If a news card has a duration tab in its rules text, it means that the ability that follows comes into play when the appropriate duration tab is turned upwards. The ability stays in play for as long as the news card is at that duration tab.
Example Duration & Assembly:
Ian’s 8th turn > Setup phase > Ian plays Forsaken Ruins (news). The card states that all ships in target outer region are to be returned to their controller’s home region, and that no ships can warp into that outer region for as long as Forsaken Ruins stays in play. This news card has Duration III. Ian also plays a Bestower (ship) this turn. Bestower has Assembly II and therefore stays in his dock.
Ian’s 9th turn > Setup phase > The countdown on both of these cards starts ticking. Ian now rotates the Forsaken Ruins card clockwise so that its second duration tab, Duration II, turns upwards. Then he rotates the Bestower so that its second assembly tab, Assembly I, turns upwards. He decides not to do anything else this turn and saves this turn’s ISK income for a rainy day.
Ian’s 10th turn > Setup phase > Ian now rotates the Forsaken Ruins card clockwise so that the last duration tab, Duration I, is turned up. Since there are no more assembly tabs on the Bestower, it is ready but still located in the starbase dock. During his management phase, Ian is able to undock his Bestower.
Ian’s 11th turn > Setup phase > The duration of the Forsaken Ruins card has now expired, and the card is placed on Ian’s scrapheap. That allows all players to again warp ships into the outer region that Forsaken Ruins was ‘blocking’.
