US Drops Weapons For Kurds Battling IS

The US has airdropped weapons and supplies for Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State (IS) in the town of Kobani in Syria.

A statement from US Central Command said Air Force C-130 planes "delivered weapons, ammunition and medical supplies that were provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against ISIL's (IS) attempts to overtake Kobani".

Multiple airdrops were completed near the town, which is close to the border with Turkey and would be seen as a strategic coup for IS if it is captured.

Kurdish forces said they had received a "large quantity of ammunition" from the US airdrop.

Spokesman Redur Xelil told the Reuters news agency: "It will have a positive impact on the course of military operations and certainly we are still hoping for more support."

Video: Stuart Ramsay With 'Rag Tag' Army

The US statement said 135 airstrikes near Kobani - combined with continued resistance on the ground - had slowed IS advances and killed hundreds of its fighters.

"However, the security situation in Kobani remains fragile as ISIL continues to threaten the city and Kurdish forces continue to resist," the statement added.

The Kurds have been under IS assault for more than a month - and US Commander General Lloyd Austin has warned that the city could fall.

However, airdrops are likely to anger key ally Turkey, which has said it would oppose the US helping to arm Kurdish rebels.

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1. Gallery: The Kurdish Refugees Of Kobani

   A Kurdish refugee woman and her child from the Syrian town of Kobani rest in front of their family tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Turkey

2. The United States is bombing targets in Kobani to relieve the defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organise against Islamic State militants, a senior US official said

3. A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani sweeps a passage in the camp

4. A child looks out of a tent

5. Kurdish people watch smoke billowing from Kobani as they gather on a hill overlooking the Syrian town of Kobani

6. A child walks through the camp in Suruc

7. A Turkish aid worker distributes food to Kurdish refugees

8. Kurdish refugees from the Syrian town of Kobani queue to get food

9. Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani

10. Kurdish people shout slogans while standing upon a hill opposite the Syrian town of Kobani

11. The graves of Kurdish people killed fighting alongside People's Protection Units (YPG) against IS jihadists in Kobani

Ankara views the main Kurdish group in Syria as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organisation that has waged a 30-year insurgency in Turkey.

The PKK is designated a terror group by the US and NATO.

Turkey has resisted pressure from the West to take a more direct role in fighting IS in Kobani.

However, in an earlier call with Barack Obama, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to "strengthen cooperation".

Video: New Video Of The Battle For Kobani

An unnamed official said that while the results of the airdrop mission were still being assessed, it appeared "the vast majority" of the 27 bundles reached the intended Kurdish fighters.

Another official suggested "you might see more" drops in the days ahead.

12.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

How Kurds The World Forgot Are Holding Off IS

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Sari Kani, Syria

Right now in Syria a desperate fight is under way against Islamic State (IS) forces that control so much of the north of the country.

In the east that fight is being carried out virtually unseen to the rest of the world by People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters, Syrian Kurds, who are doing so with almost no assistance.

They have been fighting IS for longer than any other group.

With home-made weapons and armoured cars and some old heavy guns, they fight in dusty villages, the countryside and larger towns to try and force IS back to the west of Syria.

Kurdish fighters have been retaking ground from IS militants on the border

Kobani has been surrounded for weeks by IS but there are many other towns that are under siege. From Sari Kani 100 miles or so east of Kobani the YPG have been taking back ground from IS.

They would dearly love to reach their colleagues in Kobani but, with no assistance, even they accept it will be an almost impossible mission.

Video: Travelling Through Syria

Always moving and repositioning themselves, the front line is a confused and confusing battle of attrition.

The men of the YPG and the women fighters of the Women's Protection Unit (YPJ) work together. There is no battlefield difference between the sexes. They all throw themselves into the fight. They are protecting their homeland and say to us that they can die at the front or at home, but either way they are prepared to die.

Against the odds and the better equipped IS forces, they have made ground and captured weapons. In a rear position they work on tanks captured from IS and they showed us the bodies of 20 IS jihadists they killed in a night operation.

