The term “race” will remain in the Basic Law for the time being. The plan to delete the controversial word from the German constitution is being blocked by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) announced in Berlin on Monday. Contrary to initial plans, the federal cabinet should have approved the deletion on Wednesday, but it was …
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May, 2021
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12 May
Germany stops Facebook from gathering WhatsApp data of users
A German privacy regulator banned Facebook on Tuesday from gathering data on WhatsApp users, citing an update to its privacy policy that breaches EU data protection rules by allowing access to a lot more information on the messenger app’s users. The Hamburg data protection officer (Landesdatenschutzbeauftragter), Johannes Caspar, wants to ensure by order that no data from the chat service …
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12 May
Lack of suitable accommodation causes asylum-seekers mental ill-health, says Red Cross
The issue of accommodation provision for individuals seeking asylum within a country has recently been a topic heavily discussed in the field of immigration studies. In contribution to this, a new report by British Red Cross has highlighted how the UK asylum system is deeply flawed, and has caused increasingly negative impacts on the mental health of individuals seeking asylum. …
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10 May
Nigerians with expired passports can come home and renew at the airport – Minister
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has announced that Nigerians living abroad who have difficulties renewing their expired passport and want to travel home could do so with the document. Aregbesola said government was conscious of the difficulties Nigerians were experiencing with passport renewal due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it was committed to alleviating the situation. “It is …
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10 May
Bank offers loans to Nigerians living abroad to build homes in Nigeria
Nigerians in the diaspora have an opportunity to own houses in the country and also participate actively in money and capital markets, thanks to several investment packages rolled out by Ecobank. Mrs. Olukorede Demola-Adeniyi, Head of Ecobank’s Consumer Banking, has said that the bank is offering mortgage loans to Nigerians living abroad to finance property ownership in the country. She …
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10 May
Germany: Petition against obligation to report people without papers launched
An alliance of humanitarian and rights organisations are calling for the abrogation of the legal obligation to report people without residency status who seek medical care —– Almost 50 organisations and associations are demanding the abolition of the legal obligation to report people without regular residence status who seek medical care. Going to the doctor without fear is not possible …
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8 May
Germany: Upper House approves more freedoms for vaccinated persons
As from Sunday, the Corona restrictions for fully vaccinated and recovered people will be relaxed. After the Bundestag, the Bundesrat has also approved the new regulation. Here’s an overview of the new regulation. ——— The Bundesrat, the upper house of the federal parliament, on Friday approved a new regulation of the Federal Government that contains relaxations of protective measures against …
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7 May
African Messaging App Celebrates 2nd Birthday with 5.5m Users
Ayoba is enjoying a busy 2021, with many upgrades and additions planned to its extensive list of features. The African Messaging App celebrates second birthday with 5.5m users and launches voice and video calling as well as web access CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 4, 2021/ — Ayoba (www.ayoba.me), the African messaging app, has announced the launch of a new …
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7 May
Why COVID-19 is likely to slow down a decade of youth development in Africa – Expert
By Prof Wim Naudé* Until COVID-19 hit, the quality of life of youth (age 15-24) in sub-Saharan Africa had been steadily improving. According to the World Bank, by 2019 the youth literacy rate stood at 73%. Gross secondary school enrolment rates increased from 13 % in 1971 to 43 % by 2018. Youth unemployment rates have remained fairly stable, at around …
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6 May
Diaspora voting: What chances for Nigerians abroad?
About 17 million Nigerians are believed to live in the diaspora and they are constitutionally excluded from participation in their homeland’s electoral process from outside the country. Voters who are resident outside Nigeria can only vote during elections if they travel back to Nigeria to register as voters in Nigeria and to vote during elections in Nigeria. As the country …
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THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.