Madeleine Lookalike Sends DNA Sample To Police

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia correspondent

A New Zealand girl repeatedly mistaken for missing Madeleine McCann has given police a sample of her DNA which will be sent to Scotland Yard.

The girl, who has not been named, is understood to have a similar eye defect to Madeleine, prompting members of the public to believe she is the missing child.

The DNA sample is a conclusive way of proving her identity, said Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis of Dunedin Police.

"The results of this process will not be known for some time," he told New Zealand newspaper The Southland Times.

On New Year's Eve police launched a five-day investigation when a retailer became suspicious of a man and a young girl, who bore a resemblance to Madeleine.

Kate and Gerry McCann say they will maintain their search for Madeleine

However, they said they were "absolutely satisfied" she was not Madeleine, and it was not the first time she had been mistaken for the missing girl.

Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her family's Portuguese holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007 as her parents dined at a nearby restaurant with friends.

Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, have never abandoned their high-profile campaign to find their eldest daughter, who would now be nine.

Sightings have also been reported in Sweden, Belgium and Australia.

It is not the first time a child has been DNA-tested in relation to the case of the missing British girl.

In 2011, a young girl spotted in India with a Belgian man and French woman was tested and was also found not to be Madeleine.

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Pregnant Guard Had Affair With Cop Killer

A female prison guard in New York has been charged with sexually abusing a convicted killer whose child she is carrying.

A visibly-pregnant Nancy Gonzalez appeared briefly in court before a judge in Brooklyn before being released on bail.

Inmates cannot legally consent to sex. The 29-year-old faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Ms Gonzalez, who worked the night shift at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Centre, was accused of having a four-month affair with Ronell Wilson that ended last August.

Wilson was convicted for the 2003 murder of two New York City police officers.

The execution-style murder of the two undercover officers led to the first federal death sentence passed in the city in more than a half century.

But the capital punishment order was overturned by a federal court in 2010, and he is awaiting his sentence before a new jury.

Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Centre. Pic: Jim Henderson

Other prisoners told of his affair with Ms Gonzalez, according to court files.

They reported seeing the couple hugging and kissing, and Ms Gonzalez in Wilson's cell standing in front of him while his pants were pulled down.

CCTV cameras also captured some of their illicit liaisons.

"I took a chance, because I was so vulnerable and wanted to be loved and now I am carrying his child," the prison guard revealed in a recorded telephone call to another inmate.

She also allegedly said in the recording that getting pregnant with Wilson's child could help him.

"Why not give him a child, as far as giving him some kind of hope?"

The prison guard allegedly began a second affair last September with the other unidentified inmate, who offered to raise the baby as his own.

"She's had a very tragic life and as this case proceeds, you'll learn more about it and how these affected her judgement," her lawyer Anthony Ricco said outside court on Tuesday.

"People find love in the strangest places," he added.

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Mali: 'Significant Losses' During Fighting

French forces have clashed with Islamist militants in the Mali town of Gao in a "real war" with "significant losses", the French Defence Minister has said.

Jean-Yves Le Drian said jihadists had used rockets against French troops during fighting on Tuesday.

He confirmed the first French casualties since a helicopter pilot was killed in the opening hours of the campaign.

Mr Le Drian said there had been several French troops injured but that their wounds had been relatively light.

French troops patrol the northern Mali town of Gao

It followed comments made by him that French troops had killed hundreds of Islamist fighters in Mali.

Speaking on Europe 1 radio, Mr Le Drian said: "This is a real war with significant losses but I'm not going to get into an accounting exercise.

"There were clashes yesterday around Gao. Once our troops, supported by Malian forces, started patrols around the towns that we have taken, they met residual jihadist groups who are still fighting.

"We will go after them. We are securing the towns we have been able to take along with the Malian forces. The jihadists around Gao were using rockets yesterday."

Malian troops in Gao

Malian soldiers patrolling Gao found a stash of industrial-strength explosives hidden in rice bags that could be used to make roadside bombs, Associated Press reported.

The explosives had been dumped with oter garbage from the town in a small square in the city.

Mr Le Drian added that no more troops would be sent to Mali to bolster the 4,000 personnel already there.

The size of the force matches the French deployment in Afghanistan at its height in 2010.

French troops negotiate a road block on the airport road at Gao

France has indicated it would like to see its troops start withdrawing by next month.

Mr Le Drian admitted that while there had been fierce fighting around Gao, the militants were still holding out around the northern Mali town.

Islamist group Mujao claimed to have attacked the positions of French and African troops around Gao. Witnesses suggested that there had only been long-distance exchanges of fire.

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Spain: 6,000 Tonnes Of Rubbish On City Streets

Days of strikes by dustmen in Seville have seen 6,000 tonnes of stinking rubbish pile up on the streets of the Spanish city.

