Delhi Rape: Seven-Year-Old 'Attacked In School'

A seven-year-old girl has been raped at a government school in northwest Delhi, according to Indian media.

The Times of India newspaper said the attack happened in the Mangolpuri area of the capital.

The girl's parents informed police after the injured child was taken to hospital.

It is understood a school guard has been detained and other staff at the facility, run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), are being questioned.

Dr Sanjay Kumar, who helped treat the girl, said she had injuries consistent with rape.

Angry mobs gathered at the hospital and threw stones at a nearby bus, shattering its windows. Police cordoned off the road and were trying to disperse the crowd.

There has been a nationwide debate in India in recent months about the treatment of woman and girls and their safety.

Last month three sisters, aged six, nine and 11 were raped and murdered before their bodies were dropped in a village well.

In December a 23-year-old medical student was gang raped and attacked on a bus in Delhi. She died 13 days later after being flown to a hospital in Singapore.

Six men, including a 17-year-old, have been charged with her murder.

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South Africa Suspends Cops After Van Brutality

Several South African police officers have been suspended and a murder investigation launched after a video showed a man being handcuffed to a moving police van.

Police in Pretoria held a press conference to placate a nation outraged by the video showing taxi driver Mido Macia being dragged through the streets.

He was later found dead in a police cell with serious head and internal injuries.

National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Riah Phiyega, said that eight officers had been suspended and disarmed.

The station commander in Daveytown, a township east of Johannesburg, had also been removed from his post, she said.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has opened a murder investigation.

"Any one death is one too many," Ms Phiyega said. "We believe in the principle of police being policed."

The Daily Sun, a South African newspaper, posted footage of the dragging incident, which occurred on Tuesday.

It was apparently filmed by several people on mobile phones.

Witnesses said Mr Macia, 27, of Mozambique drew the attention of police when he parked in a way that blocked traffic, and then got into an row with officers.

"We are going to film this," several onlookers shouted in Zulu as the police subdued Mr Macia.

One bystander can be heard shouting: "What has this guy done?"

President Jacob Zuma condemned the killing of Mr Macia.

Some commentators drew comparisons with the 1977 death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who also suffered head injuries in police custody.

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New Zealand Shark Attack: Wife Told By Text

The wife of a man killed by a great white shark at a New Zealand beach was told about the deadly attack by text message as she sat having coffee nearby, it has emerged.

Meg Strange was chatting with a friend at a cafe near Muriwai Beach in west Auckland when the pair heard there had been an attack, The New Zealand Herald has reported.

Mrs Strange tried to contact her husband Adam, who she believed was on the beach, after finishing an ocean swim.

When she got no answer, her friend sent a text message to Muriwai Lifeguard Service chairman Tim Jago.

"I got the text, 'I hear there's been a shark attack'," Mr Jago told the Herald.

"I said, 'Yes, I'm on the beach now.' And she said, 'I'm having a cup of coffee with Meg. She can't contact Adam.'

Adam Strange, a father-of-one, was a TV commercial director

"And I had to send a text back saying, 'It was Adam.' That's how quickly it happened."

Mrs Strange returned to Muriwai Beach on Thursday for a memorial for her husband, a father-of-one.

The prolonged attack by the 12-foot shark has shocked witnesses.

"He wasn't letting go. Normally two boats out there, guns being fired and being whacked over the snout with a paddle a couple of times would be enough,"  Mr Jago told The Herald.

Nigel Bradbury was at the beach with his daughter when he filmed the event on his phone.

''I was going to have a swim but we decided to have a picnic instead, and then we saw the inflatable (rescue boat) racing along the beach along with the quad bike towards Maori Bay,'' he told The New Zealand Herald.

Mr Bradbury said a police car parked next to him and within three minutes the police officer was in the rescue boat shooting at the shark to release Mr Strange's body.

''You could see it clearly, even though it was a fair way offshore. The water spraying up when he fired the gun - rapid fire and then you could hear the sound,'' he said.

Earlier, Mr Jago said Mr Strange was "a good water man" and was well known to the lifeguards who tried to save him.

Lifeguards had been traumatised, and were being offered support and counselling, he said.

Mr Strange was a TV commercial director and had worked around the world on several projects.

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Deaths As Crowded Restaurant Boat Sinks In Iraq

At least eight people have been killed and several others are missing after a crowded floating restaurant sank in an Iraqi river.

The site of the tragedy on the Tigris River in Baghdad

Police said the single-deck boat was overloaded when it went down during a private party with 150 people on board.

The tragedy appeared to be an accident with no indication of terrorism, according to a security official.