We travelled from Iraq through Syria. The birthplace of IS is one of the most dangerous places on earth today. The YPG grip is tenuous and the vast open spaces are difficult to protect from IS incursions.

Video: Passports Reveal Turkey Link

These Syrian Kurds are hemmed in. The Turkish border lies to the north and its military considers the YPG a terrorist organisation.

To the south, east and west IS controls all the land leading to Iraq and across its border.

On the newest YPG front lines we came across a seemingly rag-tag group of fighters. But while they may look so they are in fact well trained and utterly determined.

A hill-top cemetery has become a fort. They watch across the plains and the villages that IS control. They are so close they can hear the foreign languages of the IS fighters on their walkie-talkies.

Video: Kurds Face Future Without A Home

But nobody here seems in any way frightened of IS. They laugh and joke and prepare to fight. Day in, day out.

The YPG are very canny. Their front-line positions are never static for long. Their numbers are small so they move positions and manoeuvre around the battlefield looking for signs of IS weakness. Then they attack. Both sides are doing this but one gets the sense that the Kurds are more determined.

While IS have many foreign fighters the YPG also have a small contingent. Chechens, Europeans and Americans who have decided to help fight IS.

Brian Wilson is from Ohio. A divorcee with two children, this veteran of the first Gulf War and 16 years a police sheriff in the United States decided to come here a month ago and join the fight. He was shocked that the West was doing nothing to help here.

Video: Desperate Help Needed In Kobani

"They have been holding out against DASH (IS) in this area for going on two, two and a half years," he told me on the front line.

"They are outgunned. They are brave fighters. They just need more help. If they had better technology, better weapons, they could finish IS on their own. More airstrikes would be very helpful to clear out some areas."

The YPG are fighting multiple fronts on a constant basis. Sometimes they are in cities and towns, sometimes in open countryside. But they are holding on and sometimes doing better than that.

And, as they say, they will do that to the death if necessary.

12.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

How Kurds The World Forgot Are Holding Off IS

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Sari Kani, Syria

Right now in Syria a desperate fight is under way against Islamic State (IS) forces that control so much of the north of the country.

In the east that fight is being carried out virtually unseen to the rest of the world by YPG fighters, Syrian Kurds, who are doing so with almost no assistance.

They have been fighting IS for longer than any other group.

With homemade weapons and armoured cars and some old heavy guns, they fight in dusty villages, the countryside and larger towns to try and force IS back to the west of Syria.

The YPG and YPJ have held off IS for two and a half years

Kobani has been surrounded for weeks by IS but there are many other towns that are under siege. From Sari Kane 100 miles or so east of Kobani the YPG have been taking back ground from IS.

They would dearly love to reach their colleagues in Kobani but, with no assistance, even they accept it will be an almost impossible mission.

Video: Kurds Face Future Without A Home

Always moving and repositioning themselves, the front line is a confused and confusing battle of attrition.

The men of the YPG and the women fighters of the YPJ work together. There is no battlefield difference between the sexes. They all throw themselves into the fight. They are protecting their homeland and say to us that they can die at the front or at home, but either way they are prepared to die.

Against the odds and the better equipped IS forces, they have made ground and captured weapons. In a rear position they work on tanks captured from IS and they showed us the bodies of 20 IS jihadists they killed in a night operation.

We travelled from Iraq through Syria. The birthplace of IS is one of the most dangerous places on earth today. The YPG grip is tenuous and the vast open spaces are difficult to protect from IS incursions.

Video: Turkey Turns Water Cannon On Kurds

These Syrian Kurds are hemmed in. The Turkish border lies to the north and its military considers the YPG a terrorist organisation.

To the south, east and west IS controls all the land leading to Iraq and across its border.

On the newest YPG front lines we came across a seemingly rag-tag group of fighters. But while they may look so they are in fact well trained and utterly determined.

A hill-top cemetery has become a fort. They watch across the plains and the villages that IS control. They are so close they can hear the foreign languages of the IS fighters on their walkie-talkies.

