Earth II Newswire

[Edvardus]

Voice of Asia
2011 March 28
Nanjing City, Republic of Sinae

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed recent reports that the Prussian Reich has indeed dissolved earlier today. Sinaean political analysts have been discussing such a possibility for the past several months as the Prussian government began prioritising military expansion over domestic concerns. The Vice Chair of the Christian Democratic Party here in Sinae told the press that “the [CDP] has attempted to maintain an open channel of communication with our Prussian counterpart in the past several weeks, but it became evident the events of earlier today were inevitable.”

Economists predict the collapse of the Prussian Reich will have significant impacts on the economy of Guangdong Province, which has significant trade relations with the Reich. Anonymous aides to some CDP legislators in the Legislative Court have revealed that there has been intra-party discussions about taking precautionary measures should the Reich collapse, but has been met with gridlock by senior legislators trying to deliver on the party’s Families Serving Society platform deadline by Spring Recess in a few weeks.

When questioned by the press, President Marino said, “Former Chancellor Ruff is in my prayers as are the Prussian people.” The President did not mention the level of his knowledge of the event in the days or weeks leading up to it in his capacity as the head of the CDP.

Premier Lo has indicated that his economic team has been developing contingencies should the Reich collapse and that collateral damage to Sinaean economic growth will be limited. When asked how his government plans to respond to the new geopolitical setting in Europe, the Premier said, “We will be working closely with our allies in the region to ensure that the transition to fill the void is smooth and that peace and security to the region is not disrupted.” Some commentators have interpreted this as a signal that his government will be working with the Russians in the coming weeks on this issue, despite a rumoured disagreement among certain factions within the Democratic Socialist Party concerning closer ties with our northern neighbour.

[Hi No Moto]

Hi No Moto National News
Published: 3rd April 2011

After months of speculation it was today announced that the Imperial Diet had passed legislation that would make certain amendments to the Hi No Moton National Education Material, in particular certain sections in textbooks that dealt with the portrayal of foreign governments and people. These sections had come under repeated criticism and pressure from the Government of Sinae who believed that they were being portrayed in a poor light by such texts. The move by the Imperial Diet had come under attack by groups of the public who believed that the Empire had the right to teach whatever it wanted and should not have to bow to the Sinaen people’s wishes. Minister of Education, Tetsuzan Nagata, however waved away such protests and said that the legislation passed was a “clear sign to not only the Government of Sinae, but also East Asia and the World as a whole that the Empire recognized the poor taste of the material and that such teachings were not fitting of the Empires standing in the world and also had no place in a modern society”. The protests were quickly silenced however when it was announced that the legislation had been given Imperial Assent by Tenno Heika and although the feelings amongst some of the populace will remain, it is certain that they will not be voiced again.

[Edvardus]

Voice of Asia
2011 April 3
Nanjing City, Republic of Sinae

Earlier reports from the Hi No Moto National News indicate that the Imperial Diet has approved modifications to national textbook standards regarding the portrayal of Sinaeans. In the past, these textbooks described Sinaeans in less than flattering terms, degrading our countrymen to something less than human. The recently approved amendments will remove these references.

Ruben Li, Chairman of the Nanking Mission to Hi No Moto, applauded the passage saying, "This is an important milestone in improving relations between our two governments after previous misunderstandings. I applaud the efforts in the past several months of Diet members and those within the Ministry of Education of Hi No Moto.

President Marino also released a statement this afternoon. "This is wonderful news for not only Sinaeans but also the school-age children of Hi No Moto. Celebrating diversity is a true accomplishment of civilised societies and it is reassuring that the Diet has taken this step in the right direction. It is my hope that actions such as these will allow our two governments to work more closely on a broader range of issues in the near future."

Conflict with Hi No Moto played a major factor in debates during the most recent legislative elections in Sinae last November. Many political analysts agree that the significant drop in legislative seats for the Democratic Socialists were in part due to their belligerent stance towards our neighbour. When asked about the textbook decision, Premier Rowan Lo of the Democratic Socialist Party said, "The decision today coming out of the Hi No Moton Islands is very welcomed by the Executive Court. The work of Ruben Li and his staff abroad are commendable and our government plans to discuss immediately loosening certain trade barriers between the Sinaean and Hi No Moton economies as well as increasing the number of visitor visas issued to Hi No Motons coming to Sinae."

[Amigard]

Iraq Diocesan Court
Amigard City, Amigard
April 4, 2011

Amigard News Network

The trail for Jacob Rithers began today in the Iraq Diocese Court located in Amigard City. Rithers, you may recall, was charged back in December of 2010 with advocating the overthrow of government and membership in anarchistic and seditious associations. Rithers’ original trial date was set for January 10, 2011 but suffered several setbacks.

Mr. Rithers “fired” several advocates throughout the process claiming that they were incapable of providing him with an adequate defense given their affiliation with a corrupt and god forsaken government. Rithers eventually decided to represent himself and proceeded to file several motions to the court demanding his release and declaring that the court does not have jurisdiction over him as he subject to Gods law alone.

Several attempts at a motions hearing were made with one finally being completed in mid March. Rither’s behavior in court has landed him several contempt charges. Despite the setbacks the trial date finally arrived. Court began amidst a frenzy of media attention that was quickly dismissed by Inquisitor Baker who ordered the proceedings to be closed, a decision that sent Rithers into an uproar as he demanded to be heard by the whole of the Theocracy. Mr. Rithers was restrained by bailiffs and reportedly bound and handcuffed to a chair for the remainder of the proceedings.

The accuser, Father Daniel Smith, made his opening statement today to the panel of judges that are to ultimately decide the case. Father Smith painted Mr. RIthers as a fanatic determined to overthrow the government of Amigard by any means and declared that the accusers office would show beyond any doubt that Mr. Rithers is indeed a member of the Children of God, a known terrorist organization within the Theocracy. Mr. Rithers reportedly choose not to make an opening statement other than to declare that the court would surely burn in Hell for their crimes against God and his servant.

The trail is expected to take up to four days depending on Mr. Rithers’ behavior. The prosecution has several witnesses they plan to call to testify and numerous pieces of evidence obtained from Mr. Ri’hers' home during the execution of a search warrant including alleged COG propaganda, a journal in which Mr. Rithers states his intent to bomb several mosques, and various weapons and explosives.

[Edvardus]

Voice of Asia
2011.04.16
Nanjing City, Republic of Sinae

The Christian Democratic Party, which staged a huge upset at the polls last fall against the Democratic Socialist Party, campaigned on the promise that they would fulfil their campaign platform of “Families Serving Society” by the time the Legislative Court breaks for Spring Recess. Last night, legislators went home for Spring Recess and the CDP has come up short.

