Girls in underwear pose in squalid rooms of converted shops along the narrow streets of Saint-Josse, near Brussels Gare du Nord. African women sell their bodies for as little as 20 euros. Barely half the rate charged by European prostitutes. Outside in the streets, the rates are even lower; 5 euros for a young Nigerian. A price that shocks even …

The 68th Berlin International Film Festival – Berlinale – kicks off on 15 February in the German capital city. The Berlinale is one of the biggest international film festivals alongside the Cannes and Toronto film festivals. Up to 400 films are shown every year, mostly international or European premieres, and the festival, the world’s second largest audiovisual event, sells more …

Lufthansa has overhauled its livery, changing the background of its iconic century-old logo from yellow to blue. The crane, remains the airline’s iconic symbol, but it has been slimmed down in this incarnation and is surrounded by a thinner ring giving it more space. The German airline officially unveiled its new brand image on Wednesday (7 February) at company events …

The Gambia was readmitted to The Commonwealth on Thursday, welcomed back into the fold after its sudden pullout in 2013. Former President Yahya Jammeh dramatically withdrew the West African nation in October 2013, branding the group an “extension of colonialism”. President Adama Barrow began the readmission process in February last year. Barrow’s formal application last month for The Gambia to …

After protracted talks, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc reached a deal for a new coalition government with the centre-left Social Democrats on Wednesday. If approved by the SPD’s 460,000 members, the deal would end Germany’s longest period without a government since the Second World War. Here are the key points agreed in the draft coalition contract: Health insurance The …

The conservatives and Social Democrats have finally managed to settle on a coalition agreement 136 days after the federal election. Negotiators from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU); their Bavarian partners, the Christian Social Union (CSU); and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) have finally hashed out a contract for a new grand coalition government — probably ensuring that Angela Merkel …

Israel has started issuing deportation orders to African migrants, giving them 60 days to return to their home countries or opt for an unnamed safe haven. Those failing to meet the deadline risk being sent to prison. Israel’s Population, Immigration and Border Authority delivered the first batch of notices Sunday, telling migrants they have to leave before 1 April. The …

Arab refugees and Germans carrying pro-immigrant and anti-fascism placards marched in Cottbus on Saturday to denounce what they say are attempts by far-right groups to stoke tension in the eastern city after two knife attacks by Syrian teenagers. The group of around 600 demonstrators in the German city of Cottbus calling for acceptance and open-mindedness were upstaged and outnumbered by …

With average temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius, Nigeria is anything but a suitable country for winter sports. Nevertheless, Nigeria will be represented at the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang , South Korea (9-25 February) It is thanks to the bobsled Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga, who met the Olympic standard of five finishes at official bobsled races …

Morocco is the new African Champion. The Moroccan national team of local players crushed Nigeria 4-0 in the final match of the African Nations Championship, which took place on Sunday night in Casablanca’s Mohammed V stadium. Morocco made history in the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament when they won the fifth edition. The Atlas Lions are the first nation …

At least six African immigrants were injured after an Italian gunman opened fire on them on Saturday in the city of Macerata in a racially-motivated attack, according to police. At least one is said to be in a serious condition. The gunman has been named as Luca Traini who had stood as a candidate for the anti-immigrant Northern League, which …

The United Nations says 90 people are feared to have drowned off the coast of Libya, after a people smuggler’s boat capsized. The United Nations’ migration agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), believes just three people have survived the boat accident, in the latest migrant tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea. The boat was carrying mostly Pakistani migrants. “At least …

A Nigerian university student was killed on 31 January reportedly by locals in the Turkish Cyprus’s province of Famagusta. Kennedy Taomwabwa Dede, 28, was an architecture student of Eastern Mediterranean University. He was reportedly abducted from the city centre by a group who kidnapped him against his will.   Dede was taken home and killed by the group of eight …

The police in Essen have named a suspect in the murder of a Kenyan woman whose remains were found in the western German city on 17 January. The body of the 27-year-old Mary Waithera Kamathi, popularly known in the Kenyan community as Carrie Jones, was discovered in a kiosk in the south district of the city, where she worked as …

Nigeria’s home based Super Eagles have qualified for the finals of the African Nations Championship, their first ever, after edging Sudan 1-0 in the semi-final played in Marrakech. The Nigerians will on Sunday meet hosts Morocco, who had earlier spanked Libya 3-1. The final of the ongoing Championship for African Nations (CHAN) will be between hosts, Morocco, and Nigeria. Morocco …

An independent international commission of inquiry has been established to investigate the death of  Oury Jalloh, who burnt to death in a police cell in Dessau thirteen years ago. An Independent International Commission of Inquiry to clarify the death of Oury Jalloh was founded in Berlin last weekend, and it has started work. The commission has set itself the task …

Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga has been sworn in as the ‘people’s president’. Odinga took the controversial oath at Uhuru Park Grounds in Nairobi on Tuesday at 2.45 pm in a ceremony skipped by his co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula. Kenyan authorities forced independent television and radio stations reporting on the gathering off air as supporters of …

The Federal Government of Nigeria has been sharply criticized for delivering Cameroonian separatist leaders into the hands of the government of President Paul Biya in a move seen as very unusual in international diplomacy. The Nigerian government on Friday deported 12 Cameroonian separatist leaders who were arrested earlier this month, their lawyer said Monday. Julius Ayuk Tabe and 11 others …

South Africa’s male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo won a Grammy award at Sunday’s ceremony. Their album “Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration” won in the Best World Music Album category. The album is a tribute to the group’s founder, Joseph Shabalala. With their soulful voices and traditional Zulu dance moves, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has sold millions of albums worldwide …

The leadership of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Europe (NIDOE) has commenced its tour of Nigerian diplomatic missions across Europe. The Central Executive Council (CEC) of the body, led by Hon. Kenneth Gbandi, kicked off the tour on 17 January when it paid a courtesy call on Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, H.E. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, in Berlin. The Gbandi-led delegation …