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[Borovan entered the region as he]

Borovan Propaganda News

January 21, 2019

Inside the limo of the attendance of Borovan's leader, Alex Chung. Alex Chung is seen to be in route to the destination of Palace Morocoo, residenc of Prime Minister Daniel Garacha. Reporters were allowed to get inside the palace to report the details of the meeting of the two foreign leaders.

"Good day, Miss Chung."

"Same to you, PM Garacha." she shook hands with the prime minister.

"I presume we're here to talk about the things that needs to be discussed?"

"Yes, we're having a bit of a problem here. We both understand that we're both usually in good company. We like to trade and our citizens like to come and visit sight seeing. and we're very close to one another. However, the problem arrives that I'm hearing from the foreign security minister that we keep having illegal immigrants coming in to our country. Obviously I'm not a cruel person and I like diversity and to keep immigration as freely and accessible to foreigners but it's a disturbance. I can't keep unaccounted people in this country and people to do freely as they could in this country."

"Madamn, the government of Charata does not have the necessary duty nor is in their line to to keep people in their own country nor does it prohibit its citizens from emmigrating to Borovan. It's like saying trying to prohibit people to emmigrate to another country."

"But it's your citizens. They're the ones that came illegally."

"And you're the ones that set the policies."

"Well, we're just going to keep deporting them."

"The fact of the matter is that Charata is facing serious issues. We have worse poverty, gang violence, and lack of accountability from tinpot warlords and terrorists. I can't keep it all together. It's just terrible."

"Okay, I see. I have to go somewhere else. But our domestic policies will stay the same." she shook hands with the PM.

"We appreciate your visit. "

[Borovan entered the region as he]

Borovan Propaganda News

January 21, 2019

After the visiting the palace Morocoo, leader Alex Chung went back to her country to anticipate the arrival of a foreign leader. A letter arrived to her that the foreign leader insisted on visiting her. Little is known about the country and relations between Borovan and that country has been virtually non-existent.

When she was about to arrive to her residence, a guard announced that the visitor is already here and she was mildly surprised because the timetable of the visit was scheduled later.

"Okay, let's see him and see what he has to say. I'm very interested. He didn't said anything on the letter."

When she opened the door, a man dressed more formally appeared.

"Good afternoon."

"Yes. What are you doing here in my residence?"

"I'm the man who I adressed to you in the letter. Prince Von Roo III."

"Oh! You could have waited outside. Ah nevermind. That would be rude of me. Okay let's have a seat somewhere. How about the living room?" She led him upstairs where foreign leaders would come and discuss things.

"So what brings you here?"

"Miss Chung. I came here on the proposition to be able with your consent should you have the time and capability to do so and desire that I am asking to court you."

She blankly stared.

"I'm sorry?" She took a few seconds to take things in before responding, "I don't know you."

"Miss Chung, you are an extremely beautiful person. My father disapproves of my intentions, preferring of me to obtain someone of a more noble stature and ideology similar to my country. I've seen you in just one foreign state visit and I must simply woo you."

"I just don't think that's a good idea. Our ideologies don't even match. My country has little in common."

"Right. Well I'll best be departing. Come, Vincent." Vincent, the servant rushed and walked back to where they parked the cab.

[Borovan entered the region as he]

Sports

Chadbury's baseball team, the penguins is headed for its first match against Sherbet's team, the rockets. Leader can be seen around the first rows of the stadium and intently enjoying the scene of the match.

The game is crowded full with 25,000 fans and tickets are almost sold out. Chadbury is not the best team in the nation but the people in the city are extremely supportive. Whats new is that the roster is adding a new rookie, Able Graves to come up in standard matches. The person however has a little bit of a temper.

The match of the game was standard, with scoring several far hits and low hits. And with the outcome of the game going 5-7 home runs for Chadbury against Sherbet. However Chadbury suffered a loss as one of its star player, Gill has been hit in the leg by the ball flying 80 miles per hour by the pitcher.

When fans saw great leader, they became excited and cheerful. They tried and asked for photographs with her and wanted to talk to her. Some of the fan's comments in the game was that the game was exciting as they saw the ball soaring and one guy rushing in time to hit home base.

