Alternatus Historia- Regional News Thread (AH ONLY!)

[AH Albion]

DEVELOPING: Satellite photos said to reveal Elvis on surface of Mars

Minister turfed after #OutYourPig allegations


The Parliament of Albion is pictured in a recent file photo.

WINDSOR -- Industry Minister David Ellsworth has been stripped of his portfolio following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Prime Minister Rachael Neel Shergold said she asked for and received Ellsworth's resignation after a political blog published allegations from seven women of sexual improprieties. Ellsworth denied the allegations and promised to defend himself.

"These allegations are absolutely false. They have no basis in fact and they do not represent who I am," said Ellsworth, who represents York Factory.

The women, including three former Ellsworth staffers and Green MP Kathleen O'Brien, allege Ellsworth repeatedly accosted them in stairwells and offices in Parliament. They said Ellsworth placed his hands on their buttocks without permission and made inappropriate comments.

O'Brien, who told the blog Hill Examiner that Ellsworth "smacked my bottom" and "called me nummy" while the two passed in a stairwell, released a statement celebrating Ellsworth's demotion and calling on him to resign. "No one should be allowed to create a climate of fear and powerlessness for women," she said.

None of the allegations have been proven in court. ABC was unable to independently verify the Hill Examiner story.

In a statement, Shergold said the allegations against Ellsworth would be investigated and further action taken if warranted.

"This sitting of Parliament saw more women elected to office than any session in history. As Prime Minister, I will take whatever actions are necessary to ensure that no woman has to endure sexual harassment or sexual assault in the workplace or in her personal life," Shergold said.

"Parliament is for everybody and I expect all members of the Labour Party to behave honourably," she said.

Ellsworth is the latest casualty of the movement known in Albion as #OutYourPig (#MahshOkookCocho, or #PartWithYourPig, in Chinook), which has seen several well-known men in entertainment and politics resign or be fired from their positions following allegations of sexual impropriety.

In 2017, Liberal MP Charles Breakhammer was kicked out of caucus after allegations of forcing himself on intoxicated female aides at parties. Also that year, Labour MP Brad Stahl refused to resign after 17 women alleged he assaulted them over a 12-year period, calling the allegations as "man-haters on a witch hunt."

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Idi Amin · 58 minutes ago
The only pigs we should be outing are the Obote pigs. But you do not know the way. You must get the Obote men out of Albion to find the way. I will show you the way. I am the new commander. All the women love me because I alone know the way. Vote for me and I will spit on all the Obote pigs. I am the greatest.

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YOU KNOW THE WAY up · YOU DO NOT KNOW THE WAY down

Lindsay Randfield · 51 minutes ago
Men, it's never OK to sexually harass women. Another pig bites the dust. #BelieveAllWomen #OutYourPig

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79 up · 22 down

DEPLORABLE SEAMUS · 47 minutes ago
what about DUE PROCESS?! these allegatons might be FAKE NEWS and shergold is throwing this guy under the bus??? what about fairness to the accused?? how do we know the allegations are even true????? soon no man is ever going to be able to talk to a woman

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[Jazirat al-Arab]

Record number of farmers at work in Arabian Peninsula


Farm fields in Arabia's Al-Ahsa-3 farming combine. AL-JAZIRAH PHOTO


SALIH AL-RIYADI Al-Jazirah Staff Reporter

AL-AHSA -- A record number of farmers plied their trade in the Arabian Peninsula in 2017 as efforts to bring water to the desert bore fruit.

Officials credited the 10% increase in farm employment - and a significant increase in crop yields - to the Al-Ahsa-3 desalination plant brought online in Dammam in 2012. The facility removes the salt from sea water and pumps fresh water inland to irrigate Arabian fields, which once drew their water primarily for aquifers.

The Arabian government has prioritized desalination plants such as these in recent years as existing agricultural plantations began to strain the capacity of Arabia's aquifers.

"With the revolutionary technology to purify the ocean and convert it into the water farmers need to feed our people, Arabia is on course to become fully food-independent," said Arabian Minister of Agriculture Bashir al-Qadi.

Al-Qadi said the country plans to bring another desalination plant online by the end of 2019. This plant, the ambitious Al-Jawf Superfacility, is intended to pump water through a series of mountain passes to the Al-Jawf agricultural region, where the government hopes to relieve depleting aquifers in one of Arabia's key new agricultural areas.

Plans to pump water from the sea in southwest Arabia, meanwhile, have been stymied both by the logistical difficulty of piping water uphill to Sanaa and by the insurgency centred in that area. Coastal cities in Yemen, such as Aden, have been well-watered for many years and are considered traditional stable areas in the region.

While most of Arabia's intensive agriculture is confined to Nineveh, Palestine, Transjordan and the Tigris-Euphrates cradle, Arabia views the arid peninsula itself as important to cultivate. The government has taken an interest in the sustainability of the Mesopotamian and Jordanian watercourses and is looking to find alternate sources of farmland.

The government has previous expressed an intent to try and create an artificial lake somewhere within the Arabian Desert. Al-Qadi, however, would not comment.

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Idi Amin · 45 minutes ago
There is only one way to bring water to the desert, and it is to get rid of all the Obote men. But you do not know the way to get rid of the Obote men. I can show you the way. The way of the conqueror of the British Empire. Together, we will get rid of the Obote men. You have to get rid of the Obote men to know the way. I spit on Britannia. Vote for me because I am the greatest man in the world.

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99999999 up · 1 down

Milton Obote · 42 minutes ago
HOW CAN YOU GET RID OF MY MEN, IDI AMIN... WHEN WE ARE ALREADY HERE?!

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666 up · 666 down

fleck · 37 minutes ago
i hope the farms are growing potate

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[Jazirat al-Arab]

First Arabian "Super Flanker" dazzles at Dubai Air Show


An Arabian Su-35 jet fighter performs aerobatic maneuvers at the Dubai Air Show Monday. AL-JAZIRAH PHOTO


AHMED YUNUS Al-Jazirah Staff Reporter

DUBAI -- Arabia's newest super-fighter jet awed crowds at the Dubai Air Show Monday with a dazzling aerobatic display as the People's Air Force revealed the operational aircraft for the first time.

The star of the air show was the Su-35S fighter aircraft, known as the Super Flanker. The fighter performed several dizzying maneuvers above the record-setting crowd, even flying with its nose cranked back 120 degrees in the air for a short distance in a move known as Pugachev's Cobra. It even turned downwards at the end of the move in a maneuver called the Cobra Turn.

"I didn't think it was physically possible for a plane to move that way," said audience member Aisha al-Khattab, watching from the field as the fighter danced overhead.

The supermaneuverable jet fighter, built in the Union of Sovereign States and painted for the air show in a distinctive aubergine-over-sky-blue colour scheme, is one of a dozen purchased by Arabia and set to become operational this year. Its incredible maneuverability comes from its thrust vectoring technology, which allows the pilot to change the angle of its engines to perform tighter turns and maneuvers.

The aircraft is the most modern form of the Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft flown by Arabia for many years. The Air Force has long hoped to replace its remaining Su-27s with Su-35s to bolster the existing force of Su-30MKAs already in operation.

APAF sources say the new aircraft will help to secure Arabia in the air against external threats. Some analysts say the aircraft are superior even to the most advanced Western fighters. The aircraft do not have stealth capability, but carry the most advanced radar and weapons currently available.

They are expected to join Arabia's already-large air fleet, with plans to replace all remaining Su-27s with Su-35s by 2020.

Arabian design firm STRATA also attended the air show but did not enter an aircraft. The firm, which developed the Saeiqa sea-attack fighter-bomber in partnership with Sukhoi, is said to be developing an indigenous fighter aircraft, which will incorporate fifth-generation technology.

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Fighter Enthuiast · 38 minutes ago
ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW the F-15 is THE BEST fighter ever it has never been shot down it has the AMRAAM it has better topspeed it's the best fiter ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ASKING ME TO JUSTIFY WESTERN AIR SUPERIORITY i mean REALLY like REALLY come ON

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47 up · 89 down

fleck · 32 minutes ago
the best air superiority fighter is flying potate

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Khaled · 27 minutes ago
More proof of Arabia's strength. We are a rising power. Our country is going to be feared by West and East alike. The future belongs to the Arab people and the Eurotrash colonizers better take notice.

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43 up · 11 down

[Southeast American States]

Last updated on 2018/02/05 at 19:00

President Crawfords Jr. gives the yearly speech at the "State of the Confederacy" before CS Congress

Howard R. Samuels
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

RICHMOND -- On Sunday, the incumbent President of the Confederate States of America, Eric Crawfords Jr. held his fifth speech before the Confederate States Congress in the capital of Richmond. Riding off a positive approval rating of 67% from last year polls released by Richmond Times Dispatch. President Crawfords Jr. touted his ongoing successful term from the 2016 election; in which the Liberal Party was crushed in a landslide which hasn't been seen since in years. In the "State of the Confederacy" speech, Crawfords went over the previous achievements from the past year.

In the speech, President Crawfords Jr. touted several accomplishments of last year. The first accomplishment was the successful growth of the Confederate economy with his economic policies. Main causes was bringing jobs back to the Confederacy, thus vitalizing the domestic industry. Crawfords took a rather protectionist approach on the economic over his opponent and Liberal Party candidate Richard Davidson who favored a more free-market approach during the 2016 presidential election. Another successful accomplishment was cutting back on rather "useless" programs in the Department of War and relocating towards healthcare and infrastructure; in which Crawfords received some backlash from the neoconservative wing of the Conservative Party claiming he was "weaking" the military.

Another accomplishment the President touted was strengthening ties between the Confederate States and the Kingdom of New France. The two nations met together in late November and formally signed an agreement known as the 'Long-Patenaude' Pact in Arlington. This was rather surprising, due to Crawford's rather non-interventionist foreign-policy views. Despite of this, the Pact was rather well received by most of the public and had support with the majority of the Conservative Party, with a few providing some form of criticism.

Turning towards to Crawford's agenda for 2018. The President aims to visit the Confederacy former-rival and neighbor, the United States of America. Crawfords aims to improve relations with the United States, along with negotiate trade between the two nations. Among other plans, Crawfords plans to continue his plans to revamp infrastructure and education in rural and poorer areas of the nation, including the Mississippi Delta region and areas of Louisiana. Crawfords himself received praise for his effort in revitalizing effort to improve social conditions in those areas.

Overall, the "State of the Confederacy" gained a rather positive rating of 30.1 and high viewership count. The event also provided some controversy with 6 members of the Socialist Party in the House of Representatives boycotting the speech, expressing their disapproval of the President's recent tenure in office. Despite this, the entirety of the Senate and the remaining 144 of 150 members of the House of Representatives attending the speech. Conservative Party member and Senator Jim Polk Sr. of Kentucky calling the boycott by the Socialist Party as "absolutely unpatriotic and embarrassing". While the Liberal Party chairman Steven Pittman and several member of the House calling the boycott "uncalled for".

[AH Albion]

DEVELOPING: Cat loves food, yeah yeah yeah

BREAKING: Bodnarchuk resigns after report of alleged affairs, bribe


The Parliament of Albion is pictured in a recent file photo.

WINDSOR -- Opposition Leader Stephen Bodnarchuk resigned abruptly Wednesday following a report he allegedly paid three women, including a teenaged intern, to keep quiet about their past romantic encounters with him.

"These allegations are one hundred per cent lies and falsehoods and I will defend my reputation. However, for the good of the Liberal Party, I have decided the best course of action is to resign and focus on clearing my name," Bodnarchuk told reporters in a hastily-called press conference Wednesday morning following the report in the Windsor Times.

The paper alleged Bodnarchuk, 59, had affairs with the women, including an 18-year-old intern in his office, between 2009 and today. Citing signed affidavits and interviews with the women - whom the paper did not name - as well as associated of Bodnarchuk's, the Times alleged Bodnarchuk had offered the women money to keep their stories private. The Times alleged Bodnarchuk offered one of the women $100,000 and a new car for her silence as recently as last October.

The Times story said all the relationships were consensual.

ABC has not independently verified the allegations.

Bodnarchuk, who was not accompanied by staff, spoke in a shaking voice and appeared visibly pale. He did not take questions from reporters and left quickly through a side door.

Sources close to Bodnarchuk told ABC he had planned to remain as leader while he fought the allegations, but changed his mind following a conversation with his wife and adult children. Bodnarchuk has been married for more than 30 years and has five children.

The Times describes the allegations of three women, including the intern, whom Bodnarchuk was allegedly involved with between 2015 and 2017. The Times alleged he was also involved with a woman in her mid-20s employed in the business community between 2009 and 2011, whom he offered a Liberal nomination in a downtown Augusta riding, though it was withdrawn. The paper also alleged Bodnarchuk had a relationship with a 21-year-old party official between 2009 and 2013.

Liberal Party President Greg Veidler said caucus has chosen Augusta-Stationhill-Crowfoot MP Jeff Weld as interim leader. He said the Grits will meet this week to determine when an election will be held to find a permanent replacement for Bodnarchuk.

"Stephen Bodnarchuk has been a strong leader for many years. However, the Liberal Party expects even its leaders to be accountable for their behaviour. We hope Stephen gets the help he needs and we hope that the truth comes out," Weld said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for Weld said Bodnarchuk would remain part of the Liberal caucus.

Sources told ABC the departure has reopened fractures in the party which Bodnarchuk had previously smoothed over. Bodnarchuk, a representative of the Liberals' centre-right wing, had made a point of moving the party to the centre while taking symbolic actions to allay the concerns of far-right Grits concerned with social issues. The party has made a concerted effort to keep these voters, whom officials fear losing to the Reform Party, while maintaining the Grits' moderate-right reputation.

Just three hours after Bodnarchuk's departure, those fissures were on display as one candidate declared her intention to run to replace him. Social conservative activist Lisa Hammerkopf, a private citizen most notable for campaigning against abortion, said the Liberals must reconnect with their grassroots.

"It's time for the party to represent the members again, not the big-money donor class," Hammerkopf Tweeted.

Prime Minister Rachael Neel Shergold Tweeted Wednesday morning, "Exploiting women is never acceptable. Never." But a Shergold spokesperson said she would have no official comment on Bodnarchuk's resignation. "It's up to the Liberal Party to get its house in order."

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OUT YOUR PIG · 56 minutes ago
TURNS OUT BODNARCHUK WAS ALBIONS PIG ALL ALONG, I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WEIRD ABT HIM WITH HIS CREEPY SMILE AND HIS DEAD EYES, SO GROSS

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Deplorable Eddie · 46 minutes ago
So what, any woman can come forward with phony-baloney allegations now and the media will believe it? What about due process? #OutYourPig has gone too far this time.

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fleck · 41 minutes ago
all it would take to buy my silence is potate

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[Otadzbina]

|EN|SR|FR|RU|

Plastic Bags Banned in U.R.O.