The first part of the platform was to increase job growth in the public sector for the underemployed as well as the unemployed. The stimulus passed with bipartisan support shortly before the Winter Recess in late-December. Also included in this bill was additional funding for the highly successful job training programmes, which require that those claiming unemployment benefits attend semi-weekly courses that provide these job seekers with skills for their job search. Speaker Lin says that “the cornerstone of the CDP platform is to get Sinaeans back on their feet in order to provide for their families with the hard work of their own two hands. Most of those who were unemployed and then participated in these job training courses while temporarily working in the public sector have all found jobs in the private sector this past year due to economic growth Sinae has not seen in more than two decades. It shows what average Sinaeans are capable of even when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds against them.” Most of these jobs have been in developing infrastructure throughout Sinae as well as in national defence. A DSP legislator is quick to point out that “due to the government’s efforts led by Premier Lo, the unemployment rate is now less than 4.5%, which is a significant decrease from just a couple years ago when it soared to a record 6.5%!” A Progressive legislator counters his peer, saying, “While these two parties have been in power, the public debt has ballooned to 40% of GDP! This should cause alarm among Sinaeans around the country, because the government cannot just keep increasing its expenditures without considering serious financial consequences in the future.”

The Legislative Court passed a bill prior to the New Year Recess, which established two new independent agencies that combined government bureaus as part of the promise in “Families Serving Society” to streamline government offices and organisations carried over from the structures prior to reunification. “Many of these organisations could either be integrated into the existing government institutions or grouped together into one of these two new agencies,” a CDP lawmaker said about the bill. “Families can serve society at the grassroots level without worrying that the government will continue to expand in size and scope so as to stifle private participation in communal life.”

The final part of the CDP’s platform is where the party ran into conflict not only with opposition members, but those within the party as well. Speaker Lin easily rounded up enough votes within his party for passing a bill that will require marriage counselling sessions prior to a couple getting married as well as bipartisan support for more funding towards government crackdowns on prostitution, human trafficking, and narcotics usage. However, many moderates within the CDP refused to back a bill that would outlaw artificial contraception. While many in the country view artificial contraception as the cause behind social ills such as the spread of sexually-transmitted infections, adultery, fornication, and sex crimes, the majority of Sinaeans favour keeping it legal. “Criminalising contraception would put millions of Sinaeans at risk of unwanted pregnancies and infection,” said a Democratic Socialist legislator. “I would much rather people use contraception than resort to aborting their baby,” a CDP legislator commented when asked why she opposed her party’s stance. The moderate wing of the CDP has raised more eyebrows among party leaders when, during debates on the contraception bill, revealed that they would go so far as to work with the opposition to legalise no-fault divorces, which has widespread support. President Marino, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the CDP, said, “This view is a serious violation of our party’s platform and members in public office holding this view on divorce will have their membership carefully reconsidered.”

News sources have been following this debate closely, a debate that is increasingly polarising the nation and has caused public opinion of the CDP to decline. When questioned about this recent trend, the president said that the public needs to “focus on the achievements the CDP has accomplished in its short time in control of the legislature as well as its achievements as the opposition last year. The CDP has had major success in turning this nation’s economy around and setting a world-class standard for catching and prosecuting human traffickers.”

It remains to be seen whether or not Speaker Lin will attempt to bring the bill up for a vote after the Spring Recess, but this crucial campaign-promised bill will most likely die in committee.

[Hi No Moto]

INPEX Announce Development of Mammoth Floating Oil Refinery
24th May 2011
Hi No Moto National News

In a statement to the press this morning Naoki Matsuo, Chairman of the INPEX Corporation, announced the company’s plans to begin construction of a giant floating gas refinery, named the Ishimura, in a project that is to cost ¥818 Billion [$10 Billion]. The ship will allow gas extracted by drilling rigs and platforms far out at sea to be transferred to the ship where it will then be processed and will remove the need for pipe lines connecting the offshore rig to a refinery on land. It now means that INPEX will be able to drill for gas in new fields that are hundreds of miles from the nearest land. The Ishimura is the next logical development for oil companies as new supplies of oil and gas become much more remote in their locations allowing the companies to easily extract the oil and safely transport it back to land. The whole process of refining the oil on-board and transporting it to land has come under increasing inspection from the Ministry of the Environment who have questioned whether this floating oil refinery could pose a catastrophic environmental disaster if its safety parameters were breached or if it were beached. INPEX has however been working closely with the Ministry and the Imperial Diet as a whole to make sure its new venture is within strict government guidelines.

The Ishimura herself will be exactly 488 meters long and weighs an impressive 260,000 tons unladen and increases to an even more impressive 600,000 tons when filled with gas. The gas will be extracted from the ground by separate production platforms that will be piped to the ship and be liquefied on-board by cooling it to minus 162C. The process will reduce the volume of the gas by at least 600 times experts have said. The gas can then be transferred to tankers which can ship it to anywhere in the world. Sources from INPEX had revealed that construction will take place in Southern Korea which has surprised many who believed in would be constructed somewhere in Japan. A completion date has been set sometime in 2016 where the ship will then be moored in the Timor Sea where it is expected to produce a minimum of 110,000 barrels of oil in gas a day.

Chairman Naoki Matsuo said “This innovative FLNG [Floating Liquefied Natural Gas] that our experts have developed will allow us to develop offshore gas fields that would have otherwise been too costly to even try and develop. Our decision to go ahead with this project is a breakthrough for the LNG industry and is giving it a significant boost to help meet the Empires growing demand for the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. Because of this breakthrough we are also looking for other interested companies who can benefit from this design and make sure the LNG industry is very strong and competitive.”

[Bavin]

---

Barrera Announces New Nuclear Power Targets
Buenos Aires, May 24th, 2011
Clarin.com and AP


The Parana No.1 Nuclear Power Plant on the Rio Parana.

In an announcement alongside the Minister of Energy and the Minister of Health, President Barrera announced that by 2020, the United Provinces would get at least 50% of its power from nuclear energy. He laid out a plan that would involve both uranium power plants and newer thorium power plants.

"We can use these two power plant types to generate safe and clean energy for all of the United Provinces. With every plant we build, we become that more independent of foreign powers and more self-sufficient."

Currently, the United Provinces has twenty-six nuclear power facilities with two more under construction. All the plants currently in operation are the uranium type, producing approximately 322 TWh of nuclear energy, about 20% of the country's power generation. These plants are mostly along the coasts or major rivers like the Parana and the Uruguay. A recent set of power-sharing agreements divert 15% of the country's nuclear power to developing countries such as Uruguay and Paraguay.

At a site just east of Buenos Aires, work has begun on an experimental thorium nuclear power plant. Rather than using uranium to generate heat, the new reactor uses thorium, a self-regulating material. The risk of a meltdown at a thorium plant is almost zero, as is the proliferation risk. That fact in particular was, in the past, the only limiting factor on thorium plants, as the United Provinces and other nuclear nations desired the byproducts of uranium plants for the making of nuclear weapons. However, the Ministry of Energy has decided that the current levels of plutonium production from the current nuclear system were sufficient to continue the desired expansion rate of the Bavinese nuclear arsenal, set to reach 2,000 warheads by 2015.

