Ajax Regional News Thread [Closed: Ajax Only]

by **Lacus Magni** » Sun Jul 09, 2017 3:10 pm

OOC: This thread is dedicated to news written by members of the region of Ajax. Members of the region are free to post in depth news articles, editorials, and information released by their government, as long as it is in character.

by **EsToVnIa** » Tue Jul 11, 2017 7:37 pm

-Retconned-

by **Ahkad** » Tue Jul 11, 2017 8:49 pm

-Retconned-

by **Lacus Magni** » Wed Jul 12, 2017 1:45 pm

Pompilius Announces Plans for Amendment to Civil Guard Act
20 Via Julia, Castellum ab Alba, Latium
By: Flavius Nasennius (@FlNasenniusRAL)

Castellum: Consul Alexander Pompilius spoke to members of the press and took questions from the Consul’s official residence today. He led off the press even with an announcement of his second proposal for a new national gendarmerie, after Emperor Constantine publically stated he would not provide Imperial Assent to the proposed National Police and Civil Guard Act nearly a month ago. There had been some speculation as to whether or not the Consul and his United Latium Senate majority would continue to push the NPCGA and seek a supermajority to override any potential veto, but the Consul’s office denied this was ever a possibility.

The Consul’s recent announcement confirms that Senate leadership will seek a compromise with the Crown on the establishment of a new gendarmerie to replace the temporary national police currently administered by the Emperor’s Praetorian Guard. The proposal is similar to the previously introduced NPCGA, though instead will place the administration of law enforcement in select major cities, including Castellum, Adrianople, and Alexandria under direct Imperial authority by way of newly appointed Urban Prefect’s. All remaining branches of the proposed Civil Guard will fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Defense. Speaker of the Senate Nicetas Canuleius has scheduled a vote on the amended version of the NPCGA for 21 July.

The Consul also made mention of upcoming Security Conference, as well as taking questions relating to international events. Consul Pompilius first spoke in regards to the Latin delegation for the continental security conference, announcing that Foreign Secretary John Pollius, First Secretary of State Alexandra Sulpicia would be a few of attending the conference with his delegation; however he noted that there may be some last minute changes. This comes following the Emperor’s recent statement that The Duke of Beroea would be the chief Imperial representative at the conference.

Pompilius was also asked about the recent execution of former Siverian government minister Makar Anesenko. The Consul said little in the way of assessing the legitimacy of the charges placed against Mr. Anesenko, but stated that, “Often times it is difficult to assess what is accurate information and what is purely propaganda when it comes from these sources.” The Consul also stated that while he doesn’t know the full story, he finds it illogical and cruel to arrest Mr. Anesenko’s family and place them in [these] camps.” And before ending the press event, the Consul mentioned that he questions the need to put a sick man to death, “assuming the diagnosis of Mr. Anesenko’s dementia was correct and not just a convenient lie.”

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by **Peoples Socialist Union2** » Wed Jul 12, 2017 2:27 pm

First Secretary Albrecht warns that the PSU will not weaken the VRA
Speaking to VRA cadets, the First Secretary vowed to ensure its strength, traditions and reputation
Peter Kaufmann
^{12.07.17 | Rahden, Liothidia, People's Socialist Union}

Comrade First Secretary Viktoria Albrecht speaking at the August 11th Military Academy.

Rahden, Liothidia, People's Socialist Union — Speaking at the 11th August Military Academy in the federal capital, comrade First Secretary Viktoria Albrecht has vowed to uphold and protect the People’s Revolutionary Army (Volksrevolutionäre Armee) from international interference and intrusion. She also promised to protect the VRA’s traditions, strength and reputation from the “envious imperialist bourgeois powers.”

With 2,300 cadets in attendance, the First Secretary was met with a rousing applause from the worker-soldiers of the People’s Socialist Union. As a former Party-Minister of Defence, she has extensive experience and ties with the VRA, befitting as the leader of the revolution today. She spent several minutes greeting individual cadets, shaking hands, exchanging kisses on the cheek and smiles.

Taking to the podium, the resolute First Secretary, made clear her intentions not to let the enemies of the revolution, of the working class and 21st century socialism interfere, degrade or intrude upon the VRA’s position as the most powerful and most respected fighting force in the world.

“When I was humbled through my election as First Secretary of the party, of the revolution and our union, I knew one of my missions was to protect our revolutionary army. For there are many, many enemies who look upon you and your comrades in envy. Utter envy of your strength, your discipline, your convictions and your capabilities. You are the finest soldiers of the world, you are the liberators, the defenders and the guides of the revolution. You and you alone, have the power to bring an end to the capitalists and their social fascists” she said to loud applause.

“Know, that I and the people’s government, will defend you and protect you. We will protect your traditions, your strength and reputation. We will not, under any circumstances permit a situation that would see you be weakened, be it emotionally, politically or physically. Nuclear disarmament is impossible, as long as the social fascist states continue to parade theirs, not one weapon shall be disarmed when they too refuse to do it” she said.

“We must forever be able to deter the reactionaries, we have done so successfully for nearly a century. Our revolution has grown, adapted and moulded us, but it has been constant. And that is because of you and your predecessors. You deter the enemy, and so we shall deter them from attacking you.

“Always forward, never backward. That is our slogan, let yours be, always strong, never weak. If they envious bourgeois powers want to come and disarm us, then they should bring every bomb and rocket they have and know that even that, will fail to defeat the army of the revolutionary workers of our Socialist Union” she said, receiving a standing ovation from the cadets.

Her speech follows the People’s Assembly’s agreement to increase defence spending by 0.4%, raising the rate of GDP to 5.5% from 5.1%.

The People’s Assembly backed the State Central Committee’s plan to increase the pace of modernisation of the air and naval forces, with the construction of four more destroyers and six new nuclear and diesel-powered submarines.

“Any move away from our current efforts would be tantamount to a betrayal of the revolution and to all those of the worker’s Revolutionary Army who have martyred themselves upon the altar of socialism. Never will that happen, never can it happen. Tensions or no tensions, we shall forever be committed to you, the guardians of the revolution and the liberators of all workers, across all four corners of the globe” she sternly said, receiving loud cheers and applause from the cadets.

Tensions are still simmering across central Belisaria, with the People’s Revolutionary Army Navy confirming that it will be stepping up submarine, surface and air patrols of the northern Sea and will seek to begin trans-oceanic patrols.

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by **Afalia** » Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:37 am

Sluggish Growth Continues In Latest Official Figures
Last Quarter Sees Growth By 0.2% With More Fears For Shaw and Liberal Govt
24th July 2017-1 Chand-Afalia's Most Popular Newspaper

The new figures will make grim reading for the government.

NEW FIGURES RELEASED by the Office of Economic Forecasts have shown the Afalian economy grew by just 0.2% in the last quarter, spelling more bad news for the Prime Minister and her government. The sluggish level of growth, initially predicted as 0.7% for the previous quarter were revised downward in today's updated figures. The treasurer of Afalia Simon Hue welcomed the growth but said 'the low levels we're seeing are concerning.' Growth contracted in the first quarter of the year raising fears of a recession in Afalia but the latest figures show that the economy did grow, though sluggishly.

