▪ Madeleine McCann suspect Robert Murat has denied further claims he was seen near the young girl's apartment on the night she vanished, a friend has said. Two British sisters have told police they saw him outside the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz shortly after the alarm was raised, according to reports. If true, this would not directly implicate Mr Murat in Madeleine's disappearance but it would call into question his alibi. Mr Murat, 34, an Anglo-Portuguese expat, has always strongly protested his innocence and insists he was with at home with his mother all evening. Family friend Tuck Price suggested the women must have mistaken him for somebody else, adding: "He wasn't there." Annie Wiltshire, 58, of Aylesford, Kent, and Jayne Jensen, 54, of Maidstone, Kent, were on holiday in Praia da Luz at the same time as the McCanns, it was reported. They believe they saw Mr Murat smoking cigarettes near the Ocean Club at about 10.30pm on May 3 - about half an hour after Madeleine was found to be missing. The sisters were interviewed by British police after they returned home and have recently contacted Metodo 3, the firm of Spanish private detectives hired by Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, the reports said. An unnamed source close to Metodo 3 told the Daily Mail: "On reflection they all thought his behaviour was a bit odd. Jayne remembers seeing him outside the Ocean Club, smoking cigarettes, between 10.30 and 11pm. Every time they see him claiming he was not there on the night, they find it ridiculous." - 29th December 2007

▪ Private detectives searching for Madeleine McCann have reportedly received hundreds of calls after her parents' Christmas plea was shown around the world. Kate and Gerry McCann filmed it at their home in Rothley, Leicestershire. It included previously unseen footage of an excited Madeleine opening her gifts last Christmas. The broadcast prompted 347 calls from the public offering new information to their special hotline. The new leads will now be investigated by the family's private detective agency Metodo 3, based in Barcelona, Spain. The message came as the couple, both 39, endured their first Christmas without their daughter, who was three when she vanished in Portugal. Writing in his blog, Gerry said Madeleine "should not be spending Christmas away from her loving family". He wrote: "The person who took Madeleine has it in their power to end our suffering and will be able to appease their conscience that they have done the right thing - especially at this time of year. "Kate and I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time at this busy time of year to write to us and let us know Madeleine and our family are still in their thoughts and prayers. "We still have at least one hundred cards to open! As always, every single one will be opened and read and the support expressed helps renew our determination to find Madeleine.":: The number to contact for anyone who sees or has any information on Madeleine is 0034 902 300 213. - 26th December 2007

▪ Investigators are ploughing through leads with a "fine-tooth comb" from nearly 350 calls with information following a television appeal by Kate and Gerry McCann, their spokesman has said. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, 347 people phoned in with information relating to the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine. The leads are being followed up by the family's private detective agency Metodo 3 as Kate and Gerry, both 39, from Rothley, Leicestershire, stay with friends in Yorkshire. Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' family spokesman, said: "We are pleased with the calls and they are continuing to come in. Every single call is much appreciated and we are going through them with a fine-tooth comb. Any that need to be acted upon swiftly, are being acted upon swiftly." He added: "We don't go into detail because if there is any significant information, we need to act on it before we talk about it." It is nearly eight months since Madeleine disappeared from her parents' apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. Kate and Gerry McCann broadcast the plea for information on Saturday, which was filmed at their home. The broadcast, which was screened around the world, included previously unseen footage of an excited Madeleine opening her gifts last Christmas. Writing in his internet diary, Mr McCann said Madeleine "should not be spending Christmas away from her loving family". He wrote: "The person who took Madeleine has it in their power to end our suffering and will be able to appease their conscience that they have done the right thing - especially at this time of year. "Kate and I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time at this busy time of year to write to us and let us know Madeleine and our family are still in their thoughts and prayers. We still have at least one hundred cards to open! As always, every single one will be opened and read and the support expressed helps renew our determination to find Madeleine." The number to contact for anyone who sees or has any information on Madeleine is 0034 902 300 213. - 26th December 2007

▪ Kate and Gerry McCann will never give up hope in the search for missing Madeleine, a relative said. Kate's aunt Janet Kennedy said their family motto of leaving no stone unturned had changed to one of never giving up hope. She was speaking as Mr and Mrs McCann, both 39, from Rothley, Leics, endured their first Christmas without their four-year-old daughter, who went missing from the family's holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on May 3. Mrs Kennedy, who lives in Rothley with her husband Brian, said: "The motto has changed. Rather than not leaving any stone unturned, it is that we never, never give up hope. "Eight months on, we have become even more determined and resolute and it (the message) becomes that we never, never give up."We are still very much thinking of Madeleine and a lot of people are staying the course with us. People are showing that they are right in there with the family and that is very important."Kate and Gerry say that every day is a difficult day and we are just the same." Mrs Kennedy helped collect about 1,000 toys left for Madeleine at the village war memorial in the centre of Rothley in the months after she disappeared. Around two-thirds of those toys have now been distributed by the charity Samaritan's Purse to orphanages in Belarus. The presents, which include teddy bears and dolls, have been sent to orphans in the capital Minsk and to the town of Zhodino, 30 miles away, where 86 children aged three to seven live in cramped conditions. Many of their parents have died, become drug addicts or been sent to prison. - 25th December 2007

▪ Kate and Gerry McCann are enduring their first Christmas without their daughter Madeleine, who vanished in May. Their four-year-old daughter went missing from the family's holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz, with the bid to locate her attracting worldwide media attention. Her parents remain official suspects in the case, but deny any involvement in her disappearance. Kate's aunt Janet Kennedy said they will never give up hope in the search for Madeleine. She said: "Eight months on, we have become even more determined and resolute and it (the message) becomes that we never, never give up. "We are still very much thinking of Madeleine and a lot of people are staying the course with us. People are showing that they are right in there with the family and that is very important." "Kate and Gerry say that every day is a difficult day and we are just the same," Mrs Kennedy added. Before Christmas the McCanns made a new video appeal for their missing daughter, saying their only Christmas wish is to have her back. Mrs McCann said: "At this time of the year, when so many families are coming together, we beg you to help us be reunited with Madeleine. Please do the right thing and come forward." She added: "We're doing everything we can, Madeleine, to find you and there are so many good and very kind people helping us." "Our only Christmas wish is for you to be back with us again and we're hoping and praying that that will happen." Gerry McCann said that Christmas was going to be a very difficult time for the family. He said: "This is usually a time of great joy, especially for children. Clearly for us and the rest of our family it's going to be the hardest Christmas imaginable without our Madeleine here." - 25th December 2007

▪ A tennis bag that could have been used to move Madeleine McCann’s body has gone missing, it was claimed last night. Dad Gerry was reportedly seen with the holdall as he took up to three tennis lessons a day on the ill-fated holiday that ended with Maddie, four, vanishing. But the blue sports bag has been lost, according to a shock new TV special on the mystery that is gripping the world. Police are desperate to trace it to discover if it was used to carry the little girl’s body. Sources say police believe Maddie died in an accident inside the McCanns’ apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3. It is also reported that officers accused her parents of disposing of her body to mask negligence and dodge a manslaughter rap. The McCanns, both 39, deny any involvement in the disappearance. According to The Madeleine McCann Mystery – a Sky News special on tonight at 7.30 – the bag is vital to the investigation.But the McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: “Gerry’s baffled. He’s never owned such a bag. There simply is no missing bag. They are entirely innocent.” - 24th December 2007

▪ A list of 52 British paedophiles suspected of possible involvement in Madeleine McCann's disappearance has been whittled down to just one, Sky News can exclusively reveal. British police gave Portuguese detectives the details of 52 UK sex offenders with links to the Algarve, and all but one has now been eliminated. The private detective employed by Kate and Gerry McCann is also focusing on the possibility that British paedophiles were involved in her abduction, Sky News has learned. Ever since Madeleine disappeared on May 3, police have been looking for a blue tennis bag that went missing around that time. The bag - big enough to carry a small child - belonged to her father, Gerry McCann, who had been playing tennis at the complex that afternoon.Gerry and Kate McCann have always denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, though they remain arguidos, official suspects. Another twist is the discovery that the McCanns' holiday apartment is owned by another McCann - Ruth McCann, a teacher from Liverpool.Family were on holiday in apartment Family were on holiday in apartment Apparently, she is no relation, but the coincidence is enough to add one more conspiracy theory to the thousands that continue to circulate. Even now, when I talk to people about Madeleine many cannot understand why Kate and Gerry McCann left her and their two-year-old twins alone while they dined with friends at the nearby tapas bar. Mr McCann said it was much the same as them dining in their back garden at home, so as part of our new half-hour programme I was filmed walking from the restaurant table to the apartment. I strolled through the restaurant garden, out onto the road and up the hill. - 24th December 2007

▪ Kate and Gerry McCann have sent an anguished public message to their daughter Madeleine telling her: "Our only Christmas wish is for you to be back with us again." In a worldwide Christmas appeal recorded at their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, the couple told the four-year-old: "Be brave sweetheart." Madeleine, four, vanished from the McCanns' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3. Despite being declared "arguidos" - or suspects - by Portuguese police, her parents have spearheaded an unprecedented international campaign appealing for information which could lead to her return. They strenuously deny any involvement and believe that Madeleine may still be alive. The video, which is being made available to all broadcasters worldwide, also includes three clips of Madeleine filmed last Christmas which have not been seen publicly before. In one she is shown excitedly opening a parcel containing the same pink bag she took on holiday in May. In another she is carrying a gift from her to her brother Sean, while in a third she is standing on the kitchen table. Sitting in front of the family Christmas tree with his wife by his side, Gerry McCann speaks of how this will be the "hardest Christmas imaginable". The couple each discuss the possibility that someone knows what happened to their daughter, who vanished while they were eating in a tapas restaurant yards away from where Madeleine was sleeping. And they make a direct appeal to such a person to end their "despair and anguish" at Christmas. Kate then speaks directly to Madeleine in the hope that she is watching, passing on her parents' love and that of her two-year-old twin siblings Sean and Amelie. "This special time of year is all about families coming together with love and peace," Mr McCann says in the three-minute-18-second video. "Clearly for us and the rest of our family it's going to be the hardest Christmas imaginable without Madeleine here." - 22nd December 2007

▪ Well-wishers have sent hundreds of Christmas cards and presents for missing Madeleine McCann to her parents. Kate and Gerry McCann have received "a post bag full of cards and presents for the children, including Madeleine", according to the family's spokesman Clarence Mitchell. The couple, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie, who are expected to be given the gifts sent directly to them. Mr Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry are strengthened by the sympathy and support that has been shown for them at this time of year. "They are extremely grateful to everyone who is supporting them and remembering Madeleine at Christmas time." arlier this week, the couple said Christmas would be an incredibly difficult time if Madeleine was not found before then. They said they planned to have a very quiet, private Christmas with family in the UK. The couple, both Catholics, are thought to be staying in Rothley for Christmas and are expected to attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve, where prayers will be said for their missing daughter. Mrs McCann's mother, Susan Healy, 61, said they are trying to make Christmas as normal as possible for the twins. Madeleine's grandmother, Eileen McCann, 67, said she will not celebrate Christmas this year but will leave a present on her granddaughter's bed as usual. - 21st December 2007

