Just Married (Again)

A furry fetishist and a Monica Lewinsky plot in one episode: It can only be Dallas. (Or Bones. Or Scandal. But this time it was Dallas.)

We opened with Christopher continuing his conversation with Nicolas' wife in Mexico. She told him that Nicolas changed his name in 1997 when he had a chance to leave his penniless orphan past behind him. Christopher told her that he never would have guessed Nicolas was married by the way he conducts himself in Dallas. Dick move or good strategy? We got a first glimpse of Drew this season peeking out a door as Christopher left. (Snooze.)

After John Ross left Pamela love-less again — though this time it was only because he'd scored a meeting with the railroad commissioner that had to happen on the morning of his wedding — Sue Ellen whispered loudly to Ann that she'd been right about John Ross and Emma having an affair. They got into a fight because Sue Ellen wants Emma to move out, and Ann thinks she's not safe outside Southfork considering Harris' dealings with the cartel. Sue Ellen wondered aloud if she'd rather have had someone tell her J.R. was a cheating bastard before it was too late. But it IS too late, Sue Ellen, because John Ross and Pamela are technically already married. Cue the music!

On his way out, John Ross took the time to make Emma feel like crap for the stunt she'd pulled with the matching lingerie last episode. "You know, you may screw like a woman, but you act like an attention-starved little brat. Truth hurts don't it?" She told him to go to hell, and then she went inside and played more games with Pamela. She also drove Sue Ellen to drink from her flask again, which explains why she wouldn't just find a room to put her purse in since she's obviously staying there all day.

Nicolas taking a call wearing only a towel? No, you cannot get me to like him that easily. Damn it if Drew didn't win back points though by admitting he still feels ashamed for planting the bomb that killed Christopher's and Pamela's babies. He thought maybe he should come back to Dallas and face the consequences. Nicolas told him no, it would break his mother's heart. Also, I'm wondering if Nicolas thinks Drew might warn the Ewings out of guilt and/or find his adopted brother screwing his sister distasteful?

Christopher arrived home and after flirting with Heather, who's working the wedding as a server, told Bobby what he'd learned in Mexico. Bobby said Carlos was coming to the wedding, maybe he could help them figure out what Nicolas was hiding pre-1997. Meanwhile, when John Ross showed up to meet the railroad commissioner, he found the commissioner's friend Harris instead. Harris said he could get the commissioner to shut down the Sierra Club's investigation into the Lesser Prairie Chicken on Southfork and get John Ross fracking, in exchange for the files that Emma stole. John Ross said he could have one thing back. The orange flash drive. That meant John Ross had to call and apologize to Emma, so he could ask her to bring it. She took the call while Pamela's mother Afton was busy insulting Pamela's decision to wear her hair down and pointing out that no one had heard from John Ross. Sue Ellen had seen that's who was on Emma's phone — maybe file him under a fake name, Emma.

While I thought about how good Bobby and Christopher looked in tuxes without ties, Carlos assured them he'd get to the bottom of Nicolas' past, if he could. He also drank some of J.R.'s signature bourbon. Emma arrived to meet John Ross without the flash drive because she wanted to know that she wasn't in this alone first. Even if he'll help her get her dad behind bars, which is not what he's intending to do with that flash drive, you can tell Emma wants more from John Ross if she gets upset watching him fawn over his wife. Still, John Ross sweet-talked his way into her going to fetch the flash drive.

The guests had started to arrive for the wedding, including Nicolas who was there with Elena. He out-smartassed Christopher when he told him they really do have the same taste in women after Christopher mentioned he'd met Nicolas' lovely wife. The relatives reminded Christopher they'd been at Southfork for his wedding, then he reminded Elena that she doesn't like to play around with married men. John Ross had gone to see Harris at… a brothel? Harris took him into a surveillance room, where they watched the railroad commissioner get busy with a woman wearing a dog costume. John Ross went in and cut his deal. Harris had kept up his end of the bargain. Now John Ross just needed Emma to deliver the flash drive, which she finally did to Bum, who still had to get it to John Ross. And the wedding was 20 minutes from starting. Afton gave Sue Ellen grief for not raising her son better after all the despicable things J.R. had done to her. "Just so you know, Afton, the most despicable thing J.R. ever did was you," Sue Ellen snapped. Point for Sue Ellen! And drink!

