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Teleology finalises takeover of 9mobile, pays $50m deposit

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Teleology Holdings Ltd., says it is transferring a non-refundable completion deposit of 50 million dollars to the trustees of the bank syndicate presently holding ownership of 9Mobile.

The company made this known in a statement signed by Mr Adrian Wood, Teleology’s Director and pioneer Managing Director of MTN Nigeria.

Wood said the payment underscored Teleology’s financial capability and readiness to revive the organisation, adding it was set to aggregate a 10-point to turn 9mobile around.

“The Nigerian telecom sector is set to witness a new era of innovation and vibrancy as Teleology puts finishing touches to its acquisition of 9mobile, Nigeria’s 4th telecom services provider.

“In the last few days, key executives of the organisation have been deep in meetings with the Nigerian bank syndicate, the regulatory authorities and advisors.

“These meetings have culminated in the signing of the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) and other contractual documents pertaining to the acquisition.

“Ahead of the March 22 deadline set by the Financial Advisers, Teleology has also transferred a non-refundable completion deposit of 50 million dollars to the trustees of the bank syndicate presently holding ownership of 9Mobile.

“Equally important, Teleology has detailed an ambitious plan of action that will guide its rapid overhaul not only of the network but all aspects of the operations,” he said.

According to Wood, 9mobile is transiting into a new phase that will be defined by optimal value delivery: value to our employees, value to our customers, value to local communities and indeed to all stakeholders.

He added that the new organisation to emerge would be “engineering- led and brand-driven”.

He said in delivering service, it would strive to ensure that 9Mobile operations delivered fulfillment to the customers, empowerment to local communities, protection to the vulnerable, and excellent rewards not only to the shareholders but to all stakeholders.

Wood said the company planned to double the 9Mobile network with new 3G/4G specific cell sites as well as several thousands of kilometers of fiber optic cable across the country.

He said it would drive a special programme of rural internet coverage, focusing on 4G with broadband access planned for all of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

He said youth engagement and employment programmes were also planned with all build contractors, distributors and consultants, while investment in broadband internet access technologies which were completely new to Nigeria was also planned.

“Very importantly, the 9Mobile network will be optimised for high speed and high capacity data including imaging, video, games, music, IPTV and more.

“Any three-point plan or three-dimension idea is naïve and completely missing the scope and complexity of the urgent Nigerian need to be brought into the 21st-century broadband era.

“Teleology envisages an increase of 50 per cent indirect employment in the new 9Mobile.

“There is also an active plan to introduce within the first year, several million 4G-capable premium quality smartphones, at exceedingly affordable pricing.

“Nigerians should look forward to a new regime of intensely exciting and innovative brand loyalty rewards programmes, from the new 9Mobile,” he said.

He said that Teleology had entered into an alliance with Safaricom, the largest network operator in East Africa, famous for its global “mpesa” mobile financial services system.

He said the system advances financial inclusion and supports the network with the highest operating efficiencies in Africa.

He said that Teleology’s coming at a period when competition in the Nigerian telecom industry had for some years been limited to price wars between the various GSM companies, clearly, would herald a new era of intense competition and market share.

He said that Teleology was promoted by a group of 12 telecom industry veterans with considerable experience not only in Nigeria and Africa but in the global telecom space as well.

Wood commended the Barclays Africa, the Financial Advisers to the transaction, the Nigerian bank syndicate, the fulsome backing and support of the Nigeria Communications Commission and CBN which made 9Mobile’s survival possible.

He also commended the loyal 9Mobile management and staff who carried on in the face of scepticism, doubt and negative market sentiment.

He assured that additional details including formal relaunch plans would be unveiled in due course.

Teleology emerged as the new owner of 9mobile ahead of Smile, which had been the only other bidder in the final round of the takeover bid.

At the beginning of submission of bids, over 10 bidders had indicated interest in acquiring the mobile network, only five were shortlisted.

These include Bharti Airtel, Globacom, Helios Investment, Smile Communications and Teleology Holdings Ltd.

The acquisition bid was as a result of the Mubadala Development Company of the United Arab Emirates, 9Mobile (formerly Etisalat) largest shareholder, pulling out its investment out of the country.

The pullout was over a protracted 1.2 billion dollars syndicated loan alleged to have been mismanaged by the former board of the telecommunications firm.

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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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