Thorium plants such as the facility at Magdalena will eventually make up one-third of the power facilities in the Ministry of Energy's nuclear development plans. The remainder will be uranium or hybrid facilities.

[Achesia]

Election Announcement

For the first time in the history of this nation, the people of Achesia have come out in force to cast their vote in elections for the legislature of the Achesian Democratic Ascendancy. This momentous occasion has started the democratic process in a land where democracy has had a history of corruption and failure. However through this wide and diverse election results we can see that the people have voiced their opinions no matter how different they are from each other. It is this fact that will give our nation the strength it needs to preserver through the hard times ahead and rebuild from the devastation of the past. We the people of Achesia will pull together our collective will and end the crime and corruption that has weakened it in the past. Now without further ado we have the results of the 2011 legislative elections:

The Assembly of Deputy Ascendants:

The National Party for a Secure Unified Achesia: 66 Seats
The Economic Prosperity Party: 38 Seats
The Acheisan People's Party: 38 Seats
The Achesian Realist Party: 28 Seats
The Achesian Social Party for Change: 28 Seats

The Council of Ascendant Advocates:

5 Seats National Party for a Secure Unified Achesia
3 Seats Economic Prosperity Party
3 Seats Acheisan People's Party
1 Seats Achesian Realist Party

Strength Through Unity
Chief Ascendant Xavier Talbot

[Cotland]

MoD Announce Establishment of Foreign Volunteer Corps

By Preben Holht (CNP)
15 July 2011, 14:05 CST



Cottish soldiers on manouvers


OSLO (CNP): The Ministry of Defence announced today that it will stand up a sizable military formation within a year. The Ministry spokesperson stated that the formation, to be dubbed "Fremmedfrivilligekorpset (FFK)" ("Foreign Volunteer Corps") will have an authorized strength of 90,000 officers and ranks all in all, to be raised and organized along the lines of standard Cottish organization. The unit is to be rapidly deployable, and trained and equipped to solve a host of different missions.


Officers will be drawn from the Royal Cottish Armed Forces, with foreign volunteers filling the remaining positions. The FFK is to consist primarily of foreign volunteers, who will agree to serve for four years at the time. Every applicant will be subjected to background checks. This is done to ensure that convicted felons will be prohibited from joining the service.

Upon successful competion of the initial four-year period, a foreign volunteer can apply for regular Cottish citizenship, provided he meets a few basic requirements, such as having served with honour and fidelity, not have been in trouble with the authorities during his service period, and have served under his true identity. Furthermore, foreign volunteers who have been injured during a battle for Cotland can apply for Cottish citizenship under the provision of "Cottish through blood spilled."

A large percentage of the Foreign Volunteers are expected to come from Layarteb, former Germania, former Hirgizistan, and other areas of the world where Cottish expatriates have settled or Cotland has otherwise made an impact.

The Foreign Volunteer Corps will consist of four line infantry divisions with a total of eight infantry brigades and four tank brigades, a light-role infantry brigade, an air defence brigade, an artillery brigade, an aviation brigade, a quartermaster brigade, a transportation brigade, and the corps headquarters. The Foreign Volunteer Corps will be distinguished from the Cottish Army by virtue of their training, to last one year after induction, which will focus more on small-unit skills and enable the various units to handle operations ranging from high-intensity warfare to peacekeeping operations. There are no limitations in transferring personnel who have been granted citizenship to regular Army units after completion of a term in the Foreign Volunteer Corps.

Equipment is expected to be drawn from Army stocks, utilizing primarily ex-Smolenski equipment and weaponry captured during the Patriotic Liberation War and subsequently modernized to current Cottish military standards.

The idea behind the establishment of the Foreign Volunteer Corps, the Ministry spokesperson said, was to allow a venue of service for foreigners with close ties to the Realm and descendants of Cottish expatriates who desired to serve Cotland, without violating the Constitution, which forbids non-Cottish citizens from serving in regular Cottish military units. This comes after the media revelations that the Cottish military has continuously violated the Constitution by inducting foreign volunteers directly into Cottish units without the express permission of the Parliament, as dictated by the Constitution's § 25:

"§ 25. The King is the Supreme Commander of the Realm's Armed Forces. The Forces must not be increased or diminished without Consent from Parliament. The Forces must not be relinquished to the Service of Foreign Powers, and no Warriors of Foreign Powers, except as Auxiliary Troops resisting Foreign Attack upon the Realm, must be allowed into the Realm's Forces without Consent of Parliament."

With Parliamentary consent granted to the establishment of the Foreign Volunteer Corps granted in a closed session in Parliament last night, the Government has been given the green light to raise the formations. The Corps is meant to be deployable into areas where it would be difficult to deploy regular Cottish units due to other commitments, lack of adequate relevant training, or other factors.

Roughly 60% of the manpower required to fully man the units are already serving in the Cottish military in some capacity, and will be transferred to the Foreign Volunteer Corps as soon as the formations are raised. The Ministry spokesperson stated that the balance of the manpower is expected to be added to the Corps within nine months, based on foreign recruitment statistics.


Worldwide Copyright (C) Cottish National Press, 2011

[Cotland]

NEW SUBMARINE CLASS REVEALED TO THE WORLD

By Ingar Holt (CNP)



SKLINNA-class submarine under construction


OSLO/OSTROVNOJ/MURMANSK (CNP): The Admiralty has announced the existance of a new class of submarines currently in the stage of entering active service with the Royal Cottish Navy. A selected group of journalists were invited by the Admiralty to view the commissioning ceremony of what the Admiralty dubbed a significant leap in the Royal Cottish Navy's anti-capital ship capabilities. Due to national security concerns, we agreed to hold off publishing the article for four months.


Carefully guarded by high-voltage electric fences, surface to air missile batteries, aggressive attack dogs and heavily armed Royal Marines, Ostrovnoj Naval Shipyards has been the source of much speculation for the past ten years. This is the place where a significant portion of Cottish submarine manifacturing and testing takes place,

After receiving the cryptic invitation by the Admiralty for a guided tour of the highly secretive Ostrovnoj Naval Shipyards, 282 kilometers east of Murmansk, we were met at the gate by a pair of grumpy Royal Marines who, after carefully reviewing our credentials, handed us over to a Navy Kommandørkaptein who requested his identity to remain anonymous. The Kommandørkaptein would serve as our guide as we as the first journalists ever started on our visit to the shipyard where much of Cotland's submarine development in recent times have taken place.

After a meeting and interview with the commanding officer of the Naval Shipyard, Kommandør Øystein Kraal, we were given a tour of the various workshops, production halls, and the inner sanctum, the large hangar-like structures where we got our first glimpse of the up till now secret class of submarine, resting on shore and waiting to go into the sea for the first time.

In the production halls we were allowed to visit, we could see a number of submarines in various stages of completion. The number of submarines of this class currently under production, we were told, was around twenty. The anonymous Kommandørkaptein beamed with pride as he told us that the submarine was one of the largest of its kind in the world. The dimensions certainly impressed us: 150 meters long by 18.2 meters wide, displacing 12,500 tons while on the surface, or 19,000 tons when submerged!

