WORLD

A group of Nigerians has staged a protest outside the residence of ailing President Muhammadu Buhari. The protesters are demanding that the president return home to Nigeria or resign immediately due to an undisclosed ailment that has kept him out of office for more than 100 days.   The #ResumeorResign protesters gathered outside Buhari’s house on Friday. They had been …

Just one German city made it to the top 10 in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Report. The city scored a perfect score for its health care and its infrastructure. Alistair Walsh (with dpa, Reuters) reports. Hamburg is Germany’s most liveable city, according to an annual list published by the Economist Intelligence Unit on Wednesday. For the second year …

In a development that will make crossing the Mediterranean for migrants more dangerous, German aid group Sea-Eye has announced it will suspend rescue operations. The announcement comes a day after Doctors without Borders (MSF) took a similar decision citing security concerns. Italian co-operation with Libyan authorities in the policing of the coastal waters of the North African country seems to …

One of the recipients of the MoneyGram-sponsored “Afrika! Community Award 2017” is an organization that carries out diabetes enlightenment campaign in Africa. Femi Awoniyi writes on how a Diaspora initiative is making a positive impact in the continent. There are hundreds of African organisations in Germany working in different fields to make an impact not only on their community in …

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr Mohammed Babandede, announced this week that from 1 January 2018, anybody without a National Identification Number issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will not be able to procure Nigerian passport. The condition applies to both first-time applicants and those renewing their expired passport, according to Babandede, who spoke in …

Hours after the Italian Lower House and Senate approved the government’s plan to send a “limited naval mission” to help Libya’s coastguard curb migrant flows on Wednesday, Rome deployed two ships for patrols into the waters of the North African country. The mission is Italy’s boldest efforts so far to slow down the arrival of migrants from Africa. Italy initially …

Two leading European countries are planning drastic measures to deal with migration from Africa through the Mediterranean. France says it wants to establish camps to vet migrants in Libya, Chad and Niger as Italy plans to deploy war ships to the Libyan coast to stop refugees and send them back. Italy’s cabinet on Friday (28 July) backed a plan by …

Two German army pilots have died after their helicopter crashed near Gao, eastern Mali. At the time of the crash, the helicopter was monitoring “confrontations.” The Tiger type army combat helicopter with two pilots onboard crashed for unknown reasons around 12:20 GMT/UTC about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northeast of Gao in eastern Mali, the Bundeswehr said on Wednesday. “Onboard the …

Libya’s UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and the divided country’s eastern commander General Khalifa Haftar agreed to a conditional ceasefire and elections at Paris talks on Tuesday. “We commit to a ceasefire and to refrain from any use of armed force for any purpose that does not strictly constitute counter-terrorism,” the rival leaders said after the talks. French President Emmanuel …

The result of the MoneyGram-sponsored “Afrika! Community Award 2017” is out and four African associations have emerged winners, reports Oliver Behrens. The number of African associations in Germany is on the rise with over 700 African clubs and organizations committed to supporting projects in Africa, supporting sporting ambitions, the preservation of the African culture and integration in Germany. MoneyGram, a …

Facebook as at Tuesday, 27June 2017 had officially registered two billion monthly users, its founder and chief executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, has confirmed. Zuckerberg broke the news on his Facebook wall stressing that the network was making progress in connecting the world. The company reached the billion mark in October 2012, he further confirmed in response to a comment. Facebook …

The president of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has been named the 2017 World Food Prize Laureate. Adesina, whose name was selected on Monday, becomes the 46th recipient and the sixth African to be so honoured. The award was announced in Washington D.C. by the World Food Prize Foundation in recognition of Adesina’s achievements in the agriculture sector …

Making agriculture profitable and “cool” for young people in Africa is key to lifting millions out of poverty and stemming migration to Europe, said the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina. He was named the winner of this year’s World Food Prize on Monday for his decades-long work to boost food production in his native Nigeria, increase …

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday appealed to the international community to assist Uganda in dealing with a surging refugee influx from South Sudan. Donor pledges have fallen way below the target. At a fundraising summit held in Entebbe, Uganda, the UN secretary-general commended Uganda’s open-door refugee policy, which he called “exemplary.” He said Uganda stood out from many nations …

The United Nations has praised Germany as a “humanitarian frontrunner” in the resettling of refugees, but German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warns that the country can’t face the challenges alone. The United Nations’ refugee agency on Tuesday honoured Germany for being a “humanitarian frontrunner” in helping to tackle the world’s refugee crisis as it marked World Refugee Day. The day …

Conflict or persecution forced a record 65.6 million people worldwide to flee their homes by the end of 2016. That equates to one person displaced every three seconds.  The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) released the figure on Monday (June 19), the eve of World Refugee Day. Syria and Afghanistan remain the biggest sources of refugees, with 5.5 million and 2.5 …

Eritrea has declared its support for Saudi Arabia and its allies in the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis that started last week after Gulf nations cut ties with Qatar for allegedly supporting extremist groups. The Eritrean government said in a statement that its decision is in the right direction to realise regional peace and stability. “The decision by Gulf nations is …

People smugglers and criminal gangs in Libya are using social media to broadcast the abuse and violence they inflict on African migrants in their captivity and demand ransoms from their families back home, according to the United Nations. In a video posted on Facebook, hundreds of emaciated Somalis and Ethiopians, including several children, are seen huddled in a concrete room …

Germany seeks a partnership for a common future with Africa, Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the opening of the G20 Africa Conference in Berlin. She encouraged the participants to an open, purposeful discussion: “Talk openly, we have to learn from each other and we have to achieve results.” “I hope that this conference will help us take responsibility together,” Chancellor …

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will visit Germany on 11-13 June. During his stay in the country, he will attend the G20 Conference on Africa in Berlin on 12-13 June. The conference will propose the ‘G20 African Partnership Initiative’ to spur private investment in infrastructure and employment in the continent. [The G20 is comprised of 19 countries plus the EU. …