News

The German government has admitted that it does not always know the whereabouts of rejected asylum seekers, but argues that the number doesn’t tell the whole truth. The government’s asylum agency faces a file backlog. Ben Knight reports. Around 30,000 rejected asylum seekers have simply disappeared from Germany’s records, a German newspaper has claimed, though the government and refugee organizations …

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 …

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared winner of last week’s rerun presidential election which was boycotted by main opposition leader Raila Odinga. Kenyatta garnered 7,483,895 votes representing 98.26%, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati announced on Monday. National Super Alliance (NASA) candidate, Odinga, garnered only 0.96% of the vote despite his boycott. Total valid votes were …

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 …

Anthony Joshua stopped a resilient Carlos Takam in the 10th round to successfully defend his IBF and WBA heavyweight world titles in Cardiff on Saturday. Takam is Joshua’s 20th consecutive knockout victim in a fourth defence of his IBF belt and first of his WBA title. Joshua, a British-Nigerian, had injured his nose from a headbutt from the Cameroon-born boxer …

A new UN report has said that four in 10 people on earth will be African by 2100. This demographic change requires investment in health and education in order to avoid potentially staggering humanitarian crises. Elizabeth Schumacher of Deutsche Welle (DW) reports. The population of Africa is set to soar, according to a study released by the United Nations Children’s …

Kenya’s electoral commission has announced an estimated 48 per cent voter turnout after the country’s presidential election rerun on Thursday, which was marred by opposition boycott, protests and deadly clashes. The Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said 35,564 polling stations opened for the election out of the 40,883 in the 47 counties nationwide. Voting in four counties, which are opposition …

By removing visa requirements for Singaporeans, Paraguay helped Singapore edge out Germany for the top spot in the Passport Index published by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital. Singapore was previously tied with Germany for the number-one spot. Paraguay recently removed its visa requirements for Singaporeans, giving citizens easy access to 159 countries, compared to 158 for German passport-holders. Historically, …

The United States says it is concerned about the increasingly deteriorating political situation in Togo. The use of excessive force by security forces on protesters was of particular concern to the American government. A statement issued by a US Department of State spokesperson, Heather Nauert, said violence and restrictions on rights of people troubling to the US. “We are particularly …

There is currently a humanitarian crisis in Libya where between 800,000 and 1 million migrants are trapped. Most of them are waiting to embark on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe. With new measures adopted by the Libyan government and other similar developments, the chances of the overwhelming majority of the migrants reaching Europe are almost foreclosed. Most …

Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, has called for more time for Nigerians in Diaspora to obtain their Bank Verification Number (BVN). Dabiri-Erewa also urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to put modalities and logistics in place to make it easier for Nigerians …

Requests for asylum in Switzerland dropped by a third in September, bringing the total for the first nine months of 2017 to just under 14,000, the lowest since 2010, government data showed. A drop since mid-July in the number of would-be refugees trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean played a role, the State Secretariat for Migration has said, adding …

Real Madrid’s Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned the best soccer player in the world for the second year running at FIFA’s The Best awards gala on Monday. The  four-time Ballon d‘Or winner won a La Liga and Champions League double with the Madrid club this year. He stroke twice against Juventus in the European Cup final to help Real …

While praising Germany’s openness toward refugees, the UN refugee agency UNHCR has called on newly elected German lawmakers to further improve the situation and prospects for refugees, reports Ashutosh Pandey. The German office of the UN refugee agency UNHCR has urged the newly elected members of the Bundestag, which will hold its first session on Tuesday, to provide the right …

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé should resign immediately and the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) should persuade him to step down, Gambia’s Foreign Minister Ousainou Darboe has said. Darboe’s comments, during an interview with the news agency Reuters, are an early sign that opinion is shifting against Gnassingbé who took power in 2005 following …

Presidential candidate in Liberia and football legend, George Weah, on Sunday, 22 October attended a Church service in Lagos, Nigeria, to seek divine intervention for his nation. The famous Liberian was part of a multi-cultural congregation at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) led by Prophet Temitope B. Joshua. During his sermon which was broadcast live on popular Christian …

The repeat of the presidential election ordered by Kenya’s Supreme Court will take place this week on Thursday. The country is understandably in suspense as the main opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, has withdrawn from the race while two key officials of the election commission have expressed doubts about the prospects for a credible poll. On Sunday, Kenyans both at home …

This is the moving story of Mohamed, a Cameroonian, about his 3-year journey through North Africa in his attempt to reach Europe. It’s a story of ordeal and suffering and encounters with death, which made the young man to finally decide to return home. “I left Cameroon back in 2013 to find work elsewhere. I spent a year and a …

The World Health Organization has cancelled the appointment of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador after global condemnation. Director General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement issued Sunday said , after carefully listenening to concerns expressed by many and consultation with the Government of Zimbabwe, it is in the best interest of the global health …