The Democritus Times (Democritus Only)

[Grandes Terres]

8th July 2024

Ministry of Defence agrees sale of retired ships to Bengal for NAF$3 billion

Today the Ministry of Defence confirmed that it has agreed to sell all of the ships it plans to retire over the coming years to Bengal once their use in the Marina Militare is no longer required. The MoD recently released its 2019 fleet review which will see the retirement of the Marina Militare's oldest vessels including its iconic Durand de la Penne-class guided missile destroyers and San Giorgio-class LHDs which will be replaced over the coming years. The NAF$3 billion sale has been signed in full between the governments of Italy and Bengal and the payment will be made in full before the hand process begins.

In order to avoid leaving the Marina Militare with a gap in its capabilities the handover of the old vessels will happen gradually as replacements for the ships enter service in the Marina Militare. The Sirio-class patrol vessels and Maestrale-class anti-submarine warfare frigates will likely be the first ships to begin being handed over to the Bengali navy as the models that will replace them in the Marina Militare already exist and will be the fastest to construct and enter into service. Meanwhile the Durand de la Penne-class guided missile destroyers and San Giorgio-class LHDs will be replaced by brand new models, the designs of which haven't even been announced yet meaning they will not be transferred to the Bengali navy for several years to come.

Prior to transfer over to the Bengali navy, the ships will have much of their technology which was fitted aftermarket during refits in the late 2000's removed for the sake of technological secrecy, insisting that it is standard procedure for technology such as radar and electronic weapons suites to be removed.

ITS San Giorgio conducting landing exercises off Tigres Island last year as part of training for the San Marco Marine Brigade:

[Grandes Terres]

24th July 2024

Ministry of Defence announces next generation LPD, 'Slovenia class'

Today the Ministry of Defence released details of the Marina Militare's next generation LPD's, which are to be named the Slovenia class after the north eastern Italian region, with the ships of the class being named after Slovenia's largest cities- ITS Ljubljana, ITS Maribor and ITS Celje. In conjunction with Fincantieri, the shipbuilder of the Slovenia class, the Ministry of Defence has opted for the new class to be based off of the hull of the San Giorgio class in a money-saving measure that will also speed up the build time of the ships as Fincantieri designed the original ship hull. Despite being based on the San Giorgio hull the new ships will have an "enlarged size and enhanced efficiency' according to Fincantieri, who also added that 'above the hull will be an entirely new vessel, with few similarities to the legacy class to ensure that the Marina Militare has truly 21st Century vessels at their disposal".

Along with the new vessels Fincantieri will also be building additional LCAC's that will accompany the 3 new ships based on the LCAC's used on the navy's Mistral, Trieste and Cavour class LHD's. Due to the larger hull size of the new LPD's 2 LCAC's will now be supported by each ship where they were not supported onboard the San Giorgio class ships due to the stern door being too narrow. In recent years the Marina Militare has judged that LCAC's are important to the Italian Naval Doctrine's requirements for amphibious landings to be accommodated in all climates and landscapes, which LCAC's help to achieve.

Due to the use of an existing hull design the Marina Militare has been able to purchase the three ships for only NAF$300 million per unit, making the cost of all 3 ships NAF$900 million, with the total cost of the project just topping NAF$1.1 billion to include the cost of building 6 LCAC's and other landing craft and equipment that will deployed on the ships.

Rendered design of the Slovenia class LPD released by Fincantieri today:

[Lusophone]

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#NotMyPresident: The constitutional crisis of Sara Palveiro, who isn't the President

Sara Palveiro is not the president nor has she ever been, technically, a new book from the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court claims.

An explosive section in former Chief Justice Maria dos Prazeres Pizzaro Beleza’s new book, My Truth, a biographical recollection of her major life events since the eight grade, includes a chapter about Sara Palveiro and her 2019 inauguration, in which Beleza, as the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, administered the oath of office.

In her book, the former Chief Justice claims that President Sara Palveiro took the wrong oath of office and would mean she has never been President all these nearly five years.

Beleza details in the book that she offered to readminister the oath to the president in front of reporters at Belem Palace because she knew that President Palveiro did not take it correctly. President Sara Palveiro declined her then and allegedly saying, "Well dog on it, I'm in the Palace aren't I?"

The following day, Beleza states in her book that her office reached out to Belem Palace once again offering to administer the oath a second time out of an 'abundance of caution' but Palveiro and her team again refused. The former Chief Justice's claim is not entirely unfounded or made up. Videos from President Sara Palveiro's 2019 inauguration show the pronounced crucial words being said in wrong order during the inauguration ceremony.

Palveiro should have said "faithfully execute the Office of the President of the Portuguese Republic", but instead said "execute the Office of the President of the Portuguese Republic with faith." Chief Justice Maria dos Prazeres Pizarro Beleza, smiling, clearly recognized the mistake, and gave Palveiro a chance to correct herself, but Palveiro proceeded to shake her hand. Since the book's release, Constitution law professors have weighed in on the allegation and said that taking the oath again then would have been wise.

The former Chief Justice’s explosive section in her new book is not surprising, Beleza’s relationship with the Palveiro administration has not been the most favorable one.

Prior to the Frente Nacional's purge of the Supreme Court (in favor of the one that exists today — which they've appointed politically-alike judges to), Maria dos Prazeres Pizarro Beleza was the Chief Justice of Portugal’s Supreme Court.

Beleza and her colleagues however, were pushed out by a retirement law the Frente Nacional ushered in. The law lowered the retirement age of the Supreme Court from 70 to 65.

Now 68, Beleza has gone as far as refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the new Supreme Court and has even claimed she is still the Chief Justice of the 'real Supreme Court.'

The former Chief Justice was infamously dragged out of the Supreme Court building back in 2023 after staging a three day sit-in protest in her office. To this day, she still hasn't backed down from her claims.

Should political opponents take this seriously, Sara Palveiro's wrong oath of office could be added their argument against her second term as the run-off election approaches.

The revelation adds to the mounting pressure on Palveiro, who continues to field off opposition for Portugal’s military engagement in Galicia. What started as simply a controversy about her decision to bypass Parliament's approval for military operations in Galicia has now begun to shape up into a potential constitutional crisis.

As Palveiro leadership and legitimacy comes into question, the prospects of Palveiro's more immediate removal, impeachment, looms again. Another talk of impeachment at this point could throw the last bit of political stability in Portugal away.

One Partido Progressista MP has even went as far as claiming that the last five years of Palveiro and Palveiro's presidency itself is 'illegal.' Constitutional professors added this could also possibly lead to charges of criminal conspiracy, if proven, for 'deceiving the public.'

Following the book’s release, Sara Palveiro has waived direct leadership of Portugal’s military operations in Galicia to Prime Minister Téa Lacerda, a move to assure allies that Portugal’s politics will not hinder Portugal’s military ineffective nor distracted.

[United Democratic Christian States]

Germanic Times

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- 2027 Elections - Bismarck Doctrine - Internal Policy - Foreign Affairs - Education - DEU - GUAF Central -

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First DEU poll results are in!

Credit to the Free University of Berlin

Is membership of the DEU EIM a good thing for the Germanic Union?

