Wife Let Off Over Fatal Sherry Enema

A Texas woman has escaped being charged with negligent homicide after she killed her husband with a sherry enema.

Tammy Jean Warner had been scheduled to go on trial over the death of Michael Warner, 58.

But Brazoria County District Attorney Jeri Yenne said the charges had been dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

She said the dead man had had a "severe alcohol issue" and it was not clear his wife had committed a crime.

"Let's say I have lung cancer and I continue to smoke. If you provide cigarettes to me, is that negligent homicide?" Ms Yenne asked.

"I really wrestled with the consent issue and negligence issue. I didn't think it rose to the level of negligent homicide."

Michael Warner, a machine shop operator, died at the couple's Lake Jackson home on May 21, 2004.

According to a post mortem report, Mr Warner had been given an enema containing enough sherry to produce a blood alcohol level six times the legal driving limit.

At the time his wife was indicted, Lake Jackson police detective Robert Turner said Michael Warner was a longtime alcoholic who sometimes used enemas to get drunk because a medical condition made it painful for him to drink.

Warner claimed her husband had been addicted to enemas since he was a child. She said he often used alcohol in that manner to get drunk.

'First Night Without Madeleine Hurt Most'

Kate McCann has revealed how the torment she suffered at being named a suspect in her daughter's disappearance was nothing compared with the agony she felt at discovering Madeleine was gone.


Speaking for the first time since her return to the UK, Mrs McCann told of the pain of not knowing what happened to her missing daughter.

She said she cried every day for Madeleine - and the kindness shown to her by strangers also brought her to tears.

"I've had days when, if I wasn't crying about Madeleine, I was crying from the letters and messages people have sent to us. It has helped so much," she said.

Mrs McCann admitted she came "crashing down" when police named her as a suspect in the case.

But she said nothing could eclipse the horror of the night Madeleine went missing from the family's holiday apartment in Portugal on May 3.

"A lot has happened since then. Sometimes, the most trivial of things can bring you crashing down," she said, speaking alongside her husband Gerry.

"Everything that has happened, everything we do and feel, it is all put into perspective by how we felt on that first night.

"I think when we were made suspects in our own daughter's disappearance, when the inference was that Madeleine was dead and that, somehow, we were involved ...

"But, no, it can't get worse than that first night."

Mrs McCann also revealed how she and her husband Gerry are trying to give their twins, Amelie and Sean, as normal a life as possible.

She told the Leicester Mercury: "Something carries you through. We have Sean and Amelie of course. We are there for them.

"We tell them that she is missing and that everyone is looking for her. And that's the truth."

The couple have thanked the people of Rothley and Leicestershire as a whole for their continued support.

Mr McCann said so many well-wishers had written to them that, until recently, they had to collect their mail from the post office in their car.

There would be three crates of letters and cards awaiting collection every day, he said.

Mr McCann added: "We want to increase awareness, get back to basics if you like. Target specific areas with pictures and billboards and messages. We want to refocus the coverage."

Sky Interviews Spokesman 03/10/07

McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell tells Sky News they hope the sacking of the policeman in charge of the search for missing Madeleine will help re-energise the search for the four-year-old.

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Pavia está pronto para ser "descoberto" pelos viseenses a partir de Março

Os viseenses poderão vir a "redescobrir" o rio Pavia a partir de Março do próximo ano. A data para o fim das obras do Parque Linear, que actualmente estão a decorrer nas margens daquele curso de água, foi avançada ontem pelo presidente da Câmara Municipal de Viseu, Fernando Ruas, durante uma visita ao local

O autarca mostrou-se bastante satisfeito com o avanço dos trabalhos e surpreendido por não haver muitos maus cheiros, nomeadamente junto aos Moinhos da Balsa. "Vinha preparado para pior, por haver pouca água", admitiu o edil. Lembrou que, depois de 40 anos em que foi conspurcado e esquecido, o rio vai agora ser devolvido à população, que desta nova zona de lazer poderá apreciar a cidade de um "ângulo" completamente diferente.Ao longo de um troço de cerca de dois quilómetros - desde a rotunda do Coval até aos Moinhos da Balsa (onde vai funcionar o Centro de Monitorização e Interpretação Ambiental) vão ser plantadas mais de sete centenas de árvores. "As pessoas irão passear no centro da cidade e não darão pelo frenesim diário nas imediações", garantiu o vice-presidente da autarquia, Américo Nunes.

