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'Guess what, mum? I'm in North Korea filming with the BBC - they're shooting tomorrow.'

A former Coronation Street actor yesterday denied sexually assaulting a teenage boy. Andrew Lancel, 42, of Gateacre, Merseyside, was charged last November under his real name of Andrew Watkinson. The actor is best known for his role as factory boss Frank Foster in the ITV soap. Watkinson appeared at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday wearing a grey suit, white shirt and grey and black chequered tie. He pleaded not guilty to six counts of indecent assault of a child under the age of 15. The charges relate to one male and the offending allegedly took place between 1993 and 1994, the court heard. He arrived at court supported by his wife Louise and was granted bail until his five-day trial starts on June 3. When arrested and charged with the offences last November, the accusations forced him to pull out of a Sleeping Beauty Christmas pantomime. His lawyer Stuart Nolan insisted last year after the charges were announced that Watkinson 'strenuously denies the allegations' and was '

Two young siblings reported missing on New York's Long Island have been found dead. The fully clothed bodies of Ralph Knowles, 5, and Sharon Knowles, 7, were pulled from the black waters of a neighbor's pool in 50-degree temperatures on Sunday, police said. Authorities received a 911 call at about 3.30pm from a mother reporting that her children had disappeared from their home in Central Islip, said Detective Sgt. Edward Fandrey of the Suffolk County police homicide squad. While searching the neighborhood, an officer spotted a shoe floating in a next-door neighbor's above ground pool, which was uncovered and contained blackish water, Fandrey said. Officers jumped into the 4-foot-deep pool and discovered the unconscious bodies of Ralph and Sharon . The brother and sister were taken to Southside Hospital, where efforts to resuscitate them failed, Fandrey said. The pool is surrounded by a deck. The pool and deck are both are sunken into the ground and surrounded by a low, woo

Police are edging closer to resolving a gruesome 'honour' killing in Jordan. The burned body of a pregnant woman whose throat had been slit and belly cut open, which was found on Sunday by police in Jordan, was autopsied yesterday, in a bid to find her killer. The woman, likely to be unmarried, was murdered in a so-called 'honour killing', police concluded, based on the grotesque manner of her murder which involved her stomach being cut open, showing her four-month-old foetus. The burned body of a pregnant woman was found in the city of Amman, Jordan (pictured) 'We found the body of the woman at dawn in Ruseifeh (east of Amman). Her throat was slit in a hideous way. The body was burned after the murder,' a police spokesman said. 'We believe it was an honour crime. The belly of the woman, who was in her twenties, was cut open and we could see her four-month-old unborn child, who was dead too. Investigations are still under way.' It is unclear exactly

China placed itself on a collision course with the U.S. today after accusing Washington of destabilising the Asia-Pacific region with its growing military presence in the area. Beijing said America's strategy of bolstering its alliances by sending more ships, planes and troops to the region 'frequently makes the situation tenser'. The policy, known as the 'pivot' to Asia, will see 60 per cent of the navy's fleet deployed to the Pacific by 2020. Show of strength: China has accused the United States of destabilising the Asia-Pacific region by sending extra troops, ships and planes to the area to bolster its military alliances (file picture) Singapore will be home to four new U.S. Littoral Combat Ships designed to fight close to shorelines, while Indonesia is looking to buy a broad range of American hardware and take part in joint maneuvers. The Philippines is seeking to host more U.S. troops on a rotating basis and Australia has agreed to allow up to 2,500 Ma

Putting your head through a hole in a cardboard cutout can be an amusing photograph opportunity for human beings - but now a new internet trend is letting our feline friends in on the act. This set of images shows how a series of cats have been indulging in cardboard art with hilarious results, with one cat transformed into a beefcake, while another rides a broom like a witch. One owner creates an astronaut design for their favourite moggie and a cat is turned into classic video game character Super Mario. In another funny snap a cat dons a pair of sunglasses. Another resembles an Indiana Jones-type character and others include a pet with a glass of wine and as a dinosaur. The pictures were uploaded onto the Sad and Useless blog and became an online hit. Nintendo star: One cat is turned into video game character Super Mario (left) while another looks lethal (right) What a hunk: One cat puts its head through a beefcake drawing (left), while another relaxes with a drink (r

