Oscar Pistorius Weeps 'For Himself' In Court

Oscar Pistorius has been accused of weeping for himself, not his tragic girlfriend, during another emotional day at his murder trial.

Pistorius broke down several times, leading to court adjournments, as he was asked to explain alleged inconsistencies in his story. 

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel put it to Pistorius that Reeva Steenkamp "fled for her life" as Pistorius "shouted and screamed" at her before shooting her dead. 

As he began his sixth day of evidence, the athlete was accused of lying in court and using his emotional state as "an escape".

A woman hugs Pistorius as he enters court

Mr Nel told Pistorius: "Today I'm going to prove your version of events is untrue. That you tailored your version, concocted your story.

"Your version is so improbable that it cannot reasonably possibly be true."

Referring to the moment Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp dead after "hearing a noise" in the toilet, Mr Nel asked: "What is your defence?"

"I heard the noise and I did not have time to interpret it and fired out of fear," Pistorius said.

Mr Nel replied: "You know exactly what you were doing, you fired at Reeva. You fired at her."

Pistorius broke down as he replied: "It's not true my lady."

Mr Nel interrupted: "Why are you getting emotional now?"

"I did not fire at Reeva," Pistorius wept.

After a short break Pistorius returned to the witness box.

Mr Nel said: "I'm going to argue that you got emotional because you got your defences mixed up."

"No," Pistorius said.

"Getting your defences mixed up - that's why you get emotional," Mr Nel said. 

Just before lunch, the prosecutor once again questioned the motivation for an emotional outburst by the defendant.

Responding to Mr Nel's claims he had been "lucky" not to be hit by a ricochet, Pistorius sobbed: "Why would that be lucky, she lost her life, my lady?"

A photograph shows the bullet holes in the toilet door

Mr Nel replied: "Now, you are getting emotional again - it's not worth it." 

After lunch, Pistorius denied he shot Ms Steenkamp dead as she spoke to him, hiding behind the toilet door.

Mr Nel said: "Reeva would only have been with her right hip at the door if she was standing behind the door talking to you."

He continued: "All the screams and shouts were at her and she fled for her life.

"Why would she be there if she was not talking to you? My case is that he knows that he shot her while she was talking to him."

Earlier, Pistorius raised his voice in the witness box when asked to explain what he had said to the "intruders" in his bathroom on the night of the shooting. 

Breaking down into more sobs, he shouted: "I said 'get the **** out of my house, I said get the **** out of my house'."

Pistorius, 27, spoke softly and appeared low in energy as he responded to the prosecutor's questions. 

Reeva Steenkamp was shot in the toilet of Pistorius' home

Mr Nel asked: "Today I pick up that you are not sure about things. Is there anything wrong?"

Pistorius replied: "No."

On another occasion, Mr Nel asked: "Is there something wrong with you? You are touching your eyes."

Pistorius replied: "My eyes are sore."

Mr Nel said: "Why are you touching your eyes now?"

The judge then interrupted Mr Nel, to stop his line of questioning. 

Pistorius admits shooting his 29-year-old girlfriend dead on Valentine's Day last year - but says he believed that she was an intruder.

This morning, Pistorius denied there had been an argument before the shooting and the model was planning to leave the flat. 

Pistorius is surrounded by security as he enters the court

On several occasions, Pistorius was questioned over alleged inconsistencies in his evidence.

The prosecutor focused on Pistorius' court account that he had heard a door closing in the toilet - making him believe intruders may be in there.

Mr Nel said: "There's not a single word of the door shutting in your bail statement, why not?"

"I'm not sure - I don't know why," Pistorius replied.

"It's even more devastating that it's not in your plea statement," Mr Nel continued.

"I don't know why," Pistorius replied.

"It's because you invented it," Mr Nel asserted.

Reeva Steenkamp was a model and minor TV celebrity

Pistorius conceded he "made a mistake" when he said last week that he "whispered" to Ms Steenkamp to stay low on the night of the shooting.

He admitted that he "spoke in a low tone", rather than whispered. Mr Nel accused Pistorius of "tailoring his evidence".

