Liberia’s apex court has reserved ruling on the challenge to the presidential run-off election for Monday after listening to submissions by aspirant and leader of the Liberty Party, Charles Brumskine. Brumskine, who finished third in the 10 October poll, petitioned the court alleging fraud in the conduct of the election. His party said widespread fraud had marred the outcome of …

Threats, name-calling and a whole lot of dramatic posturing: talks among four fractious parties to form a new government under German Chancellor Angela Merkel have proved more fiery than fruitful so far. September’s inconclusive general election left the camps, which span the political spectrum, scrambling to form a stable government under Merkel, with the outcome of negotiations highly uncertain. “We …

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has rejected the result of the presidential election rerun of 26 October, which gave a landslide victory to President Uhuru Kenyatta. The veteran politician has vowed to challenge the legitimacy of Kenyatta’s presidency. Sekou Toure Otondi of the University of Nairobi argues that Odinga’s resistance to the government could in the long run benefit democratic development …

The German government has admitted that it does not always know the whereabouts of rejected asylum seekers, but argues that the number doesn’t tell the whole truth. The government’s asylum agency faces a file backlog. Ben Knight reports. Around 30,000 rejected asylum seekers have simply disappeared from Germany’s records, a German newspaper has claimed, though the government and refugee organizations …

The number of jobless people in Europe’s biggest economy has reached a new low, fresh data has shown. Germany’s labour market experienced its traditional autumn increase in employment in both adjusted and unadjusted terms. The number of unemployed people in Germany dropped below the 2.4-million mark in October, the lowest figure logged since German unification in 1990. The Nuremberg-based Federal …

The Catalan crisis took a new judicial and international turn on Thursday (2 November) when eight former regional ministers were jailed. The Spanish general prosecutor also issued an international arrest warrant and an EU arrest warrant against ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who is charged with rebellion, sedition and embezzlement over last week’s declaration of independence of the region. Puigdement risks …

A Frankfurt court has sentenced two men to jail in separate cases for joining Islamist fighters in Somalia and Syria. A Somali-born German national, identified only as 29-year-old Abshir A., was found guilty of membership of a foreign terrorist group for fighting alongside Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants. The court in the western German city on Friday (27 October) handed him a …

German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Brigitte Zypries opened the Start-up Night! Africa on 26 October in Berlin. The Start-up Night! Africa is the latest event to take place as part of the successful series of Start-up Nights!, a string of business-matching events hosted by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs designed to bring young businesses and established companies …

The second edition of the Design Market by Dabira, a seasonal event to showcase contemporary design in Africa, will open its doors on 4-5 November in the Ghanaian capital city. The Design Market is a premier, seasonal market that features talented designers, artists and makers from across the African continent. The second edition will take place on November 4th and …

German leaders gathered in Wittenberg to mark 500 years since Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation. Alongside ceremonies in the eastern city, events were held across Germany. Germany celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation on Tuesday (31 October) with a national holiday and ceremonies in the eastern city of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther began a split in the …