STITCHED UP: Blind weightlifting champ portrayed as 'drunk' by the ABC

CHAMPION weightlifter Malek Chamoun who is legally blind and walks with a cane has slammed the ABC for portraying him as a binge drinker during a Four Corners' 'Punch Drunk' special. VISION: ABC TV/ Four Corners

Blind weightlifter Malek Chamoun, pictured here in an ABC Four Corners special on drunken violence. Picture: ABC Source: Supplied

• Blind weightlifter shown as drunk by ABC TV 
• Malek Chamoun featured in Four Corners footage
• "It's disgraceful. He is a great kid." 

A CHAMPION weightlifter who is legally blind has slammed the ABC for portraying him as a binge drinker.

Malek Chamoun, 24, was walking with a cane and guided by a friend during a rare night out in the city when he was caught on camera.

The footage later appeared in "Punch Drunk," a Four Corners episode exploring "crisis levels" of binge drinking and serious assaults in Australia through the eyes of police and paramedics that went to air on Monday night.

"Check me out on 4 Corners, the episode about alchahol & violonce in the city. (I pop up at 10:38) Pfftt i wasn't drunk, i'm blind...," Chamoun posted on his Facebook.

"I was even holding my cane, but the idiots cut it off in the vid. The media has to watch out, this could impact my reputation with my weightlifting carreer," he wrote.

Footage of Chamoun stumbling appears following a quote from NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas about the impact of alcohol-related violence on emergency services.

"An enormous amount of effort and anguish is expended on people who have simply got themselves in such a drunken state that emergency services have to become involved to look after them or patch up the mess that they leave," Mr Kaldas said.

"It's disgraceful. I can vouch that the kid is a great kid, a fantastic athlete and a great son. They should have shown the cane so people would have known," he said. Source: Supplied

In a statement today Four Corners said: "Having been made aware of his concerns, Four Corners has now spoken to Malek Chamoun.

"The program has said they are sorry he was portrayed in this light, but explained the footage was filmed in a public place.

"While the program did not suggest all those featured were drunk, it was shown in the context of people out and having a good time. Four Corners has agreed to remove the footage of Chamoun from the online version of the program, and any televised repeats."

"No one at Four Corners knew that the man filmed was blind. If we did, we would not have used this shot."

Chamoun was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease at age seven and declared legally blind at 15.

Despite this, he competes fulltime in the sport and narrowly missed selection for the London 2012 Olympics.

He is coached by father George, also a former national champ, in their Sydney home on the official weightlifting platform used in the Sydney 2000 games.

Weightlifting NSW Honorary CEO Luke Borreggine said he has known Chamoun since he was a "puppy" and it was a shame footage of the "totally innocent" athlete had been used in the wrong context.

"It's disgraceful. I can vouch that the kid is a great kid, a fantastic athlete and a great son. They should have shown the cane so people would have known," he said.

Malek, 24, is legally blind. Pic: Gregg Porteous Source: Supplied

Viewers expressed their disapproval on Four Corners' Facebook page.

Dean Vasil: "Malek Chamoun is shown in this video at 10:38 seconds, this is a program about being drunk and highly intoxicated in public.. all of us who know malek.. He is visually blind and was being helped down the stairs by his caring cousin.. You people at abc film whoever you want and stick a title of whatever you want on people to help portray the stupidity of your program.. Regardless of people's circumstances.. This poor kid has been made to look like he was HIGHLY intoxicated.. When in reality he was being helped down the stairs because he can not see.. He has been portrayed as a drunk on live television and he didn't even know he was being filmed.. Well done abc, GREAT WORK!!"

Will Vasil: "That's not nice they just showed someone in this video that was not drunk, I thought it was about drunk people not a BLIND man walking down the stairs being helped by his cousin (10:38). I think the video man himself was intoxicated, he couldn't tell the difference between a blind man holding his cane or a drunk loser."

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ashlee and Sophia: They said whaaaat?

My Kitchen Rules Ashlee and Sophia execute a cracking main dish which really impresses the judges.

Best friends Ashlee and Sophia have to put their money where their mouth is as they step into the kitchen, as seen on Seven.

Ashlee and Sophia put to the test in the MKR kitchen. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

WHILE some viewers have been enamoured by their inane banter, others have described it more as a waste of their "ear space".

But love them or hate them, Ashlee and Sophia have been responsible for some of the best one-liners in My Kitchen Rules history.

Perhaps that's because Sophia delivers each one syllable by syllable, pro-noun-cing ev-er-y sin-gle word pain-full-y slow-ly, so that they're impossible to miss - or perhaps it's just because they're exactly the opposite of whatever a "buzz kill" is?

Either way, you can't deny that the NSW duo 'give good quote'.

So here, we pay "homage" to the villainous gatecrashers, because babes, when it comes to the crunch, all you can do is laugh.

Top 12 Ashlee and Sophia quotes:

1.  "In a dog fight, there's usually a pack of bitches coming at the strongest dog, and at the moment it's Ashlee and I." - Sophia reveals the pair's confidence early on.
    
2. "She could put fish to sleep... she's just a buzz kill" - Sophia on fellow contestant Lisa.
    
3. "It was like eating a slug ... even a child would hate it" - describing Lisa and Stefano's semifreddo they served up for dessert.
    
4. "Their one looks like a piñata threw up" - Sophia on the décor of Lisa and Stefano's instant restaurant, Carnavale 2.0.
    
5. "He's a man-baby" - Ashlee's first impression of Stefano.
    
6. "The first thing I'm thinking is 'vom' ... My dogs eat better than this" - the girls on Dan and Steph's Duck Sausage entrée and Pork Knuckle main.
    
7. "If we get a good score tonight I'm going to get my local council to name a park after me" - Sophia while preparing for her guests last night.
    
8. "If I burn my face then I'll NEVER get a boyfriend" - Sophia while wielding a monster blowtorch around. 
    
9. "OK, let's have a quick prayer: We pray for a good instant restaurant, let's pray for no time delays, and let's pray for good hair and make-up. Ok, love you biatch".
    
10. "We're just gonna go work on your entrees, so we're gonna bounce" - after seating their guests at their own instant restaurant.
     
11. "What about an umbrella on a banana split? You don't see anybody eating the umbrella, do you?" - The hilarious logic behind serving an inedible flower with their lime crème brûlée.
     
12. "Omg babes, BABES! Babes its not gonna be tender, babes, BABES what do you want me to do, babe?" 

Did we miss any priceless one-liners? Add them below. 

@Ali_Stephenson_

@lottiewillis

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

10 mind-boggling Wall Street interview questions

How many tennis balls are there in New South Wales was a question an investment banking candidate was asked. Picture: File Source: news.com.au

• Investment bankers subjected to bizarre interview questions
• Makes you think creatively, show personality
• See 10 mind-boggling questions below
• Follow sarah_ocarroll on Twitter

IF you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and trapped in a blender, how would you get out?

Could you weigh an elephant without using a scale, guess the number of tennis balls there are in New South Wales, or bricks on residential buildings in Shanghai?

If so, you may have what it takes to be an investment banker.

These are some of interview questions potential investment bankers are asked - they are tough, very tough, and some even border on the ridiculous.

But there's method to the madness.

According to investment banking recruiter Jason Hutchins from Anton Murray Consulting investment banks are looking to determine three things about candidates:

1.    Are you smart enough
2.    Can you handle the work

3.    Do they like you

He said that while interviewers will of course focus on candidates technical ability, commercial awareness and previous experience they will also gauge their response to one or two more obscure questions.

"For example an associate interviewing with UBS was recently asked how many tennis balls there were in New South Wales," said Mr Hutchins.

"Whilst you can't be expected to know the exact figure, interviewers want to see what approach you'll take to answering the question, and what steps you'd take to reach this number."

A similar question asked in an interview with British bank Rothschild was: Why do you think only a small portion of the population makes over $200k per year?

"Not only does this test your economic understanding and thought process but could be an opportunity to gauge political views and dare I say it, any exaggerated self-opinions," he said.

"Whilst these may seem a little left field, they are in fact vital to understanding how you'll consider the different variances involved in complex valuations," he said.

Then of course there are the banking interviews questions that sound simply ridiculous.

US giant Goldman Sachs asked the question: If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and trapped in a blender, how would you get out?

"Bankers like these types of questions, as it makes you think creatively and shows them your personality, will you just be dismissive to the question or use it as a chance to show you're not just a number cruncher and have the sense of humour and quick thinking to fit in to the team," said Mr Hutchins.

Here are 10 mind-boggling questions investment bankers have been asked:

1.    If you had five red balls that contained four red balls and those red balls contained the original five red balls, then how many sets of sets of balls would I take to have a double set of red balls of varying sizes inside each next largest red ball?
2.    How many tennis balls are there in New South Wales
3.    Why do you think only a small portion of the population makes over $200k per year?
4.    If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and trapped in a blender, how would you get out?
5.    You have 2 buckets. One full of white marbles and the other full of black marbles. How do you allocate the marbles into buckets in a way that maximizes your probability of picking 2 white ones when you pick 1 marble from each bucket?
6.    Explain to me what has happened in this country during the last 10 years.
7.    How many bricks are there in Shanghai? Consider only residential buildings
8.    How do you weigh an elephant without using a scale?
9.    Using a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how weird you are?
10.    And finally: You are given two eggs. You have access to a 100-story building. Eggs can be very hard or very fragile means it may break if dropped from the first floor or may not even break if dropped from 100th floor. Both eggs are identical. You need to figure out the highest floor of a 100-story building an egg can be dropped without breaking. The question is how many drops you need to make. You are allowed to break 2 eggs in the process.

