Baby Poisoning: Dad Says Child 'Was Suffering'

The father of a baby who died after contracting an infection from a suspected contaminated drip says he hopes his death will prevent other babies dying.

Nine-day-old Yousef Al-Kharboush, who was born eight weeks premature, passed away on Sunday while being treated at St Thomas' Hospital in London.

With three new cases, 21 babies have now been struck down with blood poisoning in neonatal intensive care units in 10 hospitals.

It is believed an intravenous fluid supplied by the London-based pharmaceutical firm ITH Pharma is to blame.

All the babies were given a fluid called parenteral nutrition, which is supposed to deliver a variety of nutrients intravenously when a baby is unable to eat on its own.

Speaking at a pre-inquest review at Southwark Coroner's Court, Yousef's father Raaid Sakkijha said: "My son has just died. I don't want more children to.

Yousef died at St Thomas' Hospital in London

"If you looked at Yousef, he was dying because of this product. He was suffering. He died because of this."

He added: "The hospital was very helpful. It was just an unlucky incident.

"I was hoping to hear this product would be completely stopped from production until they make sure that... no other babies are being contaminated.

"I won't have a baby in the next nine months but I hope other people who have babies will be safe."

Consultant neonatologist Dr Karen Turnock, from St Thomas' Hospital, said Yousef became "increasing unstable" before his death and tests showed evidence of the bacterium known as bacillus cereus.

ITH Pharma has said the suspected contamination has been traced to a "sourced" single raw material ingredient.

It is understood all of the other babies are responding to treatment with antibiotics.

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Madeleine Search: Needham Family's Sympathy

No Trace Of Ben In New Police Hunt

Updated: 10:17pm UK, Friday 26 October 2012

British police have ended their latest search for Ben Needham who disappeared on the Greek Island of Kos 21 years ago.

A fresh hunt was launched by South Yorkshire Police along with Greek officers on October 19 after doubts emerged about whether parts of the site where he went missing were examined thoroughly at the time.

The 21-month-old Sheffield boy, who moved to Greece with his mother and grandparents, disappeared from a remote spot next to a farmhouse that his grandfather Eddie was renovating.

Detective Superintendent Matt Fenwick said: "Police teams out in Kos have not found anything this week.

"The search has now been completed at about 4pm, Greek time today (Friday). South Yorkshire Police are continuing to support the Greek authorities and Ben's family."

Over the last week, experts focused their search on a large mound, which was grassed over, near the farmhouse.

One theory is that Ben could have been buried beneath building material which was dumped there at the time he went missing.

During operations, sophisticated radar equipment was used to provide penetrating images from below ground level.

Olive and lemon groves surrounding the farmhouse were also examined.

Police also discovered parts of toys that Ben may have been playing with before he disappeared.

Despite a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to him, no trace of the youngster has been found.

South Yorkshire Police renewed their search following a request from Greek police for extra support, which involved a forensic archaeologist and search dogs.

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Bid To Boost Rape Convictions 'Not Enough'

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Reporter

A new action plan to increase the proportion of successful rape convictions has been announced by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

But it has already been criticised by one rape support group.

Women Against Rape claims not enough is being done to encourage victims to report the crimes against them.

The group said: "We're outraged to see the rape action plan announced in a press release today by the CPS and police given that they are at the same time going after women reporting rape for so-called false allegations, with more vigour and resources than we ever see them go after rapists."

In the past year there has been an overall rise in the number of police referrals, prosecutions and convictions for rape. 

But the proportion of court cases that result in conviction has fallen by 4.2%.

To try to improve conviction rates the CPS's new action plan includes:

:: Updating the joint police and CPS national rape protocol

:: The monitoring of police decisions to take no further action in rape cases

:: New practical guidance for frontline police officers and prosecutors

Announcing the new plans, Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said: "I am determined to ensure our long-term progress to tackle rape continues, particularly in dispelling the myths and stereotypes surrounding these types of cases.

