AP BusinessWire ~ Affiliated Press Business News

[Tianlong]

Rumors of severe sanctions in the corridors of Tianlong ministries.
AP Uicheon

There have been rumors of severe sanctions in the golden corridors of Tianlong ministries for weeks. Some unconfirmed rumors have reported that the Tianlong Republic's delay in applying sanctions to members of the Gothic pact group was initially a political choice to try to soften the Scanlaw's position in the Democracy Forum that would take place shortly thereafter. Although there are no confirmations regarding the scanlaw, but Tianlong's willingness to economically strike the Gothic pact seems to be now certain. The Kingdom of Caria also appears to be on the list following the latest developments.

 

[Pelasgia]

Pelasgia, Ostmark announce free trade agreement
AP Propontis

The governments of Pelasgia and @Ostmark have forged a comprehensive free trade agreement, according to a joint announcement made by the two countries’ foreign ministries. The complete lifting of tariff and non-tariff barriers guarantees to Ostmark cheaper oil and gas due to the lack of taxes and administrative delays on its export, on top of easy access to Himyari and Basilisk Sea markets.

In turn, the Pelasgians are guaranteed access to Ostmark’s new electronics production, on top of increased revenues for their shipping sector as the deal includes provisions for the construction of a major satellite port in Ostmark by Pelasgian firms, through which the new electronics will be exported to the world via the Propontine Straits. More generally, both countries will benefit from the increased access their industries will have to each other’s economy and resources.

Pelasgia and Ostmark have traditionally enjoyed good relations, even during the days of the National Syndicalist regime. Since the end of Grasserist rule, Propontis has sought to capitalize on this by investing generously in the Germanian country’s economic revitalisation, seeing that Ostmark holds great potential for major industrial development as an export economy.​

 

[Tarusa]

Economic War Heats Up
AP Kremlyov

The showdown in the economic world between the Gothic Pact and Tianlong has appeared to take another turn towards heating up as the Frankish Empire announced more investments in Ostmark to begin boosting manufacturing there in the semiconductor industry as a counter to the reduction in those available on the market due to Tianese sanctions. This comes on the heels of the announcements made by each side of an oil cartel between Tarusa and Pelasgia with invitation of another Gothic Pact member, ScanLaw, and the government of Tianlong announcing that itself would turn towards more green sources of power production over the next decade in an attempt to reduce its dependence on the foreign oil.

Domestically the government itself has been muted about the repercussions of the sanctions from Tianlong as inventories of some products have been dwindling as access to some parts for products have been more difficult to obtain as the sanctions progress. The silence itself was finally broken when Minister Makarov who leads the Ministry of Industry and Development announced the plan for the government to list the semiconductor industry as a "national security concern" and subsidize the development of more factories domestically as well as outsourcing the production of non-defense related manufacturing abroad to cheaper locations.

The Government stated that the needs of the Defense Industries could continue to be met thanks to the domestic production of sensitive systems on the larger nodes and it would increase cooperation with its gothic pact neighbors to continue to advance in the field of electronics and their systems domestically with manufacturing of smaller nodes know-how from its allied states. Financial aid will be available for those wishing to step into the industry as start-ups and for the expansion by the two largest in the country to incentivize their growth of the manufacturing needs. According to government officials, they do not view the sanctions as a negative, instead they view it as an opportunity to bring back the manufacturing and strengthen the relationship with allied states who can provide the technical experience and machinery to revitalize the industry at home as it will seek to allow the industry to move manufacturing of less sensitive and precise machining to the cheaper labor markets of Occidentia than that of Toyou and the colonial holdings of the Empire.

 

[Pelasgia]

Oil prices climb following Pelasgia's new tanker regulations
AP Propontis

Crude oil prices have continued their year-long climb to historic heights, following the announcement of new safety regulations for South Toyou-bound oil tankers by the Government of Pelasgia. The regulations, which were published via Imperial Decree in response to a series of safety incidents including labour accidents, were allegedly issued to address workers' safety and anti-accident concerns as shipping and petroleum firms scramble to meet growing demand for oil in @Tianlong and associated markets, due to the ban on the sale of oil from @Tarusa to the Celestial Republic. Among the most disruptive regulations are time-consuming inspections of individual ships, as well as temporary limits on each ship's total cargo.

As a result, global crude oil prices, which had started to stabilise following a series of trade agreements guaranteeing slightly cheaper oil to Pelasgian trade partners, have continued their upwards trajectory, hovering just below EM 100 a barrel. In Toyou, this price has risen to EM 118, while in Tianlong itself prices have reached a historic high of EM 140, reflecting the near unavailability of oil and gas for many consumers and firms.