Grandes poluidoresjá não existem

Questionado pelos jornalistas, Fernando Ruas adiantou que os grandes poluidores do Rio Pavia já não existem. "Um deles era o Matadouro. O sangue da zona de abate chegava a ir directamente para a água. Eram muitas as queixas dos habitantes", sublinhou. Na sua opinião, existem actualmente apenas algumas condutas clandestinas de particulares, isto apesar da autarquia oferecer a ligação à rede de esgotos de forma totalmente gratuita."Ao longo dos anos as pessoas esqueceram-se do Pavia, mas nós vamos mudar isso", referiu. O edil mostrou-se ainda convencido quanto à possibilidade do surgimento de empreendimentos nas imediações do Parque Linear. Revelou que para os terrenos da Comissão Vitivinícola Regional do Dão está projectada uma área habitacional de grande qualidade e acrescentou que os espaços existentes deverão ser requalificados, porque agora estão mais à vista de toda a gente.

Barragem no Catavejo

Quanto à forma como a autarquia pretende garantir água ao longo de todo o ano no Rio Pavia, o autarca explicou que terão de ser construídos diversos açudes. De acordo com o edil, deverão começar ainda esta semana as reuniões com os responsáveis da Martifer que, através da sua empresa de energia renovável Eviva, irá construir uma barragem com aproveitamento energético no Catavejo. A Câmara espera conseguir regularizar o Rio Pavia através daquela estrutura, a erigir na Ribeira da Fraga. O custo previsto é de quatro milhões de euros.

Woman Gives Birth To Own Grandchildren

A 51-year-old Brazilian woman has given birth to her own grandchildren - a healthy set of twin boys.


Rosinete Serrao served as a surrogate mother for her daughter Claudia Michelle, who is unable to have children of her own.

The twins, Antonio Bento and Vitor Gabriel, were born healthy and required no special medical care.

The babies have already left the hospital in the northeastern city of Recife.

Hours before going into labour, Mrs Serrao could not hide her anxiety.

Sitting next to her puzzled husband, she prayed to the saints for a smooth birth.

"Saint Cosme and Damiao are protectors of the twins and everything will go well," she said.

Her husband said he was excited about being a father and grandfather at the same time.

Dozens of reporters and photographers had been camped outside the hospital, waiting for the babies to arrive.

Four embryos, fertilised by her 27-year-old daughter Claudia Michelle and her husband Antonio de Brito, were implanted in Mrs Serrao's uterus in January.

Brazil's law only allows close relatives to serve as surrogate mothers, but her daughter had no female siblings.

Despite the risk, Mrs Serrao did not hesitate in accepting her daughter's request.

Doctor Claudio Ribeiro, who assisted in the operation, said it was the world's first known case of a woman giving birth to twin grandchildren.

He said: "There has never been a case like this in the world, of twins developing inside a grandmother's uterus.

"So the family, who watched the birth from a screen inside the waiting room, celebrated the procedure's success."

Second Madeleine Cop Off The Case

The second-in-command in the Madeleine McCann inquiry team has asked for an extended leave of absence, Sky News has learned.

The move comes just days after the police officer leading the investigation was sacked.

Sky News has been told that Chief Inspector Tavares Almeida has asked for the leave.

Portuguese police would not say why the request had been made or when he would return to work.

But the request was made before Gonçalo Amaral was dismissed, it is understood.

