Michael Le Vell Will 'Fight' Child Sex Charges

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell has said he is innocent of all child sex charges against him and will "fight them vigorously".

Le Vell, who plays garage owner Kevin Webster in the ITV soap opera, is accused of 19 child sex offences, including child rape, and sexual activity with a child between 2001 and 2010, Greater Manchester Police said.

Le Vell, 48, a father-of-two whose real name is Michael Turner, will appear in court charged with the offences on February 27.

Le Vell said: "I would like to make it quite clear that following the serious allegations that have been brought against me on Thursday 14th February 2013, I am innocent of these charges and intend to fight them vigorously.

"I will now put all my efforts into clearing my name and proving my innocence."

ITV has dropped him from further episodes of the show. 

Michael Le Vell was first questioned over the child sex allegations in 2011

A spokesman said: "Given the serious nature of these charges, Michael Le Vell will not be appearing in Coronation Street pending the outcome of legal proceedings. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time."

The actor was initially arrested in connection with the offences in September 2011.

The investigation was dropped three months later when authorities said there would be no further action taken against him as there was not enough evidence.

However, following a review of the case by lawyers at the Crown Prosecution Service the decision has been taken that it is in the "public interest" to charge the actor.

Speaking after the investigation against him was dropped in 2011, Le Vell said he was "delighted" to have been "completely exonerated", thanked police for their "thorough" investigation and Coronation Street staff and the public for their support.

Le Vell vowed to put the allegations behind him and returned to the show after a short break and is now currently involved in some of the soap's main storylines.

Alison Levitt, QC, principal legal adviser to the Director of Public Prosecutions, reviewed a file of evidence in relation to allegations of sexual offences and looked again at a decision previously made not to prosecute.

Ms Levitt said: "I have very carefully reviewed the evidence in this case and I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Michael Robert Turner with a number of sexual offences.

"I have authorised Greater Manchester Police to charge Mr Turner with 19 offences, including rape of a child."

Le Vell, who split from his wife Janette Beverley last year, is one of television's most famous faces after playing car mechanic Kevin Webster for the past 30 years in the TV show.

Originally from Manchester, he began his acting career in the Oldham Theatre Workshop after taking an interest in amateur dramatics while at school.

He first joined the soap in 1983 and quickly endeared himself to fans who have followed the trials and tribulations of Kevin, from Brian Tilsley's apprentice mechanic through to his stormy marriage to Sally, played by Sally Dynevor, and fathering two teenage girls as well as a love child from his affair with Molly Dobbs.

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Isleworth Mona Lisa Is A Genuine Da Vinci

Art experts have confirmed that a painting dubbed the 'Isleworth Mona Lisa' is an earlier version of Leonardo da Vinci's 16th century masterpiece.

The Swiss-based Mona Lisa Foundation commissioned a number of tests, including carbon-dating of the artwork and geometry analysis, which they say prove the painting is the work of the Italian master.

The Isleworth Mona Lisa was so-called because it was discovered in a country house in the town in west London in 1913.

But some art experts doubted its authenticity when it was unveiled in Geneva last September.

The more famous Louvre Mona Lisa

In silencing the critics, vice-chair of the Mona Lisa Foundation David Feldman said: "When we add these new findings to the wealth of scientific and physical studies we already had, I believe anyone will find the evidence of a Leonardo attribution overwhelming."

Mr Feldman, an Irish-born international art and stamp dealer, said he was contacted after the public unveiling of the portrait - which shows a much younger woman than in the Louvre - by Italian geometrist Alfonso Rubino.

"He has made extended studies of the geometry of Leonardo's Vitruvian Man" - a sketch of a youth with arms and legs extended - "and offered to look at our painting to see if it conformed," Mr Feldman added.

Mr Rubino concluded that the painting matched da Vinci's geometry and must be his.

Further tests on the canvas of the painting found that it was almost certainly manufactured between 1410 and 1455 - refuting claims that it was a late 16th century copy.

Documents show that Florentine nobleman Francesco del Giacondo initially commissioned da Vinci to paint a portrait of his wife Lisa.

In French, the Louvre version is known as "La Giaconde" and "La Giaconda" in Italian.

Supporters of the "younger" version say it was almost certainly delivered unfinished to del Giacondo before da Vinci left Italy in 1506 and took up residence in France, where he died in 1519 in a small Loire chateau.

From the Giacondo house, it probably eventually found its way to England after being bought by a travelling English aristocrat, this account runs, while the Paris version was probably painted by Leonardo in around 1516 in France.

