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UK Deputy PM Resigns Over Bullying Report

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UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab announced his resignation on Friday after bullying claims against him were upheld in a report, a fresh political shock for Britain’s Conservatives.

Raab’s resignation gives Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a headache some two weeks before local elections at which the Conservatives are expected to lose seats.

He is also battling to claw back a chasm of lost ground to the main opposition Labour Party before a general election next year.

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Raab, who stood in for former prime minister Boris Johnson as he battled Covid in 2020, had promised to quit if any claims against him were upheld.

READ ALSO: UK Nurses Prepared To Strike Until Christmas

But even though he was cleared of most of the allegations, he blasted the conclusions of a lawyer-led inquiry.

“Whilst I feel duty-bound to accept the outcome of the inquiry, it dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me,” he wrote in a resignation letter.

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“I also believe that its two adverse findings are flawed and set a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government.”

The bar for bullying was set so low, he said, that “it will encourage spurious complaints against ministers and have a chilling effect on those driving change”.

Raab also resigned from his post as justice secretary, where he has had to battle a backlog in criminal cases caused by years of under-funding and disruptions caused by the pandemic.

READ ALSO: UK Mulls Foreign Students From Bringing Family, Names Conditions – Report

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He previously served as Brexit minister and foreign secretary but was moved from that post after being criticised for failing to return from holiday as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.

Sunak, who succeeded the short-lived Liz Truss in October last year, vowed to restore “integrity, professionalism and accountability” in government after Johnson’s rollercoaster tenure.

He previously sacked Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative party chairman over his tax affairs.

Gavin Williamson, a former defence secretary who kept a tarantula on his desk while in charge of party discipline in parliament, quit over expletive-laden messages.

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Former lawyer Raab, a karate black belt, has denied bullying civil servants working for him and in his letter rejected allegations of an overbearing manner with colleagues.

READ ALSO: Strike: UK Records Largest Walkout In 12 Years

He insisted in his letter that ministers “must be able to exercise direct oversight with respect to senior officials over critical negotiations conducted on behalf of the British people”.

Not to do so, he said, would mean the loss of “the democratic and constitutional principle of ministerial responsibility”.

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He also maintained ministers “must be able to give direct critical feedback on briefings and submissions to senior officials in order to set the standards and drive the reform the public expect of us”.

“Of course, this must be done within reasonable bounds,” he went on.

Sunak appointed senior employment lawyer Adam Tolley to look into the claims in November and he submitted his report to Sunak on eight allegations on Thursday.

READ ALSO: UK PM Truss Unveils Non-white Top Cabinet Members

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The report has yet to be published.

But Raab said Tolley “concluded that I had not once, in four and a half years, sworn or shouted at anyone let alone thrown anything or otherwise physically intimated anyone, nor intentionally sought to belittle anyone”.

“I am genuinely sorry for any unintended stress or offence that any officials felt, as a result of the pace, standards and challenge that I brought to the Ministry of Justice,” he added.

“That is, however, what the public expects of ministers working on their behalf.”

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Kenya Deports Nigerian Captured On CCTV Assaulting Woman In Wheelchair [VIDEO]

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A Nigerian national who was caught on CCTV camera assaulting a Kenyan woman confined to a wheelchair in Nairobi has been deported.

In the footage that went viral on April 26, 2024, the Nigerian man identified as John Nwankwo Noko, is seen clobbering a helpless Ms. Pauline in the head before two other ladies looking on intervened to stop the act.

In a statement signed by State Department of Gender Principal Secretary Anne Wang’ombe, Nwankwo was deported on Saturday, May 4, 2024, for assaulting his partner, Ms Pauline.

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He is accused of physically assaulting his partner, a Kenyan woman confined to a wheelchair, raising concerns about cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

READ ALSO: 70 Passengers Fall Ill, Vomit Bug During Flight From Mauritius To Frankfurt

“The act of violence has not only violated the rights of an individual but has also highlighted the broader issues of gender-based violence, that is rampant in our society,” Orwoba said in the statement.

The case was first brought to the attention of the police by Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba on Wednesday, May 1.

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Orwoba, acting on the video that first went viral on social media on April 29, visited the woman at her home, who confirmed that her life was in danger.