THIS SURVEY - Yes: 93%, No: 3%, Unsure: 4%

Is membership of the DEU EDC a good thing for the Germanic Union?

THIS SURVEY - Yes: 40%, No: 18%, Unsure: 22%

Should the Germanic Union remain a member of the DEU?

THIS SURVEY - Yes: 95%, No: 1%, Unsure: 4%

Do you think that more European integration is a good thing?

THIS SURVEY - Yes: 23%, No: 22%, Unsure/Depends: 55%

Do you support the recent DEU reforms passed within the last 3 years?

THIS SURVEY - Yes: 67%, No: 20%, Unsure: 13%

[New Metropolitan France]

Victory in CAR; Noir uses foreign policy in the context of upcoming elections

President Noir today proclaimed victory for the French Confederation and "true democrats of the world", as the civil war in the Central African Republic came to an end. With the ICC rabble finally put down, France is for the first time in five years at peace in Africa. Both Mauritania and the Central African Republic had been destabilizing conflicts within the Francophone bloc which necessitated a Seventh Republic intervention, Noir said in an interview with a regional television network, however he remained critical of his predecessor's campaign in Nigeria which toppled the old Sixth Republic.

Noir's comments are clearly motivated with the aim of gaining support for campaigning during the upcoming Confederation elections, which will be heavily contested as the social-liberal alliance seeks to topple him and retake both branches of government. Foreign policy remains the biggest issue for the nation, in spite of growing infrastructure concerns in the metropole. With the Second Fantastic War disrupting trade and security in the Euro Sea and the Mediterranean, all branches of the French military remain on their highest alert. Furthermore, there is a sense of fear in the streets of Paris that the situation could escalate into a global nuclear confrontation or even a ballistic missile exchange in a replication of either the American-Soviet or Orostani-Zackaroth wars. Protesters were present in several cities overnight, as anti-war demonstrators were joined by those calling for France to intervene in support of the Entente.

Under the Noir administration France has enjoyed unhindered foreign policy success, primarily through the continued war on slavery, installation of a moderate government in Cameroon, democratization of Mauritania, unification of the PSAN with TACT, expansion of new DEU initiatives, victory of democratic forces in the CAR, and the Entente invasion of the northern DRC. Noir's only foreign policy blunder to date has been the inability of forming detente with South America during the Second Cold War, which was promptly abandoned following the suspected FSR SLBM attack on Nouakchott and later downing of a French squadron by FSR jets. With the Second Fantastic War on the Republic's doorstep, Noir is attempting to play to his record on these issues and thus appear to be capable of maintaining security in dangerous times. He came to power following the mishandling of Nigeria as a foreign policy issue, it seems that he now hopes to use them to remain in power for a second term. Only time will tell whether his strategy strikes a chord with the electorate.

Other news

French Port Holdings International schedules commercial announcement for the near future.
Personnel in the air force and army "ready for action", should Second Fantastic War spill over into France or Algeria.
Mediterranean Fleet remains East of Aden, reason unspecified.
Conservatives and Liberals unite in Parliament to draft second Emergency Military Procurement Bill since 2018.

[Lusophone]

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Madam President

LISBOA — The Portuguese Republic has elected Oluwakemi Taliscas as president on 31 July, making history by electing the second female president and the first of Angolan-Indian descent.

At 6:39 p.m., the streets of Lisboa erupted in cheers and joyful tears as TV stations across the country declared Taliscas the victor of the run-off election. A sea of supporters waved multicolored signs with Oluwakemi Taliscas' campaign logo, while others fell into hugs and several women jumped up and down with elation.

Eira Vento, an MP and former Left Coalition presidential candidate, said the choice of the first colored female president was a historic moment. “I’m so proud to be Portuguese tonight,” Vento said, “and so proud that we can call this woman one of our own.”

The pro-DEU progressive Oluwakemi Taliscas has vowed to unite a divided and fractured Portugal after securing victory over the far-right Frente Nacional candidate and incumbent President Sara Palveiro.

Taliscas' victory took 51.6% to Palveiro's 48.4% and was hailed by her supporters as holding back the tide of "dangerous populism" after the Sara Palveiro and the Frente Nacional came to power in 2019.

Addressing thousands of supporters in the grand courtyard of Lisboa, Taliscas said she would defend Portugal and it's "it's founding truth." She said Europe and the world are “watching us” and “waiting for us to defend the spirit of the democracy and progress, threatened in so many places”.

She promised to unite a divided and fractured Portugal, saying:

I will do everything to make sure you never have reason again to vote for extremes.

Despite the margin of the final result, Sara Palveiro’s score nonetheless shows how ingrained the far right is now in Portuguese society. Even after a bumpy campaign that ended with a calamitous performance in the final TV debate, The anti-immigration, anti-DEU incumbent president asserted that her party has a central place as an opposition force in Portugal.

Oluwakemi Taliscas will become Portugal's youngest president at 54 years old. In a few weeks, she will take over a country still under a state of emergency that continues to face a major terrorism threat and is struggling with botched foreign relationships.

A Taliscas political ally, said:

She is one of the youngest heads of state on the planet [which] sends an incredible message of hope. Kemi is giving hope to people who had no hope. Hope that maybe we can do something, go beyond the [left-right] divide that no longer makes sense.

Sara Palveiro swiftly conceded defeat. She said she had won a “historic and massive” score that made her leader of “the biggest opposition force” in Portugal and vowed to continue to radically overhaul her Frente Nacional party. Her successful promise to “transform” the far-right movement left open the possibility that the party could be expanded and renamed in an attempt to boost its electoral chances in the future. It was another major step in the political normalization of her movement.

Taliscas’ victory came not only because voters supported her policy platform for free market, structural reform, and her promises to cooperate with the DEU, coupled with a left wing approach to social issues. Some of her voters came from other parties across the political spectrum and turned out not in complete support of her programme but to stop five more years of Sara Palveiro. In establishment circles, there was relief that Palveiro’s anti-DEU, anti-globalisation programme was defeated.

Her victory comes after a bitter campaign with Palveiro, who accused Taliscas of being part of an elite that did not understand ordinary people and slandered her with nearly-racist terms and phrases.

In a political landscape with a strong hard left and far right, Taliscas faces the challenge of trying to win a parliamentary majority for the Left Coalition in the upcoming legislative elections. Without a majority, she will not be able to carry out her coalition's manifesto promises.

[The East African Commonwealth]

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The Afrika Times

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Odyssey Departs for South America

After its launch earlier this month and a month of sea trials, the newest addition to the Amity Fleet, the CV Odyssey, is now steaming around the Cape of Good Hope toward Argentina. Odyssey is the second Venture Class Amity Frigate built by the Amity Fleet with the purpose of conducting scientific and diplomatic missions around the Southern Atlantic. For now the ship's mission is a month long seabed survey off of the Falkland Islands followed by a diplomatic tour of the vessel for members of the San Martinian government to improve diplomatic ties. The ship is also considering an outreach program to the FSR to conduct a survey of the outlets of the Amazon river and determine the greater environmental impact of the Zackarothian on the Amazon River Basin and the South Atlantic region near the river's outlet. While many expect the FSR to deny any joint ventures the Fleet still wishes to conduct its set mission to the best of its abilities and will do what it can to represent the EAC abroad. The Odyssey's sister ship, Venture, has set a high bar for operational status already with a successful seabed survey and establishing friendly relations with Rome, putting pressure on the ship to conduct a successful mission in a region know for high tensions.

