The German parliament has granted approval for legislation aimed at facilitating the acquisition of citizenship and removing restrictions on holding dual citizenship last friday. The proposal, advocated by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left, socially liberal coalition, garnered a majority vote of 382-234, with 23 lawmakers abstaining. While the government contends that the move will enhance immigrant integration and attract skilled labor, the main center-right opposition criticizes it, asserting that it could devalue German citizenship.

The approved legislation reduces the residency requirement for citizenship eligibility from eight to five years, or three years in the case of "special integration accomplishments." German-born children automatically become citizens if one parent has been a legal resident for five years, down from the current eight years. Additionally, the law eliminates restrictions on dual citizenship, a departure from the existing requirement that individuals from countries outside the European Union and Switzerland relinquish their previous nationality upon gaining German citizenship.

The government notes that 14 percent of the population, over 12 million out of 84.4 million inhabitants, lacks German citizenship, with around 5.3 million having resided in Germany for at least a decade. Germany's naturalization rate is reportedly below the EU average. In 2022, 168,500 people were granted German citizenship, the highest figure since 2002, with a notable increase in Syrian citizens being naturalized.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasizes that the reform aligns Germany with European neighbors like France and aims to attract skilled workers. The legislation specifies that those seeking naturalization must be able to support themselves and their dependents, with exceptions for "guest workers" who came to West Germany before 1974 and those who arrived in communist East Germany to work.

The existing requirement for citizenship applicants to adhere to the "free democratic fundamental order" is retained, with the new version explicitly stating that antisemitic and racist acts are incompatible with this commitment. However, the conservative opposition argues that Germany is relaxing citizenship requirements at a time when other countries are tightening theirs, describing the legislation as a "citizenship devaluation bill."

The citizenship law overhaul is part of a broader series of social reforms agreed upon by Scholz's three-party coalition upon taking office in late 2021.

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country's primary space contractor, announced the successful launch of three experimental satellites on Saturday morning. These satellites, part of the Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator series, were developed by the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing.

The Long March 2C carrier rocket, measuring 43 meters in length and 3.35 meters in width, transported the satellites into their designated orbit. The launch took place at 8:13 am from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert of northwestern China.

This mission marks the fourth deployment of satellites in the Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator series, following previous launches in July, November, and December. The Long March 2C rocket, a product of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing, is primarily used for deploying satellites into low-Earth and Sun-synchronous orbits.

Both academies involved in this mission are subsidiaries of the State-owned conglomerate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

Insiders in the space industry note that this successful launch signifies the completion of China's annual space launch plan for 2023. With a total of 67 rocket launches this year, 47 of them were conducted by the Long March rocket family, the country's primary launch vehicle fleet.

Notably, 2023 saw a significant increase in the use of rockets built by private Chinese companies, with a total of 12 such rockets deployed to send satellites into space. This trend underscores the growing influence and participation of private entities in China's evolving space sector.