Greater Díenstad News Feed

[Haishan]

ICTURK - New self-propelled radar system 1K16 'Prozektor' will replace 1K15 'Benyze'-class mobile radar complex, reported Jizui-Kor, spokesperson for Vakolev Energy Institute. Prozektor mobile complex works similarly as its brethren, operating at meter, decimeter and centimeter wavelengths in several integrated radar vehicles at the same time.

The mobile radar serve to provide early warning and if necessary, acquisition to existing Haize aerospace defense systems.

"Prozektor is several times more efficient than Benzye, able to track current and near future stealth objects. More importantly, the complex is faster to deploy by four times and can track more objects than before. Electronic properties were also upgraded, to resist enemy deceptions better," stated Jizui-Kor.

Prozektor will replace Benzye one to one in the Troops as deliveries are gradually completed. Vakolev Energy Institute is one of the leading Haize scientific institutes, specializing exclusively in radio and directed energy engineering. The Institute had produced majority of Haize sophisticated electronic devices and directed energy weapons.-HSNS

[Mokastana]

MNN: SPECIAL REPORT!!!
News so short your can't help but read the full story...

TOP STORIES:

Senate votes on international military action in Emergency Session

Cuidad Mokastana
Isla de Moka
People's Unified Federation

The Federal Senate has voted on numerous issues at the request of the President of the Federation. Issues regarding military action both near home and abroad, with short but intense debates regarding how to protect the Federation given the current threats. Here is the breakdown of the session:


Senate Bill 489.003A "Approval of increased military deployments to Central Greater Dienstad Military Command, CENCOM, including New Garrack, Greal, and Norgorka" required 133 of 265 Senators. PASSED BY 223 VOTES

This bill authorizes deployment of any External Armed Forces, or specialized Mobilized Forces, military command deems necessary to ensure the protection of Federal interests in areas that fall under Central Dienstani Federal Command[CENCOM], given the increased tensions in the area. This bill does not authorize additional military action, only increased military support to current missions.


Senate Bill 489.007A "Approval of military action in support of the defense of The Republic of Norgorka" required 178 of 265 Senators. PASSED BY 182 VOTES

This bill authorizes deployment of any External Armed Forces military command deems necessary to ensure the protection of the Republic of Norgorka, including deployment to any friendly nations in the area, and establishes a mission to secure a supply line to the nation by any means necessary, short of declaration of war on the United World Order or the Kravenite Riech. Many senators voted in favor given evidence of Kravenite vessels using RSU ports in support of the UWO's mission. This bill does not authorize direct armed conflict with the Ordenites, as that would be considered a declaration of war and may open Norgorka to invasion.


Senate Bill 489.04F "Approval of military action in support of Federal interests in The Commonwealth of Morrdh" required 178 of 265 Senators, FAILED WITH 156 VOTES

This bill would authorize military action in The Commonwealth of Morrdh to secure Federal interests. While not a declaration of war, this Bill effectively declares the Commonwealth ungoverned and would have authorized the Federal military to act to protect the Federation, including military action north of the Border. This bill failed as it would be considered an act of war by the Commonwealth and there was no evidence the Morridane military forces would cooperate or welcome foreign intervention. Many Senators wanted further intelligence on the happenings in the northern neighbor, and what clans are still loyal to Lothwyn, before beginning offensive military action in a possible Morridane civil war.


Senate Bill 489.011F "Formal rejection of Viktor Cathmore's claim as sovereign over the Commonwealth of Morrdh" required 133 of 265 Senators, PASSED BY 179 VOTES

This Bill is a formal letter to the Commonwealth and the world informing them that the Federation does not recognize Viktor Cathmore as the King, or Sovereign, of the Commonwealth of Morrdh. It does not, however, go so far to declare him a 'Enemy of the Federation', as many wished to do, as declaring him one would require the full 178 super majority, and would effectively be a declaration of war on his supporters. As of now the Federation officially refuses to acknowledge the coup in Morrdun as a legitimate government, and continues to reconize the government of Lothwyn Cathmore.


Senate Bill 489.12F "Approval of military action in support of Lothwyn Cathmore and Federal Allies in The Commonwealth of Morrdh" required 178 of 265 Senators, PASSED BY 219 VOTES

While the previous bill failed, this one passed as it required contact with a pro Lothwyn government of Morrdh, and included the specific goal of securing Mordun, and restoring Lothwyn Cathmore to her seat in Morrdun. The bill did state that if contact with the Morridane sovereign could not be reached, the recognized Taoiseach, or Parliament, could also request Federal support. As of the passing of this bill, mobilisation across the northern border of the Mokan states has begun, in preparation for military action.

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As war looms, Juventud Islands releases details on Army upgrades, massive deal with the Technocracy of Haishan

Outside Saltillo, Moxhuactl
People's Unified Federation

We report today outside the Paseo Escorpión Tank Factory, LY7 where after six months of retooling and retaining federal workers, the last LY7 assembly line has shut down. That doesn't mean the factory is closing, far from it. Instead two additional lines were added months ago to begin building the domestic version of the DM8, an 8 wheeled supply vehicle as part of a change in military needs. A new vehicle, the Grace Guided Multiple Rocket Launch System, a new artillery vehicle that entered Federal service two months ago. As part of a major defense contract between the People's Unified Federation and the Technocracy of Haishan, the 'Gracia' is the domestic version of the 'Grazya' weapon system. In addition, the new DM8 chassis will be used by anti aircraft support vehicles and coastal defense batteries, such as the new 'Drosera' Air Defense System, based on Vetyr-E, and the Kruzyel-E Coastal Missile System, which has already entered Federal service. Domestic Production Rights for these designs was purchased to ensure Federal factories will continue to produce Federal military hardware.

This is part of a Federal Army restructuring, where military command cited the cost of maintenance and weight for amphibious units, with the current family of LY7 support vehicles, such anti aircraft and tracked artillery. According to a Juventud Island press release: “The LY7 chassis has served the Federation faithfully over the years, and has many more to serve. But as Federal doctrine changes, so must our weapons. Support platforms can be made lighter and easier to maintain, the rapid reaction forces can acquire heavier hitting artillery. This move makes the army and naval infantry lighter on their feet. Older LY7 support vehicles will still be used by Reserve Guard units to keep us secure at home, and the Lammasu will continue to serve at home and abroad for years to come.” Juventud Island could not confirm nor deny rumors of these weapon systems being tested in Ashia.

Elsewhere in the Federation, factories are being retooled to handle another major investment into the Federal Army. Late last year, the Apache helicopter, a combat helicopter that has served the Federation for nearly 40 years, retired from External Service, replaced by the Marshite MAH-70 Kingmaker. This retirement was recently extended to all military units, as the Kingmaker becomes the new backbone of Close Air Support for the Federation. As with most retired military hardware, remaining Apaches are expected to be sold on the international market to nationstates or private collectors, depending on military needs.

[Morrdh]

Moorby Back On The Rail Map!

MORDENT.- A huge milestone has been reached in both Morridane-Imbrinium relations and post-war recovery in Mordent as a major rail hub is rebuilt at the site of Moorby.

The completion of the new rail hub comes after years of planning, negotiations, major engineering work and other challenges to bridge the hole in Mordent's rail network following the complete destruction of the town of Moorby in recent conflicts. Prior to these conflicts, the town was an important rail junction sitting at the crossroads of the Mordentish rail network in the heart of the island. Though constructing the rail hub has been a monumental challenge, with pre-existing lines needing to be repaired and/or re-routed in some cases due to the damage inflicted during past conflicts. The rebuilding of the town of Moorby itself was another factor that affected the rail hub's construction.

Befitting Moorby's revived status as a rail hub, extensive rail yards for freight along with workshops for both locomotives and rolling stock have been built. The workshops in particular, along with others throughout Mordent, will help maintain and build new rolling stock. As Mordent's mainline rail network uses a gauge of 5 ft 3 in, these workshops are as especially important as new stock has to be specifically constructed for the network rather than brought off the shelf from other nations. Granted the same gauge is used in Morrdh, but distance between the two and recent events in the region makes Morrdh a poor choice for new rolling stock despite some transfers of locomotives and coaches in the past.

Most of the war damage to the rail network has been repaired as part of a joint Morridane-Imbrinium initiative, though more work is still required to bring the island's railways back to their former glory. Of particular is that Mordent's network of 3 ft narrow gauge lines have also received attention, ensuring that rural areas have a stronger transport link than ever before.

[Imbrinium]

Kingdom at War!

The crown issued a statement earlier from Cormond castle that overnight the forces of the Reich had attacked a naval fleet in the Sea of Ordena with shortly after a massive airstrike on the kingdoms and The Golden Thorne forces there.

More news coming in

Marshall law is being issued for Eastern Mordent by the Crown and Eastern Mordent government. The border will be closed and EMDF will be enforcing dusk till dawn curfew till further notice.

[Free Kolechia]

Voice of Kashgar
Kashgar, Republic of Kolechia

Lamonian President to Receive Gift

In a statement today, the Presidents Office announced that the Lamonian President, Andrew Stinson and his government as a whole, was to be honored today. "My administration promised that in recent years of terrible war and crimes, the Kolechian military an people would be better protected, from new and upgraded equipment, to new systems of organization. With Lamonian help we have acquired a new ration system, and air defense equipment that are vital to our troops. We wish to deliver to him and his government the medal for the "Order of Friendship between Nations" and a sincere thanks for their assistance."



This marks the first time this award has ever been given to another nation, it is expected to be delivered via diplomatic channels.

Air Force Receiving New Aircraft

Lt. Gen. Danwar, commander of the Air Force, has announced the mass production of new aircraft, the JH-7. The close-support plane will replacing the older Q-5 which has served for decades now. Danwar stated that fielding this newer aircraft was simply long over-due. "The Q-5 has carved out a place in our history, but with progress in air defenses and weaponry, as well as newer fighters and interceptors this plane was lagging behind in speed and other areas. The JH-7 will fill that role much better. However, for a rather indefinite time at this point, the older Q-5 will be placed in reserve, we have also looked at using it for training purposes."



