RTD 24
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Duchies Parliament votes in all three houses to put Spain on Schedule 5 Tarriffs over Gibraltar tax changes
The United Duchies parliament voted in all three houses to raise tariffs on Spain to Schedule 5 tariffs , the 35% band the same as Inimicus and North Diessen up from the current default schedule 2 tariffs of 10%. The change was voted in favour 453 to 199 in the Commons , 159 to 111 in the House of Duchies and 268 to 195 in the Imperial Senate. The motion was rushed in response to the crisis by the government. The government are expected to keep the tariff until a full resolution to the crisis has occurred. -
Firms compete on warranties as battle heats up
EAG and MG Kligenberg both introduced variations of a 10 year warranty today. Both companies currently offer 7 year warranties on core parts. MG will offer a 10 year warranty on all cars in their all brands Smart Car,Kligenberg, MG,Rover and X-On and their sports car brands. The European Automotive group have introduced 10 +10 warranty system. Each car will have a 10 year warranty on all core parts and any repairs including under warranty get a warranty of 10 years. This warranty scheme will cover the brands of Ora,VW, Cupra, Seat,TAC , Chamonix NG , Audi and Porsche who are under the umbrella or European Automotive Group Both warranties will require cars to be serviced at authorised dealers and repair shops .VJLR are expected to introduce a 10 year warranty for Vauxhall, Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley and Bowler in order to compete though its not known how part repairs will be covered.An increasing amount of firms are announcing 10 year warranties to get the Duchies Assured and Handcrafted in Duchies marks onto their products and product pages. The government said in a statement "This shows the confidence of Duchian companies and others in their products made here. We expect this scheme to work well in establishing a trusting relationship between consumers and companies for products made in Duchies and elsewhere." Miele are famous for their 20 years warranties if you arrange service through their technicians with many firms in Duchies opting to do this at higher price points.
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Unions demand 15% minimum wage hike for January
The United Alliance of Trade Unions has announced it is demanding a 15% minimum wage hike for all workers in January. The national minimum wage is due to be reviewed. The organisation says that growth in the economy per capita has already reached 10% from January to August with Corporate pofit margins projected to rise 20%. The unions argue those who do most of the work to make those profits should get their fair share. The Unions have threatened a general strike if the government do no comply. Elements of the PSD and The Left have backed this call.Critics oppose the unions saying a wage would damage the economy.The UoD said in a statement "The labour cartel and union champagne socialist bosses are once again holding the economy and citizens to ransom. We must resist this and call on the government to break the power of this unelected cartel over the economy. "
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Government agree 15% national minimum wage increase
Today the government of the United Duchies agreed with The United Alliance of Trade Unions a 15% national minimum wage increase for January 2024 with a minimum increase of 10% or inflation whichever is higher in 2025 in the round of negotiation. The Unions had been threatening a general strike which would have resulted in up to 87% of workers walking out stalling the economy. The Union have been accused by the UoD of "acting as a cartel and holding hostage the economy against businessmen for workers interests." TUATU defended their actions saying "We acted to prevent the rise of wealth inequality and ensure a fair share of economic growth goes to the members of our member unions."The deal will bring the minimum wage up from 18 Dux Libra(27.90 Euros ) per hour to 20.70 Dux Libra( 32.09 Euros) per Hour with an increase to a minimum of 22.77(35.30 Euros) Dux Libra per hour in 2025. The wage increase will be one of the largest average increases and will have to go into effect across all Duchies or Duchy Equivlent Areas including Irmgardis City.