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/22/XX Will Zhouran Really Maintain World Peace Through Strength? Kang Yingyong's increasing interventionism has raised interests about his efforts to maintain world peace through global force projection Photo taken from a ZPA Naval Aviation Zhi-8-3 utility transport helicopter showing a combat naval group of various Zhouranese warships in the South Atlantic during a naval operation on August 19, 2003 Heavily-armed to the teeth with vast arrays of advanced weapons and with only full authority from Ouyang, thousands of Zhouranese troops are deployed to many of the world's trouble spots. Zhouran is one of only two nations to have troops deployed overseas at the hundred-thousands, the other nation being the United States. By the end of last year, Senior Marshal Kang Yingyong extended his famous warhawk foreign-policy to 2019 and beyond in order to solidify the nation's position as an important non-aligned neutral power and as the Leading Powerhouse in the Asia-Pacific region. Kang Yingyong's increasing interventionism has brought interests abroad, especially from the west. One side argues that Zhouran's increasing role in enforcing world peace is welcoming since the country is considered to be the preeminent non-aligned neutral power, however another side argues Kang Yingyong's foreign policy is not aimed at world peace but rather Zhouranese hegemony through military, diplomatic and economic power. Supporters of Kang Yingyong say his foreign policy regarding world peace is genuine and that Zhouran should indeed maintain world peace through strength since the country is obligated as a responsible global power to do so. However, Kang Yingyong's detractors strongly disagree in the notion that his foreign policy genuinely cares about world peace, arguing that his foreign policy is aimed at challenging China, Russia and the US while increasing Zhouran's military presence abroad in order to solidify the country's position as a global power. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/22/XX Zhouran To Further Push Into South China Sea If No One Doesn't Simmer Down Kang Yingyong furiously tells "parties engaging in provocation" to simmer down or else Zhouran will further push into South China Sea Zhoura will start taking necessary additional military measures in the South China if 'parties engaging in provocation' do not simmer down, Senior Marshal Kang Yingyong has said, while vowing that Zhouranese forces will continue to uphold peace and stability in the region. "We hope wholeheartedly that our talks with China will be concluded with a mutual understanding. But that does not mean that we will wait forever. We are in the South China Sea with our forces and following developments closely while maintaining peace. If promises made to us are kept and the process goes on, that is fine. Otherwise, we inform that we have numerous warships patrolling the South China Sea and we will take the necessary steps in line with our own strategy", Kang Yingyong said at a press conference in Ouyang during the start of the afternoon. Although he did not elaborate on the promises made, Kang Yingyong hinted that it was about the setting up of multilateral dialogue between China and disputed parties to the South China Sea such as Vietnam and the Philippines so as to prevent what Ouyang calls an all-out regional war. However, China has a history of choosing bilateral dialogue over multilateral dialogue, a move that has received criticism from various nations including the disputed parties, the United States, and also Zhouran. Yesterday, two Zhouranese destroyers were peacefully conducting a freedom-of-navigation operation in the South China Sea, specifically within international waters, when both ships were aggressively bumped by Chinese warships. The Chinese later demanded that Ouyang reduces Zhouranese military presence in the region, to which Zhouran furiously rejected this morning. Currently China and Zhouran are engaging in high-level talks so as to diffuse the situation, but right now there are simmering tensions between the two country. It has been reported that China's DF-26 "carrier-killer" anti-ship ballistic missiles have been mobilized, to which in response the Zhouranese aircraft carriers in the region have their carrier-borne fighter jets prepared for a potential but highly-unlikely airstrike operation. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/22/XX People's Defense Council Uses Role Players For Overseas Military Training Exercises With Little Oversight The ZPA's usage of civilians as role-players in overseas military exercises in foreign nations has fueled a cottage industry of companies paid handsomely to funnel a steady stream of locals in countries that host Zhouranese troops The mob of anti-war protesters marched forward — their faces scowling, their fists raised in the air. "Down with war, down with NATO" they chanted. The nearly two dozen demonstrators entered the walls of a town surrounded by forests. They kept chanting as they walked past a series of low-slung buildings and gathered in front of a group of Romanian soldiers. "No more war, no more NATO" the protesters hollered. The scene looked straight out of your average anti-NATO protest in Eastern Europe. But the protesters were not harboring real-world gripes. The setting was the commune of Clinceni in Romania, Romanian recruits from the 495th Infantry Battalion of the 1st Mechanized Brigade "Argedava" of the Romanian Land Forces were conducting a crowd-control exercise under the supervision of Zhouranese instructors from the ZPA Ground Force. The mob was made up of mostly Romanian locals hired as role players, organized by the People's Defense Council and ironically paid for by Zhouranese taxpayers. Over the past decades, the Zhouranese government hires role players and sends them to assist Zhouranese military instructors abroad in helping either Zhouranese troops overseas or the trainees of foreign militaries, to prepare for real-life situations. As such, this has fueled a massive cottage industry of companies paid handsomely to funnel a steady stream of locals in a foreign country that hosts Zhouranese troops, to Zhouranese military instructors. But a year-long ZCNA investigation found that the government's own watchdog office has never conducted a careful examination of the more than US$271 million-a-year program. A review of hundreds of pages of government documents, as well as interviews with a half-dozen ZPA officials, revealed that the People's Defense Council has not undertaken a comprehensive audit of the more than 84 companies supplying the role players at an annual cost of roughly a quarter billion US dollars. Independent watchdog groups in Zhouran said they were troubled by the under-the-radar nature of the program. "We've seen this a lot over the last couple decades now where we have these ad hoc programs that sprang up to meet an immediate need but they don't receive quite enough scrutiny", said a defense researcher at the National Institute of Military Science in Ouyang. He said a comprehensive review of the program is long overdue. "I think the PDC's oversight on the effectiveness of the program as well as a potential report would go a long way to determine how necessary and useful this program is, as our military continues to draw down in certain countries and regions around the world" the researcher added. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Defense confirmed that it has not examined the military's practice of using civilians in a foreign country to simulate the role of villagers in Zhouranese overseas training exercises. The spokesperson said there was no record of the People's Defense Council ever having reviewed the program. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/22/XX Zhouran To Amp Up Military Preparedness In South China Sea The People's Defense Council calls on the ZPA to amp up military preparedness in the South China Sea Top: Zhouran's Type 1999 Tusaigun-class DDG "Justice of Innocence" firing its 130mm naval gun during an anti-piracy operation in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden on February 16, 2009 Bottom: China's Type 052C DDG "Haikou" participating in America's RIMPAC naval exercise on July 16, 2014 The Zhouranese People's Army must strengthen their sense of urgency in the South China Sea and do everything they can to increase military preparedness in the region and heighten military alertness, Senior Marshal Su Rongyu told during a meeting today. Zhouran has been beefing up its military presence in the region amid the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and escalating tension with China over issues ranging from China's aggressive expansionist policy to the recent bumping incident between two Zhouranese destroyers and Chinese warships. It has been reported that the Chairman of the People's Defense Council told a meeting with the Chief of Central Aviation Command of the ZPA Air Force and Chief of Central Naval Command of the ZPA Navy that the South China Sea is facing increasing risks and challenges from China and that Zhouranese forces in the region must work to secure regional security and stability. Su Rongyu said the military must devise A2/AD strategies, especially ones from the report "Assessment on Zhouranese Strategic Defense Implications of China's Expanding Global Access Through Aggressive Military Modernization" by the National Institute of Military Science, in order to challenge and deter China. He said the ZPA needs to be able to respond quickly to emergencies in the South China Sea and prevent a regional conflict from happening. Su Rongyu added that Zhouran still reserves the right to use force to achieve regional stability. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/22/XX Five Zhouranese Warships Sail Near Scarborough Shoal To Keep An Eye On Chinese Presence Ministry of Defense says five ZPA Navy warships are sent to keep an eye on Chinese presence in Scarborough Shoal Top: Frontal view of the Type 2003 Natayan-class DDG "Answerable Loyalty" in Manila Bay during its two-day visit to Manila, Philippines on May 21, 2009 Bottom: A ZPA Naval Aviation Type 115-600 carrier-borne fighter jet flying off the coast of Djibouti during a fleet-air-defense exercise on August 22, 2005 The Ministry of Defense has released an online statement saying five Zhouranese warships in the South China will be sent to "keep an eye on the disputed Scarborough Shoal" for an unmentioned amount of days. The purpose of this deployment is to monitor Chinese presence in the shoal, which in a way is occupied by China. According to the MoD, the five warships to be sent to monitor Chinese presence in Scarborough Shoal are: the Type 2003 Natayan-class guided-missile destroyers "Answerable Loyalty" and "Justified Penance", Type 2002 Aidakou-class guided-missile destroyer "Virtuous Patience", Type 2001 Hayuegun-class nuclear-powered guided-missile destroyer "Resilient Retribution", and Type 2001 Buqu-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Pillar of Undying Reconciliation". Due to the common presence of Zhouranese nuclear submarines roaming around the South China Sea undetected, it is highly-expected that Zhouranese nuclear submarines will be secretly present near Scarborough Shoal, a fact that the MoD neither denies nor acknowledges. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Avinaa]