Mr Amaral was reportedly sacked as the regional Policia Judiciaria (PJ) in Portimao after accusing her parents of manipulating the British police.

A successor will be named on Monday to take over the enquiry team, said the police chief in Lisbon, Alipio Ribeiro.

Mr Amaral got his marching orders after accusing Kate and Gerry McCann of calling the shots by identifying the lines of inquiry Leicestershire Police should take.

He said British officers had overlooked the fact that the couple remain suspects.

And he accused the McCanns of releasing new information each day in an attempt to distract and confuse the inquiry.

Sky's Ian Woods said there was resentment among Portuguese police that they were being made out to be incompetent and "bumbling".

He added that Mr Amaral was also under investigation following allegations he had put pressure on a suspect in a previous murder inquiry.

Diana And Dodi's Last Tender Moments

New pictures of Princess Diana and lover Dodi Fayed arm-in-arm at a Paris hotel before their deaths have been shown to jurors.


An inquest has seen them on CCTV, joking in a lift and then waiting at the rear service exit of the Ritz for seven minutes.

As they prepare to leave the building, she is seen snuggling in Dodi's arms, her head tilted to the left, leaning into him.

Diana bends her arm behind her back to clasp Dodi's hand. Later, he gently rubs her back.

They left at the back of the hotel and tried to fool the hordes of paparazzi at the main entrance.

Staff had used a two-car convoy, a Mercedes and a Range Rover, at the front as a decoy.

In the event, a handful of photographers realised what was happening and snapped the couple leaving for the last time.

It has also emerged that Henri Paul signalled to the paparazzi to let them know the couple were just about to leave the Ritz.

Paul was the head of security there and drove the couple that night. He waved at photographers just moments before the couple departed the hotel.

He was taking them in a Mercedes to Mr Fayed's Paris flat where, his family believe, he was to present Diana with an engagement ring.

But they did not get there and the car crashed in a tunnel after midnight on August 31, 1997
Earlier, the jury at the inquest into the couple's deaths heard how Mr Paul ordered drinks in a hotel bar in the hours before the crash.

New CCTV pictures submitted to London's High Court showed Mr Paul heading for the bar in the Ritz.

Both French and British police said Mr Paul had been drinking heavily.

The jury has heard already that blood tests showed he was over the drink-drive limit when he crashed into a pillar in an underpass in the city.

But Dodi's father, Mohamed al Fayed, insists the Frenchman was not drunk and the samples had been switched. The inquest has been adjourned until Monday.


Couple Prepare To Leave Ritz

New CCTV footage of the last hours of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed have been shown to inquest jurors and released for public viewing. Commentary is from Sky's royal correspondent Sarah Hughes and royal author Martyn Gregory.

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Longoria Sex Tape Not What It Appears

Oct. 2) -- Blogs and tabloids got it completely wrong when it comes to the alleged sex tape featuring Eva Longoria and her husband, Tony Parker.

On Monday, The Sun reported that an explicit video purportedly of the 'Desperate Housewives' actress and the NBA star was circulating on the Internet.



The story quickly caught fire and found its way to blogs and gossip sites across the Web.

However, according to PEOPLE, the rumors were actually just hype for Longoria's new video on FunnyorDie.com, the same site that featured Will Ferrell's 'Landlord' short.The real video is a spoof of Paris Hilton's tape in which Longoria appears with "Perry Hilton," whom Egotastic identifies as actor Eric Christian Olson.Recorded in night-vision and dated before Longoria made it big, the two joke that the tape won't get out and Longoria admits she wants to marry a basketball player.

Of the viral video, Longoria says, "I'm so amused. It's so funny. Oh my gosh. I've gotten like 100 calls on it saying it's so hilarious."She does, however, deny the existence of an actual sex tape with Parker.

Was Diana Pregnant? Ruling Is Unlikely

Filed Under: World News

LONDON (Oct. 3) - The coroner conducting the inquest into the death of Princess Diana said Wednesday the inquiry is unlikely to reach a scientific conclusion on whether she was pregnant at the time she died - a possibility that is key to the allegation she was murdered.

