ZNC has been Thøn’s premier news network for the past two decades, we have covered every story, from the mysterious Voltsu to the copyright infringing donut shop. If there’s something interesting, you bet we’ll be there. ZNC runs 24/7 and has a team of dedicated journalists, editors and publishers to give you the news you need. Since 1872 we’ve brought Thøn quality journalism, expect no worse of ZNC.
The Tria Channel Tunnel
16th of May of 2024 | Parliament House, Fhål
It has been officially announced, the Tria Channel Tunnel project has been permitted and funded by the Federal Government of Thøn. Originally proposed in 2019, the project was criticized by the government at the time, they were sceptical about its high cost and how there was already an option to travel over the Tria Channel. That being the Tria Crosser Ferry, which take cars and passengers from The Port of Tria in Fhål State to The Channel Port in Zhæl State. The Port of Tria sits at the end of Yor Ty 1 (international equivalent to “Freeway 1”), which follows a path from Fhål to Tria allowing easy driving to Zhæl, Yor Ty 1 has no speed limit, and thus it is quite quick to travel from Fhål to Tria, however, taking the ferry across the Tria Channel takes a long time, and Thøn’s government believes that by building the tunnel it can save travellers over four hours and allow a smoother experience. The tunnel would be 102.2 kilometres long and would contain a 10-lane highway to facilitate the high demand. The project would reportedly cost the government ØK6.8 billion.
The government have also announced an ØK9.9 billion, 131.2-kilometre tunnel to Thalor from Western Zhæl. This tunnel would have 16 lanes and have no speed limit similar to the Tria Channel Tunnel. It would cut travel time to Thalor by over six hours. It would start in Fhaled and head due east to Thalor’s coast, where it would merge with the existing highway infrastructure.
At a press meeting at Fhaled Electronics Corporation, Prime Minister Solveig Christiansen said that the tunnel would “help boost Thøn’s economy even further and promote growth within Trintersphere”, she also stated that “the cost is negligible considering the humungous economic growth these projects might supply for [Thøn].” And on commenting how far away the completion is, she said “time is of the essence, we will be spending a lot of money on attempting to finish construction within three years or less.” Construction of both tunnels will commence in the next month.
-Mx. Kay Mathisen
Kahl State Infrastructure Package
17th of May of 2024 | Kahl Farmer’s Monument, Kahl
The Federal Government of Thøn has passed a bill to give The State Government of Kahl a total of ØK24.5 billion to spend on large infrastructure projects in Kahl, the federal government noted that his would not be the only infrastructure package given to Kahl. Mr. Teodor Knutsen, Premier of Kahl, said that “this package will help fix Kahl’s abysmal infrastructure. From the congested roads to outdated train system, Kahl needs an overhaul.” We also asked Mr. Joakim Nygård, who studies income equality from around Novaris, on his thoughts about this bill. “Kahl is the poorest state in the federation, they might be richer than a lot of other countries, but they’re still poorer than their sibling states. This bill, I believe, will help with federal government satisfaction in Kahl, it’s currently at an all-time low and I think the government have realised this and are attempting to bring Kahl back.” He stated. “These bills need to be more common because they keep the country together, the federal government in the 80s and 90s acknowledged this and use it to their benefit, this government should do the same.” He added.
The ØK24.5 billion worth of money will be sent to The State Government of Kahl on the 7th of June 2024, the federal government’s quarterly payments and accounting day, and should go into projects like the Cross-State Freeway, which would move traffic off local roads and onto a specifically build freeway, increasing the quality of life for surrounding residents. The money is also expected to be used for The Government Farming Company, which would provide farmers with lent out equipment, free use of storage and more necessities that take money out of their dwindling profits. In the end this bill helps every part of the government, with the exception of the treasury, and we can expect to see more like it not only for Kahl but for other states as well.
