APwire ~ Affiliated Press News Agency

[Clarenthia]

Fujairah
AP Tetri Tsqaro

Today, the Province of Suchumi declares “the Rebirth of Fujairah.” Fujairah was the unofficial name of the Uroduan tribes that Akhaltsikhe secured control over. The announcement was made as an official declaration of Independence from Akhaltsikhe; it was made by Ahmad Fakhri. Here are his exact words:

”For the last fifty years, the Uroduan Majority of this nation, which makes up 80% of the total population, has been excluded from Government and separated from the same rights and privileges of the Georgian population. We’ve tried peaceful negotiations. They were responded in the military coming to the former province of Suchumi to exact their unjust ways of life. We’ve had enough and as of now, we know longer consider ourselves apart of Akhaltsikhe, we no longer consider Suchumi to exist. As of today, July 1, 2010, Fujairah exists as an independent, Uroduan Nation, free from the oppression of Akhaltsikhe.”

The declaration of Independence came as a shock to the entire nation. The other Uroduan Provinces haven’t followed insuit and one even stated “I have my doubts this will last long, I don’t want to bring my people into this bloodshed.”

The Akhaltsikhi Flag was pulled down over the now Fujairah Capitol Building and an older flag was raised that used to represent the Fujairahi Tribes.

The new flag:

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[Thaumantica]

Railway Hostage Crisis
AP Sjadnbrdo

Armed Militiamen from the Živo periphery village of Linişte have taken Preria Central Distribution Facility, a lucrative hub for Pan-Sarmatian trade, hostage at gun point today at 1300 Centrjzieman Standard Time. Railway workers across the nation of Životinje have called for a stoppage until the situation has been pacified by Union Civil Police, citing that their personal security is at risk.

Administrative Union Officials from Sindikat Maresal Dionis Huszar's personal advisory panel are said to be in a state of panic, as reported by officials within his inner circle. Labor movements are in a state of flux this weekend, as the Free City of Karpatica recovers from violent protests and labor strikes on Monday.

Popa & Saliyev, a private-owned corporation that owns almost fifty percent of the nations railways has remained quite thus far. Meaning that Public Relations representatives from P&S have yet to make a statement, even as a reported seventy percent of their entire operation in Životinje has been locked down.

This Friday's hostage crisis made little to no ripple on the already fledgling market in Životinje, though market-analysts shout that an impending calamity awaits this coming Mondays opening. Instability in Greater Sarmatia, total breakdown in Barazi, and an uninvolved Oltremare each cast serious doubts for the Centrjzieman Economy.

In a statement early this evening the Progresişti, an active faction in recent riots, said it would stage a civilian armed take over if the governments Civil Police do not do something by midnight, by using its own militia. Additionally, they have called for for further strikes by movement and transport workers in the trucking field.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Partial Mobilization of Carentanian Forces
AP Rijeka

According to sources in Carentanias southernmost city of Sisak, the Revolutionary Army has raised the alert level for a part of its soldiers stationed along the border to Akhaltsikhe. A considerable portion of the troops has been called in and is currently stationed at military bases permanently. While this partial mobilization involves only a fraction of Carentanias southern army group, the move is nevertheless seen as worrying. Regional tensions run high since Akhaltsikhe has plunged into civil war and Carentanias southern army group is the strongest of all Revolutionary Army forces.

The mobilization raises suspicions that Carentania may seek to reconquer the Vrbas Kraj while Akhaltsikhe is weakened by internal strife. This province in the north-west of Akhaltsikhe had been a part of Carentania until the war of 1927, when Talemantros annexed the Vrbas Kraj, only to lose it to the growing Akhaltsikhe in the next decade. Carentania has, throughout its past, maintained that the peace treaty of 1927 was illegitimate, due to its forceful and anti-democratic nature.

However, the Commissariate for Defence in Rijeka rejected such claims, stating that Carentania does not intend to regain the Vrbas Kraj by the same unethical and coercive measure with which it was once taken from the Workers' Republic. "Carentania stands for compromise and cooperation in Himyar," the Commissar said and furthermore commented that Carentania was seeking dialogue with several regional and Akhaltsikher factions to develope a quick solution to end the violent oppression of the Urudoan people in central Himyar.

Asked about the partial mobilization of southern forces, the Commissar could only state that "there has been an increase in operations along the borders, to ensure the safety and stability of Carentania against an increasingly instable country." Any motives beyond border security have been denied.

