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Agenzia di Stampa Statale di Montedica

Montenzari State Press Agency

Bringing Montenzari News To You.

Edited May 23, 2023 by Montedica (see edit history)

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Montenzari bishops oppose efforts to legalize euthanasia.

PORCELLA ( Montedica )  — Various Montenzari bishops and other members of the Catholic Church have officially stated their opposition to the "Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill" currently being debated on the National Council, calling it "homicide carried out in a clinical context."

"It is not ethically acceptable to cause the death of a patient, not even to avoid pain and suffering, even if he or she expressly requests it," the Montenzari Bishops' Conference said in a document presented today during a press conference. The paper was prepared by a "team of experts", led by Bishop Stephan Porescallo of Porcella, who is also a medical doctor, in response to the bill introduced to the legislature. In their statement, the bishops argue that the legislation challenges "the absolute value of human life and its character as an untouchable and inalienable fundamental human right, and goes against the Constitution and human rights."

According to the document, the Montenzari Catholic Church is ready to "request intervention by the Supreme Court of Justice" to rule the bill unconstitutional, on the grounds that it contradicts Article 10° of the 2022 Constitution of Montedica which states that "the right to life is inherent to the human person. Its protection is guaranteed from its conception [...] and all inhabitants will be protected by the State in their physical and psychic integrity, as well as in their honour, reputation, freedom, security, job, housing and prosperity." Similar strategies have been used by the Catholic Church to block the formal legalisation of abortion. However, it has not prevented the passage of other laws which have effectively created enough loopholes to make abortion de facto legal in the country.

Opposing assisted suicide does not mean it is necessary to keep a patient alive through any means, the bishops clarified. They cautioned against an obstinate insistence on treatment that will prolong life without the prospect of recovery, saying, "The application of disproportionate therapeutic and diagnostic procedures only serves to prolong the agony uselessly." However, they continued arguing that "palliative care can be properly used to alleviate suffering in the face of an untreatable condition and is a morally acceptable alternative to causing death in the patient." People living with serious illnesses or approaching death "especially need and want all kinds of support, as well as pastoral care," the bishops said. "It's a fact consistent with the spiritual nature of the human being confirmed by sociological science."

As the servant of humanity, they said, the Church wants to "offer the light of Christ to illuminate the most painful and difficult human circumstances". The bishops prayed that God would guide the councillors in their deliberations, toward "a Montedica that welcomes, protects, supports, and accompanies each person throughout their existence, including the final stage of their earthly life, with the much-needed assistance of the family, palliative medicine, and genuine religious experience."

 

 

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National Council passes the Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide bill in a historic vote.

PORCELLA ( Montedica )  — After a heated seventeen-hour-long debate, the National Council has approved the Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide bill proposed by Movimento Diritti, which would formally legalise euthanasia in Montedica despite widespread opposition by conservative and religious groups. The bill managed to obtain 147 votes in favour, while 102 councillours voted against it and one abstained.

The bill has proven to be extremely divisive among the members of the governing coalition, who ultimately decided not to back the bill, with 81 out of their 133 councilors voting against it. The Green Party temporarily joined the ranks of the opposition, voting overwhelmingly in favour of the bill (17 in favour and 1 abstention), while the Partito Socialista remained mostly divided (25 for, 27 against). The greatest resistance against the bill within the coalition came from the Partito Nazionale, with only 8 of their councillors voting in favour of the bill, while 54 voted against it. The opposition provided most of the needed votes for the approval of the bill, with 81 councillors of the left-leaning Nuovo Alternativo (out of their 101) voting in favour, while the 15 members from Movimento Diritti and the single councillor of the Partito Rivoluzionario also voted in favour.

"We are consecrating a right that puts our social and human rights legislation at the forefront wurldwide," Councillor Galileo Scelza of the Movimento Diritti party said in a TV interview shortly after the result was announced. "The right of individuals to decide on their own destiny and to avoid suffering that they consider unbearable according to their perception is recognized. Likewise, through this law, concrete guarantees are established for patients, physicians, and other actors involved in the assistance process," another councillor from Movimento Diritti explained.

