Germany's amended citizenship law comes into effect today



International Desk, Barta24.com
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Germany's revised citizenship law, allowing for dual citizenship, comes into force on Thursday (June 27). As a result, more people will have the opportunity to acquire German citizenship. InfoMigrants takes a look at the key points of the Act.

German news agency Deutsche Welle reported this information.

According to federal government data, Germany's citizenship attainment rate is half the European Union average, the report said.

At least 14 percent of Germany's total population, i.e. 1 crore 20 lakh people, do not have the country's citizenship At least 5.3 percent of people have lived in Germany for the past 10 years.

The law will come into effect on June 27, nearly seven months after the reform proposal was passed by the German parliament, the Bundestag. If this law comes into effect, immigrants will be able to apply for German citizenship after five years instead of eight years.

According to the German Ministry of the Interior, the law has been reformed with emphasis on five issues These include speeding up the process of acquiring citizenship, allowing for dual citizenship, recognizing special qualifications, simplifying citizenship by birth, giving lifetime, achievement or lifetime honors to the generation of 'guest workers' and allowing more immigrants to become German citizens.

With the law coming into effect, foreigners living in Germany will be able to apply for citizenship after five years instead of eight years.

If someone is married to a German citizen, they can apply for citizenship after four years.

Applicants who can show 'special success' in their integration into German society can apply for citizenship after three years. Specific achievements include: doing well in school, proving you in the workplace, language skills and excellence in volunteer work.

According to the German Federal Statistics Office, in 2022 almost a quarter of the total population of Germany has a history of migration.

To get a German passport or to become a citizen, a foreigner does not have to give up the citizenship of his country as before. This facility is also effective from June 27.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, applicants can retain their previous citizenship without fulfilling any conditions while acquiring German citizenship. As a result, there will be no regret of leaving the passport of your country while taking the German passport.

However, it will also depend on whether the applicant's home country allows dual citizenship or whether there is an agreement with the German government of another country in this regard.

Regarding the special privileges of newborns, the Ministry of Interior said that in the future, children born in Germany to foreign parents will "unconditionally receive German citizenship."

Even children of German origin can now retain their parents' citizenship, if one of them has regularly lived in Germany for at least five years (down from eight years).

Members of the guest worker generation can only obtain German citizenship if they can provide proof of language skills. They will not need to pass the German naturalization process They must prove they can speak German "in everyday life," the Interior ministry said.

Germany has taken this simple measure to show special respect to guest workers

Many Turkish citizens came to Germany in the 1950s to help rebuild Germany from the ruins of World War II. They are called 'Guestrbeiter' or 'Guest Workers' in German until now, if any of them wanted to become a German citizen, they had to give up their Turkish citizenship

The Interior Ministry said that any foreigner applying for German citizenship with a criminal record will not be accepted. However, the authorities will not take into account minor crimes. If someone is convicted of a crime and sentenced to a maximum of 90 days in jail, he or she will be eligible to apply for citizenship after serving the sentence.

But there is an exception. If an immigrant is convicted of 'anti-Semitic, racist or other inhumane acts', regardless of the length of the sentence, he or she will no longer be granted citizenship.

In order to obtain citizenship, foreigners must be able to support themselves and their family members. This is because, according to Sections II and XII of the German Social Code (SG Two and Twelve), they are not included in the public welfare allowance.

Asylum seekers whose asylum applications have been rejected, but whose repatriation is prohibited for security reasons, i.e. staying in Germany for a long time in the Düldung process, will not be eligible for citizenship.

According to a study by the Migration Media Service, at least 24,000 applications are currently being processed in Germany's 50 largest cities. The number is more than the total number of citizenship acquisitions in Germany in 2023 25 thousand 600 people applied for citizenship in Germany's second largest city, Hamburg.

Last year, the number of applications for citizenship increased by at least 19 percent compared to 2022. And the number is more than double compared to 2020.

Due to such initiatives of the ruling coalition government, the number of applications for citizenship will increase in the future, the concerned people think.