▪ Private detectives hired to search for Madeleine McCann have moved to plush new offices as questions emerge about whether they are giving good value for money. People who donated to the Find Madeleine Fund are seeing Metodo 3 pocket £50,000-a-month of their cash - without any apparent breakthrough. The group has not yet produced any evidence to back their claims that they know who took the girl. Boss Francisco Marco claims he knows the girl, who would be four years old now, is alive and could be reunited with her heartbroken parents Kate and Gerry for Christmas. But he was not available to speak to Sky News Online by phone and on arriving at his office in Barcelona, it was claimed he was out of the country - working on a different case. At a supposedly crucial stage in the inquiry, his luxurious new office - perched above a gay sauna in a grand, pillar-filled building - was in a make-shift state .There was just one staff member in sight, and when asked if Sky News Online could see Mr Marco, she replied: "He's not here, he's out of the country on business. Not with the Madeleine case, on another case." Her advice was to return in two hours, when the office would re-open. But on calling back at 4pm there were three staff and a small dog in the reception area, as well as a steady flow of people unloading boxes of files and other office equipment. They refused to say anything, and grew steely when Madeleine was mentioned. A few minutes later, a smartly-dressed detective arrived and refused to discuss anything to do with the case. He kept stressing: "I can't say anything. Only Clarence Mitchell (the McCanns' official spokesman) can talk about the case. I'm sorry." This was a far cry from Mr Marco's astonishing claims just a few days before that he knew who had kidnapped the little girl. His comments sparked reports of a stand-up row with the McCanns, who accused him of harming the chances of finding their daughter alive. - 20th December 2007

▪ Portuguese police allowed Madeleine McCann suspect Robert Murat to sit in on interviews with members of the so-called Tapas Seven, it has been reported. Detectives let Mr Murat act as a translator during interviews with friends of Kate and Gerry McCann who were dining with the couple on the night their daughter disappeared, according to newspaper reports. Days later the 33-year-old was named as an arguido, or official suspect. The Daily Mirror said Mr Murat was allegedly present during the interviews of Rachael Oldfield and Dianne Webster. However, a source close to the McCanns said it was understood that although Mr Murat did attend Ms Webster's questioning, he was not present when Mrs Oldfield was with police. The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "We can't comment on anything that's contained within the police file and clearly records of interviews and who attended them make up part of that file. "Any serious questions to be answered about the way the original interviews were conducted or who attended them will be central to our own private investigation, and the detectives who have been employed on our behalf will be looking into that." Portuguese police have questioned a crucial witness for the third time, according to the Daily Express. A waiter at the tapas restaurant is said to have been the first person to see Kate McCann when she raised the alarm after discovering her daughter had gone missing from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve on May 3. Mr Mitchell said: "Whatever any witness may claim Kate to have done in the immediate aftermath of discovering Madeleine was gone, she did not come out saying 'They've taken her, they've taken her.' Any other recollection from any other person about the immediate aftermath is a mistake." - 17th December 2007

▪ Madeleine McCann's younger siblings hope Santa Claus will bring their missing sister home for Christmas, their parents said in an interview on Sunday.Gerry and Kate McCann said they had bought presents for their daughter and would try to make Christmas as normal as possible for their toddler twins, Sean and Amelie. "They both seem to understand they will be getting presents from Santa, but have also asked if Santa will be bringing Madeleine home, which just about broke our hearts," the McCanns were quoted as saying in the Sunday Mirror. In a statement, the McCann's said their first Christmas without their missing daughter would be "incredibly difficult". Gerry and Kate McCann, named by police as formal suspects in the case, also renewed appeals for information to help find their daughter, who disappeared on holiday in Portugal. "Christmas 2007 will be an incredibly difficult time for us if Madeleine is not found before then," they said in the statement. "We plan to have a very quiet, private Christmas with family in the UK. "We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the last seven months and ask you to stay with us as the search for our daughter continues." Their daughter disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday during a family holiday in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz. The McCanns believe she was abducted from their holiday apartment as they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant. They hired private investigators to help find their daughter after police named them as suspects in September. The only other suspect is a Briton living in Praia da Luz. Despite a string of possible sightings and a huge police investigation, the girl's whereabouts remains a mystery. British and Portuguese forensic scientists met last month to discuss DNA evidence in the case. - 16th December 2007

▪ The private detective being paid by Kate and Gerry McCann to find their daughter has claimed he knows who took Madeleine and that he could have her back with her family before Christmas. Francisco Marco, the director general of Metodo 3, indicated that they were closing in on the four-year-old's abductor and preparing to hand over their "evidence" to police. Mr Marco also told the Spanish newspaper Metro that the girl, who was snatched from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve in May, might never have left Portugal. He said: "We have proof of her movements after her kidnap and we know she was alive the day after her disappearance. We are not certain she left Portugal. "I talk of certainties because we know which group may have her or could have kidnapped her to then sell her on to others." The detective added: "We know who kidnapped her. "We believe she is in an area not very far from the Iberian peninsula and north Africa. And we have a fairly certain idea who she is with. "I cannot say who she is with because we are putting together conclusive proof we can present to the authorities so they can proceed with their arrests." He added: "God willing, I hope that she will be back with her parents before Christmas." Mr Marco admitted he had no proof Madeleine was not dead but said he had to believe "100%" that she was because he only knew how to look for people who were still alive. The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said that the family was "pleased" the agency was so confident about ultimately finding Madeleine. He said: "Metodo Three, the private detective agency we are employing to help find Madeleine, retains our full confidence." - 14th December 2007

▪ Minutes before his daughter Madeleine disappeared, Gerry McCann told a fellow holidaymaker that he and his wife would have stayed in with their children if they had not been holidaying with friends.The revelation has been made by Bridget O'Donnell, a former BBC Crimewatch producer who got to know the McCanns at the Mark Warner resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal. She has now told her story for the first time. "I have always believed that Kate and Gerry McCann are innocent," Miss O'Donnell wrote in an article published by The Guardian. On the night of May 3, while walking their baby son to sleep, her partner Jes Wilkins bumped into a "relaxed and friendly" Mr McCann who had just checked on his children. "They talked about daughters, fathers, families," Miss O'Donnell wrote. "They discussed the babysitting dilemmas at the resort and Gerry said that he and Kate would have stayed in too, if they had not been on holiday with a group." Every night, the McCanns and their friends - whom Miss O'Donnell dubbed "The Doctors" - booked a large table at the Tapas restaurant at the Mark Warner resort. "One man was the joker," she recalled. "He had a loud Glaswegian accent. He was Gerry McCann." The night before Madeleine went missing, Miss O'Donnell and her partner - also a television producer - were placed at a table next to "The Doctors". Mr McCann invited them to join the group. "We discussed the children," Miss O'Donnell wrote. "He told us they were leaving theirs sleeping in the apartments. While they chatted on, I ruminated on the pros and cons of this." Sit-in babysitters at the resort were expensive and booked long in advance, while a group baby sitting service at the kiddie club meant that the children had to be put to sleep twice - both there and then back at their parents' apartments. "I admired (the McCanns), in a way, for not being paranoid parents, but I decided that out apartment was too far off even to contemplate (leaving their children)," Miss McDonnell wrote. "Our baby was too young and I would worry about them waking up." - 14th December 2007

▪ Posters of missing Madeleine McCann have been taken down in the Portuguese town from where she disappeared. Many shopkeepers, restaurateurs and hoteliers in Praia da Luz have pulled down pictures appealing for help in tracing the four-year-old. The church where parents Kate and Gerry McCann prayed for their daughter's safe return is reported to no longer be displaying an appeal poster. "It's not that the locals don't care about what happened but they just want to get the village back to how it was," one shopkeeper told the Daily Mail. "It's so many months on now and when it happened it just ruled everything here. For the locals it just got a little too much." Other residents said there was no point displaying the posters. "It no longer makes sense to display symbols of a child's disappearance when the parents are suspects." Clarence Mitchell, the spokesman for the McCanns, said the people of the holiday resort were still hoping for Madeleine's return. "The people of Praia da Luz were incredibly supportive when Kate and Gerry were there and we believe that affection and support is still there," he said. "They have nothing but fond memories and remain very grateful to the people of Praia da Luz for their help. "They believe they would still do everything they can to help them in the hunt for Madeleine." - 12th December 2007

▪ The parents of Madeleine McCann have met the seven friends they dined with on the day their daughter disappeared, their spokesman said. Held at a Leicestershire hotel at the end of last month, it was the first face-to-face meeting of the group, dubbed the Tapas nine, since the McCanns' return to Britain. Advisers for the Rothley couple were present, said Clarence Mitchell, but the former Foreign Office spokesman denied the private meeting was held for the friends to compare their accounts of May 3, the day the four-year-old disappeared. He said: "It was uneventful as far as we are concerned and it's not significant. "It is the first time the nine have sat down face to face. It was really just a get-together to discuss where they are at. "Clearly, some might face further questioning at some stage. It was not to change stories or compare notes. It was a get-together of friends who find themselves at the centre of a story." The McCanns were dining with the seven friends at a tapas restaurant in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz when Madeleine went missing from their holiday apartment. The party included the McCanns, Russell O'Brien and his partner Jane Tanner, Rachael and Matthew Oldfi eld, Fiona and David Payne, and Mrs Payne's mother Dianne Webster. Mr Mitchell added: "The meeting was as much a show of support for Gerry and Kate. This was in no way to get their stories straight. "This is the age of email and phone. They could have done that a long time ago." - 10th December 2007

▪ Portuguese police have “little faith” that their British counterparts will be able to solve the mystery of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in new interviews with her parents and their friends, it was claimed today.Over the next few days Leicestershire police will be asked to interview Kate and Gerry McCann and the seven friends who dined with them on the night their daughter went missing, on behalf of the Portuguese authorities. Missing Madeleine McCann The Portuguese detectives believe that – in the absence of conclusive forensic evidence – the key to unravelling the mystery of Madeleine’s disappearance shortly before her fourth birthday could lie with alleged inconsistencies in the statements given by the McCanns and their friends. “Only the confrontation of all those involved in the case can shed any light upon the events of the May 3,” a high-ranking police source close to the investigation told the Portuguese newspaper 24 Horas. But he expressed doubts that Leicestershire police could get the desired results, stating: “It will not be easy.” The Portuguese investigators will only be allowed to sit in on the questioning and make some suggestions. “It would be different if those involved were directly interrogated by our investigators and were targets of pressure,” said the source. “But it is very unlikely that the Leicester police will question the statements of the people who will be interrogated.” If the Portuguese team does not believe British police have answered all the questions, they may request members of the so-called Tapas Nine – the name given to Kate and Gerry McCann and the seven friends who dined with them on May 3 when Madeleine disappeared – return to the Algarve for further questioning. Clarence Mitchell, the official spokesman for the McCanns, said: “It is a matter for Leicestershire police on their standards, but we have seen nothing has ever given us any cause for concern. - 9th December 2007

▪ Portuguese detectives investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance could conclude their inquiry as soon as January 3, the lawyer for the first suspect in the case has said. Francisco Pagarete said a public prosecutor would decide early in the New Year whether to charge his client, Robert Murat, or the young girl's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann. Under Portuguese law, at that point the evidence-gathering process will end and the prosecutor will either formally accuse one or more of the three - all "arguidos" or official suspects - or shelve the case, he said. Mr Pagarete predicted this was most likely to happen on January 3, exactly eight months after Madeleine vanished from her parents' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz. The other possible date is January 14, eight months to the day after Mr Murat was named the first arguido in the child's disappearance, he said. Mr Pagarete said: "On that day we will know what is going to be the public prosecutor's choice. He either accuses according to the evidence they have already gathered, or according to the same evidence he files the case against my client." He went on: "It is the end of the inquiry for all of the defendants - the inquiry has to finish at the same time for everyone. At that time we will see all the decisions for all the defendants. I'm certain it will be either the 3rd or the 14th." The lawyer said he believed it was "not possible" for Algarve-based prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses to request additional time to gather evidence. "I think there is no legal way to go around the situation and say we need more time," he said. Mr Pagarete said Mr Murat was "not afraid of the result of the inquiry" because there was "nothing against" him. Mr Murat and the McCanns strenuously deny having any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance on May 3. - 7th December 2007

