Twins Marry Each Other

In most, if not all cultures, incest is taboo. Sexual contact between close relatives is severely frowned upon. Aside from societal prohibition there are scientific/medical reasons why incest should not be allowed. The similarity in their DNA poses significant health risks to children born of such a union. There is a substantially increased risk of sterility, deformity and death.

There was the case of twins who got married before they learned that they were brother and sister. This was related by David Alton, a member of Britain's upper House of Lords.

"It involved the normal birth of twins who were separated at birth and adopted by separate parents," said Alton. "They were never told that they were twins."

The twins (whose identities have been withheld) grew up separately and met each other not knowing that they were siblings. They fell in love and got married. It wasn't until after they were married that they discovered that they were twins. The marriage was annulled at a special hearing in the High Court last year with the judge ruling it had never been valid. Under the 1986 Marriage Act, it is illegal to marry your sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild and various other blood relatives.

“The judge had to deal with the consequences of their marriage, and all the issues of their separation,” Alton said. “For them it was a terrible tragedy. It was an incredibly heartrending experience.”

Alton brought this story to the attention of the House of Lords not for its own sake but to draw attention to a wider issue. He believes that the risk of siblings unwittingly marrying each other is rising fast because of the prevalence of IVF treatment. He says it highlights the need for children to know who their parents are.

In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) was first successfully used in humans over 25 years ago; since then, more than one million children have been conceived using this technology. IVF is a procedure designed to enhance the likelihood of conception in couples for whom other fertility therapies have been unsuccessful or are not possible. It is a complex process and involves multiple steps resulting in the insemination and fertilization of oocytes (eggs) in the laboratory. The embryos created in this process are then placed into the uterus for potential implantation.

"This isn't a regular occurrence but it could become one with large numbers of people now being born by IVF and not knowing their true identities," Alton said. "It would be a terrible act of deception, with the state colluding in that deception, to remove the biological identity of your father from the birth certificate," he added.

He was reacting to The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, now working its way through the British parliament, which recognizes same-sex couples as legal parents of children conceived through the use of donated sperm, eggs or embryos.

Adoption groups said the case proves the need for openness and transparency during the adoption process. Mo O'Reilly, director of child placement for the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, released a statement saying: "Thirty or 40 years ago it would have been more likely that twins be separated and brought up without knowledge of each other." However, she said, greater emphasis in recent years on ensuring adopted siblings stay in touch meant this "traumatic" case will remain "incredibly rare." Daisy O'Clee, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that of more current concern is the lack of legislation surrounding fertility treatment. She warned that in its present form the proposal (The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill) does little to address the rights of donor-conceived children.

"The rights of donor children are being ignored," she said.

Under British law the parents of a donor-conceived child do not have to declare that fact on the child's birth certificate. This means a child conceived with a donor sperm or egg may never know their true origin.

The Royal Channel

Queen Elizabeth II of England announced the creation of "The Royal Channel" on Youtube. In acknowledging the worldwide popularity and acceptance of the video-sharing website, the royal family has once again shown its willingness to embrace new technologies as a means of reaching out to the public.

From her televised coronation in 1953, to her first live broadcast on Christmas Day 1957, to her podcast last year Christmas, the queen has shown a remarkable fondness for using the mass media and keeping up with the changing times. This year's Christmas message is available on the new Youtube Channel.

On the newly launched channel there are clips dating as far back as the silent news footage in 1917 of Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII. Other topics of interest include: The Queen Mother's wedding (1923), Death of King George VI, Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, State Banquets, Garden Parties and much more. It is a real look back in time at the Royal Family. It is also very popular. It is the 2nd most subscribed to channel this month with more than 17,000 subscribers. Almost 1 million visitors have already been to the site.

In her Christmas message this year she started and ended with clips from her 1957 broadcast - 50 years ago. She also wore the same pearl necklace that she had on back then.

The Queen, Christmas 1957:

"That it's possible for some of you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us. Because of these changes I am not surprised that many people feel lost and unable to decide what to hold on to and what to discard, how to take advantage of the new life without losing the best of the old."

The Queen, Christmas 2007:

"One of the features of growing old is the heightened awareness of change, to remember what happened 50 years ago means that it is possible to appreciate what has changed in the mean time. It also makes you aware of what has remained constant."