Harris wanted to give John Ross a wedding present while they waited for Bum — their names were Sapphire and Chastity. Chastity hit her knees and had his pants unzipped, despite John Ross' protests. Luckily Bum showed up in time to save him. He'd made a copy of the flash drive and said it was encrypted. Harris secretly confirmed it had his CIA files on it, and then gave the disk to John Ross. Oh, and he told John Ross to stop sleeping with Emma.

At Southfork, Nicolas talked his way out of Elena thinking he was a bastard — the divorce papers just aren't signed because the lawyers haven't reached a settlement, it's always been her — and Sue Ellen threatened to tell Pamela about John Ross' affair herself if he doesn't stop bedding Emma. He thinks it's just business and it doesn't change the way he feels about Pamela at all. If won't hurt her as long as she doesn't find out about it. Man, he knows exactly where to verbally hit a lady: "You have looked the other way your whole life, mama. One more time's not gonna hurt." He said that even after he'd smelled the alcohol on her breath. I want to like John Ross. Lines like that make it hard. At least Afton got to slap the back of John Ross' head when she left him alone to apologize to Pamela. He told her everything he'd done that day was for her, so he could give her all that she deserves. She said her father had used the same excuse every time he hadn't shown up for her. Really, it was always about Cliff and his greed and need for power. YEP. RUN, PAMELA. But John Ross really does love her, in his own way, and he was convincing when he said he'd always show up for her. (Just late. Good thing he didn't go for that joke, or he would've been slapped again.)

Bobby walked Pamela down the aisle as Emma held back tears. Christopher got in one last jab as best man: "So if you need any advice, you know, from someone who's been through this before, with the same bride…" Ha. Like we wish we could do in real life, we skipped the actual ceremony and went right to the reception where Christopher was skulking about and Bobby was at the bar peddling J.R.'s bourbon again. John Ross told Bobby that the railroad commissioner was giving him the drilling permit, and Bobby told him, once again, that J.R. never drilled the ranch and neither would he.

Bobby went inside and called the railroad commissioner to let him have it. Then he told Sue Ellen he was out of moves. She said she wasn't. OOH. That's gonna be good. John Ross and Pamela drove off in their "Just Married (Again)!!!" car and Heather found Christopher in the horse barn. He made the first move this time, and it was pretty hot. They started the total humpfest that followed by literally rolling around in the hay, while Pamela and John Ross, and Elena and Nicolas, went at it in beds elsewhere. Poor Emma cried alone in her room.

When Nicolas returned home, he found his wife waiting for him. She's decided she wants to stay in the marriage. If Nicolas doesn't give it another go, she'll tell the Ewings what he owes and who he owes it to. She said that would make him lose Elena, too. Interesting.

At the brothel, Harris was told that the Madam wanted to see him. He switched out the hard drives and went inside another room. It was, of course, HIS MOTHER. He told her he'd gotten the log files for his transactions with the cartel back (keeping her in the dark about the CIA), and that he was sure Emma actually had the files. "We did raise her to be smart," Judith said, toasting herself. Harris said John Ross was still controlling Emma, so they had to break them up. He'd gotten photos taken of John Ross with Sapphire and Chastity all over him. Inspired by Monica Lewinsky, he'd also gotten the dress Chastity had been wearing. Turns out she was only 16. It was missing one key "substance," Judith noted. Enter John Ross' secretary, who will fit that dress just fine. Okay, if John Ross sleeps with his secretary, then I have no problem with him getting blackmailed to 1.) stay away from Emma and 2.) stay the hell away from Ryland Transportation (which you know would be next).
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
Follow us on Twitter: @benlatestnews

Read More

'The Walking Dead:' Showrunner Scott Gimple does a deep dive on Sunday’s shocking episode

It was the episode that set social media on fire. And now Walking Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple breaks down the heart-wrenching episode that was "The Grove." [SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead.]