Video: View from the Peshmerga trenches

But nobody here seems in any way frightened of IS. They laugh and joke and prepare to fight. Day in, day out.

The YPG are very canny. Their front-line positions are never static for long. Their numbers are small so they move positions and manoeuvre around the battlefield looking for signs of IS weakness. Then they attack. Both sides are doing this but one gets the sense that the Kurds are more determined.

While IS have many foreign fighters the YPG also have a small contingent. Chechens, Europeans and Americans who have decided to help fight IS.

Brian Wilson is from Ohio. A divorcee with two children, this veteran of the first Gulf War and 16 years a police sheriff in the United States decided to come here a month ago and join the fight. He was shocked that the West was doing nothing to help here.

Video: Desperate Help Needed In Kobani

"They have been holding out against DASH (IS) in this area for going on two, two and a half years," he told me on the front line.

"They are outgunned. They are brave fighters. They just need more help. If they had better technology, better weapons, they could finish IS on their own. More airstrikes would be very helpful to clear out some areas."

The YPG are fighting multiple fronts on a constant basis. Sometimes they are in cities and towns, sometimes in open countryside. But they are holding on and sometimes doing better than that.

And, as they say, they will do that to the death if necessary.

12.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Airdrops Weapons For Kurds Fighting IS

The US has airdropped weapons and supplies for Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State (IS) in the town of Kobani in Syria.

A statement from US Central Command said Air Force C-130 planes "delivered weapons, ammunition and medical supplies that were provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against ISIL's (IS) attempts to overtake Kobani".

Multiple airdrops were completed near the town, which is close to the border with Turkey and would be seen as a strategic coup for IS.

Kurdish forces said they had received a "large quantity of ammunition" from the US air drop.

The statement said 135 US airstrikes near Kobani - combined with continued resistance on the ground - had slowed IS advances and killed hundreds of its fighters.

Video: Stuart Ramsay With 'Rag Tag' Army

"However, the security situation in Kobani remains fragile as ISIL continues to threaten the city and Kurdish forces continue to resist," the statement added.

The Kurds have been under IS assault for more than a month - and US Commander General Lloyd Austin has warned that the city could fall.

However, airdrops are likely to anger key ally Turkey, which has said it would oppose the US helping to arm Kurdish rebels.

Ankara views the main Kurdish group in Syria as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organisation that has waged a 30-year insurgency in Turkey.

1/11

1. Gallery: The Kurdish Refugees Of Kobani

   A Kurdish refugee woman and her child from the Syrian town of Kobani rest in front of their family tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Turkey

2. The United States is bombing targets in Kobani to relieve the defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organise against Islamic State militants, a senior US official said

3. A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani sweeps a passage in the camp

4. A child looks out of a tent

5. Kurdish people watch smoke billowing from Kobani as they gather on a hill overlooking the Syrian town of Kobani

6. A child walks through the camp in Suruc

7. A Turkish aid worker distributes food to Kurdish refugees

8. Kurdish refugees from the Syrian town of Kobani queue to get food

9. Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani

10. Kurdish people shout slogans while standing upon a hill opposite the Syrian town of Kobani

11. The graves of Kurdish people killed fighting alongside People's Protection Units (YPG) against IS jihadists in Kobani

The PKK is designated a terror group by the US and NATO.

Turkey has resisted pressure from the West to take a more direct role in fighting IS in Kobani.

However, in an earlier call with Barack Obama, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to "strengthen cooperation".

An unnamed official said that while the results of the airdrop mission were still being assessed, it appeared "the vast majority" of the 27 bundles reached the intended Kurdish fighters.

Video: New Video Of The Battle For Kobani

Another official suggested "you might see more" drops in the days ahead.

:: Sky's Stuart Ramsay joined the forgotten Kurds who have held off IS for more than two years with homemade weapons and armoured cars.

12.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hong Kong Clashes As Protesters Fight Back

Dozens of people have been injured in new clashes in Hong Kong as pro-democracy campaigners took back an area that was cleared by police less than 24 hours earlier.

