News Thread [Kylaris|Canon|IC]

by **Cassier** » Sat May 23, 2020 4:46 pm

Katepas

Quoin pipeline shut after spilling over three million litres of oil in northern Katepas

The rupture was detected Saturday morning, triggering evacuations as emergency crews work to clean up the leak

Grégoire Marchal · SRC News · Posted: May 23, 2020 | Last Updated: May 23

Residents of the Poullain First Nation raised the alarm when the crude oil pipeline burst several kilometres away from the town of Épicéaville burst open. 230 have been evacuated.

ÉPICÉAVILLE - A pipeline break northeast of the Poullain First Nation has leaked over 22,000 barrels (3.49 million litres) of crude oil according to clean up workers, making it one of the largest leaks in Katepas' history. The pipeline carries crude oil from oil fields in western Montagne to Bougainville. The line has been closed until the cause of the leak is determined.

The leak from Compagnie Interprovinciale de Pipelines' (CIP) Quoin pipeline, discovered early Saturday morning, was initially estimated to have spilt roughly a thousand barrels however the most recent estimates have increased that number twentyfold.

The original estimate was revised after workers collected data from the site. The spill is now contained and about 160 workers are now recovering oil from soil and nearby stagnant water.

With the current estimate the Quoin leak is now the largest crude oil pipeline spill in the province since the 1991, according to Albertine Baudet, the minister of energy for the province of Katepas. The incident in question took place when 13,000 barrels of crude oil leaked from a Petro-Cassier pipeline.

"It's easily the largest spill involving crude oil seen in Katepas in the past twenty years," Baudet said.

Corrective efforts are now underway, a process Baudet said will take weeks. The split crude oil will be skimmed off the surface of the water and the contaminated soil will be dug up and trucked away.

No one was injured in the incident, however the compromised section of pipeline is less than 100 meters from a small river and several lakes and ponds, according to Jacob Compere from Katepas' ministry of the environment.

"There remains a distinct possibility that the spill may have a larger impact than initially anticipated. An area of five hectares has been contaminated in a densely forested area." said Compere. "We are monitoring the quality of the region's environment and ecosystem very closely."

Concerns have been raised by members of the Poullain First Nation community and local residents regarding the hazards of the spill and the lack of communication with the band.

“The spill in 1991 took two years to clean up. There will be a lot of soil and vegetation that will be contaminated with oil,” said Chris Vidal, chief of the Poullain First Nation.

"When we learned of the leak CIP denied us access to the area surrounding the pipeline. Then a few hours later we were told to evacuate our land. We haven't heard much else from the government of Katepas' or the company since," Vidal said.

The leak has generated national outrage

National attention has been drawn towards the incident as Cassiens fear the possibility of the split oil spreading across a wider area.

The spill has come at a tumultuous time as First Nations and environmental activists continue protest the government's recent push to expand of Cassier's energy infrastructure, a response to recent instability and opportunities in the oil market.

February saw several thousand Cassiens demonstrate in front of parliament in Nouvelle-Rayenne and in other major cities across the nation, protesting against the construction of PetrolChain pipeline in central Cassier. The defeat of Cassier's mens hockey team in the 2020 Ulan Khol Winter Invictus games and the ensuing riots saw several anti-pipeline protestors arrested on various charges as angry hockey fans took to the streets.

Protestors responded by blockading Cassier's rail lines throughout the country and demanded the release of the arrested demonstrators. Cassien president David Tremblay held talks with protestors in order to reach a peaceful resolution but dialogue quickly fell through despite concessions made by the president.

The majority of arrested anti-pipeline demonstrators were later released or fined by the first week of March. In the aftermath of the releases president Tremblay made a statement during a press briefing promising that the government would strive to find a middle ground that would maintain tribal, environmental commitments while responsibly continuing the expansion of Cassier's energy network.

Legislation calling for oil companies to adhere to more intensive inspections of existing pipelines, stricter inspection schedules, and further safety regulations was stalled in the upper house. Protests against the pipeline continued throughout March and into the present.

The Quoin leak has generated immense backlash for the president on social media with many being quick to call Tremblay out for his March statement.

"You'd hear about these kind of incidents in developing countries, but not in Cassier," said one Twitter user.

CIP and Cassier's ministry of energy and natural resources has begun to reinspect pipelines across the nation in response to the leak.

"It's too little too late, and now we're going to have to deal with the fallout for years to come perhaps," chief Vidal said.

More demonstrations in front of the halls of parliament and the president's office have already begun to be organized, with several thousand people signing up to support the movement. President Tremblay is due to make a statement at 16:00 this evening.

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by **Inhorto** » Sat May 23, 2020 5:24 pm

ONE NATION, ONE LANGUAGE, ONE PEOPLE: ONE HELL OF A FAILURE
In his efforts to mend relations with Iustians abroad, del Caserío is forgetting Iustians at home

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PATRICE CARVALHO (@Cahoprmundu )
^{23 MAY 2020 9:00 | Hascara, Iustia Nova}

Prime Minister del Caserío and Nuxican President Zacarías Figueroa. Dignitaries
from Nuxica, as well as Belmonte and Zaralaja, will be meeting in Cienflores on
24 May 2020

THE FUNDAMENTAL LIE of Auratian politics says that we are a nation of one people. Politicians and politicos in Cienflores or Puerto del Rey are more than comfortable telling Iustians that they are Auratians in equal measure with "native" Oratianos. We are constantly reminded of milestones in Auratian history—the Alzamiento and Commonwealth Day, establishment of republicanism, the birth of Auratian revolutionary Pablo Obrador, etc.—while we are discouraged from celebrating the milestones of our history. We are made to "commemorate" Unity Day, to celebrate the systematic murder and suppression of our ancestors at the hands of Oratiano conquerers. We are taught to forget ethnic cleansing at the hands of Oratiano settlers who plundered our land and used Iustians for slave labour. We Iustians cannot even enjoy the privilege of having our native language recognised as an official language, of having our language placed on the same pedestal as the Oratiano language.

So when Prime Minister Germán del Caserío announced that he would lead an international summit of Auratian and Iustian heads of state and government, in the spirit of "eternal brotherhood and camaraderie," many Iustians took this as a sign that Cienflores would stoop to consider the wishes of Auratian Iustians. The Sotirian Federation, the governing party that Mr. del Caserío has led since January 2013, has been overwhelmingly critical or Iustian cultural emancipation. The SF, which has enjoyed much support from hardliner Oratianos and the Oratiano-dominated farmer lobbies in La Virtud and Piemontaña, has opposed recognizing the Iustian language as an official language since its inception.

Many analysts have lauded the summit as an overture to Iustians. To make the overture even more clear, del Caserío invited Artur Carvalho, governor of Iustia Nova, to co-host the summit with him. How well del Caserío thinks he can pick up Iustian votes is unclear. Iustians have shown little support for the Sotirian Federation and its anti-Iustian policies. 2017 polling data demonstrates that only 17% of ethnic Iustians identify with the SF, as opposed to nearly 58% of Iustian voters who identify with the Liberal Party. As the goalposts of Auratian politics have begun to shift, more politicians are seeing the importance of capturing the crucial Iustian minority, often where it was otherwise ignored.

Del Caserío with Governor Carvalho

And though many see the prime minister's initiative as inherently beneficial, del Caserío is ultimately stringing an empty overture. Though del Caserío has affirmed (as all predecessors have) that Iustians are a "fundamental and inseparable part of Auratia," he has made a name for himself as a particularly staunch opponent of Iustian language rights. When asked states like Iustia Nova and Guardiã have to display signage in Oratiano, but Cienflores does not have to provide legal documents in Iustian, del Caserío is reported to have reaffirmed the age-old lie: "We are a nation with one people. We are one. That's all that counts," he said.

Del Caserío's hard-line against Iustian rights is not new. The prime minister hails from a long line of one-nation Altoists. One-nation Altoism, a philosophy promoted by Auratian Prime Minister Aleixo Alto around the turn of the twentieth century, has continuously cast Auratia as a nation of one people, the Auratian people, with one language and custom, the Oratiano language and customs. So powerful was Altoism and so deep did its roots run in Auratian politics that the Liberal Party, the preferred party of Auratian Iustians, has only recently began promoting Iustian language rights. Now that Iustians are becoming an ever more powerful bloc, politicians are slowly dropping the charade—except for del Caserío.

