Zardugal

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February 17th 5574

 

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 VANUKU CUTS POWER LINE, EFFECTS MANAGEABLE

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Wiel was snubbed by Director Gropo's announced foreign policy and, in addition to breaking off the mediation attempts, also decided to switch off the electricity supply to the Zardian grid.

Ironically the only people affected by the caused minor collapse in grid performance were Jelbic communities on the Zardic side of the border region. The lack of power supply was compensated for within a few hours by adjusting the throughput of Zardic power plants. Contrary to media reports from Vanuku, there were no major power outages as a result of the action. Commissar of Infrastructure and Transport, Beata Briko commented smugly on the circumstances "I guess it's the gesture that counts"

While the rest of national politics is relatively unimpressed by the threatening gestures from Vanuku, the sudden escalation of the tone between Fajroturo and Wiel is causing concern among members of the Jelbic minority in Zardugal. There are complaints from this group that they no longer feel welcome in Zardugal because of the situation. Neither the Executive Committee nor the Supreme Council have so far wanted to comment on these concerns.

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 FULMINANT ADDITION TO THE ARSENAL BY LOURENNE

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Lourenne has already offered its help with military equipment several times in the past. In order to prevent potential damage to Zardugal's relations with the Jelbic Empire and Beiteynu in particular, it has always refrained from doing so. These reservations have now been extinguished with the realignment under Director Gropo, who has returned to the long-standing offer.
After quickly concluding secret talks with the relevant authorities in Lourenne, a delivery was ordered. Although the exact scope of said delivery is classified, it is clear that it will be at least a two-digit number of mobile artillery pieces of the CAESAR type. While a large part of the order can be supplied immediately from stock, production of the remaining pieces is scheduled to begin soon. Training on the new equipment is to take place as early as next month in the form of maneuver exercises according to Commissar Kolbaso. In addition, Zardugal is to be equipped with the Lourennian missile defense system called SOTERIA. Familiarizing personnel with this new weapon system is expected to take considerably longer and a real time radar connection will have to be established before it is operational.

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February 12th 5577

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LDRE-MEASURES TO BE APPLIED ON THE TERTIARY SECTOR

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The "Butikcentro de Oldhaveno" in Fajroturo, around 80% of retailers situated here belong to private corporation, many of them with headquarters outside Zardugal

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As phases of economic instability are considered to be over and the domestic food supply is becoming increasingly independent of exports, the Executive Committee now sees itself in a position and also under an obligation to finally reorganize the sale of food to consumers in accordance with LDRE standards. Until now, the infrastructure in this sector has consisted of a combination of a few large and still privately run supermarket chains, medium-sized cooperatively organized markets and small stores that are run independently. This situation has long been criticized and perceived as inconsistent, but past executive committees considered a radical restructuring of the supply of consumer goods in the face of the energy crisis and inflation to be too risky. In this context, former Economic and now Financial Commissar Prado Migdalo in particular referred to the "deeply reformist nature of Zardic socialism" and received criticism and malice from many quarters for this position.

Commissar Surfungo now aims to forge an efficient company from the currently very heterogeneous supply system, also involving industries that specialize in the distribution of consumer goods other than food. You read correctly, the plan is to bring the overwhelming majority, if not the entirety, of the sector under one roof, initially under state management. So far, so LDRE-compliant, but opinions differ on the question of how to proceed afterwards. The usual approach so far has been to divide such transitional companies evenly into individual companies of a reasonable size managed by works councils. From this point onwards, these individual entities were given free rein to form larger associations and specialize within their sector.

In this special case, however, there are now voices calling for the establishment of a monopoly that remains under direct state influence. The handling of all consumer goods traffic by a single company would increase overall efficiency, relieve the transport network and facilitate the collection of consumer taxes.
Others argue that only a collaboration between several specialised retailers would actually be able to guarantee quality service and advice. They warn against the creation of a "sluggish, state-socialist juggernaut".

However, all of these debates have so far been of a more theoretical and ideological nature and at the moment the focus is primarily on the state taking over the companies. All players seem to be pulling together on this issue. The Supreme Council has also already pledged its support for a potential imposed expropriation under current law. Commissar Surfungo has already begun negotiations with the current heavyweights of the retail sector.

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March 8th 5578

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MMH PRESENTS EXHIBITION ON XSAMPA'S REVOLUTION

An intercultural icebreaker?

