APwire ~ Affiliated Press News Agency

Politicians Call Opening Ceremony Plans Indecent, "Un-Gunnish"
AP Ayr

The Ayr 2018 Winter Stephanitic Games are one month away, and leaked plans for the opening ceremonies have become a lightning-rod for controversy in Gunnland. Organizers have proposed a performance symbolizing three themes from Gunnish history: the ancient origins of the sport of curling, Ayr's growth from a modest fishing village to a major regional financial center, and the struggle of Gunnishwomen for equal rights.

"Sixty years go, women were still stolen and sold in this country," said Catherine mL. Birmingham, a Liberal MT on the organizing committee for the Games. "We want to show how far we've come, and how far we have to go. We will not be silent." But plans for dancers to reenact woman-stealing have been criticized by Windhaven as an offense to good taste. The chief censor, Fr. Coemgein Gallagher, also argued that focusing on Ayr's banking industry risked "flaunting" usurious activities that are against Gunnish, but not Arundalian, laws. The censor has no jurisdiction in Arundel, but hinted that the Thing of All Gunnishmen might threaten to defund the games. In an opinion column for the national newspaper, The Advocate, Integrity MT Walter mA. Matthew writes, "We Gunnishmen are northerners, proud that our kings have kept Christ's peace here for over a thousand years, proud to display ancient traditions by which the whole world knows a Gunnishman. Those who think tawdry sluts dancing over thirty pieces of silver somehow represent Gunnish history should get the mazzatello -- that would be a better opening ceremony, at least, in my view."

The countess of the semi-autonomous County of Arundel, Mary MacLeod, attempted to steer a middle course: "The opening ceremonies will showcase Gunnish history, but also the history of Ayr, and the unique contribution of Arundel." Countess Mary is the leader of a progressive autonomous region, but also the fiancée of the conservative leader of the Thing, James B. Blackthorn.

Violent clashes in Trivodnia's second largest city
AP Kretyn

Over 10 have been killed and dozens more wounded after a night of violence in the port-city of Kretyn, the second-largest city in Trivodnia after the capital Amstov.

Despite a 10pm curfew being imposed as part of the state of emergency, armed groups from Kretyn's Jewish and Slavian communities clashed in the city's highly segregated public housing estates. Fighting broke out just before midnight in the infamous Mikhail Luchenok Complex, named after Trivodnia's first President, before spreading elsewhere. Local police suggested heightened social tensions following the Krasnislavian National Party's promise to demand for independence if they win enough seats led to the outbreak.

Krasnislavian community leaders instead blame Jewish migrant workers in nearby estates for starting the riots, while Jewish activists accuse Krasnislavian nationalists of provoking the fighting. Kretyn City Police Department have said there is no clear evidence either way yet.

Intervention by the National Watch, Trivodnia's gendarmerie, eventually ended the clashes.

In Gunnland's Stephanitics Spotlight, A Tale of Two Cities
AP Ayr

The Ayr 2018 games start tomorrow. Crowds from across northern Europe have poured into the modern city of glass-and-steel skyscrapers in northern Gunnland. Once a small fishing town, Ayr has grown into a major regional financial center. Thanks to the quasi-independence that the Arundel region enjoys from Gunnland, Ayr became a tax haven and a place for strictly regulated banks to lend more freely. The wealth from increased trade on the Gothic Sea and the Sea of Rurik has not been spread evenly, however, and inequalities have risen sharply even though the average standard of living is higher than elsewhere in Gunnland. And here tartans and other clan symbols are largely banned: these laws date to the 1860s, when Clan MacLeod was proscribed by the other clans of the Council of Thegns and forbidden to wear its colors, but maintained political and military control of the County of Arundel.

Across the mountains to the west, there is little excitement for the games "downwash," as the Gunnish say (as in 'down the Wash' River from Windhaven). The gray industrial sprawl of Dalmyre-Seaguard, or "D.S," has had a different fate than Ayr in many ways. The western cities lost an ISOC bid to host the games to their eastern rival. Bitterness runs high here in the busy Cameron Shipyards, the Lloyd-MacLeish dockyards, and the textile plants. Gall runs even higher in the remains of factories that once built tractors and cars in the 1950s and 1960s, big rusty monuments to wrong-headed investments, unwise trade policy, and corruption. Business owners blamed universal employment policies, imposed by Windhaven, the Integrity Party, and the clans, which dissuaded factories from using new technologies that might have kept themselves globally competitive. Whatever the reason for the decline of the downwash cities, many of the millions of Gunnish emigrants who live across Europe left the "D.S." during the times of rising unemployment, or because of the predation of the clans: clan rivalry takes the place of gang violence here, and accounts for much of the organized crime. And as they see it in the D.S., the decline of the cities in the 1970s and 1980s is the fate of real Gunnishmen, or the price of doing things the Gunnish way.

