News

A new organisation of Ghanaians living in Europe gathered recently in the western German city of Dortmund to officially launch the body, whose professed aim is to drive the development of their homeland. The General Assembly of the Ghanaians in the Diaspora (Ghaspora), a new organisation bringing together Ghanaians in Europe, has held its first official meeting in Dortmund, Germany. …

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel warns migration crisis ‘could determine the fate of the European Union’ European Union leaders gathered on Thursday to examine new ways to stop migrants entering Europe, desperate to ensure that their differences over managing the flows do not tear the 28-nation bloc apart. The number of people arriving in Europe seeking sanctuary or better lives has …

The level of financial aid EU members provide to asylum-seekers can vary significantly from country to country. Germany, for instance, grants monthly allowances of up to €354. Diana Hodali and Astrid Prange of DW examine asylum benefits across the bloc. European Union asylum law stipulates that member states must ensure everyone in need is guaranteed a fair asylum application process. …

Nigeria is far from ready to hold a credible ballot in 2019, argues Olayinka Ajala, Associate Lecturer and Conflict Analyst at the University of York, UK. The 2019 presidential election in Nigeria will be the country’s sixth since 1999, when it shifted to democracy after a long period of military rule. Most of these elections have been tarnished by acts …

A poll by Oxfam Intermon said over 60 percent of Spaniards interviewed were in favour of migration while 20 percent thought they were being ”invaded” by migrants. Paola Del Vecchio reports. A survey released by Oxfam Intermon to mark World Refugee Day on Wednesday said 65 percent of Spaniards interviewed wanted to welcome refugees and migrants and 21 percent of …

EU leaders are set to endorse plans to create a so-called “disembarkation scheme” under which migrants rescued at sea would be taken to sites in North Africa where their requests for asylum would be processed. The EU is considering the creation of “disembarkation platforms” in North Africa to decide asylum applications before migrants set out for Europe, according to a draft statement …

Obviously to change the observed apathy of devout Christians to politics in Nigeria, one of the country’s leading churches has now started a campaign encouraging its members to register to vote at next year’s general election. The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has flagged off a political awareness campaign tagged ‘Let my people vote’, signalling what  many describe as …

Calling for a new approach to tackle the issue, UNHCR says 53 percent of the 68.6 million people displaced are children. Nearly 69 million people who have fled war, violence and persecution were forcibly displaced last year, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). In its annual report released on Tuesday, UNHCR said continued crises in places like South Sudan …

After more than a week at sea, hundreds of migrants turned away by Italy danced and sang as their ships arrived in the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday. The migrant rescue boat Aquarius arrived in Spain Sunday with 106 migrants on board. Spain swooped to offer safe harbour to a convoy of boats, carrying a total of 629 rescued …

After serving just 18 months as head of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Jutta Cordt was fired on Friday by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, after an internal review discovered that the agency’s branch in the city of Bremen had violated legal and internal regulations for the approval of asylum applications. In April, it was revealed that a …

Ignorance of a landmark European Union law that scraps mobile phone roaming charges is on the increase, according to a new study. It’s a year since Brussels abolished the fees in a move that was hailed as a “real European success story”. It means travellers within the EU can call, text and browse the web on mobile devices at the …

Nigerian asylum seekers in Germany seem to find it easier than other African refugees to integrate into the labour market, a survey found. Sonia Piotie Yakap of Deutsche Welle (DW) reports. The latest monthly report on the integration of migrants in the German labour market, issued by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), which is affiliated to the German Employment …

The Austrian government is closing down seven mosques because they allegedly “lack a positive mindset” towards Austria. Citing a 2015 law that prevents religious communities from receiving funding from abroad, the government also plans to expel 40 imams employed by ATIB, a group that oversees Turkish mosques in Austria. “Even if there were mistakes, even if these mosque communities have …

The African Union (AU) passport is expected to be fully rolled out by 2020, the AU Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, Energy, ICT and Tourism, Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, has disclosed. The passport, a common travel document set to replace existing national passports, is expected to grant citizens of member states of the AU visa exemption to all the 54 states …

Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder has unveiled new measures to speed up the asylum process and deport rejected applicants. He believes the rest of Germany should follow his lead. With Bavaria’s elections only a few months away, State Premier Markus Söder of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), is advocating a tougher stance on asylum-seekers. The CSU, which has traditionally dominated …

In a surprise move, Ethiopia announced Tuesday that it would fully accept the 12 December 2000 Algiers Agreement between the governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia, which established a special boundary commission. The Algiers Agreement stipulated that the two states, fresh out of a two-year costly war, would accept a decision by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) as “final and binding.” …

“Germany said it has about 25,000 to 30,000 Nigerians seeking asylum and they can’t guarantee they will get it. So, there is every possibility that they will be returned to Nigeria,” Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said. She spoke at a program; “Developing a mixed migration strategy for …

Unemployment in the Euro area is at its lowest level since 2008 according to Eurostat. The rate fell to 8.5% in April from an upwardly revised 8.6% in March. Greece, Spain and Italy recorded the highest rates of unemployment while the Czech Republic, Malta and Germany recorded the lowest. The eurozone consists of 19 members who are EU members and use the euro. …

The minimum age for a Nigerian to run for political office has been reduced to twenty-five years from the previous thirty years cap. This follows the signing into law of the #NotTooYoungToRun bill. President Muhammadu Buhari signed the law at the presidential villa in Abuja Thursday flanked by a number of young advocates who vigorously campaigned for the bill. Of …

Denmark has joined several other European countries in banning the full-face veil worn by some Muslim women in public spaces. In a 75 to 30 vote on Thursday, Danish legislators passed the law presented by Denmark’s centre-right governing coalition. The law was also backed by the Social Democrats and the far-right Danish People’s Party.  “Anyone who wears a garment that …