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Meteorite Shower Hits Russia Injuring Over 900

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

More than 900 people have been injured after a meteor strike in central Russia, the country's interior ministry said.

Fragments of at least one meteorite - the weight of a double-decker bus - were seen falling from the sky in the Chelyabinsk region at around 9am local time, around 1,500km east of Moscow.

A regional governor said 950 people have been injured. Russia's Ministry of Emergencies said at least 82 children were hurt and 34 adults and 12 children were being treated in hospital. Two people are in intensive care.

The meteor lit up the sky

Many were hurt by flying glass as windows were blown in. Witnesses described feeling a pressure wave and hearing explosions overhead as the object hurtled to earth.

The Russian Academy of Sciences estimates the meteor weighed about 10 tonnes and entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 33,000mph (54,000kph) - 15 times the speed of a rifle bullet - and shattered up to 32 miles (50km) above ground.

Meteors typically cause sizeable sonic booms when they enter the atmosphere because they are travelling much faster than the speed of sound.

The meteorite weighed 10 tonnes

The defence ministry said it had identified a six metre crater near a lake in this region and has sent soldiers to the site of the impact.

The emergencies ministry said that 20,000 rescue workers had been dispatched to help the injured and locate those needing help.

More than 500 people have been injured

Resident Anna Pinkus told Sky News she saw a bright light outside her window and then heard three explosions.

"It was a very loud sound. After that our windows began to shatter and shiver so it was very terrifying. First we thought it was a plane crash."

Planetary scientist Professor Ian Crawford of Birkbeck University said this was an unusual case as meteorite hits rarely cause any damage.

Viktor was injured by a shock wave

"Several times a year meteorites are observed to fall on the earth's surface but damage to people or property is very unusual - there are only several recorded cases of buildings being hit by meteorites."

Describing the course of the meteorite he said: "I think it's very likely that it would have been a larger lump of rock that broke up in the earth's atmosphere – this is usually what happens.

"The rock comes in from space and hits the earth's atmosphere. That decelerates it and puts a lot of stress on it. Then it's likely to fragment into lots of pieces."

The local office of the National Emergencies Ministry said in a statement: "A meteorite disintegrated above the Urals (mountain range in central Russia), partially burning up in the lower atmosphere.

The crash site of a piece of meteor (Pic: Chelyabinsk MVD)

"Fragments of the meteorite reached Earth, falling in sparsely populated areas in the Chelyabinsk region."

Many drivers in Russia have video recorders fitted in their cars in case of accidents or disputes with traffic police. Footage from these uploaded to YouTube show the fireball crashing to the ground.

There were reports of traffic in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk grinding to a halt and people seeking shelter in buildings as the fireballs lit up the sky.                 

The emergencies ministry confirmed the mobile phone network was temporarily cut. Schools were closed for the day across the region after the impact blew out windows.

The meteor hit Chelyabinsk

The meteor hit less than a day before the asteroid 2012 DA14 is to make the closest recorded pass of an asteroid to the Earth - about 17,150 miles (28,000km). But the European Space Agency in a tweet said its experts had determined there was no connection.

The Chelyabinsk region is Russia's industrial heartland, home to many factories and other huge facilities that include a nuclear power plant and the Mayak atomic waste storage and treatment centre.

A spokesman for Rosatom, the Russian nuclear energy state corporation, said that its operations remained unaffected.

"All Rosatom enterprises located in the Urals region - including the Mayak complex - are working as normal," said a Rosatom spokesman.

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Contact Lens Fluid Saved Missing Backpacker

The British backpacker who went missing in the Australian Outback for more than three days survived by drinking contact lens solution, his mother has said.

Samuel Woodhead, 18, disappeared on Tuesday after he set out for a jog from a cattle station in Queensland.

But the chance discovery of packets of lenses in his rucksack - put there by his father, Peter - kept him going in the scorching heat.

The teenager was said to be a little sunburned following his ordeal, but was hydrated and otherwise well.

His relieved mother Claire, 54, described how her son survived in the 40C heat.

Rescuers gather near a helicopter after Sam was found safe and well

"His father had packed boxes of contact lenses in his rucksack in an outside pocket and he'd forgotten to take them out," she revealed.

"He's lived on the fluid that the contact lenses ... you know the little packs of contact lenses? He's literally lived on those packs of contact lenses for three nights."

Relatives said the teenager, a keen long-distance runner, owed his life to rescue workers who launched a massive helicopter search of the desolate region after he was reported missing from Upshot Station, near the town of Longreach, on Tuesday.

