Queen 'Suffering From Gastroenteritis'

The Queen has cancelled an engagement in Swansea as she is suffering from the symptoms of gastroenteritis.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen is unwell and will "be assessed in the coming days".

The 86-year-old monarch was due to visit Wales today to present St David's Day leeks to 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh.

She is currently at Windsor Castle, where she is spending the weekend "as usual", the palace said in a statement.

The Queen is due to travel to Rome on March 6 to visit Italy's President Napolitano.

She last had to cancel an event - an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle - due to chronic back pain in October 2012.

She also missed a church service at Sandringham two days before Christmas last year because she was "getting over the tail end of a cold".

The Queen presented Olympic stars, including Jessica Ennis, Nicola Adams and Greg Rutherford, with honours at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

Jessica Ennis beamed as the Queen presented her with a CBE on Thursday

A palace spokesman said the Queen's visit to Rome was still due to take place but a decision would be made after further assessment of her condition.

Meanwhile, Swansea Council said the ceremony would go ahead today as planned with the Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, Byron Lewis.

A council spokesman said: "Due to minor illness, Her Majesty The Queen is unable to attend Saturday's event.

"The ceremony will continue as planned and will be carried out by the Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, Mr Byron Lewis.

"The Lord Lieutenant will be met upon arrival at the Guildhall by Brigadier Philip Napier, Colonel of the Regiment.

"The parade will present arms for a royal salute and play the national anthem before the Lord Lieutenant is invited to present leeks to a representative body of the regiment.

"Following the parade, the Lord Lieutenant will attend a reception with members of the battalion and their families, before proceeding to the George Hall for lunch.

"The event will take place in and around the Brangwyn Hall and public viewing areas will be available."

Gastroenteritis is an infection of the stomach and bowel, with common symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.

In England, the two most common causes of gastroenteritis in adults are the norovirus and food poisoning, according to NHS Choices.

The Queen has rarely missed events during her 61-year reign, even though she carries out more than 300 engagements a year.

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Obama Signs Order To Start Spending Cuts

President Barack Obama has signed an order authorising $85bn cuts in domestic and defence spending following the failure of efforts to strike a deal with Republicans on cutting the US deficit.

Mr Obama and Republican leaders in the House and Senate declared themselves still deadlocked after a last-minute White House meeting last night.

The two sides are at odds over the president's insistence on increasing tax revenue as part of any plan to tackle the country's $16.6trn debt.

Mr Obama signed the order which officially enacts the across-the-board reductions - known as a "sequester" in government budget language. Under the law, the president had until midnight.

The $85bn cuts apply to the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, which ends on September 30. But the legislation that requires the spending reduction will continue slashing government spending by about $1trn more over a 10-year period.

Speaking after the White House meeting, Mr Obama said: "Let's be clear, none of this is necessary."

He blamed the deadlock on Republicans who he said refused to close tax loopholes that benefit the wealthy, adding that "the pain will be real" for the American people.

"I am not a dictator. I'm the president," Mr Obama said, warning he could not force his Republican foes to "do the right thing," or make the Secret Service barricade Republicans leaders in a room until a deal is done.

"These cuts will hurt our economy, will cost us jobs and to set it right both sides need to be able to compromise," Mr Obama added.

US Speaker of the House John Boehner walked out of the meeting

Republican John Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives, walked out of the meeting to say there would be no compromise as long as Mr Obama insisted on higher tax revenue.

Republicans are standing fast against further increasing taxes and will not compromise on achieving debt reduction through spending cuts alone.

The opposition party is still feeling the sting from its most conservative members after agreeing at the end of 2012 to allow the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts for Americans earning $400,000 or more a year.

Friday's meeting was the first the two sides have held this year on the budget battle, and it lasted less than an hour.

The immediate impact of the cuts on the public is uncertain, but they will carve 5% from domestic agencies and 8% from the Pentagon between now and October 1.

Defence officials say they will be forced to reduce the working week of 800,000 civilian employees, scale back flight hours of warplanes and postpone some equipment maintenance.

The deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf has also been cancelled.

The US Navy will gradually stand down several hundred planes starting in April, the Air Force will curtail flying hours and the Army will cut back training for all units except those deploying to Afghanistan.

Several major programmes will be unaffected, including the Social Security pension programme, the Medicaid health care programme for the poor and food stamps.

Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel warned that the budget cuts will endanger the US military's ability to conduct its missions.

"This will have a major impact on training and readiness," he said. "Later this month, we intend to issue preliminary notifications to thousands of civilian employees who will be furloughed."

Mr Hagel also acknowledged that the budget cuts "will cause pain, particularly among our civilian workforce and their families".

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Eastleigh By-Election: Lib Dems Triumph

The Liberal Democrats have won a key by-election in Eastleigh, where the Tories were pushed into third place by UKIP.

Local councillor Mike Thornton held the seat vacated by disgraced Cabinet minister Chris Huhne despite a torrid week for his party.

At 1,771, the Lib Dem majority was more than half that achieved by Mr Huhne in 2010 but the victory will be seen as a major boost.

Nick Clegg promptly claimed that the party was "on track for 2015".

For David Cameron, the result is a severe blow with the Conservatives' third place coming despite major campaigning by top Tories.

UKIP's strong showing will increase tensions on the Tory backbenches, and fuel fears about a general election drubbing in 2015.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage with Diane James who came second

The eurosceptic party's candidate Diane James won 11,571 votes - an increase of almost 10,000 on the party's showing in 2010.

Mr Thornton won with 13,342, with Tory Maria Hutchings in third on 10,559.

Labour's John O'Farrell polled 4,088, more than 1,000 down on 2010, in what was also a disappointing performance for the Opposition.

Mr Thornton said in his acceptance speech that the result represented a "great night" for his party nationally.

"A strong signal of support for (leader and Deputy Prime Minister) Nick Clegg, an affirmation of our role of national interest within the coalition and a huge boost to our party's mission in government to build a stronger economy in a fairer society so that everyone can get on in life," he said.

Disappointed Tory candidate Maria Hutchings

He said it showed those who had "written off" the Lib Dems had been proved wrong, adding: "We have done it and we will do it again."

Ms James hailed her second place as "a humongous political shock" that represented a "seismic shift" in British politics.

And Mrs Hutchings appeared to be fighting back tears as she thanked opponents for a "clean campaign".

A by-election was called in the Hampshire constituency following the resignation of disgraced Lib Dem MP Chris Huhne.

The Lib Dem majority was more than halved compared to that secured by Huhne in 2010 - from 3,864 to 1,771.

But the result comes after influential Tory backbencher David Davis warned the Prime Minister that third place would represent a "crisis" for the party.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage welcomed the result, saying: "On the day I think we won it but we could not catch up with the deficit in postal votes. In a short space of time we have created a massive surge."

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South Africa: Cops Suspended After Man Tied To Van

Several police officers in South Africa have been suspended after a man was tied to a moving police van and died later in a cell.

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Australia: Huge Meth Bust Is Record Seizure

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Australian police have made their biggest ever haul of methamphetamine after seizing more than half a ton of the illegal drug - worth around £300m.

A total of 585kg of the substance - known as 'ice' or 'crystal meth' - was smuggled into Sydney hidden in shipments of chemicals from China.

Almost double the previous Australian record of 306kg, police say the quantity would have sold for 438m Australian dollars (£297m).

Three men - an Australian, a Singaporean and a Hong Kong passport holder - have been charged with attempting to possess the drug. They were all refused bail at a Sydney court - and face life sentences if convicted.

Police said methamphetamine was "the sort of drug that sends people mad"

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said: "There's over half a ton of hideous drugs that were taken off the streets with a street value approaching half a billion dollars - hundreds of millions of dollars.

"There are three people that have been arrested and will be prosecuted. There are more that will likely be arrested."

Police were alerted to the major drug smuggling operation by a telephone call from a member of the public.