-Miss. Carmela Pereiro
Ancient Village Found in Hæl
18th of May of 2024 | Tro Mountain, Hæl
An ancient village has been found underneath Tro Mountain in Hæl, the village was found by a group of hikers who happened to camp on top of the village, they were surprised to find that the dirt roof crumbled away along with their tent after leaving for the day to explore Roru Lake. The group came back and discovered that their tent and all its contents had fallen into a ginormous square hole in the ground. They immediately called the local ranger who then contacted archaeologists to learn more about it. “Now, this is quite interesting, the village seems to be from the 15th century, which was when The Trinterian Commonwealth was slowly dying.” Explained Mrs. Gry Hansen, leader of the Hæl Group of Archaeologists. “We suspect that this village may have been used as a hide out for rebel groups. There are a few signs that suggest this, firstly, engrave on the walls it says, ‘Up with the revolution’ and then we can see a flag engrave on the wall, the flag of The Eastern Revolution, a large revolution that attempted to seize modern day Thøn from The Trinterian Commonwealth. They ended up failing and we have managed to locate the majority of their camps and bases, but this is by far the biggest. Therefore, I expect it to be their headquarters, this one has proper housing, unlike the other, suggesting that is it was a place for the elite leaders of the group.” The Federal National Sites and Parks Authority has declared the area of the ancient village to be a restricted zone, blocking all non-authorized personnel from entering the area. “We are committed to allowing the public to observe history; however, this site does pose a high risk of danger due to the potentially unstable ground. We therefore see that it is best to restrict access to the site.” Explained a press statement they released earlier today. “We expect the larger area to be reopened within two weeks, with the site still being restricted.”
-Ms. Siw Moen
Rald Arms And LPF Aerospace Pours Billion Into Phaus Factories
20th of May of 2024 | Rald Arms HQ, Louad
Rald Arms, one of the largest arms manufacture in Thøn, and LPF Aerospace, the largest aerospace company in Thøn, have announced a joint investment of ØK23.1 billion ($73.92 SHD billion) into building more production facilities and design offices in Phaus. This will also include money spent to bring in workers from Thalor to offset Pahus’s worker shortage which heavily affects its arms and aerospace industry. “These workers are also required to assist engine assembly and part making for CDS’s Trinter series of military aircraft.” Said Mrs. Edith Hall, CEO of LPF Aerospace. "We are running out of employees, a lot of them are being used by our other sectors such as shipbuilding and civilian aircraft manufacturing, so we are hoping to solve this problem by bringing in workers from Thalor to assist, they will have to receive pay for their travel time, but we will try to minimize this to maximize efficiency.
Rald Arms also stated that it would continue with the development of the Louad MBT even with the potential joint venture between Trinterian nations to create one. “We believe that there is still a need for our tanks, while we will be a part of the potential joint venture, we see an open market for current-generation main battle tanks to provide low-cost defence to countries that cannot afford to buy next-generation state-of-the-art equipment.” Explained Ørjan Hansen, COO of Rald Arms at an investor briefing. “We need to look for these open gaps in the market where we can place ourselves, the Louad main battle tank is reliable and fairly practical and efficient, it works well in theory. No, it might not beat the potential joint venture tank, but it fills a gap in the market. Not every country can afford the very best, and we still need to cater for them.”
-Miss. Carmela Pereiro
Kial On An Upturn, GDP And Number Of Businesses Increases For The First Time In Two Decades
24th of May of 2024 | CBH, Kial
Kahl’s GDP and growth has finally stopped its 23-year decline in GDP and number of business and revenue. “The past 23 years have all been in the red.” Explains finance expert Jesper Christensen. “That is not good for Kial, their GDP has dropped by 93% since 1968 and 78% since 1987. This drastic drop is most likely due to the generous government subsidies offered in the other states, but last year, Kial was finally allowed to start giving away subsidies to eligible companies so long as the money was from their own budget. This has affected the statistics for this current 2023 economic report, and we saw a 2% growth in GDP and 4% more businesses in the area, that is compared to last year’s 5% decline in GDP and 2% less businesses. This is a good change for Kial, it looks like they may be able to recover from the huge decline that subsidies from other states caused. To continue the recovery Kial’s government would need to go into the red, dipping into their highly protected savings to try and save Kial’s status as a business hub of Thøn and probably the wider region of Novaris.”