The commander also stated that the new plane is already being slowly introduced into active units, though he said it will take time for squadrons to be at complete strength and have completed proper training.

[United World Order]

ORDENCHE - RUNDFUNK - GESELLSCHAFT

ORDENITE BROADCASTING CORPORATION

REICHS-MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA AND ENLIGHTENMENT

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The Ordenite People and Nation are at war.
Readiness across the Wehrmacht raised to 96% while the homeland prepares for the worst.

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The Ordenite National Socialist State considers its self at war with the powers of the Triumvirate as once again Reichsgau Krasnova is set in their sights. However the Ordenite Wehrmacht with support from the National Socialist Workers Party are fully prepared to utilize weapons of mass destruction in order to preserve countless millions of Ordenites across the region. The Ordenite Reich stands firm in the face of the globalist agenda trying to weaken and destroy it. Rallies and demonstrations continue to take place across Ordena in the face of the current warring facing Central Dienstad. Reichsfuhrer Grossmann stated in a recent speech that "This war against the Golden Throne will not end until the puppet emperor Fedor I has had his golden throne kicked from under him". He also went on to demand action across the region from all fascists and national socialists abroad in order to strike out at the aggressors in any way, shape or form.

In other news:
- Military operations underway to prevent an Triumvirate invasion of Krasnova.
- National Socialist Workers Party of Ralkovia hold recruitment drives.
- Major infrastructure project underway in Ordenite Scythia.

[Haishan]

ZACH-NURIYA- Dolmuyzt Tractor Plant confirmed plans to establish joint manufacturing, research and service facilities in People Unified Federation of Mokastana with local partner Jaguar Defense Corporation. The Plant expects to construct up to four regional centers regarding their product in the Federation.

This move is following agreement of transfer of technologies involved in various earlier Haize defense exports, specifically the all-terrain military truck DM8 with wheel formula of eight by eight. DM8 serves as vehicle chassis for number of Haize products such as the Grazya GMLRS, Kruzyel-E coastal missile system, Vyzgrat-E strategic missile defense system and Vetyr-E air defense system.

The Plant also revealed a derivative DM8 chassis is currently competing with similar product from Zacharin Machineries on providing wheeled base for Voyze medium range air defense and Kruzt strategic missile defense systems in service of Haize Ground Army Contingent. The tests are still ongoing at the time of press release.-HSNS

[Stevid]

Imperial Broadcasting Corporation News

New XF-28 ‘Wraith’ Takes Flight
RAF’s newest attacker begins limited operational trials
as gradual replacement for the Scorpion begins.

Fri 13 Sep

Editorial Piece - Defence Correspondent Marcus Simpkin

New XF-28 Wraith on live
weapons testing last month

In the picturesque and sunlit hills of south Eldrich, a thunderous roar shatters the peace and tranquillity. As the startled wildlife dart for cover, but aircraft an enthusiasts jump to the feet donning cameras and binoculars alike for a good look at the Royal Airforce’s newest toy. In southeastern Eldrich there is a small but very important airbase called RAF Marston Green where the Ministry of Defence begin the final trial stages of their newest aircraft. Until recently the newest thing to fly out of here were the Phantom series of UAVs, but now something more impressive annoys the wildfire and enthrals the locals, the new multirole fighter-bomber dubbed the XF-28 ‘Wraith’. For months, this new aircraft has been flying in and out of Marston Green fly testing and trials as engineers iron out design flaws and engineering niggles identified by the ground crew and pilots. Marston Green is a little known establishment as it is used for the live testing of newly developed aerial designs and so is secretive. However, the base perimeter is not off limits and the engine noise is impossible to mask. So when the Wraith finally began air and weapon trials earlier this week, it was hard to ignore and has drawn in hundreds of people to see this new aircraft take to skies.

The XF-24 is the latest multirole aircraft to enter the ranks of the RAF and is due to replace the venerable but aged XF-24 Scorpion. The Scorpion entered service over sixteen years at the onset of the Second War of Golden Succession but before Stevid actually entered the war. It initially saw action against Guffindordii interests in Otium Aqua before the Empire took sides in the Succession wars. The Scorpion had only been deployed in limited numbers at that time, but as the war economy gained industrial speed so too did the production of aircraft increase. The Scorpion became a household name following the devastation of the Merkar Republican navy towards the end of the war and then served with distinction since. The Scorpion aircraft also fought as recently as Krasnova and was responsible for the sinking of several Lyran ships in the Great Dienstadii War before that.

However, the fate of the Scorpion was sealed following a mid-life review into the aircraft revealed that whilst the aircraft was still a capable attacker it would probably be obsolete completely within three years. Having had a shelf life of a projected twenty years with the mid-life review occurring late, it is a testament to the longevity and effectiveness of this aircraft, but the need for a replacement a welcome development and one the government has keenly accepted is necessary.

The product of this review is the XF-28 Wraith multirole, carrier based fighter aircraft. It shares many characteristics of its predecessor, notably the overall shape and wing design, but has many fundamental changes that make the Wraith an almost unique killing machine. Most notable of all the improvements are its engines. The deafening roar of more modern Stevidian fighter aircraft is actually very distinctive in that the aircraft use exoskeletal engines. The technology was developed in in the last months of the Great Dienstadii War and made possible due to technology sharing initiatives with the Free Republic of Lamoni. As a result, more power and massively more efficient engines were developed but by-products included towering initial cost, excessive heat and thunderous engine noise. Cost have since been mitigated with the mass production of the new ball bearings required to build the engines, and the issue of heat has been somewhat rectified, but the noise is an issue that will likely never go away.

The Wraith does not have the speed of the Scorpion but massively trumps it in range, fuel efficiency and manoeuvrability – with the RAF stating it is comparable to most fifth generation dedicated air superiority fighters in flying style and performance. It is also more rugged and able to carry bigger, heavier and more diverse payloads with a generic focus on versatility. It also has vastly improved avionics, radar, connection to the military’s all-encompassing battlefield management system BattleNET, and improved built in electronic warfare capabilities. All of the aforementioned were absent in some way shape or form with the XF-24 Scorpion.

However, the arrival of this new toy is bittersweet as the MoD plans to replace the Scorpion in totality; this includes the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm stock of the aircraft. It is a phased withdrawal with frontline squadrons likely to receive aircraft in the coming weeks; areas like South Greal, North Hanover, Liberated America and Valvidia, and local Stevidian units being among the last to lose their Scorpions. Furthermore, imperial territories with their own armed forces and defence forces (Adaptus Astrates and South Greal respectively) have stated that they wish to include the aircraft in their own forces, thus replacing their XF-24 aircraft. The final fate of the Scorpion is yet undecided meaning that the fleet will be mothballed until a final decision is made. If it were not for the coup in Morrdh then the Commonwealth would have been an ideal purchase candidate for a lot of the fleet, as the Commonwealth is already the recipient of the Sabre GR.1 light carrier aircraft (which the Wraith will not replace in the Stevidian Fleet Air Arm).

News of the fate of the XF-23 Nightwalker is also due, as the late mid-life report on that aircraft in due for publication in the months. A replacement declaration is expected for the Nightwalker, which is older than the Scorpion, with designs expected to be produced by the newly rebranded frontrunner developers SBAE, as well as Milton FAW and international competitors.


SBCN - Stevidian Broadcasting Company Network
IBCN - Imperial Broadcasting Corporation News
"God Save the King"
"God Save the Empire"

[Nuskijan]

OFFICIAL ROYAL GOVERNMENT PRESS RELEASE

19 SEPTEMBER 2019
DOMBURTON, ROYAL DISTRICT OF WHITEBRIDGE

UNCLASSIFIED // REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION

NUSKIJANI ARMED FORCES PLACED ON HEIGHTENED ALERT - The Royal Governance announced Thursday that the armed forces have been placed on heightened alert due to the outbreak of war in Greater Dienstad.

According to the Ministry of Defense and Committee of War, the conflict in Central Greater Dienstad has escalated to a point requiring immediate self-defensive measures to be undertaken, due to the threat of use of weapons of mass destruction. As a result, the Royal Armed Forces are assuming a Heightened Readiness State (HRS) to ensure the protection of Nuskijani territorial integrity, lives, and property. Per the Heightened Readiness State operational plan, the Reserve Components of each service branch have been activated, and the four Royal National Guards have been issued orders placing them under the command of the Committee of War. Additionally, the following measures are being taken:

Royal Army reconnaissance assets have been deployed to the frontier regions bordering the Unoccupied Territories of Northwest Greater Dienstad. Armored regiments have been activated and have been forward-deployed to these regions. The five Independent Brigades of the Royal Army have been activated to Ready Reserve Status and are under the control of the Capital Region Military District. All Royal Army installations have increased their security stance. The Royal Army's Air Defense regiments have been activated and are on Maximum Readiness Alert.

Royal Air Force fighter and interceptor squadrons have been placed on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) status, and the number of QRA squadrons has increased from 12 to 24. Bomber squadrons have been placed on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) status, and two bomber squadrons have been placed on 5-Minute Alert status. 24-Hour air surveillance has been established above the frontier regions of the Unoccupied Territories of Northwest Greater Dienstad, as well as over the Bay of Slaves. The Space Surveillance Center at Garrett Air Force Base has been tasked with monitoring the Central Greater Dienstad region for signs of WMD detonations, as well as monitoring the Bay of Slaves for incoming stray ordnance or surprise attacks. The Nuskijan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) has increased its operational stance, and has orders to intercept aircraft without flight plans prior to entering the ADIZ. All 4 Ground Based Terminal Interceptor installations have been placed on Maximum Readiness Alert.

