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Saturday's news in less than two minutes.

Reeva Steenkamp’s parents.

 

Reeva Steenkamp’s parents accuse Pistorius of lying in court

The parents of Reeva Steenkamp have accused Oscar Pistorius of lying in court by repeatedly saying that he thought Steenkamp was an intruder.

“We were shocked, shocked, disappointed,” Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp told ITN News

“You know your heart drops because you just want the truth. It’s going in the wrong direction, that’s how you feel.”

“I think there was more to the whole story, you know, coming up to the actual shooting, the killing,” her husband Barry added.

“I feel there is a lot more to it. I only wish that the true, true story will come out one day.”

Pistorius left court on bail after being convicted of culpable homicide (the South African equivalent of manslaughter) over the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in their Johannesburg bathroom.

Pistorius was also found guilty of an unrelated firearms charge relating to a shot fired under a restaurant table in the month before Steenkamp’s death.

Gable Tostee declares innocence in Facebook post

The man accused of murdering New Zealand woman Warriena Wright following a Tinder date has taken to Facebook to declare his innocence.

Gold Coast man Gable Tostee posted a public status from his personal account saying that he “has been in custody for almost a month now for a crime [he] didn’t commit”.

The full message read:

To my friends and those who have been supporting me, I want to thank you and say that I miss you all.

I have been in custody for almost a month now for a crime I did not commit and have lost contact with almost everyone.

I maintain my absolute innocence and hope that this nightmare will be over soon.

If you wish to write to me I can be reached through mail at: LMB 1300 Sumner Park, Queensland 4074.

Thanks again for your support and thoughts.

The message has since been deleted.

Tostee is currently being tried for murder. He has been kept in police custody for the past month after his bail application was denied because police feared he would meet with other girls using Tinder.

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Malala shooting suspects arrested in Pakistan

Malala Yousafzai

Pakistan’s army has arrested 10 men suspected of involvement in the shooting of teenage education activitist Malala Yousafzai.

Army spokesman General Asim Saleem Bajwa said the militants attacked Yousafzai on orders from Mullah Fazlullah, the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan. The arrests coincide with a major offensive against the Taliban in North Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan, a region that has long been under the Taliban’s control.

Yousafzai, then 15, was shot in the head while returning from school in Pakistan. She now lives in Britain with her family.

Mobile phone footage allegedly shows Ferguson victim had his hands up

Mobile phone footage obtained by AP and first aired on CNN will be used to strengthen the argument that teenager Michael Brown had his hands up when he was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in the incident that prompted the Ferguson riots.

The video shows two landscapers who were working near the scene. One of the workers is heard to yell, “He had his ******* hands up,” while another raises his own hands in the air.

The man who took the video gave it to AP under a condition of anonymity, due to fears for his safety. The identity of the workers in the video is currently unknown.

Salvos to drive Melbourne CBD drunks home for free

The Salvation Army have announced a new plan to save police resources and prevent alcohol-fuelled violence on Melbourne’s streets: they’re going to drive the drunks home.

“When people have had a fair bit to drink they have the potential to become a victim or an offender (of alcohol-fuelled violence),” Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle told News Limited.

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“Police lose four police members to deal with every drunk, but by calling us we can take care of them, bring them back to the Salvos, take them home or get them onto their friends.”

The plan is an extension of the Salvos’ Youth Street Teams, who are already present in the CBD offering water and rubber thongs to people in the early hours of the morning. Volunteers can be called using the number 1800 COMMUNITY to organise a pick up.

Community rallies behind woman fired due to cancer diagnosis

A US community has rallied behind a woman who was promptly fired from her job of 12 years after telling her employer she had been diagnosed with cancer.

Carol Jumper, from Hopewell Township in Pennsylvania, received a letter from her boss at the oral surgery, which explained that she would no longer be a productive worker, so would be laid off without pay.

The letter, which was posted to Facebook, read:

Dear Carol,

You are currently engaged in a battle against cancer that will be demanding physically, mentally and emotionally. The symptoms of the disease, the pain medications you will need, and the side effects of the chemotherapy will be significant and distracting. You will not be able to function in my office at the level required while battling for your life. Because of this, I am laying you off without pay as of August 11, 2014. Your last paycheck will be mailed to you this Friday 8/15/14.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you firth this horrible disease. Thanks for your time at Visnich Oral Surgery. I hope your battle is swift, smooth and successful!

As Always,

Members of the township have since started a fundraising page, to raise money for Jumper as she prepares to undergo treatment.

Jumper’s fiance Dennis Smerigan told the Beaver Countian that her workplace had been hostile in their dealings on the matter.

“He didn’t even call her, he hasn’t even called her once since she got sick,” he said.

Radio station donates $500,000 to family of nurse affected by ‘royal prank’

Southern Cross Austereo has donated $500,000 to the family of the British nurse who took her own life after being pranked by one of their radio shows.

“We do not assume, of course, that this donation or any amount of money could relieve the feelings of loss felt by Ms Saldanha’s family. But it is our hope that it may help them,” a spokesperson from the statement said in a statement.

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The announcement comes following the coronial inquest into the death of Ms Saldanha, at which it was determined that there was no legal causation between the call and Saldanha’s death.

“We also note that the coroner has said there is no causation as a matter of law between the hoax call and any subsequent voluntary action by Ms Saldanha,” the spokesperson said.

Saldanha took her own life on December 7, 2012 three days after Sydney’s 2Day FM DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian posed as the Queen and Prince Charles in an attempt to be put through to the then-pregnant Duchess of Cambridge Kate. Saldanha was one of two nurses who received the call.

Doctor who treated Joan Rivers steps down from post

The doctor who performed an endoscopy on Joan Rivers before she went into cardiac arrest has stepped down from his position as medical director at the clinic where Rivers was being treated.

Dr Lawrence B. Cohen is no longer medical director or performing any procedures at Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic in Manhattan, a spokesperson said on Friday.

His resignation comes following allegations from Rivers’ friends that Dr Cohen allowed Rivers to be examined by an Ears, Nose and Throat (E.N.T.) specialist who had not gone through the credential check required for her to practice at the clinic.

Rivers’ death is currently under investigation, although no conclusions regarding medical negligence have been made.