"That one phone call was the one thread that allowed us to pull and unravel a syndicate that will be stopped forever," said Mr Scipione.

The police investigation began in September last year in response to the tip-off.

Law enforcement officers found 38 bags of the drug

Police and customs officers were directed to four suspicious shipping containers in a Sydney wharf, which had come from the port city of Shen Zhen in China.

Inside officers found the huge drugs haul, hidden amongst a shipment of chemical cleaner.

They substituted the drugs with a harmless substance then allowed the consignment to be delivered to their original address.

Australia is becoming an increasingly lucrative market for international drug networks because of the strength of the local currency and resilience of the national economy compared to other wealthy nations.

New South Wales police commissioner Andrew Scipione, said it was "very fortunate that somebody took the time to make that phone call".

"This is the sort of drug that sends people mad," he said.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Papacy Enters Final Hours

By Sally Arthy, Senior News Editor, Rome

Pope Benedict XVI's tenure as leader of the world's Catholics will draw to a close later today.

Benedict stands down as Pontiff after nearly eight years and at a time when the Church is mired in controversy.

This morning, more than 100 cardinals will say their farewells to the Pope at a gathering in the Apostolic Palace.

The Pope waves from his 'popemobile' at the end of his last weekly audience

Just before 5pm local time (4pm UK time), Benedict will leave his apartments for the last time, give his thanks to the senior staff who have been by his side during his papacy, and then make his way to the Vatican helipad.

From there he will fly to Castel Gandolfo - the Pope's retreat on the outskirts of Rome.

Then, at around 5.30pm, he will make his last brief appearance on a balcony in front of an expected crowd of around 7,000 before withdrawing from public life for good.

At 8pm the doors of the villa will close and the Swiss Guard will stand aside marking the end of Benedict's papacy.

From then on he will be known as Emeritus Pope and devote his days to prayer and meditation.

Once renovations are complete, Benedict will move to a monastery in the grounds of the Vatican.

Edward Pentin, from the Catholic Herald, said Benedict will live a monk's life and not interfere in the work of his successor.

The next Pope will be chosen by secret ballot during the conclave of eligible cardinals who will vote in the Sistine Chapel.

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Egypt Balloon Crash: Luxor Grounds Flights

An investigation is underway 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 around 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.

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 leaping from the balloon as it exploded and plunged to the ground in flames.

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

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

Victims Joe Bampton and his girlfriend Suzanna Gyetvai

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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Horsemeat: Tesco To Source More Meat From UK

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

Tesco is to announce a commitment to source more of its meat from the UK at a farming conference in Birmingham later.

The supermarket kingpin will tell the National Farmers Union meeting that by July all its chicken will come from British farms, and pork products will follow.

Tesco will also offer suppliers two-year contracts to help companies plan their business for the longer term.

The company's chief executive, Phillip Clarke, who will address the conference today, told Sky News: "We feel the need to bring the food closer to home.

"We think it's right to bring more of it back to the UK, so long as we can get the demand from the UK."

Earlier this month, Mr Clarke said in a video on Tesco's website that the company would take a more open approach to food processing after it was found to be selling products contaminated with horsemeat.

Tesco was one of the first retailers to pull products from its shelves after the horsemeat contamination was revealed on January 16 after analysis was undertaken by Irish food officials.

Tesco has blamed its suppliers for the meat contamination

Tests on Findus beef lasagne revealed that some of the ready meals were made entirely from horsemeat.

And Tesco found levels of horse DNA exceeded 60% in tests on its Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese.

Since the horsemeat scandal broke, supermarkets have been criticised for not communicating with customers quickly enough.

They have also seen frozen burger sales and ready meal sales plunge dramatically, data by Kantar Worldpanel showed.

In an attempt to be more transparent, Tesco said it would put cameras on the supply chain so shoppers could see where the food they are eating has come from and how it was produced.

"There's nothing for anybody to hide. There never should be," said Mr Clarke.

