It started as a rumour, but it’s now official. There is a programme to transfer migrants stranded in Libya to Rwanda, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday in Geneva. The measure is part of an “emergency transit mechanism”, to evacuate people at risk of harm in detention centres inside the county. Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesman, said the agreement …

Africa’s biggest national carrier, Ethiopia Airlines, has announced its launch of on-board broadband internet service on its A350 fleets. “With the state-of-the-art broadband satellite technology, passengers can now enjoy reliable connectivity while flying over the clouds,” the airline said. It did not specify whether the service will be free or at a cost. The airline currently flies to over 50 …

The British Government has announced that international students will henceforth be able to stay and work in the UK after graduating. This is a huge boost to a policy that had previously restricted the period to four months. There will be no cap on the number of students who can apply, as those with student visa will be able to …

Afrolynk, an organisation that promotes increased African-European business relationship with a focus on technology, will hold its 2019 conference in Berlin, Germany, from 16-20 September. The five-day ‘Africa Tech & Entrepreneurship Week’ will feature workshops, an ecosystem tour and a start-up night.    This year’s conference, with the theme ‘strategic partnerships for sustainable growth’, will focus on how to transform businesses …

Sensational Fuji singer Alhaji Taye Akande, better known as Taye Currency 1, will perform at the Nigerian Independence Day celebrations on 2 October in Berlin, Germany. Taye Currency, an Ibadan, Nigeria-based Fuji artiste, will headline activities at an event marking the 59th National Day of Africa’s most populous country organized by Otun Promotions in the German capital city.  The event …

Nigerian reggae singer Majek Fashek has been hospitalized at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London, United Kingdom. Video clips of him in his hospital bed has gone viral, showing his pathetic situation. Uzoma Omenka, the singer’s manager, told Premium Times, a Nigerian online newspaper, on Monday that the sexagenarian, was flown out of Nigeria when his health condition deteriorated.   Having …

Top Fuji singer Alhaji Abass Akande, popularly known as Obesere, will perform at the Yoruba Cultural Day 2019, holding on 21 September in the German city of Munich. Fuji is a popular Nigerian musical genre. Also billed to perform at the event are Afro Melody and the renowned German ‘Bata’ drummer Anselm Ayantunde (aka Oyibo Alubata). The event, organized by …

Nigerian Singer Yemi Alade has signed a licensing deal with Universal Music Group Africa/France. The Universal Music Group’s West African affiliate is in partnership with Universal Music France (UMF). Alade, one of Africa’s most creatively and commercially successful artists, through her record label signed the deal with Universal Music Africa (UMA) in Paris on Monday. Based on the multi-year agreement, …

Almost all flights by British Airways, totalling hundreds of departures, were cancelled on Monday as pilots launched a 48-hour strike in a dispute over pay. British Airways The airline estimated that the two-day strike will affect 195,000 customers. Most of British Airway’s 850 scheduled flights per day would be cancelled, with passengers being offered a refund or a later flight. …

FOR THE RECORD!   Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi (91), founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party, addressed the Zulu community in Johannesburg on Sunday (8 September 2019) to quell tensions in light of the xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in the country.   The former interior minister addressed a lot of salient issues connected to the anti-foreigner riots, including irregular migration and …

Diplomatic actions taken by the Nigerian government against the incessant xenophobic attacks on her citizens and other foreign nationals living in South Africa may have been futile, as some protesters insisted all foreigners must leave the country. The crowd of protesters, on Sunday, disrupted a speech being delivered in Johannesburg by Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a Zulu chief and former leader of …

It’s a mega show with more than 1,000 people turning up at the prestigious Columbiahalle in Berlin on Saturday (7 September) for the #SIMBAinBERLIN concert. You had to wait for at least an hour before getting into the hall due to the massive turnout and the detailed security checks at the entrance. However, the trouble was worth it as Diamond …

The Miss Nigeria Germany, last held in 2015 when Joy Chinyere Ogugua won the contest, is staging a comeback after so many years.

Diamond Platnumz, who is billed to perform in Berlin on Saturday (7 September), has waded into the debate on the xenophobic attacks against African immigrants in South Africa. Speaking at a press briefing in the German capital city on Friday, the visiting Tanzanian artist expressed his sadness at the developments. “It’s not good for Africa. It’s not good for Africans …

African leaders have been paying tribute to Robert Mugabe, who died in the early hours of Friday. His 37-year-rule in Zimbabwe made him one of the continent’s longest-serving leaders. Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria, on Friday, described the death of Mugabe as a “big loss”. Zimbabwe president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, had announced that Mugabe, 95, died in Singapore. He …

Adams Oshiomhole, the chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has called for the nationalization of South Africa-owned companies operating in Nigeria. Among the South African companies Oshiomhole wants the federal government to immediately nationalise are MTN, a multinational mobile telecommunications company operating in many African, European and Asian countries, Stanbic Bank and the direct broadcast satellite service DStv. …

A two day strike by British Airways pilots looks set to go ahead next week, with airline and union positions as far apart as ever. The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) said it could call off the strike planned for September 9 and 10 if the airline agrees to restart negotiations. BALPA said it has put a new proposal to …

Zimbabwe’s ex-president, Robert Mugabe, has died after battling ill health for years, his family has announced. The former leader, who  is believed to have died in the early hours of Friday,  had been in hospital in Singapore since April. Mugabe governed his country from its independence in 1980 until he was ousted in a military coup in November 2017, ending …

A Nigerian airline has offered to evacuate Nigerians wishing to leave South Africa as the country’s diplomatic missions shut down in Nigeria. Raphael Adenaike reports. Air Peace, Nigeria’s biggest airline by fleet size, has offered to bring Nigerians living in South Africa back home. The airline announced the offer on Wednesday as a fallout of xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals …

Diamond Platnumz has arrived in Berlin to keep date with his fans on Saturday.  East Africa’s king of pop breezed into town from New York City on Wednesday night. Platnumz will perform at the prestigious Columbiahalle in Germany’s biggest city on Saturday, 7 September. The concert, tagged #SIMBAinBERLIN, is taking place exactly a week after Nigeria’s superstar 2Baba Idibia, aka …