The weeks-long standoff between Sea-Watch 3 and the Italian government ended with the arrest of Captain Carola Rackete, who has now been freed. But international maritime law and a country’s own laws often don’t chime, say experts. Carola Rackete, captain of the search and rescue vessel Sea-Watch 3, was arrested on Saturday by Italian authorities for “resisting a warship” after …

Yohannes Gedamu, scholar and university teacher, explains how Ethiopia’s federal system is responsible for the political turmoil in the country despite Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s efforts to liberalise the democratic space. For almost three decades Ethiopia’s federal structure – enshrined in the country’s 1994 constitution – has been defended by the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front. It’s …

It’s always easier and more convenient to enjoy a new country when you have a tour guide. You hardly miss your way going around since you are led by an experienced person who knows the nooks and crannies of the place. This is why the association of German journalists of migrant origin, called “Neue deutsche Medienmacher” (New German Media Professionals), …

A stowaway fell from the undercarriage of a Kenya Airways plane as it approached Heathrow Airport and landed in a London garden on Sunday, police and airline officials have confirmed. A stowaway is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship or an aircraft, in order to travel without paying and without being detected. The flight in …

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has adopted a single currency, named eco, to be launched by 2020. It’s one of the decisions of the 55th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the group held on Saturday, 29 June in Abuja, Nigeria, in the presence of 13 of the 15 heads of …

Nigeria’s foreign ministry has warned the country’s citizens that if they’re travelling through Ethiopia with undeclared cash in excess of 3,000 US dollars, they could have the cash seized. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform all Nigerian travellers that the Ethiopian Customs and Revenue Authority (ECRA) has recently stepped up seizure of foreign currencies and valuables in excess …

Saturday, 29 June 2019 has gone down in history as the day citizens of an African country protested angrily in Europe against their visiting president to the notice of the international media. About 250 Cameroonian exiles carried out a protest action in front of the luxurious InterContinental Hotel, where President Paul Biya and his wife were staying, in the Swiss …

The 17th Africa Film Festival Cologne holds from 19 – 29 September 2019. A main focus of the biannual festival is on “Fundamentalism and Migration” and it presents 20 films which address the subject, chosen by FilmInitiativ Köln, organizers of the festival, for good reasons. Flight and migration are among the most important topical issues of our time. At the …

All roads lead to the city of Bremen on 7 July when the 13th African Football Cup 2019 kicks off. A total of 16 national teams representing their countries of origin in Africa will lock horns for the prestigious trophy over five Sundays. The participants in the tournament, organised by the Pan-Afrikanischer Kulturverein e.V. (Pan-African Cultural Association), represent members of …

Germany is called the land of ideas in academic circles and for good reasons. There are 427 state-accredited institutions of higher education – universities and polytechnics – in Germany. Together, they offer a total of over 18,000 degree programmes. In this piece Chijioke Kizito Onah, a postgraduate student of the University of Frankfurt and DAAD scholarship recipient, discusses strategies foreign …