APwire ~ Affiliated Press News Agency

[Furlanìe]

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs__________________________________________
The Friulian government will follow the events and take the necessary measures to distance itself from the Wien regime if the announced executions will take effect; no man should have the power to decide when another human dies, only god.

Mandi,
Ministri dai Afârs Forests​

Bartolomèi Tombe​

_________________________________________________________​

 

[Elben]

Königreich Elben
Ministry of Foreign Affairs​

Communique 2019-03-15/01
Marked: General

The Kingdom of Elben, recalling the furor surrounding its own use of capital punishment, supports Ostmark's right as a sovereign state to use it as well, fairly under the law.

 

[Azraq]

Wasaarada Arimaha Dibada
الخارجية‎ وزارة
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The maintenance of law and order is one of the primary functions of a government and the Azraqi Empire will pass no comment on how other nation states choose to punish criminals within their realms.

 

[Rheinbund]

Aussenministerium
Trier, Eiffelland-Retalien

We thank His Imperial Majesty for his decision to show mercy and release the foreign citizens. We will cooperate completely with their deportation. Furthermore, we will take care of a better information supply to our citizens regarding the customs, traditions and taboos in the countries they visit.

Julia Leverkühn, Minister of Foreign Affairs

 

[Oneida]

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Celebración de la Convicción CXCIX | 16 March 2019
​

His Imperial Majesty Boqor Tiirka Illah
Emperor
The Empire of Azraq

Your Majesty,

The Aurarine Republic extends its gratitude to your Majesty and the Empire at large for its decision to release the imprisoned nationals of foreign countries. The Aurarine Embassy will accept the Emperor's decision to deport these individuals and bar them from Azraq. The Embassy will cooperate with Azraqi Authorities to ensure the immediate return of these individuals.

Signed,

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Rodrigo Ferreiro
Foreign Minister
--------------

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Celebración de la Convicción CXCIX | 16 March 2019
Declaración Oficial
​

Consistent with the Aurarine Declaration of Human Values in 1823, and in observance of the nation's 200th anniversary of the creation of the Republic, we will continue to condemn the use of capital punishment - especially in a form as archaic and inhumane as a hanging. The idea that those who would violate the established law of a country ought to have their life taken from them, as opposed to rehabilitated, is a barbaric notion based in brazen panic to find a quick answer as opposed to the correct one.

Criminal Justice in Auraria has been based on rehabilitation and correcting differences in socio-economic status that prevent individuals from having the same access to success as other, more fortunate, members of the community. The Aurarian Office for the Rehabilitation of Deviant Behavior has achieved significant success in rehabilitation. Representatives of that Office will always be prepared to share their findings with fellow criminal justice experts.

Signed,

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Rodrigo Ferreiro
Foreign Minister

 

[Serenierre]

Serenien election brought to standstill by Archbishop of Villesen
AP Villesen

Following the much publicized incident at the Serenien-West Occitanian border, the Archbishop of Villesen has mounted a silent protest at the border against the denial of permission to enter West Occitania as part of his campaign to make a pilgrimage across the predominantly Cathar country in honour of St. Bernard of Villemarne - who was martyred during a crusade in the middle ages.

The silent protest has seen Premier Elisabeth Martinique divert her energies away from her campaign, with the other leaders of the Party also agreeing to postpone their official activities so as to allow Commissar Lavosnier and the Premier an opportunity to adequately address the issue. Analysts believe that the suspension in the election campaign is not entirely motivated by pure intentions on part of the opposition. It is said that how the Government handles the situation would determine how the elections proceed.

Several other Catholic clerics from other countries have reached out to the Archbishop of Villesen. However, the Archbishop has remained in silent prayer, standing on the motorway with the ancient Cross of St. Bernard resting on his soldier.

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

Council of Cooperatives Frozen - Election of new Premier "Frozen"
by AP Rigustad

Since the death of Premier Jaroslavas, the Council of Cooperatives initiated deliberations on the heir to the Premier's position. Jaroslavas, renowned for his ability to unite the disparate entities composing the Northern Realms, perished last month due to a battle with cancer. Jaroslavas left behind his son who was rumored to be next in line, but the Council of Cooperatives has come to a stand still, unable to elect the junior Jaroslavas due to the arguments of the Teutonic Cooperatives and the Minority Cooperatives of the North.