"The new action plan makes very clear that, as with cases of child sexual abuse, the focus of any investigation and case preparation should not be on the credibility of the victim but on the credibility of the overall allegation, including the actions of the suspect."

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt, National Policing Lead on Adult Sex Offences, said: "This is absolutely about helping victims of rape. This is about showing, and continuing to show, our commitment to improving the way we deal with rape."

Some estimates suggest there are as many as 85,000 rapes committed every year in England and Wales, only 10% of which are reported to police. 

One victim told Sky News there are still "myths" surrounding rape.

She said: "But I think the big problem is the prosecutors in court are still allowed to use myths, as are the defendants.

"I actually wrote to Alison Saunders after there were serious flaws in my case and I never got a response.

"I did say to her changes should begin in the justice system before you tackle the myths of the general person in the street."

When asked what she thought of the latest measures, she said: "We've heard it all before.

"I now campaign for Women Against Rape, from their history and the short time I've been there, every year or every so often we see these guidelines are going to be brought out or there's a press release saying we're going to do things better and nothing ever changes."

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Conservatives Hold Newark In By-Election

The Conservatives have held off a challenge from UKIP and retained the Nottinghamshire seat of Newark in a by-election.

Tory candidate Robert Jenrick received 17,431 votes, with UKIP's Roger Helmer second with 10,028.

This gives the Conservatives a significantly reduced majority of 7,403, down from more than 16,000 at the last general election in 2010.

Labour finished third, with the Liberal Democrats trailing in sixth place behind independent Paul Baggaley and the Green Party's candidate, David Kirwan.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage conceded the party had lost while the votes were still being counted, but in an interview with Sky News he hailed the result as the party's "strongest ever" by-election performance.

The party won just 1,954 votes four years ago.

The candidates on stage at the count

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the former Conservative MP Patrick Mercer over allegations he took cash for asking questions in Parliament.

The turnout was 52.8%.

The full result is as follows:

:: Robert Jenrick (Conservative): 17,431 (45.03%)

:: Roger Helmer (UKIP): 10,028 (25.91%)

:: Michael Payne (Labour): 6,842 (17.68%)

:: Paul Baggaley (Independent): 1,891 (4.89%)

:: David Kirwan (Green Party): 1,057 (2.73%)

:: David Watts (Liberal Democrats): 1,004 (2.59%)

:: Nick The Flying Brick (Monster Raving Loony): 168 (0.43%)

:: Andy Hayes (Independent): 117 (0.30%)

:: David Bishop (Bus Pass Elvis): 87 (0.22%)

:: Lee Woods (Patriotic Socialist): 18 (0.05%)

More follows...

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Arrests Made Over Tower Hamlets Election

Two people have been arrested as part of a probe into alleged voting malpractice at elections in Tower Hamlets, east London.

A 38-year-old man was arrested on May 13 in connection with an allegation of potential false declarations on nomination forms.

A 24-year-old man was also arrested on June 3 on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud in relation to postal vote applications.

Police said there were eight ongoing investigations in Tower Hamlets relating to voting in the local and European elections on May 22.

"These refer to one allegation of failing to put a correct imprint on election literature; one of making a false statement about a candidate; four of false declarations on nomination papers; and two relating to postal voting," a police spokesman said.

Six further election-related offences are being investigated in other London boroughs, police said.

These relate to four allegations of false declarations on nomination papers, one allegation of bribery, and one of forgery.

A 33-year-old man was arrested in Enfield, north London, in connection with potential false declarations, while three more men were interviewed under caution.

All three men arrested were released pending further inquiries and are due back in custody in late June and mid July.

Police said they had posted an officer to each polling station in Tower Hamlets on May 22 and were now working on a "robust policing plan" for the borough's by-election on July 3.

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Madeleine McCann Police Want To Extend Search

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 10:22am UK, Monday 02 June 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

:: May 8 - British Officers reportedly use a military helicopter to photograph potential excavation sites and hold a four-hour meeting with Portuguese colleagues to agree a timetable for new searches.