Lord Justice Scott Baker on his second day of laying out the background of the death of the princess and her companion Dodi Fayed on Aug 31, 1997, said Diana had not given any indication to her doctor, family, friends or associates that she was pregnant.

The jury, made up of six women and five men, has been told to expect up to six months of wide-ranging testimony before making up their minds on whether it was an accident or murder.

Fayed's father, Mohammed al Fayed, has alleged that Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, directed British secret service agents in a conspiracy to murder the couple - in part because she was carrying Fayed's child. Baker told jurors that no pregnancy tests were conducted on the princess' body although two British pathologists concluded there were no visible signs of a pregnancy. However, at an early stage of a pregnancy there might be no visible signs, he added.

"It is likely pregnancy is not a matter that can be proved one way or the other in scientific terms," Baker said. Baker also spoke of al Fayed's claims that the princess' body was illegally embalmed in Paris to cover up the pregnancy. Baker noted that none of Diana's relatives authorized the embalming, as one should have done, but it was approved by a Paris police official and British officials.

Baker also discussed al Fayed's claim that his son had purchased an engagement ring, saying that there is conflicting evidence about the purchase and the intention behind it. He quoted al Fayed's spokesman, Michael Cole, as once saying: "What the ring meant we shall probably never know."

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RED HOT CHILLI SAUCE SPARKS CHEMICAL ALERT

A Thai restaurant has been cordoned off by police after its extra-hot homemade chilli sauce was mistaken for a chemical outbreak.


Streets were closed outside the Thai Cottage in London's Soho theatre and nightlife district on Monday night.

The precautions followed a chemical alert in the venue's kitchen.
"Somebody smelled what they thought was chemicals. So we went there, cordoned it off and assisted the fire brigade," said a police spokesman.

The ambulance service dispatched a Hazardous Area Response Team unit following the alarm.

Firefighters dressed in special suits smashed down the doors to discover the source of the smell - chef Chalemchai Tangjariyapoon's fiery signature nam prik pao chilli sauce.

Its creator was baffled by the commotion.

"I was making a spicy dip with extra-hot chillis that are deliberately burnt. To us, it smells like burnt chilli and it is slightly unusual," the chef told The Times.

"I can understand why people who weren't Thai would not know what it was.

"But it doesn't smell like chemicals."

Top Madeleine Cop Sacked After Outburst

The Portuguese detective heading the search for Madeleine McCann has reportedly been sacked after accusing her parents of manipulating the British police.


Sky News sources said Gonçalo Amaral had been relieved of his duties as head of the regional Policia Judiciaria (PJ) in Portimao.

He also ceases to head the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance.

Sky News understands the directors of the PJ are upset with some of the statements he has made.

Earlier, Mr Amaral accused Kate and Gerry McCann of calling the shots by identifying the lines of inquiry Leicestershire Police should take.

He said British officers had overlooked the fact that the couple remain suspects.

And he accused the McCanns of releasing new information each day to try to distract and confuse the inquiry.

Sky's Ian Woods said there was resentment among Portuguese police that they were being made out to be incompetent and "bumbling".

He added that Mr Amaral was also under investigation following allegations he had put pressure on a suspect in a previous murder inquiry.

He was one of five men charged over an alleged attack on Leonor Cipriano, whose nine-year-old daughter Joana vanished in September 2004.

Mr Amaral broke his silence after it was reported that an anonymous email which had been sent to the Prince of Wales' website was being investigated by British police.

The message suggested a disgruntled employee working at the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz may have kidnapped the young girl.

Mr Amaral told Portuguese newspaper Diario De Noticias all current and former employees at the resort had been investigated.

He said: "The British police have only worked on what the McCann couple want them to work on and what suits them."

Speaking about the email lead, he added: "This situation has no credibility whatsoever for the Portuguese police.