And the consequences are apparent. Only 33% of Iustians approve of del Caserío's premiership, compared to 52% of all Auratians. The Sotirian Federation was in danger of losing all its seats in Guardiã in the 2017 elections. The SF, which is among the most socially conservative organizations in the Euclean Community, ignores that Iustian Auratians are typically less religious and more secular than their Oratiano counterparts. Iustians are more likely to critise the prime minister for his record on gay rights. Iustians are more likely to criticise Cienflores's draconian laws prohibiting abortion and the SF's hardline stance that is not seen anywhere on the continent.

Instead of addressing the issues that matter to Iustians, the SF and del Caserío are instead opting to throw us a bone, shower us in platitudes, and make empty promises whilst doing nothing to address Iustian concerns. The SF expects that Iustians will heartily eat up whatever nonsense they throw our way. The Liberal establishment, for all the good it has done, has been slow to criticise the SF's gimcrack pledges and is more than happy to toe the line in the name of "unity."

The truth is many Iustians are getting tired of "unity," and the government's continued policy of neglect will spell a violent rupture when Iustians have finally realised that they have had enough of being relegated to second-class citizenhood.

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by **Navack** » Sun May 24, 2020 8:30 pm

by **Piraea** » Tue May 26, 2020 11:01 am

Dimitrios Vassallelis - 24 May 2020

Home · Piraea · Euclea · International · Politics · Business · Technology and Science · Arts · Education · Health · Sports · Weather

MORE THAN JUST TARPEIA STANDS IN THE WAY FOR THEOPEFTATOU TO SECURE EC ASCENSION

Former premier Ioannis Flambouraris with then-EC High Commissioner Rasa Simontye at a 2017 meeting.

Alikianos, Piraea - As the Theopeftatou government looks to once again restart Piraea's pathway to membership in the Euclean Community, the world's largest and wealthiest political-economic bloc, more than just the longstanding territorial dispute surrounding Tarpeia presents challenges. While the decades-old feud with Etruria over the region is a major hurdle, the premier must also show the EC that she is able and willing to take significant action in regards to Priaea's ingrained culture of political corruption and organized crime. Convincing EC member-states to admit Piraea to the bloc is no easy task, and Theopeftatou must prove to them Piraea will improve on these issues. To do that, she must fight her own party - and the powerful forces that dominate the Piraean Mafia.

Political corruption has long presented challenges for Piraea's premiers. It exists at all levels of government and happens in multiple political parties. However, since 1982 PSEE has dominated Piraean politics. As the party more primed for governance, companies look to PSEE officials for patronage and favors. Individuals ranging from low-level, nameless civil servants to senior cabinet ministers have been accused of embezzlement, influence trading, government procurement violations, and bribery. Much of this has happened with impunity, despite vows from the Piraean government to crackdown on such activities.

In a country where the state plays a major role in the economy, this offers plenty of opportunities for the political class to engage in illicit activity. Instances of corruption peaked under Ioannis Flambouraris, who served as premier from 2006 until his political downfall in 2017. As the premier who seemed destined to bring Piraea into the EC, Flambouraris made countless promises and vowed to fight corruption. He claimed combating illegal activities by government officials was at the top of his government's agenda. However, throughout his decade-long tenure as premier corruption not only intensified, but became more visible.

Under Flambouraris, several ministers, government officials, and PSEE party leaders were accused of corruption. The most embarrassing was the embezzlement of development aide from the EC by a group of ministers who funneled funds for housing development towards their own properties. Another scandal resulted in the resignation of over a dozen senior officials after they were caught buying real estate at prices significantly below market value from a company that had received a series of fluffed up contracts. The latter also implicated the head of Piraea's anti-corruption watchdog, who was a close ally of Flambouraris. In all instances, no one official was ever put on trial.

Corruption went to the highest levels of Flambouraris' government. The premier himself was implicated in several scandals, the worst of which resulted in his decision to step aside as PSEE leader following mounting pressure from within his own party. In December 2016, a Gaullican journalist by the name of Clarisse Beaulieu had died when her vehicle exploded in downtown Kissamos. It was later discovered that she had been working on a piece about Flambouraris for Le Monde, one of the world's most renowned media publications. The scandals surrounding Flambouraris had captured the attention of the Euclean public, keen on knowing just who the Euclean Commission had planned to admit. At the time of her death, Beaulieu had been investigating ties between the Piraean Mafia and members of Flambouraris' inner circle. When police had discovered that a mafia hitman was behind her murder, it outraged the nation and shocked the continent. Flambouraris fought to hold onto power and rejected the findings against him, but faced significant pressure from his own party. Years of corruption within his government had caught up with him, worrying party officials in the run up to the 2018 general election.

Flambouraris stood down as PSEE leader and premier in March 2017, allowing for Maria Theopeftatou to become the country's first female head of government. Soon after becoming premier, Theopeftatou vowed to fight corruption. Compared to the culture of corruption under her predecessor, major steps were taken to reduce illicit activity. The Mafia faced increased policing, and several high-profile arrests were made. However, progress has come slow. Following PSEE's slim victory in the 2018 election, attempts to combat corruption and organized crime slowed. Theopeftatou has been spared the embarrassing scandals that dogged Flambouraris, but still no government officials have faced a trial for corruption. To her credit, the premier faces an uphill battle. As a woman in Piraean politics, the old-boy culture that has come to characterize her own party is not easy to navigate. To act against former senior officials, or even Flambouraris himself, would be action against their extensive political patronage networks. Further complicating things, the Piraean Mafia has actually grown its influence. Operation Gladio in neighboring Etruria signaled a severe crackdown on organized crime and crippled crime-rings throughout Etruria. However, it also provided a new opening for their Piraean counterparts. Attempts to combat the Mafia's growth have had deadly results, with Mafia-related targeting of police and prosecutors increasing significantly since 2019.

Despite these challenges, Theopeftatou will have to show the EC's leaders that progress has been made. To do this, trials of government ministers for corruption would show that those who abuse the public trust, misuse government funds, and take advantage of the system for themselves cannot do so without consequence. While this would require her to burn a lot of political capital within her party, it will ultimately bring her even closer to her ultimate goal: EC ascension. Likewise, Piraea's neighbors in Euclea are able to assist in cracking down on the Piraean Mafia. Cooperation with ELECO and Glopol, of which Piraea is a participating member, can help the government pursue organized crime. Povelia could also provide answers and assistance, as the government of Francesco Carcaterra seeks to oust the Piraean Mafia from its borders. More than just Tarpeia stands in Theopeftatou's way, and the promise of a potential resolution to the decades-old dispute means the premier will have to take other steps to secure Piraea's place in the EC.

Dimitrios Vassallelis is a senior economics professor at the University of Alikianos and a member of the Euclean Project, a think-tank that supports Piraean ascension to the Euclean Community and economic integration with EC member-states.

by **Slirnija** » Tue May 26, 2020 8:27 pm

by **Liecthenbourg** » Thu May 28, 2020 3:39 pm

Camille Chamoun - 5 Sivan AM 5780 / Panjshanbeh: 8. Khordad 1399 / 28 May 2020

Home · Tsabara · Bahia · International · Politics · Business · Technology and Science · Arts · Education · Health · Sports · Weather

Blackouts across the country cause chaos, as fighting in Bedjene continues.

Millions of Tsabarans have been left without power,
following an overloading of much of the nation's powergrid system in the early hours of this morning

Adunis, Tsabara Millions of Tsabarans have been left without power, the government has revealed. Since around 7:30 am (EST) this morning, hundreds of thousands of homes in countless cities and towns across the nation have entered a blackout, following an overloading of the national grid at the same time. Much of the outages have occurred in central Tsabara, but part of the effected sections of the grid include towns and cities in the southwestern, predominantly Atudite, part of the country. The cities of Adunis and Yeruham, however, have remained unaffected due to the blackout.

The power outage comes in the midst of a government counter-offensive in Bedjene, which saw government forces oust numerous pro-secessionist forces -- including the Irfanic militants of Al-Isbah -- out of some of their positions in the city of Qaa.