No matter what you may think of the British monarchy, Queen Elizabeth is one of the most beloved public figures in the world. She has reigned for 54 years and at 81-years-old, is Britain's longest reigning monarch. Her role today may only be ceremonial but she has lived a life that her subjects, the British people, can be very proud of. With all the troubles and scandals in the world, it almost makes one nostalgic for "The Good Old Days".

Missing Brit Reappears After 5 Years

Five years ago, facing financial ruin, John Darwin decided to fake his own death. He arranged to have a conoeing accident in which he was presumed dead, even though his body was never found. Five years later John Darwin walks into West End Central police station in Savile Row, Central London, claiming to have no memory of what had happened or where he had been for the last five years.

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The police were not impressed by his story. John Darwin, 57, former teacher and prison guard, was arrested, charged with life insurance fraud and lying to get a false passport. They also arrested his wife Anne Darwin, 55, when she arrived on a flight from the US. She had been living in Panama.

The bizarre story began on March 21, 2002, five years ago when John Darwin took his red canoe out to sea. The couple had moved to a seafront house two years earlier with their dogs. Their sons, Mark and Anthony, had moved away and the couple told neighbors that they hoped to retire there. The North Sea was said to be unusually calm that spring day. John Darwin was reported missing when he did not return home. Hours later his damaged boat was washed up on the sandy beach. An extensive search operation was mounted along the coastline from Hartlepool to Staithes, North Yorkshire. No sign of John Darwin was ever found.

According to his wife, John had previously discussed with her the possibility of faking his own death.

"John said there was only one way out of the situation, and that was to fake his death. I pleaded with him not to do it, I said it was the wrong thing to do," said Anne Darwin.

Apparently John decided to go ahead with it without telling his wife. Anne Darwin said she had not expected her husband to go through with the plan and genuinely thought he was dead when he disappeared.

Six months after his disappearance, Anne Darwin, a doctor’s receptionist, told a local newspaper that she could not move on without seeing her husband’s body.

“People die, have a funeral, they have a headstone, there is something to mark the fact they existed on this Earth," she said. "But without a body, I don’t know how we can mark John’s life."

“All I want is to bury his body. It would enable me to move on. It’s difficult to grieve without bringing things to a close, but as it is I’m in limbo and there’s nothing I can do.”

One year later John showed up at the door and pressured his wife to keep his reappearance a secret so he could have himself declared dead and allow her to collect $50,000 in life insurance. The couple were tens of thousands of dollars in debt because of the failure of their apartment rental business. After being declared dead, John Darwin moved in with her and hid in a small room reached through a concealed hole in the wardrobe of their bedroom. They did not tell their two children Mark and Anthony that John was still alive. He lived in that small room for three years without being discovered.

Anne Darwin then proceeded to sell the two properties that she had owned jointly with her husband. She met one of her neighbors, Bill Rodriguez last August and told him that she had just returned from a six-week vacation in Panama and loved it so much that she was planning to move out there full-time. It was shortly afterwards that she did migrate to Panama, where she is believed to have “hundreds of thousands of pounds” in a Panamanian bank account. Somehow her husband was able to get a passport in the name of John Jones and followed her there.

Things began to unravel when John Darwin declared he was tired of living in hiding and decided to return to Britain, claiming to have forgotten what had happened to him. Anne began talking to two newspapers, the Daily Mirror and Daily Mail and gave them the story. The Daily Mirror published a photograph of the couple, apparently taken with a real estate agent in Panama and published on the company's Web site. Anne then took a flight back to England where she was arrested by the British police who charged her with suspicion of fraud.

Detectives have said they hope to learn how Darwin allegedly hid himself for five years and maintained contact with his wife after his staged death, and how they apparently came to be photographed together in Panama. Police said they are in contact with the couple's two sons, who insist they had no idea their father was still alive and want nothing more to do with their parents.

Sudan Pardons "Teddy Teacher"

Gillian Gibbons, 54, the British teacher who was at the center of a diplomatic standoff between Britain and the Sudan, has been freed. She had been convicted and sentenced to 15 days in jail and then deportation, for "inciting hatred and insulting Islam" by naming a teddy bear "Muhammad". For more details click here
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In a written statement Gibbons said:

“I have been in Sudan for only four months but I have enjoyed myself immensely. I have encountered nothing but kindness and generosity from the Sudanese people. I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone. I am sorry if I caused any distress.” "I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends, but I am very sorry that I will be unable to return to Sudan."

