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Post by maxington on May 15, 2019 0:09:47 GMT
Luthori and Lodamon have agreed to research the development of a new jet to modernise the Imperial Air Force and Imperial Navy Air Corps's fleet in favour of stealth technology. Whilst the Imperial Navy Air Corps juggles the ideas of continuing to extend the life of its existing fleet of Condor jump jets (Harrier) and decommissioning the ageing aircraft entirely, hence creating a situation whereby the INAC would be without a dedicated naval fighter aviation capability. The Ministry of Defence argues that the decommissioning of Luthori's only two aircraft carriers, the HIMS-Discovery and HIMS-Revenge, signals the end of fighter aviation within the Imperial Navy until the nation is prepared to construct another aircraft carrier. The Condor Jump Jet have been in service with the Imperial Navy since 1970, hence serving within the Luthorian Armed Forces through the Air-Force and the Navy for around 40 years. Following a joint cabinet meeting, it was agreed that Luthori would go on with cooperating with Lodamon on the development a next-generation fighter aircraft which will replace the Harrier and potentially the Union-fighter and the Tornado GR4. Such a programme markets a major step forward in the pursuit of what Minister of Defence Anthony Redmond calls a "Strong Commonwealth Defence", as a joint Luthorian-Lodamese aircraft will enhance the security relationship between Lodamon and Luthori.
Minister Redmond stated that he had intentions of returning to Lodamon to sit and discuss the finer details of the agreement with his Luthorian counterpart, Laura Wright. Initial plans for the aircraft have been laid out with a mock design of the aircraft to be set to be released in 2021. The agreement set between the two governments mandated a mandatory $500 million investment into the project for primary design work. The joint development, according to statements from the Ministry of Defence, makes sense as it has the potential to reduce the cost of producing the aircraft and it increases the amount of technology that goes into the aircraft itself. The decision to work alongside Lodamese companies on aircraft development works with the Ministry of Defence's Vision 2030 for the Armed Forces. In this project, the Ministry of Defence intends on increasing troop numbers by 15-20% and transform the Luthorian Armed Forces into a global fighting force. Thus the procurement of a Joint stealth aircraft through the agreement with the Lodamese Ministry of National Defence comes as a positive for the MoD as initial statements from the aircraft's principle designers, SlipStream and Leyland Granholm stated that the aircraft will possess capabilities and technologies never before seen on an aircraft.
The Horizon Technology Corporation will be joining the programme alongside SlipStream and Leyland Granholm. CEO of SlipStream, Luthori's largest aerospace corporation, Conor Armstrong stated that he had enjoyed cooperating with the Horizon Technology Corporation in the past and the company's addition to the programme would have a profound effect on the technology being placed into the aircraft itself.
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Post by mrgod on May 15, 2019 11:57:13 GMT
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Post by maxington on May 15, 2019 21:39:50 GMT
Imperial Chancellor Elizabeth Zimmerman and Governor-General Marcus Ruben have confirmed that they intend on forming a defence dialogue between the two nations as well as easing border restrictions following a meeting earlier this morning in Doressa. The meeting marks the beginning of Imperial Chancellor Zimmerman's transnational tour of allied nations, where she intends on promoting Luthorian interests, global development and security. Zimmerman stated, amidst visiting the nation for the first time since becoming Imperial Chancellor, she has outlined three core principles/priorities of the bilateral relationship between Luthori and Darnussia — economic growth, defence and free movement of persons. In a press conference immediately after her arrival in the nation, Chancellor Zimmerman stated that the relationship she intends on building with Darnussia is going to be extremely close. Whilst she stated that it would never be as close as the relationship between Luthori and the commonwealth states (Lodamon & Keymon), it was reiterated that the relationship would be close, with some stating that it could be closer the relationship between Luthori and Dorvik. With the situation in Beluzia becoming a focal point of Zimmerman's foreign policy, there have been questions as to whether the two nations will keep the economic sanctions imposed on Beluzia amidst its turn towards relative democracy and welfare. Luthori is rapidly becoming the leading economic power in the Artanian continent as the nation continues on a trend of steady domestic and international capital growth. Through the development of the overseas territories namely Keymon, Luthori is hoping to transform the island-state into a major global financial/business centre. With the prospects for trade between Darnussia and Luthori high, Chancellor Zimmerman stated that she had the greatest intentions of pushing for a stronger trade relationship with Darnussia. She stated that she had spoke with Govern0r-General Ruben on stimulating the Artanian economy. Zimmerman is a stringent proponent towards regional integration, thus it is no surprise that she would push for closer economic integration between Darnussia and Luthori. She proposed the formation of a Luthorian-Darnussian Development Bank which will pool resources from both nations for the specific purpose of funding/sponsoring development (might it be culturally or economically) between the two nations. Zimmerman's vision for the relationship between Luthori and Darnussia is one of openness and fluidity. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, trade between Darnussia and Luthori accounts should account for around 10% of Artanian trade in the coming months if the proposed Luthorian-Darnussian Free Trade Agreement were to pass through the parliaments of the two respective nations.
As apart of the proposed free trade agreement, the prospect of free movement of goods, services and peoples had been promoted. Currently, Luthori maintains a "hard" border between itself and Darnussia. Zimmerman stated that the prospects of the border's continued existence in the future is extremely low as she has already proposed before the Imperial Diet, the destruction of the fencing structures which form the quasi-"hard border" between Darnussia and Luthori. Zimmerman on the backdrop of wanting a closer relationship with Darnussia stated that she is willing to negotiate on easing border restrictions between Darnussia and Luthori. Whilst the idea is easy on paper, the Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that in the implementation of a fluid border policy towards Darnussia would see the introduction of stricter domestic security regulations, especially as it pertains to naturalisation. Whilst the initial statements voice support for a system whereby Darnussians and Luthorians will need visas to pass through the respective nations, the MoFA has stated that through consultations in the future with the Darnussian Government the question of free movement of persons in particular can be discussed in its entirety.
