RTD 24

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Government up Minimum Bus Service requirement
The government of the United Duchies as part of their transport plan to accelerate the transition from car based travel in rural areas announced bus service minimums would be raised. The current requirement of 95% of Residents being served by a bus within
10 minutes walk that has a frequency of at least 30 minutes or can be hailed by an app or by ringing within 30 minutes will be doubled with it now requiring a Bus to be available within 15 minutes of getting to a stop within 10 minutes walk. The government have announced they are upping subsidies to meet the requirement and help authorities deal with extra costs.

The money will go to bus companies and councils to pay for extra bus infrastructure and buses. The move was agreed upon by all parties as part of the plan to de-carbonise the Duchies. Funds will also be made available to increase footpath links in the country side to make more journeys safe and possible by foot and to more easily enable people to link to bus stops.

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High Duke Tour to begin in June
The High Duke tour has been announced the begin in June. The High Duke Tour has always been held within 6 months of the High Dukes crowning so is on course. The planning has been said to be extensive with plans for a 70 day tour of the 8 Duchies or Duchy Level districts including Anastasia City. The High Duke tour will take place using a combination of Electric car convoy , train and ship with plans for the Anastasia visit only provisional based on the security situation there.The event will be live streamed.

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1st High Duke Tour Destination announced

The first High DukeTour visit has been announced. Aranvale will the the first destination with 4 days of touring the Duchy with a 4 day tour of Doornevale to follow. The schedule is including parades through the capitals with visits to key local towns on the other days. He will host a garden party in each Duchy which have already been fully organised with guests arranged from a variety of backgrounds with people from police, public services , charity work, youth work and other good works invited. The tour will kick off a tour which will then lead to Westseaxna , Supseaxe and Baltica. The tour will be conducted along the railway lines with any travel off that route being done by electric motorcades in order to keep it sustainable. The High Duke said "I am looking forward to the many people I will meet and meeting the people who make this nation great, the social workers, the carers, the parents and single parents working hard while taking the role of two people for their childrens sake and those fighting everyday to help the opressed , less fortunate and those who need additional support to help with health needs , neurodivergence issues or disabilities that affect their lives. These are the Duchians to me the people who everyday work hard to make this country a better place than it is already and fight to change the things that are wrong in our society." The statement was seen as him coming out in support of social justice echoing the words in his coronation , it would seem he wants to be the High Duke of the People and much more visible in society and much more active in doing good while remaining neutral politically.

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Primark announce shutdown in Duchies
Primark one of the major budget fast fashion clothes chains has announced it will be shutting down operations in United Duchies. It said in a statement "We are going to shut down any operations in the United Duchies and reorganise our business abroad with a new HQ country in order to continue operating in more suitable environments for fast fashion where the requirements are not onerous. We will be locating to the country that provides the best bid in terms of operating environment, transport connections and taxation and labour requirements." The company is expected expected to drop its workers reps before the 50% requirement on the board comes into effect and to look at how it can lower its wage bill in what is billed as "greater efficiencies " for the company.

Critics including the government and unions have all come out against the move accusing the government of attempting to reduce the rights and conditions for its workers and moving only so it can "continue its exploitation of developing nations workers , its workers in main retail markets and to continue to fail to meet environmental and quality standards of a decent company." Critics have said the move to leave Duchies rather that up quality and working conditions to match the requirements only shows the company "does not care about the environment or the workers or those who make its clothes" . The government has said in a statement "It is regrettable Primark rather than try to be a good corporate citizen in its communities, for its workers and for the environment has instead chose to leave. While the temporary job losses are regrettable better jobs will replace them and the market in Duchies will just have better marketshare for good corporate citizens instead. We already have Yosainese good quality brands and employers entering to fill gaps in the market and it can only be a good thing if we gain more of these and lose environmentally destructive and exploitative fast fashion retailers." Critics of the government have called on them to lower the environmental , labour and product quality standards in a bid to be more "business friendly".

