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RAO signs deal with Montendrian Government

Akram Abay
2/12/21


Cotre-Real, Capital of Montendria

As of today, the Royal Aydin Oil Corporation has announced a new deal settled with the Montendrian government over the sale of 15% of Oil reserves to the company. This comes after several other major deals made with Oil companies from Malor-Kanada and Syrixia. Where Haddick Co. and Halbert Oil Co. two Malor-Kanadian companies signed for around 20% of the reserves and the Syrixians purchasing around 10% of the Oil and 40% of the natural gas reserves as well as building a pipeline between Montendria and Syrixia.

In a statement made by RAO, CEO Aybert Berkant stated that. "The deal with Montendria will not only allow for the opening of good relations between Aydin and Montendria but will also lend to the stabilization of their economy by providing well-paying jobs to locals and with time further investments by not only Royal Aydin but also other Aydini companies in Montendria."

ART will continue to cover this as more of the situation develops.

PetróMont could fall 15% in value from recent sale, experts predict

by Simón Bolívar
February 16th, 2021

As deals with foreign corporations are finalized by President Durán and CEO Raul Martinez, the PetróMont Company, an energy giant, could be expected to see a massive drop by next Monday. After a bailout for the company was blocked by Corte-Real following multi-million dollar lawsuits regarding worker safety, the prominent conglomerate was forced to cut its losses and sell a considerable portion of its assets in order to stay afloat.

"It's a catastrophe. Montendria's energy industry will collapse if PetróMont goes bankrupt." David Sandoval, famous author and professor at the University of Corte-Real, said in a recent interview with RNM. "It's since the recession that the government has slowly been alienating PetróMont- they have placed themselves at a central position in the nation's economy after decades of lobbying efforts but, when that money started drying up, those same congressmen turned their backs on them. And here, Imperial Petroleum storms in with deeper pockets and carve up what is left of PetróMont with the House's approval- the President all smiling and everything, shaking hands for the camera. It's a crime what happened. I admit, the PetróMont Company is not some godsend- however, they are local. All of that money still funnels back to Montendria eventually, albeit some of it goes elsewhere to secret bank accounts. PetróMont's success equals Montendria's success. If we let foreigners just buy up our nation, then may God help Montendria because we will have no future."

Additionally, PetróMont has seen a steady decline in exports by almost 11% since last year, exceeding the company's forecast for 2020. Montendria has a reliance on its energy industry, which has been outcompeted by the IEPEO time and time again. It's predicted that the unemployment rate of 18% will skyrocket if PetróMont goes out of business; figures say up to 400,000 people could be left without a job.

The Durán Administration has recently faced a flurry of criticism for the series of controversial agreements signed, such as that with the Syrixian Empire. A total of 40% of the entire energy sector is controlled by foreign entities, according to published data.

"Ana Belen Durán- a former beacon of hope. It's a tragedy how much she has strayed from her roots but, I am not surprised. In 2018, she was hailed as the savior of our nation but, the recession and the corruption has only exacerbated under her presidency despite her plans to ease the economic hardship and promote industrial growth. Her crackdown of journalism is dictatorial. I've been arrested three times in the last month for speaking my mind on the free media. Is the constitution not valid anymore? Are my liberties as a citizen of this nation to be ignored? At this point, I trust those cartels more than I trust a word that comes out of her mouth."

Royal Dueling League Postseason Arrives

With the regular dueling season over, the run for the Royal Dueling League 2021 Championships has now begun. The finest dueling teams from each region will now compete in a round-robin double elimination bracket to determine who the final 2 teams shall be that will fight for the cup.

FIRST DELACIAN ROCKET BEGINS CONSTRUCTION​

by Matthew Aarons
on Mar 4th, 2021

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GESAN - This afternoon, the Delacian Space Exploration Administration (DEXA) announced construction of the new Phoenix I launch vehicle. The new rocket will be capable of launching 23,000 kg to LEO, and will carry the first space mission from DEXA, which will place a communications satellite into orbit. The rocket is expected to finish construction in late March of 2021. "The new rocket will allow us to carry on many new endeavors" says DEXA engineer Matthew Smith. "We are also designing it to be as cost effective as possible, while also allowing it to operate efficiently and powerfully as well."

The rocket is being built in the newly constructed Vehicle Assembly Building which finished construction in early March. The first mission to LEO is currently being planned as of writing.

Violette Favier, staff writer
March 10th, 2021

The Mayor of Essling and the Conservation De La Nature D'Essling (Nature Conservancy of Essling, CNE/NCE) announced today a renewed and increased commitment to the Greenbelt surrounding the city. Marc Varin, the head of the CNE, celebrated the decision as a symbol of the city's continued commitment to environmentally-friendly policy. It will serve to protect certain important wetlands and forested areas surrounding the metro area of the city, home to several regionally endangered species. Mayor Lacombe spoke at length about the plans including hiking and biking trails to ensure that they're publicly accessible and appreciated while maintaining isolation of critical areas.

Property developer Groupe Fontaine, who had been seeking several permits to develop lands within the Greenbelt responded to the announcement by stating it welcomed the city's desire to protect green spaces but noted that it may affect already increasing housing and rent prices in the city as its population continues to grow and the supply of new houses, apartments, and neighbourhoods are restricted.

Quick Take: Mayor Lacombe's progressive environmental policies have formed an important part of his platform and significantly contributed to his re-election in 2020. The Conservation De La Nature D'Essling announced separately that it will continue seeking to build a wildlife rehabilitation and education centre on the site of a former farm in the area, a plan that has been in the works since 2015. Provincial authorities are said to be considering the establishment of a provincial park through part of the the Greenbelt to protect part of the Tourner River watershed, though Massena Parks did not respond to our request for comment.

Radio and Cellphone Tower collapses near Svartsfjerg, NY

March 10, 2021
Newsdesk

SVARTSFJERG – The college town of Svartsfjerg was awoken early Wednesday morning to a loud crashing sound as a telecommunications tower near the college campus on nearby Preisfjerg Mountain collapsed. Cellular service was slowed down to an extent as part of the area's capacity was removed. A temporary tower is being erected closer to town in the meantime.

Upon arrival to the scene, first responders noted that there was cutting done to the support wires and that the perimeter fence had been run over by a car in one spot, likely indicating foul play. It is unknown at the time wether or not there was a group or person behind the collapse.

SKK Rikskom, the telecom company that owns the tower, and leases part of the facility to Nyhett Tech's student radio station, said they would be launching an investigation, including analyzing security footage and cellphone signals close to the tower around the time of collapse.

In the meantime, local authorities and residents, as well as university students are wondering why someone would target a cellphone and radio tower, as it seems inconsequential in the larger scheme of things. One student at Nyhett Tech commented that "someone went through all this trouble, just to make my texts send a bit slower?"

As more information is uncovered, it will be updated here by GRK.

Morning, Afternoon and Evening Edition, 12 March 2021

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS?

Xi Char, Haor Chall - In an unprecedented event there has been no new news to report from the nation of Haor Chall in recent weeks. In a desperate attempt to avoid being made redundant our intrepid reporters have been investigating this, clearly newsworthy, lack of news. Taking to the streets of Xi Char, they interviewed some normal citizens to get their take on recent events (or the lack thereof).

