Kayfabeland News Network [Kayfabeland Regional News Thread]

[Astoria]

OOC: This thread will be for members of the Kayfabeland region to post news reports. These reports can be on subjects being roleplayed in other threads, or they can be a way of introducing characters and/or events into your own canon and the regional canon without requiring the creation of an entirely new RP.


KAYFABELAND NEWS NETWORK (KNN)

The Kayfabeland News Network (KNN) is a regional news aggregator, providing a simple one-stop location to access news content being produced across Kayfabeland. Visitors to KNN can easily learn about the breaking news being reported across the region by a variety of national news organizations, as well as top-notch reporting from the World Press Agency (WPA) and Atlantis Cable News (ACN).

Region members can post news stories from their own domestic news agencies (please keep images small) or through the World Press Agency (a regional equivalent to the Associated Press) or Atlantis Cable News (an internationally-broadcast cable news channel headquartered in Astoria). To post a story from these organizations, simply paste the following code at the top of your post:

Atlantis Cable News:

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[align=center][img]https://i.imgur.com/PVwwirN.jpg[/img]
[b]Atlantis Cable News[/b]
[i]"The Trusted Name in News"[/i][/align]

World Press Agency:

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[align=center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bjYi0mL.png[/img]
[b]WORLD PRESS AGENCY[/b][/align]

[Astoria]

National Broadcasting Conglomerate
"Astoria's News Network"

LAWSON SHINES IN FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

The three candidates in the 2020 presidential election met last night for the first of four debates, hosted by the National Election Commission at David Burke University in Columbia, Capitol District. The debate was themed as introducing the candidates to the Astorian public and the questions covered core issues. All three candidates had their moments during the debate but Harriet Lawson, the senior Senator from the state of Sylvania running on the Socialist Party ticket, emerged as the most impressive candidate of the evening. Senator Lawson spoke passionately about her own personal political journey and how it shaped the policies of her 2020 platform.

The most talked-about moment came around two-thirds of the way through the debate. When former Governor George Clayton, the Liberal Party candidate, attacked Lawson’s proposed Green New Deal as an “empty promise and a hefty bill,” Lawson countered with a strong defense of the Socialist Party’s climate policy.

“Climate change is going to hand us a bill no matter what we do,” Lawson said. “If we continue to push real, difficult, but necessary change down the road, to future generations, then we ensure that it will be a butcher’s bill.”

Incumbent President David Jefferson Adams emphasized the positive record of his first term. But the moderator, NBC's own Kristen Sky, pushed President Adams to defend his more controversial record on foreign policy. President Adams has been criticized from both sides – Socialists have condemned the President for continuing the “War on Terror” launched by his predecessor Jeremiah Hull, while Liberals accuse Adams of doing too little to actively combat regional terror groups like Ultra-Violet. President Adams defended both his own record on counter-terrorism and the achievements of President Hull.

“We have achieved great successes in the War on Terror,” Adams said. “Our commitments to our allies, and to our morals, demand that we stay the course and continue to combat violent extremism wherever it rears its head.”

David Jefferson Adams, incumbent President

Harriet Lawson, senior Senator from Sylvania

George Clayton, former Governor of Centralia

NBC will continue to bring you coverage of the candidates’ platforms, as well as updates from the campaign trail.

[Regallian]

General Kingston has been arrested recently by Congressional forces, due to fear of ambition. Riots have been sparked in the streets by fans and followers of the retired war-hero, who led Regallian to peace after the reign of President Sussex's regime led to civil war. Millions are marching across the nation, advocating Kingston's innocence and freedom. The Congressional military has declared martial law, and armed soldiers of the Marines and Army are patrolling the streets.



According to Congressional majority leader, Trenton Glenmarrow, who spoke at a press conference outside his personal residence in Laurel City earlier this morning, has stated that the General has been blackmailing members of Congress for money and other objects of personal gain. He gave no proof of such behaviour to the public, "in order to preserve the dignity and anonymity of his victims." Members of the press broke through his personal guards and into his home to continue pursuing the story. I leapt from his third story window before the guards recognized our logo, and my face.



We at Regallian Times will keep you, the public, updated as this story unfolds.

[Astoria]

National Broadcasting Conglomerate
"Astoria's News Network"

NEW STUDY BRINGS DEFENSE SPENDING TO CAMPAIGN FOREFRONT

Yesterday the Department of Defense released the results of its an annual readiness study. The study, conducted ever year by the Defense Branch of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), measures how prepared the branches of the Astorian military are to respond to a variety of scenarios. The study also evaluates the equipment in use by the Astorian military and whether it requires replacement or updating. The report has concluded that Astoria's military has experienced "reduced readiness for conventional peer-level conflict" - in other words, being prepared to fight a war against an opponent of equal strength - because of the ongoing focus on operations designed to counter guerilla fighters and terrorists. The equipment evaluation section of the report has noted several "legacy" systems - systems in service for thirty years or more - are at risk of bring obsolete on the modern battlefield or are wearing out from sustained use without a replacement system ready.