The armament of the new submarine was equally impressive: six 65 centimeter (26 inch) torpedo tubes, capable of deploying every kind of torpedo and missile currently in service or planned to enter service with the Royal Cottish Navy, primarily intended for self-defence; and the main reason for the construction of the submarine, the twenty-four side-mounted vertical missile launching cells, intended to carry the combat-tested and true Midgardsorm heavy anti-shipping missile, which hauls a 750 kilogram high-explosive warhead at Mach 3.5 up to 400 kilometers, or a 500 kiloton thermonuclear warhead up to 700 kilometers away.

The powerplant of the submarine was equally impressive. The massive submarine is powered by not one, but two pressurized water-cooled nuclear reactors, which between them generate 80 megawatts of energy, or in excess of 107,000 shaft horsepowers. This, we were told, was enough power to accelerate the submarine to submerged speeds "in excess of twenty-five knots." The flank speed of the submarine was classified along with most other details about the submarine, but independent experts have stated that based on the information provided and the few pictures we were allowed to take, the highest speed could be in excess of thirty knots.

Back to the guided tour. After being allowed to view the production halls and see the boats for ourselves, we were taken into another hangar, where a large group of people, mostly military but quite a few civilians as well had assembled. A military band was playing patriotic marches, and a large podium had been raised right next to the shining black hull of a submarine, the name of which we were told would be revealed shortly. For the uninformed, Cottish naval tradition is not to reveal the name of a ship until it is commissioned into the Navy, as this would bring bad luck to the ship.

At exactly 11 o'clock, the ceremony began with the officer presiding over the ceremony giving a speech welcoming everyone, and introduced the guests of honour. Present in the ceremony was the Commanding Admiral of the Navy, the Secretary of State for Defence, the current Chair of the Rikstinget Defence Committee, and other dignitaries.

After a small series of speeches, inspection of the ship's company, and some musical bits, the Commanding Admiral read the commissioning warrant to the crew of the submarine, all of them dressed in their parade uniforms and assembled in sharp rows in front of the podium:

"By virtue of the power vested in me by His Majesty the King of Cotland, I hereby grant warrant unto Commander Fillip Westfall, charging him to commission forthwith into active service with the Royal Cottish Navy, His Majesty's Ship SKLINNA, with the commissioning pennant number Uniform 975.

In accordance with naval regulations, I charge you and your successors to observe and execute all orders and instructions issued by the lawful National Command Authority faithfully and loyally. I further charge you to diligently ensure that all such Regulations, Orders and Instructions are observed and complied with by all Naval Officer, Non-commissioned Officers, Enlisted, and any other persons associated with the Royal Cottish Navy and the Armed Forces of the Realm of Cotland.

Given under my hand and seal on this the seventh day of March, 2011, Hans Grotung, Fleet Admiral, Royal Cottish Navy; Commanding Admiral of the Navy."

At this point, the National Anthem was played as a crewman raised the National Ensign in the mast of the submarine as all military personnel saluted the colours. After the raising of the national flag, a naval chaplain blessed the ship and crew, before the Commanding Officer took the podium, read his orders to assume command, and assumed command of the submarine from Fleet Admiral Grotung. After assuming command, the Commanding Officer issued the first order to his one hundred strong crew: "Man the ship and set the first watch!"

With that, the submarine, now known as HMS Sklinna had been commissioned into service, and the Royal Cottish Navy had gotten itself a brand new submarine that no one even knew existed until she was welcomed into service. The crew of Sklinna have a busy time ahead of them, with the next few months to be used for intense training and sea trials to ensure that the submarine is in tip-top condition before she's put out on patrol, some time this summer.

The Kommandør refused to answer questions about the constitutionality of keeping such military investments secret, saying only that the production and financing had been fully approved by the appropriate political authorities. Every year, a significant portion of the National Defence Budget is sunk into what experts call the "black budget", which goes into clandestine Government programs that range from research and development of new weapons systems, secretive operations, special forces, and apparently, the production of secret submarines.

In FY 2011, CRk 47.2 billion were allocated to the "black budget" under the non-descriptive budget post called "Miscellaneous expenses."

When asked how the Navy was able to keep the construction of such a class secret, and how they were financed, Kommandør Kraal assured us that the political authorities naturally were fully aware of the existence of the new class of submarine, having financed the submarine through the National Defence Budget, and that the secrecy was necessary due to national security concerns. If potential enemies of the Realm found out about the class of submarine before it was ready for deployment, Cottish advances and superiority would be negated at worst and rendered null and void as the enemies would be able to intensify their espionage efforts and learn the secrets which, Kommandør Kraal stated, "helped ensure that the military could guarantee the safety of the Cottish nation."

When we asked the Commanding Admiral who the new class of submarines could be used against, we received only the cryptic answer, "enemies of the Realm as specified by the lawful political authorities."



Worldwide Copyright (C) Cottish National Press, 2011

[Layarteb]

MINISTRY OF DEFENSE REVISES CHEMICAL WEAPONS POLICY
By James Hastings
Published: July 21, 2011 | 18:05 [UTC-5]

LAYARTEB CITY, NEW YORK — In a bold and unprecedented move, the Ministry of Defense announced a massive revision to its chemical weapons policy today. Previously, the Ministry of Defense classified the use of chemical weaponry as a strictly defensive weapon but today announced that it could be used offensively in extreme circumstances. While the Minister of Defense did not elaborate on these "extreme circumstances," he did allude to the use of chemical weapons being for a precursor attack. "The Ministry of Defense will not give specifics as to what we constitute as an 'extreme circumstance' but if chemical weapons could be used to lower Layartebian casualties by a significant amount, they would be used."

This major policy shift comes on the heels of a three-year review on the Goodrule Campaign, which concluded in 2008. During the war, Layartebian forces came under chemical attack by Goodrule forces in the city of Portree on the Isle of Skye. While the Ministry of Defense has not published the findings of this review as it considers them to be classified, it has provided casualty figures for this attack that include one thousand and forty-five killed and nine hundred and thirty-seven who were hospitalized but were not killed. In response to this attack, Layartebian forces did not use chemical weaponry, although the doctrine at the time justified its use. In Glasgow, Cottish forces used chemical weaponry against Goodrule troops in retaliation, a move that did not receive condemnation from the Empire suggesting that the Empire approved of the attack.

This major shift in the chemical doctrine puts the Empire more in line with its allies in the Realm of Cotland and alludes to the potential use of chemical weaponry in a conflict with the Empire of Hi No Moto. The publically assumed stance of Cottish offensive use of chemical weaponry in wartime was confirmed in a public statement by the Commanding General of the Army in 2010. The Minister of Defense also stated, "The use of chemical weapons in combat should not be used leisurely but neither should they receive a nuclear retaliation and the Empire will not retaliate against a chemical attack with nuclear weapons." When asked if the Empire operations both biological and radiological weaponry, the Minister of Defense stated "The Empire does not operate either radiological or biological weaponry nor do we intend to because we feel they are uncontrollable and can cause effects far beyond the intended consequences." In the past, the Empire has been accused of using biological weaponry against civilians in small campaigns of selective genocide but no evidence has been presented to validate these accusations.