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At least 20% of Duchies 500 looking to move HQ
At least 20% of the Duchies 500 are looking to move their international HQ's to other countries before the 50% workers representative requirement kicks in at the end of the year. The companies are expected to look for nations with lower taxation structures on top of looser laws on how they structure the businesses as well as good access to capital markets. The companies are expected to mostly keep subsidiaries in Duchies subject to Duchies law to continue to access what currently is the 3rd largest market and growing the EU. The movement of companies was expected though it remains to be seen the reputation hit on companies that do move their headquarters rathe than comply.

The countries that are looking likely places for companies to restructure so far are Europolis, Inquista and the Duxburian Union known for their banking systems and pro-corporate policies. Many of the businessmen owning the businesses that are staying have expressed disappointment over some businesses resisting workers rights and for opposing workers having more say in the business and for allegedly using the new law change as an excuse to avoid taxes.

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Duchian Air Con brands fight for sales in Elthize
Duchian air con brans such as Ritall, RS Pro, Klarstein,Rosenburg and Kesser have all announced they will be increasing sales efforts in Elthize to help resolve the Air con crisis including increasing marketing for the their smart air con ranges. The companies produce aircondtioners that cost from a about 300-500 Euros per unit with many cost 600-800 Euros at the very high end of power outage with them being rated go last at least 20 years and as A rated for energy consumption and efficiency. The companies are likely to market them based on quality , longevity and having lower bills compared to their cheaper counterparts.It remains to be seen if the high price of the product will put customers off buying the air conditioners.

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Duchian PM supports new E8 group proposal
Today the Duchian PM John Peter Key has supported the Spanish proposal for a new E8 group of the 8 biggest economies and has said United Duchies would happily join such a group. The leader said "I believe in cooperation between major economies that can help the continent on issues such as joint economic threats, environmental threats and issues such as tax evasion and avoidance that hurt all our economies. These are issues that need to cooperation of all biggest economies. We believe cooperation between the biggesst economies can only help Europe in dealing with the biggest threats to economic progress and equality and dealing with any major crisis's by working together." The coalition have supported the idea as have the UoD who are also a typical component of governments in other times.The Prime minister however suggested perhaps the group should be the E10 and consist of the top 10 economies of Europe instead so as to encompass more viewpoints.

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TUI-Abbott buys Harry Shaw as Leger merges with Kuoni
TUI-Abbott announced today they have completed a buyout of Shearings as Leger announced their merger with Kuoni to better compete in the market place the two mergers now reduce the amount of Tour Operating companies in the market giving all the brands a foothold in the Coach and Air Tours market . There are also rumours going about that Harry Shaws and Jet 2 are considering a merger to compete in the market. If all mergers are successful it would leave the market at approximately TUI-Abbott marketshare of 30.7% with a Jet 2- Shearings group possibly to be renamed at 25% followed by Kuoni-Leger at at 16.76%. This would relegate Neckermann to 4th in the Tour Operator market form Duchies from its present 3rd though the market has moved this year more towards independent operators with reports indicating the market is seeing an increase in specialist smaller tour operators bookings.

Despite this the major mass holiday companies are still performing the best. The move would see Jet 2 acquire the Shearings Hotels operations in the United Duchies including the Coast and Country Hotels chain enabling it to put together new packages. The reorganisation would help the companies realise economies of scale and potentially lower the prices of holidays in this previously fragmented market by increasing the power of their bulk buying and contracting.

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Law passed to stop Price Selling Cooperatives raising minimum prices significantly more than inflation
Today a law was passed in parliament to stop Selling Cooperatives from raising minimum price floors for goods in price selling agreements where farmers work together to not sell below a certain price by more than inflation or cost of production increases plus 1% and to only allow prices to rise once a year . The move was triggered as the Selling Cooperatives tried to raise prices 15% in unison after significant increases in January. The move is designed to ensure that the agreements are banned from essentially acting as price cartels while protecting the farmers and small suppliers from being exploited by big corporations still. The law will also require 55% of all members to vote for any increase in the minimum selling price in Minimum Price Selling Agreements and will prevent farmers from telling other farmers or producers what they are selling their produce and goods for to prevent collusion at the farmer or producer level as well Seller Cooperatives coordinating on Minimum Price levels.

