Interrogation Pokes Holes In Pistorius Defence

By Emma Hurd, Sky Correspondent, in Pretoria

After a weekend of respite, Oscar Pistorius will return to the witness box on Monday to face more questions under cross-examination in his murder trial.

His account of the shooting that left his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead has already been challenged in three days of tough interrogation.

This has exposed some of the weaknesses in his defence and posed questions that could prove crucial to judge Thokozile Masipa's eventual verdict.

:: Where was Reeva?

The crucial issue of why the athlete failed to realise his girlfriend was not in the bed when he went with his gun to investigate a noise coming from the bathroom was the focus of many of prosecutor Gerrie Nel's questions.

Oscar Pistorius said he had spoken to Reeva Steenkamp in the bedroom and asked her to call the police when he heard what he thought was an intruder.

Gerrie Nel has appeared incredulous at some of Pistorius' evidence

He said he was "fixated on the noise" and did not think it was strange that she had not replied.

Mr Nel insisted that it was "unreasonable" to believe that, given that Ms Steenkamp was in the toilet, she would not have shouted out to the runner who had been screaming "at intruders" just metres away.

The prosecution also pressed the athlete on whether he had heard Ms Steenkamp screaming when he fired shots into the toilet door.

The runner said he was sure she had not screamed but was forced to admit that he might not have heard her because of the sound of the shots.

:: Did he intend to shoot?

The issue of intent is vital in a murder trial and the prosecution has attempted to show Oscar Pistorius shot to kill that night - whoever he thought he was firing at.

The athlete insisted he "fired out of fear" after hearing a noise from the toilet. His said he did not have time to think and that it was "a mistake".

The prosecution repeatedly stressed that Mr Pistorius approached the toilet with his gun held out and the safety catch off ready to shoot, even "wanting to shoot".

He knew someone might be in the small, enclosed space of the toilet, Mr Nel claimed, and the shooting was a deliberate act.

:: Why did he go towards the threat?

Another difficult moment for Oscar Pistorius came when Gerrie Nel asked him why he went towards the danger of the noise in the bathroom.

The athlete could not explain why - if he thought there was an intruder - he had not taken Reeva Steenkamp and escaped out into the safety of the rest of the house through the bedroom door.

Mr Pistorius admitted he had to walk right past the exit from the bedroom to get to the bathroom.

"It is my personality not to run away," he insisted, while re-iterating that he wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp.

The prosecution has declared his whole defence "a lie".

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MH370: Hunt Resumes For Plane's Black Box

The hunt for missing flight MH370 has resumed as authorities race to identify further signals which could point to the location of the plane's black box recorder.

The search operation is seeking to determine the black box's exact resting place in the southern Indian Ocean before the device's beacons fade.

The Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield will today carry out "focused sweeps" of the search area with a towed pinger locator in an attempt to pick up more signals.

Today's operation covers an area of 15,982 square miles, some 1,450 miles northwest of Perth.

A message for family members seen in Kuala Lumpur

Nine military aircraft, one civil plane and 14 ships will assist in the search, according to the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC).

"Today, Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield continues more focused sweeps with the towed pinger locator to try and locate further signals related to the aircraft's black boxes," JACC said.

"This work continues in an effort to narrow the underwater search area for when the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle is deployed."

Ocean Shield has already picked up four signals linked to aircraft black boxes, with the first two revealed to be consistent with signals from aircraft flight recorders.

The beacons on the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders only have a normal battery lifespan of around 30 days.

The renewed search comes after Australia's prime minister said searchers were "very confident" that signals detected in the Indian Ocean are from the plane's black box.

A relative beside a banner dedicated to passengers at Lido Hotel in Beijing

Tony Abbott told reporters during a visit to China that authorities have "very much narrowed down the search area".

"We are very confident that the signals that we are detecting are from the black box," he said.

"Nevertheless, we're getting into the stage where the signal from what we are very confident is the black box is starting to fade.