The Minister of Defense maintained that chemical weapons could only be authorized by the Emperor and asserted that they were not being forward deployed due to this policy shift. When asked, he did not give specifics on what chemical capabilities the Empire possess.

James Hastings has been a reporter with the Layarteb City Times since 2001.

FOREIGN POLICY
Layarteb City Times © All Rights Reserved 2011

[Varnia Prime]

Richard Outlaw announces ceasefire, works towards unification
Published: Mach 20, 2011 by the Sacramento Times

In a press conference in Sacramento, Richard Outlaw, after meeting with the mayors of the city states that have surrendered to Sacramento Forces, announced that he, and the mayors of Stockton, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Francisco, Chico, Modesto, Merced, Madera, Bakersfield and several smaller city states, had signed a treaty, establishing a ceasefire, encouraging everyone to accept the rule of Sacramento Military Forces and guaranteeing humane treatment for everyone.
The biggest element of the treaty, addressed last by Outlaw, was what he called the "Unification Clause", which declares that the city-states of California are to start working towards unification. He announced that he, the mayors and representatives from their legislative branches will be called in for a meeting to establish a constitution for a "Republic of California" as he put it.

Richard Outlaw arriving at the press conference

It has been almost a month since the first Sacramento forces rolled into Stockton and other city states. Since then city state after city state surrendered to the rapid advance of Sacramento forces, ending with the surrender of Los Angeles and San Francisco. According to reports it has largely been a non-lethal campaign except in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Fresno, where resistance has caused approx. 600 deaths to Sacramento forces, and 3,000 deaths in resistance forces. All in all the population in the city states has been treated well and has not reacted violently against Sacramento forces.

Now it seems that California will finally be unified, as has been attempted several times throughout history, latest by a foreign interest, New Rhovanion which failed miserably due to resistance. What many are wondering now is what will happen after unification, as California is an area with great diversity and opposing peoples.

[Achesia]

Chief Ascendant creates a new anti-trafficking agency to curtail the rising numbers of the slave trade.

Published: July 15th, 2011, Brasilia Times
Parliament, Brasilia

C.A. Xavier Talbot today signed into action T.R.I.D.E.N.T (Tactical Rescue and Interdiction Division of Established Nefarious Trafficking.) A new agency in the Ministry of Justice that is tasked with the rescue, prevention, and interdiction of organized human trafficking in all its forms. This in the wake of a new report showing that human and sex trafficking alike have both remained stable in numbers even after the formation of the Democratic Ascendancy. Public outcry on this issue has been very vocal as many family members and victims of this illicit trade have spoken out about their experiences to members of the press in hopes of alerting the public of this issue that has not gone away, even if our sense of security has been strengthened.

The majority of the victims of this trade are underage girls which are abducted from the streets, or even their homes in some cases and sold to buyers around the world to be exploited. Studies show that it’s not just underprivileged girls that live on the streets or in low income neighborhoods that are at risk of kidnapping and being sold into the trade, girls from wealthy families as well are also being targeted for their decorum and healthy upbringing. Every family in Achesia is as risk from this threat and the victims of this shameful crime are speaking out in growing numbers.

TRIDENT is being formed by some of the most elite members of both the police and military. Many of its agents are former special operations or intelligence assets that have been brought over to the department of justice to combat this growing epidemic of illicit crime. TRIDENT will have an intelligence wing and a special actions wing, much like its own military body. The FEF, Air Force, and Navy also will be giving their full cooperation to TRIDENT in any area that it may be of use. The new Director of TRIDENT, Maarten Hall- former head of the Special Service division of anti trafficking- gave a few words as to the mission of TRIDENT at the opening of their new headquarters in Sao Paulo today.

“We are the purveyors of justice to these criminals that seek to exploit the innocent ones in our country. We are their voice and their strength through the times that they are weakest. We cannot fail them for it is their lives and well beings at stake.”

TRIDENT will be under watch of the council’s Trafficking Committee which will review the progress of the organization on a biannual basis.

[Hi No Moto]

Anti-Layartebian Protests in Bangkok
Published: August 4, 2011 by the Thai Rath

The streets of Bangkok were today lined with tens of thousands of protestors, who waved their flags and placards, chanting their slogans in protest of the Layartebian occupation and control of a small strip of land in the Kingdom of Thailand that is known commonly as the ‘Thai Canal Zone’. Scores of police and riot control officers had been deployed to the streets to combat the rowdy nature of the protestors and to ensure that the protests would remain peaceful and without incident.

The protestors voiced their opinions through blaring megaphones or simply through the strength of their own voice. ‘How can these Layartebians hold us to an agreement made by that insane old man [King Chang], who enslaved us and butchered thousands!” one protestor, a veteran of the Thai Army who had fought against the invading Fancainian armies in 2010, yelled to the cheer of others around him who shared his opinion whilst others in the street burnt the flags of the Layartebian Empire and even hung and burnt effigies of their Emperor to the cheers and enjoyment of many who paraded the burning effigy around the streets, much to the annoyance of on looking police officers who saw the threat of a fire hazard.

The Mayor of Bangkok joined in with the protests and ensured the people that the Government and the King were listening and that their views would be heard and something would be done. “The Layartebian occupation and control of the Thai Canal is a constant reminder to us of the period of brutal occupation we endured under the Kingdom of East Fancainian” the Mayor yelled from atop a hastily constructed stand which was surrounded by police and security personnel who winced at how unstable it looked “How can they expect us to respect such an agreement that was made by truly one of the most cruel and blood thirsty men in our history? The truth is we cannot respect it! We are the inhabitants of Thailand and we will decide that happens here!”

During the reign of King Chang, the despotic and insane ruler of the now defunct Kingdom of East Fancainia, over Thailand an agreement was signed between the Fancainian’s and the Layartebian Empire that allowed for the construction of a large canal facility and also the occupation of said area, an area which splits the Kingdom of Thailand in twain. The subject of what to do with the ‘Treaty of Quang-Sow’ and the ‘Thai Canal Zone’ had rarely been discussed by the current government but now serious questions have been raised about it during conferences with the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere which includes such influential members as the Indonesian Republic and the Empire of Hi No Moto. Whilst there has been no official communication made by the government towards the Layartebian Empire over their control of the canal, this latest protest will only further show the peoples frustration with a foreign and imperialistic nation having control over their lands.

[Layarteb]

LAYARTEBIAN OCCUPATION OF ADANA ENDS
By Selma Fernández
Published: August 15, 2011 | 13:15

ADANA, TURKEY — ONE year after the end of the Adanese War, the Layartebian occupation of Adana in Turkey has ended. Following an agreement with the newly formed Second Council of Turkish States, Adana will have its independence returned in exchange for continued Layartebian use of Incirlik Air Force Base and several other bases that have been established since the end of the Adanese War.

