New EU proposals on sending unwanted migrants back to their homes countries and creating new legal routes for those requiring protection are set to be unveiled before the end of the month. Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, told members of the European Parliament on Wednesday (13 September) that people with no rights to stay in Europe must …

Youths have been advised to properly assess all their options before deciding to travel abroad for greener pastures. The advice was given by Hon. Kenneth Gbandi, president of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Europe, on Tuesday (12 September) while launching the campaign again irregular migration in Lagos. The Germany-based journalist and media consultant said travelling abroad does not in …

German police on Tuesday said they had broken up a fake marriage ring that paired Portuguese women with Nigerian men who paid thousands of euros for a chance to gain EU residency. Police arrested five suspects, including four women, as they carried out raids in more than 40 locations across the German capital, Berlin police and prosecutors said in a …

Collins Nweke, Belgian politician of Nigerian origin, writes on the expected changes in bilateral relations between Nigeria and Belgium as the new Nigerian ambassador to Brussels assumes office. Nigeria and Belgium have a 56-year diplomatic relations. When the new Ambassador of Nigeria to Belgium presented her Letters of Credence to His Majesty, Phillipe I, King of the Belgians today, Wednesday …

The EU is financing and perpetuating the cycle of suffering of migrants in Libya by forcing people to return to notorious detention centres, says the head of a major charity. Joanne Liu, the president of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) International, told reporters on Thursday (7 September) that European governments are complicit in torture and that the EU’s policy of ring …

A woman from Ghana gave birth to a baby girl on Wednesday morning (6 September) onboard a Spanish NGO vessel immediately after she was rescued trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Italy. Despite a lack of sterile hospital conditions, the on-board doctor, with the help of crew members, successfully delivered the baby girl before returning to harbour, …

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said on Wednesday (6 September) that an EU Council decision in September 2015 that imposed the quota system was valid. EU interior ministers at the time voted to share 120,000 asylum seekers from frontline states Greece and Italy. They were to be distributed according to calculations based on member states’ size and wealth, with …

Hundreds of thousands of citizens turned out in the Togolese capital, Lome, on Wednesday in the latest round of anti-government protest called by main opposition parties. An opposition leader, Jean-Pierre Fabre, is quoted as describing the turnout as ‘unprecedented.’ A key activist Farida Nabourema put the estimates at a million people. The turnout comes despite two key actions by the …

Angola’s election body has released the final results of the 23 August polls. The ruling MPLA won by 61% picking 150 seats in the 220-seat parliament. Joao Lourenco was also declared president-elect. Angola’s National Electoral Commission (CNE) on Wednesday released official and final results of the country’s 23 August polls confirming that the governing MPLA won by over 61%. The …

The city of Frankfurt will again host the Nollywood Film Festival Germany (NFFG) and its sister event Nollywood Europe Golden Award (NEGA) on 8-10 September. Some of the leading lights of the Nigerian and Ghanaian film industry will grace the festival. Among these is Naida Buari, the Ghanaian diva, whose new film “Deranged” will be premiered at the festival. Other …