15/02/2013 BBC News at Ten

The horsemeat scandal widens, as authorities announce three more

raids have been carried out on sites in England. For the first

time, horse DNA's been found in school meals, hospitals and pub

food. One supermarket boss says the industry must get its act together.

The retail industry has to stand up and be counted. We are responsible

for the products we sell to our customers. We cannot blame the

Government. We cannot blame the regulator. We cannot blame

suppliers. It is our responsibility. As the scandal spreads to more

countries, we'll look at the latest response from the European Union.

Also tonight: The moment a meteor crashed to

earth - nearly 1000 people injured in Russia, as a 10-ton rock falls

out of the sky. And tonight, more activity. It may

look small but it's a huge asteroid, one of the closest objects of its

size to hurtle past Earth. Sobbing in court, Oscar Pistorius,

the South African Olympic and Paralympic star, breaks down as

he's charged with murdering his girlfriend.

Three men who deliberately crashed a car for an insurance scam are

jailed after an innocent motorist died.

And after that match in Serbia two England players appeal against

In Sportsday, all the sports news, including David Moyes keeping us

guessing on his future as Everton Good evening.

For the first time, traces of horsemeat have been found in meals

served in schools, hospitals and pubs. It was found in cottage pies

supplied to 47 schools in Lancashire and in burgers supplied

to hospitals in Northern Ireland. The pub and hotel group Whitbread

also said horse DNA was in some of its food. Food retailers are now

testing thousands of beef products for horse DNA. So far, just 1% have

proved positive. Tonight, Food Standards officials announced

they'd carried out three more raids on premises in England. Here's

First, it was supermarket food. Now, pubs, schools and hospitals have

been drawn into the horsemeat scandal. The hotel and pub chain

Whitbread withdrew burgers and lasagne that were contaminated with

horsemeat. Patients in Northern Ireland may have eaten horse

burgers after contaminated meat was supplied to hospitals. Beef was

taken off the menu in schools in Staffordshire, Bristol and

Sheffield as a precaution, as it emerged that pies cent to dozens of

schools in Lancashire contained horse DNA. My son has school dinner,

so I am concerned about it. To be honest, when they say that they eat

it in European countries, is it so different to ordinary meat?

real worry is that they have been no tests and we do not know what is

in it. Every day, I struck a horse, and I would not want to eat it.

have a better idea tonight of the extent of the contamination. Tests

which the food industry were ordered to carry out suggest the

overwhelming majority of processed beef is free of horsemeat. There

are thousands of beef products on sale in the UK. It is thought just

one in four has been checked, but that includes those at highest risk.

Off 2500 tests so far, 29 have been positive for more than 1% horsemeat,

above the level where it could be accidental contamination. The that

is seven products. All have already been withdrawn. Does that mean the

worst is behind us? Initial results are encouraging. The vast majority

of these results are negative, and the few that are positive are for

products we already knew about and had already told consumers about.

Will we ever know how many people in the UK have unwittingly been

eating horsemeat? No, I do not think we will. These tests are a

snapshot. Even when we find things, it is hard to work out how long,

what number of Bacher's. That is shocking, isn't it? It is shocking.

Supermarkets have been accused of failing to explain to the public

how horsemeat got into their products. The Co-op is one of the

few to give interviews. The retail industry has to stand up and be

countered. We are responsible for the products we sell to our

customers. We cannot blame the Government. We cannot blame the

regulator. We cannot blame suppliers. It is our responsibility.

We have to fix this, and we have to fix it quick. Two meet premises in

London and one in Hull were raided by police and food standards

officials. The company here says it has done nothing wrong. The

evidence suggests this is a food fraud, not a food safety issue, but

retailers still need to explain how the scandal was allowed to happen,

and demonstrate that consumers can trust what they are meeting.

The horsemeat scandal spread further across Europe today, with

Austria taking ready meals off supermarket shelves after horse DNA

was found. EU officials have now announced that tests for horsemeat

on thousands of products will begin immediately. Matthew Price has the

latest. The inspectors arrived at the

epicentre of Europe's food crisis today. Staff looked on, knowing

most likely they will all be sacked. This French firm is blamed for

knowingly selling horse labelled as beef. Here, they deny it.