In London, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was delighted and relieved by the news. "Common sense has prevailed. She will be released into the care of our embassy in Khartoum after what must have been a difficult ordeal'' he said in a statement.

Sudan's ambassador in London, Khalid al-Mubarak, also reacted positively.

"She is a teacher who went to teach our children English and she has helped a great deal and I am very grateful," al-Mubarak said. "What has happened was a cultural misunderstanding, a minor one, and I hope she, her family and the British people won't be affected by what has happened."

In an interview Gibbons' son, John Gibbons, 27, expressed his gratitude to everyone involved in securing the release of his mother.

Gibbons' freedom was due in large part to the efforts of two Muslim members of the British Parliament, Lord Nazir Ahmed and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi. They had traveled to the Sudan and met with many high ranking Sudanese government officials seeking an audience with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. After waiting for two days they were allowed to see him and convinced him that Gillian Gibbons had committed a "cultural mistake" and not a crime worthy of a prison sentence. President Omar al-Bashir issued the pardon that set Gibbons free and on her way back to England.

Teacher Found Guilty of Insulting Islam

A British teacher Gillian Gibbons, 54, has been arrested, charged and found guilty of inciting hatred and insulting Islam in Sudan. All because she named a teddy bear "Muhammad". She was charged under article 125 of the Sudanese criminal code. The charge carried a possible penalty of 40 lashes, a fine or six months in jail if convicted. She was sentenced to 15 days in jail and ordered deported afterwards.

Gibbons, 54, who taught at the exclusive British-style Unity high school in Khartoum, had asked her pupils to name the bear as part of a project to teach them about animals. Twenty out of 23 of them chose Mohammad -- a popular boy's name in Sudan, as well as the name of Islam's Prophet. Gibbons circulated a letter to parents, telling them that the children would be bringing the teddy bear home at weekends as part of the exercise. Two months later, a member of the school staff handed the letter to Sudan's Ministry of Education. Gibbons was arrested and charged with insulting religion, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs. During her trial, a weeping Gibbons said she had intended no harm.
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The case has caused diplomatic tensions between Britain and the Sudan. The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed "surprise and disappointment" at the charges. The Foreign Secretary David Miliband has personally reassured the family of jailed British teacher Gillian Gibbons that he is doing "everything he can" to secure her release. Even Muslims in the British Parliament have expressed support for Gibbons. Lord Ahmed, a member of Britain's upper House of Parliament, and Baroness Warsi, an opposition Conservative, have visited Mrs Gibbons and said she seemed in good spirits.. The pair have also held a meeting with a Sudanese Government minister, although the outcome of that meeting is unknown.

Gibbons' son John, said his mother is "bearing up very well" adding that both he and his sister Jessica had spoken to her:

"We both feel a lot better about speaking to my mum. It was nice to hear her voice. She's bearing up very well. She sounded strong. I'm hoping to speak to her again today."

There are no plans for the family to travel to Sudan, Mr Gibbons said. "I'm not going over there because we're hoping it will be resolved sooner rather than later," he said.

However the mood in Sudan was much more hostile towards Gibbons. She was moved from the Omdurman women's prison on Friday after thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and swords and beating drums, burned pictures of her and demanded her execution. In their mosque sermons Friday, several Muslim clerics harshly denounced Gibbons, saying she had intentionally insulted the prophet, but they not call for protests and said the punishment ordered by the court was sufficient.

Still, after prayers, several thousand people converged on Khartoum's Martyrs Square, near the presidential palace, and began calling for Gibbons' execution. Many seemed to be from Sufi groups, religious sects that emphasize reverence for the prophet. Several hundred protesters marched to Unity High School, where Gibbons worked, and chanted outside briefly before heading toward the nearby British Embassy. They were stopped by security forces two blocks from the embassy. The protest dispersed after an hour.
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Sudan's Islamic government, which has long whipped up anti-Western, Muslim hard-line sentiment at home, was balancing between fueling outrage over the case of Gillian Gibbons and containing it. The government does not want to seriously damage ties with Britain, but the show of anger on Friday underlines its stance that Sudanese oppose Western interference.
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A lawyer for the British teacher said he expected his client to be pardoned. "I would not be surprised if president of the republic.......dropped this charge," defense attorney Kamal al-Gizouli told The Associated Press, explaining that only the president has the power to lift Gibbons' 15 day sentence. After all she has been through Gibbons expressed much more tolerance than she has received:

"One of the things my mum said today was that I don't want any resentment towards Muslims"