Mrs Woodhead, who travelled out to Australia, said: "I've spoken to Sam on the phone and I'm flying out to Longreach."

Sam with his mother and sister before his adventure

She added: "I'm very, very relieved indeed. I've just had the worst three days of my life, and when I got the message from the pilot on the plane (that he had been located), I just cried."

The former Brighton College student, from Richmond upon Thames, in Surrey, is now in hospital.

Samuel's delighted sister, Rebecca, announced on Facebook that her brother had been found.

She wrote: "We have been told that they have found Sam!! We have no information on his condition or where he was found yet, so keep your fingers crossed."

She later said his injuries were no worse than "minor sunstroke, dehydration and chapped lips".

Earlier, Sam's father Peter told Sky News: "It's an incredibly exciting and happy ending to what's been a real nightmare. Our thanks go to all those who have joined the search, a lot of which have been volunteers in very hostile territory."

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Child Murderer Subhan Anwar Killed In Jail

A child murderer has been killed in Worcestershire's Long Lartin Prison, the Ministry of Justice has said.

Two prisoners are being held in police custody after the death of Subhan Anwar, who was jailed in 2009 for torturing and killing a two-year-old girl.

Anwar is understood to have been held hostage in his cell at the Category A jail before he was killed.

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "An incident at HMP Long Lartin on Thursday February 14 resulted in the death of prisoner Subhan Anwar.

"Two prisoners are now in police custody and the matter is being investigated by police."

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "West Mercia Police has launched a murder investigation after a 24-year-old man died in Long Lartin prison last night.

"The body of the man was found by prison officers just before 8pm on Thursday, February 14.

"Two men aged 47 and 45 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody."

Anwar was jailed for a minimum of 23 years for the murder of his partner's daughter Sanam Navsarka.

His partner Zahbeena Navsarka was cleared of her daughter's murder but found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for nine years.

Anwar and Navsarka, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, were condemned for their cruel and selfish treatment of Sanam.

The violence inflicted on the youngster happened near the end of her life.

Anwar and Navsarka, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, tried to claim Sanam had stopped breathing after they left her alone in the bath for 10 minutes.

But she was found to have 107 separate external injuries when she died.

Her tiny hand prints and bloodstains were found inside cupboards at the home in Huddersfield and also at a former property in Batley, West Yorkshire.

Both of her thigh bones had been fractured, causing fatty deposits to enter her bloodstream and resulting in her death, and she had fractures to both of her arms.

As well as putting her in a tumble dryer, Anwar dumped her in the bin as her mother looked on.

Long Lartin is a maximum security prison near Evesham, which holds up to 622 inmates who must be serving a minimum sentence of four years.

In a January 2012 report, chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick revealed that two rows of individual "bleak cages" were being used as a grim exercise yard for segregated inmates at the prison.

He said the cages were "not fit for purpose" and their use was unacceptable.

In August 2011, child killer Andrew Randall, who tortured and sexually abused his seven-week-old daughter Jessica, had his throat slashed by fellow inmates at Long Lartin but survived.

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Nadine Dorries' Expenses To Be Investigated

Controversial Conservative MP Nadine Dorries is facing an investigation into her expenses claims by the parliamentary expenses watchdog.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) compliance officer Peter Davis said he had reason to believe Ms Dorries may have been paid travel and accommodation costs she was not entitled to.

"An investigation will be conducted into claims submitted under the following areas of the third and fourth editions of the MPs' scheme of business costs and expense - accommodation expenditure, travel and subsistence," he said in a statement.

Ms Dorries has denied ever claiming "a penny" that she was not entitled to, telling Sky News that she was "totally relaxed" about the investigation.

The Mid-Bedfordshire MP said she believes Ipsa is "targeting" her in order to try to justify its own funding to taxpayers because of her high profile as an MP since her appearance in the reality TV show I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!.

Ms Dorries said: "Ipsa are desperate to get an investigation, I'm a high profile MP after going in the jungle which made them start crawling all over me, I'm considering whether it's harassment."

She said Ipsa was accusing her of subletting her flat because an electricity bill for a three-month period last summer when her daughter was home from university was higher than her normal bills.

As a lone parent she said she was entitled to have her daughter stay with her, adding: "I know I'm known as Mad Nad but I'd have to be insane if I'd done that (sublet the flat)."

The second allegation relates to a travel ticket claim that was submitted twice in error by a member of staff who had accidentally "pressed the button twice", she said.

"Ipsa was asleep on the bloody job not filtering out claims like that," she added.

