Manchester Is 'The Winner Of Immigration'

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

Britain's cultural make-up can only benefit from immigration, according to academics who say history proves that migration is good for the country.

Language, the arts, fashion, architecture and food are just some of the areas that have been influenced by the scores of nationalities which have arrived in Britain in the last century, according to Dr James Hopkins from Manchester University.

In Manchester, where more than 200 languages are spoken, the cultural fabric of the city is changing constantly.

"We are the winners from immigration, there's no doubt about that," said Dr Hopkins.

"Immigration has built cities like Manchester and migrants have brought skills but much, much more.

"They have brought the foods they love and the types of clothes they wear and they have influenced what we all chose to do in our own lives."

Manchester's Chinatown

There is also evidence that the recent influx of migrants from eastern European nations like Poland and Slovakia is already changing musical tastes.

Matt Ward of Piccadilly Records said: "People are meeting new people all the time and to understand more about where they are from they are turning to the music of that country. This is bringing people together in the more amazing way."

But it is perhaps tastes in food, which have been shaped by traditions and ingredients commonly used overseas, that have changed the most.

The Barbakan Delicatessen

In the Barbakan Delicatessen, founded more than 40 years ago and now one of Britain's oldest delis, they sell 45 different types of bread and attract all types of nationalities.

Owner Stefan Najuch said: "The Poles aren't just eating polish food, the Italians aren't just eating in Italian restaurants - they're all eating across the board.

"This is all because of immigration, it's great and it's great for business."

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Veiled Muslim Slams MPs For 'Public Hysteria

By Hind Hassan, Sky News Reporter

A woman who wears the niqab has accused UK politicians of whipping up public hysteria against the Islamic face veil.

Sahar al Faifi says comments such as those by Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, Liberal Democrat MP Jeremy Browne and Labour MP Jack Straw are irresponsible and make women who cover their face a target of anti-Muslim sentiment.

The 28-year-old said: "We are the victims in the street because of these politicians who made it so normal and so ok to be anti-Muslim."

When asked about the kind of abuse she had received, Ms al Faifi said: "They will call me funny stuff like ninja or even Batman, or say go back to your country. Sometimes it's physical and they'll try to take it off."

Ms al Faifi works as a molecular geneticist in Cardiff and is a community activist. She has worn the niqab for 14 years and doesn't fit the stereotype of a woman oppressed by her full veil.

She said: "Negative prejudices are promoted as facts among the wider British society ... and it's not true. Have you ever interacted or talked to a woman in niqab rather than talking on her behalf?"

While she gets on with her life, she can't understand why others view the niqab as a threat.

"It's an action that Muslim women believe in as an act of modesty to get closer to God. It's a religious symbol, it is not an oppressive symbol, it's not a barrier, it's an act of worship," she said.

"Most of the women here in Britain wear it out of their personal choice and deep beliefs, there's no one who can force them and if so there are certain laws and policies that prevents that."

According to Ms al Faifi, it's a fear of the unknown, rather than the face veil, that creates divisions.

"The niqab is different. I'm not trying to say I look like other people, but we are here in Britain. Multifaith and multiculture is part of civil society, yes I'm different but what's wrong with being different?"

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Northern Irish Leave For Greener Pastures

Immigration: For And Against

Updated: 1:44am UK, Friday 18 October 2013

Two Britons tell Sky News their views on immigration.

AGAINST:

:: Nigel Sykes, 51, Sales Manager, Yorkshire

Before any debate on immigration can take place let us rid ourselves of one word: "racism". Until this word is put in its correct place there will never be reasoned debate. My views come as I watch my country slide deep down into the abyss of which it will never return. Coming from an area and background that was "everyone votes Labour round here" you may be surprised to now hear the same people are beginning to turn their back on this old custom. Here are some reasons of which I hear every day in pubs, clubs, parks, workplace etc.

Our two main political parties have had to revise immigration policy, why? Because another party has gained ground by listening to the views of its citizens, these citizens are after all the ones who put them there. Something which seems to evade 650 MPs. These are the same people who are now subject to the strains of mass uncontrolled immigration introduced by the Labour Party intending to create a one-party state. Without going too in depth let's look at some facts.