Litter lies strewn across the Andalusian city's historic and narrow streets as wheelie bins overflow and plastic bags rip apart.

City dwellers say the stench is becoming unbearable, as the strike stretches into its 10th day.

Wheelie bins overflow on to the streets

Some 100 wheelie bins were set on fire during the night, an action the strikers have been quick to stress has nothing to do with them.

The 1,600 workers at the Lipsam municipal cleaning company went out on strike on January 27 in a dispute over their pay and hours.

A woman covers her face to cope with the stench of rotting rubbish

The refuse collectors have been asked by the regional government to take a 5% pay cut and to work longer.

However, Lipsam says the measures are not justified.

Waste has been piling up outside businesses

There have been three meetings to try to break the strike action, but talks have not been successful.

The strike is in its tenth day with little sign of a breakthrough in talks

The regional government in Andalusia has said it needs to make cuts because it has been told to put its finances in order.

There have been two similar strikes in the region's other big tourist cities, Granada and Jerez, in the last three months.

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Florida: Battle To Remove Squatter From Mansion

Off-duty police guards have been hired by a resident of a wealthy Florida suburb amid a legal battle to oust a Brazilian squatter claiming ownership of a $2.5m mansion.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Lyn Houston paid for the police protection as officials try to remove Andre Barbosa - known as 'Loki Boy' - after he moved into the sprawling abandoned home.

Mr Barbosa reportedly used the obscure adverse possession law to gain a foothold to ownership of the mansion, after the Bank of America foreclosed on the owners more than 18 months ago.

Under the law, squatters can gain title ownership if they live in an abandoned residence openly, maintain it and pay all relevant property taxes for a period of seven years.

According to the paper the annual taxes on the mansion in Boca Raton, 50 miles north of Miami, are currently $39,000 (£25,000).

Mr Barbosa, 23, moved into the five-bedroom property late last year after the foreclosure in July.

The sprawling marble-furnished entrance to the mansion (pic: CBS 12 News)

The Bank of America, which holds the title deed, has served Mr Barbosa with eviction documents in an attempt to get him and eight other residents out.

A local reporter entered the premises on Tuesday and discovered two women, apparently speaking Arabic with a Tunisian accent, in the kitchen.

A bank employee said it was exploring other legal options and Mr Barbosa had two weeks to address civil charges it brought over an alleged break and enter.

The palm-fringed home has a large marble entrance and a swimming pool but virtually no rear garden as it backs onto the Intracoastal Waterway.

It has three garages, a pool and backs onto a waterway (pic: CBS 12 News)

A Google Street View image dated April 2011 shows three cars in the paved circular driveway and a woman, believed to be the previous owner, walking out of a garage.

Ms Houston, who has lived in the area since 1977, said: "We already know that he'll break and enter. I don't know if he's armed or not. He's an unknown and that's frightening."

She added: "I'm sleeping fine, but some of my neighbours aren't - he doesn't belong here and someone needs to take charge of the situation."

Ms Houston also said she was willing to pay for off-duty police protection for 24 hours a day if necessary.

Boca Raton police are allowed to be employed while off-duty for $33 (£21) an hour.

Publicity surrounding the case has apparently prompted copycat adverse property applications for other foreclosed homes.

"It has opened the floodgates," appraiser co-counsel Mila Schwartzreich told the Sun-Sentinel.

"Last year 39 forms were filed. This year, in January alone, we have received approximately seven forms."

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Mexico: Girl, Nine, Gives Birth After 'Rape'

A nine-year-old Mexican girl has given birth in what authorities have called a rape or sexual abuse case.

The baby girl was born on January 27 in Zoquipan Hospital in Jalisco state, weighing 5lbs 7oz.

The youngster, who is identified only as Dafne, was eight when she got pregnant by a teenager who has since run away, her mother told local officials.

She said: "The father is a boy who is 17, but we have not found him, since he ran away."

"We are looking for the young man to get his story because she does not understand what has happened. This is a rape or child sex abuse case," said Jorge Villasenor with the state prosecutors' office.

Both girls were released from the hospital over the weekend, apparently doing well.

But the hospital said it would have to do extensive follow-up work due to the new mother's age.

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Elephant Deaths: Cash Reward Offered

Malaysian authorities are to offer a cash reward for information on 14 rare Borneo pygmy elephants found dead last month if it is confirmed they were poisoned.

Masidi Manjun, environment minister for the state of Sabah on the vast Borneo island, said he hoped the $16,000 (£10,200) reward would help get them new leads.

"There is a reward for information leading to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the alleged culprits if the chemist report confirms that death was due to intentional poisoning," he said.

He said the report is due to be completed on Friday, about a fortnight after a group of eight elephants were found dead near an oil palm plantation.

More bodies were later found decomposing in the Gunung Rara forest reserve.

A three-month-old calf photographed nuzzling its dead mother is now staying in a wildlife park.