According to the German news agency DPA, the relevant departments of the government may be under pressure due to the increase in citizenship applications So the government is focused on digitizing the entire process

According to the Migration Media Service survey, in almost every city in Germany, Syrians lead the way in applying for citizenship. Then there are citizens of Iraq and Turkey. According to last year's statistics, the number of Iranians and Afghanis in this race is not less.

It should be noted that Germany's conservative opposition party CDU/CSU has achieved the best results in the European Parliament elections this June. The far-right AfD came in second place. But the parties in the coalition government led by German Chancellor Olaf Schalz are at the bottom. As a result, there are doubts about the future of this legal reform.

General elections will be held in Germany at the end of this summer or in the fall of next year. Currently, the opposition party CDU/CSU is very active in German politics. If they come to power in the future, they have announced to cancel these reforms of the citizenship law. 

Kier Starmer agrees to recognize Palestine as a state



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
Kier Starmer agrees to recognize Palestine as a state

Kier Starmer agrees to recognize Palestine as a state

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Kier Starmer is going to be the new Prime Minister after 14 long years as the Labor Party came to power in the United Kingdom. He said that he is willing to recognize Palestine as a state when he comes to power.

On Friday (July 5), Qatar-based media Al Jazeera reported this information.

In the report, the media reported that the Labor Party said in their manifesto, "We are committed to recognizing the Palestinian state." This would result in a two-state solution with a sustainable and sovereign Palestinian state as well as a safe and secure Israel. In addition, the Labor Party wants an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages and an increase in aid to Gaza. The United Kingdom is in favor of resolving this conflict.

Meanwhile, Starmer voted against a ceasefire to end Israel's attacks on Gaza in November last year over the Hamas-Israel conflict.

However, Starmer said in a recent radio interview that Israel had a "right to self-defence" in the context of the death toll in Gaza reaching 38,000 due to Israel's relentless bombing.

At that time, he did not even call this Israeli killing carried out in the name of self-defense as 'genocide'.

The leader of the Labor Party also said that every country, including Israel, should be held accountable in the International Court of Law. As Prime Minister, he said that he will review the issue whether arms should be sold to Israel. 

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4 Bangladeshi women who won the UK election



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
4 Bangladeshi women who won the UK election, Photo: Collected

4 Bangladeshi women who won the UK election, Photo: Collected

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Among the candidates of Bangladeshi origin who participated in the UK elections, 4 women have been elected as Members of Parliament this time. The four members of the Labor Party are Rupa Haque, Tulip Siddique, Rushnara Ali and Afsana Begum.

According to the report, Rupa Haque won from Ealing Central and Acton seats, Tulip Siddiqi from Hampstead and Kilburn seats, Rushnara Ali from Bethnal Green and Stepnigreen seats, Afsana Begum from Poplar and LimeHouse seats. She was also a Member of Parliament earlier.

Rupa Haque has previously been elected Member of Parliament on Labor Party nomination in 2015, 2017 and 2019 elections.

On the other hand Tulip, the granddaughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was also elected as a Member of Parliament for the fourth time.

Another winning British-Bangladeshi candidate of the Labor Party, Rushnara Ali, will represent the country in Parliament for the fifth time. Afsana Begum, another candidate of the Labor Party, has been elected as a Member of Parliament for the second time.

In this election, the Labor Party nominated a total of 8 British Bangladeshis. Except for these four, the rest could not win the election. Labor’s Noorul Haq Ali in Gordon and Bochan, Nazmul Hossain in Brigg and Immingham, Rumi Chowdhury in Witham and Rufia Ashraf in Northamptonshire south lost to rival Conservative candidates.

On the other hand, the two candidates of Bangladeshi origin who participated in the election for the Conservative Party in this election were defeated. They are Atiq Rahman who contested from Tottenham seat in London and Syed Saiduzzaman from Ilford South.