Riot officers used batons and pepper spray against protesters who pushed against police lines and shielded themselves with umbrellas.

Officers were eventually forced to retreat during violent scuffles with the crowd which numbered around 9,000.

Demonstrator Peter Yuen said: "The police have lost control of the situation. They've lost their minds. We've come here peacefully, to peacefully protest for our future."

Activists rushed to reoccupy their protest camp and rebuild makeshift barricades from packing crates and fences in an area of the Mong Kok district which police had opened to traffic just hours before.

Protesters push over barricades

At least 33 people were reportedly arrested in the skirmishes, while 18 officers were among the injured.

The protests, calling for fully free elections and the resignation of the territory's leader, Leung Chun-ying, have been going on for three weeks.

Video: Police Accused Of Protest Brutality

It was the third consecutive night violence had broken out after a fortnight which has been relatively quiet. The first week saw major clashes.

The latest came just hours after Mr Leung offered talks with student leaders next week in an attempt to defuse the protests.

His chief secretary, Carrie Lam, later announced discussions would take place for two hours on Tuesday.

Video: Dozens Held After Hong Kong Clashes

The Mong Kok area was calm later on Saturday with the number of protesters much smaller as activists rested. Police stood away from the barricades.

During the demonstrations, protesters have held sit-ins at three major intersections causing significant disruption to the city.

China has insisted that whoever stands to replace Mr Leung in elections in 2017 must be vetted by a committee that is expected to be loyal to Beijing.

Video: HK Protest Barriers Dismantled

But the protesters have dismissed the proposal as "fake democracy".

Hong Kong police commissioner Andy Tsang said his force had been tolerant since the rallies began in the hope that demonstrators would "calm down".

"Unfortunately these protesters chose to carry on with their unlawful acts, including acts which are even more radical and more violent," Mr Tsang said.

12.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nigerian Schoolgirls Could Be Free Within Days

Nigeria hopes 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist group Boko Haram will be freed by Tuesday, according to a government source.

Authorities earlier said they had agreed a ceasefire with the militant group to make the release possible.

"I can confirm the Federal Government is working hard to meet its own part of the agreement so that the release of the abductees can by effected either on Monday or latest by Tuesday next week," the source said.

The girls were kidnapped from a school in Chibok in April

But Bana Lawan, chairman of Chibok Local Government Area urged caution and said: "We don't know how true it is until we prove it. We will know the negotiations were successful when we see the girls physically.

"Then we will know it is true. And then we will celebrate."

Community leader Pogu Bitrus said: "People rejoiced, but with caution."

Both men said residents have been disappointed too many times in the past by reports of progress by Nigeria's government and military that later proved to be false.

And this caution seemed well-founded with suspected Boko Haram militants carrying out two deadly attacks on Nigerian villages after the announcement of the ceasefire.

On Friday, French President Francois Hollande had told a news conference in Paris that the girls' release "could happen in the coming hours and days".

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1. Gallery: Profile: Boko Haram Leader

   Abubakar Shekau is the leader of Boko Haram. He took control of the Islamist group after the death of founder Mohammed Yusuf in 2009.

2. Little is known about him, although he was born in Shekau village in the northeastern state of Yobe and is now thought to be in his early 40s.

3. Shekau is Nigeria's most-wanted man and was designated a terrorist by the U.S. government in 2012. A reward of $7m (£4.6m) and 50m Nigerian naira (£182,000) has been issued for information leading to his location.

4. Shekau is also known as "Darul Tawheed", a reference to his knowledge of an orthodox doctrine of Islam centred on the oneness of Allah.

5. Nigerian authorities thought he had been killed in 2009 during clashes with security forces, but he reappeared in a video in 2010 to claim leadership of Boko Haram.

6. Shekau is believed to have been behind the August 2011 bombing of the UN compound in the capital Abuja, which killed at least 21 people.

7. In a video released after the abduction of 276 girls from a boarding school in the village of Chibok on April 14, he described the youngsters as "slaves" and threatened to "sell them in the market".

France had been involved in negotiations that led to the release of several of its citizens kidnapped by Boko Haram in Cameroon.