Sometimes the D.S.-Ayr rivalry seems as intense as any clan rivalry in Gunnland. Downwash one gets the sense that the Ayrans don't play fair, that Ayrans have become rich by exploiting loopholes, and that Ayrans look down on other Gunnishmen with contempt. Meanwhile, the denizens of the D.S. are proud of their country, and proud of their clans if they have one; the Gunnish Army draws most of its strength from Dalmyre, Seaguard, and the small cities in the sprawling industrial corridor between them. The Downwashers can't help but watch the Stephanitics, especially Gunnish obsessions like curling and biathlon, but they're not happy that the events are taking place on the "far" side of the mountains.

The Stephanitic Games have only served to open old wounds so far here in Dalmyre and Seaguard. "The ISOC would never allow Gunnland to host the Stephanitics," one unemployed steelworker says ruefully, "but Ayr is different."

Student and labour demonstration in Dun Eidyn turns bloody
AP Dun Eidyn

A demonstration organised today by the Socialist Labour Union, Caledonia's biggest trade union and by the National Union of Students, an organisation banding together all student's associations of the country has turned ugly after gendarmes and a band of men called the "National Defence Association" have suppressed the demonstrators.

Dubbed as "The Counter-March on Dun Eidyn", left wing groups have been authorised by the Green Party Mayor of the city, Caitrìona Smios to be organised in the Heroes Square. But the demonstrators, which were organised by the Revolutionary Socialist Party, which has also distributed republican white-green-flags and red flags to create a red block march, have met in the Heroes Square with a disproportionate police force. After the demonstrators have started singing the Internationale and the old Republican Anthem, a group of men dressed in blue jackets have started attacking the demonstrators using baseball bats and police batons.

As the fighting has started between the students and the trade unionists on one side and the paramilitaries wearing blue jackets on the other, the police reacted and joined the fray by the side of the paramilitaries. The demonstrators and protesters have been pushed from the Square and have been dispersed along the streets and have been followed by the mounted police, which continues to arrest and to fight them.

More than 500 students and trade unionists have been arrested by the police and 15 have been killed, three being trampled by the horses of the police and the others being beaten to death by the paramilitaries.

The group commander has later declared on Caledonian television that they group is named "National Guard for the Defence of National Unity, Faith and Tradition" and prefer to name themselves simply the Blueshirts. They declare that they support the the current government of the National Union but they are mere patriots without any sort of connections with the regime.

After the news came of the events, the Mayor of Dun Eidyn has condemned the events in Heroes' Square and has called the High Commissioner of the Guardians of Peace, Urguist, to the town hall where he was swiftly sacked for the involvement of the police in suppressing the peaceful demonstrators and not the agitators, before he was reinstated again in less than an hour by a decree coming from Benadur Saig Madec.

BREAKING: State of emergency lifted in Trivodnia
AP Amstov

Trivodnian President Meier Lauterpacht has lifted the state of emergency in the Free State, just hours after Caledonian observers confirmed the joint demobilisation agreed with Kadikistan to be complete.

Declaring Trivodnia to be "safe and secure" and "free from immediate threats", President Lauterpacht promised to press ahead with fresh elections and putting the county back on the "path to normalcy". "We will remind the world we are a democracy while we rebuild our nation," stated the President, which some commentators have interpreted as pointed remarks towards Eiffelland after Trier, considered a close ally of Trivodnia, publicly criticised plans for a second election.

A state of emergency was declared in December last year in response to Kadikistani intervention in Crotobaltislavonia after an attempted coup, which both countries accused Trivodnia of orchestrating. Trivodnia has always maintained it had no involvement, and in turn alleged the coup was staged by Crotobaltislavonian dictator Raoul Farrago.

The state of emergency allowed the President to rule by decree, and gave law enforcement extended powers. The National Assembly, Trivodnia's parliament, was also suspended, with the vote count from the previous election withheld indefinitely.

The Social Democratic Alliance, which is predicted to have won, is calling for the results to be released and the President abandon his proposals for a new vote. "We don't need further uncertainty and instability," warns Social Democrat leader Alexander Kahnemann.