The bill has now been sent to the Doge of the Republic, who can directly sign it into law, send it back to the National Council for further review, or exercise his right to veto the bill within 30 days of being passed by the National Council. A veto from the Doge is unlikely to happen, as he has never exercised this right before, even when laws he has been vocally opposed to made it out of the National Council, although the possibility can not be ruled out as several members of the Partito Nazionale have already petitioned the Doge to veto the bill.

A ducal veto would not be the final demise of the bill, as it can be overturned by a majority of the National Council, but would delay the bill from entering into force for at least another year as various legal processes and formalities must be done before a vote to overturn the veto can take place. However, it is not guaranteed that the Council would have enough power to overturn his veto then, as general elections are scheduled to happen in July this year and the current Council will be dissolved and replaced with newly elected members in June.

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Tragedy at Fiume Diamante: CMF train derails near Borgo di San Poggiolo.                               

Porcella ( Montedica ) — According to primary data, at least 60 people have lost their lives and another 100 have resulted injured in what has become the worst railway accident in the history of Montedica after a Frecciaverde highspeed train from the CaminodiMonte Ferrovie (CMF) carrying a total of 231 passengers and 4 crew members derailed just under 2 kilometers from Borgo San Poggiolo, a small town of 1.700 inhabitants near the City of Nuova Antotta. Emergency services continue to work looking for injured or dead people in the wagons of the derailed train, many of which have ended several meters away from the track.

The accident occurred at around 10:32 p.m. during the afternoon service of the Nuova Antotta-Porcella line, which is the busiest in the country. The train left the Cascata Monte Station in Porcella at 7:21 p.m. and should have arrived at the Nuova Antotta Marina d'oro Station at around 11:00 p.m., when it derailed while taking the tightest curve of the route, after supposedly entering it with a speed greater than allowed. Several residents of Borgo San Poggiolo were the first improvised rescue teams to arrive at the scene of the accident, reporting a "wagon engulfed in flames" and warning that the cost in lives of the accident would be "dramatic" after spotting several lifeless bodies lying on the tracks.

All hospitals in Nuova Antotta and neighbouring towns have been put on alert to receive the dozens of injured people from the accident, some in critical condition. At the Sacro Cuore Hospital, where a good part of the seriously injured people arrived, numerous anguished relatives gathered, who were continually called by the medical services to inform them of the state in which their relatives were, at the same time as several professional health workers arrived to the hospital voluntarily to help with the treatment of the injured. Nuova Antotta's health services authorities have also made a call on social media to citizens of the city to come and donate blood to the Nuova Antotta Transfusion Center, while also requesting everyone to not approach the place of the accident to not hinder the rescue missions taking place.

The facilities of the Bellavista sports complex in Borgo San Poggiolo have been allowed to serve as a temporary funeral home for the victims of the derailment. CMF has also provided a telephone number for assistance to the families of the injured or dead, offering information on how to proceed and the situation of their relatives, at the same time that the Polizia Civile has also enabled a contact number open to the entire population to provide information about the accident. All railway services on the Nuova Antotta-Porcella line have been suspended until further notice, while those trains currently running on the line have been diverted or stopped.

Starting tomorrow morning, the Corpo di Esperanza, Polizia Civile, and other State forces will focus on investigating and clarifying the causes of the accident, although according to the Head of the Railway Directorate, Antonio Rossi, who has arrived in the vicinity of the incident as soon as the news was known, together with the Minister of Transportation, Giovanni Bianchi, the only viable theory that can explain the tragedy is overspeeding. The whereabouts of the train driver are not known so far, but there is no record of him among the injured people admitted to the different hospitals of the region, so it is suspected that his body could still be among the remains of the accident.

Edited August 2, 2023 by Montedica (see edit history)

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Tiziano Zito Decrees three days of official national mourning.                            

Porcella (Montedica) — After making a brief visit to the scene of the accident and the Sacro Cuore Hospital, Doge Tiziano Zito addressed the population from the Reggia di Finaglie Conference Center in Nuova Antotta. A flag of Montedica hung behind him, with a black ribbon added as a symbol of mourning. "Yesterday was a truly devastating day for everyone in Montedica. As a New Finaglie myself, this accident has struck me very closely." The Doge of the Republic conveyed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims and his desire for a speedy recovery for those injured in the Borgo di San Poggiolo train accident. "The challenge now is to identify the people who have passed away. Many times this is not easy, but families cannot live under uncertainty."