Snoop Dogg Miley Cyrus , A Snopp Dogg Miley Cyrus song has inspired a new mentor in terms of Snoop to Miley. Also, a recent movie role has spawned a relationship as the former rapper-turned-reggae star, Snoop Lion, is offering advice to troubled star Lindsay Lohan. A report on April 16 from Heat World reveals the words of advice Snoop has given to both Lilo and Miley. Snoop had the following words to saw at the recent MTV Movie Awards this past Sunday: "Miley and I are both going through transformations and we love making music. We both speak from our hearts and I think she is one of the best musicians and personalities there is. People expect her to be the kid they watched grow up but she is an adult. She is a great musician. I love what she does and she loves what I do. It was brave of her to make the changes. I think people have a different idea about her but she is ready for this change. The song is one I already had made and her song came up and we didn't need to

He may be young, but he's already a proper Oakland Athletics fan, refusing any ball hit into the stands by the opposing team. During a game versus the Detroit Tigers, batter Victor Martinez knocked a foul ball into the stands that was caught by an A's fan. The kind fan passed it off to a father to give to his son. Scroll down for video This gracious fan offers the foul ball to a man sitting with his family The man then hands the souvenir to his young son But as soon as the dad turned back to thank the fan the boy threw it back onto the field. His big brother started shaming him which looks like it may have led to tears before the camera cut. Even worse, the Athletics lost, 10-1. Foul ball! Boy throws baseball back onto field after man catches... With the man turning back to thank the fan, the little boy throws the ball back to the field

An Alaska-based military policeman will serve 16 years in prison for selling secrets to an FBI undercover agent who he believed was a Russian spy. Spec. William Colton Millay, of Owensboro, Ky., pleaded guilty last month to attempted espionage and other counts. He was sentenced Monday and will now be dishonorably discharged. Military prosecutors painted him as a white supremacist who was fed up with the Army and the United States, and was willing to sell secrets to an enemy agent, even if that would cost fellow soldiers their lives. Defense attorneys said Millay was emotionally stunted, was only seeking attention and was a candidate for rehabilitation. Monday's proceedings were like a mini-trial conducted in front of the sentencing panel, with both sides calling two witnesses. FBI Special Agent Derrick Chriswell said Millay came to their attention in the summer of 2011 through an anonymous tip after Millay sent an email to a Russian publication seeking information about the milita

The administration rolled out a 'tax receipt' web page on Monday so people can see where their taxes are going in state spending, coinciding with the deadline day for Americans to file their annual returns. But while the White House made it easy to see how much -- or how little -- lower-income and middle-class earners pay to Uncle Sam, it made it difficult for ordinary taxpayers to learn how much the wealthy pay toward federal spending. The online receipt was set up to itemized what Americans' income, Social Security and Medicare taxes actually pay for, broken down along a long list of categories. It also provides a handful of example calculations. The White House's typical $80,000 earner who is married and filing jointly, for instance, pays $4,590 in federal income tax. Of that, more than $1,130 is devoted to national defense, another $1,030 for health care-related costs, and $792 to a category that includes food stamps, housing assistance and unemployment insurance.

These schoolchildren in southern China are so keen to get to school that they make the perilous journey on narrow wooden ladders every day, with no safety precautions. Their village in the remote Badagong mountains in Sangzhi county is surrounded by sheer drops on every side, making the school run a daily struggle. The only way out of Zhang Jiawan village, unless the children have time for a four-hour cross country detour, is via a series of rickety-looking ladders leading down to the valley below. Scroll down for video Terrifying: Children clamber down these unsecured ladders to get to school in Hunan province, China Precarious: This little girl balances her three bags leaving her only one hand to scale the mountain to get to school Uphill struggle: Staff at the school face a difficult commute to work on the enormous wooden ladders Their anxious parents have no choice but to let them use the ladders if they want to get an education. So when youngsters like five-year-old Li

The two bombs detonated in Boston near the finish line of the marathon sent a wave of panic across the country as fears of a copycat attack gripped cities from Washington, D.C. to New York. 'We're stepping up security at hotels and other prominent locations in the city through deployment of the NYPD's critical response vehicles (CRVs) until more about the explosion is learned,' NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. Security was increased at the White House and Pennsylvania Avenue has been shut down. London Marathon officials are reviewing security plans for its race this Sunday. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO On the lookout: Police officers on duty at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan yesterday after New York City heightened its security Inspection: A US Army soldier inspects a corner in Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan Close watch: Police officers and a US Army soldier keep a close watch over the busy terminal A S.W.A.T officer checks planters on a median in a r