Fränkischer Rundfunk Europa

[Großlausitz]

FRÄNKISCHER RUNDFUNK EUROPA
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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of March 5​

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News in brief

Franken’s Germanic League partner, the Kingdom of Danmark, has been pushing hard and diligently to open new trade opportunities in the east in the past few months. Their targets include heavyweights such as Touzen and Kiev. The Franconian Minister for Economic Affairs applauded her Danish colleagues: “As soon as these markets are open to foreign products of a certain region, there’s a good chance they will demand quantities far beyond what Danmark’s domestic producers can supply. Our Danish friends are the perfect vanguard, since their relationship with Touzen and Kiev is a far less plagued by history.” Experts with the Fränkische Industriebund – Franconian Industry Confederation estimate a sizeable growth potential in Kievan and Touzen markets provided there will not be any large political frictions.

To reduce the risk and potential of any political crises in Germania, the secretary for culture and education of Franken’s largest duchy, Oberbamberg, put forward a proposal that made the headlines all over Franken. “To help the youth of Germania to get to know each other it would be a splendid idea to hold a Germanic youth cultural festival. It could be developed and organised by kids for kids. That way we can ensure none of the Germanic League’s countries’ youths fall prey to vicious national chauvinism,” Secretary Ida Wolkenkuckuck (SDP) explained. Ministerpresident Graf Solms, whose national government would have to foot part of the bill, promised to mull over the proposition and consult the other national governments. In Franken’s constitution culture and education is specifically delegated to the duchy governments.

According to a spokesman for the Franconian Germanic League mission the decision on the winner of the pipelines expansion bidding will be announced come end of this week. “There are only a few details left to be ironed out.”
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[Großlausitz]

FRÄNKISCHER RUNDFUNK EUROPA
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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of March 12​

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News in brief

Yesterday saw the annual inauguration of the stout beer period called Pankratius Starkbierprobe, which is held in the Pankratius Hall of the Pankratius brewery in Nürnberg's city centre. While there are several stout beer feasts at the beginning of lent, the Pankratius Starkbierprobe is the most famous one. Much like carnival's meetings and congresses it has been a venue to make fun of the rich and powerful - Derbleckn. Usually a comedian dressed as a monk - Pankratius brewery is named after a former monastery - will give a humorously chastising sermon to the assembled political and social elite of Franken. Afterwards there's the similarly popular musical, where singing doppelgangers satirise the last year's political events. Despite the mockery they have to endure any politician is proud to be invited to take one of the limited places in front of the stage. Even the King or his son, the Prince Regent have to stomach the ridicule aftery they have been handed the first jug of stout by the Prankratius brewery managing director with the ancient words: "Salve pater patriae! Bibas, princeps optime!" Aren't those princes the best, who can take an honest word without beheading the messenger?

This month the Commonwealth Basketball League of Cantignia will pay a visit to Franken: On March 14 fans of the game will be able to watch The First Haven Saints vs The Carolburg Voyagers in the FNO Arena in Würzburg. A spokesman for the Franconian basketball association told FR Europa they were elated about the opportunity to show the public how great a sport their beloved basketball was. Relative to football basketball still plays a secondary role in national sports in the kingdom.


In the wake of a documentary series on the history of Kievan Franks, which will be broadcast on Fränkischer Rundfunk Eins in early April, the coordinating body of Kievan Franks in Germania wants to alert the people of Germania to the fate of the Germanian minority in the Kievan state. According to their organisation Kievan Franks nominally hold full citizenship, but they are de facto deprived of many a civilian right granted to them by the Kievan constitution. The documentary itself focuses on the roots of the minority. On the one hand the Kievan Franks hail from the inhabitants of a principality on the outer rims of the Holy Germanic Empire, which was overrun and conquered in the second half of the 16th century. On the other hand they are descendants of merchants, naval craftsmen and sailors Kievans monarch hired from Franken to modernise the naval forces and merchant trade in the late 17th and early 18th century. In return for this the Kievan Tsars permitted the re-settlement of Kievan Lutherans from Kiev to Franken, where they were used to staff the Kievan army regiments. Three of these still exist in Franken's military, although they are no longer quasi-mercenary units.
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[Caelia]