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Post by maxington on May 20, 2019 14:15:06 GMT
The Ministry of Defence will increase the size of the Luthorian Armed Forces amidst mounting global and regional concern. Troops numbers in the Luthorian Armed Forces will nearly double, moving from 190,000 to around 300,000. The moves comes amidst the Ministry of Defence recognised the changing geopolitical climate throughout the region and the wider world. Underneath the recruitment programme, the Luthorian Armed Forces will recruit around 110,000 troops by 2030. In a statement announcing the plan to expand the size of the Luthorian Armed Forces, Minister of Defence Anthony Redmond, said that the Luthorian Armed Forces, in-order to satisfy its international commitments it had to expand and transform. As global tensions with the destabilising situation in Likatonia as many players including Trigunia, Kalistan, Mordusia and Sekowo become increasingly involved, the MoD highlighted that the need for an increased security stance by the Luthorian Armed Forces was necessary in this time of uncertainty. The situation in Likatonia coupled with the mounting tensions between Luthori/Darnussia and Beluzia, the MoD is pushing hard for an expansion of the Armed Forces so that it could operate withing the windows/constraints of professionalism.
During the 1980, the size of the Luthorian Armed Forces had reached around 500-600,000 mainly due to the increased colonial commitments of the nation at the time, but with the once Luthorian Empire on the retreat the Luthorian Armed Forces shrunk significant at the turning of the century as the once important colonial postings were now gone, thus the need to field a large military was not feasible recognising the economic situation at the time. Whilst there have been considerable chatter on the potential return of conscription, a system which had not been adopted in the nation since the height of the Holy Luthorian Empire at around 1940, the Ministry of Defence debunked rumours of the potential return of conscription stating that it wasn't necessary/needed. Minister Redmond stated that whilst the system can be reintroduced at times of war, during peacetime it was seen as unnecessary for such a system to be reintroduced. Historians has called the Luthorian Armed Forces as one of the most professional and combat hardened armed forces in the world. According to the Ministry of Defence, the increase of troops would see around 50,000 troops be added to the Imperial Army, moving numbers from 100,000 to 150,000. The Imperial Marines are set to be expanded in their own right with around 25,000 to be added to the branch, thus bringing numbers up to 30,000 from 5,000.
The expansion to the Imperial Marines is extremely important to the Ministry of Defence who wishes to see a return of the corps size Imperial Marines. The Imperial Marines, according to the defence white paper must restore its prowess as the Luthorian Armed Forces' expeditionary forces. The MoD has already begun a programme to enhance the capabilities of the Imperial Marines mainly in the form of squad-level training, as it wants to make the Imperial Marines more lethal. Side from the Imperial Marines, the Paratroopers will see an expansion in equipment. The Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle known as the Sabre, will be removed from the brigades of the Armoured Corps and placed into the hands of the Paratroopers as an airborne armoured vehicle. The Sabre comes in multiple variants including a 30mm gun variant and a 76mm gun variant.
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luis
Member
Posts: 87
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Post by luis on May 21, 2019 23:24:33 GMT
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Post by maxington on May 22, 2019 0:14:36 GMT
Imperial Chancellor Elizabeth Zimmerman will travel to Alcaria, Mordusia to meet with Mordusian Prince Carlos Erias and Keymonite Chief Executive (Insert Name) for negotiations on the Three Mountains Agreement and economic cooperation among the nations. After months of backroom negotiations to improve trade between Luthori, Keymon and Mordusia, the governments of the aforementioned nations ill now sit amongst each-other to discuss the terms of their involvement in the Three Mountains Agreement. Luthori has been a strong proponent of economic cooperation and integration having cited its continued trade relationship with the commonwealth which will soon spawn into its own separate trade bloc. Now seeking to mirror the successes of economic cooperation within the commonwealth, the Luthorian, Mordusian and Keymonite Governments want to push the sentiment of economic integration from the angle of the Three Mountains Agreement. Having concluded that political integration on the levels of the Artanian Union was not feasible at the time recognising several geopolitical issues, the governments of the aforementioned nations settled for economic cooperation and unity.
During the meeting of the three leaders, the adoption/formation of a free trade area would be pushed. A single market is an agreement between several nations which attempts to make trading between members as easy as possible. The concept to be pushed by the Luthorian Government is founded on the belief that trade between members would see a removal of taxes, tariffs and quotas placed on trade goods and services. Currently, taxes and tariffs are imposed on Mordusian goods and services by the Luthorian Government mainly due to the fact that an agreement between Luthori and the aforementioned nations on the removal of these trade constraints has not been reached. As a result, goods originating from these nations are more expensive and less appealing to the Luthorian market, especially those looking to import goods from these nations. An estimate by the Ministry of Finance and the Economy states that tariffs and quotas back and forward costs the aforementioned nations and Luthori around Ⱡ3 Billion pounds annually. According to a fellow at the Clement Institute for International Studies the reason nations impose tariffs on imports is because it protects local production. By placing tariffs on foreign products, makes said goods more expensive than those offered locally, thus encouraging people to purchase from the now cheaper local suppliers.
