Oscar Pistorius Wants To Leave South Africa

Lawyers for Oscar Pistorius have appealed against bail restrictions imposed after he was charged with murdering his girlfriend.

His representatives argue that the double-amputee athlete is not a flight risk and should have the option of travelling outside South Africa as long as he has official permission.

It comes as a close friend said that the athlete is a "broken man".

Pistorius was released on bail on February 22, a week after he was arrested on charges of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Reeva Steenkamp was killed by Oscar Pistorius last month

He says he mistakenly shot Miss Steenkamp, thinking she was an intruder in his home.

Prosecutors believe he killed her intentionally after an argument.

His friend Mike Azzie says the star is a "broken man", and his state of mind has worsened since he had to sell his racehorses to raise money to pay his rising legal fees.

"He has no confidence in his tone of voice and he is just a man that is almost like someone that is walking around in circles and doesn't know where he is going," he told a BBC3 documentary.

"I would say that, just speaking to him, that he is a broken man and that I would go as far to say that he would be on the verge of suicide. It really worries me."

Sky's Alex Crawford said: "His family feel that the bail restrictions and conditions are extremely stringent." The application is likely to be heard in the next two weeks.

She added that he was understood to be spending his time at an uncle's house reading the bible, and said that his family deny that he is suicidal.

The appeal was filed on Friday. A copy of the papers was sent by representatives of the Pistorius family to news agencies on Monday.

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Trainspotting Sequel Plans Confirmed By Boyle

Danny Boyle has said the sequel to Trainspotting is going ahead - and he hopes to start shooting in 2016.

The 56-year-old also said he was confident of getting Ewan McGregor and other members of the original cast involved.

Boyle told cinema site The Playlist that the movie would be based on Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh's own sequel, Porno.

The original film follows a group of heroin addicts in an economically depressed area of Edinburgh in the late 1980s and their passage through life.

Boyle has had his sights set on a sequel for a long time

McGregor played Mark "Rents" Renton, Ewen Bremner was Daniel "Spud" Murphy and Robert Carlyle appeared as Francis "Franco" Begbie.

Welsh also appeared in the film, playing Mikey Forrester.

Slumdog Millionaire director Boyle said scriptwriter John Hodge, who wrote Trainspotting, Shallow Grave and The Beach, was working on Porno.

He said: "This has been a long time coming. There's always been this long-term plan for Trainspotting 2.

"If John can produce a decent enough script, I don't think there will be any barriers to Ewan or any of the cast coming back.

"I think they'll wanna know that the parts are good so they don't feel like they are letting anyone down."

Boyle's latest film is Trance, starring James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel.

It tells the story of a fine art auctioneer - who is mixed up with a criminal gang - joining forces with a hypnotherapist to recover a lost painting.

Trance is due out in the UK on March 27.

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Lostprophets' Ian Watkins Faces Summer Trial

Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins is to go on trial in the summer accused of conspiracy to rape a baby.

This and other charges were expected to be formally put to the 35-year-old when he appeared at Cardiff Crown Court via videolink.

But a series of technical hitches prevented the hearing from going ahead, and it was adjourned to an unspecified date at the end of May.

Judge Eleri Rees, the Recorder of Cardiff, nonetheless set the eventual trial date for the week beginning June 15.

She was told it would take up to three weeks.

In a statement issued after the hearing, Watkins' solitcitor said he "furiously denies all the charges and allegations made (and) intends to fight to the bitter end to clear his name."

Watkins performing at the Reading Festival

The statement added: "He wishes to thank the fans, family and friends for the constant love and support they have given and continue to give throughout this testing time."

The singer, whose band has sold more than 3.5 million albums worldwide, allegedly conspired with a woman to rape a one-year-old girl.

He is also accused of two counts of conspiring to engage in sexual touching with two young children.

He is further charged with possessing, making and distributing indecent images of children and possessing extreme animal pornography.

The alleged offences date from May to December 2012.

Two women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been charged alongside him.

One, aged 24, is accused of the same six offences as Watkins. The second woman, who is 20, is accused of the same offences except conspiracy to rape.

One of the two women appeared in person at court, while the other, who is in custody, appeared with Watkins via videolink.