"We are hoping to get as much information as we can before the signal finally expires."

The Malaysia Airlines plane went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board.

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Tories Attack CPS Over MP's '11 Months Of Hell'

Nigel Evans Prosecution 'Was Great Tragedy'

Updated: 3:24pm UK, Thursday 10 April 2014

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Friends of the former deputy speaker Nigel Evans have questioned the decision to prosecute the MP on charges of rape and sexual assault.

After a four-week trial at Preston Crown Court, the politician has been cleared on all charges.

Evans, 56, is regarded by many colleagues as one of the most popular MPs in Westminster. 

He was arrested after police turned up at his constituency home in Lancashire early one morning in May 2013.

A student who had stayed at Mr Evans' address several days earlier claimed he had been raped by the politician. 

From the outset the MP said the young man had consented to sex.

In relation to accusations of indecent or sexual assault from another six men, he insisted either that they did not happen or that he had misinterpreted signals from the alleged victims.

Despite the charges, friends said even before Mr Evans was cleared that they would stand by the MP.

Former MP Lembit Opik told Sky News: "I'm not a judge and I'm not a lawyer but I'm a human being and so is Nigel Evans and the great tragedy in this situation is, not withstanding the outcome of the case, he's been punished for two years.

"He's lost his job when he wasn't even found guilty of anything and we've really got to ask ourselves where is this country going if that's regarded as justice."

Mr Evans was a vice chairman of the Conservative Party and was promoted to the shadow cabinet after Iain Duncan Smith became party leader in 2001. 

He was one of three deputy speakers elected in a secret ballot of MPs in 2010. 

The politician is now openly gay, but he kept it a secret for most of his life, only coming out in 2010 after his mother died.

The prosecution in his trial had claimed that the MP "often when in drink, pressed his sexual attentions on younger men, on occasions using or trading on his position of influence."

Barrister Mark Heywood QC said that the defendant's behaviour had become more and more serious.

He told the court: "He not only abused those young men, in some instances very seriously so, but he abused the positions he held."

But the defence argued successfully that jurors could not rule out the possibility that some form of collusion had taken place between some of the complainants. 

The judge in the case, Mr Justice King, said in his summary that there was a "real possibility" that one of the alleged victims had put up some of the others to bolster his own account.

Many current and former MPs have come forward in support of Mr Evans.

His London flatmate, Conservative MP Brian Binley, told Sky News: "He is a congenial man and enjoys a drink, enjoys a glass of wine. He's also a tactile man as many of us are. And sometimes that can be misconstrued."

Novelist and former MP Edwina Currie has known Mr Evans for more than 30 years. 

Asked if she thought he would still be able to pursue his dream of becoming speaker of the House, she replied:  "I don't think it's appropriate to start thinking you can go back to exactly where you were. 

"You obviously can't after all of the trauma and the emotional pain of being faced by people you thought were your friends. 

"Nigel will need to move on after all of this and I certainly hope he does."

Mr Evans has much support in his Ribble Valley constituency.

Christine Dilworth is a friend and landlady of the pub adjoining his cottage in Pendleton. She said:  "We were most shocked for one morning police just to appear on your doorstep and take him off not knowing what for or anything.

"Basically, by being such a kind, open person, which he is, I think has been his downfall.

"His door was always open in the village when he was at home - always. Anybody passing would call in it was always an open house."

When he resigned as deputy speaker following his arrest, the MP quoted Winston Churchill, saying: "When you are going through hell keep going." 

Finally, he can start to leave the hell of this case behind.

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MH370: 'Confidence' Over Black Box Search

Searchers are "very confident" that signals detected in the hunt for missing flight MH370 are from the plane's black box, Australia's prime minister says.

Tony Abbott told reporters during an official visit to China that authorities have "very much narrowed down the search area" in the southern Indian Ocean.

"We are very confident that the signals that we are detecting are from the black box," Mr Abbott said.

