German airline Lufthansa may soon introduce rapid tests before certain flights to detect Covid-19 in passengers.  The tests are being developed by the Basel-based pharmaceutical company Roche, according to reports in the NZZ am Sonntag and SonntagsZeitung. It is unclear on which flights the tests, which could cost around €10 per passenger, will be trialled, the papers said. Lufthansa said …

A new magazine, published bimonthly and bilingual in English and German to serve self-employed Africans in Germany, was launched at a colourful ceremony on Saturday in the western German city of Dortmund. The African Merchant (TAM) would support African entrepreneurship by focusing on opportunities and challenges of self-employment in Germany, Dr Rosalyn Dressman, publisher of the new magazine, said at …

The Public University Bill has been the cause for heated debate in Ghana, especially in academic circles. Germany-based journalist and scholar Tina Adomako explains how the new bill could herald the end of freedom of speech and research in government-owned institutions of higher learning in the country. While the global coronavirus pandemic has challenged educational institutions and universities around the …

As Nigeria celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence from British colonial rule, a group representing the Yoruba people of Africa’s most populous country rallied in major cities across the world on Thursday to express their desire for national self-determination.

“Illicit financial flows rob Africa and its people of their prospects, undermining transparency and accountability and eroding trust in African institutions”

Didier Drogba – one of the greatest players ever to come out of Africa – received the 2020 UEFA President’s Award from UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin at the UEFA Champions League draw ceremony in Geneva on Thursday (1 October).  The 42-year-old former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker, described by Čeferin as “a leader and pioneer”, follows famous names such as …

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta is currently on a visit to Paris to sign major agreements with French companies on water, infrastructure and energy and attend events to further Franco-Kenyan economic and political ties.. President Uhuru Kenyatta kicked off his 5-day official visit to France on Wednesday evening at Elysee Palace where he was received by his host, French President Emmanuel …

Nigeria has agreed to lift the ban placed on Emirates Airlines, which prevented it from operating in and out of the country. According to a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu on Wednesday, the development was based on an undertaking by the authorities of the United Arabs Emirates (UAE). The statement quoted the Minister …

As Nigeria commemorates the 60th independence anniversary, a call has been made to the country’s citizens in the diaspora not to despair. In a message addressed to Nigerians in Germany, Dr RosaLyn Dressman, President of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany (NIDOG), noted that the challenges facing their homeland had been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. She however said that …

Some new laws and regulations enter into effect in October. As the number of coronavirus infections is significantly rising again, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of the Länder (federal states) have agreed on new measures to contain the pandemic while subsidy for dental prostheses will be increased. Moreover, the second instalment of the child bonus will be paid in …

The African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Court) ruled on Friday to reject the exclusion of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo from the country’s upcoming presidential elections of 31 October — ordering the Ivorian state to “take all necessary measures to immediately remove all obstacles” hindering his participation in the race. The Ivorian Constitutional Council found the absence …

More than one third (34.4 percent) of the employed among non-EU foreigners living in Germany were in so-called atypical employment in 2019, the Federal Statistical Office has reported. This means that they either worked on fixed-term contracts, less than 20 hours per week, are marginally employed or in temporary work. By contrast, only 17.9 percent of the core labour force …

Swiss voters have overwhelmingly decided to retain the country’s free movement agreement with the European Union, which allows citizens of Switzerland and the EU the mutual freedom to enter, to live and to work in each other’s territories. A proposal to scrap the immigration accord with the EU, in effect since 2002, was one of five issues on the referendum …

“We can’t wait to hit the ground running with you, Yemi. We look forward to hearing and sharing the issues that you are passionate about -- including women’s empowerment and tackling inequality”

A South African music track by DJ Master KG with vocals by Nomcebo Zikode is creating excitement across the world in the midst of the gloom caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, it's the most danced to song in the world right now.

A new interim president has been inaugurated in Mali, an important step in resolving the political crisis in the West African country. Bah N’daw and Colonel Assimi Goita were sworn in on Friday (25 September) as President and Vice President of Mali’s Transition Government respectively at a ceremony attended by military officers and judges in Bamako. Goita led the military …

The Swiss will vote on Sunday in a referendum on whether to end its agreement with the EU on the free movement of people. The aim of the referendum’s sponsors, the right-wing, anti-immigration Swiss People’s party (SVP), is to limit the number of European Union nationals allowed to live and work in their country, a measure to guarantee preferential access …

A new report on the new coronavirus pandemic in Africa, presented by Partnership for Evidence-Based COVID-19 Response (PERC), reveals the multidimensional challenges faced by the people on the continent and makes recommendations to governments on how to manage the public health crisis to lessen its burden on their citizens Most African Union (AU) Member States swiftly implemented public health and …

The publication of the magazine is a response to the increasing numbers of Africans entering self-employment as a defensive response to difficulties in accessing jobs commensurate with their qualifications and experience. Many are also establishing businesses to respond to market opportunities.

In this first of a two-part series on how Afrobeats is changing the global musical landscape, Yemi Babalola* looks at the movers and shakers of the new genre whose roots can be traced to the Nigerian Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. —- There is no way one to talk about Afrobeats as a music genre and not give credit to Afrobeat. …