Propontis has clarified that the restrictions are temporary and only applicable for South Toyou, with the measures set to expire in a month's time, though it is unclear whether they will be subsequently renewed. In the meantime, Pelasgian lawmakers are working with shipping and petroleum industry representatives, as well as labour union leaders, to draft new safety regulations that will address concerns.​

 

[Tarusa]

Tianese Sanctions End, Imperial Courts Mute
AP Kremlyov

As the election of a new president has brought about changes in the Republic of Tianlong foreign policy, the Tsar and government officials have been found silent with no statements coming from those in charge of the vast Empire. The new President of Tianlong, Feng Yuhan, ordered an end to the sanctions on the Gothic Pact which he most likely believed would be reciprocated by all involved parties. This however does not appear to currently be the case as officials in the Imperial Palace and the Foreign Affairs Ministry have remained strangely silent and keep the sanctions in place. The Judiciary of the Empire did release a statement following the announcement by the Republics Foreign Ministry.

The Imperial Courts will begin hearing complaints and cases from citizens and businesses of the Empire and those of foreign entities that do business within the territories of the Empire, or have business with enterprises of the Empire. If you feel or believe that the sanctions brought by the Republic of Tianlong has caused financial hardships, caused fiscal damages to you or your business, your case shall be heard in the courts of the Empire and the verdicts shall determine the compensation if any that shall be granted.

 

[Arcadia]

The Struggle of the Correntine landless farmers and the chaos that is to come
AP Callao

The Land Holding Corporation is a unique peculiarity of the status of the land ownership issues that have plagued the United States of Corrientes since the late 19th century. Initially owned by many oligarchs, the disestablishment of the Cafe con Leche political machine, where the coffee planters and the ranchers played the most important roles in dominating the political discourse in Callao, the Land Holding Corporation has been created in 1975 by general Jaime Romero to gain support for his military regime, in the aftermath of a coup d'etat. The initial role of the Land Holding Corporation, known by his Josefino abbreviation as CTT, was to provide land for agricultural workers which have proved themselves friendly to the regime, and with the series of expropriations from the oligarchs, it became the biggest corporation in the western hemisphere, administering hundreds of thousands of hectares, about 50% of Corrientes' agricultural lands.

After the 1985 Revolution and the end of the regime, the CTT was kept but reformed into offering cheap rents for land to landless farmers, a social class which has exploded especially since the 1970s, with Corrientes' population rising in 50 years from 70 million people to 160. The issues of the CTT have started recently as it expanded into renting agricultural products and taking more and more responsibilities, signing more and more contracts with private companies, under the chairmanship of Raul Bermúdez. There have been elements of criticism from journalists and analysts whom have stated that many of the contracts the CTT signed were predatory in nature, with corruption blooming within it and many seeing it as a perfect way of getting rich by dealing with the state through it.

Today's announcement of bankruptcy has come as a surprise for many, while other just offered the proverbial 'I told you so', as the CTT was just overwhelmed by the expenditures of the predatory contracts, which were further enhanced by the fuel price crisis. The accusations of corruption against Raul Bermúdez will do much worse than good, as it means the assets of the CTT will be frozen until the investigation ends, meaning that in the worst part of the year, when rent contracts for the next year will be signed, about 50 million landless farmers are left without the means to make a living, with about half of those needing the land for subsistence agriculture.

This is a heavy blow for all the efforts the Correntine government has made in the past decades to raise tens of millions of people from poverty, as corruption is still endemic in the United States, and with the collapse of the CTT, poverty, vulnerability and even famine will return back in the lives of millions of people. With the number of people affected by it, the collapse of the CTT might represent one of the biggest social events of the current century, rivalling the collapse of Pannonia.

The fact that Correntine authorities have been adamant on respecting the law in this case too, meaning that they blocked the use of the land until the issue is sorted has been seen by many as even worse than the bankruptcy of the CTT. Amílcar Durán, the chairman of the Communist Party of Corrientes, together with the president of APRO, Hector Rubio have met with many of the landless farmers, the former leading a protest in Cumana, while the latter in Callao. Even so, the two seem to be on the offensive as they are now both together in Cancosa, pushing the landless farmers to takeover the land they worked before within the CTT and harvest it.

The Correntine authorities have called out for restraint and for respecting the law and have threatened both Duran and Rubio with accusations of sedition, should they continue. Even so, because of his presence in the rural areas and his technological savviness, Amílcar Durán has been trending on twatter, together with the hashtags 'expropriation', 'landreform' and 'landforthepeople', which he started. Initially a very popular party in the 1920s, the Communist Party of Corrientes has slowly declined as more and more left-wing elements have been taken over by the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement and by APRO (People's Revolutionary Alliance of Occidentia), the former being a big tent left wing nationalist party and the latter a social democratic one, but it seems that with the current crisis, Amílcar Durán's popularity will provide for a revival of the Communist Party of Corrientes, and if President Herrera doesn't react quickly, it will all be at the expense of the collapse of MNR's voting base.​

 

[Tarusa]

Rationing Provisions Beginning
AP Kremlyov

As more nations have begun pulling back shipping in the Gothic Sea choosing to instead unload cargo in the ports of other nations in Gallo-Germania that would have been destined by sea for Ostmark, Salen, The Hanseatic League, and the Empire of Tarusa choosing to have cargo moved by rail and truck across the continent. This has caused issues in the Empire of Tarusa with some goods from overseas either being delayed or simply more expensive on store shelves as costs have increased dramatically. This has had an added benefit for forcing some of the customers with more wealth who would typically buy some of the higher quality products that may have been available from other nations instead of the cheaper domestically produced products. It however has caused some goods that are not domestically available to become unattainable to certain segments of the population or outright to all depending on the delays.

