EUROPE

Thousands marched in Rome to protest against the government’s proposal to reform citizenship procedures for descendants of immigrants living in Italy. In Italy, thousands of people attended a far-right rally in Rome on Wednesday over a new law that could grant citizenship to children of immigrants. Under the bill called “right of the soil” (lus soli), children under 12 who’ve …

The Catalonian leader Carles Puigdemont and four associates have turned themselves into Belgian police. It follows an international arrest warrant issued by spain for sedition, rebellion, misuse of public funds and breach of trust in relation to Catalonia’s independence campaign. A spokesman for the prosecutor, Gilles Dejemeppe said the five handed themselves in to the authorities at the main police …

The Pan-African Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (PAAMA) UK hosted its first ever Africa Peace Symposium on Saturday 21 October at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in London under the guidance and tutelage of His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Worldwide Spiritual and Administrative Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The event which had Unity in Diversity as its theme and was …

Europe is suffering from “dramatic sterility,” the pope has said, urging Christians to preserve their moral values and “revitalize” a continent that is increasingly being characterised by a plurality of cultures and religions. Pope Francis on Saturday decried low birth rates in Europe and urged more help for young people preparing their future path in society. “A Europe that rediscovers …

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who was fired by the Spanish government over the region’s declaration of independence, has called on the people to non-violently resist Madrid’s takeover bid. In a televised address on Saturday, Puigdemont said Madrid’s decision to suspend the autonomy of the province and appoint Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria as Catalonia’s provisional head goes …

Pro-independence government chief of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, says the region won’t accept Madrid’s moves to impose direct rule. “The institutions and the people of Catalonia cannot accept this attack,” he said in an official statement following Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s announcement that he plans to curb the powers of the Catalonia’s parliament, sack its government and call an election …

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 …

Nigeria’s new ambassador to Germany, Hon. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, discusses taking up the post in Berlin, which has been vacant for three years, and how the growing relationship between the two countries can be strengthened further. Ambassador Tuggar also talks about his aim to encourage more German investment in Africa in the exclusive interview with the German international broadcaster Deutsche …

Cyprus is at the centre of controversy surrounding the issuing of EU passports to wealthy foreigners, reports Emma Beswick According to UK newspaper, The Guardian, Cyprus received over 4 billion euros since 2013 by granting “golden visas” to the super rich, in exchange for cash. Applicants have to invest 2 million euros in property, or 2.5 million euros in companies …

Collins Nweke, Belgian politician of Nigerian origin, writes on the expected changes in bilateral relations between Nigeria and Belgium as the new Nigerian ambassador to Brussels assumes office. Nigeria and Belgium have a 56-year diplomatic relations. When the new Ambassador of Nigeria to Belgium presented her Letters of Credence to His Majesty, Phillipe I, King of the Belgians today, Wednesday …

Hundreds of Muslims gathered just meters away from where the Barcelona terror attack of last Thursday took place to protest against Islamic-inspired violence. Spain was hit by its worst terrorist attack in more than a decade on 17 August, when a van driver rammed into dozens of people enjoying a sunny afternoon on one of Barcelona’s most famous thoroughfares, killing …

Britain is reportedly planning to allow visa-free travel to the country for people from the European Union after Brexit. There has been no official announcement but British media, quoting unnamed government sources, say visitors won’t face any new constraints. However, people who want to work, study or settle in the UK will need to comply with future migration rules once …

An 18-year-old Italian woman who applied for a job at a local shop was reportedly refused the position because she is in a relationship with an African man, according to Italian media. Chiara Del Gaudio applied for the job in Torino, Piedmont region, after seeing an advert posted on the internet and was soon contacted by the shop’s owner, according …

The population of people of African origin in Germany has nearly doubled in only five years, according to new figures published on Tuesday by the Federal Statistics Office. Moreover, the number of people with an immigrant background in the country reached a new high of 18.6 million in 2016, an increase of 8.5 per cent compared to the previous year. …

The Kenyan Diaspora and well-wishers of the East African country will gather in six German cities on Saturday, 5 August for Amani Kenya-Open Air Prayers for Peace and Unity.  According to the organizers, the event, which will hold in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich and Wurzburg, is to show solidarity with their compatriots at home who will go the polls …

Operation Sophia, the European Union migrant-rescue mission in the Mediterranean Sea, has been extended and will now run until 31 December 2018. EU leaders reached the agreement in Brussels on Tuesday (25 July) after Italy withdrew its veto. The extension was expected to be agreed upon last Monday but Italy, discontent with other EU member states’ efforts on the migrant …

The Italy Chapter of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) has elected a new executive council. At the end of a hotly-contested vote in Rome on Saturday (15 July), Dr Akuwudike Lawrence Ibekwe emerged Chairman and Mr Godwin Obaseki, Vice Chairman. Other officials elected at the annual general meeting of NIDO Italy are Mr Fidel O’Neil Wilson (General Secretary), …

Almost one third of the respondents in Bavaria, one of the country’s 16 federal states, say they want independence from Germany, according to a new poll published on Sunday (16 July). Thirty-two per cent of Bavarians agreed with the statement that their “state should be independent from Germany,” a survey conducted by the YouGov market research company for the popular …

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld Belgium’s ban on the Islamic full-face veil, rejecting a legal challenge by two Muslim women wearing the niqab. The court sitting in Strasbourg, France, ruled on Tuesday (11 July) that the 2011 Belgian law banning clothing that partly or totally covers the face was not discriminatory and did not violate the …

A shocking video of a Black woman falling headfirst down a narrow flight of stairs in Amsterdam is making the rounds on social media. A Dutchman had pushed an Airbnb renter, a Germany-based South African student, down a staircase in Amsterdam during an argument over check-out time on Sunday (9 July). Sibahle Nkumbi was travelling with two other women and …