While it already sources all its beef products from the UK and Ireland, the food retailer admits suppliers had cut corners.

"The impact so far on sales is minimal," Mr Clarke added, though he acknowledged that some customers are buying fewer frozen ready meals.

George MacDonald, Retail Week executive editor, told Sky News, "The shopper can feel fairly confident that anybody involved is going to be looking very closely indeed at how they can sort out these problems."

As the nation's biggest supermarket, Tesco should be at the forefront of campaign to restore trust in food, Mr MacDonald believes.

"It is essential for them to fully reconnect with the customer," he said.

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Lord Rennard Sex Claims: Police To Investigate

How The Rennard Story Developed

Updated: 7:17pm UK, Monday 25 February 2013

Here is how the claims about Lord Rennard grew into a full-blown crisis for Nick Clegg amid questions about exactly what the party leader knew and when.

2008: Nick Clegg says this was when he became aware of "indirect and non-specific concerns" about Lord Rennard's behaviour.

The leader says his then chief-of-staff Danny Alexander confronted the peer and told him "any such behaviour was wholly unacceptable".

Lord Rennard "categorically denied" the claims.

2009: Lord Rennard resigns as party president due to ill health.

February 19, 2013: Channel 4 tells the Lib Dems about the allegations ahead of its programme.

February 21, 2013: Channel 4 broadcasts claims by two women alleging Lord Rennard touched them inappropriately.

Alison Smith, a Lib Dem activist who is now an Oxford University lecturer, said she spoke to chief whip Paul Burstow and Jo Swinson, party spokesman for women and equality, but that no action was taken.

Lord Rennard, who resigned as party president in 2009 due to ill health, says he is "deeply shocked" by the allegations which he "strongly disputes".

The party insists Nick Clegg first knew of the allegations when it was approached by Channel 4 about the planned broadcast.

February 22, 2013: A new report on Channel 4 News says more women have come forward with similar stories about the peer.

February 23, 2013: Lib Dem president Tim Farron says he is "sure" Mr Clegg did not know about the claims.

February 24, 2013: Pressure grows on Mr Clegg after the Mail on Sunday reports a Facebook exchange from January 2009 in which one party worker wrote: "I just don't know how Nick can know and not do anything."

A Lib Dem spokesman repeats: "Nick Clegg only knew of these allegations when we were contacted by Channel 4 News."

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show in the morning, Business Secretary Vince Cable also denies that he or Mr Clegg knew about the allegations before the Channel 4 report.

In the evening, Mr Clegg - back from a family holiday in Spain - issues a dramatic clarification, admitting he had known about the rumours for five years.

But he says: "I would like to make one thing crystal clear. I did not know about these allegations until Channel 4 informed the party of them shortly before they were broadcast."

February 25, 2013: Mr Clegg insists he has "nothing to hide" about how the case was handled. "Until last week, no very specific allegations were put to me," he says.

Lib Dem President Tim Farron admits the party has "screwed this up". "There are individuals out there who we had a duty of care towards and we did not fulfil that duty of care," he says.

Scotland Yard announces it is investigating "whether or not criminal activity has taken place" following the allegations against Lord Rennard.

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Brits Among 19 Dead In Hot Air Balloon Crash

A hot air balloon has crashed near the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor, killing 19 foreign tourists.

The balloon was carrying 21 people at the time and was flying at a height of 1000 feet over Qurna, in Luxor's West Bank.

An Egyptian security official says there was a fire and an explosion on-board the balloon, which fell to the ground and crashed into sugar cane fields.

The casualties include British, French, Japanese and other foreign nationals.

The crash occurred in Luxor, Egypt

Two survivors from the crash, including the balloon's pilot, have been taken to hospital.

Hot air ballooning is popular with tourists who go to Luxor to visit its ancient temples and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings.

Egypt's tourism industry has suffered a sharp downturn in visitor numbers since the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, with two years of political instability scaring off foreign tourists.

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Oscars: Historic Win For Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis has made Oscar history after becoming the first man to win the best actor trophy three times.

