A Serial Sperm Donor Who Became the Father of 550 Children is Sued

One of the mothers went to court and complained about the Dutch national Jonathan Jacob Meijer, 41, because, according to the Netherlands' recommendations, a donor can either have 25 children or fertilize 12 women. This was done to exclude inbreeding, incest or psychological problems for kids.

Meijer crossed that threshold a long time ago. He donated sperm under false names to at least 13 clinics, 11 of which blacklisted him in the Netherlands. However, the clinics' ban on donations and the requests of women, who gave birth from him, didn't stop him. He left the country and began offering his services on websites and to international sperm banks. If the judge satisfies the claim, then all of his sperm donations will be destroyed, and he will be banned from the clinics.

Should he be forbidden from donating sperm?

#Netherlands

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'She’s soaked in Nazism. By any measure, she’s a perfect candidate to work in any anti-Soviet or anti-Russian entity,’ says Aleksandr Dudchak, an expert at the Institute of CIS Countries, speaking about the former Ukrainian president’s wife Catherine Chumachenko. Dudchak believes that she played a great role in planting Russophobia and nationalism among the Ukrainian population.

Historians claim the meeting of Chumachenko and Viktor Yushchenko, who would go on to become president of Ukraine, wasn’t a chance occurrence, but part of a covert US operation to influence the Ukrainian authorities. Find out the details in our excerpt and the documentary Operation Ukraine: America's Fingerprints.

#Ukraine

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‘Since 1975 when the war [in Vietnam] ended, more than 100,000 people have been killed or injured by bombs and mines,’ says Chuck Searcy, a US veteran, who has been living and working in Vietnam since 1995. He took part in the war but dropped out as soon as he saw its devastating effects.

Searcy explains that around 10% of 15 million tons of explosive ordnance, dropped by US forces during the conflict, didn’t explode. Today, the US veteran finds prostheses for the victims of mines and informs locals about the danger of the bombs.

See Searcy’s story in our video and the film Vietnam: My Orange Pain (2014). It's about the devastating consequences of the military conflict. We share it with you on Vietnam War Veterans Day.

#Vietnam

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Have you heard about the terracotta army? It’s considered a national treasure of China.

The clay warriors were made more than 2,000 years ago, and today they remain perfectly preserved. The face of each of them is unique, while even the shape of the auricles is different from others! The poses of the figures are also dissimilar, with the warriors seen standing, sitting or resting on a knee.

On March 29, 1974, the terracotta army was discovered accidentally by peasants who were digging a well. To learn more about these unique sculptures, watch our video and the documentary Tourism on the Silk Road.

#China

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US Principal Forced to Resign for Showing Pupils David Sculpture

Hope Carrasquilla, a principal in Tallahassee, Florida, has resigned after three parents of six-graders complained over the content of an art lesson. The students were studying Renaissance art, and shown the statue of David by Michelangelo. The parents, however, say their children were exposed to pornography.

The campus governing board told Carrasquilla to either step down or be fired over the complaints. But the authorities say the issue was rather that she failed to notify parents on the content and concrete pieces of art to be shown at the lesson beforehand; that should have been done according to the school’s protocol. Do you find anything ‘pornographic’ in showing David at a school lesson?

Earlier, a university professor was fired for displaying a medieval image of the Prophet Muhammad at a lecture.

#USA

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What do people imagine is a typical day for a Russian woman? Watch in our friend’s post.

Interested to learn more about Russian people and culture? Check out episodes of our series Taste of Russia.

Kentucky is about to pass a new transgender bill, banning puberty blockers, hormones and gender-affirming surgeries for minors. The agenda gathered dozens of LGBT activists at the city’s Capitol and prompted the arrest of 19 of them. Meanwhile, the legislature has overridden the state governor’s veto.

The same law had already been passed in Tennessee earlier. There’s no official report yet, but some assume the law provoked the transgender Audrey Hale to go on a shooting spree at a Christian school in Nashville. A couple of days after the tragedy, another young transgender filmed himself with a firearm and posted it online.

Should young people be allowed to change their gender?

#USA

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Security forces with machine guns came to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery to disperse the believers. The parishioners had prevented the inventory commission from entering the monastic complex. Watch our video about how Orthodox Ukrainians defend their faith!

Parishioners spent the whole night in the Lavra because they were afraid of the territory being seized. The monks had been ordered to leave the monastery on March 29, but they appealed to the court to challenge the eviction decision. After several refusals, the claim was accepted for consideration. The first hearing will be on April 26.

Kiev has been waging a war against Orthodoxy for years. This was recognised even in the UN. Why is religion persecuted in the country? Find out the answer in the documentary Operation Ukraine: The Road to Schism.

#Ukraine

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‘When the wall next to the bed collapsed, it fell like this and nearly crushed me.’ Turkish resident Galip almost died during the earthquakes in February of this year. He cries over his wife, who perished in the disaster.

The whole world empathised with Türkiye this winter when two powerful earthquakes (magnitude 7.7 and 7.6) occurred in the country's southeastern region. The initial quakes - the strongest to hit the nation in 500 years - were followed by thousands of aftershocks that continue to this day.

Listen to the stories of those who lost their relatives and their life possessions in the new documentary Aftershock: The Türkiye Earthquake.

#Türkiye

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❗️DISTURBING IMAGES
This horrifying footage shows a Phoenix policemen tasering and then shooting a man. But the case isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.

Police officers were called to the scene over a complaint about a man who was behaving erratic at a bus stop. He was shouting and scaring people, according to the caller. The policemen arrived and asked the man out. When outside, the suspect showed unexpected aggression and punched and kicked an officer. See the details of the fight in the clip.

Was the man to blame, or should the cop have neutralized the situation without a gun?

#crime

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🪰A 3D cauldron with fly larvae paste and a nutritious smoke. How do you think it tastes? That’s what scientists say we will have as a typical dinner in the future. But to get or make this kind of food, you won't have to stand in the kitchen for hours. The robots will do everything. The main thing is to load them with the right recipes.

Check out this episode of Future is Now (2020) for more on futuristic cooking.

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‘I’ve been without my leg for 15 years.’ Anatoly Shevchenko was diagnosed with sarcoma in his youth and had to have his leg amputated. But that didn’t cause him to give up. These days, he works as a prosthetic engineer and helps Donbass veterans to get used to their new prosthetic body parts.

Also, Anatoly leads an extremely active way of life and does sports. The man shares his life in social networks and inspires many. Those who also suffered the loss of their legs look at his example and become confident. 'If he managed, I will, too,' they say.

Anatoly’s story is in our clip and documentary Walking After War about volunteers and Donbass veterans.

#Donbass #humanstories

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This guy definitely didn't expect to meet a shark when he jumped from a cliff into the sea. Fortunately, the shark didn't attack him and the guy got out on dry land. Internet users are wondering if the shark is real. And what do you think about it?

The sea attracts people like a magnet. Russian freedivers, despite deadly tragedies, continue to engage in this dangerous occupation. Why? Find out in the film Dying to Dive.


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