Our first interviewee, a factory worker, seemed unperturbed by the situation saying, "I suppose it just means nothing much has happened lately. That's a good thing isn't really? Peace and stability is what the Majestic Twelve are there to provide for us after all." The effectiveness of Haor Chall's system of government, often viewed with perplexity in other countries, was a frequent comment from most people we spoke to. Not all were so positive in their view however, one individual, who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity said, "Its the censorship, dude! The government only want us to know what they want us to know, you know?" Nevertheless the consensus of people on the streets of Xi Char seemed to be little bothered by the lack of interesting events and seemed content for this to continue unchanged in coming weeks.

In the interests of impartiality readers should note that, despite its political authoritarianism, the Majestic Twelve regime has a relaxed approach to civil liberties, including freedom of speech and the press - the Daily Standard has never been censored by the government for any stories run in this newspaper.


Public services running adequately

In a continuation of the current trend of little news to report, the public statements and statistics released from the Charrian Department of Internal Affairs, Department of Health and Department of Transport, have all confirmed that public services in the last three months are all running to satisfactory levels - with all departments reporting average levels of service; no major issues or faults reported and no reports of above average or noteworthy performance to mention either.

Astrasodt

Airađ Razan launch successful, but rocket return fails
Marzja Kadzan ∙ SRK News ∙ March 17, 2021 ∙ 5.74-03-17

Early this morning, RoSARA's Irnaz-7/E rocket sent the Airađ Razan 18 cargo vessel on its way to rendezvous with the Enkei space station, although the rocket once again failed an attempted landing at sea. The space agency has been trying to land its Irnaz boosters for reuse since 2016 with mixed results; today's flight marks the eighth attempt to land one at sea.

Many in the spaceflight industry are skeptical that such a feat is even practical, with several prominent experts claiming that the aerodynamics and structure of a rocket make vertical landings nonsensical and "a waste of time and money". Agency director Azamai Vermi remains optimistic however, noting that the agency has accomplished many feats in the past that such experts similarly claimed to be impossible. He cited several previous missions, as well as successful test flights of the Irnaz boosters as proof.

Asked whether today's failure would affect their launch cadence,
"No. No, we know Irnaz flies reliably. We're going over the telemetry and inspecting the debris, we'll find out what went wrong. So far it looks like we only need a few minor tweaks, but if we can't get those done in time for the next flight, so be it. We can still launch."

Today's failure did not affect the outcome of the mission; AR-18 was said to be performing "nominally", and is expected to dock with the station tomorrow afternoon. The vessel is carrying several tons of cargo, including provisions such as food, water and oxygen, as well as new power generation components for the station and the RARZA experiment.

No smooth path in Irnaz reusability program

The Irnaz rocket family has flown over 400 times across all variants, including 28 manned flights, since it was introduced in 2002, with just three failures to reach orbit. Irnaz comes in three basic variants, designated according to how many R-80 engines they mount with diameters to match, these being Irnaz-1, Irnaz-4, and Irnaz-7; additional Irnaz rockets can be made by mating the variously-sized boosters together, with the largest being Irnaz-21, consisting of three Irnaz-7 stages coupled in parallel. The rocket series was conceived from the outset to be reusable, although the new engines designed for the program were not rated for reuse until 2010, with the rockets flying with as more standard disposable vehicles instead.

RoSARA's efforts to land Irnaz boosters have been ongoing in earnest for eight years, suffering almost a dozen Irnaz-7 losses, in addition to several more Irnaz-1 and Irnaz-4 failures. They have yet to succeed at landing a booster on the agency's Autonomous Floating Landing Platform, a large unmanned vessel converted from a drilling rig -- although they have previously returned nearly a dozen Irnaz boosters of all types to the launch site in Astrasodt. The effort is part of an initiative to reduce the costs of spaceflight and enable more frequent launches, results that the agency has said will allow them to greatly increase Sasten's contributions to science, space exploration, and the economy at large. The program has been spearheaded by director Vermi, along with "significant personal support" from King Renadt and Prince-Elect Azaras themselves. It's currently unclear how much the program actually reduces costs, however RoSARA claims that once the program is fully functional, the benefits will be "significant".

RoSARA's efforts to perfect landing at sea may turn out to not be totally necessary; sources say that the government is in talks with Demescia over the potential lease of a strip of land on the northern coast to use as a land-based landing facility. An exact location has yet to be proposed.

Early last week, the Navy's carrier group, headed by the MNS Rizer, departed to Porto Calluim the nation of Suavidci on the Aurorian continent to conduct joint training operations. Mondari and Suavidci have recently been slowly forging a stronger bond, with Suavidci becoming an important ally on the Aurorian continent. The Admiral Francis Calvin, Chief of Naval Operations in Mondari, released a statement on the matter: "The Navy has been slowly working towards its goal of becoming a true force on the international stage, the military sees this joint operation as another small step to accomplish that goal. The waters around Kian are the main focus of the Navy, however, training with a foreign Navy that already has its own unique experiences on the matter of force projection will only help to solidify our ability to control the Kianese waters. That being said, despite the deployment of the carrier group to Auroria, there are not any plans to project force past Kian..."

Just yesterday there was a strong storm that hit the Kapital Distrikt. A tornado warning was issued for the entire province and over 8 million people had to drop whatever they were doing and get to safety due to the Emergency Alert Broadcast System (EABS) going off on all radios, TVs, and phones that were turned on. Although the powerful storm had the possibility to drop tornadoes, it fortunately did not. One of the people who did have to drop everything and get to safety was popular Faltsish Evotainer Sam Borkman, who had to abruptly end his stream when the EABS went off on his phone. He later released a Twitch stating why he had to end the stream, and that he was alright. His Majesty Xel later responded with a Twitch of his own, stating that he also had to move underground when the alert went off. The storm didn’t cause all that much damage, with only minor wind and hail damage being reported as of now. A few trees were knocked over, but no damage was reported from them. Power flickered in a few places, and the internet was knocked out for a few hours in most of Denburg because of the power flickers hitting the major internet providers inside the city. No injuries of fatalities were reported as well.



OOC Note: Do not watch the EABS video linked if you are sensitive to flashing lights. Please do look at the other things linked, as I work hard on them. Thanks!

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Hundreds of residents forced to flee as ancient flood defences fail to contain the river Ponter. In the waking hours of this morning the residents of the largely rural communities of the Sisenia county found their roads and gardens to be drowned beneath the high-water levels of the river Ponter. The Sisenia County has not experienced any major flooding for several decades with only some minor flooding which destroyed a few farmers crops several years ago being the most sizeable in recent history.

It was not uncommon after the cold winter months had passed for there to be an increased waterflow from higher up the river as it passed through the mountains. However, unlike most years this was coupled with an unusually prolonged period of heavy rainfall in the county. The sustained rainfall has saturated the ground and, in some places, had already begun to cause low levels of flooding. Despite this early sign of danger to residents no flood warnings had been issued to inform the locals of the immediate risk. The rainfall combined with the naturally high-water levels of the river Ponter had resulted in the river Ponter rising and rising until in the early hours of last night the river overcame the old flood defences around it and rapidly begun to envelop the already heavy saturated ground.

Fortunately, the land around the river Ponter is largely used for arable farming meaning that no towns or villages were immediately at risk. As the flooding continued to rapidly worse the farmers whose land was being enveloped had quickly reported the flooding in the early hours of the day and eventually a flood alert was issued. Since the issuing of the flood warning thousands of residents in the county have either left their homes or prepared their homes to prevent damaging by the flood. Unfortunately, by the time of the warning several residential areas had already been flooded to point where their residents were unable to leave their homes.