 

[Clarenthia]

Akhaltsikhe’s Rebellion
AP Akhaltsikhe

In Akhaltsikhe’s Rebellion, there are three confirmed participants, The “Dissenters”, The Georgian Government, and The Free Uroduan Movement. The Georgian Government has had control over the nation for the last one hundred years, however, in 1959, Levan Gotua took power and he introduced a policy of Apartheid, which has existed ever since. The Dissenters were established in the 1870s as a way to protect the Muslim Religion. In the 1910s, it included protecting Christianity, then in the 1960s, it switched to advancing the Uroduans.

Little is known of the FUM. We do know that the group believes that waiting for change is pointless and they’d rather fight for the freedom of the Uroduans. We know that the FUM is headed or partly headed by Faraj Khayrat, who has been a key protester in Tetri Tsqaro and is now commanding the battle for the city. The Dissenters believe in more of an integration of the two races as the FUM believes in an Uroduan dominated nation.

The Rebellion started when Ahmad Fakhri, leader of the Dissenters, officially declared the province of Suchumi free and renamed it to Fujairah, calling for the rebirth of the Jurzan. After a brutal battle at Tel Keppe, the Georgian Government bombed the city, nearly destroying it. Since then, the rebels have been suffering defeats repeatedly.

Response from other Himyari Nations have all been similar. The Talemantine Empire and Carentania have taken the greatest effort, but recently Hajr called for all of Himyar to address the situation, there have been calls for the Council of Nations to act.

Sources from inside Akhaltsikhe say that the rebels are angered that the world is sitting and using words to combat the Georgian Government and one even said “the Council of Nations is a joke anymore, not joining it was one of the few good decisions the Government made.” He continued to say “They are more concerned about who goes on the Security Council than actually securing world peace.”

What has this war done to the nation’s economy? Recently, the economy plunged to a very low level. Businesses are retreating from the South, which is a large mining sector of the nation. The Government is inspecting mines for rebels, which is slowing down production immensely, costing companies more money. The nation’s poverty rating increased nearly 2% and the unemployment rate is continuing to steadily rise. All that can be said is things are getting worse in Akhaltsikhe, quickly getting worse.

One question that was never answered was how the post-war Government would operate. Believe it or not, the Meritocracy is not an unpopular form of Government, however, a request for Democracy is increasing rapidly. Ahmad Fakhri’s popularity is falling because no one quite knows where he is. Faraj Khayrat and Governor Shakil Isma’il’s popularity is quickly rising.

All in all, we don’t know what we’ll see from Akhaltsikhe’s Rebellion, but we do know that it’ll be over soon, and it’ll need to be absolute power for either the Uroduans or the Georgian Government.

 

[Wazistan]

Wazi President, Cabinet clash over University appointments
AP Ijad

Tension are escalating between the Wazi president and the the country's education minister over the power to appoint the chancellors of the country's 78 state universities, prompting the chairman of the parliamentary education committee to send a letter to Prime Minister Mehmet Karayalçın asking him to intervene. The crisis erupted after President Jamal Bishara refused to sign off on Education Minister Said Rahbani's appointment of Yasser al-Shaghouri as chancellor of the University of Damascus, one of the country's most prestigious institutions and a center of Islamic learning in the region.

In a letter to the Education Ministry, Bishara defended his decision to reject Shaghouri, saying he had failed to adequately explaining his decision to force women to wear the hijab when on campus even after a lower court ruled the order violated the constitution's human rights charter.

Rahbani, a member of Karayalçın's Tanzim party, called the president's decision "void of facts" and said his appointment "would stand." The Education Ministry's legal adviser Hafez Maghout later wrote in a memo to the Justice Ministry justifying the appointment, saying federal law explicitly gives the education minister power to appoint university chancellors, while the president is only required to formally sign off on the orders and does not have a veto over them.

A legal adviser to the presidency disputed Maghout's finding and said it was not up to the government to interpret federal law.

The clashes between Bishara and Shaghouri has effectively frozen the appointment process, leaving more than 20 state universities leaderless at a time when the Cabinet is expected to push forward a massive overhaul of the country's university system.

In a letter to Karayalçın, Akkar MP Alzena Chamoun, who chairs the House of Representative's education committee, warned that the term of seven other university chancellors were set to expire by the end of the summer and that a failure to resolve the dispute between the president and Shaghouri by then will send the system into completel disarray.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Southport insiders worried over continuing EDF-Tyskreich tensions
AP Southport-on-Sea

Pundits and anonymous political insiders in the Cornavian capital of Southport-on-Sea worry over the continuing tensions between the European Defense Federation and the nation of Tyskreich. Tyskreich, a founding member of the so-called Hertha Accord purporting itself as an alliance intended to rival the EDF's current hegemony among Europe's democratic countries, has vocally challenged the EDF during the recent months.