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Pre-Clearance facilities for Duchies to open by December
The United Duchies government announced that pre-clearance facilities would open up in all the main international airports in Reitzmag, Yosai, Kingdom of Sertia ,Mishar, Duxburian Union and Inquista with those nations opening up pre-clearance for their countries in Duchian Airports. The Pre-clearance facilities will be before the gates and after security. The passenger will then have their passport or ID checked and visa checked if it is needed before the flight at the pre-clearance facility. Customs checks will also take place. When you get off the plane at the other end in the Duchies or the other nation you will then just be able to collect your bag and leave the airport. The facilities are expected to speed up travel by negating the need to have to join general customs and immigration queues at the Duchian airports with pre-cleared flights from these countries landing in a seperate zone of the airport to allow separation of traffic between pre-cleared and non-pre-cleared.The government aims to grow the list of pre-clearance countries to all of ECON and possibly to countries such as the United Kingdom and California as soon as possible with aims being to start negotiations with those countries.The facilities will also be available at Ports in Reitzmag, Duxburian Union and Yosai for those boarding ferries and in Duchian Ports for journeys to Reitzmag, DU and Yosai with those ferries departing from different locations to other routes.Country Duchies Pre-Clearance Facilities Pre-clearance facilities in Duchies Reitzmag Y Y Yosai Y Y Mishar Y Y Kingdom of Sertia Y Y Duxburian Union Y Y Inquista Y Y -
Competition and Consumer Protection Authority warn about ordering from certain countries
The Competition and Consumer Protection Authority today put a warning out to the public about ordering directly from certain countries with Spain being on that list among others. The full list is available at their website. The agency has had reports of frustrated consumers facing bad service , more faulty products and coming up against a process with fewer protections as well as a harder time repairing products.The agency put out the following guidance "We recommend ordering only from highly trusted brands and from brands or companies in countries where there is a high degree of consumer protection against predatory companies such as Yosai, Reitzmag, the United Kingdom and domestically. If a company is not willing to set up a subsidiary in the higher protection ECON or mentioned countries then they are probably not up to scratch on customer service or quality. If you have to order from countries like Spain where the regulations are more pro-company than pro-consumer then we reccomend using more secure methods such as credit cards or payment services where you have a chance of getting your money back if it goes wrong. "The agency has expressed concern that in too many cases orders from certain countries abroad have gone wrong or the products are not up to the same standard as domestic, UK or ECON made products causing issues. The agency said in further clarification "If a product is cheap compared to the competition one of three areas will have been cut in quality, standards of safety or protection or employee benefits. Its not possible to be significantly cheaper without a different model such as direct selling or own brand product strategy. If the price seems too good to be true it probably is."
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Competition and Consumer Protection Authority suspend Roscoes store expansion plans
The Competition and Consumer Protection Authority in the United Duchies today suspended Roscoes right to open any new stores in United Duchies for 1 year while an investigation is done into whether the company can now be considered a monopoly or a company creating a uncompetitive market. The move comes after the marketshare of the company is estimated to be rising above 16.01% nationwide. The move has been done to protect consumers according to the agency with the agency saying "We are concerned that one firm having such a lead in the market might be too detrimental to consumers. We have therefore suspended any store expansion plans beyond those currently in planning permission stage. We want to investigate fully the impact of future store growth. The ban will also apply to the Roscoes Local convenience store chain."Roscoes in a statement said "While we respect the law we are dissapointed and believe the action taken by Competition and Consumer Protection Authority is unwarranted. We do not engage in monopolistic or uncompetitive behaviour. We believe this decision will only harm consumers by reducing their opportunity to shop at what they clearly view as the preferred option for shopping for food, clothes , homewares and electronics in the United Duchies." The move is a freeze in store development and not a total ban though the Competition and Consumer Protection Authority is considering a ban on any new stores for 10 years to allow rivals to catch up.
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Roscoes commit to all Duchian products on assured labels
Roscoes became the first supermarket to commit to all Duchian goods on its shelves meeting Duchies Assured , Duchies Handcrafted Assured or Purple Tractor Assured standards within 2 years with 50% minimum to meet the standard by the next year. This mean all is own range electronics and clothes will come with a 10 year fair ware and tear warranty as well as meet the increased quality standards . The supermarket is confident most of its goods already meet the standards.Its unknown how all the other supermarkets will react though Spadi have confirmed plans to have much of their range meet the standards with Co-op, Waitrose and M&S converting over to the standards . Aldi , Spar and Heron have refused to comment on whether they plan to meet the standards.
