No show at the Gambia’s Supreme Court today as expected. The much-awaited sitting of the court over the petition filed by President Yahya Jammeh, challenging the results of the 1 December presidential election which he lost to opposition coalition candidate Adama Barrow, has been suspended. Gambia’s apex court could not form a quorum as only one judge was present. A …

The FIFA Council has unanimously decided in favour of increasing the number of teams playing at the World Cup from 32 to 48 with effect from the 2026 edition of the global sporting event. The world football’s supervisory and strategic body held its third meeting at the headquarters of FIFA in Zurich on 9 and 10 January, and decided on …

President Muhammadu Buhari will lead a delegation of ‎the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)‎, to The Gambia on Wednesday, 11 January. The trip is seen as a last-ditch attempt to resolve the political impasse in the country. The decision to undertake the trip was taken on Monday, 9 January in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja, following an extra-ordinary meeting …

West African leaders are not ready yet to send troops as they negotiate with President Jammeh to relinquish power, Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has announced. The crisis in The Gambia is becoming more complex as the 19 January handover date approaches. In a surprise development, Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told reporters on Saturday in Accra that ECOWAS leaders …

Designers in Africa have seen their business suffer as a result of the economic crisis which has hit the continent. Many in different countries want to make fashion count as a burgeoning investment market and are looking at agencies to help them achieve their goal, as in Angola. “It’s time for those in the government to try and revive the …

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was sworn in on Saturday as Ghana’s new president at a ceremony in Accra, the country’s capital, marking the latest peaceful transition of power in the West African country. In a speech as he took office, the president said “I pledge to do my best to move this country to higher level of development; I will …

A recently published study on the long-run effects of mobile money on economic outcomes in Kenya provides some valuable insights that will benefit economic development and financial inclusion policies across Africa.

I was born in Luanda, Angola. I came to Germany in 1992 from Angola with my parents. Of course, as I was only six at that time I didn’t know what to expect here and didn’t think much about it. It was not easy for me when I started school as I didn’t speak a word of German. However, I …

Here is a list of public holidays in Germany in 2017, plus regional holidays, daylight savings, school holidays, Mother’s and Father’s Days and other important dates in the German calendar. There are nine official German public holidays that are celebrated nationally each year, plus regional holidays that are only celebrated in certain Federal States. This means that some states have …

Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American legislator has officially been sworn into office on Tuesday, 3 January. Ms Omar, who wears the hijab, the head gear for Muslim women, made history by winning in a State House of Representatives race to serve the people of Minnesota last November. She stood on the ticket of the Democratic Farmer Labour (DFL) – affiliated …

The trial has begun in Paris of the son of Equatorial Guinea’s president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is accused of using money plundered from his native country to buy lavish properties, cars and other goods in France. It’s the first case to come to court, of several being investigated by French authorities into allegedly illegal acquisitions by African leaders …

Lucidly written, its precepts are very inspiring, writes Femi Awoniyi in his review of Germany-based Achille Nguemnang’s motivational book. Divided into short chapters and focused on particular themes, the book Between You and Your Purpose contains wisdom keys to overcome the hurdles between you and your goal – be it career, personal, whatever goal you have set for yourself. Being …

The northern German city of Braunschweig has launched a special commission to investigate more than 300 cases of welfare fraud by asylum seekers. One fraudster is believed to have used as many as 12 different identities. Regional German broadcaster NDR reported on New Year day that the majority of more than 300 cases of welfare fraud in the northern city …

Antonio Guterres replaced Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General on New Year day. In his first address to the international community, Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, pledged to make 2017 a year to “put peace first.” The ninth UN chief, 67, said in a message that he would be working to resolve wars and other violent conflicts in countries …

For many the current position of Britain’s Black population is one that is mired between achievement and marginalisation, reports Alasdair Soussi Glasgow, United Kingdom – They are one of Britain’s most dynamic and enduring communities whose presence in the UK dates back hundreds of years. From serving Britain with distinction in the first and second world wars to their modern-day …

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has warned that any troop deployment by ECOWAS members would constitute “a declaration of war”. In a New Year’s message broadcast on Saturday, Jammeh said the “blatant and one-sided” approach of the regional body, “disqualified it from providing mediation services”. “Let me make very clear, we are ready to defend this country against any aggression,” Jammeh …

The installations she creates today using materials such as cloth, beads, wood, cement and resin are a departure from her early technically skilled paintings.

Agreement reached by Congolese political parties aims to have transitional government in place by March. President Joseph Kabila will step down as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo after elections held before the end of 2017, under a draft agreement reached by political parties, according to a lead mediator from the Catholic Church. Under the deal, reached on New …

In her New Year’s speech, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on citizens to go into 2017 with optimism and defy terrorism. But to guarantee “security in freedom,” she said new security measures may be necessary. With Germany still reeling from the deadly Berlin truck attack, Angela Merkel has used her annual New Year’s message to insist the country and …

Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has appointed six foreign judges into the Supreme Court to join the remaining member, Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle, a Nigerian national, so that his election petition could be heard. Although the names of the judges have not been officially revealed, they are believed to come from Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The President has also ordered the …