The Daily News: A new poll out today from the University of Rome shows a tightening race for the Socialist Party nomination for president. Incumbent President Justin Capriles has support from 52% of respondents and his challenger Mayor Mary Ward stands at 41% with 7% undecided. Since her announcement in May of 2018 Ward's numbers have consistently gone up climbing from 5% support when she announced to now with over 40% of likely primary voters saying she's their pick. But it's not all bad news for the President nearly 70% of his supporters are "unlikely to change their minds" according to the survey. When asked the same question only half of Ward's supporters answered the same way.

This polls was conducted between January 2nd-10th, before news of the death of six more Avinaaian troops in Byzalia.

[UniversalCommons]

Rogue Scientist Reports About Secret Under Ocean Base and Claims that there are Giant Orbital Airships Being Produced In UniversalCommons

John Ohyes until recently worked for the OESW Office of Economic and Special Warfare until he saw an unusual sight. He claims he was taken to a secret undersea base in the Paxarific where the UniversalCommons housed giant fusion powered orbital airships. John Ohyes with a bag over his head, sunglasses and a voice distorter,"I could not believe my eyes, they were big and black and shaped in a triangle with three huge engines on them. There were rows of missiles and bombs. Enough ordinance to destroy a small country. I knew I needed to warn the world. I even heard that they could go into orbit. It was the most amazing sight. Now, I am being hunted." A picture flashes on the screen of a huge triangular craft. Rumors of this craft have been spotted over Scooby Island. There are even rumors that the craft was in space offloading supplies for a secret based on the dark side of the moon.

The OESW Office of Economic and Special Warfare claims that there is no such base in the Paxarific, nor is there such a thing as a Big Black Delta. It is the delusions of a man who needs psychiatric help. The photographs of said craft are mirages or bad pictures of weather balloons. It is not possible for the UniversalCommons to make such a craft.

OOC: http://walden-aerospace.com/Military_Technology.html

[Hatterleigh]

Botrum invites College Sportsmen to the presidential homestead

Today William Botrum has welcomed the Gridiron Team of Veilstone University to a lunch at the Presidential Homestead. A great feast was arranged for the young athletes, who ate happily and took pictures. Botrum enjoyed their presence. The Presidential Homestead welcomes 4 teams of athletes regularly: The College Gridiron Champions, The College Basketball Champions, The College Baseball Champions, and The Champions of the Hatterlese Association Football League (Soccer). Hatterleigh is one of the few nations where Tackle Football is popular. Botrum reminisced about his days as a school athlete with the players, talked about sports, and other conversations.

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/23/XX Zhouran Ranked World's Most Innovative Nation For Q1 2019 Zhouran ranks first in the Country-States Innovation Index for Q1 2019 Normal operation at an automated assembly line for fighter jets at a military aerospace factory in Songsang District, Gaoyuan Province Zhouran retained the global crown in the Country-States Innovation Index for Q1 2019, and as the country's research and education sectors continue to rank high globally, the country's position will remain unchallenged. The index analyzes dozens of criteria using seven metrics, including research and development spending, manufacturing capability and concentration of high-tech public companies. The ranking comes as global elites gather at this week's annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where they will discuss the future of globalization, the role of the state and how innovation propels countries forward. Within the index, Zhouran leads the ranking thanks to the nation's added-value from manufacturing and research intensity and world-level rigorous technical-oriented education, as well as very-high levels of patent activity. Zhouran's staying power at No. 1 should receive an additional boost from fresh investments in strategic technologies and additional regulatory programs that further encourages startups, according to a researcher from the private firm Shimisi & Tandalun International Financial Capital. He sees the challenge, though, in moving innovation beyond the state-owned enterprises and (the uniquely Zhouranese) state-owned cooperatives. "Innovation is becoming increasingly important to drive economic performance, particularly in very-high income economies such as Zhouran's resilient economy" said the researcher. He added "here in Zhouran, the state dominates the innovation sector, however the state has also encouraged more private companies to jump into the innovation pool, even if both the state and the private sector are aware that state-owned enterprises and state-owned cooperatives will continue to dominate in the innovation sector due to the fact that research & development programs are done by the state". The 2019 ranking process began with more than 200 economies. Each was scored on a 0-100 scale based on seven equally weighted categories. Nations that didn't report data for at least six categories were eliminated, trimming the total list to 95. Country-States publishes the top 60 economies. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[UniversalCommons]

UniversalCommons Space Studies Institute Mines Comet

In a first, the Space Studies Institute has begun mining comets. After careful study, it has been determined many of the volatiles and organic compounds needed to establish a new colony in space are available in cometary material. This will save considerable amounts of money because less material will need to be brought back from earth. We intend to mine several comets to have the necessary material to build a space station around the moon. This will set us up for a permanent large jumping off point for the colonization of the solar system by Commonauts.