Have you been asked a crazy interview question? Tell us below or @sarah_ocarroll on Twitter

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Red Alert as Rusty batters WA coast

Dramatic video footage emerges from WA as tropical cyclone Rusty nears landfall on the Pilbara coast.

TROPICAL Cyclone Rusty is now battering WA's Pilbara coast after being upgraded to a category four storm.

A red alert has been issued for people in Pilbara region towns between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland and South Hedland.

These residents are being told to go to shelter immediately.

Dramatic video footage is emerging from Western Australia as tropical cyclone Rusty approaches the Pilbara coast.

The slow-moving monster storm was still over the sea this morning but the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) says it's likely to cross the northwest corner of WA later in the day.

Conditions at Port Hedland are likely to get worse during the day. Picture: AAP

Rusty is expected to track south, weakening as it moves over land.

"Wind gusts to 120 kilometres per hour have already been experienced in Port Hedland and conditions there are likely to get slowly worse during the day," the bureau said.

Dramatic footage of some of the winds is being posted on social media sites.

Gallery: Cyclone Rusty - as you see it.

Jordan Cantelo of severeweatherphotography.com.au posted a short video of winds battering Port Hedland, where many people have already evacuated their homes.

Tropical Cyclone Rusty has been upgraded to a category four with the storm battering WA's Pilbara coast.

His footage shows trees being bent over in the wind and roof tarpaulins flapping in gusts of up to 120km/h.

Another user, Swanss05, shot a short video while driving along the coast.

Rain can be heard pummelling the car's roof as the wind bends palm trees at 45-degree angles.

Meanwhile, WA residents have taken to Twitter to describe what's happening to them.

"Cyclone Rusty, it'd be really great if you didn't kill me, also...stop making my roof make scary noises," one user wrote.

Port Hedland is being battered by high winds as Cyclone Rusty approaches. Picture: AAP

Another added: "Cyclone Rusty please brake or better go to hell."

The slow-travelling cyclone barely moved overnight but wind gusts have strengthened to 230km/h near its centre.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts the cyclone will begin moving south today.

Port Hedland has already had wind gusts up 120km/h, with conditions set to worsen throughout the day, the bureau says.

Destructive wind gusts of more than 165km/h are predicted in the area as the cyclone approaches the coast.

At 5am (WST) on Wednesday, the storm was believed to be 130km north-northeast of Port Hedland and 290km northeast of Karratha.

People in communities between Wallal and Pardoo, extending inland to Marble Bar, are on yellow alert, with a warning to take action and prepare to shelter.

Rusty's massive size and slow movement is set to unleash torrential rain and cause major flooding in the De Grey catchment and significant flooding in the Fortescue catchment and Pilbara coastal streams.

The deputy mayor of Port Hedland shire, George Daccache, a resident of 40 years, expects the cyclone to be one of the worst the town has seen.

"This one's a bit of a beauty," Mr Daccache said.

"It's going to be a pain waiting for two to three days for this to come and go.

Port Hedland councillor Bill Dziombak says there's been persistent rain in the area, and he expects it will become more intense.

"This is a very long, drawn-out slow nightmare," Mr Dziombak said early this morning.

"Over the last 48 hours we've had gradually increasing gales, gusty winds and heavy, heavy rain."

The rain had softened vegetation, raising fears of falling trees and damage to infrastructure, Mr Dziombak said.

Rising tides could also cause storm surges and flooding.

Mr Daccache said most of the town's residents were at home or in shelters waiting for the cyclone to hit.

"It's in Mother Nature's hands now, nothing we can do about it," Mr Daccache said.

FIVE FACTS ABOUT CYCLONES

• Tropical cyclones form over the ocean in the area around the equator, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The water must be warm, at least 26C.
• Once cyclones arrive over land, their strength weakens. This is due to the lack of moisture and heat compared to the ocean over which it was formed.
• In Australia, cyclone season is between November and April but they can still occur right up until May.
• Cyclones range in strength between categories one and five. Category one cyclones generally have winds no stronger than 125km/h. Category five cyclones have winds of 280km/h and above.
• Cyclone names are taken from a list of 104. The next one after Rusty will be called Sandra.

Sources: Federal Attorney General's department.

Even for those used to living in WA's 'cyclone alley', Rusty is becoming a storm they will long remember.

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

'With those figures, we can't win'

The latest Newspoll shows Tony Abbott has a clear lead over Julia Gillard as the preferred prime minister.

LABOR stalwart Simon Crean says the latest opinion polls are a "wake-up call" for the Government, which needs to focus on its central message if it is to win in the coming election.

The Minister for Regional Development conceded leadership speculation and the Craig Thomson affair had contributed the Government's slide in the latest Newspoll.

The poll, published in The Australian, shows a five-point drop in Ms Gillard's standing as preferred PM.

In November last year Ms Gillard held a 14-point lead as Better PM but today's poll has Liberal leader Tony Abbott ahead by four points - with a lead of 40 to 36 per cent.

Support for Labor fell one point to 31 per cent - its lowest level in Newspoll since July last year and in line with last week's Fairfax Nielsen Poll which showed Labor at 30 per cent.

The Coalition's primary vote also slipped one point to 47 but it would easily win an election held now with the two-party vote after preferences showing the Coalition ahead 55 to 45 per cent.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon this morning proclaimed the polls were a "funeral notice" for the Government.

Mr Crean said: "All I would say is with those figures, we clearly can't win."

Simon Crean, who toured North Melbourne Football Club today, says Labor must better communicate its message. Picture: Andrew Brownbill

"But here we are at the start of the football season, we're not in the grand final, yet.

"I think, look at the structure of the team, look at the agenda that we've got and the way we're positioning and then let's make a final judgment when the election on September 14th comes about.

"But the poll, just as last week, was a wake-up call. You can't win with a 31 per cent primary vote, but that's not where we expect to be in September."

Mr Crean said speculation over the leadership correlated directly with poor polling.

"The sooner we get off that, the sooner we get back on message, the sooner we show the courage of our convictions, that's when people will take notice of us, and that's where we want to be in the lead-up to September," he said.

"We won't win unless we're bold, unless we're courageous, unless we're prepared to remind people of the challenges ahead and convince them that we've got the strategy to do it."

BREAKING VIEWS: Perils of punting on good will of Rooty Hill

The latest Newspoll, published in The Australian, shows a five-point drop in Ms Gillard's standing as preferred Prime Minister.

Mr Xenophon said the outlook for the government was ''pretty grim".

''The voters haven't so much baseball bats behind their backs waiting for the election but some of them almost have a nuclear missile," he said.

Installing Kevin Rudd as Labor leader could make the difference between a Labor backbencher staying in Parliament or being "turfed out".

"That will sharpen the mind of some in caucus," he said.

Senior Liberal Eric Abetz said the poll indicated a sinking ship.

"The Australian people realise the changing of leadership for the Labor Party would be like changing the deck chairs on the Titanic,'' he told reporters in Canberra.

Fellow Senior Liberal George Brandis said the polls reflected long-standing concerns of voters.

He said it was only natural the opposition pursued a more positive image as the election drew closer.

"If the government continues to make catastrophic mistakes ... of course the opposition is going to criticise them," he told Sky News.

"It's not our fault that we're negative because the government gives us so much to criticise."

Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce said the electorate's opinion that the Gillard government was dysfunctional was now locked in.

"They are dead right,'' he said.

Today's Newspoll also shows the Greens vote lift two points to 11 per cent.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said Tony Abbott has had a hand in the government's poor standing with voters.

Mr Abbott had gone around the country making ''wild claims" about carbon pricing from which he and shadow treasurer Joe Hockey were now backing away from.

Colleague Penny Wright said the poll reflected the community's disappointment with the government, especially over the mining tax.

Voters recognised that big miners were benefiting from the nation's resources and not paying their fair share back to the community.

"The government needs to fix that,'' Senator Wright said.

The Gillard Government also faces the prospect of a $15 billion Budget black hole as businesses struggle with the end of the mining boom and the slowdown in spending, economists warn.

The latest forecasts show the Budget deficit may be even bigger than originally imagined.

Despite the introduction of some tough cost-cutting measures, the latest research from global bank UBS forecasts the Federal Budget in May will show a $12 billion black hole in revenues and cost overruns of about $3 billion.

The biggest pain is coming from the expected $8 billion drop in taxes from the corporate sector.

UBS strategist Matthew Johnson said the mining sector had been the problem child of the crash in corporate tax receipts as commodity prices fell in the back half of 2012.

And this crash in revenues is outside of the Gillard Government's flawed mining tax, which has raised just $126 million in its first six months of operation. Treasury had forecast it would raise $2 billion in its first year.

But Mr Johnson said the sharp slowdown in business revenues meant that the second half of the financial year might generate even bigger Budget problems for Treasury.

Federal Labor frontbencher Greg Combet says there is "no room'' for leadership change in the government.

Mr Combet told reporters in Adelaide today the leadership question had been settled.

"There isn't room for that,'' he said of a change.

"It's not the first time that I or my colleagues have been in a tough fight and we are going to argue our case pretty hard over the next seven months.''

Mr Combet said the government's policy measures supporting jobs and job security would trump the "superficiality of politics in Canberra''.

"As we get closer to the election, people will focus more on that,'' he said.