Today's figures will make poor reading for the Prime Minister Jessica Shaw and her Liberal government with Shaw expected to announce a general election for September in the next few weeks. Sluggish growth has plaqued Afalia's economy since 2014, shortly after a post-war recovery boom. Mrs Shaw's eight year Liberal government, which she inherited from Christopher Kelly in 2014, is in a tight race for government with the opposition Conservatives. Opposition leader Roger Lucas, speaking outside a business event in Blackdon today, said that the latest figures 'prove that the government, busy with playing around with drugs and constitutional nonsense nobody asked for have forgotten about hardworking people up and down this country who are crying out for a growing economy. The Conservatives will revitalise and shock this country back into work and back into prosperity.'

Simon Hue, the treasurer, dismissed as 'nonsense' Mr Lucas' words, 'The economy is growing steadily. Such statements from Mr Lucas about the apparent slump we find ourselves in are shared only by himself. No one else feels or agrees with his assessment and this government's top priority remains economic stability, growth, jobs, investment in the future and a stable and prosperous economy for every Afalian and resident.' Recent plans from Mr Hue's June budget included a host of investment plans in new infrastructure projects which Mr Hue and economists hope will 'give a little kick up the backside' of the Afalian economy and improve levels of growth. The debate over the Liberal's decision to reverse planned corporation tax cuts, a keystone of the Conservatives last time in government between 2003 and 2009, will also likely be a major debating point at the next election.

Analysis By Joshua Qiiool
The new figures today have already become a political football. As with all economic stats and figures released in the past few months both major parties have seized on the details to suit their major themes. Today we saw those themes take on what will likely be their final, polished form. For the Liberals they will say that while growth is slow it will get better and that stability, alongside the new radicalism of Jessica Shaw's social policies and her strong, internationalist foreign policy make her, clearly, the best choice to lead Afalia. The Conservatives meanwhile will put aside their 'new old' semi-isolationist foreign policy and promote 'good old fashioned, all loving Afalian values' opposing Shaw's drug decriminalisation with the economy the main focus of their attack. By focusing on the twin attacks of old fashioned values and recent economic woes the Tories will hope to return to government after 8 years in opposition. It remains to be seen what role the economy will play in the election, whenever it comes.

by **Afalia** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 9:11 am

Treasurer Resigns Following Financial Disclosure Allegations
Simon Hue's Resignation Most Senior Cabinet Minister To Resign in Afalian Government Since 2003 Insider Trading Scandal
29th July 2017-Last Updated 17:05 AST-Afalia's Most Popular Newspaper

THE TREASURER OF AFALIA Simon Hue has resigned after allegations emerged that the senior cabinet minister failed to disclose and may have deliberately 'covered up' his position as a silent partner in a major Afalian corporation. The Blackdon Daily Journal has been show documents relating to Mr Hue's financial disclosure form, a compulsory declaration of all MP's financial benefits and income outside of their work as an MP. The documents suggest that Mr Hue failed to disclose and may have deliberately lied on the form in regards to his membership as a silent partner of the major mining consortium Rylo Jones and used offshore bank accounts to hide his income. Mr Hue, who spent decades as a businessman before being selected as a Liberal Party parliamentary candidate had previously said he resigned his position in the corporation months before his election as an MP in an 1997 by-election.

If the allegations are true it would mean that Mr Hue, who was first appointed as a minister in late 2003, had been lying about his financial activities for nearly twenty years though financial disclosure forms have only been in force since 2009. Mr Hue did not speak to the press yesterday. Instead his office issued a short statement which denied, 'that any illegal activity had been willingly committed by the Treasurer.' However, the statement went on to add that, 'In the light of the allegations and the necessity for the Prime Minister to have confidence in her colleagues and Her Majesty the Queen of the Afalians to have full confidence in her cabinet the Treasurer will resign his position effective immediately.' Mr Hue has not resigned as an MP and has made no further statements at the time of printing, (Saturday morning).

The resignation marks the most senior cabinet minister to resign from the Afalian government since the 2003 insider trading scandal where the home secretary, Joel Sanford, resigned. The Treasurer is regarded as one of the most senior roles and offices within the cabinet, second only to the Prime Minister. Mr Hue's resignation comes as a general election is expected to be called by the Prime Minister at the end of the week and a time when the Liberals and opposition Conservatives are often neck and neck in the polls. The resignation of a senior minister and ally will be a massive blow to Jessica Shaw and her re-election campaign hopes.

The documents seen by this paper allege that, since 2009, Mr Hue had deliberately neglected to reveal his ongoing business relationship with the Rylo Jones corporation. Further to this memos examined by the paper and verified by a number of trusted sources show that Mr Hue took efforts to hide his business relations by utilising offshore bank accounts through a top Blackdon accountancy firm to hide his income from Rylo Jones and avoid financial disclosure rules in Afalia. Whilst, at this time, it is not clear whether Mr Hue has committed any illegal offences the documents in question and Mr Hue's relationship with Rylo Jones whilst serving as both an MP and the Treasurer of Afalia have raised serious ethical questions.

The Journal attempted to contact Mr Hue's offices for comment but as of yet continued statements from the former Treasurer have said that a full statement will be made after the weekend. Fairfax House has said that 'the Prime Minister has heard, is assessing and responding to the allegations against the former Treasurer Simon Hue. Jessica Shaw will undertake duties as the Treasurer of Afalia until a replacement can be appointed. The Prime Minister condemns totally and utterly any illegal or immoral behaviour in regards to the disclosure of all MP's financial matters, including that of her own party.' Sources inside Fairfax House have told this paper that the Prime Minister reportedly threatened to sack Mr Hue immediately after the news came out if he did not resign himself.

Roger Lucas, the leader of the opposition, has called for a police investigation into Mr Hue's finances and called the news, 'the biggest example of the total disregard this government has for Afalians everywhere in our country,' and called for the Prime Minister to call an immediate general election and 'face the public over what your government and friends have done.' Parliament will enter recess on Friday for the summer but Mrs Shaw is widely expected to call a general election on Friday for a September polling day.

OTHER NEWS

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Simon Hue Biography [ 6090 ]
Analysis: What Effect Will Hue Scandal Have On Election? [ 5097 ]
Hue Scandal Document Analysis [ 8253 ]
Key Championship Match Between Highlands and Lillipop Cancelled for Rain [ 568 ]
The Week in Ajax [ 3921 ]

by **Afalia** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 10:52 am

Shaw: I Feel Betrayed By My Friend
Prime Minister Announces Newly Reshuffled Cabinet in Wake of Hue Resignation
30th July 2017-Last Updated 18:29 AST-Afalia's Most Popular Newspaper

THE PRIME MINISTER has said she feels 'betrayed by my friend' after Simon Hue, the Treasurer of Afalia, resigned amidst a financial discourse scandal. Speaking briefly outside Fairfax House in an unexpected and unusual Sunday press conference Jessica Shaw told journalists that she felt betrayed by her former cabinet colleague and close ally. Mr Hue, who is still yet to comment fully on his resignation and the allegations of financial impropriety, resigned on Friday. The Prime Minister took the opportunity to announce a newly reshuffled cabinet with the current home secretary Eleanore Dawkins taking over the Treasury. Education secretary Michael Hopkins will fill Ms. Dawkins' role with Mr Hopkins replaced by health secretary Wendy Burgess and junior health minister Faaloo Knowles taking over the position of her former boss.

