Germany’s chancellor has warned that differing opinions threaten to tear “a rift” in society in a time of political uncertainty. She called for more mutual respect and understanding, promising to seek an end to Germany’s political limbo by forming a new government as quickly as possible. Dr Angela Merkel used her televised New Year’s address on Sunday to call on …

The Federal Government of Nigeria has appointed local airlines to repatriate Nigerians stranded in Libya. Following the global outrage that greeted the CNN footage showing African migrants being auctioned as slaves in Libya last November, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to bring back Nigerians still in the North African country. He thereafter constituted a 17-man fact-finding committee headed by Minister of …

In his first press conference since his election as president, George Weah has promised that he would not tolerate corruption in his government while his focus would be the transformation of the lives of the masses. Addressing journalists, his partisans and supporters at his first victory press conference held at the headquarters of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) on …

Authorities in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea say they foiled an overnight attempt to overthrow the government of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasago – Africa’s longest serving leader. The attempt as reported by the French news portal Jeune Afrique took place overnight from Wednesday December 27 to Thursday December 28. Even though details of the incident are sketchy, there is said to be …

Early on the morning of Boxing Day (26 December), rescue workers spotted more than 130 migrants stranded in the Mediterranean, some 40 kilometres off the coast of Libya. They were sitting in three small dinghies, ill-equipped for the windy winter crossing, when they were finally picked up by Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms. Despite the efforts of African and European …

The Head of UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Farid Zarif, has commended the outgoing President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, for the prevailing peace in the former war-torn country. Zarif said the legacy of Sirleaf was also connected to the legacy of UNMIL, which would wind down in March 2018 after 15 years of operations in the country. He said …

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Friday said a total of 6,672 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya from 6 January to 28 December. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Maihajja, made this known while receiving a fresh batch of 257 Nigerians who arrived Lagos from Libya. Maihajja lauded the International …

George Weah emerged from Liberia’s slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and leveraged his status as a revered figure among the country’s young to be voted president. Weah easily beat Vice President Joseph Boakai in Tuesday’s presidential run-off, the culmination of 12 years spent building political credibility to match his huge popularity. “You know I’ve been in …

In Germany complaints have long been heard from employers about a lack of skilled applicants. Some said jobs could be filled by migrants, while others warned that approach was naive. A new study has the facts, reports Marion MacGregor/InfoMigrants. Large numbers of working migrants in Germany are in skilled jobs, according to a new study. The Cologne Institute for Economic …

David S. Levin, writing from New York, looks at how the Trump administration’s policies have been detrimental to Africa one year into his presidency. In January, I wrote an article about what I thought Donald Trump’s policies toward Africa might look like once he took office. I based my theories, in part, on the frequency that he mentioned Africa – …

China has announced a new visa waiver policy for visitors from 53 countries to Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei for up to six days. The measure, which takes effect from 28 December, applies to visitors from Germany and other members of the European Union’s Schengen area, as well as the US, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina, the official People’s Daily reported …

Italy is to deploy hundreds of soldiers to a desert military base in Niger to confront people-traffickers who are blamed for taking Africans across the Sahara and the Mediterranean. Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has said his country would send a “non-combat” military mission to Niger to help stop people smugglers from taking people to the EU. Special forces will …

As part of the awareness raising campaign for the International Decade for People of African Descent, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights hosted a Regional Meeting for Europe, Central Asia and North America in Geneva, Switzerland, on 23-24 November 2017. [The International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015–2024, was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly …

A great year deserves a brilliant ending! If you want to celebrate New Year's Eve in a cosy atmosphere and want to dance to great African and Caribbean music with great drinks and delicious food........

A British woman has been convicted of smuggling 300 painkiller tablets into Egypt and jailed for three years and fined the equivalent of $5,611. Laura Plummer, 33, was arrested on 9 October at Hurghada International Airport on the Red Sea after police reportedly found 290 tablets of tramadol in her suitcase. Tramadol is a strong painkiller used to treat moderate …

Superstition, defined as “irrational belief usually founded on ignorance or fear and characterized by obsessive reverence for omens, charms, etc”, is a phenomenon that is as old as humanity and it occurs in all cultures. Normal natural phenomena such as thunders and heavy rains used to be interpreted as the result of the actions of gods. With the increasing influence …

Liberians go to the polls Tuesday (26 December) to select either former international footballer George Weah (51) or Vice President Joseph Boakai (72) as their new president, in a vote that analysts say is too close to call. Campaigns over, ballot boxes and other electoral materials deployed across Liberia, the National Elections Commission (NEC) says all is set for today’s …

Nothing in life was given to her. Instead, Nneka Egbuna had to fight for it — a struggle which her gripping songs reflect. The German-Nigerian musician granted the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) a glimpse into how her life and music span continents. “Wake up Africa, wake up and stop blaming / Open your eyes, eyes, stand up and …

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged Germans not to lose hope in these times of uncertainty, as Germany grapples with finding a new government. He insisted people could remain optimistic, reports Sabine Kinkartz | DW It’s been three months since Germany’s parliamentary elections, but the country finds itself in a political quagmire: the previous government remains in charge on an interim …

The first African refugees have arrived in France under a scheme to bring selected vulnerable people directly to Europe. The move comes amid UN, European and African efforts to stop treacherous Mediterranean crossings, and to head off illegal migration. Marion MacGregor/InfoMigrants reports. Nineteen Sudanese refugees arrived in Paris on Monday to be taken to a convent in eastern France. It …