Pistorius replied: "I don't understand why I would be tailoring my evidence by saying 'whisper'."

He was also asked why he had initially said he "heard a noise" on the night of the shooting but later changed that to "hearing a window sliding open".

Pistorius explained: "When my bail was done, I was in a holding cell, I was on medication, I was traumatised - it was not made clear to me that it was exhaustive."

Earlier, the athlete was mobbed outside the court by supporters with white balloons and Christians, playing and singing music.

One of the supporters clung to his hand for several seconds, while another appeared to hug him, as he walked into the high court in Pretoria.  

Some held banners which read "Ozzy, we love you" and "hero".

Pistorius denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition in relation to Ms Steenkamp's death.

He also denies two further counts related to shooting a gun in public on separate occasions prior to the killing.

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'Muslim Plot' To Take Over Schools Investigated

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

Twenty-five schools are being investigated in connection with an alleged plot by conservative Muslims to force out headteachers and governors.

A new chief advisor is now being appointed by Birmingham City Council to handle the at least 200 complaints received in relation to Operation Trojan Horse after an unsigned, undated document was sent to the council and teaching unions last year.

It apparently set out a blueprint for seizing control of the governing bodies of schools, and forcing out those who do not agree. It claimed to have forced a change of leadership at four schools.

Whistleblowers - including former staff - have made a number of allegations against schools in Birmingham since the accusations came to light, including one claim the teachings of an al-Qaeda-linked preacher were praised in front of pupils.

Other complaints include the alleged segregation of boys and girls in lessons and assemblies, a ban on sex education and bullying of non-Muslim staff.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he was "very, very concerned about allegations that taxpayer-funded schools have become vehicles of particular ideologies".

"I have always supported faith schools but the best faith schools use their religious identity as engines of integration rather than silos of segregation," he added.

The council's investigation, running alongside a separate inquiry by the Department for Education (DfE), is due to initially report back in May.

At a briefing, councillors said the 25 schools being investigated in Birmingham included primaries, secondaries, community schools and academies. Fifteen of the schools have so far been inspected by Ofsted.

Birmingham City Council also confirmed that it was in contact with authorities in Bradford and Manchester who had been experiencing "similar" issues.

Sir Albert Bore, the council leader, told Sky News: "It's about the day-to-day practices in schools we're concerned about, it's also the impact these allegations are having on community cohesion in Birmingham.

"Certainly there is a feeling amongst the Muslim community in Birmingham that there is a 'hue and cry' on at the present moment in time, we have to be concerned about that, just as we're concerned about what is actually happening in the schools themselves."

Councillor Brigid Jones, cabinet member for children and family services, said: "It's a whole range of allegations, some concerning the governance of schools, some concerning the quality of teaching and everything in between, covering a period of around 20 years.

"I do worry about the children in those schools, we know they've felt increasing community tensions as a result of it and a lot of people have felt marginalised and stigmatised. This is something we don't want whatsoever."

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said there is no official investigation but they were being kept informed of developments.

Khalid Mahmood, Birmingham Perry Barr, MP told Sky News: "I believe fundamentally there has been a serious bid by a very small minority trying to get under the radar against the wishes of the mainstream Muslim community."

Mr Mahmood said he had been told of the "bullying and harassment" of senior teaching staff and governors at some of the schools involved.

He said: "What they were trying to do is change the theological beliefs of the majority of the Muslim community into a more hardline belief for young people coming through, and if you put all the schools together you're talking somewhere in the region of 3-4,000 children and that in a community of young people coming though is huge.

"What I've said to them is be honest and transparent. If you want to do this then apply for a free school, say this is your ethos, this is what you want to do, and this is the way to deal with it."

Children in the city have been set two pieces of homework over the summer. One is entitled "What does a good inclusive education in Birmingham look like?", the other poses the question: "What does a safe and resilient citizen of the future look like?"

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "The allegations made in relation to some schools in Birmingham are very serious and we are investigating all evidence put to us in conjunction with Ofsted, Birmingham City Council and the police.