We have a huge housing shortage even amongst our own populace but yet continue to allow migrants to pour in and take housing that should be available for our own people.

Our hospitals and schools are at breaking point for one reason only. Immigration.

We cannot look after our own pensioners, many who have paid their dues all their life, but yet we can give benefits to immigrants who have paid nothing.

Many of our true unhealthy or disabled have had benefits cut yet we can somehow afford to give immigrants money to claimants back in their homeland.

No doubt I shall hear "they will do work no Brit will do" please show me the jobs and I guarantee I can have a Brit ready to start.

People are fed up of the complete disregard by immigrants for our own laws, our schools, our British heritage, customs and way of life.

FOR:

:: Angelo Iudice, chairman, Accademia Apulia UK

I am a naturalised British subject who has lived in London for over 30 years. During this time I have seen what was once a depressing pub-centred society turning into the centre of the world.

In today's multicultural Britain the most important, world-acclaimed architects, doctors, scientists and artists are leaving their mark: and they are not all English.

I would say to anyone who is anti-immigration that they should be proud of the fact that migrants from every corner of the world want to come here: Britain is the most civilised country in the whole world.

I was aged 18 when I first arrived on these shores searching for meritocracy within an open-minded society - a dimension I cherished from day one.

From day one I paid my taxes and upheld my social responsibilities.

Humanity and civilisation know no borders.

Modern Britain, in my view, is about tolerance and acceptance.

I believe that the focus should not be on "migration", but that politicians should be searching for solutions and strategies to fight world poverty in order to safeguard the future of our planet.

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Slavery Fight To Stop Traffickers Steps Up

Slavery Victims' Nightmare Stories

Updated: 11:57pm UK, Thursday 17 October 2013

By Liz Lane, Sky News Reporter

The safe house in southern England, where up to half a dozen women live at any time, has seen many human trafficking victims walk through its door in the six years it has been operating.

But Victims' Minister Damian Green's visit this week was the first time a man has been allowed in. It is run by Hestia, via the Salvation Army, and is the only place the women feel truly safe.

Two of those living in the house (not their real names) tell their stories to Sky News:

Rita, 25, from Nigeria

Rita's trafficker spent several years grooming her as she worked selling food on the side of a road in Nigeria with her mother. He befriended the family and persuaded her parents he could get her a job in Europe as a waitress or nanny.

As soon as Rita arrived in Germany, her trafficker's manner changed. He told her she would have to work as a prostitute to pay back her travel costs, then made her have sex with another girl and filmed it. Rita was beaten if she resisted the men who paid to have sex with her.

Her ordeal continued when she and three other girls were brought to the UK on a boat. She was repeatedly raped at the house where she was held, and told she would be killed, as would her family, if she tried to escape.

Rita says she only found the courage to do so in April this year, with the help of another trafficking victim. They took their chance when their captors were out and those supposed to be guarding them began to inject drugs.

The two girls grabbed shoes and a coat and ran into the streets where in their panic they became separated. Rita was eventually helped to a police station, and taken to the safe house, which she now calls home. This week she has been been granted refugee status.

Jenny, 20, from Albania

Jenny, the eldest of three girls, comes from a very poor family in Albania. Her home life turned even more difficult when her mother started a relationship with an extremely violent man.

Over the course of a year, Jenny became friends with a young man who came regularly to buy vegetables from her. At the age of 17, when she felt that her two younger sisters were old enough to cope without her, she agreed to leave for Italy with him. The man, who she regarded as her boyfriend, promised her a new life.

Almost as soon as they crossed the border his attitude changed completely.

She was taken to a house, gang raped, and then kept against her will in a basement with other girls, and forced to work as a prostitute.

Two years later she was sold to a group of Romanian men who arranged to have her trafficked to the UK in the back of a lorry.

After days of travelling, and while the lorry was stationary, Jenny found a piece of metal and managed to rip through the side and escape. She shouted for help, and was taken to the nearest police station.

Since Jenny has lived in the safe house, she has been reunited with her two younger sisters.