Emergency services have been deployed in order to manage the situation and search and rescue teams have already begun to extract residents who had been confined to their homes. The county councillor issued a statement less than an hour ago to those who’s homes have now been damaged which states “Your first priority, above all else, is to remain safe, do not enter an area of your house which has been flooded unless you are instructed to. Even as I speak search and rescue personnel are bringing people to safety and they will soon come for you. I repeat stay safe, help will arrive soon!”.

The slow response to the flooding has already been widely criticised, in the Montonget Today the leader of the opposition and Ad Daonesker Orbeibri Parti, Erik Lanson heavily criticised the government and accused it of a policy of reallocation of resources away from inland counties to focus on coastal regions, which already experience higher levels of funding per capita, in order to play politics and win over voters. The government has yet to announce any response to the ongoing events but one is expected after a cabinet meeting later tonight.

With growing international controversy and violence spiralling, Gwladcan's Minister of Fisheries Dillon Owens informed the Cynulliad that new rules would be brought in for whaling operations within the exclusive economic zone of Gwladcan. Whilst currently limited to just 107 minke whale kills a year, Owens announced that to shore up the domestic industry and reduce minke whale imports, the limit would be increased, with licenses available for a total of 3,018 kills. The size of the increase has surprised observers, who said that the move was not unexpected, but that the new limit was far and beyond what had been recommended in a review of the industry published last year.

"It's an incredible increase that will have conservationists scratching their heads and fisherman celebrating. They've been making the case for an increased limit for a number of years, citing the large numbers of minke whale noted in recent studies, which have been increasing for some time." Industry analyst Braith Cecil said, speaking to the Voice of the Canwyr program. "Minke is a sustainable population and a national delicacy, so it's not unreasonable, but this is the largest license grant for three decades and is unprecedented."

Union boss Aeronwy Comey praised the move. "It's a very welcome announcement during a tough time for the industry. We're still rebuilding after the conflict and this will encourage sea-shy investors that there is a market and a demand for minke whale, at least domestically. But one thing that we want to see is protection for our ships - Gwladcan's territorial waters end 12 miles out, but the EEZ extends for over 250 miles, where most of the hunts will take place. We need assurances that the Lynges will be there to protect us from attack from narrow-minded states that think beef is somehow more sustainable than whale."

Speaking in the Cynulliad, Owens confirmed that discussions with high-level defence officials about what protection could be offered are ongoing. "We are having these discussions and whilst I can't put before the house a plan today, what I can confirm is that early talks have resulted in an increased commitment to patrol our exclusive economic zone, and defend ships operating legitimately in our waters. Our fishermen are part of the lifeblood of our nation, and throughout our history we have protected them and under this government it is no different."

The cities of Krokerneken, Tri-Riveroj and Svinda Bistrico were shaken more than 20 times during the course of this week with earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and above. The epicentres of were mostly located in the southern Swind Alps and in the Styrpaso range and were a direct result of tectonic activity. The strongest earthquake shook the country on Saturday at 07:20:076 EADT (17:36 EAT) with the epicenter near Krokernekeno with a magnitude of 5.0 and was felt even in Astoria and Ŝiganĉino - Svinda Bistrico declared a tsunami alert, although luckily none appeared. This was followed by several after shocks with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0.

Luckily there are no deaths and only minor reported injuries - several forest and countryside roads in Styrpass have however been blocked by landslides caused by the earthquakes. Some minor rocks even fell on the Autobano O1 at Styrpass temporarily hindering the traffic, but luckily injuring noone and causing no major damage.

Spoiler: Many local roads blocked like this

Spoiler: Location of the Saturday epicentre

opinion by Wilfredo Ameno (ND)

The world is going ga-ga
Following the unexpected referendum results in Corvia - where the voters have approved a stupid ban on whaling (I will come to that) - the whole country is once again debating the whaling issue. The story begins abroad where the resistance towards whaling has reached new heights. More and more countries are joining the IAWA (International Anti-Whaling Association) and are aggressively combating any whaling ships that dare to enter their teritorial waters. The response from nations who support whaling has been that of bravery, providing protection of their proud fishermen. I think SWL should get smart and join the IWF (International Whaling Federation), if anyone can protect us, then it's them - because and I'll be honest here - our navy is as terrible as an deaf bat listening to Fridriksono's karaoke and finding it good. However, the soft Alliance and their Senate overlords, the UNIVERSALLY HATED Social Democrats, are once again whining about cooperation with the international community, animal welfare, human rightsy whisey, vegetarianism, organic eco-green this and that etc.

Corvia, more like "Stupidia"
The Alliance has succeeded in their stupid initiative to ban whaling in Corvia. Of course the "morally superior" people working in the tourism sector voted to ban this "barbaric" practice, but what for? Corvia has no access to the sea and their voters have little to no knowledge of fishing, whaling and naval science in general. They have no idea how much they stabbed all the other states in their backs and how much they hurt SWL's international image as a glorious and proud nation!

Conservation efforts by the ND and Destruction efforts by the Federal Senate
Now I am certainly biased and there are valid arguments against whaling. Compared to most fish species, whales reproduce significantly slower and could become endangered really soon according to the recent study performed by the NLS. These conservation efforts are in my opinion right - although I am no fan of government regulation - I do think that we have to protect our whales by introducing some sort of market mechanism to protect our whales, because if anyone cares about them it is us! Swind orcas are a national symbol of strength. This is why the National Democrats needs to oust this silly Senate before they either destroy our liberty for their vegetarian liberal fantasy bubbleland or make all whales go extinct! These postmodernist syndicalists cannot be trusted.

Hipocrisy, hipocrisy everywhere!
Now now, here are my moral arguments against the banning of whaling. Firstly, unlike other nations, we are a nation of SCIENCE and not RELIGION - it is in our blood and this is why only our nation, united under no god, will make the right and rational decision. We humans are predators, the ultimate predators if I may say so, we are not only on top of the food chain - we dominate it everywhere. Swindenland is a nation which is not afraid to prepare GREAT dishes from unusual krauts and animals. Whales are to us just another source of meat, like pigs, snails and oysters. Many claim that we should not hunt whales, because they are intelligent and mammals - hey they are just like us, they say. But, and this is a big but(t), what about pigs? Pigs are extremely smart - smarter than whales according to some scientists. We eat and consume them every day and not just that. Many countries which support a ban on whaling have the most cruel pig farms imaginable - edging on concentration camps, but with hormones and genetical modificiations! Our whales die a death of dignity - they don't grow up in an "concentration farm". Who's more moral now, huh? According to the international community all animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others! But not on my watch! Pigs and whales are equal, just like any other animal should be treated equally and with respect. Since we are the ultimate predators, we hunt all animals equally and they all get equal respect. There is no scientific reason to elevate one species over the other.