The Adanese War, which lasted about a month last July and August left over fifty thousand men, women, children, and soldiers killed and caused an estimated §50 billion in damage, has been a major black mark on Turkish history. President Durak, the despotic leader of the short-lived Democratic Republic of Adana remains at large, much to the chagrin of the Empire. While there is a significant reward for his capture, many analysts believe he will die in hiding before he is found.

With an injection of foreign aid to Adana, the Empire's withdrawal signifies a year of post-war uncertainty. Layartebian forces maintaining guard over the embattled state have been involved in many small-scale engagements with rebel and insurgent forces north of the capital city of Adana and have found that popular support for continued occupation has since waned in all but the wealthiest parts of the Turkish state. With this independence, Adana will rejoin the Council of Turkish States and receive significant funding from both Istanbul and Layarteb City in order to rebuild and recoup the costs of the war.

Popular support for the Empire remains in limbo in the region and while it is too early to tell how this will affect the Empire's popularity with the former Eurasian people, it is a move long since sought by both the Turkish and Layartebian governments.


Selma Fernández is a long-time staff writer who was nominated for the Pulitzer Price in Journalism in 2007.

ASIA - FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Layarteb City Times © All Rights Reserved 2011

[Layarteb]

NEW RELATIONS WITH AUSTRALIA
By Peter Gibbons
Published: Aug 25, 2011 | 18:09 EST

LAYARTEB CITY, NEW YORK — Earlier today, the Empire of Layarteb and the Republic of Australia officially opened new diplomatic relations. The reopening of the Empire's embassy in Canberra and the resumption of trade and travel visas to the Australian state was heralded as a major advancement in relations with Pacific nations. Also signed in the deal is the sale of the F-58 Viper multirole fighter, the Empire's premier multirole fighter. Export variants have been offered to several nations but the Republic of Australia is its first, foreign customer. Though the Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the total size of the order, estimates are that over one hundred fighters will be transferred to the Republic of Australia, each one of them newly built by the Layartebian Defense Corporation.

This beginning of relations with the Republic of Australia ushers in a potentially new front against Hi No Moton expansion, which has concerned every Pacific nation. While a Cold War has settled between both the Empire and the Hi No Motons, the constant threat of that conflict going hot is a certain motivator to many Pacific nations. Issues such as the inclusion of Hainan into the Western Republic and the continued construction of the Thai Canal continue to keep both the Hi No Motons and the Empire in contention with one another, among other triggers.

Peter Gibbons has been a staff writer with the Layarteb City Times since 1989.

ASIA | OCEANIA | DIPLOMATIC
LAYARTEB CITY TIMES © All Rights Reserved 2011

[Cotland]

NAVAL ARMAMENTS, WARSHIPS TRANSFERRED TO APOLONIA

By Ingar Holt (CNP)



OSLO/KARIN CITY (CNP): Defence Ministry officials announced today that the last of fifty-four warships sold to the Apolonian Empire as part of a Foreign Arms Assistance Deal has been transferred to the custody and control of the Imperial Apolonian Navy.

The ships, which include six large cruisers, twenty destroyers, twelve frigates and sixteen minesweepers, have been transferred in increments to Apolonia over the last year following the establishment of a Foreign Arms Assistance Deal made shortly after the Realm of Cotland officially recognized Apolonia as a free and sovereign Nation-State.

The $53-billion deal was made in conjunction with the four-aircraft carrier deal the Apolonian Empire made with the Empire of Layarteb, and sees the Imperial Apolonian Empire bolstered to levels not seen since the hey-day of the Apolonian Empire of old, and follows on the transfer of twelve patrol frigates and a number of fighter jets from Cottish military stocks to the Imperial Apolonian Military immediately after the Cottish recognition of Apolonia.

The Apolonian First Sea Lord is rumored to have said “What the **** are we supposed to do with all of these”, in reference to crewing the many new ships.

The $53 billion deal includes ships, an initial supply of spare parts and munitions, and Cottish instructors to train the fledgling Apolonian Navy in the operation and use of the warships in question. Additional follow-on deals are expected to be made with Cottish military contractors in order to replenish stocks of spare parts and munitions.

Worldwide Copyright (C) Cottish National Press, 2011

[URBOV]

To the Soldiers of Jihad

September 20th 2011

We fight in Azerbaijan, in Algeria, in Chechnya. We fight in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, in Iran. We fight as you fight, yet we fight not for some craven god, some ideal, or a nation, we fight for progress. Our struggle is as legitimate as yours, our struggle will be as brutal as yours. One man’s terrorist is another’s Freedom Fighter, in this light we are not terrorists anymore than you are holy warriors, we are instead Peace Bringers. We are instead the leading edge, the progressives, the Vanguard.

Idealism is a rallying point of the past, no longer do we shout for the Workingmen of the World to unite, not do we fear the Communist hordes. Idealism much like religion is a product of mankind’s intellectual advancement, as such ideals are as much the enemy as Gods or Prophets. Nor are we Western, nor are we Eastern, we are the perfect Internationalist movement because we are at our core the absence of a movement. We are frustrated individuals, armed by our own funds and trained by our own standards. When we strike it is alone, yet it is part of the Vanguard.

You do not shy away from killing the innocent, calling them infidels. We no longer will shy away from killing the innocent, calling them animals. To struggle in your land is just but to struggle in ours is invasion. We shall struggle in both our lands and yours. We shall carry warfare not to you, not to the Federally Administered Tribal Zones or to Grozny, we shall carry the war to your women and children. We shall create a desert of your homes, we shall do this because violence is seemingly the only thing you understand.

Your preachers call for all Muslims to rise up and destroy the infidel, as such we must see all Muslims as the enemy. Those that are killed who do not wish to resist will be greeted by either your god or one of ours, they are collateral damage in a war that you have started. You rejoice at the news of the death of an infidel soldier, you celebrate the demise of a Zionist Cleric, you call for the expansion of Islam by the Kalashnikov. We shall do the same. If a Jihadist dies, we shall rejoice, if a cleric is slain we shall celebrate, we shall expand the dominion of Progressivism by the Kalashnikov, just as we destroy your dominion with the Kalashnikov.

Call for the death of the Empire of Layarteb, the Empire of Hi No Moto, The Cottish Realm, the secular world, we shall respond in kind. Death to Saudi Arabia, death to Iran, death to North Sudan, death to Yemen! Death to Sharia Law! Death to those who seek ours, death to those who shout that our struggle is one of aggression! Death; there will be only death!

Let all innocent and good Muslims know that we strike you only because they strike us. Let all innocent and good Muslims know that they are the enemy only by their supposed liberators or Holy Warriors lack of judgment! End them, end their domination of your’s the fastest growing and most beautiful of religions. Do this or face the horror that they force upon us. Do this or know the fear that the infidels feel, the fear of a moral-less and barbaric enemy.