Constitutional Court declares the National Union illegal
AP Dun Eidyn

After it declared the unconstitutionality of the "National Marriage Bill" and with it blocking the plans of the National Union to integrate Loago, the Constitutional Court has struck again, this time with the intent to bring down the nationalist government in power. Gwen Felix, the chairwoman of the Court has noticed the institution that the last Congress of the Country Party has been organised under the pressure of the right-wing Marchers on Dun Eidyn especially with last news of collusion between the nationalist groups and the police.

The Court has voted against the government formation bill, declaring that what happened on the 4th of February was actually a coup d'etat organised by the Marchers on Dun Eidyn with the help of fascist elements in the police force. Two members of the Court have voted in support of the bill, while eight others, including Gwen Felix, have voted to invalidate this.

With this new invalidation, the National Union has been declared an illegal institution and legally the Country Party has been recreated. Losing the support the membership in the alliance the Country Party gives, the government of Saig Madec has reduced it's support to only the original members of the National-Syndicalist Party whom have been elected in the Aonach in the by-election in late January. This makes now the League of Communists of Caledonia the biggest party in the Aonach, with 38 members, followed by the Country party, with 34 members and the National-Syndicalist Party, with 28 members.

On the other side, Benadur Saig Madec has declared that the Constitutional Court itself is now organising a Coup d'Etat against the government of Caledonia, while Seathan MacRath, has even went as far as to call for the arrest of the members of the Court, calling them traitors, and to call the army to Dun Eidyn to suppress the weekend demonstrations which have been called by the National Students' Union and the National Labour Federation.

Either way, it is expected of this weekend to be the end stage of the institutional war in Caledonia fought between the Constitional Court and the Government. Depending on who wins, Caledonia will either take an authoritarian right turn or a Marxist-Leninovist turn. In the end, the biggest loser will be the liberal democracy created in 1985, which has all but died by now.

BREAKING: Supreme Court blocks second Trivodnian election in shock decision
AP Amstov

Trivodnian politics has been thrown into fresh turmoil after the country's highest court ruled out a second election and demanded the release of last year's results.

In a near unanimous decision, the Supreme Court said there was no "constitutional grounds" or "clear precedent" for a new vote, in what is a majormajor vi for the Social Democratic Alliance, which had been lobbying hard against fresh elections.

Crucially, the court also rejected the possibility for an appeal, leaving President Meier Lauterpacht and opposition parties, who had been pushing for a rerun, with limited options.

Social Democrat leader Alexander Kahnemann welcomed the news, and called for the "immediate return of democratic rule" as soon as possible and claimed "the will of the Trivodnian people" had been "respected".

The Social Democrats had been widely predicted to have won last year's snap election, which was initiated by then-Chancellor Alexander Kahnemann to shore up his authority after a number of public spats with Social Democratic backbenchers, particularly over the issue of constitutional reform.

However the election results were delayed by recounts in remote rural seats, and then postponed indefinitely after the eruption of the so-called Christmas Crisis, which saw President Lauterpacht declare a state of emergency and rule by decree following heightened tensions with Crotobaltislavonia and Kadikistan. Lauterpacht had first promised to respect the election results after the state of emergency was lifted, but later changed his mind in favour of a new vote after polling showed the Social Democrats losing to the Jewish People's Party.

The state of emergency ended last week after Caledonian observers confirmed the joint demobilisation agreed with Kadikistan had completed. Lauterpacht restated his intention to push ahead with plans for a new vote, but was immediately challenged by the Social Democrats in the Supreme Court. Few however expected the court to rule against him.

The Trivodnian President has yet to respond to the ruling, which was backed by 10 of the 12 Supreme Court justices. The JPP and other opposition parties have yet to respond either.

The big question is what happens next. Before plans of a second election were confirmed, there were rumours of an opposition boycott. The Krasnislavian National Party had also threatened to prepare for secession if they won the majority of Krasnislavian seats and no compromise on devolution was offered.

The Social Democrats campaigned heavily against any form of federalism, setting the stage for a major show down.

The Christmas Crisis also saw a surge of Jewish nationalism in Trivodnia, as the Crotobaltislavonian government and others blamed Jewish conspirators for organising the failed coup that sparked the regional stand off.

Resolving these tensions will be a key priority for the incoming Social Democratic administration.