Jessica Shaw told journalists that her overwhelming feeling was one of betrayal. She also said that she would ask the Parliamentary Expenses and Members' Finance Committee to investigate Mr Hue's finances but said that it was not her place or position to comment on a criminal investigation. Asked whether she would plan to delay a widely expected general election Mrs Shaw told the assembled press that, 'You should keep your ears peeled this week. We have a plan for the next election and we're sticking to it regardless of what has happened with the former Treasurer.'

The resignation of her key ally has been seen as a major blow to Mrs Shaw and the Liberals ahead of an expected election. A snap opinion poll conducted by AfPoll for the Blackdon Daily Journal showed that 40% of people who would previously describe themselves as favourable to the Liberals now described themselves as 'unfavourable' because of the event. Despite this personal approval ratings for Jessica Shaw remained suggesting she is not suffering personally from the Treasurer's resignation. Online there has been widespread condemnation of Mr Hue and calls for criminal prosecution. The term Huegate has been trending on major social media organisations all day.

Roger Lucas, who was questioned by journalists before attending church this morning, repeated his calls for an immediate general election, 'The only way to deal with this type of behaviour is to punish it and the voters must be the ones who punish. I want the Prime Minister to call a general election today, not tomorrow or on Friday or whenever she plans to, but now and let's put our plans to the public. Ours is about rebuilding Afalia and reinvigorating the economy with jobs. The Liberals want more of the same wasted time spent on stupid free drugs for all policies and they're implementing those policies with, apparently, corrupt people. Some friends Jessica has.'

Asked about Mr Lucas' comments the Prime Minister dismissed them as 'cheap talk,' saying, 'Roger, shall I call him Roger? We seem to be on first name basis. Roger's very good at talking in soundbites but I worry he lacks the ability to really sit down and think about these sort of things properly. I'm getting on with the job. My party's getting on with the job. We'll see what plans he has come the election.'

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Blartleo Announces Tram Network Expansion [ 1867 ]
Blackdonian Palace: Queen 'Very Well' After Pregnancy Check Up [ 568 ]
Sunday: Church of Afalia Criticises Labour Church Tax Proposal [ 3522 ]

by **Lacus Magni** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 12:24 pm

Rallies for Devolution in Durnovaria, Alexandria, Olipsio and Castellum; Announcement for ‘Party of the Regions’
Alexandria, Latium
By: Flavius Nasennius (@FlNasenniusRAL)

EEK Party and Senatorial Leader, Anna Kinnamos, after announcing a national coalition for devolution and greater regional autonomy.

Alexandria: In cities throughout Latium, citizens of Hellenic and Gelonian heritage gathered in rallies to show their desire for greater autonomy within Latium’s highly centralized, unitary government systems. Since the recent general election in April, devolution had been a major priority for Anna Kinnamos and her Hellenic National Party, where they had hoped to have helped the Progressive Party achieve a governing coalition. With the Progressive loss, Kinnamos and the EEK have been hard a work aiming to create a national political alliance among the many ethnic, cultural, religious and decentralization based parties, in what she coined during the 2017 debates as a “Party of the Regions.”

After months of negotiations, planning and fundraising, the announcement was on the creation of the Party of the Regions alliance was made with simultaneous rallies in major Hellenic and Gelonian speaking cities. With the political rallies set to begin in the public spaces of Alexandria, Olipsio, Leonopolis, Durnovaria, Oxonia and Adrianople, crowds first appeared around 8:00 am, though events were not set to being until 12:00 pm. In Alexandria, largely considered the main rallying point, nearly 35,000 people were on hand for the first speech that was delivered by former Consul Niketas Taronites.

In the opening remarks, former Consul Taronties spoke of his brief tenure as Consul and the difficulties he faced in his varied attempts to localize the central government. He highlighted the great need to local devolution based on cultural lines, and how that idea was met with great pushback by career politicians in the Senate, including current Consul Alexander Pompilius. He also announced that a petition to the Emperor, which had been released a month before, now held nearly 300,000 signatures. All petitions that reach 500,000 signatures are brought to the Emperor’s attention via the Imperial Offices.

In Gelonia, the key presenter was George Ròs-Gradloni, younger brother to Arthur Ròs-Gradloni, 6th Viscount of Durnovaria and current Lord Paramount of Gelonia. His remarks were similar to those of Ms. Kinnamos in Alexandria, offering up that the central government should open up greater competencies to local governments, not only on the basis of culture but to better serve the needs of local populations. “What works in Utica does not work for the neighborhoods in Alexandria. And what works in Alexandria, does not necessarily fit the needs of those Gelonia,” Ms. Kinnamos remarked in her address. Her final remarks were echoed in all cities where rallies were held, announcing that “a national alliance of political parties now exists between the [Hellenic National Party], Voice for Gelonia, and the Federalist Party,” to form the Party of the Regions and will be ready to participate in the upcoming local elections this fall.

Local police note little in the way of unrest or violence during the rallies. However, a representative of the Urban Prefect of Alexandria stated that nearly 12 arrests were made in total over the course of the rallies in Alexandria due to permit related issues and violations of local fire and police department ordinances.

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Olympian Cadet thrown from his horse during Transvectio Equitum rehearsal. [ 1895 ]
Alban Patriarch of Alexandria, Neophytus IX, announces plans to abdicate after serving for nearly 25 years. [ 1468 ]

by **Afalia** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 5:19 am

Shaw Calls General Election for 7th September
Official Campaigning To Begin On Saturday After Parliament Dissolves
2 August 2017-Last Updated 12:39 AST-Afalia's Most Popular Newspaper

The Prime Minister leaving the Blackdonian Palace this morning after her meeting with the Queen.

THE PRIME MINISTER Jessica Shaw has called a general election for Thursday the 7th of September after months of speculation. Mrs Shaw made the announcement outside Fairfax House this morning after a meeting the Queen who agreed to the calling of the election and the dissolution of Parliament, which will take place on Friday. Official campaigning is set to begin on Friday with the Liberals and Conservatives indicating they are ready to begin. The coalition of Labour and the Traditional Aafaliiaan Party have also released statements welcoming the election and saying they are looking forward to the vote. Opinion polls released by the Blackdon Daily Journal just days ago showed the Conservatives with a 14% lead over the Liberals.

The election call has come after months of speculation on the proposed date of the election which had to be held in December by the latest. Mrs Shaw looked set to call an election early in the year with many predicting she would call one shortly after the end of the Harling Terrors, riding off a wave of popular approval and high Liberal support. However, the Prime Minister later said she would not call an election until the second half of the year. Mrs Shaw's Liberals face an uphill challenge to beat Roger Lucas' Conservatives with recent opinion polls indicating a large lead, especially after the resignation of Simon Hue as Treasurer. A wider spread of opinion polls across the past six months have indicated a smaller, but still significant Conservative lead of 5% or so over the Liberals. In addition both members of the coalition, the Labour party and Traditional Aafaliiaan Party are suffering from low opinion poll ratings with the far right, nationalist, anti-immigration party National Afalia, currently led by the party's only MP Henry Rollings, enjoying record high support of 10% or more.