"Nevertheless, we're getting into the stage where the signal from what we are very confident is the black box is starting to fade.

"We are hoping to get as much information as we can before the signal finally expires."

The search is currently focussed on an 18,000-square-mile search area after a fifth ping was detected around 1,400 miles off Perth, in western Australia.

The signal was captured on Thursday by an Australian Air Force P-3C Orion surveillance plane, which has been dropping sonar buoys into the ocean.

Zhang Zhiliang looks at photos of his fiancee, who was on board the flight

However, Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) chief Angus Houston says an initial assessment of the latest signal indicates it is not related to an aircraft's black box.

Speaking from Perth, Sky's Nick Martin said there were "mixed messages" from Australia this morning as the hunt for the plane continued.

Mr Abbott was first quoted as saying he was confident the black box had been found, and then later said he was confident signals picked up by search teams were from a black box.

"Either he's been misquoted or he has slightly jumped the gun," said Martin.

Twelve military aircraft, three civil planes and 13 ships have joined the search today. The Royal Navy vessel HMS Echo is also part of the operation.

The focus of the hunt has been narrowed to 18,035 square miles in a stretch of ocean north-west of Perth, in Western Australia.

Authorities have been racing to locate the plane's data and cockpit recorders, as the ping-emitting beacons are expected to fade.

Joint Agency Coordination Centre chief Angus Houston

No floating debris from the Malaysia Airlines aircraft has yet been found, JACC said, despite the major multinational air and sea operation.

The renewed search operation comes as Malaysia's acting transport minister admitted that mistakes were made in how authorities treated the victims' families.

Hishammuddin Hussein said the missing plane had posed an "unprecedented situation without benchmark".

Talking to Sky News in a Kuala Lumpur city centre hotel, he said the criminal investigation remains live.

"Everyone on board remains under suspicion as it stands," he said.

"As we look into the black box, we look into new facts. It isn't just MI6 involved in the investigation, it is Chinese intelligence, it's also the FBI."

The Malaysia Airlines plane went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board.

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Child Dies After Orlando Day Care Car Crash

One child has been killed and least 11 injured after a car crashed into a Florida day care centre.

The highway patrol reported that some of the victims were in a "very, very serious" condition after the crash at the KinderCare building in Orlando.

Police said a silver or greyish Dodge Durango hit another vehicle that then crashed into the building. The Durango left the scene but was found shortly afterwards some distance away.

Police named 26-year-old Robert Corchado as a person of interest they were searching for following the collision and warned he might be attempting to fly out of the state.

The Orlando Sentinel reported a witness as saying the car disappeared inside the day care centre before the driver emerged, apparently unhurt but visibly shaken.

Small children and infants in cots were evacuated outside into the playground after the crash, while several of those injured were taken out on stretchers.

Victims were seen being taken away on stretchers

Parents could be seen waiting to pick up their children and then clutching them in their arms as they were taken to their vehicles by authorities.

Thirteen people have been taken to hospital, while two others were treated at the scene.

Jeezy Jenkins, who was repairing the roof of the petrol station next door, said he saw several small children lying, seriously injured, on the ground inside the building.

"The ones that I did see, I seen blood come out of their mouths, their mouths hit something or whenever because they were bleeding out of their mouths and there was other ones that weren't moving at all, and the teachers were giving them CPR and stuff like that," Click Orlando reported him as saying.

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs called the crash an "absolute tragedy and disaster".

The day care centre's website says the centre provides childcare and learning opportunities for children aged six weeks to 12 years old.

More follows...

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Half A Billion Pounds 'Wasted' On Anti-Flu Drugs

Half a billion pounds has been wasted stockpiling two ineffective anti-flu drugs, according to researchers.

A study claims there is "no good evidence" Tamiflu and Relenza stop the spread of the infection or prevent the complications of influenza.