Joe, as he is now known, is fed every two hours with formula milk, and runs around the compound at Lok Kawi zoo with his keeper.

A young calf was seen nuzzling its dead mother

He will eventually be introduced to the reserve's 16 other injured and orphaned elephants.

Until he reaches the age of six months, he is still at risk of death.

Officials believe the pachyderms - an endangered species - may have been poisoned, possibly by substances left out by workers at nearby plantations to deter them from eating the palm fruit.

Poisoning is suspected due to severe ulceration and bleeding in the animals' digestive tracts.

Mr Manjun has vowed to push for severe punishment including a stiff jail sentence for anyone found to have maliciously poisoned the animals.

WWF-Malaysia has blamed the deaths on rampant felling of forests by planters, which had forced elephants to find alternative food and space and put them in conflict with humans.

The group says only about 1,200 Borneo pygmy elephants, which are smaller and have more rounded features than full-sized Asian elephants, are estimated to be left in the wild.

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Tunisia: Poltician Shot Dead Outside His Home

Protests are growing after Tunisian opposition politician Chokri Belaid was shot dead outside his home in what some have called an "act of terrorism".

Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets outside the interior ministry, shouting "Shame, shame Chokri died", "Where is the government?", and "The government should fall". Security forces cordoned off the area.

In Sidi Bouzid, birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings, police fired into the air and used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

The family of Mr Belaid, who headed the opposition Democratic Patriots party and was a harsh critic of Tunisia's Islamist-led government, accused the ruling Ennahda party of being behind the murder.

Thousands have gathered in the streets of Tunis to protest

"My brother was assassinated. I am desperate and depressed," said his brother Abdelmajid.

"I accuse (Ennahda leader) Rached Ghannouchi of assassinating my brother," he said.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali denounced Belaid's murder as an "act of terrorism" against the country.

Former president Zine al Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in the Arab Spring

"The murder of Belaid is a political assassination and the assassination of the Tunisian revolution.

"By killing him they wanted to silence his voice," said Mr Jebali, who heads the coalition government, formed after Tunisia's first post-Arab Spring election in 2011.

He said Belaid was shot dead with three bullets fired from close range by a man wearing a traditional long garment with a pointed hood, who then fled on a motorcycle ridden by an accomplice.

Mr Belaid was a high-profile member of the opposition Popular Front party.

The party's leader Ziad Lakhader said: "Chokri Belaid was killed today by four bullets to the head and chest ... doctors told us that he has died. This is a sad day for Tunisia."

The party has now pulled out of the constituent assembly which is tasked with writing a constitution.

Tunisia was the first Arab country to oust its leader and hold free elections as uprisings spread around the region two years ago, and has made a relatively smooth transition to democracy.

However, the government has faced many protests over economic hardship.

Declining trade with the crisis-hit euro zone means it has struggled to deliver the improved living standards that many Tunisians had hoped for.

Several opposition parties and trade unions have accused pro-Islamist groups of orchestrating clashes or attacks against them.

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Spurs Fans Attack: Three Held In Rome Raids

Three men have been arrested after nine homes were raided in Rome as part of an investigation into an attack on Spurs fans last year.

The suspects - aged between 25 and 30 - are accused of wounding and aggravated damage at the Drunken Ship pub in the city centre in November before a Europa League match between Lazio and Tottenham Hotspur.

Ashley Mills was badly hurt in the violence

Violence broke out when 50 assailants stormed the bar where Spurs fans were gathered.

Their faces were masked with motorbike helmets and scarves and they were armed with knives, baseball bats and knuckle dusters.

Seven people were injured, including an American and a Bangladeshi, and the pub was left in tatters, with windows broken and chairs and tables overturned.

Two of the men being held are Lazio fans. Another six are being questioned but have not been formally arrested.

Sky sources said they all have links with extreme right Lazio fans known as 'ultras'. Another 20 raids are expected.

Ashley Mills, a Tottenham fan who was in Rome to watch the Lazio game, suffered serious injuries to his skull and thigh.

He needed emergency surgery after he was slashed in the upper thigh and lost several pints of blood.

Doctors kept him in hospital for 10 days before he was discharged and flown back to Essex by a private air ambulance.

Other Spurs fans hurt in the attack included Dave Lesley, Stephen Tierney and Christopher Allen.

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Two Children Among Dead In Denver Shooting

Denver police have said at least two children are among three people shot and killed at a house in the northeast part of the city.

Police Lieutenant Matt Murray says one other child was taken to hospital, according to KUSA-TA.

Denver Police Chief Robert White said three people were killed. It is still unclear if the third person is the wounded child or if someone else was shot.

KMGH-TV reported that its news chopper filmed one child being carried out on a stretcher from the home at East 49th Avenue and Pearl Street.

Police did not release other details.

More follows...

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