Sadiq Khan sworn in as new London mayor
Mr Khan said: “I’m determined to lead the most transparent, engaged and accessible administration… and to represent every single community, and every single part of our city, as mayor for all Londoners.”
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband and Baroness Doreen Lawrence were present.
Mr Khan received a standing ovation as he walked in to the hall.
Dean of Southwark Andrew Nunn told the congregation the new mayor’s victory brought a “carnival atmosphere” to the sacred building.
Mr Khan has said he will stand down as Labour MP for Tooting.
Earlier, Labour MP for Tottenham, David Lammy, said the first Muslim mayor of any capital city in the EU could pave the way for a “prime minister of colour”.
Having won 1,310,143 votes, Mr Khan received the largest personal mandate of any politician in UK history.
The son of a London bus driver who grew up in the capital, he is the third person to become the mayor of London after fellow Labour politician Ken Livingstone and Conservative Boris Johnson.
At the ceremony, Mr Khan said he was “truly humbled”
Signing in as the mayor of London, he was greeted with cheers as he said: “My name is Sadiq Khan and I’m the mayor of London.”
He evoked laughter by saying: “Some of you may not know this, but I grew up on a council estate, just a few miles from here.
“Back then, I never dreamt that I could be standing here as the mayor of London.
“I’m only here today because of the opportunities and helping hand that our city gave to me and my family.
“And my burning ambition for our city, that will guide my mayoralty, is to ensure that all Londoners get the opportunities that our city gave to me.
“I want to start my mayoralty as I intend to go on. I’m determined to lead the most transparent, engaged and accessible administration London has ever seen, and to represent every single community, and every single part of our city, as mayor for all Londoners.”
Campaigner Baroness Lawrence, mother of murdered black teenager Stephen, said: “I never imagined in my lifetime I could have a mayor of London from an ethnic minority.”
Earlier, describing the human-rights lawyer, Mr Lammy said: “If we ever get a prime minister of colour it will be because of what Sadiq Khan has achieved.”
Source: BBC
Plans are advanced to clean the voters register – EC
The Electoral Commission has acknowledged receipt of an official copy of the Supreme Court ruling which ordered them to clean the existing Biometric Voters Register.
The EC however indicated that plans were far advanced in the cleaning up of the register which would be used in the November polls. The commission in a letter indicated that ahead of the ruling, it had met with the Inter Party Advisory Committee to agree on ways to clean the register.
The Supreme in its ruling on a case brought before it by the former National Youth Organiser of the Peoples’ National Convention on Thursday May 5, ordered that the Electoral Commission delete names of persons who registered prior to the 2012 elections with their National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card.
The order also included the deletion of the names of deceased persons.
Below is the full statement from the Electoral Commission
EC COMMITTED TO A CLEAN VOTERS REGISTER
The Commission has received its certified copy of the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Abu Ramadan & Another vs. The Electoral Commission & Another.
The Commission has taken note of the Court’s orders regarding the cleaning of the existing Biometric Voters Register. We wish to assure the general public that prior to the ruling by the Supreme Court, the Commission had discussed the roadmap for cleaning the register with the political parties at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee meeting held on Friday, March 18, 2016.
At that meeting, it was agreed as follows and subject to the then-pending Supreme Court ruling:
- That the audit process as outlined by the Commission, was inclusive, transparent, and within the remit of the law.
- That the audit of the Biometric Voter’s Register will take place
- During the scheduled exhibition period after the limited Voter Registration exercise.
- That the audit will involve removal of deceased registered voters,
- Removal of multiple registrations (with the help of the AFIS software), removal of alleged minors and non-Ghanaians based on the production of evidence.
- That in accordance with the provisions of CI 91, Registered Voters
- will be given the opportunity to verify their registration details at all polling centres nationwide.
- That the Commission will use the Biometric Verification devices
- During the exhibition period for verification of registered voters.
Kumasi remembers May 9 with massive street walk
As part of the 2016 May 9 Remembered programme, which has been organised annually since 2001 by Mr. Herbert Mensah, former Chairman of Asante Kotoko and current President of the Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) with support from people, the streets of Kumasi was once again overwhelmed by patrons of the event.
