D-Day: Queen Hails Courage Of Normandy Troops

The Queen has paid tribute to the "sheer courage" of the Allied troops who stormed ashore on D-Day 70 years ago to liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny.

And as events marking the anniversary of the Normandy landings drew to a close, the monarch warned peace and prosperity can never be taken for granted.

The Queen has attended a State Banquet hosted by the French President

Speaking at a banquet in Paris, the Queen said the commemorations honouring the veterans and their fallen comrades, had left the Duke of Edinburgh and herself "filled with emotions".

She added: "With sorrow and regret, remembering the loss of so many fine young soldiers, sailors and airmen; with pride, at the sheer courage of the men who stormed those beaches, embodied in the veterans among us; and with thankfulness, knowing that today our nations are free and sovereign because allied forces liberated this continent from occupation and tyranny.

The Duchess of Cambridge attended a tea party with British veterans

"Knitted together by common experiences of struggle, sacrifice and reconciliation, we remember those times in a way that strengthens unity and understanding between us."

Earlier, she had gathered in Normandy with veterans, politicians, and other heads of state including US president Barack Obama and Russia's president Vladimir Putin to mark the events of June 6, 1944.

Normandy veteran Ken Scott, 98, remembers his fallen comrades War veterans arrive for the service at Bayeux Cathedral

The D-Day operation, involving 150,000 Allied troops landing on five beaches, is history's biggest amphibious invasion, and changed the course of the Second World War.

In her address at the Elysee Palace banquet staged in her honour by President Francois Hollande, the Queen, who delivered parts of her speech in French, also sounded a note of caution.

She said: "Our peace and prosperity can never be taken for granted and must constantly be tended, so that never again do we have cause to build monuments to our fallen youth."

Soldiers landing on Juno Beach in Bernieres-sur-Mer on June 6, 1944

Earlier, at the main ceremony on Sword Beach, Mr Hollande told world leaders they owed it to the sacrifice of those who took part in D-Day to build a "fairer world".

And he called on people to show the same courage in fighting threats to peace, as the D-Day troops did 70 years ago.

David Cameron had also urged leaders to set aside their differences on the "incredibly moving" anniversary of the landings.

Described by wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult (operation) that has ever taken place", D-Day proved to be a pivotal moment of the Second World War.

Mr Obama applauds US veterans during the ceremony in Colleville-sur-Mer Cemeteries along the French coast are a focal point for the commemorations

It marked the start of an 80-day campaign to liberate Normandy, that involved three million troops and cost some 250,000 lives.

Services marking their sacrifice were held at beaches and war cemeteries across the region.

In Colleville-sur-Mer, Barack Obama joined Mr Hollande for a service at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, where more than 9,000 soldiers are buried.

In nearby Bayeux, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery, where 4,144 soldiers, 338 of them unidentified, are buried.

And further along the coast in Arromanches, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a memorial service following a tea party with British veterans - many making their final trip to Normandy.

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D-Day Veteran's Great Escape From Care Home

An 89-year-old Royal Navy veteran is on his way back from Normandy after "going AWOL" from his care home to see the D-Day commemorations.

Police were called to the man's nursing home in Hove, Sussex, on Thursday night when staff realised he had gone out at 10.30am and had not been seen since.

Bernard Jordan, a former mayor of Hove, took part in the commemorations and has since been pictured with "Candy Girl" ferry staff on the way back to England.

Mr Jordan's care home denied reports it had banned him from making the trip.

Mr Jordan pictured on board the ferry home (Pic: Stephen Tuckwell)

The pensioner was wearing his war medals when he left the Sussex town, but covered them up with a grey jacket and secretly boarded a coach to France.

Police initially searched the Hove area, speaking to bus and taxi companies and checking local hospitals in case something had happened to him.

Mr Jordan with a picture of when he was mayor (Pic: Gracewell Healthcare)

Then, at 10.30pm on Thursday - 12 hours after he was last seen - a younger veteran called to say he had met the pensioner on a coach on the way to France.

He said the pair were sitting in a hotel in Ouistreham, Normandy, where world leaders have been mingling with veterans to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Mr Jordan was heading home on Friday night and ferry staff member Sonia Pittam told Sky News the 89-year-old was "a game old boy".

She said: "He certainly has his wits about him, he didn't say much about the landings, just how pleased he was to be on board and couldn't believe how everyone was looking after them and all the people waving on the route to the harbour entrance.

"He kept saying 'all this for us?' I said 'that's as it should be', and he said he felt as though he was on a luxury cruise."

Mr Jordan's niece Susan Knowles said she was "very proud" of her uncle.

