NS Claimed Plots

International Security and Policing Act 2023

This act establishes the International Security and Policing agency (InterSPol) to aid in the prevention of major international crime within the European Union. This act outlines the powers of the European Council, European Nations and INTERSPOL to promote safety and security across the EU, and to protect the interests of nations and nationals.

Schedule 1: Powers and duties of InterSPol
I. The International Security and Policing agency will have the main objectives to prevent international crime and to prevent and counter acts of terrorism.
II. All EU member nations are pre-authorised to participate in InterSPol.
III. The custody and jurisdiction of InterSPol shall not be hindered by any internal EU borders.
IV. Each member nation will appoint an InterSPol Special Constable, responsible for ensuring the compliance of their state with the regulations of InterSPol.
a. InterSPol Special Constables will be answerable to and subject to review by the European Council before they are appointed.
b. Once appointed, a Special Constable may not be removed from their role unless they are removed as such by the European Council.
c. All special constables will have access to a central InterSPol computer and security system.
d. A special regulating body, the Office for International Policing Management (Ofip), will be established independently of InterSPol to ensure the compliance of InterSPol with its own rules.
V. The method of appointment and retention for InterSPol Special Constables will be the same as the method of appointment and retention for EU councillors.
VI. InterSPol must comply with all international humanitarian regulations.
VII. Members of InterSPol may be appointed from local police forces, or a relevant equivalent, and local police forces may enforce warrants issued by InterSPol unless they are not legally recognised by Ofip.
Schedule 2: Jurisdiction and powers of InterSPol
I. A local or international body of InterSPol may issue a warrant of arrest to another country’s InterSPol if
a. An individual or collective of individuals has an outstanding offence in their country of origin, and they have since left their country of origin. The following requirements must be met for a warrant to be issued in this circumstance:
i. The petition must cite the offence within the nation’s legal code,
ii. The petition must detail the legal consequences of the offence,
iii. The petition must disclose the level of danger which an individual or collective may pose to the general public within the current host country and country in which the event took place.
b. Warrants issued under the previous paragraph can be cited as Schedule 2a warrants.
c. An individual or collective has committed an offence in one country, and passed through one or many countries before arriving in a third country. The following requirements must be met for a warrant to be issued in this circumstance:
i. All which follow from Schedule 2, I.a.i – I.a.iii,
ii. The country where the offence took place must notify the other relevant countries of international criminal activity,
iii. The countries through which the offender(s) passed must report the timestamp at which they were notified of such criminal activity occurring before a warrant is issued
d. Warrants of the above type can be cited as Schedule 2c warrants.
II. InterSPol will approve a Schedule 2a or Schedule 2c warrant unless
a. Passages I.a.i – I.a.iii are not met
b. The offence for which the warrant is being petitioned violates clearly established international humanitarian law.
i. It will be the duty of the Special Constable in the receiving country to determine whether a warrant can be issued.
III. Where an offence was committed, and it is believed the offending bodies are present (legally or not) within the same country or jurisdiction, a warrant for arrest will NOT be issued by InterSPol unless
a. The offending part(ies) possess indefinite diplomatic immunity,
i. If diplomatic immunity expires within 14 days following the petition for a warrant, InterSPol will reject the application for a warrant
b. It is substantially or highly likely that a serious act of terrorism will imminently occur, with serious consequences for other surrounding nations or territories.
IV. Under no circumstances will InterSPol issue any warrants for the violation of immigration laws of member nations.

Councillors,
I see this act as a necessary tenet of cooperation among all of us. This act recognises the independence and culture of each member nation while reducing the opportunities for terrorists and dangerous criminals to operate within our borders. We are safer together. Thank you for your consideration.

Bulletin 478: Illegal trafficking of animals

Henceforth from 30 March 2023, it will be a criminal offence to transfer animals or livestock from or to an unauthorised premises with the intent of gaining profit or doing illegal business.

Lavoie govt. cuts welfare spending to 14% from 25% announced in April Budget Session

Petris Duke

The country's Minister of Finance, Joseph Peretz, presented the annual budget for the session of 2022-2023 in both the National Parliament in Portovo and Supreme Authoritee Councils in Canton Doh. The most stirring information of the budget was found to be the welfare spending, cut to 14% from 25% last year. Additionally, the government has updated the guidelines for citizens to be eligible for welfare schemes, which has reduced eligibility among citizens. Many opposition leaders, spokespersons and activists have raised the issue in various parts of the country. However, the government defended the legislation, stating that incomes have risen proportionally and that employment was much more effective in reducing poverty. They further added that the poverty rate has been extremely low as of recent.

North Diessan and Inimicus state organisations officials santioned fully
Today the government of the United Duchies pernamently seized the assets of any North Diessan and Inimicus officials and state owned organisations in the United Duchies. The assets had been frozen however the deadline having long passed and been extended finally ran out. The assets worth hundreds of Billions of Euros have been put into the ownership of the new Duchian Asset Reclamation Fund who will auction off all the assets. The money from the sales will then be put into a fund where Duchians affected by the seizures of assets can claim from. Trade by Duchian companies with North Diessan or Inimican companies or organisations on the sanctions list will also be banned fully.

