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A WHITE woman in the US sued a sperm bank in federal court on Friday for mistakenly giving her, and her white same-sex partner, sperm from an African-American donor, court documents showed. Jennifer Cramblett of rural Uniontown in northeastern Ohio filed the lawsuit in the US District Court in Chicago claiming fraud, misconduct and negligence on the part of Midwest Sperm Bank because of the sperm it used to inseminate her in December 2011, according to the complaint. Cramblett gave birth to a “beautiful, obviously mixed race, baby” girl on August 21, 2012, after she learned five months beforehand that the sperm bank in Akron, Ohio used sperm from a black donor rather than a white donor as she had requested, court documents showed. Cramblett “is now facing numerous challenges and external pressures associated with an unplanned transracial parent-child relationship for which she was not, and is not, prepared,” the suit said. The sperm bank was not immediately available f...

CANADIAN Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the execution of a Canadian hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines, calling it “an act of cold-blooded murder.” John Ridsdel, 68, a former mining executive, was  captured by Islamist militants along with three other people in September 2015 while on vacation on a Philippine island. The Philippine army said a severed head was found on a remote island on Monday, five hours after the expiry of a ransom deadline set by militants who had threatened to execute one of four captives. Residents found the head in the centre of Jolo town. An army spokesman said two men on a motorcycle were seen dropping a plastic bag containing the severed head. File photo ... Philippine police exchange fire with suspected Abu Sayyaf militants. Picture: AP Source: AP “Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage-takers and this unnecessary death. This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibili...

LONDON (Reuters) – A team of sniffer dogs set up at a British airport at a cost of 1.25 million pounds ($1.7 million) have proved adept at discovering small amounts of cheese and sausages but not so good at finding smuggled drugs, a report said on Thursday. An inspection of border security at Manchester Airport in northern England found that during a seven-month period, the six dogs had failed to find any illegal class A drugs, those considered the most dangerous such as heroin or cocaine. “The deterrent effect of the detection dogs was difficult to measure, but seizures alone represented a low return on investment, given 1.25 million spent on new kennels and the costs of operating the unit,” said the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. Each dog has its own speciality in detecting goods such as drugs, tobacco, cash and meat being illegally brought into the airport by the 22 million passengers who use it annually. However the report found t...

The Canadian government will introduce legislation next year that would make the sale of marijuana legal, its health minister has said. If enacted, the move would make Canada one of the largest Western countries to allow widespread use of the drug. Health Minister Jane Philpott pledged on Wednesday to keep marijuana "out of the hands of children and profits out of the hands of criminals". Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed for legalisation during his campaign. The announcement coincided with 20 April - an unofficial holiday among cannabis advocates. Hundreds of marijuana users demonstrated outside Parliament in Ottawa on Wednesday. Medical use of marijuana is already legal in Canada. Some have argued that legal marijuana would reduce stress on Canada's criminal justice system. "We will work with law enforcement partners to encourage appropriate and proportionate criminal justice measures," Ms Philpott said. "We know it is impossible to ar...

German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks has asked Belgium to close two nuclear reactors temporarily because of concerns over safety. The two ageing Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors were taken offline in 2012 when defects were found in the walls of the reactors' pressure vessels . They were restarted late last year amid concern in the Netherlands and Germany. Belgium's authorities have rejected the German request, saying there is no need "from a nuclear safety point of view". Ms Hendricks called for the reactors to be taken offline in response to a report by Germany's independent Reactor Safety Commission. She said that "on the one hand [the report] says there are no concrete indications that the reactor pressure vessels will not resist the strain; but on the other hand they say you cannot, according to today's knowledge, be sure that they'll resist every possible strain. And that's why we need further investigation." '...

C hina is ramping up its warnings against espionage in a week of activities to mark the passing of a National Security Law last year, with state media giving rare details of spy cases and a cartoon campaign saying it is risky to date foreigners. President Xi Jinping has overseen a  sweeping revamp of China's security apparatus , aimed at combating both domestic and foreign threats. New security laws have alarmed Western governments amidst a renewed crackdown on dissent in a country  where state secret rules are notoriously broad. Since last Friday, when China marked its first national security education day, the government has released reports in state media giving unusual insight into people caught  spying for foreigners . In the latest case, revealed late on Wednesday, state television described events leading up to the jailing for seven years of a man who gave information to an unidentified foreign power about Chinese military and other ships patrolling...

New research launched in Beijing yesterday indicates that the self-diagnosis of a large proportion of populations in Asia, and of 22 per cent of Australians, that they are lactose intolerant, could be mistaken. It is being heralded as a crucial breakthrough that could open the door to far bigger markets for ASX-listed and Auckland-based The a2 Milk Company, which sponsored the research, published in Britain’s  Nutrition Journal . The clinical research led by Sun Jianqin, a professor at Shanghai’s Huadong Hospital — which is affiliated with Fudan, one of China’s top three universities — found that the A1 protein type in conventional cow’s milk slows the transition through the gut, taking a prolonged time to digest, potentially triggering discomforting symptoms. But in double-blind testing over eight weeks the 45 Shanghai people who participated in the trial, and who previously self-reported milk intolerance, found that milk containing A2 protein types — patented by the co...

BRITAIN’S oldest and longest-serving monarch — has been celebrating her 90th birthday with a day at home with the dogs, a short walk to greet wellwishers and a family party, as the nation paid tribute to her service and stamina. Her government and subjects held gun salutes, fireworks and speeches in parliament in her honour, and televised retrospectives offered scenes from a royal life that has stretched from the Roaring ‘20s to the internet age. “Her Majesty has been steadfast — a rock of strength for our nation, for our Commonwealth and on many occasions for the whole world,” declared British Prime Minister David Cameron He said the queen “has lived through some extraordinary times,” from World War II to the moon landing, the end of the Cold War and the advent of peace in Northern Ireland. The band of the Coldstream Guards played Happy Birthday and royal fans snapped mobile phone photos as the Queen, clad in pale green, greeted local dignitaries, townspeople and touris...

A US teen has died after a fight over a boy in the bathroom of a Delaware high school. The 16-year-old - whose identity has not been publicly confirmed - was found dead at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington,  New York Daily News reports. Police are said to be interviewing two students about the incident, which broke out in the girls’ bathroom. A witness said the girl and another student had a physical fight over a boy, before others became involved in the violent brawl. Witness Kayla Wilson said: “She was fighting a girl, and then that’s when all these other girls started banking her - like jumping her - and she hit her head on the sink,’ Wilson said, according to the  Daily Mail . The victim was flown to A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital in a critical condition but was later pronounced dead. Speaking to reporters, Mayor Dennis Williams said: “My heart is broken”. “I’m so upset that the young lady lost her life today,” Williams said, accordin...

(Reuters) – Prince, the innovative pop superstar whose songwriting and eccentric stage presence electrified fans around the world with hits including “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry,” died on Thursday in Minnesota. He was 57. His influential, genre-defying music blended jazz, funk, R&B, disco and rock, winning seven Grammy Awards and an Oscar. Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park Studios compound, which included his home, in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen, according to the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. In a transcript of a 911 call made from the complex and released by the sheriff’s office, an unidentified male initially reported that someone was dead at the home, later identifying that victim as Prince. The sheriff’s office said it was investigating the circumstances. The local medical examiner’s office said in a tweet that an autopsy had been scheduled for Friday. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger hailed his fellow singer and...