Belgium appoints world's first transgender cabinet minister as deputy leader

 

Belgium has appointed the world’s first transgender cabinet minister as the country's deputy leader.

 

Petra De Sutter, 57, a gynaecologist and Green party Member of the European Parliament , was chosen as deputy leader in the country's new seven-party coalition, becoming the most senior openly transgender MP in Europe.

 

"Incredibly grateful for the confidence I have received from my party!" De Sutter wrote on Twitter. "Now I can do whatever it takes to relaunch our country and work on a new future for all Belgians together with that government!

 

 

De Sutter, who is also minister for public service and enterprises is also a fertility expert at the University of Ghent. She was elected to the European Parliament in 2019 and is known for her strong views around sexual health and trans issues.

 

LGBTQ organisations in Belgium have hailed De Sutter's appointment as an important step forward for trans politicians.

 

"We are delighted that a member of the trans community has been appointed to this senior political post," Matt Beard, executive director of international advocacy group All Out, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Petra's appointment is a calling and an inspiration to governments across the world to increase trans representation in senior positions."

 

God wants an Igbo person to be president in 2023 – Ex-Anambra gov, Chukwuemeka Ezeife says

 

A former governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has stated that God has willed it that a person from Igbo extraction will become President of Nigeria come 2023.

 

Ezeife stated this when he spoke at the Prof Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, Anambra State during a summit for the grand opening of the Global Movement for Igbo Presidency 2023 on Monday, October 5.

 

While commending the initiator of the Global Movement for Igbo Presidency, Kennedy Iyere, from Edo State, Ezeife said

“It appears God in heaven is saying it is time for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction. Other Nigerians seem to believe in Igbo president more than the Igbo people. Igbos are the development agents of Nigeria. We make Nigeria look more like a nation. We believe culturally in developing any part of the world we find ourselves in.

We deserve to be given a chance and I am glad that our people in diaspora and from other tribes unanimously agree that an Igbo president is what Nigeria needs to take the next strides towards development,” he said.

House of Reps member, Akin Alabi files motion to dissolve SARS

 

Akin Alabi, a member of the house of representatives from Oyo state has filed a motion to dissolve the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) of the Nigeria police force.

 

The lawmaker who noted that the security agency has made headlines in recent times “over ceaseless killings and attacks on innocent citizens”, added that SARS operatives have become so lawless that even the police inspector-general can no longer contain their excesses.

 

Alabi further stated that there is enough evidence in the public domain to proscribe SARS immediately. 

 

He said; 

 

“Policing in Nigeria continues to fall short of modern practices where citizens should be treated with utmost respect and decorum, therefore making it very difficult for an average citizen to truly trust that the police are their friends."

 

It is expected that the motion will be considered on Tuesday October 6. 

Singer, Trey Songz tests positive for COVID-19

 

American singer, Trey Songz has tested positive for coronavirus.

 

The 35-year-old father of one took to social media on Monday night October 5, to share the news with his fans in a video he posted. 

 

“Here with a very important message to let you know I tested positive for COVID-19,” he shared. “I’ve taken many tests as I’ve been out protesting, food drives, of course, I have a very young son at home, so I get tested periodically and this time it, unfortunately, came back positive.”

 

The Bottoms Up singer said he 'will be taking it seriously' and 'self-quarantining ... until he sees a negative sign.'

 

“I will be taking it seriously,” he continued, after noting 1/1000 Black people have died from the virus. “I will be self-quarantining, I will be in my house until I see a negative sign.”

 

He also noted that 7.5 million Americans have contracted the virus, and that 'one out of 1000 Black people have died from it.

 

Songz added, 'My grandfather passed away early this year and while it wasn’t said that it was COVID, I do believe it was; so, I’ve always taken it serious.'

 

He advised his fans, 'If you come in contact with COVID, please do the same, please do the same - don’t be like the president.'

 

If not for God Almighty, I would have been a story - Actor Mr Ibu recounts his near death experience after he was poisoned by his staff (video)

 

Comic actor, John Okafor popularly known as Mr Ibu, has recounted the sad story of how he almost lost his life after he was poisoned a couple of times by his staff who he alleged were paid by his kinsmen to eliminate him.

