RTD 24
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Duchies Government invites Telum Countries to discuss Transition
The Duchies government has publically invited all Telum nations to discuss the transition from the current trade relations to future trade relations including negotiations on issues such as tariffs , adminstration requirements, business licenses and canal fees. The government has said in a statement "We believe in a future of friendly relations with Telum despite previous issues especially in areas trade and cultural and education co-operation. We believe it is in everyones interests to talk as a group of nations and to ensure as little change as possible for businesses in Duchies and Telum. We look forward to meeting nations in The Duchies and ensuring continuation of good business relations."
Talks would also be expected to cover co-operation on crime , terrorism and intelligence on organised crime and terrorism where there is a threat to each others nations in order to prevent attacks and keep security high. United Duchies is expected to ask to continue to share intelligence on crime and terrorism into the future between Telum and Duchies as well as continuing arrangements for extradition into the future.
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Anastasia City a great success say government
The government have declared a success with housing capacity now at 200,000 capacity with over 70% being affordable or social housing owned by Housing Associations or partnerships with the government or sold as affordable house allocations. The housing has been distributed to immigrants and Duchian spouses and families of the immigrants from the Nicolezian community. The government expect most people to be renters in Anastasia at least at the start with rent to own schemes expanding to help people buy their homes.The government announced today that the government would be introducing new investment scheme allowing small business owners credit towards housing if they invest in businesses with immigrants and particuarly those from Copala City getting priority. It is reported Kligenberg-MG are looking at a new supply plant in the city with other industrial companies looking at factories on the cheaper land to exploit cheaper real estate pricing and access to the ports. The government also announced they would invest in a port 50/50 with the Anastasian government in order to boost port capacity on the Caspian close to the Baltic Canal. The government of the Duchies said in a statement "We have a strong economy developing in Anastasia and are producing a wonderful city with walkable environments , affordable quality housing and great services. This city is serving its role well as a landing point for immigrants and we expect to have housing and services for 600,000 by the end of the year and are taking applications for more people to come to Duchies pending housing in Anastasia. We hope to have a city of 1,250,000 within 2-3 years. We believe this project will benefit immigrants and the Duchies by providing a melting pot city for them to immigrate to and start new businesses in." The government also announced a new fund that would specifically focus on money for non-profits and co-operatives to encourage the growth of a co-operative economy as well in the city.Roscoes announced today all its employees in the country including Anastasia would be entitled to cheaper than market rent apartments above the stores to reduce commutes and in order to provide quality homes for workers. They could rent up to a 3 bedroom apartment depending on family size in order to allow for 2 child families.
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Amaziah Roscoes Attackers face up to 60 years
Today the after sentencing after 6 of the the attackers of Amaziah Roscoe pleading guilty the trio of judges on the case voted to deliver sentences of 40-60 years. 3 of the attackers pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder, Torture and a Hate Crime for attacking him because he is Autistic while the other 3 pleadered guilty to Attempted Murder and Hate Crime Charges meaning judges had no option but to give 40 years in prison. The judges could have given shorter sentences but the Roscoes it is reported didn't give the blessing for this to take place that would be required in law. It is reported that no remorse was shown during investigations and the trial.Details about the case have now been fully released and a picture of a brutal tragic crime emerged. It is reported that he was invited by text to the forest falsifying the number to make it look like it was his girlfriend, once he arrived he was set upon and shot from behind and stabbed multiple times before being kicked on the ground and as quoted by one of the judges "Treated like a football" . He was also tortured facing burns to his face among other injuries all while being filmed and mocked by his attackers before being left to die on camera which the perpetrators planned to pick up the day after while burying him. However luckily his father called his girlfriend to see if he arrived and they realised something was up and called emergency services to the park near his home where they reguarly met and searched themselves finding him, he was found just in time to be saved though it is reported he is still requiring extensive counseilling services which the the victims have been ordered to work into prison to help pay towards by the judges under a compensation plan unless they want to face extra years in prisons. With the attackers ranging from 15-18 the perpetrators will face being in prison in their 50's to 70's .
