12/09/2014 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today, with me, Daniela Ritorto.

Free for now but found guilty of culpable homicide.

Oscar Pistorius leaves court but faces up to 15 years in jail

When it comes to murder, Oscar Pistorius is being given the benefit

of the doubt. He has had a lucky escape. We will bring you a special

report from the Turkish border. The army in Pakistan arrests

the gunmen they say tried to kill We say never! Never! And the

firebrand of unionism in Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley, has died.

Tributes have been paid from across the political spectrum, including

from his adverse array turned partner in peace. Today I have lost

a friend. -- adversary. It's a case that's

captivated the world. A Paralympic superstar on trial for

the murder of his model girlfriend. But after a six-month trial

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been found

guilty of culpable homicide for shooting dead Reeva Steenkamp

on Valentines Day last year. Judge Thokozile Masipa said

the state had failed to prove that Her parents have expressed disbelief

that Pistorius was cleared of murder, saying it was not justice

for Reeva Steenkamp. But sentencing is at the

judge's discretion and could be anything from a suspended prison

term and fine to the full term. The athlete will learn his fate

in a month's time. But with his bail extended, for now

Oscar Pistorius is a free man, The BBC's Africa

Correspondent It is judgement time, Oscar

Pistorius stands and weights. Then Judge Thokozile Masipa gets straight

to the point, is the athlete a murderer? Under the criminal Law

Amendment act, the accused is found not guilty and is discharged.

Instead, he is found guilty of culpable homicide. For once, the

reaction is muted. This lesser verdict is the equivalent of

manslaughter. Reeva Steenkamp's family and friends try to contain

their emotions. It has been an ordeal. From the night the athlete

shot Reeva Steenkamp, believing that an intruder had broken in, through

to his own tearful evidence at his murder trial. To the anxious wait

yesterday and today for a verdict. Immediately afterwards, his uncle

thanked the judge for rejecting the charge of murder. We always knew the

fact of the matter. And we never had any doubt in Oscar's version. We as

a family regrets deeply the impact of the devastating tragic event, and

it will not bring Reeva Steenkamp back, or help her family and

friends. When it comes to murder Oscar a story as has been given the

benefit of the doubt, many here consider he has had a lucky escape

-- Oscar Pistorius. Reeva Steenkamp's family will have to wait

and see if her killer will spend any time in jail. He left a free man.

The judge rejected the state's claimed that he might flee the

country. He could still get a prison term. This is a really serious case

of culpable homicide because he used a firearm. Four shots were fired.

The judge has complete discretion. It could even be a non-jail

sentence, but she needs to send a strong message to the public.

Tonight, Pistorius is back at his uncle's home. Some in South Africa

have forgiven him, some have not. The possibility of a prison sentence

still hangs in the air. With me now from Pretoria is the law

Professor Shadrack Gutto from Thank you very much for being here.

You have been watching this case really closely. What is your

opinion? Did the judge get it right? I think the judge did convict Oscar

two charges, and dismissed the other three. The main one, murder, she

agreed with the version of evidence that Oscar gave, and I think she

went too far as to say, part of the reason way is the way he behaved

after the killing that he was phoned, he was doing a lot of

things, crying and so forth. From that point of view, it is a bit

controversial, the argument, I would say at this point. She also

intimated that Oscar Pistorius gave contradictory evidence and was

devious in many ways in the way he was giving his evidence. And yet, in

her conclusions she found that the state did not prove their case

beyond reasonable doubt. From a legal point of view, there may very

well be an appeal from the state. On culpable homicide, which is the

equivalent to manslaughter, he was found guilty. But what that does is

say, it was reckless and he should have known that if he had shot

somebody he suspected was in their home, who could die or be killed,

but that it wasn't that he was thinking that Reeva Steenkamp, his

girlfriend, whom he had thought was in the bedroom and so on. So it was

an argument where culpable homicide was found to be valid, and he was

convicted of that. And as the clip before this interview indicated, the

maximum sentence for that is 15 years. The judge has very wide

discretion on what to do, we will have to wait and see. What is your

opinion on sentencing? My sense is that the judge bent backwards to

dismiss the false account, which was murder, with a minimum period, well

beyond 15 years, and the judge made something which is probably

something between ten ash 15 years. -- 10-15 years. Then there was the

other account which was reckless use of a firearm in a restaurant, that

one is going to carry a lesser sentence. If they run concurrently,

it may be something just below 15 years. I doubt very much if she is

going to give the highest. It may be about ten years. Very good to get

your thoughts, thank you very much for speaking to us.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that America is providing

Turkey's role in the fight against Islamic State is yet to be

determined. Senator John Kerry is trying to get backing for the new

American strategy against Islamic State, and ten Arab countries have

agreed to help. Bordering both Iraq and Syria, Turkey has so far refused

to let itself be used for US air strikes. The country has been the

entry point for many fighters. But the situation

has begun to change. Our correspondent Mark Lowen

has been given rare access to the Turkish military

on the border and sent this report. Their day begins with the oath. To

protect the honour of the Turkish border. 30's army is on the front

line, Islamic militants in Syria a few hundred metres away. Pausing the

Assad regime, Turkey has been blamed for allowing jihadi groups to grow

under its watch -- opposing. Suddenly they see movement, people

trying to cross. They go down to investigate who has breached the

border. It is a family. Just a few of the 3 million Syrian people who

have fled the war, young lives destroyed. The troops come heavily

armed, taking every precaution in case people are involved in

smuggling or other illegal activities. In this case, they are

simply refugees hoping for a better life in Turkey. The Army has been

accused of being too lax in controlling the border, now it wants

to show it is clamping down hard. 22 members of this woman's family left

because the regime bombed their village and killed their children.