"It is absolutely vital these investigations are carried out impartially, without pre-judgment. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

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Missing Marathon Runner Found Safe And Well

An athlete from Sierra Leone who went missing after finishing 20th in the London Marathon has been found.

The Metropolitan Police said Mami Konneh Lahun returned to her accommodation on Monday, a day after she was reported missing.

The 24-year-old had been staying at an address in Greenwich since arriving in the UK a week ago, but failed to return back following Sunday's race.

She had been due to fly home to Sierra Leone today and police had said she had no known links to the UK and does not have a mobile phone.

Ms Konneh Lahun is reportedly Sierra Leone's fastest-ever female 5,000m and 10,000m runner.

Last year, she won the Sierra Leone and Liberia marathons.

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Seven Dead Babies Found In Cardboard Boxes

A woman has been arrested after police found seven dead babies stuffed in cardboard boxes at her former home.

Megan Huntsman was held after officers were called to her old house near Salt Lake City, Utah.

She is said to have given birth to the children between 1996 and 2006.

The investigation began when officers received a call from her estranged husband about a dead infant in a house in Pleasant Grove.

Huntsman, who moved out of the house three years ago, has been charged with murder.

Megan Huntsman's former home where the bodies were discovered

A spokesman for Pleasant Grove Police said officers had "responded to the residence and observed the body of a newborn infant that appeared to be full term".

He said: "A search warrant was obtained for the residence and during the execution of the warrant, officers discovered six additional infant bodies.

"Each infant was found packaged in separate containers."

Police Captain Michael Roberts said the man who made the call had lived with Huntsman, but was not a person of interest in the investigation.

"We don't believe he had any knowledge of the situation," Cpt Roberts said.

When asked how the man could not have known, he replied, "That's the million-dollar question. Amazing."

The bodies were sent to the Utah medical examiner's office for tests, including one to determine the cause of death.

DNA samples have been from the suspect and her husband to determine definitively whether the two are the parents.

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Mini-Sub To Join MH370 Search As Slick Found

Search teams are preparing to use a mini-submarine to scan the sea bed for wreckage from flight MH370 "as soon as possible".

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, leading the search, told a news conference an oil slick had been found within the current search zone of the southern Indian Ocean.

Speaking at a press conference in Perth, he said: "We haven't had a single detection in six days so I guess it's time to go underwater."

Mr Houston cautioned that the use of unmanned submarine, Bluefin-21, should not raise hopes that debris from the aircraft will be found.

Crew members look out from the cockpit of a P-3K2 Orion aircraft

"Again, I emphasise that this will be a slow process," he said.

He said two litres of oil were found by Australian vessel Ocean Shield in the area where four "pings" possibly from a black box recorder were detected last week.

The oil is being examined to see if it is aviation fuel, but that process could take several days.

The slick was found 5,500 metres from where the possible signals were detected.

HMS Echo is helping in the search

Eleven military aircraft, one civil aircraft and 15 ships are scouring an area of more than 18,400 square miles (47,600 square km) in today's search.

The centre of the search zone is around 1,400 miles (2,200km) northwest of Perth on the western coast of Australia.

Ocean Shield will stop using its Towed Pinger Locator to try to locate the Boeing 777's black boxes later today.

The submarine will then be deployed from the vessel.

Bluefin-21 was used to find the Air France plane that crashed in 2009

Each of its missions will take 24 hours and the first will cover an area 5km by 8km, Mr Houston said.

The US-manufactured submarine, a 16.2ft (4.93m) long sonar device, can operate at a depth of up to 14,700ft (4,500m), roughly the depth of the ocean floor where the "pings" were detected.

There are fears the plane's black boxes have now stopped transmitting signals, as the batteries last around a month and the plane disappeared more than five weeks ago.

Bad weather is expected to hit the search area this week, making the search more difficult.

The jet, which was carrying 239 people, vanished while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8.

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Chile Fire: Catastrophe Declared In Valparaiso

Firefighters in Chile are struggling to contain a huge blaze that has killed 12 people and destroyed 2,000 homes in a World Heritage Site city.

Some 500 people have been injured and 10,000 forced to leave their homes as the fire spreads through Valparaiso.

