RTD 24

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02/04/2021
Reitzmag sanctions lifted as Reitzmag signs Caspian Treaty and starts removal of islands
Today the Reitzmag sanctions have been lifted with the first ships to and from Reitzmag allowed through the Baltic Canal and the first planes from Reitzmag airlines allowed to fly through Duchian airspace. The sacntions were said to have worked by experts by rionging Reitzmag to the table for an agreement. The sanctions were lifted after all Caspian nations involved signed the new Caspian Treaty. The Treaty sets a 24 nautical miles of territorial waters and 200 nautical miles of EEZ.

The treaty also establishes a new Caspian Council t manage the Caspian outside of EEZ's and regulate island building outside of terratorial waters. The new council will have wide ranging powers over fishing , environmental protection and resource exploitation. The treaty also garuntees equal access to the canal for treaty members outside of sanctioning or unless vessels are going to and from sanctioned countries by United Duchies and the Caspian unless it is a prohibited good for safety, environmental protection or good running of the canal. Each member gets one representitive on the council with Copala City getting a non-voting member. The United Duchies prime minister John Peter Key has hailed the treaty as a "new dawn in Caspian relations and cooperation that will ensure peace, prosperity and protection of the Caspian through join custodianship of the Caspian".

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07/04/2021
Reitzmag free trade treaty reinstated
Today the Reitzmag free trade treaty has been reinstated following approval from parliament and the High Duke and being approved by the courts the process was sped UD as no disagreement was raised in parliament. The move to reinstate the free trade treaty follows the easing of relations with Reitzmag following resolution of the Caspian crises. The treaty reinstatement also restarts co-operation programmes in science education and cultural exchanges.

It is hopes Reitzmag businesses will use United Duchies as a base to get access to the SAN area and other countries where United Duchies has free trade treaties with. The business climate advisory was also lifted though the government made clear it wishes to see stability over a longer term,, Roscoes has suggested it may enter the Reitzmag market and is in talks with Reitzmag suppliers so it can meet its target of 70% local products as soon as possible if it enters. It pledged it would offer the highest wages of any supermarket in the country and have the best labour and union practises of any supermarket in Reitzmag. Other companies are showing interest in the market now restrictions on businesses overall have been lifted though caution is still likely to be the default state.

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09/04/2021
Inquista joins Telum Treaty

Today the Telum Treaty members welcomed The Most Blesse State of Inquista was welcomed to the Treaty of Telum and Southern Association of nations. The nation signed the treaty early in the week and is to be integrated with immediate effect into the free trade zone.Within 6 months roaming will be free in Inquista for mobile customers of Telum Treaty nations and defense co-operation will deepen over the next year. The bloc is now by far the most economically powerful in the EU making up over 50% of the GDP of the entire European Union. The zone is expected to boost income of companies within all Telum Treaty nations as they get access to more free trade agreements.

The move is also said to boost security through joint defence , military co-operation and law enforcement and intelligence co-operation. The government welcomed Inuista into the treaty saying in a statement "Today we enter a new age of relations between Inquista and the United Duchies.We have always had a special relationship and links but today we take the step further and become brothers in the Treaty of Telum. I am confident our co-operation in defence, economy and on science and education will help us prosper and become ever more innovative and secure through co-operation." All parties in the country are supportive of the move so far with no opposition noted.

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10/04/2021
Charges dropped for over 5,400 Far Left Activists
Today the government of the Duchies revoked retroactively restrictions banning association with the Haahnean leadership finding no links with the government of Istaalken and Union of Syndicates territory. However they said there is still evidence of links to extremists in those countries. Anyone arrested for links to these governments and major parties in those states have been freed as of today.

The Left was also found to be innocent of inistutional links to terrorist supporting governments and allowed once again to operate as a party. The party was however found to be a hotbed of extremism and it is expected there will be continuing monitoring. Charges have been brought against Leo McKulsky for links to terrorism and financing of terror organisations meaning The Left will have to find a new leader , new elections are expected to be held for the leadership position soon.65 out of 78 politicians in The Left have had charges against them dropped.