Government function has been essentially shut down due to the time period between Jaroslavas' death and the lack of a leader. Although the Northern Realms functions much as a de facto oligarchy, the system has shown that the oligarchs simply do not agree on the future of the nation. The traditional factions demand their own candidate over the liberal junior Jaroslavas.

It remains to be seen whether this turmoil can be resolved.

 

[Serenierre]

Serenien Govt. expresses doubts about Aurarian policies in the Long Sea
AP Villesen

In a stunning blow to pan-Gallian cooperation, the members of the ruling Martinique Bloc within the Commissariat of People's Deputies have officially condemned the actions of the Aurarian Government and said that the approach adopted by the country in recent days has sent the world ever closer to a dangerous conflict. The pressure imposed on the Politburo by the resolution has made even Premier Elisabeth Martinique comment that "serious missteps" had been committed by the Aurarian military and government in the operation against the FNS Espoo and the subsequent handling of the entire matter by functionaries of the Aurarian government.

Premier Martinique expressed herself at the podium by stating that she viewed Gallian security of paramount importance but would also criticize irresponsible actions if undertaken by Gallian nations. "Let it not be thought that mere status as Gallian is enough to earn our support." When asked what would have been the response had the Serenien maritime fighters attacked the Pohjaaman ship, Premier Martinique smiled and stated: "Restraint is a hallmark of Serenien policy. However, it should also be clear that no one side should take advantage of that. Although, in my view, should this have occurred due to us, I believe we would have offered immediate financial compensation and attempted to de-escalate the matter."

The Serenien Military earlier today announced that on account of the tensions in the wider world it had elevated its defensive preparedness status and that patrols had been intensified. The volte-face by the Serenien Government is bound to concern Solis, which, it is believed, was until recently fairly certain of robust support from Villesen.

 

[Armorica]

Neustria Puts Units On Alert
AP Ouistreham

This morning, the Neustrian État-major des armées put the Force de frappe océanique, including the aircraft carrier Foudroyant, and the 9e brigade d'infanterie de marine on alert for possible deployment "outre-mer". The État-major said that the alert may be terminated or other units may be put on alert in the coming days as requirements change. Diplomats have been dispatched to Bourgogne for emergency talks with the rump Grand Ducal government regarding authority over the units, elements of which are not currently based on Neustrian soil.

 

[Ostmark]

OSTMARK TESTS AIR RAID SIRENS
AP Wien

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VIENNA (People's Republic of Ostmark) - Today for the first time the citizens of the People's Republic of Ostmark heard an air raid warning siren test. Siren tests for natural disasters are routine yearly events in the small south-eastern Gallo-Germanian nation, but this morning Ostmark's People's Defense added a new tone signaling an air threat.

A spokesperson for the People's Defense says that an attention alert signal — a steady one minute long whistle — informs residents to turn on a radio or television for information and instruction for an impending air raid threat, and if in a coastal area, to evacuate to the north. The new air attack warning signal — two wailing sirens — will follow the attention alert signal, and direct residents to seek immediate shelter, and to remain sheltered until an all-clear message is broadcast over radio or television.

"We believe that it is imperative that we be prepared for every disaster, that includes an attack," said a spokesperson for the People's Defense. Some elementary schools in Vienna have kept students busy working with their families to assemble small packages of family photos and comfort foods to help keep students calm in the event of an air raid during classroom hours. Ostmark plans to continue testing its emergency sirens at 10:00am every Monday.

 

[Ostmark]

OSTMARK LAUNCHES APP TO TEACH KIDS "LOYALTY TO THE PARTY" AND NATIONAL-SYNDICALIST THEORY
AP Wien

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VIENNA (Ostmark) - Kids in the the rest of Europe may be busy playing online videogames, but their Ostmarkian counterparts are getting into National-Syndicalist theory. At least that's the intention of a new app launched under the auspices of the Ministry of People's Enlightenment and Education and the Youth League of the National-Syndicalist People's Party.

According to the state-run Die Volksrepublik (The People's Republic), the new app and website is designed to help elementary and middle school-aged children "learn about new National-Syndicalist thought as part of a campaign to consolidate their belief in the party and inspire them to be reliable National-Syndicalist successors." Lessons on the platform - run by Die Volksrepublik, the official mouthpiece of the National-Syndicalist People's Party - include "I am Ostmarkian," which introduces children to the country's "united working classes living in harmony," and "Building a well-off society."
Another lesson explains how "Grandpa Horst led us into the new era of joy," replete with illustrations of People's Chancellor Horst Grasser alongside smiling children.

