Dual mandates: Most parties oppose return of MPs sitting in Stormont

Four of the five parties in the Stormont Executive have said they are against a move allowing MPs to be elected to the NI Assembly but keep their Westminster seats.

Details of the plan were outlined in a letter from government peer Lord Caine to fellow lords on Friday.

It will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK.

The return of the dual mandate will last until the next Westminster election due in 2024.

Dual mandates, also known as double jobbing, were banned in Northern Ireland in 2016, when a number of MPs were forced to give up their seats in the assembly.

Double jobbing allowed politicians to hold seats in different legislatures, for example in the House of Commons and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The move will allow DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to stand for election to the assembly in May while retaining his seat at Westminster.

Under existing rules if he was elected to Stormont he would have had to stand down as an MP, leading to a by-election in his Lagan Valley constituency.

However, the four other parties in the executive – Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party, the SDLP and Alliance – have strongly condemned the plans.

‘Facilitating DUP threats’

Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill called it “blatant and disgraceful interference”.

“It represents a major step backwards for politics here and will deny more people, particularly young men and women, the opportunity to step forward into elected politics,” she said in a statement.

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The SDLP and Alliance Party said their three MPs will vote against the mandate when comes to the House of Commons.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long called it a “seriously retrograde step” while SDLP MP Claire Hanna tweeted: “Being an MP is a full time job, and then some, as is being an MLA.

“People deserve representation at both levels, and dual mandates were abolished for good reason. NIO (Northern Ireland Office) should not be facilitating DUP threats and gambling with devolution.”

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA

Image caption,

The move will allow DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to stand for election to the assembly in May while retaining his seat at Westminster

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Doug Beattie tweeted: “The fact NIO now directly supporting DUP election campaign means they are not a neutral department.”

The leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) Jim Allister, whose party is not executive but could rival the DUP in a number of constituencies, called the plan a “shameless fix”.

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He tweeted: “Last throw of the dice for some.

“Dual mandates were abolished for good reason. That reason hasn’t changed. Only the desperation of the DUP has changed. What price has the DUP paid for this?”

No double salary

Lord Caine’s letter, seen by the BBC, sets out how the government is proposing an amendment to the Northern Ireland Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern Bill which is currently passing through the House of Lords.

The bill provides for other changes at Stormont agreed under the New Decade, New Approach deal.

Lord Caine said the amendment he is tabling would “enable MPs to become MLAs [members of the legislative assembly] at Stormont and hold both seats for the duration of the remainder of that parliament”.

“As was previously the case a person who holds office as both MP and an MLA will not be able to claim their salary as an MLA,” he added

The letter adds: “The provision for dual mandates is intended to facilitate a move from the House of Commons to the Northern Ireland Assembly without triggering by-elections.

“It is therefore consistent with the assessment made by the UK government in the Northern Ireland Act 2014 that the holding of a dual mandate across parliament and the assembly is not practical on an indefinite basis.”

Lord Caine, who is also the under secretary of state for Northern Ireland, added: “There is no appetite or consensus in Northern Ireland to allow dual mandates to continue indefinitely or to return to a situation in which the overwhelming majority of MPs from Northern Ireland were also members of the assembly.”

He said the objective was to “support further the functioning of the devolved institutions by providing stability where Northern Ireland parties need to reconfigure their representation across Parliament and Stormont without the triggering of parliamentary by-elections”.

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Ashling Murphy: Vigils across Ireland for murdered teacher

Vigils are to be held across the island of Ireland on Friday in memory of murdered teacher Ashling Murphy.

The 23-year-old was attacked on the banks of the Grand Canal outside Tullamore, County Offaly, on Wednesday afternoon and died at the scene.

A 40-year-old man arrested over her murder has been released “and is no longer a suspect”, police said.

The National Women’s Council of Ireland said vigils were being planned at dozens of locations.

IMAGE SOURCE,COMHALTAS CEOLTÓIRÍ ÉIREANN

Image caption,

Ashling Murphy has been described by her family as “a little angel”

One of those will be held outside Dáil Éireann (Irish parliament) buildings in Dublin at 16:00 local time.

