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Ahead his visit to India next week, Prime Minister David Cameron has urged Indian students to come to the UK to study. After changes to visa restrictions the number of Indian students in Britain is down a quarter and there are concerns that the government's tough rhetoric on immigration has contributed to this drop.

Speaking to India's Sunrise TV, Mr Cameron emphasised that the changes to the visa system are not as strict as often thought and that Britain is still eager for international students to come to study:

"The fact is today, as we stand, and this is going to be the case going forward, there is no limit on the number of students who can come from India to study at British universities, no limit at all. All you need is a basic English qualification and a place at a British university. And what's more, after you've left a British university, if you can get a graduate-level job there is no limit to the amount of people who can stay and work, or the time that they can stay at work."

Shocking news is emerging from South Africa after it has been revealed that Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has shot and killed his girlfriend- Reeva Steenkamp. Early reports suggested that he mistook her for a burglar at his home in Pretoria- possibly after a Valentine's Day surprise went wrong. However, police have since revealed that such reports hadn't come from them and that they were "surprised" to hear them being circulated. 

Local media reported that police are holding the 26-year-old in custody as part of a murder investigation and he is expected to appear in court on Friday afternoon. A police statement said a 30-year-old woman was "fatally wounded" after being shot with a 9mm pistol in the head and upper body. Police were called in the early hours of the morning to find paramedics already at the scene, but were unable to save the woman who died at the scene.

Further reports from neighbours have suggested that shouting had been heard from the house earlier in the evening and that police had been called on previous occasions after reports of "a domestic nature".

Reeva Steenkamp is a well known model in South Africa and had been dating Pistorius since November last year.

Erik Redli is a university graduate from Slovakia who is currently living in London. Each week he gives his view on the events of the last seven days. This week, he looks at the Pope resigning, horse meat being found EVERYWHERE and the NUS elections. 

Pope's Step Down

"A few hours after the pope announced his resignation, the pundits started to speculate about the possible successor, with the most ardent aspirant being Angelo Scola the Archbishop of Milan.

The Popes decision might have been influenced by the subconscious thought that he might not be the best one to lead the church during times of scandals. Therefore, he decided to resign in favour of someone more ‘popular' who would be able to cement the relationship between the traditional and the modern.

On the other hand, whoever replaces him will still be overshadowed by the opinions of the previous Pope as long as he is still alive. Even so, I still consider it easier than the task that faced Benedict, who was benchmarked against John Paul II.

Anyway, the cardinals are facing a difficult task to choose a pope ‘modern' enough to comment appropriately on the happenings in the Christian world such as the dialogue with Islam, but on the other hand be able to preserve the Christian tradition."

Every year Valentine's Day is on the 14th February and yet every year it seems to creep up on everyone, leaving some worried people without any idea of what to do. If you're in that situation now with just a day left to organise something, here we have some top last minute ideas for you.

For food lovers, today is one of the best celebrations of the year- Pancake Day. Historically known as Shrove Tuesday, the second Tuesday of February has traditionally been used as a final day to gorge on food before the restraint and fasting of lent begins.

However, these days few people in the UK still fast during lent and today has instead become simply the perfect excuse to eat so many pancakes that you can hardly stand up.

British pancakes are not quite like any other country's. They are much larger and thinner than American pancakes, but slightly thicker than French crêpes. Below you can find a really simple recipe to make perfect British pancakes.

Step 1: Sieve the flour into a large bowl and add the two eggs. Add a little of the milk/water mix and start whisking the mixture with a fork or balloon whisk.