A letter reputed to be the last written on board the Titanic has gone on display in a visitor attraction dedicated to the doomed liner.

The historic artefact, written by a mother and daughter who survived the ship’s sinking, was never sent and was recently bought by a Scottish couple for almost £120,000. Edinburgh businessman Garreth Wood and his wife Nicola, both long-time Titanic enthusiasts, have loaned the letter to Titanic Belfast.

Marathon feat for Nasa’s robot

A robot rover has completed the first Martian Marathon – covering a distance of 42.2km on the Red Planet in a time of roughly 11 years and two months.

Scientists operating the Opportunity rover plan a marathon-length relay run at their laboratory in California next week to celebrate. Dr John Callas, Opportunity project manager at the American space agency Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said: “This is the first time any human enterprise has exceeded the distance of a marathon on the surface of another world. A first time happens only once.”

Victor and Pixel, a polar bear pair

England's only polar bear has welcomed a new companion.

Victor, the 16-year-old, half-tonne bear who lives at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP), in Doncaster, has been joined by a younger male, Pixel. The park said Pixel is 14 years younger and a third of the size of his new compound-mate.

“Male polar bears will leave their mothers at approximately two years old,” said animal development manager Simon Marsh. “This means it is quite natural for Pixel to wander and find other males to hang around with. Pixel is very playful and finds everything interesting and will be sure to keep Victor and the visitors entertained.”

School bus ends up in living room

A school bus ploughed through the front of a home in suburban Philadelphia, with the back end of the vehicle sticking out of the living room area.

Officials said nine students from St Helena School were on board when the bus crashed in Blue Bell in Whitpain Township. Township officials said the driver of the Wissahickon School District bus was taken to a hospital. A resident of the home escaped unhurt. Whitpain police are investigating the cause of the crash.

Man out of his tree during protest

A man who had occupied a cypress tree for 11 days to block construction of a premier golf course in New Orleans’ large public park fell and injured himself.

The man, identified as Lloyd Boover, plummeted out of the tree in City Park. Christopher Lane, of the City Park for Everyone Coalition, said Mr Boover had apparently not eaten for a day and was disoriented from lack of sleep.

Mr Lane says Mr Boover thought he may have broken an ankle and nose in the fall. Sheriff's deputies had been monitoring Mr Boover's protest and kept a spotlight trained on him at night.

He was expected to be charged with trespassing.

Talking Head crashes own tribute

David Byrne crashed his own tribute concert, leading a marching band down the aisle at Carnegie Hall and, eventually, to an onstage dance party to the tune of the hit song Uptown Funk.

He turned up at the end of an annual tribute which benefits music education, an unusual sight since past musicians whose work was celebrated – like Paul Simon and Prince – did not appear. Byrne’s entrance came after CeeLo Green brought the tribute to a close by singing Take Me To The River.

The former Talking Heads frontman, dressed in a white shirt with black bow tie, sang God’s Army with the brass-and-drum Brooklyn United Marching Band, singing to the audience that “everything I did, I did for you”.