Nigeria is far from ready to hold a credible ballot in 2019, argues Olayinka Ajala, Associate Lecturer and Conflict Analyst at the University of York, UK. The 2019 presidential election in Nigeria will be the country’s sixth since 1999, when it shifted to democracy after a long period of military rule. Most of these elections have been tarnished by acts …

A new poll shows that some nearly half of Germans believe that Chancellor Angela Merkel should step down. It comes amid fears that her rift with Bavaria over her ‘open-door’ migrant policy may plunge the coalition into crisis. A YouGov poll, which was conducted ahead of Sunday’s emergency EU meeting called by Merkel in an attempt to persuade other European …

After the new Italian government turned away a rescue boat with hundreds of migrants aboard, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he wants to expel 100,000 migrants from the country. Asylum experts are sceptical Salvini can achieve his ambitious target. Kai Dambach reports. Italy’s new interior minister, Matteo Salvini, took a strong stance against migrants during the election campaign. Now that …

“What’s New?” an exciting weekly TV programme BBC News, for young people in Africa launches on 23rd June.  Aimed at 11-16 year olds the show is an informative, entertaining and fun programme which will keep young people up to date with what’s happening in the world they live in. Nisha Kapur, BBC Commissioning Editor, said: “What’s New? is for and …

With the number of cases of measles growing in Europe, health authorities are urging everyone to make sure they are vaccinated against the potentially deadly disease. Migrants are especially at risk, as studies have shown they have lower immunization rates than European-born individuals. Marion MacGregor reports. Every migrant who arrives at a reception centre in Germany receives a compulsory medical …

A poll by Oxfam Intermon said over 60 percent of Spaniards interviewed were in favour of migration while 20 percent thought they were being ”invaded” by migrants. Paola Del Vecchio reports. A survey released by Oxfam Intermon to mark World Refugee Day on Wednesday said 65 percent of Spaniards interviewed wanted to welcome refugees and migrants and 21 percent of …

EU leaders are set to endorse plans to create a so-called “disembarkation scheme” under which migrants rescued at sea would be taken to sites in North Africa where their requests for asylum would be processed. The EU is considering the creation of “disembarkation platforms” in North Africa to decide asylum applications before migrants set out for Europe, according to a draft statement …

Five people have entered Finland illegally with the help of World Cup fan identity papers and then applied for asylum, the Finnish border guard said on Wednesday. The asylum-seekers, of Nigerian, Moroccan and Chinese nationality, arrived from World Cup host Russia, which has provided match ticket holders with visa-free entry, a senior border guard official told Reuters. “We had been …

Dozens of soccer fans scuffled and threw chairs after a live screening at a Belgian outdoor cafe of Poland’s 2-1 upset defeat by Senegal on Tuesday at the World Cup in Russia. A police spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday that one person was hurt in the incident in the port city of Antwerp but no arrests were made. Local newspaper …

Europe should stop exploiting Africa and invest in ways that benefit the continent more, including by sharing mineral wealth more equitably, Pope Francis has said. “We must invest in Africa, but invest in an orderly way and create employment, not go there to exploit it,” he told Reuters in a wide-ranging interview, while discussing the migration of Africans to Europe. …