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Roscoes Children at Cair Para Palace after stalking according to rumour
Amaziah Roscoe,Danya Mizrachi-Roscoe,Jakob Mizrachi-Roscoe and Hosea Reubenstein-Roscoe have been took in by High Duke Nikolai III at the palace according toa rumour leaked to the press after an incident of stalking during their routine. Reported the younger Amaziah was stalked and sent a letter with photos showing him with targets on his head signed "This will be for the Svarnans". The report was leaked in the Express Post and rapidly spread throughout social media. It is not known who leaked the report but James Mizrachi-Roscoe is rumoured to be furious with him considering sueing the Express Post for threatening his families safety in their reporting.The police have said "We have multiple cases of protection orders and investigations into harassment following Tareq's threats and incitement of terrorism. We cannot comment on individual cases however" . High Duke Nikolai III also refused to comment on the matter when asked saying "I cannot say for obvious reasons if the rumour is true or not. However I do ask one thing the press respect the Roscoes privacy and right to security and safety. Reporting on issues like this and this story is a threat to the safety of families. The press must be responsible in their reporting and ensure their reporting does not threaten Duchians safety."
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Roscoes announce change to brand ranges
Roscoes announced they are to eliminate outside brands from their store shelves and go all own brand within 2 years. The companies stretegy is designed to reduce costs and allow for more competitive pricing for goods while maintaining quality. The company set out its plan to offer 3-5 options for each product and 3-5 packaging sizes for each product. The company will offer a value, standard and premium organic offering for each product and where appropiate a kosher and halal option using their brands with each product coming in single , couple and family size options to simplify the experience. They aim to stock more product categories overall while reducing stock-keeping units at their supermarket. They also plan to purchase more brand names in specific categories to offer as own brands.One of the first product areas to be streamlined is chocolate with only Simply, Cadbury's , Indulge and Noam chocolate products to be offered from next month with Milka being dropped from the chain. Biscuits will also be streamlined to Simply, Roscoes, Indulge, Organicum and Noam biscuit ranges being offered. The plan is expected to cut operational costs and increase efficiencies. The company is planning to increase manufacturing of its products ranges to about 60% of its products within 3 years. The company plans to partner with a few quality suppliers for own brand items that are not economical for it to make itself. All technology brands other than consoles and the own brand Teksmart and Bush technology products outside of the mobile and tablet technology products and home products other Domum are to be dropped also with all clothing other than A&A to be dropped within the year. It is hoped profits will rise as a result with much higher profit margins.The company will be developing new own brand branding for ranges of products in order to differentiate own brands better.The company has brought Morphy Richards the kitchen electronics brand to strengthen the offering of the company.
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Hapag-Lloyd and MSC use freedom of navigation
Hapag Lloyd and MSC have used their freedom of navigation rights arguing that freedom of navigation means freedom to transit without taxes and checks. The companies have stopped service to Spain to reduce risk of exposure of ships being hit by Spanish hostility. The companies with ships registered outside of the Duchies in the Duxburian Union have refused to pay the 3% tariff on goods and are understood to not be reporting cargo. Experts have said that the reporting of cargo value and exact value of which goods are from which nation is not viable as there is so much data. The firms have reported no stops in the mediteranean so far but have plans to stop serving the mediteranean and transfer goods to other means such as cargo rail in Hellas if enforcement action was to impact operations and to challenge any stops of ships in the European Court of Justice. -
Wizz Air takover WOW Air
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In news today Wizz air have took over Wow Air and Wow holidays as the Wow business restructures to focus on other business operations. The deal sees the airline transfer and rebrand over a year to Play with it focusing on holiday and tourist destinations while Wizz Air takes over routes focused on the more business sectors. The move has come as no surprise to analysts due to the high debtload of the group. Wow Holidays will be rebranded to Play. The move is a consolidation in the industry with the combined group expected to transport over 76 million and have 250 aircraft. The airline hopes efficiency gains will boost profit margins with the airlines to share office space.The deal was announced in a press conference with the new livery kept secret until now showed on a plane that rolled into the gate.The deal falls well under the threshold for restrictions on mergers so will not have to face competition restrictions .There are rumours the Wow Group is facing difficulties that could result in the collapse of the group within the year with the Rail subsidiary also potentially being sold to a new operator within the year.