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/24/XX Zhouran, Thailand To Kick Off Two-Week Joint Aerial Exercise To End January ZPA Air Force fighter jets arrive in Korat as they prepare for a two-week aerial exercise with the Royal Thai Air Force in order to 'deepen military relationship' between the two nations A ZPAAF Jian-19-3-0 fighter jet conducting a mock intercept drill during a twelve-day joint aerial exercise with fighter jets from the Royal Thai Air Force at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in Western Thailand on July 21, 2004 Around eight Jian-22-0-4 gen-4++ fighter jets and six Jian-24-3-0 gen-4+++ fighter jets from the ZPA Air Force have arrived at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, in preparation for a two-week joint aerial exercise with the Royal Thai Air Force. The fourteen fighter jets from the 51st Guards Fighter Aviation Division of the 5th Air Army of the ZPAAF, along with their aircrews and maintenance and support personnel, will join with F-16A/B fighter jets from the 102 Fighter Squadron and 103 Fighter Squadron of the RTAF in various drills and scenarios including air-defense and close air support. Meanwhile, ground instructors from the ZPAAF will train RTAF ground crew on intelligence, maintenance and flight-line and back-shop procedures, according to a recent online statement from Zhouran's Ministry of Defense. The two-week joint aerial exercise, which will begin on the morning of January 25, will allow both militaries to work together to "deepen military relationship, which ultimately supports maintaining a free and open Southeast Asia", said the MoD's online statement. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[UniversalCommons]

Construction Boom Occurs on the Moon

With automated production of solar fields, 3D domes, insulation, and common household products there is a boom in construction on the moon. There is a need for men and women to come to the moon to work on moon mining, space manufacturing, and tourism. There are plenty of units available for practically free if you can get here. If you can get to the moon, the asteroid mining companies are looking for people to work in the asteroid fields.

Come to the moon and start a new life. The UniversalCommons requires new colonists to purchase a round trip ticket to be held in escrow in case you want to return. The lunar authority does not want squatters. You get to go back if it does not work out. The price for a ticket is $60,000 round trip which includes a 3 day stay with oxygen and food. This can be reduced to half price if you sign a construction or mining contract.

The best arrangement you can make is to borrow $30,000 from a transport agency. The borrowing includes access to a private one room dome with a space suit, inflatable furniture, and an airlock or a cubicle in a hab dome and then take on a $30,000 initial contract. This will cover the ticket. You will need to pass a criminal background check and a physical. Three weeks basic commonaut training comes with the ticket.