Die Volksrepublik said the app was launched as part of a campaign by the Ministry of People's Enlightement and Education to "allow students to better understand Ostmarkian National-Syndicalism in the new era through reading Horst Grasser Thought on National-Syndicalism for a New Era of Joy and classics People's Chancellor Grasser has quoted in his speeches."

The app has shot up the app store charts, as all 4.9 million National-Syndicalist People's Party members have been ordered to download it. In a notice issued to party members in Wien, promotion of the app was described as a mandatory "ideological task" for cadres around the country. Users can earn scores by reading articles about Horst Grasser and watching videos, something which has led many to attempt to hack the process, assuming that a high score could be beneficial down the line.

According to experts on Ostmarkian propaganda, the app is part of a new approach designed to ensure that the party's message was getting through in the smartphone age. Once engagement with the app is enforced by administrative demands that it be installed and used, something that is already happening, the messages of the party become inescapable. Gone are the days when you can simply ignore that stack of party newspapers in the corner of the office, or switch off the party's nightly newcast.

The new app for kids build on a burgeoning cult of personality around Horst Grasser, which has seen him raised to a prominence and level of power no Ostmarkian leader has held since the end of the monarchy in 1959. While at times state media has appeared to wish to roll back this propaganda push - dropping the use of Weiser Fuhrer, a nickname for the People's Chancellor, meaning "Wise Leader" - it has ramped back up in recent weeks, as Ostmark prepares to mark the first anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic later in October this year.

 

[Armorica]

Tensions Along Neustrian-Bourgognian Border
AP Ouistreham

Yesterday, one Neustrian gendarme was injured in a scuffle with a Twentish Catholic man in the village of Montpellier along the Neustrian-Borgognian border. Witnesses report that the Twentish Catholic man was attempting to cross the border into Bourgogne to visit the village's Twentish Catholic church, only ten meters away. The man was challenged by the gendarme and the situation escalated from there. The gendarme has already been released from the hospital and has been praised by his superiors for his restraint in the confrontation. The Twentish Catholic man has been issued a "Yellow Card" that will remain on his record for six-months.

The confrontation draws attention to the border between Neustria and Bourgogne that has been redrawn by policy makers in Ouistreham and Chagne, separating familys and forming new ad hoc communities, without local input.

 

[Oneida]

First Minority Government in 40 Years
AP Solis

In what can only be described as a crushing defeat for the governing Coalition for Change, the National Federation of Labor (Federación Nacional del Trabajo, FNT) has announced that it will be leaving the Coalition. The announcement comes amid intense infighting between the Coalition largely in the wake of the Long Sea Crisis.

The FNT has come under criticism as of late due to its lackluster support for the Coalition’s overarching domestic agenda, whereas the FNT has been highly critical of the Consul Varela’s rubber stamping of President Sanabria’s foreign policy. The FNT has criticized President Sanabria’s outspoken belligerence in the Long Sea while also enacting trade deals that Leader Domínguez has described as “problematic for the Aurarian Worker.”

“The Federation has only ever had one ally – the Worker,” Leader Domínguez stated “The Federation has watched while the Coalition for Change focused on expanding its military prowess, engaging in dangerous trade deals to the benefit of corporate elites, all the while doing nothing to improve the quality of life for workers. Now, they seek to blame the Federation for their gaff in the Long Sea and the fracture with Serenierre. As of today, they govern in the minority.”

The departure of the FNT means that the Coalition for Change now only maintains 44% of the seats in the National Court. This is the first time in over forty years that a government has had the minority – and it almost guarantees that a vote of no confidence will be held. In Auraria, only 51% of the Court is needed to force the government to resign. With the current makeup of the Court, it seems extremely unlikely that a new government will be formed. Therefore, it would appear that the country is facing a snap election.

President Sanabria has the ability to dissolve the Court, preventing them from voting on a no confidence motion, but such an action will spark an election that it does not seem apparent that Sanabria can win. Losing control of the Court would be a devastating blow to a President who has enjoyed a significant amount of political power since taking office in 2017.

“It is unfortunate that the FNT has made this decision,” the Consul’s Office issued in a statement “but the Coalition for Change is committed to ensuring the proper governance of the Aurarian Republic and will continue in our promise of a prosperous future.”