This comes at a time when Cornavia's Cabinet Chancellor Joanne Wainwright has announced her controversial plan to increase the internal involvement of the Cornavian government, with initial steps to join the Council of Nations and the recently established Northern Council having been followed by what some analysts consider as steps to approach democratic governments including the European Defense Federation.

"The antagonism between Tyskreich and the EDF could present a challenge to the Wainwright cabinet", says one official speaking anonymously out of Claridge House or the Cornavian Ministry of External Affairs. "Wainwright's interested in developing ties with the EDF, as the pre-eminent group of democracies, but at the same time she doesn't want or at least can't antagonize the government in Christiania. On the other hand, Wainwright thinks that countries like Frescania in the Hertha Accord are too far to have Cornavia's and Scania's interests in mind."

Cabinet Chancellor Wainwright is presently conducting a meeting with her Franconian equivalent in the Franconian capital of Nürnberg.

 

[Wazistan]

Opposition parties seek new ways to challenge governing bloc
AP Ijad

As the Wazi government prepares to celebrate six months since Prime Minister Mehmet Karayalçın's rise to power, opposition forces in parliament have begun a series of workshops around the country seeking to draw attention to the government missteps after a lackluster first half. With control just over a third of seats in the powerful House of Representatives, opposition parties say they have found themselves largely shutout of the legislative process, accusing the Tanzim-led majority of muscling through legislation without debate and shielding government officials from questioning.

"It hasn't been a easy six months," declared one lawmaker from the Pashtun National Congress.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition party at 41 seats, has spearheaded the new campaign, saying the Tanzim-led government was "subverting" Wazistan's traditional Islamic and national society to cater to the West. Opposition leader Ismail al-Rahman Farouk says the workshops, many in the form of loya jirga meetings at local village centers, would reinvigorate opposition parties and said MPs would push to hold the government more accountable when parliament holds its next major session.

The CN Mission in Wazistan has expressed support for the opposition campaign, though officials were quick to point out the body supported all efforts in Wazistan to promote democracy. However, that has not stopped a senior Tanzim official from accusing the CN interfering in the country's political affairs and urging the Foreign Ministry to investigate the mission's actions.

 

[Clarenthia]

News from the Jurzan

Today, we have an interview with an anonymous man who worked for Tsintsadze’s council. Although he requested that many things be withheld, he did permit us to release the following information.

The informant said that there has been much debate over whether or not the Talemantine Empire’s invasion resulted in the attack on Carentania or if the attack on Carentania resulted in the Talemantine Invasion.

The informant revealed that Tsintsadze ordered troops to the Senaki area for a plan that was a last resort. The informant said that he cannot say for sure what that plan was, but he is convinced it was the attack on Carentania. He went on to say that the attack was planned long before the Talemantine Invasion. He then went on to say that the attack was ordered before the Talemantine Invasion, but wasn’t actually executed until Khovera arrived in Senaki. The planes bombed Sistak after the Talemantine Invasion was revealed to the world.

When asked if the attack had any relationship to the Talemantine Invasion, the informant said “it is my opinion that Talemantros waited until Akhaltsikhe’s forces were distracted, then launched their invasion, regardless, they had their invasion planned for a very, very long time, perhaps before the plan to attack Carentania was laid down.”

The debate will rage on and the informant’s information may be false, we don’t know, but its all we have.

In lighter news, we have great news from the Constitutional Convention in Tel Afar. President Isma’il’s submitted constitution was widely accepted by the convention, and was thus ratified into law. Using his powers as Executor, Isma’il officially signed the “Reunification Bill of 2010” which made Akhaltsikhe a part of the Jurzan and officially established the Confederation of the Jurzan.

President Isma’il released a statement saying

“All the required paper work is finished, in our minds, Akhaltsikhe no longer exists and now the Jurzani Confederation stands. However, we still have to root out and destroy the remnants of the Meritocracy. We have spies even working to discover the location of Tsintsadze.

On another note, we are requesting that the Talemantine and Fulani Nations leave the Jurzan immediately. We view this not as liberation, but as an attempt to take back resources and lost territory, we will fight if necessary, but our ultimate goal is peace. It appears that the Empire won’t accept peace.”

Isma’il was named the President of the Jurzani Congress until an election can be held to proclaim a President properly.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Commissariate for Foreign Affairs

We cherish the news of the end of the Meritocracy and welcome our friends and partners of the Jurzani Confederation. Our forces will fully cooperate with Jurzan to root out the remnants of the old regime and help with a smooth transition to power. If Jurzan is willing, we would like to dispatch officers to establish a permanent contact for the coordination of our strategies in fighting the loyalists of the old racist Tsintsadze.