The move was welcomed by key figures in the Moderate Party , the UoD and Liberals while it split the PSD with a slight majority supporting it. The Left voted against the legislation. The legislations has passed all three houses and has been signed by the High Duke. The National Coalition of Trade Unions and Cooperatives has condemned he move by government saying "The government have sided with big business against SME's and small scale suppliers by stopping them from getting a fair market rate for their goods by working together." This has been disputed by government and business who have pointed out the new ammended law still allows Price Selling Agreements and that is just limits the potential for producers to "hold the economy hostage". Polling of the public suggest the public are in favour of the move by 60% to 35% with 5% unsure.

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New inflation projections encouraging
New projection inflations following the passage of new laws limiting price floor agreement minimum price increases have been encouraging. The move has reduced projected inflation from 15% to just 4% with productivity growth. The reduction is will leave more money in the pockets of Duchies Consumers to buy goods that are classed more as luxury goods.

There is expected to be increased demands for luxury foods, holidays and increased day trips with transport demand especially for nearby nations on Eurorail such as California, Inquista ,Spain and Innimicus expected to rise. Flight bookings are already rising on routes where trains are not an option. The luxury care market is expected to do well also as people are willing to spend a little more on higher end vehicles and specifications. The news was welcomed by the business community who expect the economy to perform better as a result of the lower inflation risk.

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In wake of Artabonos Canal opening government reiterates that military ship ban in Baltic Canal will only last as long as no military ships other than Diessan ships are banned from Artabonos Canal
The government of the United Duchies have today reiterated there calls for a military ship ban on ships other than Diessan ones to be enforced in the Artabonos Canal. The government said "We have maintained our policy of no military ships except Duchian ones through the Baltic Canal as long as the canal has existed except in exceptional circumstances such as agreed joint piracy operations and with the approval of Caspian powers. We can and will be willing to maintain this policy however we cannot possibly say to Caspian Allies they cannot use our canal for transit if the Artabonos Canal is used to allow Spanish , Innimican , Duxburion and Inquistan ships into the Caspian. That would create an unfair and dangerously imbalanced situation. Also we believe more military ships from too many powers in the Caspian is a threat to regional security. We can only maintain the military use ban for even allies of ours as long as the same is true for the Artabonos canal. We urge cooperation on this issue and to maintain this situation for the good of regional security and friendship."

The warning comes amidst concern it will increase militarisation in the Caspian something the Duchian government wish to avoid. It is expected that if any Telum nations other than North Diessan have access to the Artabonos Canal for military transit then ECON members and possibly other Caspian powers like Pravoslaviya even may potentially gain access to use the Baltic Canal. The government has however in a statement to us said "We very much hope to maintain the status quo of no military ships other that of the countries that own the canals being able to use the canals to transit between the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf."

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2 Plane collision in Duchies grounds planes
The government have ordered the evacuation of Duchian skies from all civilian aircraft after 2 planes have collided in an what is reported to be an potential ATC failure. The authorities do not know whether the cause was a fault in the ATC IT systems that manage the traffic management in the country. The crash of which we have little details took place at Goudadam Xavier International Airport. It is understood though an Aerodux A350 and
as of yet unidentified A320 are involved in the accident.

The government have announced a closure of airspace for at least a week to allow an investigation into the cause of the collision interview the people involved and check the IT systems as well as check all ATC computers for bugs or potential virus infections. The government have said "Today tragically over 400 have lost their lives in a collision which we do not yet fully know the cause of. We will be contacting victims families as well as conducting a full investigation with out skies closed to all traffic for the week. We acknowledge the damage to the economy this will cause and acknowledge the disruption but we believe safety and protecting lives is more important in this instance. We will resume service as soon as is practically and safely possible. "

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Scheme for Emergency Flights launched
Extra flights into the nations of California and Inquista are being launched temporarily arranged by the government of the Duchies to enable foreign nationals trapped in Duchies to get home from Airports in those countries and Duchians to get to those Airports. The passengers will be transported to or from those airports via high speed international rail with extra trains contracted and laid on to handle the volume. The government are also currently negotiating similar with North Diessan and Innimicus to use spare slots there.