"British police have investigated tips and information worked on by the McCanns, forgetting that the couple are suspected of causing the death of their daughter Madeleine.

"This story about kidnapping for revenge is another fact worked on by the McCanns."

The detective was also forced to defend a two-hour lunch break with police spokesman Olegario Sousa at a restaurant in Portimao.

The men were spotted drinking what looked like white wine and whisky as the McCanns flew to Berlin to publicise the case.


Sky Special On Madeleine 30/09/07

It was five months ago this week that Madeleine McCann vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal. In this special report, Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt examines the investigation so far and separates fact from fiction.

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Strangers of the deep

Strangers of the deep: video

Explore the domains of the fish with elbows, the world's smallest shark & the mysterious chimera.

Responsável da PJ pelo “caso” Madeleine deixou o processo

Director Nacional anunciou que Gonçalo Amaral "cessou a comissão de serviço"

O Director Nacional da Polícia Judiciária anunciou que o responsável da PJ pela investigação do caso Madeleine McCann "cessou a comissão de serviço" como coordenador do departamento de investigação criminal de Portimão.

"Foi uma decisão tomada pelo director nacional", acrescentou Alípio Ribeiro, à margem da conferência internacional "Guerras, Mulheres e Direitos", em Lisboa.

Esta terça-feira, Gonçalo Amaral acusou a polícia inglesa de estar a favorecer o casal McCann, em declarações ao “Diário de Notícias”.

PJ acusa polícia inglesa de estar a favorecer o casal Mc Cann

"A polícia britânica tem estado unicamente a trabalhar sobre aquilo que o casal McCann pretende e lhe convém." Foi num tom explosivo e revoltado que o coordenador da investigação sobre o caso Madeleine, Gonçalo Amaral, comentou em breves declarações ao DN a notícia publicada ontem em vários jornais ingleses. Esta notícia dava conta de um e-mail anónimo enviado para o site oficial do príncipe Carlos, que acusa uma ex-empregada do The Ocean Club de ter raptado a menina de quatro anos, por vingança para com a administração do aldeamento, situado na Praia da Luz, depois de ter sido despedida.

"Essa situação está completamente posta de parte, não tendo qualquer credibilidade para a polícia portuguesa", afirmou ao DN o responsável pelo Departamento de Investigação Criminal (DIC) de Portimão, para quem os seus colegas ingleses "têm vindo a investigar dicas e informações criadas e trabalhadas pelos McCann, esquecendo-se que o casal é suspeito da morte da sua filha Madeleine".

"Essa história do rapto por vingança é mais um facto trabalhado pelos McCann", acusou Gonçalo Amaral, frisando que o The Ocean Club "está situado na Praia da Luz e não em Londres, o que significa que tudo o que diga respeito ao aldeamento e respectivos funcionários (actuais ou ex) já foi ou está a ser investigado pela Polícia Judiciária". "Não é um e-mail, ainda por cima anónimo, que é fácil de saber de onde partiu, que vai distrair a nossa linha de investigação", frisou aquele responsável.

Gonçalo Amaral, antes de estar no DIC de Portimão, esteve na Directoria de Faro da PJ, sendo responsável sobretudo pelo combate ao tráfico de droga.

A posição do coordenador do DIC de Portimão da PJ vem, aliás, ao encontro das declarações prestadas ao DN pelo presidente da Associação Sindical dos Funcionários de Investigação Criminal (ASFIC), Carlos Anjos, que acusa Gerry e Kate McCann de, "ao anunciarem diariamente um facto novo, pretenderem distrair e atrapalhar a investigação". Para aquele responsável, tal como o DN noticiou, "os McCann iniciaram uma campanha de descredibilização da polícia portuguesa quando esta apresentou a tese da morte da menina, substituindo, assim, a do rapto, que muito lhes convinha". "Enquanto subsistiu a tese do desaparecimento por suspeita de rapto, a PJ era uma companhia muito agradável para o casal. Quando as coisas mudaram e passou a haver a tese da morte, mudou radicalmente a postura dos McCann, os quais, aliás, nunca ajudaram nem facilitaram, desde o princípio, a investigação".