Special parliamentary session kurzgesagt
The Swind Federal Parliament is planning a special session to discuss the future of whaling. This session will be held together with an panel of experts, the whole Senate, activists in favour and against, several business leaders, scientists and even diplomats. The discussion will be lead by the parliamentary committee of economic affairs and trade, which has done its homework. I am again and again surprised by the professionalism of these randomly selected citizens - you'd think they would come up with wacky ideas, but they do their research. The goals set by the parliamentarians are also quite mature, albeit a bit impossible to achieve:

1) Avoid conflict with foreign nations
2) Protect Swind whalers and whales
3) Take the most rational possible decision while not ignoring moral constraints

After all the cases will be presented, there will be a televised debate and then the Parliament will vote on which option to put to vote, because for some reason we have to have a referendum for everything!? Eitherway, I sincerely hope and know that the parliament will choose option 3, which is backed by the ND and SCIENCE! If not, I am sure Swind voters will NEVER approve it otherwise.

Spoiler: Options discussed by the Parliament

And remember: facts don't care about your feelings and don't forget to share this article on social media.

{from Astoria Gazeto}

The Senator for Foreign Affairs Koralo Piĉaj unveiled the new official stance of SWL: "Swindenland now officially seeks to be come a member of the AEA." This is the political promise of the Social Democrats of Swindenland who promised the Parliament to begin SWL's accession to the AEA. SWL hopes that joining the AEA will bring a new wave of prosperity for the nation, which has been stuck in low, albeit constant, economic growth in the past two decades and to bring about a general spirit of Aurorian cooperation. Piĉaj said: "Until a harmonious, clean, peaceful, free and prosperous Auroria is not the reality, my job will not be done."

Expectations are high.

Spoiler: Piĉaj during the latest press conference

DELACIAN ROCKET SHOOTS FOR THE STARS FOR THE FIRST TIME​

by Matthew Aarons
on Apr 6th, 2021

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MYALANO - Minutes ago, DEXA's DSLV (Delacian Space Launch Vehicle) rocket launched from the Myalano Space Center (formerly the Gesan Space Center) in Delacia. The DSLV named Phoenix launched this morning at around 11:53 AM DEST. The rocket carried the DelComm I communications satellite into LEO. "The pride of the Delacian Space program really paid off today." says DEXA flight director Allison Parks. The rocket performed mostly flawlessly, with only the first stage underperforming slightly. DEXA will be troubleshooting any issues found in todays launch.

The agency aims to make another step forward by pursuing reusability. A new DSLV rocket named Leopard is currently being built as of writing.

Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sends Gift Basket Abroad​

The VOR Centria Station has been able to secure a meeting with the Regunalian Royal Herald today regarding the unusual act of the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs sending a rather sizeable gift basket containing all manner of handmade artisanal goods, including a tapestry depicting our Grand Kingdom's history going back so far as the Pre-Unification City-State era, to the Tusacwyan Confederacy. Royal Herald Duncan Fox had this to say:
"We've been looking for a way to start things off on the right foot with the Tusacwyan for a while now, the Diplomatic Corps has been hard at work figuring out a gesture that the Tusacwyan would appreciate, while at the same time extending a proverbial olive branch to make clear that we are not looking for conflict on the world stage. After much deliberation, my team decided the most appropriate course of action would be to send an assortment of high quality handmade goods as a show of our current understanding of their culture as well as examples of ours. On my personal instruction, a wooden plaque has been included that depicts the Regunalian and Tusacwyan flags crossed together, with the phrase 'May we work together in times of need, that both our people may prosper' etched underneath."
The VOR Centria Station is waiting with baited breath to see how the Tusacwyan will respond to this gesture, if at all.

Following a vote in the assembly of the Auroran Economic Alliance Swindenland was given two votes in favour of starting the accession process and two abstentions, largely due to SWL's liberal whaling policy. The Foreign Affairs Senator Koralo Piĉaj heading the press conference of the Federal Senate expressed great joy and excitement at the decision of the AEA:


The AEA has stated that Swindenland needs to change its whaling policy, which greatly influenced yesterdays whaling and fishing reform debate. Swindenland is to vote on the said reforms in a month's time and the polls suggest broad support for the deliberated proposal.
Astoria, 11 April
Opinion by Kazuo Iŝigurako (SDS-alligned)

The Parliament has decided! What a splendid and exciting week of deliberation in Astoria. After a nationally televised debate, negotiations between experts, whalers, anti-whaling activists and the Senate, which has scored a major victory in the AEA assembly, Swindenland has decided to hold a referendum on the whether or not to pass the Whaling Reform Option 5. The Swind Senate is officially supporting a "yes" vote.



So what's going to change, if the majority votes in favour?

Firstly Swindenland is going to ban most of whaling and take a more responsible foreign policy (de jure opposition to whaling in the long-run). Whale farming and the hunting of minke whales will remain legal, albeit with a set of new regulations that seek to protect the species during certain parts of the year. The government has also pledged to invest in whale farms, transations and requalification programmes for those whales who will lose their jobs for three years.



What are the pros and cons of WRo5?

Whaling has been established as immoral, since whales are one of the most intelligent life forms on the planet - they also reproduce at really slow rates, which means that whaling can seriously endanger their populations. By far the largest pro of this reform, however, is the harmonisation of our whaling policy with the AEA - joining the AEA is the best thing this country can do economically, it is expected that far more jobs will be created than lost that way. Additionally the government programs will provide for all the people, who will be negatively affected by this policy.

But it also has its flaws - a lot of people's jobs depend on our whaling industry. I have had the honour to talk with several whalers and their trade union, which was also represented at the deliberative process in Astoria - they say they are really concerned about their future. While we oftentimes disagree with the National Democrats they do have a point - pigs and other intelligent species, which we eat, are practically unprotected, thus making whales special, which has no scientific background. If hunting whales is immoral, isn't then the consumption of all meat immoral as well?



What do I think about this?

Vote in favour. I believe that the Parliament made a lot of effort to make all sides happy and succeeded in doing so. Voters should also know that without a majority, we cannot join the AEA and this is a goal we should be collectively following. Ultimately I agree with the verdict of my fellow journalists that the pros outweigh the cons, especially now that the government will take of all the workers who may lose their jobs.



Oh wait, but what about the fishing reforms?

Parliament also passed a general fishing reform, which will establish a new regulatory framework, mostly meant to protect the numbers of endangered fish species. The more endangered a fish is, the lower the quotas and the higher the taxes - fishing during mating seasons will also be restricted. The Fishing Law was approved with a 68% majority and also included two years worth of subsides for the fishing industry - it is expected to be signed by the Federal Senate this weekend. Should the WRo5 Referendum fail, then whaling will be regulated by the new Fishing Law.



Remember - always put people first.

{from Astoria Gazeto}
For the past 20 years SWL has had consistently high interest rates, which has lead to really low inflation rates, a strong spesmilo, and slow economic growth, but everything is about to change now.

Ever since 1996 the Swind Central Bank and the Federal Senate have been practicing the policy of "practical keynesianism", a real Swind invention. The idea is that every country goes through crests (economic booms) and troughs (economic crises) of the business cycle. Economic crises are typically caused by deficient aggregate demand (AD) - so a country can increase AD by pumping money into the economy through stimuli. Well that's expensive. So the Swind economists devised a plan, which would save the country money (in theory). If you really increase the interest rates (we're talking at least 10%+) then you can dampen the fluctuations of the business cycle (crises are not that harsh and booms are not that prosperous), hence whenever a crisis does occur, it will be much cheaper for the government to overcome it (by increasing AD), because it will need to close a smaller gap. While you completely avoid demand-side economic crises in a financially-sustainable way, you also forfeit a lot of opportunities and your country gets stuck in 0-1% economic growth per year with a high risk of deflation, which is exactly what happened to SWL.