The lead judge when delivering the sentence said "You have shown no remorse and no guilt in fact you told police you only regret he lived and Amaziah was not under the ground and was able to give evidence against you. You cowardly used his relationship to entrap him into a brutal attack all decent people would find reprehensible and all because he is Autistic. This is why we fund no problems in passing the sentences of 40-60 years in prison. You have wrecked your lives over this attack and will not be free for a long time and will only get out if you can prove you are not a danger to others which I sincerely doubt will ever be the case. Let me make clear we have no sympathy for you and like many in society we sympathise with the clear victims Amaziah , his family and his girlfriend. I hope this sentence sends a message we will treat disgusting animals like yourself who act so callously harshly and we will protect our Autistic population. If you attack, attempt to murder and commit hate crimes you will go to prison for a long time . I hope you think everyday about what you did and eventually find a heart to realise just how wrong what you have done is but we have not seen evidence in this court room or in police interviews. " The details have shocked the nation with most showing support for the sentencing though some have suggested that it may be harsh given the age of the defendents. James Mizrachi-Roscoe outside the court room with his son gave a press to the press " My son has suffered so much and we can only thank God he was found in time to be saved. However my son now faces a life sentence , a life sentence of nightmares of being attacked and tortured , I thank the police and judges for doing their jobs well and getting justice. I hope this sends the message people like my son are valuable and their lives matter. We thank the public for their support during this time and protests and hope this case will continue to generate the change we need to prevent anti-autistic hate. For now we will be focusing on my sons recovery as much as possible so he can be in a better place in his mental health battle he now faces. I have this message no sentence can give full justice for what happened to my son, the perpetrators may have been given 40 years and 60 years but my son faces a life sentence and I can only hope the time in jail will make his attackers think about what they have done.If you want to help , please give to Positive About Autism who we will be launching a campaign with to tackle the issue of hate crimes against Autistics. Every Dux Libra helps and will be appreciated " Social media has erupted with support for the family with Ogobook as well as twitter. The leader of the The Left Leo McKulsky was condemned by the public after he said " While the attack on Amaziah is a tragedy and disgusting , there is also a great tragedy of the loss of lives for the young people who made a mistake , yes a an awful and terrible mistake in their youth. We are treating them like monsters who cannot be recovered , this shows something is very wrong with the system when it does not allow for redemption" .
The statement was immiediately condemned by many politicians including the leader of the Moderate Party John Peter Key and Liberal Party leader Arron Scott. The Moderate Party leader said "The fact LeoMcKulsky is talking about "redemption" for attempted murderers is a disgrace. I ask him why there should be leniance and lighter sentences when if the perpetrators had had their way Amaziah would have had no chance of any life on account of being dead after having suffered a horrific end. This is not the time to talk about leniancy and maybe he should focus on the issue of justice and anti-autistic hate crime like the rest of the country is united in focusing on and supporting. The government will back campaigns to deal with hate crimes against Autistics which although rare is still sadly far too common and focus on generating acceptance of differences more among the youth in this nation."
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United Duchies opens Anastasia University
Anastasia University opened today with the support of the University of Baltia and Porterdam.The government announced the funding for the university would be all covered by central government with one free course available for Anastasia s between the ages of 18-25. Any Anastasia s who can't get a place at Anastasia University will get a free courses at other universities as part of a skilling up of the population. The measure is to be funded solely by central government. The government said in a statement "We believe in the people of Anastasia any refugee on an Anastasia visa may join waiting lists for free courses at any university in the country including Anastasia University. We believe this will be good for the country and Anastasians.We hope this helps many who have had a hard time and been through so much strife and civil war and that it helps them find peace and a sense of identity as one of the Duchian family." -
Anastasia Attacked according to police statement
Today the Anastasia and Baltia police have said in a statement that Anastasia City has faced an attack and organised effort to cause chaos but praised the police on the frontline handling the situation. There have been reported explosions in Anastasia and the city has been shut off temporarily at the border while order is restored. The police have said "Today an organised attack was arranged , we believe many were induced via drugs and we will be looking for the real culprits and criminals behind the disgusting attack on the people of Anastasia and get justice for the people of Anastasia. We regret that severay people have been involved in shooting incidents with police and security and we will be investigating every incident but we have been assured so far that it was to preserve as much life as possible. We have hundreds tonight in custody as a result of the events but we will be looking at how much drugs are responsible versus individuals being responsible. We do not believe that this is intentional on their part but rather organised and it shows signs of certain drugs from the Haahne region . We will get to the bottom of this and get justice for the people of Anastasia."The Prime minister and the cabinet are in emergency talks in Cair Para in order to decide on a response. The government are expected to aid local authorities not just in investigations but also the recovery in the city. The damage however is reported to be limited to certain districts. The police are believed to now be in control of the attack on the city. The government have labelled this as a terrorist incident and have noted similarities to incidents in Copala City and Haahne Republics and are bringing in authorities from abroad to help with investigations.
