Pistorius: Reeva's 'Last Text' Home Revealed

Reeva Steenkamp sent a text to her flatmate on the night she was shot dead, saying she would not be driving home because it was "too late".

Gina Myers, who shared a home with Miss Steenkamp in Johannesburg, told Sky News' Alex Crawford that the text was the last message she received from her friend.

Miss Myers said she had met Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his 29-year-old girlfriend at his luxury home in Pretoria, a few times and did not know him well but had liked him.

She said Miss Steenkamp had been happy with the gold medal winning Paralympian and would not have been with him otherwise.

She told Sky News: "It was like any other relationship. There was nothing that flashed a warning sign. She was happy. She was very happy.

"Reeva was not the kind of person to complain about stuff but she would never have been with anyone if she wasn't happy ... Her motto this year was 'to be happy and never settle'."

Miss Myers was speaking as it emerged that Pistorius held a private memorial service for Miss Steenkamp at his uncle's house in Pretoria.

The South African athlete has been staying at his uncle Arnold's house since he was released on bail last Friday after being charged with the model's murder.

Reeva Steenkamp was "happy" with her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius

His aides confirmed plans for a memorial service for Miss Steenkamp after details were leaked to the media.

The 26-year-old, who also competed in the Olympics last summer, denies murder and claims he shot Miss Steenkamp by mistake believing she was an intruder.

A statement from his representatives said: "Oscar Pistorius, will hold a private memorial service for Reeva Steenkamp at the house of his uncle, Arnold Pistorius tonight.

"Oscar specifically requested the memorial service as he continues to grieve and remains in deep mourning for the loss of his partner Reeva."

It added: "Since it is such a sensitive issue, Oscar has asked for a private service with people who share his loss, including his family members who knew and loved Reeva as one of their own."

Miss Steenkamp's funeral was held in Port Elizabeth last week, as her boyfriend appeared in court over her murder and insisted her death was an accident.

Reeva Steenkamp's funeral was held last week

He was released on bail but has to abide by strict conditions, including reporting to a police station in Pretoria twice a week.

The athlete was also ordered to surrender his two passports, post bail of one million rand (£75,000) in cash and guarantees, and refrain from drinking alcohol until his case resumes on June 4.

Pistorius was also ordered to hand in any guns he owns and keep away from his home in a gated community in Pretoria, which is now a crime scene.

Prison service officials can drop in at his uncle's house at any time of day or night to ensure the athlete is complying with the bail terms.

Pistorius, who had his lower legs amputated at the age of 11 months after he was born without either fibula, rose to global fame with his fight to be allowed to run in the Olympics against able-bodied athletes.

He reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres at last year's London Games.

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Farah Defends 'Have You Run Before?' Presenter

Double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah has sprung to the defence of an American television presenter who asked him if he had ever run before following a half marathon win.

After setting the course record in the New Orleans half marathon, LaTonya Norton, presenter at the local television station for more than six years, asked Farah if it was his "first time".

The 29-year-old athlete good-naturedly responded: "This isn't my first time, I have run before a half marathon but this is the first time in New Orleans."

Norton went on to describe his 61 minute record for the 13.1 mile course as "absolutely amazing", which, had he not been a double Olympic champion, it would have been.

Double gold medalist has a poor track record of being recognised in the US

The footage, which subsequently appears to have been removed from the WSDU website, went viral and sparked thousands of derogatory comments about the presenter on Twitter.

However, Farah has leapt to the presenter's defence on the social networking site, posting a tweet saying: "Just wanna say to everyone being nasty to LaTonya Norton please stop!! She made a mistake like we all do!! She didn't mean anything by it!"

He also responded to a tweet from the CNN presenter Piers Morgan saying: "Haha it was bit funny ... !! I felt sorry for her ... So I tried to help her out ... !! All good though!"

Norton compounded her mistake by asking Farah if he intended to enter any more events. When he replied that he was looking to do half of the London Marathon course in April, she said: "You're certainly off to a good start."

Farah, who won both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the London Olympics, is no stranger to not being recognised in the US. In December he was stopped by US customs agents as a "possible terrorist".

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Large Shark Kills Swimmer Off New Zealand

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A man has been killed in a rare great white shark attack off the coast of New Zealand.