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/24/XX Did Zhouran Just Poke A Hole In The World's Smartphones? Following a decision made by the State Presidium days ago, there are concerns regarding privacy and cyber-surveillance A silver iPhone 8 alongside a gold 8 Plus Following a decision made by the State Presidium on January 15, authorities now have more power to spy on encrypted communications without judicial oversight or other safeguards. The latest Human Rights Watch report raised concerns about the decision made by the State Presidium to increase the usage of facial recognition technology and surveillance of encrypted phone messages in order to bolster national security. The Human Rights Watch report said the database of people's physical characteristics and identities also lacked adequate safeguards against abuse. This database would link facial images and data from across the nation and integrate them with a facial recognition system. With the backing of the State Presidium, authorities have the power to compel foreign tech-industry companies like Apple Inc. and domestic tech companies such as Jinguang Electronics Industries to create tools that would circumvent the encryption built into their products. While the decision made by the State Presidium applies only to domestic and foreign tech products used or sold in Zhouran, its impact could be global: If Apple or Jinguang were to build a so-called back door for their products sold in the country, the authorities in other countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, could force the company to use that same tool to assist their investigations. The controversial decision from the State Presidium is one of the most assertive efforts by lawmakers in the country to rein in tech companies, which have argued for decades that unbreakable encryption is an imperative part of protecting the private communications of their customers. In recent years, officials from the Public Security Corps, the gendarmerie branch of the ZPA, have complained that tough encryption has made it difficult for them to gain access to the online discussions of crime suspects, particularly in time-sensitive terror investigations. The tension between tech and law enforcement came to a head about two years ago when Jinguang resisted a national request to help investigators from the Public Security Corps gain access to a locked smartphone that had belonged to a man who took part in an illegal hacking of government data from Japan, Canada, and Russia. The PSC eventually found a way around the smartphone's security without Jinguang's help. But if Jinguang had already created a workaround - a back door, in industry terms - to sell phones around the world, Zhouranese authorities could have simply ordered the tech giant to use the tool. "This may be an encryption back door for Zhouran" said a researcher of surveillance and cybersecurity from the think-tank Open Digital Technology for the Zhouranese Nation. "A back door to an encryption back door". The recently-made decision has limited oversight mechanisms. A notice sent to a company must be "reasonable and proportionate", and the authorities must have a warrant to gain access to a phone or service. But the agency issuing the notice decides what is reasonable. There is an appeals process if a company is asked to build a new interception capability. A firm can ask an independent assessment from a local people's court. Authorities cannot ask a company to build universal decryption capabilities or introduce system-wide weaknesses. But security experts and tech companies like Jinguang and Apple said that did not reflect what they would have to do to comply with an order. It is impossible, for example, to create a workaround for one smartphone's encryption without potentially introducing something that could work for all of them, they said. "All of consumer-based technology sold here will be tarnished by it", said the researcher. Jinguang officials called the decision made by the State Presidium "dangerously ambiguous" and "alarming" while Apple says they're "strongly concerned". "Encryption is basically complex math involving numbers and algorithms" Jinguang wrote in a statement submitted to the State Presidium this morning. "Any process that weakens the mathematical models that protect user data for anyone will by extension weaken the protections for everyone". But high-ranking government officials said the risk of encryption technology's being used by terrorists was too significant. Grand Admiral Tan Zhineng, Premier of the Central Council, said this afternoon: "The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Zhouran is Zhouranese law". Technology companies in Zhouran and abroad have argued that they cannot be compelled to create tools for breaking the encryption in their products because computer code is a kind of free speech. But building tools to satisfy the national authorities would essentially make that argument moot. Countries around the world could demand access to the tool. Jinguang and Apple are hardly the only tech companies that could feel the impact of the Zhouranese law. Anyone with a website is considered a communications provider, subject to the law. Any company that "provides an electronic service that has one or more end-users in Zhouran" is required to comply. A long list of companies meets that description, such as smartphone makers and various social media sites. The controversial decision allows government bodies such as the Ministry of National Security or the Ministry of Internal Affairs to compel tech companies to install software on a user's device to get around encryption. It can also compel the company not to alert the user. There is confusion about other secrecy requirements of the decision. For example, would it require employees who received requests to keep them secret from their employers? The government says it would not. But security experts in the country say it is actually unclear. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/24/XX Zhouranese Carrier-Borne Fighter Planes Buzz Above Chinese Ships In Scarborough Shoal While China's presence continues in Scarborough Shoal, Zhouranese carrier-borne fighter jets buzz near Chinese vessels A ZPA Naval Aviation Type 115-500 carrier-borne fighter jet along with a Type 115-700 carrier-borne fighter jet flying past the Andes in the Chilean capital of Santiago during a joint mock air-interdiction drill between ZPA Naval Aviation and the Chilean Air Force on May 22, 2013 A few days ago, the Ministry of Defense released an online statement saying five Zhouranese warships in the South China will be sent to "keep an eye on the disputed Scarborough Shoal" for an unmentioned amount of days. The purpose of this deployment is to monitor Chinese presence in the shoal, which in a way is occupied by China. Today, four Zhouranese carrier-borne fighter jets buzzed near Chinese fishing boats and vessels belonging to the China Coast Guard. Two Type 114-900 carrier-borne fighter jets and two Type 115-500 carrier-borne fighter jets took off from the Type 2001 Buqu-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Pillar of Undying Reconciliation" and conducted numerous high-speed low-altitude near the Chinese vessels during sunset. According to the Ministry of Defense through an online statement, the fighter jets were "conducting fleet air-defense drills" and that they flew near the Chinese vessels in Scarborough Shoal at low-altitude so as to "deter them from conducting any provocation". While tensions remain in the region, both Zhouran and China have been conducting high-level talks for a few days now as part of de-escalating the tensions in the South China Sea. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/25/XX Su Rongyu Takes Aim At China's Military Modernization The Chairman of the People's Defense Council calls out on China's rapid military modernization as a 'threat' to regional security Top: Aerial view of a combat naval group consisting of various warships from the ZPA Navy conducting a maritime patrol operation in the west of the Luzon Strait just off the southeastern coast of China and southwestern coast of Taiwan (ROC) during a cloudy day on on August 7, 2008 Bottom: China's aircraft carrier Liaoning (CV-16) of the PLA Navy in Hong Kong on July 13, 2017 Senior Marshal Su Rongyu, Chairman of the People's Defense Council, criticized China's rapid military modernization during a press conference at the National Defense Complex in Ouyang. Describing China's military modernization under Xi Jinping as a "threat to regional security", Su Rongyu stated "China's aggressive military expansion has brought concerns to its neighbors" and that the modernization of the Chinese PLA "has created a new arms race in the continent, an arms race that Zhouran is already decades ahead of since the 1960s and 1970s". "I asked my Chinese counterparts in Beijing that they listen to their neighbors around them and I hope that multilateral dialogue can be established peacefully without the need for military force" Su Rongyu added. Regarding China's aggressive A2/AD strategy of access-denial and making mention of the appraisal "Assessment on Zhouranese Strategic Defense Implications of China's Expanding Global Access Through Aggressive Military Modernization" from the National Institute of Military Science, Su Rongyu gave a stern warning to Beijing. "Committing access-denial in the South China Sea will lead to war, China should know that if they deny foreign ships the right to access to the South China Sea, then the People's Republic of Zhouran has the right to deny China access to the oceans by cutting off all exits in the South China Sea such as the Luzon Strait and Strait of Malacca" said the Chairman of the People's Defense Council. "Using intimidation against weaker neighbors will lead to the aggressor receiving sanctions and even a naval blockade, which can lead to economic ruin" he added. When asked by journalists about the current situation in the South China Sea, Su Rongyu replied that diplomats from both nations "are currently engaged in high-level talks to de-escalate tensions". He also added the ZPA will continue to amp up military preparedness in the region and that Zhouran will continue to promote a multilateral way to resolve the disputes in the South China Sea, whether China likes it or not. When journalists asked about the effects Zhouran's air-policing in the region has to China, Su Rongyu stated "the airspace in the South China Sea are open, we are talking about international airspace, China has no right to claim international airspace, this is why fighter jets from both the ZPA Air Force and ZPA Naval Aviation conduct air-policing operations so as to tell China that the airspace above the South China Sea does not belong to them". When one journalist asked Su Rongyu about the ZPA Navy receiving an invitation to the Chinese PLA Navy's fleet review in April, the Chairman of the PDC replied "as much as the ZPA Navy wants to send a couple of warships to China's naval fleet review as a form of naval diplomacy, we will kindly turn down the invitation since the ZPA Navy is currently busy in conducting various exercises and operations abroad". Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/25/XX Political-Moderate Activist & Critic Of Kang Yingyong 'Killer X Tanrong' Found Dead The famous rapper-turned activist and critic of Kang Yingyong has been found dead in his apartment in what is possibly a suicide Today famous rapper, political-moderate activist and fierce critic of Kang Yingyong 'Killer X Tanrong' was found dead at his apartment in Kuizhou. The Public Security Corps received a call from one of the rapper's neighbors saying that a gunshot was heard. When PSC gendarmes arrived, they found the body of Killer X Tanrong, with back to the wall of his living room, body slouched. In his right hand was a legally-registered Type 81 pistol, which Killer X Tanrong bought and legally-owned. According to PSC forensic investigators who were in the scene-of-the-crime, the rapper pulled the trigger and fired a 9×19mm round into his temple. Investigators described it as "nothing more than a suicide". However, some people don't believe Killer X Tanrong's death was a suicide. His young sister Suli claims that her brother was assassinated by Kang Yingyong's henchmen. "My older brother was not suicidal, that piece-of-sh*t Kang Yingyong sent henchmen to kill my brother" Suli told ZCNA. Regarding her brother's history of depression, she stated "my brother was really depressed during high school, ever since he graduated and focused on his rapping career he became less depressed". Many political-moderate activists online also believe that Killer X Tanrong's death was not suicidal but instead it was intentional. Many believe that Kang Yingyong sent someone to assassinate the rapper activist while others believe he was murdered by political-hardliners who were sympathetic to Kang Yingyong. Killer X Tanrong was born on June 15, 1996 in Kuizhou. His rapping career began when he was only 19 but later became very political at the age of 20. While his original songs were about growing up in the streets of Kuizhou as a young man from a working-class family who gets involved with street gangs, his later songs became about the influence political-hardliners have in Zhouranese society and how the political-hardliners are responsible for many actions including the increase of Zhouranese military presence abroad since the end of the Cold War, clandestine support to international gangs, the providing of weapons to various rebel groups, and covert manipulation and subversion in foreign nations. Killer X Tanrong was also a fierce critic of Kang Yingyong. When Kang Yingyong announced his foreign policy back in November 9 of 2017, Killer X Tanrong released a eight-minute song five days later titled "Kang Yingyong The Dog: Operation 666 for a Zhouranese World Order" which became an underground hit within various political-moderate circles, and many of Killer X Tanrong's fans consider the song to be his magnum opus. Many political-hardliners saw Killer X Tanrong as a "street thug" and a "domestic terrorist-in-the-making", they believe that his songs including "Kang Yingyong The Dog: Operation 666 for a Zhouranese World Order" are nothing more than "lies to demonize political-hardliners" and that the rapper did nothing but "contribute" to the continuing divide between moderates and hardliners. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[UniversalCommons]