▪ Madeleine McCann’s parents might have been spared the anguish of being named suspects over her disappearance if Portuguese police had not rushed their case through before a change in the law, it has been claimed. DNA samples in Madeleine case 'amateurish' A new penal code was introduced on Sep 15 Kate and Gerry McCann were made arguidos - formal suspects - just eight days before new legal measures were introduced which would have required firmer evidence against them. The couple’s Portuguese lawyer has claimed that detectives may have deliberately fast-tracked the investigation to ensure they were put in the frame. Investigators named the McCanns, both 39, as arguidos on September 7 after allegedly finding microscopic traces of blood in their holiday apartment and "bodily fluids" they thought could have belonged to Madeleine in the boot of their hire car. Carlos Pinto de Abreu, a Portuguese lawyer on the McCanns’ defence team, said that under Portugal’s new penal code, police must have more than just suspicions to make somebody an arguido. "On September 15 a new procedural penal code was introduced making it necessary for there to be evidence against the citizen before they could be made an arguido. "Before this date it wasn’t necessary. You could be made an arguido without actual evidence against you," he said. "Maybe that is why the investigation took the turn it did - why they were named arguidos eight days before the new laws came in," said Mr Pinto de Abreu. His comments followed those of Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro, Portugal’s Attorney General, who recently admitted the McCanns may not have been made suspects under the new laws. - 6th December 2007

▪ A nanny at the complex where Madeleine McCann went missing says she saw one of the Portuguese police's main suspects outside the flat from where she disappeared. Charlotte Pennington, from Leatherhead, is one of several witnesses who have told private detectives hired by Madeleine's parents she saw a man matching Robert Murat's description outside the apartment Madeleine was asleep in at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Murat has always maintained he was at home with his 71-year-old mother when Madeleine disappeared on May 3. But according to national newspapers Miss Pennington, 20, says she saw Murat outside the flat at about midnight. She says she challenged him the next day but he denied being there. Miss Pennington saw Murat several days later in a supermarket talking to a mystery man who looked like a sketch of a person the police wanted to talk to. It is thought Miss Pennington, who lives with her mother in Reigate Road, Leatherhead, told police the man was "between 27 and 35 with medium build, very dark eyes and a Portugese or Spanish look" .The other two witnesses, both tourists, have given similar independent statements. Miss Pennington is believed to later have phoned British police to report seeing the man matching the description of the man wanted in connection with the disappearance at Faro airport on May 13. Miss Pennington has already spoken to Portugese police about the night four-year-old Madeleine went missing. She was one of the first people to go into the apartment after the little girl disappeared and is reported to have heard Kate McCann say "They've taken her,they've taken her". - 6th December 2007

▪ Portuguese detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann discussed three key areas when they visited police and forensic experts in Britain. First on the agenda was the DNA they submitted to the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in Birmingham. Mobile phone data recovered from the resort of Praia da Luz and establishing the process for interviewing or re-interviewing witnesses were also talked about. We have heard the significance that has been given to DNA - with traces found in the Renault Scenic hire car, apartments on the Portugal resort and also from items of property and clothing. In today's policing, DNA is a powerful tool, with Home Office figures suggesting officers get approximately 3,000 matches a month. I am certain that much of the work being undertaken by the FSS is low copy number (LCN) - a relatively new technique used to produce a DNA profile from very few cells. This technique would be used to target areas on items where Madeleine might have had contact. But with no significant development, it would suggest DNA evidence alone will not solve this case. Especially if parents Gerry and Kate McCann are being considered as key suspects, as Madeleine's DNA will be all over them and items they have had contact with. The team were also here to discuss mobile phone data, which was secured by British experts in the 10 days after Madeleine disappeared. Although initially not analysed, it has now been and will provide vital information about mobile phone usage in and around Praia on the days leading up to Madeleine's disappearance. This data will not be as precise as it is in the UK in locating exact position of the telephone user. This is because the triangulation depends on masts which are close together - and the masts are quite some distance apart in Praia de Luz. The third reason for last week's meeting was to discuss the interviewing of witnesses - including the Tapas seven - the people who were dining with the McCanns on May 3. - 5th December 2007

▪ Portuguese police are reportedly set to make a formal request to re-interview the friends of Kate and Gerry McCann over daughter Madeleine's disappearance. Sources told the SIC Portuguese news channel that a team of detectives and the prosecutor would fly to Britain next week for interviews. According to reports, they will deliver letters of appeal to British police, asking them to interrogate the friends, known as the Tapas Seven, again with Portuguese officers present. The McCanns were dining with friends when Madeleine went missing shortly before her fourth birthday in the resort of Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3. It was also reported police wanted to re-interview the McCanns but were refused permission without offering more evidence against the couple. The Daily Mail reported that public prosecutor Jose Magalhaes e Meneses refused to grant permission for the McCanns to be reinterviewed without seeing stronger evidence against them first. It said police and the prosecutor met for more than three hours to discuss the results of DNA tests carried out by the UK's Forensic Science Service. Saturday's reports come a day after four members of the Portuguese investigation team flew home from the UK following a meeting with British forensic experts to discuss DNA samples collected for the inquiry. The tests are said to have been carried out on blood samples, bodily fluids and hair found in the McCanns' holiday apartment and the vehicle they hired 25 days after the child disappeared. Both Leicestershire Police, who are helping their Portuguese counterparts, and the Birmingham-based Forensic Science Service have described the meeting as "routine". - 1st December 2007

▪ Kate and Gerry McCann are confident they will now be cleared of all suspicion over their daughter's disappearance following a crucial meeting between UK and Portuguese forensic specialists. The squad of detectives have now flown back to Portugal after reviewing the results of DNA tests carried out in the hunt for missing Madeleine. The tests, by the Birmingham-based Forensic Science Service, were on blood samples, bodily fluids, and hair found in the McCanns' flat and Renault car they hired 25 days after she disappeared. It is understood these results were inconclusive - scotching Portuguese detective theories that the couple killed their daughter and disposed of her body using the vehicle. Gerry said: "We have be n told that all the forensic test results are now available. "Kate and I are very hopeful now that any doubt what these important tests show will be removed. "As we have stated all along, we are confident that the results will no way incriminate us, and hopefully everyone can concentrate on finding Madeleine and her abductor." Writing in his blog, he also told how they have kick-started their campaign targeting southern Spain, North Africa and Portugal. The adverts, in railway stations and public transport areas, are the first wave of an £80,000 publicity drive in the region, the area private eyes say Madeleine is most likely to be in. Esther McVey, director of the Madeleine Fund, explained: "The aim is simple: to remind people that Madeleine is still out there to be found and to generate vital new calls to our confidential, anonymous phone line."So far, the response has been fantastic, but we still need people to call 00 34 902 300 213 or email investigation@findmadeleine.com if they have any information they feel is in any way relevant." - 30th November 2007

▪ Forensic experts from Portugal have arrived at Leicestershire Police HQ for talks with British specialists about DNA samples from the Madeleine McCann inquiry. Four members of the Portuguese investigation team are meeting scientists from the Forensic Science Service (FSS). It is understood that DNA samples taken from a car hired by the parents of Madeleine, Gerry and Kate McCann, will be discussed. There has been much speculation over whether the samples will implicate the couple in the disappearance of their four-year-old daughter. The pair remain official suspects but are not expected to be interviewed by the team from Portugal. The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "We understand there is no intention for the McCanns to be interviewed, or indeed anyone else. "Such a meeting should not be seen as surprising. We do not see it as a significant development." Leicestershire Police and the FSS both described the meeting as routine. A spokeswoman for the East Midlands force said: "Throughout the investigation there has been really good dialogue between the teams in Portugal and the UK but they felt it was a good time to sit down and talk face to face. "They are not going to be interviewing anyone else. It is a routine meeting and then they will be going home." The meeting comes after the rolling out of an advertising campaign in train stations and public transport areas across the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa to help find Madeleine. The little girl, from Rothley, vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3 while her parents dined nearby with friends. - 29th November 2007

▪ Portuguese police are expected in Britain shortly to discuss forensic evidence as part of the probe into missing toddler Madeleine McCann, her parents' spokesman said Wednesday. Reports indicated that two officers were due to arrive during the day, in the latest development over the disappearance of the three-year-old in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in May. Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Gerry and Kate McCann, confirmed that British police were due to talk to Portuguese experts about forensic evidence at the heart of the investigation. "We have this morning been informed by Leicestershire Police that a meeting between forensic scientists from Portugal and the Forensic Science Service (FSS) will be taking place in Leicestershire in the near future," he said. "We understand there is no intention for the McCanns to be interviewed, or indeed anyone else. Such a meeting should not be seen as surprising. We do not see it as a significant development," he added. It is understood the meeting will be about DNA samples collected from a car hired by the McCanns, which has been examined by the FSS at its laboratory in Birmingham, central England. Press reports in Portugal and Britain indicated that two Portuguese police were heading to Britain during the day. It is believed that the meeting with British counterparts will take place Thursday. Madeleine vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal on May 3, a few days before her fourth birthday, while her parents dined nearby with friends. Kate and Gerry McCann, who are both doctors, returned to England in the beginning of September after being named as official suspects in the case by Portuguese police. They have not been charged. - 28th November 2007

▪ A new advertising campaign has been launched across southern Spain in the hunt for Madeleine McCann. The ads, in railway stations and public transport areas, are the first wave of an £80,000 publicity drive and have been paid for by donations made to the fighting fund set up earlier this year. Meanwhile, Portuguese and British forensic scientists are set to meet to discuss DNA samples examined in the investigation. It is understood that they will focus on samples collected from a car hired by the Rothley four-year-old's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, which has been examined by the Forensic Science Service at its laboratory in Birmingham. Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Madeleine's parents, said: "We have this morning been informed by Leicestershire Police that a meeting between forensic scientists from Portugal and the Forensic Science Service will be taking place in Leicestershire in the near future. "We understand there is no intention for the McCanns to be interviewed, or indeed anyone else. Such a meeting should not be seen as surprising. We do not see it as a significant development." The Portuguese experts are thought to be in the UK and the meeting is expected to take place on Thursday. Madeleine McCann vanished from a holiday resort on the Algarve on May 3. Her parents were named as formal suspects in the case on September 7. They say they are innocent and have launched a high-profile campaign to clear their names and find their daughter. - 28th November 2007

▪ Questions are being raised over how long Kate and Gerry McCann can continue the hunt for their daughter after a huge slump in donations to Madeleine's Fund. When the young girl vanished on May 3, cash poured in to find her, but now it is comparatively little more than a trickle. The fund has £1,095,223.50 in its coffers, according to its website. But an estimated three-quarters of this will just be used to pay the six-month contract the McCanns took out with detective agency Metodo 3. The Spanish-based agency is likely to be charging around £2,000 a day, crime experts have told Sky News Online. When travel and other expenses are added, the final bill for the contract is likely to be as much as £750,000. And this does not cover the cost of publicity campaigns and other expenses as the McCanns focus their search on Morocco - the area they have been told Madeleine is most likely to be in. The McCanns are also using other specialists. But their spokesman Clarence Mitchell's reported £75,000 salary is being covered by millionaire Brian Kennedy. Other wealthy benefactors - like Richard Branson - have offered financial support to cover their legal bills. But it is not known how much money, if any, they have pledged towards the fund itself. Or whether they would step in if the McCanns ran out of cash. The couple, both 39, saw a massive drop in donations after they were named official suspects in the case, and it emerged they had used the fund to pay their estimated £2,000 a month mortgage. Their spokesman told Sky News Online it is natural for the flow of money to diminish after a fund's launch. - 27th November 2007