Police and lifesavers recovered the man's body on Wednesday afternoon at Muriwai, a popular surfing beach near the city of Auckland, on New Zealand's North Island.

Witness Stef McCallum, 18, said about 200 people were on the beach at the time. 

She saw a police officer go out in a surf lifesaving boat and fire "about 20" shots into the water at the shark.

"Everybody was evacuated from the water. Word of mouth, 'shark', and everybody left the water," she said.

Another witness Pio Mose claimed he saw three sharks.

He told The New Zealand Herald he saw the swimmer struggle against one "huge" shark. He told the man to swim to the rocks, but it was too late.

"All of a sudden there was blood everywhere," Mr Mose said. "... I was shaking, scared, panicked."

Police in a helicopter directed inflatable boats to the scene

Another witness told television station 3 News NZ that he spotted the lone swimmer while he was fishing at the beach.

The distressed man signalled for help when he was attacked, before he was pulled underwater. At this point, the witness said, three or four other sharks appeared in the area.

Police Inspector Shawn Rutene said in a statement that the swimmer, was about 200 meters (650 feet) offshore when the shark attacked.

He said police went out in inflatable surf-lifesaving boats and shot at the shark, which they estimate was 12 to 14 feet long.

As many as 200 people were on the beach at the time of the attack

"It rolled over and disappeared," Insp Rutene said, without saying whether police are certain that they killed the creature.

The authorities in the area have closed the beach.

A St John ambulance spokeswoman told the AFP news agency the victim was 47 years old. Inspector Matt Sillars said his body has been recovered.

"We're not sure at this stage whether or not the deceased died prior to the shark arriving on the scene, or whether the shark was a contributing factor towards the death," he said.

It is understood the man was a local and his family gathered at the scene.

The beach is popular with surfers and several of those on the beach at the time gathered in the local club's hut afterwards to find out more information about what had happened.

Earlier this week, surfer Bourne Nobel Buiski had posted on Facebook that there had been a "massive" shark spotted near surfers on Monday at Piha, 14 kilometres south of Muriwai.

He said that a local man ran out of the water "white faced and terrified".

"He was saying that a great white, a massive great white had just swum right beside him," Mr Buiski said. No one believed him, he said. "As they are so rare here. There were about 60 people there, and no one came in."

Fatal shark attacks are relatively rare in New Zealand with just over a dozen deaths since record-keeping began in the 1830s.

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Coronation Street's Michael Le Vell In Court

By Mike McCarthy, North Of England Correspondent

The Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell has appeared in court for the first time to face six charges of raping a child.

Le Vell, who plays Kevin Webster in the ITV soap opera, is accused of 19 child sex offences.

The actor sat glum-faced in the dock as charges of raping a child were put to him.

During the eight-minute hearing, Le Vell - whose real name is Michael Turner - spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.

Le Vell looked shaken as he arrived for the hearing

Four members of his family sat towards the back of the court.

The alleged offences relate to one complainant and all took place between 2001 and 2010, the court heard.

District Judge Khalid Qureshi asked Le Vell's solicitor, Richard Gowthorpe, if there was any indication of plea, to which he replied: "No indication of plea today other than the fact that the charges are contested, and will be fully contested in the Crown Court."

Le Vell was bailed on the condition he surrenders his passport, does not contact named witnesses or have unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 14.

Asked if he understood the conditions, Le Vell nodded.

Le Vell is one of television's most famous faces

As he left the court, he said to waiting photographers:  "You must have enough pictures of me by now."

When the charges were announced earlier this year, the 48-year-old father-of-two said he intends to fight them "vigorously".

"I would like to make it quite clear that following the serious allegations that have been brought against me on Thursday 14th February 2013, I am innocent of these charges and intend to fight them vigorously," he said.

"I will now put all my efforts into clearing my name and proving my innocence."

ITV dropped the actor from any further episodes of the show after the charges became public.

Minders clear the path for Le Vell outside the Manchester court

An ITV spokesman said: "Given the serious nature of these charges, Michael Le Vell will not be appearing in Coronation Street pending the outcome of legal proceedings. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time."

Le Vell, who split from his wife Janette Beverley last year, is one of television's most famous faces after playing car mechanic Kevin Webster for the past 30 years in the TV show.