The Ministry of Industry and Development and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Tarusa have laid the blame on those nations that are too scared to continue shipping in the Gothic over a few vessels being hijacked; "In the grand scheme of things a few vessels versus the hundreds every day that are transiting and operating in the Gothic Sea is not enough reason for the massive panic the nations are making it out to be. The Empire reduced its shipping of energy resources to focus on maintaining the supply chain of cargo goods globally, but the same cannot be said for other nations. Some nations claim to be financially assisting those nations which are financially poor, and consider it a helping hand, that helping hand does not put goods on the shelves."

The ministries announced that the Empire of Tarusa will begin rationing of foods that cannot be domestically produced within the Empire or its colonies and that it may have to entirely abandon some imports from other nations. Some within the government have used this as an opportunity to push for the Empire to become more "self sufficient" than it has been in recent decades by utilizing its old and new colonial holdings by investing more now for greater return in the future.

 

[Rheinbund]

Train manufacturer Magarus Mass Mobility announces deal with Ebrian railway corporation REFERERO to deliver high-speed trainsets
AP Cöllen (Rheinbund)

The Rheinian-based train manufacturer Magarus Mass Mobility GmbH. released a press release to announce that it has signed a contract with the Ebrian railway corporation REFERERO to deliver 15 high-speed trainsets for use on the new high-speed rail connections between Valls and Amérida as well as Valls and Sahagún. Each trainset consists of nine

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, including a steering carriage and a restaurant carriage, as well as an

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. The trainsets have an operational top speed of 200 km/h (124.3 mph). The deal has a worth of 345 million Ebrian Reales, which was 5 million Reales under the maximum bid. The trainsets are a custom-designed combination of first-class and second-class carriages.
Magarus Mass Mobility GmbH is a subsidiary of Magarus A.G., a company based in Cöllen that produces a.o. fire fighting vehicles, but also military equipment.

 

[Arcadia]

ENA to sponsor Copa de la Tiburanidad and adjacent charities
AP Callao

ENA, Empresa Nacional de Automoviles, has announced that they will sponsor the Copa de la Tiburanidad and the charities tied to it, with about 500 million Quris donated to aid the People on the Move NGO, which aids refugees in Corrientes and also the Regiomontañero, Implarian and Josefino governments with their refugee camps. Besides this, ENA will also offer a

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model to the starting 11 of the winning team. In exchange, the company will gain the exclusive rights of advertisements in the matches in Corrientes and Implaria.

This announcement comes after a series of refugee activists have criticised the organisation of the Copa, calling it a "First world response to a 3rd world problem", and condemning the fact that refugees don't receivedirect help. This criticism has been countered by Correntine governmental organisations, which have reminded of the signing of the Paz del Oeste Agreement, which offered the biggest bulk sum of aid in the history of Europe to a country, and also the response from the Federation of Westernesse and San Jose, which are working together to build refugee camps.

ENA is Occidentia's biggest car manufacturer and 2nd after the north Westernesse Arrow Motor Corporation. Los Torrientes, the Correntine National Team has also done a series of autograph signing meetings with fans in exchange for donations, managing to win about 250,000 Quris since the start of the campaign and the preparation of the tournament.​

 

[Tarusa]

The Beginning of Economic Despair
AP Kremlyov

As the Tarusan civil war continues to ramp up the economics effects are only starting as each side is positioning itself to attempt and gain an upperhand and quickly end the conflict. This has already led to a near complete shutdown of the export markets out of the Empire and some of its colonial holdings due to Imperial Laws and regulations. Analysts believe that the entire oil and gas market from the Empire have completely been shut off to the world by various factors including the loss of the Gothic Sea at home, and by the Colonial Government in Maghreb to maintain supply in the colony for military and inflationary purposes. It is believed the only energy supplies still flowing from Tarusa is to the direct westerly neighbor of Ostmark which may lead officials to increase its energy exports to Ostmark potentially creating oversupply in the Ostmark market driving prices downward on a local scale compared to global prices.

Exports of precious gems, rubber, gold, and machinery have estimated to have dropped by roughly 20% with the only exception being the natural rubber from the Free State which has completely ground to a halt with the inability to ship product directly back to the Empire for exportation. While some would say the drop is already on the extreme side, others say it has yet to peak as the damages to economic productivity as well as from actual fighting have yet to be fully realized as the conflict is still fresh and will only grow in intensity and potentially size.