- with Phillip Hudson, Stephen McMahon, AAP

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Why Oscars darling may 'save lives'

Jennifer Lawrence dazzled critics with her role opposite Bradley Cooper in David O. Russell drama, Silver Linings Playbook. Source: AP

• Jennifer Lawrence speaks out on mental illness 
• Oscar winner wants to "get rid of stigma" 
• BeyondBlue: Lawrence's comments "will save lives" 

JENNIFER Lawrence's comments about mental illness at the Academy Awards "will save lives", one of Australia's top advocates has said.

Lawrence, the new darling of the film industry after she won the Best Actress gong at the Oscars, said she was on a campaign to change the public perception of mental illness after accepting her award.

She was recognised for her role in the David O. Russell drama, Silver Linings Playbook, about two troubled people who find connection and stability with one another.

She used her moment in front of the cameras to address the issue with authority.

"I don't think we're going to stop until we get rid of the stigma for mental illness," she said. "I know [director] David O. Russell won't, and I hope that this helps.

"It's just so bizarre how in this world if you have asthma, you take asthma medication. If you have diabetes, you take diabetes medication.

"But as soon as you have to take medicine for your mind, it's such a stigma behind it."

BeyondBlue CEO Kate Carnell says Lawrence's comments were incredibly poignant, with one in four Australians still believing that people with serious mental illnesses should simply "suck it up".

"It's just fantastic that somebody as high-profile as Jennifer is, at a time when she's winning an Oscar, takes time to address mental health," she told news.com.au.

"It will help, it will save lives.

"Stigma is still a very real problem. It's something that's incredibly detrimental to people who have depression and anxiety and can lead to suicide."

Lawrence isn't the first famous face to address serious issues and help drag them into the public discourse.

Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Di were two of the greatest campaigners of AIDS awareness in the 1980s. Likewise, Bob Geldof gave a spotlight to third-world poverty through Live Aid in that decade.

Despite his recent drug confessions, Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong foundation managed to give cancer a global fundraising platform, and a strong brand to drive it.

And Matt Damon has toiled to bring Africa's sanitation and water supply crisis into the mainstream view.

Sometimes it takes a glamorous public figure like Lawrence to give a traditionally unglamorous issue like mental health its time in the sun.

"We'd like more people in high places, or people who have influence, to talk about the issue of mental health," Ms Carnell added.

"It helps that Jennifer made the point that mental illness is just the same as physical illness."

Lifeline agrees it is "definitely positive" to have a celebrity talk to the issue of mental illness.

"We have always leveraged off people with high profiles. If it's done in a constructive way, like in this case, it's definitely a positive," Lifeline spokesman John Mendel said.

"Our view is that it's very healthy to have a conversation around mental illness and suicide because that's the best way to overcome the stigma and taboo.

"It serves as a bit of a gateway for people to seek help for themselves, or to encourage others to seek help."

If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide contact Lifeline 13 11 14, beyondblue 1300 22 46 36, or Salvo Care Line 1300 36 36 22.

Read more about mental illness with news.com.au's Lifeline series here.

Follow @christoforpaine on Twitter

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

All the Oscars action LIVE

Anne Hathaway accepts the award for best actress in a supporting role for "Les Miserables". Picture: AP Source: AP

IT'S been a woeful night for Aussie nominees at the Oscars, with Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts missing out.

Argo has won Best Picture, with Ben Affleck clearly delighted after missing out on a nomination for Best Director.

Daniel Day-Lewis has made history becoming the first man to win three Best Actor Oscars, the latest for his part in Lincoln.

Day-Lewis has broken Aussie hearts stealing our last hope for an Oscar from Hugh Jackman for his role in Les Miserables.

Host Seth MacFarlane sings 'We saw your boobs' at the Oscars. Courtesy Nine. Watch the Oscars Special on Nine 9.30 pm AEST

REFRESH THIS PAGE FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES

Prime Minister Julia Gillard earlier tweeted ''Really enjoyed Les Mis - hope @RealHughJackman takes out Best Actor. #Oscars JG''. 

Naomi Watts (The Impossible) missed out on Best Actress to favourite Jennifer Lawrence.

Host Seth MacFarlane speaks onstage during the Oscars. Picture: AP

Lawrence stumbled as she made her way tot he podium in her Dior gown to accept the award for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.

Also missing out were fellow nominees Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Quvenshane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Emmanuelle Riva (Amour).

Host Seth MacFarlane performs during the Oscars. Picture: AP

Les Miserables' Anne Hathaway has lived up to the hype and won the best supporting actress Oscar ahead of Australian veteran Jacki Weaver.

Adding to our woes,  Hobbit nominees visual effects wizard Dave Clayton and make-up-hairstylist Rick Findlater also missed out.

The make-up-hairstyling team from Les Miserables was victorious, while the Life of Pi's visual effects team was the winner.

Quvenzhané Wallis, 9, is the youngest to hit the Oscars red carpet. Here's her adorable interview. Watch Oscars live on Nine at 12.30pm AEST. Oscars Special 9.30pm AEST.

Weaver was nominated for Silver Linings Playbook, her second nomination in two years after her Hollywood breakthrough performance in Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom.

Hathaway was considered a sure thing by bookmakers and awards analysts for her role as the prostitute Fantine in the musical opposite Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.

Hathaway's signature moment in the film comes when she belts out I Dreamed a Dream, and today, as she took the golden statuette from last year's best supporting actor Oscar winner Christopher Plummer, she said: ''It came true.''

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, host Seth MacFarlane and actor Daniel Radcliffe dance onstage during the Oscars. Picture: Getty

''Here's hoping that someday in the not too distant future, the misfortunes of Fantine will only be found in stories and not in real life,'' she added.

An emotional Hathaway said: ''It came true'' and thanked her co-stars including Hugh Jackman.

Hathaway also paid tribute to the other nominees mentioning Weaver.

The Avengers cast Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson present onstage during the Oscars. Picture: AP

The other supporting actress nominees were Amy Adams (The Master), Sally Field (Lincoln) and Helen Hunt (The Sessions).

SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE LIST OF WINNERS

Argo has taken out Best Picture, with the nominees read out by the First Lady Michelle Obama via video link.

Best Supporting Actress nominee Anne Hathaway. Picture: AFP

It's a bittersweet victory for director and star Ben Affleck who missed out on a nomination for Best Director.

And for the first since 1968, there was a tie in the Oscars.

Two nominees picked up the Oscar for Sound Editing - Zero Dark Thirty and SkyFall.

Ang Lee was the surprise winner of the prestigious Achievement in Directing category for Life of Pi.

Lee beat favourite Steven Spielberg, who was nominated for Lincoln.

Quentin Tarantino walked away with the Oscar for Original Screenplay for Django Unchained, while the Oscar for  Adapted Screenplay went to Chris Terrio for Argo.

Best Supporting Actress nominee Jacki Weaver arrives on the red carpet. Picture: AFP

Adele Adkins shed tears of joy as she accepted the Oscar for Original Song for SkyFall from veteran actor Richard Gere.

The Oscar for Original Score was picked up by Mychael Danna for Pi's Lullaby from the film Life of Pi.

The potty-mouthed bear from Ted and his co-star Mark Wahlberg presented the award for Sound Mixing to the team from Les Miserables  - Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes.

Actress Naomi Watts arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre. Picture: AP

Lincoln beat Anna Karenina, The Hobbit, Les Miserables and Life of Pi  in the Production Design category.

William Goldenberg won the Film Editing category for Argo.

This is the fourth Academy Award nomination for Goldenberg, who has previously been nominated for Seabiscuit (2003) and The Insider (1999)

Other award winners include Austrian filmmaker and screenwriter Michael Haneke in the Foreign Language Film category for Amour.

Amour lead actress Emanuelle Riva, 86, is up for Best Actress later in the night.

Amour also won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Musician Keith Urban, left, and actress Nicole Kidman. Picture: AP

Haneke is best known for his bleak and disturbing style.

Searching for Sugar Man won Best Documentary Feature.

And Shawn Christensen won Best Live Action Short Film for Curfew.

Singer Adele arrives to the Oscars. Picture: AFP

It's Christensen's first award and academy award nomination.

Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine took out the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject for Inocente.

British designer Jacqueline Durran has won the Oscar for Costume Design for Anna Karenina.

Earlier Claudio Miranda won the Oscar for Cinematography for Life of Pi.

It's Miranda's first Academy Award and nomination.

American John Connors took out the Animated Short Film award for Paperman.

The Scottish adventure Brave, from Disney's Pixar Animation unit, was named best animated feature.

Pixar films have won seven of the 12 Oscars since the category was added.

The story of a dauntless princess (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) who baulks at her parents' attempts to marry her off, Brave won out over a strong field that included Disney's Wreck-It Ralph and Frankenweenie.

''I just happen to be wearing the kilt,'' said Brave co-director Mark Andrews, who took the stage in his trademark Scottish garment.

Christoph Waltz won the first award of the night, Best Supporting Actor.

Waltz won for his scene-stealing performance as a bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained.

A veteran performer in Germany and his native Austria, Waltz had been a virtual unknown in Hollywood when Tarantino cast him as a gleefully evil Nazi in 2009's Inglourious Basterds, which won him his first Oscar.

Oscars host Seth MacFarlane kicked off an unpredictable 85th Academy Awards show , with Iran hostage drama Argo vying to beat Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.

The star-studded and heavily musical show was preceded by a two-hour A-list fashion parade on the red carpet, with a healthy serving of old-school Hollywood glamour on display.

