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Anambra School Boys Win Bronze at World Tech Festival

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By James Eze

Four boys from St John’s Science and Technical College, Alor in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State have won the Bronze Medal at the International Festival of Engineering, Science and Technology which took place in Tunisia.

The 9-day festival which took place in Monastir, Tunisia from 21- 29th March this year was organized for students aged between 14-24 years from 40 countries and featured a scientific competition in different areas aimed at developing the innovative skills of young scientists and encouraging them to apply their imagination and creativity in solving problems in their environment.   

To clinch the Bronze Medal, Ugwuishi Meshack Ogonna, Chuka-Umeora Onyedika Anthony, Nwachukwu Chukwualuka Daniel and Machi Chukwuagozie Dominic squared up to a stiff challenge from technologically advanced countries like Canada, Italy, South Korea, Turkey, China, Sweden, Ukraine, Malaysia, Brazil, Bosnia Herzgovina, Indonesia, Tunisia South Africa etc.   

The Anambra Boys were only bested by Daniil Sharoykin from Belarus who won the Gold Medal with a quality water control equipment and a representative of another country who won silver in the competition. The Bronze Boys of Anambra achieved their remarkable feat with a device they called the Adaptable Alternative Power Supply for Sub-Saharan Africa.

The boys with the State Deputy Governor

The device is an electric inverter with a solar panel that enables it to absorb energy from the sun, warehouse the energy in inverter and subsequently distribute it in households and offices as the case may be. 

The exploits of the Bronze Boys came barely seven months after five school girls from Regina Celi Secondary School Onitsha won the Gold Medal at the world technovation fair in San Francisco, USA.

St John’s Science and Technology College Alor is a public mission school which has benefitted immensely from the intense focus of the Anambra State Government under Governor Willie Obiano on education. 

Receiving the boys in his office on Tuesday, the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr Nkem Okeke observed that the state was doing exceedingly well in education at the moment. “The progress we are making shows that if you focus on a sector and show some seriousness about what you are doing, put the right people in charge, the results will come in.”

The boys, the Deputy Governor and other State functionaries

Dr Okeke further observed that “It takes a lot for kids to leave the shores of this country and beat people that come from the developed countries; to stand up and defend what they have produced and to show what they can do if given the opportunity. Listening to these boys talk with such confidence about direct current and alternating current, it shows that they own this invention. They understand what they are doing. I think they need to be encouraged more to continue with what they are doing.”

Earlier in her opening remarks, the Commissioner for Basic Education, Prof Kate Omenugha had attributed the excellent results that the state has been recording in the educational sector to the huge investments made by the Obiano administration in education. 

“Our partnership with the church is working very well. We have imbued in our students that global competitiveness and a strong belief in themselves; which is very important. We have perfected what we call a “value-based education.” Umu akwukwo Anambra believe that nothing is impossible, absolutely nothing. And “Yes, We Can.” That’s our slogan. The belief that nothing is impossible. These are things we have taught them.  We have taught them our shared values too; that they must be the best in all they do. Today we are excited that again Anambra State has done Nigeria proud. That in a competition that featured over 31 countries, we came back with the bronze medal,” Prof Omenugha enthused.

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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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