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What Changes in Germany in August 2026

From labelling requirements for artificial intelligence to a new legal right to all-day school care, several new laws and regulations take effect in Germany in August 2026. While some changes mainly affect businesses, others will have a direct impact on families, workers and everyday consumers. Here is our guide to the seven changes that matter most, explained without the legal …

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Erstorientierungskurse: Alternative for Asylum-Seekers and Duldung Holders

With voluntary access to Germany’s full Integrationskurse (integration courses) still largely closed to asylum-seekers and people with a Duldung (toleration permit) — even after the partial reopening from 1 August 2026 — Erstorientierungskurse (EOK, “first orientation courses”) remain, for now, the main structured option available to them. Here is what they are and how to access one. What they are …

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Germany: Integration Courses Partially Reopen for Voluntary Applicants

Germany has partly lifted its months-long freeze on voluntary admissions to Integrationskurse (integration courses), but the reopening — which takes effect on 1 August — offers little relief to asylum-seekers and people living with a Duldung (toleration permit). This is a follow-up to our earlier reports on the funding crisis affecting integration courses, including our last week’s story on warnings …

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The Blue Sharks: How Cape Verde Won the Heart of the World

What does Cape Verde’s remarkable World Cup journey mean to its global diaspora? In this deeply personal reflection, renowned academic, former MEP and respected voice in the African diaspora in Europe, Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, explores how the Blue Sharks’ success became a powerful celebration of identity, belonging and pride for Cape Verdeans — and Africans everywhere. The extraordinary journey of …

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Kola-Nuts for the Architects of Our Lives

A summer visit home to Nigeria became much more than a family reunion for Belgium-based writer Collins Nweke* and his wife, Tonia. It turned into a deeply moving journey of gratitude, memory and rediscovery — one that reminds all of us, especially those living in the diaspora, of the people whose quiet influence shaped our lives. This heartfelt essay will …

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Nigeria’s Diaspora Day 2026 Spotlights Health Professionals Abroad

As Nigeria continues to grapple with the migration of doctors and nurses, this year’s National Diaspora Day will focus on how medical professionals abroad can help strengthen the country’s healthcare system. Nigerians around the world are invited to participate online in the two-day event. _____________ The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has invited Nigerians living around the world to participate …

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World’s Most Powerful Passports in 2026 Revealed

For international travellers, a passport is more than an identity document—it is a key that determines how freely its holder can move around the world. The latest Henley Passport Index 2026, regarded as one of the most authoritative measures of global travel freedom, ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can enter without obtaining a visa in …

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Rights groups demand EU halt border funding to Tunisia over abuse claims

Forty-six human rights and humanitarian organisations say three years of EU-Tunisia migration cooperation has fuelled violence, torture and desert expulsions — and are demanding Brussels cut off support to Tunisian security forces. Forty-six human rights and humanitarian organisations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and SOS Humanity, have called on the European Union to publicly condemn human rights violations in …

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Interview: Sacco explains what every Africa traveller should know

For more than three decades, Reiseservice Sacco has helped thousands of people travel between Europe and Africa, earning a reputation built on trust, expertise and personal service. But how has the company stayed successful in an era of online booking platforms, volatile airfares and constant changes in the aviation industry? In this exclusive interview with The African Courier, founder Sandro …

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Germany: Funding cuts risk dismantling integration courses, adult education body warns

Following media reports on Germany’s plan to cut integration course funding to €590 million in 2027, the country’s Adult Education Association says the real cut is worse than providers were told — and has accused the government of “dismantling” one of Germany’s most effective integration tools. Germany’s Association of Adult Education Centres (Deutscher Volkshochschulverband) has sharply criticised the federal government …

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