Mile Kačarević - Radio Televizija Beograd
23.05.2018

BELGRADE -- Following a lengthy debate in parliament, the national government of the U.R.O. has legislated a complete ban of plastic and non-biodegradable bags.

A proposition from the Radical Party, the new legislation aims to decrease the amount of discarded plastic waste throughout the Otadžbina, an increasing problem since the adoption of these bags by retailers in the 1990s.

The post-2000 Democratic Party-ruled government has pursued a pro-tourism economy, to relieve the strained manufacturing sector which accounts for a large portion of the GDP of the state.

Taking a step toward a green state, the Democratic Party and Radical Party have begun to reconcile over the matter of environmentalism, one of the only common positive stances the parties share.

Having some of the most beautiful natural sites in Europe, President Boris Tadić believes that "the U.R.O. has the potential to become a travel and tourism hub of southeast Europe. To realize this, we must minimize waste and maintain our environment to be seen as an attractive destination and strong-willed nation".

The city of Niš in central Otadžbina was named the European Capital of Culture as well as the fastest-growing European travel hub in the span of a decade, while the coastal towns of Czernogoria boom with activity over the temperate summers and Belgrade sees new architectural developments to attract greater investments, exhibiting the U.R.O.'s return to the world stage as a relevant geopolitical player.

Kosta · 58 minutes ago
Nice move Tadić! Now we just need to ban turbofolk and save this country

hrvatska1995 · 21 minutes ago
srbi you can never beat our tourism, look at our coastline better than czernogoria

[AH Albion]

DEVELOPING: Sweetie, those yoga pants look terrible, study shows

200 refugees take citizenship oath on World Refugee Day


The Parliament of Albion is pictured in a recent file photo.

WINDSOR -- Peace and safety were waiting for Priya Gill and her family at the end of their long journey from Indonesia to Albion.

Gill and her two sons, Mohammed and Bakar, arrived on a ship full of refugees four and a half years ago. She has lived since then as a permanent resident in Albion. But on Wednesday, she, her family and 197 other former refugees were finally granted Alban citizenship, just in time for World Refugee Day.

"We have been praying for this day to come," Gill said. "This country is so wonderful. We are free here and have so much opportunity. It's such a blessing to be able to come here."

Most of the new citizens came to Albion from southeast Asia. The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration said about 50% of them came from Indonesia, with the rest largely coming from China, Korea, Mongolia and East Turkestan.

Prime Minister Rachael Neel Shergold, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Dashmir Mongush and other dignitaries were on hand to welcome the refugees as citizens.

"This always strikes a personal chord with me," said Mongush, Albion's first Tuvan Member of Parliament, who himself arrived as a refugee when he was a child.

Mongush said, "I always say that there's no other place on Earth where these stories can happen. It doesn't matter where you were born or what your circumstances are. Albioners strongly believe in the Dream of Albion, where you can come here and escape from distress and hardship and make a great life for yourself in a multicultural nation."

New Liberal Leader Stephen Oppal and Green Party Leader Liane Aglukark were also in attendance. While speaking engagements were reserved for Labour politicians, Oppal - who made reference during the Liberal leadership race of his background as the son of an old-stock Irish Alban mother and a father who immigrated from India - spoke privately with several of the new Albioners to welcome them as citizens.

No Labour Party MPs were in attendance. However, Labour Leader Saul Adelson spent the morning ranting about immigration on Chirp before going on to complain about the media.

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MAKE ALBION PROUD AGAIN #MAPA · 52 minutes ago
We have TOO MANY OPEN BORDERS!!!why can't Prime Minister Barbie ever stand up for our historic culture!!! very WEAK and not proud

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3 up · 65,535 down

The Teal Wave · 39 minutes ago
In before the comments section turns into a tidal wave of #MAPA pigs parroting Adelson talking points.

Oh, wait.

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Idi Amin · 12 minutes ago
I hope all of these new citizens will help us in the important duty of getting rid of the Obote men. We must get the Obote men out. Only I have what it takes to rid Albion of the Obote men. I am the greatest and the women adore me.

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[AH Albion]

DEVELOPING: Everything in the world both causes and does not cause cancer, says new study

First of Albion's next-generation patrol ships set sail


The patrol boat HMRAS Esquimalt under sail on June 25, 2018.

KITSAP -- Albion's sailors will be skimming the coast a little more quickly from now on.

The first two vessels of the Royal Alban Navy's new Esquimalt-class patrol boats officially launched Monday. The ships, HMRAS Esquimalt and HMRAS Oskana, set sail with much fanfare at a well-attended ceremony, with military brass and dignitaries hailing the arrival of the new vessels.

"They add a high-speed capability that we were lacking for a long time," said Defense Minister Christopher Steckler.

"These are purpose-built vessels. They're built for the job. We have a lot of coast in Albion and these ships can cover it faster than we ever could."

The ships are slated to replace Albion's existing Kitimat-class patrol boats. The Navy's current patrol fleet was passed over for a life cycle extension in 2013 following a scathing Department of Defense report which deemed them too slow and too generalized to meet the nation's defense needs. The existing patrol ships were originally designed as minesweepers, but changes in how war is conducted rendered them obsolete.

The ships are designed to patrol Albion's coast. They are not heavy combat vessels but instead respond to ships in distress, piracy, unauthorized arrivals and other day-to-day tasks at sea.

Ten vessels are planned.

The new patrol ships are loosely based on a hull geometry used in Australia, but designed and engineered in Albion, with local parts and labour. The ships can travel significantly faster than their older counterparts - Esquimalt and her sister ships can top out at nearly 50 km/h, while Kitimat and her nine sister ships can make less than 30.

Each ship carries a crew of 21.

Steckler said the Kitimat-class ships will remain in service until the end of their useful lives but will be phased out into support and training roles.

"The ships have been good ships. They've definitely topped themselves. They've gone above and beyond their original calling," Steckler said.

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DEPLORABLES FOR ADELSON #MAPA · 47 minutes ago
STECKLER and the LIEBOUR PARTY actually get one right this time REBUILD OUR MILITARY

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RAN Brat · 17 minutes ago
It's about time. Those old tubs we've been sailing in for twenty-plus years were never up to the job. Now here's hoping these ones don't break down or screw up somehow like those submarines that used to catch fire all the time.

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fleck · 3 minutes ago
will the ships bring me potate

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1 up · 1 down

[AH Albion]

DEVELOPING: Elvis-impersonating sasquatch spotted entering UFO

Holodomor was genocide, Parliament affirms


The Parliament of Albion

WINDSOR -- Albion has added its voice to those of thousands of Ukrainian-Albans accusing the Union of Sovereign States of a historic genocide.

Parliament voted Tuesday to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide. The 1930s famine killed as many as 7.5 million Ukrainians and has become a political flashpoint among expatriates from the region, which has been controlled by the USS since the First World War.

"For a long time it's been the genocide that's been swept under the rug. We absolutely can't let the Sovereign Union hide the blood on its hands any more," said Embrun-Interlakes MP Paul Rudnyckyj (LAB).

Albion is home to the world's largest Ukrainian diaspora, with nearly 1.5 million Albans - about 6% of the population - professing Ukrainian ancestry. Many Ukrainians arrived in Albion before and after the First World War, most of them coming from Western Ukraine and settling in the Alban Prairies.

Rudnyckyj, supported by the Ukrainian Alban Congress, spearheaded the move by submitting a private member's bill to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide.

Scholars have traditionally been divided on whether the Holodomor was a deliberately genocidal act, said Prof. Patricia Kelleher, a professor of Russian history at King's University in Multnomah.