Of course, we recognize the Jurzani Confederation as legitimate government of the territories formerly owned by Akhaltsikhe and hope that peace, stability and freedom can soon blossom in this young state.

 

[Taley]

Secretariat of State

We do not recognize this supposedly government.

 

[Clarenthia]

TO: Secretariat of State, Talemantine Empire
FROM: Jurzani Congress
SUBJ: Recognition
MESSAGE:

It sickens us that the Talemantine Empire wishes to take advantage of a people in need. For the longest time, the Jurzan lay under the Government of the Meritocracy. Where a minority held onto political power and committed genocide multiple times, but the reason Talemantros failed to do anything was because they cowardly sit and wait for instability.

Now, people have stood up and died for their freedom, finally achieving the nation that should have been achieved a century ago, the Jurzan is now governed by the majority in a fair and democratic government, but Talemantros lacks any sensibility towards this, all they’re word about is the domination of Akhaltsikhe’s oil fields.

Too many Jurzani people have died for this, too many have sacrificed everything they had, Talemantros will fail in their imperialistic campaign, we will not let our country fail, we demand that Talemantros come to the few senses it has and withdraws from this act of imperialism and aggression.

Signed,
The Jurzani Congress
Confederation of the Jurzan

 

[Serenierre]

Foreign Office

The Talemantric government doesn't recognize the Jurzani government for the sole reason that it is an independent and sovereign government and against the Talemantine policy of installing a puppet regime in that country.

 

[Fulanistan]

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The Confederation of the Jurzan is a rogue successor state and will not be recognized by the Federal Republic of Fulanistan despite the move away from Meritocracy.

 

[Hesperia]

Diwan of Foreign Affairs

The Sultanate will recognize the Confederation of the Jurzan as the legitimate government of our brother nation, and as the legal successor to the territory so long occupied by the illegal apartheid regime which attempted to rename the land to "Akhaltsikhe." We will guarantee the Confederation's independence and strongly discourage any infringements upon the country's rightful borders.

We strongly condemn any invaders, the presence among whom of Fulanistan saddens us greatly. We regard this as a betrayal of the ideal of All Uroduah.

 

[Frescania]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

We strongly condemn the unilateral invasion of Jurzan by the Empire of Talemantros and Fulanistan. Our sources have similar evidence like those from Hajr and Belmont.

We demand the full withdraw from Jurzan by Talemantros and its ally before the situation continues to deteriorate.

 

[Touzen]

Imperial Ministry of War and Foreign Affairs

The Empire of Greater Oikawa continues to monitor the situation in the Himyar region with keen interest and stresses its genuine interest in the ongoing stability in Akhaltsikhe. As such we feel that operations that are being conducted right now that have the stability and security of the neighboring nations in mind ought to continue as to provide a save international environment and security for the people of Himyar in general.

 

[Wazistan]

Wazistan's CN Envoy: Ethnic militias poses biggest obstacle to stability
AP Ijad

The CN special envoy to Wazistan warned Tuesday that the government's failures to disarm ethnic militias posed one of the biggest obstacle to stability in the north Himyarite nation, well-informed sources have Speaking to a gathering of government bureaucrats and diplomats at a closed-door summit in Rawabi, Timothy McKeldin reportedly accused members of the ruling coalition of turning a blind-eye to militant groups with ties to either senior officials or their supporters, even while many of these are suspected of having ties with the country's drug trade and organized crime.

"He was very adamant that the Council wants to see action taken," said one official who was in the room.

McKeldin said the militias often act as proxy paramilitary forces outside the control of the authorities and undermine the the country's fledgling judiciary. Law enforcement officials have privately complain to international diplomats of pressure from leading officials within the Justice Ministry to drop cases against militants with ties to either a national official or their supporters, though this has been strongly denied by the government.

President Jamal Bishara has made known his opposition to such groups and have demanded they be disbanded. Leading figures within the military establishment have also reportedly expressed concern over the firepower of several groups, including the Kurdish National Army and a Pashtun-dominated faction operating in the country's mountainous regions.

Despite the harsh criticism, CN officials have privately acknowledged it would be difficult for Prime Minister Mehmet Karayalçın to disarm the forces without sparking a major crisis within his coalition. The Kurdish bloc has repeatedly said it would immediately withdraw from all federal institutions if any attempts are made to disarm its forces.

 

[Thaumantica]

OSL: Setbacks and progress in Barazi
AP Sjadnbrdo

The commander of Combined Centrjzieman Coalition forces in Barazi, Union Army Commander Koppány 'Kop' Pawłowski, is in Sjadnbrdo as the Administrative Union of the Huszar military complex hosts a conference about the growth and development of Operation Steadfast Liberty, or the War in Barazi.