The hour grows late, the day grows short, soon the Vanguard shall strike and when it does all shall weep in the face of Progression. All shall weep in the face of humanity’s never-ending advance. All shall weep.

Forward the Vanguard!

[Layarteb]

June 9, 2011

Fatwa of Al-Shams

Praise be to Allah, who revealed the Book, controls the clouds, defeats factionalism, and says in His Book: "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)"; and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad Bin-'Abdallah, who said: I have been sent with the sword between my hands to ensure that no one but Allah is worshipped, Allah who put my livelihood under the shadow of my spear and who inflicts humiliation and scorn on those who disobey my orders.

Allah grants us the wisdom and the strength to live amongst the Infidels of the world. It is through His power and grace that we, the faithful brethren of Allah, and his prophet Muhammad Bin-'Abdallah, may live under such Satanic rule. We, the faithful brethren, write our Fatwa in English so that all nations and people of the world can understand our divine duty, our loyal Jihad, as proclaimed by Allah through his prophet. It is this duty that unites us with our oppressed, tortured, and blasphemed brothers throughout the world.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. By the Sun and his glorious splendor; By the Moon as she follows him; By the Day as it shows up the Sun's glory; By the Night as it conceals it; By the Firmament and its wonderful structure; By the Earth and its wide expanse; By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right; Truly he succeeds and purifies it; And he fails that corrupts it! The Thamud people rejected their prophet through their inordinate wrong-doing, Behold, the most wicked man among them was deputed for impiety. But the Messenger of Allah said to them, "It is a She-camel of Allah. And bar her not from having her drink!" Then they rejected him as a false prophet, and they hamstrung her. So their Lord, on account of their crime, obliterated their traces and made them equal in destruction, high and low! And for Him is no fear of its consequences.

Allah defeated the Thamud people but today they live on in memory. The godless, pagan heathens of the world curse against the name of Allah and the teachings of the Qur'an. The spirit of the Thamud people lives on in the vile wretches that occupy this holy planet, Allah's most glorious creation. It lives on in the:

• Africans of the New African Republic who worship money and wealth over spirituality and truth, who wage campaigns of dominance over the people of Africa and the Middle East, who oppress our brethren throughout the world through their economic policies and who kill our loyal brothers in Somalia through indifference and hate,
• Amigardians who push the will of the Church upon the holiest lands of Islam, who wish to destroy Mecca and flatten the Kaaba, who will occupy and enslave the people of Medina and Mecca and force upon them Catholicism and its reverence towards a false God and a false prophet,
• Bavinese who proclaim allegiance to the Church and its false God and false prophet,
• British who have replaced the godless idolaters of the Goodrule Third Spanish States with their own heretical republic that rejects the will of Allah and espouses hatred upon the people of Islam,
• Cottish who travel around the world to enslave the people under the banner of freedom that is nothing more than lies and deceit from Satan himself, who look upon the faithful as pawns and who detonated atomic weaponry upon the holiest peninsula, an unforgiveable travesty against Islam,
• Hi No Motons who worship their leader as a God, defaming Allah and his prophet, who enslave the people of Indonesia and Asia suppressing their will to worship Islam, the holiest of and only true religion in the world,
• Khorsunians who, like the Sinaeans, appease the Hi No Motons and bow to the pagan Layartebians,
• Klevanians who wage war against our Libyan brethren who are faithful to Allah and who have a right to independence from all European overlords, as proclaimed by our prophet, Muhammad Bin-'Abdallah,
• Layartebians who worship pagan idols and bomb the faithful brethren, who invade Turkey and strike fear upon the peaceful people of Egypt, who rubbed elbows with their cohorts, the Eurasians who suppressed the true teaching of the Qur'an and who idolized with the idolaters, whose goddess Luna is but a blasphemy upon the name of Allah,
• Persians who have brought war upon their pious, Muslim brethren at the behest of the corrupt powers of Russia and the pagan idolaters of Layarteb,
• Romans who have worshipped excess and decadence for thousands of years, who have spread Christianity throughout the world and suppressed Islam through blasphemy and heresy, who worship nothing more than their Empire and the history that us faithful brethren have worked to erase,
• Russians who wage war upon the people of Asia and Europe, who denounce Allah by proclaiming Communism, a godless, atheistic defamation of the Qur'an, who revile against the faithful in the Caucasus,
• Sinaeans who claim to be the righteous successors to the atheistic Eastasians but who wish nothing more than the destruction of Islam by appeasing to the Hi No Motons and allying with the pagan Layartebians,
• Turkish who are the successors to the United Federation of Eurasia, who cater to the whims of the pagan, heathen Layartebians in Adana, who give no quarter to the freedom of religious belief

It is these nations that will fall to the will of Allah. We, the people of Al-Shams, in commemoration of Allah's defeat of the Thamud people hereby call on every Muslim who believes in Allah and wishes to be rewarded to comply with Allah's teachings of spreading Jihad to those who blaspheme the holy word of the Qur'an. The time of conversion has not ended but let no snake fool you; those who proclaim conversion at the edge of a sword are no more faithful than the atheists who rule the physical world, who fear Allah.

Almighty Allah said: "O ye who believe, give your response to Allah and His Apostle, when He calleth you to that which will give you life. And know that Allah cometh between a man and his heart, and that it is He to whom ye shall all be gathered."

Almighty Allah also says: "O ye who believe, what is the matter with you, that when ye are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, ye cling so heavily to the earth! Do ye prefer the life of this world to the hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the hereafter. Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least. For Allah hath power over all things."

Almighty Allah also says: "So lose no heart, nor fall into despair. For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in faith."

[Terra Reborn]

The Imperial Times

By: Alexander Blair, Senior Military Correspondent
Published: Wednesday 14th August 2011

A salvage team, consisting of members of the Imperial Navy and several civilian interests, have been successful in raising the wreck of an Imperial Warship from the depths of the Apilonian (Bering) strait. The ship is believed to be Admiral Von Grippen’s legendary flagship; HMS Excalibur, lost during the Battle of the Strait in the summer of 1942.

It is generally believed that the Loss of HMS Excalibur, under orders from the Imperial Clerics to fight against an overwhelming force, that ultimately brought the admiral to betray the Empire when he absconded with the Home Fleet in 1945, an act that directly led to the fall of the First Apilonian Empire. At the time it was believed to be an act of personal revenge, however Modern Theories published recently have suggested an alternative. Imperial Files recently recovered from the Von Karin archives have confirmed that the Imperial Clerics were planning a crusade to bring the world under its banner, and oppress the population of the Empire, this has been recently been given validity by the discovery of Von Grippen’s own writings by Peter Cain. Von Grippen’s act of betrayal was motivated by the wish to prevent the Imperial Clerics from carrying out their plans, and Von Grippen knew that he could not take down the Clerics on his own so he absconded with the Home Fleet in order to allow the Empire’s enemies to do the job for him, an act that would ultimately bring about today’s Empire with a much less oppressive government.