The British-born actor was honoured for his portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's historical drama.

He spent a year preparing for the role and, in his customary method, remained in character during the production.

Accepting his Oscar from Meryl Streep, Day-Lewis said: "I really don't know how any of this happened, I do know I've received more than my fair share of good fortune in my life."

Christoph Waltz won the first award of the night

He joked Streep had been the first choice to play Lincoln and he had been committed to play Margaret Thatcher - the role that won Streep an Oscar last year - before tearfully thanking his mother.

He previously won in 1989 for My Left Foot and in 2007 for There Will Be Blood.

It was a good night for British talent with Adele winning the Oscar for best original song for her Bond theme Skyfall.

The tearful singer thanked her songwriting partner Paul Epworth for "believing in me all the time, and my man, I love you baby".

She wowed the audience of A-listers in the Dolby Theatre with her first ever live performance of the 23rd Bond film's title track.

Dame Shirley Bassey wowed the audience in the theatre

Ben Affleck's Iran hostage thriller, Argo, won the Oscar for best picture, despite the star being snubbed in the best director category.

The nominees for best film were introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama from the White House, before she named Argo as the winner.

Affleck, who also starred in the film, paid tribute to the "genius" Spielberg whose film, Lincoln, lost out in the category.

Referring to his success with 1997's Good Will Hunting, he said: "I never thought I would be back here and I am because of so many of you who are here tonight."

He added: "It doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life, all that matters is that you get up."

The cast of Les Mis took to the stage

It was the first time since Driving Miss Daisy in 1990 that a film won the top prize at the Oscars without its director also being nominated.

The show's host Seth MacFarlane, the man behind hit cartoon Family Guy, started proceedings by poking fun at the Academy for not nominating Affleck, saying the plan was "so top secret the film's director is unknown to the Academy".

Taiwanese director Ang Lee picked up the statuette for best director for Life of Pi, beating Spielberg who many expected would collect the award for Lincoln. Lee collected the same award for Brokeback Mountain in 2005.

In a night that was otherwise short on shocks Jennifer Lawrence claimed the best actress gong for Silver Linings Playbook.

The 22-year-old fell as she climbed the steps to the stage to claim her prize.

Some had predicted the award would go to French actress Emmanuelle Riva who starred in Amour and at 86 was the oldest woman ever to be nominated. She won a Bafta award earlier this month for the role.

Jennifer Lawrence fell on the stairs to the stage

Anne Hathaway picked up the best supporting actress statue for her role in the musical Les Miserables.

The star, who only featured as Fantine in the film for around 15 minutes, fought back tears as she said "it came true" and thanked her husband and everyone who worked on the film.

She had been widely predicted to win the award in a tough category where Sally Field, Helen Hunt, Amy Adams and Jacki Weaver were also nominated.

Christoph Waltz won the first award of the night, best supporting actor, for his role in Django Unchained.

Waltz offered thanks to his character and "to his creator and the creator of his awe-inspiring world, Quentin Tarantino".

It was the second time in three years he has won the category - his first Oscar was for his role in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

Waltz beat off stiff competition from Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tommy Lee Jones.

Some of host Seth MacFarlane's jokes were a bit close to the bone

Tarantino went on to collect the prize for best original screenplay.

Brave, the Scottish story of a rebellious, red-headed princess, won the Oscar for best animated feature.

Amour, a French-language film about an elderly couple won best foreign language film which was accepted by its Austrian director Michael Haneke.

Skyfall also won the trophy for best sound editing, which was tied with Zero Dark Thirty. It is only the third time in Oscar history that winners have been tied.

The night of British success started with Jacqueline Durran winning for her costume design on Anna Karenina and the make-up and hairstyling award went to Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell for Les Miserables.

The presentation of awards was broken up by a series of musical performances including Catherine Zeta-Jones singing All That Jazz from Chicago and Jennifer Hudson performing I'm Telling You from Dreamgirls.

A tribute to the Bond films and music made up of classic clips of 007's adventures was introduced by one-time Bond girl Halle Berry.