By forming a free trade area, there will be virtually no tariffs imposed on goods and services moving between the member states (Luthrori, Keymon and Mordusia). Whilst the free trade area would allow for a cancelling of tariffs between member states, it could not dictate the ability of a member state to impose tariffs on the goods of a nation outside of the free trade area. Free Trade areas offer opportunity for nations to negotiate trade agreements with each other on a much more finer and less regulatory basis. Some nations see it as more benefitial to carefully select their trading partners and protect their local industry more carefully rather than handing over control. With a free trade area may champion openness, it could also superimpose protectionism as some products could be exempt from the free trade area. For example, Keymonite pineapples or Mordusian wine could be exempt from the free trade area and hence tariffs on wine and pineapples coming from any nation could still have tariffs waved onto them. However, there are considerable strategies to be discussed by the Imperial Chancellor as a means of countering/combating these loopholes in the proposed free trade area. The Three Mountains Trade Agreement as it has been coined will see trade between Luthori, Mordusia and Keymon
nations sky-rocket to massive levels. Projections for trade between the three nations say that if the agreement were to come into fruition, it will see around Ⱡ100 billion pounds in trade between Luthori and Mordusia alone. Amidst global economic stagnation, Luthori's economy is rapidly rising to the top position. A free trade agreement between Keymon, Luthori and Mordusia will see monumental amounts of goods moving between the nations on a scale never seen before in the region. Currently, Keymon is Luthori's 3rd largest trading partner with around Ⱡ50 billion of goods traded between the two nations from the period 2010 to 2019. Imperial Chancellor Elizabeth Zimmerman stated that she wanted to expand such a relationship to include Darnussia, which has become Luthori's second largest trading partner with trade between the two nations between 2010 and 2019 becoming to roughly about Ⱡ80 billion.
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Post by maxington on May 23, 2019 11:31:36 GMT
The Luthorian And Darnussian Armed Forces are carrying out their first joint exercise in the latter nation, as both nations seek to enhance their security relationship as a means of forming a stronger defence on the region. The relative absence of the Dorvish Republic has thrusted Luthori into the front-line as the active power in the region. Around 1,000 soldiers from various divisions within the Luthorian Army are involved in the exercise. Soldiers from the Hermons, the Imperial Parachute Regiment, Hermon Dragoon Guards are conducted live-fire exercises alongside regiments from the Darnussian Army. According to the Ministry of Defence, the exercise begun with a joint rapid-reaction helicopter exercise for around three (3) days near the Luthorian border with the intention of testing the response times. The execution of the drill, creates the potential for the formation of a joint rapid reaction force between the Hermons and a regiment within the Darnussian army, specially equipped to respond to instances within the region within a timely manner. Whilst joint exercises, mainly simulated, had been conducted between the Luthorian and Darnussian armies in the past, Exercise Ghost Train (as it has been called) is the first exercise to see Luthorian troops in Darnussian in live-fire situations.
The exercise came a year after Imperial Chancellor Elizabeth Zimmerman and Governor-General Marcus Ruben has stated that they would form a defence dialogue in the future. During the trip to Darnussia where she stated that Luthori would work to maintain a stronger relationship with the Darnussian Republic, Chancellor Zimmerman reassured the Darnussian Republic that Luthori was committed to a stronger relationship with the nation and would continue in its duly recognised commitment to defending Darnussia. Minister of Defence, Anthony Redmond is to meet with his Darnussian counterpart whereby he will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Security and Defence, in which they pledged to enhance cooperation in a number of areas, including military exercises, intelligence sharing and defence procurement/development. Zimmerman stated that Darnussia was Luthori's closest partner/ally in the region. There has been talk of Zimmerman moving to confirm Darnussia as a strategic partner within the region, a status which comes with various benefits in the areas of foreign military aid and cooperation in defence. A Luthorian warship, the HIMS-Spectacular (Series 500 Destroyer) is expected to dock in a Darnussian port in the coming weeks to conduct a joint maritime patrol exercise within Darnussia's economic exclusion zone (EEZ) alongside the Darnussian Navy and Coast Guard.
There have been significant chatter on the formation of a series of military installations within Darnussia from a naval air station to around three airbases in what is supposed to be a total of 20 military installations from housing, communications and Storage facilities to command centres and training facilities. This will put Darnussia second in terms of number of Luthorian military facilities with Keymon being the first with an estimated 40 facilities to be constructed within the nation. The agreement on the creation of these installations is to be finalised with the signing of the Luthorian-Darnussian Memorandum of Understanding on Security and Defence which could see around 10,000 troops being deployed to the nation. It is expected the joint rapid reaction force between the two nations would also be finalised in the memorandum.
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Post by maxington on May 29, 2019 12:57:40 GMT
The Ministry of Industrial Strategies recently announced that it would be moving to relax its regulations on heavy industry, amid a decision by the Ministry of Finance to move to enable the nation to enhance its economic portfolio. Speaking to the Imperial Diet, Industrial Strategies Minister Reggie Allen, outlined key concessions to be offered to companies with intentions to expand into heavy industry and emphasised that stiffer penalties would be levied on companies that violated new regulations. According to a report released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the relaxed regulations the removal of the ban on the production of heavy water, mineral mining and heavy equipment manufacturing. Other restrictions include an ease in regulations on the manufacturing of diesel engine vehicles (might it be trucks or automobiles) as heavy-duty gasoline engines will be mandated to have catalytic converters, the general deregulation of the automobile and shipping industry, the exemption from the requirement for marketing licenses for exports and the discontinuation of the government's programme to push for the destruction of nuclear power plants. As it pertains to nuclear power-plants, there currently exists a government programme moving to dismantle nuclear power plants across the nation due to waste management concerns. Under the regulations ease, the government will halt the programme, enforce extremely strict industrial waste regulations and launch an initiative to recycle nuclear waste generated from the remaining power plants.
