Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius to be charged with premeditated murderAugust 17, 2013 - 16:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Oscar Pistorius will be charged with premeditated murder on Monday, August 19 and the double-amputee Olympian will go on trial in early 2014, about a year after shooting dead his girlfriend, prosecutors said. In a sombre twist, Pistorius will be indicted on the day the woman he killed, Reeva Steenkamp, would have celebrated her 30th birthday, Belfast Telegraph reported. National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Medupe Simasiku said on Friday that the exact date for the trial had not yet been set and would likely be decided on Monday, Pistorius' next scheduled appearance in court. The indictment papers will be served at Pretoria Magistrate's Court and the prosecution will retain a main charge of premeditated murder, Mr Simasiku said. Pistorius faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted on that charge. Pistorius was initially charged with premeditated murder for Miss Steenkamp's death for bail purposes while police investigated the circumstances of the Valentine's Day shooting. Police said this week they had completed their six-month investigation and are convinced Pistorius "had a charge to answer to," leading to the indictment. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |