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Great Engellex

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Republic Air Council Documents on Planned Borovangian Operations Leaked
AP Dulwich

The wall of secrecy that surrounds the Republic Air Council has been breached with copies of internal documents being leaked to national Engell publications, and broadcaster EBC, as well as multiple other newspapers and national opinion magazines in the Engellexian Republic. In many cases the documents themselves have been mailed to the professional addresses of all the senior staffing of national publications and broadcaster EBC. The circulation of these documents have sparked a diverse range of speculation about their authenticity and the motives of the purported source of the leak. The source of the leak had claimed to be a member of a administration support for the Humanitarian Command of the Republic Air Force, and under the Republic Air Council, however there has been no success in verifying this claim given the level of anonymity the source has adhered to.

The documents, produced by the Republic Air Council under the direction of the Air-General, Admiral Catherine Janeway herself, and titled the Borovangian Humanitarian Directive, details an efficient military strategy, to be conducted in response of the civil war that has been raging in Borovanger, under an official policy of deception as humanitarian aid. Among the content of this report are details on military weapons and other hardware to be supplied to moderate factions through humanitarian packages; Republic Air Force Regiment task forces to be assembled and deployed to the airports of Valera and Treviso for seizure; a coded list of senior and other significant members of the various warring factions, domestic and foreign controlled, for the benefit of Operation Reduction. The Reduction operation is summarized as a new military policy for the purpose of reducing operational command capability of opposition groups, previously such policies were deemed too extreme, and would result in the state-sanctioned targeted elimination of hundreds, if not thousands, of men and women of various importance involved in the civil war in Borovanger. Widely regarded in public circles now, in Engellex, as the first documented instance of mass execution policies by the Engellexian Republic. The anonymous source within the Republic Air Council states that the report had recently been released outside of the highest ranks of the Republic Air Council of the RAF, and that most details had been routinely censored for this reason. Of particular interest was the unknown source indicating that this lowering in classification was done at the urgent request of the Air-General in order to facilitate the progression of the outlined operations for Borovanger with the other branches of the Engell military, the Republic Naval Council and the Generality (Army). This is also evident in the documents as an addendum points to this fact.

Worrying implications of the document's authenticity have been aired in an emergency debate session of the Mary-le-Bone House of Burgesses when their Representatives and experts in the affairs of the Republic Air Force, and the Engell military in general, revealed the following. My own sources state that, as far as anyone is aware, there are currently no sanctioned activities of mass political or military assassination for the RAF, the Republic Navy, or the Armies to execute - within the sovereignty of the Republic or within the borders of Borovanger. And in the past such sanctions have been extremely rare, and owing only to extreme circumstances of national survival - certainly cannot be described as a mass. The Republic Air Council has clearly withheld the other information of the document from lower ranks and the representatives of the Engellexian Republic Parlement for quite some time. The mobilisation of Republic Air Force assets into the warring interior of Borovanger without Parlement approval and debriefing, as is required with operations of offensive nature, is a major breach of the Republic's Constitution. The Lord-Protector-to-be remains a Lord-Protector-to-be, and does not have the authority to bypass Parlement on such affairs, yet. That is not to say that we believe, or have any evidence that the Lord-Protector-to-be is in any way connected to this controversy.

Currently the Engellexian Republic Parlement and the Office of the Lord-Proector-to-be seem to be in a state of numbness and shock over the leaking of these documents, stated another Representative in the Marylian House of Burgesses. We should not expect this to last much longer, given their reaction thus far is more indicative of caution against over reaction. After all, neither the source of the documents nor the documents themselves have been verified as genuine. However, the moment the documents hit the public domains and began to spread, the Republic Air Council was reported to have launched an investigation into the source of this leak. In regards to this action Erumpetine Broadcasting Council public affairs correspondent and analyst stated the following, this is a curious reaction on the part of Republic Air Council, and personally speaking it reinforces my belief that the documents are indeed a genuine. They are looking for the source of a leak before determining if the leak and the report itself are of Republic Air Force origins. Call it a gut feeling if you will, but I think that the Republic Air Council has just let the cat out of the bag. I would expect that the Engellexian Republic Parlement representatives will be up in arms at the next Parlement session, if not already enraged behind closed doors. What remains to be seen from future reactions in the Parlement is if there was authorization for this operation which is simply buried in a pact of secrecy between Republic Air Council and senior members of Parlement, or Lord-Protector-to-be, - or there is no authorization and Republic Air Council have acted alone.
 

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We would be extremely unhappy with a policy to smuggle weapons to factions in a military conflict under the flag of humanitary aid, because that would make each form of humanitary aid suspect. On the longer term, and maybe even on the shorter term, such actions may very well endanger the position of people carrying out real humanitary aid operations. Therefore, humanitary aid can never be used as a vehicle to smuggle weapons.

Rudolph Kögler, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor
 

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Telegramm von Hartem, Warinien

The government of the United Republic of Varinia officially declares it's neutrality in the war in Borovanger and hopes that the Prometheist and Socialist factions will unite together and go past their ideological differences to be sure that Borovanger is on the path of political, economical and social progress and to keep the political atmosphere favorable for the development of democracy, following a Varinian model, in which the Prometheists have renounced the corporatist elements that plagued the movement. We condemn the use of humanitarian aid as a means to hide weapons smuggling, such actions bringing only shame and distrust on truly altruistic actions.

Alexander Fuchs, Minister of Foreign Affairs
 

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Engellexian Republic Parlement Outraged by the Republic Air Council
AP Dulwich

In the wake of the Borovangian Humanitarian Directive documents leak to the many national publications and the public broadcaster, EBC, the Engellexian Republic Parlement has descended into a swirl of rumour and outrage. Amid the torrents of harsh words directed in all manners of directions, the Republic Air Council have been reported to have launched an emergency investigation seeking to determine both the source of this leak and the authenticity of the documents. The Air-General, Admiral Catherine Janeway, has dismissed being author and authority to any strategy for Borovanger that would be in, any way, a gross violation of the Constitution. Meanwhile on the floors of Parlement itself the representatives within the Senate and the Bare Commons have begun to fall into step with each other, in what is turning into a rare showing of like minded thinking, and are demanding answers from the Republic Air Council on the content of the documents. Sounding the rallying call among the Senate is the strongest advocate for First Republicanism within the conservative wings of Senate, the Duke of Nonsuch, who has vehemently condemned the Republic Air Council, confirming the speculation of the national publications that much of the information in the report has been withheld from the Engellexian Republic Parlement itself.

