WORLD

As the world mourns the death of the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, it’s fitting to recall the pivotal role Cuba played in ending Apartheid and why Castro was one of only five world leaders invited to speak at Nelson Mandela’s funeral. While Angola won its independence from Portugal on 15 January 1975, internal political conflicts escalated between the People’s …

Kenneth Gbandi was elected the new chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) at the body’s annual general meeting in Athens, Greece, on 11 November. The Germany-based migration expert, communal politician, business consultant and media entrepreneur spoke in an exclusive interview with Femi Awoniyi on the challenges facing NIDOE and how he plans …

Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s Public Protector who famously took on President Jacob Zuma over the use of taxpayers’ money to upgrade his country home, was honoured at a lavish ceremony on Wednesday in Berlin. Ms Madonsela, who resigned from the office only last month after completing her 7-year term, received the prestigious Africa Prize awarded annually by the German Africa …

More than 1,000 skulls and bones belonging to East Africans and brought to Germany for racial “scientific” research during the colonial era are still in storage in Berlin, a media report said Tuesday, 22 November. Public broadcaster ARD said it had obtained lists of the human remains that are still held by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which administers the …

Four of the 10 countries hammered hardest in 2015 by climate-boosted extreme weather are in Africa, according to a report released during the just concluded UN climate talks in Marrakesh, Morocco. “Africa is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” said Sonke Kreft, lead author of the Global Climate Risk Index 2017 report, issued annually by risk analysts Germanwatch. …

US President Barack Obama paid a farewell visit on Thursday to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, seen by many as the new standard bearer of liberal democracy since the election of Donald Trump. On the last leg of his final European tour as president, Obama aimed to ease fears about the future of the transatlantic partnership and thank  Angela Merkel for …

Out of more than 160 nations assessed, Germany was ranked first, followed by Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland (equal fifth).

The American election has ended with an outcome unexpected and undesired in most parts of the world. Since almost all opinion polls did not reckon with a Trump’s victory, almost no efforts were made to analyse the likely impact of a Trump presidency on African relations. This is why journalists across Africa and its Diaspora are just getting started scrutinizing …

Climate change is once again the focus of global diplomacy as the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP22,’ is underway in Marrakech, Morocco. The convention is being held just four days after the Paris Climate Agreement entered into force and aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the temperature rise this …

Deutsche Welle (DW) has unveiled the new format for its AfricaLink radio program. The show is being relaunched as “social radio”. The content of the new format brings together conventional radio programming and social media.0-minute radio show will bring listeners’ broadcast content Monday through Friday at 16:00 UTC, featuring currents affairs from Africa, Germany and the rest of the world. The African editorial …

Mike hasn't told any of his friends or family that he's left France, even though he's been back in Nigeria for nearly six months. "They'd say I was mad," he said.

With restrictions on migration tightening in Europe, many would-be asylum seekers from Ethiopia are choosing to return home. An organization funded by the European Union is helping them to return to their country. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in the last couple of months thousands of illegal Ethiopian migrants have been forced to return home from countries …

Global wildlife populations have fallen a staggering 58 percent between 1970 and 2012, according to a report by the WWF and the Zoological Society. It says human activities are overwhelming the environment and if this continues, the numbers will fall by two-thirds by 2020. The Living Planet Index looked at 3,700 different species of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. …

During his visit to Berlin last week, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke in an exclusive interview with Deutsche Welle’s Phil Gayle. The Nigerian leader talked about the Niger Delta millitants, corruption, the judiciary and the fate of the remaining Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram. He also said his wife should stay out of politics. DW: First of all, congratulations on …

In a major international step towards battling climate change, 197 nations hammered out a legally binding deal to cut back on the greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air conditioners. The deal – which includes the world’s two biggest economies, the United States and China – divides countries into three groups with different deadlines for reducing the use of factory-made …

During an official state visit to Germany, President Muhammadu Buhari called for closer economic ties. But faced with an economic downturn in Nigeria, German companies point to major hurdles to investment, reports Naomi Conrad. In the end, it took two attempts: As Chancellor Angela Merkel struggled to pronounce Muhammadu Buhari’s name at a joint press conference in Berlin, the Nigerian …

  President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria begins a three-day (13-15 October) official visit to Germany today. He is expected to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel on issues of shared interests between Nigeria and Germany, including co-operation on security, the humanitarian situation of internally displaced persons and rehabilitation of the North-East ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency, as well as trade …

German chancellor Angela Merkel and her foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier have been visiting Africa at the same time. Top of their agendas were migration, security and investment. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier described Nigeria as the “powerhouse” of Africa as he embarked on his one day trip to the country. Nigeria was not only rich in natural resources, but also the most …

Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel has called on African leaders to stop migration to Europe and fight back against Islamic extremism. She vowed to help with development aid and military equipment to ensure peace and prosperity in Africa. Germany will also make Africa a priority of Germany’s G20 presidency in 2017. Merkel visited Mali, Niger and Ethiopia during a three-day tour, …

Merkel has embarked on an Africa trip to improve conditions for private investment in an attempt to tackle the economic causes of migration. Berlin wants to boost ties with Africa in the wake of the refugee crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s first stop in Africa is Mali, where she held talks with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. On her three-day official …