Success rates for asylum applications in Germany vary widely from state to state, according to a new report by Funke Mediengruppe. But the varying rates raise questions over how Germany processes asylum requests. Iraqis much more likely to get asylum in Bremen than in Berlin, official figures show. For example, the protection rate for Iraqi refugees in Bremen during the …

Former international football star George Weah has taken the lead in the early election results announced by Liberia’s electoral commission on Thursday evening. The National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairman Jerome Korkoya announced the results of 1,232 polling places out of the 5,390 in the 15 counties. Weah led in 11 counties including Grand Kru, Sinoe, River Gee and Grand Gedeh …

BY STEFANIE HIRSBRUNNER / With Germany and Malta, yet another two European countries have recently approved gay marriage. While this is an important step forward in the struggle for equality, many LGBTQ people in other parts of the world still face severe discrimination [LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. These terms are used …

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy opened up to a possible reform of Spain’s regional system on Wednesday (11 October), while threatening to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy if the region’s leaders confirmed Wednesday’s declaration of independence. After an emergency cabinet meeting in the morning, Rajoy gave the Catalan government five days to “confirm whether or not it has declared independence.” On Tuesday …

Vote counting is underway in Liberia where large number of voters turned out on Tuesday to vote for a new president and lawmakers. The National Elections Commission (NEC) in its last press statement at the close of polls said there was a high turnout in the largely peaceful process. Election officers and party agents stayed overnight to count ballots. NEC …

A video showing a mob of men beating up a Nigerian man in Delhi, India, has gone viral in the country. The attack actually took place in late September but the footage only began to circulate this week. Some people think the attack is just another in a series of racist assaults on African people. In the footage, the man, …

Despite the fact that Africa has a growing consumer market, a rapid evolution in technology, and robust growth prospects, people still tend to focus on the negative, argues Zandre Campos*. The history of the African continent is long and complicated and it has impacted the current generation of Africans. Today, many Africans tend to have a very negative mentality. Despite …

Policies aimed at reducing the number of migrants arriving in Europe across the Mediterranean from Libya are trapping refugees in the country where they’re exposed to harsh living conditions and widespread human rights abuses, group warns. Would-be Nigerian migrants have been advised to avoid Libya due to recent developments in the North African country. The advice was issued in a …

In a much awaited speech nine days after the 1 October independence referendum, Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has said that the region “has won the right to be independent”, but stopped short of unilaterally declaring secession from Spain in a plea for dialogue. “The ballot boxes, the only language we understand, say yes to independence. And this is the route …

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said on Tuesday he would not stand in a court-ordered re-run of August’s presidential election that is scheduled for 26 October. Odinga has repeatedly said he would boycott the polls if the election board did not replace officials he blamed for irregularities in August. “In the interest of the people of Kenya, the region and …