Zimbabwe's President sworn in following disputed election
Harare, Aug 27 : The President of Zimbabwe took the oath of office on Sunday, calling for unity following a disputed election that the opposition claimed was marred by fraud.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, won the July 30 election with 50.6 per cent of the vote, after ascending to the presidency in November 2017 following a military coup that ousted longtime leader Robert Mugabe, under whom he served as Vice President.
"We are all Zimbabweans; what unites us is greater than what could ever divide us," Mnangagwa said via his official Twitter.
"Let me assure you that tomorrow is brighter than yesterday! Let us look forward to the journey ahead," his statement continued, calling it "a journey of development, progress and prosperity".
Ex-president Mugabe and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, a 40-year-old lawyer, did not attend the swearing-in ceremony held in front of a large crowd at the National Sports Stadium in the capital Harare, Efe reported.
Chamisa had rejected Friday's decision by the country's top court dismissing opposition claims of electoral fraud, citing a lack of evidence, and on Saturday declared himself the actual winner and called for peaceful protests.
Chamisa told members of the press on Saturday that he was not invited to the ceremony because "they know they cannot invite me to a wedding where I was the one supposed to be receiving the gifts".
On August 1, two days after the election, at least six opposition protesters were shot dead by police and army forces, which used live ammunition, water cannons and tear gas against demonstrators who took to the streets claiming vote-rigging even before the results were officially announced.
In his inaugural address, Mnangagwa announced he would appoint a commission to investigate the six deaths during the post-election violence.
Mnangagwa and Mugabe come from the generation of politicians who fought to end white-minority rule and who have run Zimbabwe since winning independence in 1980, while Chamisa sought to tap into younger voters, as 60 per cent of the country's 5.6 million registered voters were under 40.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
