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Islamic Group Pleads With Protesters To Shun End SARS Campaign

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The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an advocacy group in Lagos, has called on the #EndSARS protesters to disperse since the Federal Government has disbanded the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

In a statement issued on Wednesday, October 14, by its leader, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, MURIC warned hoodlums and politicians not to hijack the protest for their ”selfish agenda.”

While commending the efforts of the protesters, Prof. Akintola, condemned the brutality of SARS against young Nigerians.

“We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) strongly condemn the reported excesses of men of the Special Armed Robbery Squad (SARS). We frown at the brutal killing of young Nigerians in the hands of the police and consider these as crimes against humanity,” the statement reads.

“The harassment, intimidation and coercion of Nigerian youths by men of SARS constitute outright infringements on Allah-given fundamental rights of the victims. These actions by SARS are a gross violation of freedom of movement and association which are fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 which the police swore to protect,

“MURIC therefore finds justification for Nigerian youths who participated in the #EndSARSprotests. Nonetheless, we condemn the action of a few protesters who employed violence. The attack on the palace of the Soun of Ogbomoso and the looting and destruction of parts of the palace are absolutely unjustifiable. We also appreciate the prompt action of the Federal Government and that of the Inspector General of Police who deemed it fit to disband SARS.

“We therefore appeal to protesters to disperse and go home. The organizers of the protest must take responsibility. There is no reason why #endSARS protest should metamorphose into any other demand or movement. Nigeria needs a completely peaceful atmosphere to recover from the bruises of COVID-19,

“This is why a large scale protest must be avoided at all cost. We note with grave concern the likely fallout of such a development as there could be a total breakdown of law and order leading to looting of properties and general chaos. Any attempt to prolong the protest after the disbandment of SARS is a clear invitation to anarchy,

“We call on the Nigerian Police to protect innocent Nigerians and to ensure that the protest is not hijacked by hoodlums. The police should equally employ minimum force in the process in order to avoid any loss of life.

“In particular, we warn politicians against hijacking the protest for selfish and parochial ends. Already, there are signs that politicians have warmed their way into the hearts of the protesters as there are reports of thousands of bottled water and snacks being bought and distributed to protesters. The uncertainty of the source of these offers make them suspicious,

“MURIC affirms that protests are legitimate tools of expressing dissent. But such protests must be peaceful and orderly. MURIC frowns at protests featuring marching through the streets and blocking traffic. Such protests cause more harm than good. For instance, a sick woman being conveyed to the hospital in Lekki, Lagos, reportedly died yesterday after the vehicle conveying her to the hospital was trapped in the traffic gridlock caused by the protest for three hours. We therefore advise the organisers of #EndSARS protests to call their followers off the streets in the interest of innocent and law-abiding people,

“We can call for reform but it will be irresponsible to block the roads until reform is carried out. Reform is a gradual process. It requires time. What the police authorities have to do is to change the modalities of training and retraining with special focus on civility, respect for human rights and zero tolerance for corruption,

Protesters must however forget about prolonging this protest and turning it into a demand for any controversial political issue like restructuring, for example. It should be noted that there is no tabula rasa for restructuring and any form of good governance is restructuring,

“In our concluding remarks, we assert our reservations for the scrapping of SARS. Nature hates vacuum and FG must not allow this to happen. It is just paradoxical that the same Nigerians who complain about insecurity and insufficiency of police personnel in terms of numerical strength are the same people who rose against SARS. FG must tactically satisfy the yearning of protesters and simultaneously leave no security vacuum. It is a delicate act of balancing.”

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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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