Divers look for bodies after the sinking

Eight bodies were pulled from the Tigris River, and the whereabouts of another nine people were unknown, police and hospital officials said.

The boat had been moored to the riverbank and there appeared to be signs of decay on the metal joints that kept it attached to shore, police added.

Officials assess the damage to the vessel

It was unclear whether the facility was up to safety standards. Regulatory oversight remains weak and corruption is deeply entrenched in Iraq.

The sinking appeared to be a tragic accident

Baghdad provincial council member Mohammed Jassem al Rubaie said of those on board: "Most of them were Iraqis, only a few were guests from Middle Eastern countries."

He went on to say the party was for US heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, adding: "I am 100% sure that it was just an accident."

It was unclear whether the facility was up to safety standards

At the club where the boat was moored, a crowd of people including relatives of those on board gathered following the sinking.

Some stood next to an ambulance crying, while others shouted that the owners of the club should be held responsible for the deaths.

Relatives sit next to one of the victims of the sinking

The vessel was part of a popular Lebanese restaurant establishment in the capital's Karrada district.

The restaurant is one of several new businesses that have sprung up as the country's economy has begun to improve in the years since the US-led invasion nearly a decade ago.

The search is continuing for possible survivors

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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 AUS (£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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Helicopter Blows Deer Trapped On Ice To Safety

A struggling deer stranded on thin ice in Canada has been rescued by a quick-thinking helicopter pilot.

The stricken animal and her fawn were trapped in Antigonish Harbour, Nova Scotia, with the mother slipping and sliding each time she tried to move.

Rescuers would have fallen through the brittle salt-water ice had they launched a conventional rescue attempt.

Experienced pilot David Farrell devised a cunning plan to blow the deer across the ice to safety using the wind created by his helicopter's rotor blades.

Realising the frightened animal was in serious danger if he didn't act, the pilot put his plan into action.

Mr Farrell told the Canadian TV station CTV: "As long as you can keep that deer moving along the ice, it tends to calm down. I don't know if it understands we're trying to help or, I don't know what's going through its mind, but it works good."

The inventive rescue mission was caught on camera by local resident Ian Waugh.

Mr Waugh sparked the rescue mission when he alerted the Department of Natural Resources to the deer's predicament. He told CTV: "I was waiting for all kinds of different things, but that solution I was not prepared for, and I thought, just brilliant."

But Mr Farrell played down talk that his actions made him a hero, saying he was just doing his duty as a pilot.

"You can do it a thousand times and it shows up on camera once, and then you can appreciate what you're doing, spur of the moment. It's your job."

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South Africa: 'Man Dragged Behind Police Van'

A taxi driver in South Africa died after being handcuffed to a police vehicle and dragged hundreds of yards, it has been alleged.

Independent police investigators are looking into the claims after video footage emerged showing a man being dragged along a road behind a police van.

The man, named locally as 27-year-old Mido Macia from Mozambique, was later found dead in a police cell in Daveyton, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.

Officers have claimed they put Mr Macia in a police van in order to take him to a police station on the East Rand, and cannot explain how he later died.

But the video, obtained by South Africa's Daily Sun newspaper, shows officers struggling to overpower a man - believed to be the taxi driver - before attaching him to a point at the rear of their vehicle and then driving off leaving him hanging outside.

Officers are seen restraining the man and handcuffing him to the van

At one point they attempt to carry his legs while the vehicle is moving forward but have to drop him as the police van speeds up.

The footage then shows the man trying to stay on his feet as he is dragged behind the vehicle for several hundred metres.

The person filming the incident attempts to keep up with the truck dragging the taxi driver, but has to give up as the vehicle is going too fast.

The van then starts to move away with the man hanging on

Inmates in the cells he was taken to, have claimed he was later beaten to death by police.

South Africa's Independent Police Investigation Directorate (IPID) said on Wednesday that officers had initially attempted to arrest Mr Macia because he was allegedly obstructing traffic.

IPID spokesman Moses Dlamini said: "We are investigating an incident involving the death of man, allegedly at the hands of the police. We are shocked by the footage which has been released.

At one point they lift his legs but have to let go when the van speeds up

"The circumstances surrounding his death are still allegations ... let's find out what really happened," he said.

He said there were reports Mr Macia had tried to disarm a police officer before the attack.

The taxi driver was then allegedly beaten once inside the police holding cells.

He is understood to have been found dead by another police officer later the same day.

Mr Dlamini told the South African website News 24 that an investigation had begun before Mr Macia's death into allegations he carried out an assault resulting in grievous bodily harm.