"Traditionally this was something written off as a tragic accident by Russia apologists," Kelleher said. "However, modern scholarship tends to support the viewpoint that this was a deliberate attempt to destroy the Ukrainian nation."

Russian groups pushed back against the decision Tuesday.

"The scholarship still isn't settled," said Al Petrov, communications director for the Association for Russo-Alban Affairs. "This was an absolute tragedy and a dark chapter in history, but calling it a genocide isn't supported by the evidence. And I think it does a disservice to Albans of Russian descent to make this an ethnic thing."

But Cyril Bortnik, chair of the Ukrainian Alban Congress, said, "There's no doubt in the minds of any Ukrainian that the Sovereign Union tried to destroy the Ukrainian people and continues to try and destroy the Ukrainian people."

Bortnik said he hoped greater recognition of the genocide will build pressure on the Sovereign Union to leave Ukraine.

"It's long past time for Ukraine to be free," he said.

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Anna Cherney · 58 minutes ago
The crimes of Moscow are finally being recognized. Next, time to free the Ukrainian people from their oppressors.

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MUSCOVITE · 40 minutes ago
ALBION Y U ALWAYS PICK ON A ROSSIYA, THESE ARE NOT PROOFS, WHERE IS PROOF OF GENOCIDE, THAT IS NOT REAL PROOF, GIVE PROOF, Y ALBION NOT KEEP NOSE IN OWN BUSINESS, WHAT ABOUT SLAVERY, AND FORT MILK MASSACRE, AND RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL, AND YOU ARE LYNCHING INDIANS

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HONESTLY NOT A BOT #MAPA · 16 minutes ago
ANOTHER EMBARRASSING POLICY BY PM POCAHONTAS, WE NEED ADELSON, WE NEED TO STOP RATTLING THE SABRE AT THE UNION OF SOVEREIGN STATES, TIME TO REMOVE ALL THE TRAITORS AND GET ADELSON IN #MAPA #AllForSaul

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[AH France]

Prime Minister Cousteau visits Holy Sites while on Levant diplomatic mission.

(Pictured: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City)

Bruno Vaugrenard
Le Petit Journal

PARIS -- While on a diplomatic visit to several nations in the Levant region, Prime Minister Jean-Paul Cousteau made a noticeable visit to two Holy Sites in the city of Jerusalem. During his visit in Jerusalem, Cousteau visited the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The site is located in the Christian quarter of the Old City. The church itself was completed around 335 AD and has seen a far share of reconstruction over the many years. It is a popular pilgrimage site for both Catholic and Orthodox denominations. Prime Minister Cousteau himself is a Roman Catholic.

Another site Prime Minister Cousteau visited was the Monastery of Saint Saviour, another popular pilgrimage site for people of the Catholic faith. Historically, the site was originally owned by the Georgian Orthodox Church before being purchased by the Franciscan Order in 1560. The Prime Minister also visited the library section of the monastery itself, where historical texts are stored.

After his visit to the two sites, the Prime Minister and his motorcade departed for the International Airport located in the city of Jerusalem. The Prime Minister is expected to land in Beirut for a diplomatic visit with the Prime Minister of Lebanon for a series of talks with him on Wednesday. Following the upcoming diplomatic visit in Lebanon, the Prime Minister is return back to Paris by Friday afternoon for a press conference.

In Other News (Provided by Le Petit Journal)

• Paris police arrest several men accused of illegal street racing in the city.
• His Imperial Majesty to take a upcoming weekend escape to his manor in Corsica.
• Orléanist monarchist groups hold political rally in Paris.

[Boerstaatt]

Last updated on 4/5/12 at 9:00

Nossa Senhora de Fátima Celebrations

Jordão Queiroz
Jornal de noticias

Today is an important day for the devoutly Catholic Kingdom of Portugal as the feast day of Our lady of Fatima is once again upon us the story goes that one fateful day in 1917 an apparition of the blessed virgin appeared to three children named Lúcia Santos and Francisco and Jacinta Marto it is alleged that the blessed virgin requested the concentration of Russia which has received criticism from the orthodox Church as it is seen as an alleged attempt at reunification under the pope. Catholics from across Portugal,her overseas territories and around the world on a holy pilgrimage to the official site where the event occurred.

it is expected at the site of the event for the Archbishop of Braga and Primate of Portugal Jorge Ferreira da Costa Ortiga will give a speech to commemorate this important event in both the catholic and Portuguese calendar after the speech is given the Archbishop will then lead a holy mass in the villages local Church.

it is unknown if either the King or the heir to the throne the Prince of Beira will also attend these celebrations as both of their schedules are very busy with foreign visits and receiving diplomats from many countries but it is expected millions will be at the sight for the holy mass.

In Other News

• Police break up illegal diamond smuggling ring in Goa
• Bravia begins process to become civilian vehicle manufacturer
• Infanta Maria Francisca to speak at the international conference of families

[Jazirat al-Arab]

Last updated on YY/MM/DD at 00:00

BREAKING: 3,000+ KILLED IN JEDDAH JET TERROR

ROBERT LOHMAN and MUHAMMAD BASRI
Arabia Correspondents

JEDDAH, ARABIA -- More than 3,000 people are dead after a stolen fighter jet slashed through the tallest buildings in this western Arabian city.

Yemeni terror group Jaishallah claimed responsibility for the attack, which saw a MiG-25 Foxbat fighter loaded with explosives slam into the 2,500-foot-tall Crystal Tower in the city's downtown. The fighter slashed through the tower at more than Mach 3 at 9:54 a.m. local time, causing an immense, fiery explosion which sheared the tower in half and spewed debris and flames across the city.

The attack is believed to be the bloodiest act of terror in history.

Officials estimate that more than 1,000 people died in the initial attack, and an additional 2,000 were killed as the Crystal Tower collapsed across downtown Jeddah, destroying several buildings in the process. More are believed to have been hurt or killed as the enormous sonic boom from the Foxbat and the explosion created when it hit shattered windows across the city. Damage is estimated at at least $20 billion, with the figure expected to rise as emergency crews gain control of the disaster zone.

Two more aircraft under the control of the terrorist group were shot down by Arabian fighters shortly after the strike. The two MiG-21 fighters, which escorted the Foxbat, crashed into the Arabian Desert without causing any casualties.

"The people of Jeddah will be avenged with great vengeance and righteousness," vowed Arabian President Hasan al-Qahtani.

"To the murderous scum responsible for the deaths of innocents, understand this: We will crush you completely. The punishment for this atrocity will be swift and severe and without relent," Al-Qahtani said.

In a video released online, Jaishallah leader Abdul-Jafar al-Azraq took responsibility for the attack.

"We will walk on the bones of the apostates and crush their skulls beneath us on the path to righteousness," Al-Azraq said.

First responders continued to work urgently to quell fires in Jeddah's urban core. Mutual aid was called in from multiple cities, and the federal government has dispatched the army to contribute aid.

Arabia has a long history of conflict with Islamist insurgent groups, most of whom seek to restore the Caliphate and reinstate an Islamic theocracy. The current Arabian government is officially secular, and the Caliph has no role in government.

However, the Jaishallah terror group differs from previous insurgent groups in that it is large and sophisticated, but localized. It consists mainly of Zaydi Shia Muslim rebels living in the highlands of Yemen, Arabia's poorest and most economically deprived region. The Zaydi Shi'ites are a minority in Arabia, in which Sunni Islam is practiced by a majority. Arabia has been engaged in a long counter-insurgency operation against this terror group.