Family Guy creator MacFarlane started with a joke about Argo director Ben Affleck, who was nominated for best film but failed to win a best director nomination, quipping that he was ''unknown to the Academy''.

William Shatner made a guest appearance as his Star Trek character Captain James Kirk, appearing on a giant screen above the stage during MacFarlane's monologue, saying he came back in time to stop the host from ruining the Oscars.

''Your jokes are tasteless and inappropriate, and everyone ends up hating you,'' said Shatner, who revealed a headline supposedly from the next day's newspaper with a headline reading, ''Seth MacFarlane worst Oscar host ever''.

The performance-heavy Oscars also included an opening number featuring Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum, who did a classy dance while MacFarlane crooned Just the Way You Look Tonight.

Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt then joined MacFarlane for an elegant musical rendition of High Hopes.

Halle Berry - a one-time Bond girl - introduced a tribute to the Bond films and music made up of classic clips of 007's adventures, with Shirley Bassey giving a life performance of Gold Finger.

The Californian sun sparkled on golden Oscar statuettes lining the way as the A-list fashion parade got underway ahead of the awards ceremony.

Tinseltown's A-list stars offered up a healthy serving of old-school Hollywood glamour on the Oscars red carpet, with strapless gowns and pale colors most definitely in vogue.

Australian actresses have done the nation proud on the Oscar red carpet with Naomi Watts among the more statuesque arrivals.

Wearing Armani Prive, Naomi Watts looked elegant but edgy in a gunmetal sequined gown with a geometric cutout on the bodice.

Walking the red carpet with hubby Liev Schreiber, the Australian actress, who is up for best actress Oscar for her role in tsunami survivor movie The Impossible, was already a winner with her choice of gown.

Watts said her husband's input on her dress choice is important, saying on the red carpet that he had given ''an honest dialogue, not just a 'yes' or 'no' about it''.

Talking about Impossible, Watts said it was one of her favourite roles and was a very important strong film.

Best friend Nicole Kidman, who will present an award, wore a black L'Wren Scott gown, one of her favourite designers, who designed her white lace My Fair Lady-inspired Melbourne Cup outfit last year.

For the Oscars though it was a fitted long black sequinned dress with sprinklings of antique gold sequins on the bodice and again in its flowing train.

Husband Keith Urban was at her side as they strolled the red carpet.

Meanwhile, Jacki Weaver was the first Aussie to make an appearance on the carpet.

The actress who is up for the Supporting Actress Oscar was stunning in a red lace Rami Kadi outfit.

The Aussie actress was also dripping in 30 carats of Stephen Webster jewellery on her ears, fingers and wrists.

The Aussie darling was relaxed and excited to be at the star-studded event.

''I was really surprised about myself'' being nominated she said.

She then told the E! reporter ''what beautiful eyes'' he had.

Among the first down the Dolby Theatre runway was Jessica Chastain, nominated for best actress for Osama bin Laden manhunt movie Zero Dark Thirty, who played down her hopes for the evening.

''I'm not going to win the Oscars tonight. I just don't think it's my year,'' Chastain, who wore a strapless beaded flesh-colored Armani gown, told CNN.

Chastain said she chose her dress because it's a "very Happy Birthday, Mr. President kind of dress." See what she means . . .

Chastain's main rival, Silver Linings Playbook'star Jennifer Lawrence, strutted her stuff in a strapless cream Dior gown with a full puffy skirt.

''This was such a passion project for all of us,'' she told E! television on the red carpet, referring to the romantic comedy with an edge that earned a total of eight nominations, including one for best picture.

Sock puppets get the Seth MacFarlane treatment during Oscar opening ceremony. Courtesy Nine. Watch the Oscars Special on Nine 9.30 pm AEST

Suraj Sharma, the 19-year-old star of Ang Lee's spectacular 3D fantasy Life of Pi, said he hoped the Taiwan-born director would win.

''I've seen how hard he's worked.

''I really hope it comes through and he wins,'' he told broadcaster E!.

Nine-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, the youngest ever best actress nominee, for Beasts of the Southern Wild, wore a bejeweled navy blue Armani dress - accessorised with an age-appropriate fluffy puppy purse.

''It has been crazy!'' Wallis said of all the attention given to her breakout performance, adding that her fellow nominees were ''more sophisticated.''

Amy Adams, a best supporting actress nominee for her performance in The Master, was on trend in a strapless pearly gray Oscar de la Renta princess gown with soft layers of tulle floating to the ground.

Reese Witherspoon got the strapless memo, but changed up the color palette in a cobalt blue and black Louis Vuitton, and glammed it up with some old-school Veronica Lake curls tumbling down.

Les Miserables star Amanda Seyfried opted for a pale purple halter neck Alexander McQueen with a sexy keyhole neckline and upswept hair.

Actress Charlize Theron and actor Channing Tatum dance onstage during the Oscars. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

Best supporting actress nominee and two-time Oscar winner Sally Field, who starred opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, made a bold statement in a signature Valentino red dress with sheer long sleeves and a train.

And she definitely won the award for best accessory of the night - she arrived with Lincoln co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays her son in the film, on her arm.

For fashion and jewelry designers, having an A-list star show up on the Oscars red carpet in one of their creations is worth more than any print advertising - thanks to the global coverage of Tinseltown's biggest night.

Last year, Angelina Jolie's leg-popping appearance in a strapless black velvet Versace gown with a thigh-high slit went viral - and gave the Italian fashion house unbeatable media exposure.

We hear Aussie Best Actress nominee Naomi Watts is wearing Armani while Best Supporting Actress nominees Anne Hathaway and Sally Field will be wearing Valentino Couture, as will actress Jennifer Aniston.

Heidi Klum had a team of people to help prepare her for Oscars night.

She tweeted "Getting all dolled up with @LindaHayMakeup for one of my favorite nights of the year!

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck will be cooking for the 1500 guests at the post-Oscars Governor's Ball. Check out what's on the menu.

Actor George Clooney and Stacy Keibler arrive on the red carpet for the 85th Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California. AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR Source: AFP

Earlier today, Aussie actor Hugh Jackman told Triple M in Sydney he'd prepared for Oscars night with an early-morning swim with his seven-year-old daughter Ava, before heading in for a final rehearsal at the Dolby theatre.

"I gotta tell you I'm feeling pretty good," the Best Actor nominee said.

"I went to rehearsals last night and I caught a glimpse of Seth MacFarlane who's hosting it and it took me back to 2009 when I hosted, and I was like - being nominated is a walk in the park.

"It also helps being in a category where there's Daniel Day Lewis, you don't even have to worry about an acceptance speech.

Jackman tipped Argo to win Best Picture and Ang Lee to take out Best Director for Life of Pi.

Actress Veronica Ferres on the Oscars red carpet. Picture: Jason Merritt/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

In a heavily musical show, British songstress Adele is to sing the 007 theme Skyfall as part of a segment feting 50 years of Bond films - and legendary diva Barbra Streisand will give her first Oscars performance for 36 years.

Ben Affleck - who would be the first person to win best picture without being nominated as director since Driving Miss Daisy in 1990 - got a diplomatic boost on Saturday when new US Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted best wishes.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Actors Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston arrive at the Oscars at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

''Good luck BenAffleck and enArgo at the Oscars. Nice seeing StateDept & our Foreign Service on the big screen.-JK,'' wrote Kerry, referring to the film's plot about an audacious CIA plot which rescued six US diplomats from Tehran.

Steven Spielberg, bidding for his first best picture Oscar since Schindler's List in 1994, tops the nominations with 12 nods for Lincoln - but Argo has cleaned up in Hollywood's awards season so far, despite having only seven.

Although he started the season two months ago as the favorite, Spielberg may have to settle for the best director award - one that Affleck cannot beat him to, having not been nominated in the category, in a perceived snub.

Oscar hopeful and social media favourite Daniel Day-Lewis and wife Rebecca Miller arrive at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, California. Source: Getty Images

One near-certainty is that Lincoln star Daniel Day-Lewis will be named best actor, a record third for the British-Irish actor after wins in 1990 for My Left Foot and in 2008 for There Will Be Blood.

For best actress, the early favorite was Chastain, but the clever money is now on Jennifer Lawrence for her turn in Silver Linings Playbook.

Actress Jennifer Garner and actor-director Ben Affleck. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

The best supporting actress race is more open, although Anne Hathaway is probably still the frontrunner for her heart-wrenching turn in Les Miserables, which is also nominated for best picture.

The most unpredictable race of all is perhaps for best supporting actor, with Hollywood legend Robert De Niro tipped by some for playing Cooper's father in Silver Linings Playbook.

 THE WINNERS

Best Picture - Argo

Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

Best Actress - Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook

Achievement in Directing - Ang Lee for Life of Pi

Original Screenplay - Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained

Adapted Screenplay - Chris Terrio for Argo

Original Song - Skyfall by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth for Skyfall

Original Score - Pi's Lullaby by Mychael Danna for Life of Pi

Production Design - Lincoln

Film Editing - William Goldenberg for Argo

Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Anna Hathaway for Les Miserables

Sound Editing - Zero Dark Thirty and SkyFall

Sound Mixing  - Les Miserables

Foreign Language Film -  Michael Haneke for Amour

Best Documentary Feature - Searching for Sugar Man

Documentary Short Subject - Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine for Innocents

Best Live Action Short Film - Shawn Christensen for Curfew

Make-Up and Hairstyling - Les Miserables

Costume Design - Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina

Cinematography - Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi

Visual Effects - Life of Pi

Animated Short Film - John Connors for Paperman

Animated Feature - Brave

Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Waiting for a mate' goes viral

Viral footage from Channel 7's Highway Patrol of Clinton telling Victoria Police he's 'waiting for a mate'

Senior Constable Ash Bowden speaks with Clinton in the Channel 7 program Highway Patrol. Source: Herald Sun

FOOTAGE of a man at the wheel of a crashed car telling a Victorian policeman he was "just waiting for a mate" has gone viral.