The van then starts to accelerate away and the suspect is dragged behind

A post-mortem on the dead suspect indicated he had died from head injuries with internal bleeding.

Police in South Africa are known for heavy handedness when dealing with the public, and the police watchdog is handling numerous cases of police brutality.

In the 12 months before March 2010, according to Amnesty International, there were 920 complaints of serious assault and 294 deaths in custody.

The police department could not confirm if the officers had been suspended.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Papacy Enters Final Hours

Pope Benedict XVI's tenure as leader of the world's Catholics is drawing to a close.

The 85-year-old 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 said their farewells to the Pope at a gathering in the Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace.

In an unexpected speech, he promised "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor during the gathering and urged his cardinals to work in unity as they select the next pope.

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

Just before 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 4.30pm, 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 7pm 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.

He will still wear a white cassock normally reserved only for pontiffs, but without a doubled shoulder cape.

Spokesman Frederico Lombardi said he has chosen to swap his trademark red shoes for a brown pair given to him by artisans in Mexico during a trip last year.

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.

Pope Benedict XVI's departure from the Vatican sets in motion a timetable of centuries-old traditions in what is an unprecedented resignation in modern Catholic history.

After 7pm on Thursday, the Catholic Church enters a period known as "Sede Vacante" (vacant See) during which a senior cardinal takes over interim powers until a new pope is elected.

That cardinal, referred to as the camerlengo or chamberlain, will be Italy's Tarcisio Bertone.

The camerlengo has traditionally had the role of officially certifying the death of a pope - once carried out by tapping the pontiff's forehead three times with a special silver hammer and calling out his birth name.

He is also charged with destroying the Fisherman's Ring - a gold signet ring specially cast for each new pope - which symbolises the end of a papacy.

From Monday, cardinals from around the world will hold a series of meetings known as general congregations.

The meetings are aimed at identifying priorities for the Roman Catholic Church for the future, but are also a good way of vetting possible candidates for next pope.

The cardinals then meet in a secret conclave to choose the next pope under a system adapted in the 13th century.

All conclaves have been held in the Sistine Chapel and the cardinals are sworn to absolute secrecy under pain of ex-communication during voting.

Two ballots are held in the morning, and two in the afternoon, until one candidate wins two-thirds of the votes.

At the end of each session, the ballots are burned in a stove by the chapel, releasing smoke above the Apostolic Palace. The smoke is black after each unsuccessful ballot, white once the vote succeeds.

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Pistorius: Reeva's 'Last Text' Home Revealed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reeva Steenkamp was "happy" with her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reeva Steenkamp's funeral was held last week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Prince Harry Learns Sign Language In Lesotho

Prince Harry has gone back into the classroom in Lesotho to learn sign language to help him communicate with children being helped by his Sentebale charity.

The Prince was touring two centres helping vulnerable children living in the former British protectorate, which is one of the most impoverished nations on the continent.

His first visit was to the Kananelo Centre for the Deaf on the outskirts of the capital of Maseru, where he learnt sign language and even took part in a kneeling dance with children there.

The charity helps Lesotho's most vulnerable

Sky News' special correspondent Alex Crawford, in the capital, said: "He interacts incredibly beautifully with young people, even those who are deaf and obviously communication is an issue.

"But he was learning and asking them through sign language experts what their favourite subjects were at school and they were all really straining to talk to him, obviously overwhelmed by him."

The Prince, who recently completed a four-and-a-half-month tour of Afghanistan, set up the charity with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso in 2006 in memory of both of their mothers.

The two princes took also took part in a cookery class, making a kind of doughnut known in the local Sesotho language as makoenya.

Sky's Alex Crawford captures a picture of a relaxed Prince Harry in Lesotho

Harry was also visiting St Bernadette's Resource Centre for the Blind in the city where he will watch children learning Braille and join students for a game of five-a-side football.

The Prince, who recently completed a four-and-a-half-month tour of Afghanistan, set up the charity with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso in 2006 in memory of both of their mothers.

The last time the 28-year-old was in Lesotho was in June 2010 when he took his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, to see Sentebale's work as part of their first joint overseas trip.

Later Harry will fly to nearby Johannesburg in South Africa for a fundraising dinner in aid of a major new Sentebale project to build a permanent centre for children and young people.

The Mamohato Centre - named after Prince Seeiso's late mother - will provide psychological care and peer mentoring for children and young people with HIV/Aids.

Lesotho has a population of 1.8 million, half of those are under 18, and of those 40% are classed as vulnerable or are orphans.

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