She told Sky News: "The last time I saw him would be at a family funeral that he made his way down to again, and we were all quite amazed that he'd made his way to Bournemouth to this family funeral, on the train, on his own.

"He sort of just came walking up and we were quite surprised to see him there, because of his age and that, we didn't expect him to be there.

"If he's determined to do something he will."

Care home boss Peter Curtis said staff at the home had tried to get Mr Jordan onto an accredited tour with the Royal British Legion but the request ended up being too last minute.

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One Dead In Seattle University Campus Shooting

A man has died and another three people have been injured after a shooting at a university campus in Seattle.

The incident happened at Seattle Pacific University in Washington state and a suspect is in custody.

Police in the city said the lone gunman, who opened fire with a shotgun, was pepper-sprayed by a student security guard and disarmed as he was reloading.

A police officer stands at the scene of the shooting

Several other students held him until police officers arrived.

Harbourview Medical Centre spokeswoman Susan Gregg said a man in his 20s has died and a woman also in her 20s is in surgery with critical injuries.

She added a 24-year-old man and a 22-year-old man are in a satisfactory condition. One of the two men injured was not shot.

Aid workers stand by

It is not known if the suspected gunman is wounded.

One student told a local television channel, KIRO 7 TV, that he heard a loud bang from a nearby classroom which his teacher initially thought was a science experiment.

The student, identified as Blake, said someone went out and came back and said: "I think someone's been shot."

Rana Levy (left) hugs Christine Smith (right)

"I was scared for about a minute," he said, adding he heard shouting and someone running past the door.

Then "cops come in through another classroom which was connected to ours and they escorted us out".

He added: "I just saw piles of blood on the ground, just scattered throughout the lobby.

Local pastor Tim Gaydos (left) prays with former student Chris Holt (right)

"And I actually stepped in a puddle ... I saw someone was on the ground. Someone was on top of them, their hands behind their head."

Another student, Jillian Smith, was taking a maths test when a lockdown was ordered.

After being locked in the classroom for around 45 minutes, police officers came to lead them out of the building.

Ms Smith said that on the way out she saw bullet casings and what appeared to be blood on the lobby carpet.

Fire engines at the university

"Seeing blood made it real," she said.

"I didn't think something like this would happen at our school."

The university said on its website: "Our heartfelt prayers are with our entire community. All evening classes are cancelled."

Around 4,000 students attend the Christian university, which is about 10 minutes from downtown Seattle.

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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%.

More follows...

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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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Newborn Dies As NHS Drips 'Poison 15 Babies'

An investigation is under way after a baby being treated in intensive care died from blood poisoning through an infection caught from a suspected contaminated drip.

Public Health England (PHE) said it is examining 14 other cases of septicaemia in babies at a total of six hospitals in England.

The infant who died was being treated at St Thomas' Hospital in central London.

The baby died on June 1, and the other two children who fell ill at the same neonatal unit are "responding well" to antibiotics, a spokeswoman for the hospital said.

"All babies on the unit are being screened for the bacterium as a precaution and enhanced infection control measures have been put in place to prevent any further cases," she said.

Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, where four children suffered infections

PHE said the 15 cases have been "strongly linked" with a number of batches of a liquid called parenteral nutrition, which was fed to the babies through intravenous drips.

The bacteria that caused the infection is called bacillus cereus, which is found widely in the environment in dust, soil and vegetation.

As well as St Thomas' Hospital, babies have fallen ill in neonatal intensive care units at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust (four cases), Whittington Hospital (one case), Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (three cases), CUH Addenbrookes (two cases) and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital (two cases).

Professor Mike Catchpole, PHE's incident director, said: "We have acted quickly to investigate this issue ... and we have taken action to ensure that the affected batches and any remaining stock of this medicine is not being used in hospitals."

Parenteral nutrition is usually produced under sterilised conditions to cut the risk that the product could result in infections.

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a Class 1 Drug Alert over the suspected batch of contaminated liquid.

Class 1 is the most critical alert and requires immediate recall. PHE said London-based ITH Pharma Limited, which makes the batch in question, had already issued a recall notice.

The company's managing director Karen Hamling it was "very saddened" by a baby's death and the firm is co-operating fully with the investigation.

Two babies fell ill at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital

Sky's Health Correspondent Thomas Moore said premature and seriously sick children were particularly vulnerable to infections.

He said: "(Officials) believe that there's probably nothing left of these batches in the supply chain.

"There's been a precautionary note to doctors and nurses asking them to check batch numbers.

"They believe that this has been contained, that it's been identified swiftly, although sadly not swiftly enough for this one baby."

