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Here’s a statement issued by international personalities, from Adam Clayton to Bishop Desmond Tutu, from Wole Soyinka to Mary Robinson, calling for free and fair elections and a stop to the intimidation of Bobi Wine and other opposition leaders as Uganda goes to the polls: —– Please Help Bobi Wine and the People of Uganda Urge the International Community to …

The annual Henley Passport Index has just been released. It ranks passports according to the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free. The latest ranking named Japan as the country with the most powerful passport in the world followed by Singapore while Germany and South Korea tie for third place Holders of the Japanese passport can travel visa-free …

A survey conducted by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), has shown that a predominant majority (79% average) of respondents in Africa would take a COVID-19 vaccine if it were deemed safe and effective. Conducted between August and December 2020, the survey interviewed more …

Due to drastically increasing numbers of infections, London has declared a “state of emergency” or “major incident”. The mayor of the British capital, Sadiq Khan, wrote in a press release that the threat from the virus had reached a critical point. “One in 30 London residents currently has Covid-19. If we don’t respond immediately, our health service is at risk …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament, representing Germany on the platform of the Green Party, writes on her efforts to make Europe leave up to its self-professed commitment to upholding the memory of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and work for the mitigation of its present-day negative legacies, such as racism and discrimination —– In June 2020, the European …

The United Kingdom on Thursday announced a ban on travellers entering England from southern African countries in a measure to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa. The UK said it was responding to “new evidence showing an urgent need to halt travel from all southern African countries to help prevent the spread of a …

After the disruption of its joint session on Wednesday, the United States Congress has reconvened and affirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over President Donald Trump at the November 2020 elections. The counting of Vermont’s three electoral votes during the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes, at 8pm ET, put Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris over the 270-threshold …

Against the background of the mayhem caused by supporters of President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday, former President Goodluck Jonathan has issued a press statement addressed to American leaders. The US capital was engulfed in chaos as Trump supporters breached the hallowed chambers of Congress to stop the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that will confirm President-elect Joe …

The last may not have been heard about Ghana’s last general elections. The candidate of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has gone to court to challenge the victory of President Nana Akufo-Addo in the hotly contested polls, held on 7 December. According to the result announced by the country’s election commission, Akufo-Addo of the governing New …

After months of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) went into operation on 1 January. “Truly today is a historic day, a day in which we start officially trading under the preferences of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Today is a day we take Africa a step closer to a vision of …

President-Elect of the United States, Joe Biden, has named Osaremen Okolo, a Nigerian-American, as his COVID-19 policy advisor. Okolo was among 100 names announced as additional members of the White House staff by the Biden transition team on Wednesday. According to Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the COVID-19 Response Team will “work to quickly implement a comprehensive, whole-of-government COVID-19 …

Rita Ekua Yamoah reports on a recent program, organised by the Frankfurt-based non-governmental organisation Maisha e.V. for the empowerment of girls and women in Ghana against irregular migration, which took place in Accra. — Germany-based Maisha – African Women in Germany e.V. has again held a 5-day program to empower women who went through difficulties as a result of irregular …

What you need to know about visiting the UK from 1 January 2021

Nigeria’s federal government has imposed fresh travel requirements on passengers travelling into the country from the United Kingdom and South Africa as from Monday. The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Sani Aliyu, disclosed this at its briefing in Abuja on Thursday, said penalties, including passport or visa suspension for at least six months, would be imposed …

Since several agencies of government have made registration for the National Identification Number (NIN) mandatory, the issue has become a source of concern to Nigerians including those in the diaspora. Last week, the Nigerian Communication Commission ordered telecommunications companies to suspend mobile phone SIM cards that are not linked to NIN. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairman of the Nigerians In Diaspora …

Nigeria’s federal government has imposed new nationwide restrictions amid rising cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in various parts of the country. Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, announced this on Monday at the briefing of the task force in Abuja, the nation’s capital. He explained that the directives were advisories issued to state …

COVID-19 cases in the African region have risen steadily over the past two months, underscoring the need for reinforced public health measures to avert a surge in infections, particularly as people gather or travel for end-of-year celebrations. Since mid-October, an average of 46,000 cases per week have been recorded in the 47 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African …

Following a directive to suspend the registration of new SIM cards nationwide, Nigerians with existing SIM cards have been directed to update their SIM registration details with their National Identification Number (NIN), sparking angry reactions. Our correspondent Abeeb Alawiye reports from Abuja —- Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said in a statement on Tuesday that the country’s Minister of Communications and …

Osasere ‘Joy’ Igbineweka, popularly known as Mama Prosper, was laid to rest in a solemn ceremony in Frankfurt on Friday 11 December. She had died in the morning of 26 November in the German city. Despite the unfavourable weather condition and the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, friends and family members turned out in a large number to pay their last respects …

Despite allegations of malpractices by the opposition, our contributing editor, Kester Kenn Klomegah, explains why Ghana’s latest elections are a good sign for the country   Ghana has admirably shown its democratic credentials by holding another peaceful elections, both presidential and parliamentary, early December. In a tightly contested presidential election, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, an experienced politician and highly successful …