Watkins, of Pontypridd, remains in custody.

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Missing Grandmother: Partner's Murder Charge

A man has been charged with murdering his partner, following her disappearance more than a week ago.

More than 40 officers and specialist police staff are working on the case of Pamela Jackson, 55.

Adrian Muir, 50, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, has been charged with her murder.

Mrs Jackson, who is also known as Cris or Crissie, was reported missing on Thursday evening after her son, Joe, 21, became concerned.

A Durham Police spokesman said there has been no definite sighting of her since Saturday March 2 when she was last seen at her home in The Crescent, Chester-le-Street.

He said there had been no activity on her mobile phone for several days and her Facebook page had also not been updated in the same time.

Detective Superintendent Ken Donnelly said: "Our main focus is on finding Pamela and we have a number of actions to follow up in our continuing search for her."

Mrs Jackson does not drive and does not work due to health issues. She also has two other adult sons, Andrew and Christopher, police said.

The grandmother is described as petite and is 5ft tall, slim and with very long, black hair which is usually straight.

She has a black rose tattoo to the upper right arm and large Celtic style letters to the upper left arm and usually wears what is described as vintage-style clothing with rings and costume jewellery.

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Tony Gubba: Sports Commentator Dies Aged 69

Sports presenter Tony Gubba has died following a short illness, his family have announced. He was 69.

Gubba spent much of his career with the BBC but most recently worked as a commentator on the ITV series, Dancing On Ice.

Dancing On Ice presenter Philip Schofield said his colleagues on the show would miss him "terribly".

"We were all aware how poorly he was but this is very sudden and is dreadful for everyone who knew and loved him," he said.

"A genuinely delightful, kind, dedicated and talented man."

Schofield, who said he was speaking with the "saddest of hearts", went on: "All my love and condolences to his family.

"I'm so glad I had the privilege of working with him and getting to know him. All of us at Dancing On Ice will miss him terribly."

Gary Lineker: 'Saddened' to hear the news

Gubba had been with the show since its launch in 2006.

He started out in print, working for a local newspaper in Lancashire before moving to the Daily Mirror.

Gubba joined BBC Sport in 1972, replacing David Coleman as the presenter of the midweek sports programme Sportsnight.

He later went on to work on Match Of The Day - both as commentator and front man - and to introduce Grandstand as a stand-in for Frank Bough.

As well as football, Gubba commentated on hockey, table-tennis, golf, tennis, bobsleigh, ski-jumping, darts and ice-skating.

He also covered every Olympic Games, both summer and winter, from 1972 to 2012 and every World Cup from 1974 to 2006.

Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker wrote on Twitter: "Deeply saddened to hear that Tony Gubba has passed away.

"One of the great voices of football who graced Match Of The Day for so many years."

Fellow BBC commentator John Motson said: "Tony was a great friend and colleague for over 40 years and I shall miss him greatly.

"He was one of the original probing reporters - never afraid to ask a difficult question."

Gubba leaves his partner of 15 years, Jenny, his two daughters, Claire, 40 and Libby, 38 and three granddaughters.

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Queen Cancels Westminster Abbey Visit

Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

Updated: 2:26pm UK, Monday 11 March 2013

The Queen is not signing a new charter "backing equal rights for women and gay people in every Commonwealth nation", despite headlines to the contrary.

She is signing a document which has no legal underpinning, and which has been watered down in order to ensure Commonwealth countries that have homophobic laws (a majority of them) would agree to it.

This could be regarded as a step forward for those who believe in equality for gay people, or it could be seen as a sop allowing homophobic governments a fig leaf to continue repressive practices.

The Commonwealth Charter declares: "We are implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds."

Not, you will note, "on grounds of sexuality", but "on other grounds". This language is not just loose, it is deliberately so.

The words "other grounds" are being seen by some as including sexuality.

However, they can interpret it that way as much as they wish. The fact that "sexuality" is not spelled out will allow homophobic governments to retain laws currently used to suppress forms of sexuality they see as threatening.

According to the Human right campaigner Peter Tatchell, 41 of the 54 Commonwealth states still criminalise homosexuality.