Trade has already almost fully stopped with the nations with trains having been suspended by Duchian rail companies a while back following a collapse in ridership. The officials sanctioned include Artabonos and his foundation as well as the president of North Diessan among other officials. All parties forming the governments of North Diessan and Inimicus are on the sanctions list also. The sanctioned individuals and organisations will be banned from holding any assets in the United Duchies , having a bank account in any Duchies banks, setting up any companies or owning any shares in Duchian listed companies as well as being banned from entry to the country. Any transport companies of the countries shall be banned from using the baltic canal except for North Diessan organisations which cannot legally be banned from using the canal under the Caspian Treaty. The government has stated it is open to a resolution and dropping of sanctions if Duchian Assets are returned and a financial resolution to the dispute if Duchian citizens assets are returned to Duchian citizens.

With seven votes against and two for, this repeal has failed.

Iras Tilkanas
Council Speaker and Councillor for the Republic of Istkalen

Debate has ended. Seven amendments have been proposed, as follows:
Amendment 1:

I. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): an area of the ocean, extending 200 nautical miles beyond a nation's territorial sea, within which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources.

III. EU member states are required to share data about the sealife inside their EEZs and territorial waters.

Amendment 2:

I. Fishing Licenses

A) All individuals and companies commercial vessels of any length and recreational vessels over 6 meters in length engaged in fishing within the waters of the European Union must obtain a fishing license from the government. The license is required for all types of fishing, including commercial and recreational fishing.

Amendment 3:

III. Total Allowable Catches (TAC)

A) The EMO establishes quotas for each species of fish that can be caught within a certain time frame. The quota is based on scientific studies of the fish population and sustainability. The license holder licensed vessel is allowed to catch a specific amount of fish within the quota limit.
B) The TACs shall be divided into quotas that shall be allocated to license holders licensed vessels based on a fair and transparent process. The quotas shall be determined based on factors such as the size of the vessel, the fishing history of the license holder vessel, and the sustainable fishing practices employed.
C) Quotas may be transferred between licensed vessels if the following conditions are met:
1. The transfer is documented in writing between the original intended vessel and receiving vessel.
2. The EMO is formally notified by both parties of the transfer in writing.
3. The transfer would not bring the receiving vessel above its capacity limit.
4. The receiving vessel has the required gear and is capable of performing the required methods to catch the receiving species.
5. The receiving vessel's license is in good standing and is not restricted or otherwise sanctioned.

Amendment 4:

B) The government shall conduct regular inspections of all commercial fishing vessels boats and recreational fishing vessels over 6 meters in length to ensure compliance with the capacity limits. These inspections shall include checks on the boat's registration, equipment, and overall condition.

C) License holders Owners must report any changes in their boat's vessel's capacity, such as upgrades or modifications, to the government. Failure to do so may result in penalties.

Amendment 5:

II. If an individual or a company is found fishing without a valid fishing license, they shall be subject to fines. any commercial fishing vessel or recreational fishing vessel over 6 meters in length is found fishing without a valid fishing license onboard or on-file, it shall be subject to fines or penalties.
III. If any fishing gear is found to be non-compliant with the sustainable gear standards, the license holder owner must replace the gear with sustainable gear that meets the standards within a specified time frame.
IV. If a license holder licensed vessel uses non-compliant fishing gear, they shall be subject to penalties, including fines or suspension of the fishing license penalties. Repeat offenders may face more severe penalties, including suspension of or revocation of their fishing license.
V. If a license holder licensed vessel exceeds their allocated quota, inclusive of quotas obtained by transfer, they shall be subject to fines or penalties ,including fines or suspension of the fishing license. Repeat offenders may face more severe penalties, including suspension of or revocation of their fishing license.
VI. If a fishing boat licensed vessel is found to be operating above its capacity limit, the license holder licensed vessel shall be subject to fines or penalties ,including fines or suspension of the fishing license. Repeat offenders may face more severe penalties, including suspension of or revocation of their fishing license.
VII. If a license holder licensed vessel is found to be fishing within a closed area or during a closed season, inclusive of quotas obtained by transfer, they shall be subject to fines or penalties ,including fines or suspension of the fishing license. Repeat offenders may face more severe penalties, including suspension of or revocation of their fishing license.

Amendment 6:

I. All member states of the European Union are required to harmonize their national law(s) with this Act within six months one year of time from its approval by the European Council.

Amendment 7:

Replace all mentions of "boat" or "fishing boat" with "vessel" and replace any uncaught mentions of "license holder" to "licensed vessel".

Voting begins NOW and will continue until 5 April 2023 at 23:59 GMT.

Iras Tilkanas
Council Speaker and Councillor for the Republic of Istkalen

2nd in line to AranvaleThrone dies

In a shock event today Martyn Mormont died in an traditional archery accident at a Duchy Archery tournament where he was competing in the final. He was with Duchess Arya Mormont,Mathias Mizrachi-Roscoe , Lyanna Mormont and Johann Mormont at the time of his death. Reports indicate he was collecting arrows after a pause in the tournament was indicated when the next competitor stepped up in the range next door and missed his shot resulting in the arrow going through his neck.