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Order Restored in Anastasia
Order has been restored in Anastasia City after a troublesome few hours. While some areas have occaisonal issues the police have said on the whole order has been restored with aid and help rushing in. The ICS church have announced all their churches are getting supplies to people they can help with the government announcing the military have been called upon to assist in handing out aid and supplies and going home to home to deliver food parcels following the attack. The military will be only lightly armed enough to protect themselves so as not to cause fear or misunderstanding.Roscoes have announced they will be using their welfare fund to buy food from their supermarkets to distribute to residents in this emergency time. Any Anastasian may book a emergency food delivery free from Roscoes as a gesture of support to the city in this hard time. The supermarket said in a statement "We believe we should be part of the community that supports us economically. That means when times are hard we give a little back and we hope our food parcels will help with discounts available." Any people who want to go elsewhere from Anastasia may do so and authorities have set up a point to leave at the Anastasia City Railway station in the centre. It is reported some Nicolezians are temporarily leaving from the station to the Eurorail terminal to catch trains to Madrid.
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Anastasia to get two teams as stadium plans announced
Before the chaos of the day good news was announced for Anastasia with the government of United Duchies announced a grant of 1,000,000,000 Euros to build stadiums near the city centre of Anastasia City. The stadiums will be operated by a new company owned by Anastasian government called Anastasia Convention and Sports Venues Ltd. The stadiums will be home to two clubs each to be funded by the Duchies government with seed funding to encourage professional sports and also home to Anastasian Duchy team for the High Dukes Cup. Conditions are that any stadium should be able to support a mixture athletics, football and rugby between the two stadiums to allow increased use and to house multiple clubs in one stadium. The government also will give money to develop an indoor arena and convention centre for culture, conventions and music again to the operated by the companies. The move is hoped to generate money for the economy by boosting visitors and provide sporting teams to root for for Anastasians.
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Government announce plan to devolve langauge education
A new plan by government will devolve language regulations in education. While Duchian Sign Language will still be mandatory throughout the country for ease of communication with the deaf the second langauge of a Duchy will be devolved allowing them to choose German or a language of the local legislatures choice as a second mandatory language course. The move is believed to have come at the concerns of the Anastasian government who want to make Nicolezian the main secondary langauge in duchy of Anastasia. It also means Anastasia people will likely be allowed to be taught in Duchian English or Nicolezian instead of Duchian English or German. However the countries government will still require English and German to have a job with national government agencies except if the job is only dealing with local groups in non-german majority Duchies such as Anastasia, Supseaxe and Baltica. The move is designed to increase local autonomy and recognise the fact there is now a Duchy where German is not a major secondary langauge. -
Utilities to vast majority of city back online
The utility company of Anastasia has confirmed today that most utilities are back online and where they aren't army are currently distributing water and compost toilets kits. The government said in a statement "The Copalan Appeal are involved in fake news and frankly reports that utilities are down in most of the city is false. Utilities were restored fairly quickly thanks to an effective local government and national government response. We will continue to work to restore services to the streets around the blasts." The government today have reportedly condemned the Copalan Appeal for scaremongering and irresponsible journalism that could endanger lives. -
21st January 2022
Coronation of High Duke Nikolai III to modernity with tradition
The coronation of High Duke Nikolai III will reflect a major change in how the High Duke role is conducted and the direction High Duke Nikolai III intends to take the role. The High Duke well known in his Duchy for his activism will bring a new "humanitarian activism" to the role of High Duke. He intends to rule as the "Peoples High Duke" , this in his words means he will "Take a more active role in charity, key humanitarian issues and on social issues relating to acceptance of people as they are while remaining non-partisan in terms of party support." The move might be controversial in the role depending on if people perceive this as getting political but it remains to see how he implements this approach. The High Duke has already took a radical decision of hosting autistic children and neurodivergent children as well as vulnerable adults in preparatory sleepovers for a night or two or a visit before events in the palace to get them used to the environment and give the palace time to explain and show exactly how events will take place so children can prepare. This has already happened for the pre-coronation preparations. He intends to meet every Autistic or neurodivergent Child or vulnerable adult who comes to events hosted by him. He said in a statement " I understand as an autistic monarch the challenge big events can cause to some neurodivergent people. I myself would have to have dad prepare me for events and even today rehearse alot for big events in my mind. Knowing this I want to make visits to the palace and events here more comfortable four our Neurodivergent guests. "The palace has unveiled the choir will be all Neurodivergent to "Honour that God loves all people and designed every person including neurodivergent people perfectly and show that Neurodivergent people are capable of amazing and beautiful things" . The service has been described by some as progressive with concerns from some commentators it is getting political but Nikolai III says that it will not be political but humanitarian and humanitarian values should not be seen as political. The PM weighed in saying he supports the High Dukes approach and said " I think left, centrist or right we should all agree that accepting people as they are , loving people and ensuring all get a fair chance in life should not be political values. Maybe some of the big picture policies are and there is a question of how we reach it but I'd hope all would hold these Duchian values dear." The coronation will be broadcast on RTD live as it happens so tune in to see the event of a generation for Duchians.