BREAKING: Protesters proclaim the 3rd Republic as Saig Madec escapes
AP Dun Eidyn

The protest organised by the National Labour Confederation has turned radical when the police of Dun Eidyn hasn't followed the orders of High Commissioner Urguist to keep the demonstrators in Heroes Square and have remained in their barracks. Without the barricades, the demonstrators, forming a red block or labourers and students, led by Aedan Blacach, the Chairman of the League of Communists of Caledonia have marched from the Heroes' Square towards the government palace, where they started to chant pro-republican slogans and to ask for the resignation of Saig Madec as Benadur of Caledonia.

Supporters of the government have organised counter protests and violence has erupted when the Blueshirts have attacked the demonstrators which were gathered in front of the Government Palace. At noon an explosion was heard in the city, a bomb being placed on Hant Road at the headquarters of the National Association for the Defence of Tradition, more commonly known as the Blueshirts. The attackers have left pamphlets around the scene, with the attack being claimed by the "Direct Democracy Action", a Post-Delegationist revolutionary association. With street fights still taking place in front of the Government Palace, the Commander of the Dun Eidyn Garrison, Colonel Mateo Brendan has declared a state of emergency and ordered the 325th Guards Battalion to enter the City.

The arrival of the soldiers, which have fraternised with the demonstrators have been received with great joy, many civilians offering snowdrop flowers to the soldiers, as a symbol of the coming spring. The soldiers arriving on the scene in front of the Government Palace has calmed many of the fighting, with blueshirts going into hiding or being outright arrested by the protesters. In the afternoon, after the news of the army's fraternisation, many more people have taken to the streets, with nearly a million protesting in Dun Eidyn, 200,000 in Dun Glas, 50,000 in Farrais, Langain and Baile Steaphan.

After an hour in which the protesters were chanting socialist and revolutionary slogans, the army gave an ultimatum to Saig Madec. Before the time given by Colonel Brendan expired, Saig Madec was seen escaping my helicopter, together with three more men. From the direction of the escape, Madec is thought to have taken refuge in Elben or Gunnland.

The main leaders of the revolution, led by Aedan Blacach, the Chairman of the LCC, Gwen Felix, the head of the Constitutional Court, Mateo Brendan, the commander of the 325th Guards Battalion and other high standing members of the League of Communists have took control of the Government Palace and on the main balcony of the building, overseeing the crowds, Aedan Blacach has thrown away from black flag of the Kingdom and replaced it with the old republican flag. The event was followed by a series of speeches, which concluded with the proclamation of the 3rd Republic of Caledonia, the Democratic Republic.

"It is with great joy that we can say: the country is saved. Fascism, regressism, reactionarism and capitalism are things of the past now. The people have won and the greatest aspiration of the Caledonian people, the republic, has finally been granted to us. Thanks to you and your courage, future generations will look back at this moment and think of it as a stepping stone in Caledonian history, one in which we stopped looking towards the past, and we embraced the future! Citizens, comrades, an era of stability and respect for humankind will soon begin," stated Aedan Blacach in his speech.

Officium Legati + Regnum Marpesiae
Foreign Office + Kingdom of Gunnland

The events in Dun Eidyn are an internal affair of Caledonia. The Kingdom of Gunnland continues to recognize the democratically elected coalition government of the Country Party and the National Union. We are trying at this time to make contact with King Mael Coluim V and former Toiseach Olibhia MacAnndra.

Stephen G. Larkin
Foreign Minister

Aussenministerium
Trier, Eiffelland

Also we consider the events in Dun Eidyn an internal affair of Caledonie. We will follow the events in Caledonia with interest, and will not take a stance.. At this moment, we still recognise the democratically elected government of Benadur Saig Madec as the legimitmate government of Caledonia. This may change in the future when the situation becomes clearer though.

Rudolph Kögler, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor

Carinthia-Harkány Confirms it has the Caledonian Royal Family and Benadur
AP Hallein

At a press conference today, the Carintho-Harkaner Minister for Foreign Affarirs Norbert Falkenrath, confirmed the press's suspicions that the Caledonian Royal Family - including King Mael Coluim V - and Benadur Olivia mab Andra, are currently being housed in the Carintho-Harkaner Legation Building in Dun Eidyn. The rumors of the King's location swelled across the country with most assuming that he went to one of the Embassies of a royalist country. Perhaps to everyone's surprise, the Carinthians painted a different picture.

"I want to stress," Falkenrath expressed "His Majesty, King Mael Coluim and his Family were not pursued by the Imperial Government...nor did they flee from the regime that has taken control of Caledonia. Instead, the communist forces in Caledonia escorted the King to the Carintho-Harkaner Legation, unharmed, at the request of the King himself."