Taking part in the procession were a group of Ghana Rugby Players as well as family members of victims of the April 2001 Ellis Park stadium disaster in South Africa, Ntlakanipho Zulu and Mmakgomo Tshetlo, who were both brought to Ghana by Mr. Mensah.
The 2016 May 9 Remembered programme included a ceremony in Accra at the May 9 statue outside the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday and prayers at the mosque in Kumasi on Friday.
On Saturday May 7, the May 9 Remembered ceremonies will witness a unique and first ever May 9 Zongo Cup football match between winners from the Southern Sector and Northern Sector.
Mr. Herbert Mensah also the sponsors who made this year’s event a success with specific reference to companies such as Interplast, Primex, Sunda International, Voltic, Melcom and Printex.
“I will not be doing my duty if I don’t mention the name of Mr. Hayssam Fakhry, Managing Director of Interplast and Inesfly Africa, for his enormous support since 2001. Without his dedication year after year these very important May 9 Remembered programmes would not have been possible,” he said.
Mr. Herbert Mensah joined by a guest from south Africa, Mr. Jordan Naidoo, leads the 2016 May 9th Remembered street walk in Kumasi, Ghana.
A group of Rugby players from Accra joined Mr. Herbert Mensah in the 2016 May 9th Remembered street walk in Kumasi, Ghana.
Ntlakanipho Zulu from South Africa who lost both his parents in the April 2001 Ellis Park stadium disaster enjoys the 2016 May 9th Remembered street walk in Kumasi, Ghana.
Source: 3news.com | Ghana
Goro boys keep frustrating applicants at passport office
Some applicants at the Greater Accra Regional passport office say activities of middlemen also known as ‘goro boys’ are frustrating the passport acquisition process.
According to these applicants, the goro boys established some relation with officials at the office, and use that connection to take money from prospective applicants to allegedly bribe the officials. These applicants get their passport without joining any queue or going through any hustle like the others.
One of the applicants, who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of being victimized, poured out his frustrations to 3FM.
‘For the past three weeks I have been trooping there to submit my passport form but these Goro boys have been fixing people in front of us. Everyday my number keeps increasing from 57 to over a hundred in the queue and I always go back home not having the chance to be attended to,’’ he claimed.
He further claimed, ‘‘they liaise with the police and I saw them giving monies to the police. The police there even know me as someone who comes there regularly. I’m tired, so I have decided not to go back there again’’.
Although all efforts to get in touch with officials at the passport office have proved futile, its director Mr. Alexander Grant Ntrakwah has previously denied any dealings with the goro boys by its officers at the passport office.
The Greater Accra regional passport office has in recent times come under intense pressure and criticisms from the general public on the poor service rendered to applicants.
Source: 3FM/tv3network.com
Governments charged to invest in the youth
The 4th session of the Ghana-South Africa Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) has begun in Accra, with a call on African governments to invest in its youthful population.
The PJCC is a joint collaboration between the governments of Ghana and South Africa to promote and reinforce cooperation in all fields of developments.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, encouraged the continent to capitalize on its youthful and educational population.
“It might be an opportunity for us to indeed put words into actions. We should be able to absorb the opportunity we have with our young population. Other continents have aged populations, but we as a continent have 0ver 60 percent of our people being youthful and educated”, she emphasized
“Let us see that as an opportunity and not youth bulge. Let us put that benefit into practice, and I believe that Ghana, South Africa and the other parts of the continent will not complain” she added.
On her part, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, observed that Ghana and South Africa have enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
She expressed optimism about the various areas of cooperation identified and agreed to fully implement them to further boost the existing relationship.
“I recognize that there is still some work to be done, we promise you our support and encouragement to make sure that all that we have agreed on is put to action in the nearest possible time,” she highlighted
“We want this relation to go beyond just the two governments, we are going to have more frequent follow ups, not just at the ministerial levels , but also through our experts and grass root levels, to give it the speed it deserves so we can achieve all that we have agreed on”, she said.
Pacts were signed in the trade sector, on social interventions, petroleum and gas, rail and transport, environment, justice, housing and job creation.
Source: 3FM | 3news.com
Police destroy over 400 bags of cannabis
The items were seized and placed in the exhibit room of the police for over six years.
TV3’s Benjamin Aidoo reports that a court in Kumasi ordered the police to destroy the illegal substance.
The exercise was supervised by officials from the Attorney General’s Department, Environmental Protection Agency and the Ghana Police Service.
