ReportWire

Tag: CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES

  • German President Steinmeier to meet Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez

    German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier plans to hold political talks with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday, the second day of his state visit to Spain.

    The future of Europe and the war in Ukraine are likely to be important topics. Steinmeier wants to thank Sánchez for his support for Ukraine. Spain has just pledged €817 million ($947 million) in new aid to the country as it defends itself against Russia’s invasion.

    On Wednesday, Steinmeier called for Europe to be made fit for the future at a joint session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in Madrid. “We need reforms to become faster and more decisive,” he said in his speech to both houses of parliament.

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    Another topic on the second day of the visit is expected to be economic relations between Germany and Spain. Steinmeier and Spanish King Felipe VI plan to jointly open a German-Spanish economic forum.

    Steinmeier also plans to award footballer Toni Kroos the Federal Cross of Merit.

    Kroos won the World Cup with the German national team in Brazil in 2014. He ended his football career last year with a victory in the Champions League and participation in the UEFA European Championship.

    However, the 35-year-old is being honoured less for his successes on the football pitch than for his social engagement.

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  • Mexico is considering slapping an eight percent tax on violent video games

    Violent video games have found themselves in the crosshairs of politicians yet again, but this time with Mexico’s government. Earlier this week, Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies approved a comprehensive financial package that includes an eight percent tax on video games with mature content. As first reported by Insider Gaming, the proposed tax covers games that have a C or D rating under Mexico’s video game age classification system, which is similar to ESRB in the US. The C rating is for players who are at least 18 years old and allows for extreme violence, bloodshed and moderate graphic sexual content, while the D rating is reserved for adults only and allows for prolonged scenes that include similar content.

    The proposed law was first introduced in September, when the country’s Treasury Department claimed that “recent studies have found a relationship between the use of violent video games and higher levels of aggression among adolescents, as well as negative social and psychological effects such as isolation and anxiety.” The report cited a study from 2012 in a footnote, which also observed some positive associations with video games, including motor learning and building resilience.

    The current interpretation of the proposal that’s been approved by the Chamber of Deputies would apply to digital and physical copies of affected games, as well as any in-game purchases or microtransactions. The proposal still has to go through Mexico’s other congressional chamber, the Senate, where it will be debated before a November 15 deadline to submit a budget proposal.

    Jackson Chen

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  • Chile’s Chamber of Deputies passes bill that bans betting ads in sports | Yogonet International

    Chile’s Chamber of Deputies passes bill that bans betting ads in sports | Yogonet International

    The Chilean Chamber of Deputies approved this Wednesday, on general terms, the bill that prohibits the advertising of online betting operators in sporting events and clubs of any discipline.

    The initiative was approved with 118 votes in favor, one against, and three abstentions, during the first procedure in the Legislative Branch. Now it must continue its debate in particular and, subsequently, it will pass to the Senate.

    The bill prohibits the execution of any type of act or contract between online betting platforms and sports organizations, whether professional, clubs, associations, foundations, federations, and others. The initiative establishes sanctions such as fines ranging from 150 to 2,000 UTM for violators. It also stipulates that those who have ownership or shares in online betting companies cannot be part of the board of directors of a sports organization, whether professional or not.

    Another article of the initiative prohibits advertising and sponsorship of platforms related to sports, “regardless of the means or support through which it is transmitted or published, and regardless of the time or event in which it is advertised or sponsored”. In addition, it prohibits the advertising of these platforms “on any type of clothing, apparel or equipment of members of sports organizations, whatever their denomination and sports discipline, whether they are athletes, coaching staff, leaders, medical or auxiliary professionals”; and “in premises intended for training or competitions”.

    According to what was approved in this first instance, legally authorized bookmakers may broadcast advertising on television only between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.; on radio, between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.; and in written media, it may not be inserted in sports supplements or segments.

    In addition, they must include an “express warning, oral or written, about the consequences of online gambling and betting, with special mention to minors”.

    Marco Antonio Sulantay, deputy of the Independent Democratic Union, and author of the initiative clarified that the bill must return to the Sports Commission, “where we intend to improve it, expand it if necessary, and the most important thing is that when it leaves the commission again and goes to the Senate, that they also have the respective promptness because they are legislating on a very delicate subject, where there are many resources involved and there is tax collection that the State of Chile is not receiving”.

    The parliamentarian stated that he will ask the Government to participate and give priority to the bill submitted to the Economy Commission, which seeks to regulate online gambling.

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