:: May 22 - Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley says the investigation will enter a "substantial phase of operational activity" in Portugal in the coming weeks. 

:: June 2 - Portuguese police seal off an area of scrubland to the west of Praia da Luz as they prepare to examine the potential excavation site.

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Pensions Changes At Centre Of Queen's Speech

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Sweeping reforms to boost pensions for millions of people will be the centrepiece of a Queen's Speech outlining new laws for the final year of the Coalition Government.

Changes in George Osborne's Budget will end the requirement for pensioners to buy an annuity to provide a guaranteed income and legislation is also expected on collective workplace pension schemes.

Stung by allegations of a "zombie Parliament" and claims that the coalition has run out of steam, David Cameron and Nick Clegg claim the programme will be "unashamedly pro-work, pro-business and pro-aspiration".

But there are likely to be only around a dozen major Bills, with the bulk of the 2010 Coalition Agreement now enacted and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats keen to differentiate themselves from each other.

In a coalition bid to rebuild trust with voters after a battering at the polls last month, the Queen's Speech will include a Bill giving voters the power of recall of MPs, with a by-election being triggered if 10% of voters sign a petition.

Another pledge with far-reaching implications for millions will be a 5p charge on plastic bags in supermarkets, pledged by Mr Clegg in his 2013 Liberal Democrat party conference speech.

This will not require primary legislation, because it is already provided for in the 2008 Climate Change Act and therefore will only need the passing of regulations in Parliament to enforce it.

The major Bills expected to feature are:

:: "Tax-free childcare" worth up to £2,000 per child each year, another move championed by the Liberal Democrats

:: Extra legal protection for people carrying out good deeds against liability for health and safety risks

:: A so-called "Cinderella law", outlawing emotional neglect of children by their parents

:: A hugely controversial Bill to authorise fracking, the exploitation of shale gas

:: Regulation of pubs, highlighted by Mr Clegg and Vince Cable in their pub photocall on the eve of the Queen's Speech.

Last year's State Opening of Parliament

In their joint statement, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg said the speech marks "the next big step in our long-term plan for Britain. Its aim: to secure the recovery for our country".

They added: "Its guiding principle: to back everyone who wants to get on in life.

"We may be two parties, with two different philosophies, but we understand one thing: countries rise when their people rise. So this Queen's Speech is unashamedly pro-work, pro-business and pro-aspiration."

On the pensions legislation, they said: "By no longer forcing people to buy an annuity, we are giving them total control over the money they have put aside over their lifetime and greater financial security in their old age."

And on the coalition's future in the final year before the election, they said: "Four years on, our parties are still governing together and still taking bold steps."

But Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "We would have a Queen's Speech with legislation which would make work pay, reform our banks, freeze energy bills and build homes again in Britain."

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Heathrow T2 'Teething Problems' Warning

Passengers using Heathrow's new £2.5bn Terminal 2 (T2) for the first time today are being warned to expect early teething problems.

Bosses at the west London airport are not expecting a repeat of the calamitous opening of Terminal 5 (T5) back in 2008, which led to travel chaos.

This is because T2 will open in phases, with only 10% of its eventual capacity being reached today.

The first flight - a service from Chicago scheduled to reach Heathrow at around 5.55am - will be operated by the American carrier United Airlines, which will have the terminal to itself in the first few days.

There will be a total of 34 flights to and from the terminal today, involving 6,000 passengers.

Six thousand passengers will use the terminal on its first day

By the end of this year more than 20 airlines will have moved in, with 330 flights a day to 50 destinations.

T2 boasts 60 check-in gates and 66 self-check-in kiosks, 29 security lanes, 33 shops, 17 restaurants, more than 7,000 seats, 634 toilets and 42 water fountains.

John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow development director and chief executive designate, said the airport had "sought advice from other airports around the world and learnt lessons from opening T5".

He added: "Heathrow is confident but not complacent about the opening. We recognise that there will inevitably be some teething problems in the first few days.