De resto, em finais de Agosto, princípios de Setembro, poucos dias antes de Gerry e Kate terem sido constituídos arguidos, por suspeitas da morte por negligência da sua filha Madeleine, um alto responsável da Judiciária proferiu o seguinte comentário: "Depois de termos comprado uma guerra com os media britânicos, agora estamos a comprar outra com a polícia inglesa."

Nas últimas semanas, a Polícia Judiciária tem estado remetida ao silêncio, para o que contribuiu o facto de o porta-voz daquela força para o caso, Olegário Sousa, ter entretanto deixado essas funções, que desempenhava desde o desaparecimento da criança.

One more big hurricane predicted by November

Team's forecast is slightly downgraded but 'very active' weeks likely

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - A prominent university research team on Tuesday slightly downgraded their forecast for what's left of the Atlantic season, calling for four named storms in October and November, including two hurricanes, one of them major.

The Colorado State University group had predicted five named storms in their earlier forecast for the two months.

“We expect October-November to be very active,” said Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the hurricane forecast.

In April, the team had predicted a “very active” 2007 season, with 17 named storms, including nine hurricanes, with five of them major hurricanes.

As of Oct. 1, a total of 13 named storms had developed, including four hurricanes. Two of the hurricanes were major.

The team revises its forecast throughout the hurricane season, which lasts from June through November.

“August had somewhat above-average activity — about 130 percent of average — while September had about average activity — about 92 percent of average,” Klotzbach said.

Eight named storms formed in September in the Atlantic basin, tying a record set in 2002 for the most in that month.

But measured by the combined strength and duration of those storms, this September was actually the least active in the Atlantic since 1997, the National Hurricane Center said. That is because most of the September storms were weak and short lived.

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The team is led by Bill Gray, who has been forecasting hurricanes for more than two decades. Its predictions are watched closely by emergency responders and others in coastal areas.

In 2006, the team forecast nine hurricanes, five of them major. Instead, there were just five hurricanes, two of them major.


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A World First: Transparent Frogs

Japanese scientists are claiming a breakthrough after breeding the world's first see-through frogs.


The transparent amphibians are useful for research because the internal organs and blood vessels can be observed without dissecting the animal.

Frogs are often used for scientific projects, but such work has been criticised by animal protection groups in the past.

Transparent fishes are not new, but amphibian specialists say the genetic manipulation has resulted in the world's first transparent four-legged animal.

Professor Masayuki Sumida, who led the team at Hiroshima University, said the frogs' skin had very little pigment as tadpoles.

And the researchers were able to see how the organs grew in the body as they transformed into frogs.

Prof Sumida also said there was still a yellow pigment in the frogs' skin and he was working to breed it out.

He said scientists previously knew that certain recessive genes resulted in pale-skinned frogs.

And second generations of pairs of frogs with recessive genes produced the transparent
offspring.

He added that mammal's skin was different from frogs' skin, so the new breeding methods would not work with mammals.

See The Frogs In Action

Scientists in Japan have breed the world's first see-through frogs. The transparent amphibians are useful for research because the internal organs and blood vessels can be observed without dissecting the frog. There is no commentary on this video.

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PSYCHIC BARBER DENIES CONTACT

A medium dubbed the Psychic Barber has denied being contacted by the parents of Madeleine McCann for help in tracing their missing daughter.

Gordon Smith has reportedly been approached by Gerry and Kate McCann to help in the hunt for the child.

But he told Sky News that he has not spoken to anyone from the missing four-year-old's family - but said he would be willing to help if he could.

Smith - who describes himself as the seventh son of a seventh son and an "astoundingly accurate" medium - is also a barber in Glasgow, Gerry's home town.