In an incredible coincidence, they were living nearby, in the UK. They had escaped Albania after the middle sister, too, was sold into prostitution, this time by the stepfather.

The three are now living safely near each other in England, thousands of miles from what was their home.

:: Immigration UK: A week of special coverage on Sky from October 14 to 18 - watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad

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Superbugs: Bacteria-Busting Viruses May Be Key

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Bacteria-busting viruses have been discovered that could be used to tackle a common hospital superbug.

Scientists at the University of Leicester identified a group of viruses that infect and destroy clostridium difficile, a highly infectious bacteria that causes more than 14,000 cases of severe diarrhoea each year.

C diff, as it is known, is increasingly resistant to antibiotics and in elderly patients the infection can prove fatal.

But laboratory tests show the newly identified viruses - called bacteriophages - are effective against 90% of C diff bacteria.

Lead scientist Dr Martha Clokie, from the University of Leicester, said: "Ever since the discovery of the first antibiotic, penicillin, antibiotics have been heralded as the silver bullets of medicine.

"They have saved countless lives and impacted on the well-being of humanity.

"But less than a century following their discovery, the future impact of antibiotics is dwindling at a pace that no-one anticipated, with more and more bacteria out-smarting and out-evolving these miracle drugs.

"This has re-energised the search for new treatments."

Bacteriophages are natural bacterial killers. They latch on to bacterial cells and inject their genetic material, which is then replicated many times over causing the bacterial to burst open.

The released bacteriophages go on to infect more bacteria.

The researchers are now working with the US firm AmpliPhi to develop virus-loaded capsules that patients would swallow.

The viruses will not infect the patient's cells, and because they are highly specific for particular strains of bacteria they are unlikely to damage friendly bacteria in the stomach.

"This is particularly important when treating conditions like C diff infections, where maintenance of the natural balance of gut bacteria greatly reduces the chance of relapse," said Dr Clokie.

The work, funded by the Medical Research Council, has so far identified 26 viruses that target C diff strains.

Dr Des Walsh, head of infections and immunity at the MRC said: "Antibacterial resistance is a major and growing threat to health globally.

"New treatments and therapies are sorely needed."

Bacteriophages have been used for many years in some East European countries, but have been dismissed by most western scientists up to now.

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Child Sex Abuse Cases: New CPS Guidance

Britain's top prosecutor has called new guidelines for child sex abuse cases "the most fundamental attitude shift" in the criminal justice system in a generation.

The advice includes a list of myths and stereotypes about victims that prosecutors may need to battle in court, such as claims being undermined by a delay in reporting a crime, inconsistencies in what the victim remembers and whether they were drunk or wearing revealing clothes.

Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said: "For too long, child sexual abuse cases have been plagued by myths about how 'real' victims behave which simply do not withstand scrutiny. The days of the model victim are over.

"From now on these cases will be investigated and prosecuted differently, whatever the vulnerabilities of the victim."

Director of Public Prosecutions Kier Starmer

The guidelines cover how victims should be treated and how a case should be built and presented in court.

They were drawn up after a number of high profile and controversial sex crime cases.

These included sex abuse gangs that operated in Rochdale and Oxford, as well as the missed chance to prosecute Jimmy Savile in 2009.

More recently, a row erupted after a prosecutor called a 13-year-old victim "predatory".

Alison Worsley, deputy director of strategy at Barnardo's, said: "A wholesale shift in attitudes is required throughout the legal system when dealing with the child victims of sexual exploitation and these guidelines are a step towards achieving that."

MP Ann Coffey, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Runaway and Missing Children, said aggressive cross-examination by defence barristers also needs to be tackled.

She said: "These new rules for prosecutors are massively important and welcome but the main problem for child victims is aggressive cross examination by defence barristers who set out to humiliate and destroy them.

"Barristers in child sex abuse cases must be stopped from manipulating child witnesses like puppets in the witness box.

"It is often not really cross examination of evidence at all, but is about smearing and breaking down the witness to get defendants off the hook."

Jessica Standley, an Abuse Lawyer at Slater & Gordon who are representing 72 of Savile's victims, welcomed the fact that the guidelines acknowledge victims may have come from difficult backgrounds.

