Group says British pilot killed by poachers in Tanzania

A British helicopter pilot was shot and killed while trying to stop elephant poachers in Tanzania, a conservation group said.
The pilot, Roger Gower, was killed Friday while working with the Texas-based Friedkin Conservation Fund, in a joint effort with Tanzanian wildlife authorities, to "track down and arrest active elephant poachers," according to a statement on the group's website.

"In the course of this action, the poachers fired upon the helicopter and Roger was fatally wounded."

"We are committed to honoring Roger and his work," Dan Friedkin, chairman of the group, said in the statement. "We are also committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack are found and brought to justice. We believe that Roger can best be honored by redoubling our commitment to protect elephants and our priceless wildlife heritage. This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzania¹s wildlife."

Gower was flying in the Maswa Game Reserve, near Serengeti National Park, trying to track down poachers who had killed an elephant, according to tweets from Lazaro Nyalandu, Tanzania's former minister for natural resources and tourism. Gower managed to land the helicopter after being hit by fire from an AK-47. Gower "sadly died before his rescue," Nyalandu wrote.

"You loved our country and I knew you on many flights we took together in defence of our wildlife heritage."

Britain's Foreign Office confirmed the death of a Briton in Tanzania and said it was "providing assistance to the family at this difficult time," the Associated Press reported.

Poaching is fueled by a demand for ivory from Asia, according to the World Wildlife Federation. Yet demand for ivory in China appears to be falling, according to a December report from Save the Elephants, which notes that the price for ivory has fallen by nearly half since 2014.

Lagos medical doctors aggrieved by constant police harassment

Medical doctors under the umbrella of Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, AGPMPN, Lagos State Chapter yesterday raised alarm over alleged frequent harassment of medical doctors by members of the Police force.

The Association’s Chairman, Dr. Adeyeye Arigbabuwo said that the recent incident which involved one of their colleagues, Dr. Olafisoye Odunayo of Awoyaya, Ibeju Lekki, being harassed by the Police for doing his job has left them with no other choice but to draw the attention of the public and relevant agencies to curb the Police from constantly harassing them.

Arigbabuwo explained that one of their colleagues operated on a female patient with Pre-Eclampsia, in December, last year, but lost the patient after surgery due to complications of surgery. He said the Doctor was harassed at his practice by the Police when the deceased family made a report to them.
He said:

“Following the death of one Mrs. Juliet Williams, the relations felt aggrieved and reported the case to the Police who came to arrest Dr. Odunayo. The doctor spent about two weeks in detention and was eventually released on bail with the condition to report periodically to the Elemoro Police Station.

“Barely three weeks after the bail, he was rearrested by another set of Police officers purported to be from Abuja on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police. What we found vexatious and demeaning of the arrest was the method employed in arresting him; he was handcuffed  in the full glare of his patients as if he were a  common criminal.”

The association asked for an unconditional and immediate release of Dr. Olafisoye, and any other doctor that may be in the custody of the Police in similar manner in Lagos State and across the country.



Source: Vanguard

John Terry to leave Chelsea

Reports Goal

Chelsea captain John Terry will leave the club at the end of the 2015-16 season, with the Blues having opted against extending his contract.
Terry, who made his debut with the Stamford Bridge club in 1998, will not be given a new deal by the club and will leave when his current terms expire at the end of the campaign.
In a statement released by the defender following the Blues' FA Cup win over MK Dons, Terry said: "To be honest, I was in last week before the Arsenal game and it's [the contract] not going to be extended.

"It's my last run in the FA Cup so I want to make it a good one. It's a big season for me and I want to push on - not just in this competition but in the Premier League as well. I knew before the Arsenal game so mentally I've kind of accepted it. We just have to move on.
"They said that when the new manager comes in, things might change. It's a no at the minute. I needed to know now like I have done every January and sometimes it takes a couple of months to get done. Unfortunately it was a no. It’s not going to be a fairytale ending, I'm not going to retire at Chelsea.

