The German parliament has passed a bill creating the first post-unification Veterans’ Day, breaking with a long-held taboo around veneration of soldiers as the country faces up to new looming threats. MPs in the Bundestag lower house approved the proposal to create a memorial day on 15 June each year, after an agreement between the government and the conservative opposition earlier this month. The once-unthinkable step is seen as an attempt to boost public acceptance of the armed forces while making service in the volunteer army more attractive as Europe’s top economy dramatically ramps up its defence capabilities. The parliament’s...