If the substance of these documents are authentic and accurate, stated the Duke of Nonsuch in an emergency session of the Senate for questions on the leak, then this is completely intolerable. The actions of the Republic Air Council must be held to account. The very leaking of these documents has all but shattered our confidence in the current state of security and classification in the Republic Air Council which, if nothing else, requires the most immediate and careful attention. Ironically, we also have this breach of security to thank for bringing this strategy direction to light. The very details of the documents, in which both the wider thinking prevailing in the Republic Air Council of a necessary enterprise of humanitarian deception to achieve urgent military intervention, of a civil war sufficiently defined as a national interest of the Republic by a standing majority of this Senate, and indeed the Bare Commons, as well as information of precious resources of the Republic planned to enter Borovanger as urgent humanitarian assistance has never been disclosed to us. The Senate is drafting a Letter requiring the Lord-Protector to directly intervene on behalf of the Engellexian Republic within Borovanger; humanitarian assistance is surplus to the instruction of the Engellexian Republic Parlement. The Republic Air Council has denied all of us information relating to the reality and wishes of Parlement, with the security of our Sovereignty, the application of military projection to positively end the civil war, and the intention for the use of humanitarian assets outside of the typical qualifications such limited assets are meant to serve within. Their blatant lack of regard for Parlement and the wishes of its members is an outrage of the highest order.

Not alone in his anger, Baroness Bathsheda Buttermere, one of the members of the Senate for Mary-le-Bone stated in a separate outrage within the chamber :- Assets of the Republic Humanitarian Council that have been identified for the proposed Borovangian Humanitarian Directive could have, and should have been put to much better use within the borders of the Southern Constituent Republics that the RHC was initially created to serve. Anything else, such as this, is an abhorrent waste of resources which not one of the Engellexian Republic Parlement were consulted about.

Further to the condemnations by Parlement and the investigation by the Republic Air Council, some within the Bare Commons have turned their attention to the finer points of this recent development, have begun ruminating over the levels of autonomy that currently exist within the Republic Air Force, and subsequently the Republic Air Council. Armed with this incident, along with an infrequent history of minor security breaches and few operational charter violations by the Republic Air Council, fears are being raised over just how much power the Republic Air Council, as well as other organisational branches of the Republic Air Force have at their disposal. The Vice Lord Lieutenant of the Constituent Republic of Angellex stated the following in a broadcast from Kinghithe this morning. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Republic Air Force have begun to exercise more power than they have available to them. One might speculate, and I must be clear given the situation that this is entirely a point of speculation, that the Republic Air Council, outside of the keen oversight of Parlement, itself has grown a little too big for their boots. And that they are evidently deluding themselves with regards to their scope of authority. They are not the Republic Naval Council, which remains a Constituent Institution of the Republic and, therefore, possess great autonomy.
 

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OPINION: The Death of Leninov and it's ideological aftermath
by Ulrike Freudenberger
AP Hartem

A year ago, the cold war between Varinia and Kadikistan has started, bringing with it a hot ideological debate which turned into a war between Prometheism and Marxism-Leninovism. In this year we have seen how an intense undeclared war can bring to implosion two regimes which would have survived long enough and probably even see the turn of the century and of the millennium, should the status quo would have been kept. On one side, we had a Varinia, a centralized kingdom led by a Celtic king, ruling over a German majority, where the Chancellor, Lena Rees was trying to become an absolute ruler by wining the support of both the left-wing and the right-wing by mixing the traditional values of Prometheism with corporatist elements, while on the other side we had Kadikistan, a socialist state that also lived in it's own strange ideological mixture, in which revolutionary socialism was mixed with the clan based structures of the old monarchist aristocratic regime. Both of those mixtures were unstable and relied on mostly on bread and circuses to exist. This system might have survived, if the said clash wouldn't have taken place.

Firstly, let's analyze Varinia. The eastern Scanian nation was a monarchy under a Celtic dynasty since late 1700s, but for the first time in it's history had both a woman and a Celt as it's Chancellor, Lena Rees. In it's history, the Varinian people has always been linked to the left wing, Das Kapital being for the first time published in Scania in Varinia and laughably, it passed through censorship because it was deemed to complicated for the people to understand. The 19th century was filled with stories of small scale communes and movements which appeared in Warnen and Katte and full of strikes and battles between the authorities and laborers, especially in Dierland. Maetia and Votadinia also have seen their share of ideological agitation, with the 'Popularist' Movement appearing in Pennsans, in which middle class Gaels were presenting the Celtic peoples as the basis for the world revolution and started agitating the Kerns and the Gaels for a socialist revolution. The movement failed though, as it fell into Celtic-ultranationalism and started what I would call now the 1st Northern Rebellion. In the South, meanwhile, Varinia was living at the turn of the century, in the Red Years, in which Social Democrats for the first time received the highest number of votes and formed a coalition with the Communists, ruling Varinia for 10 years, adopting the 40 hours workweek, and creating the national health and education system. During those years Prometheism appeared as an ideology based on criticizing Social Democrats for their "bourgeois alliances" and supporting the political alliances with Communists. The development from the Red Years was based on loans that in time, would have been payed back thanks to the industrial development and the general improvement of the standard of living, a thing that was clear that it was utopian, thanks to the following economic crisis. The fallout brought nationalism and a return to right-wing policies, but politically Prometheism was still a success, being exported outside the borders, so even the right-wing governments that followed didn't want to repudiate it, as it could have been used as a source of Varinian soft power. When the Prometheist People's Union, under the leadership of Lena Rees, returned to power, Prometheism started to be popular, parties existing in the whole world. This brought a more imperialist approach in external policies from Varinia.

Now, Kadikistan still is a mysterious land, and during the days of Nikolai Leninov it was even more. Kadikistan became socialist with the revolution let by the famous Comrade Rurik, who was respected even by Varinian Prometheists, who built at the time a monument in Rotbach commemorating the revolution, but it was taken down and destroyed by the authorities under the order of Lena Rees. Rurik was assassinated, some say by the revolutionary clans, some say by monarchists, I am sure that the New Order will soon have something to say regarding this, though I may even go that far that the death of Rurik and the coming to power of the revolutionary clans may be described as a palace coup in Ivar. The coming to power of Nikolai Leninov as brought upon the era of Marxism-Leninovism and the aggressive expansion of the ideology through the support of the Kadikistani propaganda machine. We have seen how Marxist-Leninovist Parties popped up everywhere, from Varinia to Pelasgia, from Borovanger to Yomogita. The success of the planned economy in it's early years and the images of the happy and efficient workers have made many people turn to this iconography.