The official government response has been that many cities and their vital infrastructures, such as hospitals and police stations, have emergency generators in such an event. Furthermore, the government has expressed that efforts to restore damaged sections of the energy infrastructure will continue -- even under threat in currently fought over territory.

According to the official government stance on the issue, they have maintained that the power outage and the recent losses faced by the insurgency groups are connected. They have stated that the grid was overloaded in a two pronged offensive; a physical attack at a hub station in western Bedjene, whilst facilitated by Zorasani cyberwarfare.

There are fears that the blackout will be the predecessor to a larger scaled offensive in the regions hit, but further worries of the current government stem from increasing tensions between it and several regional ethnic groups: including the Oroqic in the south and the Suhalans in the north, who have also been affected by this crisis.

The leader of the Tsabaran Section of the Workers' International, Qadir Jabbar, has again criticised the government for prioritising the lives of the elite and the wealthy over the poor. From his stronghold of the city of Lazrou, he has claimed that such attacks could have been avoided has Tsabara upgraded much of its in-land electric grid and transmissions systems rather than focus primarily on what he called "the coastal paradise."

One thing that is certain, however, is that these blackouts have already begun causing a movement in residents. Some individuals have told the Fédéraliste that they will not be caught at their homes with no power, and have begun fleeing to the west and the north. If the blackouts continue, we can expect to see much more internal migration than was already happening -- an alarming prospect for both Adunis and the wider world.

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atuditemilsperger · 1 hour ago
Where is the navy that Tsabara has?

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BoeJiden · 1 hour ago
I can't remember a worse power outage.

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Storm Thurmond · 1 hour ago
Fellas, is it quirky to be gay or gay to be quirky?

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by **Eskaeba** » Thu May 28, 2020 4:33 pm

by **Liecthenbourg** » Sat May 30, 2020 6:51 am

Camille Chamoun - 7 Sivan AM 5780 / Shanbeh: 10. Khordad 1399 / 30 May 2020

Home · Tsabara · Bahia · International · Politics · Business · Technology and Science · Arts · Education · Health · Sports · Weather

Missiles strike powerless cities, as Salah's forces begin a new phase of their terror campaign.

A video showing the opening salvo was uploaded to the internet earlier today.

Adunis, Tsabara - Two days into the large scale power-outage that happened due to the overloading of the national grid, and missiles have begun striking several cities across Tsabara. The hotly contested battle ground of Qaa has seen numerous missile attacks, and other settlements along the southern and western coast have seen missile strikes as well.

Whilst the government has been working on returning power, only the more technologically up-to-date south-western cities have seen their power restored to them. Savyon, Sakhnin, Zuwayza and Hadera are the largest urban centres in the south to receive power again, prompting a large scale movement of people to the south. Reports have indicated that hotels and motels are completely booked, and much of the city has been forced to accommodate for people visiting their relatives. However, despite this, much of the rural countryside and the smaller municipalities are still without power.

During this time of crisis, the forces of Sheik Salah have begun a desperate act of terror: from their bases in the centre of the country they have begun a campaign of striking cities with missiles. As aforementioned, the brunt of these attacks have been reported in Qaa, but countless other settlements have also been affected: Tur'an, Kfar Vradim, Tebessa and Ofakim in the southwest, whilst Oroqic centres in the south such as Hitteen and Bayadha.

The government has called these attacks "insane acts of barbarism", concluding that the attacks "are definitive proof of Zorasani influence due to their co-ordination and precision." Interim-President Nazim al'Qutayni called upon the international community to "see these attacks as not one within a civil war; but a carefully calculated war of aggression from Zahedan."

Whilst the Tsabaran government has been attributing blame for the attacks on Zorasan since the power-outage, citing several cyber-attacks on the grid, there is currently no conclusive proof to their involvement.

In retaliation for the attacks on these urban settlements, fighters of the Tsabaran air-force were scrambled in an attempt to counter the missile strikes. Newly Estmerish-trained pilots found their first successes today, with their aircraft serving as close-support craft in disabling numerous missile facilities in Bedjene. When the military confirmed the crippling of these silos, the al'Qutayni praised the "bravery of Tsabara's pilots" in fighting for "the cosocial state".

Despite these successes, the government is still in a hard-pressed position. Millions are still without power, and the threat of their homes being destroyed by missiles has prompted even more people to flee from their homes and search for refuge in the west and the north-west.

The Community of Nations' Human Migration Agency has warned countries that border the Aurean strait and the Solarian sea that the likelihood of seeing increased migration, especially to locations such as Emessa and Montecara, are reaching critically likely levels.

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12251 comments

atuditemilsperger · 1 hour ago
Where is the airforce that Tsabara has?

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BoeJiden · 1 hour ago
I can't remember a worse act of terror.

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Cringe (Pronounced Cringe) · 1 hour ago
This is awful.

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by **Lemovicia** » Sun May 31, 2020 10:59 am

LEMOVICIA JOINS THE SAMISTOPOL COOPERATION ORGANIZATION
This seventh member of Samorspi is the first new member to join it since former member Piraea joined in 1998

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ZIRO ZABALEGUIA (@ZiroZaba)
1 JUNE, 2020 01:22 CET | TOPAGUNEA, SOUTH BIDEGURUTZEAN

Jubilant celebrations in Sechia

At exactly the stroke of midnight in the capital city of Topagunea, the flag of the Samistopol Cooperation Organisation was raised for the first time outside the Presidential Palace to the tune of its organizational anthem, officially welcoming the first new member state of the organisation in twenty-two years.

After the flag-raising ceremony, Chairman of the Presidency Postumo Boloquy said that "for decades, the policy of every Lemovician government was to be involved in a Euclean organisation. For decades, we received no real response from them besides mere observerships, and we were unwilling to join Samorspi because my people did not want to."

"Now, we are a proud member of the Samistopol Cooperation Organisation," Boloquy declared. "Now, we are part of a major bloc; we are part of an organization which will help us ascend from being a poor nation in the middle of the continent, to being a new motor of Euclea; we are part of a bloc who will be able to protect us from external threats, and now, we are part of a bloc which will bring us together, not apart."

Premier Sergiusz Galeki spoke after Boloquy, expressed his optimism about the benefits of the organization, saying that "the benefits of joining Samorspi are huge: now, we can trade freely with West Miersa, which will help Sechia become a major hub in the country; we can move freely, which will allow people to work in other countries and come home richer than before, and we can receive investments to help continue modernizing the country to the standards enjoyed across Euclea. This is the beauty of Samorspi, and I pray to God that we will remain in Samorspi for hundreds of years to come!"

Celebrations have erupted across Lemovicia, with fireworks displays being performed in the major cities of the country, as well as many activities to celebrate Lemovicia's accession, both officially organized by local governments, and unofficially organized by individuals, all of them wishing to celebrate Lemovicia's accession.

However, there were some who criticized Lemovicia's accession, with former Premier Jan Swiech notably dressing in all black to mourn Lemovicia "firmly planting itself with the west [Samorspi], as opposed to the east," and saying that the accession will "forever associate Lemovicia with the west, as opposed to the east, even if we one day follow Piraea's example [in leaving Samorspi]."

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by **Lefkosea** » Sun May 31, 2020 1:48 pm

LONG-TIME GOVERNOR OF PORTO OLIVEIRA QUITS
Juan Carlos Escribano is to resign later following protests against his Anti-Iustian rhetoric

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Filipe Tavares (@TavaresFilipe )
^{24 APRIL 2020 23:40 |PORTO OLIVEIRA, ZARALAJA}

Juan Carlos Escribano at Independence Day celebrations
Photo courtesy of AlcantaraFotos

Porto Oliveira, Zaralaja - Further disaster for the Social Catholic Union today, as their long-time Governor of Porto Oliveira is to quit after 24 years in power after supporting a bill which if passed would legalize discrimination against those on the basis of their Language which would mainly target the Iustian majority.

Escribano was first elected as Governor in 1996 in the Social Catholic Union's landslide electoral victory, at the time he was hailed as the main face against Ovajan independence, shortly after he was elected Governor of the Small port city he declared that Ovajo and Porto Oliveira would be Zaralajan for the next 100 years at least.