She said: "People who have suffered a tough past are no less credible than anyone else."

Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry said it is not clear how much of the guidance will actually get used in practice.

:: Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer will be live on Sky News at 7.30am. Watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad

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England Secure Place At Brazil World Cup

England are through to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after beating Poland in a gripping final qualifier at Wembley.

England players take a lap of honour around the pitch after qualifying

Roy Hodgson's side needed three points from the match to secure top spot in Group H and avoid a play-off after Ukraine hammered San Marino 8-0.

There were tense moments before Wayne Rooney broke the deadlock just before half-time, heading in a cross from Leighton Baines. A goal from Steven Gerrard sealed the victory in the 88th minute.

Steven Gerrard celebrates after sealing England's victory

England manager Roy Hodgson said the result was a relief to him and assistant Ray Lewington.

He said: "That second goal took about ten years off both of us - and I need it more than Ray.

Wayne Rooney fires home just before halftime

"I have great satisfaction. This was a very tough group with a lot of tough games. Ukraine, Poland, Montenegro have all shown themselves to be very good opponents.

"I am delighted for the players. We played some sensational football in the first half and in the second, when the Poles had not so much to lose, we dug in, worked hard to control them."

The striker dives to the floor in delight after breaking the deadlock

On Twitter, Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the win, saying he was "proud" to see the side qualify.

Before the game, there was criticism after the Football Association (FA) doubled the normal allocation for away fans in response to security concerns prompted by a huge demand for tickets among Britain's large Polish community.

Some 18,000 Poland fans were at the game

Initially the Polish FA was given 8,000 tickets, but the FA sold another 10,000 to UK-based Poles, with an eventual crowd of 85,186 watching the game.

England join defending champions Spain, Germany, Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands in next year's World Cup, which starts in June.

James Milner battles with Slawomir Peszko and Grzegorz Krychowiak

Ukraine face a two-leg play-off against one of France, Greece, Portugal, Iceland, Romania, Sweden, Denmark or Croatia.

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Immigration: 'One In Five Marriages A Sham'

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

Up to one in five marriages conducted in civil ceremonies in parts of the country may be bogus, one of Britain's most senior registrars has warned.

In an interview with Sky News, Mark Rimmer, the chairman of the Local Registration Services Association, said 20% of weddings in urban areas were suspicious - the worst it has ever been.

Home Office figures show the number of reported cases has tripled in the last three years to 1,800.

But Mr Rimmer said the number of sham marriages between people trying to abuse the immigration system reported to the authorities was "the tip of the iceberg" and that official figures are a "drop in the ocean" compared with the full scale of the problem.

He said the issue is now worse than in 2004 when the first legislation to combat the phenomenon was introduced and that registrars are having to conduct ceremonies they suspect to be bogus "through gritted teeth".

"We have seen huge increases in potential sham marriages presenting themselves to us, we now have more reports from registrars going to the Home Office, but I think that is the tip of a very large iceberg, and effectively the real scale of the problem is far greater than that that is reported to the Home Office officially.

"Most registration officers are not immigration officers, they came into this business to facilitate marriage. So therefore they don't want to be cynical.

"Unfortunately therefore what happens is the ones that are absolutely blatant get reported and there are some that are borderline that slip through without being reported - and that is the iceberg under the water and that's huge - it is absolutely huge.

"In an area like anywhere in London it is multiple times per week ... it would not be unreasonable to say that 20% of all our marriages are suspicious or have some elements of suspicion about them.

"So one in five in London, probably in the other big cities as well it will be a similar problem. Obviously in county areas in the countryside it is not as big a problem, but certainly in the urban areas, with high areas of ethnicity it is significant."

As part of an investigation into the issue, Sky News witnessed a raid last month by Home Office officials on a suspected sham marriage between a Nigerian man and a Portuguese woman.

The number of sham weddings has tripled in the last three years to 1,800

The 32-year-old groom was arrested and has since been deported, while the 22-year-old woman is on bail under criminal investigation.

Mr Rimmer suggested that overall 15,000 of the 173,000 civil weddings that take place each year in England and Wales could be bogus - almost 10 times the official level.