Concerns as trafficking increases 56% in 1 year
Today a report has stated that people traficking and slavery in the Duchies needs new policies to combat it including stricter checks at entry points into the country. The reports showed traficking reports have gone up 56% in a year with it being estimated by police this is undershooting the actual increase in trafficking . Prosperity in the Duchies has been good for the nation however there are concerns some of that wealth is encouraging increased trafficking with the police saying they are concerned that Duchies is becoming a slavery capital of the EU along with other nations like Inquista and Duxburion Union as gangs attempt to exploit the extra wealth in the Duchian economy. The source nations appear to be poor nations where victims are promised jobs , a better life or love and then traficked with all those promises broken. They are then traficked for illegal slave labour in places like cheap car washes or cleaning businesses or for sex traficking. There is concern at least 45% of victims are younger than 18 with them slipping into the country as "families on holiday" or tourists.The report calls for EU wide co-operation on the issue but in response the border control have said they are considering creating increased border control including extra checks on any citizen from countries with a gdp per capita less than €15,000 euros per capita and Istkalen in addition to standard ID , fingerprint, iris and facial scans and photos. The country said the measures are likely to come in next month and be made permanent. The move is splitting security experts and some have stated concerns that is could cause potential issues around discrimination. The police have also stated they will check in more on people from these communities and try to build up more connections as well randomly check their visas and ID more to ensure that they catch trafficking cases earlier and help the victims.
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Roscoes to partner with Unions to etablish fair wage scheme throughout Europe
Roscoes has announced it is to partner with unions to set up a Europe wide Fair Wage Council. Each nation will have a council which would have any unions who want to be involved on it and experts on cost of living on it. The councils would set a Fair Wage Rate for each country regardless of what the government rate is , the service is to be funded by companies paying to be recognised as fair wage employers though this would require checks to make sure they are paying any wage or above the council recconomends per country. The fair wage would be set excluding any benefits such as health benefits , profit sharing or any access to welfare funds or extra benefits such as subsidised housing or cars. It would focus purely on the wage paid to the employee. The organisation would also required all breaks to be paid.Other employe in the Duchies are signing up to the scheme with any company signing being exprsected to follow reccomended wages in every country it operates. The hope is the scheme will benefit workers throughout Europe. The council in each country will consist of two members from every member union with over 100,000 members in each country and each councils will publish reccomendations yearly in December. The 100,000 member requirement may be reduced for specialised of sector unions or in countries with lower populations or unionisation rates , this will be set by the Fair Wage Council in each country.The Fair Wage will be defined as " A wage that two people working 30 Hours per week can afford a 3 bedroom property, transport , energy and a holiday domestically each year." . The scheme was announced jointly with TUI Abbott , Roscoes ,RTD, the DHS, Hopkins and M&S among others. The Fair Wage Duchies said so far over 35 major companies have signed up with more interested in the scheme. They said in a statement " THe Fair Wage Scheme will ensure all workers in Europe covered get a fair wage and that poverty wages end. It will ensure any wage covers the utilities, housing,food and transport costs and have some money left over for leisure. The scheme will benefit economies by ensuring higher pay for the lowest paid workers which is proven to benefit economies by increased spending resulting in win win for employers. "
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Experts raise concerns over Stop Corporate Imperialism Act
Experts have raised concerns over the Stop Corporate Imperialism Act. The act introduced supposedly to stop Corporations exploiting nations has been criticised by experts for endorsing a poverty wage and exploitative model of paying lower prices and wages. The act would ban companies from paying twice the average wage in a sector which could mean many firms paying ethical wages would end up being forced to make the choice of paying poverty wages and prices to suppliers and employees in lower income countries with loose labour laws or to not operate there essentially cutting off well paying markets from companies in those countries as well as well paying jobs in foreign owned factories in those countries. The proposed act has been criticised by the Fair Trade Council , Fair Wage Europe as well supplier guilds and workers unions. Many of these currently work with many companies from around Europe and the Duchies to set basic minimum profitable prices and minimum livable wages.The move would create problems for companies who decide to pay Living Wages or offer profit sharing schemes and bonuses on top of the wages.
