Elizabeth Callaghan: UK correspondent on police renewing the search for Madeleine McCann

Portugal police have announced a fresh search for Madeleine McCann.

The British three-year-old disappeared 18 years ago from a resort in Praia da Luz - one of the most high-profile missing person cases in history.

The search centres around the resort - and chief suspect Christian Brueckner's former home.

UK correspondent Elizabeth Callaghan says this search is designed to gather more evidence about the case.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Into Brady. By the way, it is still running in
South America. So we have UK correspondent Elizabeth Callahan with
us at the moment. Hey, Elizabeth, Hi there.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yes, Ender has done two stages of his jungle run,
so he's doing really well. He's you know, nearly a
halfway there.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
So out of how many.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Five So he's done two marathons, et cetera, back to back.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
So what do the jungle is? Is he doing it
every day?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
So?

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Is it?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Is it?

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Basically he'll do another one and another one and another
one and he'll be done within about three days.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yes, so'll be done in about three days.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Oh my gosh, meant But anyway, it's good to know
he's still safe and alive because that's not absolutely certain.
Now it sounds like you guys absolutely are preparing for war,
aren't you.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yes, absolutely, So yesterday was a big day. The government
unveiled this Strategic Defense review that was published the Prime
Minister sy Kirs Starmer saying that all the recommendations will
be taken on board. Their warning of a new era
of US vow to get the UK battle ready, saying

(01:04):
that the threat is more serious and immediate since the
Cold called war, So I mean really specifically this is
around Russian aggression. Obviously the US is distancing itself, so
the UK is really having to up its game. There's
a whole host of proposals, very ambitious, you know, costing

(01:25):
a lot of money. So fifteen billion into the UK's
nuclear warhead program, some investment in artificial intelligence, robots, lasers,
so really going into that new technology as well, and
also an education strategy and trying to encourage people to
go on a gap year to the military. So there's
all of these proposals, but there's also where are we

(01:46):
going to pay for it? So today a lot of
stories in the newspapers are about, oh, we might have
to have tax rises. Starmers refused to say when the
government will hit its ambition of three percent GDP defense spend.
So we're currently at two point five read that will
go up to two point five. But really, yeah, very
ambitious proposals, but we're not quite sure how that's all

(02:08):
going to be funded.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
And what's the public reaction to it. Are people accepting
of the fact that we are now entering this new
time where war is increasingly likely?

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, I think there is that sense, but also you're
at odds with Well, we've got all these other issues
in the UK. You know that they're already diverting money
from to pay for the two point five percent rise,
So how are we going to pay for it all?
I think that's kind of people's worry, And I don't know.

(02:43):
I don't know if people are hugely worried. Certainly, I
guess more of the threat is the kind of the
ciber attacks that we do see quite regularly. But you know,
I don't know. I think we're not too worried, I
would say, but realize that something does need to be done.
So then who are you going to encourage to go

(03:05):
out and fight.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
The other book, especially the modern generations. We don't love
the idea, do we think now? What has prompted this
new search for Medelae Macan?

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yes? So this is the British girl, huge, huge case.
She went missing eighteen years ago when she was just
three years old on a holiday in Portugal and it's
one of the world's most high profile missing person cases. Now.
The main suspect in this case is called Christian Bee,
who can't give his full name due to German law,
but he is in prison in Germany. His time is

(03:38):
all on a separate case that his time is almost
due to be up. German investigators don't have enough. The
prosecutors don't have enough evidence to charge him in relation
to this case, so they're going to find more evidence.
So there's searchingly more than twenty plots of land close
to where she disappeared and close to a cottage where
this suspect lived, to twenty eight mile stretch. So really

(04:03):
it feels like a slightly last ditch a chance to
find any evidence she was there, or any remains or anything.
So I mean, it would be great to get some
answers to this case, wouldn't it. But this certainly the
search is going to take place from today, so we'll
see what comes up.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
All right, Elizabeth, thanks very much, really appreciate your time.
We'll talk to again on thres This Elizabeth Callahan, our
UK correspondent This evening. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
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