Events are also planned for Belfast and Londonderry later, while MLAs Cara Hunter, Claire Sugden and Caoimhe Archibald have organised a vigil in Coleraine at 16:30 GMT.

There are also vigils planned for counties Tyrone and Armagh.

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Ms Murphy’s family have spoken of having lost “a little angel” and “our rock” in an interview with the Irish Independent newspaper.

Her father, Raymond, told the paper of his daughter’s talent for music and how she had “crammed so much into her short life”.

Her mother, Kathleen, added that “she was so soft and gentle”.

“She was a beautiful girl, she was just the best,” she said.

“We’re all devastated.”

‘Limiting our lives’

The director of Ireland’s National Women’s Council Orla O’Connor told BBC News there was “nationwide devastation, grief and shock at this horrendous killing”.

She said the vigils were being organised all around Ireland to remember the young teacher, to show support to her family and say: “We want an end to male violence against women”.

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA

Image caption,

Candles were lit at a vigil in Galway on Thursday night

“There is a lot of anger and frustration that has been expressed,” she said.

“This has really triggered past experiences of physical and sexual violence that women have had,” she added.

“It also really shows how much women are limiting their lives because of the fear and threat of violence. Here was a young woman going for a run during the day when everyone expects to be safe.”

Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said Ms Murphy was a talented musician who “represented the very best of the tradition of teaching in Ireland”.

He also said no stone would be left unturned in the investigation.

“I think it has united the nation in solidarity and revulsion at what has happened,” he added.

“We have to do everything that we possibly can to eliminate this appalling behaviour from our society,”

The Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Leo Varadkar said that men needed to have conversations around violence against women and how it was “never justified”, according to RTÉ.

“It doesn’t matter who she is, it doesn’t matter where it was, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, it is never justified, it is always wrong,” he said.

Image caption,

Flowers were placed at the gates of the school where the young victim worked

He also acknowledged that people in Tullamore would be worried.

“I want to assure people that all of the resources of the gardaí are going into making sure this person is found and that they are brought to justice, and that people can feel safe again,” he added.

On Friday morning, gardaí (Irish police) renewed their appeal for information about the murder.

Detectives have previously said they believed she was killed by one man who acted alone.

A team of more than 50 officers has been assigned to the murder investigation and an incident room has been set up in Tullamore.

“No stone will be left unturned in bringing the perpetrator of this crime to justice,” said Supt Eamonn Curley on Thursday.

Media caption,

Supt Eamonn Curley: “The injuries are consistent with an assault.”

He said Ms Murphy sustained serious injuries “consistent with an assault”.

A post-mortem examination has been carried out to determine the exact cause of her death, but gardaí have said the results are not being released “for operational reasons”.

Detectives have appealed for information about a Falcon Storm mountain bike.

They released a photo of the bike, which they said had “straight handlebars and distinctive yellow/green front forks”.

IMAGE SOURCE,AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA (IRISH POLICE)

Image caption,

Detectives issued a photo of a mountain bike in their appeal for witnesses

They said they also still wanted to hear from anyone who was near the scene of the murder at Cappincur, Tullamore, on Wednesday afternoon.

Gardaí responded to the incident following a call from a member of the public at about 16:00 local time and found Ms Murphy with serious injuries.

She was given medical attention but could not be saved.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee said “every resource” would be provided to the police to find the murderer.

Ms Murphy worked at Durrow National School and she was also a talented musician and member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland.

She taught 28 pupils in the 1st class (age six to seven) at the school and had joined the staff team in March 2021.

Her principal James Hogan told Virgin Media News that the school community was “devastated and numb”.

Image caption,

A team of more than 50 officers has been assigned to the murder investigation

He paid tribute to her as a “fantastic, beautiful, an extraordinary sportsperson, Irish musician, choral conductor and an inspiration”.

He said she was referred to as the “shining light” whose face lit up the room when she came into it and said the school was working to support staff and students.

The community in Tullamore has also paid tribute to the young teacher, while the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said the “entire country is devastated and shocked by the violent and barbaric killing”.