Boko Haram (their name means 'education is sinful') kidnapped the 276 girls at gunpoint from a school in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria, on April 14.

Some of the girls managed to escape in the aftermath of their kidnap or during fighting among militants, but 219 are still unaccounted for.

The group has demanded the release of detained extremists in exchange for the girls.

Video: Nigeria 'Optimistic' Over Girls

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said Boko Haram had "assured Nigerian authorities that the Chibok schoolgirls are well and safe".

The country's leader, Goodluck Jonathan, has faced strong criticism over a deteriorating security situation in Nigeria, with areas in the northeast Borno state inaccessible due to the threat from Boko Haram.

12.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola: UN Agency Admits It Botched Outbreak

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has admitted that it botched attempts to halt the ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The UN health agency has blamed factors including incompetent staff and a lack of information, according to a draft internal document obtained by The Associated Press.

"Nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall," the document says.

WHO admits it was "particularly alarming" that the head of its Guinea office refused to help get visas for an expert ebola team.

The organisation concedes it should have realised that traditional containment methods would not work in a region with porous borders and broken health systems.

Video: Questions Over Ebola Checks

Another factor was "politically motivated appointments" to WHO country offices in Africa.

Sky News Health and Science Correspondent Thomas Moore believes "simple infection control" would have stopped the virus spreading.

Here he takes a look at the mistakes that have contributed to a crisis that has killed at least 4,555 of the 9,216 people infected so far.

:: THE EPIDEMIC SMOULDERS

The epidemic started almost 10 months ago with the death in Guinea of a two-year-old boy called Emile.

For three months, the outbreak smouldered. Cases here and there, the virus spreading into neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The cases were in rural areas, far from medical help; the deaths undiagnosed and unrecorded.

But then, suddenly, it flared up. The Health Ministry in Guinea reported a mysterious illness with a high fatality rate.

By the time ebola had been identified as the cause, there were 86 cases and 59 deaths in four districts of Guinea.

Video: Ebola Victims' Families Shunned

:: THE FIRST MISTAKE

By the end of March it had come to the attention of the World Health Organisation.

A team of ebola experts from the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control reached the area.

Within weeks, cases dwindled and the medics moved on.

It was assumed it was just another rural outbreak, easily contained, just as the previous dozen or more outbreaks had been in Central Africa.

That was the first big mistake. The virus had already spread too far.

:: THE SECOND MISTAKE

Between the end of May and late July the virus reached the capitals of the three countries.

It was the first time that ebola cases had ever been reported in densely populated cities.

Video: Paying The Price For Ebola

Eradication now became far more challenging - it would be impossible to quarantine an entire capital.

Even though there were still only just over 1,000 cases, the seeds had been sown for an exponential rise in numbers.

Still, there was no international response.

:: THE THIRD MISTAKE

By now it was clear the health services in the three countries could not cope.

Years of civil war had left the countries on their knees.

Liberia had just 120 doctors to care for four million people.

There simply weren't enough doctors to quarantine infected patients and chase down their contacts.

But still it was only charities and missionary groups that were sending in medical teams and organising clinics.

Video: Spotting Ebola At Beijing Airport

:: THE FOURTH MISTAKE

All three countries were too slow to tackle risky cultural practices, the suspicion of health workers and the stigma of the disease.

Relatives washed the dead with their bare hands, putting themselves at risk.

Bodies were hidden by relatives for fear of being ostracised by the community.

And villagers chased away medical teams, believing they were spreading the virus.

Yet it was only in August that Sierra Leone's government began an awareness campaign to change attitudes.

:: THE FIFTH MISTAKE

It wasn't until September that world leaders really understood how serious the epidemic had become.

A cynic might say it was the repatriation of western health workers - and then the arrival of infected travellers - that was the game-changer.

Video: How Ebola Attacks The Human Body

The US has begun building 1,700 beds in Liberia, the UK is building 700 in Sierra Leone and France is co-ordinating efforts in Guinea.