▪ Portuguese detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are visiting Britain for the first time, Sky News has learned. They will travel to the UK tomorrow to speak to police in Leicestershire - the county where the McCanns live. Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt said a team of four will fly to Britain. It may include Portugal's second most senior policeman Paulo Rebelo, who is now leading the inquiry. There will also be two forensic officers and a representative from the country's national pathology institute. As well as meeting officers from Leicestershire, they will also see forensic representatives from a Birmingham laboratory. The lab has been testing samples taken from the holiday apartment where Madeleine's family stayed and the car they hired. The team may also re-interview friends of Gerry and Kate McCann who had dinner with the couple on the night the four-year-old went missing. But it is thought less likely that they will speak to the McCanns themselves, Brunt added. Madeleine disappeared on May 3 in the resort town of Praia da Luz. - 27th November 2007

Robert Murat was the prime suspect. - 26th November 2007

▪ Detectives hired by Gerry and Kate McCann believe the couple's daughter Madeleine was snatched to order, is still alive and that she may be hidden in Morocco. Francisco Marco, 35, who is heading the team from his family-run Metodo 3 detective agency in Barcelona, has just returned to Spain after a two-week visit to the North African Arab kingdom. "At the beginning of October we picked-up a trail which we are following," he said in an interview with the Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo. "The country is perfect for hiding a kidnapped girl. There are a number of networks there dedicated to the trafficking of children, although they haven't been identified yet. "And, except in the north, where Spanish television can be seen, in the rest of the country nobody is aware of this case," Marco told the newspaper. Marco, a lawyer and criminologist, is the director-general of Metodo 3, which was founded 21 years ago by his mother, Marita Fernandez. It was chosen by the McCanns on the recommendation of multi-millionaire Brian Kennedy who is helping finance the now-worldwide search for Madeleine. Before agreeing to take on the case nearly three months ago, Marco said he and his mother had a long, hard and probing discussion with Gerry and Kate. Senora Fernandez told El Mundo: "I played devil's advocate and asked them terrible things to see their reactions. Kate burst into tears when one of the twins came in and hugged her. "As the mother and grandmother that I am, it strikes me as impossible that a woman that had to go through artificial insemination to have children, and who loves her children in this way, could have done anything bad to Madeleine." She claimed that words had been put into her son's mouth when British newspapers had quoted Marco last week as saying that Robert Murat was the prime suspect. - 26th November 2007

▪ Kate and Gerry McCann have made no plans for Christmas despite claims they are buying presents for their missing daughter. A spokesman for the pair have told Sky News Online that Christmas will just be another day without Madeleine, and their focus is on finding the vanished girl. Reports in a national newspaper claimed the family would leave presents for her under the Christmas tree in the hope she would be home in time to unwrap them. But their spokesman Clarence Mitchell dismissed the claims as "emotional guff". He said: "We haven't finalised plans for Christmas. We will speak about Christmas when the time is right. "Christmas will just be another day for Kate and Gerry. Let's get Madeleine home first - and then we can talk about Christmas. At the moment Kate and Gerry live from day to day, and one day isn't different from any other." He added: "If she's still missing at Christmas, then of course it's going to be an emotional time for them." The Sunday People quoted Madeleine's grandfather Brian Healy as saying the family are convinced she is still alive and are hoping for the ultimate Christmas miracle. The 67-year-old, who is Kate's father, was quoted as saying: "We will all buy her a Christmas present and they will be under the tree waiting for her when she comes home." He told the paper: "I will never forget how happy the whole family was last year as we watched the three children play so blissfully together. - 26th November 2007

▪ Portuguese detectives are reportedly set to end their hunt for missing girl Madeleine McCann. An elite team of senior officers took control of the investigation last month after it began to falter. But they could now pull out of the Praia Da Luz resort where Madeleine disappeared in May, according to Portuguese newspaper 24 Horas. It said the mystery is no nearer being solved despite new analysis of all the evidence. Portugal's second most senior policeman Paulo Rebelo had been sent to lead the new investigation team after claims the first investigators made a series of blunders. Alleged mistakes included the destruction of possibly vital forensic evidence. Meanwhile, a woman is threatening legal action over allegations she was spotted with Madeleine two days after the girl went missing on May 3. Michaela Walczuch, 34, is the girlfriend of Robert Murat, the first person to be named an official suspect in the case. - 23rd November 2007

▪ A lorry-driver told investigators he saw a woman resembling Ms Walczuch with a child like Madeleine near Silves, about 25 miles from Praia da Luz. But a friend said Ms Walczuch could not have been involved in the abduction because she was at church on the night the girl vanished. The mother of Madeleine McCann has voluntarily undergone drug tests in response to "smear stories" about her in Portugal. Reports claimed mother-of-three Kate McCann was taking anti-depressants at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, to cope with the stress of looking after her young children. But the family spokesman Clarence Mitchell has told Sky News Online that the test results show no drug use by Mrs McCann in at least the seven to eight weeks before her daughter vanished. He said there was a "timeline of bodily output", based on known rates of hair growth, that ruled out any use of anti-depressants by Mrs McCann in the last eight months. Tests on the McCanns' twins Sean and Amelie, that were carried out after it was suggested the couple had sedated their children, are also clear, Mr Mitchell added. "We can talk about this issue because it does not enter into Portuguese police files," Mr Mitchell said, adding that the slurs against Madeleine's mother had been made off the police record. Kate McCann's test results are included in a dossier of evidence collected by the legal team to refute allegations against the couple. Also in the defence file are DNA test results on the hire car, carried out independently by Home Office -approved experts - that rule out any claim that the McCanns transported their daughter's body in the vehicle, according to Mr Mitchell. - 23rd November 2007

▪ Private detectives working for Madeleine McCann's parents are studying a report that she was spotted at the same place and time as the partner of an official suspect in her disappearance. A tourist reportedly saw a little girl fitting the blonde youngster's description with a woman she thinks was Robert Murat's girlfriend, Michaela Walczuch, in Morocco on June 15, 43 days after the four-year-old went missing. The child was being dragged across the street in the northeastern town of Zaio by an Arab woman, said Isabel Gonzalez, 60. She told reporters: "I have always been convinced the girl I saw in Morocco was Madeleine. Now I am equally sure the blonde woman I saw that day in the town was Murat's girlfriend." A number of reported sightings of Madeleine have so far proved fruitless and her parents are treating the latest with caution. Their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "As with all other sightings, we simply will not comment on the detail. "However, all the relevant information is with our investigators and they continue to work thoroughly on every sighting that comes in. We have also liaised with Portuguese police in recent days." Ms Walczuch, 34, strenuously denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance and has reportedly described such claims as "ridiculous". Mr Murat also insists he is innocent. - 21st November 2007

▪ Madeleine McCann's parents Kate and Gerry have escaped a private prosecution for child neglect charges, Sky News Online can reveal. Retired solicitor Tony Bennett has failed in his bid to issue a summons against the pair. The summons claimed the two doctors neglected their three children by leaving them in their holiday apartment in Portugal when they went out for dinner in the evenings. It was during the evening of May 3 that Madeleine disappeared. But Leicester Magistrates' Court has decided to turn down the summons request. The decision was announced by the judicial communications office at the High Court. A spokesman told Sky News: "After careful consideration, the request to issue a summons against Gerald and Kate McCann for alleged offences contrary to section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 has been refused as it is clear this court does not have the necessary jurisdiction. "All applications are considered in two stages. "The first stage is whether the court has the jurisdiction to issue a summons, the second is if there is sufficient evidence. "As with this application, if the first stage is not passed the second stage is not considered." Mr Bennett, of Chippingfield, Harlow, said before the court's decision: "I'd already got some concerns about the case. I've researched it quite thoroughly over the last six to eight weeks." He added: "Obviously speaking as a qualified social worker I was concerned that no action was being taken." The McCann's family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the couple had committed no offence under UK law or any other country's law. Mr Bennett unsuccessfully tried to bring a private prosecution against celebrity Michael Barrymore over the death of Stuart Lubbock. - 20th November 2007

▪ A woman who insists she saw Madeleine McCann being carried away has spoken of her guilt at failing to stop the abductor. Jane Tanner is one of the so-called "tapas nine" who were dining in an Algarve holiday resort when the young girl went missing on May 3. Minutes before the alarm was raised, Ms Tanner saw a man carrying a child away from the Mark Warner holiday complex in Praia da Luz. She revealed she did not get a close look at his face and was unsure whether she could identify him. Ms Tanner, 36, told a newspaper: "I wake up to that image every day. Every day I see him there, striding away, carrying Madeleine away and I try desperately to remember more detail, to try and remember what his face was like. "I think about it over and over again. It's horrible. He had his face turned away from me, sort of sideways and it was very dark. I just didn't see it properly, I wish to God I had. I wouldn't be able to identify him from photos or anything because I didn't get a clear look at him." She also said she had never told police the abductor was Robert Murat, an anglo-Portuguese ex-pat who was the first named suspect in Madeleine's disappearance. I've never pointed the finger at Robert Murat because I simply don't know if it was him or not," she said. "I would say the man I saw was more local, or Mediterranean-looking, rather than British, or a tourist. He had dark, almost black, long hair and had swarthy skin. "He was dressed in that sort of smart casual way European people dress, not the way Brits on holiday dress normally." - 20th November 2007

▪ The mother of the first suspect named over the disappearance of toddler Madeleine McCann spoke for the first time to rubbish notions her son was involved, in a BBC programme to be screened Monday. Robert Murat's mother Jenny said her son was with her throughout the evening of May 3, when McCann, aged three, disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Portugese south coast. British ex-patriot Murat lives with his mother close to the holiday complex where McCann had been left sleeping with her twin siblings while her parents ate in a nearby restaurant. Jenny Murat said anyone suggesting her son had been seen on the complex was not telling the truth. "I just don't know why they are lying," she said. "On May the third I'd been out taking the dogs out, which I do every single night of my life. And I got home about eight o'clock and Robert was already there and he was in all of the evening. "We were sitting in the kitchen talking the whole evening. I would definitely have known if he'd gone out." The toddler's parents Gerry and Kate McCann are the only others named as "arguidos" -- formal suspects -- in the case. They have raised a one-million-pound fighting fund through public donations to help the search for their eldest child. They have hired a Spanish private detective agency, headed by Francisco Marco, to hunt for her. "He's very confident," the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said. "He's 100 percent certain that she's alive and believes that they are 'very, very close' to finding the kidnapper." Mitchell confirmed that a new possible sighting of the missing toddler in Portugal on May 5 was being investigated. - 19th November 2007

▪ Madeleine McCann was seen in a car two days after her disappearance from a Portuguese holiday resort, a Spanish private detective has said. Francisco Marco said the sighting was north of Praia da Luz, the resort where the McCann family was staying. The revelation comes as footage of Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate, shot by a family friend, is to be screened on BBC One's Panorama. Madeleine, of Rothley, Leics, vanished from her holiday apartment on 3 May. She went missing days before her fourth birthday. Mr Marco, whose agency Metodo 3 is investigating the case on behalf of the McCanns, said a witness saw Madeleine in a car, on a small road, being handed over to another person. He said he believed the witness was reliable. "We know for example that two days after the kidnapping Madeleine was in a car and she was given to another person who was inside Portugal on a very small road," he said. He told the BBC he was confident the alleged kidnappers would be caught. "We are very close. I am not saying maybe, no no no... we are very very close to finding the kidnappers." I've no doubt that Madeleine was targeted and that makes us sick to the core to think that someone was watching us and our daughter Gerry McCann Friend tells of abduction He said a report had been filed with Portuguese police, but the country's secrecy laws meant it could not be made public. Gerry McCann speaks out in the personal video of his belief that his family had been watched by "a predator" in the days before his daughter's disappearance. - 18th November 2007