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21/04/2021
2,102 Far-Left Activists and Campaigners charged with Terrorism, Terrorist Links and Financing of Terrorism
Today the vast majority of far-left activists have been released after it was found they had no links to terrorism or supports of terrorism though 13 The Left officials and 250 members of The Left have been charged with crimes ranging from Terrorism, Links to Terrorism, Incitement of Terrorism or Financing of Terrorism. It has been confirmed at least one politician has been linked directly to the terror attacks that rocked the Duchies.

The government and police have vowed to press ahead with charges and to push for the highest punishments possible under law in the courts.In a statement the police said "We have busted a significant terror ring and will be pressing for the highest sentences possible. We will get the justice the victims deserve and show that in the Duchies we will not tolerate extremism and terrorism of any sort be it far left or far right. Furthermore we will be vigilant for future threats and as part of these efforts we will be launching a hotline for public to confidentially report concerns about extremism on the 333 number.If you have any concerns call 333 and report it to police immediately, do not let a potential threat continue.Report any concerns you may have."

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01/05/2021
New joint Spanish-Duchian JNS80 Submarine unveiled

Today the United Duchies with the defence minister of Spain unveiled the jointly developed nuclear powered attack submarine the JSN80 submarine which is planned to be the backbone of both nations submarine fleets. The government refused to diverge most details for national security reasons but it is understood to be the most complex submarine of the nation to date. The submarine is alledged to e based around a newly developed nuclear engine , with a complement of over 30 being capable of 20 knots surfaced or 25 knots underwater. However these numbers have not been confirmed due to national security reasons.

The weaponry has been kept top secret. However it is expected the new fleet will boost security significantly for both nations. It is understood other Treaty of Telum members are eligible to buy the submarine.

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31/05/2021
Roscoes announce plans for fully automated check out stores
Roscoes have announced plans today to convert all stores to automated checkouts using either a scan and go system or a system of cameras and AI to track peoples purchases to allow them to buy using an app. They will be trialling both concepts in a plan agreed with the Roscoes Welfare Association and workers. Whichever is most successful will be implemented throughout all stores. However unlike other companies Roscoes claim this is not about cost savings with them saying in a statement "We have agreed a plan for more efficient use of our staff working in partnership with robots and automated check out systems to deliver a superior customer experience. We will keep about 10% of check out staff to help people with automated checkout for those who can't or struggle to use it. The other 90% will be redeployed to the shop floor where they will direct shoppers, suggest goods that may be of use , run free sample stands so customers can experience the full range of our products and of course stack shelfs and ensure the store is clean and tidy. We will be introducing limited robotics for stacking in the warehouse side of the business to aid productivity and free the staff at the back of the store to spend more time with customers who are our number 1 priority. We will not reduce staff by even a single percent as a result of this automation." The move is likely to be seen as a test of automation in the supermarket sector and innitially 20 stores will test out the concepts at full scale 10 for the scan and go and 10 for the camera and AI system.

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05/06/2021
Government to devolve marriage law
The Duchies Government has announced today it intends to devolve marriage law to the Duchies in order to stop the rising tide of extremism in Duchies politics and the rise of the nationalist right. The government changes proposed in parliament shall state "Duchies decide the definition of marriage in their own Duchies and shall be able to decide on the issues of civil marriage as long as a Civil Alternative is available to religious marriage." The law would allow Duchies to outlaw the conducting of gay marriage and non-religious marriage as long as an equal alternative is available in law.

The law would return all social rights issues to the Duchies. There are concerns this breaking of EU law could harm relations and cause international legal issues though the government has said people can still marry in other duchies and have their marriages recognised.Campaigners have called for the law proposal to be scrapped saying it will lead to a return of discrimination in the Duchies. However supporters of the law have said it will reduce extremism by allowing duchies to tailor laws to their cultures.

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Dry-cycle sales reach record levels

Dry-Cycle sales have reached record levels as increased incentives for green travel have been implemented across the country. The sales of Dry-Cycles have increased so much seperated bike lanes are being called for even in pedestrian areas to accomodate the increased pedi-van , pedi-taxi and Dry-Cycle traffic. The traffic increased with traffic jams of these types of vehicles becoming more common.Sales of family bikes also increased.