Researchers, from The Cochrane Collaboration and the British Medical Journal (BMJ), also claim taking the drug could increase a person's risk of nausea and vomiting.

The authors also said the drugs had a number of side effects including headaches, kidney problems and psychiatric syndromes.

Cochrane's editor in chief Dr David Tovey said: "Initially thought to reduce hospitalisations and serious complications from influenza, the review highlights that Tamiflu is not proven to do this, and it also seems to lead to harmful effects that were not fully reported in the original publications.

"This shows the importance of ensuring that trial data are transparent and accessible."

Pharmaceutical company Roche, which makes Tamiflu, said it "fundamentally disagrees" with the latest review.

Roche's UK medical director Dr Daniel Thurley said: "Roche stands behind the wealth of data for Tamiflu and the decisions of public health agencies worldwide, including the US and European Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation."

The Department of Health said Tamiflu has a "proven record" of safety, quality and efficacy.

However, a spokeswoman said: "We regularly review all published data and will consider the Cochrane review closely."

Professor Wendy Barclay, influenza virology expert at Imperial College London, said: "This new report, taken alongside a lot of other data collected in different settings, does not convince me that the risks of taking Tamiflu or Relenza would outweigh the benefits."

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MH370 Search Chief 'Optimistic' Of Finding Jet

A navy ship has picked up two further signals from what could be the black boxes of missing Flight MH370.

The "reacquiring" of sounds on two more occasions by search teams is being described as "encouraging".

Australia's Ocean Shield navy ship first detected the sounds late on Saturday and early Sunday before losing them.

Map shows where signals were picked up

Search coordinator Angus Houston said the ship relocated the signals on Tuesday afternoon and then later that night.

An analysis of the earlier signals found they were stable, distinct, and clear sounds that had a consistent pulse, indicating they were from a plane's black box.

Search area for today shown on a map

"They (the analysts) believe the signals to be consistent with the specification and description of a flight data recorder," he added.

Mr Houston went on: "It's nothing natural. It comes from a man-made device."

The new signals may allow the search to be concentrated on a much smaller area of the southern Indian Ocean, and open the way for the use of an unmanned submarine to look for wreckage.

Mr Houston said: "Now hopefully with lots of transmissions we'll have a tight, small area and hopefully in a matter of days we will be able to find something on the bottom.

"I'm now optimistic that we will find the aircraft, or what is left of the aircraft, in the not too distant future - but we haven't found it yet, because this is a very challenging business."

Earlier, it was feared the audio signal from the plane's black boxes may have died.

And Mr Houston acknowledged time was running out, noting the signals picked up on Tuesday were weaker and briefer than those heard over the weekend.

"So we need to, as we say in Australia, 'make hay while the sun shines'," said Mr Houston.

The data recorders could provide critical information about what happened to the aircraft, which disappeared on March 8 with 239 people on board.

It is thought the airliner crashed into the Indian Ocean after veering thousands of miles off course.

The authorities say evidence indicates the plane was deliberately diverted by someone, but have not ruled out mechanical problems.

More follows...

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Conservative MPs Refuse To Back Maria Miller

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Conservative MPs in key marginal seats have failed to give their backing to beleaguered culture secretary Maria Miller.

When Sky News asked should Mr Cameron sack Maria Miller, two out of 39 MPs contacted said yes and only one said no. The rest of the 16 who responded declined to comment.

The chairmen of the respective local Conservative Party branches were also contacted, with six, three times the number of MPs saying she should be fired, two saying she should keep her job and seven refusing to comment.

Prime Minister David Cameron has given his support to the embattled culture secretary, but is is likely to come under attack at the last Prime Minister's Questions before Easter and could be confronted directly by her critics when he appears before the backbench MPs' 1922 Committee.

One of the MPs contacted by Sky News, who did not want to be named, said: "It's affecting us (politicians) and gives the impression of MPs being arrogant and out of touch and all of us are trying our best to rebuild that trust.

