Sadiq Khan becomes first London Mayor to join hundreds celebrating Africa on the Trafalgar Square

 
Pic: Sadiq Khan takes photos with people at the Africa celebration event.
Staff reporter(wp/es):
Hundreds of people took to Trafalgar Square today to celebrate Africa as part of Black History Month.
The iconic square came alive with music and dancing at the 'Africa in the Square' event, which is now in its third year.
Sadiq Khan became the first London mayor to ever visit the annual event, which saw vistors enjoy live music, DJs, dancing, food stalls and an African market as the Mayor of London mingled with people and gave a speech.
The celebrations, which include a procession with African drumming and dancing, began at 12pm and will go on until 6pm.
"From Ghana to Gambia, Nigeria to Namibia, South Africa to Somalia, the contribution of African Londoners to our city is immense," Sadiq Khan told the crowds.
 Entrepreneur Kanya King, who founded the MOBO awards which celebrate black artists and music, welcomed Sadiq Khan to the stage and said she was "proud" to introduce the very first London mayor to speak at the event.

Many took to Twitter to share photos of the event, which is organised by the mayor's office.
Yusuf Manneh, said: "Hands up to Africa on the Square. This is just one amazing event, loving every second."
Emma Donnelly shared a photo of crowds listening to music on the stage and said: “I bloody love London."
 On his Facebook page shortly after he appeared at the event, Sadiq Khan said: "From Nigeria to Namibia, the Gambia to Ghana, Africa is beautifully weaved into the tapestry of London life.
 "Amazing energy here at Trafalgar Square - where I'm proud to be the first Mayor of London to attend #AfricaOnTheSquare and join thousands of Londoners to celebrate the contribution our African communities make to our city. #LoveLondon #LondonIsOpen."

Car flipped onto roof in dramatic crash in East Ham East London

Staff reporter(wp/es):
A woman has been taken to hospital after her car overturned following a crash with a parked vehicle in east London.
Emergency services were called to the scene on High Street South in East Ham today to reports of a car overturned in the middle of the road.
The female driver has been taken to hospital.
Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
An LFB spokeswoman added: "We were called to a motorvehicle in collision with a parked vehicle at 2.25pm. The  driver was not trapped and was removed from the vehicle safely.

"One injured person has been taken to hospital."
The road was closed in both directions at the junction with Norman Road and officers remain at the scene while the incident is being dealt with.

after landing gear emergency British Airways flight was forced to return to Heathrow

Staff reporter(wp/es):
A British Airways flight was forced to make an emergency stop at Heathrow after the plane’s landing gear failed, it has emerged.
The flight, carrying 293 passengers, had to return to the airport when the crew made the shocking discovery that the switch for the landing gear was stuck.
Despite this, the pilot managed to safely land the Boeing 747-436 at Heathrow with only the nose and body landing gear deployed, averting a potential disaster.
The report from the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) revealed that the landing gear on the plane had been replaced shortly before the flight from Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
But after take-off the crew found that the landing gear lever could not be moved and decided to return to Heathrow.

Fortunately for the 310 people aboard the flight, the pilots managed to lower part of the gear using the extension procedure.
The plane then landed at Heathrow with half of the plane’s braking power, causing it to slide right to the end of the runway.

The report stated: “The landing gear lever jam was attributed to a maintenance error which had resulted in incorrect rigging of the landing gear lever system.”
The fault in the landing gear has been attributed to a rig pin not being fitted in the equipment
It is believed the problem was caused by an engineer losing concentration when taking a break, as well as an inadequate handover sheet.
The report adds: "The following causal factors were identified by the operator’s maintenance investigation:
"The distraction of the engineer when he saw the quadrant move and he took his break and an inadequate handover between the night shift and the day shift."
The incident happened on January 30 but the AAIB report has only just been released.

Woman rushed to hospital after being hit by train

Staff reporter(wp/es):
A woman has been rushed to hospital after she was hit by a train at a station on a major line into Heathrow Airport.
Police and ambulance crews were called to West Ealing station at 11.30am after reports of the incident.
The Air Ambulance also landed nearby as paramedics raced to the station.
A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: “We treated a woman at the scene for multiple injuries and took her as a priority to a major trauma centre in west London."
British Transport Police say the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
George Eason tweeted: "West Ealing station surrounded by tens of fire, ambulance and police, anyone know what's going on?"

Heathrow Express services were unable to travel in either direction following the incident.
It also left Great Western Railway trains unable to call at Paddington for almost one hour.
Although services are on the move again, trains were still unable to call at West Ealing by 12.30pm.

London's cycle lanes and end congestion charge', say business chiefs

Business reporter(wp/es):
Business chiefs are demanding a dramatic rethink of how traffic is managed on London’s roads as the capital approaches mega-city status.
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that all options should be on the table if the capital’s clogged streets are to cope with the expanding population.
These include a rethink of permanent segregated cycle lanes and  the congestion charge, which the LCCI claimed might not be as effective as originally planned.
In its submission to the London Assembly transport committee’s congestion inquiry, the business group called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to come up with “new and innovative” ideas to keep the city moving.

