Madeleine McCann: Kate To Attend Libel Hearing

The mother of missing Madeleine McCann will attend a Portuguese court for the start of the family's libel action against a former local police chief which could see them receive £1m in damages if they succeed.

Kate McCann will be accompanied by her mother Susan Healy for the first hearing of the case against Goncalo Amaral who published a book making allegations about the three-year-old's disappearance in 2007.

The McCanns have strongly denied the accusations and say the former detective's claims have damaged the hunt for Madeleine and exacerbated the anguish suffered by her relatives.

Their lawyer Isabel Duarte is expected to set out the case - on behalf of Mrs McCann, her husband Gerry and their twins Sean and Amelie, now eight - at Lisbon's civil court.

The McCanns pose with a computer-generated image of their daughter

Mrs McCann, who is travelling to Portugal without her husband, could have been called as a witness but is not expected to give evidence.

Instead, a number of relatives will appear in the witness box. They will speak about the "damage" caused by Mr Amaral's book which, they claim, poisoned public opinion in Portugal against the family and allegedly deterred people from hunting for Madeleine.

Spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry McCann remain very confident that they will win the case.

"They have a strong case against Mr Amaral. The matter is now in the hands of their lawyer as it goes through court."

Goncalo Amaral's book "poisoned public opinion", it is claimed

It is understood Mr McCann is staying at the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, to look after the couple's children.

Madeleine, who was then nearly four, disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, on May 3 2007, as her parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.

British detectives launched a fresh investigation into her disappearance in July - two years into a review of the case - and believe she could still be alive.

The Portuguese investigation into Madeleine's disappearance is officially closed.

The libel case will be heard today and Friday. It will then be adjourned until next Thursday when the court will sit again for two days. A final hearing is expected on September 27. The judgment is expected to be deferred.

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Children 'Start School Too Young': Experts

Children should start school at age six or seven because of the "profound damage" the current education system is causing, a group of experts has warned.

An early focus on play should be introduced as part of a fundamental overhaul of the system that would bring it more into line with Scandinavian countries, according to 127 experts from academia, teaching, literature and charities.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph they call for changes to a system that they say focuses too early on formal lessons and the Three Rs from the age of four or five when children should be allowed to play instead.

Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the former Children's Commissioner for England and one of the letter's signatories, told the paper: "If you look at a country like Finland, children don't start formal, full-scale education until they are seven.

"These extra few years, in my view, provide a crucial opportunity, when supported by well trained, well paid and highly educated staff, for children to be children."

Other signatories of the letter include Lord Layard, director of the Well-Being Programme at the London School of Economics, Dr David Whitebread, senior lecturer in psychology of education at Cambridge University, and Catherine Prisk, director of Play England.

The newspaper said the letter was circulated by the Save Childhood Movement, which is launching its Too Much, Too Soon campaign.

It will reportedly call for reforms including play-based schooling for children between three and seven.

Wendy Ellyatt, the founding director of the movement, told the Telegraph: "Despite the fact that 90% of countries in the world prioritise social and emotional learning and start formal schooling at six or seven, in England we seem grimly determined to cling on to the erroneous belief that starting sooner means better results later.

"There is nothing wrong with seeking high educational standards and accountability, but there is surely something very wrong indeed if this comes at the cost of natural development."

But the Department for Education described the ideas as "misguided".

A spokesman for Education Secretary Michael Gove said: "These people represent the powerful and badly misguided lobby who are responsible for the devaluation of exams and the culture of low expectations in state schools.

"We need a system that aims to prepare pupils to solve hard problems in calculus or be a poet or engineer - a system freed from the grip of those who bleat bogus pop-psychology about 'self image', which is an excuse for not teaching poor children how to add up."

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Nigel Evans Sex Charges: Deputy Speaker Quits

Deputy Commons Speaker Nigel Evans has resigned after being charged with a string of offences including sexual assault and rape.

The 55-year-old Tory MP is accused of two counts of indecent assault, five counts of sexual assault and one rape count in relation to seven men.

Evans, who represents the Ribble Valley constituency in Lancashire, will appear before magistrates in Preston on September 18.

The director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer QC said: "Following an investigation by Lancashire police, the Crown Prosecution Service has received a file of evidence in the case of Mr Nigel Evans MP which concerns allegations of a sexual nature.

"After careful consideration, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and that it is in the public interest to prosecute Mr Evans."