The airlines are also planning to run a train and plane package for the week to maintain as much service as possible. The airlines under the scheme will provide a transfer document and emergency visa as part of the flight ticket price and package and also emergency transfer visas to passengers. These will not enable staying in the country but only transfer to and from the airports. The Prime Minister John Peter Key said in a statement "We'd like to thank the nations helping us out at this difficult time. Your kindness ,generosity, hospitality and help will not be forgotted by Duchians or other nationals in the Duchies trying to get home to their families and friends and jobs. We thank you all for making it possible to aid people unfortunately caught out by the air space closure and also for helping keep vital economic links between the Duchies and nations where air is the only option open and viable. "

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Deal for overseas seats struck
Today the coalition have today agreed to support an Overseas List system based on STV to fill seats in a new Overseas Constituency to represent the 10.7 million Duchians who live abroad. The bill amendment to electoral laws has been going through parliament being scrutinised with a vote expected on Friday. It has also been scrutinise in the House of Duchies where it will be voted on soon after unless there are changes before a vote in the House of Commons.The current plan calls for 72 seats in the House of commons overseas constituency which would make up 9.9% of that house and 30 seats in the House of Duchies for the overseas constituency for that.The main possible change that might delay implementation and voting is potential for some countries to have local seats to respresent specific interests for expats in that nation under an MMR system like the domestic system.

Once passed an election will be held within 3 months of passage for the seats for the remainder of the current term. The move has been criticised by some as essentially "political gerrymandering". All polling of overseas residents has regularly shown citizens living abroad arem ore likely to vote for the PSD , Liberals , Moderates at the expense of more extreme parties like Unus ,New Dawn and The Left and to a degree parties the UoD.The latest polling showed support being highest abroad for the Moderates at 36% with PSD next at 22.4% Liberals Next at 22% and UoD at 14.7%. At current polling the coalition would gain seats.

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Airspace closure extended until 6th Jul after fix found
Today the government have announced the airspace closure in the Duchies will be extended until 6th July after a fix has been found and is being implemented to prevent the situation that caused the collision. The fix in the software is being applied to all computers manually to ensure the correct patch is downloaded in and no hacking of the update is possible. The government have said in a statement "We thank the public and the airlines for their patience in this matter and public safety was the number one priority throughout as it always is. We also thank the countries of Innimicus , North Diessan , California and Inquista for their emergency transit visa schemes and hosting of flights that would have gone to and from the United Duchies. This has helped us a great deal and we also thank the train companies for taking air tickets as alternate routes for passengers. Through working together we avoided an outright crisis. " The business community is relieved at the announcement and it is expected flights will be at full operation by 8th of July at the latest with a gradual build up of traffic over the 2 days from 6th to 8th of July.

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Duchies announces end of Telum Priority
The programme to give lower requirements for Telum nations and priority has ended as of today. The government announced they have failed to reach reprociprical arrangements in negotiations with some Telum nations. The government will instead look at negotiation favoured nation status with some Telum nations in return for favoured nation status for Duchians granting 200 points extra. This will mean a net drop of 300 points in the system for those nations. This will now practically mean ECON nationals have more priority in the Duchian immigration points system. The government said in a statement "We tried to secure the continuation of current arrangements unfortunately this has not been possible due to changing priorities in systems in some Telum nations. We respect this and bar no ill will but we cannot give priority to Telum as a whole when some nations in Telum will not return that priority in their immigration system."The government have confirmed any current visas for residency and long term work will be renewed with those visa holders able to seek alternative jobs like any other citizen or work and residency visa holder.

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Duchies Governent condemns illegal vote and independence declaration
The United Duchies government has condemned the illegal declaration in Anastasia City. The government has worked hard to fix damage from earlier terrorist attacks and constant provocations from extremists in the Anastasia. The government said in a statement "We absolutely condemn this provocative and illegal declaration of independence . It it clearly against the treaty of Porterdam that was agreed and we do not recognise any government other than those elected in legitimate democratic Duchian elections. We will work to root out the extremists and continue to defend Anastasians from their extremism working with local authorities to provide top quality services and constantly develop the city to meet the needs of residents and create leisure and sports destinations in the city. If any violence occurs we will deal with it appropiately."