The footage, from Channel 7's Highway Patrol, has amassed more than 250,000 YouTube views and its own Facebook page with more than 45,000 likes after it was uploaded in recent days.

The video shows Senior Constable Ash Bowden responding to reports of a car doing burnouts in Carrum Downs, 34km southeast of Melbourne's CBD.

Do you know this man? Contact our news desk on (03) 9292 1226

What seems like a routine hunt for hoon drivers takes a turn for the bizarre, when he finds a car crashed on a curb and the driver, named in the video as Clinton, sitting inside.

When asked what happened, Clinton nonchalantly explains: "I'm just waiting for a mate."

Seemingly unaware of the extensive damage to his car, Clinton continues the charade and repeats the "waiting for a mate" line four times over the next few minutes.

The exchange starts:

Sen-Constable Bowden: How did you get down here?

Clinton: Does it matter?

Sen-Constable Bowden: Yeah, it kind of does mate, because you've just been involved in an accident.

Clinton: No I haven't.

Sen-Constable Bowden: Yes you have.

Clinton: Have I?

Sen-Constable Bowden: Yeah.

Clinton: What kind of accident?

Sen-Constable Bowden: One with a curb mate. Your whole car's smashed up.

Sen-Constable Bowden shows the patience of a kindergarten teacher when saying he wants to conduct a breath test, with this exchange:

Clinton: I'll do this for you.

Sen-Constable Bowden: Yep, that'd be great.

Clinton: I trust you.

Sen-Constable Bowden: Yep.

The quarrelsome Clinton continues to give the policeman a headache when asked to go to the police station, insisting that a higher authority was required to rein in his drink-driving.

Clinton: I'm not sure that you're a federal officer of the law.

Sen-Constable Bowden: I'm not a federal officer.

Clinton: Aren't ya? Well, I'll move on then.

Sen-Constable Bowden: I'm a Victoria Police officer mate.

Clinton: Well that's not good enough.

Clinton eventually agrees to go to the police station, but not before testing the officer's saint-like demeanour with one last argument, this time over linguistics.

Sen-Constable Bowden: I need you to make a definitive decision.

Clinton: Definitive - can you define that?

According to the TV show, Clinton was fined $600, sentenced to four months' community service and disqualified from driving for three years.

The footage, believed to have first aired in Australia several years ago but recently re-run in New Zealand, has sparked a fast growing internet meme.

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

NZ mates build world's longest waterslide

New Zealand organizers have built a waterslide with the aim to raise money for people with depression. Credit LiveMoreAwesome

ARMED with two shovels, and with the help of an excavator, two New Zealand men have dug the world's longest, and possibly muddiest, waterslide.

Mates Jimi Hunt and Dan Drupstee dug the 650m slippery slide on a property at Helensville, northwest of Auckland and opened it this weekend as part of a festival to help combat depression.

Almost 1000 people, some of them naked, slid down the three slides - with 60m and 90m versions available - to help raise money for the Live More Awesome Charity.

A man prepares for a muddy splash at the bottom of the world's longest waterslide, dug into the side of a hill in Auckland, New Zealand. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

"It was a kids playground for adults," Drupstee told the New Zealand Herald.

"Being a non-alcoholic event we wanted to take people back in time to their younger days when there were no worries and life was fun and easy. I think we achieved that."

Only 2000 people will have the honour of riding the water slide, built by New Zealanders Jimi Hunt and Dan Drupstee, of the "Live more Awesome" charity. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

The 650m monsters featured a luge-style trench cut through a cow paddock, complete with a tunnel where the slide goes under a fence.

In a video posted online, Drupstee said of the project: "We're a couple of Kiwi guys who like so many others have really suffered at hands of depression.

The slide was built to help raise money for and awareness of people suffering depression. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

"It was really tough, but having come out the other side we decided the best way for us to keep depression at bay was to 'Live More Awesome'."

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fan 'critical' after horror smash

A massive crash at a NASCAR warm-up event at Daytona injures 15 spectators.

Kyle Larson (32) goes airborne into the catch fence in a multi-car crash including Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), Parker Kligerman (77), Justin Allgaier (31) and Brian Scott (2) during the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Daytona. Source: AP

A multi-car smash on the final corner of a race at Daytona resulted in fans getting injured by flying debris

AN airborne race car smashed into a fence, injuring spectators, during a horrific multi-car smash in the final moments of a NASCAR race in the US.

The frightening, fiery crash that sent Kyle Larson's car airborne and debris spinning into the stands injured dozens of race fans at the NASCAR stock car Nationwide Series season-opener at Daytona.

Joie Chitwood, president of Daytona International Speedway, said 14 injured fans had been transported from the circuit for treatment at local hospitals and 14 more were treated at the track's medical facility.

Pictures: Horror NASCAR crash

He said he could not confirm reports that at least two people were seriously hurt and that one was taken immediately for surgery.

"It's not appropriate for me to comment on that,'' Chitwood said in a press conference held at the circuit some three hours after the wreck.

Various media reports put the number of injured at more than 30, with ESPN reporting that one adult had life-threatening head trauma and a 14-year-old was in critical but not life-threatening condition in hospital.

The wreck, which occurred almost as Tony Stewart was taking the chequered flag for victory, began when race leader Regan Smith turned sideways and a dozen cars bunched behind him.

"My fault,'' admitted Smith. "I threw a block.''

Kyle Larson (32) is airborne after a multi-car crash, including Parker Kligerman (77), Justin Allgaier (31) and Brian Scott (2) during the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Daytona. Source: AP

Larson, a Japanese-American driver who was making his first start in NASCAR's second-tier series, was launched into the catch-fencing.

"I was getting pushed from behind, and by the time my spotter said, 'Lift,'' it was too late,'' said Larson, who was able to climb out of what remained of his vehicle.

"I had some flames come in the cockpit. I was all right and could get out of the car quickly. It was definitely a big hit.''

Larson's car tore a hole in the fence separating the track from the stands. His engine sheared off with at least one tire and other debris flying into the grandstand.

"I looked in the mirror and that's the worst image I've ever seen in a race in my life,'' Stewart said.

Kyle Larson's car is on fire as he slides down the track with Regan Smith after being involved in a crash at the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. Source: AP

A fan who identified himself as "Tyler Andersen'' sent amateur video to ESPN and spoke with the sports network about the scary scene.

"I saw a tire about 10 feet from me, just a row above me with a man under it and people yelling for help,'' he said in a telephone interview.

"Our prayers and thoughts are with everybody they are working on,'' NASCAR President Mike Helton said of those being treated by medical personnel.

None of the drivers involved in the crash was injured, but driver Michael Annett was brought to hospital with chest bruising after hitting a safety barrier in an earlier crash in the race.

"We've always known since racing started this is a dangerous sport,'' a subdued Stewart said. "As much as we want to celebrate, I'm more concerned about the fans and the drivers right now.''

Kyle Larson climbs out of his car after being involved in a crash at the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. Source: AP

Chitwood said speedway and NASCAR officials responded appropriately and according to their safety protocols, with emergency personnel in place and able to begin work promptly.

Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's senior vice president for racing operations, said the entire incident would be reviewed to see what, if any, changes could be made to improve safety.

Until then he declined to speculate on what went wrong or right.

"We need to take the time to really study it and see what we can improve on,'' O'Donnell said.

The race came on the eve of the season-opening event in NASCAR's top-flight Sprint Cup series, the Daytona 500.

Medical personnel assist fans sitting close to the wall following an incident at the finish of a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. Source: Getty Images

Both O'Donnell and Chitwood said they expected Sunday's race to start on schedule.

"We expect to go racing tomorrow with no changes,'' Chitwood said.

Danica Patrick will start the Daytona 500 from pole position after becoming the first woman to top qualifying for a NASCAR race.

Patrick had also picked up a ride for Saturday's race, driving for Turner Scott Motorsports. She suffered engine failure early on and wasn't involved in the late-race chaos.

Pictures: Horror NASCAR crash

A multi-car smash on the final corner of a race at Daytona resulted in fans getting injured by flying debris

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cheerleader Ashlee's amazing trick

Ashlee Arnau, a cheerleader at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS, provided the highlight of the night with an incredible, acrobatic, half-court shot. Courtesy YouTube/NathanEpstein

• "I don't really practice at all," said Ashlee
• Incredible front-flip half court basketball shot
• Latest basketball news

LET'S see Andrew Bogut do this.

Ashlee Arnau, a cheerleader at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, made an incredible front-flip half-court shot at halftime of the school's men's basketball game that became an instant Internet sensation.

The ball was placed on the floor at midcourt. Arnau approached it with a running start, did a front-flip, grabbing the ball while she was upside down, and then launching it toward the basket while her legs swung forward.

"I really don't practice at all," Arnau told the AP in a phone interview.

Cheerleader Ashlee Arnau' said she did not even practice the front-flip half court shot. Picture: YouTube

The 21-year-old junior also plays soccer and runs track for William Carey, which competes in NAIA. She said the front-flip shot was a takeoff on the front-flip throw-in that soccer players do.

