Deadly Repercussions

Death hung low over the world this week with many long awaited legal decisions interrupted by a growing body count.

Race Relations Deteriorate

We begin when the dark days that led to Ferguson, Missouri taking it's place in history were relived with another black man shot and killed by a white officer. The incident unfolded in North Charleston where Officer Michael Slager pulled over Walter Scott for a traffic stop. During the stop a bystander managed to record what happened next showing Walter Scott running from Officer Slager followed by 8 shots in his direction, 3 hitting him in the back. The officer claimed Walter Scott had reached for his Taser but the video footage shows Officer Slager walking back to the initial spot, pick something up, walk back and drop it next to Walter Scott.

Needless to say the response to the latest in a long line of shootings has been swift with condemnation coming from all fronts including North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey who said all officers would wear body camera's from now on while the attorney for previous victims, Martin and Brown, questioned progress made. The bystander who shot the video has since spoken out saying that Scott was trying to get away from the Taser. Another video, this time the dashboard cam from the officers vehicle has been released showing the initial stop. Since the shooting and video release Officer Slager has been arrested and is being held without bail.

Legal Trials

One of the biggest trials in years has found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty on all 30 counts for his part in the Boston Marathon bombings, he now awaits sentencing.

Other trial's came to an end this week when blogger, Lacey Spears, was sentenced to 20 years for intentionally killing her 5-year-old son by poisoning him with salt in order to gain attention online; The judge claims Miss Spears was suffering from a rare mental condition and was spared the maximum 25 year sentence. Another case ended this week with 2 women sentenced to 8 years for their part in the death of a Mississippi black man and finally we end this week with a judge declaring that Craig Hicks, the man who killed 3 Muslim college students in North Carolina, can face the death penalty.

Terrorism on Trial

The week saw unsettled business take center stage with the beginning of the Boston Marathon Bombing trial along with various other worrying developments around the world.

Tackling Terrorism

We begin this week with the Boston Marathon Bombing trial which began after struggling to find jury members. The trial kicked off with opening statements with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's attorney admitting his client had carried out the attacks but tried to push the blame onto his older brother. The trial continued with testimony from survivors recounting their experience on the tragic day with the trial expected to continue for weeks to come.

In other terror related news the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram released a graphic video showing the beheading of two men believed to be spies while in the US, Twitter revealed that it had suspended over 2000 accounts used by ISIS in recruiting new members resulting in ISIS threatening Twitter staff.

Political Front Lines

Politicians were on the front line this week when a man armed with a razor attacked a US ambassador slashing his face and wrist in opposition to military drills by South Korea and the US. The military drills also received attention from North Korea who fired two short range missiles into the sea as the drills began.

In Russia a new video has surfaced of the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov last week, showing the bridge as the attack takes place. On the topic of high profile leaders, Ex-CIA chief Petraeus, has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified material with his mistress.

Blood on the Streets

In the world of drugs it was revealed that the Bali 9 were executed on a secluded island ignoring pleas from the Australian government while in Mexico police and troops made progress capturing Zetas cartel leader, Omar Trevino Morales, in a wealthy suburb of Monterrey.

Images were released which the police say confirms the homeless man shot by LAPD had tried to take an officers weapon. Finally we end the week with a Justice Department investigation into the Ferguson police which shows excessive use of force and unjustified arrests.

What Happened? 2013 Sports News

Athlete's proved their worth to claim top honors but tragedy struck too close for some.

Tragedies

The Boston marathon turned tragic when terrorists detonated bombs near the finish line of the event. A man hunt ensued for two brothers resulting in one dying in a gun fight with police and the other eventually being caught while hiding in a boat.

A twisted tale came out of South Africa with Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius fatally shooting his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Oscar was arrested and released on bail until the trial.

The year ended with Michael Schumacher in a coma after a skiing accident with his son.

Cheats

Lance Armstrong finally admitted that he used performance enhancing drugs to Oprah in an interview.

Several soccer players and officials were banned by FIFA after being caught in a match fixing scandal.

A-Rod's association with the Biogenesis steroid scandal resulted in the MLB suspending him. A-Rod has since appealed his suspension allowing him to play temporarily.

Publicity, it goes both ways

After Beyonce's performance at Super Bowl XLVII just into the 3rd quarter a partial blackout sent the Superdome in New Orleans into darkness lasting over 30 minutes. The blackout was due to a faulty breaker.

The Washington Redskins came under renewed attack for it's offensive name with newspapers fighting back refusing to use the name "Redskins"

Still to come

Questions around Brazil's ability to host the 2014 Soccer World Cup rose after fatal accidents during the construction of the stadiums.

Changes to F1 brought mixed reactions from teams with double points and numbers up for grabs.