Portugal will not reopen Madeleine case

Portuguese police have refused to reopen the inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The decision came after Scotland Yard urged authorities to resume their investigation and released a new "age-progressed" image showing what she might look like as a nine-year-old.

While British detectives believe Madeleine could still be alive, officers in Portugal insist there is no evidence to warrant relaunching the search. And despite the Metropolitan Police's announcement that detectives have identified 195 potential leads, Portuguese police sources said the status of their investigation had not changed.

Next week will mark five years since Madeleine went missing from her family's Algarve holiday. There have been hundreds of possible sightings of the girl, who was nearly four when she vanished, but each one has come to nothing.

The Portuguese refusal to re-examine her disappearance came shortly after family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the McCanns were "hugely encouraged" by momentum in the case.