Such a move would great reduce workers benefits and increase inequality according to expert from Fair Wage Europe Director Tristan Heitmeyer. He said in a statement " This would essentially outlaw any attempt to establish minimum profitable pricing and living wage schemes as it would outlaw working with Unions and Suppliers to establish these in the supplier and employment contracts by banning distributors from speaking to organisations like us. We have grave concerns this could lead to poverty wage work becoming more common while a small set of elites profit off the new low wage misery. To call treating workers like human beings and paying fair and equitable prices for goods and wages imperialist is extremely wrong. It is the opposite in that it is making sure one is not exploiting market conditions to make a profit at the expense of worker welfare or smaller suppliers profits. In fact without such schemes suppliers will be vulnerable to market fluctuations so not only is it unfair but it could seriously damage the stability of European markets by having farmers go under during a bad time. This is no time to bring back fully laissez fair capitalism and exploitation of workers we have worked so hard as a continent to defeat."
Even free market advocates on the right have opposed the bill saying the bill is anti-free market. The head of the free market thinktank Open Business Duchies said " It should be up to companies to decide what they pay in wages and prices for their goods. If they can make a profitable business paying higher prices and wages and charging consumers more or offsetting this through internal efficiencies or by accepting a lower margin over time then they should be allowed to. There shouldn't be limits on how high businesses can pay, we don't believe in minimum here either as we believe the market is the best arbiter of wages but that is a point for another day, This act wouldn't increase the free market in fact it would actually harm it by reducing choice for workers and suppliers that could have potentially had higher paying jobs but can no longer get that because its illegal." The government have said they will do everything they can to oppose the act and it is expected the Duchian Deputy European Councillor will vote against the act.
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President of Duchies Rail calls for Fixed Linke between North Africa and Europe
Today the president of Duchies Rail the track manager for United Duchies and State Owned Enterprise in charge of the ticketing system and track maintenance in the Duchies has called for a tunnel from Europe to North Africa. The president of Duchies Rail Kit Houghton said in an interview "I think we are really being held back in terms of carbon reduction by a lack of rail links between Europe and DU and Yosai and Leagio in terms of a short straight route. A Bridge or Tunnel or combination of the two is needed and it would cost alot but if all nations contributed it could happen. We have almost 14% of our exports with the DU alone yet alone Yosai and Leagio and DU is also one of the top nations for imports as well. Visits are also high between our nation and those countries as well as Spain. A fixed link in Spain to Yosai would cut cross channel flights and flights from Duchies to those nations , make it more central so it can serve DU as well even more potential is there for cutting shipping and plane emissions. We all are comitted to carbon cuts and this seems like an obvious way. You only have to look at the Spain and Inquista to UD corridors these are now well over 50% rail with 70% in some pairings. A fixed line into Yosai would provide the potential for air between Yosai and Spain to be virtually eliminated and much of the air and ferry travel that is more carbon intensive between UD and those areas to be replaced by rail in the form of sleeper trains and coaches.I also believe it can be done look at the success of the Red Croatia tunnel over similar distances and linking similarly important partners in trade. Will it be easy no? Would there be challenges ? Yes but its only with bold vision like this projects like this get started and only with bold vision and innovation will CO2 be cut."
The government have been asked to comment the government said "This is the view of one person in the rail industry and many others may agree. We do believe it is a good idea and would happily join in funding any such project but there is no formal proposal and it is literally just a concept and idea of people right now as it has been for many years. If nations want to go ahead with the concept or reviews into it we'd happily work with them but ultimately for now its a dream."
