EUROPE

Germany: More facts emerge about Nigerian suspected of killing woman in Ahaus

“We are being stared at strangely and we are being verbally abused,” says Pastor Thaddeus Ejiofor Eze as mood changes in town against Africans The Nigerian asylum-seeker suspected of killing Soopika P., a refugee aid worker, in the western German town of Ahaus on 11 February has agreed to be swiftly extradited to Germany from Switzerland. According to Martin Botzenhardt, …

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German migration office to tap asylum-seekers’ mobile phones to determine their true identity

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge or BAMF) would be allowed to examine refugees’ mobile phone records to establish their true identity under a proposed law. The bill aims to prevent refugees from giving false identities, reports Kate Brady. According to information published by three German media outlets on Sunday, a new draft legislation …

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Black youth assaulted by French police leaves hospital, thanks supporters

The 22-year-old man whose arrest in northern Paris sparked nights of protests across France has thanked his supporters. Theo posted the video message on Facebook after being discharged from hospital. The protests, which have led to over 200 arrests around France, follow allegations that he was beaten and raped with a police baton during an arrest attempt on February 2. …

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French president demands justice for Black youth raped with police baton

French President François Hollande on Tuesday called for “justice” over the rape of a Black youth with a police baton, an incident that has sparked 10 nights of rioting and more than 200 arrests in Paris. “Justice must be served,” Hollande said during a visit to Aubervilliers, located in the tough Seine-Saint-Denis region northeast of Paris where the 22-year-old youth …

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All refugees in Germany to be fingerprinted to fight fraud

Germany’s migration agency has instructed regional authorities to fingerprint all refugees. The measure seeks to rule out the use of multiple identities to commit benefit fraud. Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge or BAMF) said on Tuesday that it is now pushing for all refugees currently living in Germany to be fingerprinted in order …

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Switzerland votes in referendum to ease citizenship rules

Swiss voters have approved a relaxation of their country’s citizenship rules. In a referendum on Sunday, they backed a proposal to simplify naturalisation for third-generation immigrants. That means those born in Switzerland whose grandparents moved there will have an easier route to gaining nationality. Under the current system, they had faced a lengthy and often expensive procedure. Around a quarter …

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Newly-elected President Steinmeier as “German answer to Donald Trump”

Former Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected Germany’s new president on Sunday by the 1,260-member Federal Assembly, made up of national lawmakers and parliamentarians from the country’s 16 states. Five candidates participated at the election. In addition to Steinmeier, other candidates for the presidency were the political scientist Christoph Butterwegge, the vice-chairman of the AfD, Albrecht Glaser, the TV …

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Germany elects Frank-Walter Steinmeier as new president

Former Foreign Minister and presidential candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier is set to be elected as Germany’s new ceremonial head of state on Sunday. As president, the 61-year-old, who regularly polls as Germany’s most popular politician, will represent the country abroad and act as a kind of moral arbiter for the nation. For the Social Democrats (SPD), his appointment raises the party’s …

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Germany launches plan for quick deportation of rejected asylum-seekers

Germany’s federal and state governments have agreed to a plan to quickly deport rejected asylum-seekers. Although deportations are a state matter, the federal government has made it clear it wants to play a bigger role. Chancellor Angela Merkel met with the premiers of Germany’s 16 states in Berlin on Thursday (9 February) and agreed to a plan that will speed …

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Nigerians in Europe to hold conference in Hamburg

The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Europe will hold a conference in the German city of Hamburg on 17-18 February. According to Kenneth Gbandi, the chairman of the Board of Trustees of NIDO Europe, the event will discuss how to reposition the group for greater effectiveness. International brand management expert Charles O’Tudor will deliver a keynote speech at the two-day …

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Protest against police shooting of African in Hamburg

About 400 Africans and German sympathisers turned out on Wednesday (8 February) to protest against the police shooting of Augustine Akwasi Obenga in Hamburg a week ago. The demo started from the central train station and proceeded through the Lampedusa Tent in Steindamm and back to the train station. Protesters spent about three hours in the biting cold to register …

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Switzerland probes ex-Gambian minister and Jammeh’s top aide for crimes against humanity

Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has announced that it was investigating former Gambian Interior Minister Ousman Sonko for possible crimes against humanity. Sonko, who is seeking asylum in Switzerland, was a top figure in the repressive regime of ousted president, Yahya Jammeh. Sonko was arrested on 26 January in an asylum centre in Berlin following a case of …

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SPD nominates Schulz to take on Merkel for German Chancellor

  Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) have nominated Martin Schulz as their chairman and chancellor candidate for the country’s next elections. The former European Parliament president was unanimously chosen by the party’s executive committee on Sunday (29 January) to run against Chancellor Angela Merkel of the centre-right CDU at the next general polls on 24 September. Accepting the nomination in front …

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