LIVING IN GERMANY

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 …

As from 1 April, some changes, ranging from the introduction of a new €50 banknote to additional regulations of temporary work, will enter into effect in Germany. And learners have to prepare for a more difficult driving license test!  —————————- New Restrictions for Temporary Agency Work From 1 April 2017, several changes to the German Law on Temporary Work (Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz …

Virginia Wangare Greiner, the founder of Maisha e. V., a psychosocial centre in Frankfurt, has been honoured with the prestigious Elisabeth Norgall International Award. She was bestowed with the honour recently by the International Women’s Club (IWC) of Frankfurt in recognition of her efforts concerning the needs and problems of women. Ms Greiner, who is originally from Kenya, has been honoured …

Members of centre-left SPD have confirmed Martin Schulz as the party’s new leader and candidate to challenge Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany’s federal election in September. Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament, was unanimously chosen by delegates at the party’s congress in Berlin on Sunday. “I want to be the next chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,” …

"Adults can't change much, their mind is already made up, even if I try to speak to that person. But with young people, you can really talk to them and make it clear: We are all the same. The children are our future."

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge or BAMF) has set up telephone counselling service for refugees and asylum-seekers who are willing to voluntarily return to their home countries. The call centre service is offered in English and German. According to the BAMF, asylum-seekers, refugee aid organisations, public institutions and volunteers can use the counselling …

Germany has unveiled a new national passport with improved security features. The new passport has a new design as well and is slightly smaller than the previous one. The redesigned identity document, which features a security mark in the shape of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, was shown to the public for the first time on Thursday in Berlin. “The new German …

Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), which oversees telecommunications in the country, has recommended the destruction of the Cayla dolls after experts revealed they can be hacked. Researchers say hackers can use an unsecure Bluetooth device embedded in the toy to listen and talk to the child playing with it, posing a potential danger to the child. In the past few …

The number of cases of severe diseases in Germany’s capital jumped from 13,418 in 2010 to 20,165 in 2016 the State Office for Health and Social Affairs confirmed to Deutsche Welle on Friday, reports Alistair Walsh. Health department figures published by regional daily “Berliner Morgenpost” and confirmed by the department, showed cases of diseases which doctors are legally obliged to report …

It’s always easier and more convenient to enjoy a new country when you have a tour guide. You hardly miss your way going around since you are led by an experienced person who knows the nooks and crannies of the place. This is exactly what an association of journalists called “Neue deutsche Medienmacher” (New German Media Professionals) would like to …

The police have arrested a Nigerian man on the suspicion of having murdered a young German woman in the town of Ahaus, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 27-year-old asylum seeker was arrested on Tuesday (14 February) in Basel, the prosecutor’s office in Münster has announced. The woman, aged 22, was stabbed in the streets of Ahaus in the early hours …

The German parliament has voted to allow the use of the drug for medical purposes. The issue had been a point of heated discussion in the country for a long time. Members of Germany’s parliament Bundestag voted unanimously on Thursday 19 January to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Seriously ill patients will qualify for medical marijuana if they have …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government Wednesday [18 January] set 24 September as the date for a general election in which she will seek a fourth term, facing populist headwinds over a record migrant influx. The date, adopted by Merkel’s right-left coalition cabinet, must still be formally approved by President Joachim Gauck. But the decision fires the starting gun for an …

A panel of German language experts has chosen “Volksverraeter” (traitor to the people) as the worst word of 2016, saying the term often used by right-wing activists to insult mainstream politicians had Nazi connotations. The six-member jury described the word as a “relic of dictatorships, including that of the Nazis”. “Used as a reproach against politicians, the word is both …

The number of asylum seekers arriving in Germany last year has dropped by two-thirds to about 280,000. Berlin said the decrease signals that measures to reduce migration are working. Some 280,000 migrants arrived in Germany last year, a stark reversal in numbers after the country received nearly 890,000 refugees during the 2015 migration crisis, according to year-end government figures released …

Did you know that ‘Africa’ is a tiny hamlet in Brandenburg? Or that there are 11 ‘Cameroons’  in Germany? Places bearing African names in Germany have a varied history, writes Gwendolin Hilse. Africa is a continent? Of course. In German, it’s spelt “Afrika” and that is also the name of a hamlet in the Uckermark district of the state of Brandenburg in eastern …

Here is a list of public holidays in Germany in 2017, plus regional holidays, daylight savings, school holidays, Mother’s and Father’s Days and other important dates in the German calendar. There are nine official German public holidays that are celebrated nationally each year, plus regional holidays that are only celebrated in certain Federal States. This means that some states have …

As we enter the New Year, many new laws and regulations take effect in Germany. Some of them are very important changes, such as no more cell phone roaming charges in the EU, while others don’t make a big difference (for example, a modest minimum wage increase). Sola Jolaoso and Vivian Asamoah take us through the changes that we should …

If you come from some countries, your chances of success are very high while for some other nationalities, you have to have a very special case to be considered at all. This is how the situation is: Countries with a high rate of protection At the moment, if you come from Syria, you have a good chance of being granted …

The study, covering 14 federal ministries, the federal armed forces and eight federal agencies, showed that 14.8 per cent of all public servants are of migrant origin. A similar study conducted in 2013 discovered that only 6.7 per cent of federal employees had a migration background.