TRANSLATION: We have lost all of our clients. This verdict from the

French Government is a death penalty to 300 workers and their

families. The scandal has spread fast. Horse DNA was first detected

in processed food in Ireland and the UK. Romania was initially

blamed. Now firms in the Netherlands and France are

suspected of wrongly labelling meat. Across Europe, products have been

withdrawn from shelves, the latest today in Austria. Nothing has

happened until now which has been interested people's health. --

problematic for people's health. But people have been deceived.

Germany today, they analysed a variety of products, pork, as well

as beef among them. Dutch prosecutors have launched a

criminal investigation into a firm believed to have been falsely

labelling beef that contained horsemeat. In Brussels, food safety

officials from across the European Union held an emergency meeting.

They decided to bring in new tests immediately to determine how much

of the Continent's food supply chain has been affected. As one

source put it to me, they knew they had to act fast. They will conduct

thousands of tests across the EU. They will look for horse DNA in

beef and other products like these in the testing phase, and determine

whether there is any sign that a horse painkiller phenylbutazone has

entered the food chain. There is no sign that the crisis could hit the

non-processed meat suppliers, like this Paris market, but this is

developing into an industry and consonant-wide problem. --

Continent-wide. Nearly 1000 people have been

injured after a meteor shot across the sky in Russia, sending

fireballs crashing to earth this morning. There was extensive damage

to buildings, and windows were blown out. It's thought to be the

first meteor strike of this scale for more than a century. Tonight,

there was more activity in space, as a huge asteroid became one of

the closest objects of its size to hurtle past Earth. David Shukman

reports. A dark morning in Russia with the

Radio One, when out of nowhere, a dazzling flash suddenly cars across

the skive. It is a sight few people I have ever seen until now, the

terrifying blaze of light is a 10 ton rock hurtling towards Earth.

People rushed for a look. A trail of vapour hangs above them. The

rock was burning as it fell, and also breaking up with explosive

But how awful shock wave shattered windows. The local people who

filmed these scenes say it was like a bomb going off. -- a powerful

shock wave. Closed circuit TV recorded the

impact of the blast indoors. The damage caused by the extraordinary

effect of the rock blowing apart. TRANSLATION: I saw an object moving

across the sky. Then we saw a flash. I thought it was fireworks. Them we

saw the traces, followed by an explosion moments later.

hospitals soon filled with the injured, most of them cut by flying

glass. They had gone out to watch the site and had not realised the

danger. Across the region, traffic cameras caught the moment when the

blazing rock loomed overhead, like a scene from the disaster film.

There are thousands of rocks in space. Every day, pieces fall to

earth but most of them burn up in the atmosphere and no one has been

killed by one. This morning, the rock that broke up over Russia flew

in from the East, too small to spot in advance. By contrast, scientists

have been tracking a larger lump approaching from the south. To give

you an idea of its scale, imagine a football stadium. This asteroid

would cover about half of the pitch. This rock has just passed inside

the orbit of the most distant satellites, about 17,000 miles from

Earth, exceptionally close. There was no risk, but it is a warning of

what is out there. Tonight, NASA tracked the asteroid, which kept to

the part predicted, so there was no danger. An observatory in Australia

picked out the white shape of the rock racing through space. Events

like this always focus people's minds on this. We have known for a

long time that there is a lot of stuff in space and sometimes some

of it gets close to the earth, or even hits the Earth. This is a time

you reminder of why it is important for us to keep scanning the skies

and looking out for a dangerous objects. This is a wake-up call.

The rock over Russia was relatively small and the asteroid passed us by.

Just as well. At the moment, when it comes to protecting ourselves,

there is not much we can do. South African Paralympic champion

Oscar Pistorius sobbed in court today as he was formally charged

with murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The prosecution

says it will argue that it was a premeditated murder, but his family

says he disputes the charge "in the strongest possible terms". Andrew

Harding was in court. He used to revel in the limelight,

but Oscar Pistorius hid his face as he arrived at the court house in

Pretoria this morning. A frenzy of media interest in South Africa's

fallen hero. Waiting for him inside, relatives and friends of the

Olympic athlete. His brother, almost his twin, and his sister. In

the packed courtroom, his father. And here, the glamorous couple at

the heart of this trial. Was it a terrible accident, or did Pistorius

murder his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp? The police, displaying

as evidence this 9 mm pistol. The television cameras were switched

off in court as Pistorius arrived. He quickly broke down, sobbing,

when the prosecution announced a charge of premeditated murder.

