds he spent for personal travel has gone viral.
Ryutaro Nonomura has yet to prove that he spent public funds legitimately
The politician has yet to prove that he spent public funds legitimately.
Ryutaro Nonomura burst into tears when he was asked to explain allegations that he had misused public money for personal travel.
President Barack Obama has praised the efforts of the US soccer team in the World Cup in a phone call to two of its star players.
President Barack Obama calling Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard in São Paulo
Despite the US being eliminated from Brazil’s tournament by Belgium, Barack Obama told goalkeeper Tim Howard and team captain Clint Dempsey they had made the nation proud.
“To see the way you guys captured the hearts and the imaginations of the whole country is unbelievable.”
Oscar Pistorius has been greatly affected by his disability, a sports doctor has told his murder trial.
Dr. Wayne Derman told the court in Pretoria that Oscar Pistorius suffered “significant stress and anxiety”.
Oscar Pistorius, 27, says he shot Reeva Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder in their house last year.
The prosecution argues that the Paralympic champion killed his girlfriend deliberately after a row.
At issue is Oscar Pistorius’ state of mind at the time of the shooting.
Oscar Pistorius has a lifetime vulnerability as a result of his disability
On Monday, the court heard he was not suffering from a mental disorder when he shot Reeva Steenkamp.
According to a psychiatrists’ report, Oscar Pistorius is capable of distinguishing between right and wrong and so should bear criminal responsibility for his actions.
The court also heard a psychologist’s assessment on Wednesday which found that Oscar Pistorius had PTSD since the shooting and could be a suicide risk.
It found he was mourning Reeva Steenkamp, a model and law graduate.
Oscar Pistorius’ lawyer, Barry Roux, has argued that his client would react more sharply to fear than an able-bodied person would because of the anxiety caused by his disability.
Wayne Derman, a professor of sports and exercise medicine at the University of Cape Town, was the final witness called by the defense.
Dr. Wayne Derman said Oscar Pistorius had had a “lifetime of real and learnt vulnerability” as a result of his disability. Disability, he said, had a “knock-on” effect through one’s entire life.
“Disability never sleeps.”
Oscar Pistorius, the professor added, also had a “profound fear of crime”.
The athlete, Wayne Derman said, had developed an “exaggerated fight response” and this was responsible for the “horrific tragedy” of Reeva Steenkamp’s death.
Oscar Pistorius says he fired multiple shots into a toilet cubicle where Reeva Steenkamp was, while in a state of panic.
The athlete and Reeva Steenkamp, 29, had been dating for about three months before the shooting.
Oscar Pistorius has often displayed his emotions during the trial, including breaking down in tears in court.
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) – India’s main stock market – has resumed trading after being disrupted due to a network outage.
Shares listed on the exchange, as well as its indices, stopped updating for nearly three hours on Thursday morning.
BSE has resumed trading after being disrupted due to a network outage (photo Wikimedia)
The main stock index, the Sensex, had risen in early trade before the outage.
The Sensex had risen to a fresh record high on Wednesday as investors hoped that the new government will announce economic reforms in its first budget.
India’s government is scheduled to present the budget on July 10.
Dipen Mehta, a member of the stock exchange, was quoted as saying by Indian news website Firstbiz that the decision to halt trading on Thursday morning was the right one.
“Otherwise it would create problems at the broker end,” Dipen Mehta said.
BSE suffered another technical glitch in June, which left real-time data feeds blank for nearly an hour and forced deals to be struck using prices from a rival exchange, traders said.
Palestinians are preparing to hold the funeral of Mohammed Abu Khdair, the 17-year-old boy abducted and murdered in Jerusalem.
The killing of Mohammed Abu Khdair on Wednesday was condemned by both Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
The murder sparked fierce clashes amid claims it was in revenge for the killing of three Israeli youths.
Israel carried out a series of air strikes on Gaza early on Thursday in response to Palestinian militants launching rockets at Israel.
The killing of Mohammed Abu Khdair was condemned by both Israeli and Palestinian leaders (photo Twitter)
Israeli officials said militants had fired dozens of mortars and rockets since Wednesday morning and two had struck houses, but no-one was injured.
“The Israeli Air Force attacked 15 terror sites in Gaza early Thursday morning,” an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official said.
“The targets included weapons manufacturing sites as well as training facilities,” the official added.
Mohammed Abu Khdair’s funeral will be held on Thursday following noon prayers at around 13:00 local time.
