German lawmakers inched closer to banning the public burning of flags of foreign countries and the EU. The idea for the bill dates back to 2017, when Israeli flags were burned at a protest in Berlin.
Representatives of the ruling coalition have drafted a bill that would impose a fine or prison sentence for those who burn flags or national symbols of foreign countries, as well as of the European Union.
Burning the German flag publicly is already illegal in Germany, but the law is murky when it comes to burning the flag of any foreign nation or of the EU. Each case of flag-burning is currently dealt with on an individual basis, usually in terms of whether it can constitute a hate crime.
A bill had previously been introduced to parliament concerning the burning of just the EU flag, but Wednesday’s debate concerned a new bill that would expand fines and prison sentences to those burning the flags of any foreign country.
The ruling coalition have not yet set out a time frame for the bill, which will need to be voted on by parliament.
Although the bill will most likely pass with CDU and SPD support, opposition parties expressed skepticism.
Read more via DW
European Union negotiators are racing to finalise a transatlantic trade agreement with the United States, but divisions within the bloc over how to safeguard the pact from future policy ...
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticised the European Union for not doing enough diplomatically to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine, arguing that Europe is failing to fully ...
Morning Briefing
Malta Eyes Regulation of Prediction Markets Amid Insider Trading Concerns
Government wants Malta to become one of the first countries to regulate prediction market...
Major surveys point to diverging gaps between major parties
Two electoral surveys published over the weekend offered constrasting views of the size of the gap in favour of the Labour ...
The European Parliament has thrown its weight behind demands for a bigger long-term EU budget, approving its position for negotiations on the bloc’s next seven-year financial framework f...
Disinformation is no longer spreading only through fringe actors or political agitators, but through a digital system that rewards outrage, sensationalism and engagement above accuracy, ...
The privatization process for SAC, the company that manages the airports of Catania and Comiso, has reached a critical stage, with the outcome of expressions of interest expected in earl...
Microsoft is shopping for artificial-intelligence startups as the software company prepares for a future independent of its once-vital partner OpenAI, five people familiar with the matt...
“A company’s workplace culture praised by management, needs to be taken with caution. But when the recognition comes directly from employees, that carries greater weight,” says JONATHAN ...
EU lawmakers have approved new rules aimed at strengthening how failing banks are managed, extending protections to a wider range of institutions and depositors across the bloc.
The p...
The regeneration project of Birgu’s main square by Studjurban completed last year, gained further international attention with a Special Mention award at the internationally recognised A...
Malta Public Transport has launched a new digital signage system across key transport hubs in Malta and Gozo, providing passengers with real-time travel information. The system has been ...
The United States launched what it described as “self-defense” strikes against Iranian military targets after three US Navy destroyers came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, sharply ...
French shipping giant CMA CGM reported that its vessel San Antonio was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving several crew members injured and the ship damaged. The...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia was seeking to draw Belarus deeper into its war in Ukraine and was weighing plans to attack Ukraine's north or a NATO country from Belarus...
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have named former presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak as a suspect in a major graft investigation involving alleged money laundering.
Accor...