Pistorius said almost nothing in court, but in a statement issued by

his family he insisted that the alleged murder is disputed in the

strongest possible terms. But our thoughts and prayers should be for

Reeva and her family, regardless of the circumstances of this terrible,

terrible tragedy. As Oscar Pistorius sat sobbing in the

courtroom, his lawyers argued that they needed more time to prepare

their defence, and it was agreed that today's bail hearing would be

postponed until next Tuesday. More controversially, it was also

decided that instead of going straight from here to the local

prison, Mr Pistorius could return to the relative comfort of a nearby

police station. Proceedings over, put -- Pistorius rose from the

bench. A silent exchange with his father, and then he left the

courtroom. At the family home of Reeva Steenkamp, more tributes and

this heartfelt message. I must just say one thing. If you really

believe in the Lord, we don't have to make any judgment. The judgment

will be done then. For now, a pause, as the prosecution seeks to gather

more evidence and the man known worldwide as the Blade Runner

prepares for another night behind The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt,

has criticised an NHS Trust for threatening legal action against a

whistleblower who broke a gagging order to raise concerns about

patient safety. Gary Walker, a former chief executive at United

Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, gave an interview to the BBC yesterday.

He has now received a solicitor's letter for breaching the terms of a

severance package, reported to be worth half a million pounds. The

Trust has denied trying to stifle concerns about patient safety.

The Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell has been charged with 19

sexual offences, including one of the rape of a child. The actor, who

plays the garage boss Kevin Webster, says he is innocent of all charges

and will fight them vigorously. Judith Moritz reports. Michael Le

Vell has played the part of Kevin Webster for 30 years. I, Kevin John

Webster. Do take thee, Sally Seddon. Do take thee, Sally Seddon. To be

my lawful wedded wife. He is still one of the best-known faces on

screen, as one of the longest- serving cast members of Coronation

Street. And the actor was not at home today. Late last night he was

charged with 19 sexual offences dated between 2001 and 2010,

including the rape and indecent assault of a child. His solicitor

spoke for him. I am innocent, I intend to fight them vigorously. I

thank my friends and family and fans for their continuing support.

The star was first arrested in 2011 but the matter was dropped. Now,

the Crown Prosecution Service has reviewed the evidence. They say

there is enough evidence to press charges. Having starred in the soap

since 1983, the actor won't be involved in new scenes. Coronation

Street is filmed here, at the Granada studios in Manchester.

Today, ITV have said that due to the serious nature of the charges

against him, Michael Le Vell, won't be appearing in the soap whilst the

legal proceedings are ongoing. Michael Le Vell will appear before

magistrates on February 27th. Coming up on tonight's programme:

The struggle in Pakistan to teach children in schools targeted by

Taliban bombs. The damage done was immense. There were three bombs

planted and they brought the building to the ground. What I am

standing on his the roof of the school.

Members of a gang who deliberately crashed a car as part of a �20,000

insurance scam have been jailed after an innocent motorist died.

Three men were given sentences totalling more than 30 years after

they staged the crash on the A40 in Buckinghamshire. Our home affairs

correspondent was in court in Reading.

Baljinder Gill died in what a witness described as an explosion

of metal, glass and dust. The victim of the chain of conditions

these men triggered by staging a fake accident on a dual carriageway.

Thames Valley Police recreated the positions of the cars to show us

how it happened. They planned this carefully? Yes, this is organised

crime set out to cause a crash on the A40. They co-ordinated with

each other on their mobile phones to plan the crash. The red car

pulled in front of the white car, also driven by a gang member, the

idea being that they would force the green card to crash into the

back of the white car. -- green van. The driver of the green vehicle

managed to slow down enough to avoid crashing into the back of the

white car. Unfortunately, Baljinder Gill, driving the silver car, did

not stop in time and crashed into the back of the green van.

Baljinder Gill got out of her car to check the damage but the traffic

was still moving. What happened next was witnessed by passengers on

a passing coach. The horror of what they saw was evident in their

reaction. As Baljinder Gill has stood here dealing with head

damaged car, another driver was coming up the motorway behind her

fast. Colin Lee. He did not see her. He slammed into the back of her car

and she was killed instantly. Today at court, this statement was read

on behalf of her family. You cannot imagine how we felt as a family

when later we were told by police that this collision and the death

was as a result of that deliberate crash for cash collision. They were

reckless and took no time to consider the consequences of this

terrible plan. Andrzej Skowron, Radoslaw Bielawski and Jacek

Kowalczyk received ten-year sentences. Colin Lee, who drove

into Baljinder Gill, received a one-year for careless driving. It

is estimated scams like this cost insurers nearly �400 million a year,

which adds �50 a person on to premiums. One in seven injury

claims are linked to cash a crash collisions. But the industry also

warned it could result in loss of life, a prediction that has now

tragically come true. The Ministry of Defence has

confirmed that a man and a woman who died after being buried in an

avalanche in the Scottish Highlands yesterday were members of the RAF.