▪ A new sighting of Madeleine McCann is being investigated in the hunt for the missing four-year-old. A "witness" claims to have spotted Madeleine in central Portugal two days after she disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3. Gerry and Kate McCann have been informed of a reported sighting of their daughter in a car with a woman. Meanwhile Francisco Marco, head of the Spanish private detective agency hired by the McCanns, has said he is certain the little girl is alive. The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "He's very confident. He's 100 per cent certain that she's alive and believes that they are 'very, very close' to finding the kidnapper. "Naturally we are extremely encouraged by any indication by our investigators that things are going well. But there have been a number of leads that have come to nothing and Kate and Gerry remain cautious." The McCanns, both still official suspects in her disappearance, hired agency Metodo3 in September to boost efforts to find their daughter. Mr Marco, head of a 40-strong-team said: "We have a six-month agreement with the McCanns. "We have already spent a month and a half working. I will find her before that period is up." And he is certain Mr and Mrs McCann had nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance. "Our staff interviewed the McCanns for 10 hours - enough time for us to tell if they were trying to fool us. "My specialists assure me they are not hiding anything. I would not risk the prestige this agency has gained over 23 years without being convinced there is a case," he said. - 18th November 2007

▪ A private detective hired by Kate and Gerry McCann has said he is certain their missing daughter Madeleine is alive. Francisco Marco also told a US television station that the net is closing on the youngster's abductors. The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "He's very confident. "He's 100% certain that she's alive and believes that they are 'very, very close' to finding the kidnapper. "Naturally we are extremely encouraged by any indication by our investigators that things are going well. "But there have been a number of leads that have come to nothing and Kate and Gerry remain cautious." The comments come after new testimony emerged that Madeleine was seen in central Portugal two days after she disappeared from her family's holiday apartment. Mr Mitchell confirmed that a new sighting at an undisclosed location on May 5 was being investigated. But he added: "This is very much an ongoing inquiry by our investigators. We will not comment on individual sightings." Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from her holiday apartment in Praia da Luz as her parents dined nearby with friends. The McCanns, both still official suspects in her disappearance, hired agency Metodo 3 to boost efforts to find their daughter. Speaking earlier this month, Mr Marco said he thought Madeleine is alive in Morocco. He also said he was following up reported sightings of a blonde-haired girl with her distinctive right eye. Mr Marco said: "We have a six-month agreement with the McCanns. "We have already spent a month and a half working. I will find her before that period is up." - 18th November 2007

▪ Portuguese police probing the May disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann "still do not have the solution" to the case, but are still receiving new information, the police chief said in an interview published Saturday. "We have stronger assurances on certain aspects of the investigation, but it is also true ... that we still do not have the solution," Alipio Ribeiro, the national director of Portugal's judicial police, told the Expresso weekly. "A criminal investigation cannot produce miracles," he said. "We continue to work with the best elements. For the moment, we have nothing to say on the matter." Madeleine, known as Maddie, disappeared on May 3 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal while her parents had dinner with friends in a nearby restaurant. She was three years old at the time. The girl's parents were named suspects in the case in September, but they have not been charged and strongly deny any involvement, maintaining that their daughter was abducted. Asked about possible arrests in the case in the coming weeks, Ribeiro said: "I don't know yet." He said "all hypotheses are still on the table." "New information comes to us every week," he said. "We are not closing any door." - 16th November 2007

▪ A close friend of the McCann family has spoken for the first time of how she is convinced she saw Madeleine being carried away by her abductor. Jane Tanner was among a group of friends dubbed "the tapas nine" who dined with the McCanns at their Algarve holiday resort while their children slept nearby. Earlier that evening she saw a mystery man walking away from the complex carrying a sleeping child who she now firmly believes was Madeleine. Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz just days before her fourth birthday. Ms Tanner said she decided to speak out despite the instructions of the Portuguese police after being labelled a liar and a fantasist in the media. Speaking to the BBC, she said: "I know what I saw and I think it is important that people know what I saw because I believe Madeleine was abducted." Describing the night of the abduction, she said another friend came to her apartment at about 10pm and said the child was gone. She said: "That was the first I heard about it. Then I saw Kate and Fiona running around shouting 'Madeleine.' Kate said to me: 'Jane, Madeleine's gone, Madeleine's gone'. Ms Tanner denied reports she has refused to cooperate with Portuguese detectives or that she changed her story. - 16th November 2007

▪ Gerry McCann is to return to full-time work in the New Year, his family spokesman has told Sky News Online. Mr McCann returned to his job part-time as a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital on November 1 - nearly six months after his daughter Madeleine vanished in Portugal. He is currently working three half-days a week as he tries to bring his life back to normality. Hospital trust bosses have set out a work pattern for him, which is mainly academic work for heart research and studies of MRI scans. But the 39-year-old, who reportedly earns £75,000 a year, and had been on unpaid leave, will soon return to normal duties. His spokesman Clarence Mitchell told Sky News Online: "He's getting back into it. "He's doing three half-days a week at the moment which will increase to full-time in the New Year. "He's pleased to be back, and the hospital's pleased to have him back." Mr Mitchell said he did not know whether Mr McCann had had direct contact with any patients yet, but said he would soon be doing so. Patients' groups have voiced doubts about his fitness to return. Roger Goss, the co-director of Patient Concern, told Sky News: "He should be monitored for three to six months - and patients should have the choice of another doctor if they wish." Kate McCann, a GP, has said she cannot consider returning to work while Madeleine remains missing. - 15th November 2007

▪ Gerry and Kate McCann's hopes of seeing details of their daughter's disappearance have been dashed - despite a change in Portuguese secrecy laws. This week's shake-up in the country's laws will make it easier for people - including official suspects in a case, like the McCanns - to access police investigation files. Previously, all information in police files had to remain secret. But the McCanns have told Sky News Online the overhaul will not lift the veil on documents concerning their daughter's disappearance. Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the couple had been informed by the Portuguese legal system that it would not apply to "complex" cases like Madeleine's. The McCanns had hoped the change would end the rumour and speculation that has surrounded the police inquiry. Carlos Pinto de Abreu, the McCanns' family lawyer, had been a prime mover behind the new legislation, and had hailed it as an important step towards a more open system. The changes follow complaints that officers made a series of blunders in the Madeleine investigation, including failing to seal off the crime scene. There have been accusations that detectives have been hiding behind the secrecy rules to conceal these errors. Many have blamed the information vacuum under the old rules for encouraging leaks to the media. These have included claims about forensic evidence in the McCanns' hire car, and suggestions that Kate McCann's diary shows she had trouble controlling her children. Police have named the McCanns as official suspects in their daughter's disappearance, and have submitted a 1,000-page dossier against them. - 14th November 2007

▪ The Portuguese police conducted a "flawed" investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance, according to a British MEP. "The Portuguese police and judicial system is known to be suspect," says a letter from the office of Roger Knapman. The letter from the MEP for the South West of England added: "The original police investigation was amateurish and flawed. "It is important to realise that Portugal has no real history of citizen's rights and liberties or democracy." The letter was written on Mr Knapman's behalf, in reply to a woman who lobbied several MEPs complaining of the damage the case was doing to UK-Portugal relations. The woman accused the British Government and Gordon Brown of using political pressure to allow the McCanns to "avoid the consequences of Portugal's legal system". The MEP's letter says it is absurd to suggest the Prime Minister is involved in a cover-up. It points out that Portugal became a democracy only 30 years ago. "Many of the police were trained under fascism and the institutions still bear the impact of this long period of dictatorship." It adds: "In all the circumstances it is entirely right that British citizens should be protected against an unreliable foreign system. "In any event I think you can rest assured that the British police and intelligence services have long had a better grip on the facts of this case than the Portuguese police. The letter was written by Piers Merchant, a former Tory MP who was forced to quit after his affair with a 17-year-old was exposed by The Sun. He now works as an assistant to Mr Knapman at the UK Independence Party. - 13th November 2007

▪ Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have been barred from asking her parents and their friends 100 new questions, it was reported today. A Portuguese prosecutor has allegedly ruled that there is insufficient evidence to reinterview Kate and Gerry McCann and the seven British friends who were dining with them when Madeleine was reported missing. Detectives from the Polícia Judiciária were expected to arrive in Britain last month to reinterview at least four of the “tapas seven” friends about events in Praia da Luz on May 3. However, the Portuguese newspaper 24 Horas claimed today that José Cunha de Magalhães e Meneses, the public prosecutor in charge of the case, has said he will not authorise further interrogations without stronger evidence. A source quoted by the newspaper said: “The letter of appeal [to the British authorities] is concluded. It contains over 100 questions which will be put to Kate and Gerry McCann, their family members and their friends. The purpose is to confirm the testimonies produced at the time the little girl disappeared.” Detectives who started a full review of the case last month, are still awaiting for the results of some tests by the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in Birmingham. Preliminary results from tests on samples found at the McCann’s holiday apartment and a car hired have proved inconclusive, it was reported. - 13th November 2007

▪ The first picture from inside the bedroom that Madeleine McCann vanished from in Portugal has emerged. The single bed where the four-year-old was sleeping before she went missing on May 3 can be seen pushed against a wall. Apartment 5A in the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz has been locked up since a second round of police forensic tests were carried out two weeks ago. Gerry and Kate McCann left the little girl and twins Sean and Amelie, two, asleep in the room while they dined nearby. The new unofficial image is a combination of three stills taken of the room, stitched together to give a panoramic view. Sky's crime correspondent, Martin Brunt, said the photographs were taken through a window at the front of the apartment - the same window the McCanns believe the youngster's kidnapper used to escape. The room is the furthest in the flat from the tapas restaurant where Madeleine's parents and their friends were dining, Brunt explained. There is an open door visible on the left-hand side of the shot through which Gerry McCann last checked on his children at 9.05pm. At 10pm, Kate McCann raised the alarm. A blue blanket can also be seen on the bed. Police are thought to have tested the theory a blanket was used by Madeleine's abductor to carry her out of the apartment. Detectives reportedly still believe the apartment could hold vital clues to the case. The current thinking of the Portuguese police is that an abductor probably got in through the patio doors by the swimming pool and took Madeleine out the same way, said Brunt. Meanwhile, there are new fears that the McCanns may remain arguidos, or formal suspects, in their daughter's disappearance for the next 15 years under Portuguese law. Photos Here - 12th November 2007

▪ Portuguese police have identified three moments which they believe could hold the key to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, according to a television documentary. Detectives are said to be focusing their investigation on three time periods on the night of May 3, which they believe were crucial when the four-year-old went missing from her parents’ holiday apartment. All three are connected to moments when Kate and Gerry McCann claim to have been indoors with their children, indicating detectives have not yet abandoned the idea that the couple could be responsible for the death of their missing daughter. They were made arguidos - formal suspects - in the case on September 7. Two days later the couple, both doctors, left Portugal to return home to Rothley in Leicestershire. They have always vehemently denied harming their daughter. The timeline of the evening on which Madeleine disappeared is revealed in a Portuguese documentary to be aired in English tomorrow by the state broadcaster RTP. Producers of the programme, titled “Anatomy of a Mystery”, say the timeline was created using information provided by senior detectives investigating the case, who are said to have given their tacit approval to the final result. Investigative reporter Sandra Felgueiras, who presents the programme, said: “We spoke to many people involved in the investigation and we are certain that the timeline is the best ever produced. “Our police sources confirmed that this is the most accurate version of events produced to date.” - 9th November 2007

