Here’s a bit of an unusual piece of news today. A grave of a young British soldier killed in Hebron, Israel at the age of 19 has gained quite a bit of notoriety. It’s become so popular with tourists and vistors, that the local council recently added the gravesite of the young soldier to their …read more!

Scores of readers have sent in this story about country singer Lynn Anderson, a one time Grammy winner in the1970’s, who was arrested and accused of shoplifting a Harry Potter DVD from a supermarket in Taos, New Mexico.

As with the birth of her son David, the birth of Jo Rowling’s new daughter Makenzie was attended by private midwife Deborah Purdue. Although Ms. Purdue no longer lives in Scotland, she made the trip there from Dorset to assist with checkups and the delivery. Please note that the Scotsman may require free registration. Thanks …read more!

The official Warner Brothers Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban website has been updated with a new tour of a snowy Hogsmeade. According to their newsletter, as you take a walkthrough of Hogsmeade you can find new wallpapers, buddy icons, and screensavers. To enjoy your own Hogsmeade walkthrough, click here. Thanks Ty!

We’ve had word from Bloomsbury this morning that so far, the regular chldren’s hardcover (to look similar to this), the regular adult’s hardcover (to look similar to this, containing the same text) and the regular large-print hardcover(similar to this, containing the same text) of HBP will all be released in the UK on July 16, …read more!

Actress Julie Walters has given a new interview to The Express newspaper where she talks about her role as Molly Weasley. She confirms that she will not be seen in the upcoming Goblet of Fire film. The actress is quoted as saying: “To be honest, I was a bit hurt not to be in it,” …read more!

Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, as announced on jkrowling.com this morning. JKR’s post makes it sound like she came a few days early, and she noted that she hopes to make a few other updates on the site between baby feeds and sleeping over the next few days. Welcome to the world, baby Mackenzie!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has received two nominations today for awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film was nominated for “Best Visual Effects“. The film score by composer John Williams was also nominated as “Best Score.” The Academy Awards will be presented on February 27th in Los …read more!

Scholastic, the US publisher of the Potter books, has updated their customer service page on their website to officially reflect the page numbers for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The Trade edition will contain 672 pages, as does the Library Binding version of the book. The Special Edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood …read more!

Congratulations to J.K. Rowling & family – yesterday, she delivered a baby girl. According to CBBC Newsround, mother and child are doing well. The name will be announced shortly on JKRowling.com, both articles report. We at Leaky send our best wishes to Jo and her family. Congratulations!