Roads in the capital have been getting steadily busier and more congested over the past two years, following a long period of relative stability.
Traffic speeds are falling and journey times are getting longer, increasing pollution and bringing an economic cost to London, which is forecast to have a mega-city population of more than 10 million by 2029.
LCCI chief Colin Stanbridge said: “I recognise that some of these measures won’t be immediately palatable to some groups. But we have made too many decisions because something seems like a nice idea, the easier route, or the most environmentally friendly idea without really thinking through the consequences.

“Whilst a number of initiatives, such as retiming and consolidation, have an important role to play in reducing congestion, they can only provide part of the solution.
“We need to be radical, to look at whether outdated rules still serve a purpose and to build infrastructure that isn’t just a stop-gap solution.”
Proposals include looking again at the cycle superhighway scheme — a move that would be unpopular with cyclists —and at whether semi-segregated lanes during peak hours would work better than lanes remaining part of the permanent infrastructure.
The business group also raised the possibility that the C-charge — brought in by former mayor Ken Livingstone in 2003 — had reached the end of its effective life.
It cited David Begg, Professor of Economics at Imperial College, who claimed the charge had achieved its initial objective of cutting traffic volumes in the congestion zone by 20 per cent, but this had since been “more than cancelled out” as road space shrank in central London through road works, cycle superhighways, growth in delivery vehicles and private hire.

The submission said: “Transport for London should re-evaluate the purpose of the congestion charge — whether economic or environmental — in order to assess whether it’s achieving its aim of reducing congestion in the capital.”
Other proposals included consolidating more deliveries, maximising the use of the river to move goods and passengers, and moving as many business deliveries as possible from the 7am to 11am morning peak.

Transport committee chair Caroline Pidgeon said: “It is clear that something needs to be done to tackle congestion, that’s why we’re looking at everything from deliveries to road pricing to the impact of more minicabs on our streets. The status quo is not an option if London is to keep moving and  growing.”
Transport experts believe the rise in vehicles in London without a corresponding increase in road space is at the heart of the problem.
Many streets have closed for roadworks or to make space for pedestrian areas or cycle superhighways.

I got in fights when people used the word P***:Mayor of London

 
Pic:UK rise hate crime after brexit
Staff reporter(wp/es):
Sadiq Khan has revealed he got into fist fights over the use of the “P-word” as a boy as he shared his fears over the spike in hate crime after the Brexit vote.
The Mayor said he had friends in London who suffered racial abuse in London through the use of language they had not heard since they were also children.
He urged Londoners to conduct themselves properly in public and said politicians had a role in addressing some of the fears over issues like immigration that helped the Leave camp to win.
According to the Metropolitan Police, there has been a spike in hate crime in recent months that is at least partly linked to the European Union referendum. A Home Office report released on Thursday also pointed to a rise in hate crime following the June 23 Brexit vote.

 Mr Khan told BBC’s Asian Network: “I suspect hate crime has spiked after Brexit because language that was not used in 20 or 30 years has been used more openly.

“How you conduct yourself publicly does matter. The “N” word, the “P” word, the “Y” word - it was normalised. People thought it was okay to hurl abuse.
“I’ve got friends who were racially abused in language they’ve not heard in 20 or 30 years in London, forget outside London.”
 The Mayor said it was “bad news” that not just Islamophobia was on the rise but hate crime more generally, adding that tackling it was a priority for the police.

He told how he joined a boxing club in Tooting as a child, in part so that he could defend himself from racial abuse.
“I think most people who grew up in that part of London, part of the generation that I’m in, got involved in fights. I did as well,” he said.
“There are some things that weren’t acceptable, the use of the “P” word or the “N” word – and that would lead to a fight. You can’t allow someone to get away with that.”

Dozens of firefighters tackle blaze at recycling plant in East London

 
Pic: Huge plumes of smoke billowing from the fire at a recycling plant
Staff reporter(wp/es):
Dozens of firefighters were today tackling a huge blaze at a recycling plant which sent smoke billowing across roads in east London.
Thick, black plumes of smoke could be seen blowing across the A12 after the fire broke out in a recycling warehouse in Hackney Wick.
London Fire Bridage said crews have been battling the blaze for almost 12 hours.
Emergency services were called after the fire broke out at the recycling plant in Hepscott Road at 11.30pm on Wednesday.
More than 15,000 tonnes of mixed household waste is alight.
Four fire engines and 21 firefighters from Leyton, Stoke Newington, Homerton and Bethnal Green fire stations are at the scene.

Transport for London said: “Smoke from a fire in a recycling plant across the A12 near Hackney Wick is causing poor visibility. Approach with care.”
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.