▪ Friends who dined with Gerry and Kate McCann on the night their daughter vanished have denied that two of them want to change their stories. Spanish newspaper El Mundo said that lawyers of the unnamed pair had contacted Portuguese detectives to offer new information about four-year-old Madeleine McCann's disappearance. The claim came after suggestions in the media that members of the so-called 'tapas nine', other than the McCanns themselves, were to be made formal suspects in the case. Gerry and Kate McCann were having dinner in a tapas restaurant in the Portuguese village of Praia da Luz with seven friends on the night of May 3, when Madeleine vanished. The McCann's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the friends had all been contacted following the El Mundo report and insisted it was "totally untrue". But he said that the couple's friends had said they were happy to be re-interviewed by police if it resolved any apparent inconsistencies and hastened the McCanns being cleared. He said: "Contrary to a report in the Spanish press, and after consultation amongst Gerry and Kate McCann's friends, I can deny that any approach has been made by their lawyers asking to amend or change the witness statement of any of them. "This report is simply untrue. "Kate and Gerry's friends, who were with them on May 3, have consistently told the truth and remain happy, indeed they are keen, to be reinterviewed." The McCanns were declared official suspects by Portuguese detectives in September, the day before they finally flew back to the UK after four months in Portugal. - 8th November 2007

▪ A family spokesman said the media operation since the young girl disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in Portugal had been "carefully considered". Clarence Mitchell was responding to accusations from one of Portugal's top police officers that Gerry and Kate McCann had created a press frenzy they could not control. Carlos Anjos, chairman of the Portuguese Union of Police Detectives, said the couple had acted against police advice and were "partly to blame" for stories they complained about. "There is no criminal investigation which can feed a news frenzy for six months so what we have seen are both English and Portuguese journalists behaving in a scandalous and unprofessional way," he told the BBC. "Writing terrible stories in the papers some of which have clearly affected the McCanns... now we have to say that the McCanns are partly to blame for this. "Because it was something they created. "It is our opinion that the McCanns created a monster of information about the 'Maddie case' which they then lost control of." However, Mr Mitchell said the campaign was designed to keep Madeleine in the public consciousness. "Mr Anjos has been very vocal on this throughout," he said. "My understanding is that he is not an active officer in this investigation. "We are not whipping up the media storm. Everything we have done from the word go has been very carefully considered and thought through. - 7th November 2007

▪ A child protection expert has accused the Portuguese police of making "critical" mistakes at the start of the Madeleine McCann investigation. Mark Williams-Thomas was commenting after members of the initial response team spoke publicly about the "chaotic" scenes at the apartment in Praia da Luz. Both officers, who remain anonymous, told reporters the investigation into the missing girl was "fatally flawed". One said: "To arrive as back-up and find a circus walking in and out of a possible crime scene - well that's ridiculous." Responding to the statement, Mr Williams-Thomas said: "It was for them to consider the importance of the apartment as a crime scene and secure it immediately, obtaining personal details from everyone who had been in the apartment for later eliminations purposes. "As soon as they arrived they were in charge and should have taken control." One of the Portuguese officers also suggested the McCanns' behaviour had been "strange" when the team arrived. "They were scared, and not the usual scared," he told reporters. "They were jumpy and nervous. "I don't know, it wasn't normal. None of it was normal and hasn't been right the way through." But Mr Williams-Thomas replied: "You cannot expect, however educated Gerry and Kate are, for them to be considering the importance of evidence at that stage having just reported Madeleine missing. - 6th November 2007

▪ A bag of clothes with a possible DNA link to Madeleine McCann has been found in a lay-by near Faro Airport, in Portugal. The items are said to have been found just over two weeks ago at the airport, which is an hour's drive from Praia da Luz where the four-year-old went missing on May 3. It is understood the contents, including a child's T-shirt, a pencil case, a shower curtain, adult jeans and a blue fleece, were handed to the Policia Judiciaria who passed the bag on to the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham. After ten days of analysis, experts there are said to have found traces of hair and skin with a partial DNA match to Madeleine on the adult clothes. But the link is thought to be only around three on a scale of one to eight. Although they recognise that the link is at best partial, Kate and Gerry McCann said they were "encouraged" by the development which would suggest she could still be alive and also backs up their view that Madeleine was abducted. A friend said: "It is encouraging because we think it shows that there is a chance, this could indicate an abductor has potentially discarded clothes on the way from Praia da Luz. "We realise this is not conclusive proof but we are encouraged the police have examined it and sent it for analysis so quickly. "Certainly we feel that whoever owned the clothing has got a lot of questions to answer.". - 5th November 2007

▪ Madeleine McCann's parents have appealed to her abductor to treat her "like a princess as she deserves". On the six-month anniversary of her disappearance, Gerry McCann said he "hoped and prayed" she was being cared for properly. He also told of the pain that he and his wife Kate were suffering being separated from her. Writing on his blog, Mr McCann said the case was "all the more distressing when we have to speculate about the situation Madeleine finds herself". He said: "It is an incredibly long time for us - but must be even longer for Madeleine. "We have no idea whether she is suffering, but we have to hope and pray that she is being treated like a princess, as she deserves." He said millions of people now knew Madeleine was and the couple would not give up looking for her. Mr McCann made the comments ahead of a special service to mark the passing of six months since her disappearance. The McCanns, who are still suspects in Madeleine's disappearance, were joined at the vigil by friends and neighbours at a church near their home in Rothley, Leicestershire. Mr McCann returned to his job as a consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester last Thursday. - 5th November 2007

▪ Authorities in Morocco have no reason to believe missing British toddler Madeleine McCann may be in the country as suggested by British press reports, Moroccan Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa said Sunday. British newspapers reported Saturday that Moroccan police were looking for the girl, who disappeared from southern Portugal in May, in the Rif mountains following reported sightings of her in the village of Fnidek east of Tangiers. "We have no new evidence suggesting such a presence in Morocco," the minister told AFP when asked about the press reports. "We have cooperated for a long time with Portuguese and British police through Interpol and we have not had any new development on this case up until now," he added. A previous sighting of a girl in Morocco who looked like Madeleine by a Spanish tourist last month proved to be a false lead, the minister recalled. Madeleine vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal on May 3, a few days before her fourth birthday, while her parents dined nearby with friends. Kate and Gerry McCann, who are both doctors, returned to England in the beginning of September after being named as official suspects in the case by Portuguese police. They have not been charged. The director of a Spanish private detective agency hired by the couple to look for Madeleine has said he believes she was abducted and taken to Morocco. - 4th November 2007

▪ A new photograph of Madeleine Mccann has been released to mark six months since the four-year-old disappeared from her family's holiday flat in Portugal. The picture was taken 20 days before she vanished and shows her sitting on the back of a Shetland pony with her mother Kate by her side. It was taken on a day out at the Hatton Country World park in Warwickshire on April 13 - less than three weeks before she went missing. Last night Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate attended a special service to mark the six months since her disappearance. The couple were joined at the vigil by friends and neighbours at the St Mary and St John church near their home in Rothley, Leicestershire. They held hands as they walked into the 14th Century church just before 9.30pm - the time Madeleine vanished while the family was on holiday in Praia da Luz in Portugal. Earlier Kate McCann made a fresh appeal for information about Madeleine. She said: "Six months is such a long time for a little girl to be separated from her family. "We believe that our Madeleine is out there somewhere and retain hope that we can be reunited. "Madeleine is a beautiful little person who deserves a loving and happy life." The mother of three urged anyone with information to call a phone line manned by private detectives on 0034 902 300213. - 4th November 2007

▪ The parents of Madeleine McCann prayed in their local church at a service marking the six-month anniversary of her disappearance. Gerry and Kate McCann attended the service at St Mary and St John parish church in Rothley, Leicestershire, six months to the day since their eldest child disappeared from the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve southern coast. The service began at 9:30 pm, thought to be the exact time that Madeleine, then aged three, went missing as her parents dined with friends in a restaurant on their apartment complex. Reverend Rob Gladstone led special prayers for missing children, including others who have vanished. He said a special verse entitled A Rothley Prayer, which was based on a verse from Hebrews. It included the line: "Comfort and liberate all those, especially young children who have been taken from their families against their will, give courage to their grieving families." The McCanns visited the church earlier with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie to say a private prayer, but did not bring them to the evening service. The couple did not comment as they entered and left the 700-year-old church. Brian Kennedy, Madeleine McCann's great uncle, told reporters: "It was a very uplifting service. Obviously this is a very emotional time for them but I think they are standing up very well." Family friend Val Armstrong added: "They are so resolute in this. The conviction they have is that she is still alive and we have to believe that. Kate McCann earlier made a fresh appeal for her daughter's safe return. - 4th November 2007

▪ Kate McCann has marked the six-month anniversary of her daughter Madeleine's disappearance with a fresh appeal. In a statement, Mrs McCann said she remained hopeful about her daughter's safe return. She said: "Six months is such a long time for a little girl to be separated from her family. We believe that our Madeleine is out there somewhere and retain hope that we can be reunited. "Madeleine is a beautiful little person who deserves a loving and happy life. To ensure this, there is no doubt that the best place for her to be is with her family. "We know somebody somewhere can make this happen. That person has the ability and power to bring about so much joy as well as bring peace to themselves. "If you have any information relating to Madeleine's disappearance or whereabouts please pass it on." The mother of three, from Rothley in Leicestershire, urged anyone with information to call a phone line manned by private detectives on 0034 902 300213. The McCanns will mark the anniversary by taking part in an ecumenical prayer service at the Church of St Mary and St John in Rothley. The move comes as the Spanish private detective hired by the McCanns to find Madeleine vowed that he would do so within five months. Francisco Marco said he thought she was alive in Morocco and is following up reported sightings of a blonde-haired girl with her distinctive right eye. - 3rd November 2007

▪ Reports that DNA results back up claims that the McCanns were involved in Madeleine's death have been slammed by their spokesman. Results were reportedly sent to Portuguese police by the Birmingham-based Forensic Science Service which include new evidence of the presence of Madeleine's body in a hire car. The car had been rented by a number of people, including Kate and Gerry McCann, several weeks after her disappearance from the couple's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve on May 3. The couple are preparing to mark the six-month anniversary of her disappearance at a special ecumenical church service on Saturday. Clarence Mitchell said: "This is yet another unsourced, unsubstantiated and possibly inaccurate report and as such we simply won't comment in it. "However, Kate and Gerry are entirely innocent and therefore are unconcerned about reports in the media because they know the truth." He added: "They are not responsible in any way, shape or form for their daughter's disappearance. "Any evidence or material that the police may have that gives them cause for concern, Kate and Gerry can entirely explain with innocent reasons." Friends of the McCanns have said that any traces of Madeleine's DNA in the car can be explained by the fact that it was used to ferry her clothes and belongings to a new apartment, as well as transferring household waste such as her siblings' used nappies. - 2nd November 2007