Officials found the process very frustrating, he told Sky News.

"You go into a marriage thinking that you are going to a proper relationship - sealing and cementing someone's relationship - yet you know that this is purely a financial transaction, you can imagine how frustrating that can be. Very often the ceremony is done through gritted teeth," he said.

Both David Cameron and Theresa May have repeatedly pledged to tackle sham marriages.

In a speech in October 2011, Mr Cameron pledged to "end the ridiculous situation where a registrar who knows a marriage is a sham still has to perform the ceremony".

But Mr Rimmer said the situation was worse than ever after a series of legal challenges.

He said: "Sham marriages have been a problem for many many years. And the previous government introduced legislation to combat it back in 2004.

"As a result of that legislation, it did put a cap on the problem for the first year or so, but unfortunately the legislation was subject to challenge and the government lost on a couple of occasions in the high court.

"Eventually it was watered down to a degree it became meaningless and eventually was repealed in 2010. Since 2010, we have had the problem re-emerging and it is even worse than the problem was in 2004."

In July 2008 the Law Lords ruled that Home Office rules under which foreign nationals needed official permission to marry breached human rights.

Mr Rimmer added that while the rules for British citizens bringing foreign partners into the country to marry have been tightened, EU citizens are still free to abuse the laws.

Brodie Clark, former head of the UK Border Agency

He said: "The law relating to British nationals getting married is becoming more and more rigid. So therefore there are probationary periods if you marry a British national during which time the Border Agency/Home Office can check up as to whether that relationship is still in existence.

"There is not the same check with European Union nationals, so therefore the scams are usually perpetrated by European nationals other than Brits, because it is more advantageous to do so.

"Some nationalities in Europe being trafficked in for the sex industry - are being sold on to go through bogus marriages, so these people are victims in themselves, under duress.

"These sham marriages are a direct result of organised crime, this is organised criminality, a lot of racketeers making millions of pounds out of the racket - this is actually not something that is like a green card - this is massive criminality on an industrial scale."

Mr Rimmer said his organisation is working with ministers to introduce new legislation that could help reduce the number of sham marriages by including ceremonies held in the Church of England.

Brodie Clarke, former head of the UK Border Force, told Sky News it is impossible for officials to police every marriage.

He said: "They can't be everywhere. We do need to depend on the public and have sought that support from registrars to say if there's something suspicious here, please report it. And that would then trigger the attendance of somebody or an examination by somebody from UKBA to look at those circumstances.

"So it can't be done just by uniformed people in the Home Office - it needs partnerships of all. That's the only way this is going to pull together and work.

"But those demands and requirements of partners have to be reasonable and they have to be able to deliver on those demands and requirements - and that's a challenge, I think, for government to make that work."

Immigration Minister Mark Harper told Sky News: "Sham marriages have for too long been an easy target for migrants seeking to circumvent our immigration rules, often assisted by organised criminals.

"Registrars are frustrated when they marry couples who are obviously sham. We need more effective tools to deal with it.

"By extending the marriage and civil partnership notice period to 28 days in England and Wales and allowing this to be increased to 70 days in some circumstances we will make time to investigate, prosecute and remove those involved in sham marriages."

:: Immigration UK: A week of special coverage on Sky from October 14 to 18 - watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad

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Man Charged After Buckingham Palace Arrest

A 44-year-old man has been charged after allegedly trying to enter Buckingham Palace while in possession of a knife.

David Belmar, of Haringey, north London, is to appear in custody at West London Magistrates' Court later.

He been charged with trespass on a protected site and possession of a bladed article.

He was arrested just before noon on Monday as he allegedly tried to enter through the palace's north centre gate.

Police said they found a knife when they searched him. He was then taken into custody at a London police station.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen was not in the building at the time of the incident.

A Royal source told Sky News the matter had been dealt with "effectively" and "quickly".

In September, police arrested two men over a suspected break-in at Buckingham Palace in what was considered a rare breach of royal security.

One suspected burglar was found on September 2 in a room that had been open to the public during the day.

The second man was arrested outside the palace on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.

Less than 48 hours later, amid heightened security, two police officers confronted the Duke of York in the palace gardens demanding to know who he was.

