Germany

Research of the MEDIENDIENST has found that 57 members of the newly-elected German Parliament have a migration background. This corresponds to 8 per cent of the members of Parliament – a slightly higher ratio than 2013. They were born or have at least one parent born as a foreigner. However, 22.5 per cent of the German population has a migration …

German movies, cultural and media workshops are part of celebrations marking 60 years of co-operation between Germany and Ghana, reports Isaac Kaledzi  from Accra. For Yibor Kojo Yibor, a Ghanaian cultural analyst, Saturday, 30 September’s event in Accra offered an opportunity for Ghanaians to reflect more on Germany’s culture and way of life. “I think that what is interesting for Ghanaians is …

German voters go to the polls on Sunday, 24 September, to elect the 19th Bundestag. Here are some important facts and figures about the election. Polling Time Polls are open from 8am to 6pm The Electorate About 61.5 million German adults are eligible to vote. According to official numbers there are 400,000 less voters than in 2013. The breakdown of …

With opinion polls suggesting a third of the electorate is still undecided about who to vote for a day before the federal parliamentary election, candidates have been out and about doing some last-minute campaigning. While Angela Merkel is widely predicted to be re-elected chancellor, her conservative CDU party seems to have taken a last-minute dip in support. It has slipped …

The number of voters with a migration background, meaning that they or their parents were not born as German citizens, is growing. The SVR Forschungsbereich, a research group, presented an investigation in November 2016 that shows the parties with the strongest appeal among Germany’s migrants, providing a hint on how they will vote as the nation goes to the polls to …

The Ambassador of Ghana to the Federal Republic of Germany, Her Excellency Mrs Gina Ama Blay, presented her letter of credence to His Excellency Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s President, at Schloss Bellevue on 29 August 2017 in Berlin. To mark the occasion, a reception attended by many dignitaries was held at Maritim Hotel. It was a colourful occasion since most …

Angela Merkel has been judged by viewers to be the more credible candidate following the election debate with her SPD rival, Martin Schulz. DW looks at the candidates’ positions on the key domestic and global issues. Chancellor Angela Merkel made the more convincing case to lead Germany for the next four years in Sunday’s television debate against her election rival, …

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 …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was confronted by whistling and screaming protesters during a campaign speech for the second time in a little more than a week. The defiant chancellor told the anti-refugee hecklers Germany still welcomes asylum-seekers. Merkel, who is seeking a fourth term as the chancellor in the 24 September election, spoke on Saturday to a crowd of 1,500 …

Karamba Diaby, Germany’s first African-born Bundestag member, has filed charges against racist Facebook commentators. The far-right NPD questioned his right to represent German people on its page. Karamba Diaby, German MP for the eastern city of Halle, has filed criminal charges against people who made racist comments on a Facebook post by the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) on Monday. …

The Turkish president has called on Turks living in Germany not to vote for “enemies of Turkey.” Will his call be heeded or ignored? DW’s Christoph Ricking went to the heart of Cologne’s Turkish neighbourhood to find out. Cologne’s Keupstrasse, the main street for Turkish life in the city’s Mülheim district, bustled with Monday morning business activity: trucks made shop …

In an unusual intervention in Germany’s coming general election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday called on Turkish-origin Germans to give a “slap” to both parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition in September polls. Erdogan has caused consternation in Berlin by urging ethnic Turks in Germany to vote neither for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its coalition partner …

Who orders and who carries out deportations? And why do some people who get told to leave get to stay anyway? Jefferson Chase of Deutsche Welle (DW) untangles Germany’s complex and multilayered rules about who can be deported under what circumstances. ———————— Who decides whether someone should be deported? You might think that would be the task of the Federal Ministry of …

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 …

A battery of new technological innovations has been unveiled by Germany’s refugee agency to help it determine more accurately the country of origin of asylum seekers and detect those who make multiple applications using different names. Jefferson Chase reports. No more Franco A.’s – that’s the motto at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge …

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 …