▪ A Spanish private detective hired by Gerry and Kate McCann has vowed to find missing Madeleine within five months. Francisco Marco said he believes the child is alive in Morocco and is already following up reported sightings of a blonde-haired girl with her distinctive right eye. The detective's Spanish-based agency, Metodo 3, was given the job of finding Madeleine in September. He said: "We have a six-month agreement with the McCanns. We have already spent a month and a half working. I will find her before that period is up." The 35-year-old said he is certain Mr and Mrs McCann had nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance from Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, on May 3. Mr Marco, head of a 40-strong team, said: "Our staff interviewed the McCanns for 10 hours - enough time for us to tell if they were trying to fool us. "My specialists assure me they are not hiding anything. I would not risk the prestige this agency has gained over 23 years without being convinced there is a case." The father of two believes Madeleine was stolen to order from the family's holiday villa in the Algarve. He told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia: "A blonde girl like Madeleine is a symbol of social status in Morocco. That is the way it is and I can't tell you more." But the McCanns are not getting their hopes up over the new sighting, their spokesman insisted. - 2nd November 2007 ▪ The father of missing toddler Madeleine McCann returned to work Thursday nearly six months ago after she vanished while on holiday in Portugal, saying the family had done "everything we can" to find his daughter. Gerry McCann, a cardiologist at a hospital in Leicester, told reporters that he was "very pleased" to be returning to work and re-establishing "a degree of normality". Initially, he will work part-time and have limited contact with patients but his boss said it would be unfair to "develop prejudices" about McCann, who alongside wife Kate has been named as a suspect by Portuguese police. It will be six months on Saturday since Madeleine McCann went missing from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz shortly before her fourth birthday. Her family will mark the six-month anniversary with a prayer service in their local church. "We have always said that at six months, we didn't want to look back and say 'I wish we had done that and wish we had done this'," Gerry McCann said just before going back to work. "But now we feel that we have done everything we can do to establish the search for Madeleine on an ongoing basis and we feel we have the proper infrastructure now in place to find her. That in turn allows me to concentrate on returning to work properly." He added that he was "not expecting any significant developments in the near future" unless Madeleine was found. - 1st November 2007

▪ A NANNY found a prowler hiding outside the McCanns’ holiday apartment before Madeleine vanished, it was revealed last night. The Brit rang a special hotline set up by the couple’s private detectives to tell how the stranger sprinted off after she spotted him lurking in the shadows. The former Ocean Club worker, identified only as “MH”, was babysitting a young boy at the same holiday flat in which the McCanns later stayed. She said she told UK police about the mystery dark-haired man and gave them a statement in June. But she has not been questioned by Portuguese police leading the search for Madeleine, who vanished on May 3, two days before her fourth birthday. Last night private eyes hired by parents Kate and Gerry, both 39, said her evidence was a “solid lead”. They are convinced Madeleine was snatched to order by a gang who smuggled her to Morocco, where investigators are probing 10 possible new sightings. The private detectives are also hunting an “insider” at the resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, who they believe tipped off the kidnappers about the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. The nanny said she spotted the stranger lurking in bushes outside the flat. A source close to the McCanns said: “She had a call from her bosses warning her of a problem with rats. For that reason, she left the flat briefly. “She saw something move in the darkness ... to her surprise, she then saw a man’s shoe. She cried out and the man ran from the shadows, shouted: ‘No, no!’ and fled.” - 31st October 2007

▪ Kate and Gerry McCann have slammed a German satirical magazine's "extremely hurtful" article on the publicity surrounding their daughter's disappearance. The Titanic published a double-page spread in the form of a supermarket advert, depicting a number of products promoted with Madeleine's image. One is for a domestic cleaner guaranteed to remove "all traces at home and against which DNA tests have no chance". Another is for a popular brand of soup flavouring called Maggi renamed after Madeleine. And one promotion is for a brand of chocolate with the usual childish face replaced by that of the young girl, who vanished in Portugal. It suggests that 1% of every sale will be donated to Interpol. The McCann's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "This is not only extremely hurtful to Kate and Gerry but totally disrespectful to Madeleine." The magazine had not sought permission to use Madeleine's image and the McCanns' lawyers were now studying the publication, Mr Mitchell said. But Titanic editor Oliver Nagel defended the feature, saying it was not a criticism of the McCanns and it was meant solely for a German audience. Over the spread the magazine says Madeleine "has become the most famous face in the world and probably the universe" and that it is a logical next step that her image be used for product promotion. Mr Nagel added: "I would not say anything. We don't go round apologising for the articles we are printing. - 31st October 2007

▪ A child protection expert believes the man heading the Portuguese inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has reached a crucial stage in the investigation. Former police detective Mark Williams-Thomas said: "It's now time to make a decision about the line of inquiry which focuses on Kate and Gerry McCann. "It's time to either make the case against them or release them from suspect status and put forward an alternative case." Mr Williams-Thomas, who has run major paedophile inquiries in Britain, is confident the new head of the investigation, Paulo Rebelo, has been through all the evidence and will now be looking at the possibilities. He said: "There is now a new focus, a new team, and the new man heading the investigation has been in position for about three weeks. "He's proactive and seems to be doing all the right things. He should have been involved from the start." The Portuguese police' handling of the original investigation into Madeleine's disappearance six months ago has been widely criticised. There were concerns that detectives did not secure the crime scene for long enough to gather adequate forensic material. The Portuguese were also criticised for failing to make a public appeal for witnesses. Portuguese law constrains what information police can release, but Mr Williams-Thomas hopes the law will be reviewed in the light of the Madeleine case. - 31st October 2007

▪ Portuguese police have staged a reconstruction of the night Madeleine McCann disappeared from her holiday flat - six months into the case. Paulo Rebelo, who is now heading up the investigation, spent three hours at the apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve with six other detectives. The windows and shutters of the flat were checked thoroughly and a large bundle was passed through the window where the four-year-old was sleeping to re-enact the moment she may have been snatched on May 3. Key locations in the area were also checked, such as the house of suspect Robert Murat and the house of Sergei Malinka, a Russian computer expert linked to him. The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "We welcome any indication that the Portuguese police are taking the abduction theory seriously because that is what happened." Meanwhile, it has emerged that Kate and Gerry McCann have used some of the money from the campaign to find her to pay their mortgage. The couple have been on unpaid leave since Madeleine's disappearance. Mr Mitchell confirmed that money sent to help their efforts to find their missing daughter had been used for their housing costs. He said: "The fund has always had the ability to assist the family financially if necessary, and they've only used it to pay for two mortgage payments, earlier this year. - 30th October 2007

▪ The parents of missing Madeleine McCann repaid two instalments of their mortgage with money from the fund set up to help find her, their spokesman confirmed on Tuesday. But Kate and Gerry McCann stopped taking money from the one million pound "Find Madeleine" fund after they were made official suspects, Clarence Mitchell said. He was speaking after media reports on Tuesday that the couple made two 2,000-pound repayments on their 460,000-pound detached house in Rothley, Leicestershire with fund money. He confirmed the couple made two repayments in July and August, but defended their motives. The primary objective of the fund, a not-for-profit company, was to help efforts to find Madeleine, but it can also provide financial support for her parents to cope with the stress, he said. The couple have not worked since the young girl disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May, just before her fourth birthday. Mitchell said once they were made official suspects in the case, they stopped using the fund for mortgage repayments. It was a mutual decision with the fund, after they conceded they would not be entitled to the money, he said. Mitchell confirmed that because of their financial predicament, Gerry McCann, 39, will return to work as a consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester on Thursday. It remains unclear what his wife, also 39, will do after reports said she was unlikely return to work as a locum GP. - 30th October 2007

▪ Madeleine McCann suspect Robert Murat was "absolutely not worried" despite a reported move by detectives to re-interview him, a friend said on Tuesday. Paulo Rebelo, who heads the police inquiry, ordered a fresh interrogation of the Briton after his first inspection of the Portuguese holiday apartment from where the little girl went missing, said the Evening Standard. But Mr Murat, 33, has not spoken to police for nearly three months and was not concerned about today's report, said family friend and spokesman Tuck Price. Mr Murat, whose villa is just yards from the spot where Madeleine was abducted on May 3, strenuously denies any involvement in the four-year-old's disappearance. He was made an official suspect in the case 10 days after the Leicestershire youngster went missing. Mr Rebelo, recently appointed new head of the investigation, is said to have examined windows at the McCanns' former holiday apartment in Praia da Luz and paced out all possible escape routes during his inspection of the property. He is also reported to have walked the 100 yards to the villa Mr Murat shares with his mother. Mr Murat is one of three formal suspects in the Madeleine McCann investigation along with the child's parents, Gerry and Kate. The report of his re-interview came as the McCanns were forced to answer questions in the media about the use of the fighting fund set up to find their daughter. Their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, confirmed that money had been used to help meet mortgage costs on their detached property in Rothley. - 30th October 2007

▪ Private investigators searching for Madeleine McCann found a blonde girl who had been kidnapped by a Moroccan family, it was claimed today. The discovery will give new hope to Kate and Gerry that their daughter is still alive and in a "similar situation". Sources inside Spanish detective agency Metodo 3, which has been hired by the McCanns, said Interpol is investigating the discovery of the blonde girl living in the Rif mountains — the area where they are searching for Madeleine. An insider said: "She was not Madeleine but she was an English speaker, possibly an American." The boss of Metodo 3 said he believed Madeleine was abducted by a care worker on the instruction of a paedophile gang who stole the child to order. He believes another girl matching Madeleine's description, who has been spotted with a woman aged about 60 in the Rif mountains by 10 different people, could well be the four-year-old who went missing from the Algarve on 3 May. Francisco Marco, Metodo 3's director-general, said: "My own feeling is that this woman is some sort of carer who is working on behalf of other people. We can't be certain it's Madeleine but several unconnected people have told our informers of the same girl with the same woman. "The only difference is that she has slightly shorter hair than Madeleine had when she disappeared. Everything else matches. - 29th October 2007

▪ "They've been seen over a wide area but always within the confines of the Rif mountains." This evening police in Portugal are due to carry out a re-enactment of events on the night Madeleine McCann went missing. The four-year-old vanished from her family's holiday apartment in the Algarve on May 3 and has not been seen since. McCanns to mark six month milestone 'quietly' The McCanns made a tearful appearance on Spanish TV to publicise a new hotline. Officers - including the new head of the investigation Paulo Rebelo - are expected to descend on the Ocean Club complex in the quiet town of Praia da Luz. They will spent several hours in the ground-floor apartment from which Madeleine vanished and at one point an officer will push a bundle out through a half-open window. Detectives are now understood to be examining the theory that Madeleine was kidnapped, stolen to order on the instructions of a paedophile gang and might still be alive in Morocco. This goes directly against earlier lines of enquiry which focused on her parents Kate and Gerry McCann, who are formal suspects or arguidos in the case of the disappearance of their daughter. It was allegedly thought at one stage that Mrs McCann accidentally killed Madeleine and relied on her husband to help cover it up, a theory put forward by police chief Goncalo Amaral who was sacked from the investigation. A source close to the couple said: "Kate and Gerry are a lot happier with the way the investigation is being run under the new Portuguese police team which took over from Amaral. - 29th October 2007

▪ The parents of Madeleine McCann are pinning hopes of finding their missing daughter on private investigators in Spain. The couple have been told the young girl is most likely in the Iberian Peninsula - an area which includes Spain, Portugal and Andorra - or North Africa. Six months after Madeleine disappeared, Gerry and Kate McCann made a desperate plea this week during an emotional interview to a Spanish TV network. The couple released a description of the man they believe took their daughter and launched an anonymous phone help line. Writing on his regular blog Gerry said: "We did our first interview since being made arguidos, for Spanish TV. "This was very difficult for us but had one important purpose. "We announced that private investigators are looking for Madeleine and that there is a dedicated anonymous telephone line for anyone who has information, which may help us to find Madeleine." The sketches depict a man of southern European or Mediterranean appearance walking with a child in his arms. They were drawn after a witness saw a man near the McCann's apartment on May 3, the night Madeleine disappeared. The man is drawn with greasy, straggly hair, wearing a purple or maroon top and beige chinos. He is aged about 35 to 40, 5ft 6in (1.7m) tall, and of slim build. "We hope that this picture may jog someone's memory who may have seen this man in the Praia da Luz area on the night or days before Madeleine was abducted," Mr McCann said. "Someone else may be aware of a man matching this description who has behaved suspiciously at any time since the beginning of May." - 28th October 2007

