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Germany: Law mandating vaccination of school children takes effect

The Measles Protection Act (Masernschutzgesetz) entered into force on 1 March. The law, which was passed on 14 November 2019, is intended to provide school, kindergarten and day care children with better protection against measles. From the beginning of March, parents who want to have their child or ward admitted to a day care centre, kindergarten, school or other communal …

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Impact Initiative 2020: Munich hosts personal empowerment programme

The German city of Munich will on 28 March host the 5th edition of the annual Impact Initiative, a human capacity development project facilitated by Impacti.org. The event, themed “Personal Development and Social Competence” and holding at the renowned EineWeltHaus in the Bavarian capital, promotes personal empowerment by imparting knowledge and skills. “First started in 2015, the programme was conceived …

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Chancellor Merkel kicks off serious fight against racism in Germany

The 11th Federal Government Integration Summit took place on Monday at the office of the federal chancellor in Berlin. Since 2006, representatives from the worlds of politics, business, education and civil society have been meeting regularly at the summits to discuss key integration policy issues. Chancellor Merkel used the event this year to kick off a long overdue debate on …

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Leaders call for a more connected continent to harness Africa’s huge potential

"In Africa, a continent perceived as a group of nations with weak institutions, poor infrastructure and some of the world's horrific conflicts; the inspiring example and impact that one effective leader exemplifies is truly powerful and game changing, not just for the immediate beneficiaries but for the world"

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Ghana cancels Independence Day celebrations in Berlin over coronavirus

The Embassy of Ghana in Germany has cancelled the official celebrations of the country’s 63rd independence celebrations originally scheduled for 6 March in Berlin. The Embassy on Tuesday sent out a notice of cancellation to guests invited to the event. In the notice, signed by Mr Louis Obeng, Head of Chancery, the Embassy wrote: “Following confirmation of some coronavirus cases …

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Senegal records second coronavirus case in sub-Saharan Africa

Senegal has become the second country in sub-Saharan Africa to record a coronavirus case, health minister, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr said on Monday at a press conference in the capital, Dakar. The Minister said the victim in question was a French national who entered the country aboard an Air Senegal flight on February 26. Nigeria is the other country in the …

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Germany: Black community protests against N-word in Hamburg

Protesters turned out in Hamburg on Saturday (29 February), the last day of Black History Month, at a public demonstration against the controversial court decision legitimising the use of the derogatory word “neger” (subsequently referred to as the N-word in this report) to describe people of African descent in Germany. The state constitutional court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had ruled on …

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African victims of slavery, colonialism remembered in Berlin

About 100 participants turned out on Saturday in Berlin to commemorate the African victims of slave trade, slavery, colonialism and racist violence. The annual event, which took place for the 8th time in the German capital, demanded an official recognition of the crimes of colonialism and slavery in Africa and the racism that people of African descent suffer across the …

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Turkey blackmails Europe with ‘millions’ of refugees

Amid fighting in Syria, some 13,000 people were seeking to cross into Greece from Turkey on Saturday evening (29 February), prompting Greece to close the border and call for EU talks. Europe seems to be under the threat of new waves of irregular migration which could assume the proportion of the 2015 crisis when hundreds of thousands of migrants and …

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New laws and regulations in Germany from March 2020

March 2020 brings some changes for people living in Germany as a result of new or amended laws and regulations. Some of these changes include mandatory measles vaccination for children, introduction of repeat doctor’s prescriptions, the prohibition of speed camera warning app on your smartphone and easier immigration for skilled workers from non-EU countries, among others.

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