She said she has been trying the shot during halftime of home basketball games all season, but this was the first time she made it on her home floor. She said she once made the shot while attending a junior college tournament game, but that one bounced in.

"I didn't count it because I wanted it to go nothing-but-net," she said. "Tonight, I was really blessed it happened."

Cheerleader Ashlee Arnau's amazing front-flip half court basket. Picture: YouTube

She said she usually tries it about four or five times during the halftime show. She nailed it on her fifth attempt Thursday night -- during the last home game of the season.

"Everyone was going crazy," said Arnau, a junior from Hattiesburg who said she is studying to be a nurse. "They were cheering my name."

A Canadian student got his tuition paid for when the University's basketball coach sunk a trick shot.

An ogling teenager at a basketball game found a new form of candy, eye candy in the form of a gorgeous cheerleader.

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Body of boy sucked into drain found

A boy has died after he was sucked into a golf course drainpipe on NSW mid north coast

THE body of a 17-year-old boy who went missing after being sucked into a large drainpipe at a golf course on the state's Mid North coast overnight has been found.

A friend searching in reeds about 40 metres from the drain exit located the body of Luke O'Neill at 7am.

The 17-year-old O'Neill from Bonny Hills went missing about 5.30pm yesterday when a group of teenage boys were in waist-deep flood water collecting golf balls at a golf course on Kendall Road, Kew.

Gold Coast beaches cop another pounding

View Larger Map

Police have been told the 17 year old was suddenly pulled into a large drainpipe by the force of the water.

When two of his friends, aged 15 and 16, were trying to find him at the drainpipe entrance the 16-year-old was also sucked into the pipe.

He travelled underwater for the length of the 100 metre pipe and emerged into a dam at the other end where he was able to exit the water.

The two boys were taken by ambulance to Port Macquarie Base Hospital in a distraught state. The 16-year-old was admitted for observations with water on his lungs.

Emergency services were contacted and police from the Mid North Coast Local Area Command were joined by NSW Fire and Rescue, ambulance officers and SES officers in their search. 

More than 3850 people are isolated on the north coast, with thousands evacuated, and the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has received more than 1570 calls for assistance.

Torrential rain, gales and dangerous surf has battered the region for the second time in just a month with moderate to major flooding in river systems stretching from Lismore to Port Macquarie. No major towns have been cut off, but the SES holds concerns for the town of Bellingen.

There has been widespread falls of between 100mm and 200mm in some parts of the coast with rain as heavy as 360mm at Dorrigo on the Bellinger River just inland of Coffs Harbour in a 36 hour period.

Overnight the SES had to perform 15 flood rescues, most of which they say could have been avoided.

"Many of these rescues relate to deliberate entry into floodwater and the NSW SES urges people not to drive, ride or walk through floodwater,'' it said in a statement.

Flood warnings have been issued for areas around 17 NSW rivers, with major flood warnings in place for the Clarence River and the Bellinger River, where the river peaked at 9m at 5am this morning..

Further south near Kempsey the town of Smithtown (population 650) and its surrounding area received messages from the State Emergency Services this morning to evacuate as floodwater continued to rise in the Macleay River after up to 210mm of rain had fallen in the past 27 hours to 6am this morning.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) the river is expected to reach 6.6m at Kempsey around 6pm today causing major flooding.

There is a major flood warming for the Hastings River where the river peaked at 11m at 7am this morning - higher than the 1978 flood.

The Pacific Highway is closed near Macksville and at South Grafton.

A severe weather warning remains in place for the mid-north coast, Hunter, Illawarra, Sydney and parts of the central tablelands.
Heavy rain that could lead to flash flooding is predicted for those areas throughout today.

Sydney will experience winds of about 50 to 65 km per hour this evening.

"Along the coast winds are quite strong,'' a Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) spokesman told AAP today. "There's also some quite large seas and swell so the surf is quite dangerous and rough.''

"It's generally pretty wild and woolly out there.''

The SES has received about 70 calls from the Sydney metropolitan area but says there hasn't been too much damage around the city.
Cronulla's Wanda Surf Club did lose part of its roof in the wild weather today.

The BOM says the low pressure system should move south tomorrow morning, easing weather conditions around Sydney.

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Bad boys' admit Stilnox use

Olympic Swimmers Eamon Sullivan and James Magnussen talk about taking stilnox ahead of the London Olympics.

Olympic swimmer Jade Neilsen has accused three men's relay team members of inappropriate behavior.

Swimming Australia head coach Leigh Nugent says he wasn't aware of any use of Stilnox by swimmers during the London Olympics, after an independent review of the incidents is revealed.

Swimmers on the block... Olympian Jade Neilsen (left) has lifted the lid on the antics of the men's 4x100m relay team. Source: The Daily Telegraph

Australian swimmers in men's 4x100 freestyle relay team ahead of the London Games (L-R) Eamon Sullivan, James Roberts, James Magnussen and Matt Targett. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph

UPSET: Jade Neilsen has told her side of the story. Source: The Courier-Mail

• OUT OF LINE? Have your say in the comments field below
• ROLLING COVERAGE: Live updates throughout the day

AUSTRALIAN swimming stars have admitted to using Stilnox on a wild bonding night in the lead up to the London Olympics.

In a statement on behalf of the team read by Australian Swimmers' Association general manager Daniel Kowalski, members of the 4 x 100m relay team admitted to the use of Stilnox at a team camp in Manchester ahead of the Games.

The statement was prepared by Tommaso D'Orsogna, Cameron McEvoy, James Magnussen, James Roberts, Matt Targett and Eamon Sullivan.

Swimming Australia's Daniel Kowalski reads a statement prepared by James Magnussen and his teammates admitting to using stilnox.

"As proud members of the Australian Swim team, we acknowledge that by our actions in continuing a recent tradition on the men's team we have let ourselves down and the people who have supported us," it said.

The statement said the team members saw a movie, had dinner and returned to the hotel.

'We're sorry' - read the full statement in here

It was there where they each took Stilnox pill.

They admitted to childish pranks, including knocking on teammate's doors and prank called them.

World 100m champion James Magnussen and Eamon Sullivan insisted taking Stilnox had no effect "at all" on their swim performances in London.

Magnussen said the prescription drug was taken "to bond with these guys".

"In hindsight it was a ridiculous choice and ridiculous method...but I don't feel it affected my performance," Magnussen said.

Roberts later said he had never taken the drug and did not do so then.

"I didn't take Stilnox that night," Roberts said.

They deny there was nothing untoward or threatening towards any other teammate.

They say they were all in bed at 10:30pm.

Leigh Nugent is to face integrity panel over reaction to door knocking incident while James Roberts did not participate in taking stilnox.

Earlier, Olympic swimmer Jade Neilsen spoke out about Australian Swimming's night of shame, accusing three members of the men's 4x100m freestyle relay team of "inappropriate behaviour" towards her and a female roommate.

Neilsen and her roommate at the team staging camp in Manchester were awoken by late night phone calls, door knocking and disruptive behaviour by James Magnussen, James Roberts and Cameron McEvoy.

"I will confirm that they were being inappropriate and it was towards (name withheld) and I," Neilsen said.

"I won't specifically say (what happened). It has sort of already come out pretty much what they've done.

"All I can say is their behaviour was completely inappropriate, it was so inappropriate it was not funny. That is all I can really say about that."

The trio, along with their relay squad members Matt Targett, Eamon Sullivan and Tommaso D'Orsogna, are under investigation from Swimming Australia for alleged misuse of the prescription drug Stilnox during a wild bonding night.

Swimmers to be named and shamed

Former Olympic swimmer Matt Welsh, who comepeted at the Sydney 2000 Games and then at Athens four years later, said this type of behaviour was not the norm.

"I was in a number of relays and we did try to do a few things by ourselves but never at the expense of, you know, I guess trying to separate us, segregate us, from the main team," he told 3AW this morning.

"It was always about trying to sort of do stuff within there.

"I think that's really one of the risks that unfortunately they took and it's happened as they, you know, felt that they were, I don't know, for one reason or another bigger or better than the team and putting other members down or at least affecting their preparation and I think that's really disappointing as well.

"It never should have happened.

"You know arguably, something should have happened straight away. There should have been some sort of disciplined immediately rather than just ignoring us."

Weapons of Mass Dysfunction gallery

Welsh disagreed that the swimmers responsible should be banned from future teams.

"I don't think so, I think that might be a bit much but something had to change and, you know, this wasn't just everything was fine and then this happened," he said.

"It's sort of a culture that unfortunately has been slowly evolving over a number of years and each step probably hasn't felt like it's been needed to be addressed but now all of a sudden the boat's floating in the completely wrong direction.

Welsh said the coaches of the team need to take responsibility.

"They take the kudos when the swimmers do well," he said.

"I think they need to take, sort of, a bit of a hit when the swimmers do poorly as well because, you can really only set the culture and if it's not set properly then unfortunately these sort of thing happen."

It is understood the trouble in Manchester began after midnight with door knocking and phone calls to the females' rooms.

When Neilsen answered the door, Magnussen barged through with McEvoy behind him, with the duo wearing nothing but jeans.

One of the men then tried to lay on the bed of Neilsen's roommate, who ordered him away.

Magnussen in Stilnox probe

Both women have told their coaches they felt frightened by the behaviour of the men, as they were stumbling and acting "strangely", and both men were promptly kicked out of the room.