Under his administration funding for Iustian schools was cut and the Auratian language was widely promoted, Escribano was extremely popular with the State's Auratian minority who helped keep him and his party in power. Escribano also sought to model the party off the Auratian Sotirian Federation and ran for leadership of the party following Ismael Notario's resignation as Prime Minister and leader of the party, Escribano only won Ovajo and Porto Oliveira in said leadership contest losing to the centrist Carles Rodríguez.

Escribano's popularity has waned in recent years, in the last state election he only won by 1 point to Alliance for Independence's Porto Oliveira branch and pro-independence and pro-autonomy parties with the support of the PDE gained a majority in the State Legislature.

Today's announcement was met with celebration on the streets outside the Governor's residence by mainly Iustian speaking protestors, a small minority of the protestors were Auratian speaking. With Escribano's departure the State Legislature will now have to find a candidate to replace him and who can also command the confidence of the chamber. It is becoming increasingly likely that for the first time in over 30 years both Ovajo and Porto Oliveira will have Separatist governments at the same time making calls for independence harder to ignore.

One possible contender to replace Escribano is 32 year old former Oliveira Striker turned Green politician Jordão Góes who currently supports pro-autonomy parties. Góes is relatively popular statewide and is seen as a capable hand to lead the state with his progressive ideology. If elected Góes would become PDE's first governor as the party surges in opinion polls.

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by **Nuvania** » Sun May 31, 2020 8:03 pm

General Election To Be Held On November 30

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Tilana Stander (@Tilana Stander)
30 May (1:30pm)|PIETERSBURG

Chief Minister Joesoef van Lingen announcing the election date to the Provincial Council.

Nuvanians will go to the polls on November 30 according to the announcement made by the Chief Minister Joesoef van Lingen this morning.

The announcement was made during a morning press conference where the Chief Minister also answered questions regarding both the court case against the Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Bohn and the ongoing investigation into the Bank of the Orient. The Chief Minister said that he had consulted with parliamentary advisory staff and the State President regarding the setting of the election date, which will include the traditional six month campaign period.

This gives exactly one month left before Parliament will sit on June 30th during it's last sitting before it is dissolved for the election.

Electoral law in Nuvania allows the Chief Minister to call elections, although they are bound by some conventions, such as calling the date within a two month period after the last date of the previous election. However, general elections can be called early, especially if the Chief Minister resigns or loses a non-confidence vote. The last snap election was held in 2005, after then Chief Minister Arnold Hofmeyer resigned before he could be voted out of office in a non-confidence vote.

Electoral law also says that elections must have a mandatory period of six months between the announcement of the date for a general election and the date it is scheduled to allow for an effective campaign period.

The announcement comes after former Chief Minister Robert Marten became the first Chief Minister in Nuvanian history to lose a non-confidence vote in Parliament on April 15. The former Chief Minister is fighting the loss in court.

Van Lingen declined to comment on the civil suit launched by the former Chief Minister.

Leader of the Opposition and leader of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Andrew Bohn, welcomed the announcement and said that he was eager to get campaigning on what he called "an extremely important election."
"Our reputation around the world and with our friends and allies is in tatters," he said. "We have an economy going into recession, rising unemployment, and massive social inequality. I believe this election will be pivotal in determining Nuvanian history for decades to come." Bohn said that he did not want to comment on the ongoing case against him and the party in court.

The Chief Minister said that he was looking forwards to a "clean, fair fight" and said that the National People's Party (NVP) was "eager to put recent events behind it".
"We have realised that the previous government made some serious mistakes," he said. "We accept that. What I want to do, and what many of my colleagues also want to do, is to show a different NVP to Nuvania, and to the world, with policies that restore public confidence in the government and in the party."

Advance voting for the election begins on October 30.

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Violence cripples Tsabaran power grid, leaving millions in the dark

by **Slirnija** » Tue Jun 02, 2020 7:27 pm

by **Slirnija** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 2:13 pm

by **Union of Akoren** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:37 pm

Tsabara: The 21st Century War Finally Reaches the Coast
The conflict so far kept in to the Badawiyan dominated central regions and Oroqic south has finally reached the homes of the Sotirians and Atudites – in ways no one could have predicted

The moment a missile struck the southwestern city of Savyon on May 28.

Bas Kurvers - Professor of Strategic Studies at the State University of S'Holle.
June 4, 2020

The civil war in Tsabara has reached a whole new level, for the past five days large swathes of south-western Tsabara have been gripped by a full-scale blackout. Almost 20 million people are without power and in some places, working water and gas, while the region’s economy has collapsed. Then, two days into the blackout on May 30, the rebel forces launched 18 missiles at western cities. Isolated they are terrifying enough, but together, they constitute the most devastating terror campaign perhaps seen in modern warfare. In this article, the blackout and missile strikes will be analysed individually, drawing on data and experiences published online and through the Tsabaran government, before both are analysed as a cohesive offensive.

The Blackout

According to Tsabaran government statements, the blackout began 7.30am (EST) with power outages being reported across western Bedjene province. Immediate reports near the Atudite town of Kfar Sevim spoke of a large explosion at a grid transformer station, on this we will go into detail later. These outages then spread westward and southward, sending eight provinces and large parts of Yeruham Province into darkness. The city of Yeruham is still powered, reportedly due to its modern grid infrastructure. The northern and rebel held provinces were also insulated, though it should be noted that rebel-held provinces have been suffering intermittent outages due to government airstrikes on infrastructure.

At 08.00am (EST), the government declared an emergency once it was confirmed that the blackout was not going to be dealt with swiftly. The emergency was made starker by the reality that the outage was affecting over 20 million people and two of the country’s largest cities: Savyon and Ofakim. To say that this may be one of the largest blackouts in history is an understatement, the outage was affecting every aspect of human activity. The government has reported that the timing of the blackout was highly suspicious, as it was beginning of the morning rush hour, while the complete outage of telecommunications due to the lack of electricity made confirmation difficult. Tsabarans in the affected provinces with phone battery were able to share images, videos and statuses detailing car pile ups due to the sudden loss of traffic lights, accidents on escalators and elevators, while 16 people were killed and 68 injured when a passenger train derailed, reportedly due to a failed railroad switch. These cases were shared before the collapse of the internet servers.

The now widely lauded Tsabaran Human Rights Watch Group (THRWG) has reported that the blackout initially caused the deaths of 57 people, though this has since been revised down to 22. Like most blackouts in the developed world, many key state institutions remained powered, hospitals, police stations, fire stations and government buildings, fuelled by emergency generators. But this was no ordinary blackout.

The National Energy Company of Tsabara was deployed to restore power as soon as possible, dispatching engineers to the site of a reported transformer explosion in Kfar Sevim. The station is what is known as a “hub”, a junction in the nation criss-crossing line of cables. The NECT reported to the government that the hub had been destroyed by a concussive explosion, possibly a bomb. This led to the government immediately blaming the Irfanic Liberation and Resistance, the main rebel force located only 100 miles to the east from Kfar Sevim. The ILR has been known to stage sabotage operations behind government lines, the most notable was the demolition of the Chorazim Highway Bridge. The immediate accusation was reinforced by the discovery of six bodies in a ditch outside the transformer station, all since identified as NECT staff. The company attempted to reassure the populace by saying the damage was reparable, but it would take time, that was until the blackout had a vastly different and devastating side-effect.

At 13.03pm (EST), NECT referred itself to the Tsabaran Cybersecurity Office, officially claiming that its staff could not access its primary computer system. This also included control system programs being replaced or deleted, essentially stripping control of the grid away from its operators. Within 40 minutes of this, the Tsabaran government was reporting that its national grid was coming under a cyber-attack, swiftly pointing the finger at Zorasan. With the loss of control over its computer systems, Tsabara’s ability to physically repair the destroyed hub station was made redundant. Without control over the system, the ability to restore power is made near impossible. And so, the government’s promise of power being restored within 24 hours was obliterated and the blackout continued into the first night.