Now, in regards to the cold war. As much as some have described it as either an ideological war between right-wing and left-wing or a national one between Varinia and Kadikistan in the Gothic Sea, the Cold War between the two was in fact both, with a small exception: It wasn't an ideological war between right and left, it was an ideological war between two sides of the left. It is the best to describe it as a socialist civil war. We all now how it went, with proxi fights in Calidia and Borovanger between local Prometheist and Leninovist factions, both fueled by the war machines of Kadikistan and Varinia. Things intensified even more with the Varinian and Kadikistani interventions in Milesia. During all those days, a crack appears in the Prometheist movement, with the communists leaving and forming the Party of the Left in Kadikistan. Varinia is thus kept under a state of siege and to keep herself popular, Lena Rees starts to invite fascists and corporatists in the government and the Prometheist movement, which started to change the nature of the movement. After six months of deploying all over the Gothic Sea, the Catholic and Royal Army as exhausted, along with the Varinian economy. The death of Lena Rees at the hands of communists has brought a moderate, Iver Gower in power and declared the republic.

It seemed that for many communists, the 1st republic was a failure, as it was still dominated by the Prometheists and the state of siege was being kept as whites were trying to invade Katte and Warnen from Milesia to restore the Kingdom. In the Prometheist movement, a break appeared. The original Prometheists returned to power with Iver Gower and banished the right-wing elements from their fold, many of those would run to Ivernia and return in the 2nd Northern Rebellion. To understand the Prometheist support for the 1st republic, one must understand that during the Red Years, the SDs and Communists always agitate for a republic, but when things always got too serious, the Catholic and Royal Army always was to intervene and threaten to dissolve the parliament and ban the parties. The main defender on the border with Milesia was Roman Becker, who became respected even by the Prometheists, as he was seen as the figure defending the republic from returning to a potential absolute monarchy and this time with a full war with Kadikistan. But he was a Marxist-Leninovist and as I said, communists were discontent in the 1st Republic as they were secondary in government, behind the Prometheists. So, Becker used his popularity to gather his soldiers once the thread of white invasion was over and came to Hartem, declaring that Corporatists loyal to Lena Rees infiltrated the Prometheist Movement again and they will restore the monarchy. So, with the power of the newly created Revolutionary Insurrectionist Army and in the applause of the people for defending their republic, Roman Becker declared the 2nd Republic, The People's Republic, copying the Democratic Republic of Kadikistan and bringing it in the Rurikgrad Pact. As a response to this, Prometheists revolted in the north, hoping to restore the 1st Republic, but a coup d'etat in Pennsans brought down the republican government there and monarchists became the main enemies of Hartem.

As the war persisted and the number of casualties were rising continuously, Becker's popularity started to diminish as the people were wishing for an end of the civil war, the state of emergency and the one-party state, showing that the Kadikistani model was a failure, something that can be seen by the fact that Kadikistan was funding the People's Republic, probably bringing itself close to economical disaster with it, because Varinia is large, it cannot be compared to Calidia and Milesia.

Two things have brought the changes in ideology that fueled Roman Becker, one of the staunchest members of the Marxist-leninovist movement in Varinia to open for reforms. First, the coup in Pennsans made the Left Prometheists return to the fold of the left wing and disavowed their participation in the Pennsans rebel government, this rushed the end of the war by more than six months but gave Becker ideological problems as the majority of the Varinian population was resenting the Kadikistani model he created, even if it was thoroughly funded by Kadikistan and the Prometheists started to become again an alternative to his rule. Secondly, probably the most important is the death of Nikolai Leninov. With his death, the money tape was closed and the money that was keeping the People's Republic alive ended coming. So, Becker knew that if he was to base his rule only on the military presence of Kadikistan in Varinia, he would end with the whole population turning against him. The New Order came and the first ideological declarations given showed that they would not support Varinia as Leninov. So, change was in the wind and had to come, or he would have ended up like Lena Rees, who couldn't understand when to end tightening the belt.

The death of Nikolai Leninov brought something that many would have considered logical, but many in power didn't understand. The national paths to socialism. The Kadikistani model presented by Leninov was a disaster in Varinia, kept alive by Kadikistani capital. In the end, Varinians still are more Prometheist as they are communist, liberal or conservative. In Varinian mind, it is something to be proud of, to see so many foreign parties adopt and use an ideology originating from the high north. So, many are supportive of it. That is what Roman Becker did. He still remained a General-Secretary of the Communist Worker's Party, but he understood that Varinia cannot develop and progress without Prometheism. Banning it would be like banning a whole set of mentalities typical to the northern Germans and that would mean an end to any kind of regime that comes to power in Hartem, being it capitalist, communist, fascist, republican or monarchist.

We prefer the current status quo compared to what we had during the days of Lena Rees and to be sincere, Sabine Schneider seems much more down to earth for this job. We prefer to see a friendly Kadikistan but also to keep our economic ties to the rest of the world. We prefer to see our economy and culture prosper and develop. We prefer to finally see peace at home and peace in the world. After all this, I think that both Hartem and Ivar understood the importance of ideological autonomy. The membership of Varinia in the Rurikgrad Pact might be the best for it in the long run, the opening of the Kadikistani market was an economical miracle for the 1st republic and it seems it will be the same for the 3rd, now. But the Varinians will never give their hard won democracy to anyone, even if he or she promises them a left-wing utopia or a right-wing strong nationhood.
 

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Economic Rejuvenation Program begins in the North
AP Hartem

The government has given green light to the post-war Economic Rejuventation Program, providing funds for important infrastructure and housing projects across Maetia and Votadinia. Much of the funding comes from a boom in the economies of the southern Free States in the United Republic that traces it's origins to the opening of the Kadikistani Market, a previously closed market of more than 100 million inhabitants opening it's doors to the Varinian economy once the country entered the Rurikgrad Pact. Many have described this opening as the savior of the Varinian economy as it was often declared that in time the standards of life in the Scanian nation would be reduced as it couldn't compete for long with other capitalist economies like Eiffelland, Bourgogne or Engellex, who were bigger and had a longer industrial tradition.

The government created the Civil Works Corporation, uniting the previously existing Cooperative of Construction, Road Administration Office and the Repair and Administration of Housing Company, with the purpose to begin and successfully bring to an end the Economic Rejuvenation Program. The civil works which were funded by the government with the participation of the Varinian people through the Post-War Bonds Program and the Democratic Republic of Kadikistan, which has financially supported the People's Republic of Varinia include two highways, a north-south railway and the reparation and construction of five housing complexes.