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United Duchies announces minimum 5 year warranty plan on products over €20
The government of the United Duchies announced today that in a new update to the consumer code on top of repair schematics and the current spare parts law the country would be updating its consumer code to make products sold in the Duchies more sustainable. The plan would require a minimum 5 year warranty for products over €20 unless they are necessarily single use items with a minimum 10 year warranty on goods over €50. The plan has come about upon reccomendations in the Engelhardt Report on Sustainability. The report revealed too many clothes were ending up in the incineration after just 1 year. The new laws will also require all products be fully recyclable with mixed fibres being required to be easily recyclable. The new plan will potentially outlaw the sales of plastic clothing in a boost to natural materials , the new laws will also apply to imported clothing. The warranty may exclude expected and reasonable wear and tear as defined by the Competition and Consumer Protection Authority..The law will also require manufacturers or the store to take in goods for recycling at the end of the products life with a minimum €20 incinceration fee per item if they throw it in the garbage. Clothes and products will be required to be put in a separate sorting bin for outgoing garbage collection. If any violations of the law happen it is proposed that a fine of up to 10% of the annual revenue of the company will be took per offense after just 3 violations. The new law would update the law to ensure sustainability is the way companies must act in the future. The law is expected to pass within a month unless the parliament object to the plan but most major parties have backed the new law.
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United Duchies Government will not bow to Inditex Pressure
The United Duchies government said they will not bow to the pressure from Inditex. The government said in a statement "Inditex alledge we want to create monopolies for Duchies businesses which is not the case. We are in an emergency with too much waste going to incineration because it cannot be recycled and lasts a short time. The law is targeted solely at companies who are irresponsibile. Inditex by withdrawing rather than focusing on making sure their clothes are recyclable and last 5 years have only proven their model is not sustainable in the long run or in line with Carbon Emission goals.We are not targeting one country but a practise much like when we reformed packaging laws at the guidance of experts on sustainability to ensure we can have products that don't destroy the environment and planet. We welcome other sustainable clothing companies that will take market share that irresponsible companies will leave behind in the Duchies , at least we won't have to incinerate their clothes unnecessarily. We are not intending to start a trade war but we will continue to seek best practise on the environment and while we understand the need to allow economically efficient products and companies this should not come at the cost of the environment. We will defend policies that increase sustainability and quality of all products to protect the consumer and environment." The government have said companies can expect over the years where environmental issues are raised for there to be changes required with the government saying in a statement " While economy and freedom of choice is important to us as a nation we must also build an economy around sustainability based on principles of not destroying the planet for short term gain. We are not going to go to the unnecessary lengths of some Strathae policies and will welcome big businesses that are sustainable and want to invest but we also won't let big corporations influence our policy to make short profits at the expense of the local and international environment. We will welcome the increasing presence of truly ethical retailers and product manufacturers in the Duchies market. There may be scope for discussion on what the penalties are and how much time manufacturers and retailers should have to adapt but we must move towards removing this clothing waste and waste from fast consumerism in all sectors. We have after having concerns raised by local sustainable businesses changed the the proposed law going through parliament to require fines of 10% only in cases of gross incompetence over a period of time where there is a significant failure rate and amount of violations or an intentional policy of violations of the new sustainability rules." The change has been welcomed by business experts and is understood to be accepted by green campaigning organisations in the Duchies.
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Reports into Anastasia attacks shows high suspicion of Anastasian Nationalist Responsibility
The innitial police and intelligence reports into the Anastasia attacks show there is a high probability and likelihood of Anastasian Nationalist terrorist involvement and responsibility. The police have said they are still investigating but investigations had led them to focus on Anastasian Nationalists with known fascist groups being unlikely to have resources or ability to carry out such attacks or be likely to focus on this area with no obvious motive for such an attack or intelligence from within suggesting that there is a responsibility by Duchian Nationalists. The investigations are continuing but it is likely according to experts Anastasian Independence Nationalist organisations and groups will be monitored more closely and that people withing groups will face additional scrutiny. The National Police and Police Intelligence Service are opening an investigation focusing on these organisations and hope they can catch the culprits quickly. They have appealed for information saying "If anyone knows who is responsible , these people aren't heroes of Anastasia but enemies of Anastasia and its people. They have killed Anastasians and committed crimes of the worst nature. These are not people to defend or assist, we have this to say if you help us we will reward you and if you assist these terrorists we will hunt you down, capture you and you will face hell, you will face the long arm of justice." -
Damaged sewers mostly repaired