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Impressions of the new exhibition in the "Muzeo de Monda Historio"

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The exhibition was ceremoniously opened by Director Gropo and the Xsampan Foreign Minister Palmo and Ambassador Dhargay Lukhangwa. It offers an exciting insight into the background, the course and the consequences of the xsampan revolution and the establishment of popular rule. The ceremony was the prelude to a state visit, which was organized to hold intensive talks on improving cultural exchange between Zardugal and Xsampa. Although the two nations have been economic and political partners for some time, both sides still see opportunities to promote closer social ties. The strong cultural differences and the language barrier pose particular challenges here. School and university exchange programs are seen as a promising way of counteracting this in the long term. The nationwide introduction of Xsampan language lessons at Zardic schools and vice versa is also being considered as a possibility to make it easier for future generations to access the rich culture of the respective “comrade people”. In addition, further cultural educational opportunities should receive more support in the future. The exhibition represents an exemplary pilot project and was received with great interest and fascination by the population.

According to EC circles, cautious attempts are also to be made to persuade Xsampa to achieve greater integration of the respective national markets, but no major diplomatic breakthroughs are expected in this matter due to the state-socialist nature of the Xsampan economy. Such efforts are supposedly more of a “sideshow” anyway.

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September 10th 5578
 

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 PULMONOLOGY ASSOCIATION PETITIONS IMPLEMENTATION OF NICOTINE LIMITS

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Nowhere is the nicotine content of tobacco as high as in Zardugal. The main reason for this is our widespread use of genetic engineering in agriculture. Although this offers considerable advantages in terms of the availability of food and its quality, the other side of the coin is that addictive substances of natural origin have also been "optimized" to an ever greater extent over the past few years. After examining the data from the last ten years, a committee of the National Pulmonologists' Association has concluded that there is a significant correlation between the increase in the nicotine content of commercially available tobacco varieties and the smoking rate in general as well as the incidence of smoking-related diseases. On the basis of these findings, the committee has made a strong recommendation to set a legal limit for nicotine content that is drastically lower than the current usual concentrations. In addition, a significant increase in taxes on tobacco and other nicotine products that are not explicitly intended to help people quit smoking is recommended. The researchers believe that this measure is necessary to avoid devastating consequences for the health system and to offset some of the costs associated with smoking-related illnesses. According to the Supreme Council's press office, the matter has already been acknowledged and is to be discussed in plenary next month.
The doctors' association's proposals are extremely unpopular among the general public, and an influential lobby against a potential tightening of smoking legislation is currently being formed for both personal and economic reasons of its members.

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August 15th 5579
 

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 SUPREME COUNCIL PASSES "TABAKKOMERCO LEĜO"

Reforms to come into effect in 5580

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Although the measures recommended by medical experts are unpopular the shocking recent statistics have had their effect on the councillors. The new law is designed to tackle nicotine addiction from multiple angles.
Limit on delivered nicotine dosage per cigarette: The effective nicotine dose of one cigarette will be capped at 2,0mg. A binding procedure to determine this value is still to be validated before the law comes into force
Additional taxes on tobacco, cigarettes and other products containing nicotine: Right now prices of this sector are only affected by the luxury tax of 25%. The new legislation will lead to new taxes being imposed. For now a yearly increase of the tax by 10% is planned until 5600, meaning from then on there will be a tobacco and nicotine tax of 200%.
With the current tobacco prices being very low (₷ 0.7 for a pack of 20 cigarettes in the cheaper segment) this would lead only to a minor increase to ₷ 2.1 . However there will also be a fixed minimum price after tax which will also rise by  ₷ 0.7 every five years resulting in a theoretical price of at least ₷ 3.5 /20 cigarettes in 5600. All income generated by this tax will be fed into the budget of SANkSOC (Commissariat of Health and Social Services) to finance addiction prevention as well as health education programs and cover part of the costs caused by illnesses related to the long term effects of smoking. A proposal made by a group of doctors to impose higher health insurance contributions on smokers was quickly rejected because the bureaucratic effort of determining individual smoking status would hardly be justified by potential additional revenue. Furthermore the idea was seen as a grave invasion of the privacy of citizens by most members of the Supreme Council.
Implementation of Tabutikos: Currently, tobacco can be bought about anywhere. Be it supermarkets, gas station or kiosks. The reform will put an end to this by reserving the right to sell tobacco and nicotine products to specialized retailers, who need to acquire a license. These shops will be called Tabutiko(j). This change was deemed necessary to reduce the ubiquitous availability of the addictive substance, especially in the interest of protecting children from them.