The northern regions of Varinia, the Free States of Maetia and Votadinia, known popularly as Keltland in the German dominated regions are the biggest states in size but the smallest in population in the United Republic. From the total population of Varinia, a little over 25 million, less than 4 million live in the north, with the majority in Maetia along the lakes and in Pennsans in Votadinia. Around a million has disappeared either as direct casualties of the war or being displaced either to the south or in Ivernia. The wave of refugees coming to the Free States of Warnen and Dierland have been a great boon to the expanding economy of the south and now with the ERP they are rebuilding their homelands.

The first projects which were started even before the war began were the the ones sponsored by the Road Administration Company and are now resumed. The general projects of the highway network implies the creation of a grid of highways, three going from north to south and two going from east to west. A2 is the first and currently only complete highway, linking Hartem to Pennsans through the central Isthmus, going through Kussen, Arendorf, Aentieg and Tref Peniti. A1 has been started ten years ago and the sectors from Arenburg to Ranken have been opened, the project resumed now proposes it's continuation along the Ivernian border up to Sant Ervlon. A3 has also been started before the war and links Hartem to Rotbach and Kerz. The project proposes to continue it from Kerz to Stredel, Tref Mezieg and Doveneleg. As for the longitudinal ones, only A4 has been done, linking Broos on the Ivernian border with Hartem. A5 is in project and works will start soon and will link Sant Ervlon to Pennsans and Stredel. As a premiere, the Government also published the plans for A6, which will go along the coast, from Selburg to Hartem, Wolmar and Kerz, where it links with A3.

As for the railway projects, the government wishes to continue the Hartem-Roz an Arvor Railway and to build the section linking Pennsans to Roz an Arvor. It also published plans for the electrification of nearly half of the railway system.

The housing projects in the north have brought a whole revolution of the Bauhaus architecture, as the government wishes to bring the White City of Hartem up to the north with two projects of subsidized housing ensembles in Pennsans and one in Tref Peniti to replace many of the older buildings that were destroyed in the war. The center of Pennsans has been designated as Old Town and with the current Varinian laws all reparations and reconstructions have to keep the old architecture of the city.

Analysts have been ambivalent regarding the rejuvenation of the north through the current plan. Some economical analysts have described it as being perfect as it helps not only with the reconstruction but also with the northern population, which was always poverty stricken by giving them jobs. Some analysts were critical of it, like Ulrike Freudenberger, who declared on Borealen Rundfunk that the state is using the desperate people from Maetia and Votadinia as cheap laborers for the standardization of cultural life, as the current plan wishes to bring Maetia and Votadinia closer to the ways and styles of the south, not taking in consideration the different culture and labor mentalities that can be found between Kern, Gaels and Germans. The plan was also criticized by her as it supported the re-population of the north through the reduction of taxation for Germans wishing to move to the north and a five year tax exemption for the Celts wishing to return to their homeland. She called it a way to "Germanize" the two Free States, considering that the Celts who left depend on the better paid jobs in the south and the existing mentality between German circles in the country to fully industrialize and economically exploit the north. She ended calling this plan similar to the industrial revolution, destroying the diverse traditional societies to build a standardized and uniform modern one.
 

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Varinian royal family massacred
AP Maseru

The royal family of Varinia, which held the titles of Kings of Varinia, which they kept de jure since last autumn after the republican coup d'etat and the titles of Emperors of Loago has been killed today by communists insurgents of the League of Communists, led by Jakob Masimba. The royal family has been living in a summer retreat called Nordhaus in the village of Swakopmund, north of Filabusi, on the coasts of Lake Ngami. They have been attacked by the militias of Masimba, which after overwhelmed the Imperial Guard has managed to take control of the small village and attacked the Nordhaus. In the massacre, surviving villagers have reported that Masimba himself has killed Emperor Arthyen, and the extended family, including the Queen Mother, and his four siblings, plus two brothers of the Queen Mother and their families, effectively ending the mab Gryffin family which has ruled Varinia since 1701. In the battle of Swakopmund, more than 60 insurgents have been killed, the Imperial Army had 105 casualties and around 30 civilians have been killed or wounded.

The succession laws of the Kingdom of Varinia and the Empire of Loago state that no woman can be inaugurated as queen or empress, so with the death of all men in the mab Gryffin family, the dynasty has succumbed. The law states that the crown council is to come together and elect a new king. The problem is now that the Empire of Loago didn't have a peerage system and the majority of the nobles in Varinia have lost their lands and titles when the republic was declared. It remains to be seen how many noble families wish to come out of exile to Loago to participate in the upcoming council. The government in Maseru has declared that it will do anything humanly possible to catch the insurgents and raised the rewards for the capture of Jakob Masimba to 5 billion Bonn.

"We believe that this was a near suicide mission that they succeeded. From the losses they took, it is clear that they expected it and in the long run, the League of Communists will dwindle and disappear. This was their coup d'grace and it take them where they wanted: in the annals of history as great killers and assassins. Let us not be fooled. This was an action that they took considering the fact that they will lose most of their forces to show their Kadikistani masters that they can still fight, after the death of Leninov. As the Varinian government in exile has said it, Kadikistan sows only destruction where is appears and has to be stopped. The League of Communists has been armed and funded by Ivar and this is the result. The destruction of Varinia wasn't enough for them. They had to come to the other side of the globe to wreak havoc. But we will not falter. The Empire of Loago is and will always be linked to the Arctic Throne in Hartem and we will see in our lifetime, the restoration of freedom and democracy and the monarchy in Varinia," stated Reese Bivin, the Lord Protector of Loago.

 
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Reports: Large military build up on Free State border with Novo Srbja
AP Amstov

The Yiddish Free State has stepped up its military presence along the border with [MENTION=2168]Novo Srbja[/MENTION], according to local sources, as the conflict in the neighbouring country continues to deteriorate, with Kadikistani-backed Communist rebels in Istokgrad province threatening to secede.

Villagers in the border region have reported an increase in the number of troops and armoured vehicles, leading to rumours the Free State is planning to intervene militarily in the Novo Srbjan civil war. Several hundred soldiers had already been deployed to the area to help cope with the dozens of refugees streaming in daily, with makeshift camps dotted along the main routes.

Spokesmen from the Free State's Ministry of External Affairs refused to comment on what they described as "active operations" but strongly rejected claims the additional deployments were in preparation to intervene militarily in the Novo Srbjan civil war. "The first and foremost concern of this government is the safety of the Free State's citizens, and that is the sole focus of armed forces' activity along the border: to prevent the violence spreading", read a press statement issued earlier today.