Scotland Yard later issued a public apology to the Queen's son after the blunder was made public.

In response Prince Andrew issued a statement to say protection officers have "a difficult job" and he was grateful that the force had apologised.

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Murder Inquiry Launched As Man Hit By Lorry

A murder investigation has been launched after a man was hit by a lorry in Barking, east London.

Scene of the incident in east London

Police believe the incident, which took place on River Road at 10.30am on Monday, could be linked to a commercial robbery which took place in the area shortly beforehand.

A 43-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say they know the identity of the victim

The investigation is being led by officers from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command.

Next of kin have been informed

Anyone who was in the area at the time or who has information about this incident is asked to call the Incident Room on 020 8345 1570 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Terror Arrests: Four Men Detained In London

Four men are in police custody after being arrested in London as part of a pre-planned anti-terror operation.

Counter terrorism police detained the men at 7.10pm on Sunday during raids on several premises across the capital.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said the men were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Two of the men were detained in Mansell Street, east London. A third man was arrested at a premises in Westbourne Grove, west London.

The fourth man was detained in Peckham Street, southeast London.

Officers conducted a search of six addresses as part of the pre-planned operation.

The men have been taken to a police station in south London.

Police said public safety remains their overriding concern.

A man who witnessed the arrest on Westbourne Grove - a street lined with restaurants and shops in Notting Hill - said he saw two police vans and a police car at the scene.

He said: "There was quite a lot of police. There was quite a scene as I approached."

The area was now clear, the man added.

Sky's defence correspondent Alistair Bunkall described the operation as "significant".

"Sometimes these arrests are made as a pre-emptive measure very early on in any planning for a terrorism operation, and sometimes they are made because the feeling is a terrorist attack may be imminent, but we haven't been given those sort of details yet," he said.

"But S015 officers, from Counter Terrorism Command, and armed Met Police officers were involved, so it certainly was a big operation by the Met."

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Lampedusa: One Victim Was Heading To The UK

At least one of the victims of the Lampedusa boat tragedy earlier this month was heading to Britain, Sky News has learned.

Habtom Andemichael, an Eritrean who has lived in the UK for six years and works in a Leeds factory, said his brother Kidane, 23, called to say he was on board the doomed ship as it left Libya.

When he later heard that the ship had sank off the coast of the Italian island on October 3, killing 359 passengers, he flew to Lampedusa where he identified his body.

Body bags containing African immigrants

He said his brother - a married father of one - paid a "large amount" of money for the trip as part of his attempt to reach the UK.

Meanwhile two families in London also say they had relatives on board who have not contacted them since the boat sank.

They are on their way to the island to identify the bodies.

Pictures of the recovered bodies are pinned up on noticeboards in a local police station, and families now have the harrowing task of viewing them to see if their loved ones are among them.

The coastguard worked through the night to rescue the survivors

Capsized boats have become commonplace in southern Europe, with 25,000 refugees drowned in the Mediterranean in the last 20 years, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

Of these, 2,000 died in 2011 and 1,700 last year.

Lampedusa, 70 miles (110km) off Tunisia and closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, has seen successive waves of illegal immigration.

Migrants who arrive in Lampedusa are processed in centres, screened for asylum and often sent back home.

On Friday, at least 34 people drowned in Maltese waters south of Lampedusa when a boat packed with hundreds of Syrian and Palestinians capsized.

:: Immigration UK: A week of special coverage on Sky from October 14 to 18 - watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad

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Madeleine McCann: Key Details 'Were Wrong'

British detectives working on the Madeleine McCann investigation have revealed that key details in the timeline that led to her disappearance were wrong.

The revised details will be documented in a new Crimewatch appeal on the case to be broadcast on Monday.

Speaking ahead of the BBC programme, senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "The timeline we have now established has given new significance to sightings and movements of people in and around Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine's disappearance.

"Our work to date has significantly changed the timeline and the accepted version of events that has been in the public domain to date.

"It has allowed us to work with Crimewatch to build the most detailed reconstruction as yet, and highlight very specific appeal points.