Later, in the early hours of the morning, two men returned and started banging on the door - Roberts, wearing nothing but his underwear, and McEvoy. They were not allowed to enter the room.

The women told their coaches the next morning who reported the incident to Australian head coach Leigh Nugent, who did not take any action.

Nugent admitted for the first time on Wednesday that he had been made aware of the Manchester incident.

Swimmers didn't want it enough

Nugent said he dismissed it as "childish behaviour" and claimed the identity of the culprits was never revealed to him.

Neilsen and her roommate wanted the issue dealt with privately within the team, but were upset when the men were not disciplined.

They never wanted the issue to become public and are upset that the entire swim team's name was dragged through the mud.

"It should have been handled in Manchester or as soon as we got into the village, but it just wasn't and unfortunately the boys have paid the price for that," she said.

"Well, the whole team has paid the price for that, not just the boys."

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Child gangs terrorise city

Evidence of street racing from hoons around Townsville. (Pic: Megan Brayley) Source: Supplied

Evidence of street racing from hoons around Townsville. (Pic: Megan Brayley) Source: Supplied

ROAMING gangs of teens and children as young as 12 have turned a regional city into a war zone and authorities say they are powerless to deal with the problem.

Townsville residents say they are living in terror of children and teens who spend their nights racing stolen cars, breaking into properties, and committing assault.

Earlier this month a 14-year-old was hospitalised in a critical condition after the stolen car he was travelling in crashed into a power pole. The 16-year-old unlicensed driver and a 13-year-old passenger reportedly ran from the scene and left him for dead.

A Townsville Dog Squad officer and his police dog are lucky to be alive after hoons attempted to run them down in a stolen vehicle. And last week, a stolen ute was clocked racing the streets at speeds of 235km/h.

Townsville police Inspector Ian Haughton said police were especially concerned about the dangerous speeds that were being detected.

"That vehicle (doing 235km/h in an 80km/h zone) is not going to stop. The driver has a death wish," Insp Haughton said. "That is tragedy waiting to happen."

Townsville City Council's Healthy City Safe City chairman Gary Eddiehausen, a former police officer, said police were dealing with same faces, names and families.

"The kids need to be accountable. Parents have a responsibility and need to be held accountable," he said.

"The people in Townsville are sick to death of this and I fear it is only a matter of time before an innocent person is killed."

But one concerned Townsville resident, who did not want to be named, said there was not much the parents could do.

"They come from wealthy homes with good parents, they're going astray," the resident told news.com.au.

"Two years ago, my house was broken into; they came in with golf clubs, they took an Xbox, some games and cigarettes.

"There's no repercussions for their actions, they're not scared to do it again. Some of the parents have tried to control their kids but they just run away. I'm worried someone is going to take the law into their own hands."

Member for Thuringowa Sam Cox (R) and Member for Townsville John Hathaway (L) are joined by Police Minister Jack Dempsey last July to launch a Crime Action Plan to tackle crime head on and reduce crime rates. Source: Supplied

Townsville mayor Jenny Hill said the north-eastern coastal community was "fed up and waiting for the state to deal with this".

"Whatever we are doing isn't working," she said. "We don't have the capacity within the council to provide too much support. It's a law and order issue that falls on the shoulders of state representatives and police."

Ms Hill has pointed the blame at the Queensland Government for not looking into the matter as promised.

"This is a state issue, a number of commitments were made during the state election, obviously the issue hasn't gone away," she said.

"I want to give the opportunity for the state members to keep their commitments to see what they'll do. I think that's only fair, but the patience within the community is running out.

"We run our own security patrols for our parks, we have CCTV, but ultimately this has nothing to do with that. This has everything to do with stolen cars and high speed chases."

Six-year-old Kyla Tuohy joins in the protest at a rally at the local Children's Court to show their outrage against weak sentences for juvenile offenders earlier this month. (Pic: Zak Simmonds) Source: Supplied

Queensland MP Sam Cox - the Member for Thuringowa, a suburb and commercial hub of western Townsville - is calling for a "top to bottom" review of the youth justice system.

Tougher penalties, a review of police pursuit powers, the introduction of penalties for juveniles who breach bail conditions and the naming of repeat offenders are among the ideas being considered, with Townsville residents expected to play a key role in the review.

Mr Cox described the latest outbreak of youth crime as "outrageous" and has the backing of Mundingburra MP and Local Government Minister David Crisafulli for his youth justice shake-up.

"I met with (Townsville police) Inspector Ian Haughton who filled me in on what has been going on … and I have no words," Mr Cox said.

"To hear about young kids in stolen cars doing 235km/h in an 80km/h zone, hoons trying to run down a police officer.

"We need a full review of the youth justice system, the penalties, if the police need more powers and support to pursue these people doing dangerous speeds."

Townsville Crime alerts members conducted a rally at the local Children's Court during the lunch break to show their outrage against weak sentences for juvenile offenders earlier this month. (Pic: Zak Simmonds) Source: Supplied

State MP Crisafulli said there was "no denying action was needed" to address the youth crime problem in Townsville.

"We can dance around it all we like but there is an issue and the sad part is that it is always the same small percentage of protected species that are doing the damage," he said.

"Just because they are young doesn't mean they can't rip an innocent person's life to shreds."

State Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie has confirmed he will visit Townsville next week to discuss the concerns of the local community.

"I am well aware of the issues facing the region and will travel to Townsville next Wednesday, February 27, to meet with local members and their constituents to discuss their concerns," he said in a statement.

"As part of its second six month action plan, January – June 2013, the Government has made a commitment to get tough on youth crime and commence a formal review of the Youth Justice Act 1992.

Given the current situation, Townsville residents will play a key role in this review.

Torhild Parkinson of Townsville Crime Alerts, a Facebook community forum that held a rally outside Townsville Magistrates Court on Wednesday, said the time for action is now.

"We don't have the time to sit around while they do a review," she said. "Residents have had enough. If they want to make changes just do it."

Torhild Parkinson runs the Townsville Crime Alert. (Pic: Fiona Harding) Source: Supplied

Anyone with information that can help police should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Are you a concerned member of the Tpwnsville community or do you have your own story to tell? Contact Matt Young via Twitter @the_mattyoung
 

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Telstra sacks hundreds of Sensis staff

Telstra is cutting 648 jobs from its Sensis division which runs Yellow Pages, White Pages and Trading Post.

Telstra will shed hundreds of jobs in Melbourne and Sydney. Picture: Bob Finlayson Source: The Australian

TELSTRA is sacking one in five staff at its struggling Sensis business.

The company announced it would slash 648 staff at the group that produces the Yellow Pages, White Pages and the Trading Post.

The communications giant is cutting staff in Melbourne and Sydney, in the latest Australian jobs blow.

Community and Public Sector Union national president Michael Tull said the job losses were deeply distressing.

"Sensis staff have been crushed by the scale of these cuts for a company that is part of Telstra which earlier this month posted record half year profits of $1.6 billion," he said.

"The numbers are substantial job cuts.

"They are call centre staff, back of office staff, design work for the ads and printing work."

Mr Tull said that there had been rumours of changes for weeks, but the scale of the job cuts had shocked him.

The company is blaming the rise of online searches for the decline in its print publications, that have landed on doorsteps for decades.

Staff had meetings with managers at 10am today to discuss their future.

The head managers will meet with unions at 3pm today, in a summit that was called after unions heard rumblings about the cuts.

CPSU spokeswoman Teresa Davison said the union would reserve the right to take the cuts to Fair Work Australia if Telstra acted unfairly.

"We're talking to members at the moment and we will be meeting with Sensis at 3pm," she said.

"We have been calling for weeks to discuss this; they were claiming they had not made a decision as recently as Tuesday."

Ms Davison said Telstra was making a short-sighted call.

"Like all large businesses they look at their massive profits dropping," she said.

"If a $1 billion profit drops to $900 million their response is to sack staff, even though they are still making a huge profit."

The Sensis business includes Yellow Pages, White Pages and the Trading Post.

The traditional print advertising publications have been struggling with competition from online advertising.

Sensis Australia managing director John Allan said the business model was unsustainable.

"Until now we have been operating with an outdated print-based model – this is no longer sustainable for us," he said in a statement.

"Already, more than 60 per cent of our customers now are advertising online and in mobile apps, while our White and Yellow Pages digital services received 18.4m visits in January 2013.

"We need to simplify our operation and invest in areas that make us more efficient, and meet our customers' growing demand for online and mobile services."

Stephen.drill@news.com.au

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius cop faces shooting charges

Investigating officer Hilton Botha, who is in charge of the Oscar Pistorius murder case, faces charges over an alleged shooting incident. Source: AFP

THE investigating officer in Oscar Pistorius's murder case is facing seven charges of attempted murder, police have confirmed.

Hilton Botha reportedly opened fire on a bunch of terrified passengers in a mini-bus in a drunken shooting incident with three other officers in 2011, South Africa's Eyewitness News reports.

The dramatic twist comes as Pistorius arrived at court for the third day of his bail hearing after being charged last week with shooting dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Botha, who drew ridicule yesterday for his bungling testimony during Pistorius's bail hearing, has denied he and the other officers were drinking.

He told Eyewitness News shortly after news of the charges broke that he and the two officers were investigating a case and tried to pull the taxi mini-bus over.

South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius has enjoyed a better day in court, after a police detective testified that there was nothing 'inconsistent' with the athlete's story.

When the driver refused to stop, they shot at the wheels, he said. 