Royal Navy Coastal Defense installations are operating on heightened alert, and mobile missile batteries have been placed at key strategic locations to ensure surface security. The number of subsurface patrols has increased, and the range of these patrols has increased as well. The Royal Navy's 4th Fleet has been activated from reserve status and is currently deployed in the eastern Bay of Slaves, complimenting the 1st Fleet's territorial defense mission. Board and search operations are being conducted on all inbound cargo and civilian pleasure craft with filed plans to enter Nuskijani waters, and ships not sailing with plans to enter Nuskijani waters are being turned away.

Elements of the 2nd Royal Guardsmen Regiment have been activated and are currently being deployed across Nuskijan to bolster already-deployed elements of the 1st Royal Guardsmen Regiment at strategic facilities.

The Royal Joint Medical and Support Service has activated the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th CBRN Defense Companies, which have been stationed throughout the nation and are providing support to local governments. In addition, the Royal Army Main Hospital of the Capital District has been given orders to accept civilians casualties at the request of the local governance. The Rapid Deployable Medical Forces East and West have also been activated, and mobile medical equipment has been forward-deployed to key regions. The 101st Special Engineering Regiment has activated and are also providing support to the Royal District of Whitebridge.

Civil Defense organizations, including urban search and rescue teams and fire brigades have been given special orders to prepare mass casualty equipment for immediate deployment.

The Royal Palace released the following message from High King Liam II:

As war once again looms over Greater Dienstad, Nuskijan prepares for the unlikely need to defend itself in the face of the wanton use of weapons of mass destruction within our region. These Heightened Readiness State measures are being enacted not to bring our nation to war, but to give confidence to the Nuskijani people, who will go to sleep each night knowing the nation's vast defense forces stand ready to take action if the worst comes to be. Though Nuskijan will not enter this war, and though this war is thousands of miles away from our homeland, the sanctity of human life and the prosperity of our vast nation are paramount. We, as a nation, will work together to provide the best reasonable and measured defense of our country as others far away are affected by the horrors of war.

I ask that each citizen be patient, as the Heightened Readiness State will cause delays on road and railways, on our nation's waterways, and in the skies above. However horrific the bloodshed on the other side of the region, I hope that each and every Nuskijani knows that I, through the Royal Governance, am taking every measure available to guarantee the safety of our great nation. While others look to the sky and see clouds of smoke and walls of flame, we can look to the sky and see our brave men and women working tirelessly to protect our homes, our property, our livelihoods, and most importantly, our lives.

UNCLASSIFIED // REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION

This press release is an official government communication of the Royal Governance of the Kingdom of Nuskijan. This communication may not be altered from its original form without the express permission of the Royal Governance, and may not be disseminated beyond its original scope.

[Stevid]

Annuntiatio aims to bring unbiased insight, analysis and forward-thinking discourse on the core issues that affect you, this nation and the whole region.
Annuntiatio asks the unasked questions, aims to help answer the answerable, or provide you a range of answers to help formulate your own.
From live reporting to hindsight introspection, from opinion pieces to factual debate, Annuntiatio is the impartial media of the Empire.

Parliament Mulls Renouncing WA
Membership Over LGBT Obligations
In the wake of the passing of resolutions GAR #467 and #457,
the lower Parliamentary house debates the Empire leaving the organisation

29 Sept

The LGBT Aversion in Stevid

As the region holds its collective breath over the troubling developments in Morrdh and Krasnova, many commentators have found themselves distracted from two very recent World Assembly (WA) resolution votes that significantly impact Stevid and the wider Holy Empire. With an increasingly belligerent United World Order, a collapsing Morrdh and the Golden Throne’s continuing conflict in Gholgoth, it is easy to be distracted from the tribulations at home. But not so for almost 140 MPs in the Imperial Parliament yesterday who gathered in the lower house to debate a proposed motion that may be eventually tabled to withdraw the Holy Empire from the World Assembly.

On 11 February, the General Assembly of the WA passed Resolution #457, Defending the Rights of Sexual and Gender Minorities, by 8,777 to 7,400 votes (a difference of about 10%). Despite the relatively slim passing of the resolution, it stipulated that member states should adhere to the given definitions of ‘civil marriage’ and ‘marriage rights’ within the context of WA debates. It then ordered member states to confer those marriage rights as defined upon all people within the member state regardless of sex, gender and personal orientation regarding the aforementioned labels. It signed off the legislation that religious ‘organisations’ did not fall under the purview of the resolution but that the WA had to legislate on them at a later date.

On 17 July, the General Assembly passed Resolution #467, Affordable Transgender Therapy, by a resounding 10,855 to 3,309. This resolution stated that member states had to accept the ideas of transgenderisim and non-binary genders as facts. It further stipulated that individuals identifying as such were not suffering from mental disorders or disease, but that their sex is subjective and does not necessarily relate to their biology. The resolution states that in order to address the dysphoria or anxiety caused by this can be mitigated by hormone treatment and requires all members states to provide hormone treatment to its subjects and legalise it.

Given that the Holy Empire of Stevid is a theocratic democracy, that over 90% of the population identify as Christian, and that there is next to no separation between church and state, the resolutions passed in the General Assembly have been bitter pills for the government to swallow. But it has received very little media coverage in the country because of the serious political and military situations affecting the region.

Fridays in parliament tend to be busy affairs with questions to the Imperial Home Office together with the usual parliamentary business. Today was no different, and the recent debates and resolutions in the WA had not been overlooked by the MPs in the chamber. MP to Swadlincote South East, Rebecca Anson, asked arguably the most difficult question of the day to Home Secretary Julius Horvath, asking “Will the Home Office be implementing the binding resolutions of the World Assembly GAR 457 and 467 respectively?” In reply, he stated, “We are currently in discussion with the cabinet and the Holy Office about how best to approach the regrettable votes in the General Assembly”. It is worth noting that Stevid’s man at the World Assembly, The Rt Hon Gentleman Sir James Heather, gave advice to the government and was then instructed, in the name of the Empire, to vote against both resolutions.

Following questions to the Home Secretary, there was a debate on a motion tabled by Conroy Party backbencher Micah Luciena, MP for Halstead, titled ‘Question of World Assembly Membership’. Micah’s opening remarks were viewed by even those of the tolerant left wing as bigoted and divisive in the extreme. Micah Luciena stated that “The idea that any person can consciously decide that their biology is inconsequential and ultimately subjective to all but themselves is misguided and uneducated. Furthermore, that the World Assembly now believes that this line of thinking is not only unequivocally true, but that the perverse scientific methods used to intact changes to the body are mandated as legal and to be enshrined in our law is disturbing and abhorrent.”

After his opening twenty-minute speech, the derision from across the floor of the house, especially from the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), was clear to behold as Micah Luciena was branded a homophobe and transphobic even though the DSP only has 15 sitting MPs voicing said opinion. MP for South Kennington District Capita, Pamela Daedalus retorted, “The fact we are supposed to look past these comments and put them down to ‘reasoned debate’ is grotesque. The Right Honourable Gentleman’s views are as bigoted as they are illogical. To suggest that people cannot and should not have the basic civil liberty to live their personal lives as they see fit, without interference from the state, is tantamount to tyranny.”

To an outsider looking in at the Stevidian political process and culture, the voices of the DSP members are easy to relate to. The language of Micah Luciena is exactly why tens of thousands of individual LGBT Pride marches took place around the world a few months ago during so called ‘Pride Month’, because resentment or non-acceptance of that community continues to exist today. As such, the remarks by Mr Luciena would offend and disturb many. However, instead of 140 MPs heckling what would be a bigot of the highest order in a liberal country, only 15 did so while the remainder either sat quietly or even nodded in agreement. This underlines what is a deep-rooted cultural issue in Stevid and the wider Holy Empire. That Stevid is not a representative democracy is out of a question – it clearly is. But whether it is a theocracy first and democracy second – that is more complicated.

The Holy Empire is an amalgamation of Christian countries and territories, more specifically Catholic. The Catholic Church in Stevid permeates daily life. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Stevidian Catholicism in that it is a separate sect, but it is now common parlance to describe the presence of the church in the Empire as such. Devotion to God, the Empire, the monarch and country are core tenants of the public life and are immortalised in the national anthem. This ‘dogma’ is an integral part of Stevidian culture and has become known as ‘Stevidian Resolve’. This devotion and selfless commitment is admired throughout the region, although some countries view imperial citizens as nothing more than arrogant zealots. But on the face of it, the country is a hardworking and devout one, with a structured conservatism that drives a vast economy and Empire. But peel back the layers and a dark insidiousness lies beneath to frighten those that find it.

It goes without saying that despite the official line from the government saying that it is legal to identify as LGBT, their community suffers serious discrimination, both socially and systemically. One of the most famous quotes from Lowland, the internal governmental press office committee acting as the media mouthpiece (named after the street the Prime Minister’s official residence sits in) – but attributed to current Prime Minister Conroy, is:

“An individual’s personal identities regarding sex, gender or relationships are inconsequential to the deeds they make as an individual, and therefore has no place for discussion in a meritocracy such as ours.”

There is certainly merit behind this, but in the aftermath of terrorist threats from an extremist LGBT organisation known as Homofront, the government authorised morning raids and arrests of prominent and vocal members of Stevid’s LGBT community in the interests of national security. Negative reaction to the arrests was quashed and small-scale protests led to an additional 300 arrests.

Police conducted raids on extreme LGBT activists after Homofront threats

During Pride month there were tens of thousands of marches in countries around the region. In Stevid there was just twelve, half of them held in capital. Some marches in the region had tens of thousands of people marching and celebrating in them; in contrast, the largest march in Stevid was in the capital numbering 3,000 with smallest in Milton at a mere 110. The LGBT community in Stevid is much more vocal online with many taking to social media and forums stating that the lack of people on the marches was down to government crowd control preventing people from attending the rallies, and local government refusing protest permits and then using police to break-up illegal ones. This has led to a small wave of empathy in Stevid at the perceived injustice towards the community’s freedom of association, expression and right to protest.