Privately Liberal Party officials have expressed doubt over the ability of the party to win another election. One senior government source told the Blackdon Daily Journal that whilst 'the Prime Minister is rightly very popular she alone can't win it for us.' If re-elected the Liberals would enjoy a fourth successive term in government while the Conservatives, who have been out of power for eight years since the 2009 election, are fighting their third election with Roger Lucas as leader. Lucas, who has been leader of the opposition for six years, is the longest Conservative opposition leader in history. The Conservatives have privately expressed confidence that 'this one is ours,' with one insider calling the upcoming election 'basically unwinnable for the Libs and unloseable for us, though Roger's not greatly popular himself.' Manifestos are expected to be released by the major and minor parties within the first week of campaigning as many parties had been preparing for the vote for some time.

Many commentators have predicted the upcoming election could be a re-aligning election in which boundaries and levels and areas of support for the major parties are redrawn, especially with the prospect of National Afalia gaining significant support for the first time. Polls of voters have indicated that the economy will be a major issue of the election though other areas likely to be hotly contested include the distinctive internationalist, engaging foreign policy of Shaw's Liberals versus the return to a semi-isolationist, 'quiet' foreign policy of Lucas and the Conservatives. Mrs Shaw's push for socially liberal reforms including soft drug legalisation in 2015 and welfare and environmental reform have been heavily criticised by Mr Lucas and he has indicated the Conservative manifesto will include plans to reverse many of the reforms passed by the Liberal government since Shaw took office in 2014.

Parliament will conclude its business over the coming days with Friday's initially planned recess being converted to the dissolution of Parliament in preparation for the election on Thursday the 7th of September. Writs will be issued on behalf of the Queen for all 300 seats of the House of Commons on Monday the 7th of August. This election will also be a watershed moment for Afalian politics with the House of Peers abolished on Friday at Parliament's dissolution and its replacement by a 112 member Senate of Afalia, proportionally and directly elected via a Single Transferable Vote, bringing a democratic, upper chamber into Afalia's political system for the first time, though the Senate will be subservient to the Commons.

OTHER NEWS

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Can Liberals Recover from 'Huegate' Scandal? [ 5639 ]
Simon Hue Apologises For Finances, Says He Will Not Run as MP This Election [ 8738 ]
Latium's New Regionalism: Comparison to Afalia's Federation Debate [ 3379 ]
Roger Lucas Denies Claims of Nepotism After Selection of Daughter as Conservative Parliamentary Candidate [ 8925 ]
Former PM Patrick Collins: National Afalia Are Dangerous Racists And Must Be Stopped [ 3679 ]

by **Nursariyah** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 5:55 pm

TENSIONS HIGH FOLLOWING SHOOTING, STABBING IN HALAWAI WILAYAH
Military out in force in Halawai township following pro-NRPA violence that killed 5, wounded 23
By: Abdul Rauf al-Rafiq | Kharnzala, El Alaghada Wilayah, Republic of Nursariyah

Members of the National Security Forces receiving orders after arriving at the Halawai Regional Aeroport, PHOTO CREDIT: Nawfal el-Mustafa.

Halawai - At least two-thousand and five hundred members of the National Security Forces have reportedly landed and deployed in the urban and rural areas of Halawai Wilayah in what is, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 'an attempt to keep the calm, peace, and stability that will allow the Beni Manhur Protocols to be completed and fulfilled to the greatest extent possible in accordance with the law.' The deployment, which is the most significant movement of troops and equipment since the Battle of Ihnamiya during the civil war, comes following a rampage by members of the Nursariyan Revolutionary People's Army (a rouge side-group of the Nchi People's Liberation Congress) in the provincial capital of Halawai on August 1st.

The attack, which was perpetration by radical Nchi nationalists, killed 5 Arab civilians at an open-air market in Halawai by gunfire while a further 23 were wounded as a result of both gunshot and knife wounds. The perpetrators, 28-year old Mwinyi Saahid and 19-year old Kuende Ngobe-Hayabe; both ethnic Nchi, were both killed by members of the Halawai Municipal police force at the time of the attack. The attack, the third such fatal attack this week and the twelfth attack attempted on the lives of Halawai's Arab citizens, represents an increased flare up of tensions between Nursariyah's Nchi minority and the Arab majority populations.

Mubashshir al-El-Sayed, the Nursariyan Arab mayor of the city of Halawai, released a statement urging 'peace and calm in the streets of Halawai.' His office also offered their 'most sincere condolences to the families of those hit by this heinous act.' Likewise Olol Ashkir, an ethnic Nchi member of the National People's Congress and a mid-level member of the Nchi People's Liberation Congress, decried the incident as 'an unfortunate tragedy against peaceful innocents.' He was sure to admit anxiety over the government's actions, saying simply that 'true peace and stability cannot be projected from a gun barrel. It has already been tried, and it ended in genocide.'

Ashkir's statements have been used by many of the more hawkish members of the ruling Nursariyan People's Party as evidence for 'willful inaction' on the part of the mid-level and upper echelons of the NPLC. Musaddiq el-Rehman, a member of the NPP and a Congressman from Al-Faniyah Wilayah (another province beset by Arab-Nchi tensions), decried the attack as 'yet another assault on the rights and freedoms of our country's peace loving Arab population, at the hands of an avowed domestic terrorist group, that is being supported -- whether tacitly or knowingly -- by the so-called Nchi People's Liberation Congress. They are a threat to be dealt with, [and] a threat that must be dealt with! The deployment of NSF troops may be the first step, but it cannot be the last. We must stamp out the psychotic terrorists and their supporters as well.'

Such statements come as Kamaaluddeen el-Hana, head of the National Reconciliation Council and partial overseer of the Beni Manhur Protocol,
warns that 'the security situation in the south is deteriorating, tensions rising, and war seeming evermore likely. All sides must agree to old dialogue and constructive talks, lest the hard-fought Protocol fall apart and war and strife begin anew.'

More on this situation as it develops.

by **Leasath** » Sat Aug 05, 2017 9:05 pm

Leftist protests begin in capitol as PM attends Security Conference
18 July 2017
Saint-Nazaire, the Vannoisian Empire
By Jérémy Mignard, Political Corespondent (@JMignardAuJou)

Left, the Prime Minister speaking to party colleagues, 2 July 2017; right, thousands protest across the nation including at this Saint-Nazaire street-corner, 18 July 2017

SAINT-NAZAIRE - Protests that were preceded by warnings of "complete and utter halt, to everything" from left-wing politicians across the nation began early this morning across the major cities of Vannois, striking out at the Prime Minister and the Imperial Palace once again. The protests, which have surged through the capitol as well as Royaumeix, Coutouvre, and other cities, are in opposition to continued cuts in education and social welfare by the government of the Duke of Périnesse-Toucourt in addition to the tacit support of an increase in the defence budget by the Duke and the Imperial Palace. Led mostly by youth, there have been a number of appearances by politicians such as Marlène Astier, the recently appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, as well as her father and former Prime Minister Maximilien Astier (though it is noted that the two appeared in different cities and at different moments in time).