-Asbjørn Berntsen
Kahl Election 7 Day Report
25th of June of 2024 | ZNC Kahl HQ, Kahl
The Kahl Election is now only 7 days away and so far, a lot of information has come out from the big parties, here we will compress all this information into easy to understand and brief reports on each party. We hope this can help you in deciding your vote.
The Previous Election
In the Kahl 2021 Election we saw The People’s Coalition pull ahead of Thøn Republic United (TRU) to form a majority government, this was mostly due to a last-minute policy named ‘Farmers Benefit Scheme’, which promised to aid farmers with large subsidies, allowing easier access to transport for farmers, and creating a new governing body that is elected by farmers and controls related regulations.
We also saw United Thøn Coalition have a horrible election as they lost 39% of the seats they had previously held. Their campaign was primarily focused on fixing homelessness and poverty, however their lack of support from the farmers was what lost them the election.
Thøn Republic United (TRU) had a very good election, they managed to win 11 seats, up from the 2 seats they previously had. They did this after announcing their ‘Farmer First’ plan which would assist farmers in farming.
Policies
So far Eco-Destiny Thøn have promised huge grants and subsidies for eco-friendly farming, easier access to affordable, reliable and environmentally conscious farming equipment, and to lower taxes on food and agricultural products. Eco-Destiny Thøn have also suggested that they may also expand Kahl’s ports and try to bring Kahl back to its former port state self.
Everyone’s Party has backed Eco-Destiny Thøn’s farming policies as well as pushing for expansion in Kahl’s shipbuilding sector, and road upgrades. They plan on creating better living and assisting the poor farmers in their business. They also announced a 10-year ‘New Kahl’ plan which would prioritise development of Kahl’s industries to use newer methods and make use of new technology.
Thøn Centrist Party is pushing for payments to singles, couples and families that earn very little money and lifting taxes for higher income ones. They have supported Eco-Destiny Thøn’s farming plans; however, they stated that the payments should be drastically reduced in size to accommodate for a budget surplus rather than a deficit.
The People’s Party of Thøn have announced huge grants to farmer, worker and the unemployed alike. While this will cost a lot, they say it will be worth it. Their other plans include lowering taxes for everyone, granting subsidies to farm owners (not always farmers), and lowering budgets elsewhere on education, healthcare, etcetera.
The Craut Party of Thøn want to work on improving infrastructure, roads and port primarily as the last scheme for their improvement was in 1978. This is their main policy; other than it they have backed most of the People’s Party of Thøn’s policies.
Thøn Republic United have announced slashing funding all around the table to remove Kahl’s debt, they stated that paying it off would lead to a better long-term future. Other than that, they hope to make tax rates the same for both the rich and the poor. And they want to lower taxes as well.
The Independents are rising, we are seeing some really good policy making from independents, a lot of them supporting welfare increases and subsidies to farmers.
Polling
So far, polling shows that the People’s Party of Thøn is in the lead marginally over Eco-Destiny Thøn. Currently in terms of coalitions, United Thøn Coalition are leading with a theoretical majority government. Thøn Republic United have lost a lot of their percentage from the previous election and it is the same with the Craut Party of Thøn. We believe this is due to Kahl’s need for welfare, so more of the left-wing parties and ones that push welfare are getting more votes.
In conclusion, it looks like a sound United Thøn Coalition will take government, however we are uncertain how these results will look in 7 days’ time as more policy comes out and minds sway.