The Amity Fleet's expansion to a new region of the globe and its progress in promoting international cooperation has begun to have noticeable effects back at home in the Commonwealth. Many who were once opposed to the idea of the Fleet have begun to scale back complains on the organization while the topic of the Fleet has been on the minds of many young people across the country who are considering joining. Diplomats and Merchant Mariners are reporting an increase in the opinion of the EAC and the nation is slowly being recognized by the world powers as a potential ally and trade partner. Not everyone is happy about this as the Africa First Movement (AFM) has become increasingly opposed to the organization saying that Africa should not be looking to make peace with the world, but demanding compensation for years of colonial rule. The group has staged peaceful protests in several cities but as of yet no one in the government has addressed these people. It remains to be seen if the Amity Fleet will prove to be a force for good or a mistake by the EAC.

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New Line of Armored Vehicles in Development

On the topic of defense news, the Commonwealth has begun the development of two new lines of armored vehicles with development support from Japan and Canada. The project is the answer to the Defense Force's request for new modern vehicles capable of conducting multiple missions and is capable of standing up to any army currently deployed in Africa. The development has been called Project Foehammer and will include the development of two armored vehicle chassis and four different turrets capable of being mounted on those chassis. The machines are being developed to be modular to save money and allow for flexibility within the defense forces to address different concerns on the battlefield with a single design. Each of the chassis has a different design, one being an eight wheeled variant and the other being a tracked one. The wheeled chassis will operate two turrets being for mortar support and infantry combat while the tracked chassis will be able to mount two other turret types being a tank turret and an SPG. While the development of the rest of Project Foehammer and its designs are being kept under wraps there has been speculation that the vehicles could see possible combat service within two years.

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| New 'Stun Ammo' Deployed to Police | Military Remains on Standby Near Katanga | Venture Departs Italy for New Survey Off Crete|

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[The East African Commonwealth]

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The Afrika Times

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Food for All

For decades the nations that have made up the EAC were a mess in terms of agricultural production. Millions starved and lived in poverty while cultivating tobacco and other cash-crop based plants. When the Commonwealth formed one of its major goals was increasing development and ending the poverty the gripped nearly half of the nation which at first got off to a rough start. However, thanks to the international community's development of the nation in terms of manufacturing, mining, and services for the first time East Africa does not need to rely on cash crops for economic income. Further, the investment of 500 billion dollars by Australia into the agricultural sector allowed for the modernization and transformation of the industry as a whole. The fields of tobacco were replaced by wheat, corn, and potatoes across the nation during the last few months allowing areas that were once on the brink of starvation to have a surplus of food. Cattle ranching is also on the rise, increasing access to local dairy products for much of the nation.

The surplus of food has been spread across the nation thanks to the construction of highways and railroads by the international community. For the first time, the Commonwealth can not only feed itself but others around it. A few shipments of Wheat have begun to make their way towards Katanga to supply food to the new nation, free of charge. While the food, technology, and transportation is all changing, one thing that has not is the farmsteads. Most Commonwealth farms remain locally owned and operated to prevent an employment crisis as nearly 60% of the population still work as manual labor on farms. This population is seeing an increase in living conditions, pay, and working conditions thanks to Unions representing farmers in many local communities. While many sill live in poverty, access to cheap food and stable working conditions is an important first step.

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Mining Boom

With cash crops now fading in importance, mining has become one of the nation's primary sources of income both domestically and internationally making up around 29% of the nation's income. Copper makes up 32% of this followed by gold and silver at 24%, diamonds at 11%, and iron, cobalt, and aluminum making up the remaining 9% of the market. Unlike farming where individuals own each farm the mining Industry has been placed under corporate control and as such the market has been expanded at a high rate as the companies seek to purchase mine-able land before competitors. The mining boom that has spread across the nation extends to natural gas and helium mining as well. The natural deposits of the gasses found in the African Rift have seen a surge in local demand for both power and E-Tech's airships allowing for mining to expand to a large scale in the region. Jobs are becoming more available to people and safer as well thanks to modern equipment use.

While economically this growth has been fantastic, many are cautioning the dependence on the industry from an environmental standpoint as clearing large portions of land on this scale can have disastrous effect. The government is currently looking into ways of addressing this concern without damaging international relations and the economy but as of yet there has been no public statement on this issue.

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E-Tech Launches Free Power Project

While E-Tech is still perfecting their Solar Generator, they have released a new and surprisingly simple product to the market: a compact 15 KW hydroelectric turbine. While the turbine itself is small and rather simplistic, the concept has the potential to be revolutionary. The African Great Lakes region is fulled with dozens of creeks and rivers flowing out and to the lakes and this turbine can be installed on the bank of every singe one without causing major damage, impeding local wildlife, or leaving a large environmental footprint. The turbine itself is cheap to produce, fast and easy to install, and requires little to no maintenance to maintain. However, most important of all is that this source is free to access for anyone using it, meaning that for the first time easy to access power is no longer a pipe dream for much of the EAC. E-Tech has announced that it has begun a large construction project up and down Lake Malawi as the pilot program for this project as the region currently has the greatest need for electricity.

E-Tech is planning to expand this system with a localized electric grid to villages near the turbines. This grid will be built underground and will link villages together in small localized sectors. This grid will also include a localized communications system that will allow the villages to maintain contact with one another. E-Tech plans on creating an internet grid as well for these regions, however, it wants to first establish the power grid before tackling larger projects. Additional expansions to the turbine system are set for parts of Zambia next and a variation of the turbine is being considered for coastal areas that is powered by tidal energy.

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| EAC Funds New School in Katanga | Afrika City Completes Subway System | A New African Century on the Horizon? |

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[Bengal and Assam]

Italian Ships to serve in Maritime Self Defense Force. 4.8 Million $ Deal underway


Staff Correspondent, Shin Dae-Min (Denise Shin)

The Maritime Self Defense Force held a Press Con today, outlining their vision for the future of the defensive naval force. The Presser was titled as Vision2030:Future of Kawa’s First Line of Naval Defense.

After talking about the progress of the Next-Gen Fully Indigenous Destroyer Project, and the in-development Asuka-Class submarine, it was announced that the MSDF will procure 35 used and 2 fully new vessels from Italy. Namely"

-8 Maestrale-class Frigates
-4 Durand La Penne class Missile Destroyers
-3 San Giorgio class LPDs
- 20 Sirio Class Patrol vessels
-2 Lago Class destroyers

All for a total 4.8 Billion Dollar deal.

Due to recent events which has caused instability across the world, such as the FSR stirring up trouble in the Atlantic, and Japan re-exploring its Imperial roots of conquests, defense spending has increased considerably as the Peaceful Nation which spent only 1% of its annual GDP in its entire Post-Junta period builds up its defensive arsenal. This also shows closer relations between Bengal and Italy, as Italy sold drones to the Air Self Defense Force recently.