"I hope that when the public see our investigative strands drawn together within the overall context of that appeal, it will bring in new information that moves our investigation forward."

The timeline of Madeleine's disappearance has 'significantly changed'

The full reconstruction of the events six years ago when Madeleine went missing starts with a scene of Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry playing tennis.

Madeleine, dressed in pink shorts, T-shirt and hat, then runs across the court, holding a batch of tennis balls.

In another clip, the McCanns are asked how often they think of their daughter, who went missing when she was three years old on May 3, 2007 from a holiday apartment as her parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.

Mr McCann says: "When it's a special occasion, when you should be your happiest and Madeleine's not there, that's when it really hits home. Obviously, Madeleine's birthday goes without saying."

Mrs McCann adds: "It's when you have big family occasions really. That's it isn't it? 'Family occasion' and you haven't got your complete family."

During the programme, DCI Redwood discusses how the police have approached the inquiry.

Gerry and Kate McCann tell Crimewatch their anguish is undiminished

He says: "Primarily what we sought to do from the beginning is try and draw everything back to zero if you like. Try and take everything back to the beginning and re-analyse and reassess everything, accepting nothing."

He adds: "The careful and critical analysis of the timeline has been absolutely key.

"Primarily, we're focused on the area between 8.30pm and 10pm. We know at 8.30 that was the time Mr and Mrs McCann went down to the tapas area for their dinner and we know that around at 10pm that was when Mrs McCann found that Madeleine was missing."

A number of e-fits are also to be shown in the appeal in a bid to "identify the men and eliminate innocent sightings".

Scotland Yard detectives, who have interviewed 442 people as part of their review-turned-investigation, hope to track down as many people present in the Portuguese town at the time.

Since launching its own investigation, 41 people of interest have been identified by the Met Police, including 15 UK nationals.

Madeleine seen on the day before she went missing in May 2007

Detectives have issued 31 international letters of request to mostly European countries in relation to some of the persons of interest as well as accessing phone records.

A large but "manageable" list of phone numbers identified as being present in Praia da Luz - though not necessarily used to make phone calls - has been drawn up by detectives with a "significant" number unattributed to any named person.

British detectives launched a fresh investigation in July this year - two years into a review of the case.

The Met Police now has a team of six Portuguese detectives based in Faro who are carrying out inquiries on its behalf.

The Portuguese investigation is officially closed but authorities there are backing the Scotland Yard inquiry and officers from both countries are working together in pursuing new leads.

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Baby's Kidney Donation Saves Woman's Life

A five-week-old baby is a lifesaver after becoming Britain's youngest ever organ donor.

The infant's tiny kidneys were donated to 22-year-old Samira Kauser and transplanted during a seven-hour operation at St James's University Hospital in Leeds.

The organs were just 4cm long but will grow to up to three-quarters the size of a normal adult's.

Together with the liver, heart and lungs, a baby's kidneys are fully functioning after 37 weeks in the womb.

Ms Kauser, from Halifax, who was spending nine hours a night on dialysis after a genetic condition caused her kidneys to fail, told The Sunday Times she plans to get married next year.

"When I found out (the donor) was a child who had died, I felt so sad," she said.

"I thought about the parents and how much they wanted to donate and I knew I had to have the operation, even though I was scared."

The operation took place at Leeds' St James's University Hospital

She added: "Words cannot express the gratitude I feel to the parents of this baby.

"They have lost so much - much more than I can ever comprehend.

"Their only solace is that someone else has been able to carry on with their life. It's a massive gift."

The Sunday Times said the transplant had reignited the debate about whether organs from so-called "beating heart" babies, who are being kept alive on ventilators but are certified as brain dead, should be made available to patients on the donor waiting list.

It said a decision on the issue is expected within the next six months.

Transplant surgeon Niaz Ahmad, who led the team that carried out the transplant, told the newspaper: "There is such an acute shortage of organs that we're now prepared to do this.

"This case, I hope, shows that it can work."

Around 19.7 million people are on the NHS organ donor register.

More than 7,200 people are waiting for a transplant - 6,000 of whom need a new kidney.

Some 2,820 kidney transplants were carried out last year.

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