Ms Dorries remains suspended from the Tory whip following her appearance on I'm A Celebrity.

Usually a prolific tweeter, she posted a message a few hours before the investigation was announced, saying: "I'm taking a break from Twitter for the half term week and spending some time getting some fresh air with my three girls."

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Gay Marriage: Anger At David Jones' Comments

By Darren McCaffrey, Sky News Reporter

Welsh Secretary David Jones has provoked criticism after saying that same-sex partners could not provide a "warm and safe environment" to raise children.

The Conservative MP made the remarks when asked on ITV Wales' Face To Face programme about the Government's plans to introduce gay marriage, which he voted against.

He said: "I regard marriage as an institution that has developed over many centuries, essentially for the provision of a warm and safe environment for the upbringing of children, which is clearly something that two same-sex partners can't do."

The Prime Minister's spokesperson responded by saying David Cameron rejects Mr Jones' claims about children in same-sex families and that he is in favour of same-sex adoption.

"The Prime Minister believes gay families can provide warm and safe environment for raising children," the spokesperson said.

The shadow Welsh secretary, Owen Smith, claimed the comments proved that "nasty party is alive and well under David Cameron".

He said: "David Jones' comments are profoundly offensive and he should apologise immediately."

Equality campaigning group Stonewall have also attacked the Welsh Secretary's comments as "offensive and inaccurate".

David Jones' voted against gay marriage, in a free vote earlier this month along with one hundred and thirty six Conservative MPs.

He defended his position in a statement: "I made the point of stressing that I was fully supportive of committed same-sex relationships. I also strongly approve of civil partnerships.

"I simply sought to point out that, since same sex partners could not biologically procreate children, the institution of marriage was one that, in my opinion, should be reserved to opposite sex partners."

The equal marriage bill is passing through Parliament after gaining a 225-majority on February 5, though it is likely to face more opposition in the House of Lords later this year.

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Horsemeat Found In Schools, Pubs And Hotels

Lancashire County Council has confirmed that horsemeat has been found in cottage pies served at 47 schools.

The council said it has withdrawn the products from all of the schools' kitchens but it will not say which schools served the contaminated meat.

The news comes as the Food Standards Agency (FSA)  published the results of tests on all supermarket beef products, revealing that 29 of the 2,501 samples contained horsemeat.

There are around 900 more test results to be released, with the next batch to be revealed next Friday.

The agency's chief scientist, Andrew Wadge, told Sky News that he was reassured by the results so far, but retailers need to take responsibility.

"If you're in the business of selling food, you have to make sure you're clear to consumers that what you sell is what it says on label," he said.

It has also been revealed that Whitbread, one of the UK's largest hospitality companies, said horsemeat was found in its beef lasagne and burgers.

The meals were sold at Whitbread companies Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater Grill and Table Table.

The contaminated meals were served at Premier Inns

The firm said the products had been removed from their menus and will not be replaced until further testing has been carried out.

And officials said burgers containing horsemeat had been supplied to hospitals in Northern Ireland.

David Bingham from the health service's Business Services Organisation, which provides meat for the health trusts, said a range from a company in the Republic of Ireland had been withdrawn.

After the results on the school meals were revealed, Lancashire County Councillor Susie Charles said: "Relatively few schools in Lancashire use this particular product but our priority is to provide absolute assurance that meals contain what the label says - having discovered this one doesn't, we have no hesitation in removing it from menus.

"This does not appear to be a food safety issue but I've no doubt parents will agree we need to take a very firm line with suppliers and it is a credit to our officers that we have been able to quickly identify the problem and take the product off the menus."

A Department of Education spokesperson also gave reassurances that it was not a food safety concern.

"While the Food Standards Agency is clear there is no identified public health risk, this nevertheless represents a serious and unacceptable breach of trust," the spokesperson said.

"Suppliers and caterers should be urgently reassuring schools and parents about the action they are taking."

A range of products, including burgers, have been contaminated

Meanwhile, pub and hotel group Whitbread said they had sent 30 products to be tested and the company received the results on Thursday afternoon.

A spokesman said: "We are shocked and disappointed at this failure of the processed meat supply chain.

"As an industry it is clear we need the supply chain to deliver products to the highest standards of food integrity and quality that we and our customers expect.

"As a responsible business we shall work with the FSA to implement a robust testing regime to avoid this happening in the future. We would like to sincerely apologise to our customers for any concerns or inconvenience that this may cause."

Following the release of the FSA results, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said the food industry has a lot of work to do in the wake of the scandal.

