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Ardo asks court to stop conferment of GCFR on Abiola, others

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Meanwhile, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the conferment of posthumous national honours on Abiola and Fawehinmi.

Ardo, a former Special Assistant to then Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on Research and Strategy, also asked the court to stop the investiture of such national honour on Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 presidential election, Kingibe.

The PDP chief on Tuesday filed the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/609/2018, contending that “without the advice of the Council of State” the President lacked the power to confer the national honours as planned.

He also asked the court to set aside the decision of President Buhari to confer national awards on the planned honourees.

Ardo  joined the President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), as the defendants.

He filed along with the main suit a motion seeking “an interlocutory injunction” restraining President Buhari and other defendants from going ahead with the conferment of the national honours as planned for Tuesday.

He also wrote to the SGF through his lawyer, Mr. Doueyi Fiderikumo, shortly after filing the suit on Monday, warning that the conferment ceremony be stayed in the light of the legal action.

The lawyer wrote,  “In this development, you are advised to stay action on the conferment of the said award on the late Chief M.K.O Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, and the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, so as not to interfere with the subject of the said case.

“An advance copy of the said suit is hereby attached for the avoidance of doubt,” he added.

But Ardo in his suit filed on Monday argued that the national honours could not be conferred since the President had yet to obtain the advice of the Council of State in that respect.

He argued that the conferment of the national honours planned to hold on Tuesday (today) would violate section 5(1)(b) and section 6(a)(iii) of Part 1 to the Third Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution.

He asked the court to determine “whether having regard to 5(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 6(a)(iii) of Part 1 to the Third Schedule thereto, the 1st defendant (Buhari) is not under a legal obligation to consult or at least obtain the advice of the Council of State before the conferment of a national award on any person?”

He therefore urged the court to make, “A declaration that the 1st defendant (Buhari) lacks the constitutional powers to award National Honours to the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi or anybody else for that matter without the advice of the Council of State as provided for in section 6(a)(iii) of Part 1 to the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“A declaration that the decision of the 1st defendant to award National Honours to the late Chief M.K.O.  Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi or anybody else for that matter without seeking and obtaining the advice of the Council of State is contrary to sections 5(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 6(a)(iii) of Part 1 to the Third Schedule thereto and is thus null and void.

“An order of this honourable court setting aside the decision of the 1st Defendant to confer national awards on the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi.”

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The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”

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According to the country’s ministry of health, the controversial decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community.

It also categorises “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same bracket of mental illness.

The new law will change language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to reflect the view of trans and intersex people as a mental health disorder.

Trans groups across Peru have loudly condemned the decision as a step backwards for the country’s already complex relationship with LGBTQ+ rights.

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Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

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The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

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First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

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The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

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