The administration of the German Bundestag’s Lower House has ordered several deputies to remove LGBTQ+ flags from the doors and windows of their offices, escalating the controversy sparked by the Bundestag president regarding such symbols within the institution.

Social Democratic deputy Lisa Seitzl told the newspaper Der Tagespiegel that the measure was a “witch hunt” against the pride flag representing sexual and gender diversity.

Seitzl received a call from the Bundestag administration instructing her to take down two flags from her office, citing the internal regulations of the Lower House, which is presided over by conservative Julia Klöckner.

“I’m not sure the flags could be seen from outside, but that was the argument,” said the deputy, calling the situation “a bit ridiculous.”

“I wish the police responsible for the Bundestag would focus on security issues rather than hunting down equality flags,” she added.

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Left Party deputy Stella Merendino also received a call from the parliamentary police asking her to remove a flag hanging in a window overlooking an inner courtyard.

Mathias Paul, spokesperson for the Bundestag president, said this was a routine measure and not specifically targeting equality flags.

“It was not about specifically controlling equality flags. Other flags or insignias have also been affected,” Paul stated.

However, some deputies fear this is a targeted action against the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag symbolizing acceptance of sexual minorities.

Klöckner recently decided that the equality flag would not be raised in the Bundestag on the occasion of the Berlin Pride Parade, breaking with the tradition of previous years.

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Additionally, the president of the Lower House banned Bundestag employees from participating as representatives of the institution in the Berlin parade.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended Klöckner in a TV program amid the controversy. Merz, like Klöckner, belongs to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Merz said the Lower House was not “a circus tent” where flags could be raised indiscriminately.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have announced an agreement for the exchange of migrants that is expected to come into effect in the “coming weeks” and have described as “innovative.”

Migrants arriving in small boats will be detained and returned to France. For each return, one person (an asylum seeker in France) will be allowed entry to the UK through a safe, controlled, and legal route subject to strict security checks, available only to those who have not attempted illegal entry into the UK, Starmer explained at a press conference.

Macron highlighted that the goal is to improve cooperation with countries of origin and dismantle human trafficking networks by addressing the “root causes” of illegal immigration.

He also noted that the UK has not signed any migration agreement with the European Union since Brexit, creating a legal gap on migration matters, and urged stronger cooperation with other countries like Greece and Spain.

Following the announcement, the UK and France issued a joint declaration condemning the “cruelty of organized gangs trafficking people across the English Channel,” which “puts lives at grave risk” and “harms both societies.”

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The migration agreement establishes a “principle of equivalence between the number of readmissions to France and the number of legal admissions to the UK,” while “complementing” European cooperation on irregular migration.

The agreement will be finalized and signed after a thorough legal review with full transparency and understanding with the European Commission and EU member states, as this initiative concerns an external EU border.

Paris and London stressed they will use “all tools at their disposal, including existing and new ones, to combat human trafficking, smuggling, and organized crime related to migration.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky secured investment commitments exceeding $10 billion this Thursday during the 4th Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), held in Rome with the support of governments, businesses, and allied organizations.

“This conference is a sign of unity and the recovery of our lives,” Zelensky said at a press conference alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who hosted the forum attended by nearly 5,000 participants, including about a hundred national delegations and over 2,000 private sector representatives.

Among the attendees was General Keith Kellogg, the U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine appointed by President Donald Trump.