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Angola wants to strengthen cooperation with Senegal

Luanda - The Angolan President, João Lourenço, Wednesday recommended the new Angolan ambassador to Senegal to work hard to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two states.

At the swearing-in ceremony of new government officials, João Lourenço regretted the fact that Angola has not yet opened its diplomatic representation in that West African country, 46 years after national independence.

"Senegal is an important country for its culture and history and, above all, for the influence it has in the region where it is located," he said.

In this sense, the Head of State defended that the ambassador should work to compensate the opportunity lost along this time, aiming at the reinforcement of cooperation.

In relation to the deputy governor of Huambo, the Head of the Executive Power recommended that he help the governor to solve the main problems of the central province, for the benefit of the population.

The ambassador to Senegal, Adão Pinto and the deputy governor of Huambo for the technical and infrastructure sector, Elmano Inácio Herculano Francisco, were sworn in at the presidential palace.

The non-executive directors of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Angola were also sworn in, namely, Álvaro Teixeira Costa , Clarice dos Anjos Mendes Vieira , Daniela de Almeida Simão, Ermenegildo Oseias Fernando, Jaime Joaquim Pedro Fortunato and Luís Manuel Neto .

Central Bank of Angola

On the part of the new non-executive directors of the board of directors of the Central Bank of Angola, President João Lourenço said that their appointment came at a time when the bank had just gained greater independence for its performance.

He said on the occasion that the moment is "very good" following the reforms that have been implemented in the country, with the focus on better organising the national economy.

"With this we will be able to better organise our economy, as well as attract foreign investment," he stressed. 

CAN'2022: Tunisia lose to Mali

Luanda - Tunisia national team lost 0-1 Wednesday to Mali in the opening day of Group F of the African Nations Football Cup (CAN'2022) being held in Cameroon.

Played at the Omnisport Stadium in Lembe, Lembe, the goal of the match was scored by Kone, in the 48th minute through a penalty kick.

Refereed by the Zambian Janny Sikazwe, the match featured the performance of the Angolan Hélder Martins as fourth referee, after officiating Ethiopia-Cape Verde on Sunday.        

In the second match of the (Group F), Mauritania was defeated 0-1 by Gambia 0-1 thanks to a goal by Jallow, at minute 10.

In the last match of the day for group E, Equatorial Guinea lost 0-1 to Côte d' Ivoire. 

List of top scorers

Two goals: Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon)

One goal: Sadio Mané (Senegal), Gustavo Sangaré (Burkina Faso), Júlio Tavares (Cape Verde), Issiaga Sylla (Guinea Conakry), Sofiane Boufal (Morocco), Aaron Boupendza (Gabon), Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria).

(Upcoming matches)

Thursday 13 January  

Group A: Cameroon - Ethiopia

Group A: Cape Verde - Burkina Faso

Friday 14 January

Group B: Senegal - Guinea

Group C: Morocco - Comoros

Group B: Malawi - Zimbabwe

Group C: Gabon - Ghana

 

Covid-19: Angola records 1,399 recoveries, 759 new cases

Luanda - With 1,399 patients recovered, Angola announced Wednesday the registration of 759 new infections and two deaths in the last 24 hours.

According to figures released by the health authorities, 883 people recovered reside in the province of Luanda, 381 in Huambo, 36 in Uíge, 43 in Bié, 22 in Lunda Sul, 14 in Huíla, 8 in Lunda Norte and 2 in Benguela.

Among the new cases, 343 were diagnosed in Luanda, 101 in Zaire, 84 in Huambo, 81 in Cabinda, 40 in Huila, 29 in Moxico, 27 in Benguela, 22 in Bié, 12 in Cuanza Sul, 10 in Uige, 7 in Lunda Sul, 2 in Bengo and 1 in Lunda Norte.

Aged between 23 days and 103 years, the list is made up of 485 male and 274 female patients.

In the last 24 hours, the laboratories processed 4,156 samples, with a daily positivity rate of 18.3 percent.

The deaths were registered in the provinces of Luanda and Lunda Norte.