Originally from Manchester, he began his acting career in the Oldham Theatre Workshop after taking an interest in amateur dramatics while at school.

He first joined the soap in 1983 and quickly endeared himself to fans who have followed the trials and tribulations of Kevin, from Brian Tilsley's apprentice mechanic through to his stormy marriage to Sally, played by Sally Dynevor, and fathering two teenage girls as well as a love child from his affair with Molly Dobbs.

Le Vell is due to appear at Manchester Crown Court on March 20.

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Woman Pleads Guilty To Facebook Harassment

A woman has pleaded guilty to using Facebook to harass the family of a girl who went missing from a British army base in Germany more than 30 years ago.

Donna Wright, 33, from Spennymoor, County Durham, admitted to sending messages to the family of Katrice Lee on the social networking site.

Wright claimed to be the girl, who went missing in November 1981, and then continued to harass the family even after a DNA test had proved she was not.

Outside court, Katrice's father Richard Lee, 63, said: "We want a conclusion because we have put up with this since September 2011 and my family has gone through hell.

"She wanted her 15 minutes of fame on the tragedy of my family."

Wright appeared by video link at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court where District Judge Martin Walker said she would be sentenced next month.

Mr Lee, who was stationed with the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars in Germany, said he felt the system had not come down on his side.

"What I cannot understand is that it seems to me that the system is helping the perpetrator and what was said in court has nothing to do with the abuse that was sent to my family," he said.

"If you can use false names repeatedly it's not the mark of someone who is unwell. My family's feelings have not been taken into account."

He also described how he felt at the time when his daughter went missing from a food store near the military base, and how he continues to hold onto hope that she may still be found.

"She went missing from an unfenced barracks with one road in and one road out and just 20 yards away was a college," he said.

"The college had an open day and there was eight times the number of people and traffic than usual. It was absolutely horrendous, there were people going in and out trying to get away on Christmas leave.

"I have always believed that she was taken as a surrogate child or sold for profit to someone that could not have children.

"I have to hold onto hope otherwise I could not go on. It's the one thing they cannot take away from you, I have got to have hope.

"People are often coming forward in the news to try and find their family and those cases recharge my batteries."

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Pope Speaks Of 'Difficult Times' In Farewell

The Pope has given an emotional last general audience before stepping down as Pontiff, during which he spoke of "difficult moments".

Benedict XVI told the 150,000-strong crowd in St Peter's Square in Rome that he had been aware of the "gravity" of his decision to step down but it was for the good of the Church.

The Pope stunned the Catholic Church when he announced on February 11 he no longer had the mental or physical strength to carry on in the role.

He will officially stand aside on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years.

As he arrived in the square, Benedict greeted pilgrims in St Peter's Square and waved to tens of thousands of people who gathered to bid him farewell.

He was driven around in an open-sided vehicle, surrounded by bodyguards. At one point he stopped to kiss a baby handed up to him by his secretary.

The crowd fell silent as he started to speak.

The Pope began by saying he will keep the faithful in his prayers and he has "great trust" in the future of the church.

Many in the audience chanted "Benedetto"

"To love the church means also to have the courage to take difficult, painful decisions, always keeping the good of the church in mind, not oneself," Benedict said to thundering applause.

He recalled that when he was elected pope on April 19, 2005, he questioned if God truly wanted it. "It's a great burden that you've placed on my shoulders,'" he recalled telling God.

He said his Papacy had faced joy, but also had undergone "difficult moments". He said that during his time as leader of the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, he had negotiated "turbulent seas".

Drawing on a Biblical analogy, he said: "The Lord gave us days of sun and of light breeze, days in which the fishing was good. There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds.

"But I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink," he added.

Pope Benedict XVI said he was aware of the "gravity and novelty" of his decision to resign and would "accompany" the Church in prayer even after his resignation the following day.

"I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit," he said.

Pope Benedict told the crowd he was not "coming down from the Cross", but would remain in the service of the Church through prayer.

He asked the faithful to pray for the cardinals as they faced a weighty task choosing his successor and for whoever they chose.

After he had finished speaking, the crowd gave a rousing round of applause that lasted nearly a minute.

He went on to say a few extra words in other languages, one of which was English.

Tens of thousands of people, some toting banners saying "Thank you!" had earlier began filling St Peter's Square in preparation for his appearance.