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COMMENTS

[Grandes Terres]

21st August 2024

Ministry of Defence cancels NAF$5.6 billion contract for second batch of Europa MBT's

Today it was announced by the Ministry of Defence that the army's order for a second batch of Europa MBT's (an order for 520 units, 40 more than the first batch) has been officially cancelled, saving the Ministry of Defence NAF$5.6 billion, which the MoD claims will be used in other areas of the military, most notably the navy and air force, due to "The changing role of the Italian military on the world

Europa MBT conducting winter training in Emilia-Romagna, circa 2022.

stage, moving away from continental ground warfare and towards the goal of a global navy and an air force to support it. With Italian membership of the URT and 21st century technologies there is less pressure on the armed forces to maintain a large standing army, and over time the size of the army reserves will be significantly reduced, with the financial savings from this being transferred to both the navy and air force to maintain and expand the size of both these branches of the armed forces."[/i]

Despite the worries over the downsizing plan, the Ministry of Defence has insisted that "The Italian army will maintain its utmost professionalism and effectiveness as usual, and with a smaller standing army it will be able to receive greater training per capita as well as more equipment and funding per capita, ensuring that the army is still as capable a force as ever, but in a smaller, more specialised package."

The 520 C1 Ariete MBT's that the second batch of Europa MBT's were supposed to replace will gradually be sold to any international clients who express interest in acquiring the tanks, which will be sold at a cost of NAF$2 million each. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the proceeds from the sale of the tanks will also be put into the navy and air force and not back into the army as with the proceeds kept from cancelling the Europa contract and reducing the size of the army reserves. This action has angered many officials in the army, who claim that the army is becoming the 'forgotten branch' of the military, with most the Ministry of Defences procurement funds going to the navy.

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News
- Ministry of Defence agrees NAF$4.8 billion arms deal with Bengal.
- Polling predicts PD will win next years election by landslide.
- The next global recession? Economists think it might be coming soon.
- More non-ICE new car sales than ICE car sales for 5th consecutive quarter in Italy.

Travel
- Collision on the GRA between junctions 28 (Via del Mare) and 29 (Parco d'Medici) causing tailbacks to junction 25 and on the A91.
- Congestion on inbound roads to Cape Thetis due to volume of traffic.
- Tailbacks on the A7 Milan-bound due to construction works.
- Flight delays from Cape Thetis Eusebio Kino International due to severe winds.

Weather
- Orange weather warning issued for Cape Thetis due to Atlantic storm.
- Yellow weather warning issued in Po Valley region for high temperatures.
- High winds reported in Sardinia, Sicily and Calabria.
- Small wildfire reported in Liguria.

[New Metropolitan France]

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The Continental Standard

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Long live Europa

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Launching the European Bancor

The French Seventh Republic, United Roman Triumvirate, and Germanic Union today became the first nations to join the European Clearing Union. It marks the launch of the European Bancor, an account unit named after the proposed alternative to the Bretton Woods system devised by famed economist John Maynard Keynes. Together with the new system of floating EIM tariffs, a Provincial Development Fund, and an annual European Bancor Rebate, the Clearing Union shall improve economic stability in Europe by promoting cohesion and minimizing negative externalities caused by trade imbalances. Administered by the European Standard Bank, it shall replace the obsolete Franco-German 'European Currency Standard', which had previously acted as an exchange rate mechanism vulnerable to speculative attack. The Republic Franc, GU Deutschmark, and URT Aureus remain in circulation, and will not be replaced in any capacity by the new supranational currency. Monetary and fiscal policies both remain full sovereign competencies of the nation-state, highlighting the great success of the new system at bringing Europe together whilst avoiding any steps which might undermine democracy at the domestic level.

France utterly rejects the unfair trading system which was born at Bretton Woods in 1944, and the structural flaws of the current system which have left much of the world in poverty and debt. Former presidents de Gaulle and Giscard waged economic war against a super power's exorbitant privilege, and killed the neoliberal empire of Bretton Woods; today Europe looks to the future by embracing the wisdom put forth by Keynes. Europe shall become a more closely integrated union of sovereign nation-states, where no country is forced into crippling austerity due to a trade deficit. Europe shall be encouraged to trade more with the rest of the world, and within the Internal Market. Europe has done what should have been done at the end of the Second World War, and what should have been done in Iceland during the 1980s when the world met to decide the structures of the international political arena following the fall of two super powers. Strasbourg is the successor to Bretton Woods, with the Gold Standard and fixed rates of the past consigned to the dark pages of history. Long live the European Bancor! The first true supranational currency!

- President Noir

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Published 1 December, 2024

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Other news:

French CSN Delegation sponsors opening of 'International Clearing Council', where academics, economists, and politicians can discuss the possibility of eventually forming a global system along Keynesian lines.

Site of 1944 conference at Bretton Woods purchased by Franch public-private historical society. Set to re-open as museum dedicated to economic history.

Confederation military remains on highest alert level, forces in Algeria and Europe ready to deploy.

[Grandes Terres]

2nd September 2024

MEF confirms Italian public debt surpasses 75% of GDP, clashes with Prime Minister over response

Today the MEF announced that the Italian public debt has surpassed 75% of GDP, or just under NAF$3.6 trillion, representing the highest figure the public debt has ever reached, but not the highest percentage as proportionate to GDP. The Minister for Economy and Finance, Vittorio Grilli, has blamed the constitutional clause that forbids the government from implementing progressive taxation, limiting the government to a flat income tax rate. The flat rate means that no government will ever raise taxes over a certain threshold, as doing so would be extremely detrimental to the lowest income groups. This flat tax rate alongside expectations from the public that the government spend large amounts of money the same as any western nation has caused the public debt to soar, according to Vittorio Grilli.

The minister has called for the government to introduce strong austerity measures if it wins the general election next year as well as lowering interests rates to encourage spending and therefore increase taxation. The Prime Minister has clashed with Vittorio Grilli over his ideas for reducing the debt, particularly as austerity never wins votes and Forza Italia's main voter base, pensioners and the 55-65 bracket tend to be savers not spenders and calling for lower interest rates would conflict with their interests. Instead the PM has said that he would lower the national debt by implementing small income tax increases and promoting greater economic growth via trade and business in a way that does not involve large government subsidies and spending as is usual from the government.

Partito Democratico, who are tipped to win next years election, have blamed the soaring public debt on the constitutional limits on taxation, and the party's key campaign policy is to hold a referendum on amending the constitution to allow progressive taxation to be introduced. The party says that introducing progressive taxation will stop the public debt from rising and will still allow government spending to increase 'killing two birds with one stone'. Forza Italia disputes PD's claims however polling shows that the public is generally onboard with PD's plans whilst FI is being viewed as sticking with the status quo rather than making any significant changes in policy or spending.

A graph released showing the make up of who holds Italy's NAF$3.6 trillion debt:

[The Underground Movement Union]

Canadian Journal

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American 2024 Election Results: Populist Coalition Victory!
September 1st, 2024
Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on how you look at it, the Populist won the American elections. Though, it was rather close.
Written by Kory Davids

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The American 2024 elections have ended, and by sheer surprise, the coalition of National Social Democrats, Hyper Democrats, New Progressives and Popular Party have won with a 56% majority under the "Populist Coalition," (NSDP 20%, HDP 15%, NPP 10%, APP 11%), the Greens and Social Democrats with 10% of the vote (Social Democrats 8% (SDP), Greens 2% (GP)) and with the remaining 34% going to the Establishment Coalition (17% New Republican Party (NRP), 12% New America Party (NAP), 5% Tea Party Party (TPP)).