But it's nowhere near enough. The WHO still has only a fraction of the resources it needs.

And, with every week of delay, the virus spreads further. Cases are doubling every month.

That means more beds, more medics and more money will be needed.

It's no wonder the WHO says the ebola epidemic has been a wake-up call for the world.

12.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cameron Presses EU Leaders On Ebola Fund

David Cameron has called for European Union leaders to double their contribution to help tackle ebola, demanding a combined 1bn euro (£800m) pledge.

The Prime Minister has written to the other 26 leaders and European Council president Herman van Rompuy calling for agreement to an "ambitious package of support" at a Brussels summit next week.

He made clear his frustration that other countries are failing to shoulder their share of the burden of international efforts to deal with the epidemic in West Africa which has killed more than 4,500.

Britain has committed £125m to its contribution - the second highest sum after the US. Downing Street said the total contribution from the EU is 500m euros (£400m).

More money is needed to train at least 2,000 workers to go out to the affected regions, Mr Cameron suggested - appealing also for a "duty of care package" to be established for any that contracted ebola while working at a European-run or funded medical facility.

Video: Paying The Price For Ebola

In his letter, the Prime Minister said: "The rapid spread of the disease and recent cases outside the West African region demonstrate the magnitude of the task at hand.

"The World Health Organisation forecast 20,000 cases in West Africa by November 2014. I believe that much more must be done."

The demand comes after the head of the World Bank warned the battle against the ebola outbreak is being lost,

Video: Questions Over Ebola Checks

Speaking after the United Nations revealed it had received less than 40% of the nearly $1bn ($600m) it had requested to fight the deadly disease, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim blamed a lack of international solidarity for the failure to stop its spread.

"We are losing the battle," he told reporters in Paris.

"Certain countries are only worried about their own borders," he told reporters in Paris. 

Video: HMS Argus in More Detail

International anxieties over the spread of ebola were highlighted as a cruise ship carrying a lab technician who worked with samples taken from an infected nurse in Dallas was stopped from docking in Belize and Mexico

"It is the first time that this has happened, and it was decided the ship should not dock as a preventative measure against Ebola," Erce Barron, port authority director in Quintana Roo, said.

As part of European efforts to stop the spread, France will start screening air passengers for ebola today.

Video: Ebola Victims' Families Shunned

Air France flight attendants have also called for a halt to all flights from Guinea, one of the three hardest-hit countries.

The US, Britain and Canada have already launched screenings at airports for passengers from ebola-hit areas.

12.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Reeva's Family Expects Pistorius Jail Term

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Pretoria

Reeva Steenkamp's family has told the judge that they expect the man who killed her to be sent to jail.

The model's cousin Kim Martin told the court that the alternative sentence of community service while under house arrest did not seem to fit the crime.

She said the Olympian and Paralympian runner, who is now a convicted killer, needed "to pay for what he'd done".

She said: "My family is not seeking revenge, but to shoot someone behind a door who's unarmed and harmless needs sufficient punishment."

Ms Martin warned that a lenient sentence would send the wrong message out to society.

She added: "He needs to pay for what he's done to my aunt and uncle, my whole family and his family. Everyone has suffered here."

The court heard from Zacharia Modise, acting head of the prison service, who said South African jails could cope with a man who had the runner's disabilities.

Video: Pistorius Helps Fallen Cameraman

He said the double amputee would most probably be sent to what was formerly known as Pretoria Central. It was last year renamed Kgosi Mampuru, after a man who was hanged there in 1883.

Mr Modise said prisons now offered a range of courses, some voluntary, some mandatory.

He added: "We have offenders doing artwork, painting. We also have offenders that are taking part in athletics, in soccer, in rugby, in boxing."

Video: Prison Boss On Pistorius Disability

Mr Modise suggested the runner would need to be assessed, but would probably be sent to the hospital wing of the prison which has five wards with 22 single cells and a gym.