Being found 'guilty' of homosexual acts can carry life sentences in jail in countries such as Sierra Leone and Bangladesh.

Uganda is considering legislation introducing the death penalty for repeat offenders.

A state which jails people for homosexuality can still argue that their national laws allow for this and say that their reading of the Commonwealth Charter allows for it.

Mr Tatchell told Sky News that while the charter could be considered a step forward it "does not include an explicit commitment to gay equality ... this was vetoed by the homophobic majority of member states."

In her speech the Queen will say: "Our shared values… which are found in our new Commonwealth Charter - mean that we place special emphasis on including everyone in this goal, especially those who are vulnerable."

She may say that, but the charter does not.

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CCTV: 'Shocking Assault' On Worker In Shop

Police hunting a man who attacked a shop worker in a "shocking assault" during an attempted armed robbery have released CCTV footage of the raid.

The hooded offender is seen walking into the supermarket as the woman is at the till and then holds the weapon up before jabbing her in the face with it.

The perpetrator, whose weapon was wrapped in a plastic bag, then tried to open the till before leaving Heart of England Co-op in Rugby, Warwickshire, empty-handed.

The member of staff suffered injuries to her left eye in the attack shortly after 7.30pm on Wednesday March 6.

She was then treated in hospital.

Police said the offender is described as a white male with a scarf covering the lower part of his face.

He is thought to be in his 20s, about 5ft 8in to 5ft 10in tall and slim build.

He was wearing a maroon coloured padded jacket with hood, dark trousers and a dark coloured glove on his left hand.

Police said: "The video shows the hooded offender subjecting the victim, a member of staff, to a shocking assault.

"He used a weapon wrapped in a plastic bag to jab her in the face, causing injuries to her left eye which needed hospital treatment. He then left the store empty-handed."

Officers in the Local Investigations team at Rugby, would like to hear from anyone who saw the man approach or leave the store, or anyone with information which would held with enquiries.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 01926 415000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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Huhne And Pryce In Court For Sentencing

Chris Huhne and his ex-wife are in the dock where they are this afternoon expected to be sent to prison for lying about his penalty points.

The former Cabinet minister, 58, is sitting just one empty chair from Pryce, 60, who exposed the deception to exact revenge after he left her for another woman.

Huhne's girlfriend, Carina Trimingham, who arrived in a bright orange coat, is watching from the public gallery as the hearing unfolds.

Vicky Pryce clutching her small suitcase

The couple, and the politician's former wife of 26 years had to battle through a media scrum as they arrived separately at Southwark Crown Court in London.

Pryce, who was clutching a small, black suitcase, was bizarrely handed a single rose by a bystander as she made her way inside.

She kept the rose with her in the dock, where it could be seen sticking out of her handbag. Huhne too arrived with an overnight bag.

Prosecutors outlined their case against the man who was once one of the leading lights of the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Justice Sweeney is now imminently expected to pass sentence as the lawyers for Huhne and Pryce finish their pleas in mitigation.

He has already made clear they should expect jail terms.

Perverting the course of justice carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with an average sentence of around 10 months.

Huhne is also facing a hefty legal bill after the Crown Prosecution Service announced plans to recoup the costs of his "sustained challenges" against the prosecution before his 11th-hour guilty plea.

Huhne's girlfriend Carina Trimingham followed him through the scrum

Prosecutors claimed that the way his defence case had been handled was "scandalous", as they revealed their bill for fighting it was £79,000.

The sentencing comes after an ugly and protracted trial which saw Pryce claim she had been coerced into taking speeding points for her husband in 2003.

Huhne admitted lying to police on the first day of the planned joint trial, ending months of denials, but ex-wife continued to claim she was forced.

It was revealed during the court case that Pryce told The Sunday Times about the swap to "nail" her ex-husband after he left her for Ms Trimingham in 2010.

During the trial, she also claimed that the senior Lib Dem had forced her to have an abortion in the 90s - in a bid to show how much influence he had over her.

Huhne and Pryce after his election win in 2010

The wreckage of their marriage was laid bare in court and bitter text messages between Huhne and his youngest son Peter were also disclosed.

Pryce, a prominent economist and mother-of-five, was convicted last week after a retrial. The first trial collapsed when the jury failed to reach a verdict.

