News

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 …

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has hailed the team that successfully launched Ghana’s first satellite into space on Friday ( 7 July). “Congratulations to the team from All Nations Uni., Koforidua, for the successful launch of Ghana’s 1st satellite, GhanaSat-1, into orbit,” the elated president twittert. The West African country celebrated the technological feat thanks to the efforts of a …

Germany jumped over Brazil and Argentina to move back to the top of the FIFA rankings released Wednesday (6 July), thanks to the team winning the Confederations Cup last week. The world champions beat Chile 1-0 in the Russian city of St Petersburg, a year to the 2018 World Cup, to ensure a first return to the top of the …

Acting President Yemi Osibanjo’s signing of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Establishment Bill 2017 into law has been praised for giving teeth to the government’s self-professed desire to partner its citizens abroad. The Diaspora Commission Act establishes the commission under the supervisory jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  “It has the responsibility to coordinate and organise Nigerians in and …

German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Bernhard Schlagheck, has revealed that 13,000 Nigerians are currently seeking asylum in Germany. The reasons they gave for their applications, according to the ambassador, range from insecurity arising from Boko Haram insurgency to political persecution in Nigeria. Ambassador Schlagheck however hinted that his country was not convinced that there is political persecution in Nigeria at …

Nigerians from across the globe will converge on their country’s capital Abuja on 25-26 July for this year’s Nigerian Diaspora Day. The annual event brings together Nigerians resident abroad and representatives of the federal government and its agencies to discuss areas of partnership in national development. According to a communiqué issued after a recent meeting of the Diaspora Day 2017 …

BBC World News is focussing on Africa’s hidden history in a special television broadcast, ‘The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi’. The series, made in partnership with UNESCO, tells African history from the beginning of mankind to the modern-era from an African perspective. The first episode of The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi, aired on BBC World News this …

The result of the MoneyGram-sponsored “Afrika! Community Award 2017” is out and four African associations have emerged winners, reports Oliver Behrens. The number of African associations in Germany is on the rise with over 700 African clubs and organizations committed to supporting projects in Africa, supporting sporting ambitions, the preservation of the African culture and integration in Germany. MoneyGram, a …

World leaders on Saturday (1 July) paid final tributes to Helmut Kohl, the former Chancellor who reunited Germany and helped shape Europe as we know it. Kohl, who died on 16 June at 87, was lauded at a ceremony at the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg as a dedicated European pacifist by former US President Bill Clinton, …

Reigning football’s world champions, Germany, beat Chile on Sunday to win the Confederations Cup just two days after claiming the European Under-21 title. Lars Stindl scored the only goal into an empty net in the 20th minute of a pulsating, bad-tempered final in the Russian city of St Petersburg. The dramatic game featured missed chances, defensive howlers, scuffles and two …

Facebook as at Tuesday, 27June 2017 had officially registered two billion monthly users, its founder and chief executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, has confirmed. Zuckerberg broke the news on his Facebook wall stressing that the network was making progress in connecting the world. The company reached the billion mark in October 2012, he further confirmed in response to a comment. Facebook …

Archbishop of Bamako, Jean Zerbo, has been elevated to the position of cardinal by Pope Francis. He becomes the first ever Catholic cardinal from the Muslim-dominated West African country. The 73-year-old, who has been Archbishop since 1998, was at the Vatican on Wednesday (28 June) for the ceremony elevating him. He helped negotiate a peace agreement between the government and …

The president of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has been named the 2017 World Food Prize Laureate. Adesina, whose name was selected on Monday, becomes the 46th recipient and the sixth African to be so honoured. The award was announced in Washington D.C. by the World Food Prize Foundation in recognition of Adesina’s achievements in the agriculture sector …

Daisy Maritim-Maina* explains why there are such bitter contests every election cycle in the East African country and she suggests how to create a sustainable, vibrant democratic culture where the voters look beyond ethnic affinity. In 1992 Kenya held its first multi-party election in 26 years. Since this re-introduction of multipartism, the “politics of tribe” has been blamed for the …

Dr Daniel Yakubu Kutchin, a Germany-based computer specialist, argues that the time has come for Nigeria to prioritise vocational education in the face of acute skills shortage in manufacturing and the trades at a time of high unemployment among young people. ——————————————– By Dr Daniel Yakubu Kutchin The Nigerian Education system still follows somewhat loosely the Commonwealth Education system. It …

Spain is one of the countries in Europe with the lowest rate of acceptance for persons seeking refugee protection while Nigerian nationals have the highest rejection rate of asylum applications made by Africans in Europe, reports show. According to the annual report by Spanish NGO National Commission for Aid to Refugees (CEAR), Spain is among the European countries with the lowest …

The big Brexit talks have kicked off in Brussels, with both sides sitting down for their first official discussions over the UK leaving the EU. At stake is how to untangle over 44 years of a complex relationship that is enshrined in thousands of pages of legal texts. It will need to be resolved in less than two years, with …

Getting an apartment which they desire and can afford could be a big problem for Africans living in Germany because of discrimination. A study has now confirmed that indeed you may not even be called for viewing, the first step in the apartment-seeking process, if your name sounds non-German. People with foreign sounding names are discriminated against when they are …

UN Secretary General António Guterres declares open the first World Solidarity Summit on Refugees on Thursday in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Among the heads of state and about 500 dignitaries attending include Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Guinean President and Chairman of the African Union, Alpha Condé, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Gabonese President Ali Bongo, Zambian President Edgar Lungu and Ethiopian Prime …

Many migrants who arrive in Germany find it difficult to navigate the country’s bureaucracy and start living a normal life. But a new organization is helping migrants find a friend who can help them settle in the country, reports Manasi Gopalakrishnan. Bassel Wali (above right) first heard about ‘Start with a Friend’ from another refugee. The 23-year-old, who withstood the …