"We will be focused on identifying and resolving issues as quickly as possible to deliver a smooth journey for passengers."

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Harris Denies 'Deliberate Lie' To Sex Trial

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter, at Southwark Crown Court

Entertainer Rolf Harris has deliberately lied in his sex trial, jurors have been told, after new video evidence was shown to the court.

Harris, 84, said last week he had never been to Cambridge - where an alleged assault took place - until four years ago for an exhibition of his paintings.

But evidence was shown to the court which showed him being in the university city in 1978, taking part in a programme called Star Games.

The trial has heard the alleged victim was around 14 when she claimed Harris touched her bottom when he took part in an It's a Knockout style event held in Cambridge.

In the footage seen by jurors Harris was described as being the captain of the theatre team as it took part in the game show, with prosecutor Sasha Wass QC saying he "was jumping up and down like a kangaroo".

Harris arrives at Southwark Crown Court

His teammates included Dr Who star Colin Baker, actress Rula Lenska and seventies comedian Robin Askwith.

Ms Wass added the video "supported everything the witness had said... apart from the year - she got that wrong".

Ms Wass added: "You told the jury last week with such confidence that you had never been to Cambridge until four years ago. That was a deliberate lie."

Harris replied: "No, it wasn't. I didn't find out it was Cambridge until I saw the video.

"None of the performers knew they were in Cambridge."

The video began with aerial shots of Cambridge and was introduced by Michael Aspel welcoming viewers to he city.

After it was screened, Ms Wass said:"You didn't know you were in Cambridge? Michael Aspel knew."

Harris said: "We all went on a coach and were deposited on a green with changing rooms."

Ms Wass continued: "You deliberately lied to mislead the jury."

Harris said: "I'd forgotten the event."

Ms Wass said: "It was a deliberate lie."

Harris said: "No, a lapse of memory."

He again insisted that all of the women who have given evidence against him had lied.

At one point the judge rebuked Harris after he threw a question back at the prosecution, telling him: "This is not a verbal joust."

The artist's daughter Bindi Nicholls, 50, also gave evidence, telling how she was once "best friends" with the main complainant in the trial.

Mrs Nicholls told the court she had been delighted that the woman went on holiday with her and the Harris family in 1978. 

When asked by defence QC Sonia Woodley if she had ever seen her friend "looking flustered, or any change in her behaviour during the holiday," she replied she had not.

The woman has told the court she was groped by Harris as she stepped out of a shower and when he wrapped her in a towel on the beach during the trip.

Mrs Nicholls said of the alleged beach incident: "That would be weird. You put a towel around little people not a grown teenager, they would dry themselves.

"That would be strange, odd. I can't see that happening at all."

She added:"My dad doesn't like going on the beach. He hates sunbathing. He maybe goes snorkelling."

When asked about claims from the main complainant that her father had performed a sex act on her friend as she was asleep on the next bed, Mrs Nicholls said that was "laughable" and "ridiculous".

She added she had never seen her friend as the depressed and broken woman she had told the court she became after Harris allegedly assaulted her.

Mrs Nicholls said: "She always seemed very happy, jolly, alive."

Earlier Mrs Nicholls had broken down in tears as she described as "devastating" the Harris family south London to Berkshire in 1981, adding that it was like "moving to the moon".

Harris denies 12 counts of indecent assault on four women aged between seven and eight years old and 19 between 1968 and 1986.

The trial continues.

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Madeleine McCann: UK Cops Search Scrubland

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 10:22am UK, Monday 02 June 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

:: May 8 - British Officers reportedly use a military helicopter to photograph potential excavation sites and hold a four-hour meeting with Portuguese colleagues to agree a timetable for new searches.

:: May 22 - Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley says the investigation will enter a "substantial phase of operational activity" in Portugal in the coming weeks. 

:: June 2 - Portuguese police seal off an area of scrubland to the west of Praia da Luz as they prepare to examine the potential excavation site.

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