Today the government announced the damaged sewers in Anastasia have mostly been repaired with a the few remaining likely to be fixed within a month. The government praised the quick work of contractors in restoring sewerage and water pipes as well as other services. The government have said that only a few thousand are without piped sewer services and those are being served by the anaerobic toilets and waste dispensers supplied as an emergency The government of the Duchies announced they would be ramping up investment in the city and construction of the tram and metro systems with plans to link all lines to Baltia. A new competition is being launched to design a high speed railway station, they hope to have a high speed rail link directly in Anastasia within 4 years. For not connections to the city will remain to be by bus and coach , with fullsize shopping centres hopefully open by year 3 . Until then the constructed temporary shipping container constructed and prefabricated buildings will remain. -
OGO announced on demand bus hailing integration
OGO today announced councils will be able to move to software systems to enable on demand bus hailing on OGO Maps. The OGO maps will be updated to enable integration of hailing of on demand bus services of councils and transport agencies, and private bus companies that sign up. The app would show your nearest virtual stops arrange the trip and process the payment to the bus company using the OGO wallet.The company said in a statement "At the moment people having to download 20 different apps puts tourists off using public transport especially on demand buses . We will show the on demand bus hailing options first and integrate fare collection into our system or let you choose to pay or show a card on the bus. This will make collection of payments easier for transit agencies and operators and make paying easier for the consumer. It will also make using services easier by providing one place to book all your on demand bus trips and letting you book trips in parts of the country you may be visiting only once or twice. We will continue to roll out these innovative solutions nationwide. You can also add your Go Pass to pay for this just like you can use to pay bus fares, train fares and transit fares on the app or website already. Now OGO Maps will be even more of the one stop app for all your navigation and transport needs."
Several Duchy Transit regional agencies are signing up to the app already with plans to have the whole country on board by the end of the year. The app will also work with countries internationally including Reitzmag , Yosai and other countries governments to roll out further integration of ticketing and payment processing into the OGO Maps. Some critics worry this will only add to the data that OGO collect on trips though its worth noting that data on location or any trips through the app are already stored and the company knows where one is at all times already so this isn't a new concern.
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Government of UD Distance themselfs from European Enterprise Penalties Act
The government of the United Duchies has distanced itself from the European Enterprise Penalties Act currently going through the European Council which would if passed either have mandatory fines if 10% of global revenue of a company for breaking EU law or up to that amount if amended and have fines be stackable. The business community in Duchies expressed concern it could potentially bankrupt companies for innocent and minor mistakes with it being met with concern from most Duchian businesses who already deal with a fair amount of regulation and say they shouldn't have to deal with a risk of a 10% fine on global revenue on top of that for small mistakes.The government in a statement said "While we believe James Mizrachi-Roscoe is a good councillor and right to be concerned about fines being at levels that they can be seen as a cost of doing business we believe this is not the right approach. This approach could do more harm than good and we would like to register our opposition to this proposed act. Even here in Duchies we only allow up to 2.5% of revenue in the Duchies and only in the most severe of circumstances with most fines being set at a scale to the damages caused by a company practise or as a percent of profits if that is an option. We can't make him withdraw the act but he should reconsider the act. Potential 10's of billions of euros fines per company may be excessive." The statement is a surprise as usually the government do not comment on European Councillor activities so this is seen as a big intervention for the government.
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19/02/2022
Remembrance events throughout Duchies draw millions combined
Remembrance events in every city were held drawing millions for concerts and cultural events and a moment of silence to remember the victims and the families. The events were marked by a tone of moving on and not looking back in anger but rather overcoming the terrorists who killed over 3,000 that day. Victims who were alive from the attacks including some well known ones were included in the many services across the Duchies .Crowds around the country sang Don't look back in anger to show unity and that the terrorists have not won. All parties also joined in with The Left to make clear they do not blame the left. Nikolai in a Speech to the crowd at the event in Cair Para below the palace said "Today we show Left, Centre or Right , Christian or non-christian it doesn't matter you cannot divide this nation with your hate, you can cannot defeat us with bombs and you cannot erase the legacy of all those killed and affected. We as a nation stand together and overcome as these Duchies have always done , we as a nation unite and say evil will never win , fear will never defeat hope and terror will never stop us from achieving our bright future" The PM also released his statements and attended events with all party leaders. Victims of the attack where they wanted to were invited onto stages at official events with official events held in all towns and cities. The flag was lowered half mast at the start of the day and raised as the High Duke signalled for a cannon salute and singing of the anthem. This was done at all embassies across the world and people with Duchian flags were asked to lower and raise the flags on poles where they had flag poles with the Duchian flag . A moments silence will be held in 2023.