The case brought an end to Huhne's once-promising political career. His charge forced him to stand down as energy secretary and his guilty plea prompted his resignation as Eastleigh MP.

Despite the impact of his prosecution on the party, Huhne was lavished with praise at the weekend's Liberal Democrat spring conference.

Party leader Nick Clegg described him as an "effective" and "outstanding" politician.

He told a fringe event on Saturday: "Not only was he an outstanding local constituency MP, he was also an extremely powerful thinker and indeed a very effective secretary of state."

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Pine Marten On Pitch During Swiss League Game

A Swiss footballer put more than his body on the line during a league match after tackling a rogue pine marten which rushed on to the pitch.

The Swiss Super League game between FC Thun and FC Zurich was interrupted twice by the stoat-like creature as it made a mad dash across the pitch.

At first the rapid creature evades capture as stewards throw training bibs on top of it to try to capture it.

Safe hands! Goalkeeper David Da Costa captures the animal

But Zurich defender Loris Benito grabbed his opportunity by the neck and tackled the creature as it ran past him.

Unfortunately the pine marten gave him a painful bite to the finger, drawing blood and requiring treatment on the sidelines.

The animal then escaped again before it was finally captured by FC Zurich goalkeeper David Da Costa and handed to stewards.

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Weather: Snow Threatens To Bring Rush Hour Chaos

Heavy snowfall is expected to affect rush hour traffic across the extreme South East this evening as wild weather continues to lash parts of Britain.

Continuous snowfall is forecast from 5pm in Hampshire, Eastbourne and Hastings, leading to treacherous conditions on the roads.

Further north, intense showers and possible snowfall are expected across Suffolk, Essex and the London area, with gusty winds of up to 55mph.

Snow showers are also expected along coastal areas off the North Sea.

The southern counties of England have so far taken the brunt of today's heavy, repeated snow showers.

Eastern and central parts of Scotland have been hit by poor weather conditions, and a dusting of snow is expected in all other areas of the country.

The risk of travel problems for evening rush hour traffic across Britain is high.

Allendale in Northumberland pictured after snowfall

By 12.30pm today, there were yellow weather warnings in place across the south east coast of England, and northern and eastern parts of Scotland.

Jersey Airport was shut due to snow, and on the roads there were hazardous conditions on many major routes.

Blizzard conditions were reported on the M40 in Warwickshire and there were numerous morning rush-hour accidents.

Strong winds added to drivers' problems, with falling trees blocking some roads.

On the trains, poor rail conditions led to delays in Sussex and Hampshire, while there was also a number of signalling problems.

The closure of Jersey Airport meant a number of flights had to be cancelled.

On the roads, there were hazardous driving conditions on the A69 and A6 in Cumbria and on the A54 in Cheshire.

In Sussex, police said there had been "a number" of crashes caused by the snowy conditions as they warned motorists to take extra care on the roads.

While drivers contended with heavy snow on the M40 in Warwickshire, motorists in Wales had to put up with strong winds.

One lane of the M48 Severn Bridge was closed and falling trees blocked some Welsh roads.

A man walks his dog in Tynemouth after overnight snow

Some of the roads where driving conditions were at their worst today included the A46 in Nottinghamshire, the A14 in Suffolk and the A353 in Dorset.

Fallen trees blocked roads in Newquay in Cornwall and in Lynton in Devon.

Condor Ferries services between Jersey and St Malo were affected by the bad weather.

Up to 10cm (4in) are likely to settle in the worst-affected areas, including Kent, Sussex and southern Hampshire, as well as over higher ground in areas like the Pennines, while large areas could see around up to 4cm (1.6in) accumulate.

After snowfall on Monday and Tuesday, temperatures will remain below freezing in many areas for the next few days, with minimum temperatures as low as -7C.

Ladbrokes said they have been forced to slash the odds of snow reappearing across Easter weekend, March 29 to April 1.

On Sunday evening it was even money for snow to fall in any major city, and there is a 4/1 chance it is the coldest Easter on record, the bookmaker said.

Spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said: "The odds of snow falling over Easter are dropping as quick as the temperatures."

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