This however is nothing compared to the Presidential Election which came arguably much closer, with four candidates remaining between NSDP Candidate Zachery Carrara with the majority 34% of the vote, the NRP Candidate Donald Trump with 31% of the vote, the HDP Candidate Vasileios Tomov with 27% of the vote, and lastly the SDP candidate Jacob Haakonsson with a mere 8% of the vote.

So, what can we expect from this new political land scape? One thing is for certain; a rise in American nationalism and a revival of the American identity is certain to take place.

For a long time America's identity had been fractured, between the fall of the First United States and the loss to Canada in the Canadian-American War to the series of instability that followed. America was demonized for their war mongering policies and provocation of wars that caused the deaths of nearly 10 million people (and upwards of 12 million counting their war against the Confederacy.) New York City was destroyed, Washington D.C bombed into unrecognizability, and many historically American companies either fled to Canada or Pacifica. Many Americans grew pessimistic and fearful of the future of their country. That is, up until very recently. Just 6 years ago, Americans began taking pride in their nation once again according to a series of polls taken by Ottawa institute in 2012-2022. The Populist Coalition wishes to rebirth the old American identity, and tie or cut all loose ends, such as "ending and reversing the wrongful and downright degenerate social and economic policies of the Establishment," as quoted by the country's new President, Zachery Carrara of the NSDP last evening when giving his Inaugural address.

Already, the Legislative branch is being flooded with new reforms and legislation that the Populists wish to pass, a great deal of which involve "making America itself again," according to Senator Augustijn Albani of the APP. One of which wishes to reverse a controversial legislation passed denying any religious symbolism (particularly Christian symbolism) to be on government property and instead promote the Cross and other Christian religious symbolism in a new bill of their own, and a new Anti-Trust bill to be implemented as well as with others to come. The Coalition has made it clear that the American identity in terms of culture and religion, and taking down crony big business are their main focuses as of right now. Many Pro-Populist marches have taken place, promoting the passing of certain policies and the appeal of many others set up by the establishment. President Carrara is calling this set of policies of cultural and economic transformation the beginning of the "American Renaissance."

Already, the Populists are making a mark on their country. But how far will they go?

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IN OTHER NEWS:
North American Bancor discussed in FUNA's Senate [SEP 3]
Stones: "Don't fear the Recession. We have a plan." [SEP 3]
The Honor Class, a catalyst to future ship designs [SEP 2]
Ontario Officer beats pedophile to death with a seal skull, is let off the hook under Canadian self defense laws [AUG 27]
Puritan Protestantism becoming popular again in New England [AUG 24]
American Establishment accuse the Populists of being funded and supported by Canada [AUG 23]
Anti-Corruption Bill similar to Canada's to be passed in America [SEP 3]

[Saif Fara]

Lebanon's Constitution

This week, after a very long and heated constitutional convention, Lebanon will adopt a presidential system and it will come into effect in the coming presidential election. This will give the President complete control of the executive, including the power to issue decrees, appoint his own cabinet, draw up the budget, dissolve parliament by calling early elections, and make appointments to the bureaucracy and the courts.

The office of Prime Minister has been removed and its powers (together with those of the Cabinet) have been transferred to the President, who is the head of state and is elected for a four-year term by direct elections. Lebanon’s next president will finally be elected by direct voting.

Lebanon’s constitution will govern the legal framework of the country and many Lebanese see it as vital to building stability in the country. The constitution sets out the job of government and establishes Lebanon as a unitary centralized state.

Executive power will be exercised by the President, while the legislative power is with the unicameral parliament, called the People’s National Assembly. The judiciary will be nominally independent from the executive and the legislature, but the President and the ruling party have the power of appointing or dismissing judges and prosecutors.

The Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the laws and decrees of the constitution. The Council of State is the tribunal of last resort for administrative cases, and the High Court of Appeals for all others.

Universal voting for both sexes will finally be applied too. Every Lebanese citizen who has turned 18 years of age will automatically be registered to vote.

128 members of parliament will be elected to a four-year term by a party-list proportional representation system. The Constitutional Court can strip the public financing of political parties that it deems anti-secular or separatist, or ban their existence altogether. The electoral threshold is 10% of the votes.

Political parties have formed since the delegate elections and are now focused on winning seats in Parliament. Here are the parties:

[*]Cedar Movement: Led by Amal Aladeen, believes in secularism, democratic socialism, left-wing populism, minority rights, political pluralism, direct democracy and anti-nationalism
[*]Future Movement: Led by Saad Hariri, believes in classical and economic liberalism
[*]Azm Movement: led by businessman Najib Mikati Lebanon’s richest man, believes in secularism
[*]Progressive Communist Party: led by Walid Jumblatt, believes in communism, social democracy
[*]Lebanese Forces: led by Adm. Aladeen Aladeen, believes in national conservatism, Lebanese nationalism, anti-Zionism, anti-Western imperialism
[*]Free Patriotic Movement: led by Gebran Bassil, believes in liberal democracy, civic nationalism and liberal conservatism
[*]Hezbollah: led by Hassan Nasrallah, believes in Islamic nationalism, anti-Zionism, anti-Western imperialism, antisemitism, Shia jihad
[*]Kataeb Party: led by Samy Gemayel, believes in Lebanese nationalism, Christian democracy, social conservatism
decentralization, Falangism, Phoenicianism, Anti-Arabism, Anti-communism

Lebanon’s president and parliament will be elected by the September 29. No candidates for the presidency have announced so far.

[Lusophone]

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Portugal’s government toppled after dramatic showdown in Parliament

Former MP and Foreign Secretary Hildred Cardoso has been named Portugal’s prime minister and tasked with forming a government after an inconclusive legislative election that nearly plunged the country into political limbo.

Her appointment comes after the ‘Left Coalition’ an alliance of left bloc parties including Partido Progressista and the Greens toppled a 1-day-old conservative minority government in a dramatic parliamentary vote – the shortest administration in Portuguese history.

Portugal’s political saga is being closely watched in Europe and the political world as the country continues its military engagement in Galicia and it’s possible membership into the DEU.

Sara Palveiro’s center-far-right bloc led by outgoing conservative prime minister, Téa Lacerda has lost the absolute majority it had enjoyed since 2019.

By teaming up, the leftist parties have managed to assemble a slim parliamentary majority that allowed them to vote out the Frente Nacional government.

The newly formed leftist alliance – the first since the birth of democratic Portugal four decades ago – was not inconceivable as the parties have pledged to work together in parliament and elect a leftist president.

Incumbent President Sara Palveiro, a far-fight conservative who was reluctant to hand power to a leftist coalition she views as “incoherent”, said it “would not serve the national interest.”

Cardoso has insisted her government will meet international commitments and has said that her government will run “a smart programme” that allows for “accountable capitalism and using smart power when it comes to diplomacy.”

The former presidential candidate has always been President-Elect Oluwakemi Taliscas’ top choice for the premiership, making joint guarantees that the government would maintain stability and respect European rules.