 

In an interview with Nigizietv, Mr. Ibu said if not for God Almighty, he would have been a ''story'' by now. 

 

 

Narrating one of the incidents, the actor said the poison made his stomach so big he couldn't see his legs. He said he was placed on medication which began to help shrink his stomach.

If not for God Almighty, I would have been a story perpetrated by people who don't love me. 

I don't take Alcohol up till now. Some people say I don't take Alcohol yet my stomach is big, The belly is an idiot. It was after they gave me that poison. It was bigger than this before. If you had seen it, it was like a foam. I took medicine and it began to come down. Before I wasn't able to see my legs.

They took me to Nnewi, saying we had a show. They held me there and beat me up. They beat me and then inserted poison in my mouth and ran away, leaving me there. It was my boys and dancers that came and carried me home. It was in Enugu that I woke up. God said no, you are not going yet.'' he said

 

Speaking further, the actor said

Here in my office, they brought the first poison, I took it. I was falling around and nobody came to ask. Even the workers did not enter here even though they were hearing me fall around. I vomitted something in my bathroom.

They gave me the second one, The people that gave me are the people working with me. I swallowed another one unknowingly because I never suspected them until when God opened my eyes. They paid them and gave them enough money to make sure they eliminate me. All these plans are from Enugu, my towns people and age grades that are surprised that I can own some things, build some houses, buy house in Lagos. They asked them to go and kill me.'' he said

 

Watch the video below

 

Doctors speak on Donald Trump's road to recovery from COVID-19 as the US President returns to the white house

 

US President, Donald Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House Monday night October 5, after leaving the military hospital where he was receiving an unprecedented level of care for COVID-19.

 

He immediately ignited a new controversy by declaring that despite his illness the nation should not fear the virus that has killed more than 210,000 Americans.

 

Taking to his Twitter handle on Monday night, Trump told his over 80million followers on the platform " Do not be afraid of Covid," and that he feels "better than he did 20 years ago!"

 

 

What Donald Trump didn't tweet was that he's getting one of the best Covid-19 treatments available.

 

              

 

According to Trump's personal physician, Dr. Sean Conley, Trump received a combination of three drugs - Regeneron's experimental antibody therapy, remdesivir and dexamethasone.

 

             

 

Regeneron's experimental antibody therapy reduces levels of coronavirus and has shown promising results in a trial involving 275 patients but the drug hasn't received authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration to be uses by the general public.

 

The drug is being produced by the Biotech company Regeneron pharmaceuticals and was given to Trump's doctors after receiving a "compassionate use" request .

 

Shares of Regeneron surged 7% Monday October 5, bringing the stock's year-to-date gain to more than 60% after Trump's Monday revelation that he will be leaving the hospital. 

 

According to a journal published by Mayo Clinic recently, for most people, "getting access to not-yet-approved drugs through a compassionate use request can be a long and challenging process." 

 

The process involves meeting a lot of requirements and involves a lot of documentation, which is time consuming and can discourage a sick person's family from pursuing that course.

 

According to the White House press secretary, Trump received the drug on Friday one day after he tested positive for COVID-19.

"Of course, this is the President of the USA. He is going to get the kitchen sink thrown at him medically, offered all there is -- whether it's authorized under emergency use or not, in the case of the antibody treatment," 

 

Famed pidemiologist Dr. Seema Yasmin said in reaction to news of Trump's treatment;

"But then there are (almost) 210,000 Americans who have died over the past few months because the pandemic response has been so bad. And they certainly didn't get access to this kind of treatment."

"The President might be the only patient on the planet ever to receive this particular combination of medicines," said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University said to CNN on Monday.

 

 

Through out the pandemic Trump has been trying to downplay Covid-19 and even after he, his wife Melania and many of his cabinet members tested positive for the virus last week, he continued to downplay it as he left the Walter Reed Military hospital where he has been undergoing treatment  on Monday to the White House, then removed his mask as the press took photographs of him in front of the White House.