Commander Pawłowski states that the Blue Union is enforcing qualities of security previously promised by Maresal Huszar going in to the Mission, and has met several benchmarks set for the Government of the Transitional Republic of Independent Barazi. Pawłowski says Coalition and thus Union troop mission will reflect the accomplishment of these milestones by focusing on training and joint security operations with local national police and security forces.

"What I think is most important, with everyones interests in mind, will be the positive effects of restored railways leading to the Ocean, and our aggressive dismantling of protectionist trade restrictions imposed by the Milliyetci Regime. Trade is going to be restored in the Air and at Sea, opening opportunities to Union Entrepreneurs never before had, and the Barazi Navy will hereby restore port security in a potentially dangerous time in European trade" he said.

Pawłowski pointed out that the majority of Coalition forces are embedded inside of Barazi security forces as training and advisory aids. Temporary Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) have recently been completed, or augmented, as attachments to existing Barazi Military Installations or abandoned Milliyetci Political Headquarters in and around cities across Barazi. To date, only four long-term installations have been prospected by Životinje. 'Fort Huszar' in Central Barazi, is the largest of potential projects, that Pawłowski claims would "funnel millions in to local construction companies to create a joint Air Force and Army installation for the Combined International Forces of Barazi, Sarmatia, and Životinje.

In the political arena, Barazi "displays a clear timidity to change" Commander Pawłowski says. No political group has yet emerged as a favorite, and the stigma of Milliyetci looms over potential powers who are concerned that they may "look like the old boss, with the name of a new boss".

"It is important to us and Barazi that we make Democratic progressions as fast as we make Military advances. Security must walk hand in hand with liberty in this new Independent Barazi. This means we have to keep promises, meet the standards we have subjected upon them," Pawłowski said in Sjadnbrdo. "Baroturks respond to us when they view their leaders actually reforming after we pay local leaders a visit, and that is precisely why we are here, to see everyday citizens getting involved in their own communities."

Commander Pawłowski said the national level political achievements have yet to trickle to provincial or township levels, and that this is his chief concern going in to August. Cities were historically the seats of Milliyetci control and popularity, but extremist remnants of the old regime are said to be rising in support along the outskirt villages and hamlets. "Outreach, support, and advisory to the grassroots will win us this war, harsh military occupation strategies will not; that's just not the way the Blue Union wants to conduct itself in Barazi".

 

[Taley]

General Somayli Named Supreme Allied Commander
AP Talemaniki

Today General Asdrubale Somayli of the Talemantine Imperial Army was officially named the Supreme Allied Commander of the coalition forces. This appointment comes as the Council of Nations Security Council moves the validate the HFA intervention in Akhaltsikhe. General Somayli gave a press conference at the Army base in Sondrio of the Tuscanii Thema.

"My appointment from the commander of Talemantine operations to the commander of the coalition is a honored position. However, war tends to be less honorable. In a few days the CoN Security Council will pass a resolution that validates our actions and our continued actions. I do with to state that at this time there has not been any Talemantine move into Akhaltsikhe. We have been undergoing strategic strike carried out by our airforces against strategic targets inside Akhaltsikhe to end the military capabilities of the regime.

I wish to also state the official position of the coalition and to clear up speculation. Our goals remain those laid out by Secretary of State Carmine Gavallo. Concerning the recognition of governments the Talemantine Empire only recognizes the government of late Executor Konstantine Abkhaz as the last legitimate government. While we disagreed with many policies of the Meritocracy they were still the legitimate government of the nation. It was this government that was eradicated by a coup by Sulkhan Tsintsadze which then fell to a coup by the group now calling themselves the government of the Jurzan Confederation. As it stands the Talemantine Empire along with coalition allies does not the government of Tsintsadze nor the Jurzani Confederation. Akhaltsikhe is a state without any governance and this is the view that will soon be adopted by the CoN Security Council.

Furthermore, no and I mean no coalition forces will fire upon the forces of Carentania for any reason unless they are fired upon by Carentania. Once the Security Council resolution passes the Carentanian forces will be asked to vacate the area and return home to their country. Failure to do so will result in violation of a Security Council resolution and all the consequences that ensues."

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Commissariate for Foreign Affairs

We remind the Talemantines that their allies from Fulanistan have already issued a de facto declaration of war on our country. Furthermore, Carentania will not recognize a resolution from the Security Council which supports imperialism. Talemantine forces are to withdraw from Jurzani territory at once and cease all further operations in the area.