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Transgender woman, Rikkie Kolle makes history, wins Miss Netherlands 2023

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A transgender woman named Rikkie Kolle has sparked outrage after she was crowned Miss Netherlands for the first time in the beauty pageant’s history.

A transgender person is someone whose gender identity does not conform to that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Kolle, 22, made history over the weekend after she won the 2023 competition held at the AFAS Theatre in Leusden.

The trans’ win secures her spot as the representative from the Netherlands for the coveted 72nd Miss Universe 2023 pageant.

The model, who wore a red gown at the event, took to social media to express joy for achieving the feat.

Rikkie said she is proud to make “my community proud” while establishing that “I am a trans woman”.

“It’s unreal done but I can call myself @missnederland 2023. It was an educational and wonderful process, my year can’t go wrong anymore. I am so proud and happy I can’t describe it with. I made my community proud and showed it can be done,” she wrote on Instagram.

“And yes I am a trans woman and I would like to share my story, but I am also Rikkie and that is what counts for me. I did this on my own strength and enjoyed every moment.

“I want to thank the jury and everyone from the Miss Netherlands team for the trust, this is just the beginning. My dearest fellow finalists, we all put on a show, love you all girls❤️ My dear family and friends, my N1 supporters, you have given me so much extra strength from the hall.

“And wherever you are in the world, I want to be there for you and be the example that I myself missed as a little me.

“On to many more adventures, let’s get @missuniverse ready. So excited!!!”

While the Dutch parliament passed a bill giving rights to transgender people in the country in 2013, the pageant’s parent organisation began allowing transgender women to compete in 2012.

Rikkie’s feat has also attracted a chorus of condemnation from social media users.

While some users wondered why a “biological male” should be allowed to contest in the first place, others tackled the women for not “protesting”.

“This is nothing to celebrate. This is a slap in the face to every single woman who competed against this biological male in a competition designed SPECIFICALLY for women,” Independent Women’s Voice argued.

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Toyosi Adesanya narrates how she lost multiple pregnancies, had failed IVFs

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Toyosi Adesanya, the actress famous in the Yoruba film industry, has opened up about her struggle with pregnancy losses and infertility.

The actress, in an interview with Talk To B, disclosed that her challenges began in 2007 when she lost her first pregnancy shortly after her wedding.

The film star recalled having a disturbing dream where she saw blood, which turned out to be a reality when she woke up. Her then-husband attributed the loss to stress.

Determined to conceive again, Adesanya said she sought help from a traditional healer in 2008, courtesy of her colleague Fathia Balogun. Unfortunately, she lost her second pregnancy.

Undeterred, the actress said she underwent laparoscopy and two failed IVF attempts in 2009 and 2011. She narrated how she sold her valuables to afford the procedures, which cost N900,000 – N1 million at the time.

“I got married in 2007 and I was already pregnant during our wedding ceremony,” she said.

“Two months after we travelled back to Akure where my husband stays, I saw blood in my dream and also when I woke up. I told my husband (now ex), and he said I might have lost the pregnancy due to stress.

“Meanwhile, I have not gone to any location, the one I had to go to was till December 2007 and I already lost the pregnancy in September 2007.

“In 2008, Fathia Balogun encouraged me to try for pregnancy again and introduced me to a woman.

“I went to the woman, she gave me some herbal medications and I got pregnant again. After a while, I lost the pregnancy.

“Then, I went to do laparoscopy and that is how I started the journey of trying to give birth.

“In 2009, I tried IVF but it failed. Then IVF cost N900,000 to N1 million so I sold all I owned, including my gold, to do the IVF but it failed.

“I tried IVF again in 2011 and that failed as well so I stopped and started waiting on God.”

Adesanya said she became pregnant again in 2019 but faced a threatened abortion.

The actress said her doctor advised her to terminate the pregnancy. She said this was after a disturbing dream where people with knives threatened to abort her pregnancy.

“… In January 2019, I got pregnant again but I did not tell my husband (now ex). Then I had a dream where some people with knives were saying they would abort my pregnancy,” she added.