The Minister would not specify further if this action changed the Empire's rather neutral position on the new Caledonian Regime. Yesterday, the Empire criticized the methodology of the takeover, labeling it a "coup d'etat" but a coup d'etat against a government that did not bare the interests of Caledonians.

"When Governments create no means for civil discourse," the Minister stated "They leave the people no other recourse to settle their concerns."

The Press pushed the Minister to ask just what the Empire planned to do with the Caledonian King, given the fact that there are many within the Empire who would wish to see the King returned to power. It should also be stated that the headquarters of the Kadikistani Restoration Movement, and the true heirs to the Csardom of Kadikistan, are also given refuge in the Empire.

"Look," the Minister began "We've made it very clear that we're not in the business of toppling governments. Yes, I am aware of the headquarters of the Kadikistani Restoration Movement in Linz, but our Government has not interacted or communicated with that group. We are simply offering a home to a people who haven't one. The same will be applied to King Mael Coluim. The negotiations with the Caledonians are not complete yet and I will not speak of them further due to the sensitive nature. However, I can confidently state that the Empire is not planning to build an army-in-exile to reclaim the Caledonian throne."

Caledonian Leader Said Madec Arrested in Gunnland
AP Ayr

Washbridge House has just confirmed rumors that right-wing Caledonian right-wing Said Madec has been arrested in Windhaven. "There is evidence that Mr. Madec was involved in an attempted coup d'état in Dun Eidyn," said Leader James B. Blackthorn, "and fled to Gunnland for sanctuary. Obviously there can be no sanctuary for those who break the law of peoples and attempt to overthrow legitimate governments." Madec is being held at a Gunnish Army base outside of Windhaven.

Legal experts doubt that Gunnland will extradite Madec to Caledonia. "The 17 February putschists are clearly even more illegitimate, in the Thing of All Gunnishmen's eyes, than the National Union government," said Enquêter Padraig B. Smith, "so it is unclear what jurisdiction is competent to try Mr. Madec." The influential Gunnish attorney, who represents the Inn of Advocates in the Thing, wryly added, "So one wonders why they arrested him, if there is no court to try him."

The government has tried to contact King Mael Coluim V to determine what to do with the National Union leader. The Caledonian king is reportedly in Carinthia-Harkány. In possibly related news, Foreign Minister Stephen G. Larkin has cancelled a high-profile trip to that country. Enquêter Smith suggested that Madec may also be charged by Gunnland with breaching peace in the north, and tried by a Gunnish court.

Mass demonstrations across Trivodnia
AP Amstov

Trivodnia has witnessed some of the biggest protests in the country's history after thousands took to the street in response to the news there would be no second election and the ruling Social Democratic Alliance would be returning to power.

Opposition parties had called on their supporters to demonstrate against the Supreme Court's decision to block a fresh round of voting, with multiple rallies taking place in the capital Amstov and other major cities. Smaller counter-protests in support of the Social Democrats also took place, leading to minor clashes between rival demonstrators.

President Meier Lauterpacht, who had originally pushed for a second election, has called for opposition parties and the public to respect the Supreme Court's ruling and allow the Social Democrats to form the next government. However opposition politicians have promised to boycott the new National Assembly and urged their voters to continue protesting until a new election is called.

At the heart of political tensions in Trivodnia is a growing sense of nationalism in the country's Jewish and Slavian communities, and demands the Free State abandon its unitary structure in favour of a federal system. The Social Democrats has so far ruled out any form of federalism, although may be forced to compromise by their Krasnislavian wing.

Opposition parties have not said if they would end their boycott if some kind of deal was offered, although many Trivodnian commentators believe they would in such a scenario.

Elia Neven recalls Olivia mab Andras and promises free elections
AP Dun Eidyn

Elia Neven, the head of the Caledonian Revolutionary Council, the provisional government of the Democratic Republic of Caledonia has promised that the Prometheist revival in Caledonia, brought by the February Revolution, which in Caledonia is also named the Snowdrop Revolution, will bring back the social prosperity but also the enhanced democracy of the old Caledonian social regime. Created at the end of the beginning of the 20th century as a reaction to the Kadikistani revolution, Prometheism in a socialist ideology which has been extremely popular in the first half of the 20th Century, with the Caledonian Prometheist Party being the most powerful and creating a network of parties and organisations which spanned on three continents, each country having at least one prtometheist-aligned association. The ideological rift between Prometheism and Marxism-Leninovism, or what each was called in those days pejoratively, Social-Capitalism and Marxism-Feudalism, has been a catalyst which brought forwards many proxy conflicts in the decade of war, the 1950s. After the death of Nikolai Leninov and the coup d'etat in Caledonia, Marxist Leninovists and later National-Syndicalists have come to power in the eastern Scanian country, beginning a dictatorship which lasted until 1985, while in Kadikistan, the Clan rule shattered as the reformist faction of the party has taken control of the country under the leadership of Ratko Salatic.