Correspondents say there are fears the funeral will be followed by more clashes like those which erupted outside the teenager’s home on Wednesday.
Protesters threw stones at officers, who responded by firing sound bombs, tear gas and rubber bullets.
The boy was seen being forced into a car in Shufat, East Jerusalem, early on Wednesday.
His body was later found, bearing the marks of violence, in West Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Jewish settlers of killing Mohammed Abu Khdair, calling for the “strongest punishment against the murderers”.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the murder was “despicable” and that he had ordered police to work “as quickly as possible to find out who was behind the heinous murder of the youth”.
China’s President Xi Jinping has arrived in South Korea for a two-day visit set to focus on North Korea.
It is the first time a Chinese leader has visited Seoul before Pyongyang, and comes amid cooler China-North Korea ties.
China is North Korea’s biggest trading ally and the nation most able to wield influence over it.
However, in recent months Beijing has appeared increasingly frustrated with its unreliable neighbor.
Xi Jinping and Park Geun-hye would fully exchange views on the nuclear issue and the stalled six-party talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions
Last year, North Korea carried out its third nuclear test and there are reports that it could be planning a fourth.
Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-hye are also expected to discuss growing economic ties, as the two nations work towards a free-trade agreement.
Wider strategic concerns are also in focus. Both China and South Korea are at odds with Japan over historical issues. But Seoul, like Tokyo, is a major US ally.
South East Asian nations that are, like Japan, involved in territorial disputes with Beijing are also moving closer to the US. So China will be keen to shore up ties with Seoul.
The Chinese president is said to enjoy a friendly relationship with ParkGeun-hye with whom he will hold talks.
The is the fifth summit between the two presidents since both took office. Park Geun-hye visited Beijing last year.
Xi Jinping’s visit comes a day after North Korea fired short-range rockets into the sea, the latest in a series of recent missile tests.
Ahead of the visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that pushing for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula remained Chinese policy.
Xi Jinping and Park Geun-hye would “fully exchange views” on the nuclear issue and the stalled six-party talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions, he said.
A key issue for China is to maintain stability in North Korea. It fears that regime collapse could propel a flood of refugees across its border and also lead to a unified Korea allied to the US.
While the Chinese media outlets have in recent months voiced growing concern over Pyongyang’s actions, Xi Jinping is unlikely to speak out strongly.
Japan has decided to ease some of the sanctions it has imposed on North Korea amid ongoing talks on abducted nationals, PM Shinzo Abe has announced.
Shinzo Abe gave no details of the sanctions to be lifted but said it was “just a start” on a road to “complete resolution” of the issue.
Japanese nationals were kidnapped by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s to train spies in language and culture.
North Korea says it has returned all those still alive. Japan disputes this.
The issue is highly emotive in Japan and has been a major, long-running point of contention between the two nations, which do not have diplomatic ties. Shinzo Abe has made the issue one of his key priorities.
The two sides agreed in May to reopen dialogue and have since held additional rounds of talks, the latest earlier this week in Beijing.
Megumi Yokota was kidnapped by North Korean agents on her way home from school in 1977 (photo AP)
Kyodo news agency, citing a government source, said that North Korea had agreed a member of its powerful National Defense Commission would sit on a special panel to re-examine the abduction cases.
Shinzo Abe said that an “unprecedented framework” that could “make decisions at a national level” had been set up in North Korea to lead the new investigation, and so Japan was responding.
“In accordance with the principle of action to action, we will lift part of the measures taken by Japan,” he said.
Japan has imposed its own sanctions on the North, which are separate from those imposed by the UN over its nuclear and missile tests.
These include remittance and travel bans, as well as denying North Korean ships entry into Japanese ports.
The Mangyongbong-92 ferry used to run regularly between Niigata in Japan and North Korea’s Wonsan, and was seen as a key link for the North. It is not yet clear whether a resumption of services is one of the areas being discussed.
North Korea has admitted kidnapping 13 Japanese nationals. It allowed five to return to Japan in 2002 and later released their children, but says the other eight died.
The most high-profile of the eight said to have died is Megumi Yokota, who was kidnapped by North Korean agents on her way home from school in 1977, when she was 13.
North Korea says she married a South Korean abductee and had a daughter before killing herself in 1994.
North Korea returned what it said were her remains in 2004 but DNA tests subsequently disputed that claim.
Japan also believes that several other of its nationals were abducted and wants more cases to be investigated.
It is not clear why North Korea has agreed to re-examine the issue now – and previous efforts at dialogue have ended in failure.
