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The News Matrix: Monday 2 April 2012

 

Monday 02 April 2012 00:55 BST
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Calls to identify sperm donors

Children should be told if they were conceived by sperm donors, the majority of respondents to a poll for i have said. It comes as experts in the field have warned that more needs to be done to increase transparency as the number of donors increases. MORE

Search for woman missing from ferry

A search was underway last night for a woman missing, believed to have fallen overboard, from a Condor Rapide ferry travelling between Guernsey and Poole in Dorset. A Coastguard helicopter and lifeboats are hunting for her. The Condor ferry is also assisting the search.

DNA pioneer warns on privatised labs

A leading forensic expert has warned that privatisation of the system could lead to miscarriages of justice. Professor Peter Gill said the "wheels were already falling off" following the switch to private providers and police labs from the loss-making Forensic Science Service. MORE

Election forecasts hit by Mélenchon surge

A surge in support for the hard left candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, 60, threatens to scramble French presidential election forecasts. A poll published yesterday put him third with 15 per cent of the vote, behind Socialist François Hollande and President Nicolas Sarkozy. MORE

Killer Breivik in 'Obama' bomb plot

Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in the Norway massacre last year, had planned to detonate a bomb in Oslo as Barack Obama collected the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, according to Norway's Dagbladet newspaper.

World powers boost backing for rebels

Countries including Britain and the United States yesterday recognised the opposition group, the Syrian National Council, as the legitimate rulers of the country and pledged to boost support for armed rebels, as the world toughened its stance on a regime that has so far appeared immune to a barrage of sanctions, censure and diplomatic isolation. MORE

Runner collapses and dies after race

A man died yesterday after collapsing at the finishing line of the Reading Half Marathon. Race organisers said the unnamed runner, in his late 30s, crossed the line at the Madejski Stadium and was immediately taken to hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate him.

Man charged with killing wife and son

A man has been charged with the murder of his wife and their two-year-old son. David Wyn Jones, 42, will appear at Caernarfon Crown Court today. Suzanne Jones, 34, and her son were found dead at their home in Porthmadog on Friday. MORE

BBC and ITV claim talent show victory

ITV and BBC are both claiming victory in the Saturday night talent show ratings war. Britain's Got Talent had a peak audience of 12.6 million on ITV1. While The Voice's peak was 10.2 million, the BBC said it beat BGT in the 20 minutes the shows overlapped.

Man faces prison for killing rabbits

A Florida man faces up to two years in prison for killing his children's pet rabbits. Reginald Owen Sear, 35, pleaded guilty last week to three counts of animal cruelty. It is thought he killed the pets after an argument with his wife.

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