Despite official governmental nonchalance on the matter, openly LGBT individuals are almost 70% less likely to be in fulfilling employment and of that 90% are employed in the public sector – where regular prayer and meditation sessions are ‘offered’. There are tax penalties too and any children born into LGBT relationships receive regular visits from social services and their attendance to religious schools is mandatory. All taken into account, this makes LGBT individuals unable to emigrate due to the huge national income tax on top of systemic discrimination enforced upon them.

Imperial dominions and territories also see high levels of discrimination that follow the same suit in Stevid. There is a higher cost of living because of having to pay for education that would otherwise be free if they were heterosexual and Christian. In Stevidian South Greal, during the latter stages of the war with Imbrinium, LBGT identifying individuals and non-Christians were given basic refugee accommodation when compared against straight and Christian individuals. The idea of ‘coming out’ is now a taboo across the entire Empire due to an excellent standard of living across all of society – so long as one is straight and Christian. Where one is straight and identifies a Christian you gain all the state benefits of education and health from a religious stand point whilst paying a small tax levy to the church, whereas non-conforming individuals have to pay extortionate rates for the individual services for access to them. Going third party private and secular is therefore expensive but attracts excellent schooling in some cases, sometimes higher than the state religious institutions. These independent boarding schools becoming the intellectual breeding grounds for the elite but are almost completely unattainable for LGBT and non-Christian individuals due to the additional taxes and poorer selection of jobs they have access to. In a cruel twist, secular schools sometimes achieve better standards but are too expensive to access except for the elite that are, invariably, heterosexual Catholic households or foreign.

The all pervasiveness of Christianity in Stevid speaks for itself. Less than 20% of Imperial citizens identify as LGBT and this falls to 7% when looking solely at Stevidian citizens. Of 20,000 citizens polled only 22% said they viewed the LGBT community positively, 45% had no opinion while the remaining 33% viewed the community negatively. This huge disparity is not surprising, more so when looking at the sitting members of parliament, which seems to reflect this.
It is therefore little wonder that figures such as Micah Luciena exist and say the things they do.

But does he have a point?


World Assembly Infringement on Sovereign Liberties

GAR #457 states that religious organisations have their own caveat to the resolution, meaning that they are not bound by its decrees. But given that church and state in the Empire are so heavily entwinned it is difficult to see where the institution of the Catholic Church stops and the rest of government begins. The Empire uses this as a ‘get out of jail free card’ when the WA exerts pressure on it due to non-compliance. Marriage in Catholicism is deemed a holy sacrament, a gift of God’s grace upon an individual or individuals displayed as an inward and or outward sign. A core tenant of this is a distinct lack of divorce whereby “Death do us part” is taken in the literal sense. As a consequence Stevid has some of the lowest annual figures in Greater Dienstad for marriage ceremonies performed. Conversely, it has a divorce rate of exactly 0%. GAR #457 enforces the right of divorce on member states, excluding religious entities. Stevidian lobbied heavily against the motion on the grounds that it intrudes too far on a nation’s sovereign rights to enact domestic social policies.
Another convention of the resolution is that it allows same sex marriage. Given the cultural identity of Stevid, you can imagine how well this lies with the government.

However, the caveat in place in the last line of the resolution gave Stevid some breathing room, enough to kick up a fuss with the WA applied reprimands for non-conformation. But the final straw was on Wednesday 17 July.

GAR #467 is without a doubt one of the most powerful and sweeping resolutions ever passed by the General Assembly. Its critics are few and far between, but many cite that it both compels and essentially criminalises speech whilst flagrantly disregarding cultural sensitivities to issues surrounding transgenderism. Proponents suggest that the perceived heavy handedness of the resolution is necessary to guarantee the safety and security of members of the trans-community in non-accepting states, and further progressing liberal attitudes to the minority in countries that already accept them. In this instance, both opinions appear to be correct.

The resolution compels speech itself, something that will infuriate opponents to transgenderism and supporters of free speech. It further states that being transgender and non-binary is a fact – defined within Imperial Common Law as something that has already been done or an action in process. It is an event or circumstance that has definitely and actually taken place, and or is distinguishable from a suspicion, innuendo, or supposition. Or layman’s: A thing that is known or proved to be true.
It is that last definition that will trouble opponents to the resolution, like Micah Luciena, because it is impossible for human beings to naturally change sex from male to female and vice versa without seeking medical assistance via hormone treatment – and even then the biological differences remain constant (For example sexual reproduction systems, genetics and skeletal structures). The resolution effectively quashes any notion of countering proponents of transgenderism with these scientific facts.
Supporters of transgenderisim point out that it is a basic civil liberty and that any reasonable and democratic government should support the liberalisation of personal freedoms regarding one’s own sex and gender. In response to the social conservative views citing science and nature in their arguments, supporters of transgenderisim point to naturally occurring instances of transgender behaviours in animal kingdoms; for example, the cases of common reed frogs changing the sex in single sex environments. It is a debate that rages to this day and one that more liberal societies, in principle if not action, encourage discussion of.

However, it is hard to argue against the case that GAR #467 has seemingly stifled the debate completely and utterly, leaving even moderates within religious organisations wondering if their views and even beliefs are deemed illegal.

The government has so far not implemented any common practices outlined in GAR #467 and it is not anticipated that it will. Stevid’s commitment to WA is obvious through its peacekeeping missions and implemented sanctions. These have been at the forefront of Stevidian foreign policy in the aftermath of the war between the Empire against Imbrinium, Lyras and Wanderjar. This is evidenced in Omega, otherwise known as Indras, where the peacekeeping force there is comprised entirely of Imperial troops but wearing the uniform markings of the WA. But this latest enforcement of political will by the WA upon a reluctant Empire maybe enough to force the country to resign from the institution.

The debate in parliament was nothing more than an exchange of ideas. Gauging political will and sentiment. The rhetoric was fierce from both sides, and it would be wrong to say that the social conservative views won out just because 125 sitting MPs are staunch Catholics. All 15 of the DSPs sitting MPs were present, all spoke, and all made their views quite clear in front of a hostile opposition crowd. The faith in their own core ideals of freedom and unrestricted person self-determination is admirable, if not foolhardy. The odds are stacked against them. But, as is ever the case, every political opinion (or any opinion for that matter) must have a contrary point of view to critique it. If this is not the case then it would be, to paraphrase Pamela Daedalus, ‘tantamount to tyranny’.

[United World Order]

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"Reichskonkordat is to be considered null and void as of now" - Reichsministerium of Ecclesiastical Affairs.
Majority of organized religion now labeled as unlawful organizations and to be disbanded within Ordena.

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A treaty of importance that is as old as the National Socialist State its self has been done away with in accordance to war-time measures to ensure the fulfillment of national security concerns. The Reichsconcordat was originally signed by Pope Gallus I in the early 18th century but in the twentieth century was ratified soon after the coming to power for the National Socialists that made clear the rights of the Church within the National Socialist state. However with war breaking out with the likes of the Triumvirate and what the future would mean for Ordena an emergency session involving the Reichsministerium of Ecclesiastical Affairs and the Interior ministry was had following the first days of combat. Concerns were made on the risk of morale being deteriorated by Church rhetoric made against the war.

The concerns were brought to the attention of the Fuhrer's personal cabinet which then drafted and made into being the breaking of the Reichsconcordat.

Other News:
- Wehrmacht forces score major victory on the Frontier.
- Luftwaffe report minimal casualties in most air battles.
- Kriegsmarine valiantly defending the Sea of Ordena.

[Stevid]

Imperial Broadcasting Corporation News

Decisive Action Needed to Protect Region’s Christians – Says Church
Growing fear for Christians in Ordena prompts Catholic Church in Stevid to call for nations to take in the faithful.

Fri 11 Oct

The Catholic Church in Stevid has publicly called for the Stevidian government, and all other nations around the region, to protect or take in the Christians around the region. The message comes in the aftermath of Reichsministerium of Ecclesiastical Affairs in the Fourth Reich of Ordena declaring that an 18th Century agreement, signed with the Vatican guaranteeing the rights of the faithful within the national-socialist state, was declared null and void.

In an open message to the region whilst delivering a sermon at St. Malleus cathedral, Deputy Prime Minister and Cardinal Houston stated the following, “The independence of the nation of Ordena is sacrosanct, regardless of the ill feelings we may have towards them. But the common man of the Reich is no different to the common man of the Empire. Some of these people share in the same love of Christ as you do. You are kin through faith God, if not by blood or identity. They subjugate the Jew, they subjugate the free, and now they seek to subjugate Christ Himself through His flock. It is duty of every Christian to suffer in this world, as He did for us upon the cross. But that does not mean that it should occur, for the Fuhrer of Ordena is a force unto himself but not beyond the power of God. To dictate that sort of suffering upon the faithful is abhorrent. It is only a matter of time before their nefarious ambitions harboured against the Church become manifest. The love of the nation, of the Fuhrer, is always second to God and that simply cannot exist in Nation-Socialism.”

Houston then continued to issue a warning to the region and the nation saying, “It is only a matter of time before the Reich moves against the faithful; we shall see again the sacking of religious buildings and the pressing of people in servitude or worse – for we know the depths of depravity and evil Nazis are capable of. The Triumvirate is at war with the Reich. Stevid is yet to declare. Regardless, we must endeavour to protect Christians across the region from the inherent evil of the Reich, by whatever means necessary.”

The government has expressed its unequivocal support for the Church in its endeavour to support Christians in Ordena and has said that any subjugation of them would be enough to tip Stevid into joining the war with the rest of Triumvirate. Relations with the Reich are already poor and the declaration by the Reichsministerium of Ecclesiastical Affairs regarding the Reichskonkordat may be enough to finally push to a renewal of hostilities between the two countires.


What is the Reichskonkordat?

Agreements have historically been made between major religious institutions and ruling dictatorial governments. This is usually because faith and religious teachings are so old and so well entrenched within the national psyche that true believers will always be partly torn between loyalty to the state or person and to their faith. The belief in a high power or state of consciousness almost always transcends the belief in human ideology or person (particularly in Abrahamic religions) – because the ideology of faith is so powerful and profound. This is a common problem for the ultra-far-right and ultra-far-left, which are invariably secular because of a belief in a cult of personality or completely fealty to the state.