Angola has 91,907 confirmed cases, 81,041 recoveries, 1,842 deaths and 9,024 active cases. Of the active cases, 14 are critical, 30 serious, 64 moderate, 95 light and 8,821 asymptomatic.

In the treatment centres, 203 patients are hospitalised, while 154 are serving institutional quarantine.

Covid: Viral photo highlights challenges of vaccinating Amazon

A photo of an indigenous man carrying his father on his back to take a Covid-19 vaccine in the Brazilian Amazon has gone viral, and became a symbol of the complicated vaccination logistics in one of the world’s most remote areas.

The photo taken by a doctor shows 24-year-old Tawy holding Wahu, 67, after both were given a vaccine dose.

They had to walk for hours through the forest to reach the vaccination site.

Official data say 853 indigenous people have died with Covid-19 in the country.

But indigenous rights groups say that number is much higher. A survey by Apib, a Brazilian NGO, said 1,000 indigenous people had died between March 2020 and March 2021 alone.

Tawy and Wahu belong to the Zo’e indigenous community, which has around 325 members. They live in relative isolation across dozens of villages in an area equivalent to 1.2 million football fields in the northern Pará state.

Erik Jennings Simões, the doctor who took the picture, said Wahu could hardly see anything and walked with difficulty because of chronic urinary problems. He estimated that Tawy carried his father on his back for five to six hours.

“It was a very beautiful demonstration of the lovely relationship between them”, Dr Simões told BBC News Brasil.

The picture was taken in January 2021, at the start of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in Brazil, one of world’s hardest-hit countries by the pandemic. But Dr Simões only shared it on Instagram on 1 January of this year, to send a “positive message at the beginning of the new year”.

IMAGE SOURCE,SESAI

Image caption,

The huts were installed in open areas to reduce risk of infection

When vaccination against Covid-19 began in Brazil, indigenous people were considered a priority group. For the health team accompanying the Zo’e, a challenge emerged: it would be unfeasible for the agents to go to each village, as it would take weeks to vaccinate everyone, due to how spread out they were.

So they set up huts in the forest, and a vaccination system was agreed with the communities through a radio. “We’ve adopted practices that respect and take into account the culture and knowledge of the Zo’é people,” Dr Simões said.

• CONTEXT: ‘Everything you should not do, Brazil has done’
• IN CHARTS: Tracking the pandemic

Last September, Wahu died for reasons that remain unclear. Tawy remains with his family and has recently taken his third vaccine dose.

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South Africa minister tells schoolgirls to ‘open books and close legs’

A regional health minister has come under fire in South Africa for telling schoolgirls to “open your books and close your legs”.

Phophi Ramathuba made the comment during a visit to a secondary school in a bid to encourage abstinence and reduce teenage pregnancy rates.

Social media users criticised the remark and questioned why it was only directed at girls.

Ms Ramathuba defended the message, which she said was aimed at boys too.

The health minister for Limpopo province was visiting Gwenane secondary school in the township of Sekgakgapeng on Wednesday to mark the first day of the new academic year.

“To the girl child I say: Open your books, and close your legs. Don’t open your legs, open your books. Thank you very much,” she told students.

She added that girls were being lured by older men using luxuries like expensive wigs and smart phones.

The comments sparked criticism after a video of the speech was shared on social media.

“This is not an appropriate way to talk to kids about abuse, sex and consent”, one social media user wrote.

Opposition politician Siviwe Gwarube called the remarks “deeply problematic”.

“This was an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with these learners about consent… Instead you victim blame. Place undue pressure on girls”, she said in a message on Twitter.

Ms Ramathuba told South African news site TimesLIVE that her statement had been taken out of context, and was directed at boys too.

“I told the boys to focus on their education and not sleep with girls,” she said.

She added that her constituents in Limpopo “appreciated the message”.

“They were even saying that they were afraid to say these things and thanked me for calling a spade a spade,” she said.

Government statistics show that almost 33,400 girls under the age of 17 gave birth in South Africa in 2020.

Save the Children says a lack of access to comprehensive sex education as well as affordable and appropriate health services are key factors contributing to teen pregnancies in South Africa.

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