The report has sparked a heated discussion about defense spending and readiness among the three candidates running for President in 2020. Many campaign analysts say the report presents a serious problem for incumbent President David Jefferson Adams, who has run on a platform of continuing status quo defense spending policies. The Adams campaign issued a statement soon after the report was released, downplaying the seriousness of the issues raised.

"While the reports of lowered peer-to-peer combat readiness are concerning, it must be remembered that Astoria has no peer competitors in the region," the statement read. "President Adams has successfully avoided runaway defense spending and the Astorian armed forces remain the best-equipped and most capable armed forces in Kayfabeland."

Harriet Lawson, senior Senator from Sylvania and the Socialist Party candidate for President, first mentioned the report in a campaign rally at Providence University in Atlantica. Senator Lawson criticized President Adams for continuing "the high-cost, no-reward policies" of his predecessor, President Jeremiah Hull. Lawson also promised to draw down Astorian military presence abroad if elected, specifically by ending the Astorian deployment in Sangala. "We have thousands of soldiers in Soji [the capital of Sangala] doing nothing to make Astoria safer, and costing taxpayers millions" Lawson declared.

Finally, former Governor of Centralia George Clayton has used the report to underscore his call for increased defense spending. At a fundraiser dinner in Roanoke, Governor Clayton promised that he would drastically increase funding for the military to acquire cutting-edge weapons systems. Clayton also criticized Presidents Hull and Adams for blocking these acquisitions. "President Hull canceled the F-22 project and President Adams canceled the F-35," Clayton explained. "These aircraft would have ensured that Astoria would have air supremacy over any battlefield for decades. Instead we're using the same planes from the end of the Cold War and hoping no one invents something better."

Preliminary polling shows that undecided and swing voters favor increasing defense spending by a slim margin, but other polls also show that "avoiding wasteful spending" is high on voters' priority list.

David Jefferson Adams, incumbent President

Harriet Lawson, senior Senator from Sylvania

George Clayton, former Governor of Centralia

NBC will continue to bring you coverage of the candidates’ platforms, as well as updates from the campaign trail.

[United Avon]

Avon Broadcasting Corporation

Terrorists Strike Peacekeeping Mission in Sangala


Kambezian soldiers and armored vehicles in a suburb of Ghalea, the largest city in eastern Sangala

WADESAH - A column of vehicles transporting soldiers from Kambezi, stationed in Sangala as part of a peacekeeping and stabilization mission, was attacked with rockets and machine-gun fire this morning while traveling near the Sangalan city of Ghalea. Two soldiers were killed and nine more were wounded in the attack, and one vehicle was destroyed by a rocket-propelled grenade. The attack is the largest and deadliest mounted against troops of the Sangalan Assistance Force (SAFOR) in months. Ultra-Violet, a radical Violetist terror group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a videotaped statement delivered to the World Press Agency office in the Sangalan capital city of Soji.

Sangala, which has been consumed by civil war since 2000. The multi-sided conflict is the longest-running war in the region and has resulted in the deaths and displacement of millions of people. The collapse of government authority has given terror groups like Ultra-Violet wide latitude in which to recruit and train new operatives. By 2002, Ultra-Violet controlled and governed a wide swath of territory centered on the city of Ghalea. In 2009, under pressure from the administration of Astorian President Jeremiah Hull following the beginning of Hull's "War on Terror" and facing a major refugee crisis, neighboring Kambezi and its SAFOR partners occupied a large stretch of eastern Sangala and began dismantling the Ultra-Violet state. The second-largest contributor to SAFOR after Kambezi is Avon, which has deployed the 7th Infantry Brigade and a battalion of the 1st Air Assault Brigade to Sangala.


Avonian soldiers from the Sangalan Assistance Force near their vehicle

[The United Federation of Terrans]

Atlantis Cable News
"The Trusted Name in News"

Conflict in Federation Escalates: Heavy Fighting in Molgrad


MPA, Molgradian People's Army, forces in Kyzna after three weeks of heavy fighting with the ULF, United Liberation Front.

MOLOVKA- Molgrad was always a troubled nation; having suffered a series of civil wars since its inception in the late 19th century. However, its annexation by the Federation in 2012, while thought to be expansionist on the part of the Federation, did offer a spot of hope that stability might be brought to the country. However, it instead brought a new wave of turmoil that resulted in the heavily, forested western half of the nation becoming a hotbed of insurgents, terrorists and smuggling networks; becoming known as the "Black Forest".


Federation Civil Defense Force patrol, vicinity of Grozna.

Up until recently, the Federation loosely kept the borders until 2017; when an increased military presence resulted in the emergence of the United Liberation Front and the Molgradian People's Army. The ULF, reportedly financed through weapons smuggling and foreign backers, have stated that all foreigners will be driven out of Molgrad and have made large steps in pushing back both sides. The MPA, formed from a loose connection of militias and rumored to have Ultra-Violet ties, have no larger goal and appear to be fighting for the sake of it. The Federation on the meantime, is keeping silent on the progress of the conflict; but sources say that their major military forces are tied up elsewhere or are unable to be deployed for political reasons.