Apart from these two parties, a number of British-Bangladeshis also ran as candidates for the nominations of other political parties and as independent candidates. Among them, 6 people got nominations from the Workers Party of Britain. But none of them could win the election.

They are Ghulam Tipu from Ilford South, Prince Sadiq Chowdhury from Bedford, Mohammad Shaheed Hossain from Hackney South, Faisal Kabir from Ultrichham and Sale West, Mohammad Bilal from Manchester Rossalmo and Halima Khan defeated from Stratford and Bow.

Raj Farhad, the only British-Bangladeshi nominated by the Reform Party, also lost the Ilford South seat. Rabina Khan, nominated by the Liberal Democrats, also lost the election. She contested from Stratford & Bow.

Scottish Nationalist Party nominee Naz Anis Mia was also defeated. His constituency was Dunfermline and Dollar.

In this election, 3 candidates of Bangladeshi origin nominated by the Green Party have been defeated. They are Syed Siddiqui from Ilford South, Syed Shamsuzzaman Shams for Oldham West and Royton and Sharmin Rahman for Leicester South.

British- Bangladeshi candidate Mumtaz Khanum could not win the election despite being nominated by the Socialist Party.

In addition to party candidates, 11 British of Bangladeshi origin became independent candidates in this election. But none of them could win. The candidates are - Weich Islam, Ajmal Mashroor, Suman Ahmed, Samsuddin, Ehteshamul Haque, Omar Farooq, Nizam Ali, Nurjahan Begum, Habib Rahman, Abul Kalam Azad and Raja Mia.

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After 14 years, the Labor Party is in power in the United Kingdom



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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It was already assumed that Labor Party leader Kier Starmer was going to win the UK election by a landslide. After the counting of votes, this idea became true. After 14 years, the Labor Party came to power in Britain. Kier Starmer is going to be the next Prime Minister of the country.

This information has been reported in the CBC media report.

According to the report, after the votes were counted, the Labor Party secured victory by getting more than 326 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons. In the meantime, the party has won an absolute victory in 386 seats.

On the other hand, the Conservative Party got only 93 seats in the election. Besides, the Liberal Democrats are in third place with 57 seats. Apart from this, the Scottish National Party and SF won seven seats each. And others are getting 23 seats.

Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak has accepted defeat, British media BBC reported. Rishi said he has already congratulated Starmer.

Meanwhile, after winning the Holborn and St Pancras seat, Labor leader Starmer said, "This is where the change starts."

After the announcement of the results, the British King Charles III will now invite the Labor Party to form the government. In that case, Rishi Sunak, leader of the ruling Conservative Party and Prime Minister, can submit his resignation to the King on Friday.

Newly elected legislators will take oath in Parliament on July 9. A new speaker will then be elected. On July 17, the session of Parliament will begin with the opening speech of King Charles III.

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Netanyahu approves more than 5,000 settlements in the West Bank



International Desk, Barta24.com Dhaka:
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The Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the construction of 5,295 new homes in the occupied West Bank. The plan was reportedly passed on Thursday (July 4).

This information was published in a report of AP.

According to the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to restart talks regarding a ceasefire in the ongoing violence in Gaza. He has already decided to send a representative for this.

A senior Israeli government source said the Netanyahu government has approved 5,295 homes in the West Bank. It is planned to be a new area of Israel in the Jordan Valley and near the city of Hebron.

Meanwhile, occupying Israel has approved 3 thousand 138 acres of occupied West Bank as its own during the Gaza invasion. According to a CNN report, Israel has recognized the largest amount of Palestinian land since the Oslo Accords in 1993.

However, according to political analysts, two major challenges have appeared in front of Netanyahu at the moment. The first is Hezbollah and the second is the recognition of Palestine as a state by various European countries. Both challenges are sensitive for the government led by him.

Recently, Spain, Norway and Ireland have recognized Palestine as a state. Many other European countries are also on the way to recognition. To stop this, he is approving plans to build housing estates in the West Bank one after the other.

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