Space Salvage and Recycling Cooperative Clears Space Around UniversalCommons Stations

The Space Salvage and Recycling Cooperative has cleared away numerous satellites, flotsam, external tanks, and even two old stations near the space stations which the UniversalCommons. This is both a business and a way to keep space clean of junk. They have even gone to the moon to claim several abandoned rovers, a rocket circling the moon, and an abandoned space settlement.

New Sensors Put in Place by Space Force for Defense

New sensors to detect missiles, rockets, planes, and energy discharges have been put above the UniversalCommons in space as well as on the moon. We want to be able to defend all our assets and stations properly from foreign enemies and intruders. It is important to be prepared.

[Varenskjyr]

Three Towns Captured in North Kalkenislund from JTK

1.25.2019 - 01:49

Reports from official military spokesmen have indicated that the towns of Zagosh, Vidovesh, and Kominstantiata have been captured after intense fighting in the Hadr region of Kalkenislund. After weeks of fighting in Operation Northern Arrow, the Varenskjyr 21st and 22nd Infantry proved to be successful in dislodging enemy insurgents from their recently captured holdings. Jayash Tharwar al-Kalkenistan, an Islamist organization hoping to create an Emirate in Kalkenislund, have engaged in variety of terror attacks throughout the course of the operation. Despite attempts like SVIED bombings and guerrilla raids, the ongoing operation has continued to make significant gains in dislodging the insurgency from its territorial bases of operations.

"By the end of March," Captain Irgun Levotikvah explains, "we should be stepping on the streets of Szetz. Our hope is that by undertaking our current steps of slow, but methodical counter-insurgency tactics, we'll be able to sway potential supporters back to our side and highlight the strength and security afforded by the Federated Republic."

The capture of these towns come in response to the recent suicide bombing in the Kalkenislundian capital of Kalk, where forty-seven individuals were killed.