The man was tonight named as Squadron Leader Rimon Than. He was

33. A third victim was a student taking part in a winter

mountaineering course. The Welsh Secretary David Jones has

been criticised this evening over comments he made about gay marriage

in a TV interview. Let's cross to Westminster and speak to our

political correspondent. Louise, what has he been saying?

David Jones is one of only two Cabinet ministers to vote against

the government's same-sex marriage proposals 10 days ago, and when he

was asked by the programme Face to Face why he voted against them, he

said essentially he felt that same- sex partnerships were not the right

environment for bringing up children. He felt it was only safe

for heterosexual couples. He said he thinks marriage is an

institution that has developed for the provision of a warm and safe

environment for the upbringing of children, which is clearly

something same-sex partners cannot He has since defended those words

and said they were taken out of context. He says he is not against

Staples same-sex relationships. Downing Street has said they

believe it is absolutely fine same- sex couples do bring up children,

and Labour say his words are profoundly offensive and have

called for him to apologise. The plight of Malala Yousufzai, the

Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban, has

highlighted the dangers pupils and particularly girls face in trying

to get an education there. But militants continued to target

schools or stop a message from the Taliban.

They blew up this girl's primary- school under cover of darkness. It

is one of five schools bombed recently in a small community just

We found that pupils nearby, crammed into a neighbouring school,

were carrying on with their classes. The teacher says, hands up who came

from the bombed school. Lots of little hands go up. This is the

frontline in the Taliban's war on education. The older girls have

heard about Malala. She is a role model for many, like this 15-year-

old who hopes to become a doctor. Because she speaks out, we are

concealing her identity. TRANSLATION: We will get education,

we are not scared of these people. We will study with great

determination. How do you feel about the people who bombed your

school? TRANSLATION: They should be

building schools and bringing peace to Pakistan. Instead they destroy

them. Schools should be built for girls everywhere. But it is not

only the girls who are being robbed of their classrooms. At the nearby

boys' primary school, the study in the shadow of their former school,

which was reduced to rubble in December. The damage done was

immense. Three bombs were planted and they bought the building to the

ground. I am standing on the roof of the school. 160 boys used to

come to classes here but about 40 have not returned since the bombing.

The headmaster says their parents are too afraid to send them.

the headmaster is so worried, he has bought a gun.

You are ready to use this to defend the pupils? Yes. To defend my

children. And my teachers. We are not satisfied with this situation,

but we tried to teach our children. Back at the girls' school, class is

over and the pupils head for home. Among them, many other Malalas,

young girls who are a study encourage. -- In my coverage.

It was an international match that was marred by violence and racial

abuse from the terraces, as England under-21s took on Serbia last

October. Today, two of the England players punished for their conduct

spent several hours at an appeals panel trying to convince UEFA to

overturn their bans. The job for their appeals paddle

was to clear up at last the stink from these ugly scenes when England

Under 21s played Serbia. Dennis Rose displayed his disgust at the

racist chanting of the fans. A Uefa disciplinary panel then banned two

England players and six members of the Serbian team as well as fining

the Serbian FA. At the hearing, Steven Caulker had his two match

ban reduced to a reprimand, but Tom Ince is still banned for the first

game of the Under 21 tournament. Serbia will have to play their next

two games behind closed doors. There fine is the same, �69,000.

Clearly, the incident was very disturbing, the sort of which I

have never seen in my time in football and we never want to see

again. What is bemusing and exasperating the FA at Wembley is

that everyone agrees that something needs to be done about the

continuing problem of racism in football. The problem is, that the

messages emanating from parent governing bodies, such as Uefa, can

appear rather mixed. 18 months ago, the Bulgarian Football Association

was fined �34,000 after its fans directed muggy chance at Ashley

Young. Contrast that with the �80,000 hit Nicklas Bendtner took

at last year's Euros, for displaying unauthorised sponsorship.

The scoreline in the game last October was 1-0 to England. The