Spoiler: Economic theory graph

But things are changing, the current leadership of the SCB has said it will retire and has proposed the government to devise a new policy. The president of the central bank has stated: "Practical keynesianism was a failure, because it succeeded in what it was seeking to fix. We managed to avoid economic crises for bargain prices, but at a cost of economic growth. I and my colleagues take responsibility in slowing down the Swind economy and hope that future generations may learn from our mistake."

The SCB has lowered the interest rate to 7%, which is the first time in 25 years for the IR to drop below 10%. Swind stocks have had a largely positive reception, exports and investments are also up by record 4% - largely attributed to the increasing business confidence due to lower interest rates and the prospect of joining the AEA, as well as more liberal subsidies by the social democratic government.

Goyanes signs the Savattenstad and Saintes Conventions
April 12, 2021
Hans Klaufmeyer


GOJANNESSTAD, NY-- Grand Emperor Anthony and High Chancellor Norberg have signed the Savattenstad and Saintes Conventions, which seek to define and standardize war crimes and the treatment of civilians and military personnel in times of war. Norberg has stated that the ratification vote is to happen in the Stortinget on Friday, April 16th. It is expected that it will pass through both houses with quite a bit of leeway, as both the ruling National Union Party and the opposition coalition of the Liberal Democrats and the Sentrum Party have expressed official support for the international treatises.

The most vocal opponents have been the far-right National Party and the ultra-far-right Nordic Nationalist Party, which has no representation in the houses of the Landesdag. NNP buses were seen parading their displeasure with the agreement using their infamous black buses, which are equipped with PA systems to address people on the crowded city streets. Witnesses reported buses chanting slogans such as “Down with the Saintes Bastards” and “To Hell With Savattenstad.” These parties and their members have a history of opposing international cooperation agreements, and see this as the latest move taken to reduce the power of Goyanes.

While a very vocal minority has condemned the signing of the agreements, the general public has been overall fond of the move. Especially as Goyanes approaches the 35th anniversary of the Gotmark War, where Goyanes’ moral standards as a country were put to the test in a war that was justified, but where the actions taken by some were disastrous.

Stay tuned to GRK Nyåhederen for more as this story develops.

RAP

Doge hands over colours to the 1st Regiment of Foreign Volunteers
By: LtCol (Ret.) Vincenzo Collerini
12.03.21

COLORINO, Predice -- His Most Serene Highness, The Grand Doge handed a newly raised Regiment its colours today. The 1st Regiment of Foreign Volunteers (1° Reggimento volontari stranieri), also known as the Cottian Regiment, is special, as it is the first Predicean Army Regiment to be made up mostly of foreign volunteers. The Regiment's members are all masked on parade today, to conceal their identity. Most members are known to be former members of militaries. The 1st Regiment of Volunteers is to undergo refresher training in the Colorino region, before being transferred to the front under the Army of the Chiave.

The Commander of the Regiment, only identified as Colonel Leclerc said in a short statement: "It is our utmost honour and pleasure to serve alongside our Predicean Comrades."
A soldier, identified as Elyque told us: "You know, we've risked everything to come here, we could lose everything, even the wires in our home. Our home country could take our citizenship from us."
More Foreign Volunteer Regiments have been confirmed as being raised, with two Regiments being raised.

The Parliament approved the Foreign Volunteers Act of 2021 under which the Regiments have been allowed to be officially raised, 324-111, though the Cottian Regiment has been suspected to have been under secret formation since late-January.

OOC Notice: Approved by @Prydania



OPINION: Stakhari diplomat: Regunalian militarism should be questioned

The national flag of Regunalia. (Eras Book Online)


Opinion by Sahand Alibadi

Sahand Alibadi, a Stakhari diplomat, works at the Stakhari Embassy Salurong as Trade and Political Secretary

In high school, we celebrated World Day. It was a wholesome affair where each class decorated their homeroom according to their assigned country. The Grand Kingdom of Regunalia was assigned to my class. The class representative told me to print copies of the Regunalian national flag at the Registrar's Office. While I stood by the copier machine, watching the machine dump dozens of colored paper, I noticed something strange about the flag.

I took a copy to take a closer look. In the middle of the Regunalian flag, I could see six white splotches. At first, I thought the copier was broken. Or it was a stain on the original copy the class representative gave me. But it was unmistakably an actual feature of the flag. These splotches are actually six of the world's continents. It was a silhouette of the world.

Led on by dumb teenage curiosity, I asked myself "This doesn't look like Regunalia. Why would they put the world on their flag?" The meaning of this design has grown obscure over time. Usually, "world peace" is the explained message. Other times, "good will to all'' and "global cooperation." Though if you look into Regunalian politics, the one thing that stands out is the appointment of military servicemen as senior figures in government. The latest was when Regunalia joined the Kian Union (KU). King Leonidas appointed a general named Lloyd Millard of the Regunalian Honor Guard (RHG) as KU plenipotentiary. The primary responsibility of the RHG is to "protect the King and the Royal Family." Other responsibilities include "(to) protect the Grand Royal Palace Complex'' and "(to) protect Centrian Region." A person who is essentially a bodyguard was appointed to a major diplomatic role.

This display of nepotism, however, is not a simple case of playing favorites. The Regunalian military plays a role in society too integral that one could argue it is fundamental. That the military is their way of life. It comes to no surprise when the gallant Kianese country was founded only a century ago. Around four decades ago, in fact. The Thurston dynasty that currently rules Regunalia came to power as founders of the Grand Kingdom. Before Regunalia, there used to be duchies and city-states. They claim they united to defend themselves from dangerous forces threatening their peaceful existence.

In reality, the only forces presenting themselves as potential threats to Regunalia are the Regunalians themselves. The Thurstons spilt blood and spent lives to unite the city-states and duchies that form the present-day Grand Kingdom. In the Accursed War for Commerciorum (1980-1986), its estimate of 450,000 casualties made the Regunalian Unification Wars one of the bloodiest in modern history. The Thurstons crowned its patriarch, Stirling, as King of Regunalia—with no other basis apart from vicious, armed supremacy. Which begs the question: Is Regunalia a monarchy or a military dictatorship?

With no other pleasant way of saying it, it does act more like a military dictatorship than a monarchy. Even if the Regunalian state religion is Courantism, the monarchy was not founded on divine right or any of the typical themes of monarchical rule consistent around Eras. Apparently, to harm a RHG serviceman is a legitimate cause for Regunalia to declare war against the nationality of the offender. Furthermore, King Leonidas has been quoted many times to say "if you have a problem with me, we can solve it in the arena." This Might is Right Doctrine has been emphasized by the Regunalian king from the very beginning. In his coronation, he promised "a strong and lasting government."

The Seven Sided Star, otherwise known as the Regunalian armed forces, has 7 military branches. Hence the name. Regunalia is the country with the most number of military branches in the world. In a KU session, when questioned by Valencian plenipotentiary Gaël M. Chastain as to what Regunalia could offer to the organization, General Millard boasted about Regunalian military capabilities:


For as long as it existed, the Regunalian government seems to prioritize the build-up of its defenses. More than it sought the friendship of its neighboring countries and its own citizens involved in rebel activities in the 80s. To me, even as a diplomat, they always gave the impression they are battle ready for an invasion that will never come. As a Stakhari, a nation plagued by civil strife, we have seen the same kind of demagoguery from our leaders. Like what the Regunalians did to their "rebels," they were purged with extreme prejudice. There was no difference between an activist or an armed insurgent. There was only a syndicalist, a liberal, a separatist, and all of them should be eradicated. That's the end of it. No questions asked. If you do, you'll end up the same way as rebels did: Trophy casualties on a dictatorship's scoreboard.