Most suspects arrested in connection with the substance have been prosecuted and jailed, hence the need to dispose of the contraband goods.
The destruction took place at the Dompoase landfill site in Kumasi.
Speaking in an interview with TV3, the regional head of the drug law enforcement unit, ASP Jeremiah Alale, stated that the illegal substance had congested the exhibit room of the regional police headquarters.
He reiterated his outfit’s determination to clamp down on narcotic trade.
He advised residents to desist from engaging in such criminal act.
Source: 3news.com | Ghana
Gov’t suspends plan to pay public workers via E-Zwich
Government has temporarily backed down on its move to pay public sector workers through the electronic payment platform, E-Zwich, following resistance by the workers.
The Finance Ministry in a bid to rid the system of payroll fraud introduced the plan, consequent to which a directive was issued to all public servants to obtain e-zwich cards by May 31 or risk having their salaries suspended.
A statement issued by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) in April 2016 said “the CAGD will suspend the salaries of employees who do not register for the e-zwich cards by the deadline.”
But the workers have kicked against the move describing it as a “kakai E-zwich programme”.
At a meeting held between the 12 labour unions in the country who form the Forum, the Finance Ministry, and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations Thursday agreed to the suspension of the programme which was to take effect at the end of May, 3FM’s Sarah Parko reported
It was also agreed at the said meeting that no worker should have his name deleted from the payroll for failing to submit an e-zwich number and particulars to the CAGD as directed by the Finance Minister, Seth Terkper.
Dr. Bampoe Addo
“The meeting concluded that effective end of May 2016, every worker of the public service will continue to receive his/her entire salary through the traditional banking system as has been the case all this while, whether they have registered with e-zwich or not” President of the Forum, Dr. Isaac Bampoe Addo announced.
The Forum has argued that the programme should have been made optional and not compulsory, claiming the e-zwich platform is ineffective in most part of the country.
The leadership of the Forum said few workers have complied with what it said is the ‘e-zwich scare’ due to “the threat of losing their salaries”.
They said the CAGD should not view the compliance by the few workers as a sign of success for the programme.
“The unions have asked their members to remain calm and that the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations has said the payment system they were seeking to introduced has been suspended,” Sarah reported
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter @steviekgh
Dr. Bampoe Addo
“The meeting concluded that effective end of May 2016, every worker of the public service will continue to receive his/her entire salary through the traditional banking system as has been the case all this while, whether they have registered with e-zwich or not” President of the Forum, Dr. Isaac Bampoe Addo announced.
The Forum has argued that the programme should have been made optional and not compulsory, claiming the e-zwich platform is ineffective in most part of the country.
The leadership of the Forum said few workers have complied with what it said is the ‘e-zwich scare’ due to “the threat of losing their salaries”.
They said the CAGD should not view the compliance by the few workers as a sign of success for the programme.
“The unions have asked their members to remain calm and that the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations has said the payment system they were seeking to introduced has been suspended,” Sarah reported
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter @steviekgh
Kenya starts demolition of unfit houses
Authorities in Kenya’s capital Nairobi have begun demolishing homes in an area where the collapse of a building killed at least 42 people last week.
Eight buildings deemed unfit to live in were the first to be destroyed in the district of Huruma. More than 200 are to follow. Officials say many of the houses are substandard or built on unsafe grounds. A recue operation continues at the collapsed building, which had been declared unfit for human habitation. At least 70 people are still missing, while 140 have been rescued. Catch up with other African stories happening now. Five reasons why buildings collapse The first structure that was demolished was a network of eight low-rise buildings with an estimated 600 residents. People were warned a week ago to vacate, but many were seen taking their possessions out on Friday morning. Another 90 houses will be pulled down next. Other areas affected include Roysambu, Hazina, Zimmerman, Kahawa West, Umoja and Dagoretti.
Image copyrightEPAPulled out alive
As rescue operations continue, four people were pulled out alive on Thursday. Crowds cheered as 24-year-old woman was rescued, in scenes broadcast live on Kenyan TV. Rescuers had smashed through slabs of concrete to reach Elizabeth Night Odhiambo, who was eight months pregnant.
Image copyright: Ms Odhiambo was rushed to hospital and survived, but she lost her baby