“So, I called my pastor. He prayed for me and told me to leave the house I was staying in Akure.

“Then someone introduced me to a doctor in Lagos. When I got to the doctor, he confirmed I was pregnant but told me I had threatened abortion.

“He admitted me for two days but later advised me to evacuate the pregnancy.

“…After leaving my husband due to our marital issues, I got into a new relationship. And in 2022, I got pregnant again but lost it. After that, my doctor advised me so for now, I have forgone pregnancy.”

Adesanya delved into the Yoruba film industry over thirty years ago.

She has starred in films like ‘Alagogo Ide’, ‘Oru’, ‘Iwo’ and ‘Adeda’. She has also been recognised for her talent.

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Harrods reacts as multiple women accuse former owner Mohamed Al Fayed of rape

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Multiple female ex-employees have accused Mohamed Al Fayed, the late billionaire and former chairman of Harrods, a luxury United Kingdom (UK) department store, of rape.

Fayed died last year at the age of 94.

The BBC said a documentary and podcast — Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods — gathered evidence that during Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene but helped cover up abuse allegations.

One woman said Fayed raped her at his Park Lane apartment, while another, who said the late billionaire assaulted her when she was a teenager, described him as a “monster”.

“A sexual predator with no moral compass whatsoever,” she added, saying all the staff at Harrods were his “playthings”.

“We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear. If he said ‘jump’ employees would ask ‘how high’.”

Fayed owned Harrods for 26 years and later owned Fulham Football Club and the Paris Ritz.

Former staff told the BBC that the businessman would regularly tour the department store’s vast sales floors and identify young female assistants he found attractive, who would then be promoted to work in his offices upstairs.

The assaults would be carried out in Harrods’ offices, his London apartment, or on foreign trips—often in Paris at the Ritz hotel, which he also owned, or his nearby Villa Windsor property.

On Friday, lawyers representing the assaulted employees said many of them were aged between 19 and 24 when they started working for Fayed.

Some were as young as 15 and 16, the lawyers added.

Fayed sold Harrods to the Qatar royal family in a deal reported to be worth around 1.5 billion pounds in 2010.

The new owners issued a statement saying they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Fayed.

“These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated, and we condemn them in the strongest terms,” the statement said.

“The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010, it is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do.”

The store offered its sincere apologises, saying it was prioritising settling claims in the quickest way possible to avoid “lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved”.

Forbes said Fayed’s net worth was around $2 billion when he died.

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Governor Umo Eno renovates house of makeup artist who died with Junior Pope (Photos)

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Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom, has handed over a “remodeled fully-furnished six-bedroom bungalow” to the family of Abigael Frederick, the makeup artiste who died in a boat mishap in Delta.

Abigael died alongside actor Junior Pope and some other crew members in April after their boat capsized inside River Niger in Asaba. They were on their way to a movie location.

Her body was recovered from the water days after the fatal incident.

Eno had promised to “remodel” her family’s house and sponsor her siblings’ education during his condolence visit in April.

In a Facebook post on Friday, the governor revealed he has renovated the house to a six-bedroom bungalow “which is fully furnished”.

Eno said he also donated a business support grant of N1 million to the family and an additional N1 million as an educational grant to her siblings

The governor said he was committed to the promise “for humanity, not political reasons”. He urged people to be empathetic to each other.

“Today, I fulfilled a commitment made to the family of the late Nollywood makeup artist Abigail Edith Frederick by handing over a newly remodeled and fully furnished six-bedroom bungalow in Ikot Udoma, Eket,” he wrote.

“In addition to the home, I also provided the family with a business support grant of one million naira and another one million naira as an educational grant to her younger sisters.

“Back in February, during my personal visit to the family, I promised not only to renovate their home but also to offer automatic employment to Abigail’s elder sister and extend educational support.

“Today marks the completion of that promise. I believe in standing by our people during their most challenging moments, and my administration remains committed to the well-being of every Akwa Ibomite, not for political reasons but for humanity.

“Let’s continue to work together to lift each other up and show that true leadership is about empathy, action, and the collective good.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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