The news comes soon after [MENTION=26]Bourgogne[/MENTION] announced the largest arms deal in its history with the Free State, which Burgundian foreign minister Count Dampierre declared was "to enable our ally [the Free State] to defend herself against increasingly aggressive regional threats". The package is set to include some 100 aircraft, 250 artillery pieces, 255 tanks, 7,000 submachine guns, 2,000 anti-tank weapons, and a contract to allow the Free State to produce up 45,000 FNR 52 rifles for domestic use.

Free State External Affairs minister Vladimir Pinski said the agreement was "purely defensive". In addition to Novo Srbja, the Free State also shares land and maritime borders with [MENTION=83]Kadikistan[/MENTION], which have occasionally been the site of violent clashes.

Analysis: Soon to be no longer just a civil war?

Most experts agree it is unlikely the Free State will intervene in Novo Srbja given the huge risk of war with Kadikistan. "The Free State's armed forces are small, inexperienced with ageing equipment," says one military source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, "being exposed to a potential Kadikistani counter-assault makes any armed action extremely dangerous."

Yet a minority disagree, arguing on-going turmoil in Kadikistan and the threat of a Communist-led breakaway state in Istokgrad have changed the risk calculus for the Free State's government. "Kadikistan's military resources are stretched, and the economic capacity for another prolonged war simply isn't there," says an intelligence source, again speaking anonymously, "and if the Free State does nothing, Istokgrad could serve as a forward base for Kadikistan and leave the Free State completely encircled."

Earlier this week the Federal Gendarmerie, which is loyal to President Filip Vlahovic, sealed the internal border between Nova Srbja and Istokgrad following disputes between the remnant Federal government and Communist administration in Istokgrad. Previously both sides had been allies in the fight against the secessionist Novosad Liberation Army.

The Free State was rumoured to be considering supporting the Federal government and its then Communist allies in defeating the Novosad Liberation Army. The hope was to re-unite Novo Srbja while stopping Banja Luka from being militarily dependent on Istokgrad. Given the further fracturing of Novo Srbjan politics, this is now impossible.

Looking ahead, the reality is no side in Novo Srbja is likely to emerge an overall victor, despite the flow of arms into the country, as different ideological blocs using its internal conflict as a proxy war of their own.

The fear in Amstov is Ivar will profit from this unstable situation, as it has done in [MENTION=7]Varinia[/MENTION] and elsewhere, and gain a permanent foothold in Istokgrad allowing it to threaten the Free State on two fronts. Separately, continued fighting will also see the streams of refugees continuing, which is proving politically contentious domestically.

For Chancellor Alexander Kahneman, head of the Free State's government, there is a compelling case for intervention: end the bloodshed, halt the flow of people into his country and prop up an elected government while containing or neutralising a potential threat. There is also a compelling case against, chiefly the prospect of a wider war involving Kadikistan. The likelihood of a prolonged, bloody occupation is another key consideration.

For a country that has been largely ignored since its founding, partly through its own choice, the Free State is now thrust into the limelight of the world stage, as international actors ponder the next scene in Europe's latest conflict. Judging from reports along the border, the script could go either way yet.
 

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Riots and demonstrations in Varinia
AP International


Reports are coming in from the northern socialist republic that after the vote that toppled the moderate socialist government of Sabine Schneider and brought back radical Marxism-Leninovism as Roman Becker returned as Chancellor. Becker declared martial law until the crisis would pass, which he again called a Prometheist conspiracy to destroy the socialist foundations of the republic. The people of Hartem were the first who came out against the move and were followed by the people in Selburg, Rotbach, Kerz, Broos, Arendorf, Kussen, Ranken and Pennsans. Though many started creating parallels with the first demonstrations that took place in November and were a prelude to the Northern Rebellion, but it can be seen that this time, the revolts are dominated by the Germanic people this time, not by the Celts, and this time the base of support for the movement would rise from less than five million to nearly thirty.

In the first day of protests, the people were first asking for the return of Sabine Schneider and and the end of the political career of Roman Becker, but as the curfew imposed brought a crackdown from the gendarmes and the police, ironically called "Wegðer de Fridens" - Guardians of Peace, have radicalized the population as there were fights between the authorities and the population. The largely peaceful demonstrations turned violent during the first night as the Guardians, dressed in riot gear descended on the population. But things took a different turn that they did in November, this time the demonstrators stood and fought the Guardians. Clashes took place in Heldenplatz and Mitte in Hartem and the protesters used the stones from the pavement to respond but it didn't last long until even molotov cocktails were used. But when the Guardians retreated by two in the morning, the calls for the return of Sabine Schneider were replaced with the calls of the restoration and the return of the king.

In the morning, on the 4th, a new more revolutionary anti-communist scene could be seen in Heldenplatz, as the white-green-black tricolors were burned by protesters and the old pan-Germanic and royalist yellow-blue-white tricolors were waved again in the city. Scenes like that could be seen in Rotbach, Broos and Selburg too and by the morning of the 6th, the riots have concentrated into an anti-communist movement calling for the restoration of the Kingdom.

Both on the 5th and 6th, the authorities tried to break the demonstrators but have been thrown back each time by the protesters. It might be a grave problem for the Becker regime, as the forces of the Ministry of Interior cannot break the demonstrators. Looking at what happened before, when protests against the regime took place in November, the forces of the Ministry of Defense were quickly called to support the Guardians, but this time, things take a strange turn, as not even the Kadikistani officers from the Army are agitating for a stronger suppression of the demonstrations. The Army remains in it's barracks, away from the hot cities and there are reports of mass defections from Guardians and the Army to the demonstrators side.


 

Rheinbund

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We are shocked and saddened by the assassination of the Varinian Royal Family, and strongly condemn this horrendous deed by the League of Communists. Our feelings are with the remaining members of the Royal Family, as well as with the friends of the deceased and the people of Loago and Varinia for this tragic loss.

Albrecht von Dietz-Hadamar, King of Eiffelland and Grand-Duke of Nichtstein


Aussenministerium
Trier, Eiffelland

We are shocked and apalled by the assassination of the Royal Family. The League of Communists will be declared a terrorist organisation, leading to the confiscation of all assets of the League of Communists in Eiffelland and the arrestment of all members of the League of Communists in Eiffelland, followed by the accusation of membership of a terrorist organisation. Members of the League of Communists currently abroad will be arrested and charged with membership of a terrorist organisation upon entry into Eiffelland. Our condolences to the remaining members of the Royal Family of Varinia, to the friends of the deceased people and to all people of Loago and Varinia.

