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JUST IN: South Africa’s Pistorius Released From Prison

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South Africa’s ex-Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was released from jail on parole Friday and “is now at home”, authorities said, almost 11 years after he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a crime that gripped the world.

Having served more than half his sentence, the 37-year-old double-amputee was quietly whisked out from the Atteridgeville prison on the outskirts of the capital Pretoria, avoiding the hordes of media gathered outside.

“He was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home,” the department of correctional services said in a statement.

Pistorius, known worldwide as “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, will not be allowed to speak to the media as a condition of his parole.

Prison authorities had previously warned the press that there would be no opportunity to photograph or speak to him.

Pistorius killed Steenkamp, a model who was 29 years old at the time, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, firing four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure Pretoria house.

The shooting came a year after Pistorius made history by being the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level when he appeared at the London 2012 games.

He was found guilty of murder and given a 13-year jail sentence in 2017 after a lengthy trial and several appeals.

He had pleaded not guilty and denied killing Steenkamp in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar.

Therapy Required 

A South African Police Service (SAPS) vehicle is seen outside Oscar Pistorius’ uncle’s house in Waterkloof, a suburb of Pretoria, on January 5, 2024. (Photo by Olympia DE MAISMONT / AFP)

The morning ahead of his release, Steenkamp’s mother June issued a statement saying that while she accepted the decision of the justice system and conditions of his parole, “the pain is still raw and real”.

“There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back,” she said.

“We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence.”

Offenders in South Africa are automatically eligible for parole consideration after serving half their sentence.

Pistorius lost a first bid in March when the board found he had not completed the minimum detention period required to be let out.

The Constitutional Court in October ruled that was a mistake, paving the way for a November hearing that approved his release.

As part of his parole, until the end of his sentence in 2029, Pistorius must undergo therapy for anger and gender-based violence issues.

He will also be banned from consuming alcohol and other substances, required to complete community service and also be home at certain hours of the day.

The conditions “send out a clear message that gender based violence is taken seriously” by the country’s justice system, June Steenkamp said Friday.

AFP

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International

JUST IN: Veteran American Actor, Harris Yulin, dies few days to birthday at 87

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Veteran American actor Harris Yulin, widely known for his memorable roles in Ghostbusters II and Scarface, has passed away at the age of 87.

According to reports, Yulin died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

His manager, Sue Leibman, confirmed his death in a statement to The Post on Thursday.

Leibman described Yulin as part of a generation of actors deeply committed to their craft.

“Yulin was part of the vanguard of a generation that passionately cared about the craft of acting.

This lifelong dedication led to extraordinary, resonant performances that were a gift to actors he worked with, audiences, and the art of acting itself,” she stated.

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‘I walked out of rubble’: Survivor on how he escaped Air India wreckage

But Mr Ramesh, a businessman from Leicester who has a wife and four-year-old son, said the section he was sitting in landed near the ground and did not make contact with the building.

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The British man who was the sole survivor of Thursday’s Air India plane crash said he managed to escape the wreckage through an opening in the fuselage.

“I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out,” Vishwashkumar Ramesh told Indian state media DD News.

Mr Ramesh, 40, was in seat 11A on the London-bound Boeing 787 flight when it went down shortly after take off in Ahmedabad, western India on Thursday.

Air India said all other passengers and crew were killed – including 169 Indian nationals and 52 British nationals.

More than 200 bodies have been recovered so far, though it is unclear how many were passengers and how many were from the ground.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Ramesh said the lights inside the aircraft “started flickering” moments after take off.

Within five to 10 seconds, it felt like the plane was “stuck in the air”, he said.

“The lights started flickering green and white…suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.

“The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a building used as accommodation for doctors at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.

But Mr Ramesh, a businessman from Leicester who has a wife and four-year-old son, said the section he was sitting in landed near the ground and did not make contact with the building.

“When the door broke and I saw there was some space, I tried to get out of there and I did.”No one could have got out from the opposite side, which was towards the wall, because it crashed there.”

(BBC)

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Iran attacks Israel, Launches Over 100 Drones In Retaliatory Strike

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The Israeli military confirmed the airborne assault, alerting its citizens that an Iranian retaliation was actively underway. The Israeli military confirmed the airborne assault, alerting its citizens that an Iranian retaliation was actively underway.

Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated sharply as Iran launched more than 100 drones toward Israeli territory late Thursday night in what it described as a retaliatory operation.

The Israeli military confirmed the airborne assault, alerting its citizens that an Iranian retaliation was actively underway.

“This is a different event to what we’ve experienced thus far, and we’re expecting difficult hours,” said IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari in a late-night briefing.

“All aerial defense arrays have been operating to intercept the threats.”

The attack follows a series of Israeli airstrikes earlier this week targeting Iranian military installations.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the strikes, carried out under the codename Operation Rising Lion, were a “pre-emptive, precise, combined offensive based on high-quality intelligence.”

According to reports, dozens of Israeli airstrikes struck multiple locations across Iran, including high-level military targets.

One of the most significant casualties of the operation was Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s chief of staff for the armed forces, who was reportedly killed in the Israeli strikes.

Iranian authorities have not issued an official statement confirming Bagheri’s death or detailing the extent of the damage from the Israeli offensive, but state-affiliated media have vowed that a “decisive response” would follow.

Air raid sirens were heard across multiple regions in Israel, and emergency protocols were enacted nationwide as the military attempted to intercept the incoming drones.

Early reports suggest that Israel’s Iron Dome and other defense systems were actively engaged, though the full impact of the drone assault remains unclear at this time.

International leaders have urged both nations to de-escalate, warning that continued retaliation could spiral into a broader regional conflict.

Meanwhile, citizens in both countries have been urged to remain vigilant as military tensions appear far from resolved.

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