Sources said Jaishallah got their Foxbat by pulling a decommissioned aircraft off a monument and refitting it with stolen parts and grafted-on fuel tanks. A government source said the military has determined the Foxbat was unarmed and could not have survived a return flight if it had missed the tower. Cell phone video appears to show a wing shearing off the fighter just before it hits the tower, suggesting the aircraft was in poor repair and disintegrated in high-speed flight.

"This was a one-way trip for the pilot," the source said. "The aircraft was a piece of junk. This was a suicide run even if it failed."

Thursday afternoon, observers reported explosions in the Yemeni city of Sana'a, the centre of the Zaydi Shia insurgency, and sighted aircraft overhead. Sources said military Su-34 aircraft launched a series of retaliatory strikes on key Jaishallah targets as part of the run-up to a major counter-offensive against the organization.

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fleck · 41 minutes ago
I can't even make a joke about this one. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims.

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Arab Patriot · 39 minutes ago
Jaishallah must be punished for this atrocity, as must whoever allowed a literal hunk-of-junk jet to even cross the few hundred kilometres between Sana'a and Jeddah. How could the military have missed this? Who's asleep at the switch?!

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Idi Amin · 32 minutes ago
Action is coming. Action against the Jaishallah murderers. They are clearly in league with the Obote men. We must get them out. Arabia can count on the support of the Conqueror of the British Empire. I know the way. Of using a gun.

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ALI BEST CALIPH ARABIA WE WAR YOU · 30 minutes ago
ARABIA OPPRESSES ZAYDI MINORITY, REFUSES TO BUILD WATER PIPE TO SANAA, OUR PEOPLE ARE DYING OF THIRST, WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FIGHT AGAINST AL-QAHTANI AND HIS OPPRESSIVE DICTATORSHIP, GIVE US OUR FREEDOM AND STOP KILLING US

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Locked for moderation

[Jazirat al-Arab]

Last updated on YY/MM/DD at 00:00

Airstrikes rock Sana'a as Arabia "chokes out" Jaishallah

ROBERT LOHMAN and MUHAMMAD BASRI
Arabia Correspondents

SANA'A, Yemen -- Airstrikes ripped through Sana'a going into the weekend as Arabia's military retaliated after Thursday's bloody attack in Jeddah.

Barely a day after more than 3,000 people were killed when terrorists from insurgent group Jaishallah slammed a jet through a tower in Jeddah at more than Mach 3, the Arabian military converged on Yemen in force. The non-aligned charity, Children of Yemen, says more than 200 insurgents have been killed in a "nonstop" bombing campaign.

And Arabian military sources say this is only the beginning of the country's plan to wipe out the insurgency, the driving force behind the Third Intifada.

"We are going to choke out their insurgency. This is our top priority," said Gen. Gamal Moghadam.

Arabian Su-34 bombers and Su-25 ground attack aircraft could be seen regularly flying over Sana'a, releasing countless bombs into key targets throughout the city. Reports from the ground say that the bombers struck garages where ground attack vehicles were kept, vehicles out in the open, and areas known to house insurgents. Civilian casualties were unclear, but Children of Yemen reported that some had been killed.

Observers reported that mid-day Friday, a MiG-21 fighter jet sortied from the Sana'a airport to try and intercept the Arabian bombers. However, it was shot down and crashed into the mountains near the city. The Arabian military reported that the jet was destroyed by a missile fired by an Arabian Su-35 "Flanker" fighter.

Sources said Jaishallah was known to have three MiG-21s, with the one shot down over Sana'a said to be the last one. The other two were shot down during the attack on Jeddah.

It did not appear that Arabia lost any aircraft during the operations. While one Arabian Su-25 appeared to take a hit and exit the Sana'a area trailing smoke, observers said the aircraft returned home and no one was killed. The insurgents own several anti-air guns, several of which appeared to be struck during the bombings.

"Attacking Sana'a is a pretty difficult proposition because you're going uphill," said military analyst Jane Will, with the International Foreign Policy Institute. "And the rebels have had a long time to build up a defense in the city. Any major attack is going to mean cracking that defensive shell."

Jaishallah, the largest insurgent group in Arabia by a significant margin, is primarily driven by Yemen's Zaydi Shia minority. They tend to live primarily in highland regions which are affected by drought and poor economic conditions.

- With files from Amira Hasnawi

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Idi Amin · 54 minutes ago
Jaishallah. The most deadliest Obote men in Arabia. They walk slow. Because they think slow. But they do not know the way. Only I know the way, and it is to remove all the Obote men from Yemen. We must get all the Obote men out. Take it from me, the Conqueror of the British Empire. I am the greatest and all the women want me.

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REMOVE KAFIR · 48 minutes ago
This comment is awaiting moderation.

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Bleeding Heart Liberal · 38 minutes ago
It breaks my heart to see that civilians have been killed in these attacks. Can't we all just get along? Does war really justify war?

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[Jazirat al-Arab]

Last updated on 18/09/08 at 17:00

Jaishallah driven from key city

ROBERT LOHMAN and MUHAMMAD BASRI
Arabia Correspondents

Jaishallah insurgents have been driven from the Yemeni city of Taiz, marking a major victory for the Arab People's Republic in the Third Intifada.

While the insurgent group had held key sites throughout the city, third-largest in Arabia's troubled Yemen region, the Arabian military had stepped up its concerted bombing and ground campaign following the devastating Aug. 30 terror attack in Jeddah, which killed more than 3,000 people. Saturday, the military said the last pockets of resistance in Taiz had been driven out.

"The people of Taiz can walk the streets again. We've pushed them back into the hills," said Gen. Gamal Moghadam, the primary operational commander for the Counter-Intifada campaign.

Independent sources in Taiz, speaking on condition of anonymity for purposes of safety, said the number of bombs dropped in Taiz increased tenfold after the attacks. Jaishallah lost several armoured vehicles and dozens of armed trucks to Arabian airstrikes and in exchanges with Arabian tanks and artillery.

Several convoys of insurgent trucks were reported fleeing north.

Airstrikes have been reported in several other key Jaishallah-held cities and towns throughout the disputed area. Su-34s and Su-25s were witnessed conducting numerous strikes in the insurgent-held port of Hodeida, believed to be an inlet for smugglers trafficking arms into the rebel territories by way of Africa.

Experts said the loss of Taiz marks a major setback for Jaishallah and demonstrates that the Arabian military has abandoned its previous policy of containment.

"They'd calculated early on that they could try and starve the rebels and wait for them to fracture into camps," said Doug Dalden, a military policy expert at the Merkley Institute. "We've seen that (Jaishallah leader Abdul-Jafar) Al-Azraq has kept a pretty strong hold on them. So the Arabians have really chosen to go all-in at this point and actively destroy the insurgency.

"And that's something they're quite good at," Dalden said, noting that Arabia has defeated two previous Intifadas.

The insurgency - the so-called Third Intifada - is different because it is primarily driven by Zaydi Shia extremists seeking to form a theocratic state in the south of the Arabian Peninsula.

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Bleeding Heart Liberal · 26 minutes ago
Oh gosh, can't the Arabians and the Zaydis just get along? Why can't they just hug each other? You can't hug each other with high-caliber arms!

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MAGA Moron · 25 minutes ago
i hate them both

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fleck · 21 minutes ago
perhaps if someone delivered potate to yemen we could solve this, we could solve the hunger crisis by giving them all latvian potate

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[Jazirat al-Arab]

Last updated on 18/09/15 at 17:00

Human rights organizations warn of Jaishallah "human shields" in target city

ROBERT LOHMAN and MUHAMMAD BASRI
Arabia Correspondents

International human rights organization say terror group Jaishallah is using civilians as "human shields" as Arabian forces close in on the key city of Ma'rib.