Historically, the Reichskonkordat is an agreement between a national-socialist organisation that is in government and wishes to guarantee the rights of Christians (or possibly another religious group) in return for either political support or to agree to cease any and all political activity. National-socialism tends to be insidious in how it operates, in that it asserts complete control over a people, whereas the teachings of sin and conscience by the church would arguably mean that Christians would question the acts of the state as amoral. Reichskonkordat, therefore, can allow the clergy and faithful to continue practising but deems any commentary on the politics of the state as illegal; and that clergy pledge an oath of loyal or respect to the state.

The Reichskonkordat agreement between Ordena and the Vatican in the 18th Century has endured but with many contraventions. Recently, within Krasnova after the last war, Catholic clergy and other faithful’s were rounded up as criminals on unsubstantiated charges of sexual offences. There have been other contraventions due, in part, to vagueness of wording within the articles of the agreement.

The Catholic Church in Stevid is rightly alarmed by the decision of the Fourth Reich to scrap the Reichskonkordat and it remains to be seen what happens next. It is likely that any course of action pursued by the Empire, or solely by the church, depends on the subsequent actions of Fourth Reich.


SBCN - Stevidian Broadcasting Company Network
IBCN - Imperial Broadcasting Corporation News
"God Save the King"
"God Save the Empire"

[Mokastana]

MNN: SPECIAL REPORT!!!
News so short your can't help but read the full story...

TOP STORY:

Rebellion in Nipon, communications with the Island chain shutdown by possible cyber attacks

Mac Anu
Queendom of Aqua Anu
People's Unified Federation

At approximately 1900 last night, soldiers from the Reserve Guard of Aqua Anu attacked Federal Army units occupying the city of Osaka, Capital of Nipon Island chain. It was believed to be an isolated incident until reports came in of National Police Artillery batteries being attacked by Reserve Guard units, followed by fighting all across the city. Based on initial estimates, it is believed that at least 15,000 Reserve Guard troops have openly rebelled and are attempting to take control of the Island's Capital. The fighting has continued to today, but we are having difficulty confirming the extent of this rebellion, as civilian communication with the entire Island chain has been limited due to a significant cyber attack. Websites based out of the island chain are down and phone calls are not connecting. Casualties are unknown at this time.

The last public communication from the island was a long range radio broadcast, calling on Kogyokist Christians to "be soldiers of God" by "liberating [the Nipon] islands". The voice on the broadcast is believed to be Bishop Goya, the leader of the Kogyokist Church in Nipon, and highest ranking member of the Kogyokist Church in the PUF.

Neither the National Police, nor Anuien Marshal Service, have yet to release any statements regarding the attack. There was a warning from the Federal Domestic Travel Control of "domestic unrest" and advise all civilian flights and ships to avoid the islands as Federal Authorities are trying to restore order. Recently, an anonymous pilot sent us a copy of the military broadcast they received from Aerospace Defense Command, known as CODA. The pilot says that the entire island chain has been declared a no fly zone, with threat of being shot down for failure to comply. The last time such a no fly zone was declared, it was due to the attack on Moguni Island by a rogue militia element. Given the military nature of this rebellion, it is possible both rebel and Federal forces have access to anti air weapons. This story will update as further information becomes available.

EDIT:
This just in, we do have unconfirmed reports of various island Militia forces fighting against possible Kogyokist militias on the islands of Java, Yu Cheng, and the Ophu. The Anuien Marshal Services are advising people in the affected areas to stay at home, or at least in a secure location. Local authorities will have more information for those affected. No national announcement yet, but it seems like one will be coming soon. We will be looking into if these are connected events. Further information can be found here.

[Eitoan]

www.News-Herald.et.com

Stickney:
Rural Electric Rate Stabilization



Mid Ruzek Valley Electric Power (MRVEP), the utility that provides all distribiting capacity for Stickney, Eitoan's third largest city, and covereing territory as far north as the exurbs of Kelso, the biggest metropolis of the land, has reached an agreement with the Shrdlu administration, and with Central Corridor territorial governors-general reducing rates for agricultural customers by an average 4.1% for the next five years. The compromise was announced this afternoon by MRVEP Board Chairman Laura Bowman at the firm’s Carendon Hills headquarters. In the announcement, Mrs. Bowman thanked Secretary of Industry and Trade Loren Masters for “his tireless efforts to come to a fair and equitable rate reset, allowing our company a fair return on investment, while maintaining service for our farming customers at a reasonable rate”. MRVEP had shocked it’s longstanding dairy and cereal producing customers in the nation’s heartland eight months ago with sudden increases between 6 and 8%. The reasoning given by Mrs. Bowman at the time was the need for additional revenue for capital expansion of the Kelso exurban grid, a rapidly growing industrial, wholesale, and residential opportunity for the company.

The unexpected rate increase, and subsequent complaints by the region’s Members of the Dashez brought a swift and harsh response from President Shrdlu at the time. Since then, Masters has been heavily involved with the concerns of the impacted territories. Negotiations took an uglier turn when several territorial Attorneys General initiated a review of eminent domain leases for MRVEP main transmission lines, going so far as to file a suit in the Stickney Southern District Court in August. Attorneys for the territories, MRVEP, and mediators working for the Department of Industry and Trade met two weeks later, staying the suit, and finally reaching a compromise earlier this week. Details are not fully known as of this time, but municipalities and townships have been instructed that fees for new service installation and maintenance of existing facilities in urban areas might experience a 1 to 1.5% increase within the next two years, balancing the utilities loss of rural revenue. It has also been rumored that the agreement will provide for some of the costs of emergency repairs to be borne by the territories in certain natural disasters. Part of the pact that has been confirmed is the territorial waiver on environmental impact conditions and restrictions that has delayed the Radovan Road nuclear fuel disposal facility expansion, which was identified by the utility as a major drain on profits in last year's annual report. Expansion of the facility is expected to clear the way for capacity increases at generating plants at Naplate and Keithsburg.

Sources at the Department of Industry and Trade indicated that Secretary Masters, was unavailable for the next four days, taking a long anticipated vacation at the end of the discussions. They did indicate, however, that he was glad that Mid Ruzek rates were finally stabilized, and that work would continue to review rate forecasting across the national power grid.


Caldwell Territory:
Ordenite Christian Refugees To Relocate

The Office of Immigration has approved the allotment of 20% of this year’s refugee quota to resettlement of Ordenite Christians. The decision was in response to a plea from a coalition of civic and religious leaders in Caldwell to the Attorney General. It was boosted by the unexpected support from the territory’s National Democrat Governor General, Meglav Ondverak, after meetings with a delegation headed by John Miller, Chief Minister of St. Timothy’s Church in Shumway, the capital and largest city of Caldwell. St. Timothy’s represents the largest parish of the Church of Welskerland (Calvinist Chruch in Eitoan) in the territory. The Church of Welskerland accounts for almost all Eitoan Christians, numbering 2% of the national population. Minister Miller’s ad-hoc group also featured the Head of the Caldwell Seminary (Eitoan Original Revivalist Judaism) and the Board Chairman of Shumway’s Oak Street Synagogue (Independent Congregationalists), as well as the Bdzev of the territory’s third largest Camalgehey Shrine. Several prominent Shumway businessmen were also prominent in the group, as was the territory’s chapter of The Ralkoviak Patriotic League. It is believed that the RPL participation was key in bringing Ondverak around to acceptance of the refugees. His National Democrats are seen as generally xenophobic on the national level, and among extreme Members of the Dashez possibly sympathetic to the National Socialist regime in Ordenia. Ondverak’s sponsorship of the refugees mark a turn away from those attitudes, at least on a local level, and may be a path for the party to appeal to a wider spectrum of Eitoan opinion.

The Office of Immigration announcement stressed that the refugee selection was made within the strict confines of Eitoan immigration law. The refugee quota will remain at 2500 annually, indicating at most 500 former subjects of the Reich would be eligible for residence in Caldwell. The Ordenite Christians will be given Novice Resident status for the standard two years, the start of the naturalization process. Immigrants are being screened to identify those most likely to acculturate to Eitoan norms. Higher priority will be given those with skills matching Caldwell’s labor pool needs, most likely skilled trades such as machinists, and science and mathematics teachers at the elementary and secondary level. The candidates will be given tests of basic understanding of Standard Eitoan Dienstadi, and rudimentary Eitoan history.

The NGO International Christian Rescue has been working with counselors overseas to advise refugee candidates about life in Eitoan. Among them are Church of Welskerland ministers, and a basic understanding of Calvinist doctrine, or, hopefully, conversion to the Church of Welskerland is being encouraged as a demonstration of interest in integration with Eitoan society. Although much of the impetus in the rescue stems from the recent plea of Stevid Deputy Prime Minister and Cardinal Houston, it was felt both in Caldwell and the Office of Immigration that doctrinal controversy should be avoided in the face of looming persecution in the Ordenite Reich. The quarterly Assembly of the Church of Welskerland in Eitoan identified the frontier territory of Caldwell as a possible destination for the Christians, being distant from the coast where ethnic discord has flared recently. Sponsors were surprised and delighted by Governor General Ondverak's acceptance of their proposal, which was followed by intense negotiations with the Office of Immigration.

The announcement was received by Governor General Ondverak at his official residence in Shumway. In attendance was Minister Miller and members of his committee. Ambassador Sir Lionus Neall of the Holy Empire of Stevid joined the group in Shumway for the announcement, flying to the territorial capital yesterday, with the agreement of the Department of Foreign Affairs. He is a prominent member of the diplomatic community in Vladarsik, and has been in post for four years.

[United World Order]

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Ordenite Volkssturm in Krasnova mobilizes to halt the Triumvirate invasion.
Millions of Ordenites and Krasnovans mobilized for the defense of Krasnova.