▪ Many sightings of Madeleine McCann have been reported in Morocco by holidaymakers after an appeal by private investigators searching for the missing girl and the release of a description of her alleged abductor. The investigators are reported to be particularly interested in three calls that gave details of a girl matching Madeleine’s description with a middle-class Moroccan woman aged about 60. Gerry McCann has said for the first time that he is convinced that a friend saw the abductor taking his daughter from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3. A sketch of a man allegedly seen walking away from the Ocean Club resort was released by the private investigators last week. Mr McCann wrote on his internet blog at the weekend: “We believe this child was Madeleine . . . Someone else may be aware of a man matching this description who has behaved suspiciously at any time since the beginning of May.”. The friend who claims to have seen the abductor has said that she is still haunted by the image of him striding away from the ground-floor apartment where the McCanns were staying, carrying a girl. Jane Tanner, 36, from Exeter, has insisted that she told Portuguese police immediately of the sighting. Carlos Anjos, president of the Judicial Police Inspector’s Union, dismissed the picture as a “cartoon”. - 28th October 2007

▪ The parents of Madeleine McCann are pinning hopes of finding their missing daughter on private investigators in Spain.The couple have been told the young girl is most likely in the Iberian Peninsula - an area which includes Spain, Portugal and Andorra - or North Africa. Six months after Madeleine disappeared, Gerry and Kate McCann made a desperate plea this week during an emotional interview to a Spanish TV network. The couple released a description of the man they believe took their daughter and launched an anonymous phone help line. Writing on his regular blog Gerry said: "We did our first interview since being made arguidos, for Spanish TV. "This was very difficult for us but had one important purpose. "We announced that private investigators are looking for Madeleine and that there is a dedicated anonymous telephone line for anyone who has information, which may help us to find Madeleine." The sketches depict a man of southern European or Mediterranean appearance walking with a child in his arms. They were drawn after a witness saw a man near the McCann's apartment on May 3, the night Madeleine disappeared. The man is drawn with greasy, straggly hair, wearing a purple or maroon top and beige chinos. He is aged about 35 to 40, 5ft 6in (1.7m) tall, and of slim build. "We hope that this picture may jog someone's memory who may have seen this man in the Praia da Luz area on the night or days before Madeleine was abducted," Mr McCann said. - 27th October 2007

▪ The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have given their first TV interview since being named as official suspects in their daughter's disappearance. Kate and Gerry McCann appeared on a Spanish station to announce the launch of a phone line for anyone with information about the four-year-old. Mrs McCann broken down in tears towards the end of the interview as she talked personally about Madeleine. "I feel sad and I feel lonely and our life is not as happy without Madeleine," she said. "I feel anxious she is not with us." Asked about the last time she saw Madeleine, she said: "She was very happy and very loving and I know Madeleine was very happy with her life. She is special." Mrs McCann was also asked if she was as confident now of finding Madeleine alive as she was on the day she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. She replied: "Maybe even more so. I think she is possibly being held by someone in their house but I don't know. "As Madeleine's mummy I feel in my heart that she is there. I don't know how anyone could harm anyone as beautiful as Madeleine. I don't mean her appearance. I mean as a beautiful person." Asked how their other two children, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, were coping, she said: "They do ask about Madeleine. Madeleine was very much a big part of their life. They are not upset and they are not distressed but they are very much aware she is not there." - 26th October 2007

▪ The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have released images of a man they believe abducted their daughter in May from a Portuguese resort. The artist's sketches show a man with dark, greasy collar-length hair and wearing a purple or maroon top with beige trousers, carrying a child. The images were drawn by an FBI-trained forensic artist using details from a friend of the McCanns. The friend saw the man but did not link him to the disappearance at the time. Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz days before her fourth birthday. Her parents Gerry and Kate were named as official suspects in September. Jane Tanner was among a group of friends who dined with them on 3 May when they left Madeleine and their two other children asleep in an apartment nearby. Ms Tanner described the man she saw as aged about 35 to 40, 5ft 6in (1.7m) tall, and of slim build. And the child he was carrying was described as wearing the same pyjamas as Madeleine. However, his face has been left blank as Ms Tanner was not certain about some details. The images were commissioned by private detectives working for the McCanns, their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said. View The Image Here. and Here.. - 25th October 2007

▪ Tears shed by Kate McCann during a televised interview are nothing compared to the grief she has hidden from the cameras, the family's spokesman has said. The couple, whose daughter was last seen nearly six months ago, gave the emotional interview to a Spanish TV network in order to publicise a new hotline for people to ring with information about Madeleine. In the interview, the McCanns talked about life without their daughter, and remembered Madeleine as a "very loving and very happy" little girl. "I feel sad and I feel lonely and our life is not as happy without Madeleine," said Mrs McCann, who added: "I feel anxious she is not with us." Mr McCann described how one of the most difficult things about life without his first-born child was having to tell his twin children that he did not know when their big sister would be coming back. "The hardest thing for me is when the twins say 'when is Madeleine coming back home?' and we have to say 'we don't know, but everyone is looking for her'," he said. The interview, which shows Mrs McCann breaking down towards the end of the reporter's questions, was billed as revealing a rare public show of emotion from the couple. Their composure in previous televised appeals has attracted criticism and suspicion from some commentators - a response spokesman Clarence Mitchell has described as "the height of arrogance". He told Sky News: "I would suggest to anyone who criticises Kate, in particular, for being cold and calm and a little strange, ask how you would react if your child was missing in these circumstances. - 25th October 2007

▪ A 24-hour hotline is being launched by Kate and Gerry McCann in a fresh attempt to find their missing daughter Madeleine. The couple will make a "direct, heartfelt" appeal on Spanish television urging people in Portugal, Spain and north Africa to phone 00 34 902 300213 if they have any information about the four-year-old. The confidential line, manned by private detectives, has been given the full backing of Portuguese police. The McCann's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said they were concentrating on that region because it is thought to be the area where the little girl is "most likely" to be. Mr Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry McCann will issue a direct, heartfelt appeal to the people of Spain, Portugal and north Africa to ask them for their help in finding their daughter Madeleine. "Kate and Gerry will reiterate their firm belief that Madeleine is still alive, and they will urge anyone with information, no matter how minor it may seem to them, to contact a newly-established, confidential 24-hour phone number operated by private detectives based in Spain.". He added: "Their renewed appeal is being made with the full knowledge and support of the police in both Portugal and Spain." - 24th October 2007

▪ Kate McCann has broken down in tears during a television interview, while making an appeal for help in finding her daughter. The appearance, shown on Spanish TV station Antena 3, is the first televised interview Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry have given since being made official suspects in Madeleine's disappearance. The four-year-old vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 while her parents dined nearby with friends. Mrs McCann became emotional towards the end of the questioning, recorded on Tuesday, as she talked personally about her eldest child. "I feel sad and I feel lonely and our life is not as happy without Madeleine," she said in tears, adding: "I feel anxious she is not with us." Asked about the last time she saw Madeleine, she said: "She was very happy and very loving and I know Madeleine was very happy with her life. She is special." The McCanns reportedly chose Antena 3 ahead of more well known broadcasters such as Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters for the interview because they believe their daughter is most likely to be in Spain, Portugal or north Africa. They urged people from that region to dial +34 902 300213 on a confidential, 24-hour phone line manned by private investigators if they have any information about Madeleine. - 24th October 2007

▪ Portuguese police have said they would seek to conduct interviews in Britain, rather than ask the group to return to Portugal. Mr Ribeiro also appeared to admit that mistakes had been made in the inquiry. With a fresh team of detectives drafted in, he said, 'we have to give a new thrust to the investigation and try to understand signs that perhaps we didn't in the beginning'. The developments came as a former head of Scotland Yard launched a scathing attack on Portuguese police. Lord Stevens said Kate and Gerry McCann had become the victims of a witchhunt and the investigation of them was a 'farce'. He said the 'sheer inadequacy' of the Portuguese inquiry would make it 'an outrageous miscarriage of justice' for Madeleine's parents to face charges over her disappearance on May 3. The McCanns have had to endure claims that they accidentally killed their daughter, then hid her body and staged an abduction, accusations they vehemently deny. Lord Stevens, who led a massive inquiry into the death of Princess Diana after retiring from Scotland Yard in 2005, said: 'I've been a detective at the most senior level for 30 years and have never seen such a witch-hunt, or one based on such flimsy evidence.' - 23rd October 2007

▪ The Soham murder detective who caught Ian Huntley has blasted Portugese police for their handling of the Madeline McCann investigation. Retired Det Chief Supt Chris Stevenson, 58, said officers in Praia de Luz are too inexperienced and ill-equipped to deal with the case. He believes police were too slow off the mark when the four-year-old went missing, on May 3, and that she will probably never be found alive. Speaking to a national newspaper, Mr Stevenson said: "If you don't immediately realise what you are dealing with, you get caught and make major forensic errors. "That's what appears to have happened in the Maddie case. This was a child missing from home but they didn't seem to have thought anything suspicious might have happened at first. In Britain we refer to this period immediately after a child vanishes as the 'golden hours.'" Stevenson, the senior officer in charge of the Soham investigation when Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman , both 10, went missing in 2002, went to Portugal with a team of Britain's top crime experts to analyse the handling of the inquiry. His three-day investigation was broadcast in the Channel 4 documentary, Searching for Madeline: A Dispatches Special, which was aired last week. - 23rd October 2007

▪ The parents of missing Madeleine McCann left her alone for three hours for the last four nights of their holiday in Portugal to enjoy dinner with their friends at a nearby restaurant, a key witness has claimed. “Gerry and Kate McCann, and their friends all left their children in their apartments at exactly the same time for four days. Their fondness for the same restaurant made Madeleine easy prey for a potential abductor. “The apartments are all quite close to the pool, but there are trees in between so you can't see them from the restaurant. Even though they were checking their children every 20 minutes or so there was still a lot of time they were left alone when someone could have gone in and taken them. “When you think back now, because the routine was so set in stone every night, if somebody had been watching the group they would definitely have been able to work out what was going on and choose the right moment to take the child,” the Daily Mail quoted a waiter at that restaurant as saying. The waiter, whose name has not been revealed, has also claimed that this arrangement was widely known about by all workers at the restaurant, who thought it was strange that other holiday-makers had to queue for reservations at the popular Tapas bar. - 23rd October 2007

▪ A TV comedy sketch suggesting the Prime Minister would use Madeleine McCann as an election publicity tool has now attracted 55 complaints from viewers. The sketch - part of the 'Bremner, Bird and Fortune' show - portrayed Gordon Brown as someone who would find the missing toddler on the eve of a general election to help win votes. Viewers have written to the media regulator Ofcom outraged the toddler should be the subject of a joke. One expressed his 'abhorrence at a supposed joke' and suggested Channel 4 had 'reached a new level in despicable taste'. A spokesman for Ofcom said: "We have received 55 complaints about Bremner, Bird and Fortune broadcast on 14 October. "We will make an initial assessment of the complaints, with reference to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, before deciding if any further action needs to be taken." Aired at 7pm, the episode was watched by an estimated 1.3 million viewers. Channel 4 recently defended the programme. It said the sketch was aimed at "satirising the lengths politicians would go to win public support, following press criticism of the timing of Gordon Brown's visit to Iraq in the run up to a snap general election".A spokesman added: "We can assure you the sketch was not aimed at the McCann family. - 22nd October 2007

▪ The father of missing Madeleine McCann is considering going back to work before Christmas. Dr Gerry McCann, a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital, has been off work since his daughter disappeared in Portugal on May 3. Madeleine's father is currently on unpaid leave from his job, w