The rosy depiction of prison life was disputed by the defence who said the athlete had already been threatened by a jailed leader of one of the most notorious gangs in the country's prisons, known as the 26's.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux read out a report from a local newspaper which quoted the man nicknamed the "General", saying: "Using a prison call box, this jailbird promised Pistorius hell, saying his wealth would not buy him a lavish prison lifestyle - instead he would 'be taken out'.

1/9

1. Gallery: Pistorius Sentencing: Day Four

   Oscar Pistorius' sister seen in court before the lunch recess on day four of the sentencing hearing. She later left the court in tears

2. Aimee Pistorius complained of feeling "very intimidated" by the presence of Mikey Schultz in the public gallery of the Pretoria court, Sky's Alex Crawford reported. Schultz, pictured, said outside the court he had done nothing wrong

4. Pistorius is to be sentenced for culpable homicide over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013

5. The court heard evidence from a cousin of Ms Steenkamp, who told the hearing Pistorius needed to "pay for what he's done"

6. Ms Steenkamp's parents, June and Barry, were in the court to hear evidence

7. Zacharia Modise, the acting national director for South Africa's prison service, insisted that the service was able to accommodate disabled prisoners, such as double amputee Pistorius if he got a custodial sentence

8. Pistorius would be kept in a prison hospital wing because of his disabilities, Mr Modise said

9. During the lunch recess, Pistorius was seen helping this German cameraman after he tripped up while filming the 27-year-old

He continued reading out the General's words, made apparently from a prison call box to a reporter.

He said: "Anyone who thinks they can come here and live like a king, will have a hit on their head. If he thinks he is going to come here and buy his way to get computers and cellphones and a lavish lifestyle, he must know that will never happen for as long as I am around."

The two legal teams will deliver their written heads of argument by Friday and are expected to spend the day outlining their varying main points on the sentencing.

1/6

1. Gallery: Reeva Steenkamp's Life In Pictures

   Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was born in Cape Town and grew up in Port Elizabeth. She went to a convent school and studied law. She was a keen horse rider until she broke her back.

2. She moved to Johannesburg from Cape Town to model for Avon cosmetics. In 2012, Reeva was voted number 45 in the South African FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.

3. She featured as a celebrity contestant on BBC Lifestyle show Baking Made Easy in 2012.

4. The model was a keen Twitter user, and had more than 34,000 followers. She used the site to promote women's rights and empowerment.

5. Her former fashion editor, Barbara Robertson, described the model as being "sweet, and down-to-earth" with the "it factor". She compared her to an "early Kate Moss".

6. Reeva Steenkamp on the set of reality TV show Tropika Island of Treasure (Pic: Stimulii)

Court officials have said that the actual sentencing could come next Tuesday and indicated the judge has cleared her diary for that day.

None of this has been officially confirmed, though.

12.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Reeva's Parents A Picture Of Grief At Trial

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Pretoria

The elderly parents of Reeva Steenkamp have been the picture of pain and grief each time they've arrived at the High Court in Pretoria.

They face the gathering of camera crews who film their every movement with stoicism and fortitude, but no-one is left in any doubt that this is a harrowing experience for them and they're hating every minute of being in the spotlight.

Reeva's mother June has sat expressionless for the bulk of the trial, despite repeated graphic testimony about the injuries inflicted on her youngest child by Oscar Pistorius when Black Talon bullets ripped through her head and body.

She lowered her head when her daughter's bloodied face was flashed up on the court TV screens. (She'd been warned beforehand by the state lawyers but was determined to stay inside the courtroom).

Reeva Steenkamp helped her parents out financially

A group from the ruling ANC Party's Womens' League have accompanied her every day to the courtroom.

They've been funding the family's costs of attending the trial since March. The couple live in Port Elizabeth and couldn't afford the travelling expenses or accommodation bills.

Video: Reeva's Family Wants Jail Term

June has since managed to attend virtually every day of the seven-month-long trial.

Reeva's father Barry, who has suffered a number of strokes since the death of his daughter, has opted to spend most of the time at home during the legal process, unable to cope with the stress.

But he did travel over to hear the verdict and he wanted to be in Pretoria for the sentencing of his daughter's killer.

