Merseyside police are currently hunting thieves who stole a lorry packed with 7,680 copies of the book from a trading estate at Newton-le-Willows on Sunday night.

JK’s toughest interview - 04/06/03
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has an interview lined up with the hard hitting scourge of politicians everywhere - Jeremy Paxman.

The interview is being produced by Newsnight, and will be broadcast on the 19th June, ahead of the long awaited fifth Harry Potter novel on the 21st June.

Jeremy said ’She talks honestly about her fame, her wealth and the time she even considered breaking her arm to avoid the pressures of writing’. That’s a bit extreme.

JK Rowling at the Albert Hall - 02/05/03
JK Rowling will be reading extracts from her long-awaited fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in a special Harry Potter event at the Royal Albert Hall.

The one off event exclusively for schoolchildren will be held on June 26, five days after the latest book hits the shops.

The Royal Albert Hall will be transformed to resemble Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Tickets, priced at ?5 each, will be available to schoolchildren in the UK and Ireland through a special ballot.


JK blocks Russian rival - 04/04/03
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has succeeded in blocking publication of a Russian children’s book about a magical girl named Tanja Grotter.

A Dutch judge said the Tanja Grotter story has too many similarities to the boy wizard of Hogwarts.

He ordered Dutch publisher Byblos to withhold 7,000 translated copies of the first book by Russian Dmitry Yemets. He rejected an argument that it was a parody of Harry Potter, not plagiarism.

Rowling’s Dutch lawyer Eric Keyzer said: "Harry Potter has won and Tanja Potter cannot be published in the Netherlands. We are especially happy that the court confirmed that this is plagiarism, that it’s not a parody and that it’s trademark infringement."


Baby boy for JK - 25/03/03
Congratulations to Harry Potter author JK Rowling who has given birth a baby boy.

The baby - named David Gordon Rowling Murray - was born at the new Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.

Rowling’s spokesperson Nicky Stonehill said: "Both mother and baby are doing well." Mother and baby have both been released from hospital; JK one of Britain’s wealthiest women, already has a daughter, Jessica, from a previous marriage.

Rowling, 37, married Dr Neil Murray at a secret Boxing day ceremony in 2001 at their home in Aberfeldy, Perthshire.

The birth comes just three months before the eagerly awaited fifth instalment of the boy wizard’s adventures hits bookshelves.

Harry Potter And The Order of the Phoenix will be published on June 21.


JK and The Simpsons! - 26/02/03
You know you are famous when you appear in a Simpsons episode.

JK Rowling is going to feature in an episode of The Simpsons that sees the family heading over to London.

Amid all the British clich?s that are bound to arise during this show, they meet JK by a bookshop and Lisa gets to question the author all about Harry Potter.

JK’s new book confirmed for June - 16/01/03
Millions of fans of Harry Potter worldwide will finally be able to get their hands on his latest adventure when JK Rowling’s fifth book about the young magician is released on 21 June.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released on a Saturday so that young fans do not have to skip school to buy it on its first day.