Throughout the second day, from what can be determined from government statements was peaceful. Stores remained open to sell goods to people, including bottled water. Yet, the lack of television, internet or radio access for large segments of the affected areas inevitably led to the reported panic buying of food and bottled water. This would within 24 hours become catastrophic for many. The security services were deployed across the blackout zone to maintain order and to protect civilians from any possible Al-Isbah cell. The government was reportedly facing difficulties maintaining lines of communication with federal forces in the region. According to a statement from the President’s Office, the federal government was forced to transfer control to provincial governments, who could maintain communication through secure locations. However, despite the peace, the effects of the blackout were now affecting the health of citizens. With power out completely, numerous buildings could no longer operate their air condition, water was no longer accessible in some areas due to the water pump stations going offline, together with the 36-degree Celsius early summer heat posed a significant danger. The dehydrating heat surely added to the tensions.

May 28th would provide a new level hell, with the bombardment of western coastal cities by the Irfanic Liberation and Resistance (ILR) utilising captured ballistic and cruise missiles, though this will be discussed in more detail below. With no electricity to access the internet, television or radio waves the blackout region was struck without any warning, with Savyon and Ofakim targeted heavily with missiles. The bombardment coupled with the blackout broke the civic spirit. Despite the presence of federal forces and local law enforcement, the populace’s spirit broke into looting and mass hysteria. The poor Badawiyan districts began to loot the wealthier districts not for luxuries, but for food and bottled water. Government statements since have described “masses of desperate people” opting to break the law to water and feed themselves, with federal and provincial responses hampered by the inability to communicate with the affected masses. If not looting, people were breaking into banks to access money, being unable to access their funds through the lack of working ATMs, while bank staff could not access their systems to process withdrawals. Card reading machines in stores and other places which require a charged battery or being wired into a power socket failed also, throwing the regions back to the days of cash only.

The hysteria soon gave way to conspiracy theories, in a manner befitting a nation torn apart by ethno-sectarian conflict and strife. According to the government and public sources, the early hours of the 29th May gave way to armed vigilante groups, near exclusively formed by Atudites to defend life and property from the Badawiyan minority. Rumours ran amok in the Neve Oved district of Savyon that the neighbouring Badawiyan dominated district of Al-Kasab was riddled with Al-Isbah and ILR cells, who were plotting to ransack Neve Oved. What happened next is blamed by the government on the Atudite nationalist insurgent group, the Lions of the Homeland. At midday, a large group of armed Atudites entered Al-Kasab and attacked the local Badawiyans, beating them and harassing them. Al-Kasab citizens sharing their harrowing ordeal through recorded interviews with journalists all stated that the Atudite mob had warned them to stay out of Neve Oved. At least eight people were killed and over 100 were injured. Unable to call for police assistance, Al-Kasab’s residents had to fend for themselves. Scenes like Al-Kasab were repeated at least eight times since as early as May 27th. These instances also resulted in Badawiyan counterattacks, with at least 80 armed men attacked Atudites in a half-mixed town near Savyon. At least 4 Atudites were killed, 180 were injured and at least four businesses were torched. This is not the environment or sentiment the government needs in its rear areas, the blackout has very much endangered the loose alliance between coastal Badawiyans and the Atudites, if it were to break, the government would collapse and the ILR would be in the streets of Adunis within weeks.

Other Atudite groups, some claimed by the government and citizens since to be Lions affiliated began to organise communities thrown back centuries in the darkness of the blackout. These groups took to amassing supplies and distributing them, completely independent of provincial authority support. The vigilantism was restricted merely to deterring the Badawiyans, but to Atudites themselves. Isolated reports indicate that ad-hoc “people’s courts” were established in rural towns to dispense justice to thieves and looters. To say that the blackout stands as a warning to any Northern society is an understatement, especially considering the high level of development found in the Southwest of Tsabara. Here, the very fabric of society steadily came apart in the darkness and void. Unable to communicate or hear government direction, with the lights off and internet absent, the water taps no longer running and missile reigning down, no one truly could come to understand what millions of Tsabarans have suffered this past week. NECT has reportedly regained control over its central computer system and power has been restored to parts of the southwest. The government has refused to comment on the human loss caused by the blackout since it be impossible to categorise. But at least 19 people were killed as a result of looting and ethno-sectarian violence, an investigation will reveal how many died as a result of hospitals losing power.

People strolling through the blacked out streets of Kfar Vedim.

While the physical, psychological and human cost will become clear as time passes, the economic cost of the blackout can be seen right now. The southwest of Tsabara is its biggest non-petrochemical economic hub, boasting financial services, a budding yet nascent technological centre and much of its heavy industry. The blackout obliterated thousands of businesses, numerous financial companies have imploded altogether, unable to do business without access to the online world. Manufacturers, suffering already from a collapse in exports due to the civil war were dealt the final blow with the loss of power. Even if the government can follow through with its promises of financial support (dubious owing to the ruthless recession gripping the country and the loss of large portions of its oil producing capacity), its doubtful they will resurrect fully without foreign investment. Hundreds of thousands will be declared jobless, if not millions. The blackout may not have brought about complete social collapse, but it has edged Tsabara closer toward economic collapse.

The Bombardment

As the Southwest was thrown back into the stone age by the blackout, the Irfanic Liberation and Resistance forces opted to worsen the ordeal with a coordinated bombardment of western coastal cities with missiles. Prior to the outbreak of full-scale fighting in January, the collapse of federal authority in the east saw the capture of vast quantities of equipment, vehicles and weapons by defecting regular units. During the chaos, defected brigades even took with them, numerous cruise and ballistic missiles. With the onset of war, the government warned that the ILR possessed at least 30 SCUD launchers and an unknown number of smaller and shorter-range missiles. It vowed to track and destroy them, the bombardment of May 28th proved that they had failed to do so.

Shortly after 6am on May 28th, the ILR fired approximately 22 missiles from its strongholds in eastern Bedjene province. The vast majority landed on west Qa’ah, where government forces are engaged in fierce urban fighting to secure the city. Longer range missiles struck Ofakim, Savyon, Tu’ran, Kfar Vadim and Baradya. The bombardment failed to strike any target of value, instead, slamming into residential or commercial areas. Qa’ah was blasted by 10 missiles, with one striking a staging area for FAF (Federal Armed Forces) units, killing 38 soldiers and injuring 60 others. Yet, the strikes against the cities suffering from the blackout were most barbaric. One ballistic missile struck a large apartment building in Ofakim, levelling the building and killing at least 100 people. Another missile landed just meters away from Kfar Vadim’s main hospital, blowing out windows and striking parked traffic. Two missiles were fired at Yeruham but fell short; one landed in Moshe Savon Park and the other overshot the city and landed in the Solarian Sea. The immediate bombardment killed at least 386 people according to the THRWG and injuring a further 600, worsened by the inability of civilians to contact emergency services.

In truth the bombardment was never going to deliver a military hammer blow, but that does not appear to be the intent. With only modest gains secured since January, the ILR has now opted to utilise terror as a means of fighting the government. ILR and pro-rebel media outlets and its social media machine described the bombardment as “vengeance for the air bombardment of free Tsabara.” Coinciding with the blackout, the bombardment has appeared to have achieved one major objective – the shattering of the peace on the coast. The government at the time of writing this article had declared a major emergency owing to the large number of people fleeing the southwest for the north or Euclea. The bombardment also scored a success in shattering a perceived aloofness or arrogance in Adunis toward the ILR as “a horde of pathetic units of defectors or young Badawiyans just handed a gun.” The struck terror at the heart of the loyalist stronghold.

Modern warfare in its truest form

Taken individually, the blackout and bombardment are devastating in their own ways, yet combined they constitute the terror campaign of the 21st century. Since the blackout appears to be the result of a cyberattack, this modern reference is confirmed as fact. The government’s immediate accusation that Zorasan hacked its power grid is probably correct. Zorasan operates one of the largest cyber armies in the world and has on numerous occasions made very public statements to the effect that it cyberwarfare is a major component of its military doctrine. Zorasan has been accused of cyber attacks on Tsabara before, including the near disabling of its payroll system for military personnel and the seizure of personnel lists for the entire federal government. On the other hand, theories are emerging that Xiaodong may have been responsible for the cyberattack, in retaliation for Tsabara’s seizure of Xiaodongese assets and businesses. Without definitive proof (cyberattacks are exceedingly difficult to appoint blame), this colossal and historic cyber assault will go unheeded. I will posit that Zorasan was the likely culprit, owing to the coordinated ILR bombardment against the most affected regions.