The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have had more than 1,000 approaches from people claiming to be mediums since Madeleine's disappearance in Portugal in May.

While any information judged to be relevant or credible has been passed on to police, the McCanns have had no direct contact with psychics.

But relatives in Scotland have reportedly been pressing the couple to meet a psychic since their return to the UK in September.

The couple, both devout catholics, are understood not to have ruled it out although nothing has been agreed.

"They are desperate for help and even some family members are suggesting it as a possible route," a friend said.

"It looks like one or two family members are saying why don't you have a look at so and so."

The family's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said he understood that "one or two in Scotland" have been in touch with family members to discuss helping them.

"But, as far as I'm aware, Kate and Gerry have not directly asked for that assistance and I understand none has been agreed," he added.

"If there is a specific piece of information that can be looked at, such as a car registration or a name, then that is checked out.

"The police do not dismiss these things entirely."

Early in the investigation Portuguese police insisted they had to consider tip-offs from people claiming to be psychics because an abductor could be using a mystic as a way to communicate with them.

Heads Turn Over Mystery Sculptures

Mystery stone sculptures have turned up outside a number of properties in Yorkshire - but no-one knows why or where they have come from.

The sculptures all feature the same carved symbol and come with a riddle attached.

So far, 12 stone heads have appeared in Goathland and Kilburn, in North Yorkshire; four have been found in Arthington, near Leeds, West Yorkshire; and three in Braithwell, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Each of the heads looks different but all feature the same carving - which appears to spell out the word "paradox" - and a note bearing the riddle: "Twinkle twinkle like a star does love blaze less from afar?"

Mike and Valerie Hoyes, who run a post office in Braithwell, found three heads outside their business on the morning of August 23.

Checking their CCTV footage, they discovered a man they did not know dropping off the stones in a small car at around 4am.

George Griffiths, an artist from Arthington, near Leeds, also received one of the heads on August 23 and then found another outside his house two weeks later.

Mr Griffiths said: "I think it's a publicity stunt - I can't see anything else.

"They're not sinister or anything like that, it's just a puzzle. We're all just waiting and wondering to find out more."

Fiona Gould, the owner of the Forrester Arms Hotel in Kilburn, received her head last month and it has pride of place in the pub.

She said: "He turned up a week last Monday between 1.30am and 7.30am. I opened the door and there he was, as large as life, sat on the patio."

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman confirmed they had received reports of stone heads being left in various places around the village of Kilburn.

McCanns Prepare Madeleine Media Blitz

Madeleine McCann's photograph is to be displayed on supermarket trolleys throughout Portugal and southern Spain as part of a new campaign.

Local newspapers in rural areas of both countries will also carry her picture to ensure as many people as possible see the image.

The McCanns' official spokesman told journalists the new campaign could start as early as next week.

"We want to remind people that Madeleine is still out there," Clarence Mitchell said.

"Gerry and Kate still believe she is alive. There is still absolutely no evidence to suggest she is in fact dead."

Mr Mitchell said the McCanns will do interviews during the new campaign and are talking to their lawyers about how much they can say about the investigation without contravening Portuguese laws.

The pair could face jail if they speak about the police inquiry.

"They don't want to do or say anything that would make matters worse," Mr Mitchell said.

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said the McCanns may have been upset by recent accusations against them in the Portuguese press but are still determined to keep up their campaign.

"They're frustrated by all the leaks from Portugal which are damning of them," he said.
"But it seems they will not allow it to get in the way of their campaign to keep people looking for Madeleine.

"There is still considerable interest in this story from foreign media and while that remains the McCanns will try to use it to keep up publicity for their Find Madeleine campaign."

Madeleine: The Search For The Truth

It was five months ago this week that Madeleine McCann vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal. In this special report, Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt examines the investigation so far and separates fact from fiction.

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BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

A newlywed couple in Argentina have proved that love knows no boundaries - especially when it comes to age.


