A venial offence is a slight or excusable one: Some dogs are punished for relatively venial offences. A venal offence is a serious one that involves corruption and bribery: The candidate committed the venal offence of bribing colleagues to vote for him.
The star, which was added to the flag in 1793, initially had more than five points. The star may represent the Morning Star mentioned in the Koran. Effective date: 5 June 1936.