LIVING IN GERMANY

The Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, approved the new “Repatriation Improvement Act” (Rückführungsverbesserungsgesetz) on 18 January. The law provides for a significant tightening of deportation rules. Among other things, the maximum period of pre-deportation custody is to be extended from 10 to 28 days. The number of cases in which public prosecutors are to be involved in deportations from …

An umbrella organisation of Black organisations in Germany, tubman.network, has successful completed the implementation of its ‘Professionalisation-Strategy’ project, aimed at bolstering support for Black communities in Berlin’s district of Mitte. Supported by the District Office Berlin-Mitte, the project addressed crucial challenges such as housing, psychosocial support, employment, access to education, emergency relief, access to health-services with a focus on providing …

Wolfgang Schäuble, one of the most influential figures in German and European politics, has died at the age of 81. A member of the conservative CDU party, he sat in Germany’s federal parliament (Bundestag) for 51 years. The one-time finance minister played a key role in negotiating German reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and is …

The new year brings important changes for people living in Germany. For example, anyone who is dependent on social assistance or citizen’s allowance will receive more money from January. Other changes include an increase in the basic and child allowance, a higher minimum wage, more money for school supplies and the pink paper prescription from the doctor becomes a digital …

Ghana has opened a new dedicated facility in Berlin for the delivery of improved consular services to its citizens and non-citizens planning to visit the West African country in Germany. The Premium Application Centre (PAC) for Visas and Passports should help in providing better services to Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians in Germany and aims to enhance the existing consular services offered …

The bitter cold did not discourage the more than 100 guests from all parts of Germany from converging on Saturday 2 December in the prestigious Robert-Havemann-Hall in Rathaus Mitte in Berlin. They have come to honour The African Network of Germany e.V. (TANG), which celebrated its 10th anniversary with fanfare. TANG is the umbrella group for more than 900 African …

As with every new month, December 2023 brings a number of changes for people living in Germany. Two groups of people can be particularly pleased, as they will receive more money in the new month. Deutsche Post has published tips on when Christmas presents should be sent and the Deutsche Bahn has also published its Winter Timetable. You can find …

We are used to African festivals being events connected with singing, music and dancing as well as other related cultural activities. A new form of festival will hold on 24 November in Berlin. It’s a festival devoted to our well-being in a holistic sense of it, as the organiser, Lola Bassey of the Aktive Afrikanische Eltern Initiative e.V. (Active African …

All roads lead to Berlin on Saturday 2 December when the biggest umbrella body of African associations in Germany celebrates its 10th anniversary. “This event is a special opportunity for The African Network of Germany (TANG), comprising more than 900 non-profit groups and individuals, to celebrate its successes and share its vision for the future,” the organisation said. The day …

Black, Asian and Muslim people reveal the extent of discrimination they experience in Germany on a daily basis in a new national discrimination monitor. Marcel Fürstenau/DW reports Disparaging looks or insults are daily occurrences in Germany for people with dark skin, Muslim women who wear a headscarf and people who speak German badly or not at all. Discrimination in Germany …

November 2023 brings some important changes not only for people living in Germany but also those aspiring to come and work in the country. Among other things, it will now be much easier for skilled workers to immigrate to Germany. Is your car insurance renewing on 1 January 2024? We have news for you! Also, we inform about this year’s …

Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to deport more rejected asylum-seekers. He made his intention public in an interview with the current issue of the weekly magazine SPIEGEL as his government has come under mounting pressure to tackle irregular migration. In the interview with the weekly, the chancellor calls for tougher action against irregular migration. “We must finally deport on a grand …

The African community will gather in Hamburg on 4 November to honour youths of African descent who have excelled in their educational and training pursuits in the past year. The event, the 11th African Youth Education Awards (AYEA), will be graced by diplomats, German politicians, Hamburg officials and other guests. Initiated thirteen years ago to act against the observed low …

A rejected Nigerian asylum-seeker about to be deported has died after jumping out of the window in Hainichen, near Chemnitz, in the eastern German state of Saxony, several newspapers have reported. The 33-year-old man was to be deported to the Netherlands, where he ostensibly first lodged his asylum application in the EU. The police wanted to pick him up on …

Samuel Kofi Yeboah died in an arson attack on a hostel for asylum-seekers in September 1991. Thirty-two years after the tragic event in Saarlouis, a 50-year-old German national, identified as Peter S., was convicted on Monday for setting the house on fire and was thus responsible for the death of the Ghanaian man. The culprit, a former neo-Nazi thug who …

Elizabeth Horlemann lost her husband in 2021, in extremely painful and degrading situations. The tragic event motivated her to write a book about her experiences during a most traumatic period. Here’s a review of Not Now Please: Living with Racism, Ableism, and Grief , a transformative memoir that challenges the status quo in Germany——Elizabeth Horlemann’s latest work, Not Now Please: …

Like almost every month, October 2023 brings some important changes for people living in Germany. Among other things, state elections will be held in Bavaria and Hesse, Deutsche Bahn to introduce new rules for selling discounted tickets and there are deadlines to submit final accounting report of the Corona Aid and to apply for heating cost subsidy. More on these …

The biggest umbrella body of African associations in Germany is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The African Network of Germany (TANG), comprising more than 900 non-profit groups and individuals, is not rolling out the drums only for its accomplishments to mark the event. It also wants to use the milestone to recognise people who are doing great things for the benefit …

The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Nigeria in October to further strengthen economic ties between both nations, Nigerian presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, has announced. Ngelale explained that the visit was agreed on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in New Delhi, India, where President Bola Tinubu and the German leader met. “Thank you for this important discussion, Mr. President. …

The urban landscape in Germany is changing as the number of people with foreign origin increases. A new report published by the Statistics Office North shows that the proportion of Hamburg residents with an immigrant background rose to 39.3 percent as of 31 December 2022. Compared to the previous year, the share of migrants increased by almost two percentage points. …