tag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/21/Russian_actress_fights_Downs_Syndrome_17d0

When Russian actress Evelina Blyodans gave birth to a son with Down's Syndrome, the first question from the doctor at the maternity hospital came as a shock: "Are you going to keep him?"

2013-03-21T15:13:19ZAFP Global Editionby Victoria Loguinova-Yakovlevatag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/20/Australia_formally_apologises_forced_adoptions_d372

Australia on Thursday formally apologised for the forced adoption of tens of thousands of babies born mostly to unmarried mothers between the 1950s and 1970s.

2013-03-21T01:17:06ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/20/grandfathers_abuse_women_linked_autism_f80f

Having an older grandfather or being a mother who was abused in her youth are linked to higher odds of having a child with autism, according to two studies published Wednesday in a leading US psychiatry journal.

2013-03-20T20:09:52ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/20/Kate_gets_baby_board_badge_ccd8

Prince William's pregnant wife Catherine was given a badge to help expectant mothers get a seat on London's Underground when she accompanied Queen Elizabeth II on a visit Wednesday to mark the train network's 150th anniversary.

2013-03-20T17:58:59ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/20/Henin_gives_birth_little_fairy_4810

Former women's world tennis number one Justine Henin gave birth to a baby girl called Lalie on Wednesday, she announced on her social network pages.

2013-03-20T16:33:18ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/19/Parents_childcare_boost_from_2015_bb59

The government on Tuesday announced plans enabling parents to claw back 20 percent of childcare costs up to a limit of £1,200 from 2015 onwards.

2013-03-19T15:53:02ZAFP European EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/19/charges_Texas_parents_over_dead_baab

The US adoptive parents of a Russian boy will not be criminally charged over his death, a Texas official said, after the three-year-old's demise was deemed accidental.

2013-03-19T08:45:24ZAFP American EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/19/Parents_childcare_boost_7a73

The government is set to announce plans enabling parents to claw back 20 percent of childcare costs up to a limit of £1,200 from 2015, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

2013-03-19T06:47:53ZAFP European EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/18/Study_questions_vitamin_supplements_pregnancy_0d53

Taking vitamin D supplements in pregnancy seems to make no difference to a child's bone health, in contrast to guidelines in some countries, research published in The Lancet on Tuesday says.

2013-03-19T00:53:44ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/18/Skimmed_milk_ineffective_against_toddler_d647

Giving your toddler skimmed or semi-skimmed milk is unlikely to make inroads against the risk of obesity, a large study conducted among American children has found.

2013-03-18T23:39:54ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/15/Australia_shuts_large_child_exploitation_52e9

Police said on Friday they had shut down one of the largest child sex exploitation rings seen in Australia which was dealing in "abhorrent and disgusting" images.

2013-03-15T07:03:19ZAFP Asian EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/15/Japan_cabinet_approves_child_abduction_5c75

Japan moved one step closer to adopting a long-delayed treaty on child abductions on Friday when the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave its approval, a government spokesman said.

2013-03-15T06:06:41ZAFP American EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/13/teens_mobile_Internet_survey_7d19

Most American teenagers use their phones to access the Internet, with one-fourth of them going online mostly on their mobile device, a survey showed Wednesday.

2013-03-13T10:36:29ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/08/Screaming_crowds_greet_Korean_frontline_c4fe

North Korean television broadcast emotional scenes Friday of cheering soldiers and their young families greeting leader Kim Jong-Un as he visited a frontline unit that shelled the South in 2010.

2013-03-08T20:59:45ZAFP Asian EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/06/Manaudou_forced_abort_second_child_6968

French swimming legend Laure Manaudou was forced to undergo an abortion due to medical complications, the former Olympic champion said Wednesday.

2013-03-06T18:49:21ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/06/baby_girl_William_Kate_43d4

Prince William's wife Catherine is normally careful to protect her privacy, so Britain's newspapers seized Wednesday on what appeared to be a rare slip of the tongue suggesting that her unborn baby is a girl.

2013-03-06T09:15:14ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/04/Australia_parents_face_India_surrogacy_55c1

Babies born to Indian surrogate mothers for gay and single Australians may be left stateless and unable to leave the country after New Delhi changed the rules on surrogacy, an expert has said.

2013-03-05T04:23:10ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/02/Thousands_rally_Moscow_Russia_adoption_b97a

Russia on Saturday said it was concerned by a US ruling that the death of an adopted Russian boy in Texas was an accident, fuelling a diplomatic row as several thousand people marched in Moscow demanding an end to all foreign adoptions.

2013-03-02T14:38:00ZAFP Global Editionby Anna Smolchenkotag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/01/Russian_boys_Texas_death_ruled_adbb

The death of a young boy adopted from Russia at his Texas home was an accident and the bruises found on his body were self-inflicted, a coroner ruled in a case that ignited a diplomatic row.

2013-03-02T02:39:25ZAFP Global Editionby Mira Obermantag:www.blnz.com,2009:2013/03/01/Death_Russian_Texas_ruled_accidental_2470

The death of a young boy adopted from Russia at his Texas home was an accident and the bruises found on his body were ruled "self-inflicted," US media reported Friday, citing a corner's report.

2013-03-01T21:03:22ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reporter