Today, Elia Neven, has promised that Caledonia is on the road towards Prometheism, condemning any sort of movement which called for a single party state, or for austerity, or militarism. "We have risen up to fight for a better Caledonia, to bring our country back to the path of progress and prosperity as it has strayed from it in the last 60 years. We don't want to create a dictatorship, nor do we want to monopolise the political spectrum with our ideology, by creating a single party state.I know the people are desperate, I have listened to what the political analysts have said, even on RBI, and I understand that when one reaches a certain level of desperation, they will be ready to support a dictatorship. We don't want that, we won't do that. Promising the people prosperity at the expenses of their political liberties is manipulation, corruption and populism. No, we as Prometheists understand that economical prosperity come hand in hand, that is why I wish to recall all the democratic parties from their self imposed exile to have them participate in the republican referendum and in fresh elections," stated Elia Neven.

There have been theories regarding a potential creation of a Marxist-Leninovist republic after the revolution in Caledonia, potentially to placate Kadikistan, which would have supported the newly created republic, as it supported the Beckerist regime. Those theories have been refuted by Elia Neven, the head of the provisional government, and by Gwen Felix, the head of the Constitutional Court. The League of Communists of Caledonia will participate in the future elections under the name of "The Prometheist League", to further clarify their political status and to steer away from any sorts of connections with single party left-wing populist movements.

Elia Neven has promised that fresh elections will be organised at the same time as the republican referendum, with historical parties, such as the Country Party, the National Liberal Party or the National Democratic Party receiving assurances from the chairwoman of the Prometheist League that they can and will function normally, provided they return. "I can't understand why Olivia mab Andra has chosen to spend much of our revolution in Carinthia, as she was a victim of the coup d'etat led by Saig Madec and his fascist corporatists. Either way, she is a symbol of liberal Caledonia and her and her associates will be forever deeply respected by us, as they offered us a taste of what democracy and market liberalism means after nearly thirty years of fascist dictatorship. Certain local chapters of the Country Party have already agreed to return to function and will participate in the elections and will campaign for the referendum, but her return is imperative to legitimise the recreation of the Country Party after it was infiltrated and absorbed by the fascists," stated Elia Neven in a press conference.

Asked if the National Union and its leaders, like Saig Madec or Seathan MacRath can enjoy the same welcome back as the other party leader whom have left the country during the revolution, Elia Neven was categorical: "We stand here, in Heroes' Square on the ground on which the blood of ten students and five labourers has been spilled by a corrupt police and a fascist paramilitary force, at the call of Saig Madec. We stand here mourning not only the losses and the victims of the 11th of February, but we are here as we decry the fact that we have been so close to see fascism return to Caledonia after 1985. Saig Madec and Seathan MacRath, should they return are to be surrendered to the Dun Eidyn tribunal, to prosecute them of high treason, manslaughter and crimes against humanity. Should the Gunnish Kingdom choose to cooperate with us, they will stand trial here. Should they not be surrendered, I still have hopes that the Gunnish justice system will really to justice and punish them," stated Elia Neven.

After Legal Controversy, Gunnish Officials Quietly Deliver Madec to Caledonian Embassy in Windhaven
AP Ayr

The Foreign Office confirmed that the Gunnish Army has turned Said Madec over to the Caledonian embassy in Windhaven, ending a days-long standoff with Dun Eidyn. Gunnland surprised observers by arresting Madec earlier this week, since the Integrity Party was seen as ideologically aligned with the fallen National Union leader. Sources close to Leader James B. Blackthorn indicate that the Gunnish premier was aggravated by Madec's 'disrespectful' posturing as the global leader of a right-wing movement, as well as his rash decision-making. "Windhaven and Eschenbach are close allies, and Gunnland has taken years to build relationships with Geotri," says former foreign minister James G. Gallagher, "so the idea that Caledonia is going to start throwing its weight around in the north all of a sudden ruffled some feathers. Madec wasn't willing to be a subordinate or a junior partner to Blackthorn, and now he's in jail."