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Wow Train to be replaced by new Lumo Franchise
The Wow Train franchise is to wind down by January and be replaced by a new Lumo franchise with an increase in service it has been announced. Presently Wow Train is operating 6 services per hour each direction between Arrynfort and Baltia via Porterdam. These services will remain under the new Lumo franchise but an additional 6 services each direction will be added to Castcon from Arrynfort via Cair Para, Snottingaham, Derventio , Brummagem , The Hague and Westfestung. The new Train company will be owned by UTC who run bus services and tram concessions.The company said in a statement "We are proud to be taking over this vital franchise and increase service and quality on this route and give more options for the consumer. We will be focusing on affordability, good service and punctuality providing what people need for a comfortable and affordable journey. We will continue the legacy that Wow Train left. " The company is expected to focus on budget fares and basic at seat service with orders from an app. The Transport Ministry said "We have secured the franchises sustainability and protected competition on our train network. Wow Train was struggling and needed a replacement and we have found a suitable replacement."
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Roscoes to expand to 85 factories
Rocscoes announced today they are to have over 85 factories by 2025 to supply their supermarket business and make their own brand foods. The chain has announced it will manufacture and process all its own meat product range by 2025 and make its own cereals by 2025. The company is seeking to lower prices and increase margins by growing the production of its own brand products in house. The company has also announced own brand products are on target to make up over 90% of products in store. The company is attempting to become fully vertically integrated. Its dairy operations including cheese production are now operational with 70% of cheese being made in house. The move is expected to generate bumper profits for the company. The company is also investing in factories in places like Spain, Yosai and Hellas among others so it can make regional specialities in house.Minimum wage to rise to 20.70 Dux Libra
The minimum wage is to increase to 20.70 Dux Libra or approximately €32.09 per hour in January according to the passed law on minimum wage increase. Them motion to increase the wage was voted for by 560 to 251 in the House of Commons , 160 to 110 in the House of Duchies and 265 to 198 in the Imperial Senate. The wage is an increase from an national minimum wage of 18.00 Dux Libra or €27 per hour. The increase is hoped to bring an increase in living standards and will also mean a rise in MP's wages which is linked to them minimum wage from this year rather than median income following changes in law by the Moderate-PSD coalition that was proposed by Unions. It is expected all Duchies will follow the 20.70 Dux Libra Minimum wage effectively making it a national default minimum.The increase has been criticised by the UoD and businesses who call the wage increase a "job killer" and call for scaling back in future increases. The PSD , The Left and unions have called the wage increase "A vital step to more equality and vital protection for the lowest paid workers in our country." They also criticised the UoD for being on the side of "corporate profits over the worker".
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David Abbott dies aged 87
David Abbott founder of TUI-Abbott has died aged 87 in his sleep. The 87 year old who appeared healthy is reported to have had a heart attack in his sleep. He is head of the family that owns a majority of TUI-Abbott and CEO of the company. He is well regarded in the industry.It is expected that a succession plan will be unveiled in the next few days with a reshuffle in management. There are also arrangements for his son Mirum Abbott to be made who is only 16. He is an adult legally and going to college however it is expected he will move in with relatives.