Alongside the aforementioned penalties with respect to nuclear waste, penalties for other heavy industry practices such as mining, metal production and manufacturing, sanctions, fines and in some cases imprisonment could be waved against companies that breach the new regulations. The Trade Minister has stated that penalties will most likely be attached to the Anti Corruption Act. The move to ease restrictions on heavy industry comes as the government moves to shift the nation towards being more investor friendly and opening the nation to opportunities which were previously unavailable due to the government's enforcement of the aforementioned heavy industrial regulations. The ease of regulations also comes as the government moves to experiment with the nation's principles on environmental safety. With the nation moving towards reducing its carbon emissions, the ease in regulations seems like a contradiction or a step backwards to the nation's aforementioned aims. However, Minister of the Environment and Tourism, Emily Barnes stated that environmental safety will be forced into every aspect of the heavy industry reform. Factories producing large amounts of carbon emission through their chimneys will be mandated to install government certified centrifugal fans and emissions filters with stricter regulations being passed on factories operating within urban or otherwise populated areas.
"The government previous restrictions on heavy industry was extremely hurtful to the nation's economic potential", said economist Vernon Todd. Todd stated that the ban on heavy industry could be attributed to the development of the services industry, as companies operating within the mining, metal works and manufacturing industry had shifted to services. With the nation's economy extremely dependent on this industry, the government had now seen the potential in heavy industry and the dangers of a service dependent economy. "It's like we had developed an addiction, now that we can diversify we can move forward as a much faster pace", Todd said. As a result of the restrictions on heavy industry, most products generated from the industrial practices associated with the industry had been imported from various nations. The Trade Minister stated that although mining products such as coal and oil shale will not be mined, the refining of the minerals will most likely be conducted in Luthori as the government has sponsored the construction of various refineries across the nation in accordance with the shift. The Trade Minister warned companies going back into the mining industry: Companies are allowed to conduct mining operations once it does not entail the extraction of coal and oil shale. Companies found running said operations will be sanctioned and fined of up to Ⱡ35 Million for disrupting the rehabilitation of the coal and oil shale mines.
As heavy industry is industrial sector demanding investment, the Luthorian Development Bank will be investing into the environmentally safe practices of the various heavy industry companies. According to the Trade Minister, the LDB must maintain its standards for promoting environmental friendliness. The bank had been recently barred from investing in environmentally destructive oil and natural gas practises including fracking. Companies such as Warton Danver and Alternex Verdalros had welcomed the ease in regulations. The government has encouraged other heavy industry companies to come to the nation and participated in the drive towards industrial greatness and investor friendliness.
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Post by maxington on May 29, 2019 13:16:06 GMT
LLBC FirstImperial Bank of Commerce is expected to use its 1.1bn proposed takeover of Banco Espinosa as a footholdfor expansion into the Mordusian markets after announcing the banking firm's first cross-boarder banking agreements since its initial formation. The 200 Keymonite dollars-a share agreement and the endorsement by the Mordusian government as a sign of confidence in the economy, have created scepticism among economic analysts of the like. Assurance have been sought from management by the banking firm's union, STBE which represents its 4,000 employees. Union General Secretary Alonsico Catala stated that whilst FirstImperial could offer the employees lip service on growth opportunity and value creation, it had to ensure that the rights of the workers are protected and that amidst this transition, employees are not viewed as expendable "assets". Raúl Piñón , the incumbent president of Banco Espinosa who is expected to be replaced by Roman Woodward after the transition, stated that the bank's 50+ locations and 1 million customers/clients would seek the benefit from the takeover as it would be about using FirstImperial Bank of Commerce (which made its first 10 billion a month ago) and its extra firepower to expand Banco Espinosa's retail presence and to test the firm's stability in the small business sector. The agreement marks a major chapter in FIBC history after the bank made its first 10 billion a month prior, thus propelling the firm towards continued growth in the Keymonite and northern seleyan markets. Speaking to reports, Damion King stated that the Mordusian market was unconsolidated and that the company was in a position to grow. Whilst further deals in order to expand the providence of Banco Espinosa (which will keep its name after the takeover), have been hinted King stated that FIBC will ensure that such a move is well planned and approached with caution. In-order to ensure Banco Espinosa aligns with the policies upheld by FIBC and the much larger LLBC, various systems are expected to be altered/replaced. A new IT facility is to be constructed to service online-banking transactions and much more. FIBC estimated that it has the potential to save the bank millions each year. King stated that he hoped that Banco Espinosa will be a challenger to larger banking firms such as Villar Y Zepeda, Banco Corum aand Banco Salazar.
The Keymonite-Luthorian firm, which is a subsidiary of the Luthorian and Lodamese jointly owned Luthorian-Lodamese Banking Corporation, has been rising to the plate in provide stiff competition to local competitors. The merger of Fortune Financing and Iokua International Banking and Investment in response to FIBC's mounting dominance in the banking market is a clear signal of the bank's turnover from a bankrupt business to a major force within the Keymonite banking sector. FIBC's Chairman Damion King stated that the goal was not to drive towards being labelled as the largest banking firm in Keymon, but to signal to said larger banking firms that their dominance was and can be contested. Whilst FIBC can dethrone Iokua through assistance from LLBC, King stated that he had no intention of roping the "mother bank" into the fray. LLBC is the largest banking corporation in Artania and the Western Hemisphere.
