South Africa

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Prosecution Will Seek Pistorius Murder Conviction

Judge allows appeal of verdict but not sentence

(Newser) - South African prosecutors can appeal Oscar Pistorius' acquittal on murder charges for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a judge ruled today. Judge Thokozile Masipa announced the ruling in a Pretoria court, saying she was satisfied that chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel had raised "questions of law" that should be reviewed by...

Brit Walks in Honeymoon Murder of His Wife

Shrien Dewani cleared of all charges in South Africa in 2010 death of Anni Dewani

(Newser) - A British man accused of killing his wife while they were on their honeymoon in Cape Town was acquitted of murder today after a South African judge concluded that the prosecution's case didn't have sufficient evidence. Shrien Dewani promptly descended stairs leading out of the courtroom following the...

Inside the Battle Over Girls, 4, Switched at Birth
Inside the Battle Over
Girls, 4, Switched at Birth
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nov 30, 2014 10:26 AM CST

Inside the Battle Over Girls, 4, Switched at Birth

In latest development, court-appointed expert says not to switch them back

(Newser) - On a day in 2010, two South African mothers each gave birth to a girl at a Johannesburg-area hospital—but they unknowingly took the other's child home after nurses mistakenly switched them. The error came to light last year, when one of the mothers sued her former partner for...

South Africa's Soccer Captain Shot Dead

Armed men broke into Senzo Meyiwa's home

(Newser) - The captain of South Africa's national soccer team was fatally shot when armed men broke into the house where he was staying last night, police say. Goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa was killed after two gunmen entered a house in Vosloorus township near Johannesburg while an accomplice waited outside, the national...

Reeva's Mom: Pistorius Never Slept With My Girl

June Steenkamp says daughter planned to leave him that night

(Newser) - Reeva Steenkamp's mother says the 29-year-old South African model "was scared to take the relationship to the next level" with Oscar Pistorius, so she never slept with the man who eventually killed her, the Sunday Times reports via the New York Daily News and the BBC . In the...

Pistorius Gets 5 Years
 Oscar Pistorius Gets 5 Years 
Oct 21, 2014 7:03 AM CDT

Oscar Pistorius Gets 5 Years

Judge hands down prison term for culpable homicide

(Newser) - Oscar Pistorius was sentenced today to five years in prison for killing Reeva Steenkamp by a South African judge who cited the "gross negligence" the runner showed when he shot his girlfriend multiple times through a toilet cubicle door in his home. Legal experts say Pistorius could be released...

Where Pistorius Will Go If He Goes to Jail

Double-amputee will do his time in hospital wing of 'tough' South African prison

(Newser) - During the fourth day of his sentencing hearing today, Oscar Pistorius heard more details about where he'll end up if he gets jail time for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp: the hospital section of "one of South Africa's toughest prisons," Reuters reports. Pretoria Central Prison—which has...

Next for 'Broken' Oscar Pistorius: Sentencing

Witnesses testify in latest hearings

(Newser) - Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of negligent killing—comparable to manslaughter, the New York Times notes—but the case isn't over: The next step is sentencing hearings, and they could last at least a week, the Times reports. With Pistorius facing anything from a fine to 15 years...

Millionaire Pleads Not Guilty in Murder of New Bride

Shrien Dewani's trial in 2010 killing starts in South Africa

(Newser) - Nearly four years after his wife was killed in an apparent carjacking during their South Africa honeymoon, Shrien Dewani today pleaded not guilty to arranging her murder. Prosecutors say the British millionaire hired hit men to kill his wife, Anni, in Cape Town in November 2010. The couple was in...

Obama Offers Rare Personal Toast on Africa

Speaks of family history at US-Africa Summit dinner

(Newser) - President Obama isn't known for getting particularly personal at the podium, Politico notes, but in a speech at the US-Africa Summit , he offered up his own story. "I stand before you as the president of the United States and a proud American. I also stand before you as...

Giraffe Killed After Head Hits Highway Bridge

...in grisly scene eerily similar to a clip from The Hangover Part III

(Newser) - The scene may have drawn a few giggles in The Hangover Part III , but the horrific, real-life death of a giraffe on a South African highway this week has animal rights activists fuming. A witness tweeted a picture of two giraffes sticking out of a truck on a highway, with...

Pistorius Wasn't Mentally Ill: Experts

Runner could appreciate 'wrongfulness of his act'

(Newser) - After a month-long break in the Oscar Pistorius trial for a mental health evaluation, the results are in: The South African runner wasn't mentally ill when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a panel says. The chief prosecutor read the findings, the BBC reports: Pistorius "did not suffer from...

Pistorius' Psych Eval: 7 Hours a Day, 30 Days

Docs look to determine whether he had anxiety disorder

(Newser) - It's confirmed: Following a judge's order , Oscar Pistorius will undergo 30 days of daily psychiatric assessment, pausing his trial until June 30. An expert team will seek to determine the athlete's condition when he killed Reeva Steenkamp, NBC News reports. Pistorius will be an outpatient at a...

Team Thinks It Cracked an HIV Mystery

Genital disease may explain why majority of Africa's AIDS victims are women

(Newser) - Why are 60% of Africa's AIDS victims women when in the rest of the world, the majority are men? For researchers, it's a longstanding mystery—but Norwegian experts working in South Africa have a theory. A disease called genital schistosomiasis, or "schisto," can lead to vaginal...

ANC Wins 5th Election in South Africa

Jacob Zuma's party holds on, but misses two-thirds majority

(Newser) - The party of President Jacob Zuma today coasted to its fifth consecutive election victory in South Africa, but missed a two-thirds majority and saw the main opposition party gain some ground, the Guardian reports. With more than 99% of votes counted, the African National Congress had 62.2% (a 3....

Columnist: Pistorius Took Acting Class Before Trial

Rep calls claims 'devoid of truth'

(Newser) - Has Oscar Pistorius' sobbing and vomiting in court all been an act? That's what a former South African columnist is alleging, to vehement denials from the runner's media rep. Jani Allan writes on her blog that Pistorius took acting classes from a friend ahead of his emotional trial,...

Pistorius: I Was Too Sad to Scream

Athlete faces last day of cross-examination

(Newser) - Today was the final day of Oscar Pistorius' grilling by Gerrie Nel, and once again, the prosecutor questioned the athlete's story of what happened the night Reeva Steenkamp died. When Pistorius realized he had shot his girlfriend, "Why would you not scream then?" Nel asked him, per NBC...

Pistorius Hammered About Reeva's Last Meal

Prosecutor also questions 2012 tweet about 'intruder'

(Newser) - Prosecutor Gerrie Nel hammered Oscar Pistorius on the details of the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed, asking about everything from the placement of her clothing on the floor to Pistorius' tone of voice. "Remember, the theme for the day is [that you have been] tailoring your evidence," Nel...

Pistorius: I Spoke to Reeva After I Heard Intruder

He says he told her to call police, but didn't wait for reply

(Newser) - Oscar Pistorius' cross-examination is in its third day, and the topic returned to the moments leading up to Reeva Steenkamp's shooting. Pistorius described waking and moving fans in the bedroom, and moving to put a pair of jeans over a light shining from an amplifier. That's when he...

Pistorius: I Never Told Reeva I Loved Her

Cross-examination continues

(Newser) - It was another heated exchange in court today as Oscar Pistorius was again cross-examined by prosecutor Gerrie Nel, nicknamed the "bull terrier" for his fierce style. Nel tried to paint Pistorius as controlling—a text from Reeva Steenkamp said he "snapped at her" for chewing gum—selfish, and...

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