It would have been crazy enough to have an episode featuring one little girl (Lizzie) stabbing her sister (Mika) to death. But throw on top of that a scene of adult Carol then putting a bullet in young Lizzie's brain and you have the true makings of a WTF?!?!? classic. We already spoke to the woman who pulled the trigger, Melissa McBride, who plays Carol Now we catch up with the man behind the plan, Walking Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple, who explains why he did it, why he made some changes from the event in The Walking Dead comic book on which it was based, what he felt they could and could not show on screen, and why it was important for Tyreese to forgive Carol for killing his girlfriend. Gimple also offers some teases for what to expect coming up in the last two episodes of season 4. It's a truly enlightening chat into the most impactful episode of the season, if not the entire series. (Click through both pages to read the entire interview.)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: One of my pet peeves is when a TV show does something really dramatic but doesn't lay the groundwork for it in the sense that it feels like they just realized "Hey, we need to do something crazy here," so it doesn't really track or make sense. What you guys did, however, was really play this thing out all season long. You dropped clues and hints and showed a progression that ultimately all led up to what transpired on Sunday.
SCOTT M. GIMPLE: A lot of it is right there in episode 401 for you. And kind of the rest is in 402. We knew where we were going and I knew that this was a story that I desperately wanted to tell. This is an example of a story that I really dug in the comic book, but didn't want to do it verbatim. But the story in the comic, which was different but was the basis for our story, was longplayed as I recall too.

EW: It was, but you don't necessarily see that patience played out on television. When this was first brought up, this whole storyline and the gruesome ending to it, was there any discussion like "Okay, this worked in the comic, but is this too much for TV?"
GIMPLE: I had originally talked to [creator] Robert [Kirkman] about it because in the comic it's more Carl's story and I remember pitching it to him because I wanted to know what he thought. It was important to me. And what was funny is I started going, "I'm thinking about taking this thing away from Carl, this super-important part of the comic," and initially he was like, "Oh, I don't know." And then I pitched him the story and he was like, "That's awesome!" Which was exciting because I was really nervous, because you want to honor the source material and I wanted him to be excited about it and he was. Beyond that, I wasn't really that worried about AMC. I know they have faith in us. This was not a story that was sensational. We weren't exploiting anything. It was something that was very much a part of Carol's story and very much these girls' story and very much a story of this world, and I felt that from the jump we had a very sensitive approach to it. No matter how extreme the end was, we weren't just doing it for shock. And AMC felt the same way. Even between all this we tried to do it as sensitively as possible. There were a lot of conversations about that.

EW: I was going to ask you about that, because when we spoke about baby Judith at one point you said how you couldn't really show a baby being killed on TV. So how did you guys decide about exactly what you would and wouldn't show as far as those two little girls being killed? You know, we see the body, but we don't see the stabbing. We see the gun go off, but we don't see the bullet land. How did those decisions get made and how much did AMC weigh in on that?
GIMPLE: With Mika's death, that was something I wanted Carol and Tyreese to discover. I didn't want to see that happen. And I would love to take credit for an awesome idea, but basically that's how it happens in the book. It was discovered. It wasn't shown. It was very effective in the book. It worked on me when I read it and I knew that would be effective that way too. I don't think we needed to see that part of it. That's something where the audience's imagination will be far more horrible that anything we could have done. As far as the gunshot, we did wrestle with the cut of that. We played around with it in a variety of iterations. Initially it was about what we felt was tasteful to show and what we felt was not tasteful to show and figuring that out. I'd say the discovery along the way was the shot where we don't see it, but we see Carol pull the trigger and we stay on Carol. It's such a remarkable piece of acting that Melissa does in that moment that I wouldn't have wanted to cut away anyways, because really in that moment that is all about Carol. The die is kind of cast and this is Carol's story. This is fulfilling a big part of Carol's story in a very tragic way. And too see that character feel that moment and feel the gravity of that moment and the impact upon her and even just change her in that very moment — I actually felt Melissa's portrayal of that moment. I could feel it. So in the end it went towards storytelling anyways.