The younger Astier, who has risen quickly through the ranks of the Vannois First movement and was appointed unofficially as shadow Pensions secretary before a scheduled reshuffle on the 29th, spoke at length before an angry crowd near the Imperial Palace in the capitol, lambasting the "insidious, often dubious motivations and actions taken by the Périnesse government" and pointing out specifically a number of broken promises from the 2013 UMP campaign platform; she was quick to detail the failure to cap foreign aid spending, as well as a number of agreed-upon spending targets that the then-Socialist Party had accepted in 2014. These "lies and careless failures," as she termed them, illustrated the "bad faith" of conservative governance in Vannois, and a "worrying tendency, it seems, towards contentedness and sloth over active governance... one wonders whether or not the Périnesse government has run out of ideas?"

As the Astiers and Vannois First leaders such as Élaine Vaillancourt and Joseph Lemaire make use of these protests to strike at their rivals ahead of next year's general elections, the Prime Minister remains in Arthurista for the scheduled Global Security conference. During a daily press briefing no comment was made regarding the protests, and questions about the events were redirected to the Minister of the Interior, who then directed all publications back to the Prime Minister's Office; no comment was received on any of these directions. Further work to ascertain the opinion of the Imperial Palace on these matters have also been met with absolute silence, though there are rumors that a faction within court is supporting the protesters and their leaders. As yet it is unknown whether the Emperor himself will address these matters; however, as the protests continue, one must wonder whether the question shall become a matter of when, rather than if, His Imperial Majesty must respond to his government's critics.

In Other News
*Global Security conference continues: live coverage by Aujourd'hui en Vannois
*Saint-Sébastien CF saved from administration by last-minute mystery buyer
*Vaillancourt to appear at protest in Saint-Nazaire, Lemaire and Durand to appear together in Royaumeix

by **The Demphorian Kingdoms** » Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:10 pm

The U.B.C. Nightly News Theme plays with a sense of urgency, drawing the viewers in to the U.B.C Nightly News from 9 - 10. A map zooming in on the Demphorian islands brushes across the screen for a quick few seconds as photographs of demonstrations, military exercises, storms and political events occupy the background in quick, faded moments. An old, frumpy man of 68 years comes to the screen as cameras focus on the newsroom at different, specific angles. He looks to the screen without smiling and begins his segment.

"Math anmoch and welcome to the 9 o'clock news here at the United Broadcasting Centre, the fastest news source in Ajax. I am Joe Malloy We'll begin tonight with several segments in political news, beginning with a standoff between the Liberals top dogs and the President, which comes as the party confronts a huge legislative to-do list this fall."

"Frustration between the President and several Liberal Senators spilled into the open earlier Wednesday when the President's legislative director, Stacy Brasco, quipped to the Ormania Daily Herald that Liberal Senators "need to coordinate properly" to enact the President's legislative agenda "instead of stalling on needed time.'"

"Liberal Senators such as Senator Freemont stated that the President, has 'never been a Senator' herself with a 'lack of understanding for the process.' Senator Freemont's comments came under fire from the administration and it's supporters, but it appeared that Senators such as Senator Ambrose and Lockheel also joined in Freemont's frustrations.'"

"In sports today, baseball seems to be heating up as the NDL season is well underway. The Ormania Sky defeated the Konflania Bulls in an outstanding victory, 5-4, winning in the 11th inning with an inside the park home run. Hockey begins on September 28th, with the RHL announcing that the Whalers and the Monarchs will face off in Southhampton at 5 pm SST."

"A teachers union strike is taking place in Ormania, the 7th time this year. Ormania Public Schools announced Tuesday morning the district plans to lay off over 1,150 staff members, including more than 500 teachers. The OTSU stated that it could not tolerate more cuts to staff and demanded the teachers be slated to be kept."

"We'll be right back after this commercial break, hope you enjoy!"

The cameras zoom out as the closing theme plays to end the first part of the 9 o'clock news.

by **Afalia** » Sat Aug 12, 2017 5:28 am

Conservatives Increase Massive Poll Lead As Week One of Campaigning Ends
Jessica Shaw Remains Preferred Prime Minister Above Roger Lucas
12 August 2017-Last Updated 12:39 AST-For facts and truth in a dangerous world

Conservative leader and would be PM Roger Lucas out campaigning on Friday.

THE CONSERVATIVES LOOK set to return to government after eight years in opposition after extending their poll lead in the first week of campaigning. In a poll of polls compiled by the Blackdon Daily Journal the Conservatives have a lead of 15% over their Liberal rivals while other competitors like the coalition of Labour and Traditional Aafaliiaans are seeing some of their lowest polling since the 1990s. The far right National Afalia party have maintained a steady average of 10% in most polls. Despite their large poll lead the Conservatives have reportedly become worried over the 'image problem' of party leader Roger Lucas who continues to rank well behind the Prime Minister and Liberal leader Jessica Shaw in polls of preferred Prime Minister.

Senior sources inside the Conservatives have told this newspaper that Mr Lucas' socially conservative and 'small town Afalian' attitude and appearance have damaged his credibility with cosmopolitan and metropolitan voters in Afalia's largest cities. One source also said that claims of nepotism following the selection of Mr Lucas' daughter Elizabeth as a Conservative candidate in Blackdon have been a major problem in canvassing across Afalia, despite Mr Lucas' apparent lack of involvement in the selection. Despite this many in the Conservative camp feel the campaign is going well with a number of key endorsements, including from the popular and second most read newspaper in Afalia, the tabloid Daily Afalian which backed Mr Lucas and his party on Wednesday.

The first week of campaigning was dominated by the economy with Mr Lucas promising that his party would restore the strength and 'fight' of the sluggish Afalian economy. He told voters that 'three more years of Liberal mismanagement' would lead to a recession and said only his party could revive the economic fortunes of Afalians. Although manifestos are not due to be released until next week the Conservatives have indicated their economic policy will be based on a combination of 'stimulating tax cuts and welfare reduction to inspire growth and employment,' among other measures.

The Liberals, led by the ever popular and somewhat maverick Jessica Shaw, fought back against the Conservatives saying that 'in difficult, uncertain times stable, secure and fair government was needed,' adding that Mr Lucas 'outdated policies are not only reactionary but unfair.' In a casual chat with voters on Friday Mrs Shaw told one apparent Conservative voter that 'Mr Lucas is in dreamland if he thinks that taking welfare away from vulnerable people will magically find them a job.' The Liberals have also defended their social reforms including the recently passed no fault divorce law, soft drug legalisation and Traditional Aafaliiaan reconciliation reforms which Mr Lucas has repeatedly attacked as 'nonsense at best and damaging to Afalian values and society at worst.'

