Undersea eruptions near Tonga

Scientists sailed out to have a closer look at the eruptions of an undersea volcano off the coast of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean today. Tonga's head geologist, Kelepi Mafi, said there was no apparent danger to residents of Nuku'alofa and others living on the main island of Tongatapu. Officials also said it may be related to a quake with a magnitude of 4.4 which struck last March 13 around 35 kilometers from the capital at a depth of nearly 150 kilometres.

Baby-faced boy Alfie Patten is father at 13

Baby-faced Alfie, who is 13 but looks more like eight, became a father four days ago when his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman gave birth to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne.

He told how he and Chantelle, 15, decided against an abortion after discovering she was pregnant.

Alfie, who is just 4ft tall, added: “When my mum found out, I thought I was going to get in trouble. We wanted to have the baby but were worried how people would react.

“I didn’t know what it would be like to be a dad. I will be good, though, and care for it.”

Alfie's story, broken exclusively by The Sun today has sparked a huge political storm with Tory leader David Cameron saying: "When I saw these pictures this morning, I just thought how worrying that in Britain today children are having children.

13-year-old father to take DNA test
Baby-faced "father" Alfie Patten today pledged to take a DNA test after two other boys claimed they had also slept with baby Maisie's teenage mother.
Chantelle Steadman, 15, said 13-year-old Alfie is the father of her one-week-old baby daughter.




The news that such a young boy had fathered a baby prompted a fierce political debate over the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the UK and the sexualisation of children.

But yesterday Richard Goodsell, 16, and Tyler Barker, 14, told the News of the World they had slept with Chantelle at about the time she became pregnant and claimed she also had several other sexual partners.

Alfie today said he would take a DNA test as soon as possible to establish whether he is Maisie's father.