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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Sex change man becomes Britain's 'first male mother'


The man, who is in his 30s, gave birth last year after having hormone treatment to reactivate his womb but the story was confirmed recently, the Mail Online reported today. The man whose womb was not removed during the original sex change operation, beacme only the third man in world to have done this. Joanna Darrell, of the Beaumont Society transgender support group, said that the man had asked about the health implications of keeping his womb and what surgery he could have before it became impossible to carry a baby. "He got back in touch about six months ago to thank the society for its help and to say he had had the baby," Darrell said. The baby is thought to have been delivered by caesarean section but it is possible the man retained the ability to give birth naturally. Darrell believes he is the first British man to have given birth. "As far as we know there is only him, one man in American and one in Spain who have done this," she said. The man is following in the footsteps of American Thomas Beatie, who became the world s first pregnant man in 2007 and has since given birth to three children. The Beaumont Society is the oldest transgender support group in the country, having been set up in 1966.

Iran warships enter Mediterranean Sea


Iranian warships entered the Mediterranean Sea after crossing the Suez Canal on Saturday in a move aimed at showing Iran s "might" to regional countries, navy commander Admiral Habibollah Sayari said. "The strategic navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran has passed through the Suez Canal for the second time since the (1979) Islamic Revolution," Sayari said in remarks quoted by the official IRNA news agency. He did not say how many vessels had crossed the canal, or what missions they were planning to carry out in the Mediterranean, but said the flotilla had previously docked in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. Two Iranian ships, the destroyer Shahid Qandi and supply vessel Kharg, had docked in the Red Sea port on February 4, according to Iranian media. Sayari said the naval deployment to the Mediterranean would show "the might" of the Islamic republic to regional countries, and also convey Tehran s "message of peace and friendship." The announcement comes amid heightened tensions over Iran s nuclear programme and rising speculation that Israel might launch pre-emptive strikes against Iranian facilities. The first Iranian presence in the Mediterranean in February 2011 provoked strong reactions from Israel and the United States, with the Jewish state putting its navy on alert. Iran s navy has been boosting its presence in international waters since last year, deploying vessels to the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden on missions to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates.

Riyadh sets condition for Taliban to get office


He also demanded that Taliban renounce Al-Qaeda as preconditions for Saudi-mediated peace talks with the Afghan government. "Saudi Arabia s conditions for mediation ... are that the Taliban lay down their weapons, engage in the political process and renounce Al-Qaeda," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "These are our three demands, and they have not changed in three years," he added. The Taliban, leading a 10-year insurgency against Afghan President Hamid Karzai s government, have denied reports of planned peace talks in Saudi Arabia, despite claims by Afghan officials that the two sides would hold talks in the kingdom separate from those planned in Qatar. Taliban negotiators have begun preliminary discussions with the United States in Qatar on plans for peace talks aimed at ending the decade-long war. They have also announced plans to set up an office in Doha. In late January, Afghan government spokesman Akim Hasher said Kabul has "always preferred Saudi to Qatar." A member of the Taliban s leadership council has told AFP "the idea" that the Taliban should have a point of contact in Saudi Arabia was being pushed by the Pakistan and Afghan governments.