When Arad Katrak's government collapsed in 2010, the country was divided into self-governing factions. All with intentions to unify the country and form the national government. Then entered the Regunalians who "restored order" in Southern Stakhr. I wonder what brand of unity does Regunalia intend to sell to Stakhr. Is it the same brand they shoved down their fellow countrymen's throats in the Unification Wars?

I find the Regunalians patronizing in their efforts to help Stakhr. General Millard is the loudest voice in the KU when it comes to dealing with the Ten Rings. But the legitimate government in Northern Stakhr is left on the sidelines. The way Regunalia has behaved in the entire conflict with the Ten Rings demonstrated it is more concerned about Ten Rings attacks in Regunalian soil than stabilizing the situation in Stakhr. Almost theatrical. Yet Stakhr has long been a nation before Regunalia was even an idea. Kuros I was King of Stakhr in the days of the Kianese Empire and his dynasty, the Teispids, ruled for hundreds of years until the First Stakhari Republic was established. While the Third Stakhari Republic was trying to unite the people over ideological divisions, Thornton lackies were killing separatists and syndicalists to form Regunalia.

In the entire Ten Rings conflict, Brett Pearson is the only Regunalian politician who spoke about humanitarian relief, the reconstruction of Stakhari infrastructure, and increasing Stakhari standard of living. King Leonidas made no strong commitments to peaceful dialogue or support the legitimate government's armed forces in dealing with the Ten Rings. At the same time, the Regunalian government insisted the Stakhari ambassador to attend the Grand Royal Assembly session when continuation of the war against the Ten Rings was put to vote. The way he was invited was akin to a demand befitting a subordinate legislator, not the ambassador of a sovereign country, and he was, supposedly, going to have a say in the session (whether in a voting or deliberative capacity, it was unclear).

During the controversial 2020 Regunalian State Dinner, former U.F. High Representative Rajesh Galang personally witnessed Regunalian obsession of martial tradition and, literally, tradition. He said, in an interview with Kalipunan Umalohokan, "it wasn't a festival of common ground. It was a medieval cosplay convention." He went on to recall the series of eccentric events, laughing as he described it, men in armor swinging swords at each other. High Representative Galang also claimed he overheard Regunalians at the state dinner that King Leonidas was especially keen on challenging King Tobias of Prydania to a duel. Humoring the thought at first, High Representative Galang slowly became convinced it was the reason why Regunalian officials and, at one point, King Leonidas himself, were hovering around the Prydanian representative. The representative was Field Marshal Stig Eiderwig, King Tobias's cousin.

On a curious note, reaching the climax of Regunalia's love of military and medieval times, the Seven Sided Star participated in the 2020 Odinspyl. The Regunalian Special Corps made the team for the archery event. Unsurprisingly, they came in last. The Prydanian team, with no military association, won 1st place.

The Thorntons are royalty just as pornstars are kings and queens to their audience individually. There is nothing royal about them except for the titles and the word "royal" in their government. I find it hilarious whenever I think how did these people manage to proclaim themselves an imperial dynasty in the late 20th Century. If a person in the Callisean Republic in the 1980s claimed they were the rightful Callisean monarch, they would be laughed and jeered at by the public. Even if they broke into the Callisean Congress with armed soldiers, there is no way the duly elected representatives would willingly concede. Furthermore, to say the Regunalian dictatorship is a monarchy would imply it is equal to the Stakhari monarchy and other ancient monarchies, both current and abolished, around the world.

Whether the Thorntons are legitimate or not does not change the fact that the Regunalian military complex is an unnecessary system. The excessive number of military branches and political roles usually indicate the need to (over)compensate for a deficiency in authority. If they had any strong legitimacy in their rule, the military would not play too big of a role in Regunalian politics. But often many times have they demonstrated otherwise and beyond the norm. It would only make sense if Regunalia has plans for territorial expansion. How coincidental that Stakhr is so weak that it could not confine the threat of the Ten Rings. With the world on the Regunalian flag, who is to say they would not stop in Stakhr? The Kian Union and the legitimate Stakahri government must start asking serious questions about Regunalia’s continued role in stabilizing Stakhr.

Regunalian militarism should be questioned. Although it is young, it has presented a defining trait: The edification of amalgamated military, political, and cultural power to make an aesthetic appearance of a strong nation. It is just a militarized form of edifice complex. It is not interested in the redevelopment of wartorn neighbors. It is excited with the prospect of further military cooperation and build-up with its allies in the Kian Union. The strengthening of the Regunalian military complex is paramount to the success of Regunalian militarism. They cannot be trusted to restore order in Stakhr. The Stakahri government should seek allies in other places. The Kian Union is not just Regunalia. Reasonable member states of the KU should reassess the situation and see their current objectives are not in the best interests of Stakhr.

General Lloyd Millard has stepped down as KU plenipotentiary. He was replaced by Hugh Ayers, a "royal herald."

________________________________________________________________________
Swindenland to hold referendum on joining the AEA

The Federal Senate has officially scheduled the referendum for Foursday, April 31st.
__________________
Date: Eightsday April 17th


After receiving positive feedback from the AEA assembly for having implemented a whaling reform, Swindenland is set to join the AEA, if the voters approve it. The Federal Senate has now set the date and is urging voters to vote in favour. No political party fully opposes the accession to the AEA. In fact, all parties but the National Democrats and the Communist Party of Swindenland support it. According to the polls more than two thirds support Swindenland's membership in the alliance.

In addition to the AEA ballot, voters will also have the opportunity to support or veto an increase in the highest tax rate for the wealthiest from 45% to 60%. Swindenland has no billionaires to tax, but the list of wealthy individuals is not short. After unveiling the tax modifications, which the Social democrats have long vowed to implement, there was a lot of widespread opposition. Enough signatures were collected for a veto initiative. If the referendum passes, the Federal Senate will not be able to increase taxes, which could hinder its agenda. The polls show mixed results.


by Roberto Kavalo

WWW LINKS

Nationaal Nieuws Corporatie Aubervaijr
National News Corporation Aubervijr
By David Heilenhuis, 6th of May, 2021

Green Party set to join Commonwealth Coalition
The Green Party in Aubervijr is set to join the Commonwealth Coalition, as of the sixth of May, 2021, following an announcement made by Green Party leader, Walter Meijerinck. Meijerinck has stated that the Green Party will be unable to make an impact on Aubervijan politics when the Conservative Party is in power, and stated Aubervijr needs change. NNCA are told that the Green Party will be joining the Coalition in an effort to have more of a say in Aubervijan politics.



This comes after a tense standoff between pro-Monarchist parties and the Commonwealth Coalition, who advocate for the removal of the Monarchy, developed in Parliament. The Green Party, who lost 2 seats in the 2015 elections, have been "weary" of losing influence and the word they have been spreading dying out. A deal struck between the Commonwealth Coalition and Green Party in February, guaranteed that the Green Party would have a say in Coalition affairs.