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As the war propagated by the Triumvirate clique intensifies and Krasnovan soil is threatened once again the Ordenite Volkssturm have been mobilized on the island its self to halt any advances by the enemy. Millions of Krasnovans and Ordenites alike answered the call to fulfill their ultimate service and duty to their fatherland and their Reichsfuhrer. The Volkssturm also known as the 'People's Storm' is an organized national militia that in times of need during war such as the one being waged on Krasnovan soil, mobilize and take up arms to defend their homes and livelihoods from those who wish to take away their freedom and sovereignty. While the valiant Ordenite Army and Wehrmacht engage the Triumvirate armies in battle, the Volkssturm ensure that the cities and towns are in safe hands and if needed will fight tooth and nail against the invaders. Unlike the previous wars waged for Krasnova this will have a different outcome where the Triumvirate and it's armies are driven back into the seas and peace restored for good.

[Haishan]

KUT-KUZYA Haize People Naval Forces announced integration of hypersonic anti ship missile Beryl (HEDI number 4M07) with the Navy latest corvette design, Tozkatel-class. The lead ship, Marshal Vestramyy named after Haize war hero involved in Panmoka Wars, Private Vestramyy will be used to launch the new weapon, to strike a remotely controlled ship target.

Beryl hypersonic anti ship missile had been in development since 2007 but changing priorities saw the weapon mainly in experimental phase on mobile land-based applications. The missile delivers a maneuvering hypersonic gliding vehicle at speeds exceeding 8600 kilometers per hour and at distances more than 500 km. Beryl hypersonic weapon is equipped with a conventional warhead and no nuclear variants had been planned as told by sources familiar to the project. -HSNS

[Delmonte]

Seven years before present.

"Good evening and welcome to election coverage of Today Delmonte Now in the Morning. I'm your female host, Christina Rinaldi!"

"And I'm your actual host, Andre Velascia! As you may have heard, or not due to record levels of apathy, the Doge has died and an election has been formally launched."

"The election is a direct result of the failure of any family to successfully claim Dogeship through the traditional methods of buying it and brutal vendetta killings."

A graphic populates on the screen listing corruption and murder as bullet points under the title "Democratic Process".

"Dark times for the Republic indeed. Obviously none of us can vote, so let's go to our political correspondent who doesn't have much to do between elections. Bruno, you're on."

"Thanks, Andre. People are eager to cast aspersions towards the Most Serene Republic's system of democracy. But it's important that we explain what it is for our citizens who are notoriously ignorant and generally can't be bothered. Most democratic systems have the illusion of choice where people 'vote' for who they want to rule when in reality the shadowy, wealthy elite just run the nation. Delmonte just cuts out the middle man by just allowing the wealthy elite to run the nation as a matter of course. Frankly, it's more honest. That being said, you could argue that the illusion of choice is a sort of benefit. So to contrast Delmontese democracy with more cosmopolitan democracy I would say that we generally give up the illusion of choice in favor of the ability to, of course, pelt the losers of elections with very large quantities of fruit."

"Christina," Andre said, "Why don't you talk about that in a soothing and reassuring voice for our female viewers who might be cooking or cleaning while watching the show?"

"Yes, Andre." Christina replied, beaming. "The Ceremonial Pelting of the Undeserving is a cherished institution of Delmontese democracy. Any rich douchebag who stands to be elected Doge obviously lives a much better life than any of us do and not being elected Doge is maybe the only setback this smug piece of shit will ever have in his life. So, instead of enacting enduring change to improve our quality of life by taxing him, why not really rub that moment in by nailing him in his fucking face with some fruit? To help us, Bruno is going to show us some techniques."

"Absolutely, Christina. If you'll join me in the kitchen where I normally host the cooking show, which is a thing I also do, I'll show you what I mean."

"Now..." Andre began as he walked over to the kitchenette, "I see you have here..." he pointed at the basket of fruit.

"Apples. Right? You're gonna ask me about the apples?" Bruno smiled gamingly.

"Yes!" Christina chimed in, "I was thinking the exact same thing! Aren't apples not allowed as part of the fruit in the Pelting of the Unworthy?"

"No. That's actually a common misconception. As of the late 1500's apples have been allowed in the Pelting. Here, I'm going to show you how to cut an apple so that it will still deliver a very harsh, sort of brutal and injuring impact, but also splatter afterward to cause maximum humiliation."

"Okay so you're taking the apple. And you're not actually peeling it?" Andre made an inquisitive face.

"No! That's very important. What we actually want to do is leave the peel intact as much as we can and score the apple under the peel. The idea is that we want the apple to be less an apple and more like a sock with coins inside it."

"And how will we achieve that effect?"

"Well, we're going to put coins in it. Pennies will do nicely."

"God, I love democracy." Andre intoned, "Stay tuned because after the break we're going to show you how to conceal pins in the stem of pears."

[Kuronami]

Royal News Bureau of Kuronami
-Akoni Abercrombie Dead at 85-

Akoni Abercrombie, Leader of the Mazomba Islands Domain passed at the age of 85 on Wednesday in his home in Cunlumo urbo, he was surrounded by his family. Lord Abercrombie had been suffering from undisclosed health issues since the start of this year and recently fell into critical conditions according to statements given by the medical staff in his attendance.

Abercombie was formerly the King of what is now the Imperial domain of the Mazomba Islands. In his youth his family were the tribes leader from the main island of and was able to be educated as a result during an era where children generally weren't educated on the islands in favor of them going to work as soon as they were old enough. His education however instilled a sense of new found values that few before him had and felt these values would be best to instill on other children of the island, however at the time he was still only fifth in line of his tribe and his older brother was given the role as Tribal Chief. Though educated and a part of a princely family, he still had to work once he hit his adolescent years with his second older brother in fishing and his mother in the fields.

When the Mazomba Civil War broke out to oppose formal adoption into the Empire, Abercombie was conscripted. After the six month campaign his older brothers and father were all killed in the war. The war ended two years later with his clan and the island of pro-integration sect being victorious in the war. Taking up the position of King he quelled the remaining hostilities and united the islands. He married his long time friend, Lilio Rizo in 1959 then remarried after her death 1974 to Luma de Insuleto and together they fathered their only daughter Kaimana Abercombie-Envatilia the current Assembly Woman of Mazomba in the National Assembly.

As standard protocol in the event of imminent death of a Lord and Noble, Empress Elystadt arrived in to speak with the Dominion Leader and his family members to work out their living last will and testament as well as plans of succession, though at present it's unknown who his successor will be with his daughter being the current Assembly Woman for Mazomba in the National Assembly, of whom he is survived by along with his granddaughter, Choi.

A private service for the family and the other Dominion Lords and Ladies will be held Friday morning with the public service for the Mazomba people on Sunday. Friends of Kuronami announced their shared condolences. Staff, Lord-Commander of the Navy of Kyrenaia announced their nation shows their support and announced to fly their flags at half-mast. High King Hegrod IX of The Kingdom of Bolrie shared words of sympathy. Author Contesa Maria Rosario de Constanza y Mirabal expressed her sympathies to the RNB on Thursday via our Social Media app. And in the free lands of The Selkie, the High Priestess of the Cult of Cailb, Morgane Macánta of the Tribe of Cork, ordered all temples, shrines and sanctuaries of Cailb to conduct a memorial service. At the Cuan-Sanctuary of Cailb.

Non-essential government services in Mazomba currently remain suspended until further notice and Mazomba's Seat in the National Assembly is considered Active In absentia allowing Madam Envatilia's votes to be caste or held by her secretarial staff. The Domain Assembly in Mazomba is also currently put into an emergency recess.

published Thursday, 5 December 2019

[Eitoan]

www.News-Herald.et.com

Farming:
Soil Erosion Concerns in Central Corridor Territories

West Payson is losing topsoil – the layer of surface dirt that’s rich with nutrients and vital for food production. And the problem of erosion on West Payson farms is serious: Last year roughly one-fifth of West Payson’s farmland lost more soil than it made.

When retired Champaign Township Resource Conservationist Bruce Ptrvek first came to Central West Payson in the 25 years ago, he remembers seeing mounds of mud in roadside ditches following the heavy spring rains. In the winter, dirt would blow like snow. He says an older tilling technique involving what's called a Moldboard plow was the culprit. The plow would cut deep into the soil, loosening it so much that the elements could cart it off with ease.

“Now no one uses them. There is a lot less soil erosion than what there was, but we’re still not perfect by any means,” he says.

“Not perfect” may be putting it mildly. The most recent data from the West Payson Department of Agriculture shows roughly one-fifth of West Payson farmland is losing soil.

The immediate consequences of erosion include lower-yielding crops and damage to the environment. And the long-term consequences could be more severe, as the continued loss of soil over the next several decades could eventually convert farmland into infertile ground. Both soil conservationists, environmentalists and farmers agree something needs to be done to rein in erosion before it’s too late. But they disagree on what constitutes the best path forward.

Soil basics

Soil is considered by scientists to be a non-renewable resource, because although it can be created—from decaying plant material and the slow, geological breakdown of minerals—the process is extremely slow. Some scientists estimate it takes about 100 to 1,000 years to make an inch of top soil from these natural processes.

West Payson has some of the most fertile soil in the world, a result of thousands of years of year-round prairieland and the minerals left behind by prehistoric glaciers. But the introduction of modern agriculture techniques resulted in the replacement of prairie with farms that grow annual crops—leaving fields bare for much of the year.
This lack of a prairie “mat” coupled with tilling—the common practice of loosening the soil to enable roots to sprout more easily—has made soil vulnerable to harm by rain and wind. Hilly lands, prevalent in southern regions of West Payson, are most susceptible to losing soil as rain runs faster down slopes than flatter land, carrying more soil with it.
The amount of soil loss to date is stark, says Robin Filipiak, associate director at Eitoan Farmland Trust.

“Overall, we’ve lost about half of the organic matter that we had when we started plowing,” she says, referring to the portion of soil created from decaying plant matter. “In terms of tons of soil lost, that is a lot. It’s really a lot. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it.”