"It's not just the party it's affecting, it's politics giving the impression that MPs are out of touch again. Constituents say constantly: 'If I had done this, I would be in prison'.

"On a personal level I like her. She's very competent and personable but unfortunately it's about protection. In the eyes of the public, politicians are about as low as they can get."

Cameron could face pressure at PMQs and from the 1922 committee

Opinion polls make bleak reading for the culture secretary and the Prime Minister. A poll by YouGov suggests 63% of supporters from all parties thinks Miller should resign with only 9% believing she should stay.

And when Tory supporters were asked, 61% wanted her to go and only 13% said she should stay.

In her own constituency, Basingstoke, we found hostility towards the MP despite an apology in the local paper in which she admitted she had let her constituents down.

"The last 16 months have been difficult," she wrote in her weekly column. "As you know, I have been working hard for Basingstoke and also doing my job as a Cabinet minister.

"During this time, I have been subject to an intense Parliamentary inquiry looking at extensive personal details of my family life, as a result of allegations made by a Labour MP."

She added: "I have unreservedly apologised for the way I handled and approached the inquiry. And I am pleased that the committee has fully dismissed all of the allegations made against me.

"Separately, I have already apologised and repaid an over-claim of my expenses, having myself drawn the committee's attention to the matter immediately I was aware of it.

"I have always sought to do the best job that I can in representing the people of Basingstoke in Westminster.  I am devastated that this has happened, and that I have let you down. I can only hope that over time the focus will once again be on Basingstoke."

At Westminster, a bid to win support for her among Tory MPs launched by her Parliamentary Private Secretary appeared to backfire.

Maria Miller made an apology in her column for her local paper

Mary MacLeod texted colleagues asking them to speak up in her boss's favour, before touring broadcast studios, but the text was leaked and ridiculed by critics.

Asked by Sky News whether she believed newspapers were focusing on Ms Miller because of her involvement in the response to the public inquiry into the practices of the British press, Ms Macleod said: "I think it's Leveson and probably equal marriage as well.

"In some of the newspapers it has been like a witch hunt where they don't like the work that Maria has done on Leveson and gay marriage," she told Sky News.

"Therefore what they are trying to do is to find a way to get her out of the job."

Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith expressed surprise that Mrs Miller was still in her job.

"It would be the Prime Minister's decision who he surrounds himself with. I am surprised that Maria Miller hasn't stepped down," he said.

"This is a decision for her to make or it is a decision for David Cameron to make."

While fellow Tory MP Philip Davies said the continuing row over Mrs Miller was"extremely damaging" for the Conservative Party and needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

"Whether she resigns is a matter for her but obviously the whole thing is extremely damaging for the Conservative Party, it's damaging for Parliament as a whole and politicians - we all get tarnished by the same brush," he said.

"It's damaging for the Government, for the Prime Minister. The sooner the matter is resolved, the better."

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Hunt For MH370 'Pings' Delays Sub Launch

By James Matthews, News Correspondent, In Perth

An Australian ship has been unable to re-locate the 'ping' sound in its search for the black box of flight MH370.

Search coordinators say they will continue to trawl the Indian Ocean for "several days" before they consider sending down a mini-submarine to investigate.

The Australian ship Ocean Shield picked up the pinging sound twice, on Saturday and Sunday, but has since been unable to hear it again.

Search coordinator Angus Houston and Australia's defence minister David Johnston both said re-locating the ping was the best-case scenario for the search.

Mr Houston said: "There have been no further contacts with any transmission and we need to continue that for several days right up to the point at which there's absolutely no doubt that the batteries will have expired.

"If we don't get any further transmissions, we have a reasonably large search area of the bottom of the ocean to prosecute and that will take a long, long time. It's very slow, painstaking work."

He said narrowing the search area first was critical.

He added: "It is a large area for a small submersible that has a very narrow field of search, and of course, it is literally crawling along the bottom of the ocean.