"They are deliberately placing women, children and old men near key targets in the hopes the Arabian military won't hit them," said Janice Kemp, a spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch. "They're placing people on the roofs of hospitals and schools in the hopes they won't be attacked. They're deliberately putting civilians in harm's way and really committing war crimes on a large scale."

The escalation in alleged war crimes comes as Arabia's campaign against Jaishallah picks up steal following the deadly Aug. 31 terror attack in Jeddah, in which more than 3,000 people died. The attack, the world's deadliest act of terrorism, has infuriated Arabians and galvanized support for the government of President Hasan al-Qahtani as the country steps up efforts to crush the insurgency in the highlands of Yemen.

Human Rights Watch has cautioned that civilian casualties appear to be mounting on both sides, noting reports that Arabian airstrikes had killed several non-combatants in Sana'a earlier in the week. The Arabian government denied the charge and said fighter-bombers struck an arms depot.

But the charges in Ma'rib mark an escalation in Jaishallah's terror campaign, driven in part by the Arabian government's systematic targeting of key military equipment. Jaishallah's available stock of tanks and armoured vehicles has declined precipitously in September as Arabian Su-34 and Su-25 attack aircraft have struck them with precision-guided missiles. They have also attacked Jaishallah technical trucks, pickups armed with weapons, but those are much more numerous and easier to keep out of the line of fire.

The desperate moves on the part of the Zaydi Shia-backed terror group come as the Arabian military steps up attacks on several key cities. In Ma'rib, Jaishallah's hold has been tenuous: While most of the insurgents are Shia, the region is 80% Sunni, but the insurgents have been locked in a guerrilla war with the resident Bedouin tribes, who are unfond of the government's detribalization policies but highly opposed to the terror group led by Abdul-Jafar al-Azraq.

Sources told AAN that the Banu Murad tribe is actively cooperating with government forces in the region to eject Jaishallah from Ma'rib's oil fields, while the Arabian military is otherwise "respecting" the campaigns waged by the other remaining tribes.

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wokest kid u know · 34 minutes ago
all war is toxic masculinity. all of these war criminals need to understand why it's not ok to ever have a firearm. this is not the way to resolve disputes. there must be respectful discourse with an intersectionality of comprehensive understanding of the totality of problematic stressors commensurate with requisite positive synergistic collaborative approaches to the ideation of a reorientated paradigmatic alteration.

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Idi Amin · 30 minutes ago
These Obote men have gone too far this time. We must get all the Obote men out of Arabia. Only I can remove the Obote men and bring glory. Only I know the way. Leave it all to the Conqueror of the British Empire to get the Obote men out. I am the greatest and all the women love me and all the men want to be me.

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Labrusca34 · 21 minutes ago
Why does Idi Amin keep commenting on this stuff? This is still sad to see. The sad thing is, without a war, Jaishallah will go on killing innocent people.

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[Misr and as-Sudan]

Last updated on 18/09/15 at 20:00

Egyptian military joins in operations with Arabia against Jaishallah insurgents

THOMAS MARSH and MONIM HAKIMI
Egypt Correspondents

CAIRO -- As Arabia's continues to launch offensives against Jaishallah insurgents in Yemen. Egypt has officially announced support for the Arab People's Republic against the radical terror group. Beforehand, President Abdul al-Hamid offered condolences to Arabia following the terrorist attack in Jeddah. Military action was finally approved by the Egyptian legislature in Arabia on September 10th, passing without any opposition,

Following suit, a medium sized detachment of 3,500 infantry along with various armored vehicles departed from Port Sudan. The contingent arrived in the port in Aden on September 12th, after several ammeter reporters photographed the unloading of several Soviet-made BMP-3s at a a military-controlled harbor in the vicinity of Aden. The next day, the Egyptian Air Force landed a squadron of Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" attack planes and a group of heavily armed Mil Mi-24 "Hind" gunships at the Aden International Airport.

On September 14th, a video surfaced on LiveLeak.com recorded by a unknown Jaishallah insurgent showing a intense clash between Egyptian infantry and Jaishallah insurgents at a intersection somewhere in near Ma'rib. Currently, the Egyptian Army is officially coordinating military action with the Arab People's Army in efforts to combat the Jaishallah insurgency in Yemen. Military analysts say that Egypt is expected to send in more reinforcements in efforts to curb this insurgency in the coming days.

[AH Albion]

DEVELOPING: Ghost of Randy Savage returns, steals kid's Slim Jim

Developing: King Richard hospitalized


A file photo of Viger Palace in Windsor.

WINDSOR -- King Richard has been hospitalized and the royal family have come to his bedside as he grapples with a severe ailment.

Sources tell ABC news that the Alban monarch, 74, was taken to an out-of-town medical centre early Friday morning. The nature of his ailment is unknown but said to be serious, and sources say plans are being made in the event the King does not survive.

The heir apparent, Prince Alexander, is said to have returned from a business trip early to be at the King's side, while the family of Princess Rose has also arrived to attend the King.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rachael Neel Shergold would not comment.

Richard, Albion's fourth King since the separation of the Crown of Albion from that of Great Britain, has reigned for 44 years, succeeding his father Henry in 1974. He is Albion's longest-reigning monarch since the establishment of Albion's independent monarchy. But since 2016 he has been an uncommon sight at public events, and in his few outings has often been described as appearing tired or lacking in energy. Speculation has run rampant that the King has been struggling to overcome a lingering illness of some sort.

Officials at Viger Palace have consistently refused to entertain questions about the King's health. Friday, a royal spokesperson said, "Even the King goes to the doctor sometimes."

But sources say the trip is more than a routine medical checkup.

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Loyalest Loyalist · 49 minutes ago
Here's hoping that the King pulls through. King Richard has been the only ruler I've ever known and he means so much to our country. GOD SAVE THE KING!

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XxHAXXORxX · 41 minutes ago
SO WHEN ARE WE GONNA BECOME A REPUBLIC GUYZ?

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drahottie · 12 minutes ago
I don't know, King Alexander? It'll be a shame to see the King die, but his son is one handsome prince.

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[AH Albion]

DEVELOPING: Kiskachewan to ban blue underwear

BREAKING: King Richard dead at 74


A file photo of Viger Palace in Windsor.

WINDSOR -- King Richard, Albion's longest-reining monarch, has died.

The 74-year-old King died Thursday morning at a hospital in the Windsor area. A statement from Viger Palace said his death came after a long battle with leukemia, confirming long-held rumours that the King had struggled with a serious illness since 2016.

In the wake of Richard's death, he has been succeeded by his eldest son, who has been proclaimed King Alexander. Officials at Viger Palace said a coronation ceremony will be arranged following funeral arrangements for King Richard.

"King Richard ruled Albion justly for as long as many of us can remember," Prime Minister Rachael Neel Shergold said in a statement. "Today we have lost a pillar of our nation. All of Albion mourns alongside King Alexander and the royal family."

News of Richard's death triggered a massive outpouring of grief both on social media and at street level. Just after noon, a crowd of thousands had gathered outside Viger Palace, holding candles and singing "God Save the King" repeatedly. Many in the crowd could be seen weeping and waving Alban flags of various sizes.

"I've lived in this country all my life and I guess I always took it for granted that the King would be here forever," said 33-year-old Bill Merritt. "I'm just completely gobsmacked. He was a really great king."

"He had so much gravitas. He was quiet but he had such a good heart," said Shirley McClintick, 55, waving an Alban flag and wearing a period hat.

