Eritreans make up one of the most prominent groups of refugees heading for Europe. What are the reasons behind this and what is the human rights situation like in the country? Wesley Dockery explains. Eritrea is a nation that lies in the Horn of Africa, bordering Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti. The country has been led by President Isaias Afwerki for …

A controversial pact, in which the US military wants to invest $20 million and get access to Ghana’s runways and communications, set off rallies in the West African nation, with people chanting their country is “not for sale.” Thousands of people flocked to the streets of Accra, the capital of Ghana, to protest a military deal the government recently signed …

Ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy will stand trial for allegedly misusing his influence to spy on an investigation into his 2007 presidential bid. It was claimed the campaign was funded by former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. France’s financial prosecutor has confirmed that the former president will stand trial for influence peddling, according to Reuters. He’s accused of securing leaked details of …

Joblessness in Germany fell in March to a new record low since reunification in 1990, official data showed Thursday, as good times for Europe’s largest economy continue into the new year. Some 5.3 percent of the workforce was out of a job this month, according to preliminary seasonally-adjusted data from the federal labour agency, in line with analysts’ predictions. That …

A court in Mauritania has sentenced two slave owners to between 10 and 20 years in jail. Human rights activists have celebrated the ruling, which they say is the harshest anti-slavery decision in the country’s history. The two cases were brought by former slaves in the northwestern town of Nouadhibou, activists said Friday. A special court delivered its verdict on …

People seeking a US visa may soon be required to disclose their social media information so that five years’ worth of their online footprint can be scrutinized. It was previously reserved for people from terrorism-affected states. Nationals from countries where the US requires no visa, which include Germany, France and Britain, would be exempt from the social media checks. The proposal was …

According to the latest Africa Investment Index 2018 by Quantum Global Research Lab, an independent research arm of Quantum Global, Morocco has been named the most attractive investment destination in Africa, followed closely by Egypt and Algeria. ‘‘Morocco has been consistent in attracting an inward flow of foreign capital, specifically in banking, tourism and energy sectors and through the development …

Voters in Sierra Leone flocked to the polls on Saturday to elect new president in a hotly contested run-off vote between opposition leader Julius Maada Bio and ruling party candidate Samura Kamara. Bio, of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won a razor-thin victory in the first round of voting on March 7 with 43.3 per cent, while his …

Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, is in New York to pitch for a seat at the UN Security Council for 2019 and 2020. A UN vote is to be held on June 8. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will try to convince UN member states of Germany’s credentials for a seat at the UN Security Council in New York. Maas made …

Germany recorded a bounce in the birth rate in 2016, official statistics show. The country hit a 43-year high helped along by large numbers of recently-arrived migrants. The latest figures are part of an upward trend for Germany, Europe’s biggest country by population, which has suffered from low birth rates since the 1970s. Some 792,131 children were born in Europe’s …