Cardinals await the final public appearance of the Pope

Many of the cardinals who will choose the next Pope were among those listening.

Later it was revealed that the Pope had expressed his gratitude for the welcome he received during his visit to Britain in 2010 and for the prayers of British Catholics since he decided to step down.

A letter written on his behalf by Vatican official Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu thanked his UK-based followers.

Once he completes his resignation, the Pope will leave the Vatican and fly by helicopter to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, until renovations have been completed on a monastery inside the Vatican walls.

The Pope will live out the rest of his days in the new monastery in prayer and meditation.

At precisely 8pm (Rome time) the villa gates at Castel Gandolfo will close and the Swiss Guard will withdraw - a symbol that Pope Benedict XVI's papacy is over.

Benedict will then be known as Emeritus Pope and wear a simple white cassock and brown shoes rather than his trademark red loafers.

On Thursday morning, he will bid farewell to his cardinals who will begin a series of meetings to determine his successor.

A total of 115 "cardinal electors" are scheduled to take part after one said he was too sick and British cardinal Keith O'Brien said he would not be taking part after allegations of inappropriate behaviour regarding four priests emerged at the weekend.

The Pope today named the Archbishop of Glasgow as temporary successor to Cardinal O'Brien in one of his last acts as head of the Catholic Church.

Philip Tartaglia will govern the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh until a permanent successor is appointed, but will not be able to attend the conclave.

The date for the conclave - when eligible cardinals vote in secret in the Sistine Chapel - has yet to be announced, but must take place within 15 to 20 days of the Pope's last day.

Another of the Pope's last acts was to announce that the Turin Shroud will be put on display again for one day on March 30. It has only been shown five times in the last 100 years.

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Philpott Trial: Father 'Joked' About Blaze

A father accused of killing his six children in a fire at his home in Derby was "laughing and joking" about the blaze just a week later, a court has heard.

PC Joanne Halford told Nottingham Crown Court that Michael Philpott seemed "jovial" when she spoke to him at Royal Derby Hospital in the early hours of May 18.

When the officer asked him what he was doing at the hospital, Philpott replied: "I'm here to see you gorgeous", the court heard.

"He was laughing and joking about the incident saying that when he was trying to rescue the children he had took his chance to hit out at two coppers trying to hold him back," PC Halford told jurors.

Jade, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six and Jayden, five, all perished in the blaze on Victory Road in Allenton in May last year.

Their brother Duwayne, 13, was taken to Derby Royal Hospital but died three days later after being transferred to a Birmingham hospital.

Floral tributes outside the Philpott home in May last year

Mick Philpott, 56, and his wife Mairead, 31, deny killing their six children after a "plan" to frame his ex-mistress Lisa Willis went wrong. A third defendant, Paul Mosley, 46, also denies six counts of manslaughter.

Mosley's brother Brian, who was with Philpott at the hospital, said to the officer: "Don't you know who he is? He's Mick Philpott, father of the six dead kids."

PC Halford told the court the statement seemed to be used like a "badge of honour".

Philpott alleged that neighbour Adam Taylor, who was later arrested and released without charge, had started the fire because he had borrowed a strimmer and a petrol can from him two weeks before the fire and had failed to return the latter.

He also told the officer he was angry police had asked him about his family background and that it was none of their business.

The police constable said he was "cross" that his wife had disclosed information to them, including about threesomes the couple had in the past.

PC Halford said that when she returned from calling her colleagues with the information, Philpott "was jovial, laughing and jolly with the other men" in an office at the hospital.

The officer also told the court Philpott inferred that he would like her to join him at the hotel where he and his wife were staying following the fire at their home.

The trial continues.

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Egypt Balloon Crash: Luxor Grounds Flights

An investigation is under way in Egypt after 19 people - including two Britons and a UK resident - died in a hot air balloon crash.

Amateur footage shows smoke billowing from the balloon before it falls 1,000 feet to the ground during a sunrise flight near the ancient city of Luxor.

Luxor Governor Ezzat Saad imposed an immediate ban on all hot air balloon flights in the province as Prime Minister Hisham Qandil ordered the investigation.

Four investigating teams have been established to probe the causes of the crash.