Not all of us made it, she says. Syrian jihadi and foreign fighters,

have also crossed the border. But as Islamic State has grown, holding

Turkish diplomat in Iraq hostage, Turkey appears to have woken up to

the threat. Syria and Iraq are next door. But the Turkish military

insists it can protect Europe. TRANSLATION: We were not slow to

secure our borders. Europe and Turkey must have confidence. Islamic

State will not be able to attack our borders. If they come, we will

respond with all of our might. Simple methods are also used. This

wall has now been built at the most vulnerable point. But it is only 13

kilometres long. The opposition says it is all too late. TRANSLATION: The

Turkish government has helped these groups to grow. Areas where IS are

really close to the Turkish border. And they disappear fast. We spotted

fighters on the other side but they vanished into the forest. It is a

reminder of how close the danger is, and how the West relies on 30's

ability to confront it. -- Turkey. For more on Turkey's role in the

IS crisis we can now speak with a Turkish analyst

and researcher Ziya Meral. Thank you very much for coming in.

In the last day or so, Turkey has been described as an unwilling out

-- ally, the weakest link in the fight against IS. Are these fair

criticisms? They are not therefore various reasons. -- they are not

fear. Turkish journalists have not been able to report a lot. Turkey

has put 6000 people on the no entry list to Turkey. It has arrested

17,000 people, and it regularly works with western intelligence

agencies on this issue. There is a disparity between what we see in the

media and what is happening. Let us not forget, 49 Turkish diplomats are

currently captive. That goes to show that Turkey was not necessarily

sleeping. I wonder, without dwelling too much on that hostage situation,

is that part of the sensitivity that Turkey needs to work with, or that

the US needs to work around? Exactly, there are three major

sensitivity areas, what will happen to the Turkish diplomats. Turkey

cannot jeopardise their safety. Secondly, there is a real threat to

Turkey. ISIS has not necessarily targeted Turkey directly, but many

states surround its border. Turkey is facing the most immediate terror

risk from ISIS. Thirdly, the long-term sensibility. The American

plan has no tangible suggestion of a long-term solution. Intervention

will bring financial responsibilities and a prolonged

security question. Therefore, it is no surprise that the US has placed

parameters. Turkey is also suing -- saying, I am with the US but there

are certain places I cannot go. Other factors include the Kurdish

equation. And Turkey would not want to see anything that would

strengthen the Assad regime that it has wanted gone for the last three

years? President Obama has acknowledged the

idea that we should work with Assad is being politically bankrupt, so

that is not really being agreed upon. Turkey has been working

through other issues, there have been peace talks promised with PKK

and we expect a new road map to be announced. It will optimally tie the

question of how Turkey can engage with Kurds in Syria directly, and I

think it could also happen for Syria. Thank you so much for coming

in and discussing some of the issues with us.

Now a look at some of the day's other news.

The United States has imposed another round of sanctions

against Russia, targeting its biggest bank

and five state-owned defence companies.

The move is part of a joint effort with Europe over Russia's support

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov,

accused the EU of disrupting peace efforts with sanctions.

Scotland has seen another day of intense campaigning with less

than a week until voters go to polls to vote on independence.

The Yes campaign leaders visited seven Scottish cities in a day.

Meanwhile, the No campaign prepares for a rally tonight led by Labour

leader Ed Miliband and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The latest polls show the No camp has clawed back a tiny lead.

Toronto's embattled Mayor, Rob Ford, has pulled out

from the mayoral race, six weeks to go for the election.

Ford has been in hospital since Wednesday for an abdominal tumour.

The Mayor made global headlines last year for admitting he had smoked

crack cocaine, but refused calls to step down.

His brother, Doug Ford, who is also a Councillor,

Pakistan's Army says it's arrested ten people suspected

of shooting the education campaigner Malala Yusufzai.

The teenager was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen two years ago.

The Nobel Prize nominee survived the attack, going on to win worldwide

acclaim as she continued to campaign for girls across the world.

The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil is in Islamabad for us.