“The Aurarian People should be given the opportunity to determine their future,” Opposition Leader Ibarra’s Office stated “The Coalition has failed to enact its promise and shouldn’t be permitted to continue to lie to the Aurarian people.”

Now, all eyes are on the Opposition’s likely motion of no confidence and whether or not President Sanabria will dissolve the Court to prevent the vote.

 

[Serenierre]

Commissariat of External Relations
We are monitoring events in Auraria. We assure all parties that Serenierre remains committed to its partnership with the Republic of Auraria. It is hoped that the current political difficulties may be resolved to the benefit of the Aurarian people.

 

[Polesia]

Opinion: Kadikistan's secret defeat
AP International

As the Trivodnian government begged the Kadikistani military not to turn the capital Amstov into rubble, there seemed to be only one winner from the Seven Day War: Ivar. Yet as the Long Sea plunges into crisis again, Himyar now in the midst of mini-conflicts and political turmoil gripping Westernesse, Kadikistan has never seemed so irrelevant to the world order.

Continued support for the ever unstable Crotobaltislavonia and occupying Trivodnia had taken its toll on the Communist superpower. The vast nation's formidable armed forces are crucial to maintaining internal stability, and with thousands of Kadikistani troops deployed abroad, violence is flaring up at the periphery.

Remote tribal regions, angry with corruption, poverty and Slavian domination, are now in a state of low-level insurgency. Kadikistan's fractious clan politics - a legacy of the country's Kaduyghar history - has also reared its ugly head, while ideological wounds between reformists and hardliners have reopened, paralysing decision-making in Ivar. "Not since the late '50s has Kadikistan been so consumed by internal politics," says one seasoned analyst.

The Seven Day War, which saw the Trier Concord cowed, Burgundy disintegrated, the Council of the North sidelined and above all, Trivodnia partitioned and Kadikistan given direct access to the Polesian Sea, should've given Ivar a solid platform for a far more prominent role in world affairs.

The military might of the Rurikgrad Pact had been proven, and now the so called Red Tsardom had far greater reach into Gallo-Germania than any previous Kadikistani empire. Yet internal troubles mean the world's largest nation by landmass seems barely a regional power let alone a global one.

Crotobaltislavonia lurches from one crisis to another, with both the Kingdom of Gunnland and Grand Duchy of Lars using the chaos to make inroads into the troubled landlocked country, taking advantage of Kadikistan's growing indifference. "There's a feeling that Ivar understands Crotobaltislavonia will never be more than a troublesome basket case," suggests a Gunnish diplomat.

Meanwhile the puppet regime in Polesia - the Jewish rump state carved out of Trivodnia - practices policies Kadikistan abandoned in the 1950s, implementing a total command-and-control economy and ruthlessly cracking down on "Zionists", a catch all term for dissidents.

The lack of control over Crotobaltislavonia and former Trivodnia suggests the Seven Day War was only a pyrrhic victory for Kadikistan, claims the Middle West Research Institute in Elben. "Kadikistan may have overreached," warns a briefing from the think tank.

If Kadikistan's internal troubles continue, it may be forced to withdraw from both altogether the paper continues, creating a power vacuum in the historically fractious Three Seas region - and recipe for another conflict.

The author of this article, a well known foreign affairs commentator, has asked to remain anonymous to protect their identity and family's security

 

[Great Engellex]

ETCOS Security Status Issued in Response to Loago
AP International

The Affiliated Press had just learned moments ago that a OO-1 security status has been issued for the Western and Northern Belts in the Ottalina Sovereignty, closing all transport links with Eastern Himyar and placing the territory into a Phase One military condition.

Journalists in Damara and Jacturus have also broadcast unconfirmed reports that detachments of Sovereignty Tactical Response for Intercepting unKind Emergencies (STRIKE) forces have seen their movements greatly increased, along with activity from the Engellexian Republic Navy in those two cities.

In an unprecedented move, the Republic Naval Council has ordered Carrier Strike Group Two and Carrier Strike Group Six to the Ottalina Sovereignty. Both ERN Typhoon's Eye (CSG-2) and ERN Eurybia's Revenge (CSG-6) have been operating in the North Thaumantic Ocean with respect to Republic Navy ongoing military operations within the Andraca Sovereignty, formerly the Borovangian territory of Al-Kez.