Adelfa Volpes, who is 82, married 24-year-old Reinaldo Waveqche in Santa Fe, northern Argentina in a civil service after several years of engagement.

The bride was a friend of her young husband's mother, and has known him all his life.

Their love blossomed when Reinaldo went to live with her after his mother's death when he was 15.

When she was asked if the marriage was purely spiritual, the new Mrs Waveqche laughed and said: "There's going to be more."

Reinaldo said he admired his elderly wife's zest for life and emphasised how special she was to him.

For their honeymoon, the newlyweds are travelling to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, followed by a trip to Spain.

Love Conquers All

Love knows no bounds for 82-year-old Adelfa Volpes, who married 24-year-old Reinaldo Waveqche in Argentina. The couple were married in a civil service after several years of engagement.

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Cruise Blackmail Suspect Found Dead

A man who had apparently admitted his part in a plot to extort more than £500,000 from Tom Cruise for the actor's stolen wedding photos has been found dead.

Investigators said it appeared David Hans Schmidt, 47, who was under house arrest and faced up to two years in a federal prison, had committed suicide.

He was found dead at his house in Pheonix, Arizona, after police noticed a tracker placed on him had not moved and he had not checked in, said Lieutenant Anthony Lopez.

Schmidt, who was on bail, had not yet entered a guilty plea in court but he faced jail and a large fine under a plea agreement filed at a court in Los Angeles in August.

Schmidt was known for brokering deals involving compromising celebrity photos and videos.

He was arrested in July after federal authorities said a co-defendant obtained photos of Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes in Italy last year from the event's official photographer.

In May, Schmidt had begun having repeated contact with Cruise's representatives and had threatened to release the photos if he did not receive the cash, authorities said.

Schmidt also tried to auction off Paris Hilton's diaries, along with photos of her in various stages of undress and other personal items.

They had been locked away in a Los Angeles-area storage locker until a few months ago.

Madeleine: The Search For The Truth

Never mind Burma, never mind the General Election, never mind bluetongue disease. There's only one question on everyone's lips - did the McCanns do it?

Did Kate McCann, as the Portuguese police believe, kill Madeleine accidentally and get her husband to help her hide and dispose of the body?

I don't know, but after 150 days I'm beginning to get some idea of what's going on in the police investigation.

Portuguese detectives initially rejected most offers of help from the UK. They did engage the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, and hunted for a suspect among internet paedophiles.

What they should also have been doing, with as much if not more urgency, was thoroughly investigating the McCanns and the apartment where Madeleine was last seen.
That bit they didn't do properly.

It was only after 100 days or so that the Portuguese authorities finally called the British police and asked for more help and advice.

UK officers were dispatched to collect the fresh forensic samples that were to prompt such a dramatic twist in the story.

When a child goes missing difficult questions have to be asked of the parents.

Most kids are killed by family or someone they know. And Kate and Gerry McCann were the last people to see Madeleine.

Now the couple are suspects, based on DNA evidence from an apartment that had since been re-let and a car - rented 25 days after Madeleine disappeared - that had been used by many people for 10 weeks.

Sources said the DNA from the car was a "complete" match of Madeleine's, leading Portuguese police to conclude that her body must have been in the vehicle.

The family insist the DNA can be explained by innocent transfer from Madeleine's clothes, and nappies used by her sibling twins Sean and Amelie.

Whatever the strength of that evidence, a half-decent defence lawyer would drive a horse and cart though it - with a blindfold on.

British detectives don't always get it right, but they are revered around the world. And they have a golden rule: first, clear the ground under your feet.

One of the UK's leading experts on child abduction was asked to help, late in the day, but refused.

He could see the mess the Portuguese detectives were in and didn't want to risk his reputation.
These thoughts are more fully explored in a special programme Madeleine: The Search For The Truth on Sky News tonight at 7.30pm.

Special Preview Of The Search For The Truth

It was five months ago this week that Madeleine McCann vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal. In this special report, Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt examines the investigation so far and separates fact from fiction.

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