PHE said investigations with the company had identified an incident that might have caused the contamination. 

It said most surfaces would test positive for the presence of the bacteria, which produces hardy spores that, in the right conditions, produce a toxin which causes illness.

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Sgt Bergdahl: Army 'May Pursue' Desertion Probe

The US soldier freed after being held nearly five years by the Taliban could still face charges over allegations that he deserted his post prior to his capture in 2009.

General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the Army may pursue an investigation and would "not look away from misconduct if it occurred".

The senior military adviser to the president told the AP news agency that the decision would fall to the Army, but cautioned against prejudging the matter.

Questions are swirling over Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl's ordeal, including whether his alleged desertion endangered fellow soldiers and may have even led to the deaths of comrades conducting search missions after he vanished on June 30, 2009.

Earlier, Barack Obama, who faces mounting criticism for agreeing to release five Taliban prisoners in exchange for Sgt Bergdahl's freedom, defended the actions despite the mystery surrounding the soldier's capture.

General Martin Dempsey hinted that a probe could be launched

Mr Obama said on Tuesday: "Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he's held in captivity.

"We don't condition that."

Sondra Andrews, the mother of 2nd Lieutenant Darryn Andrews, told the privately-owned Army Times newspaper that she believes her son was killed while on a mission to find Sgt Bergdahl.

She said the military told her that her son was on a mission to find a high-value Taliban target when he was killed in September 2009.

But she said that men who served with her son later contacted her and told her that their unit had been on a mission to find Sgt Bergdahl.

Five Taliban prisoners were released to secure Sgt Bergdahl's freedom

In 2010, the Pentagon concluded that Sgt Bergdahl walked away from his base in Paktika province, and the military curbed any high-risk rescue plans after an initial flurry of searches.

Greg Leatherman, the non-commissioned officer in charge of Sgt Bergdahl's unit has called for an investigation, saying that his fellow soldier "crawled away" from his post.

He said: "His welcoming as a hero is not something that sits well with me. I'm glad he is home and healthy, but there needs to be an investigation and the truth needs to be told."

A story published by Rolling Stone magazine in 2012 quoted emails Sgt Bergdahl is said to have sent to his parents that suggested he was considering desertion.

Meanwhile, a petition posted on the White House website that calls for desertion charges against Sgt Bergdahl has generated more than 10,000 signatures as of mid-day on Tuesday.

The motion must reach 100,000 signatures by June 30 to elicit a response from the Obama administration.

On Monday, the mayor from Sgt Bergdahl's hometown of Hailey, Idaho, urged Americans not to rush to judgment.

Sgt Bergdahl, 28, is still under the care of doctors at a US military hospital in Germany. It is not immediately known when he will return to the US to be reunited with his parents.

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Madeleine McCann: Digging Begins In 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.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

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.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Two Weeks' To Prepare For Cyber Attack

The National Crime Agency is warning computer users they have two weeks to protect against a "powerful computer attack".

It comes as US officials held a press conference accusing a Russian hacker of masterminding the scam and raking in £60m.

Two pieces of malware software known as GOZeuS and CryptoLocker are at the centre of the alert.

People are being warned to make sure their security software and operating system are both up to date, and to run scans to check for any problems.

Important files should also be backed up, said the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA).

The malware typically infects a computer via attachments or links in emails.

Bogachev is said to use the online monikers "lucky12345" and "slavik"

If a user clicks on one of them, the malware silently monitors activity and tries to capture any private information, such as banking details.

"(The links or attachments) may look like they have been sent by genuine contacts and may purport to carry invoices, voicemail messages, or any file made to look innocuous," the NCA warned.

"These emails are generated by other victims' computers, who do not realise they are infected, and are used to send mass emails creating more victims."

The agency said GOZeuS (also known as P2PZeuS) was responsible for hundreds of millions of pounds of fraud globally.

Sky's Technology Correspondent Tom Cheshire said: "We should all be concerned. It goes specifically after financial information, and if that is over a certain threshold it starts stealing it very silently without you necessarily noticing."

The second threat comes from the Cryptolocker malware, activated if the first attack is not profitable enough.

It locks a user out of their files, for example photos or music, and threatens to delete them unless a "ransom" of several hundred pounds is paid.

More than 15,500 computers in the UK are infected and "many more" are at risk, according to the NCA.

Computers running Windows software are said to be most vulnerable

Stewart Garrick, a senior investigator with the NCA, told Sky News the threat was mainly against individuals or businesses running Windows-based computers.

"It's utterly indiscriminate - it doesn't care what machine it falls on.