Foreign Affairs Ministry

The People's Republic is disappointed that so much attention has been paid to an amateurish work of pseudo-history. The Kyivan Franks are an indivisible and indispensable part of the Kyivan nation and have made outstanding contributions to Kyivan culture and science - contributions that are rightly acknowledged by the Rus. It is outrageous to imply that Kyiv-Franks are anything less than full citizens who enjoy the full, equal, protection of the law. We urge the people of Franken to pay no heed to this propaganda which has doubtlessly been crafted by fifth-columnist agitators aiming to sunder the bonds of friendship between the Franconian and Rus peoples.

 

[Großlausitz]

FRÄNKISCHER RUNDFUNK EUROPA
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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of April 2​

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After several weeks of diligent deliberations, the Germanic League ministers for economic affairs awarded the pipeline deals to a mix of foreign and domestic companies respectively. “In order to get the best of both worlds, each foreign competitor will be teamed up with one of the national companies also in the bidding contest. This way we hope to ensure that the foreign companies brings in as many good new ideas as possible, while the domestic partner will be able to adjust those ideas to the local needs”, Franken’s Minister for Economic Affairs Erika Unsteet explained to the media. Thus Europaland’s company will be awarded contracts in Eiffelland, Danmark and Wendmark, while Jurzan's company gains the contract for Wiese and Franken.

In the wake of the popular acclaim of history documentaries with carefully and sophisticatedly re-enacted scenes from historical events, FR Europa’s parent company’s tv station FR 1 is due to broadcast the series “The Franconian Millennium” starting Easter Sunday. In ten episodes, which revolve around one century and one particular Franconian city each, thousand years of Franconian history will be told. The 11th century will be highlighted from the point of view of Bamberg, which was by then an important episcopal seat of the Holy Germanic Empire. Our nation’s capital will feature in the 15th century, when it was the empire’s de facto capital. Würzburg will tell the 19th century, because in this period Franken’s naval imperialism peaked.

This weekend the Royal Family will gather at Gründlach Castle to celebrate Easter. As per tradition – many a Franconian lord adheres to this practice – all members of staff and guardsmen employed at the Knýtlings’ ancestral home will be treated to a lavish brunch banquet after the Easter morning service. The celebrations will continue till dusk. Unless they’re ill each prince and princess as well as the King and Queen will mingle with their employees and enjoy a careless day. This is one of the few royal occasions when no career politician is invited, as it is actually a private date.

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[Großlausitz]

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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of April 9​

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As the actual war efforts in Solaren slowly come to an end with Eiffelland’s and Nicosia’s military successfully leading foray after foray against Solari forces, the two countries’ allies will throw their organizational and monetary might into the ring to help pacify the country in the long run. To this end Franken’s ministers of foreign affairs, defence and economic development will send senior representatives to Trier to draw an effective post-war plan. “The Kingdom of Franken is indebted to her allies Nicosia and Eiffelland which bravely led the war effort against the perfidious regime. We are aware of our responsibility and will commit manpower as well as resources to help Solaren to become a modern, stable and prosperous state,” Foreign Minister Graf Beaumont von Miltenberg summed up the government’s intentions.

An explosion rocked the Wieser legations in the Kievan capital last night, causing dozens of deaths. Among the dead are likely to be the Wieser legate, the Wendmarker ambassador and many a diplomatic staff. Furthermore, there are a lot of civilian victims to be mourned, as the legation housed a friendship exposition at the time of the incident. Rumours of the Franconian ambassador being dead as well, who was scheduled to pay a visit to the exhibition were swiftly debunked by the Foreign Office. “Ms Valler is alive and well. Her appointment had been re-scheduled due to a doctor’s visit with her child,” a spokesman for the ministry stressed. However, he added: “Due to grave security concerns the Minister decided to issue a travel warning for the Kievan capital. Furthermore, Ms Valler will be recalled to Nürnberg for consultations alongside her family. This will be handled via the Royal Air Force, as soon as we have go ahead from the Kievan government.” This drastic measure was taken as the Franconian embassy is located in the very same quarter like other Germanic missions. Even if they didn’t get along very well before the 20th century, the states of the Holy Germanic Empire always had a tendency to set up their missions very near to each other. Some historians suggest they chose proximity to ensure they could spy on one another more easily.

