8 Shevat 5782

Prince Meir has today flown to the Holy City of Jerusalem on a three day visit which marks his first trip there with no other members of the Imperial Family. The 24 year old Prince is the heir to the throne and as such owns the title Duke of the Dung Gate, in reference to one of the many entrances to the Holy City. The visit to the Gate is an annual one undertaken by the family and usually coincides with the Emperor visiting the Gate of Mercy which he holds the title of Duke for. On this occasion though Prince Meir has gone alone and was spotted carrying out what is largely a symbolic inspection of the gate which he is duty bound to pay to have maintained. Following this he was seen distributing sweets to visitors to the city entering via the gate and holding conversations with several people heading to the Western Wall. The Prince himself went to pray there before joining Kodiman students based in the city for a walking tour of many of the cities Holy Sites. This evening he will host a dinner at the Kodima Embassy in the city which it is hoped the Vanoran Head of State, Duke David Aragon, will attend along with several other guests.

A spokesman for the Prince stated, "The Imperial Family are proud of their association with the city and with our cousins in Vanora. Prince Meir has enjoyed his first day in the city and is excited for the remainder of his visit." The Prince has recently graduated from University with a degree in Classical Art and is said to be keen to visit some of the non-Jewish sites on the city to view some significant art works. He has also cited his desire to visit the site of Masada, famed for a last stand by a group of Jewish fighters  around 2000 years ago. The Prince has formally requested to be able to walk the old siege ramp which is normally not permissible for tourists due to the desire to preserve the site. It has not yet been confirmed whether this request has been granted. On the final day of his journey the Prince will tour the Mount of Olives where some of his families ancestors are buried and is expected to leave several visitation stones.

It is expected that the Emperor will make his annual visit at some point in the summer where he is said to be keen to discuss easier access for Kodimans to visit Vanora.

Today Emperor Malachi V has successfully reached an agreement with three regional partners. The agreement between the Empire of Kodima, Royal Seleucid, Waddan and Rayyu will be known as the Gulf of Auraxis Arrangement and was signed by the Head of State of each of the four nations. The four leaders meet at the coastal resort town of Tlalim and was described by the Imperial government as being "highly productive."

The key take-away points of the Arrangement are;

• Removal of tariffs on goods traded within the Gulf region
• Support for regional projects such as Blue, KHELPS and similar concepts
• Creation of the possibility of "Associate Gulf Nations" allowing room for collective negotiations with non-Gulf nations.
• Easing of visa requirements for non-business reasons.
• Creation of the Gulf Games, an annual sporting event to act as a warm up for the Mundus Games
• A pledge to take steps to avoid war during any disputes
• An intelligence sharing obligation
• Pledges to co-operate on matters of piracy and safety in the regions seas.

During the signing ceremony all leaders hinted at potential future increases in co-operation between the four nations. The Emperor is now keen to target further trade and diplomatic arrangements with other nations across Mundus.

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During the invasion of modern day Vanora by the Rus Empire in circa 586 BC a group of Jewish guerillas from the small Vanoran village of Kodima took a caravan of refugees south into the hilly wilderness. Within 10 years they had constructed a new settlement which also bore the name Kodima. With regular raids into the Rus occupied Vanora they brought more and more people to their new land. With need for more living space they ventured further south. This process was sped up in 63 BC when Achkaerin arrived in what the exiles saw as their homeland. It was in 2AD under the rule of Nasi (Prince) Shimon II that it became apparent that for now at least they would not be able to retake their ancestoral homeland. With this in mind Nasi Shimon II began establishing systems designed to make Kodima more than just a settlement. Over the next twenty years Shimon began to organise his people and by the time of his death in 38 AD he had established a significant extension to his lands. His son shunned the title Nasi instead electing to call himself Emperor and thus became Emperor Shimon I. He continued his fathers works and set the goal of securing an Empire "Destined by the Divine to stretch from Jerusalem to the Kyne" This goal had spurred Emperors on and as such saw them get involved in the bloody Crusades in attempts to retake Jerusalem.

When the Convention of the Faith Treaty (1698) was signed the then Emperor was Malachi III agreed that he would recognise it in return for two things. The first was to be permitted to have Imperial troops help guard religious sites for Jews and that the Emperor of Kodima also be given the title Duke of the Gate of Mercy while his heir be given a Dukedom of the Dung Gate. Both these gates are in the walls of the city of Jerusalem and close to the old Temple. The titles were granted in order to ensure the Kodiman Emperors would not seek to regain the city.

Since the mid 1700's the Empire of Kodima and Vanora have enjoyed sound relations.

Government Type:- Monarchy with elected council.
Population:-:- c. 78,200,000 (2020 census)
Capital City:- Kodima (pop.2,800,000 in 2020 census)
Demonym:- Kodimans

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Currency:- Shek
GDP per Capita:- $31,200
Unemployment Rate:- 4.2%
Main Industries:- Automobiles and Automobile parts, microchips, processed textiles, green technology components, processed foods.

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Ethnicity:- 90% Jewish, 10% other
Languages:- Hebrew is the only state sanctioned language
Religions:- 90% Jewish, 10% other
Average Life Expectancy:- Male:- 78 / Female:- 80

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Head of State:- Emperor Malachi V
Head of Government:- Consul Ester Kogan
Name of Legislative Body:- The Imperial Senate