HMS Excalibur was lost during the Battle of the Strait where she and a small escort of Destroyers took on an enemy formation of eight battleships and escorts. HMS Excalibur fought with distinction and under Von Grippen’s leadership was directly responsible for the destruction of four enemy capital ships before being sunk herself.

The Recovery of HMS Excalibur also brings home the only known Imperial Naval Ensign that wasn’t recovered after a battle, a matter of honour for the renewed Imperial Navy since its inception. The remains of HMS Excalibur will become the centrepiece of a Museum/Memorial to the ship, and indeed Von Grippen as a whole, and will be situated in Anchorage.

Imperial Times © 2011, All Rights Reserved

[Edvardus]

Voice of Asia
2011 September 13
Nanjing City, Republic of Sinae

Minister of Justice Pedro Araujo has announced that the Ministry of Justice will embark on a massive campaign to crackdown on corruption among government officials at all levels of government. This comes after an academic report from the University of Canton has found that politicians have taken money from corporations and criminal organisations.

One of the researchers told reporters that "Sinaeans in Guangdong have long held this concern since our country reunified. The vast majority of Sinaeans have not had as much in-depth experience with democracy as those of us in Guangdong have had and political corruption is something that we had stamped out for the most part in Guangdong, but something that young democracies may struggle with."

A legislator from the Progressive Party argued that "this is just another political witch-hunt intended to silence opposition to the government. The Christians and Socialists are always trying to come up with new ways to ensure that those who disagree with them are not heard."

Minister Araujo responded by saying, "No political party will be immune to interrogations, including my own. The Ministry of Justice will be working with the Auditing Court in the coming months to ensure that these investigations are non-partisan and thoroughly conducted. As we transition to a stronger democracy, all those who hinder our process will be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

The report especially cites several unnamed Democratic Socialist politicians as having taken campaign contributions from corporate heavyweights. A spokesperson from the Office of the Premier said, "Premier Lo fully supports the work of Minister Araujo and the Democratic Socialist Party remains committed to the Sinaean people to ensure that the government in Nanjing continues to be transparent and accountable. This is a standard that the premier hopes is also in practice at other levels of government."

Another interesting find is that in the early 1990s, former Edvardian Emperor James de Geneve allegedly funnelled over $1 million to underground organisations that provided funding to the Progressive Party in Xinjiang Province. The former emperor had a very controversial reign and had been the source of much contention within the Christian Democratic Party. His sudden death in 2004 has stirred up a conspiracy theory among supporters, which has been flat out refuted by the government. President Marino did not return our request for comment by time of printing.

[Mount Kip]

Patrols in Capital Increased in Response to Backlash Against Layarteb

by Lena Dubois

26 Septembre, 20111

PARIS, PARISIA ~

Anti-Layartebian crowds have filled the streets for three days in the Parisian Capital of Paris, protesting a recent statement from the Layartebian Government. The Layartebians have recently denied the existence of a proper Parisian government and its capital in Paris (Ile de France).

This action has profoundly angered many Parisian citizens, some calling for an end of pro-Layarteb relations of the Parisian government.

Parisian Gendarmerie patrols have been increased not only in Paris, but in all regional capitals across the country. Although in a statement released by the Commandant of the Gendarmerie earlier today, the official reasoning for the stepping up of patrols was strictly to keep protesters from getting out of control, but it is rumored the government has done so in direct response to the Layartebians, to prove their control over their territories.

Analysts believe that if another sovereignty-infringing action is committed by the Layartebian Empire, the Parisian government will have no other choice but to react accordingly through economic means; stiff tariffs and if the situation evolves, economic sanctions could be possible.

As for the protesters, many tell us that they will continue until a solution is reached and the Republic is recognized politically as they were before the Période de Paris Silencieuse (Silence from Paris).

[URBOV]

Russian Union State declares October First to be "Salute to great Russians"

Great Russians.

Saint Alexander Nevsky, savior of Novgorod.

Pushkin, father of Russian literature.

Leo Tolstoy, known champion of Serf's Rights.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, father of the modern novel.

Vladimir Lenin, father of the Soviet Union.

Joseph Stalin, Heroic Leader during the War Against Smolensk.

Dmitri Granin, First President of the Republic of Southern Russia.

Tsar Nicholas Romanov I, late Father of our nation.

Dmitri Siloviki, President of the Russian Union State, Defender of the Slavic Race, Hero of the Great Patriotic War.

[Layarteb]

Parisian Republic Needs Factcheckers
By Martin Hollsteed
Published: September 27, 2011 | 13:00 [UTC-5]

LAYARTEB CITY, NEW YORK — In a statement that was issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs today, the Parisian Republic "Needs to employ a few fact-checkers."

The statement comes in response to anti-Layartebian crowds in Paris. The Parisian Republic erroneously informed its citizens that the Empire has issued statements denying Paris as the proper capital of the Parisian Republic. Of course, anyone even remotely paying attention to Layartebian statements over the past year can see no such instance of this occurring.

"These protests are based on completely flawed information from a government that is about as amateur as karaoke night in a bar. The Empire is deeply upset and disturbed that a strong ally such as the Parisian Republic, with whom we have a Free Trade Agreement, would issue such false information to its people." The Minister of Foreign Affairs continued. "The Empire wishes to remind the Parisian Republic that a simple review of our Free Trade Agreement will show that the Parisians certainly benefit from it more than the Empire does. If the Parisians wish to end relations with the Empire they would be doing more harm than good to their own economy and political spectrum."

When asked if the Empire was going to respond with military action, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated, "It would be a waste of our time and effort to do such when it could be rectified if the Parisian Republic simply employed fact-checkers. In fact, the Parisian Republic needs to employ a few fact-checkers after this blunder."

The Empire has had a Free Trade Agreement with the Parisian Republic for some time and was among the first nations to issue a statement welcoming their reformation. We at the Layarteb City Times have to wonder, how good their education system is?


Martin Hollsteed has been a staff writer with the Layarteb City Times since 2008.

WORLD / EMPIRE
Layarteb City Times © All Rights Reserved 2011

[Gratislavia]

Germany and Holland Reach Military-Production Agreement
Das Republiken Stimme
"The first and best news source for German speaking people."

By: Oliver Posnitz
Publishing Date: October 9th

After various talks through private channels, The Imperial Republic of Germany, and The Kingdom of Holland have today announced a new arms agreement. According to our German sources, the Imperial Republic has granted Holland the Domestic Production Rights to the popular Heckler and Koch G36 Assault rifle, and the outdated but still efficient Leopard 1 main battle tank. In return the Imperial German Republic has gained the rights to maintain a military base near Vlissingen, a large city in coastal Holland.

While the German government is hesitant in regards to the armament of the base, they have identified the general purposes of the facility. In order of priority, a staging ground for assaults on Western Europe, a radar station to act as a first alert resource, and as a refueling depot for German ships operating in the Atlantic. While Germany at current reassures it's neighbors it's intentions are peaceful, with peacekeeping in mind when they speak of staging grounds. One can hardly forget the violent history of the nation, when they look at it's predecessors specifically North Germania.