"It's wholly unacceptable that if people buy products marked beef, they turn out to be horsemeat," he said.

"That's why it was so important to undertake this intensive testing activity to gain a meaningful picture.

"My concern is for consumers. The news for them today is that the vast majority of products tested are completely clear of horse DNA.

"Food businesses now have a lot of work to do. They need to move quickly to complete these tests and they need to show their customers they've taken the right steps to make sure this doesn't happen again."

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Huge Asteroid To Skim Past Earth At 18,641mph

A 150ft-long asteroid will skim past the Earth within the next two hours - closer than any other near-miss on record.

The huge chunk of rock - so big it is capable of wiping out London - will travel closer to the planet than many satellites.

But while it should be visible as a tiny dot of light crossing the sky to those using binoculars, scientists say there is no chance it will hit Earth.

There is a remote possibility that it could collide with one of more than 100 telecommunication and weather satellites in fixed orbits.

Experts have been closely tracking the asteroid, 2012 DA14, since its discovery a year ago.

They say it will reach its nearest point to Earth at around 7.30pm UK time on Friday.

It will stay at least 17,200 miles (27,681km) away - easily far enough to be safe - but very close in astronomical terms.

Astronomer and asteroid expert Dr Dan Brown, from Nottingham Trent University, said: "It will be too faint for the naked eye but with binoculars it should be visible if you know where to look. It will be low to the northeastern horizon and moving quite quickly.

"You'll be able to see it pass from the constellation Leo to roughly the Plough, more or less from anywhere in the UK, and it will be bright for about an hour."

DA14 belongs to a dangerous family of near-Earth objects (NEOs) that are small enough to be missed but large enough to cause serious damage.

It was detected in February last year by La Sagra Observatory in southern Spain as it fell under the spotlight of the Sun's rays.

Travelling at between 12,427mph (20,000kph) and 18,641mph (30,000kph) - around five miles a second, or eight times the speed of a rifle bullet - the asteroid will fly inside the orbits of high geostationary satellites.

Scientists at Nasa's Near-Earth Object programme at California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimate and object of this size makes a close approach like this every 40 years.

The asteroid, weighing 143,000 tons, would wipe out an area of 750 square miles if it hit the Earth's surface.

The European Space Agency said the asteroid is not linked to the meteorite hit in Russia earlier on Friday, with scientists calling it a coincidence.

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Oscar Pistorius Breaks Down In Tears In Court

Olympic star Oscar Pistorius has broken down in tears as he appeared in court charged with murdering his girlfriend.

He stood before magistrate Desmond Nair with his head bowed as the charge was read out.

Prosecutors say they intend to prove Pistorius is guilty of premeditated murder of the top South African model Reeva Steenkamp.

Local news correspondent Barry Bateman described him as "sobbing uncontrollably" as he sat in the dock.

Pistorius' father Henke leaned forward and placed his hand on his son's back during the 40-minute hearing.

Oscar Pistorius is charged with murdering Reeva Steenkamp

Prosecutors had asked to deal with the bail hearing as a section six offence, meaning the accused has to provide exceptional circumstances to be released on bail. The defence opposes this.

The case was postponed until Tuesday, and Pistorius will remain in custody until then.

A statement on behalf of his family and management said he denies the charge in the strongest terms.

The body of 29-year-old Miss Steenkamp was discovered at the athlete's property in the Silver Woods gated community in eastern Pretoria on Thursday morning.

She had been shot four times. A 9mm pistol was found at the scene.

A police officer holds a gun taken from Pistorius' home

Local media have reported that she was shot through a bathroom door.

Pistorius, 26, spent Thursday night in custody and was subject to blood-alcohol, DNA and other tests, as forensics experts continued to work at the crime scene at his home in an upmarket gated estate.

His lawyer Kenny Oldwage said his client was "very well, obviously emotional, but fine".

Police were called to Pistorius' home at around 4am on Thursday by neighbours who heard gunshots. He is the only suspect in the case.

Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at any games.

He did not win a medal but did make the semi-finals of the 400 metres and the final of the 4x400 relay, propelling the world's best-known Paralympian to the level of an international track star.

Meanwhile a celebrity reality show featuring Miss Steenkamp will still be broadcast on South African television despite her death, the producers have said.

The pre-recorded show filmed in an exotic location in Jamaica features the blonde model and several local personalities competing for prize money.

Producers of Tropika Island of Treasure said they had decided not to shelve the show, which will premiere on Saturday, two days after she was shot dead.

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