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Post by maxington on May 29, 2019 13:34:26 GMT
Foreign Minister Jordan Tannenbay is in Sekowo to sign an agreement that will introduce western investment and business to the eastern hemisphere through the Sekowan nation. On the backdrop of mounting protectionism from various nations within the international community, Foreign Minister Jordan Tannenbay and his counterpart Sekowan Foreign Minister Aoi Narihira. The agreement-to-be between Luthori and Sekowo would allow for billions of pounds to be pumped into eastern development alongside Sekowan economic development. Whilst the treaty in its infancy accounts for a small percentage of trans-national trade in the eastern hemisphere as it pertains to the west/east relationship, Foreign Minister Tannenbay remains optimistic as he recognises Sekowo's economic development as a catalyst in the strengthening of the trade agreement's importance to the region. It has been stated that the agreement allows for Luthori and Sekowo to both benefit from a series of free trade measures including scrapping duties on imports from both Luthori and Sekowo. Agriculture is increasingly becoming Luthori's largest exports to Sekowo. Trade Minister Clayton Turner stated that he had great intentions on tipping the balance in favour of services exports especially in the area of banking. However as it stands the reduction of tariffs on agricultural products such as beef, corn and wheat could boost exports and create increased employment in both nations. The Foreign Minister stated that the intention of the agreement was to bridge the gap between the west and the east through trade.
He stated that the Luthorian Government had seen much potential in the prospects of investment into Sekowo. Major financial institutions including the Luthorian-Lodamese Banking Corporation (LLBC), Fairisles and SP Sampson have already discussed the prospects of positioning regional centres in the nation however due to a lack of relative FDI (foreign direct investment) into the nation, much of these decisions had been halted up to now. Similar to the statements upheld by Imperial Chancellor Zimmerman during her visit to the Mordusian capital for negotiations on the acclaimed Three Mountains Agreement (TMA), the Trade Office stated that it had marked the goal for trade between Sekowo and Luthori to amount to around Ⱡ10 billion in the first 5 years, but should see a sharp increase as investment and opportunities increases. Apart from focusing on the principle prospects of trade, the agreement also covered incidences of data protection. It was inserted that in-order for Luthori and Sekowo to maintain a continued relationship especially through the prospect of trade in technology, standards had to be met as it pertained data protection. It was stated that government agencies such as the Government Communications Service maintains a tight and strict policy on data transfer stating that certain standards had to be met before Luthori and Luthorian businesses were to involve themselves in any form of data transfer with another private/public commercial entity.
Tannenbay stated that Sekowo had to make an informed decision on the direction it wishes to take to actualise its economic development. With mounting rumours of the nation's entrance into the Three Mountains Agreement alongside the likes of Darnussia, Tannenbay stated that Sekowo had to ensure it had/possessed a stable plan towards economic development which can be actualised in time for the nation's entrance into the Three Mountains Agreement.
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Post by Basileus on May 29, 2019 16:14:55 GMT
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Post by maxington on Jun 3, 2019 11:19:12 GMT
With the objective of enhancing defence and strategies ties on the naval battlefield, Luthori and Mordusia commenced a week long exercise coined LUMORDEX, an acronym for Luthorian-Mordusian exercise. The complexity of the biennial maritime exercise since its inaugural exercise about three years prior, has steadily increased. The second edition of the exercise will focus on three dimensional warfare within the constraints of anti-submarine warfare. The number of units from the two respective nations participating in the exercise is steadily increasing as the exercise itself becomes increasingly relevant and important to the security relationship between Luthori and Mordusia. It is stated that this would in itself enhance the complexity of the exercise whilst also promoting interoperability among the two nations. With Mordusia entering a military alliance known as the Ishinawa Cooperation Treaty Organisation and Luthori set to enhance its global security commitments, the need for closer ties between Mordusia and Luthori on matters of defence is extremely important according to officials from the Luthorian Ministry of Defence. Luthori has maintained the sentiment that it intends on ensuring maritime order within its immediate domain, thus citing a potential increased involvement by the Luthorian Armed Forces into the defence climate in the Artanian and Western Seleyan areas.
The Imperial Navy has sent the Series 500 destroyers HIMS-Capable, HIMS-Dutiful and HIMS-Universal, the attack submarine HIMS-Assurance and the replenishment tanker HIMS-Valiant to participate into the exercise alongside assets from the Royal Mordusian Navy. Around 2,000 personnel from the Imperial Navy, Army and Air-Force will take part in the exercise. The aim of the exercise is to strengthen and enhance mutual co-operation and interoperability between the two navies, providing opportunities for interaction and exchange of professional views between the personnel of the two navies, officials said. A sign of strengthening of bilateral and defence cooperation between the two countries as envisaged in the Framework for Security Cooperation (FSC) will be announced by both Mordusia and Luthori. The maiden edition of the exercise was held in September 2019 near Keymon. Luthori intends on building on the relationship maintained between the Mordusian Armed Forces and the Luthorian Armed Forces.
Permanent Secretary for Infrastructure and Public Works, Rebecca Graham announced that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, specifically the Department for Infrastructure will embark on a multi-billion pound project which would see the implementation of the services and infrastructure outlined in the Traffic Conduct and Regulatory Act. Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Aaren Nicholson announced that the ministry had allocated 100 Billion pounds after approval from the Imperial Diet. The Department for Infrastructure's planning and strategies division had spent one (1) year culminating and generating ideas and designs for the implementation of the necessary infrastructure as outlined in the legislation. According to the legislation, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is expected to implement increased infrastructure for cyclists through an increase in bicycle paths throughout the nation (especially in the densely populated urban areas), the construction of cycling highways and Cooperative streets (in which bicycles are considered to be the primary form of transportation however, motor vehicles are allowed to e aid street once they maintain a speed limit of about 25 km/h or lower), evening pushing the envelope to require businesses to provide parking space for cyclists. Apart from this the legislation proposes the implementation of "Bike only streets" in which bicycles are considered to be the primary form of transportation and motor vehicles are prohibited to enter. These provisions are expected to solidify government support for the cyclist community within the nation which had not received much government support beside the frequent construction of bicycle lanes in Fort William only.