Research into the market and surveys have revealed many are being brought for children to commute or do trips in a safer way . The government announced today they would be investing in increasing cycling infrastructue including more bike parking for the new generation of vehicles. They also announced they would put 2,000 Euros towards 1 covered bike, pedi-van, pedi-tax or family bike per household to increase alternative transport use in the cities. This category of vehicles is allowed anywhere a bike is allowed including the roads. The environment and transport ministers have praised the Duchians use of the vehicles saying "The Duchies is showing the way and leading in green transportation in Europe and showing that we can increase accessibility of transport and benefit our environment."

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Government to consider elections by legislature for European Comission
The government of United Duchies has announced this may be one of the last European Commission elections that is carried out by popular vote in the United Duchies. The government expressed concern over the cost of the elections given the lower turnouts that keep dropping. The turnout for this election is likely to be just 33% as election fatigue sets in.

The system proposed is one of votes in the House of Commons and House of Duchies. The system would first knock it down to the top two candidates for each position in the House of Commons then the House of Duchies would vote on the remaining two. A second proposed system would see each house give 100 electoral points for a total of 200 points. Both houses would vote with candidates being eliminated until a candidate reaches 100 electoral points. The move is being considered after concerns low turnout could impact democracy.In both systems both the Deputy and Primary European Councillour would vote with the Commons. There is also a proposal to change how the European Councillour and Deputy Councillour ticketsare elected to require them to reach both a majority of the popular vote and also of Duchies in order to win the election after concerns have been expressed the North is being dominated by the more populous south. Polls indicate this would not change election results with James Mizrachi-Roscoe who due to his image as a compromiser and moderate is also popular in the North of the Duchies as well as the South.

The government said in a statement "We believe in democracy but people are expressing they are fatigued by our regular elections every 4 months. This needs to be addressed we believe the best way to do this is to put the vote in the hands of elected officials that are servants of the people . That is why we are looking at systems to make this happen and working with electoral experts to design the best framework to protect duchy and popular sovereignty. We know it is vital we get this right for the future of our democracy."

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Government Emissions Reduction strategy and targets announced

The government has announced it 5 point plan to decrease carbon emissions with targets in order to stop climate change.Thre plan is as follows according to the Duchies government:
1:No increase increase in departures or arrivals by air with policies to supress air demand and stimulate arrivals by rail for local countries
2:Carbon Neutrality exluding aviation by 2030 and with aviation by 2050 at the latest
3:Increase in Carbon Tax of 10% a year from current level of €105.64 per ton with decrease in carbon emissions excluding aviation of 63.74% by 2025 through roll out of green technology and roll out of green transport innitiatives
4:Protection and increase of carbon absorbing forests
5:Reduction in aviation emissions of 85% by 2040 and at latest by 2050 dependent on technology

The government released graphs explaining their targets and projected decrease in carbon emissions and increase in the Carbon tax which will be applied to every sector except aviation.

Critics of the plan have suggested it may impact economic growth and reduce the size of the economy however supporters including the government have claimed the cost of inaction is far greater and that this new strategy including support to companies for green transition from government will benefit the economy by making the duchies into a centre for green technology and products in Europe. They have said that jobs growth in these sectors will outweigh job losses in carbon intensive industries.The carbon tax is set to rise gradually from €105.64 per tonne to €646.08 per tonne by 2040.

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Red Tunic Party formed
Today the Communist Party and Workers party announced the long expected merger under the Red Tunic Party banner. The party merger first suggested under the protests against government crackdown on the far left following the terrorist attacks in the Duchies was put on ice for a while as things heated up domestically. The idea has been resurrected a few times with serious talks having began 2 months ago.

The Communist Party commented on the merger saying "We believe the parties of the workers must unite , only in this way can we as a united front protect workers. the Red Tunic is an important symbol of solidarity in this country." The Workers Party said "We are proud to work with left wing allies and friends and plan to fight the next elections as friends and not opposition. We would invite any PSD members who feel the PSD is too capitalist to join our party and fight for real socialism."

