Bundestag could pass much awaited dual-citizenship law
It's the moment which many foreigners living in Germany have been waiting for: on Friday at 11:40 am, a draft law permitting dual citizenship will begin both its second and third reading in the Bundestag.
If approved in its current form, the law would allow anyone naturalising as German to retain any other nationalities they currently have - whatever their previous citizenship - in contrast to the country's current restrictive policy on dual citizenship.
The new law would also reduce the time an applicant for naturalisation needs to have been resident in Germany before applying for citizenship from eight years to five. Exceptionally well-integrated applicants could naturalise after as little as three years.
READ ALSO: Dual citizenship in Germany: Bundestag could pass draft law on Friday
Tens of thousands protest against Alternative for Germany (AfD) in German cities
After high ranking AfD members attended a meeting where the mass-expulsion of immigrants was talked about, thousands of people in Germany have been demonstrating against the party.Â
According to police, around 2,000 people gathered in Mainz for a rally called: "Signs against the right - No place for Nazis", which was attended by Rhineland-Palatinate's state premier Malu Dreyer (SPD).
Several demonstrations are also planned across Germany in the coming days, including in Stuttgart, Halle, Erfurt, Dortmund and Karlsruhe.
However, a rally planned for Friday in Hamburg cannot take place on the square in front of the town hall as planned because the AfD has scheduled a parliamentary group meeting at short notice.
According to a spokeswoman for the Hamburg Parliament, this means that local laws, which prohibit demonstrations within a radius of 350 metres of the town hall, will come into effect. The organisers of the rally: "Hamburg stands up - Together against right-wing extremism and neo-Nazi networks" have moved the demonstration to the nearby Jungfernstieg. They are expecting around 10,000 participants.
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Members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is currently riding high in opinion polls, reportedly discussed the mass deportation of foreigners as well as "non assimilated citizens" at the meeting in November with extremists, including a prominent Austrian far-right leader.
Since news of the meeting was leaked last week by investigative media outlet Correctiv, people in Germany have taken to the streets to protest against the party and call for a ban against them.Â
More money for refugee services as final budget nears approval
The Budget Committee of the Bundestag reached an agreement on Thursday to finalise the 2024 budget, agreeing on additional funds totalling around €200 million.
The Federal Office will be strengthened with additional staff, and investments will also be made in IT equipment for equipment for faster processing of asylum applications, announced Thorsten Lieb, the rapporteur for the FDP.
The Budget Committee has also approved €95 million for the expansion of the Central Register of Foreigners (Ausländerzentralregister).
"The need for new skilled workers for our economy and the rising number of asylum applications for asylum are pushing the migration administration to its capacity limits," said Lieb.
In the coming months, the Ausländerzentralregister is to be converted into a central centralised and inter-agency platform. Manual processes will be automated.
"The workflow will be more compact, clearer and faster."
Weather to become milder starting on Friday
After a mid-week hit hard by rain and ice, the weather is set to calm down considerably at the weekend. On Friday and Saturday, there will be sunshine, at least in some parts of the country, according to the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach.
READ ALSO: Frankfurt airport cancels hundreds of flights as heavy snow continues
According to the DWD, there will be isolated heavy snow showers in the north and northwest on Friday, with thunderstorms in places. In the rest of the country, sunshine and clouds will alternate and it will remain largely dry.
Temperatures will be between 0 and 4C. There will be moderate winds, with gusts of wind possible on the coast. On Saturday night, temperatures will drop to plus 2 to 0C with clouds.
'Peaky Blinders' team reunites for Berlin fest opener
A drama starring Cillian Murphy about the systematic abuse of woman at Irish laundries run by the Catholic Church will open next month's Berlin film festival, organisers said Thursday.
"Small Things Like This", which will have its world premiere at the Berlinale on February 15th, reunites Murphy with Belgian film-maker Tim Mielants, who directed him in season three of the hit show "Peaky Blinders".
Murphy, who won a Golden Globe this month for his star turn in "Oppenheimer", plays a 1980s coal merchant who "discovers startling secrets kept by the convent in his town" linked to the notorious Magdalene Laundries.
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