According to one of the investigation teams, the balloon company, Sky Cruise, had passed a routine inspection by the Civil Aviation Ministry earlier this month.

An initial probe has ruled out any criminal activity as a cause of the accident, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

Michael Rennie survived but his wife, Yvonne, died

British nationals Yvonne Rennie and Joe Bampton, and Mr Bampton's partner, Hungarian-born UK resident Suzanna Gyetvai, were named as being among those killed.

Mrs Rennie's husband Michael, 49, is in hospital after he survived by leaping from the balloon before it exploded.

Witnesses said they heard a loud blast before seeing plumes of smoke as the balloon caught fire. People were seen jumping out from "about the height of a seven-storey building".

Speaking from Cairo, Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay described the flight's final moments.

He said as the balloon approached its landing point, it came within three metres (10 feet) of the ground.

At that point a fire broke out on-board, engulfing the balloon's pilot in flames. The pilot leapt from the basket.

"At this stage it's likely that Mr Rennie also was out of the basket, because his injuries are obviously not that bad, so he can't have fallen that far," Ramsay said.

"As the fire got going, the balloon started to heat up and to inflate, and (it) started to rise fairly rapidly. It eventually got to about a thousand feet. As it was rising, people were jumping off. It was moving very quickly. Those people died on impact.

"If you didn't get off in those early seconds, there was no chance that you would survive this because of the explosions that happened."

Victims Joe Bampton and his girlfriend Suzanna Gyetvai

A spokeswoman at Luxor international hospital said Mr Rennie was in a stable condition.

Mr Bampton, 40, and Ms Gyetvai, 34, were from Clapham, south London.

Mr and Mrs Rennie, from Perth, Scotland, were described as "very nice people" who only spent the weekends together due to work commitments.

Neighbour Linda Kettles said: "They were very, very nice people who kept themselves to themselves.

"They've gone on holiday to enjoy themselves. They only get the weekends together and any break together is good for them.

"They were really looking forward to getting away. I'm totally devastated by the news. I really feel for their families."

The other tourists on board, including holidaymakers from France, Hong Kong and Japan, were all thought to have died in the explosion.

The only other survivor of the crash was the pilot, an Egyptian man, who is in hospital with burns to 60% of his body.

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Match-Fixing: Fifa Bans Officials And Players

Fifa has banned 74 more players and officials from world football for helping fix matches, this time in Italy and South Korea.

The sport's governing body said that 70 bans from the Italian Football Federation, including 11 lifetime ones, have been extended worldwide after players and officials were sanctioned for match-fixing.

Prosecutors in Italy have pieced together a conspiracy they believe was organised from Singapore to bet on rigged Italian football matches.

The association also extended bans on four South Koreans.

Mr Blatter says Fifa will get rid of scams

Fifa said the latest cases involved either a "direct involvement or omission to report match-fixing, illegal betting or corrupt organisation (association to commit illicit acts)".

It has been especially keen to crack down on corruption since European police agency Europol announced earlier this month that around 680 matches were suspected of being fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore.

The association's president, Sepp Blatter, played down Europol's investigation, saying betting scams will soon be a thing of the past.

"We're fighting against that. Because if the matches are fixed there's no more interest in going to watch football," he said earlier this month.

Last week, Italian authorities detained suspect Admir Suljic, a Slovenian national, when he landed in Milan on a flight from Singapore.

Suljic, an alleged associate of Singaporean businessman Tan Seet Eng, faces charges of criminal association and sports fraud.

Tan, also known as Dan Tan, is accused of heading a crime syndicate that has made millions of pounds gambling on fixed matches around the world.

Suljic was arrested by Italian police at a Milan airport last week

Singapore police said last week that Tan was assisting its investigation into alleged match-fixing.

The latest global sanctions follow worldwide sanctions imposed on 10 people last year and a further 41 last month.

And two days ago, Fifa extended bans to 58 people found guilty of match-fixing offences in China.

Of those, the football body expelled 33 from the sport for life, including 2002 World Cup referee Lu Jun.

Fifa can apply worldwide sanctions after national football associations complete their own investigations and impose bans.

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Open Verdict At Inquest For Soldier Shot Dead

An inquest into the death of a soldier who was killed in a drunken shooting at an airbase in Iraq has returned an open verdict.

More follows...

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