"It's there purely for the criminals to harvest your money direct from your bank account, or by demanding a ransom to get your files back."

FBI action in the US had weakened the network of affected computers, said the NCA, "meaning that action taken now to strengthen online safety can be particularly effective".

Thirty-year-old Russian Evgeniy Bogachev is the alleged leader of the gang behind the attacks, FBI executive assistant director Robert Anderson told a news conference in Washington DC.

"They (the FBI) have disrupted the network and taken control of it," said Sky's Tom Cheshire.

"So when the hackers try to speak to the computer that's affected, that line of communication has been cut off.

"You now have a chance to clean up. The first thing you should do is update your operating system - especially if you're on Windows, then look to scan your computer for viruses and it should be able to find it."

For more information visit www.getsafeonline.org/nca.

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Qatar Committee Rejects World Cup Bribe Claims

The committee which ran Qatar's successful campaign to host the 2022 World Cup has denied any wrongdoing after new reports of corruption in the bidding process.

The Sunday Times claimed Mohamed Bin Hammam, a former Fifa executive member for Qatar, made payments totalling $5m (£2.98m) to football bosses to secure support for the bid.

But the committee said: "We vehemently deny all allegations of wrongdoing", adding it won the right to hold the 2022 football tournament "because it was the best bid".

Mohamed Bin Hammam, former Fifa executive member for Qatar

It said Mr Bin Hammam played no official or unofficial role in the committee.

And it added it was co-operating fully with the ongoing investigation of Fifa's Michael Garcia and remained totally confident that any objective inquiry would conclude it won the bid to host the World Cup fairly.

FA chairman Greg Dyke said the allegations were "very serious" and if proved to be true then the bidding process should be re-run.

Lusail Stadium which would host the final of the 2022 World Cup

He told Sky News: "If there's a proper investigation and that investigation says there was corruption involved...then obviously there will have to be a re-vote."

A Fifa vice-president has told Sky News that if evidence of corruption in Qatar's bid is found then a re-vote would have to be considered.

Jim Boyce told Sky News: "I have absolutely no doubt that if there's concrete evidence being supplied by Mr Garcia (Fifa's chief investigator) to Fifa and to the executive committee then it's got to be taken very seriously and I hope the right decision would be made at that time."

The paper claims Mr Bin Hammam used 10 slush funds to pay cash to football officials in order to create a "groundswell" of support for Qatar's campaign.

Mr Bin Hammam with Fifa president Blatter in 2010

Millions of emails and other documents relating to the payments were obtained by the newspaper.

Mr Bin Hamman also allegedly hosted lavish junkets for African officials at which he handed out almost $400,000 in cash.

It is also alleged he paid $1.6m (£950,000) into bank accounts controlled by Jack Warner, the former vice president of Fifa, some $450,000 (£268,000) of which was paid before the vote for the World Cup.

The newspaper said Mr Bin Hammam declined to respond when asked about the claims.

The decision to award the World Cup to Qatar has proved controversial

Speaking on Sky's Murnaghan programme, a former director of public prosecutions said there could be criminal proceedings.

Ken MacDonald said: "This is evidence of very serious crime and the fact that the allegation is that they used dollars, US dollars, means that the Justice Department in Washington has jurisdiction over this.

"If the Justice Department started to take an interest in this then I think Fifa would feel the heat very very quickly."

Mr Bin Hammam was banned for life from football administration by Fifa's ethics committee shortly after a failed campaign for the presidency in 2011.

People celebrate after Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010

In 2010, he was among the 22 people who decided to award the World Cup to Qatar.

The decision provoked widespread condemnation, and concerns about the safety of players, who will play in extreme heat.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Savile's 500 Victims Were As Young As Two'

Jimmy Savile abused at least 500 people as young at two years old, according to an NSPCC study.

The figures emerged as a lawyer for many of his victims told Sky News a similar scandal could occur today unless a law of mandatory reporting is introduced compelling those who know about abuse to tell the authorities.

The NSPCC study, commissioned for BBC Panorama, exposes a confidential report that examines the extent of Savile's offending at hospitals.

Liz Dux, who represents 170 of the victims, told Sky News: "This report looks at those in authority who knew, who were effectively complicit in what Savile was up to, who knew and allowed him to continue for the sake of their organisation because he was raising money or giving their organisation kudos or because of his celebrity status.

Liz Dux fears a scandal like Savile could occur again

"If he had been stopped earlier so many ruined lives could have been saved.

"What is so disgraceful is that these people who knew and allowed him to continue can't be brought to task.

