LIVING IN GERMANY

The new system will allow those entitled to benefits to directly collect cash at tills, rather than using distributors at job centres, reports Emma Beswick. Germany’s unemployed will soon be able to collect benefits at checkouts in certain supermarkets and chemists as part of a government bid to cut costs, according to newspaper WELT AM SONNTAG. Set to kick off …

By removing visa requirements for Singaporeans, Paraguay helped Singapore edge out Germany for the top spot in the Passport Index published by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital. Singapore was previously tied with Germany for the number-one spot. Paraguay recently removed its visa requirements for Singaporeans, giving citizens easy access to 159 countries, compared to 158 for German passport-holders. Historically, …

The youth empowerment initiative to promote educational achievement in the African community in Germany holds its annual award ceremony at the premises of the IHK in Hamburg on Saturday, 21 October 2017. The annual African Youth Education (AYE) Awards aim to motivate young people of African origin in Germany to seek excellence in school. The scheme was initiated in 2011 …

A rejected asylum seeker accused of raping a girl in front of her boyfriend at a nature reserve in April has been sentenced to more than 11 years in jail. A 31-year-old man from Ghana was found guilty of rape by a court in Bonn on Thursday (19 October) and was sentenced to eleven and a half years in custody. …

After several years of waiting, a new substantive ambassador from Nigeria to Berlin arrived during the week. Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, a former member of the Federal House of Representatives, takes charge of the embassy which has been headed until now by the Deputy Head of Mission, Ambassador Mobolaji Sakirat Ogundero. Hon. Yusuf Tuggar, who was born on 12 March …

The Nigerian accused of killing Soopika P., a refugee aid worker, in the western German town of Ahaus on 11 February has gone on trial in the western city of Münster Prosecutors argue the asylum-seeker became possessive of the22-year-old victim after a brief affair. The 28-year-old defendant remained silent during his appearance in the Münster Regional Court on Monday. Prosecutors …

A “great illusion” prevails in Germany over the deportation of failed asylum applicants, Bavarian premier Horst Seehofer argued, adding it is unrealistic to expel all migrants once they are in the country. It is much more humane for European countries to protect common borders and decide on the spot whom to allow in than to accept migrants en masse and …

A more favourable health insurance is now possible for many retirees who did not work for a period of time because they were raising their children and were insured through their spouses. Moreover, no more child marriages, stricter hygiene regulations, clearer energy labels etc. Changed health insurance for retirees A condition for an often more cost-effective compulsory insurance in the …

Police in the German city of Hamburg say the suspect in a deadly knife attack in a supermarket on Friday was what they call a “known Islamist but not a jihadist”. One person was killed and seven others injured in the attack, which occurred in the Barmbek area to the north of the city. The assailant shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God …

The Kenyan woman reported as missing last Thursday in Heidelberg has been found. Virginia Njeri Muchoki, who was reported as missing after she failed to pick up her daughter from the nanny, was found yesterday. The 32-year-old woman showed up at the police station after she read the reports her family and the police were looking for her, according to …

An honest passerby has handed a briefcase containing 22 gold bars and €3,500 in cash to Berlin police after finding it under a tree. Weighing around a kilogram, the gold bars are worth around €30,000 at the current gold price. The treasure trove was found near a bank in the Neukölln district of the federal capital. The police department posted …

A Kenyan woman living in the western German city of Heidelberg has gone missing since Thursday  (27 July) and her family is appealing to the public to help find her. Virginia Njeri Muchoki was last seen on Thursday in Heidelberg Pfaffengrund. She was scheduled to pick up her daughter at a nearby day care (Tagesmutter), but she never arrived. The …

One person was killed and four injured in a stabbing attack on Friday at a supermarket in Hamburg, Germany, police said. The incident happened in the Barmbek area to the north of the city. The assailant shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is Greatest”) as he fled the scene of the crime in a neighbourhood supermarket before being overpowered by passers-by, witnesses …

German police will be able to use surveillance software by the end 2017 that can hack into people’s smartphones and read encrypted messages in such services as WhatsApp, says a report that cites a leaked document. A new version of the German police’s Remote Communication Interception Software (RCIS), which is used for surveillance over electronic devices, will be ready by …

The number of cases filed by asylum seekers challenging the decisions of immigration authorities in German courts has brought the legal system to the brink of collapse, a top German judge has warned in an interview. The sheer number of cases filed has overwhelmed the civil courts of the country, said Robert Seegmuller, chairman of the Association of German Administrative …

Odijie Irabor has achieved his life-long dream by qualifying as a technician in Automotive Mechatronics (Kraftfahrzeugmeachtronik). Odijie was presented his certificate on Wednesday (12 July) in the western German city of Marl after successfully completing a 3-year training course at the SBH Bildungsgesellschaft mbH Gelsenkirchen, during which he acquired skills across automotive-specific mechanics, electronics, communication and advanced control.   Automotive Mechatronics, …

The footage shocked Germany and went viral. CCTV cameras caught a man kicking a woman down some stairs at the Berlin metro station – Hermannstrasse – in an unprovoked attack. The incident took place in October 2016 but the video only emerged in December. Police had released the video in a bid to get public help to track down the …

Amidst African community outrage, police in Munich have launched investigations into an incident in which two security guards were filmed forcefully removing a man from a metro train. The man, said to be a 48-year-old Nigerian, was reportedly removed from the train at Leuchtenbergring station. He appeared to have no valid ticket as the inspectors came up to him during …

Germany’s federal parliament has voted by a wide margin to legalise same-sex marriage.  The Bundestag voted by 393 to 226 on Friday (30 June) to give full marital rights to homosexual couples and allow them to adopt children. The vote came after Chancellor Angela Merkel changed her mind and said members of her ruling conservative CDU/CSU bloc should follow their …

The German Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, has voted to fine social media networks up to €50 million if they fail to remove hateful content or fake news. The networks will be given 24 hours to block or delete any inappropriate content. “Freedom of speech ends where criminal law begins,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said, adding that the measure …