Helicopters and planes were used to drop water on hotspots around Chile's second-largest port.

However, firefighters in some parts of the city could do little but watch neighbourhoods burn.

Strong winds fanned flames and caused hot ash to rain down over wooden houses, while narrow streets were clogged with abandoned vehicles, preventing crews reaching some properties.

Shelters are crowded after the evacuation of thousands of people

Shelters around Valparaiso were overflowing, as Chile's national emergency office warned the blaze would not be extinguished soon.

President Michelle Bachelet declared the entire city a catastrophe zone and said the fire could be the worst in the city's history.

"It's a tremendous tragedy," she added.

Valparaiso, a picturesque city that is home to 250,000 people, is surrounded by hills that form a natural amphitheatre.

Most people live in colourful houses on steep slopes served by cable cars and staircases.

Most people in Valparaiso live on the slopes of a natural amphitheatre

However, these properties are often built on land not fit for housing, far away from municipal water supplies.

The city's mayor Jorge Castro told Chile's 24H channel: "We are too vulnerable as a city. We have been the builders and architects of our own danger."

The fire, which began in a forest close to one of Valparaiso's hilltop communities, is already the worst since 50 people were killed when a blaze tore through the city in 1953.

Damage from another fire in 2007 and an earthquake three years later is still being repaired.

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Passenger 'Tried To Open Plane Door' In Mid-Air

A Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Sacramento has been diverted to Nebraska after a passenger reportedly tried to open a door in mid-air.

The captain of the flight landed on Eppley Airfield in Omaha to "have an unruly passenger removed", the airline said in a statement.

Witnesses reported that a passenger had tried to open a door.

"Some gentleman just decided that he wanted us to visit the Lord today and ... open up the back hatch while we were all already up in the air," Monique Lawler told local station KABC-TV.

Ms Lawler said that when the man went to the back of the cabin to try to pry open the door, a flight attendant screamed for help.

A doctor told KCRA-TV in Sacramento he and two other passengers tackled the man and restrained him until air marshals led him in handcuffs off the plane.

"He was going to do bad things to the plane so it was pretty scary," Scott Porter said.

The flight, which was carrying five crew members and 134 passengers, arrived safely at its destination about two hours behind schedule.

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Ukraine Militants Ask 'Worried' Putin For Help

Vladimir Putin has said he is "very worried" about events in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian militants are occupying government buildings in defiance of a warning from Kiev to stand down.

The Kremlin has responded to a request for help from a separatist leader in Slavyansk, where at least two people were killed in clashes with Ukrainian forces on Sunday.

Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Unfortunately, there are a great many such appeals coming from the eastern Ukrainian regions addressed directly to Putin to intervene in this or that form.

"The president is watching the developments in eastern Ukraine with great concern."

Armed men are occupying numerous government buildings across eastern Ukraine despite the passing of a deadline set by Ukraine's acting president Oleksandr Turchynov for protesters to lay down their weapons.

Militants have seized buildings in key eastern cities

Mr Turchynov also threatened a "large-scale anti-terrorist operation" to reclaim the east, although there is no sign of that as yet.

The eastern city of Horlivka became the latest city to be targeted on Monday, when at least 100 armed men entered a police station and forced riot officers to withdraw from the area.

They were seen smashing windows, ransacking the building and setting up barricades in footage beamed around the world via a live stream online.

Burning tyres at a checkpoint in Slavyansk

Protesters in Ukraine's east, which has a large ethnic Russian population, hope to follow in the footsteps of the Crimean Peninsula and force a referendum on joining the Russian Federation.

The area was a strong bastion of support for ousted President and Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych and many residents fear they will be suppressed under the new Western-friendly interim government in Kiev.

In the eastern city of Mariupol, Sky News Moscow Correspondent Katie Stallard said separatists occupying a council building have had assurances that police in the city are "on their side".

She said: "They are paying no heed whatsoever to this deadline from the acting president."

Pro-Russian forces have asked Vladimir Putin to help them

President Turchynov earlier claimed he had no objection to holding a referendum in the region as he was confident the majority of Ukrainians would support an "independent, democratic and unitary Ukraine".

