A gunman killed three people on Friday at a Planned Parenthood
clinic in Colorado Springs, Colo. Robert Lewis Dear, of North
Carolina, was armed with a long firearm and exchanged gunfire with
authorities for several hours Friday before surrendering. A police
officer, 44-year-old Garrett Swasey, was among the three dead. Nine
others were wounded, including five officers. Mr Dear appeared in
court on Monday, and faces a minimum sentence of life in prison and a
maximum death penalty sentence. A new hearing set for 9 December will
hear a full set of charges.
No official motive for the attack has yet been outlined, though he
reportedly muttered “no more baby parts” while he was arrested,
according to an
NBC report. A chiropractor, locked down in his office across the
street from the clinic, witnessed it being the site of protests
“probably six days a week,” sometimes drawing as many as 200
people. The shooting has intensified a
raging political debate about abortion rights, drawing in
opposing activists and presidential candidates.
Debate over gun control is also increasingly important. Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama
called once again for greater gun safety laws to tighten up on their
easy access. On the other hand, Republican candidate Marco Rubio and
House Speaker Paul Ryan claim mental illness is the problem, not gun
control.
NZ: Ex-Cricketer Chris Cairns Cleared of Perjury
Former New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns was found not
guilty, on Monday, of lying under oath during a 2012 libel case. Mr
Cairns, 45, had been accused of falsely declaring under oath during a
2012 libel case that he had never cheated at cricket. His barrister
Andrew Fitch-Holland was also cleared of perverting the course of
justice.
During the 2012 libel case, he had successfully sued Indian
Premier League chairman Lalit Modi for accusing him on Twitter of
match-fixing - this was the country's first Twitter libel trial. Brendon McCullum, the current New Zealand captain, also
gave evidence that Mr Cairns asked him twice to fix matches, which Mr Cairns refuted.
Mr Cairns is considered one of New Zealand's greatest
ever all-rounders, having played 62 Tests for his country between
1989 and 2004. Speaking outside of the court, the former cricketer
declared that he sticks by his decision to stay out of this sport,
which he qualified of a « hard environment ».
India: Four Schoolboys Arrested for Gang-Rape
Four 15 to 16 year-old schoolboys in the western Indian city of
Mumbai have been arrested on Sunday for allegedly gang-raping a
classmate. Police said they also recorded a video of the crime and
circulated it on WhatsApp.
All five of them lived in the same area
and used to go to each others' homes to study. The girl was first
raped on 8 November, when one of the boys invited her to his home
under the false pretense of studying. She was also assaulted several
times since then, a senior police officer said.
The case has been
registered and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act
has been invoked against the accused. The boys were produced in court
after which they were sent to a juvenile reform home. Further
investigation is under way. It comes at a time where public debate is
increasingly condemning India's sexual assault laws, and especially
those that deal with juvenile offenders.
This news round-up was done as part of a university assignment.
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