What this terrifying disaster proves is the immense vulnerabilities digitalisation poses to the national security of countries, not just those engulfed in civil war. It is widely accepted that any major conflict in this century will be highly destabilising owing to the inevitable spread of conflict from the physical battlefield to the digital realm, where entire economies and infrastructures were intertwined. And despite claims to the contrary, what happened to southwest Tsabara can happen to a developed economy, perhaps even more so due to the high degree of digitalisation. Tsabara stands as a warning to the North, both of its vulnerabilities and the capacity by hostile powers; Narozalica, Zorasan or Xiaodong, to take full advantage of those vulnerabilities.

Whether Tsabara recovers from this atrocious cyber and missile attack is in question, the southwest has been devastated economically and socially. Hundreds of thousands now flee the region, either to the safety of northwest Tsabara, or for Euclea. Militarily, the FAF destroyed several of the offending missile batteries and the battle for Qa’ah continues, the war continues. But without question, the Tsabaran Civil War has entered a new chapter.

© Coian Monitor, 2020

Bas Kurvers is a Professor of Strategic Studies at the State University of S'Holle. Kurvers specialises in cyberwarfare and Coian military history.

by **Union of Akoren** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 6:13 pm

by **Liecthenbourg** » Fri Jun 05, 2020 5:48 am

Camille Chamoun - 13 Sivan AM 5780 / Jomeh: 16. Khordad 1399 / 5 June 2020

Home · Tsabara · Bahia · International · Politics · Business · Technology and Science · Arts · Education · Health · Sports · Weather

Through blackouts and missiles, countless flee to the west and north.

Refugees from the Tsabaran crisis, hundreds of families wait at a rail station in El Aouïnet.

Adunis, Tsabara - Thousands of Tsabaran citizens are projected to have fled from their homes over the week. Facing water and food shortages, little power, and an increasingly devastating terror attack through the use of missiles, the CN's agency on Migration has projected that roughly 100,000 - 200,000 Tsabarans have undergone the journey towards the west and north. The agency has warned that given the government's failings to restore power, and furthermore, restore confidence in its capabilities, these numbers are just the beginning.

As has been the case for most of the internal migration facing Tsabara, the largest number of these refugees come from the central provinces: where the fighting is the most fierce and the bombardments are the most common.

Yet, with issues relating to ethnic strife and attacks in the South West, civilians from southern Yeruham Province, Karmiel and Beniane, have also begun fleeing in substantial numbers towards the north. As Bas Kurvers, a Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of s'Holle pointed out: The 21st Century War Finally Reaches the Coast. Whilst food and water are not as sparse as they are becoming in where the fighting is the hardest, the domino effect of loss of power and the missile attacks in this region have prompted what some onlookers are describing as merely the beginning of internal and external migration from this area.

Over the last few months, the wealthiest individuals in many cities in south western Tsabara had already fled to Euclea by way of air-travel: those who remained saw their property attacked over increasing riots over the past week; following trends of both ethnic strife put forward by Sheik Salah and reawakened class consciousness on the part of the TSWI.

The Tsabaran government has announced that it is expected to house these migrants in temporary shelters built along the northern coast, claiming that they have been prepared for this unfortunate incident. The Ministry for the Interior described that these facilities are well maintained, with access to fresh water, power and communal facilities for cooking and socialising.

Yet, when asked, many of those fleeing the scenes in Tsabara announced that they had no intention of staying at these facilities: "Its only a matter of time before the war gets here," one said. Fears of the government's incapability to control the crisis have made the minds of many that the only safety from the conflict they can truly get is an exodus out of the country. When we asked where they expected they would be safe, the answer for these predominantly Atudaic people was almost uniform: "Montecara", or "Emessa." Some would go on to say "Gaullica", or "Euclea" as whole. Their confidence in getting there was noticeably high, given the Tsabaran navy's commitments elsewhere.

One man who identified himself as Jared Kafni told the Fédéraliste that he was "completely awestruck" by the "barbarity" he had seen in his home. He said that he had been living in Savyon for all his life and had never seen, not even in the fall of the Communalist Regime, "such disregard for one's fellow man." He summed up his grievances with a simple "This isn't the Tsabara anyone knew." When asked where he was going, he merely replied that he didn't know, and if things were good, he wouldn't have had to go anywhere.

The government has stressed that travel across the Aurean straits is "an incredibly dangerous" move, and has warned potential crossers that "those found endangering themselves, or others" will be detained. Threats have including revoking the licenses of captains and detaining their vessels. Furthermore, they have stressed that the safest location for Tsabarans is in "Tsabara". In recognition of this, the government has sent out a warning to other countries on the Solarian sea, indicating that they believe despite their safe-guards individuals will continue to try to flee across the ocean. Adunis' internal projections see the vast majority of migration to still be internal; but have suggested that external migration is becoming more normal: and that Montecara and Emessa are on the frontlines of a potential refugee crisis.

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atuditemilsperger · 1 hour ago
Where are the internal migration services that Tsabara has?

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BoeJiden · 1 hour ago
I can't remember a joke beaten more to death.

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ATsabaranMigrant · 1 hour ago
come to Xiaodong; sister country to Tsabara, atudites and irfanics live in Xiaodong in harmony.

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by **Slirnija** » Fri Jun 05, 2020 5:55 pm

by **The Holy Dominion of Inesea** » Sun Jun 07, 2020 1:31 pm

by **Nuvania** » Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:05 am

Alkmaar Executives Used Bank Of The Orient For Embezzling - FCO

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Nico Schoon (@NicoSchoon)
8 June (12:00pm)|PIETERSBURG

The Financial Crimes Office (FCO) has announced that there is "substantial preliminary evidence" that the embattled Imaguan bank, the Bank of the Orient, was used by several Alkmaar executives to embezzle money made from the sale of stocks in the company prior to a significant drop in the value of the company's shares in August last year.

FCO spokeswoman Stephanie Hall said that the investigation had uncovered additional significant amounts of money that were transferred from accounts elsewhere into the personal accounts of all five of the executives being held for insider trading. She said that the amounts had "increased the value of the illegal funds substantially."
"We were already looking at the largest insider trading case in terms of total monetary value," she said. "But now we're likely looking at the largest case of embezzlement in Nuvanian history."

Hall would not go into detail about the size of the embezzlement, stating that the investigation was ongoing. However, she said that it was enough to push the total amount to well over ten billion goude (€595.5 million), a figure unprecedented in Nuvanian criminal history. Hall refused to comment on who had embezzled the money, but said that those that the money was linked to were "already in custody". She said that additional charges of embezzlement would be made against the five executives when all are present to face trial in Pietersburg later this month.

The investigation into the illegal financial activities of the five Alkmaar executives also saw the recent opening of an investigation into embattled Imaguan bank, the Bank of the Orient, when it was revealed that significant amounts of the money make from the sale of the Alkmaar stocks were transferred through the bank. The extent to which Nuvanian executives of the bank knew these transfers were being made are still to be determined, and is the subject of further investigation by the FCO.
"We're looking into whether or not those in positions of power within the bank knew of these transfers taking place, and to what extent," Hall said. "We have spoken to several bank personnel who have worked in the bank's corporate banking division and they are cooperating fully with the investigation."

Bank of the Orient's Nuvanian operations spokesman, Johnathan Trimbole, said that the bank "rejected any allegations that it knowingly facilitated any embezzlement of any kind by its customers."
"We take these allegations very seriously," he said. "We believe that our banking operations in Nuvania, and around the world for that matter, are above board and in line with banking regulations and laws in each of the jurisdictions we operate in." He said that so far the bank had cooperated with any and all requests that the FCO had made, and was continuing to cooperate with the investigation.

Currently five former executives are being trialled for insider trading, including former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frans de Jongh, and former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Andre de Jongh. Both the de Jongh brothers and George Hermann have been put into custody in Nuvania, with George Kriel and Johannes le Roux set to be extradited from Saint-Baptitse after their whereabouts were discovered on Friday last week. Both the de Jongh brothers and Hermann have already made court appearances and have pleaded not guilty to charges of insider trading.