"At the moment we don't have any kind of law of mandatory reporting and that's what we want to change … so that never again can people put their own organisation before the safety and welfare of children.

"Until we have a change in the law I'm afraid this kind of dreadful scandal could happen again.

"It is dangerous to say this is something that happened in the 1970s and couldn't happen now.

Jimmy Savile abused more than 500 people, the NSPCC say

"I'm still seeing examples of abuse in schools where head teachers have been told of abuse and have failed to take action because they're worried about the reputation of their establishment."

The NSPCC uncovered Savile's unprecedented access to Broadmoor hospital, where some of his abuse took place.

The most common age group for Savile's victims was 13 to 15 - but the youngest alleged victim was just two years old.

Peter Watt, the NSPCC's director of child protection, said: "There's no doubt that Savile is one of the most, if not the most, prolific sex offender that we at the NSPCC have ever come across."

One of Savile's victims, Sylvia Edwards, told Sky News those who knew about his behaviour should face justice.

Sylvia Edwards was abused by Savile at Top Of The Pops

"He's destroyed a lot of lives and in a way we've all allowed it because we've let it go on for so long without saying anything," she said.

"The people who allowed it should all be held accountable."

Reviews into how Savile was allowed to abuse so many people at the BBC and in 33 hospitals will be published this year.

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Three Spectators Killed In Scotland Rally Crashes

One woman and two men have been killed and six others injured in two separate accidents during a road rally in Scotland.

The crashes took place during the Jim Clark Rally at Little Swinton, in the Scottish Borders.

The first accident occurred at 2.05pm when a car left the road and collided with five people.

Police attend the crash scene in the Scottish Borders

Two men sustained fractures in the crash, while two other people received minor injuries.

A girl was also taken to hospital where she remains in intensive care.

The second crash occurred around 4pm when another car left the road, striking four spectators.

Police Scotland Superintendent Phil O'Kane said one woman and two men were pronounced dead at the scene.

A fourth person was taken to hospital in Edinburgh, he added.

Police say the two drivers involved in the crashes were not injured.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has expressed his sadness following the two accidents.

"This is desperately sad and difficult news from the Borders of the tragic circumstances that have occurred at the Jim Clark Rally," he said.

"The police have confirmed three fatalities and my thoughts are with all of those involved and the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives.

Alex Salmond: "This is desperately sad and difficult news"

"The government is in contact with Police Scotland and we await the outcome of their inquiries. The Jim Clark Rally is a long-standing event of over 40 years.

"It is much loved in the Borders and by the rally driving community who I know will share in our sadness at what is a black day for the Borders and for Scotland."

The Jim Clark Rally takes place over three days on closed roads in the Duns and Kelso areas.

The rally course is described on the event's website as having "a reputation for being fast with big jumps, ditches and hedges".

The event is named after Scottish Formula One driver Jim Clark, who was raised in the area. Clark died in a motor racing accident in Hockenheim, Germany, in 1968.

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Kidnapped US Soldier Released After Five Years

A US soldier held for nearly five years by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been released in a prisoner swap.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, from Idaho, was freed in exchange for America turning over five Taliban detainees held in Guantanamo, to Qatari custody.

Sources say he is "weakened, scared and vulnerable", and is undergoing a medical examination in Germany.

President Obama at the White House with Sgt Bergdahl's parents

His release follows months of indirect contact with the militants, with Qatar acting as intermediary.

The parents of the freed soldier, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, said in a statement that they were "joyful and relieved".

"We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son," they said.

Speaking at the White House with Sgt Bergdahl's parents by his side, US President Barack Obama said: "The Qatari government has given us assurances that it will put in place measures to protect our national security."

Sgt Bergdahl was released in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees

He added that while Sgt Bergdahl was gone, "he was never forgotten".

Mr Obama expressed his gratitude to the Amir of Qatar for helping secure the soldier's release, and also the support of the Afghanistan government.

Sgt Bergdahl was taken prisoner in the Paktia Province of Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

His father, Bob, has previously published a video to raise awareness about his son's ordeal and to try to secure his release.

There was a continuing campaign in the US to secure the soldier's freedom

Mike Baker, a former CIA operations officer, told Sky News: "It's been a long time coming.

"It's been a very frustrating exercise over the years, in part because for quite along time it was not clear who we were supposed to be negotiating with.

"People are extremely happy here he's back."

On the US policy not to negotiate with terrorists and concerns the exchange could lead to further hostage-taking, Mr Baker said this was a consideration, but added: "We had to get our guy back.

"We have a very strict policy as does the UK, we don't leave people behind. This was just a festering wound for all of these years. It had to be dealt with."

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