The coalition were hampered from the start of their campaign due to infighting between the more moderate Traditional Aafaliiaan party and the increasingly left wing Labour. Senior figures within Labour's left wing Labour Alliance faction called for the end of the 65 year old coalition between the two parties on Thursday while Traditional Aafaliiaan leader Robert Ziimtoo was forced to sack a senior party activist who called for supporters in Liberal-Conservative marginals to back the Liberals and 'keep National Afalia out.'

National Afalia, the far right, anti-immigrant party have been greeted with large crowds during their leader Henry Rollings' tours across parts of rural Afalia. The party, whose only MP is Rollings, is enjoying record high polling and looks set to win more seats and become an important voice in the Commons. In the new proportional Senate the party is also expected to do well and increase its political profile which has brought worry from all four major parties who have warned voters not to be brought by the party's populist promises and fear mongering.

OTHER NEWS

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National Security Forces Deployed in Nursariyah [ 8738 ]
Protests Across Vannois Over Global Security Conference [ 1090 ]
Election Latest: Next Week Preview, Manifestos To Come, Foreign Policy Set to Dominate [ 8925 ]
Political Standoff Between Demphor President and Liberal Senators Over Legislative Agenda [ 788 ]

by **Rietumimark** » Sun Aug 13, 2017 2:34 pm

Times of Kralin

BREAKING NEWS: Allegations of Infidelity Swirl as King Consort Robert I Reportedly Files For Divorce

Queen Annabelle (left) pictured being held by Robert (right) while walking through Kralin in 2015.

KRALIN, DEWEDEN - The entire Dewedish, and no doubt Demphorian, nation has been caught in complete and utter shock and bewilderment as news of an apparent sexual affair and subsequent claims of King Robert a filing of a divorce has been circling around the Brightamborg Palace in the past twelve hours; rocking the Dewedish people to their core and, if proven truth, threatening to dissolve the Demphorian-Dewedish personal union.

The situation unfolded in the early hours of the thirteenth of August, when notorious gossip tabloid, Morning Wood Star, published a number salacious, undated photographs depicting the Dewedish King Consort, Robert I, swooning and intimately embracing Prime Minister Alexander Starl’s twenty-four year old daughter, Saga Starl, outside an affluent Ormanian restaurant in the late hours of the night. The pictures sparked a surge of rumours of a dalliance with Saga and a storm on Dewedish and Demphorian social media, with opponents and defenders of Robert taking to various online platforms to argue their case over the merits of the allegations.

A spokesman in Deweden, Kars Claragraad, for the King Consort formally denied the ‘unwarranted and frankly silly’ speculation over His Royal Highness engaging in a relationship with Sara Starl whilst married to Her Royal Majesty during a brief press conference held in Deweden. “I refuse to comment on His Royal Highness behalf these downright stupid rumours being spread by greasy, sensationalist tabloids looking to sell more its papers and get more traffic to its website. I only hope more rational minds prevail and realise that this so-called affair with Saga is a load of made, pardon my Lyonnois, bullsh*t.” he told reporters, later adding before promptly leaving the room: “His Royal Highness will be soon making a statement, in his own words, on the situation later today.”

The office for the Prime Minister of Deweden, has joined Robert’s Dewedish spokesman, in strongly denying that any romantic relationship ever occurred between his daughter Saga, who's been working as an intern at Deweden’s Demphorian embassy for the past year, and further adding his condemnation of the sensationalists press for spreading slanderous lies about his daughter. “There are no words which can properly articulate my rage at these obvious fabrications being planted in the minds of millions ordinary Demphorians and Deweden by a press all to often willing to disregard the truth just to expand their readership and get more hits to their social medias and website.” the Prime Minister’s office statement, released at noon, read. “Anyone with basic morals could ignore this poisonous mind rot. My darling daughter, Saga, is a good Christian and moral woman, who would never engage in intimate relations with a married man, especially the King Consort. I can only hope more people will come out in condemning this sensationalistic shit being shoved down our throats.”

In the ensuing aftermath of the allegations of an affair, several other women, from both Demphor and Deweden, most being almost famous actresses, models, social media ‘stars’ and musicians have come out to profess that they too had an affair with the King Consort; although there claims remain weak with no evidence and already two of the women have retracted their allegations; with many of the women being described as ‘attention seekers.’

However, the story didn’t stop there, as an anonymous source close to the King Consort leaked information to a tabloid media outlet in Demphor detailing that King Robert is planning to file for a divorce within the ‘very near future.’ According to the tabloid, while formal reasons for the divorce wasn’t sighted, the source speculated that the divorce may have potentially been caused by the stresses of maintaining a long distance relationship and inherent cultural differences, among other issues; though, it must be said, this cannot be confirmed independently confirmed and must be considered mere rumours at the moment.

The potentially political implications for both Demphor and Deweden are huge, with the very existence of the nearly two year old personal union that exists between Demphor and Deweden likely to be disbanded should they get divorced. Domestically, Alexander Starl, whose popularity has fallen to an all time low amid worsening economic conditions and widespread dissatisfaction with his handling of the Deweden Crisis, will possibly take a huge political hit from his religious and conservative base of support should it be confirmed that his daughter was, indeed, the King Consort’s mistress. Already, several mps belonging to Starl’s Dewedish Nationalist Party have come to castigate Saga Starl’s forswearing of basic morality and Christian principles. With a number of religious figurehead demanding the immediate resignation of Alexander Starl and the dissolution of his government for the betrayal the Her Royal Majesty by his daughter. Thus far, Starl has refused.

Queen Annabelle, so far, as yet to comment or release a statement regarding the allegations of an affair or the rumours about a potentially Robert filing for a divorce; instead preferring to remain in Brightamborg Palace with close friends and family. However, a spokeswoman for Her Royal Majesty has asked the press to respect the wishes of the Queen for her and her family to have privacy during a trying time in her life.

(MORE INFO AS THIS STORY DEVELOPS)

TOP COMMENTS

Nate_is_Bae 199 11
It appears that Robert has been taking notes from Nathan IV

Mikaela Øster 94 33
Oh god, I hope things work out for the both of them.

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by **The Demphorian Kingdoms** » Sun Aug 13, 2017 11:50 pm

King Robert I files for divorce as scandal breaks
Demphorian Catholic Church poised to refuse petition

Ormania, Demphor – A scandal implicating King Robert I of an affair with Saga Starl, daughter of Dewedish Prime Minister Alexander Starl, has shaken the nation following allegations made by a Dewedish tabloid on Sunday afternoon. In what has been a shocking revelation to the Demphorian and Dewedish people, Robert I has quietly prepared to file for divorce with his spouse, Annabelle of Deweden.

Public opinion for the King sunk after the revelation. The King, who is commonly seen as a hero and a restorer of the throne to Demphor, was criticized openly and publically by politicians, music stars and vilified on Demphorian social media for his actions.

His Majesty denied the accusation of an affair, however a spokesperson confirmed that he would prepare to file a divorce, not only bringing the personal union of Queen Annabelle and himself to an end, but the personal union of Demphor and Deweden as well.