When a farm loses more soil than it’s made, it experiences what the agricultural industry refers to as “above tolerable soil loss.”

According to a recent survey, 7 percent of West Payson farmland has twice the amount of soil loss considered "above tolerable," the same as was the case ten years ago. Twelve percent is between one and two times the tolerable soil loss level, which represents a 25 percent decrease in that period, but still at the highest it has been in 10 years.
The survey has been conducted by the West Payson Department of Agriculture every other year since 1994. It involves sending resource conservationists like Ptrvek to check hundreds of transects, or survey points, through their windshields, and was started to track West Payson’s progress away from excessive soil loss.
Through public outreach and cost-share programs carried out by Soil and Water Conservation Resources – and time – the hope was erosion could be reined in without government regulation, Ptrvek says.

For each point, resource conservationists determine how much residue is left on the field from harvest, and look through a spreadsheet to see how much erosion that residue level results in for the type of soil. It’s not a perfect survey—one study in Iowa found that a similar technique didn’t account for gully erosion, which under a new modeling method, resulted in as much as 1 billion Quada in losses for West Payson’s agriculture.

Ludmilla Wzrak, a professor at the University of West Payson, says that since yields for conventional crops have skyrocketed with increased inputs, and genetic and mechanical improvements, the loss of yield from erosion has been “masked.”

“Back in the early 21st century, we were the first country to set a soil conservation agenda. We were losing too much, and we weren’t making it up with these improvements you’re seeing now,” she says. “But it’s still happening, and it’s really quite severe.”

Why it matters

Department of Agriculture Soil Scientist Roger Samuels says West Payson won’t be hitting bedrock anytime soon with the soil loss rates he sees. However, erosion does mean lower yields on farms that have it, and lower yields for farmers who inherit or buy the land for years down the road. That translates into less revenue for local governments, since property taxes for farmland are based on potential yield.

Erosion also leads to reduced water quality downstream. Phosphorus fertilizers cling to soil particles and make their way into water sources. The sediment often settles at the bottom of a waterway, and if it’s particularly shallow, or the sediment builds high enough, the sun can bake the phosphorus and cause an algal bloom. Many of these blooms make the water harmful for human consumption and recreation.

The sediment itself also reduces the amount of water a body of water can hold. The City of Decatur in central West Payson is in the process of a 90 million Quada dredging project to increase the volume of their lake to keep it stable during droughts.

Steve Reynolds of the Environmental Working Task Force added that erosion needs to be reined in now because climate change is going to make erosion more severe. Winds in the Central Corridor are expected to pick up by 2 percent by the end of the century, and rainfall is expected to increase, bringing a projected 30 to 274 percent rise in erosion, according to one study.

Layer 1: Funding for soil conservation has declined for 8 years

Soil erosion on medium-sloping farmland is inevitable, Samuels says. That’s where a territorial soil conservation fund comes in. To keep soil on these fields, the farmers need costly structures, like terraces – mounds that go down the slope of a field to catch water.

Soil and Water Conservation Resources uses money from the fund to build the structures, and farmers just have to pay a portion. Mike Rvxox, manager of the territory’s 97 Soil and Water Conservation Resources, says the funding for these has been on a steady decline on the state level. Nationally, money has also plateaued for programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers a rent to keep highly erodible land out of production.

“Now that we're on the downside of that funding curve, we're not spending enough money to maintain that level of conservation, to maintain those practices that were installed before, because they don't last forever,” Rvxox says, referring to terraces and other structures that lose effectiveness after about a decade. With the drop in funding, farmers either have to spend more out of their pocket, or be put on a waiting list to get a structure built or rebuilt on their land, Rvxox added. Additionally, the drop in funding has led to a drop in personnel—by about 30 percent—so there are fewer trained staff available to give soil conservation advice to farmers.

Layer 2: Environmentalists say not enough farmers are adopting soil conserving practices

There are options on the table for farmers to reduce erosion without having to dip into declining conservation funds. Some examples include:
• Cover crops: Planted after harvest, certain breeds of cover crops can deflect rain and lock soil up until a few weeks before planting starts.
• Tilling less or not at all: Tilling is a practice farmers use to mix the rain-deflecting stalks and leaves underground and loosen the soil to make it easier for the next crops’ roots to break-through. The transect survey found 44 percent of West Payson farmers still use conventional methods, meaning they pass over their field multiple times, making the soil appear black. This type of tilling leads to the most erosion.
• Tilling in the spring instead of the fall: Many farmers leave the stalks and leaves on the field over the fall, winter and most of spring, only tilling a few weeks before planting. This greatly reduces the time the bare field is exposed to the elements. The transect survey doesn’t track how many farmers do this, because it’s conducted in the spring.
• Reducing gullies: Gullies form when rain cuts channels in low spots in a field. They form after heavy rain. They can be reduced on relatively flat land by leaving all the residue over that part of the field. On steeper land, farmers will often just turn the gully into grass, which covers the soil year-round and catches soil particles before they can move off the field.

The problem that vice president of the Environmental Working Task Force Steve Reynolds sees: All of these options (aside from the more recent push for cover crops) have been on the table for more than 30 years, and still not enough farmers have adopted them.

Nelson Dluj trouble shoots a problem with a strip tilling rig. Strip tilling is where a farmer tills in narrow strips, and comes back in the spring to plant over them. Between all the strips are 30-inch-wide regions of undisturbed soil, making it one of the most soil friendly options available to farmers.

There are two schools of thought on the issue. One camp says that more time and education will rein in soil loss, and that’s been the narrative of the soil and water conservation Resources. The other camp, the one that Reynolds is part of, says that regulation needs to happen.

One of the major success stories for the camp calling for increased education is that farmers have been able to decrease the percentage of fields that have gullies from 25 percent in 2002, to 12 percent in 2015. Reynolds goes a step further and says the government should mandate that those remaining gullies be seeded with soil-locking grasses.

Layer 3: Farmers of highly erodible fields aren’t being held accountable

Many farmers in West Payson have signed up for a nationally available insurance program, and in order to receive the benefits, they have to put together a conservation plan for any “highly erodible” cropland and follow it. It’s often a combination of structural fixes and the options laid out in the Layer 2 subhead.

Farmer Oren Dluj had to come up with a plan for one of the farms he operates outside of Fox River State Park near Charleston. He says he would use the same practices even if the government didn’t require him to, simply because it’s good for the land.

“You’ve got to be good stewards of the ground,” he explains. “I’m just passing through, and somebody else is going to be taking over. It's always been my thought that I want to pass the ground on to the next generation as good as, if not better as, when I got it.”

While Dluj says he wouldn’t deviate from his conservation plan, other farmers do, and the compliance checks the Eitoan Department of Agriculture conducts often fail to catch them. The EDA’s own Office of the Inspector General found that in the last 12 years, the Department could have saved millions of dollars if it started adequately enforcing its rules.

The department responded and said it would address the issue within a newly created Compliance Division. But Environmental Working Task Force Vice President Steve Reynolds pointed to several other accountability reports from years prior that listed the same problem that this most recent report found. While he said progress has been made between these reports, he called it slow.

“There's just a lot of reluctance to enforce the ineligibility for benefits,” Reynolds says, adding that recent Farm Bills have added loopholes for farmers as well.
“It used to be a great standard, and it could be again, but I think after 30 or 40 years, the purely monetary approach is just not standing up to the pressure we're putting on our landscape,” he says.

[Haishan]

KAGAM - Haize People Naval Forces (HPNF) indicated a second look on present Haize naval doctrines may be necessary in light of 4M07 Beryl integration and subsequently its launch from the Navy's latest corvette class Tozkatel (English : Watchmen). HPNF is known to fast-track introduction of the hypersonic missile to the Fleet.

Dubbed as Beryllisation in HPNF parlance, it calls for equipping the maneuvering, hypersonic weapon on all available Navy's assets. Unnamed sources close to the matter claimed the Navy had also integrated 4M07 Beryl on Mozit (English: Mosquito) class missile patrol boats which are smaller than Tozkatel-class.

The leak coincided with the Navy sudden withdrawal from its supercarrier fleet ambitions through delaying or freezing development into such fields. As aforementioned, Beryllisation of the Fleet may present a watershed moment for Haize Armed Forces, requiring full rethought of current doctrines in adapting the new paradigm brought by the weapon class. -HSNS

[Novaya Equestria]

NOVAYAN COMMONWEALTH NEWS AGENCY

The Novayan government has announced today that it has begun a plan to establish an orbital space station which would be manned by 50 personnel as part of the New Skies Initiative, where plans will be made to construct and develop orbital space stations that will be used for commercial, residential or industrial purposes. The New Skies Initiative is one of five planned initiatives, among of which is the White Crescent Initiative, which involves the development and expansion of Novaya's nine lunar colonies and the establishment of mining outposts; plans also include establishing colonies, especially those within lunar lava tubes.

The Brave New Worlds Initiative, signed between the Novayan Space Agency and SpaceX, was also announced. It calls for landing modules on the 4th planet and colonists to inhabit the landers that would see construction of a colony and development and expansion. It also calls for sending space station modules into the 4th planet's orbit from which the space station will be assembled and for landing landers on the 4th planet's two moons with which said landers will be occupied by Novayan colonists. Resources and materials will be shipped to the colony via spaceplanes, which will bring said resources and materials to the 4th planet to facilitate the eventual colonization of the 4th planet.

The Brave New Worlds Initiative will also see the construction of an interplanetary spaceship which will be built in Low Earth Orbit.

[Palmyrion]

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Palmyrion to Engage in Commerce Raiding Against Slaver Nation
Kristen Katigbak | 16 Dec 2019 4:45PM PST

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• Navy to engage in commerce raiding against Munkchester
• Privateers "welcome, and will be paid handsomely" - Navy
• "Growing domestic troubles being ignored", say critics

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Aragon, District of Catalonia | In a press conference just after lunchtime, the Admiralty, the Defence Department directorate responsible for coordinating the naval military activities of the Royal Commonwealth, has declared that it will initiate commerce raiding against the Munkcestrian Republic in light of a declaration of war between Palmyrion and Munkcester starting on the last week of September.