Havenshire’s exiled Princess Rebecca’s 16th birthday celebrations have been labeled the royal event of the year by the yellow press. In terms of hard politics helping to host so many royals and dignitaries was a routine demonstration of Franken’s role as a major power in Europe. Although the event was under the auspices of The Princess herself in her capacity as the exiled head of state, His Majesty’s Government provided additional security measures. Behind the curtains it has long been rumoured Franken supports the monarchist exiled government. Nonetheless, this is something the government eagerly and always denies.​

 

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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of May 7​

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Following the week-long treatment of King Alfred due to a hunting rifle wound a debate on whether Franken should introduce the constitutional possibility for a king to formally abdicate unfolded in media and politics. Senior politicians from all parties mused whether it wouldn’t be better for the Monarchy’s altogether performance to provide a constitutional means for an elderly king to retire completely. The discussion was fueled by the leaked medical report which recommended the King to drastically cut back on all of his public appearances and duties. As of now the Kingdom operates under a co-regency model with Crown Prince Jakob representing his father in most aspects, but not all. Both the Royal Household and the Ministerpresident refused to comment on the issue. However, according to pundits the household’s legal team is currently reviewing the constitution together with the State Chancellery’s constitutional lawyers.

Only a few weeks before the start of the electoral campaign for a new term of the lower house of parliament, the Abgeordnetenhaus, the social democratic opposition party SDP faces a tough party congress. There delegates will have to deliberate whether their established party leader Jonathan Millibauer or the parliamentary faction chairwoman Frederike van Hollersten, a naturalized Eiffellander citizen, will lead the centre-left in the campaign against Graf Solms’ Christian People’s Party (CVP). Yet there is a third one in the race: Outspoken left-leaning Gräfin Carola von Mittburg, peeress in her own right – managed to obtain enough backing from Rhönland’s regional SDP associations to give her a surprisingly comfortable starting position. Experts currently put their money on Millibauer.​

 

[Großlausitz]

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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of May 14​

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The constitutional review that was triggered by King Alfred’s accident last week and his medical team’s advice to cut back even more on his duties is in full swing according to the Royal Household. A joint panel staffed with Household as well as State Chancellery lawyers will evaluate the constitution on whether the voluntary abdication of a Sovereign in favour of his legitimate successor is lawful. Meanwhile, King Alfred has been transferred to the general hospital in Erlangen, as his doctors expect a more speedy recovery when he is in his beloved city of Erlangen.

Last weekend both the SDP and the CVP held their party congresses ahead of the election campaign, which’ll culminate on July 1st: While it Graf Peter Solms’ nomination as the CVP’s frontrunner candidate and de facto as for a new term as Ministerpresident, the social democrats’ nomination was far more embattled. In the end Frederike van Hollersten – born in Eiffelland, naturalized 15 years ago after her marriage to a Franconian – won the race. Hollersten will domestically campaign on introducing a stricter form of redistributing wealth in favour of the working classes. In foreign affairs she will advocate a more neutral approach to European affairs. Graf Solms will counter the SDP with a campaign on enabling and empowering the poor to help themselves instead of “creating a permanent proletariat”. The relations to foreign countries and alliances will be maintained and/or re-designed where proper and fit. What’s more, Foreign Minister Graf Robert Beaumont von Miltenberg will be groomed as Graf Solms’ future successor. As a first challenge Graf Miltenberg, who is eight years the Ministerpresident’s junior, will try to capture a constituency instead of using the easy way of being voted into parliament via the regional lists.

