News

Nigerian Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji has been elected president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for a three-year term. He takes over from Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi whose term has ended. Judge Robert Fremr from the Czech Republic was elected First Vice-President with Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut of France as Second Vice-President. ICC in a statement said judges elected …

A memorial church service for Kenneth Chukwudi Alaekwe, who passed away recently, will hold on Saturday 17 March in Berlin Schöneberg. The president of the German chapter of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) died on17 February at the age of 55 in a Berlin hospital after a brief but serious illness. Kenneth is survived by his wife Ulla and …

Libya’s coast guard and an international charity ship have picked up hundreds of migrants who were travelling towards Italy off the Libyan coast on Saturday, according to press reports. Libya coast guard vessels intercepted two migrant boats, one of which was an inflatable dinghy that had broken down and was carrying 125 people, Reuters reported, citing coast guard spokesman Ayoub …

Sierra Leone’s elections body, the National Electoral Commission (NEC), on Sunday released provisional official results in respect to the presidential polls of 7 March 2018. Julius Maada Bio, the candidate of the main opposition SLPP, is leading the election with the majority of the official results released followed closely by the ruling APC candidate, Samura Kamara. With 75% of official …

Italian national footballer Mario Balotelli has harshly criticised the country’s first Black senator, Toni Chike Iwobi, who was elected on Sunday on the platform of the anti-immigration League (formerly known as Northern League) party. “Maybe I’m blind or perhaps they have not told him yet that he is Black. But shame!!!” the footballer posted on his Instagram page, which has …

The UK is to pay for a new wing in a Lagos prison to help expedite the transfer of Nigerian offenders from British jails. Up to £700,000 will be spent on a 112-bed annex in Kiri Kiri prison in the country’s largest city. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said it would enable eligible Nigerian inmates serving time in the UK to …

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an agency of the UN, has opened a centre in Benin City to provide information on how to migrate legally and rehabilitate returnees from Libya or Europe. Speaking at the opening of the Migration Resource Centre (MRC) on Monday, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said Nigeria was finding it tough to …

The German capital city saw a drastic increase in far-right crime last year with more than 1,942 incidents reported, the highest in ten years. Incidents of incitement, damage to property and public calls to criminal action accounted for most of the crime. The number of politically-motivated crimes in Berlin, however, declined by ten per cent compared to 2016. A total …

Israel’s deportation of Eritrean and Sudanese citizens to third countries “violates human rights and international law on refugees,” according to UN experts, who are calling on the Israeli government to review its policy. A group of UN human rights experts has said that the new Israeli policies for deporting Eritrean and Sudanese citizens present in its territory “violates human rights …

Sixteen candidates are campaigning to become Sierra Leone’s next president. It’s the first time more than two candidates have real chances of winning and a chance for a more diversified parliament. Sierra Leone heads to the polls on Wednesday March 7 as the second of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s constitutionally mandated two terms comes to an end. The ruling All …

Timothy Weah, son of the legendary African footballer and now Liberian president, George Weah, has made his senior debut with Paris Saint-Germain, nearly 23 years since his father’s last game with the French club. The 18-year-old striker on Saturday helped PSG win two goals to nil against Troyes, a win that restored the club’s 14 point advantage at the top …

Asylum seekers and activists tell Al Jazeera how government-linked translators have infiltrated the immigration system in Europe. Elaine Allaby reports. Rome, Italy – It was a warm Mediterranean day in October 2013 when Meron Estefanos got the news. A boat had sunk off the Italian island of Lampedusa and several hundred refugees had drowned. In the end, the death toll …

A Gambian activist, Jaha Mapenzi Dukureh, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in the area of helping combat Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a Norwegian portal has reported. Jaha Dukureh is the founder and executive director of Safe Hands for Girls. She is also a regional goodwill ambassador for the United Nations women bloc. Jaha Dukureh …

Real estate agencies are refusing to rent properties to refugees and migrants in Basque Country, northern Spain, the SOS Racismo association has said in a report. It added that there had been at least about 30 cases of discrimination in Victoria. In Bilbao, a group of Moroccan women has taken part in a protest against “humiliation and for the right …

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Worldwide, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, will host the Holy Ghost Festival of Life in Berlin in April. The indoor, interdenominational festival of Christian music, dance, drama, prayer, prophecy and sermons, will take place on 27 April in the German capital city. Festival of Life (FOL), established in London in …

A campaign to raise awareness among the youth regarding the realities of irregular migration has been conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Ghana. Communities in the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana participated in an outreach and sensitisation campaign organized by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS). From 5 to 10 February, the …

Thousands of people protested against Israel’s plans to deport African migrants at a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday. At the same time there was a smaller protest, numbering in the dozens, who rallied for the deportation of the migrants. Israel began in early February to hand out notices to 20,000 male African migrants giving them two months to leave …

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan begins a five-day official visit to four African countries on Monday, 26 February. According to a statement released by the president’s office, Erdogan will hold talks with his counterparts in Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal and Mali in one-on-one and inter-delegation meetings. The leaders are expected to discuss regional and global developments, bilateral relations and cooperation. Business …

Banned former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has put his support behind Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup finals, saying the North African country would be the logical choice. Morocco is bidding for the fifth time to host the World Cup finals, having also tried for the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 tournaments. The only other bid is a …

President Muhammadu Buhari has described the abduction of some students from the Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State as a national disaster. The President, however, gave the assurance that no effort would be spared by the Federal Government to rescue the girls and bring succour to their families. He gave the assurance in a statement issued on Friday …