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February 12th 5581

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 ZARDUGAL WELCOMES CHANGE OF COURSE IN XSAMPAN ECONOMIC POLICY

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Surfungo during a short interview on economic opportunities in Xsampa

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Xsampa's decision to move its economy towards market socialism was received with great joy by the Executive Committee, most prominently by Commissar Surfungo. He sees the latest developments as a “significant convergence with the Zardic model and therefore a unique opportunity to deepen economic relations for the benefit of both nations and the working class.”
Although there are no official agreements yet, FARMAKON-Z has already declared its interest to set up a branch office in Xsampa and even considers establishing manufacturing facilities due to the lush availability of sulfur in Xsampa. The element and its derivatives are essential in the synthesis of many active compounds.
Zardic cooperative banks and the EC itself have also announced that they would be more than willing to invest into the Xsampan economic transition by also supporting "National Credit" an institution, already partially financed by Kundrati that was created with the purpose to aid workers with the founding of cooperatives and grant them a financial kickstart.

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Commissariat of Defense
Exemption from regular duties for members of the ZDF volunteering to participate in the Pontesi-Istalian conflict:

As per resolution of the Supreme Council the Commissariat of Defense informs all members of the Zardic Defense Forces that from now on they may request to be exempted from their duties in the ZDF in order to support Istalia. Said members will receive full payment during the time of their absence and are authorized to take personal gear with them. However the Republic of Zardugal will not involve itself further with the organisation and deployment of any contingents created through this procedure, they will operate under Istalian flags.

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October 6th 5581
 

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TINKADO ANNOUNCES FUNDAMENTAL RESTRUCTURING OF THE INSURANCE SECTOR

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Commissar Tinkado presented his plans to simplify the social welfare system of Zardugal. Rather than differentiating between funds for healthcare, unemployment benefits and state pension the social services will be combined into one compulsory state owned insurance the "Nacia Solidara Asekuro". Currently still operating private insurance companies are to be integrated into the national system via LDRE-appropiation norms.
Tinkado claims that the rather radical approach is necessary especially in view of the overstretched healthcare-sector. Medical infrastructure was heavily expanded in rural areas of central Zardugal, however the funds have not been adjusted accordingly to maintain it in the long term. The current proposal promises to cut costs for bureaucratic efforts tremendously while also ensuring that every citizen contributes their part. 
A matter yet to be resolved is the integration of private insurances which are currently reproducing inequality. For a long time the Executive Committee has turned a blind eye on the ownership conditions of the services sector as a whole and insurances mark no exception to this problem. Private insurance companies still manage a non-negligible amount of assets and are vehemently opposing Tinkado's political aspirations in an unprecedented manner. The demands for compensation for nationalization exceed the potential benefits for the state budget many times over. Due to essential role of this sector a swift resolution is of utmost importance. According to speculations, Tinkado has therefore already made sure that if necessary a request for a forced dispropriation will be brought forward by the Commissariat of Economy and will be accepted by the Supreme Council.

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February 1st 5582
 

GLORO AL ZARDUJO!

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Today marks the 30th anniversary of our constitution. In Fajroturo official celebrations were held. The program included a military parade, speeches by the current Director Gropo and the former Director Diarmaido. It was accompanied by many smaller cultural events like a flag embroiding workshop and a dance choreography. 

The anniversary event was attended by Xsampan officials, Alan Bienenueva, President of Kundrati and Altán Hukrskez'lkjo, a legendary socialist revolutionary from the Jelbic Empire. Kundrati also participated in the military parade with their ceremonial guard. It was the last opportunity to see the relatively new artillery divisions of the ZDF before they will be transferred to Dirakio for combat exercises. In his speech Director Gropo thanked all members of the ZDF for their loyal service to the nation and for protecting our beliefs with their lives, here and elsewhere. On a sidenote he announced that the 30th birthday of our nation in its current form would also be celebrated by the introduction of new banknote designs replacing all former designs of the old republic in the upcoming years, to better "reflect the new ideals and virtues that hold our nation together these days". At the end of Gropo's speech banknotes with the new design were tossed into the crowd as confetti. Sadly, in this case they were simple mockups. It seems the Executive Committee has learned a thing or two about inflation. Still the light-hearted media stunt gave everyone an impression of what they will be (quite literally) dealing with in the future. The crowning glory of the celebrations was a fireworks display.

The new banknotes in detail

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Spescento: Showing Augustus the Great, an all time classic for Zardic bills. Executive Committee and Supreme Council showed their respect for tradition.

Spesmilo: A double-headed eagle, half of it to be precise, another classic that should not offend anybody.

Spesdekmilo: Karlstein Metz, no explanation needed who he is or what he did. While anyone understands that he deserves to be honored for laying the ideological foundation for Zardugal's political system in theory, many are a bit bewildered by the idea that the person gracing the banknote of highest value is in fact not Zardic