Just run us through the offence, what happened today? Well, the

spokesman for the Pakistani military, General Bajwa, has

announced the capture of ten men who are allegedly behind the attack on

Malala Yousafzai. He showed pictures of a number of them, including the

leader, who he said had owned the furniture shop in Swat Valley. He

also said that they had found a hit list of 22 names of people that this

group was targeting. He said these men belong to do a little-known

group called Shura and that this group was acting under the

instructions of Mullah Fazlullah, the current leader of the Pakistani

Taliban. We have had a number of reactions, one from a hardline

faction from the Pakistani Taliban, who said that the army was lying,

they were spreading what they described as propaganda, and the

added that two of the attackers survived are still at large. Malala

Yousafzai's father was quite positive about the announcement,

saying it was good news not just for his family, but for the Pakistani

people. And also for the people of the civilised world. He said the

beginning of apprehending the attackers of his daughter is a first

step and it gave hope for hundreds of thousands of people whose lives

have been affected by terrorism. Few figures loomed larger

in the tumultuous history of Northern Ireland than Ian

Paisley, the former First Minister, Reverend Paisley was a Protestant,

known for his fiery speeches, who believed that Northern Ireland

should remain united with Britain. For decades he opposed closer ties

with the Irish Republic, denouncing But after a dramatic change of

heart, he agreed to support peace. Chris Buckler looks back

at his life. For decades, he was the face and

more specifically the voice of hardline unionism in Northern

Ireland. We say never, never, never, never! Critics called him Dr

No. This one enemy of Irish republicans and a man who refused to

compromise his principles. But his life marked one of the most

remarkable journeys in modern politics. Eventually he led

supporters and his party to government with Sinn Fein. It was a

deal that saw him share power with a former IRA leader. We needed someone

with the history and long-standing respect that Ian Paisley had, to

point out to people that there was a better way ahead. Now we had reached

the circumstances where the IRA were no longer going to be involved in

using violence. Ian Richard Kyle Paisley was the son of a Baptist

minister, and his own passion for preaching and politics was obvious

from the start. We declare our intentions that we will organise

massive demonstrations! It all made Paisley a brand name. In his image,

he built his own Protestant church and his own political party. The DUP

even electoral strength and controversy followed him to

Stormont, Westminster and the European Parliament. He famously

interrupted a papal visit. I now exclude you from this house. To many

Catholics, he was a bigot and a bogeyman. He flirted with the

extremes of nihilism, including a shadowy group called Ulster

Resistance. Successive British governments find him prostrating. He

did make our life very unpleasant for a while. But even then,

personally, if you met him, he was perfectly charming. Yes, 71.12%.

Even made public voted in favour, Paisley continued to say no.

Eventually, a deal was agreed that saw the once unthinkable come true.

The DUP entered government with Sinn Fein. Perhaps even more shocking was

the new First Minister's friendship with his deputy, Martin McGuinness.

It was so good, they became known as the Chuckle Brothers. I think we

confounded everybody. We, who were political opponents for decades, his

allegiance to Britain, my allegiance to Ireland, but we had the ability

to have a proper and decent working relationship, and a friendship which

has existed to this very day. Is -- the relationship damaged some of Ian

Paisley's other friendships, including some of those in his party

and his church, but it defined the legacy of the man who went from

protest to peacemaker. I have had a good innings, I have made good

friends and I have reconciled a lot of enemies.

With me now from Belfast in Northern Ireland is

He is a fellow member of the Democratic Unionist Party.

Someone who knew Ian Paisley for almost 50 years, from when you were

a preacher in his church? Yes, I came to Belfast at a very young age,

in my mid-teens, and I went to his church and became his assistant

minister. I have known him all of those years. There was a time I

actually stayed at his home as well. I counted him as a very special

friend will stop someone who I would sum up in simple words, he loved the

Lord, and unashamedly so, he loved the souls of men and women, and he

loved his land. That deserves tribute to the man. I extended to

Baroness Paisley and her family my sincere sympathy, and the sympathy

of many of her friends. What I have been struck by is something that is

surprising, a lot of people speaking about his humour. Absolutely, Ian

Paisley was a person who was tremendous, to be in his company, I

can remember, maybe if you're down, he would have told you a joke,

slapped you on the back, nearly hurt your ribs! Then a big hallelujah,

brother, cheer up! He was tremendous at encouraging people. For

preachers, he was the best friend a young preacher could have, he was

always encouraging. If there were problems, he would try to help you

through them. As a politician, he was always there for you. His legacy

can be described as confusing. We heard Tom King described him as a

menace. I am sure he would have an answer to that. We can view people

in different ways. I can assure you that politically and spiritually in

Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland was a great debt of gratitude to Ian

Paisley, whenever people were turning away from God, he was the

person who was used to turn many thousands of precious souls to

Christ and was a big Evangelist, and politically, whenever things were

difficult, and there was a trend which was ticking Northern Ireland

out of the United Kingdom, he was the voice of the people. And make no

mistake, at his passing, Northern Ireland is more firm within the UK

than ever before, in all my years. It was a tough day for you, so I

appreciate your time and your reflections, thank you very much.

Thank you very much, we loved the big man.

Well, that's all from the programme. Next, the weather.

Hello. Lots of fine and settled weather in store for the next few

days with high pressure in charge. The weekend looks mainly dry,

perhaps the chance of a shower on