Botha said he was convinced the attempted murder case against him had been withdrawn and only found out it had been reinstated when another officer told him, Eyewitness News reports.

Police spokesman Nevile Malila told Eyewitness News: "There was a decision to taken by the DPP's office to charge the members, each one of them with seven counts of attempted murder. That was the number of people that were in the taxi"

South African journalists and overseas correspondents are providing up-to-the-minute coverage of the Pistorius murder case from both inside and outside the courtroom via Twitter.

Malila said Botha, who was ridiculed yesterday for his bungling testimony at Pistorius's bail hearing, was a seasoned detective and there were no plans to take him off the murder case.

The prosecution case against Pistorius began to unravel yesterday with revelations of a series of police blunders and investigating officer Botha's admission that authorities have no evidence challenging the double-amputee Olympian's claim he killed his girlfriend accidentally.

Detective Botha's often confused testimony left prosecutors rubbing their heads in frustration as he misjudged distances and said testosterone - banned for professional athletes in some cases - was found at the scene, only to be later contradicted by the prosecutor's office.

The second day of what was supposed to be a mere bail hearing almost resembled a full-blown trial for the 26-year-old runner, with his lawyer, Barry Roux, tearing into Botha's testimony step by step during cross examination.

Police, Botha acknowledged, left a 9 mm slug from the barrage that killed Reeva Steenkamp inside a toilet and lost track of illegal ammunition found inside the house.

Investigating officer Hilton Botha - who is himself facing attempted murder charges - sits inside the court witness box during Oscar Pistorius's bail hearing. Source: AP

And the detective himself walked through the crime scene without wearing protective shoe covers, potentially contaminating the area.

Authorities, Roux asserted, were selectively taking "every piece of evidence to try to extract the most possibly negative connotation and present it to the court.''

The case has riveted South Africa - and the world - with journalists and the curious crowding into the brick-walled courtroom where Pistorius, dubbed the Blade Runner for his prosthetic legs, faces a charge of premeditated murder in the Valentine's Day slaying.

Pistorius says he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder and shot her out of fear, while prosecutors say he planned the killing and attacked her as she cowered behind a locked bathroom door.

Yesterday's hearing seemed to start out well for the prosecution, with Botha offering new details of the shooting that appeared to call into question Pistorius's account of the moments leading up to the 29-year-old model's death.

Ballistic evidence, he said, showed the bullets that killed her had been fired from a height, supporting the prosecution's assertion that Pistorius was wearing prosthetic legs when he took aim at the bathroom door. The athlete has maintained he was standing only on his stumps, and felt vulnerable and frightened as he opened fire from a low position.

Projecting a diagram of the bedroom and the bathroom, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said it showed Pistorius had to walk past his bed to get to the bathroom and could not have done so without seeing that Steenkamp was not asleep there.

"There's no other way of getting there,'' Nel said in disputing Pistorius's claim that he had no idea Steenkamp was no longer in bed when he pumped four bullets into the bathroom door, striking her with three.

Botha backed the prosecutor up, saying the holster for Pistorius' 9 mm pistol was found under the left side of the bed, where Steenkamp slept, and it would have been impossible for Pistorius to get the gun without checking to see if she was there.

"I believe that he knew that Reeva was in the bathroom and he shot four shots through the door,'' the detective said.

Botha described how bullets struck Steenkamp in the head and shattered her right arm and hip, eliciting sobs from Pistorius, who held his head in hands.

However, when asked if Steenkamp's body showed "any pattern of defensive wounds'' or bruising from an assault, Botha said "no.'' He again responded "no'' when asked if investigators found anything inconsistent with Pistorius' version of events, though he later said nothing contradicted the police version either.

Testimony began with the prosecutor telling the court that before the shooting, a neighbor heard "non-stop'' shouting between 2am. and 3am at Pistorius's upscale home in a gated community in the capital, Pretoria.

However, Botha later said under cross-examination that the witness was in a house 550 metres away, possibly out of earshot. He cut that estimate in half when questioned again by the prosecutor, as confusion reigned for much of his testimony.

At one point, Botha told the court that police found syringes and two boxes of testosterone in Pistorius' bedroom - testimony the prosecution later withdrew, saying it was too early to identify the substance, which was still being tested.

"It is not certain (what it is) until the forensics'' are completed, Medupe Simasiku, a spokesman for South Africa's National Prosecution Agency, told The Associated Press. It's not clear if it was "a legal or an illegal medication for now.''

The defense also disputed the claim. "It is an herbal remedy,'' Roux said. "It is not ... a banned substance.''

Still, Botha offered potentially damaging details about Pistorius's past, saying the athlete was once involved in an accidental shooting at a restaurant in Johannesburg and asked someone else "to take the rap.''

The runner also threatened men on two separate occasions, Botha said, allegedly telling one he'd "break his legs.''

The detective said police found two iPhones in Pistorius's bathroom and two BlackBerrys in his bedroom, and none had been used to phone for help. Guards at the gated community did call the athlete, Botha said, and all he said was: "I'm all right,'' as he wept uncontrollably.

Roux later suggested that a fifth phone, not collected by the police, was used by Pistorius to call for help.

The question now is whether Botha's troubled testimony will be enough to convince Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair to keep Pistorius in prison until trial.

While Pistorius faces the harshest bail requirements under South African law, the magistrate has said he would consider loosening them based on testimony in the hearing.

More to come

with wires

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sifting through the Pistorius speculation

Oscar Pistorius' attorney says the famed athlete and his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp were "deeply in love" on the first days of his bail hearing. Deborah Gembara reports.

• Oscar Pistorius's girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp shot dead
• Olympic sprinter charged with her murder
• Pistorius awaiting to hear if he will get bail
• Lurid speculation on what really happened

OSCAR Pistorius will find out later tonight if he will be granted bail after he was charged with murdering Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day.

Last night prosecutors outlined their case against the Olympic sprinter and Pistorius submitted an affidavit, giving his version of events the night Steenkamp, 29, died.

The case - involving the inspirational double-amputee athlete and his high-profile, model girlfriend - has attracted global attention and prompted lurid speculation on exactly what went on that night in the luxury villa in one of South Africa's most prestigious gated communities.

Here we sort the facts from the unfounded allegations.

What we know

Reeva Steenkamp, a magazine pin-up and fledgling TV star, was shot, apparently in the bathroom of Pistorius's home in the early hours of February 14.

The toilet where Reeva Steenkamp was allegedly shot. Picture: Getty

There were four shots fired through the room's locked door.  Steenkamp was hit and died of her wounds.

A 9mm pistol was seized by police at the scene.

Pistorius, 26, was charged with murder on Friday, February 15 and made his first court appearance later that day, where the hearing was adjourned until Tuesday.

He told his relatives that he thought it was an intruder in his bathroom and that he shot through the door out of fear.

Police allege that there was no intruder and that Pistorius deliberately shot Steenkamp.

What the police say

A police officer holds a gun that was allegedly used in the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend of Olympian athlete Oscar Pistorius, at the Boschkop police station east of Pretoria. Picture: AP

In their affadvit at the bail hearing the police said: "The door to the toilet was broken open from the outside - the only reasonable inference being that it was locked and could not be opened.

"(Pistorius) gained access to the toilet and carried the deceased downstairs where he walked into security guards. The main door of the house was not locked.

"(Pistorius) told his sister that he thought it was a burglar. We argue that this was part of the pre-planning to use as a defence.

"Why would a burglar lock himself into a toilet? There may have been an argument earlier between (Pistorius) and the deceased. ..."

The speculation and untested allegations

Within hours of the killing, speculation -  some wild, most of it attributed only to unnamed police close to the case - as to what happened inside the house was being reported on news websites around the world.

Athlete Oscar Pistorius weeps in court in Pretoria, South Africa, at his bail hearing in the Reeva Steenkamp murder case. Picture: AP

Police said they had been called to incidents at the Pistorius's home in the past to deal with "domestic incidents".

Reports suggested Pistorius allegedly called friends saying he had "shot my baba", before police were called.

Then came sensational reports of a bloodied cricket bat being found at the scene, along with steroids. The sources were "unnamed police officers" close to the case.

There was even suggestion Steenkamp's skull had been crushed.

The mention of steroids prompted theories about "roid rage" and that the paralympian had killed Steenkamp in a jealous fury.

Police seized Steenkamp's iPad and mobile phones from the murder scene and said they were investigating text messages for a possible motive.

The home of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius in a gated housing complex in Pretoria, South Africa.

Steenkamp's "close friendship" with Springbok rugby union star Francois Hougaard came under the spotlight after Nelson Mandela's private secretary posted this message: "Have you heard ­rumours about a rugby player alleged to be involved somehow? We all have."

Another police source told South African media that investigators had retrieved evidence of sexual activity from Pistorius's bedroom. "They are being analysed for DNA to determine who they belong to and whether they originate from the night of the killing."

Questions of character

Pistorius's apparent fascination with guns was discussed. A New York Times interview was widely quoted where Pistorius spoke of his love of weapons.

An ex-girlfriend's mother said he was "reckless with guns" and she was glad her daughter was no longer with him.

The athlete's past relationships - usually with high-profile models - came under scrutiny after an interview ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor gave in November was widely quoted. In it she said Pistorius "was not who people thought he was" and described him as a womaniser.

Olympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius with girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he is accused of shooting dead at his home. Picture: AFP .

It remains to be seen if any of these claims will be tested in court.

14.41 | 0 komentar | Read More