Ireland has voted overwhelmingly to repeal its ban on abortion in a referendum the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar described as a “quiet revolution.” The result was a landslide 66.4% ‘yes’ vote against 33.6% who voted ‘no’. Voters were asked if they wished to scrap the eighth amendment, which gives an unborn child equal rights to life as a pregnant …

A recent study by the REACH initiative, funded by UNHCR, has found that European Union measures implemented in Libya since the beginning of last year have led to an increase in internal trafficking routes and that the living conditions of migrants in the country have not improved. Migration policies implemented by the EU in Libya since the beginning of 2017 …

Tanzania’s Gerald Bigurube and Madagascar’s Clovis Razafimalala have dedicated their lives to saving their countries’ natural heritage. They are the recipients of this year’s annual German Africa Prize. Forty-four years. That’s the amount of time environmentalist Gerald Bigurube has dedicated to saving Tanzania’s wildlife and natural environment. As the long-time head of Tanzania’s National Parks Authority (TANAPA), the 66-year-old has led the …

The United Nations has criticised Algeria for expelling sub-Saharan migrants and refugees, mostly coming from Mali, Cameroon and Nigeria. After Algeria had requested help from the UN to support a huge influx of migrants, the UN on Tuesday urged the Algerian authorities to stop expelling such migrants. UN spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a regular UN briefing in Geneva that deportations …

Immigration offices in Germany do not have hardware they need to identify migrants, according to media reports. A lack of fingerprint scanners means authorities cannot keep track of asylum-seekers. Officials at immigration and welfare offices attempting to identify asylum-seekers face serious difficulty ensuring people are not taking advantage of German social services, according to reports in Die Welt and the …

The international humanitarian non-governmental organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported that there are 700,000 migrants in Libya and torture is increasing in the country’s clandestine prisons. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) head of mission in Libya, Christophe Biteau, has shared his analysis of the precarious living conditions of migrants and refugees assisted by the organisation in the region of Bali …

Nearly every second deportation from Germany was cancelled in the first quarter of 2018, according to the German Federal Police. Some of the deportations are called off at the last minute. Charlotte Hauswedell reports. Between January and March this year, a total of 5,548 rejected asylum-seekers were deported from Germany, a spokesperson for the Federal Police told the Funke media …

Britons are rushing to become German citizens before their country leaves the European Union. More than 10 times as many Britons became German citizens in 2017 than in 2015. For the second year running, a record number of Britons became German citizens, the German Federal Statistical Office reported on Wednesday. The consecutive records have been linked to Britain’s upcoming departure from …

A sweets manufacturer in Germany has apologised for comparing Meghan Markle to a chocolate-covered marshmallow. Super Dickmann’s posted the controversial image on Facebook on 19 May, the same day that the former US actress married British royal Prince Harry. The image was accompanied with the caption: “What are you looking at? Wouldn’t you also want to be Meghan today?” Many …

Nigeria has faulted claims that there were 30,000 of its citizens as irregular migrants in Germany who are awaiting repatriation. The Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, said on Wednesday that Nigeria disputes the figure. “To begin with, we dispute that figure of 30,000. That is not the case. We do not have up to 30,000 Nigerian asylum …