An extradition request from the former Benadur, Olivia mab Andras, and her approval of the new regime was pivotal to secure Gunnish cooperation. Optimistic observers see Gunnish coöperation with Ms. mab Andras as a promise for peaceful relationships between the new Caledonian regime and Gunnland.

Still, a vocal and powerful faction in the Thing of All Gunnishmen, including the legal establishment led by Enquêter Padraig B. Smith, tried to get Madec. They succeeded in forcing the Thing to hear his writ of habeas corpus in an extraordinary plenum. Faced with this challenge from within his own party, Leader Blackthorn had to look to the liberal Crown's Attorney, Dionysius G. MacHugh, to make a legal case to prevent Madec's release and hand the disgraced leader over to the Caledonians. In the end, the government mustered a 15-vote majority, but met opposition both from the radical pro-Madec conservatives within the Integrity Party and a small coterie of Ayr liberals that argued the government "violated Madec's rights to due process."

It remains to be seen whether the Caledonian ambassador in Ayr, an appointee of the Country Party, will indeed hand Madec over to the new regime in Dun Eidyn, or allow him to go free.

Krasnislavian nationalists create independence "working group"
AP Kretyn

The Krasnislavian National Party has set up a working group to begin planning for Krasnislavian independence from the Free State of Trivodnia, blaming intransigence from ruling Social Democratic Alliance on the issue of federalisation.

The KNP initially, in partnership with the Zionist Homeland Union, supported turning Trivodnia into a bi-national confederation, calling independence a long-term objective. It has subsequently adopted a more radical position after the Trivodnian Supreme Court blocked a second election, paving way for the Social Democratic Alliance, a staunch defender of the Free State's unitary structure, to return to power.

Other parties, including opposition movements jointly boycotting the National Assembly, have criticised the move. "Independence is not an option right now," said Homeland Union leader Moisei Carlebach, while Jewish People's Party head Yitzhak Epstein accused the KNP of "damaging opportunism". The Social Democrats even described the act as "illegal" and "unconstitutional". The Supreme Prosecutor has said it was investigating.

The KNP's step towards independence follows demands from Krasnislavian Social Democrats for compromise by their party's leadership. But expect a deal for now, with the Jewish People's Party still opposed to any form of devolution as well. But there are reports suggesting the JPP is considering a change in policy, which would likely force the Social Democrats, with a slim majority of 24, to the negotiating table. "Once again, the Folkists are the power brokers," said a KNP politician.

Trivodnian President Meier Lauterpacht, who is known to be personally against federalisation, has not said if he would veto any move towards federalism, and has called for opposition parties to respect the Supreme Court's decision. Few suspect he would, especially given changing public opinion. "A federal Free State is on the cards," claims Trivodnian political commentator Nissim Kessler, who also believes devolution would bring the KNP back from their demands for immediate independence.

Elbener Krasnislavian leader calls for union with Trivodnian Krasnislavia
AP Eschenbach

In a fiery speech to the regional sejm legislative body yesterday, local land magnate Count Radovan Rajičov addressed the growing aspiration for Krasnislavian independence in Trivodnia, concluding, "Since the wars, our brothers have lived in an artifical construct. At last they are seizing the chance to go their own way and take back what was once theirs. We must not look away and cover our ears. Greater Krasnislavia will rise again!"

The count did not mention if his irredentist proposal was a bid for Elben's Krasnislavian population to seek independence as well or a call for all of Krasnislavia to come together under the king of Elben. Krasnislavians in that country enjoy almost total autonomy in local affairs with the regional sejm, a body composed of landowners, clergy, and townsmen, needing only rubber-stamp royal approval in most areas.

Caledonian referendum and election results show a republican future
AP Dun Eidyn

This evening, the National Electoral Bureau of Caledonia has officially given the results of the referendum and of the parliamentary elections. The electoral process took place over the weekend and has been met with general approval in the predominantly Caledonian, Ivernian, Jewish and Norse-Deiran regions, as turnouts ranged from 78% to 90%, while in the Caitish regions it was boycotted, turnouts haven't gone over 35% and in isolated villages, around Calasraid and Puballan, voting booths have been vandalised by the mob.