Cardoso ruled out staying out of the DEU or any dismantling of Portugal’s position in Galicia Conflict, calling the suggestion “irresponsible” – but has also tip toed on whether Portugal would adopt the European Bancor.

Planned initiatives include raising the minimum wage, addressing income inequality, improved worker conditions and shifting away from oil.

Despite the hostility of some members of the alliance towards Europe, a clash between Lisbon and Strasbourg does not appear to be on the cards.

“We shouldn’t expect a confrontation. The last three years have shown that this leads nowhere,” said political commentator Jose Antonio Passos Palmeira.

Nevertheless the political situation was far from stable, warned Passos Palmeira.
“These are fragile alliances which allow Cardoso and Taliscas to come to power but does not guarantee a sustainable government,” he said.

Cardoso certainly faces a challenge holding together a disparate group – suitable for a woman who likes to relax by doing 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles – but she seems confident.

[The Russian Federated States]

SOVIET NAVY MAKING MOVES

RIGA - Kremlin announced that it is sending a fleet consisting of 15 ships to South England as the Iberian war enters another month. The Soviet vessles, including submarines, frigates, and a destroyer, are expected to pull into the English port of Poole for what officials term a “routine port visit” after transiting the Northern Sea from the Baltic Sea. One ship is carrying a powerful S-300 anti-aerial missile system on board.

That makes the naval task force the first Soviet warships to enter the British Isles.

“We would like to routinely operate in the Eastern Atlantic not violating the Montreaux Convention as well as the international law as our partners in Western Europe are continuing their struggle against the foreign threat,” said Admiral Frolov.

Moscow's increased support for DEU’s collective resolve in the region comes amid tensions generated by the FSR’s ongoing efforts to destabilize Europe.

"The Soviet Task force's transit into the British waters reaffirms our collective resolve to the European security and enhances our strong relationships with our DEU partners in the region,” said the Presdient Aleksandr Dibrov.

SITUATION IN PORTUGAL

MOSCOW- The FSB director Volodimir Putin has called the situation in Portugal "another part of the South American plot to destabilize us." He has called on the DEU leaders to monitor closely the situation in Portugal to make sure it does not become a pawn of the FSR like Spain did a while ago. He emphasized that the DEU cannot afford to lose another country to misguided dictatorships. Volodimir said that he will soon intorduce a bill which would tighten the internal security policies of the Soviet Union as well as the "welcome culture" of Russia.

[Grandes Terres]

22nd September 2024

Edison reveals plan to construct new nuclear power plants on sites of decommissioned and unfinished plants

The Italian energy company Edison has become the latest energy company to venture into the nuclear power market in Italy since the government deregulated the industry and lifted the ban implemented in 1987 after the nuclear power referendum in which the public voted in favour of ending nuclear power in Italy.

Unlike Enel and A2A, Edison says that it will building traditional nuclear power plants instead of thorium plants which are considered much safer than traditional uranium plants. However, Edison says that "Modern uranium power plants are extremely safe, and the public has no reason to worry about pollution or the risk of a meltdown, as meltdowns are unheard of in modern uranium power plants. Furthermore, we at Edison believe that energy should be cheap for consumers, and by building the latest of uranium power plants we will save money over building a thorium plant, meaning that the cost of energy produced at our plants will be cheaper than in the thorium plants being built by other companies. This lower cost will directly translate into lower costs for consumers, making nuclear power both environmentally friendly and cheap for the consumer."

Edison is planning 6 plants overall, each of which will be located adjacent to existing nuclear sites that were decommissioned after the 1987 referendum. By building next to existing sites which have been turned into nuclear reprocessing and research sites Edison claims its new plants will have less visual impact on communities by begin in areas that already have nuclear infrastructure and will be able to quickly transport spent nuclear fuel to the reprocessing sites that will be directly next door and run by SOGIN, the government agency responsible with managing decommissioned plants and operating them under their new function as research and spent fuel reprocessing sites.

Edison's new nuclear plants will have their reactors supplied by Ansaldo Energia, a subsidiary of defence company Leonardo, who specialise in the production of high-efficiency, high-safety nuclear reactors. The company is also being used by Enel and A2A for their thorium reactors which the company has only recently developed for full commercial use after spending billions in R&D (supported by the Italian government via subsidies and rebates) over the past 15 years developing the cutting edge reactors. While Ansaldo Energia will be building the reactors, Edison has contracted Italian company Maire Tecnimont to build the nuclear stations themselves that will house and operate the reactors. Maire Tecnimont operates globally in the oil and gas, chemicals and petrochemicals, energy, infrastructure and civil engineering industry and has vast experience and expertise in the construction of energy infrastructure such as nuclear power plants and renewables such as wind turbines, solar farms and tidal power plants.

The new nuclear stations will be given the same names as the decommissioned plants that they will be build adjacent to:

- Edison Caorso Nuclear Power Plant, Emilia-Romagna
- Edison Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant, Piedmont
- Edison Garigliano Nuclear Power Plant, Campania
- Edison Latina Nuclear Power Plant, Lazio
- Edison Montalto di Castro Nuclear Power Plant, Lazio
- Edison Krško Nuclear Power Plant, Slovenia

A map showing the locations of decommissioned plants across Italy where Edison's new plants will be located:

[The East African Commonwealth]

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The Afrika Times

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Combat in Africa Condemned

Early yesterday the Commonwealth Military confirmed that Puertollanoan-aligned forces launched an attack against German Aircraft in Nigerian airspace as they were heading north to support European Efforts in the 2nd Fantastic War off the Galacian coastline. This attack marks the first time Africa has been brought into this new conflict between Europe and South America and raises questions about the arrival of war to our corner of the world. These attacks were localized and occurred without provocation within Nigeria's sovereign airspace, an act which could be viewed by many as an act of war between the powers of Europe and the Nigerian Socialist Republic. The Commonwealth and Rais Nuru have condemned the attack as threatening the fragile stability of Africa. In his statement to the public, Rais Nuru said the following:

....while the Europeans may have started this war and they have ignored the sovereignty of Galacia and it's people, the nation's of South America have turned this localized conflict into a full blown world war. What was an isolated conflict in Iberia has been spread to the Caribbean, the Russian Far East, and now to our own shores here in Africa. While many view these actions as retaliatory strikes I do not. If the goal of the FSR Coalition is to ensure the sovereignty of the nation of Galacia they should be sending aid to Iberia or securing Spanish frontlines, not fighting a new world war. To the leaders of the FSR, the Commonwealth says this: we will not tolerate the expansion of your conflict to the shores of Africa. The conflicts between Europe and South America are not the concern of Africa nor should they be. We are willing to work as intermediaries to establish peace, but that is the only action we will make on the matter unless our hand is forced.....

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Amity Fleet Prepares Possible Recall

With the conflict in Iberia quickly turning into a new world war, the Amity Fleet is considering recalling the Venture and Odyssey back to the Commonwealth for operations in the Indian Ocean. This is not a certain decision as of yet, the Amity Command and the EAC Government are currently discussing the matter. The Fleet feels that it should remain in operation to act as aid ships for search and rescue operations for both sides while the government is concerned that the ships could be caught in the crossfire leading to the Commonwealth being brought into the war. For now both sides are weight the pros and cons, while they do so the Amity Fleet is continuing all of its international operations from its outreach activities to the construction of Amity Academy in Paris.