At the time of writing this article, the total death toll of the accident has climbed to 71, of which 54 have already been identified. A total of 107 people have been injured, and 26 remain in a delicate state. The whereabouts of 3 people travelling on the train are still unknown, including an 8-year-old boy and his 17-year-old sister, who were seen alive shortly after the accident, and the train driver, whose body is nowhere to be found. Although the list is not yet complete, mainly due to delays in DNA tests that have to be performed on certain bodies for their correct identification, the Polizia Civile has confirmed that among the deceased there are 5 foreigners. Most of the deceased were confirmed to be New Finaglies returning to their city after spending the weekend in Porcella or nearby towns.

The Doge has also confirmed that he will be signing a decree to declare three days of national mourning. This means that all flags of Montedica will be flying at half-mast. Public employees and government officials will be required to wear a small black ribbon attached to their clothes. All activities of the National Council have been suspended. In Nuova Antotta, the mayor Ancilla Paladino has declared a seven-day mourning period for the city, as several other provincial and city authorities of the nation held a minute of silence for the victims.

The mayor of Nuova Antotta thanked the important work of all the emergency services involved in the rescue tasks and the treatments offered in the different hospitals, as well as recognizing the arduous work made by the Corpo di Esperanza, the Polizia Civile. Special thanks were also given to the residents of Borgo San Poggiolo, who bravely went to help the people trapped on the train minutes after the accident occurred. Special recognition was also given to the volunteers who have shown up at the hospitals of the city to offer help, and to those citizens who rapidly arrived at the Nuova Antotta Transfusion Center to donate the much-needed blood.

The Government has explained that two investigations are being carried out, one by the judicial system and the other by the Ministry of Transport, to determine the causes of the accident and those responsible for it. The tachograph of the derailed train – which stores information such as speed, kilometres travelled, braking, etc. – has already been recovered from the accident site. It is in custody in the Judiciary, waiting to be analyzed in the next few hours or days.

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Supercoppa Montenzari 2023 kicks off with a classic: Porcella F.C. vs Giglio Calcio.        

Porcella ( Montedica ) — The match that every Montenzari kid, fan, and footballer wants to play, win and enjoy will have a new chapter today. Porcella F.C. will meet current champions and fierce rivals Giglio Calcio at the Tricentennial Stadium at 7:00 p.m to kick off a new season of the Supercoppa Montenzari, the highest professional football league in the country, organized by the Federcalcio Montenzari. The match will also be the first one since the start of the pandemic to be allowed to proceed with a full stadium and without major protocols and will have a special guest: the Doge of the Republic and his family, long-time fans of Giglio Calcio.

Today's match will also be a test of hierarchy for both teams since winning a classic represents a more than gratifying fact for the one who achieves it and will provide a very-needed emotional boost to start a season that promises to be one of the most demanding in years. Both Giglio Calcio and Porcella F.C. enjoy being the two leading and biggest football teams in the nation regarding the number of fans and resources but have been slowly dwindling their footballistic quality. The two teams that used to dominate the Supercoppa Montenzari easily have recently started to see their dominance contested by Atletica Patriota and U.C. Pratanello.

It is undeniable that Porcella F.C. comes to this game as a favorite considering several aspects. Firstly, the advantage of playing at home, in the city of Porcella, secondly, the performance of Porcella F.C. has been superior during the first friendly matches between Montenzari teams that have occurred during this first month of January, reaping only victories, while Giglio Calcio barely managed to win only one match, being defeated three times already. However, the coach of Giglio Calcio, Anastasio D'Agostino, is confident in a victory for his team, "we have everything to win, we have the players, we have the team and we have the experience of being the current champions."

The Ministry of the Interior has ordered and coordinated a security operation with more than 750 police officers from the Polizia Civile and 120 members of the Corpo di Esperanza to ensure order in the vicinity of the Tricentennial Stadium before, during, and after the sporting event, to avoid any type of confrontation between fans of the two rival teams.