Apart from this the legislation outlines a series of measures to be implemented by the Department for Infrastructure and enforced by the various territorial police services. The legislation's provision on Road Safety outlined that the Infrastructure and Transport Ministry would be obligated to implement a 2+1 road design ( consisting of two lanes in one direction and one lane in the other, alternating every few kilometres, and separated usually with a steel cable barrier) on motorway throughout the country, might it be existing roads or roads to be constructed in the future, implement intersection crosswalks (that temporarily stops all vehicular traffic, thereby allowing pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally, at the same time) within intersections across the country and introduce lowered speed limits in the following areas:- Locations with possible conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and cars: 30 km/h (20 mph), Intersections with possible side impacts between cars: 50 km/h (30 mph), Roads with possible frontal impacts between cars: 70 km/h (45 mph) and Roads with no possibility of a side impact or frontal impact: 100 km/h (60 mph).
Furthermore, in its provisions on the promotion of transportation services and apparatuses, the legislation expects the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to make provisions and make services available for the use of cyclists and pedestrians. Services such as: allowing bicycles to be brought onto train, ferries and aircraft (for aircraft bicycle must be fold-able and permission from airline should be obtained prior to boarding), establish a subsidised programme known as Bike Service, in which individuals can either purchase or rent bicycles for transportation or leisure uses and shift the Public Transportation Service and the Royal Railway Corporation from a payed transportation modem to an entirely free-publicly funded transportation modem. The project is expected to last for about 10-15 years (starting November 2023) and would hopefully see an improvement to the transportation and road services of the nation.
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Post by maxington on Jun 4, 2019 12:06:09 GMT
It has become almost habitual for the media to uphold the opinion that the most vindictive and manipulative nation within Luthori's scope it the Kilani State of Beluzia. For the past three years the media have run a campaign of rightful judgement labelling the regime in Beluzia as oppressive and totalitarian-driven. However, during a session of the Isaac Harrods Institute for International Affairs: The Changing Tide, several speakers accentuated the need for a revised government policy on the Kilani State of Beluzia. The session discussed the fact that with foreign policies changing amidst an evolving geopolitical climate, the need for Luthori's government's to begin the process of updating its foreign policy as a leader power within the world spectrum. It was stated that some nations are altering their foreign policies in way that are negative and slightly positive respectively, and that these changes are major steps in different directions for these nations and their respective foreign policies. Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Cooperation (within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Zachary Renaud spoke on the fact that the Luthori had to adapt its foreign policy to the changing world. Among the specially invited guested was Foreign Minister Jordan Tannenbay who discussed the government's foreign policy approach which aligned with the policies previously championed by three-time Imperial Chancellor holder for the Liberal Party, Imperial Chancellor Bradley Lockridge. Tannenbay outlined that he intends on streamlining diplomacy and dialogue in a time of mounting global chaos. Whilst the option of diplomacy has and will continue to be championed by the incumbent government he said, where diplomacy fails, alternative options will be utilised to achieve a set goal. On the matter of Luthori's evolving foreign policy approach an extremely rare and ear-catching possibility was announced by the Foreign Minister. He stated that Luthori indeed has to alter its foreign policy approach and will start with revising its approach to the situation involving Beluzia. The Foreign Minister stated that the regime in Beluzia has made valiant efforts to distance itself from radical fascism and has actively made moves towards liberalisation and increased acceptance of full-scale democracy. The sentiment comes as a complete shock to many as Luthori maintains extremely tough economic sanctions on Beluzia, limiting the nations from trading with much of Luthori's allies as the Luthorian Government has threatened impose reciprocal sanctions on nations who actively sought to do trade with the nation. Mr. Tannenbay will travel to Beluzia in the coming months to announce to the Beluzian Government that the Luthorian Government had withdrawn its economic sanctions on the nation and would actively seek to reintroduce the nation to the share economic sphere being developed in the southern half of the region. However the completion of this through Tannenbay is uncertain with the elections underway.
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Post by maxington on Jun 4, 2019 12:17:36 GMT
Alternex and Palo Seco have announced a major investment into New Luthori's mining sector. The New Luthorian Governmentwhich granted both companies access to the nation's mineral reserve market, has recently signed an agreement between both companies on endowments for extraction. Bauxite, which is in high demand around the world mainly for its composite structure, aluminium, as heavy industry practices continue to grow in Luthori. To meet this demand, Alternex Verdalros and Palo Seco, two of the largest mining companies in Luthori and Mordusia respectively have partnered to expand their operations in New Luthori in an agreement worth some tens of billions in shares. An open pit mine in Daxton, will be opened by the two companies after an exploration survey found bauxite deposits in the region. Whilst the two companies primary target is bauxite, it has been stated that they could potential branch into copper outside of New Luthori. CEO of Palo Seco, Kris Robertson stated that the company had intentions of looking into copper exploitation however it has been stated that it has run into considerable difficulty in finding notable copper deposits. An ease in heavy industry restrictions in Luthori allows for the nation to enhance its industrial potential. Alternex Verdalros, the largest mining corporation in Luthori and the wider Artanian region, has voiced its intentions of intensifying its industrial potential/output.