The final results show a support for the republic, with 59% of the voters supporting the 1957 constitution with the amendments which have been proposed in 2018, while only 41% voted to keep the Kingdom. The referendum has been validated as the general turnout was 71%, over the necessary 50% threshold. As for the elections themselves, the Prometheist League has dominated the options of the voters, receiving a little over 60% of the votes. The Country Party followed, with 20% of the votes, mainly in the Maetia Region, then the Party of the Left, with 12% of the votes, winning especially in the mining regions of Deira and around Dun Glas and then the National Democratic Party, with 5%, receiving the most in the Caitish regions. The Christian Socialist Party, a new political formation has won 3% of the votes.

Thus, in the newly formed parliament, the Prometheist League wins 60 seats, the Country Party 20, the PotL, 12, the NDP, 5 and the Christian Socialist Party, 3. This gives the Prometheist League the right and the legitimacy to form the first government of the 3rd Republic and to transform Elia Neven's cabinet from a provisional government to a full-fledged national one.

"It is clear that the people have voted in the referendum for the republic as they have seen the inaction of King Mael Coluim in response to the March on Dun Eidyn. Even if he wouldn't have managed to do anything to stop Saig Madec, just the fact that he would have at least protested against the march and against the takeover of the Country Party, he would have been seen as a defender of the post-1985 status quo. But his inaction made him be seen as quietly approving the coup and thus sealing the face of the Kingdom in this referendum. The wave of nostalgia over the glory days of Caledonia from between 1940 and 1957 has fuelled much of the voting today, many people wishing to see a return of Prometheism to prominence," stated Réamonn Ó Connagáin, political analysts, affiliated to RBI.

BREAKING: Arrest warrants issued for Krasnislavian independence 'working group'
AP Kretyn

The Supreme Prosecutor of the Free State of Trivodnia has issued arrest warrants for the Krasnislavian National Party's independence 'working group', which includes party leader Uladzimir Sannikov, accusing them of sedition and disrespecting the constitution.

At a press conference in the Trivodnian capital Amstov, a spokesman for the Supreme Prosecutor said they had approached the KNP first to suggest disbanding the group to avoid prosecution, but were repeatedly rebuffed by the party's leadership, leaving them no choice but to pursue legal action. "We will not stand by and watch as people actively work to undermine the Free State," he said.

The move will likely exacerbate Trivodnia's political crisis, with opposition parties including the KNP boycotting the National Assembly and demanding a new election. Ironically, had the KNP taken its seats it could have avoided the prosecutions, as National Assembly members enjoy full immunity. As its representatives had not been formally sworn in, they were still only technically candidates, and therefore do not have the same protection.

The working group was set up earlier this month to begin planning the secession of Krasnislavian territories from Trivodnia, with the KNP declaring independence to be the "only option" after a Supreme Court ruling against another election paved the way for the Social Democratic Alliance, which opposes any form of devolution, to return to power.

War of Words Over Royal Succession in Jydermark-Østveg
AP Gøternhavn

The united northwestern kingdom of Jydermark-Østveg has faced a succession crisis since King Carl Frederick VI went into a coma on 6 January, after a racing accident. Last month, the Folketing transferred emergency powers to Queen Nadia, who has attempted to change succession law so that her daughter, Princess Katrine Frederikke, might succeed the throne rather than the six-year-old brother of Queen Julian of Gunnland, Duke Joachas of Clyth. The Jydermark parliament has approved a succession bill, though the same bill failed in the parliament of Østveg.

In recent days, a war of words has intensified. A number of articles question the legitimacy of the parliamentary bill giving Queen Nadia emergency powers. Some papers in the country have even run articles accusing Queen Nadia of arranging her father's death in order to protect a Jutish succession. Supporters of the Jutish-Auswegian royal family have argued that these charges are baseless, and that this press barrage is an "information war" being waged by Queen Julian, Clan Gunn, and ultimately the Kingdom of Gunnland.

Rasmus Olsen, the Folketinget Statsminister, has repeatedly questioned why the Gunns would act to protect their succession so aggressively. Experts on Gunnland have offered mixed views, though a leading theory focuses upon Julian's recent history. "Queen Julian is an orphan," said Ulrike Freudenberger, a distinguished scholar of Gunnish folklore and literature who lived in the country for several years. "There have always been rumors that somebody arranged the plane crash that killed her parents, Josias and Deoiridh. Last summer, nobody knows exactly what happened, but she went missing for several weeks, and it didn't take long for rumors to start that the Church and her clan enemies kidnapped this teenage, foreign-educated, feminist-leaning liberal noblewoman. The media narrative is that Julian is a visionary and a liberal reformer, but if she is a little paranoid, and expects the world is out to take away what is rightly hers, who can really blame her?"