"As a signatory of the Amistad Declaration on Slavery and the Rights of Man, we shall do our part in containing the spread of chattel slavery and indentured servitude across the globe - and with our part being the declaration of war against the Munkcestrians, we shall commence commerce raiding operations." Supreme Admiral Feliz Tugonon, the Chief of Naval Operations of the Palmyrian Navy, said in the press conference."Privateering against Munkchester will be warmly welcomed, and privateers will be paid handsomely." she added.

The declaration to commence commerce raiding came in light of the declaration of war against the Munkcestrian Republic on September of 2019. The forces that the Navy will devote to raiding Munkchester's merchant navy are classified - and will be until long after the end of the Palmyro-Munkcestrian War, the AFP has said in a press release related to the declaration of war.

However, critics have expressed their concerns regarding the deployment of the Navy to engage in a commerce raiding operation against Munkchester, citing a surge in domestic armed extremist violence from Christian, Muslim, Stalinist, and Neo-Reactionary groups, the most grave of which has been the 2019 Commonwealth Square Pride Massacre that killed 1,287 and caused the death of the former monarch Lakán Alexander II.

[Palmyrion]

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Troubles Separatist Leaders Convicted, Sentenced to Death
Kristen Katigbak | 19 Dec 2019 12:01PM PST

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• Ex-Governors Convicted of Mass Murder and Conspiracy with State Enemies
• Convicts sentenced to death, to pay $50 billion total in criminal damages to victims of genocide
• 2015-2018 genocide, masterminded by governors, killed 5 million, aimed against non-Muslims and LGBT community

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QUEZON CITY, DISTRICT OF CATALONIA | In a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court as part of the Catalonia Trials after the 2009-2018 Palmyrian Troubles, the governors of the provinces of the islands of Sultan Osmalik and Mindanao have been found guilty of an accumulated total of almost 5 million counts of murder due to their role in masterminding the Southern Palmyrion Genocide, which occured from 2015 to 2018 in territory occupied previously by the short-live secessionist Islamic Dominion of Osmalik and Mindanao. This comes alongside the conviction of the Palmyrian Socialist Front's leadership a month prior for their role in the Northern Palmyrian Famine of 2015-2018, which killed 5 million as well (mostly indigenous peoples) and caused severe destruction to the region's agro-industrial economic apparatus - both of which gained it the name "The Palmyrian Holodomor".

Datus Ansar Al-Abadi, Mohammed Almasi, Abu Adil Al-Asad, Ansar Al-Andalusi, and Farouk Ghaddafi - ex-provincial governors on the island of Mindanao - were convicted of the genocide of nearly 3 million people alongside conspiracy with the Islamic Dominion of Osmalik and Mindanao, which have since then been convicted in a separate trial and executed later one. In the same case, Sultans Ehsan Fahim Al-Ghamdi and Faisal Hakim Baghdadi - ex-provincial governors on the island of Sultan Osmalik - were convicted of the genocide of nearly 2 million people alongside conspiracy with the aforementioned secessionist group. They have been sentenced to death, with execution scheduled to happen on New Year via firing squad as part of the New Year celebrations by the Royal Commonwealth. With the death toll from the genocide approaching 5 million, the heirs of the victims will each receive RR500,000 each in damages, for an accumulated total of RR2.5 trillion ($50 billion) for the entire group of accused.

The Southern Palmyrian Genocide of 2015-2018 was a genocide masterminded by the Islamic Dominion with help from the aforementioned governors, who have since then been proven to have conspired with the Islamic Dominion to secede from Palmyrion and establish on their respective islands and provinces an Islamic Dominion, a theocracy envisionsed by the Islamic Dominion adhering to Sharia Law and the Qur'an, and with an economy based on Islamic fiqh al-mu'amalat that is, Islamic commercial jurisprudence and socioeconomic ideology. The genocide was aimed against the non-Muslim and LGBT communities in the islands of Sultan Osmalik and Mindanao.

Reaction to the verdict was vastly positive, with the leaders themselves condemned by the Islamic community of Palmyrion. "They are a grave insult to Allah. They shall be incinerated in hellfire like the demons that they proved themselves to be." said Imam Hakim Faisal Hamadani of the Islamic Society of Palmyrion, Palmyrion's largest association of Muslims representing the interests of Palmyrion's Muslim religious group. "A three-year long genocide right on Palmyrian soil. Masterminded by the Islamic Dominion of Osmalik and Mindanao. 5 million non-Muslims and LGBT killed. How could we allow this to happen right on our soil?!" Brigadier General Armando Magsaysay of the 141st Mechanised Infantry Brigade, which fought in the southern theatre of operations during Operation Consolidator and the Reunion War, said in shock.

The Palmyrian Troubles of 2009-2018 as a 9-year long bout of violent political instability involving the Palmyrian Socialist Front and the Islamic Dominion of Osmalik and Mindanao, which reached its peak in the wake of the 2012 Palmyrian economic crisis resulted by a burst of the tech and shipbuilding industry bubbles, and which horribly crippled the military alongside the nation as a whole. Operation Consolidator (2014-2015) was conducted to consolidate Palmyrian forces in preparation for the closing act of the Troubles, which was the 2016 Reunion War against the newly-declared separatist states of the Bangsamoro Dominion to the southern islands and the People's Republic of Palmyrion to the north.

[Palmyrion]

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Assembly Defeats Constitutional Amendment Criminalising LGBT, Gets Van Bombed Twice
Kyle Vallesteros | 3 January 2020 11:53AM PST

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• Proposed Anti LGBT constitutional amendment defeated 67-330-3
• Clash erupts, two van bombs explode; 33 killed, 102 wounded
• Christian, Muslim extremist groups claim responsibility

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PARLIAMENT HALL, ARAGON, D.C. | The Assembly defeated a proposed amendment to the Palmyrian Constitution early this morning at the Parliament Hall in Aragon, D.C., in a one-sided 330-67-3 vote. The proceedings of the vote were broadcasted live via television (analog and digital), radio (FM and AM), and the Internet from 8:03 to 11:05 in the morning.

"On this vote, the yeas are sixty-seven, the nays are three-hundred and thirty, and the abstains are three." Head of Assembly Manuel Vito-Gonzales II said. "Thus, the Thirteenth Amendment, hereby called the Sexual Morality and LGBT Criminalisation Amendment, shall be rejected. So ordered." he added, afterwards laying down the gavel.

Thousands upon thousands of onlookers placed at the perimeter of the Parliament Hall's perimeter walls and gates had their own reactions to the rejection of the Thirteenth Amendment; LGBT rights groups and progressive religious groups celebrated the rejection of the amendment which they deemed was contrarian to Palmyrion's principles of liberty and equality, while conservative groups protested the rejection with some even staging mock funerals and "die-ins".

"What a good day to start 2020 - and the new decade. The Thirteenth Amendment has no place in Palmyrion, and not in any society of liberty and egalitarianism." an LGBT rights protester representing the gun rights and LGBT rights group Rainbow Steel said during the event. "Liberty and equality have once again made a major triumph in Palmyrion, even as its enemies are now resorting to violence - but we will stand guard to defend Palmyrion's core values." they added.

"Today, we mourn for a defeat in the fight to stop Palmyrion's descent to immorality. It has adopted false gods and immoral doctrines - but fear not! Salvation is at hand!" a Christian protester, representing the Palmyrian Christian Salvation Society, said as well. "This rejection of a major amendment that will stop Palmyrion's descent to immorality is a transgression to Allah!" a Muslim protester supporting the Amendment said.

Minutes later, a clash between the two groups broke out, which on-station Civil Defence Force and National Police units were able to contain only initially before gunfire erupted from either side. Shortly thereafter, two van bombs exploded at the side of the LGBT rights protesters. Overall, the clash and the bombing killed 33 people and wounded 102; among the wounded, the CDF reports six gendarmes critically wounded and the PNP reports ten of theirs in the same condition. Minutes later, two religious extremist groups - the Christian Salvation Crusade and the Islamic Sovereignty Front - claimed responsibility for their actions via Setsuzoku, saying that the bombing was a major victory for God-given morals in Palmyrion.

The Commonwealth Security Council are scheduled to have a press conference later within the day regarding the recent bombing and a string of related incidents starting with the 2019 Commonwealth Square Massacre, but have, through their verified social media accounts, condemned the attack and said that they will remain unfazed and brazen in defence of Palmyrion.

[Palmyrion]

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Extremists Attack HIV Research Centre, Say HIV Cure Effort Is Hampering Divine Will
Kyle Vallesteros | 6 January 2020 6:53PM PST

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• Lorry explodes with yield of 2 tonnes TNT; 13 dead, 104 injured
• Religious extremists claim cure efforts hampering "the will of God"
• Commonwealth Security Council mulling Martial Law

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CITY OF NAGA, BICOL | At 3:21PM this afternoon, an HIV/AIDS research centre in the City of Naga, Bicol, was struck by a lorry bomb with an estimated blast yield of two tonnes of TNT. Authorities and first responders report 13 killed and 104 injured, including 12 Civil Defence Force troopers and 15 National Police officers.

Minutes after the attack, a group claiming to be the Christian Salvation Crusade claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the effort to cure HIV is hampering "the will of God against sodomy". The same group is also responsible for the January 3 Parliament Hall bombing three days ago, which resulted into 33 dead and 102 wounded.

In light of increasing sectarian violence in the Royal Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Security Council has once again expressed its desire to declare Martial Law across the Royal Commonwealth through a public press release dated an hour later. "We condemn the attacks perpetrated upon us by extremists, whoever they may be. Their attacks have become more brazen, but we shall remain unfazed. Meanwhile, the Council is mulling a declaration of Martial Law all across the Royal Commonwealth to help Palmyrion deal with the chaos." said the Head Security Councillor.