Although details are still developing, it is believed that the Commonwealth Coalition will begin to take a more environmentally friendly approach to its policies. Some believe that the Green Party entering the Coalition will secure the Coalition a majority in the elections in June, although sceptics remain unsure that the Green Party will even make a difference.
An official announcement by the Coalition is expected within the next few days.

Tarmac or Travesty.

There’s a stretch of road, more specifically a highway, connecting the capital of Mansani, Mansa, to the capital of the UFI, Salurong. And it is one the most popular highways in Iteria. Now normally it serves as a vital bloodline of trade and transportation between the two countries. It’s rather unassuming, it’s not like other highways in the Iterian Roads System, it doesn’t provide any beautiful views of the coast line instead just cutting directly through mountains and countryside. It doesn’t have any notable stop offs or touristy areas other than the capitals themselves. For all intents and purposes, it functions as any other highway in the world. So why is it so important?

The I-17 (A section of the I-1) has a more adrenaline filled history than one would think. The two hundred kilometer plus stretch of highway is home to some of the craziest and wildest driving fanatics found in the world. The I-17 has some of the longest straightaways out of any highway in Mansani or the UFI. Along with the fact that it has no speed limit, this has attracted certain characters that hunt for the thrill of speed. To normal commuting people the I-17 is just that, the I-17. But in the dark of the night, passed the strike of twelve, that same I-17 is known lovingly as Dugutila Sirada “The Midnight Express” or “8000’s Freeway”. Late at night, usually around midnight when the highway is less populated, car enthusiasts and thrill seekers gather on the highway, holding impromptu races, pushing their cars to their absolute limit. The night is filled with the screams of engines, the bangs of exhausts backfiring, and the squealing of tires. On certain portions of the I-17, one can pass 200 miles per hour easily. And they do, regularly. The cars on display as these drivers have their fun are breathtaking to behold. Widebodies. Fat tires. Custom paintwork. Mirror-like chrome. Any petrolhead would be in heaven. As with any enthusiasts, they all were friendly and happy to share their love of the highway and the community it has spawned. Referring to their cars as their chosen names. Referring to each other as brothers or sisters. Music blasting. All smiles.

One could see how it was easy to get caught up in the lifestyle. A beautiful tip of the iceberg to the dark history of the I-17. This stretch of the highway has the highest mortality rate in car collisions in all of Iteria. The highway has another name. Referred to as the “Highway to Hell” by local hospital staff and emergency response services. They routinely have to go out in the night to pry open cars that have had high speed collisions or accidents. It’s a grim business. One EMT commented on how they can tell upon arrival whether they need a bag or actual medical equipment. At 200 miles per hour, when cars slam into anything, they turn into a paste. And they’re made of high tensile metals like aluminium and steel. Their passengers do not fare much better. When asked about the risk to their lives, most of the drivers laughed it off. One of them even said, “Look at me. I’ve been doing this for almost a decade! I’m fine. I drive safe. You have to drive safe. When they crash it’s because they’re reckless! They have ego. Ego is bad for you after 100 miles per hour. They are asking for it by thinking themselves better!”

Some of the drivers even added that it was a part of the fun. If there was no risk, everyone would do it. Either way you view it, the Midnight Express has become an icon in car culture. Its danger is an allure to all those who have the need for speed!

DELACIAN ELECTIONS KICKING OFF SOON​

by Alexander Jackson
on May 7th, 2021

---

DETRETA - Very soon, Delacia will be holding its next election. The election is scheduled to start in mid-May and finish in late June. The current election will be pitting incumbent Delacian Democratic president Jordan Anderson against Conservative candidate Samuel Matthews. Many citizens have been showing their excitement for the upcoming election.

As Delacia begins to elect its new leader, many local regulations are also being voted on as well in provinces.

Adonai-Jireh-Prime Minister Taeli Gadi condemned the Asturican regime of Xacobe Naron and their execution of seven political dissidents, as well as the regime's continued persecution of its Shaddaist population.

"The criminal gang that controls Asturica has long been an affront to liberty and human decency," the Prime Minister said at a press conference in Adonai-Jireh.
"I am not speaking to Xacobe Naron," she continued. "There is no point any longer. For nearly twenty-five years the regime in Asturica has been condemned, sanctioned, and threatened. And still they continue to persecute Shaddaists, sexual minorities, and political dissidents. Xacobe Naron will not listen, but perhaps others will. The State of Iraelia will not stand by any longer. We will not allow our people to be oppressed and slaughtered any longer! I call on META to take steps to force a change in Asturica. If it cannot, or will not, then the State of Iraelia will act. In its best interests and the interests of the Shaddaist population of Asturica. The time for talk is over."

The Prime Minister went on to say that Iraelia has reached out to Astragon about the possibility of joint naval operations in the Meterran Sea, in the vicinity of Asturica.
"We are eternal allies, bound by faith, and we will defend our kin," the Prime Minister said.
"We have waited patiently for twenty-four years, and the situation in Asturica has only worsened. We will be forced to act if META cannot affect change."

The tone is one the Prime Minister has mastered. Elected to lead a left-of-centre government, many on the Iraelian right worried that Taneli Gadi would fail to be sufficiently aggressive abroad. Her conciliatory stance towards Skanda being cited as the major concern.
The Prime Minister has silenced those critics by aggressive intervention into Astragon to aid Empress Sabhrain against Admiral Murza's regime and by sending soldiers to aid the IFV in their civil war against rebel sovereigntists. Prime Minister Gadi has proven she can- and will-flex Iraelia's military might abroad in defence of its interests and allies. Her proposal that Astragon and Iraelia organize joint fleet operations in the Meterran Sea is the first sign that she is ready to use military might against the Asturican PPN regime.

RAP

Predice purchases Santonian frigates
By: Giulio Zetticci
07.05.21

Similar Predicean Frigate at Savona Shipyard

SAINTES -- Predice's Ministry of National Defence confirmed Predice's purchase of the frigates Bouche-du-Rhâne and Scyotte, renamed Santongia and Battaglia respectively. A small ceremony was held in Saintes, before the ships set off for Predice.

Negotiations

Predice and Saintonge are thought to have been negotiating Predice's purchase of the frigates since early February, though the official negotiations began on March 13th. A major sticking point was Predice's request that the ships only be transferred to Predice on their arrival to Predice. The Santonians rejected this on the grounds of their neutrality, and eventually Predice gave in. In an agreement, estimated to be worth over one billion IBU, the Predicean Government bought the vessels on credit yesterday.

Handover

In a ceremony attended by Predicean Military Attaché to Saintonge, Frigate Captain Anatolio Paserro, the ships were officially rechristened to Santongia and Battaglia. The ships were then manned by Predicean crews flown in the day before, and the ships set off for Predice.

Future

The ships are expected to undergo a short refit at Savona, at which point they will begin their service against the New Alemaner Navy. The refit is expected to replace the Santonian systems on the frigates with Predicean ones.

Other orders

The Predicean Navy has ordered seven brand new Antofagosta-class frigates, to augment the current fleet, as well as the Santonian ships. Additional orders include three new Dullio-class destroyers, and two new patrol frigates.

Centrian Chief of Police Fired

News from the Ministry of Justice today as the Chief of Police of the Catania Duchy was fired. He had recently implemented hiring practices that made it significantly harder for blacks and other groups to gain employment in the police force in the duchy. Charges are pending, more news as it develops

IT'S TOMORROW!​

Comment section:

IT'S TODAY​

Nationaal Nieuws Corporatie Aubervaijr
National News Corporation Aubervijr
By David Heilenhuis, 26th of May, 2021

Leadup to the 2021 Elections: Who is who

The 2021 elections are just around the corner, and no doubt, you have seen an advert on your television or a placard on a lamp-post advertising some party. If you're unaware of the politics of Aubervijr, or are unaware of who is who, I'm writing this to help you out with it.