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/25/XX Old People More Likely To Share Fake News And No One Knows Why Two studies conducted show that old people are likely to share fake news, which reinforces the cliche of grandparents posting dodgy articles about how superhardliners create wars abroad for their agenda or other wild political conspiracies within their Yueguang Wang feed online Two new reports support the anecdotes of old people spreading fake news, finding that older people were more likely to share articles from bogus news websites on social media, although the phenomenon, which happens worldwide, is rare overall. "This was certainly one of those times when the research backed up what a lot of people may have suspected already", said a sociologist from Kenong University. Around seven sociologist from Kenong University co-authored a recent study that looked at predictors of who shared news from dodgy websites on various social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and popular Zhouranese social media site Yueguang Wang. The team found age to be a dominant factor. Another study published by Tatagun University this week came up with largely similar results using data from Yueguang Wang. But people who work with seniors on digital literacy said the situation was more complex than statistics let on. Since 2016, the spread of "fake news" on social media worldwide has been credited with swinging sentiments that started from Europe, then spread to the US, before spreading to other parts of the world including Zhouran. In reality, no study definitively proved such an effect, and researchers were still at odds about how to even define the term. Slowly, however, new work began to tease out just how misinformation spread on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Yueguang Wang and who was likely to share it. The study from Kenong University looked at the characteristics that made people likely to share articles from websites known to publish false news. They undertook 8,500 online political surveys, and then with permission from those who had Facebook and Yueguang Wang, linked 4,331 surveys to people's actual behavioral data on the two platforms. Even after controlling for ideology, the authors found that on average, users over 65 shared almost seven times as many articles from fake news domains on Facebook and Yueguang Wang as those 29 and younger. On the other hand, the study published by Tatagun University examined exposure to and sharing of fake news websites on Yueguang Wang by linking a sample of political records, whether an individual is a political-moderate or hardliner, with 25,442 Yueguang Wang accounts and analyzing their posts. One of the social-media researchers from Tatagun University said the work strongly pointed to the increased likelihood of older people to share content from dodgy sources. The team found "major-sharers" of fake news sources were "disproportionately aged 50 or above, politically-hardline, and female". Despite these results, both studies from the two universities suggest that sharing dodgy news was a comfortingly rare event — even for older people. The research done by Kenong University found more than 90 per cent of those studied shared no stories at all from fake news domains. Likewise, the report from Tatagun University concluded that exposure to and sharing of fake news among the studied cohort was limited to a few "major-users". A digital media professor at Yansunren University (who was not involved with either study), said that by design, the research could not show the complete misinformation ecosystem. While we can see what happens when dodgy fake-news websites are shared, it remains almost-impossible to determine what happens after — will people start talking about them, maybe even paraphrasing them? The long term effect remains unknown and it is unclear why some older people were more likely to share news from false news websites. One of the researchers from Tatagun University said their study was "just scraping the surface" of the problem. The digital media professor from Yansunren University explained that many of the older people he worked with arrive with deep concerns about online security. "It'll be quite common that, if I'm running a group of fifteen or more people, there'll be at least a couple of people in the room who have fallen afoul", he said. Zhouranese people aged 55–64 reported the highest losses of money to scams in 2018, including online investment scams, according to a consumer protection study done by Yansunren University last year, and the digital media professor said he sees that on the ground. He suggested this reinforces the fear some older people hold about their online safety, even as they recognize how important being digitally connected is for communication, not to mention for accessing government services and banking. The groups often discuss how to confirm the veracity of online information, such as using a search engine to find other angles on the same news story. But the ability to spot red flags cannot be assumed. "Just this awareness of what a URL even means, how do you know if a URL is suspicious? That was part of our workshop this week", he explained. The digital media professor said the two studies' findings didn't surprise him, although he warned against generalizing the results. For some of his older students, a friend posting a news article on their social media feed gives the information authority, potentially exposing them to misinformation. Others have their guard up from the start: "There's also a whole bunch of seniors out there who are super cynical and don't trust anything they read", he said. It's unclear whether the results of these two studies would be replicated abroad. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/25/XX Zhouranese Military To No Longer Publish Deaths, Damage In Nigeria Airstrikes Conducted By ZPA Navy Ministry of Defense says the publishing of the effects of airstrikes in Nigeria done by the ZPA Naval Aviation is up to the Nigerian government to decide A ZPA Naval Aviation Type 115-600 carrier-borne fighter jet flying off the coast of Djibouti during a fleet-air-defense exercise on August 22, 2005 The Ministry of Defense says the ZPA Naval Aviation has carried out two new airstrikes in Nigeria against the Boko Haram extremist group following the airstrike on Gudumbali, but will no longer give details on fighters killed or damage done. A spokesperson from the MoD says those details are now up to the Nigerian government to share. A few days ago on January 22, Zhouran announced its deadliest airstrike in Nigeria in months, killing 60 of the extremists in the town of Gudumbali in Borno State, Nigeria after a "large militant group" mounted an attack on Nigerian forces on January 20. The airstrikes conducted by the ZPA Naval Aviation in Nigeria is part of Zhouran's military assistance to Nigeria, and there are possibilities of the ZPA Air Force deploying its fighter jets and bombers to Nigeria as an increase of intensity in airstrikes against militants in the West African nation. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[Zhouran]