Alternex and Palo Seco are expected to be assist by Imperial Line, an emerging commercial shipping/transportation coming operating out of Luthori. The areas where the bauxite deposits have been discovered have been plagued by poor infrastructure. Alternex and Palo Seco have stated that they intend on subcontracting a construction firm to construct a private highway to streamline the raw materials to the ports which will be subsequently transported back to Luthori for refining. Growth within Luthori is on the rise as Luthori's economic potential increases as the nation pivots towards become the largest economy on the Artanian continent. Alternex Verdalros President, Harley Day stated that the venture will create around 2,000 temporary employment opportunities followed by around 3,000 permanent employment opportunities, with sentiment pointing to a potential expansion of this dynamic in the future. Palo Seco, who is leading the charge on exploitation and refining stated that a refinery could potentially be constructed in New Luthori to cut the cost of transportation and effort in half. Without reasonable knowledge so far on the specifics of the agreement it is expected that the majority, if not all, of the jobs to be generated from the deal is expected to go to New Luthorian workers.
Amidst the announcement share prices from both companies increased. Alternex's shares increased to its highest ever since the beginning of the year. It has been rumoured that SP Taikon could potentially join the agreement with permission from the New Luthorian Government, however this is highly unlikely as SP Taikon has, since its creation through the merger of the Luthorian SP Group and the Sekowan Taikon Group, mainly focused its economic activities in the areas of oil and natural gas exploitation. Palo Seco is a subsidiary of Grupo Alosono, corporation recently taken over by the Crown Petroleum Company. The extraction deal is expected to generate around Ⱡ5 billion pounds from initial activities and Ⱡ12 billion from long-term operations and investment from infrastructure to the actual extraction and refining processes.
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Post by maxington on Jun 4, 2019 13:49:40 GMT
Surge Microsystems held its inaugural Electronic Architecture Expo yesterday where the company's new CEO outlined its renewed direction for products and microsystems in the near future. The event was held at the Mornbury Conference Hall in Fort William. Surge has been under considerable pressure from its shareholders/investors to diversify the company's products as well as enhance their capabilities. To actualise these changes, Ashton Turnera software engineer from parent company, VOLT was brought in to replace George Foxas CEO of Surge Microsystems. Fox had led the company into largely unsuccessful ventures which resulted in the company having to beg the much larger VOLT to be "rescued" from near bankruptcy through direct capital investment. With factories open in Lodamon and a mounting interest to expand into Sekowo mainly due to the relative ease of labour, Turner has brought a few tricks to ensure that Surge Microsystems remains several steps ahead of the competition.
Turner unveiled "Cookie Jar", which is Surge's next generation core CPU platform. Turner has stated that the new platform is smarter and faster than its predecessors and will form the backbone for Chocolate Chip (server) and Cookie Dough (consumer) processors with the platform to be rolled out in the next quarter. Turner stated that Cookie Jar would allow for increased performance and will increase the space needed to accelerate the process of facilitating artificial intelligence, processing and large workloads mainly in areas demanding of high CPU power. Cookie Jar will take advantage of Surge's 10nm manufacturing process granted to the company by VOLT which in itself will be a relief to the company's decade long use of 15nm process products. Major reductions in latency and increases to instruction have been stated to be implemented in the new platform. As it pertains to memory, a major boost has been hinted. With the possibility of a jump from 40 bits to 60 bits. However this increase comes as a cost as the hardening of the infrastructure of the platform will be introduced as a means of curbing future exploitation of the platform, a problem which Surge has run into many times in the past.
Although the processing platform is formidable in itself, the most important of the features to comes with Cookie Jar is the improvement in graphics. Integrated graphics performance whilst not being one of the company's high points has been making significant comes backs and Cookie Jar brings with it the Alpha Four (A4) which will improve graphics mainly on laptops and desktops. Surge has stated that it intends on pushing its processors and graphics cards to be used in the video game markets, most notably the pc-gaming market. It has offer a jitter-free experience through Alpha Four and improved frame-rates. In the past, the Alpha Three had been privy to much dissatisfaction as consumers complained of major concerns for rubber-banding. Whilst Surge shot down the sentiment knocking off as a problem with the consumer's system and not the processor, the Alpha Four still makes an attempt to address the issue by reducing latency.
Not to leave out the company's interesting in cellphone chip manufacturing, Turner stated that the company was in the process of developing a chip which will enhance battery life and cellphone speed. Transistors are the backbone of cellphone electronic ability. Surge has stated that intends on rolling out the "Mustard Seed" transistor in 2024. As in the name, the Mustard Seed transistor is expected to be far smaller than its processor, "Cashew". The smaller transistor would allow for Surge to add more electronic ability to cellphones. Through the smaller transistor phones could either opt for a boost in speed or battery life by a factor of 10%. Surge's new business model has garnered much support from its shareholders and under Turner's guidance as has been demonstrated with the face-lift for the company which had been registering losses for sometime, Surge Microsystems is expected to be an extremely successful subsidiary of VOLT and an extremely successful technology company in the global markets.
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Chitin
Member
My citizens, you know we have a special place for democracy, it's called the wastepaper basket
Posts: 127
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Post by Chitin on Jun 4, 2019 18:38:11 GMT
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Luthori
Jun 6, 2019 23:11:13 GMT
via mobile
Post by yolo04 on Jun 6, 2019 23:11:13 GMT
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Post by maxington on Jun 7, 2019 10:48:09 GMT
Imperial Chancellor Elizabeth Zimmerman has confounded pollsters and pundits by winning a sensational second four-year term in the office for her Liberal Party. This time, amidst obtaining a majority, Zimmerman will be clear from the constraints of coalition. The Liberal Party's coalition member, the Centrist Party has been all but wiped out from the Imperial Diet, with its political leader announcing his resignation earlier this morning. Zimmerman's electoral victory destroyed the conservative opposition and its hopes on dominating the Diet through a right-wing coalition. With all 600 seats of the Imperial Diet contested, the Liberal Party went away with 400 seats, the New Conservative Party with 150 seats and the Patriotic Front with 50 seats. As per parliamentary custom, a party requires 306 seats to form a majority government. As Zimmerman drove to the Imperial Palace to notify the Emperor that she had secured a majority from day one, rather than having to begin a chaotic scramble to form a coalition government, Peter Cole resigned as political leader of the New Conservative Party, shocked by the scale of the rejection by his electorate, especially amidst how narrowly many of his party colleagues won their seats. The result was the vindication of Zimmerman's decision to run a campaign stressing on the risks to Luthorian development should a conservative government be voted in.