It is understood that the vast majority of the territory's population, over four million people, live within the two largest districts, District Damara and District Jacturus, with reports indicating that the ETC and the ERN are taking precautionary measures for any escalation of the Loago conflicts.

Further details of Republic Navy operations in the Ottalina Sovereignty have remained uncomfirmed, with both the Republic Naval Council and the Engellexic Thaumantic Company offering no public information on the reasoning for military movements.

 

[Serenierre]

Simmering trouble on the horizon as Cathar insurgents clash with Friulian military
AP Lions

It is no secret that the Protectorate of Occitania owes much of its existence to the patronage of the Serenien state. However, the matter of security remains firmly within the jurisdiction of the Serenien expeditionary force, namely the IX Corps. But since the establishment of the Protectorate in West Occitania, the disbanding of all Occitan Militar units in West Occitania has seen the mountain ranges called "the God's Range" become a hotbed of crime, Occitan nationalism, and Cathar extremism, a deadly combination, which poses a great risk to the region.

The heavily forested and mountainous frontier lands between Friuli and West Occitania have attracted disgruntled Occitanian civilians, radicalised and disenfranchised members of the disbanded Occitan Militar, and Cathar extremists escaping Serenien intelligence agencies and authorities for their anti-Protectoral statements. The secularism espoused in the Basic Law of 2018 for the Protectorate, as well as the increasing presence of Serenien Catholic missionaries and the Pilgrimage of St. Bernard by the Archbishop of Villesen has fuelled the Cathar extremists, all of whom have abandoned the urban areas and headed north into the mountains. This lawless area within the Protectorate is emerging as a serious concern for Protectoral authorities in Lions.

Serenien authorities continue to state that the insurgency is utilizing the bunkers and defense infrastructure left behind by the retreating forces of the Kingdom of Occitania and is financed by "foreign forces". However, it remains to be seen whether this matter will be exploited fully by foreign powers or not or whether local resentments alone will fuel the developments in the Occitanian mountains.

 

[Azraq]

Azraqi Emperor to visit families of killed protestors
AP Jugol

The Emperor of Azraq is to visit the relatives of demonstrators shot dead during protests in the city of Dhihaa, Affiliated Press understands, as he looks to calm rising ethnic and political tensions in the Himyari country.

At least 13 are thought to have been killed by the Imperial Gendarmerie in Dhihaa, capital of the ethnic Shamo region, who claim they were responding to rocks and other missiles being hurled at them. A further 24 are in hospital.

Initial reports suggested the deceased may be Loagan or Stanleyan refugees but this was soon denied.

Rallies have been taking place across Azraq ever since Emperor Tiirka Illah suspended parliament citing global instability and domestic political gridlock. Protests have been focused in Shamo majority areas as the two governing parties at the time - the Justice Party and Movement for the Poor and Dispossessed - enjoy considerable Shamo support electorally, as does their former ally the Shamo People's Liberation Front.

However there have been marches elsewhere except the Imperial capital Jugol where political demonstrations of any kind are banned.

The Azraqi Emperor has promised to call a general election and restore democratic rule once the war in Loago is over.

 

[Ostmark]

THREE OSTMARKIAN DRUG DEALERS SENTENCED TO DEATH INFRONT OF 4000 PEOPLE
AP Wien

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LUDWIGSTADT AM SEE (People's Republic of Ostmark) - Five men accused of selling drugs were condemned to death during a public trial held in front of 4000 people in the People's Republic of Ostmark. Immediately following the trial, which occurred yesterday in the town of Ludwigstadt am See, in the north-eastern part of the country, three of the condemned were executed, reports Die Volksrepublik.

Five people were on trial in the public spectacle which was conducted by Wien's People's Court. The proceedings, were witnessed by some 4000 people. Two were handed down suspended sentences. The remaining three were sentenced to death and they were immediately removed from the public square post trial and taken to be executed, according to local reports. This is the first time the Ostmarkian judiciary have conducted a public trial to showcase the regime's hard line on drug crimes.

 

[Azraq]

Wasaarada Arimaha Dibada
الخارجية‎ وزارة
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

While the Empire of Azraq permits the use of certain relaxants and natural stimulants we respect the right of all nations to dictate their own laws and as such will pass no comment on the public execution of supposed drug dealers in Ostmark.