Whilst Franken’s politicians have only begun their campaigns, fellow Germanic League country Danmark will go to vote on a new parliament next Sunday. With the upstart nationalist Hjemland, which adheres to Danish-centered ideas, leading the polls there’s a real chance the thriving regional association of the GL is up for some domestic trouble. “If the Danish Hjemland manages to gain an absolute majority, they might be able to cause considerable headache for Franken, Wieserreich and Eiffelland. There’s the distinct possibility of Engellex being more than happy about a row within the house of the Germanic League,” a senior analyst for the international politics and economics magazine Auswärtige Angelegenheiten told FR Europa. “His Majesty’s Government does not comment on this or that political party out of respect for the democratic traditions in Danmark. But let it be known that we learned our lesson,” Foreign Minister Graf Miltenberg told our reporters after an election campaign event in Miltenberg proper.​

 

[Rheinbund]

Schloss Charlottenburg
Trier, Eiffelland

We were shocked when we heard about the hunting accident of King Alfred. We wish him a speedy recovery with God's help.

Albrecht IV von Dietz-Hadamar, King of Eiffelland

 

[Großlausitz]

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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of May 14​

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The republic of Liege has recently descended into the state of a quasi-civil war, claiming the lives of many an innocent citizen. Eventually this led to the intervention of the Engellexic as well as the Danish governments. The former is concerned about the violence against Englishmen, whereas the latter wants to broker a peace between the involved parties, i.e. giving itself a new role in international politics. Foreign Minister Graf Beaumont von Miltenberg commended the Danish government for taking an active role in trying to solve the conflict. Furthermore, he announced the Foreign Office’s travel warning will be sustained and expanded to the whole country for the duration of the disputes.

A very brief media bulletin released to media representatives accredited to the Royal Household has caused a vivid discussion on the King’s health within the printed press, tv and online media. According to the media secretariat of the Royal Household security measures at Erlangen general hospital – where the King is currently being treated – will be stepped up. According to local observers the motorcade that had brought and fetched the king for his daily ambulant treatment did not leave the hospital yet. What’s more, Erbprinz Sebastian, the king’s grandson and second-in-line, was brought to Nürnberg from the university of Capitollium City where he currently studies history.

Today’s polls continued the trend of the past, showing a stable majority for the Christian People’s Party (CVP). However, according to pollsters CVP voters would prefer an early succession of Foreign Minister Graf Beaumont von Miltenberg instead of the planned hand-over after the next term’s first half. If Ministerpresident Graf Solms and his mentee Graf Beaumont von Miltenberg move the change to an earlier date, voters will be more likely to flock to CVP’s banner. This is because of the perceived youthful freshness of the Foreign Minister.​

 

[Großlausitz]

FRÄNKISCHER RUNDFUNK EUROPA
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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of May 21​

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After a weekend of battling with the King’s ailing health in the aftermath of two consecutive heart attacks which was why he didn’t leave Erlangen general hospital on Saturday, there are two consequences: Firstly, His Majesty King Alfred IV survived the weekend. Secondly, upon strict doctoral advice he will have to completely retire from all of his duties. On behalf of his father Prince Regent Jakob read out a proclamation that announced the King’s abdication, effective on July 1st. To spare the Kingdom of Franken from two weekends of standstill the coronation service and the oath of allegiance of the new government will be held on July 7th and July 8th respectively. Both the oath of allegiance and the coronation of a new monarch are marked with pomp and circumstance in Franken.

The abdication of a mentally able monarch has been deemed constitutionally possible by the joint legal team of the Royal Household and State Chancellery, so there will be no need for legislative work on part of the newly elected House of Representatives. From July 1st on King Alfred IV will be known by the title of Grand Duke of Erlangen-Gründlach. This ensures his precedence over the major peers of the realm.

While Franken prepares for the ascension of a new monarch and its regular polls, the Kingdom of Danmark has gone through a change of government. From now on the nationalist party Hejmland will call the shots in the still member-state of the Germanic League. True to their campaign promise they immediately suspended the GL membership to put it to a popular vote. That unilateral step was answered by Franken formally suspending any GL-related preferential status of Danmark. As Wendmark, Wieserreich did just the same, some observers muse whether a Danish ‘NO’ on the GL will be a fait accompli anyway. According to pundit with the Royal Household designated King Jakob von Franken is likely to use the ‘Dexit’ (a contraction of Danmark and exit) as a pretext to align Franken and Wieserreich more closely.​

