Kenya’s Paul Lonyangata won the Paris Marathon in a quick time of two hours, six minutes, 10 seconds on Sunday and Purity Rionoripo, his wife, won the women’s race in a new record time of 2:20.55. Lonyangata pulled clear when his compatriot Stephen Chebogut, who started with the best personal best of the field, cracked with 5.7km left. The 24-year-old …

The federal government is currently working on closing some of Nigeria’s 119 foreign missions, an official has said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said though it is expensive to close a country’s embassy or consulate, it will be beneficial in the long run. Onyeama said at the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja on Sunday that the …

The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Muhammad Babandede, has announced that the Service now has standard passport booklets in sufficient quantity for issuance, and has therefore directed Passport Control Officers to clear the backlog of all outstanding applications. A statement by NIS Public Relations Officer, Sunday James, says the CG has appealed to the general public to bear with …

Nigeria and the EU are working on an agreement to facilitate the repatriation of Nigerians living illegally in EU countries, reveals Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Sunday in Abuja. The EU for now, he explained, was trying to have a collective agreement with Nigeria covering all the EU countries so that there can just be a one-stop-shop …

 Travel websites that advertise rock bottom deals for flights and hotel bookings are not giving customers ‘accurate’ information. A European Commission report on online travel booking says two-thirds of the websites screened displayed misleading prices. Of the 352 price comparison and travel booking websites checked in October 2016, the Commission found 235 gave prices that were not reliable. The scrutiny …

Ngeria’s superstar Yemi Alade has kicked off the first leg of her ‘Mama Africa’ World Tour in the French capital and it was amazing. The Le Trianon venue was sold out several days before the Friday concert. Alade with her Ova Sabi band and dancers delivered an electrifying 90-minute performance to the pleasure of the Paris audience. The award-winning Afro …

Be prepared for possible delays if you are planning to travel in or out of Europe’s Schengen zone, the EU’s 26-nation free travel area. New legislation has come into effect to tighten border controls across the EU, with a particular emphasis on countries at the Schengen’s external borders. Stricter checks commenced on Friday and the EU says they are needed …

This year’s Africa Day Hamburg will take place on 24-28 May. The event, which celebrates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) 54 years ago, takes place annually in the merchant city. The Day, will among other events, feature an investment forum which brings together German businessmen and women who are interested in doing business in …

The Gambia’s long-time opposition party won an absolute majority in Thursday’s parliamentary elections, easily defeating the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) of ousted leader Yahya Jammeh, according to the results announced today. Official results issued by the Independent Electoral Commission showed the United Democratic Party (UDP) had won 31 of the 53 available elected seats in the country’s …

Voices critical of the activities of non-governmental humanitarian groups rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean are growing louder. Several Italian politicians have pointedly accused these lifesavers of encouraging people smugglers in Libya, who send out migrants in rickety boats in the direction of Europe with the expectation that these persons will be saved at sea. Judith Sunderland, associate Europe and Central Asia …

The wave of deportations of Nigerians from European countries continues unabated as 50 of them were forcibly repatriated on Thursday from Germany,  Switzerland, Sweden, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, Spain and Hungary. The 48 males and two females arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in a chartered aircraft. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the deportees were sent back …

The number of African organisations in Germany is astounding. More than 700 African clubs and associations support projects in Africa or promote sporting activities and African culture in Germany. At the same time they also support integration into German society. However, like all voluntary organisations they depend on donations. MoneyGram, one of the world’s leading providers of innovative money-transfer solutions …

 – MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan authorities on Wednesday (5 April) released 28 Eritreans and seven Nigerians who were captured and enslaved by Islamic State in Sirte and had been held in detention since the jihadist group lost the city in December. The group, all but two of whom are women and children, escaped from Sirte, a former Islamic State …

Germany is working on new rules to ensure that most marriages involving minors are not legally recognised in the country. The draft law aims to protect girls who were married abroad and sought asylum in Germany. It will allow youth welfare workers to take underage brides into care and, if necessary, separate them from their husbands. “Children do not belong …

Benin’s parliament narrowly rejected a draft bill by President Patrice Talon on Tuesday for a referendum to reform the constitution, including a provision to reduce presidential terms from the current two to one. Lawmakers voted on Monday 60 to 22 in favour of the bill, with one abstention, but it needed 63 out of the total of 83 available votes …

On 26 March, Brussels Airlines commenced the summer season with new destinations and higher flight frequencies. Highlights of the schedule are the launch of new routes and the growth of the European network with new African destinations. Abidjan will be served daily during the summer season, instead of 6 times weekly. Accra’s frequency increases from 4 to 5 flights a …

Asylum seekers’ chances of staying in Germany depend not only on threats they may face back home, but also in which German state they filed their applications, a study has shown. Its co-author has criticized this as an “asylum lottery.” Asylum seekers in the German states of Saarland and Bremen are most likely to be granted asylum, according to a …

An Archbishop-elect who sexually assaulted a teenage girl and a woman during private prayer sessions has been jailed by a court in London. Benjamin Egbujor, 55, of Harold Avenue, Belvedere, Kent, has been sentenced at Inner London Crown Court to three years and four months’ imprisonment, after he was found guilty of sexual assault and causing or inciting a child …

Retailers, professionals, musicians and music lovers will converge in the German business city of Frankfurt from 4-8 April. They will attend this year’s Musikmesse (5 to 8 April 2017) and Prolight + Sound (4 to 7 April 2017). Both international trade fairs exhibit product innovations that make the world ring with music – and turn an event into a spectacular …

The UK is the most corrupt country on earth, using Gibraltar, Jersey and other territories to funnel dirty cash. That’s the view of anti-mafia journalist Roberto Saviano who claims the financial services industry in London facilitates worldwide criminal capitalism. ‘‘Transparency groups have shown this with irrefutable data. The UK is already the most, without doubt, the most corrupt country in …