In a statement outside Preston police station Evans said he would "robustly defend my innocence" against the allegations which he described as "incredulous".

Evans is still working as an MP

The indecent assaults are alleged to have been committed between January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2004; the sexual assaults between January 1, 2009, and April 1, 2013, and the rape between March 29, 2013, and April 1.

Evans, from Pendleton in Lancashire, answered bail on Tuesday having previously been arrested in May and June.

He was rearrested and interviewed by detectives throughout the day before being charged.

The Swansea-born politician had arrived earlier at the police station, driven by his solicitor.

He smiled and said "thanks for coming" to reporters who had gathered outside.

He dismissed the original allegations against him as "completely false", and said they had been made by two people he had "regarded as friends".

He has stepped aside from his Speaker duties since his arrest, but has continued to work as an MP.

He was one of three deputy speakers elected in a secret ballot of MPs in 2010.

Later that year he came out as gay, saying he was "tired of living a lie".

Mr Evans was a vice chairman of the Conservative Party from 1999 to 2001. When Iain Duncan Smith became party leader in 2001, he was promoted to the shadow cabinet as shadow Welsh secretary - a post he held for two years.

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HS2 Rail Link 'Will Boost Economy By £15bn'

The HS2 high-speed rail project will boost the UK economy by £15bn and will be completed within its £42.6bn budget, the Government is to claim.

New research shows the proposed link between London and cities in the Midlands and northern England will drive growth in the regions.

The announcement by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin comes in the week the Commons spending watchdog issued a scathing report on the scheme.

It said the apparent benefits were dwindling as the costs spiralled.

Ministers' case for the massive project was based on "fragile numbers, out-of-date data and assumptions which do not reflect real life" with no evidence that it would aid regional economies rather than sucking even more activity into London, said the Public Accounts Committee report.

But Mr McLoughlin will point to a new analysis by KPMG, commissioned by HS2 Ltd, which shows that the boost to Birmingham's economy will be equivalent to 2.1% to 4.2% of the city region's GDP, there will be a 0.8% to 1.7% benefit to Manchester, 1.6% for Leeds and 0.5% for Greater London.

The proposed HS2 lines

"It addresses that vital question: will HS2 create jobs and growth in the North and Midlands, where they are needed most? The answer is absolutely clear. Yes," he will say.

The Exchequer could benefit from £5bn a year in extra tax receipts as a result of the boost to the economy, KPMG said.

The Transport Secretary's speech forms part of a campaign announced by David Cameron to make the case for HS2 in the face of what he called an "unholy alliance" of sceptics.

Recent critics have included Labour's Alistair Darling who first approved it as chancellor, and the Institute of Directors which dismissed it as "a grand folly".

It is also fiercely opposed by some Tory MPs - many representing communities which will be disrupted by construction work and train noise along the route.

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Jaguar Land Rover To Create 1,700 New Jobs

Jaguar Land Rover has announced 1,700 new jobs are to be created at its Solihull factory as part of a £1.5bn investment in new technology.

The money will be used to develop an innovative aluminium chassis for future models.

The news was revealed by chief executive Dr Ralf Speth at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

"Today's announcement signals Jaguar Land Rover's ambitions to push the boundaries and redefine premium car ownership," he said.

"At Jaguar Land Rover we place the customer at the heart of everything we do and the introduction of a world class all-new aluminium vehicle architecture means we will be more competitive, flexible and efficient delivering exciting new products for our customers around the world."

JLR's first model to have the new architecture will be a Jaguar sports sedan which is due for launch in 2015.

It will also feature the first engine to be built at a new £500m Engine Manufacturing Centre near Wolverhampton.

Jaguar also unveiled its first ever sports crossover concept vehicle, the C-X17, which will also have the new aluminium technology.

The new jobs at the Solihull site in the Midlands bring the total number announced by JLR over the last three years to almost 11,000.

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Jaguar Land Rover has been experiencing great success over the last couple of years but this ground-breaking project takes Jaguar onto the next level.

"This all-aluminium architecture project typifies the type of innovative and high value R&D that the UK excels in and Government is supporting through the automotive industrial strategy."

The company, which is owned by Tata Motors, has three advanced manufacturing facilities in the UK - in Solihull and Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands, and Halewood on Merseyside.

JLR's Solihull site has been home to Land Rover since production commenced in 1948 and currently builds the Defender, Discovery, All-New Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.

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Baby Foods Found To Lack Nutrients: Study

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

Popular baby foods contain far fewer nutrients than meals prepared at home, according to a new study.