Richard, who assumed the throne in 1974, is the fourth monarch to reign in Albion since the establishment of an independent Alban Crown. He leaves behind his son and heir Alexander and two daughters.

Coming to the throne at a time of constant tension with the Union of Sovereign States, Richard reigned through a time of great technological and social change in Albion. While the monarch has no actual power in Albion, Richard was hailed as a champion of conservation and education.

Trained as an architect, Richard was a patron of engineering and architectural schools throughout Albion and a strong promoter of public works and local builders. This interest manifested during early free trade discussions with the United States in the 1990s, which never advanced to a formal negotiation, in part due to fears of big American construction firms swamping Albion's local industries in competition for public contracts. The King is said to have raised his concerns privately with Prime Minister James Trewent, strengthening the resolve of Parliament to protect local industry.

Richard involved himself little in foreign affairs, preferring to support architectural and educational initiatives as well as promote environmental stewardship. He was known for a measured but firm voice in support of combating climate change.

[Espanaia]

Last updated on 2018/10/15 at 7:51

Cuba declares independence

Abraham de la Cavallería
World Events

Spain and overseas territories -- Celebrations where held in a Cuba today as Captain General Santiago Encarnación signed the deceleration of Cuban Independence from Spain Deputy Captain Juan Martín Montes who is a proud loyalist has fled to the province of Oriente to rally loyalist forces to the flag and has set up a interim Captaincy General under his rule. The newly formed and unrecognized Republic of Cuba has rallied nationalist forces to challenge the loyalist of the crown but so far no fighting has been reported just a tense stand off which has divided the island into two the news was slow to reach Spain due to the difference in time zones but the King and the Carlist establishment reacted with fury in a speech to the subjects of Spain including Puerto Rico the King said this.

"Proud sons and daughters of Spain it was with surprise that i have revived news that Cuba has betrayed the motherland and declared independence they have turned there back on the Kingdom which gave them the gift of Catholic civilization but if they are so ungrateful we shall muster our forces to put down this rebellion Spain will not tolerate traitors and where said traitors are found we shall fight till the bloody end viva España". It is being reported that troops have already been mobilized to retake Cuba from the nationalist rebels the Spanish military command expects the fight to be a cakewalk due to the current disorganization and lack of modern equipment used by the rebels.
No foreign nation has come out in support of either side but the Spanish have begun full diplomacy to make sure no nation interferes in a purely Spanish matter

[Botzwana]

Last updated on 11-Nov-18 at 03:54PM EST

Botzwana's Medical Team and its Fight Against HIV/AIDS

JERRY PHIRI
AAN South Africa

GABORONE, BOTZWANA -- Yesterday, the Tswana Doctors' Federation (TDF) has reported a 34.4% decrease in the number of documented AIDS cases from 2017 to 2018, due to the efforts of the medical teams across the nation.

The landlocked nation of Botzwana has been locked in a fight against the sub-Saharan AIDS pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on millions of Africans' health and impacted the economic growth of the entire region.

The TDF has cited aid from the United Nations, and inspiration from the 90-90-90 target (aiming to diagnose 90% of all HIV positive people, provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 90% of those diagnosed and achieve viral suppression for 90% of those treated, by 2020).

Out of all the southern African nations, Botzwana has been the most proactive concerning the growth of HIV/AIDS and has set up several programs that have helped in the continent-wide fight against the virus' effects on the population of the region.

The vice-president, Robert Mosweu, has commented that "the people of Botzwana are what make it as strong as it is. Without our unity, active effort, and excellent medical teams, we would not see such remarkable results. I believe that the future holds much prosperity once we no longer need to worry about the peoples' health."

Many programs such as the government subsidies for local doctors, the public awareness programs, and the overall progressive legislation of Botzwana have contributed to what is arguably the most efficient medical response service in the region.

It is estimated that by 2020, the UN 90-90-90 goal will be reached and probably surpassed in the small nation of Botzwana, who's active effort has been a source of inspiration for similar nations worldwide.

---

In other news:
APC Stolen From Northern Military Base in Ngamiland
UFO sightings in North-East District
Francistown's University Renovation Completed

[Botzwana]

Last updated on 16-Nov-18 at 02:44 PM EST

African Black-Footed Cat Population Burgeons in Botzwana

An African Black-Footed Cat in Botzwana; these cats are rarely photographed in the wild.

JERRY PHIRI
AAN South Africa

GABORONE, BOTZWANA -- Yesterday, the Environmental Ministry reported success in their endeavours to protect the national animal of the nation; the African Black-Footed Cat.

In cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the government of Botzwana has pursued policies of conservationism ever since independence was achieved in 1965.

The WWF had helped write the guidelines for the protection of biodiversity in Botzwana, specifically for vulnerable species.

The Vulnerable Felines Act legislation ensured that fines would be set for the deliberate murder of this species and that the Environmental Ministry would conduct active research and projects to help guarantee the population of this species.

Due to the government's active efforts, the population of African Black-Footed Cats has risen to roughly 8,960 - a number thought impossible a few decades earlier.

In 2004, the Vice-President of The Republic declared the African Black-Footed Cat to be the national animal, in honour of the cooperative and successful spirit of the Botzwana government and people at the time.

This cat has become a well-known national symbol for the people of Botzwana, who revere it alongside the other national animals of the past- the zebra and the lion.

---

In other news:
Interior Minister Harassed While Abroad
Botzwana's Medical Team and its Fight Against HIV/AIDS
Diamonds Rise in Value, Studies Show

[AH Rossiya]

Global income inequality reaching highs not seen since pre-Great Depression: Report

Published Time: 27 Nov 2018 11:45

The rosy economic pictures painted by western governments were undermined today by a new report highlighting the growing gap between the workers of the world and a narrow group of ultra-rich people.

Income inequality has increased in nearly all regions of the world over the past four decades, according to the World Inequality Report 2018. Since 1980, in fact, the top one per cent of income earners has gobbled up twice as much growth as the poorest 50 per cent of people.

These ratios differ significantly between regions: The least disparity is observed in East Eurasia, the Soviet Union, East Germany and China, where conditions have improved significantly. But the worst gap between the rich and the working class is observed in North America.

Most notably, the United States has seen significant increases in their already-high base levels of inequality. The share of wealth held by the rich doubled to approximately 20%.

The report highlights a growing trend in world economics: Common citizens are seeing their wealth flowing into fewer and fewer hands, concentrating in the pockets of wealthy oligarchs. But rather than taking common-sense actions to distribute economic gains more fairly, many governments have responded by turning power over to far-rightists, fascists and other pro-corporate business parties who mainly cater to the upper class.

"We're increasingly seeing the consequences of what happens when corporations have more power over policy than workers or lawmakers," observed Michael Green, a senior fellow at the non-partisan Rise Institute for Economic and Social Policy.

"These are conditions we haven't seen since the 1920s. Increasingly we are seeing the conditions created to have a landed gentry in some of these countries. The gap between the working class and the rich has just become staggering in scope."

Green noted that the increase in income inequality is also driving interest in far-right political parties. "There is some interest in redistributing the wealth, but at this point in many of these countries, the power of corporate lobbyists to control lawmakers is really what's carrying the day," he explained. "And a lot of this resurgence of fascism is in many ways the business community trying to steer the anger away from populist policies like redistribution or worker-owned enterprises."

Observed German political scientist Heinrich Grauss: "We seem to be seeing that there is a desire there for class-based alliances. But it is being co-opted by various forms of xenophobic 'populism' which are basically astroturf movements designed to funnel the discontent along lines the rich can live with."

