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Lagos plans tax expansion to fund N1.17tn budget

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The Lagos State Government says it plans to increase its monthly Internally Generated Revenue to fund the 2020 budget.

 The Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Sam Egube, said this on Tuesday at the state’s budget breakdown.

He disclosed that the total budget size of N1.17tn would be funded from a total revenue estimate of N1.07tn.

The estimate is made up of IGR of N886.04bn and federal transfer of N184.99bn.

A deficit of N97.53bn is to be financed from external loans of N34.5bn and domestic loans of N63bn.

In 2019, the state projected a total revenue of N775.23bn out of which N606.29bn was expected from internal generation, N168.94bn from federal transfers and N77.09bn from deficit financing.

Egube said a significant percentage of the projected TIGR of N500bn would be contributed by the Lagos Inland Revenue Service through expansion of tax net.

This, he said, would be achieved through the deployment of technology and other facilities to improve the efficiency in operations of all revenue generating agencies.

“We believe that there are huge revenue generating opportunities in the informal sector including real estate and transportation which Lagos State is known for,” the commissioner said.

Egube said the 2020 budget was a result of widely held consultations across the three senatorial districts in addition to feedback from stakeholders.

Giving a sectoral analysis of the budget, the commissioner said the education sector got the highest allocation of N136.1bn.

He said it was N70.41bn higher than that of the 2019 budget and would cater for the reconstruction of 300 schools; provision of furniture for both primary and secondary schools across the state and equipment for science laboratories.More in Home

Roads and infrastructure got the second highest allocation of N117.248bn against the N31.673bn expended in 2019.

Egube said, “The increase would address the zero-pothole strategy and create link roads within the metropolis to solve challenges of traffic congestion.

“On the development of infrastructure along the coastline, we have a provision of N11.29bn that has been earmarked to enhance our coastal infrastructure in order to curb ocean surge and protect lives and properties.”

Health, environment and housing got the third, fourth and fifth highest allocations of N111.775bn, N66.586bn and N48.559bn respectively.

Traffic management got an allocation of N44.51bn as against the N17.59bn budgeted in 2019.

Egube said it would address junction improvement throughout the state and help with the completion of trailer parks among others.

The commissioner said the state government would ensure the full implementation of the budget.

 He disclosed that the performance of the 2019 budget stood at about 80 per cent by the end of the year.

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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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