However, several roadblocks lie in front for the King which may stand in the way of a divorce. The Demphorian Catholic Church issued a statement laying out the grounds for the termination of a relationship between a Demphorian monarch and their spouse. The Church confirmed that King Robert I would not fill the criteria for permission of annulment. Despite this, Robert I will petition the Demphorian Catholic Church for a divorce within the next few days.

In the event that the Church blocks the divorce, the King can make his case to the Ceannard, Almira Eibhlín and to the Marasgal an Àrd-Chùirt, Haydn Bird. They could approve the request and ask the National Assembly to vote on it. However, the odds of this going forward are highly unlikely.

The only event, according to the Church, that Robert I could carry out the divorce is if he abdicated the throne, bringing his historic and turbulent 7 year reign to an end. Unconfirmed sources within the Palace of Cinarion have alleged that Palace staff are preparing for an abdication, and advisers are reviewing of the Royal Succession Act of 1942 to draw up a line of succession for Robert, who has no children of his own. Sources also allege that King Robert I’s uncle John, Duke of Duringshold and his cousin, James, Prince of Duringshold. Were summoned to the Palace last night, possibly to discuss Robert’s successor, being one of these two men.

The Royal Succession Act of 1942 details a process for which a sitting monarch can bypass the traditional lines of succession and select a specific person to succeed them. This process is especially necessary given that Robert I has no children of his own. If successfully implemented, it could be the first time the Act has ever been invoked.

The Demphorian State Department released a statement that despite speculation over the future of the personal union, the Eibhlín administration would commit to Deweden’s defense and would still consider them a close partner.

by **The Demphorian Kingdoms** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 1:21 pm

King Robert announces plan to abdicate, Samara Thérordøn to succeed with her grandfather as Tànaiste
National government declines to back divorce plan, forcing Robert to step down

Ormania, Demphor – King Robert I has announced that he shall renounce the Throne on August 28, and will be succeeded by Samara, Princess of Duringshold with John, Duke of Duringshold acting as Tànaiste. The new Tànaiste will be coronated at noon on August 28. He will, it is understood, take the title of John VII. Samara will take the title of Samara I.

King Robert I planned to ask the government to approve his divorce with Queen Annabelle. However, in order to attain this, the President and Marshal of the Supreme Court would need to both request the National Assembly to do so. The Marshal of the Court, Haydn Bird, approved the petition, but President Eibhlín declined the request, stating she wouldn't have the votes to move the proposal forward.

Robert I plans to invoke the Royal Succession Act of 1942. The King, who has no children, handpicks his successor. He has entrusted the throne to Samara, Princess of Duringshold. However, since Samara is only 10 years old, she will not be allowed to be Queen until she is 18 years old. As a result, he has selected John, Duke of Duringshold to serve as Tànaiste, or regent, until Samara's 18th birthday. The Tànaiste is, in all right, a King. He will take the title of John VII. However, he will abdicate on July 1, 2025, Samara I's 18th birthday.

Samara I will be the first woman monarch in Demphorian history, which, at the time of her coronation, would break 1,293 years of royal precedent. Women were originally not allowed to become the monarch, however Robert I undid many of the old succession laws which paved the way for choosing a female Queen to succeed him.

The abdication of Robert I and coronation of John VII will take place privately at the Palace of Cinarion at noon, followed by a speech by John VII at 5:00 pm SST.

by **Afalia** » Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:26 am

Liberals Regain Ground As Leaders Prepare For Debate
National Afalia Leader Henry Rollings Fails in Last Minute Legal Bid
21 August 2017-Last Updated 15:40 AST-For facts and truth in a dangerous world

Conservative leader and would be PM Roger Lucas out campaigning on Friday.

THE LIBERALS HAVE regained significant polling ground with their Conservative opponents as the third of five weeks of election campaigning begins. A new poll for the Blackdon Daily Journal has indicated that the Conservative lead of 15% a week ago has narrowed to 7% with other polls indicating a similar narrowing between the two major parties. The new polls will make good reading for the Prime Minister Jessica Shaw as she prepares for the party leader's debate, due to be broadcast on ABC and Channel 2 tonight at eight o'clock. The two hour debate will cover topics from the economy and social policy to foreign affairs and Traditional Aafaliiaan affairs.

A second week of tumultuous campaigning has opened up what many considered to be a sure-fire win for the Conservatives, though polls continue to indicate they will return to government after eights years in opposition. The release of manifestos from all four parties and the far right National Afalia party introduced a range of new issues in the discussion. Many commentators were surprised at the extent of Roger Lucas' Conservative manifesto which promised a return to 'Nicholas Christie's pro-business, free enterprise' policies and proposed a range of tax cuts including to income for higher and lower earners, a five percent cut in corporation tax and a new, lower flat tax on inheritance. In a speech on Friday Roger Lucas also promised a 'return to real Afalian values' and promised he would 'repeal, abolish and rid' Afalia of some of the Liberal's most controversial social reforms of the past three years including soft drug legalisation, no fault divorce law and Traditional Aafaliiaan reconciliation reforms. On Sunday the Social Justice Think Tank Afalians United criticised Mr Lucas' speech as suggesting 'Traditional Aafaliiaans aren't real Afalians,' but Mr Lucas denied this suggestion.

The Liberals manifesto 'Brighter Days' also caught many by surprise by endorsing a number of continued social and economic reforms despite expectations it would err on the side of the caution. Jessica Shaw also hit back at Roger Lucas by saying that 'I am not and will not return Afalia to an old style economic system of socialism which has not and will not work for us now. I am a capitalist but, unlike Mr Lucas, believe in some safeguards.' Traditional Aafaliiaan affairs has also been made a major theme of the Liberal manifesto, a move expected to draw Aafaliiaan voters away from their traditional Trad Afa party to the Liberals in western areas where the Liberals have previously came third or fourth in elections.

Meanwhile National Afalia released their manifesto on Thursday, 'An Afalia For Us' which endorsed economic isolationism, massive nationalisation and protectionism, a complete stop on immigration and 'reducing the number of immigrants over three years by 25% percent' and compulsory national service to 'defend against a terrifying world.' All major parties have made repeated statements condemning National Afalia in the past weeks but increasingly large crowds of supporters have been seen at the party's rallies which are being held across western and northern parts of Afalia, often in communities with high numbers of Traditional Aafaliiaans. Jessica Shaw, who is herself part Traditional Aafaliiaan, called National Afalia's leader Henry Rollings 'a classic racist,' but Mr Rollings has called himself a 'patriot' in response.

Mr Rollings launched a legal challenge at the Central High Court in Blackdon after he was refused a place in the leaders debate alongside Mrs Shaw, Mr Lucas, Martin Jones and Robert Ziimtoo. The judge, the Hon. Mrs Lucia Luskham turned down his appeal arguing that his lack of inclusion did not breach fair representation rules for election broadcasts because Mr Rollings' party only had one seat in Parliament.

Alongside the debate foreign policy is expected to dominate the weeks's campaigning with Mrs Shaw and Mr Lucas invited to speak at the Foreign Correspondent Club on Tuesday evening, a platform where candidates, in recent years, have expounded on their foreign policy and foreign affairs beliefs. Social issues and the economy are also expected to dominate.