              

 

Experts say the drug Renegeron, alongside Remdesvir could have it's side effects and disadvantages.

 

The antiviral can cause side effects such as anemia, liver toxicity and kidney toxicity.

 

Remdesivir is administered by injection, so patients are hospitalized when getting the five-day course but Trump's medical team allowed him go to the White House on Monday evening to finish the treatment. 

 

Trump has an in-house White House Medical Unit, "where he'll be surrounded by world-class medical care," his physician Dr. Sean Conley (pictured below) said.

 

           

 

Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that can reduce inflammation was also administered to him.

 

The drug is usually not used unless the situation is severe meaning Trump's doctors must have worried for his life to give him the drug. 

"Some patients who have benefited from dexamethasone still die less than a month later", Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University said.

"We know that dexamethasone does reduce the risk of mortality. That comes from data from a trial called the Recovery trial," 

"But to show you what the stakes are, the patients in that trial who received dexamethasone and derived a benefit still had a 23% 28-day mortality rate. So almost a quarter of the patients treated with dexamethasone were dead by a month out," Reiner said.

"So the only conclusion one can make from this triple therapy is that the President's physicians feel that he's in grave danger."

 

Trump's Doctor, Conley said the president seemed well enough to leave Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday evening. But he is still concerned Trump could fall I'll again.               

"That's why we all remain cautiously optimistic and on guard, because we're in a bit of uncharted territory when it comes to a patient that received the therapies he has so early in the course," Conley said.

 

Trump's health put the US election in jeopardy as data shows people within his age range are the most likely to gravely affected by Coronavirus. But he is recovering.....and he is recovering fast.

 

Trump will battle Joe Biden this November to determine the next White House leader for the next four years.

House of Reps member, Obinna Chidoka, clashes with police officers who allegedly brutalized a man for "splashing water on their driver" in Anambra (video)

 

A member of the House of Representatives, Obinna Chidoka who represents Idemili North and South Federal Constituency, took to his Twitter handle to recount the faceoff he had with police officers who he ran into allegedly brutalizing a man for splashing water on their driver.

 

Obinna in a series of tweets said he was driving along the Owerri-Obosi road when he encountered the ''unprofessional members of the Nigerian police force brutalizing a civilian and a member of his constituency."

 

Obinna claims the police officers attacked him when he attempted to stop them from further brutalizing the civilian.

 

His account of the incident comes amidst growing public outcry for the Federal government to end police brutality and SARS brutality in the country.

 

His tweets read

''Yesterday, I had my own encounter with some unprofessional members of the Nigerian police force. I was in traffic along the Owerri - Obosi road when I saw some members of the Nigerian police force brutalizing a civilian for allegedly splashing water on their driver.

I alighted from my car and immediately approached the scene of the violence, tried to stop the police officers from further assaulting my this young man that I later found out was my constituent only to be greeted with the greatest shock of my life, I got my own fair share of the attack.

The event quickly detoriated and almost escalated as some of my constituents seeing that I was being assaulted quickly mobilized themselves and wanted to launch a reprisal attack on these policemen.

I quelled the situation immediately and begged my constituents not to take the laws into their hands. You will recall that this is not the first time something like this is happening in my constituency.

The last such unprofessional conduct of some Policemen, led to the death of two young men at Nkpor. I condemn all forms of police brutality in very strong terms and as your legislator, I will use the platform of the National Assembly to ensure my constituents and Nigerias in General are not brutalized by nefarious police officers that ought to protect us. I have made a formal complaint of this incidence and will follow it up. I urge all of us to be law abiding 

As we cannot resolve such inhuman, uncloth and unprofessional actions by violence!

 

Watch a video showing Obinna's faceoff with the police officers below

 

"We won't be protesting anymore" Naira Marley cancels planned end SARS protest after police scheduled an Instagram Live chat with him

 

Naira Marley has canceled his planned demonstration to protest police brutality and call for the government to end SARS.