The government are known to have plans for dealing with extremism in the city with national police and law enforcement having the power to take over if local police fail with other stabilisation mechanisms available if needed. The government are said to be against using such powers in order to not raise tensions in the situation. The opposition Unus and UoD have called for a military stabilising operation if it goes further and for national police to be sent in now but the government have called any extra security right now an "overreaction " to the situation. The government and PSD are in talks with their IUAC counterparts in the coalition to discuss how to defuse the situation.

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Deal struck with ADA
A deal has been struck with the ADA . The government of United Duchies has let go the ADA members arrested with a Pardon from the High Duke and warning not to support extremism again. The ADA in return has agreed to condemn terrorism and extremism in Anastasia City.

The government announced they would be happy to hold mediated talks including EU mediated talks over increased autonomy but would not recognise any independence or offer independence. The government said "We are happy to come to peaceful resolution to this stage and hope to come to a common understanding that will please all. We will discuss areas that could be devolved to Anastasia City."

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Political spending allowed to rise
The government today announced the government would be raising the maximum spending of parties on all campaigns and looking at reform in campaigning. The government announced to reflect the cost increases in politics and the increase in wages and printing costs over the last few years they would be increasing the allowances for spending. The National election spending caps will be doubled this year to 80,000 Dux Libra per Candidate and 100,000,000 Dux Libra in total on all national campaigns for 2022 and 2023. The local and Duchie political spending allowances have also been opened up. The allowances will then be increased to 120,000 Dux Libra per candidate and 140,000,000 Dux Libra nationally. for 2024 The move has been made at the recommendation of the Duchies Electoral Commission .

The donation limit and membership fee limits will also be raised to 40 Dux Libra in 2023 per person and 50 Dux Libra in 2024. This will mean parties can raise 80 Dux Libra and 100 Dux Libra per member respectively for each of those years. The commission also announced they would trial allowing parties to put targeted political adverts on social media networks such as Pogo and Twitter and adverts on public transport with parties being allowed to spend money on media advertising in countries with expat populations to reach those communities for the overseas representititves elections for House of Duchies and House of Commons. This will be the first time political advertising has been allowed in over 40 years.

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Government rolls back Worker Representation requirement

The United Duchies governing coalition and Imperial Senate voted to roll back the Workers representative requirement to only 40% of the board of the company for Duchian Subsidiaries and companies as a minimum requirement but instead have instituted a 5% cut in Corporation tax for companies who give 50% of the seats on the board to workers. The new move was designed to stem plans for companies to leave the country ahead of changes at the end of the year while still encouraging companies to give 50% of the board to workers. The new companies will be placed in a category known as Semi-Mutual Company. The move is designed to still encourage companies to give workers an equal say in company decision making while allowing for companies to have more control over the board for a higher tax rate.

The compromise was reportedly brokered by the Moderate Party in order to allay concerns about companies wanting majority shareholder control over the board . The requirements will still apply to all businesses with a physical presence in the United Duchies including any warehouse capacity owned or leased by the company. However those who use logistics services to handle deliveries to the United Duchies will still not have this requirement allowing sales and customer service to be handled outside the country still while still applying Duchian consumer protection rules on companies if they want to keep their license to operate.Company shareholders will have the right to choose whether to be a semi-mutual company or just a regular corporation structure as well as how many representatives are on the board for workers. In all companies including semi-mutuals decisions on selling or buying of subsidiaries and brands as well as policies on sharing of profits is to be left up to the shareholders of the business with only the shareholder vote counting towards a decision on those issues as is currently the case.Takeovers and mergers will be subject to a vote of all board members including Worker Representitives in cases where the company was founded in the Duchies and is owned by a Duchian business or citizen, foreign owned businesses will not have to follow this rule and may shut down their division. Staffing levels are also to be decided by shareholders and managers.