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by **Belfras** » Fri Aug 25, 2017 12:45 pm

By Renald Detrapp, Domestic Correspondent.
^{25/AUG/2017 | Thessalona, Salonika}

Emergency services have been responding to Liberation Memorial Square in what is now being investigated as a 'terrorist bombing' that has left as many as twenty people dead and an ascertained number hurt.

Police search a car related to the bombing

Thessalona Police Chief Nikolos Benksis stated that the bomb seemed to have originated from a "Mini-van type vehicle" parked in the square in city maintenance livery that parked up alongside the statue of war-hero and politician Aetoles Gretkos. The explosion destroyed the monument and slew twenty people and injured many others, with early figures indicating it could be as many as forty-two as people moved through the square during rush hour in the morning. Chief Benksis added that reports of gunfire were from first responders, who noticed a vehicle now known to be of similar make and model of the bombing van tried to ram officers between it and the Clauda Morellis memorial. Police officers opened fire on the occupants, resulting in the deaths of both the driver and the passenger. The chief has also confirmed that the Republic Investigation Division (RID) has joined the investigation in it's early stages and that agents from the RID were on-scene shortly after the attack, with the headquarters for the national police body being a mere ten minute drive from the square.

Many of the wounded have been taken to hospitals throughout the city, with the chief surgeon of Thessalona General saying they are dealing with many wounded, with many suffering "life-changing" injuries as a result of the blast. He confirmed that the statue's destruction and debris from it has played a part in the tolls being as high as they are, with debris from the monument being scattered throughout the once idyllic and peaceful square commemorating our nations heroes.

Chief Benksis also announced in his statement this afternoon that they have been able to identify one of the two attackers and that a "suspicious vehicle" found parked next to the square was searched and found to have been owned by the deceased. The vehicle's search remains confidential, with the chief stating that the vehicle has been deemed safe by Army bomb disposal experts and has been transported to a safe area for the investigation to take place.

A statement from the Office of the President declared a national day of mourning that will last over the weekend and for all government-flown flags to be made to half-mast in respect of the deceased. President Dimitrios himself made a statement not long ago from the Senate hall, in which he had been attending a security meeting with the National Security Board.

"My fellow countrymen. Tonight we commit ourselves to the solemn duty of mourning our dead. Today has been a day that shall live on in our minds and hearts for many days and many years, a day that has taken from us many of our beloved fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives. People whom merely went about their day as they went about many of their days in the capital of our great nation, never to do so again. As we all know from the news broadcasts, an attack has taken place in the square in which we honour our national heroes, the likes of Gretkos and Morellis, the likes of Leonidas and Andronikki. The attack appears to have focused first on the memorial for Gretkos, a war hero from the liberation of our nation from the Empire. The second attack focused on the memorial for Morellis, who ensured that the Imperial government over our land was destabilised enough for the liberation to take place. Whether this be a purpose, or a random target is something that our nation's best will uncover in due time. It is our duty to allow these men and women to conduct their work and, if necessary, to aid in this great effort.

My heart and my prayers go to those who mourn their family members and friends who have not lived to see the sun set, and our hopes go to those suffering still, that they may survive this test of body and mind and live on. This is not the first time our nation has been beset by tragedy such as this in our life-times. People, such as myself, who lived through the troubles of the seventies and early eighties will know the heart-ache that is caused by the death of a loved one so cruelly and heartlessly. I vow to those grieving, those suffering, and the perpetrators of this attack that this country under god will never kneel to terror. We will find the cause that has driven men to do this to our beloved nation, and we will drive it and those who follow the ethos of terror from our nation swiftly and without delay. For it is the Belfrasian way, it is the only way. We will stand united as we always have, and we shall prevail.

God bless and thank you all."

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by **Lacus Magni** » Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:48 pm

Popular Petition for Devolved Governments Earns Imperial and Senatorial Responses
Palatine, Castellum ab Alba, Latium
By: Flavius Nasennius (@FlNasenniusRAL)

Castellum: The wave of popular support for devolved local governments has continued to spread throughout Latium, catching the most support among the Hellenic and Gelonian communities within Latium. Three days ago the popular petition, promoted by the July 30th rallies, reached the required 500,000 verifiable signatures to earn debate in the Senate and a response from the Imperial Offices of the Emperor. Consul Pompilius was among the first to make a public statement regarding the petition, stating that, “seeing to all People’s Petitions is a chief priority of government” and that he “is looking forward to working in concert with the Emperor and all involved parties to come to an amenable solution.”

The Emperor was reportedly briefed that the petition would reach the required signature threshold as far back as a week before. Sources close to Emperor Constantine claim that he was “very receptive” to the idea. The day following the petition reaching 500,000 signatures, Imperial Offices announced that Emperor Constantine would respond to the petition within the week. And during today’s Imperial Office press briefing, it was announced that the Emperor would lend his support to seeing local governments “better support the people” and “is interested in seeing a bill brought to the Senate floor.”

Following the news of the petition, entitled “Citizens for a better local government,” the Party of the Regions, published three proposed bills to its website for viewing. The bills were titled “Gelonia Act,” “Latium Act,” and “Pella Act,” with each proposing a local legislature and government to control various competencies on behalf of the respective counties in each of Gelonia and Pella and the other regions of Latium. Under these proposals devolved governments would gain the ability to have varying powers over taxing, health care, transportation, law enforcement, and welfare. The proposals would seek to disrupt the current sub-national governments in favor of a federal system; however, most pundits and scholars consider the Regions’s proposal to be far too encompassing to gain widespread support in the Senate and even to achieve the required Imperial Assent. The Party of the Regions is a recently formed electoral alliance between the EEK, Voice for Gelonia and the Federalist Party.

Reports from the Consul’s United Latium party headquarters are claiming that government have had plans to push their own versions of a “Gelonia” or “Pella Act” since early March, but have no plans to inroduce the same measures throughout the entirety of the country. These United Latium planned bills are stated to create a devolved legislature and government, though would lack a creation of Gelonian and Pellan national health care services and lack of control over policing, with most still handled by the central, Imperial government and direct interaction with county-level officials.

Past and recent statements from both Imperial Offices and United Latium suggest that any successful devolved government would likely require a successful referendum. The most recent attempt at a devolved government in Pella took place in 1997 for Pella, though failed due to voter disinterest. A similar attempt for Pella also failed in 1978 after the creation of a devolved local government for the Castellum capital region. The three Gelonian counties have never been offered a referendum for more local powers, though polling in the area has always favored a stronger local and Gelonian sub-national government.

The first debates of the Citizens for Devolved Government are scheduled to begin tomorrow with plans for them to continue through the next week if required.

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King Robert of Demphor divorces Queen Annabelle of Deweden, and abdicates the throne; reportedly interested in residing in Latium post-abdication. [ 12755 ]
Emperor Constantine condemns the terrorist attack in Belfras, offers prayers and intelligence sharing support. [ 10438 ]
Imperial assent given to Civil Guard Act; formation of Civil Guard as new national gendarmerie expected to take place in September with full assumption of duties expected in 2019. [ 8807 ]

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