Rudolph Kögler, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor
 

Serenierre

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Trial of Pelasgian spies ends with a surprising result
AP Villesen

The High Court of Villesen upheld the death sentence of three Pelasgian journalists who were found guilty of being involved in the financing of Burgundian nationalist uprising in eastern Serenierre. The decision from the High Court was expected given the solid case against the three individuals built by the prosecution. The immediate response from those present was panic, as the result was expected to complicate the diplomatic situation for the People's Republic. An hour after the appeal was dismissed, the Office of the Generalissimo issued a statement from the leader of the country, Philippe Serazin, in which the sentence was reduced to a six month prison sentence and an immediate order of deportation following the completion of the prison term.

The Government of Serenierre has stated that it will be conducting preliminary negotiations with the Government of [MENTION=1774]Pelasgia[/MENTION] over the matter of handling the deportation matter and it is expected that the two countries will use diplomatic back channels to ease or remove the mutual sanctions that had been imposed in the immediate aftermath of the episode. The effective resolution of the matter, while welcomed, has left diplomatic relations between the two countries much weaker and bruised than ever before.
 

Natal

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The Return of the Crusaders
AP Hartem

The questions asked by analysts and foreign governments regarding the future of the Kingdom of Varinia and it's dominant characteristics, traditionalist or more progressive and business oriented have been responded today in a press conference held at the Government Palace in Heldenplatz in Hartem, called after Chancellor Euric Sigisvult, in his first day in office called the Order of Saint Wulfilas back in the country and declared it again a National order of the Varinian people. The Order of Said Wulfilas was first created in 990, when Varinians living in Germania have converted to Christianity and in 1100 were the ones who followed the call of Pope Paschal II and together with an army of Eiffellandian and Burgundian knights invaded the still pagan Varinians in eastern Scania. The theme of the crusade has been probably the strongest one in the Kingdom, even if the Varinian kings were the ones that broke from the order and secularized the theocratic State of the Order, thus the Grand Masters becoming Kings, in the late 16th century.

As the reformation came, and Unitarianism was popular in Varinia, the country was one of the few in which the counter-reformation was successful, in the following century's religious war, the Catholics winning and keeping Varinia as a bastion of Tiburanism in the North, together with Ivernia. The links with Tibur were held high, the kingdom being probably one of the greatest objectors to the legitimacy of the Saxon Pope, this even bringing a series of wars with Kadikistan. The Red Years have diminished the influence of the Church in the Varinian Society, with with share of schools owned by the Holy See of Tibur and the Order of Saint Wulfilas lowering from 95% to 65%. But when the People's Republic was declared by Roman Becker, everything was nationalized and the Order of Saint Wulfilas was banned from the country, Becker describing it as a way for the Pope to control the people of Varinia.

Now the Order has been recalled by Chancellor Euric Sigisvult at the behest of King Ricimer III, who in his youth was a member of the Order, describing it as an organic part of the Varinian identity. The Lex Reversio might prepare the way for the biggest property return in world history, with 45% of the schools in the country, two banks, ten hospitals, six monasteries and more than a million hectares of land, returning to the Order. This also brings a return to the traditional pillarisation of the Varinian society and the recreation of the Catholic Pillar after it was nearly disbanded by the communist regime. The traditional Varinian society was divided in two pillars, the Catholic and the Liberal one, with the Catholic being the major one, until the beginning of the century, when during the Red Years, the Liberal Pillar became the Prometheist Pillar and became with it the dominant one. Now, it is clear for many that the Catholic Pillar will return to become the most important, as the Christian Federation of Trade Unions was recreated even during the Chancellorship of Sabine Schneider and after the Varinian revolution, more than 60% of the Varinian trade unions joined and historically catholic aid agencies and health insurances were recreated in the first days after the anti-communist revolution.

"Today, Varinia is turning again on it's natural path. We are returning to the traditions and morality that have made this nation so great in the past and this time we will do anything possible not to stray away from them. Varinia is a Catholic nation. A Tiburan Catholic nation. We stand by our beliefs and we will do everything possible to defend the creed that has made our civilization reach the current levels of development. We are returning Varinia to what it was in it's glory days, in the latter part of the 19th century, by reaffirming the elements that define it: Democracy, Private Property, Catholicism, Dignity of the Person, Sanctity of Human Life and Communitarianism. We stand together for a better and a juster without the threats of socialism and unfettered capitalism. We stand as always with the Holy See of Tibur and will support the Catholic religious and social teachings," declared Chancellor Euric Sigisvult.
 

Polesia

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Free State: border with Novo Srbja to remain closed
AP Amstov

The Free State has "no plans" to re-open its border with [MENTION=2168]Novo Srbja[/MENTION] for the "forseeable future" despite ongoing peace talks in the country, according to a statement issued by the Free State's Ministry of External Affairs today. Troops and tanks continue to block official crossings, and the Free State's government has warned it will respond to any trespassing with "lethal force".

Soldiers from the Free State's military moved to seal the border last week after Istokgrad province, which directly borders the Free State, declared itself an independent 'People's Republic' and appealed to [MENTION=83]Kadikistan[/MENTION] for aid. The Free State did not specify a specific threat that had led it to close the border with Novo Srbja, although many suspect it was motivated partly by a desire to stem the flow of refugees but also to put pressure on Istokgrad to enter into negotiations with the Srbjan federal government.

Peace talks are now taking place between the Novosad Liberation Army, led by General Dragan Milutinovic, and Novo Srbjan federal government, led by President Vilip Vlahovic. The People's Republic of Istokgrad has so far refused to take part in any discussions. But with the Srbjan Federal Gendarmerie sealing the border between Istokgrad and the rest of Novo Srbja, leaving the province completely isolated, some believe it is now only a matter of time before they do.

"There's currently nothing going in or out of Istokgrad," said a source within the Free State's military, "so unless the Srbjan Communist Party changes course, people will soon starve and there will be riots."

However Vladimir Pinski, the Free State's External Affairs Minister, has insisted the border closure had nothing to do with pressuring Istokgrad. "We want a peaceful, negotiated, diplomatic end to the Novo Srbjan civil war," Pinski told foreign media at a press conference today, "but we will not interfere."

The Free State and Kadikistan almost came to blows after [MENTION=26]Bourgogne[/MENTION] launched aerial patrols over Novo Srbja, with Ivar threatening to invade the Free State unless the patrols ended. All three countries have since vowed not to intervene in Novo Srbja.

"We cannot be seen to be meddling in Novo Srbja," says an official in the Free State government, "but at the same time, a Kadikistani-backed, Communist-led Istokgrad that sits outside the peace process isn't in our interest. We have to do something."
 
