1. Briton allegedly fathers up to 600

    DNA tests suggest the owner of a British fertility* clinic may have fathered as many as 600 children, while keeping his donations a secret.

    The Daily Telegraph reported that Bertold Wiesner and his wife operated a fertility clinic in the 1940s and were responsible for helping more than 1,500 families conceive*. Two of the children conceived through clinic donations, Barry Stevens and David Gollancz, took part in DNA testing that revealed both were conceived using Wiesner’s sperm.

    2. India challenges U.S. visa rules

    India is challenging a U.S. law that raised visa fees for high-skilled foreign workers as a violation of global trade commitments and is planning another case against U.S. import duties* on steel pipe.

    The complaint at the World Trade Organization against the 2010 United States visa fee increase, which India protested at the time, is at the level of “consultations” between the two parties, the last stage before entering a full-fledged* legal dispute.

    3. Zimmerman charged with killing youth

    A special prosecutor in Florida charged neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman with second-degree murder for killing Trayvon Martin as the 17-year-old unarmed African-American youth walked through a gated community in Sanford, Florida, on February 26.

    Zimmerman’s arrest followed weeks of protests in a racially charged case that has riveted* the United States. Zimmerman, 28, who had been in hiding, arrived at Seminole County Jail under arrest after turning himself in*.

    4. Iran offers easier credit terms

    Iran is offering Asian oil buyers, including India, easier credit terms to lure more business and counteract* tough Western sanctions aimed at restricting the OPEC member’s principal export, the Financial Times reported on April 12.

    Tehran has been offering a handful of potential customers in Asia 180 days of free credit, the newspaper said quoting unnamed industry officials. Each month of credit amounted to a discount of roughly US$1.2 to US$1.5 a barrel.

    5. Fleeing driver takes cop on wild ride

    A Vietnamese traffic cop went on a wild ride in Hanoi, clinging to the windshield wipers of a moving bus for nearly a kilometer after the rogue driver tried to avoid a ticket, police said on April 13.

    Traffic police 2nd Lt. Nguyen Manh Phan ordered the bus driver to pull over the 39-seat passenger coach on April 9, said a police officer in anonymity* in Ba Vi District outside Hanoi. The driver allegedly refused to show his paperwork* and drove off — but not before Phan leaped onto the front.

    6. Spanish Govt. cracks down on tax fraud

    The Spanish Government approved a crackdown on tax fraud as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy redoubles efforts to reduce the deficit and convince investors that a surge in borrowing costs won’t force the nation into a bailout*.

    Rajoy is trying to regain investors’ confidence in Spain’s shrinking economy as the nation’s borrowing costs approach the levels that prompted Greece, Portugal and Ireland to seek European bailouts.

    7. Matches called off after player death

    All weekend soccer matches in Italy were called off on April 14 following the death of Livorno midfielder*, 25-year-old Piermario Morosini, a player whose private life had been plagued* by a series of tragedies.

    Morosini’s death came just under a month after Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest* during his side’s FA Cup quarterfinal match with Tottenham, prompting calls for more stringent* medical checks on footballers.

    (SD-Agencies)