And 76-year-old Dame Shirley Bassey took to the stage in a gold dress to sing Goldfinger which received a standing ovation.

But it was a medley of Les Miserables songs sung by the cast that left the audience with goosebumps.

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Two Police Officers Injured In Hit And Run

Two people have been held on suspicion of attempted murder after police officers were injured in a hit and run in Manchester.

The officers tried to stop the vehicle at about 10.50pm on Sunday on Rochdale Road in Harpurhey, when it hit them and drove off.

Their injuries are not life threatening - one officer suffered a head injury while the other had a broken wrist.

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Oscar Pistorius Tweet Thanking Fans Is Fake

A tweet claiming to be from Oscar Pistorius thanking his fans for praying for him was a fake, the Paralympian's family has said.

The message, thanking "every person that has prayed for both families" and signed by "Osca" was posted using his older brother's handle, @carlpistorius.

It was initially believed to have been the double-amputee's first direct comment since he was freed on bail over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day.

But his family said the Twitter account had been hacked, prompting the accounts of his siblings to be taken down.

Pistorius family spokeswoman Janine Hills said: "It is most unfortunate that during this sensitive time someone would choose to hack into Oscar Pistorius' older brother Carl Pistorius' Twitter handle.

"Carl did not tweet this afternoon, out of respect to Oscar and Reeva. We are busy cancelling all the social media sites for both Oscar's brother and his sister."

It came as Ms Hills told Sky News the athlete "wants this time to be alone" and was "feeling a lot of remorse" over the death of the law graduate.

Pistorius is accused of premeditated murder. He denies murder.

The athlete arrived at his uncle's house on Friday after paying 10% of his one million rand (£73,000) bail at Pretoria's Brooklyn police station, where he had been held for a week.

His uncle, Arnold, has reportedly told eNews Channel Africa (eNCA) that his nephew wants to contact the parents of Ms Steenkamp and said he would "never be the same" again.

Earlier, Ms Steenkamp's father said Pistorius would "suffer" if it turned out he was lying about how she died.

South Africa's Beeld newspaper quoted Barry Steenkamp as saying Pistorius would have to "live with his conscience" if his assertion that he accidentally shot the 29-year-old is false.

He said: "There are only two people who really know what happened and it's Oscar Pistorius and the Lord.

"It does not matter how much money he has and how good his legal team is, he must live with his conscience if he let his lawyers tell lies on his behalf.

"He will have to live with his conscience. But if he speaks the truth, I can perhaps someday forgive him."

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Pistorius Brother To Stand Trial Over Death

The brother of Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius is facing charges over the death of a woman in a car crash in 2010, Sky News has learned.

Oscar Pistorius was granted bail

Carl Pistorius, who was present in court over the past week to support Oscar, is charged with culpable homicide over the alleged accidental death of a female motorcyclist.

His lawyer, who also represents Oscar Pistorius, confirmed the charges to Sky's Alex Crawford.

Carl Pistorius appeared in court just two days before his brother's bail hearing last week.

Crawford said in Britain the equivalent charge to culpable homicide is manslaughter.

Carl Pistorius' trial is set to begin at the end of March.

Oscar Pistorius, meanwhile, spent Saturday at his uncle's home in an affluent suburb of Pretoria, the South African capital, after a judge released him on bail on Friday.

He has been charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day.

But the athlete denies murder, saying he killed the 29-year-old model accidentally. He says he opened fire after mistaking Miss Steenkamp for an intruder in his home.

Carl Pistorius, with his sister, was in court this week to support Oscar

The Oscar Pistorius case took a dramatic turn last week when it was revealed the lead investigator, Hilton Botha, was facing charges of attempted murder himself.

Botha, who denies the charges, was questioned at the 26-year-old athlete's bail hearing, where he gave an often confused testimony.

But the day after he was questioned in court, a judge dropped him from the case because of the charges.

Prosecutors admitted that the timing of the attempted murder charges had been "totally weird".

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