KTS (Kial Transit Systems) To Build A Further 3 Tram Lines For Kial
26th of June 2024 | KTS, Kial
KTS (Kial Transit Systems) has officially announced that they will be constructing a further 3 tram lines for Kial, bringing Kial’s total to 5 lines. This may not seem out of the ordinary until you realise that Kial only has roughly 5,500 residents. We spoke to KTS CEO Øydis Hanssen about the situation. “Public transport is an eco-friendly way to get about.” They started off saying. “Kial, unlike every other state capital, does not have a subway, metro or rail system. Our trams are our equivalent of a rail system.” When we asked why such a small city would even need a tram system they replied with: “Well, we want to do our bit in helping the environment, and this is our way of trying to do that.” We then asked why Kial even needs to help the environment more if every resident could, in theory, purchase at least one electric car. “The public transport network is a joy to use, it is scenic and wonderful for residents, it is relaxing and comfortable as they can just sit back and relax.” Then we asked whether these trams are purely vehicles for one’s leisure. “It is somewhat, it is also more convenient for residents.”
“This is all just propaganda so that Kial can have another 3 tram lines. They are rich and have absolutely no need whatsoever for these lines.” Argues Independent Sahali for Phaus, Antía Pereira. “They have more than enough public transport options with their buses and ferries, now they want more trams, this is an unrealistic waste of government money.” There has recently been a petition created to stop the expansion of Kial’s tram network, currently it does not have enough support. The project is estimated to cost ØK4.93 billion ($1.54 billion SHD), be approximately 14.3 km long across all lines, and be completed by the end of 2025. The lines are planned to be serviced by Ätank L090s, the latest generation Ätank trams which have been heavily promoted by the company and are also planned for use in Fhaled, Louad and Zhæl. We expect that the entire tram system will be fitted out with luxurious touches as with the current two operating lines.
We want to know you opinion on the latest debates, and we would love it if you could vote for your opinion in the bellow poll!
Kahl Election Results
3rd of July of 2024 | ZNC Kahl HQ, Kahl
We have the results for the Kial 2024 State Election, and the United Thøn Coalition have won majority government with their three member parties, leaving The People’s Coalition in opposition, and the Conservative Party wondering how they could lose by so much. From 21 seats to just 3, the Conservative Party had lost its position in government, and by no small manner. Thøn Republic United also lost a lot of seats, falling from 11 to 2.
This could mark the end of Kahl’s conservative rule, with is being traditionally ruled by Thøn Republic United and the Conservative Party. This could mean more welfare and development in the region, with projects like the Thøn Maglev Loop, New Kahl Ports and the Tarmac Roads Kahl project potentially being revived by the new government.
The United Thøn Coalition will likely work together on infrastructure and welfare bills; however, we are not so certain elsewhere, with business subsidies and tax cuts. The Centrist Party have been leaning towards keeping spending low, to keep Kahl debt free. However, Everyone’s Party and Eco-Destiny have been heavily supportive of introducing policies on business subsidies, tax cuts and investment in industry. We asked both Everyone’s Party and Eco-Destiny Thøn for a statement on these matters. Eco-Destiny Thøn replied by stating that “Kahl currently has adequate funds to continue with a budget deficit for a handful of years, which is likely all it will take to get Kahl where it needs to be.” Everyone’s Party replied by stating that “Kahl’s economy is in need of restoration, we must bring it back to its former glory, and subsidising industry and supporting tax cuts is the best way to do that. The long-term vision is what is important, even if in the short-term we have to go into debt. Overall it will be a benefit to Kahl and its citizens.”
We also asked Kahl Centrist Party leader Helena Næss what her views were on Eco-Destiny and Everyone’s Party’s views on tax cuts and subsidies. She simply replied by saying “They have their own views completely sperate from ours. I do not wish to comment further on potential clashes.” ZNC recognises that Næss likely does not want to anger or annoy coalition partners. It could also point to the Centrist Party possibly wanting to stay neutral on such topics. Either way this will likely hold up Eco-Destiny and Everyone’s Party’s plans.