EW: What was the reaction of the cast? Because I remember Andrew Lincoln told me he read the script and asked you, "Are we really going to do this?"
GIMPLE: I was coming into Atlanta for prep on this episode, and I landed and I had a text from Andrew, who had also already called me. And the text said, "Just read your script, I really need to talk to somebody." And yeah, he was asking, "Are we gonna do this?" It wasn't out of fear that he was asking that. It was out of hope that we could tell the story the way we wanted to. So few of the cast was in the script, but I got all these emails and texts just so excited to see this episode and so into the story we were telling.

EW: How exactly does one go about telling two sweet little girls they are about to die incredibly horrible deaths? I mean, you've had to make those calls before to Scott Wilson and what have you. But I imagine it's different when you are dealing with a child.
GIMPLE: Well, it's face to face whenever we can. The thing is, like I said, we knew where this story was going before when these gals were cast. So I was hinting at things going really badly from the moment we started. And they are both incredibly bright and talented and mature performers. We talked very candidly about everything from before we even started, so it was difficult and I talked to their moms first. But it wasn't wholly unexpected. I was trying to lay the groundwork for that from the beginning. And they knew. Everybody was like, "Who is killing the rats?" and they knew. I didn't share that with everybody, but the little girls did have that secret. I told Brighton and Kyla about their character's histories and what led up to this. And Lizzie had her problems before the apocalypse. And it was just an incredible thing to lay it all out and see that groundwork from the beginning and slowly dole it out and see them grow close to Carol. And in episode 10, it was really something to see the reaction to people seeing Lizzie almost smother Judith, because that was a bit of a reveal at that point. Not to mention the bunny rabbits. Those poor bunny rabbits.
EW: Let's talk about the Carol and Tyreese scene at the end, which obviously could have played out a few ways. Was there ever a scenario discussed where Tyreese does not forgive Carol?
GIMPLE: It was very important to me that we have this moment of grace from the beginning. And I remember talking to Chad Coleman at the beginning of the season — knowing where the story was going — and telling him that, you know, things in the apocalypse for Tyreese had not been sooooo terrible. He had lost people like anybody, but things that directly hit him, it hadn't happened until Karen was killed. And I told him things were going to be very, very rough for him this year, and that he would come to a place where he would have every reason to lash out for revenge, and that through everything he had been up to at that point, Tyreese would find grace. He would find forgiveness. And this was all without telling him what everything was about, just a general arc. But it was very important to me that in the context of such darkness, there be some light. And Tyreese is a character, being such a humanistic character, that's the way I believe he would go. I'm not excited about things that are just relentlessly dark — that are just one thing. I get excited about stories that really do show every part of the human experience, and even in that horrible, horrible, horrible situation, there was some good that came out of it. There was grace. I was so thrilled to see how it came out.

EW: It's definitely a theme I've noticed in these back eight episodes. In the first Rick and Carl episode you had the lighter moment at the end with the knock at the door and Rick says, "It's for you." Then you had it in the Daryl and Beth episode where they burn the house down at the end. Then you had it last week with Bob, Maggie, and Sasha all smiling when they are reunited on the train tracks. I've definitely noticed that even in these brutal episodes, many of them are ending on a note of hope.
GIMPLE: I think this show at its core is hopeful. Thee people are trying to remain people in extraordinarily bad circumstances, and to me that is one of the most hopeful things in the world. The thing about that is, if things do get light, if there are smiles, if there is love, if there is friendship and forgiveness and grace, it makes the darker things that much more dark and makes the defeats that much more crushing. And I will say that in my mind when Tyreese forgives Carol, in some ways, that is just a crushing thing. That's a devastatingly sad thing, a reminder of  the goodness of the world — and yet, they lost these little girls. They had seen how the world destroys, but it isn't so easy to say the world is just a destructive place or just an evil place, With that there could be some sort of surrender. To know that life can be good to is both heartening and extremely painful.