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Treaty of Porterdam has passed all houses
Today the Treaty of Porterdam setting up a new Anastasis City for nicolezians has passed all houses of parliament within one day with almost unaminous approval outside of the nationalist parties who abstained. The treaty which is now in effect and signed will result in the creation of Anastasia City with up to 1.25 million people innitially within 1.5 years next to Baltia City. The city will get an extension of the high speed line from that city and act as part of the metro area. The city will be built using almost all prefab buildings to speed up construction and ensure they can build at scale with it being expected many foreign contractors will be also be award contracts.The city is being granted 100 billion Euros in start up funds with 12 billion Euros a year diverted from the foreign aid budget a year for five years. The city is to be set up as 200 sq km Duchie equivlent with this possibly being expanded as time goes on if the project is successful. The city is expected to feature a stadium and town hall within a few years.

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United Duchies fund 6 departures per day from Copala
The United Duchies government announced the schedule for the departure of ships from Copala to the United Duchies . The government are to fund 6 departures a day promising 24,000 tickets to the United Duchies per day. The government have hired a fleet of cruise ships from cruise lines to cover paying compensation for any cancelled cruises people had on those ships to the cruiselines.

The government have encouraged any who want to to book one as soon as possible. The ships will arrive and then turn around with it being expected for it to take up to 3-4 weeks of trips depending on demand to get people to the Duchies. The operation is being escorted by the navy until Reitzmag waters to ensure the safety of the ships and also will have armed guards on board to help proceedings go ship shape and are secure.

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Government announces offer of 1.5 Billion Euro Aid package to Nofoaga
Today the government of United Duchies has announced it will offer1.5 Billion Euros in a one off aid offer to the Nofoaga government in order to help rebuild and improve infrastructure , compensate families and deal with medical issues and disability support arising from the eruption. The offer is expected to have the condition that equipment and products brought with the aid must be brought from the United Duchies if United Duchies companies sell the product in enough quantity such as in the case of pre-fab buildings and any new power stations built with the money must be green. They also offered to help fund the memorial to the victims.

The government said in a statement "We are devastated to see such a huge loss of life in both percentage and raw numbers. We know the people can never be brought back but we stand with Nofoaga and want to see it rebuild and thrive. Therefore we feel it is only right to share our wealth to help with rebuilding and give a bright prosperous future to the people of Nofoaga."

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Smart CCTV system now throughout all city centres

The government announced today its security scheme to ensure security throughout the nation has now been completed in all city centres of the country with every city centre and transport hub having Smart CCTV Facial recognition zones. The government also announced they had linked all zones with a nationwide facial database of the most common offenders while they now announced every new passport application , driving license application or application for any government ID will now automatically upload the photo to the Smartface Security System. The zones will automatically alert police if a crime is taking place or a suspect wanted enters a zone or if anyone is trying to hide their identity in a suspicious way. The home minister said "I am proud of our IT companies , police and security forces for working together with retailers and local authorities so effectively to increase security and safety. The zones are already reducing crime and increasing safety and helping us bring criminals to justice quicker with the 6 month back up of all CCTV images going forward only going to increase this effect. We are certain the zones will make the United Duchies safer and more secure and we will also be inviting all users of smart facial cctv cameras at home and internal cameras in public areas of businesses and staff areas to link their cameras on the exterior to the network with benefits for joining. " The minister also sent a warning "If you want to commit crime, terrorism or threaten the safety of the nation you will be caught and brought to justice." Privacy advocates have expressed concerns over how the data could be used in the wrong hands or if an authoritarian government gets into power.

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Scooter and Bike journeys up 45% in 1 year

The government today celebrated as they confirmed cycling and e-scooter journeys have gone up 45% within 1 year with new innitiatives. It is estimated 55% of journeys come from shared bike and scooter schemes while the remaining 45% are on owned bikes. The increase is expected to continue in further years with the government aiming to get car journeys down to less than 33% of journeys within 10 years from the current 44% with increased usage of bikes, scooters and public transport. The government have pledged increased investment in scooter sharing and public transport.

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Farrmers lobby for mininim price floor bill
Today farmers lobbied the government for a minimum price floor for agricultural goods and animal products from farms to ensure that the farming industry remains sustainable and a price war environment at the expense of farming profit margins is impossible. The new campaign has also launched a public ad campaign "Keep Duchians Farming" with the campaign promoting to the public the benefits of minimum price floors according the Duchies Farming Cooperation Organisation. The Roscoes including all major members of the family in politics have also been shown to be public backers of the campaign with the supermarket releasing a statement saying "We are backing this campaign to create a fair level playing field and prevent a race to the bottom on prices and standards that threaten the environmental and economic sustainability of our crucial supply chains and to ensure the fair costs of production are reflected on the prices on supermarket and grocery store shelves."