 

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ÜBER ALLE GRENZEN HINAUS :: Week of May 21​

AUSWÄRTIGE ANGELEGENHEITEN.FR: Prinzregent Jakobs bevorstehende Thronbesteigung – ein Portrait

Prince Regent Jakob’s upcoming ascension to the throne – a portrayal

The King will retire, long live the King! Since last week we know that King Alfred IV will be the first sovereign of our country voluntarily ceding the throne and all the encompassing duties and rights to his heir apparent. To this day Franconian history has only recorded one abdication: Absolutist ruler Alfred II was forced to give up his throne in the late 18th century, as he wanted to do away with the rights of parliament. His younger brother Jakob was far better able to cope with the self-confident legislative assembly. Jakob IV is even credited with the invention of the motto “Der König is der erste Diener des Staates” (1), which all of his successors embraced. On July 1st Franken will see the ascension and – one week later – the coronation of another monarch known by this name: Prince Regent Jakob will take over the reins of power as King Jakob VI. Since our kingdom’s monarchs continue to actively participate in affairs of state, most obviously in matters of foreign and defence affairs, I will try to shed some light on our future king’s persona, background and convictions.

His Royal Highness was born to then heir apparent Alfred von Franken and his wife Margarethe of Eiffelland, paternal aunt of the current king of Eiffelland, on August 8th, 1967. Like his father he was not sent to an elite boarding school but rather enrolled with the prestigious yet far more open Heinrich Schliemann Gymnasium, where he graduated four years after his father’s coronation in 1981. Following a gap year in Hajr he began studying for a degree in economics at the renowned Heinrich Alexander University of Nuremberg. In 1988 he transferred to the Royal University of Swabia in Wieserreich to complete his degree. His master’s thesis was on economic history: The Prince Regent analyzed how political rapprochement between the Empire and the Kingdom affected their economic situation from the 19th century on. It was at the Wieserreicher university where Jakob von Franken met his future wife Franziska Isabella, whose sharp wit and resolve thoroughly impressed the young prince. In mid-1989 the two royal scions would marry. It is thanks to Duchess Franziska Isabella that our designated Sovereign turned from brooding intellectual into a dashing crown prince, ready to employ his own wits to solve problems, think of strategies instead of endlessly contemplating problems. Furthermore, one of Jakob’s fellow students happened to be the second in line to Wieserreich’s throne, Erzherzog Franz.

Other than his father, who was keen on stressing Franken’s role as a global actor and neglected our deeply entrenched cultural ties in Germania, our future king will see to some re-balancing of foreign and defence policy. On the one hand, there are his personal ties to the Himyari continent – he is fluent in Hajri – which’ll lead to Franken resuming its ancient interest in the region, especially the Great Sea. On the other hand, Jakob von Franken’s old master’s thesis provides interesting clues as to his relationship with Wieserreich. In his thesis acknowledges Franken’s independence as an inalienable fact – due to the sheer size of the empire a Franconian secession was unavoidable, he explains in the paper’s introduction. However, he highlights how the Wieserreicher and Franconian economies prospered the most when both countries were wholeheartedly dedicated to work hand in hand instead of lukewarm or neutral cooperation.

Thus Germania will probably see a more obvious closing of ranks between Wieserreich and Franken.

Dr. Valentina Heuersbach is a professor for Germanic Economics and Economic History at Heinrich-Alexander-University Nürnberg

In this online edition of Auswärtige Angelegenheiten the highlights include an insightful article on the rise of the Hejmland party in Danmark, Kiev’s new role on the brink between Sarmatia and Germania and an analysis of Frescania’s return to the limelight.

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is a cooperation between Fränkischer Rundfunk Europa and Königliches Institut für Außen- und Verteidigungspolitik (2)
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(1) The king is the state’s first servant.
(2) Royal Institue for Foreign and Defence Policy

 

[Rheinbund]

Schloss Charlottenburg
Trier, Eiffelland

We hand our best wishes to King Alfred, and wish the future King Jakob all the wisdom he will need to lead our Germanic brothers in Northern Europe.

Albrecht IV, King of Eiffelland