January, 2018

• 7 January

  A turning point in Ethiopia?

  Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn dropped a veritable bombshell last week, when he announced that political prisoners would be released and that a detention centre in the capital that had become notorious for torture would be closed. What made this all the more surprising was that the government had never before even acknowledged the existence of political prisoners (when dissidents …

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• 7 January

  Israel: Panic spreads among African migrants as deadline nears

  Israel plans to deport thousands of African asylum seekers within the next three months. They have the choice of leaving for a third country or indefinite imprisonment in Israeli jails. The quit deadline fans fears among African migrants, reports Tania Kraemer. “It is a very scary moment and many people are simply in panic,” says Ghebrihiwet Tekle, a young Eritrean …

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• 5 January

  Germany achieves record low unemployment rate in 2017

  Official figures released on Wednesday show that Germany’s unemployment rate has hit a record low. December’s unemployment rate was 5.5 per cent, the lowest level since German reunification in 1990, the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit or BA) said. In 2017 as a whole, the jobless rate fell to 5.7 per cent or just over 2.5 million people, from …

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• 5 January

  Germany’s Black Community condemns AfD politician for insulting Noah Becker

  The Association of Black People in Germany (Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland or ISD Bund e.V.) has condemned Jens Maier, a member of the far-right, anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD), for his racist Twitter comment on Noah Becker (23), son of former tennis star Boris Becker. The member of the Bundestag or German parliament had attacked Noah Becker, calling …

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• 5 January

  30,000 Nigerians living in France – Ambassador

  The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to France, Dr. Modupe Irele, has said that no fewer than 30,000 Nigerians are currently living in France. Irele told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos that the number included Nigerians living in France as business owners, as well as those studying in various French educational institutions. “The …

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• 5 January

  Egypt’s Mohamed Salah wins African Player of the Year award

  Africa’s football governing body, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has named Mohamed Salah of Egypt as the 2017 African Player of the year. The Liverpool star beat Sadio Mane of Senegal and Liverpool, and Gabon’s Pierre Emerick Aubameyang who plays for Dortmund. He takes over from Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez who won the 2016 edition in Abuja. Salah, who was …

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• 5 January

  Majority of Germans think Merkel’s best days are over

  Although 67 percent of Germans think their chancellor is no longer the leader she once was, they don’t see many alternatives. According to a new survey, three-quarters of the country think it’s time for a change at her CDU party, reports Elizabeth Schumacher. About two-thirds of Germans believe that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s best times are behind her, according to a …

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• 4 January

  Nigerian minister, officials in Libya to evacuate stranded citizens

  A Federal Government of Nigeria’s special delegation, led by Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, is currently in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to deliberate with Libyan officials on the evacuation of Nigerians trapped in the country. The Head, Press and Public Relations of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP),  Josiah Emerole, said the delegation left the …

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• 4 January

  Igbo language school opens in Frankfurt

  In a bid to promote African languages in the diaspora, an organisation will open a school where children can learn Igbo in the German city of Frankfurt. Igbo is the language of the Igbo people, one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. Founded by the Christian Igbo Professionals Network (CIPN), the official opening ceremony of the Igbo Language …

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• 4 January

  Germany’s Black community to honour Mike Reichel

  Mike Reichel, a leading member of the Black Community in Germany who died recently, will be honoured at a funeral service on 19 January in Berlin. Reichel (54), who tragically ended his own life in December 2017, was one of the pioneer members of the Initiative of Black People in Germany (Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland or ISD) and a co-founder …

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