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Kadikistani Union

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National Committee for Justice and the Rejuvenation of Socialism
Office of the People's Commissariat for External Affairs

Once again the Trivodnian media is spreading lies to its people and the world. In the past the Yiddish have stated that the militias of the Srbjan Communist Party halted their military actions against the fascist, murdering militias of Novosad in coordination with the Federal Gendarmerie, while as the Trivodnians spoke the SCP and the Federal Government were still fighting the common enemy on the same front lines. It was Vlahovic's clique and the Amstov regime that isolated Istokgrad when they did nothing to provoke such overly harsh action. Now the Trivodnian media claims that Istokgrad refuses to take part in the Srbjan peace conference in Banja Luka, while in reality they were never even asked to do so. In fact the government of the People's Republic of Istokgrad and the Srbjan Communist Party were effectively barred from entering the peace talks, Vlahovic choosing to make peace with a genocidal maniac rather than the ones who have fought and died by their side.

We do not know if these lies origin from malicious intent or the sheer incompetence of the ruling elite in Amstov to get a grip and a decent understanding of the situation in Nova Srbja. We do urge the Trivodnian editors to follow their de-ontological codes as journalists and spread the truth rather than provocative lies.

Signed,
Col. Dimitri Leninov
People's Commissar for External Affairs
Democratic Republic of Kadikistan
 

Polesia

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Affiliated Press - Amstov bureau

The Affiliated Press wishes to clarify it's position as an international news organisation with no ties to any government. However we take the integrity of our journalism seriously and will look to double check the statements contained in the article to ensure they are fully accurate.
 

Natal

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The Order of Saint Wulfilas condemns Markenese opportunism
AP Hartem


In an encyclical sent today, Bishop Visimar Rodolfing, the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint Wulfilas, officially condemned the state of Gouw Marken and Prince-Bishop Quintus II for what he called opportunism and apostasy. Visimar Rodolfing condemned the bad administration of the country that brought upon a famine which was resolved by the Prince Bishop calling the Democratic Republic of Kadikistan for help. He condemned the fact that the way Gouw Marken was administrated, thus keeping it's development levels up to mid 19th century is what brought the whole religious crisis through which the country is going through. He condemned the fact that instead of believing in the capacity of the Holy Church to help him and his people, the Prince Bishop chose to align to the atheists from Kadikistan, many of whom were Saxon Catholics, choosing, like Serenierre, to use the Saxon Compromise as a political tool to turn against the Holy Father. He continued even further, declaring that what he described as the "delirium" of the Prince Bishop didn't stop but when he observed that he couldn't extort Kadikistan anymore of money and funds, he turned to the Empire of Pelasgia and before starting to beg for money he became a schismatic, converting to Orthodoxy.


"I am not condemning his All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch, but the opportunism of the Prince-Bishop who has shown that he is ready to turn his back on everything holy just to manage to secure funds that he calls aid for his people, but most probably end up only in his personal coffers. Jesus himself told us to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God, the things that are God's. But it seems that the Apostate, Quintus II has forgotten that he is but a servant of God, sent to this world to lead the Markenese people. He is straying from the path and if he will not pay in this life for this, he will surely pay in the next. I humbly ask the Ecumenical Patriarch and his Imperial Highness, the Emperor of Pelasgia not to render unto Quintus what he thinks it is his for the take, as he has shown himself that he is an opportunist and an apostate which prefers to turn his back even on the friends that helped and supported him," stated his excellence, Bishop Visimar Rodolfing, in a press conference following the publication of the encyclical.


In the conclusions of the document, Bishop Rodolfing asked the College of Cardinals and Pope Alexander X to formally excommunicate Quintus II, the Prince-Bishop of Gouw Marken. He also asked The Ecumenical Patriarch not to believe in the "false creed" of the Prince Bishop and also asked the State of Gouw Marken to elect a new Prince-Bishop that can return the country back to the flock and thus save the souls of the Markenese people.
[MENTION=665]Gouw Marken[/MENTION] [MENTION=1774]Pelasgia[/MENTION] [MENTION=83]Kadikistan[/MENTION]
 

Pelasgia

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ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE OF PROPONTIS
PATRIARCHAL LOGOTHESION OF THE DROME

PUBLIC STATEMENT

21 June 1957
To whom it may concern,

The Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Propontis senses that there is a need to point out that the decision to provide aid to the Prince-Bishopric of Gouw Marken was an entirely humanitarian one and was carried out by the Church alone, with no involvement from temporal Imperial authorities other than when their approval and facilitation of contact between the authorities of the Propontine Church and the local authorities of Gouw Marken was necessary.

Furthermore, His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch, cannot possibly turn his back on an entire Church which has seen through the heretical ways of false interpretations of the Lord's Word and has chosen to come back into the fold of Orthodoxy and the True Faith. While Gouw Marken has maintained much of its rich and unique ritual and liturgical tradition, it has made some rather prominent theological and canonical strides to fall in line with the true Orthodox dogma, all of which seem rather irreversible and show a strong dedication to abandoning heresy in favour of Orthodoxy.

While the faith of Gouw Marken, just like the faith of any Christian man, nation or church, is to be tested, as was the Word of our Lord, we have so far seen nothing which could justify a complete excommunication and an anathema of the entire Catholic Patriarchate of Gouw Marken, as well as the noble and pious the Prince-Bishop. We would like to remind the Order of Saint Wulfilas that, in the eyes of the One True Church, the Catholic dogma which Gouw Marken had once followed is heretical and nearly apostatic. If the Prince Bishop has or is to commit any sins, the Holy Spirit shall certainly lead to an appropriate punishment. Until then, however, neither His All-Holiness nor His Imperial Majesty, the Sole Representative of God on Europe, can be expected to banish a man for ceasing to be a heretic.


With eternal faith in our Lord, God,

Aristοkles Dionysios Aphentides


Patriarchal Logothete of the Drome
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Propontis



IHCOYC XPICTOC NIKA
 

Gunnland

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Gunnland Enclave Has Opportunity for Reform, But Don't Say "Independence"
AP Ayr

In Ayr, men wear suits, banks and newspapers operate freely, and voters recently elected a businesswoman to the national parliament. This would not be remarkable in other countries in Gallia. But in Gunnland, men wear kilts, press freedoms are non-existent, and women lack the right to vote.

The County of Arundel is a semi-sovereign enclave in Gunnland, with its own police force, postal service, and currency. Its ruling family, banished (or "broken") from the Gunnish clan system, has long tried to establish a different kind of society in Arundel, a tiny, mountainous sliver of the country extending inward from its coastal capital, Ayr. Under a 700-year-old treaty which is complex, arcane, and the source of innumerable lawsuits at any time, the Earl of Arundel owes fealty to the King of Gunnland.