EW: Is that smoke we saw last night from the fire that Daryl set?
GIMPLE: I keep getting asked that and I refuse to give a definitive answer. Because I don't want to tell you what it is. If I wanted folks to believe that definitively, I would have somehow tied that in definitively, but I want people to decide that. In the end, I have very hard feelings about what everything means, but I would never tell the audience they're wrong. Unless it was a story point that we were very specific about.

EW: Was Greg Nicotero like a kid in a candy store coming up with those charbroiled zombies?
GIMPLE: We had done charbroiled zombies in the past but I wanted them to be still smoking. And that was some amazing work. We had extra crispy and original style, which was like half-crispy.

EW: Okay, just two more episodes left, sir. What can you tell us about where we go from here after that incredibly emotional installment?
GIMPLE: To the emotional conclusion of the season. Both episodes are really big episodes. There are some insane things that happen. There are some tragic things that happen, There are some things that happen that are hopeful. And there is just some remarkably dark stuff. And stories crashing together.

EW: So we may see some groups reuniting by chance?
GIMPLE: Possibly. Maybe.

EW: Those train tracks gotta be leading somewhere, right, Scott?
GIMPLE: Or it's just like Where the Sidewalk Ends.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
Follow us on Twitter: @benlatestnews

Read More

Free The Man! Duncan Mighty, Others Hold Solidarity Rally For Akas Baba

Celebrities, Media Personalities and concerned firms have held a solidarity rally in Port Harcourt, to throw more light on the case of Akas Baba, who was kidnapped last week.

Nigerian Afro Pop superstar, Duncan Mighty and other celebrities on March 16, 2014, Sunday, held a solidarity march in Port Harcourt to raise awareness about Akas Baba's kidnap, and urge his abductors to release the broadcaster immediately and unconditionally. The celebrities marched the streets with placards bearing various messages of support.

The Wazobia OAP was shot in the leg and abducted at his home in Port Harcourt, on Thursday March 13, 2014. His abductors had later requested that N10 million be paid as ransom for his release, but negotiations have not yielded progress.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
Follow us on Twitter: @benlatestnews

Read More

Tekno & Emma Nyra Thrill At ‘The Place’

TripleMG musicians, Tekno & Emma Nyra, were the guest at the last edition Pulse VIP Night which held the prestigious 'The Place" in VI, Lagos on Friday, March 14, 2014. The Nigerian singers who arrived looking ready to thrill and have fun, brought down the house.

Young entertainer, Tekno, strode in classic jean, customized Tee, a camouflage snapback cap, and shades, for the extra perp. Emma Nyra graced the event wearing a chic printed mini-gown.

Also present were Selebobo, Beat FM's Osi Suave, Uti Nwachukwu, MTV's VJ Ehis,  who switch on their party buttons and had mad fun. Also did we have a dance completion, with winners announced and gifted.

If you missed out, take a run down at what happened in pictures (below). It rocked awesome!
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
Follow us on Twitter: @benlatestnews

Read More

Shocking News! Famous Designer L'Wren Scott Commits Suicide

Imge: Mick Jagger and L'Wren have been dating since 2001.

Image: Mick Jagger's model girlfriend since 2001, L'Wren Scott found dead Monday morning  (PA REX)

Image: L'Wren Scott's Fall Collection 2010

L'Wren Scott at The Harpers Bazaar Women Of The Year Awards 2013.

Mick Jagger's model and designer girlfriend since 2001, L'Wren Scott has been found dead after hanging herself in her Manhattan apartment on this [Monday] morning [10am]

A spokesman for Mick Jagger said the singer was 'completely shocked and devastated' following the news of her death.

When asked if there were still in a relationship at the time of her death, the Rolling Stones frontman replied 'of course'.