She [the woman] claimed that her Nigerian partner “had been threatening to kill her and her two domestic workers if they outed him,” Orwoba said.

Senator Orwoba then reported the matter to Karen Police Station, after which it was picked up by the offices of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure, and that of Immigration PS Julius Bitok.

READ ALSO: Woman Wins $1million Lottery For Second Time In 10 Weeks

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Mr Nwankwo Noko has been arrested and processed for deportation,” Gender PS confirmed.

The nominated senator, who has continually advocated for violence against women has since demanded an end to the rising cases, saying they not only leave women with physical and emotional damage but also tear the moral fabric of our society.

We strongly condemn such behavior and we shall continue working towards creating a safer environment for women, free of fear,” Orwoba added.

Watch footage below:

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Woman Wins $1million Lottery For Second Time In 10 Weeks

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Christine Wilson of Attleboro recently claimed a $1 million jackpot, the Massachusetts State Lottery announced on Wednesday, May 1.

Amazingly, it marked the second $1 million prize she’d won in just 10 weeks.

Wilson’s latest winnings came from playing the 100X Cash $10 instant ticket game. The scratch game involves matching any of the player’s numbers or bonus numbers to any winning number.

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READ ALSO: 70 Passengers Fall Ill, Vomit Bug During Flight From Mauritius To Frankfurt

In February, Wilson claimed her first $1 million lottery prize after playing the Lifetime Millions $50 instant ticket game.

When she won her first prize, Wilson said that she would use some of the money to buy an SUV. Now she plans to put her new winnings towards savings.

As with her first jackpot prize back in February, for her latest win, Wilson opted for the cash payout option of $650,000 before taxes.

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And it’s not just Wilson who is reaping the rewards for her latest jackpot. The Family Food Mart that sold her the ticket will receive a $10,000 bonus.

READ ALSO: NAF Kills Several Terrorists In Borno, Niger Airstrikes

Wilson joins other lucky folks who have won a lottery jackpot twice in the last year. In February, a Michigan man won a $110,000 prize by playing the state’s Fantasy 5 Double Play drawing. Six months earlier, the man had also netted $110,000 via the same game.

Meanwhile, in October 2023, Jennifer Minton of Gloucester, Virginia, won $50,000 playing that state’s Safari Quest online game. A week later, she won again, netting a $1 million prize.

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And in March of that same year, a couple from Australia scored two $1 million prizes on separate tickets in the same drawing for Australia’s Monday & Wednesday Lotto game.

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70 Passengers Fall Ill, Vomit Bug During Flight From Mauritius To Frankfurt

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About 70 passengers fell ill with a vomiting bug mid-way through their flight from Mauritius to Frankfurt.

According to Mail Online, Condor airline Flight DE2315 was travelling on Thursday, May 2, from Mauritius to Frankfurt when it became clear that many passengers on board were suffering from the bug.

The aircraft landed in the German city at around 5.33pm where it was greeted with a large contingent of emergency services.

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Crew had called ahead to alert officials on the ground of the unfolding emergency.

READ ALSO: Teenager Jailed For Life For Murder Of 16-year-old Boy At House Party

It was found that 70 of the 290 passengers onboard had suddenly reported symptoms including nausea and vomiting.

A spokesperson for the Germany airline confirmed the incident to the country’s Bild tabloid, adding that the crew was not affected by the illness.

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‘She [the pilot/crew] is also educated and trained for special situations like this,’ the statement to the newspaper said.

‘After carefully examining the overall situation, the flight continued. The aircraft landed safely in Frankfurt, where medical professionals were available to care for the affected guests.’

READ ALSO: How Flight Engineer Saved Us From Disaster — Ex-DG, Bureau of Public Service Reforms

The airline, however, did not confirm the cause of the sudden illness, but noted that the food onboard would have been prepared in Mauritius.

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‘Condor has already initiated an investigation into the case to get to the bottom of the cause and to derive possible measures from it,’ the spokeswoman added.

Condor is working closely with all responsible partners and authorities. There is currently no result available.

‘We generally do not participate in speculation about the cause, for example about individual menus on board that were prepared in Mauritius,’ the statement added.

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