Zimmerman stated that the Imperial Cabinet will be reshuffled to fit a new foreign policy outlook. As Luthori reassesses its relationship with its nations of its own continent, its foreign policy objections are also changing with it. Politicians such as Jordan Tannenbay, although an excellent diplomat, is being transferred to the seat of the Minister of Defence, with his replacement coming in the form of career diplomat Paulette St. Claire. Several former cabinet members are expected to be bumped around to overseas diplomatic missions as the party moves to cleanse itself of its conservative "deep-state". Zimmerman stated that whilst the party would remain committed to its Liberal views, it will not tolerate conservatism of any kind, within its ranks.
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Post by maxington on Jun 7, 2019 12:11:28 GMT
Panoramic used the Fort William Technical Expo in Fort William to unveil its first 4K OLED television – sat on a 65 inch curved model. The company, which for years championed the superior contrast and off-angle viewing benefits of plasma TVs over LED LCD TVs, added its first OLED model, which will offer some of those same benefits, and better, along with an ultra-thin screen depth, and efficient power usage. The company's entrance into the OLED market throws down a gauntlet to other companies set to compete in the top end OLED market. Panoramic discontinued its production of plasma television due to a decline in sales interest by customers in the rapidly ageing technology amidst the rise of OLED technology. Whilst Panoramic has not mentioned much in terms of pricing for the 65-inch CX-900, it has stated that it will be shipping in the Seleyan market with special discounts in the Artanian markets. The top end 65inch OLED TV looks impressive and the inclusion of a built in soundbar with the top end 4K UHD is for those who want a new attached a great option. Panoramic has been marketing lines of LED LCD TVs with strong colour and brightness performance, but lacking the black level advantages that its former plasma TVs or OLED models delivered.
Like many OLED TVs, Panoramic's 65-inch CX-900 has a curved screen, but the company doesn’t specify where the OLED panel came from. Instead, Panoramic played up the superior video processing technology it is using in the set — “4K In-House Master Processor” to overcome performance deficiencies in existing competitive OLED products, like colour accuracy and black level detail handling. Panoramic said in a statement that “the shift from complete blackness to just above black is a very difficult gradation step to render” in other OLED implementations. Panoramic's experience “with plasma technology has enabled it to solve the issue on the CX-900, resulting in unprecedentedly beautiful and precise detailing even in the very darkest picture areas.”
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Post by maxington on Jun 7, 2019 13:18:10 GMT
Miliband, the emerging Luthorian search-engine will invest around 500 million pounds to expand its data centre in Seleya. Miliband is a leading playing in the global search engine market, having already dominated the Artanian markets since its creation. Through its data centre in Turtle Bay, Keymon the company has been able to enter the Seleyan markets. The expand commences the company's first major expansion outside of its usual playing area, mainly Artania and Keymon. Miliband is rapidly becoming the dominant search engine in Keymon having knocked out several startup search engines born in Keymon out of the competition. The company's parent firm, Algebra Inc. has stated that the Miliband search-engine was on track to becoming the largest and most used in the world. The announcement to expand the Turtle Bay data centre will see the size of the data centre triple and create an additional 1,200 jobs in the construction process and around 300 permanent jobs.
Miliband's new investment is in addition to the $150 million it spent to build the centre. The company first announced data centre construction plans Keymon in 20127, eight months after it opened offices in the country. Since January of 2018, the data centre has been the operation's centre for the search-engine's stretch into the Seleyan market, mainly in nations such as Lodamon and Mordusia Fabian Houghton, Miliband's general manager in Keymon, said the improved infrastructure that came from establishing a data centre in Keymon helped the company develop its capacity in Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. With Miliband expressing intentions of expanding the search engine's reach through a potential data centre in Sekowo, this leads to the conclusion that the company has intentions of expanding its services into the Dovanian markets. Whilst the expansion of the data centre in Keymon would allow for increased bandwidth it will also mark a major step towards enhancing the company's digital footprint beyond the premise of being a search-engine. Co-Chairman of Algebra Inc, Cory Ryan has stated that stakeholders had been making significant pushes for the company to consider server hosting.
The server hosting markets are an extremely profitable market as nations move towards becoming increasingly technology based. Currently within Luthori proper only a few server hosting companies have won national favour, those being Cumulonimbus, Deronda Server Hosting and SmartHosting. Whilst most of these companies are startups, their services to smaller and much larger companies in the areas of hosting servers used from video-gaming to data sharing, are extremely large and extremely profitable. Some concerns as it pertains to these companies are their vulnerability to cybernetic attack. These aforementioned companies pay large amounts of pounds in payment to data protection firms with the specific intention of guarding their servers against cybernetic attack. After the Government Communications Centre stated that the number of cybernetic attacks against small businesses was increasing, service fees from these data protection firms increased, thus forcing many server hosting companies to either terminate contracts or develop their own means of protection. It has been stated that if Miliband were to enter the server hosting market, it would offer protection against cybernetic attack as a standard to all customers. In-order to ensure reliability Miliband stores its data across various sites, thus scattering the distribution of data across various locations, hence making it harder for data to be stolen via physical penetration of its data centres.
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