The late designer, 47, was found by her assistant and there was no immediate suspicion of foul play though the Medical Examiner has not yet released the formal report.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
Follow us on Twitter: @benlatestnews

Read More

Oscar Pistorius trial enters third week

Pretoria, South Africa Opening a third week of testimony, a gun dealer said South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius had to know gun safety laws before purchasing his firearms and getting his gun licenses.

Sean Patrick Rens, who sold guns to Pistorius, said the athlete correctly answered a questionnaire.

Rens said Pistorius knew that it's not legal to shoot at unknown person seen breaking into your house, not legal to shoot at them if burglar bars separate you, but it is legal to shoot at them if there's no protection and they approach you with a weapon.

For it to be legal to fire, Rens said, "the attack must be against you, must be against a person, must be unlawful."

These points are important, because the Pistorius defense team must show that not only did he made a mistake but that the mistake was reasonable in order for him to be cleared of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Prosecutors and the defense are jockeying over whether Pistorius intentionally murdered Steenkamp, or killed her in a terrible but understandable accident.

There's no question that he shot her through a bathroom door in his house early on Valentine's Day last year, hitting her with three hollow-tipped bullets, one of which probably killed her almost instantly.

But for two weeks in court, his defense team has chipped away at every witness who casts doubt on his story that he thought Steenkamp was a burglar and mistakenly acted in what he believed was self-defense.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has put up witnesses ranging from the pathologist who performed the autopsy, to ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor, who said Pistorius kept a gun by his bed and went to investigate a sound in the night, weapon in hand, at least once while she was dating him.

The senior police officer on the scene the night of the killing testified Friday, but it's not clear he did much for the prosecution case.

The police investigation sounded in court like a catalog of bumbling, bad judgment, poor memory and petty theft.

Former police Col. G.S. van Rensburg described how he found a police ballistics expert handling Pistorius' gun without wearing gloves and reprimanded the officer, who apologized and put a pair on.

And he said he was "furious" when at least one of the Olympic athlete's valuable wristwatches disappeared from his bedroom as police investigated the crime scene.

He "body searched" his fellow officers, their bags and their vehicles but was unable to find the watch, which was worth several thousand dollars.

He also said he had ordered the bathroom door through which Pistorius shot Steenkamp removed from the house, placed in a body bag and taken to his office, explaining, "The door is the most valuable evidence because the deceased was behind the door."

Earlier in the week, the defense attacked police handling of the door, implying that the evidence was unreliable because it was contaminated.

Van Rensburg resigned from the force in December after three decades, under fire for his handling of the door. Asked what he now did for a living, he choked up and said, "I am now coaching sports, and sports is my life."

Gory details lend Pistorius trial a 'CSI' flavor

Golden boy turned defendant

He's the 13th witness to testify for the prosecution in the murder trial of Pistorius, once South Africa's golden boy for the stellar track success that made him the first double amputee runner to compete in the Olympics.

Pistorius, 27, has pleaded not guilty to murder and three other weapons charges. Steenkamp, a model, was 29 when she was killed.

On Friday, Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux ripped into van Rensburg's chronology of events on the night of the killing, presenting witness statements from three police officers whose accounts differed from van Rensburg's.

The former officer was so startled by the statement of police Sgt. Ntome Sebetha that he stared at Roux and said, "Amazing."

Later, Roux rattled van Rensburg so severely, pointing out clear differences between two pictures that the former officer said were the same, that van Rensburg refused to answer a question about how many keys were in another photograph.

"It's not a trick question," Roux said. "There's one key there."

Gruesome images

The former police colonel first took the stand Thursday and said paramedics were there when he arrived at Pistorius' address about 3:55 a.m., but Steenkamp was dead.

As he testified, the prosecution showed more than 100 police photographs taken at Pistorius' house after the killing, including the sprinter's 9 mm handgun, still cocked and ready to fire, on a bloody towel or bathmat on a blood-spattered floor.

On Friday, the court was shown a photo of a toilet covered in blood, but only van Rensburg saw photos of Steenkamp's body and closeups of her injuries.