Except now there is neither a living King of Gunnland nor a living Earl of Arundel. The death of the earl three years ago put his only child, his not-yet-thirty daughter Countess Mary, in the Comital Palace that overlooks the Gothic Sea.

Young and with a reputation for favoring reform, the new Countess has called for the protection of the rights of women in the County. With her encouragement, Parliament has made major investments in healthcare, education, and poverty relief. Countess Mary has instructed the county's police force to enforce hundred-year-old laws in Arundel to prohibit its residents from wearing tartans, using genonyms, and other displays of affiliation with Gunnland's powerful clans.

The death of King Josias of Gunnland in a plane crash last year has added a new political opportunity for Arundel. With Gunnland's seven clan chiefs, or thegns, unable to compromise to elect a new king, it is unclear whether Arundel will send taxes to Windhaven. A few radical members of the Arundel Parliament even claim that, so long as there is no Gunnish monarch, Arundel reverts to being a sovereign country of its own. This week, Countess Mary rebuked "idle talk of independence" as "possibly reckless" and forgetful of the fact that "many people in the county consider themselves Gunnishmen as well as Arundalians."

The tax issue alone is serious, however. Arundel is the most prosperous region in Gunnland, and contains the kingdom's only financial center, Ayr. Estimates vary, but Arundel is believed to generate 25%-50% of the Windhaven's tax revenue. Many parliamentarians in Arundel believe that if the county sends no, or very little, of its tax revenue to Windhaven this year, they will face occupation by the Gunnish Army and the rollback of the reforms from recent years.

Gunnishmen will be watching closely when the Arundel Parliament meets next week to vote whether to send Arundel's taxes to Windhaven this year. Countess Mary and Catherine Birmingham, MT, who represents Ayr in Gunnland's paliament ("the Thing"), have been tight-lipped so far, saying only that is an internal matter for the Arundel Parliament to decide.
 
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Gunnland

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Grim Political Theater in Gunnland Execution
AP Ayr

Public executions are fairly normal in Gunnland, but this one was not. At the Midsummer quarter session on Thursday, Conor MacKeown earned a rare royal pardon. But next, Cherra, the 94-year-old Queen Dowager surprised the Court by signaling for George Fogerty to die.

Four times a year, the Thing, Gunnland's small parliament, sits in Windhaven as a traveling court of assizes. Members of parliament act as jurors for a short docket of select high-profile cases or appeals. Fifteen votes carry convictions. The king, or in this case the regency, sits as the sentencing judge.

R. v. JO MacKenzie et. al., where six Arundalian bankers appealed their usury conviction, was dismissed without being heard, 17-6.

R. v. CO MacKeown found communism is illegal in Gunnland. Though no statutes forbid communism, Justiciar Joseph MacMenna successfully argued that the Crown may punish heresies condemned by the Church. The vote was 16-7, with the newest MT, Dr. Walter Matthew, voting with the opposition minority.

In AX Elmert v. GC Fogerty, a Windhaven woolens merchant was convicted 23-0 for aggravated battery, extortion, and kidnapping. George Fogerty allegedly pressured Adelaide Elmert to accept a yearlong contract to work in his home, paid less than the agreed-upon terms of the contract, pressured her to remain in his home, and battered her on several occasions.

Elizabeth A Stoke of the Working Ladies' Association, which manages domestic contracts between young women and their employers, argues, "Many vulnerable Gunnishwomen are taken advantage of in this way. Few fight back. The WLA works for justice for these ladies, many of whom come to the capital to pursue other careers, from science to sport. Fairness must be restored to the world of domestic work to make these opportunities real."

The surprise came in the sentencing. The justiciar had pressed for a 10 year sentence, maximum. However, the queen's secretary, Fr. Gregorius Keiper, OSF, referred to the ancient Book of Gunni to show the Crown had the prerogative to consider the kidnapping charge as woman-stealing, a capital crime.

When he began to describe the gory details of a 300-year-old precedent for castration, the Queen Dowager interrupted, speaking for the only time during the trial in an apparent plea for mercy. But then she dragged a finger across her neck, signaling for the capital sentence to be imposed immediately.

Witnesses report great confusion, as it was not clear who would swing the Sword-From-Across-the-Water, which per tradition is used in the executions that immediately follow the ruling. While the Cardinal gave Mr. Fogerty the viaticum, advocates discovered that Gunn ally James Buchanan, the Earl of Uishcaster, had been selected in an apparent snub to the military commander Robert Gunn, the Duke of Clyth.

It was a powerful and unexpected signal from the Queen Dowager, who was not expected to become a decisive leader in the fractured Gunnish political scene. Increasing calls for women's rights in Gunnland have found a strange answer in the country's medieval traditions of public trial and executions, to be sure, one that is disturbing to many.
 
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Polesia

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Srbjan refugees riot over 'poor treatment'
AP Amstov

Dozens have been killed and scores injured after protests in the refugee camps on the border between [MENTION=2168]Novo Srbja[/MENTION] and Trivodnia turned violent.

The exact number of dead and wounded has yet to be confirmed by the Trivodnian military, but aid workers active in the region are reporting it could run into the hundreds. In a statement issued earlier today the Trivodnian Ministry of National Defence blamed "Srbjan provocateurs" for the bloodshed, claiming masked men and youths started hurling objects at Trivodnian personnel guarding the refugee camps.

However organisations representing Srbjan refugees claim the violence was initiated by nearby Jewish villagers, who set fire to tents in a bid to close the refugee camps. The presence of refugees has proven controversial in Trivodnia, with the Homeland Union, a Yiddish nationalist movement, demanding their immediate deportation now the Novo Srbjan civil war is over.

Since the signing of the peace agreement between the secessionist Novosad Liberation Army and Federal Srbjan government in Banja Luka, many Srbjans who fled to Trivodnia have tried to return home, but have been prevented by Trivodnian soldiers who closed the border several weeks ago, allegedly to prevent more refugees entering and stop the civil war spilling over into the Free State's territory.

Trivodnia directly borders the People's Republic of Istokgrad, a breakaway Srbjan state backed by [MENTION=83]Kadikistan[/MENTION]. Many analysts and commentators suspect Amstov is keeping border crossings shut as a way of pressuring Istokgrad into entering negotiations with the rest of Novo Srbja.

Some within the Trivodnian government believe last night's violence was instigated by Communist infiltrators from Istokgrad, though others have downplayed the idea. "We have thousands of men, women and children who are far from home, away from their families and living a miserable makeshift existence," says an officer in the Trivodnian army, "it's a miracle this hadn't happened already."
 
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