He smiles shyly and always responds positively when the waiting journalists greet him as he walks slowly in and out of court.

I met June Steenkamp briefly in the coastal town of Port Elizabeth shortly after the killing of her daughter.

Video: Pistorius Helps Fallen Cameraman

She told me she'd just come back from seeing her therapist and was exhausted - too emotionally spent to talk to me just then although she politely referred me to her lawyers.

The couple almost immediately ran into financial difficulties after their daughter's death.

Mrs Steenkamp told one reporter she'd spoken to Reeva as she was driving to the runner's house on the night she was killed.

Her daughter had promised to send money to pay for their cable television bill.

She also regularly helped out with her parents' utility and food bills.

Video: Prison Boss On Pistorius Disability

The couple consulted lawyers almost immediately and were advised to launch a civil action claim for compensation against Oscar Pistorius.

It emerged during the sentencing hearing that within two weeks of their daughter's death they were getting monthly payments from the athlete of 6,000 South African Rand (equivalent to £350).

The runner offered to pay the money to them after the Steenkamp lawyer advised his legal team of the intention to mount a compensation claim.

The Steenkamps say the Pistorius team asked for the payments to be kept confidential and they abided by this request until the news emerged in court.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said June regarded the cash - plus the offer of a lump-sum from the runner - as "blood money".

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1. Gallery: Reeva Steenkamp's Life In Pictures

   Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was born in Cape Town and grew up in Port Elizabeth. She went to a convent school and studied law. She was a keen horse rider until she broke her back.

2. She moved to Johannesburg from Cape Town to model for Avon cosmetics. In 2012, Reeva was voted number 45 in the South African FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.

3. She featured as a celebrity contestant on BBC Lifestyle show Baking Made Easy in 2012.

4. The model was a keen Twitter user, and had more than 34,000 followers. She used the site to promote women's rights and empowerment.

5. Her former fashion editor, Barbara Robertson, described the model as being "sweet, and down-to-earth" with the "it factor". She compared her to an "early Kate Moss".

6. Reeva Steenkamp on the set of reality TV show Tropika Island of Treasure (Pic: Stimulii)

When I asked their legal representative Dup De Bruyn if it was difficult for the couple to accept the runner's money, he said: "Its not difficult if you haven't any."

He added that Reeva's parents intended to pay every cent back.

We watched as the very tough-looking June Steenkamp crumpled and held her head in her hands and sobbed as she listened to her niece Kim Martin give heart-breaking testimony of how Reeva's death has impacted on the family.

It was the first real time we have seen this doughty, strong, diminutive woman break down.

It must have been unbearably hard for her to listen to her daughter's cousin talk about all the good times - even the birth of Reeva.

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1. Gallery: Pistorius Sentencing: Day Four

   Oscar Pistorius' sister seen in court before the lunch recess on day four of the sentencing hearing. She later left the court in tears

2. Aimee Pistorius complained of feeling "very intimidated" by the presence of Mikey Schultz in the public gallery of the Pretoria court, Sky's Alex Crawford reported. Schultz, pictured, said outside the court he had done nothing wrong

4. Pistorius is to be sentenced for culpable homicide over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013

5. The court heard evidence from a cousin of Ms Steenkamp, who told the hearing Pistorius needed to "pay for what he's done"

6. Ms Steenkamp's parents, June and Barry, were in the court to hear evidence

7. Zacharia Modise, the acting national director for South Africa's prison service, insisted that the service was able to accommodate disabled prisoners, such as double amputee Pistorius if he got a custodial sentence

8. Pistorius would be kept in a prison hospital wing because of his disabilities, Mr Modise said

9. During the lunch recess, Pistorius was seen helping this German cameraman after he tripped up while filming the 27-year-old

Reeva was the first newborn Kim Martin had ever held aged 12 and she said from that moment on, the two had a strong bond.

The Steenkamps' lawyer said he'd done "some good deals" for them with media houses: one is thought to be the American network NBC - to try to provide some financial security for them in their old age.

There can't be many who will begrudge them that.

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