Hall also said that based on additional information revealed by the investigation into both Alkmaar and Bank of the Orient that additional investigations and arrests will be made. She said that these investigations will be determining the extent to which companies contracted by Alkmaar were aware of the selloffs taking place, and which provided information to company executives.
"These investigations will be determining if anyone employed by these companies that worked with staff at Alkmaar knew about the insider trading, and to what extent," she said. "These will be useful in determining how widespread Alkmaar's illicit financial activities were."

Although not confirmed, many sources within the finance industry have pointed to Sandenbergh-Morgan Financial as the company that will come under investigation. According to these sources, Sandenbergh-Morgan has a "close working relationship" with Alkmaar in spite of the company revealed to have been involved in similar financial crimes with construction firm Douglas Howe in 2004, the fallout of which contributed to the resignation of then Chief Minister Arnold Hofmeyer. The extent to which Sandenbergh-Morgan cooperated with both Alkmaar and Bank of the Orient remains to be seen.

In addition to the investigations, the additional arrests would be made if the investigation revealed new persons of interest or those who had also committed or facilitated illicit financial activities. Hall said that an additional three sitting executives on the executive board at Alkmaar who were also serving at the time the insider trading and now the alleged embezzlement took place were placed under investigation for their roles. She refused to name them as the investigation is ongoing.

The investigation into Alkmaar has so far confirmed a total transfer close to the claimed amount of around ₲6.58 billion (€350.7 million) in proceeds from the sale of company stocks prior to the significant drop in the overall value of the Pietersburg Andelebeurs (PAB) on August 13, last year. Hall said the money had been seized and would be held by the FCO as proceeds of criminal activity. She had not issued a trading freeze for Alkmaar or frozen its accounts, saying that the FCO was still monitoring all financial transactions the company was making.
"We're keeping an eye on the company," she said. "However, given the size of the company and the number of jobs at stake, we're allowing the company to function as long as it continues to cooperate with us."

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by **Liecthenbourg** » Wed Jun 10, 2020 2:23 pm

Gaullican Presidential Election 2020: Poll sees top three inch further away from competitors.
The first Le Monde poll for June sees the top of the pack, led by Abdulrashid, Barreau and De Troumpe inch further away from Maitre, Laurent and Lemery -- as post debate successes finally meet a slump.

Antoinette Giroud
June 8th, 2020|Verlois, Gaullica

Le Monde's Weekly Poll, from late April to now.
Graphic courtesy of myself and excel.

Verlois, Gaullica

Le Monde's latest poll, and the first one for June, sees the "pack of three" that constitutes Premier Degar-Abdulrashid and Senators Barreau and De Troumpe inch further away from the others running: former Mayor of Verlois Maitre and Senators Lemery and Laurent. The poll sees the highest favourability scores since the polling began, as well as the lowest.

Two months into campaigning has seen Premier Monique Degar-Abdulrashid's lead, currently averaging 30% of the vote amongst polled individuals, rise by a total of 8 points from late April. In large part her debate performance on the 26th saw a large chunk of this trend, though it was lost and gained over the remaining few intervals. Her performance was regarded to be one of the strongest, especially in the context of her stances in defending some of the more popular policies of the incumbent government. A large portion of her current popularity spike seems to also stem from the government's handling of the Garamburan coup, which saw General Gatamba return power to a civilian government mid-last month. The data also seems to suggest that a large portion of Lemery's would-be-voters are shifting to Degar-Abdulrashid. It should be noted, this is not necessarily for an ideological shift from the Premier, but rather, over concerns that Barreau and De Troumpe have the potentiality to enter the second round -- leaving no genuine left-wing option.

Senator Barreau (28%) and Senator De Troumpe (26%) have been the most contested in position this election season, nipping away at potential voters from each other -- even from the centre-left in some cases. The polling indicates that of the debate performances, De Troumpe succeeded -- if only partially -- in having a more favourable debate performance. Barreau, to her credit, has maintained a core of support - even after publicly expressing the idea of military intervention in Tsabara would be on the table in her presidency. Numerous campaign events from both in the recent weeks have seen them orient attacks, not only at each other, but in an increasing velocity towards the current front-runner.

Given the decline of both Maitre and Laurent, it can be puzzling to wonder who's support is going where. Preferential rankings seem to indicate that much of Laurent's early supporters and voters have shifted towards De Troumpe in larger numbers than to Barreau: and the main reasoning for this comes from the traditional voter base of the Gaullican Conservatives feeling resentment towards the leader of the Progressive Conservatives. Barreau, meanwhile, seems to have found herself support amongst the dissatisfied members of Maitre's early supporters.

Former Mayor of Verlois, Nathan Maitre, benefited from an immensely strong debate-showing in April, peaking at 14%. The polls at the time indicated he had broad appeal from both the centre-left and the centre-right, and terms such as "humble", "honest" and "electable" and "statesmanlike" became associated with him. His popular slogan of "Getting it done", whilst not specifically referring to what, seemed to resonate with others. However, Maitre's strength in the limelight also proved to be one of his greatest failings: when Nathan Maitre was put into the national spotlight; so did his record. In the weeks after the debate countless videos of police stop and search laws and his detrimental attitude towards race relations in the city of Verlois came forward, dropping him down to his current average of 4%. This, paired with Maitre's own inaduqacies in apologising -- only apologising once it came to be detrimental to his chance in the race -- and his inability to tackle the questions on race in the debate left many of his supporters, who saw him as both a moderate to the Premier but not as 'tainted' as Barreau, questioning who to support.

Ultimately, the projections seem to indicate that unless the other candidates can regain traction in their campaigns, that by the end of August it will be a competition to see who from amongst Gaullica's three current predominant parties would be entering the second round.

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by **Montecara** » Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:15 pm

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Montecara will apply law 'to the letter' in response to migrant crisis
Secretary Luciàn appeals to international community for help as number of migrants landed reaches 700

Tsabaran migrants disembark on the Montecaran coast Monday as members of the Public Force assist.

MONTECARA—Secretary of State Odeta Luciàn announced Wednesday that Montecara would fully respect international law regarding refugees in response to the ongoing Tsabaran migrant crisis, but would at the same time not bend national immigration laws. Speaking at a press conference in the Palaço Pùblico, Luciàn underscored that the influx of more than 700 migrants on boats from Tsabara so far this year has put Montecaran immigration infrastructure under severe pressure.

"The pace of migrants' attempts to land on Montecara has increased exponentially since the beginning of the year," she said, adding that at least three migrant vessels have attempted to land every day so far this month.

The 700-migrant figure does not take into account those refugees aboard vessels that are interdicted at sea before they have a chance to land. The Public Force is under orders to stop all unauthorized vessels in the Aurean Straits, board them to check for illegal migrants, and then return anyone not authorized to land in Montecara to their point of embarkation. In practice, this means that migrant boats are usually seized and destroyed, while passengers are taken directly back to the Tsabaran coast.

Luciàn called for the Community of Nations, in particular the Commission for Refugees and Displaced Peoples, to take immediate action "in support of refugees and international law."

"We, a nation of less than two million, cannot stop the flow of desperate people fleeing a war zone. We cannot house them, feed them, care for their medical and psychiatric needs, provide them with jobs or education. It is not possible. It is the responsibility of the international community to live up to their moral and legal obligations to refugees and asylum-seekers," she said.

She added that she and supporting staff at the Secretariat of State were in the process of appealing to the Euclean Community for help as well, including a proposed joint military operation designed to stop the flow of migrants while at the same time preventing deaths at sea. Montecaran authorities have recovered 35 bodies so far this year from the eastern strait, and nearly all of them have since been confirmed as migrants who drowned on their voyage from Tsabara.

"Without a unified Euclean and, indeed, global response to this humanitarian crisis, thousands of migrants' lives will no doubt be lost. The window for action to be taken is closing day by day, and it is on all our hands if we fail," she said.

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PSD MAKE BIG GAINS IN COUNTY ELECTIONS, RE-TAKE SHANBALLY

Bhioctoria Nic Mhaoláin will serve as the first PSD Lord Mayor of Shanbally since 2010.