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Will the Commonwealth Act?

As the war in Europe expands to the rest of the world across the EAC there is the looming question of if the Commonwealth will enter the conflict and if it does so will it be by choice? While the conflict is still far beyond the Commonwealth's borders there are those who fear the conflict may inevitably enter the African Continent in full force. With many Europeans still holding territory in Africa and nations like the NSR or SRC hosting FSR forces the possibility of conflict is not out of the question. What is the question is if war comes who will the Commonwealth back, and will it have a choice in the matter? The Commonwealth has several MDPs with nations like Canada and Australia, but none with any nation currently in the conflict and the Afrika Doctrine states that the Commonwealth can involve itself in an African war, but it never specified as to what scale. This means in terms of agreements and documents the EAC is not very likely to enter combat. However, should FSR or European forces begin to send a large troop presence or military aid to non-colonial Africa then the Commonwealth would be obligated to act. Many within the government are asking for the military to act or increase its readiness in response to the recent combat over Nigeria, though others fear this would lead to war and have denies any increase in military actions.

While diplomatic and legal issues have a lot to say on the matter of the possibility of war, the heart of the argument is often who the people support. When the war first started, no one in the EAC felt that it was a concern to them or that the Commonwealth needed to get involved. Sentiments on the war were mostly anti-European as the conflict was centered around the removal of a government opposed to European views. However, with the recent expansion of the conflict and the murmurs of a new World War many are not in favor of entering the war period, recalling that any time there is a World War Africa is involved in the Continent suffers. Unfortunately, with the combat over Nigeria that sentiment has begun to change as some of the population feel the war will come to the EAC regardless if they want it to. A poll conducted at the start of the war showed that 80% of African felt the EAC did not need to get involved, 5% supported Europeans, 11% supported the FSR, and 4% felt the EAC needed to be directly involved. A new poll issued shortly after the combat in Nigeria showed a massive shift with 34% voting for no involvement, 25% European Support, 19% FSR Support, and 22% calling for direct action by the EAC. While the majority of the population still feels the EAC should stay out of the conflict, many are now calling for the EAC to take some action to support a side in this conflict. Regardless, for the moment the EAC will continue to watch and wait as this conflict continues taking shape.

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| Economy Grows as Mining Expands | E-Tech's Generators Providing Power to those in Poverty | Military on Standby Following Attack on German Aircraft |

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[Zackaroth]

Its official, Zackaroth incorporates Western Syria into its republic

It has been almost a decade since Zackaroth and Persia invaded Syria to remove a growing terrorist threat to the region. In those long years, both Zackaroth and Persia began rebuilding and fixing the broken state. They had been given special permission by the CSN and allowed take on both half's as protectorates. However, in the time that followed, both Syria's became inexorably linked to their host nations economies, customs and military. This is what Zackaroth argued in a special, closed session to the CSN. They also provided evidence that another vote would just be a formality, since most Syrians would prefer to be finally incoperated into their host nation, rather then the nebulous situation they where in before.

Western Syria has become the 11th state in the Zackarothian union and Eastern Syria is most likely going to become apart of Persia. Some Western Syrians have greeted the news happily, finally being considered actual Zackarothian citizens and the benefits that come along with it.Others where worried about what will happen to free passage between the Western and Eastern half, where native born Syrians where considered citizens of both sides and could travel freely. Few protested, upset and remembering the bombings of Damascus that ended the war.

Within Zackaroth itself, many are treating this news as something that should have been done years ago. While Zackaroth does not control the oil rich half, Syria does contain an important link to the Mediterranean and easier access to Europe. Western Syria also hosts the Zackarothian Mediterranean Naval Fleet, a fleet designed to respond crisis's in the Mediterranean and within Europe if the need arises.

All Western Syrians will begin getting official documents soon, replacing the passports created for them. No word yet on what will happen to the free passage between states but the High Leader has stated he is committed to trying to find a way to keep it, without compromising the integrity and security of both Zackaroth and Persia.

[Grandes Terres]

4th October 2024

Global Cities Initiative begins phase 2 of development, focusing on Naples and Turin

Today the Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) announced that its Global Cities Initiative (ICG) was begin phase 2 of its plans, moving to transform the economies of the cities of Naples and Turin, Italy's 3rd and 4th largest cities respectively (4th and 5th if including Cape Thetis). Phase 1 of the GCI, which is focused on Milan and Rome, will continue until 2038 as planned. The GCI was founded in 2018 with phase 1 which oversaw the creation of Chiavichetta Business City on the outskirts of Rome, and the urban expansion of Milan in 2020. These policies, along with many others in the two cities aimed to boost economic growth by encouraging businesses to open and innovate in the cities with state of the art infrastructure and transport to facilitate the intended growth. The ultimate aim of the IGC is for Milan and Rome to maintain and expand their global city status while the aim for Naples and Turin (and other cities in later phases) is for the cities to gain global city status in the first place. The government wants more Italian cities to become global cities to boost national economic growth and increase Italian influence in sectors such as finance, tech, insurance and other service industries as well as other industries such as aviation and the maritime industry.

Turin is planning to spearhead its growth under the GCI by being the home to the headquarters and manufacturing hub of Aether Aerospace, which will be constructing its headquarters in a planned business city on the edge of Turin that will accommodate startups and multinational corporations as part of the GCI's growth plan while building its manufacturing plant, which will be one of the largest in Europe, adjacent to Turin International Airport which will have its runway lengthened and terminal and services expanded to accommodate for protected growth in population and international business visitors. Alongside Turin Business City, the expansion of Turin International and the building of Aether Aerospace's manufacturing plant, the GCI will promote residential developments both within Turin and on the edge of the city, with plans for the city limits to have expanded by up to 35% by 2044 when phase 2 is scheduled to end.

Meanwhile Naples is planning to expand its existing business district, the Centro Direzionale, by building new skyscrapers to accommodate new startups and multinational corporations as well building the Naples Technology District on the edge of the city which will be home to tech startups, SME's and large tech corporations such as TXT (The company that owns EurOS) which plans to open a branch in the tech park. Apart from tech and services, Naples is also planning to expand its shipbuilding and trade industry which has existed in the city its entire existance. Fincantieri plan to open a second shipyard just outside of Naples near to its existing shipyard which builds some of the largest cruise ships and naval vessels in the world. Meanwhile the Naples Port Authority say that they will be expanding the port to accommodate more cargo ships and cruise ships at the ports cruise terminal. Similar to Turin, the GCI will be promoting residential developments both within Naples and on the edge of the city, with plans for the city limits to have expanded by up to 30% by 2044.

Both cities will see their public transport systems undergo significant overhauls with new bus and tram lines as well as new metro lines and upgrades to existing lines over the next 20 years spearheaded by the private sector.

[Bendicion]

Erased for good measure
-Await future new post-

[Puertollano]

Castillo blasts World Cup as "politicised garbage" after exclusion

In front of a crowd of thousands of supporters, President Castillo had damning words for the World Cup, not withholding his fiery criticism after both Puertollano and the FSR were excluded.