Firstly, we have the ruling party, the Conservative Party. The Conservatives are led by Sijbrand Valkman, From June 2015, he was the Depute of the Party, but after the resignation of Sebastiaan van Tebberen, after a corruption scandal, Sijbrand has rose to lead the Party and thus the country. Sebastiaan, who grew up in a wealthy household, was a lawyer before climbing the political ranks, serving as Mayor of Saint Constantijn from 2003, until 2009. The Conservatives have been in power for over a decade now, although their chances of winning the election seem a little low now, with the next party having become a lot more relevant in the past few years since its formation.

The Commonwealth Party is a coalition of multiple parties, who all advocate for a referendum to remove the Monarchy and restore the Republic, which existed which existed from 1646, until 1702. Currently, the list of parties in this coalition, are as follows: The Meerderheid (Conservative Parties), the Minderheid (Socialist/Left Parties), the Hervormingspartij (Reform Party), the Republiek Partij (Republic Party), the Conservatieve Messianisten (Conservative Messianists), the Populaire Partij (Popular Party) and the Groene Partij/Milieuactivisten (Green Party/Environmentalists). The party is currently headed by Rudolf Verstege, a self-described "National Conservative". The Party is very diverse, and experts predicted it would collapse months after it formed, however has held together despite the odds.

Next, the Labour Party, which has lost its footing over the past decade, yet is expected to make a return next month. The party recently underwent a reshuffle, which saw most of its shadow cabinet were removed, and several members of the party crossed the floor to the less left wing party, the Social Democratic Party when the reshuffle took place. The Social Democrats broke off from the Labour Party prior to the 2015 elections, and the party never really recovered, especially after the fact the Social Democrats had more support in the polls than Labour after a week of their existence.

The Social Democratic Party, although, are expected to stay ahead of the Labour Party. Their less left-wing policies have earned them substantial support from Democratic Socialists, and left-leaning Liberals who flocked to vote for the party in the 2015 elections, which made them the third most popular party in the Parliament. Currently headed by Ludger Huisman, the Party's seat count, according to experts, are unlikely to change much.

The Reform Party are a break-off party from the Conservatives, who split off in 2017. They performed rather well amongst the youth in the 2018 local elections, appearing as a party advocating for change, but in a Conservative manner. The party although, is still emerging and hasn't fully set out its agenda, with the party stating it will release it after the election.

Next, the Liberal Party. When the "Liberale Breuk" (Liberal Break) took place in 2002, the Liberal Party split up into the "Conservatieve Liberalen" and the "Liberaal-Democraten" (Liberal Conservatives and Liberal Democrats). The two parties, however, set aside their differences in 2008 and reformed the Liberal Party, which has stood strong and unbreakable ever since. The Party is expected to perform poorly next month, after poll statistics suggested that support for the party was declining. An anonymous source from within the party leaked a story to the press last week, that stated that tensions within the party could cause it to break up again, if indeed, they performed poorly.

The parties above are the most likely parties to win the election, and are likely the most important. The two parties below are other, less important parties.

The Democratic Green Party was the break-away party from the Green Party after it decided to join the Commonwealth Party. The DGP, as they are known, broke off from the Greens because they weren't supportive of the idea of a Republic. The Party are predicted to perform poorly, and not much is known about the new party, as they haven't spoken in Parliament, nor have they published an agenda - leading many to think they might gain no seats in Parliament at all.

The Right Party is a coalition of three parties; the Loyale Partij (Loyal Party), the Nationale Partij (National Party) and the Stichting Partij (Foundation Party). The three parties are right-wing, and formed in 2018 after a horrifying result in the local elections. They aren't expected to perform well next month, and are expected to gain under 5 seats, which some are unsure of, but it is the belief of experts.

Analysis - What on earth is going on in Threpshire?
A regionalist party grows as both parties fail to appeal to local voters, particularly the young

Thursday, 27 May, 2021; Editor: Andrew Weston



Osynstry has seen significant periods of unrest (albeit nothing compared to the Asþorhelm union struggles in the 1980s) in recent decades. However, somewhere that appears to be the perfect storm in the making is Threpshire - or Threpsland to locals. Long seen as through the eyes of the condescending Middle Osynstrish and the "livestock, mountains, forests and mead" stereotype, tides are changing - and polling seems to suggest that the locals have had enough.

The start of this immediate conflict of sorts (I could indeed elaborate upon the incorporation and then eventual divergence of the territory, but you have better things to do) can be traced back to at least the 1970s. Although Asþorhelm's shift to the left was more pronounced in its violence, tension and general notability - Osynstry's was the predecessor, not the successor of Asþorhelm's. The "third wave" civil rights and union movements in Osynstry can be traced to the 1960s, when the then-Prime Minister - David Sutherland, of the Liberal Democrats - was the first to endorse socially liberal as well as economically centrist policies, rather than socially conservative. This movement sparked off those in Threpshire, who finally could properly ask governments - why are we with you? A slow simmering took place, but it seemed as if Threpshire was being treated fairly equally - albeit fairly distantly - so the discontent was relatively closed.

Threpshire's next hurdle was the Osynstric Third (and then Fourth) Industrial Revolution(s). Whereas Threpshire stayed highly agricultural and tourist orientated, the rest of Osynstry largely went through intense changes between the 1960s and the present day. This caused high disparities - whereas Threpshire found its agricultural industries growing from increased interest from an increasingly highly developed internal Osynstry as well as Asþorhelm, this growth could not be even compared to the growth felt by Osynstry, particularly in the 1980s through 1990s. Even in the 2010s, when Osynstric growth was modest but stable, Threpshire found itself - now that interest from Osynstry had peaked - far less affluent than their mainland Osynstric counterpart. This did nothing to help internal relations - and Threpshire found itself as the cultural backwater of Osynstry.

However, in all this, a political entity emerged. An almost entirely technocratic-localist party, the Threpish Republican Union, slowly rose as tensions grew over the last half century. Cosgrove's disdain for Threpshire in the 1980s - often not out of anything but sheer ignorance - caused leftist Threpish people to overwhelmingly back the TRU by the 1990s, and the Manning administration eroded the right-wing strongholds in the exclave; leaving results such as 47% TRU in the local 2018 elections. Polls have also suggested we're looking at a 40-60 split against independence, but narrowing fast - so could we be looking at the future independent nation? Locals, particularly the young, have increasingly stated they feel threatened by encroaching centralisation tactics, as well as by the stereotypes held - and the TRU to them, even if they don't agree with the politics, seems preferable to politically aligned ignorance to many.

Short answer: Probably not. Long answer: Possibly.

There are reports coming out of Sudo that five B-3 bombers have taken off from the Naval Air Station and are allegedly heading to the Air Station in Newport. From the information we have gathered, the bombers seem to be carrying nuclear bombs. MBC reached out to the military for clarification but we have received no words from them. More to follow as the story develops.

KARDENCCIAN SERIAL KILLER ARRESTED AFTER LOCAL ATHLETE SAVES POTENTIAL VICTIMS​

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