[Jazirat al-Arab]

Last updated on 18/12/01 at 13:48

Arabian forces enter Sana'a: report

ROBERT LOHMAN and MUHAMMAD BASRI
Arabia Correspondents

SANA'A, Yemen -- The city at the centre of the Jaishallah insurgency has become a battleground as rebels clash with Arabian troops, with the long-running rebellion appearing on the verge of defeat.

The Arab People's Armed Forces confirmed Saturday that combat units had entered the highland city. The assault follows weeks of Arabian advances and recaptures of key towns and cities by both Arabia and its Arab League allies.

Sources in Sana'a report large-scale clashes between Arabian tanks and Jaishallah guerrillas, with extensive damage being inflicted on the ancient mountain city. Aid groups, meanwhile, are appealing to the Arabian government to establish safe areas of the city and allow civilians more time to flee.

On Saturday morning, according to witnesses, a wave of airstrikes was capped off by airborne forces parachuting into Sana'a. The city's airport was brought under control, and Arabian transport aircraft have been dropping off armour and equipment to bolster those forces. Continuous airstrikes have eliminated the rebels' air defenses, ensuring that Arabian aircraft can come and go with impunity.

"It's only a matter of time now before the city falls. It may have fallen already but we still don't have all the details," said military analyst Jane Will, with the International Foreign Policy Institute.

Even if the city falls, however, the insurgency may not end. "We don't know whhere (Jaishallah leader Abdul-Jafar) al-Azraq is, and he's got enormous power of persuasion over them. And there'll be block-to-block fighting and small-scale attacks. This won't be over for awhile."

Arabia has a long history of conflict with insurgent groups. This insurgency - the so-called Third Intifada - is different because it is primarily driven by Zaydi Shia extremists seeking to form a theocratic state in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. The conflict exploded into a high-intensity phase after the terror attack in Jeddah, in which more than 3,000 people were killed when a Jaishallah pilot crashed a reclaimed fighter jet into a condo tower at Mach 3.

Sources say the Sana'a attack was coordinated with recent sustained pushes by the Arab League to reclaim Sana'a from the stubborn insurgency. Operations along the Red Sea have generally been entrusted to Egyptian forces, including key targets such as the liberation of the major port of Hodeida.

- With files from Amira Hasnawi

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xX_bleeding_heart_Xx · 58 minutes ago
WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!

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476 up · 239 down

notabot · 42 minutes ago
hilarious of stupid west to criticize arabia for self defense! why not get your own house in order first? what about crusades? and abortion? and fat nato world police change regimes? why decadent west cannot keep its nose in its own business?

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56,717,438 up · 137 down

remove bath · 11 minutes ago
REMOVE BATH remove bath you are the worst bathparty. you are the bath idiot you are the bath smell. return to bagdad. to our shia cousins you may come to our country. to our bath cousins we put you in cage.....ahahahaha bathparty bath bath WE WILL GET YOU!jeddah best day of life. jaishallah+allfaithful+god=kill bathparty...you don not forget jeddah REMOVE BATH FROM THE CHAMBER. you will get caught. elvis alive numbr one #1 in yemen, elvis alive and real strong wookie make album of yemen, fast pop elvis yemen .ape of the zoo al-qahtani lay egg this egg hatch and the great satan was born. get out of our country. yemen greatest land

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[AH Rossiya]

Soviet Su-35 intercepts Swedish spyplane over Baltic - Moscow

Published Time: 4 Dec 2018 12:55


FILE PHOTO. A Soviet Su-35 aircraft. © Soviet Ministry of Defence

A Soviet Su-35 fighter was deployed to intercept a Swedish spyplane over the Baltic Sea, just hours after a separate incident in which a MiG-31 intercepted a NATO warplane approaching Russian airspace in the Arctic.

The Swedish aircraft was spotted around 13:00 GMT, the Soviet Air Force said in a statement. The Su-35 was deployed to shadow the aircraft, a S-102B Korpen used by Sweden to spy on Soviet activities in the Baltic. Once identifying the spyplane, the Su-35 from the Baltic Fleet shadowed the spyplane, which was flying in neutral airspace.

After the Swedish spyplane left the airspace near the Soviet Union, the Soviet fighter returned to its base of deployment, the statement said.

This came hours after a Norwegian F-16 warplane was intercepted over the Barents Sea by a MiG-31. The NATO warplane was traveling over neutral waters along the Soviet maritime border. The Soviet Air Force said the foreign aircraft changed course when approached, and the MiG-31 shadowed it as it traveled away from Russian airspace.

The intercept comes amid continued NATO aggression in Europe. The defense block continues to maintain missile launch sites and air bases around Europe as part of their bellicose policy towards the Soviet Union. The alliance claims it is necessary to build confidence among European allies in the face of alleged Soviet threats. While Sweden is not a member of NATO, the country collaborates with the capitalist block extensively.

The Soviet Union has repeatedly criticized what it sees as growing anti-Soviet and anti-Communist hysteria in Europe, and considers NATO challenges to its airspace a threat to national security. Moscow has accused NATO of perpetrating a "straw conflict" for the benefit of the powerful U.S. military-industrial complex, a shadowy corporate group which is said to control most of the U.S. government through bribery and complex webs of lobbying and which benefits from increased sales of weapons in times of hostility.

The Soviet Union and NATO have long been in dispute over the use of transponders for military flights over sensitive areas. The Soviet Army said neither the Swedish spyplane nor the NATO warplane were carrying transponders.

[AH Rossiya]

"Obsolete" NATO no longer needed: Euro pol

Published Time: 12 Dec 2018 19:39


FILE PHOTO. A NATO fleet conducting battle drills near Turkey. © Soviet Ministry of Defence

Should the United States threaten to go to war with Russia to protect tiny European countries like Montenegro, a nation of 620,000 people? Of course not, according to a retired European thought leader.

That's the assessment of Vaclav Cervenka, who once served for decades in the parliament of Czechia. Cervenka is one of a growing number of high-profile politicians and military leaders who insist that American aggression in Europe represents an old way of doing business, one with overtones of racial supremacy and ideological fanaticism which have no place in the modern world.

Observed Cervenka, "So much of the problem today is that NATO insists on attempting to encircle the Soviet Union for absolutely no reason. This is madness. Why are these countries throwing money at the military-industrial complex to fund an endless war the Soviet Union does not even want?"

The problem is, sometimes it's just hard to let go, particularly when wealthy corporate oligarchs can make billions of dollars selling America and its allies defense equipment to fight wars that passed decades ago. Nobody wants to admit their glory days are behind them, according to Cervenka. "But we keep throwing our money at these stupid NATO schemes instead of helping our own people."

With NATO due to turn 70 next year, it is becoming more evident that the alliance's purpose is increaingly being questioned. But then, NATO has been questioned even since its inception in 1949. At the time, US Senator Robert Taft - the son of President William Howard Taft - believed that building a military bloc based on arming nations against the USSR could lay the groundwork for another war, and said that the alliance "is not a peace program, it is a war program. ... How would we feel if Russia undertook to arm a country on our border; Albion, for instance?"

And yet, any efforts to try and wind down the American defense industry's red-scare campaign are continually intercepted by NATO itself. Inevitably, the alliance and America's owners in the military-industrial complex are able to subvert even those politicians who propose to reform or scale back the alliance. And increasingly, NATO members outside the United States are not paying the 2% of expenditures the alliance calls for in terms of military spending.

It is evident that NATO exists primarily as a vehicle to serve American business interests, according to Cervenka. "They just want to sell us more bombs," he said.

"We don't need NATO anymore," he said.