This resulted in the death Martyn with the tournament being shut down for ambulance access. The family are devastated by the accident. There is no word on when the funeral is to take place for the 2nd in line to the Aranvale throne however a Duchy wide mourning period has been announced for 3 days with the High Duke due to visit the family tomorrow. It has been reported Martyn was declared dead at the scene as soon as the ambulance arrived and medic and ambulance teams failed to revived him and stop the blood loss.

Two new Rail services launch

Southern and North Eastern Railway

North Central Railway
Today two new gap filling train companies and services launched in the United Duchies to fill gaps and increase competition in the rail operating sector. The two companies are Southern and North Eastern Railway. The first Southern and North Eastern Railway will be run by Yosai National Rail which will run 6 trains per hour in each direction with potential for increases from Bielefeld via the major stations of Hague , Brummagem, Arthuria, Snottingaham and Cair Para to Arrynfort where it would terminate.

The second is North Central Railway the owned 50% each by Doornevale Transity Agency and Aran Tran who are already partners in the Grand Northern TOC where Transport for Albion is also involved. The North Central Railway will link Goudadam via Arthuria and Derventio to Doornewater and Arandale City with direct links the first such direct link between Goudadam and those cities. 4 trains per hour in each directiob will run from Goudadam to Doornewater and 4 trains per hour in each direction to Arandale City. The links are expected to be popular as tourism continues to grow between the cities with travel by car on the routes expected to be replaced by train travel.

Flixtrain which already runs trains between Bielefield to Kiel splitting at Flusselgort to a route visa Brummagem and Goudadam to Kiel and the Northern route via Castcon and Cair Para with 12 trains in each direction per hour at peak times split between the two routes will add a new servicefrom Bielefeld to Arrynfort via Hamborg , Hague, Brummagem , Arthuria, Snottingham and Cair Para essentially turning Flix Train into the first full national network after Roscoes Intercity covering all major cities under one TOC when services start at the beginning of May. More competitive fares are expected as a result of the extra competition with the extra Flixtrain route and the two new train companies involved. The transport minister Saahir al-Abad has welcomed the new companies saying "Competition has already lowered fares and increased efficiency in the rail sector and these new TOC's will only add more capacity and competition which we expect to lead to a rise in ridership by providing more conveniant options and new routes as well as making sure all routes have competition on them offering the consumer a choice of rail operators. We look forward to see what the uptake for the new routes are and particuarly welcome the addition of no-transfer trips between the Doornewater and Arandale City and Goudadam which was a missing link in the system."The new routemap for Flixtrain is shown below.

Rainbow

Czech Slavia abolishes the requirements for medical evaluation and surgery for legally changing gender

The President for Life Albína Reiserová signed a law abolishing requirements for medical evaluation and surgery for legally changing gender. All adults can thus change their gender by a declaration, while it remains impossible for minors to legally change their gender.

The law had support of all the Socialist Republican Party MPs, indicating that the decision to pass the law was issued by a degree by the Chairwoman of the party, President Reiserová. Apart from the SRP, all other parties represented in the National Assembly were split on the issue.

The law was proposed by the Government, where apart from the President herself, it was for a long time supported by the Minister of Education František Weisser. "I think it was the correct choice to make and in line with the present developments in the European Union. In the past the question of transgender people have unfortunately been ignored in our education, but also our media, but our government has tried to remedy this and I think that is very important for understanding of why there was a need for expanding right of transgender people and equalizing them with the rights of the majoritarian population. And that is all this new law does really." the Minister commented for us, before adding that he considers age limit appropriate. Ministers Šín, Mejzlík and Dlouhá have also previously openly expressed support for expanding transgender rights.

On the other hand, the Minister of Agriculture Pavel Dohnal was for a long time considered an influential opponent of such a chance, previously commenting that: "It is unacceptable for any minority to dictate to the majority how we should live and to deny the laws of biology and our culture and language. Our system is based upon the rule of majority, respect for culture and the natural world and those who will attempt to change this will surely find that their attempts are in vain."

However, just as the rest of the MPs of the SRP, Dohnal voted for the new legislation. We asked the Minister to provide us with a comment.

"Of course my actions are in line with my words. I fully trust the Wise Leader's judgement as any patriot would. But I don't preoccupy myself with the LGBT issues, I preoccupy myself with the issues of harvest, with the issues of putting enough meat and nutritious fruits and vegetables on the tables of all Czech citizens. Can you imagine if the Minister of Culture preoccupied himself with LGBT issues instead? We would be eating insects instead of meat, as they might soon begin to do in some other states, and we would have to import fish from Mishar, which are of notoriously lower quality than the Mostařanka carp. I have never put a fish from Mishar in my mouth and as long as I remain the Minister of Agriculture no Czech will be forced to do that either. The President's vision for agriculture is working, so I have my full confidence that her vision on the issues of transgender people are correct and this law was necessary."

The conservative lobby group For Life has marked Minister Dohnal as a hypocrite for his vote, "For Life is run by clergy, and clergy has been lying for the past two thousand years, I would not expect them to start telling the truth now." the Minister commented for us.