If acted upon the act proposed by the DFCO and its backers would set up a national council with farmer representatives and experts on it to negotiate a minimum price floor that all shops , manufacturers and organisations operating in the Duchies would have to pay farmers for their produce and animal products taking into account natural wildlife percent requirements on farms. It would set different prices for Organic, Free Range and Conventional agriculture based on those standards requirements. There has been concern that discounters threaten stability in the supply chain by gaining market share by cutting prices paid to farmers to boost profits or reduce prices to consumers. Some critics have criticised the campaign and proposal arguing it will harm consumers by reducing innovation in farming and competition in the industry while keeping in business inefficient organisations. The Campaign for a Market Economy said in a statement "While we understand the need for sustainability we fear this is not the right approach.This approach will keep costs high , hinder efficiency and keep inefficient zombie farms alive. We believe the most appropriate way forward is to encourage competition , innovation and increased use of technology to increase yields sustainably."

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Government minister says Duchies can commit to Telum and Reitzmag

The foreign and defence ministers today both insisted that United Duchies can commit to friendship and co-operation with both Telum Treaty and Reitzmag. This comes after the North Diessan president Inge Pekcan announced North Diessan was not going to be involved in anti-piracy operations and also criticised a growing relationship with Reitzmag. The foreign minister said "I think its a wrong to say we cannot have good relations and co-operation with both the C3 Triumverite and the Telum Treaty on limited matters of defence and definitely on trade. I do not see Reitzmag as an enemy and if we want to see regional harmony and co-operation its important to have good relations with both the Telum Treaty and Reitzmag. The fact is we have a big issue as of now that threatens all Caspian countries , this piracy is not acceptable and needs to be dealt with the only way to do so is through co-operation based on mutual interests. United Duchies will continue to commit to positive relations and co-operation with both Telum Treaty and C3 Triumverite as well as other Caspian powers based on mutual interest and co-operation and believes this is the best course for regional security and peace as well as stability. We cannot forever punish a nation for past issues we may have had with them as it stands there are no issues with Reitzmag and should there ever be we will as always be frank and honest about it and what needs to happen in order to fix it."

The statement has been supported even by the opposition parties with almost all parties agreeing having positive relations with all regional powers is essential to security of the realm and stability. The policy is not unexpected as United Duchies has always attempted to balance interests and be a bridge between the Mediterranean and Caspian regions using its geo-political strengths including its location as the transit route of the Caspian. The policy is not expected to change anytime soon with United Duchies once again clarifying it will send no sensitive military date to Reitzmag and that would continue to flow only to Telum with co-operation with Reitzmag being on an operation by operation basis.

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First Residents move into Anastasia City as elections for Anastasians announced

Today the first 20,000 residents were given keys to their homes in Anastasia city with a rudimentary city centre opened up which will be improved over the years.The development an offshoot of Baltia City has its own laws , parliament as well as law courts though currently these will use a court room in Baltia City. The first homes similar to the ones pictured above were innaugurated by the High Duke in a ceremony opening the new neighbourhood. Plans for the shopping centre for the city were released also.

The government of the United Duchies also announced that elections would be held in 6 weeks for legislature of Anastasia City with polling stations open in every Duchy and major city so every Anastasian due to get homes in Anastasia can vote, the elections will be run under a pure Proportional Representation D'Hon't system for now with the next elections being run under MMP system with list seats topping up seats for parties who fall under their seat count in the local seats. The government also announced they would continue to support financially the construction of council housing for Anastasians in Anastasia city which will likely lead to Anastasia city becoming the first majority council housing city.In response to the CPCI they have said their demands for independence are "unrealistic and unhelpful" pointing out that it is illegal under the treaty signed which explicitly grants Duchy Level powers with some level of control over who gets Anastasian citizenship within agreed numbers per year. They also stated the elections are at the time they were always due to happen within the grand plan.