Those gruesome pictures were not displayed on courtroom monitors.

Even so, Pistorius kept his head down, shielding his eyes with one hand, while prosecutor Nel talked the former police officer quickly through the sheaf of photos on the witness stand.

Pistorius vomited several times last week as pathologist Gert Saayman described Steenkamp's fatal wounds, and again when pictures of the injuries were accidentally displayed on monitors in court.

Gun at his bedside

The case against Pistorius is largely circumstantial, Nel said in his opening statement last week. Pistorius and Steenkamp were the only people in his house when he killed her.

Nel has been building a picture of what happened through the testimony of experts, neighbors who heard screaming and bangs that night, current and former friends of Pistorius' and a security guard who sped to the scene because of reports of gunshots.

Many prosecution witnesses' accounts are consistent with Pistorius' version of events: that he got up in the night, went out to his balcony to get a fan, came back inside and heard noises in the bathroom that he thought came from an intruder.

He said he took the gun and fired while calling for Steenkamp to call police. When she didn't answer, he realized she could have been the person in the bathroom, he said.

Neighbors said they heard a woman screaming before the shots were fired. But the defense is proposing that what neighbors thought was Steenkamp screaming in fear for her life was in fact Pistorius when he realized what he had done.

And the defense says that the sounds neighbors heard were not the gunshots, but the cricket bat hitting the door as he tried to rescue her.

Pistorius and at least two neighbors made phone calls to security after the shooting, allowing the defense to use phone records to establish a timeline of events.

Judge Thokozile Masipa will decide the verdict. South Africa does not have jury trials.

In South Africa, premeditated murder carries a mandatory life sentence with a minimum of 25 years. Pistorius also could get five years for each gun indictment and 15 years for a firearms charge he also faces.

If he isn't convicted of premeditated murder, the sprinter could face a lesser charge of culpable homicide, a crime based on negligence. The sentence for culpable homicide is at the judge's discretion. The trial looks set to go on for several more weeks.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
Follow us on Twitter: @benlatestnews

Read More

Ukraine 'disallowed' Crimea annexation

Obama imposes sanctions against Russia

Western powers slapped sanctions on more than two dozen Russian officials and their allies in Ukraine's Crimea region on Monday, while Ukrainian officials vowed they would never accept the territory's annexation by Russia.

In a televised address Monday night, interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said his government would do "everything possible" to solve the crisis diplomatically, and he praised his citizens for refusing to respond to Russian provocations with violence.

"The Kremlin is afraid of the democratic future which we are building, and this is the reason for their aggression," Turchynov said. "But this will not be an obstacle to the building of a democratic country."

But he announced a partial mobilization of his country's armed forces and said Ukrainians "have to unite in one big family, which is ready to protect its home." Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said there was "a strong possibility" of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"I still believe that there is only one solution of this crisis, a peaceful one," Yatsenyuk said. "But we offer peace, and Russia offers war."

The Russian-backed breakaway government in Crimea applied to join with Moscow on Monday after a weekend referendum that Ukraine, the United States and the European Union called illegal. U.S. and EU officials announced sanctions on more than two dozen Russian officials and their allies in the region, which Russian-backed forces seized three weeks ago.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that recognizes the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Crimea, says a statement on Russia's Kremlin website. The Russian parliament is expected to vote on whether to annex the breakaway territory in the coming days.

Turchynov said Ukraine was willing to hold talks with Russia, "but we will never accept the annexing of our territory."

The EU sanctions include the top pro-Russian Crimean secessionist leaders, 10 leading Russian lawmakers who have endorsed the annexation of Crimea and three top Russian military commanders. The U.S. sanctions list also includes two top advisers to Russian President Vladimir Putin and ex-Ukrainian President Yanukovych, whose February ouster in the face of widespread anti-government protests sparked the current crisis.

In Washington, President Barack Obama warned Moscow: "Further provocations will achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world."
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
Follow us on Twitter: @benlatestnews

Read More