His office also asked the United Nations to send peacekeepers to help conduct a "joint anti-terrorist operation" to oust armed separatists.

This may prove hard to achieve, however, as a peacekeeper deployment would have to be authorised by the UN Security Council, in which Russia holds a veto.

Western leaders have joined Ukraine's interim government in alleging that Russia has orchestrated the unrest to justify expanding its military control beyond Crimea, although Russia strenuously denies the allegations.

Hundreds of civilians came out in support of the activists in Slavyansk

European Union foreign ministers, currently holding a crisis meeting in Luxembourg, have pledged up to 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in emergency loans to help Ukraine's struggling economy. They followed the US signing of a $1bn-loan guarantee to Ukraine.

EU foreign ministers also warned of further sanctions against Russia.

Ahead of the meeting Foreign Secretary William Hague said denials of Russian involvement did not have "a shred of credibility".

He said: "There can't be any real doubt that this is something that has been planned and brought about by Russia.

"The forces involved are well-armed, well-trained, well-equipped, well-coordinated, behaving exactly the same way as what turned out to be Russian forces behaved in Crimea before the full Russian military takeover of Crimea."

The West also claims that up to 40,000 Russian troops are massed near the Ukraine border, in addition to the 25,000 "illegally" in Crimea.

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Coach Fall: Boy May Have Been In Toilet Queue

A nine-year-old who fell from the emergency exit of a moving coach may have been queuing for the toilet at the time of the accident, police say.

The boy remains in a critical condition after falling from the vehicle as it travelled on the A47 near King's Lynn on Sunday.

The coach was carrying 20 children and 10 adults to Lincolnshire after the youngsters had played in a rugby tournament at Holt in north Norfolk.

The boy was initially taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn and later transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge last night.

Police say the boy's father was travelling on the 71-seater double-decker coach, while his mother was travelling in a car as part of the convoy.

The coach party were members of Stamford Rugby Club. 

The coach was travelling back to Lincolnshire from Norfolk along the A47

Inspector Chris Brooks said: "This is a very difficult time for the boy's family and we have specially trained officers supporting them.

"We've already interviewed some of the passengers on board as well as drivers who were in the area at the time of the incident.

"As a result of initial enquiries we know just prior to the incident that people were queuing for the toilet.

"Somehow, the door has opened and the boy has fallen from the moving coach.

"The coach was recovered yesterday and is being kept in a secure compound.

"The vehicle will be examined by police and VOSA investigators and this is the focus of our enquiry at this stage.

"We will also be speaking to other people who were on board at the time of the incident and it would be inappropriate to speculate on possible causes at this stage."

Anyone who witnessed the fall is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Team at Norfolk Police on 101.

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London Marathon: 30 New World Records Set

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

World Records tumbled during Sunday's Virgin London Marathon, including fastest marathon by a marching band, fastest marathon dressed in an animal costume and fastest marathon by a telephone box.

Guinness World Records have confirmed 30 new records were achieved out of a total of more than 100 attempts during the huge running event.

Alex Collins, from London, was the first runner to record a Guinness World Record. The 33-year-old crossed the line in 2 hours and 48 minutes dressed in an all-body tiger costume, to become the fastest ever person wearing an animal costume to complete a marathon.

Exeter's David Stone, 31, was the next runner to cross the line and break a record. Dressed as a Thunderbird, he ran the fastest marathon dressed as a television character in a time of 2 hours 49 minutes.

Sid Keyte also broke a record in fancy dress, finishing in 5 hours and 54 minutes dressed as a telephone box. No telephone box has ever done better.

It was not all fancy dress, however. Susie Hewer, 56, from East Sussex, broke her own Guinness World Record title for the longest crochet chain while running a marathon. Her 34th marathon took her 5 hours 40 minutes and the chain measured 139.4m. 

The final record to be achieved on the day was the Huddersfield Marathon Band, who reclaimed their record for the fastest marathon by a marching band. The 33 ensemble finished in 6 hours 56 minutes, helping to raise nearly £60k for their charity, Sense.

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