"That's why its so important to get another transmission and we need to continue until there's absolutely no chance the device is still transmitting."

It would provide a precise target for the Bluefin 21, a mini submarine, to aim for in the next stage of the search.

The plan is to send the mini-sub down to the depths of the Indian Ocean and create a sonar map of the seabed.

It would highlight any debris on the ocean floor, which would then be further investigated using photographic equipment.

If all goes to plan, confirmation that plane wreckage had been discovered would come in the form of a photograph beamed back above the water's surface.

The transmission of the sound detected by the Australian ship is 33.2khz.  This contrasts with the 37.5 kHz which is the usual transmission from a black box.

Australian officials say they have checked with the black box manufacturers and it is still regarded as a credible reading.  The pressure at the base of the ocean can affected transmission signals.

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Peaches Geldof: 'Rest In Peace Gorgeous Girl'

The family of Peaches Geldof may have to wait for days to find out how she died.

The death of the mother-of-two, who had worked as a DJ, model and television personality, is being treated as unexplained, but not suspicious.

Police were called to her house in the small village of Wrotham, Kent, at 1.35pm on Monday after receiving a report of concern for the welfare of a woman.

The singer Lily Allen was among the stars to pay tribute

She had previously admitted drug use as a teenager but said in 2009 that she was "sober now".

A post-mortem is expected to take place in the next few days.

Lily Allen is among a host of celebrities to pay tribute following the sudden and tragic death of the 25-year-old.

The singer said: "My thoughts are with Peaches' family at this awful time. I hope they get to grieve in peace. Peaches, rest in peace gorgeous girl."

In her last message on Twitter, she posted a picture of her as a child with her mother, Paula Yates, who died of a heroin overdose in 2000 when Peaches was 11.

As news of her death emerged, Kelly Osborne, a childhood friend of Peaches, tweeted: "Words seem inadequate 2 express the sadness I feel about @peaches_g death We are here 2 support U @pixiegeldof1 stay strong my little Pepsi!"

TV and radio presenter Dermot O'Leary said: "Met Peaches several times. Really sweet girl. So so sad for the Geldof family. Thoughts and prayers..."

The Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon said: "No words can express any comfort at the loss of a child and mother as beautiful as Peaches Geldof. God bless."

Coleen Rooney, wife of England footballer Wayne, tweeted: "Can't believe what I have just heard. RIP Peaches Geldof, such sad news."

X-Factor creator Simon Cowell tweeted: "So sad to hear about Peaches. Rest in peace."

A private ambulance drives away the body of Peaches Geldof

He said later: "The few times I met Peaches she was a sweet, funny warm person. Much love to her family she has left behind."

Sharon Osborne wrote: "Devastated about @peaches--g. Sending condolences & respect to the Geldof family. It's unimaginable what they must be going through right now."

Presenter Myleene Klass tweeted: "The news of beautiful Peaches is utterly devastating, God bless her babies. RIP mama xxx"

This Morning host Phillip Schofield, who appeared with Ms Geldof on the ITV show, wrote: "Utterly stunned at the terrible news of the death of Peaches Geldof! The dreadful loss of a really lovely woman."

His co-host Holly Willoughby said: "Just heard about Peaches, so unbelievably tragic. So shocked and sad. Sending my thoughts and love to her family".

Police at the address where the 25-year-old was found dead

Coronation Street star Antony Cotton said: "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest".

In a post on Twitter, rapper Professor Green said: "never knew Peaches but the loss of a life so young is a horrible thing, especially leaving behind two children".

Singer Ellie Goulding said: "Even if you think you've got it all figured out, some things still can't be explained or understood. Two beautiful children. RIP Peaches".

Her friend the model Daisy Lowe posted a picture of a broken heart on Twitter.

Author Irvine Welsh said: "Very sad to hear of the tragic, untimely death of Peaches Geldof. Thoughts with Bob G and the family."

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