Sunday 24 August 2008

Daily Mail - Fergie: Manchester United's new Brazilian twins have a bright future at Old Trafford


Sir Alex Ferguson believes his new Brazilian twins will have a bright future at Manchester United.
Right-back Rafael Da Silva played in the whole of United's friendly win at Peterborough on Monday.
And his twin Fabio played 45 minutes, replacing Patrice Evra on the other side of United's defence.
Ferguson said: 'The young players were fantastic and young Rafael the right-back was a sensation for me.
'I thought it was a real eye opener for us. He hadn't played for a year but he's played a full 90 minutes.
'His brother Fabio has played 45 minutes and he's also done well so we're really pleased by their contribution.
Asked whether Rafael could be on the way to a place in the first team, Ferguson said: 'You know what football's like. Sometimes it turns up some star, some little nugget maybe.
'I think we have got a good player here.'

Sunday 17 August 2008

BBC - Septuplet joy for Egyptian couple


An Egyptian woman has given birth to seven babies in the northern city of Alexandria, doctors said.
The mother, named as 27-year-old Ghazala Khamis, is said to be well and the septuplets - four boys and three girls - are reported to be stable.
The babies are said to weigh between 1.45 and 2.8kg (3-6lb); the couple already have three girls.
They sought fertility treatment hoping to have a boy, and were said to be astonished at the multiple pregnancy.
Since the introduction of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment 30 years ago, the number of multiple births has increased dramatically.
Health experts say septuplets are very rare, and it is even less common for all to survive.
The seven were delivered by Caesarean section a month early, and all have been placed in incubators designed for premature babies.
The woman's brother said that the Egyptian health minister had promised free milk and nappies for the babies for two years, to help the family cope.

Reuters - Rare sextuplets born in Iraq, four survive

NASSIRIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - A woman has given birth to rare sextuplets in southern Iraq, but two of them died because the hospital lacked the proper equipment to keep them alive, her doctor said on Saturday.
Some Iraqi media described it as the first birth of sextuplets -- six children born at once -- in the country, although this could not be verified.
Sextuplet births are extremely rare although fertility treatments have increased the frequency of multiple births.
"Two of the children died because of problems breathing," said Dr Ali al-Jabiri, in charge of premature infants at Al-Habboubi Hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya.
"If we had suitable medical equipment then we could have saved them," he added.
The babies all weighed between 700 and 1,200 grams (24-44 ounces). Two boys and two girls survived. Their mother had used fertility drugs.
"The problem is, how can I take care of them? How to feed them?" said their mother, Ibtisam Najim Abid, at the hospital.

Friday 15 August 2008

Daily Exspress - EXAM JOY AS STUDENTS RECORD BEST EVER RESULTS AT A LEVEL

STUDENTS across the country were last night toasting the nation’s best ever A-level results.
Brushing off concerns that the exams have become too easy, teenagers celebrated after recording an unprecedented 97 per cent pass rate.And one in four sixth-formers were awarded at least one A grade (25.9 per cent, up from 25.3 per cent last year).Teachers and ministers denied A levels have been dumbed down, despite the national pass rate rising to a record level for the 26th year in a row.Results received by some 300,000 teenagers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, showed only 2.8 per cent of them failed the exams.But for the first time the exam board released a regional breakdown, examining pass rates and the proportion of students getting A grades in various areas of the country.It showed the greatest improvements in the last six years have been in the south-east with the north-east appears to be lagging behind.While the south-east has seen A grades rise 6.1 per cent – to 29.1 per cent since 2002 – the north- east has seen an improvement of just 2.1 per cent – to 19.8 per cent in the same period.Shadow Children’s Secretary Michael Gove said the divide was “worrying”.He said: “It underlines yet again the need for reform to create new good school places so that children in the less well-off areas get the same opportunities as others."

But there remained fierce argument over whether the tests had become too easy.While critics said the pass rate meant A levels were becoming meaningless, supporters argued that the results were simply a testament to students’ hard work and better teaching.Chris Keates, leader of the Nasuwt teachers’ union said: “These are Olympian achievements and represent years of hard work and sustained effort by students and teachers alike.”Dr John Dunford, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “If you continue to get nearer to 100 per cent it would suggest schools and colleges’ guidance programmes are improving. That’s got to be in the best interests of students.”There was a whole gamut of success stories yesterday, including a set of 18-year-old quadruplets who scored stunning results. Tolu, Tayo, Tobi and Tosin, all members of the Oke family, were born just a few minutes apart.They all achieved A, B or C grades at the St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College in Clapham, south-west London.Sisters Tayo and Tolu and brothers Tobi and Tosin will now go to their first-choice universities.Tolu was awarded a grade A in history, an A in sociology and a B in English language and literature. Tobi achieved a B in English language and literature, a B in sociology and a C in history. Tayo got an A in business, an A in sociology and a C in biology. Tosin kept up the high standard with an A in sociology, a B in business and a C in IT.But the quads were not the only tale of success among families with multiple births.A set of triplets was also celebrating after a clean sweep in their A-level results – notching up a stunning 13 grade As between them.Tim, Rachel, and Clare Heard, all 18, are now looking forward to going to university.Tim, who gained the top grade in geography, chemistry, biology and general studies said: “We are all absolutely delighted with our results. Rachel and Clare worked really hard but I preferred to socialise with my friends.”The trio all attended King Edward Camp Hill School in Birmingham, but will now go their separate ways to different universities. Other successes saw identical twins Anika and Nicola Ueckermann scoring impressive results.The 18-year-olds, from Colchester County High School for Girls, were delighted with their A and B grades and will both go to the University of East Anglia. They rejected criticism that exams are becoming easier. “They are definitely not,” said Anika. “This year was really hard.”

Thursday 7 August 2008

warwick courier - Twins club turns 25 years

Members of Leamington's twins group have celebrated its 25th anniversary with a summer picnic.
Children and their parents met in Jephson Gardens last week to remember the opening of Leam-ington Spa and District Twins Club in 1983.More than two decades since it was started, the group is still offering the parents of twins a chance to meet others in the same situation.The club is appealing for any of the founding parents or children from 25 years ago to come forward so they can attend a summer party on Sunday.Organiser Lucinda Thornton joined the group when she found out she was pregnant with twins Annabelle and Jamie who are now two-and-a-half.She found the club while looking for advice on the internet.Describing the group, she said: "The twins club offers mothers a chance to speak with people who understand the issues of having twins. Normally people just say; 'I don't know how you cope which isn't very helpful. We offer the chance for mothers to discuss problems with people who have been through the same thing and it is a great help."Membership entitles parents to discounts on toys, equipment, holidays and many other things needed to raise twins.Second hand sales, parents' nights out and children's outings such as trips to Cotswold Wildlife Park are also offered.The club meets on Tuesdays between 10am and noon. Visit: www.warkcom.net/leamingtontwins
The full article contains 244 words and appears in Leamington Courier newspaper.

daily express - Lisa Marie Presley expecting twins

Lisa Marie Presley is expecting twins, her spokeswoman has said.
The babies are expected in the autumn. Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, announced her pregnancy on her MySpace page in March, saying she was forced to go public with the news after photos of her looking heavier were ridiculed in the media. The 40-year-old singer has two children from her marriage to musician Danny Keough, which ended in 1994. She was briefly married to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage. Presley married music producer Michael Lockwood in January 2006."It's her time to celebrate with her husband," Priscilla Presley said in an interview. "My daughter is a very family girl. She loves children, and I know that she and Michael have been hoping for this for a long time." She said twins run in the family "on Elvis' side and on my side too. I have twin brothers, and then, of course, Elvis had a twin brother" who died at birth.

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