News
Rivers State Government declares Carveton Helicopters Persona Non Grata
BY: Ikenna Oluka
• directs Local Government Council Chairmen to close all Carveton Helicopters Offices in the state
For endangering the lives of Rivers people by its suspicious operations, the Rivers State Government has declared Carveton Helicopters, Persona Non Grata in the state.
In a State Broadcast on Wednesday, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike directed Local Government Council Chairmen to close the Offices of Carveton Helicopters across the state.
He said: “We appreciate the need to protect business interests andoperations in the State and we will do whatever that is required to ensure that no business is unduly affected by the measureswe have taken to combat the Coronavirus.
“However, we shall not welcome businesses or companiesthat value their business activities or profit more than or in cleardisregard of the lives and health of our people.
“By its actions Calverton Helicopters have clearly shown that Rivers lives do not matter to it. It is an enemy of Rivers people and is hereby declared persona non grata in Rivers State.
“With this declaration Calverton Helicopters can only chose to operate in any part of Rivers State at its own risk as Local Government Chairmen have been directed to close their officesand prevent their operations.”
Governor Wike said that the highly insensitive and provocative actions of Calverton Helicopters took place in the midst of credible intelligence reports about plans by enemies of the state to traffic carriers of the dreaded Coronavirus into the State.
He said: “Their morbid intention is to create panic by pushing up theinfection rate and rubbish the robust measures we have since put in place to cut off the spread of the virus and keep our Stateand our citizens safe and secure from the ravaging pandemic.
” As expected, and required by our laws, the crew and the passengers on board that ill-fated helicopter were promptly arrested by the law enforcement personnel and are beingprosecuted before our courts in line with our COVID 19 Declarations and Containment Orders.
“Calverton Helicopters claimed to have gotten permits from some federal agencies to fly passengers into the State , which never bordered to take the State Government into confidence in issuing such permits in violation of our laws and containment orders.
“While federal agencies reserve the right to issue flight permits to airline operators to fly into Rivers State, we insist that the State Government must equally be informed and taken intoconfidence in the process.
“This the only way to avoid suspicion, conflicts of interests and unnecessary bickering between the State and Federal Governments in our collective efforts to combat the spread of COVID 19 in the country.”
Governor Wike added: “Let me reiterate that for us, COVID 19 in Rivers State is a matter of life and death, and we will never succumb to any blackmail from any person, institution or authority in our determination to protect our citizens and our State from the spread of this deadly virus.
“Since we triggered the law on Calverton Helicopters, we have seen and read all sorts of hilarious and frivolous comments, particularly on social media, questioning the propriety of our actions against the carrier and its passengers
“At this time and under the present situation, nothing; Irepeat; nothing, is more important to us than to safeguard thelives and wellbeing of our citizens no matter the cost, and we shall spare no efforts to achieve this singular most fundamental objective of our Government.”
The Rivers State Governor said that the action of Calverton Helicopters when they conveyed
passengers of doubtful Coronavirus status into the State was in flagrant violation of the State Government’s total restriction on flights into Port Harcourt.
“We have sworn to protect the lives and advance the wellbeing our people, and nothing can stop us from taking all necessary steps to prevent or stop any person, action or activities that would endanger the lives of our citizens,” he said.
News
The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”
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.
News
Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her
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.
News
First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died
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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