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James Mizrachi-Roscoe unveils more of his pro-trade plan
With the the European Trademark System Act now in vote with hopes for it to pass and simplify the process of registering a trademark in multiple countries James Mizrachi-Roscoe announced he intends to look at other systems in trade to simplify and make trade easier with less red tape for businesses. He announced he is in consultation with businesses of all sizes on centralising the Copyright system to centrally process copyrights and set the standards for them at a European level and also is looking at standardising the system of postcodes to make it easier to understand and process postcodes.James Mizrachi-Roscoe said in a statement "Too often businesses have to produce for multiple standards and systems throughout Europe. Right now businesses if they want to export face 23 or more systems and standards on customs , quality and safety standards and legal systems for business. Just as an example you want to put copyright or trade mark protection in place you have to file over 23 times to cover the whole of the EU and you need to register even if you only do business in one country to prevent someone stealing your I.P in another country to export to your country of business. This is not so bad for big businesses like Roscoes,Siemens, TUI Abbott or Spadi who have the money and legal protection teams to deal with this issue but imagine you are a one man band or family business who doesn't have the time nor money to do so, essentially you are left vulnerable. This is problems the business community has raised with me and I intend to focus on solving this.The pro-EU politicians say the EU is good but time and time again vote against standardisation for business that would have the EU take on the important role its supposedly for. I will try to fix the system to have the EU simplify the market and paperwork so it works for all businesses big or small." The agenda has the support of UoD, PSD, Liberals and Moderates and even eurosceptic parties though Unus and AFD would prefer outside of EU mechanisms and treaties to deal with the issue. James Mizrachi-Roscoe has announced plans to create a focus and research institute on the issue called the "European Business and Trade Forum" to bring businesses big and small to the table and give them a way to contribute to research.
He emphasized "This is not about lowering standards or destroying consumer protections but simplifying all of these in order to make business easier and allow for easier international trade growing the European economy. This research and policy institute will be pro-business but also pro-consumer, the two are not necessarily opposed to each other"
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Air Passenger Duty Rates raised
Air Passenger Duty Rates have been raised for the new years budget announced by government in an attempt to further promote green transport. The rates at present are as follows:Air passenger duty: Economy Premium Classes Charter planes less than 15 passengers per flight 0-2001 Miles(£) £85.00 £255.00 £2,000.00 2001+miles(£) £100.00 £300.00 £2,000.00 0-2001 Miles(€) €131.75 €395.25 €3,100.00 2001+miles(€) €155.00 €465.00 €3,100.00 The rates for 2024 will be as follows with a change in how private jet APD is calculated:
Air passenger duty: Up to 32 Inch Pitch 33-40 Inch Pitch Business and 40 inch plus pitch Charter less than 15 passengers 0-2001 Miles(£) £100.00 £200.00 £395.00 £34,500.00 2001+miles(£) £115.00 £230.00 £455.00 £50,000.00 0-2001 Miles(€) €155.00 €310.00 €612.25 €53,475.00 2001+miles(€) €178.25 €356.50 €705.25 €77,500.00 The increase on flights leaving from United Duchies in APD is hoped to discourage unnecessary flights further with the private jets now paying per flight for 15 passengers regardless of how many are on the plane rather than per passenger to discourage wasteful use.The changes are also designed to encourage the most efficient use of fuel by encouraging more economy class travel with the extra funds from higher classes going to paying for more public transport and further carbon mitigation projects. The changes are hoped to increase the sustainability of the Duchies travel methods.