 

The singer had stated that he would lead a protest today (read here) to call for change after many young men and women narrated the horrific harassment SARS officials have subjected them to.

 

This morning, he returned to Twitter to ask his fans, Marlians, to stand down. He stated there will be no protest for now.

 

He tweeted: "We won’t be protesting anymore because there’s a lot of changes being made right now. As a Marlian we will give them a week to see the changes and if there’s no changes we will start a mass protest. #togetherwecan."

 

 

A number of his followers were not pleased with this announcement and they called him out.

 

 

Naira Marley cancelled the protest after the police released a statement, addressing the concerns of Nigerians while disclosing that an Instagram Live Chat has been scheduled with Naira Marley today to discuss the way forward.

 

The Nigerian police tweeted: "@officialnairam1 The Inspector General of Police wishes to inform Nigerian youths that their voices and complaints on the issues of unprofessional conducts by some SARS operatives have been heared very loudly and clearly.

 

 

"The Force is irrevocably committed to changing these narratives and undertaking far-reaching reforms to reposition SARS and  other Tactical Squads for better service delivery.

 

"The Orders and restrictions on the operations of SARS and others already issued by the IGP are just the initial steps out of the many reforms  planned for the Tactical Squads.

 

"The Leadership of the NPF will work with the Ministry of Youth and other stakeholders, including Youth leaders, youth entrepreneurs, CSOs and others in formulating and implementing consensual reforms.

 

 

"Today, Tuesday 6th October,  2020, by 11am, the Force PRO- DCP Frank Mba will be having a live instagram chat with Naira Marley to answer questions and discuss the concerns of young Nigerians on the issues of SARS operations and other burning issues. Please stay tuned."

 

Update: Take the log out of your own eye before you concern your self with our spec- American lady who blasted Nigerian taxi driver responds after Nigerians flooded her page to insult her

 

Yesterday a video of a Black American lady blasting a Nigerian man who spoke ill of US President Donald Trump surfaced online.

 

The lady and her sister had traveled to Switzerland for a visit and the Nigerian man was the Uber driver who picked them up from the airport. While taking them to their hotel, the Nigerian man engaged them in a discussion on politics in the US and condemned US President, Donald Trump. 

 

One of the black American ladies who has now been identified as Bevelyn Beatty, got irritated by the comment and went hard on him. Watch the video below

 

Following the backlash she received from Nigerians, Bevelyn has now shared a post directed at Nigerians. In her post, she mentioned that Nigerians should focus on their own problems and leave the US alone. Her post reads

''?????? FOREVER THE BEST NATION IN THE WORLD. It will end with U.S. Put some respect on our name... oh and Nigeria, worry about your country before you condemn us. Take the log out of your own eye before you concern your self with our spec. You got ALOT of work to do, and this time we might not help you... .. #keepamericagreat #StayGrateful;;

 

Videos show Donald Trump 'struggling to breathe' as he returns to White House following COVID-19 diagnosis

 

Donald Trump is back at the White House after spending just three days in the Walter Reed Medical Center following COVID-19 diagnosis. 

 

Recall the president announced last Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for Coronavirus after Hope Hicks, one of his closest senior advisers was diagnosed with the virus. 

 

On Monday night, the president, 74, arrived at the White House and immediately took off his mask before doing a photo opp at the balcony to salute the Marine One helicopter as it departed. 

 

As he stood at the balcony, Trump appeared to be struggling to breathe and looking like he was in pain. 

 

Shortly afterwards, he posted a video on his Twitter urging Americans to not be afraid of Coronavirus. 

 

pic.twitter.com/OxmRcZ5nUZ

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2020

 

However, many on Twitter have raised concerns over the current state of the President as they believe his condition is worse than he wants the public to believe.

 

“Trump looks like he is gasping for air,” Twitter user @brenonade wrote with a clip. In another tweet, he wrote, “Trump appears to be wincing in pain while he breathes.”

 

Someone on Twitter replied, “When I had Covid and walked up stairs I felt like I was going to die. He is definitely gasping for breath. And trying to hold in a cough which will make the breathing worse.”