Friday's news

21 Feb 2014

Luke Batty will be farewelled today with mourners wearing his favourite colour, yellow. In international news, the prosecution in the case against Oscar Pistorius has admitted the Olympian may not have had his prostheses on.

Family and friends farewell Luke

Family and friends will farewell Luke Batty today, killed by his father last week. Mourners will wear yellow for the 11-year-old who was beaten and then stabbed to death at cricket practice. It was later revealed that there were a number of warrants out for Luke’s father’s arrest for domestic violence. Read more.

Michael Hutchence’s final performance

Footage has emerged of the final time Michael Hutchence ever sang with INXS. The footage was scheduled to be used in a TODAY Show interview the following Monday. Within hours of the footage being shot, Hutchence was found dead. Nine News has more.

Prosecution in Pistorius case suffers setback

South African prosecutors have admitted that Oscar Pistorius may not have had his prostheses on when he allegedly fired the shots that killed his girlfriend, shattering their key argument for premeditated murder. The prosecution had argued that the Olympian took the time to put on his prosthetic legs before firing the shots, attempting to prove he was not taken by surprise. Pistorius denies the charge of murder. Sky News has more.

Indian court blocks release of PM Rajiv Ghandi killers

India’s top court has blocked the release of three men convicted of killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The three men were among seven Tamil extremists who were due to walk free from prison this weekend. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh staunchly rejected any right to freedom. Read more.

Facebook buys WhatsApp

Facebook has announced that it has reached an agreement with popular messaging application WhatsApp, purchasing the start-up for approximately $16 billion. WhatsApp will continue to operate independently within Facebook. Seven News has more.

To Kill a Mockingbird author and museum settle lawsuit

Harper Lee, the reclusive author of To Kill a Mockingbird, has reached a settlement with the Monroe County Heritage Museum in Alabama after accusing the museum of never paying a licensing fee for using the novel’s title and a mockingbird image on merchandise. Read more.