Zhouran Central News Agency 01/26/XX Zhouran Leads The World In Data Economy For Q1 2019 Zhouran ranks first in a new study published by Yansunren University on data economies Zhouran is currently placed on top in world data producers in a new study published by Yansunren University this morning. With data-fueled applications of artificial intelligence projected to generate trillions of US Dollars in new global economic activity by 2030, this could determine the next world order, much like the role that oil production has played in creating economic power players in the preceding century. A few days ago, Zhouran retained the global crown in the Country-States Innovation Index for Q1 2019, and the country is leading in the World Data Economy Report for Q1 2019, published by researchers from Yansunren University. While Zhouran, China and the US emerge as the world's three AI superpowers, data sources is not limited to concentrations in a few certain places as seen with oil-driven economies — it needs to be drawn from various sources and future AI applications will emerge from new and unexpected players. The new world order taking shape is likely to be more complex than a simple bi-polar structure, especially since data is being produced at a pace that boggles the mind. Building on past studies on mapping the digital evolution and digital competitiveness of different countries around the world, researchers from Yansunren University wanted to try to locate the deepest and widest pools of useful data. This is essential to run the myriad machine learning models critical to AI. To do so, it is useful to make a distinction between the raw volume of data and a measure that you can call "gross data product" – the new version of the new GDP. To identify the world's top "gross data product" producers, researchers from Yansunren University proposed using four criteria: Volume: Absolute amount of broadband consumed by a country, as a proxy for the raw data generated. Usage: Number of users active on the internet, as a proxy for the breadth of usage behaviors, needs and contexts. Accessibility: Institutional openness to data flows as a way to assess whether the data generated in a country permits wider usability and accessibility by multiple AI researchers, innovators, and applications. Complexity: Volume of broadband consumption per capita, as a proxy for the sophistication and complexity of digital activity. There are several nuances to note. For one, the researchers recognized that the digital trace that is generated by computers around the world spans a very wide range of activities, from sending an SMS text message to making a financial transaction. To enable an apples-to-apples comparison across the world, they used broadband per capita as a measure of such breadth and complexity, and in some ways, mimicking the use of per capita income as a proxy for overall prosperity. Second, there are differences across countries in terms of how private data is shared across agencies and whether there are digital identity frameworks that can help connect individuals to their digital activities. These institutional factors could make a difference to how data could eventually be pieced together. Researchers did not call out these distinctions. They chose the countries included in the analysis based on a few considerations: 1) Countries that are the most significant contributors to the global digital economy either because they are high on the earlier digital evolution index score or because they have strong momentum in their digital activities; 2) Countries that represent a reasonable spread in terms of region and socio-economic position; and 3) Countries that provided with a solid data and evidence base to do the analyses. Finally, an important consideration in determining accessibility is privacy. Privacy concerns and data protection regulations can help or hinder the abilities for algorithms to develop new capabilities. The researchers took the position for this analysis that an established framework for ensuring privacy and data protection and openness to the mobility of data is a net benefit and a positive contributor to the development of AI over the long term. As an example, consider the problem of fraud detection in financial transactions. Applications that draw upon insights from diverse geographic locations and multiple usage contexts help establish patterns of trustworthiness and help flag security risks; such applications benefit from systems that meet the accessibility criterion. That said, the researchers acknowledged that in the near-term there could be some countries – China being the pre-eminent example – where data-sharing between public and private sector agencies with very little mobility beyond the national borders could violate privacy and openness norms and yet yield a temporary advantage in training algorithms inside a "walled garden". Which of these criteria should were used in assessing a potential new world order, based on data? The research team from Yansunren University believe accessibility should remain a foundational criterion. If one were to take the point of view that the biggest and highest impact AI applications are the ones that serve the greatest public purpose, access to data is key. In its recent study of AI for the public good, the research team cites access as one of the principal barriers: of the 18 bottlenecks identified by the team, six relate to data availability, volume, quality, and usability. While Zhouran scored the highest on all three criteria followed by the US – and this might seem counter-intuitive to prevailing wisdom — China operates with a handicap if global accessibility of the data is considered essential for creating successful AI applications in the future. If the EU, which also currently including the UK, were to act as a collective, it represents a key producer that could rival Zhouran and the US. Besides, China, other BRIC nations, Brazil, India, Russia, could emerge as strong tier two contenders, largely on the strengths of raw data they produce; however, they too would be handicapped by accessibility concerns. A different set of implications emerge for smaller countries, such as New Zealand, or those unaffiliated with larger economic unions, such as South Korea, but with high openness and mobility in data flows; such countries would benefit from establishing trade agreements in data with other "open" countries and thereby overcome their natural limitations, either in terms of number of users or in terms of total broadband consumed within the country. The forms such trade or data-sharing agreements might take is yet to be determined; however, the researchers can envision that they could be a distinct possibility especially when people will recognize that gross data product has value just like any other product that is freely traded today. Of course, the direction of high-value AI applications is still emerging. There is also a risk of AI itself being over-hyped, misunderstood, and set up for disappointments down the road. But it is strongly clear that many important applications are already in use and more are coming. The analytical framework is flexible enough to account for such fluidity and if people were to use a different set of criteria as being more relevant for driving successful AI applications, then they will find a different picture emerging. Data is the new fuel of the new economy in a new era, and even more so of the economy to come. In this new world, oil is no longer the valuable fuel. Algorithms trained by digital traces will be globally transformational, and it is possible that a "new world order" will emerge from it, along with a new "GDP" — gross data product —that captures an emerging measure of wealth and power of nations. For Zhouran, thanks to our highly-resilient multi-trillion economy, data will be the one fueling the nation's prosperous growth, thereby reinforcing the nation's position as Asia's Preeminent Powerhouse. Zhouran may have its ups & downs, but financial prosperity and data economy will be key to national success. Comments (0) Click to see more...

[UniversalCommons]

Space Studies Institute Holds Forum on Overpopulation.

The Space Studies Institute has invited many nations to a forum on overpopulation. The Citizens Assembly has set a mandate for the development of a steady state of exploration and shipping people off world to maintain population size on earth. However, to reach this state of affairs with the current size of our population will take close to two decades. We may not have enough time to fully implement this. We have tried free birth control, education for women, additional subsidies to people who only have a certain number of children. None of it seems to be working. We have more than enough food to go around because of ocean farming, urban farming, farming, fish farms, aeroponics, and vertical farms.. However, we are running out of room. We are an island nation. The Citizens Assembly has even tried to buy up outlying islands, create floating cities, create deep ocean cities, cloud nine tensegrity spheres, and has started a fast growing program for space colonization. We are moving people into space. There are simply too many people.

In order to maintain our freedoms, we need less population density says Mimi Ohyes, Commonarch. We are a free society and a society that is densely packed together is often less free. We will need help from other nations in this endeavor. While we could possibly seize or buy more land, it could lead us into nuclear or ortillery conflict which could wipe out the majority of our population in a single blow.

OOC: Gerard K O'neill predicted that in about 2050 there would be start be mass migration into space. I think he is 20 years too soon.
http://www.astralgia.com/pdf/oneill.pdf