WORLD

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 …

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 …

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 …

The United Nations has praised Germany as a “humanitarian frontrunner” in the resettling of refugees, but German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warns that the country can’t face the challenges alone. The United Nations’ refugee agency on Tuesday honoured Germany for being a “humanitarian frontrunner” in helping to tackle the world’s refugee crisis as it marked World Refugee Day. The day …

Conflict or persecution forced a record 65.6 million people worldwide to flee their homes by the end of 2016. That equates to one person displaced every three seconds.  The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) released the figure on Monday (June 19), the eve of World Refugee Day. Syria and Afghanistan remain the biggest sources of refugees, with 5.5 million and 2.5 …

Eritrea has declared its support for Saudi Arabia and its allies in the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis that started last week after Gulf nations cut ties with Qatar for allegedly supporting extremist groups. The Eritrean government said in a statement that its decision is in the right direction to realise regional peace and stability. “The decision by Gulf nations is …

Germany seeks a partnership for a common future with Africa, Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the opening of the G20 Africa Conference in Berlin. She encouraged the participants to an open, purposeful discussion: “Talk openly, we have to learn from each other and we have to achieve results.” “I hope that this conference will help us take responsibility together,” Chancellor …

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will visit Germany on 11-13 June. During his stay in the country, he will attend the G20 Conference on Africa in Berlin on 12-13 June. The conference will propose the ‘G20 African Partnership Initiative’ to spur private investment in infrastructure and employment in the continent. [The G20 is comprised of 19 countries plus the EU. …

More than 20 million people are currently threatened with starvation in Africa. The United Nations is warning of the biggest humanitarian disaster since its inception. Activists hit the streets across Germany on Friday to draw attention to the suffering of the affected. More than 23 million men, women and especially children are acutely threatened by starvation in Africa. The UN …

Former US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke in front of tens of thousands of people before the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Thursday to discuss God, faith and the state of the world at the first day of Germany’s Protestant Church Assembly, Kirchentag. Former US President Barack Obama told an audience in Berlin on Thursday that …

Members of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) gather in the western German city of Dortmund on 26-27 May to deliberate on how to contribute to solving the socio-economic problems bedevilling their home country. The NIDOE Project Summit 2017 will discuss the role of the Diaspora in the development of Africa. The focus is, of course, Nigeria, with participants …

“We need a day to discuss the problems that we don’t usually talk about,” said Dr RosaLyn Dressman, the chairperson of AfricanTide Union, a non-governmental organisation based in the western German city of Dortmund. These are the issues that will be discussed during the activities marking this year’s Africa Day in Dortmund on 25-27 May. Dr RosaLyn Dressman, a sociologist …

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that non-EU citizens may, as the parent of a minor child who is an EU citizen, have the right to residence in the European Union. Non-EU nationals could have the right to residence if their children are citizens of the EU, the European Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday (10 May) in …

More than 200 migrants are feared to have drowned in the Mediterranean over the weekend trying to reach European shores, according to testimony from survivors. The UN refugee agency UNHCR says it recorded more than 6,000 people crossing the Mediterranean to reach Italy from Friday to Sunday. But the perilous journey in rickety, overcrowded boats means many of those risking …

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU has won a decisive victory over its Social Democrat rivals in an election in Germany’s northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday. The CDU won with 33 per cent of the vote compared to the SPD’s 26 per cent, down from 30 per cent. The result is a boost for Merkel, who is seeking a fourth …

The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has asked the descendants of the victims of the OvaHerero and Nama genocide in Namibia during the German colonial rule of the country for forgiveness. “As the successor organisation of the former Prussian Evangelical High Church Council (Oberkirchenrat), we expressly confess our guilt today towards the entire Namibian people and before God,” says the …

Ethiopian journalist and blogger, Eskinder Nega, has been named the winner of a top press freedom award despite being in jail since 2011. The International Press Institute (IPI) on Tuesday (25 April) named him as the winner of the ‘World Press Freedom Hero for this year. Nega was imprisoned reportedly after criticizing his country’s abuse of anti-terror laws to silence …

A coalition of groups has written a letter to Ghana’s  President Nana Akufo-Addo on the need to act without delay on illegal mining in the country. The groups are concerned about ecocide and the damaging effect of illegal mining on human lives, animals and the environment in Ghana. A delegation representing the Ghanaians presented the letter to the acting Ghanaian …

More than 8,000 migrants trying to reach Europe were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea during the Easter weekend. The Associated Press news agency said that 8,300 people were saved, including 1,300 in 13 search-and-rescue missions by the EU’s border agency Frontex. CNN, citing the Italian coastguards, said that 8,500 people were saved. Seven people were confirmed dead on Sunday after …

Former US President Barack Obama has been named the winner of the prestigious German Media Prize 2016. The 55-year-old statesman will receive the award personally in Baden-Baden. Barack Obama is the recipient of the German Media Prize for 2016. This was announced yesterday by the German market research group Media Control, which manages the award. The former US president has accepted to …