EUROPE

The French and German leaders pledged on Monday (15 May) to relaunch the partnership between their two countries in order to “reconstruct” the EU. “We agreed that we want to develop a roadmap for the European Union’s medium-term perspectives,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a joint news conference with President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin. She said that the two leaders …

Germany’s Social Democratic Party, SPD, suffered a stunning defeat in the state election of its North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) stronghold on Sunday. The SPD lost 7% of their vote, winning only 31.2 per cent as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU soared to 33 %. The result is a boost for Merkel, who is seeking a fourth term in office at …

Emmanuel Macron, in the first batch appointments he made as president, has named Sibeth Ndiaye as his press secretary. The 37-year-old Senegalese-French woman played a very active role in the campaign that led to Macron’s victory to become the youngest-ever French president at 39. Ms Ndiaye has been described by the French media as one of the key figures who …

EU leaders have reacted to Emmanuel Macron’s victory  in the French presidential election with relief and with hope the result will strike a blow against other nationalist forces. Macron won by 65 per cent on Sunday (7 May) against the nationalist-populist Marine Le Pen, who had campaigned to pull France out of the euro and possibly the EU. The 39-year …

She said that in her new role as the UNHCR ambassador, she wanted to show people “that refugees are actually humans and normal people also, who can do a lot of things like them.”

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the social integration of immigrants requires "that we make clear and communicate our values and the limits of our tolerance to other cultures".

The 28 EU Member States granted protection status to 710,400 asylum seekers last year, more than double that of 2015, Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, reported on Wednesday. Some 57 per cent of those granted asylum were Syrians. Iraqis (9% of the total), Afghans (9%), Eritreans (5%) and Iran and Somalia (2%) were the next major recipient-nationalities. Germany gave asylum …

Germany's official crime statistics for 2016 have shown a rise in violent crime across the country - including among young male migrants. "There is no sugar coating here," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said at a crowded press conference in Berlin on Monday.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen qualified for the second round of the French presidential election on Sunday (23 April), in a vote that confirmed French voters’ will to repudiate the current political system. Macron, a social-liberal who entered politics only a year ago and does not have an organised party, finished first with 23.90 percent of the votes. The …

French overseas territories and residents in some U.S. states such as Hawaii began voting on Saturday in the French presidential election, a day ahead of a main first-round vote that could change the global political landscape. Of 47 million registered French voters, there are fewer than a million resident in far-flung places like French Polynesia in the South Pacific and …

Moroccans topped the list of nationals who acquired the citizenship of a European country in 2015, according to figures published by Eurostat on Friday. “The largest group acquiring citizenship of an EU Member State in 2015 was citizens of Morocco (86,100 persons, of whom 88% acquired citizenship of Italy, Spain or France), ahead of citizens of Albania (48,400, 96% acquired …

A Christian revival event, bringing African Christians and their German brethrens together, will take place in the south-western town of Speyer on 1 May. The one-day gathering, christened Arise Africa, is to inspire Christians to rededicate themselves to the teaching of Jesus Christ and take up the task of spreading His word in Germany. “Arise Africa calls on Africans to …

Muslim migrants who refuse to embrace European values must realize there are better places for them to reside than in the EU, Wolfgang Schaeuble, the German Finance Minister has said. Muslims who don’t want to change their ways after arriving in Europe must be told, “you’ve made the wrong decision,” Schaeuble said during a round table discussion in Berlin on …

UniNettuno, an online university in Rome, has launched a project called “University for Refugees,” which offers 50 free places for university degree courses to migrants. The project is aimed at giving young migrants from conflict zones the opportunity to take up their studies again. For Maria Amata Garito, rector of UniNettuno, the project aims to give migrants “the right tools …

The EU’s Operation “Sophia” to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean is not a reason for those setting off, operation commander Admiral Enrico Credendino said Thursday. Credendino was responding to accusations that sea rescues were attracting more migrants and that NGO vessels were helping people traffickers. “Migrants certainly don’t leave because boats at sea are a pull factor, but because there …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Germany’s upper house of the federal parliament Bundesrat has approved the federal government’s plan to make drivers pay for using the country’s highways. Neighbouring countries have threatened to take legal action. Ben Knight reports. The Bundesrat finally passed Germany’s highway toll bill on Friday. The upper house of the German parliament, made up of the 16 state governments, voted for …