"It’s going to be elsewhere which took me a couple of days to get over. But like I say, I knew before the Arsenal game and my performance isn't going to change - the way I train, what I give for the club. I want to give everything and finish on a high, on 100 per cent good terms with the club."
The 35-year-old, who also captained England, has a long list of honours with Chelsea, winning four Premier League titles, the most recent of which came last season, as well as four FA Cup winner's medals and the Champions League, in 2012.
But the current campaign has been an unhappy one for the Stamford Bridge club, with Jose Mourinho sacked as manager in December following a collapse in form, leaving the Blues in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Nurse who faked cancer and pocketed $25K in donations arrested

Police arrested a Georgia medical professional who they say for years duped kind-hearted loved ones and strangers into thinking she had Stage IV ovarian cancer to walk away with at least $25,000 in donations, free trips and gifts.

Mary Bennett, 29, spoke of her battle with cancer on social media for years, writing about the things she still wanted to cross off her “bucket list” and thanking friends for their generosity as they donated to her cause, the Forsyth County Sheriff's office told INSIDE EDITION.

 

The licensed practical nurse's ambitions to live life to the fullest inspired those around Bennett, who officials said was treated to a wide range of experiences financed through fundraisers and gifts.

Trips and experiences included skydiving, a trip to New Orleans, a hot air balloon ride and a trip to Houston, Texas for a supposed medical treatment made possible by a local fundraiser that brought in $4,000, officials said.

“I just wanted to tell you all, thank you! I am so very appreciative for the donations and the orders that people have placed… It's certainly hard going thru cancer at any age. But for this to be the 2nd time in my short 27 years has certainly made me wiser and humbled,” Bennett wrote on a Facebook page created to raise funds for her cause.

Bennett, whose Twitter bio noted she was “a nurse... I’m also an Ovarian Cancer Survivor!” claimed to have been diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer in 2013. She wrote on Facebook that she was laid off from her job in August of that year and was struggling to pay her bills.

“I can promise that once I'm better I will pay forward your kind acts through my career as a nurse and through donations,” she wrote. “Again thank you all so much! It truly means the world to me!”

But Bennett had never been diagnosed with cancer, according to officials and that there was no record of her receiving treatment anywhere.

“Her family was completely in the dark. She would go to these doctors and her family would take her, but no one ever actually went in with her. She was not actually having procedures,” Deputy Epifanio Rodriguez with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said. 

At one point, Bennett allegedly claimed the cancer had spread to her brain and to her brainstem, he said. She allegedly said that she needed to undergo a special Gamma Knife procedure at the cancer hospital  MD Anderson to battle the four tumors found. 

"She went to the extreme and shaved her head, put bandages on her head," Rodriguez said. 

She explained away the lack of scars from such procedures by saying "It was a miracle,".

Bennett was charged with misdemeanor theft by taking and felony first-degree forgery, according to reports.

She was hit with the latter charge after she allegedly provided investigators with forged letters from Emory Winship Cancer Institute to prove that she was a patient receiving treatment. 

"We found out it was a fraudulent signature," Rodriguez said. "Not only were told 'we never treated her,' but also 'we have no idea who Mary Bennett' is."

Rodriguez said the misdemeanor theft charge could be upgraded to a felony if investigators find more people with proof that they were allegedly victimized by Bennett. 

"We've had about a dozen (additional) people call us saying that they were victims," he said. "There's evidence that she was doing this since 2010," he continued. "In the State of Georgia, that is a crime. You cannot deceive people into getting funds from them. It is a crime."

Messi's fan has the star's actual signature tattooed into his back alongside huge tattoo

One of Lionel Messi's fans has gone to extreme lengths to show his admiration for the Barcelona player. He got a tattoo of the player poised in his signature celebration, on his back. He was then lucky to meet his idol and Messi was happy to oblige, offering his signature to be permanently added to the back tattoo of his image. He signed the fan's back with a marker which the fan then took to a tattoo parlour to make it permanent. See the result after the cut...

Juliet Ibrahim stuns at Maya Awards 2016

Juliet Ibrahim stuns at the Maya Awards 2016 as she receives a Honorary award for Philanthropic works. She also looked amazing at the butterscotch event on Saturday. 

R&B singer R. Kelly tells his life story in song...in 45mins

Lol. He actually did. In a GQ exclusive, R. Kelly brings us his memoirs in 45 minutes of storytelling and singing. Watch the video after the cut...