Jars of food made by Cow & Gate, Heinz and Ella's Kitchen, among others, have also been found to contain high levels of sugar.

Researchers from Glasgow University concluded that a child would receive half as much energy and protein from a 'convenience' food than they would from an equivalent-sized home-made meal.

The research team wrote in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood: "The UK infant food market mainly supplies sweet, soft, spoonable foods targeted from age four months.

"Most products are ready-made spoonable foods that are no more energy dense than formula milk and are, generally, much less nutrient dense than home-made foods."

They said weaning foods "would not serve the intended purpose" of giving a baby extra nutrients or a range of tastes and textures.

The researchers also discovered that some foods are being promoted for use at the age of four months, contrary to official guidance.

The Department of Health (DoH) recommends a gradual transition onto solids, starting at six months. It advises that children continue to receive breast or formula milk while they are being weaned.

Many baby foods are targeted from four months of age

The products analysed by the research team were manufactured by Heinz, Boots, Cow & Gate, Hipp Organic, Organix and Ella's Kitchen.

In a statement, Heinz told Sky News: "Generations of parents have trusted Heinz baby foods as safe and nourishing and which are specially prepared to meet babies' nutritional needs with recipes that provide the right tastes and textures."

A spokeswoman for Ella's Kitchen said: "In the United Kingdom, we support breast feeding for the optimal time of six months. However, it may not always be possible or appropriate.

"As the study acknowledges, commercial weaning food is created to complement the nutrition gained from baby's milk.  Ella's Kitchen creates its products with this exact goal. Our products are 100% organic, Soil Association approved and made following European regulations."

Anna Rosier, managing director of Organix, told Sky News: "We support that breastfeeding to six months is the ideal form of first nutrition and ensure all of our stage 1 packaging contains the WHO guidelines.

"We are also aware that some parents decide to wean their little ones before then, so to support these parents we make it clear what foods could be suitable.

"All of our foods are complementary to breastfeeding, and we adhere to the regulations for complementary foods for babies. We do not make foods with the purpose to replace breast milk as the primary source of nutrition before six months.  

"We do not fortify our foods with vitamins and minerals (unless required to by EU Food Regulations) as the fortification of food is not permitted under organic rules."

The DoH recommends a gradual transition to solids starting with cereals, vegetables and fruits, before moving on to proteins.

It recommends babies still continue to receive breast milk or a pint of formula a day while they are being weaned, up to their first birthday.

A spokesperson for the British Specialist Nutrition Association, the body which represents baby food manufacturers, recommended that parents seek advice from a healthcare professional when thinking of starting weaning.

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Plymouth Toddler Falls 100ft From Flat

A toddler is in hospital with internal injuries after plunging 100ft (30m) from a fifth floor flat.

The 16-month-old girl is said to be in a "stable condition" after falling from the window of a flat in Savage Road, Barne Barton in Plymouth.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said officers were called to the address at around 8.25am on Saturday.

The toddler was taken to the city's Derriford Hospital where she remains.

The force is not treating the incident as suspicious and no one has been arrested.

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HS2 Rail Project Comes Under Renewed Attack

By Tadhg Enright, Sky News Reporter

A public spending watchdog has delivered another blow to the Government's ambitions for a £50bn high speed rail line connecting London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds by saying it has "yet to present a convincing strategic case" to justify the investment.

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee have warned that plans for HS2 are based on "fragile numbers, out-of-date data and assumptions which do not reflect real life".

The committee's chairwoman, Margaret Hodge MP, said: "The Department for Transport has yet to present a convincing strategic case for High Speed 2.

"It has not yet demonstrated that this is the best way to spend £50bn on rail investment in these constrained times, and that the improved connectivity will promote growth in the regions rather than sucking even more activity into London."

The first phase of HS2 - a line which would connect London to Birmingham in just 49 minutes - is due to break ground in 2017.

Among the committee's many criticisms are that the estimated cost of phase one has already increased from £16.3bn to £21.4bn.

But having botched calculations of its benefits, economists have been forced to reduce their forecasts of the potential return on investment.

Map of the HS2 route

The evidence used to show its benefits was so out of date that it failed to recognise business travellers were able to work on trains using laptops and other mobile devices.

The committee has called for a fresh analysis of HS2's potential to be carried out before giving the green light to phase two which would extend it to Manchester and Leeds.

The Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, told Sky News: "The trouble with a lot of these reports is that by the time they surface, they can be out of date.