Population to breach 126,000,000
Projections of population show an expected increase to over 126,000,000 by January or February of 2024. The increase is expected to boost the economy by bringing in new skilled workers and vital service workers to the economy. The increase is welcomed by the Moderates and PSD who believe it is essential for public services to gain new skilled workers at a high rate while Unus and UoD expressed concerns about the scale of immigration and population growth in the United Duchies calling for drastic cuts to growth.Social Housing Targets reached
Social housing targets of over 3,000,000 to be built have been reached according the latest report on housing with 3,529,401 social housing projects delivered this year with most being family apartments , maisonettes or flats with 35% being houses that are mostly semidetached or terraced. The housing is already helping Duchians deal with the housing cost issues with Brummagem and Polderlands delivering the most. 2 Million have been delivered under the central funded DPHP construction programme with the rest being delivered by local authorities and housing associations. It is planned to further deliver another 3.5-4 million homes next year. Prefab houses made up over 55% of the current building programme. -
New TVX "superapp"
Today the public broadcasters RTD,CBN,EBS,RTW and IBS announced their new "superapp" to replace their streaming apps has launched to public. The app will feature all content for free streaming from RTD, CBN, EBS, RTW and IBS. The app will also feature all their radio stations. The app will have all the live channels and you will be able to filter by Duchy and broadcaster for content . The app is designed to centralise all public broadcasting in one place to provide a unified experience of TV media and also save on costs of running separate streaming apps. The RTD player , CBNGo , RTWi, EBSGo and IBS Player will be decomissioned by february being replaced by the new TVX superapp. The app will be available to Duchians and restricted outside of the Duchies where the broadcasters plan a TVXGo app in conjunction with other Duchian broadcasters if a public broadcaster owned service through the EUBC cannott be agreed or an alternative public service broadcaster streaming service cannot be agreed.RTD is pushing for a content library and european wide streamer for public owned tv content providers run by a consortium under the EUBC or to join with other public broadcasters abroad independently of the EUBC to offer the programmes to all of the EU. The corporation said "We are seeking the best value for money for the taxpayer and to ensure everyone watching our content pays fairly for the content or to ensure we get a good selection of foreign content for our viewers of our channels.It is dissapointing the EUBC supervisors voted against our proposal which would have benefitted consumers Europe wide by providing a centralised place for public broadcast content while ensuring broadcasters are adequately compensated for our content. We are working on solutions and compromises within or outside of the EUBC. We very much hope there will be a solution by the end of the year."
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Roscoes court challenge overturns store expansion ban
A court case has overturned the ban on Roscoes developing new stores after Roscoes succesfully pled its case in court. The Competition and Consumer Protection Authority argued in court that Roscoes position is detrimental to the consumer and presents a threat to market competition if allowed to expand. Roscoes argued its market share was 16.01% while the threshold for uncompetitive markets is 35% and less than 4 competitors which is not the case in grocery or general retail sectors they operate in. The company argued there is plenty of competition in the market and that it is only growing because consumers choose Roscoes over other supermarkets.The company said in statement "We are happy the courts came to a sensible decision in the consumers interest. Our expansion combined with our in-sourcing programme will enable greater efficiencies and lower costs for the consumer while maintaining our ethical standards." The Competition and Consumer Protection Authority said "We are dissapointed in this court decision. We maintain expansion of Roscoes will cause harm to the consumer and threaten competition. We will look at options including appeals to block Roscoes from any expansion in the interests of protection the consumer. We believe the court made the wrong decision and maintain confidence in our assessments."
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Renew Scheme opened for applications
The Renew retrofit scheme has opened for applications with the scheme to be given 25 billion Dux Libra(37,500,000,000 Euros) a year and increasing to operate from government. The scheme makes eligible for the retrofit of Solar and renewable energy, battery packs , electric charging systems for cars, better insulation and electric and underfloor heating or connection to district heating for old properties. The move is aimed to renovate the old home stock to modern 21st century standards and keep it in good use and affordable to occupants while saving carbon emissions from housing. The scheme will allow grants or super low interest loans from 15,000 to 30,000 Dux Libra (22,500 Euros to 45,000 Euros) per household or sing home landlords.The scheme will work to help modernise the housing stock increasing efficiency. There is also a requirement for multiple property landlords to modernise housing stock or commercial units to net zero conditions and full insulation before they are allowed to rent out any units. It is hoped the scheme will significantly help towards the net zero goal by 2030 of the United Duchies.10 Billion Euros of the scheme has been provided by the EDA though 50 billion Euros had been requested it is expected that United Duchies will be putting another request in for additional funding for the scheme this year to boost the funding level for the scheme overall.The scheme is expected to help 1.25 million households and small businesses per year.The scheme will require use of at least 50% made in Duchies products to be eligible for the scheme.