We all remember when we held the World Cup in Bogota, tens of thousands of tourists arrived to watch the World Cup. We treated each nation fairly and justly in this process, we allowed the European teams to play on our homeland, because we understand that the World Cup is football. That's a clear understanding that we took when we held the World Cup in the Bolivarian Republic. Now, to politically subvert Galicia, the Bolivarian Republic and the Federation of Socialist Republics, they have left us off the roster to play in the World Cup in Australia. Yet, they allow the participation of Germany, Russia and the UK, all who have acted out in transgressions against us. This is the same imperialist dogma that has rendered the World Cup as politicised garbage. Their twisted mindset is simple, we the international south, have been a powerful bastion in the self-defence of Galicia, thus we are evicted from the World Cup for standing against the international regime of capitalism, imperialism and cronyism. We should be proud of that, so proud of that, that they have subverted previously independent institutions to attack South America. This is not new, behold the CSN. A similar tactic to isolate South America and her allies abroad. We condemn in the strongest words possible our exclusion from the World Cup, but we will never cease our advocacy for sovereignty, independence and self-determination for the people of the world. If we had to choose one of the other, I would choose the latter.

[Puertollano]

New operating system for phones announced, challenge to foreign hegemony

Minister for Communications, Luis Marcano announced the completion of a new operating system for handheld phones while hosting a press conference in Miraflores Palace today. "We are more than happy to announce this greatest development in Bolivarian technology," the Minister insisted, before describing the details of the joint government project. The Department of Communications and Social Protection had been working on developing an operating system to be used for handheld phones, such as Andriod or Apple systems. The new system that the Bolivarian Government announced is called 'Sucre', named after Antonio Jose de Sucre, a revolutionary leader in the 1818 rebellion. 'Sucre' will be an open-source, micro-kernel based distributing system to replace the traditional Andriod or Apple models. The adoption of phones with the 'Sucre' technology will be made mandatory for all employees of the government (including social services). "We cannot continue to be reliant on the technology of the West," Marcano explained. "Western monopolies control access to your phones and the Castillo government will put an end to this, otherwise our enemies have the ability to spy on Bolivarian citizens," he continued. A groundswell of individuals in Puertollano have already begun purchasing the 'Sucre' models and have been released to markets in the FSR and the FNI. 'Sucre' is soon to begin sale in North America and Europe as an alternative to the current models on the market.

[Lusophone]

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The legacy of Portugal’s first female President

Oluwakemi Taliscas will be sworn in today as the 22nd President of the Portuguese Republic following the 2024 run-off election and although outgoing-President Sara Palveiro did not win re-election, her one-term presidency alone still leaves a lasting impact for many Portuguese generations to come.

Identifying the worst aspects of Sara Palveiro's presidency has become a Portuguese parlor game. The president’s immigration policies are appalling in almost every aspect. And yet they may not be the worst feature of her administration.

Yes, she has called immigrants criminals, rapists and animals. But what about her deep racism or his boundless vulgarity and cruelty? Or her winking support of white supremacists? Or her withdrawal from the IUE, her botched relationship with the DEU, and the military operations in Galicia? And, of course, there is her war on the environment, on refugees and on the rules-based international system.

This morbid game never ends, of course, because new contenders for the title emerge almost daily. Palveiro is a disrupting personality, and when she’s gone, we may well reflect on how such a deranged and morally challenged person could have been elected president of the Portuguese Republic in the first place.

But what concerns me most is Palveiro’s disruption of the institutions that are necessary for the functioning of society. Palveiro's 'Portugal First' agenda is, of course, not about restoring the moral leadership of Portugal. It embodies and celebrates unbridled selfishness and self-absorption. 'Portugal First' is about economics. But that forces us to ask: what is the basis of Portugal’s wealth?

Empiricism and scepticism of science, which came to prevail over the forces of religion, tradition and superstition has been used to answer profound questions like this. Over time, universities and other research institutions were established to help us to judge truth and discover the nature of our world. Much of what we take for granted today – from electricity, transistors and computers to lasers, modern medicine and smartphones – is the result of this new disposition, under-girded by basic scientific research (most of it financed by government).

The absence of royal or ecclesiastical authority to dictate how society should be organised to ensure that things worked out well, or as well as they could, meant that society had to figure it out for itself. But devising the institutions that would ensure society’s well-being was a more complicated matter than discovering the truths of nature. In general, one couldn’t conduct controlled experiments.

A close study of past experience could, however, be informative. One had to rely on reasoning and discourse, recognizing that no individual had a monopoly on our understandings of social organisation. Out of this process emerged an appreciation that governance institutions based on the rule of law, due process and checks and balances, and supported by foundational values like individual liberty and justice for all, are more likely to produce good and fair decisions. These institutions may not be perfect, but they have been designed so that it is more likely that flaws will be uncovered and eventually corrected.

That process of experimentation, learning and adaptation, however, requires a commitment to ascertaining the truth. The western world owe much of its economic success to a rich set of truth-telling, truth-discovering and truth-verifying institutions. Central among them are freedom of expression and media independence. Like all people, journalists are fallible; but, as part of a robust system of checks and balances on those in positions of power, they have traditionally provided an essential public good.

For hundreds of years now, it has been shown that a nation’s wealth depends on the creativity and productivity of its people, which can be advanced only by embracing the spirit of scientific discovery and technological innovation. And it depends on steady improvements in social, political and economic organisation, discovered through reasoned public discourse.

The attack by Palveiro and her administration on every one of the pillars of Portuguese society, and her especially aggressive vilification of the country’s truth-seeking institutions, jeopardizes its continued prosperity and very ability to function as a democracy. Nor do there appear to be checks on corporate giants’ efforts to capture the institutions – the courts, legislatures, regulatory agencies, and major media outlets – that are supposed to prevent them from exploiting workers and consumers. A dystopia previously imagined only by science fiction writers is emerging before our eyes. It should give us chills to think of who “wins” in this world, and who or what we might become, just in the struggle to survive.

This opinion piece was written by Jose Huertas, distinguished in economics, university professor at Lisboa University and chief economist at the Foreign Policy Institute.

[Orostan]

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT UNIONS LOBBY NIB

The National Industrial Board’s decision to allow users to choose the operating systems of their smartphones has come under criticism from leading software industry unions, which represent a combined total of almost 70% of the FSR’s software industry. Other tech unions are expected to back up the software giants, including even assembly line workers at computer and shartphone factories. Increased foreign competition has lead the NIB to cut down on working hours in some parts of the sector and reduce growth projections. While the NIB’s strategy to keep the sector gradually expanding has worked, it has forced many of the workers there to secure second jobs on days when their main job has had its hours cut. Increased Puertollan competition on the software market will only worsen the situation for many in the tech sector. It is important to note that while tech sector workers have not seen declines in quality of life, their purchasing power and compensation has stalled relative to the rest of the FSR’s economy. The organization of unions forming around the software unions may be considering a strike which could potentially involve communications workers. As it stands right now, the NIB must consider imposing import controls on foreign technology exporters it has thus far avoided imposing for political reasons.

Other news
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- Petition to destroy Zackaroth dismissed by court.
- Anti-Corruption officials found corrupt by corrupt anti-corruption officials found corrupt by anti-corruption officials.
- Unity Space Station to refuel satellite

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