"But I'm determined that the points made points made by the National Audit Office are the points we address in the department and that we use those points to get it right."

Although HS2 has the backing of the three main political parties, some individuals who originally supported the scheme - such as the former chancellor Alistair Darling - have turned against it.

The Institute of Directors has labelled it a "grand folly" and called for it to be scrapped after a survey of business leaders found they were unconvinced by the economic case behind it.

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced a campaign to bolster support for the project in the face of what he called an "unholy alliance" of critics.

The Government is expected to present a renewed economic argument in favour of HS2 later this week.

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Dartford Crossing Bomb Hoax: Man Detained

A 27-year-old man arrested in connection with a bomb hoax which led to the Dartford Crossing being closed and severe delays on the M25 has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

The incident led to drivers being caught in nine-mile long tailbacks after both the QE2 Bridge and Dartford Tunnels were closed for almost seven hours during rush-hour traffic on Saturday evening, while traffic was also stopped from using the A20 at Dover.

The suspect, from Bournemouth in Dorset, is alleged to have made bomb threats.

He was arrested on Saturday and has now been taken to a secure unit under the care of the Health Authority, Kent Police said.

Police said they recovered a cylindrical device with wires heavily sealed inside a bag from a coach.

Traffic was stuck in nine-mile tailbacks

It was found after the force was called at 4.03pm to a report of a male pedestrian behaving unusually. He had alighted from a coach which was Dover-bound and run to a rough area nearby, police said.

Security personnel at a nearby distribution depot detained the man and officers arrested him at 4.15pm before he was taken to a police station where he made threats as to a suspicious device on board the coach.

The vehicle, which had just gone through the toll booths, was evacuated along with the immediate surrounding area, which was extremely busy at the time.

Bomb disposal experts attended the scene and a robotic device was deployed to examine the device more closely.

Police said the detained man made further threats that there was an explosive device on another coach and officers then stopped a coach on the A20 at Dover at 6pm.

The Dartford Crossing was closed for several hours

It was evacuated and the road was closed before being reopened at around 10.45pm after no threat was found. The Dartford Crossing was reopened at around 11.45pm.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Price said today: "We were dealing with a very challenging situation, with two scenes in extremely busy areas. Our main priority was to ensure the safety of the public, our officers and our partners at the scene.

"We had received threats of a very serious nature that required regional and national co-ordination and declared this as a critical incident. Obviously a lot of people were caught up in long delays but this could not be avoided as we had to ensure public safety and as soon as clearance was obtained the road was immediately opened.

"We would like to thank the public for their patience last night, and also thank our partners, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, South East Coast Ambulance Service, the Highways Agency, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Kent County Council and others who all worked to ensure the safety of everyone involved."

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Duke Of York Challenged In Palace Grounds

Prince Andrew has been challenged by police in the gardens of Buckingham Palace after returning from an engagement in London.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man was ordered to verify his identity by two officers at around 6pm on Wednesday.

The Duke of York had been at an event in Piccadilly to support new business ventures.

Two men were arrested over a break-in at Buckingham Palace on Monday

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "On Wednesday, September 4, at approximately 6pm two uniformed officers approached a man in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to verify his identity.

"The man was satisfactorily identified. No weapons were drawn and no force was used."

The confrontation came after an intruder was able to scale a fence and get inside the palace on Monday night, before being arrested by police.

A security review has been launched following Monday's suspected burglary.

None of the Royal family were at home during the suspected burglary

Police said the man had been found shortly before 10.30pm "in an area currently open to the public during the day" and arrested for burglary, trespass and criminal damage.

A second man was arrested outside the Palace for conspiracy to commit burglary.

The Met Police spokesman said: "Both men have been bailed to return to a central London police station and enquiries continue.

"A review of the specific circumstances of this incident is being carried out. No members of the Royal Family were at Buckingham Palace at the time of the incident."

The spokesman added that security would form part of the review.

The Queen made her traditional appearance at a Highland Games on Saturday, as details of the break-in emerged.

She was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales at the Braemar Gathering in Aberdeenshire, where the Royal party watched pipe bands and dancers perform in front of a large crowd.

The Queen has been spending her summer break at Balmoral Castle since the beginning of August and is not expected to return to the Palace until October.

The break-in is one of the most serious security breaches at the Palace since 1982, when Michael Fagan evaded guards to get inside the Queen's private chambers while she was still in bed.

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