ULF fighters in the cease fire zone of Grozna, the largest city center in the Black Forest

However, recent discovery by a affiliate of this station have shown the presence of mass graves, with evidence pointing towards the MPA as the perpetrators. This act having been supposedly been performed numerous other times in an effort to wipe out "traitors against Molgrad". Along with this travesty comes the shocking revelation that the Federation has been conducting indiscriminate bombing campaigns against "suspected insurgent stronghold" with the same sources as before confirming that the targets are indiscriminate and often villages with unconfirmed reports of resident fighters.

This station was able to gain a interview with the theater commander; General Kovach, a Molgradian who transitioned into the Federation armed forces during the annexation. Kovach stated that his forces were stretched thin and not suited for the task of fighting in the Black Forest. " The Civil Defense Force are a defensive force . They can hold cities and positions; but they know nothing of this kind of fighting. We need marines and pioneers for that." The general went on record to say that politics prevented such a deployment. Following this interview, General Kovach was relieved of duty and replaced with an unknown officer.

Whatever the cause for this sudden reassignment. The fact remains that the Federation is unable to combat the threat in its own borders; and this shortcoming has resulted in thousands of civilians being caught in the crossfire. In this writer's opinion; as in the Windmill War, the international community must one again clean up the Federation's mess. If only for the sake of those that are suffering do the poor decisions of the Federation.

[Comorostan]

WORLD PRESS AGENCY

COMOROSTAN CELEBRATES CIVIL WAR VICTORY ANNIVERSARY


Comorostani infantry march past General Secretary Jaffar Momeni and members of the National Military Commission

HARMWENA - The streets of Harmwena, the capital city of the People's State of Comorostan, were packed with spectators, soldiers, and military hardware today as Comorostan celebrates the 60th anniversary of the evacuation of the foreign troops from the country at the end of the long civil war which resulted in the establishment of the People's State of Comorostan. The anniversary, separate from the anniversary of the official declaration of the People's State's founding in April, marks the moment when over a century of foreign occupation of major port cities in Comorostan came to an end. The occasion was celebrated by a large military parade in Harmony, featuring soldiers marching alongside displays of tanks and artillery, and jet fighters flying overhead. Comorostan's leader General Secretary Jaffar Momeni reviewed the procession from a special box erected outside the building that houses the National People's Congress. General Secretary Momeni was accompanied by other senior members of the government and armed forces.

The International Zones were established in 1903 after the Qajar War. Farhad Qajar, a general in the Royal Army, attempted to seize the throne of Comorostan from King Nader Ashfar. King Nader appealed to Avon and Savoie for assistance in suppressing the rebellion. While the foreign assistance was critical in ending the Qajar War, the foreign powers used their position of strength to demand concessions from Comorostan. Three port cities - Nishapur, Nazarabad, and Marivan - were made into "International Zones" and placed under foreign control. After a dispute between Savoie and Avon threatened to start a major war, the United States of Astoria stepped in as a mediator and assumed control of one of the Zones. The cities remained under International Zone rule until the end of the Second Civil War in 1959, when they were evacuated in the face of advancing communist forces. Today marks the anniversary of the final evacuation, when Avon evacuated its troops and administrators from Nishapur. Many Comorostanis who had collaborated with the foreign powers were left behind, and many were imprisoned or executed by the new communist government.

Prior to the start of the parade, General Secretary Momeni gave a short speech honoring the founders of the Party of God and the People, the Comorostani communist party, and those who fought the Second Civil War and achieved victory over the old government. General Secretary Momeni also declared that "Comorostan stands in solidarity with the oppressed peoples across the region, from Molgrad to Lyrobia." Comorostan has been accused by international observers of providing weapons to insurgent factions across the region, including the United Liberation Front in Molgrad and the unrecognized government of Atsu Kalame in southern Sangala. Ironically, Comorostan has found itself on the same side as its historical enemies, such as the United Kingdom of Avon, in the fight against the Islamist terror group Jundallah and the Violetist terror group Ultra-Violet.

[Regallian]

Written by Rowan Vail Mauldin

With riots breaking out in the streets across our nation, finally recovering from years of isolationism, terrorists of an unknown allegiance have commandeered two EARJ-9500 passenger jets, crashing them into a nuclear power plant outside of Ombre Citadelle.


(Plant after being struck)

Congressional soldiers struggled to hold back thousands of protesters who saw the explosion, and wished to run and help find survivors. Congress had to activate recent veterans, Reservists, and National Guard members in order to create a force large enough to carry hundreds of scientists and rescue workers to the site.


(Workers trying to put out the fires)

Evacuations have been ordered for all people in Ombre Citadelle, and for the nuked sector of Laurel City, in order to avoid any extra casualties.


(Soldier helping woman into vehicle)

As I hastily write this story, ladies and gentlemen, Majority Leader, Trenton Glenmarrow is desperately reaching out for international aid. I will keep you posted.


(Glenmarrow in his office)

God save us.