Asylum seekers and activists tell Al Jazeera how government-linked translators have infiltrated the immigration system in Europe. Elaine Allaby reports. Rome, Italy – It was a warm Mediterranean day in October 2013 when Meron Estefanos got the news. A boat had sunk off the Italian island of Lampedusa and several hundred refugees had drowned. In the end, the death toll …

Zimbabwe is on the verge of new riches as it pledges to significantly increase its production of lithium used in batteries for electric vehicles. If its production potential is realized, the metal will bring the African country fabulous wealth, say analysts. Zimbabwe aims to supply 10 percent of the world’s lithium and could reach 20 percent, the mines minister from …

 Germany and Ghana are to work together on issues including economic cooperation and migration. President Nana Akufo-Addo will also back Germany’s bid for a permanent place on the UN Security Council. Calling for reform of the UN Security Council, Akufo Addo said he supported Germany’s claim for a permanent seat, after meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday. The …

Nigerians are getting poorer despite the country’s slow recovery from recession, and economic reforms are urgently needed, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The Fund expects the government to “muddle through” in the medium term, and any progress could also be threatened if elections next year consume political energy and resources, the …

Unemployment in Germany held steady at historic lows in February, official data showed Wednesday, as booming demand in Europe’s top economy fuels an ongoing hiring spree. The jobless rate was unchanged this month at 5.4 percent, the federal labour agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit or BA) said in figures adjusted for seasonal swings, remaining at the lowest level since German reunification …

Although the total number of attacks on refugees fell by about one-third from the previous year, the level remains high. More than 300 people were injured in the attacks. German newspapers reported Wednesday that there were 2,219 reported attacks on migrants and refugees and their accommodations in 2017. While this means there was an average of six attacks per day, …

The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says Africa must build value-added, industrialised economies with modernised agriculture, which takes full advantage of the digital revolution, if she is to create wealth and prosperity for her peoples. Akufo-Addo made this known on Tuesday, 27 February when he delivered the keynote address at the 5th German-African Economic Forum, …

Gambia’s minister of tourism, Hamat Bah, has declared sex tourists unwanted in the country. “We are not a sex destination. If you want a sex destination, you go to Thailand. The Gambia is not a sex destination. We are not, we are not and please every Gambian must sing that song,” Bah said in an interview in January. He went …

A Gambian activist, Jaha Mapenzi Dukureh, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in the area of helping combat Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a Norwegian portal has reported. Jaha Dukureh is the founder and executive director of Safe Hands for Girls. She is also a regional goodwill ambassador for the United Nations women bloc. Jaha Dukureh …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticised a food bank for refusing to accept any more migrants, calling the decision “not good”. Essener Tafel, a charity that serves free meals to the poor, had come under fire after it said it would now require new customers to produce German identity papers as a huge migrant influx was displacing locals in need. …