By RÓNÁN Ó DUBHGHAILL

14 June 2020 at 11:31 a.m. EST

Friday's county elections resulted in a series of significant victories for the Social Democratic Party, which managed to flip several county governments.

The PSD was able to secure an outright majority win control of four counties: Aerach, Bouladuff, Clane, and Shanbally. After the election, they are also now the largest party in County Caithia, County Longford, and County Skryne where they are expected to lead the county government. In total, the PSD are positioned to flip a total of seven counties after the election.

Important gains for the party were also made in Spálgleann, where the PSD also flipped the city council. Incumbent Lord Mayor Dorotea Fuertes i Lluís-Malloy was re-elected, having previously been elected in a special election in 2017. The PSD now has political control over the capital for the first time in over a decade. Reforms made to the city's electoral system by former Taoiseach Jimmy O'Reilly in 2017 ended up benefiting the PSD. Under O'Reilly, an additional 10 seats were awarded to the largest party and the threshold was lowered from five per-cent to two-and-a-half per-cent, the national threshold.

Friday's county elections were a series of major victories for the PSD, a party that had struggled in 2010 and 2015. The party was battered by the Free Market Party in those elections, losing control of Shanbally for the first time in nearly a century. The collapse of the PMSA and the defection of all of its county-level officials in 2017 created an opening for the PSD, which was able to dislodge the incumbent Shanbally Interest party. Shanbally Interest was formed by former PSMA members who had left the party during its 2017 decline.

The PSD is also poised to become the first mainland party to lead a government in County Caithia, which has been governed by local parties since the Caithian Home Rule Bill came into effect in 1980.

The popularity of the national government, led by Taoiseach Stiofán Mac Suibhne sicne 2019, has boosted the PSD at a county level. Public opinion has been favorable to the taoiseach's leadership, reflective in part of his landslide victory in the 2019 snap election.

Gains made in Friday's election were a big boost for the PSD, which has now fully establish itself as the nation's largest political party at all levels of government. Mac Suibhne's party now control's all of the country's most populous municipalities, a majority of its counties, sends the most MEPs to the Euclean Parliament, is the largest party in the Seanad, and has a majority in the Comhthionól.

Liberty's defeat in Friday's election has solicited renewed criticism of the party's controversial leader. Several prominent Liberty TCs, including former Spálgleann Lord Mayor Roibeárd Mac Cianain, have expressed their disappointment with the results. Pádraig Mac Piarais, who has led Liberty since 2019, previously oversaw defeats in last year's municipal and Euclean Parliament elections. One Liberty TC is reported to have privately said Mac Piarais is "dangerous, incompetent, and ill-equipped to lead" his party. There is some speculation that his rivals, many of which are more moderate, may move to oust him from the party leadership.

Mac Piarais labeled his critics as "political cowards and do-gooders" and blamed them for his party's performance, saying it was "sabotage" that prevented his party from maintaining control of county governments. His party lost races to both the PSD and the National Party, which stood in the county elections for the first time. The Nationals will control County Scalghan and have become the second largest party in County Fahamore and County Scarp, over taking Liberty.

Next year's Seanad elections, in which counties elect one representative to send to the chamber, could reflect this years vote. Should that happen, the PSD would be close to a razor-thin majority and the Nationals could clinch several seats from Liberty.

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by **Eskaeba** » Thu Jun 18, 2020 2:38 pm

by **Liecthenbourg** » Fri Jun 19, 2020 3:05 pm

The Tsabaran Crisis: A war within a war.
As the world watches Tsabara become a battleground between the unity government in Adunis and the Irfanic extremists of Sheik Salah, confrontations in the north of the country reveal hidden aspects of the war; including ethnic separatists and council communists.

Antoinette Giroud
June 19th, 2020|Verlois, Gaullica

A female fighter within the TSWI's newest militias.
Photo courtesy of Meshperga.

Tsabara

As the Tsabaran Federation, a country which has operated on a cosocial federal basis since the early 1990s, buckles under the pressures of political civil conflict, further conflicts and tensions are brewing in the country.

Tsabara has dominated international news headlines due to the severity of what has been dubbed as the 'Tsabaran Crisis.' Since earlier this year, a state of conflict has existed between the Unity Government of interim president Nazim al'Qutayni and Irfanic Extremists in the east of the country, led by charismatic proselytiser Sheik Salah. Accusations have been lobbied by the Tsabaran government of Salah's close association with the military figures of the UZIR's military and government.

Yet, even as they ideological opposites battle for the fate of their nation, and countless have been internally and externally displaced, to label the ongoing issues in Tsabara as a conflict between two sides is a gross exaggeration. The initial view might show two concrete sides, there are countless factors at play: including the Irfanic terrorist group: Al-Isbah who were responsible for the Yeruham Attack, who are currently caught in between both the government and Salah's forces. Furthermore, the Lions of the Homeland, the Atudite domestic terrorist group that was responsible for the Mazar Attacks. And there are further factions around the country, many of which have been ignored or unheard of until the past few days.

In the north of the country coalesced around the largest city in the province of Aïn Yagout, Laz[rou, the Tsabaran Section of the Workers' International, who one ruled in Tsabara, have made a resurgence under Qadir Jabbar. Jabbar himself made international news when his declaration for a general strike in February of this year was picked up by the Swetanian paper Rote Welt. Since then, it seems that the TSWI has been incredibly busy.

Jabbar's charisma and dedication to the cause of the TSWI has rallied countless to his banner; those dissatisfied with the government but are not Irfanic extremists in themselves. It has been reported by both the Tsabaran government and international onlookers that the TSWI has set up numerous militias and fighting forces and has begun to engage with elements of Al-Isbah and Sheik Salah's forces as the fighting enters Aïn Yagout. The region is noted for its strong commitment to the TSWI, being one of the few provinces in Tsabara where the party is within the top three largest parties in the state legislature.

Several videos that the TSWI has put on the internet have circulated and one expresses the group's intentions. The speaker in the video goes on to say that the TSWI is "heeding the call" to "protect Tsabara's poorest", as well as tapping into all those who want "palpable change that the government will not deliver and Salah does not want". According to the TSWI, they have managed to rout numerous incursions into their territory, but the validity of these claims are unknown as of right now. The Tsabaran government denies their involvement in any victories against Salah's forces, and argue that any side not with the government is directly detrimental to the survivability of the cosocial state.

Despite this, socialists fighting Irfanic extremists is not the only "war within a war" in Tsabara. The northern provinces of Sambarat and Netanya, with minorities in Boukhadra, are populated with Suhalans. Suhalans are a Solario-Badawiyan ethnic group, who speak what was been regarded to be the "only Solarian language" that is linguistically native to Coius. They, as a predominantly Sotirian ethnic group, have reasons to fear the successes of Sheik Salah, but are also quite worried by the potential renege of promises put forward by the unity government in the event of their own victory.

Government control has loosened over the rural parts of these northern territories as Suhalan separatists seek to promote their own potential secession from the Federation. Though currently small in number, and apparently disorganised, their presence adds mounting pressure to the government in Adunis -- especially as their consolidation of power in the region threatens the government refugee camps in the nearby areas.

The government, again, stressed that any force fighting for a cause that was not solely grounded in the defeat of Sheik Salah threatened to dissolve the cosocial state as much as he does. Adunis has stressed no military support or aid for separatists groups that seek to profit off of the current instability, stressing that they would merely weaken their own capabilities to repel any incursions by Al-Isbah or Salah.

According to a source that Le Monde finds to be reliable; the Tsabaran government finds itself concerned of the prospects of the largest minority ethnic group in the country -- excluding the Badawiyans the Atudites --, the Oroqics, to begin consolidating behind powerful figures in the south of the country.

The Tsabaran Crisis is a complex conflict with countless originating factors and it is quite likely that the current crisis can trace its origins back as far as one can imagine. The conflict has already claimed thousands of lives, and displaced millions. Yet what these ongoing internal conflicts that are either in full swing or brewing show is that there is more to this fight than what many assume: extremist Irfanics against moderate Irfanics and Atudites.

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