Lawyer: India rape verdict to be given July 25

Indian policemen in plain clothes escort the juvenile accused, center, in the New Delhi gang rape case as he leaves The Juvenile Justice Board building in New Delhi on July 11, 2013. (Photo: Sajjad Hussain, AFP/Getty)

NEW DELHI (AP) - An Indian juvenile court will hand down a verdict later this month in the fatal December gang rape of a young woman on a New Delhi bus, a defense lawyer said Thursday.

The verdict would be the first handed down in the rape case, which led to furious street protests in India and sparked major reforms to the nation's antiquated sexual assault laws.

Lawyer Rajesh Tiwari told reporters outside the court that his client would learn his fate July 25th. The defendant was 17 at the time of the attack and is being tried as a minor for murder, rape and a series of other crimes. He faces a maximum sentence of three years at a reform center. Court rules forbid the publication of his name even though he has since turned 18.

The defendant was one of six people accused of tricking a young woman and her male companion into boarding an off-duty bus Dec. 16. Police say the men then raped and brutalized the woman and savagely beat the man before dumping them on the roadside. The woman died from her injuries two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.

Four of the other defendants are being tried in a special fast-track court in New Delhi and face the death penalty. The sixth accused was found dead in his jail cell in March.

The attack set off furious protests across India about the treatment of women in the country and led to a swift overhaul of sexual assault laws.

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Stock futures soar as Fed underpins sentiment

Oil moves past $107 a barrel; Fed comments support market sentiment

Traders work on the floor of the New York stock Exchange. (Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)

U.S. stock futures rose sharply along with Asia markets ahead of Thursday's opening bell as comments from the Federal Reserve underpinned investor sentiment, and as oil prices extended gains.

Dow Jones industrial average index stock futures advanced 162 points to 15, 405, Standard & Poor's 500 index stock futures rose 18.60 points to 1,667.20. Nasdaq 100 index stock futures added 31.75 points to 3,028.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke promised to continue to stimulate the U.S. economy. Bernanke said Wednesday the U.S. needs 'highly accommodative monetary policy' - or low interest rates - 'for the foreseeable future.'

In the prior session, stocks closed mixed. The Dow closed down 8 points at 15, 291.66. The broader S&P 500 closed up 0.30 point to 1,652.62. The Nasdaq rose 16.50 points to 3,520.76.

WEDNESDAY: Fed pull back? Wall Street doesn't cave

Oil prices edged past $107 a barrel on hopes of stronger U.S. demand. Oil has jumped 13% the past two weeks to the highest levels since May 2012. The catalyst was political unrest in Egypt but the price spike has gained momentum with signs of increased demand for gasoline and oil in the U.S.

Crude rose 49 cents to $107.01 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $2.99 to $106.52 on Wednesday after a report indicated U.S. stockpiles fell by far more than expected last week, in a potential sign of growing demand.

Contributing: Associated Press

In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index jumped 2.48% to 21,422.62 and Seoul's Kospi index added 2.93% to 1,877.60. China's benchmark Shanghai composite index surged 3.32% to 2,074.72. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index added 0.39% at 14,472.58.