APwire ~ Affiliated Press News Agency

[Tarusa]

Remion Embassy Breached by Protestors
AP Kremlyov

For weeks the number of protestors in the Imperial Capital has grown from initially a few hundred to earlier today several thousands. Estimates have put the number of protestors in various parts of the city at around 30-40,000 people with the main focus being upon what is labeled as "embassy row" which houses the majority of the embassies from the countries of the world with few exceptions.

The Ministry of Defense, Imperial Square, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the residence of the Tsar have also been areas where protestors have rallied to make their voices heard. The protests have largely remained peaceful, and those outside of embassy row have been under the ever watchful eyes of Internal Security Troops that were brought in to reinforce those of the capital to keep the peace.

Embassy Row however has been difficult, security officials have largely been kept at a disadvantage due to the large numbers of protestors and a desire to not incite violence between the citizens and the military when the citizens message has not been against their own government but the actions taken by that of several foreign governments.

Whether day or night the protests have largely sealed off the area to traffic, essentially besieging staff inside of the buildings, while some have not been able to make it to their embassy from their homes. This has caused major disruptions to political activities and issues for foreign travelers who need the assistance of their embassies.

Early this evening the protests took a slight change as protestors stormed the building that is home to the Remion Republic Embassy forcing staff and security to attempt and seal themselves in several rooms. High level staff such as the Ambassador himself and his subordinates could be seen on the roof where they seeked refuge, believed to be fearing for their own safety. After two hours the building was secured as military choppers circled over the facility and military personnel began forcing protestors back out of the building and securing the grounds from further breaches. It is believed that the Ambassador and several staff were flown out onboard one of the helicopters to Kremylov International Airport so they could leave the country until tensions have calmed down and he can return to his duties safely.

Reports of injuries between protestors and embassy staff are cited as minimal with no major injuries or fatalities at this time.

 

[Serbovia]

Exiled Serbovian intelligence agent raises concerns of ex-security domination in Serbovia's new government
AP Petrovgrad/AP Drottningholm

While supporters of Serbovia's ruling Party of National Renewal are celebrating the victory and swearing in of the party's candidate in Serbovia's presidential elections, concerns are being raised about the future of the country under the new administration. Dejan Andelic, who previously served as Serbovia's Prime Minister now ascends to the office of the President while his old post will be occupied by Aleksandar Plesic, himself Serbovia's current Foreign Minister.

One of the most controversial figures of recent Serbovian politics is Viseslav Novakovic, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Gutarike since his release from imprisonment in 2014. Novakovic is a former major of Serbovia's Federal Directorate of Internal Security (FDUB) who was sentenced to prison in 2001 for leaking classified FDUB documents to human rights organizations. The documents detailed illegal surveillance that had been conducted against Kurkic and Bajorok minority political parties by the FDUB, resulting in a major political scandal in Serbovia. Originally sentenced to spend 25 years in prison, Novakovic was granted an early release by President Nedic. He immediately moved abroad and has refrained from returning to Serbovia, claiming that his life is being threatened by elements inside the Serbovian security services.

Novakovic now runs a popular online media called "Eye on Serbovia", in which he comments on Serbovian politics and has been a vocal critic of Serbovian political elite. In a recent video blog, Novakovic discusses the results of the recent presidential election, claiming that authoritarian elements are making growing inroads into positions of power in Petrovgrad. Novakovic claims that the appointment of Aleksandar Plesic as the new Prime Minister signals this development, owing to Plesic's career in Serbovia's former Ministry of State Security (MDB) and his close connections with other former Social-Nationalists and members of Serbovian security services.

In addition, both of the newly announced ministerial appointees are considered to be close associates of Plesic and his compatriots: the new Foreign Minister Milorad Milosevic is another former MDB officer while the new Interior Minister Milan Markovic previously served as director of the FDUD. Novakovic has made previous warnings that an authoritarian clique of ex-SN and ex-MDB notables was making inroads into power in Serbovia, and he now warns that the election results might even endanger the entire Serbovian democracy. Novakovic has previously called for the establishment of a "Truth Commission" over the Social-Nationalist era and the role of current influential Serbovians in the regime, and has reiterated this demand, calling his proposal more relevant than ever.

 

[Serbovia]

Ethnic Pannonian terrorist cell broken up by Serbovian authorities, seven arrested
AP Petrovgrad

Serbovian counter-terrorist authorities have announced the arrests of seven ethnic Pannonian terrorists suspected of various terrorism-related crimes. Special forces of the Federal Directorate of Internal Security carried out dawn raids on several private residences in and around the Northern Serbovian city of Santovo, which is known as the unofficial capital of Serbovia's Pannonian minority.

According to Serbovia's Interior Minister Milan Markovic, automatic weapons and bomb-making materials were discovered in the raided sites, as well as terrorist training manuals obtained from the Internet as well as plans to attack locations in both Serbovia's Pannonian areas as well as the Serbovian capital of Petrovgrad. It is suspected that the group was planning some kind of an attack against the Tarusan embassy in Petrovgrad, as well as several locations in the Santovo area affiliated with the Serbovian government, in protest of Serbovia's new foreign policy efforts to align more closely in support of the Tarusans in the ongoing Pannonian conflict.

It is also suspected that the members of the cell were planning attempts to recruit Serbovian Pannonians as well as Pannonian refugees that have fled to Serbovia into an attempt to establish an armed insurgency against the Tarusan-backed Csengian government. Carrying out recruitment for a foreign military or paramilitary force is a crime in Serbovia, with a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. A source in the Serbovian Interior Ministry described these plans as "not entirely serious", as it is believed that the group had no contact with any armed elements inside actual Pannonia.

The seven individuals arrested are said to be members of the National-Radical Party of Greater Pannonia, a fringe separatist movement that has been under monitoring of the Serbovian authorities for several years as a suspected extremist group. A Twåtter account claiming to represent the party condemned the arrests, accusing Serbovian security services of framing the arrestees and denying any claims of terrorist activity.

 

[Jydsken-Østveg]

An Inquisition Has Been Declared
AP Kispest

As the new Kingdom of Csengia begins its crackdown on the previous democratic and free rights they once enjoyed, the efforts have been framed as a religious inquisition. The Inquisition has the goal of forging a new society together shaped around loyalty to the crown, god, and the community. While this inquisition does not impact life visibly day to day, it works now in the shadows, often via plain clothed civilians and the ability of individuals to report their neighbors.

The Inquisition seems to operate with the help of locals as well as individuals are encouraged to report suspicious activity, behavior, or lifestyles. Attendance at church for example is now demanded, and although not required every week, it is usually urged that all attend now. Names of individuals who miss mass are kept and questioned.

Special units often dressed in police gear or formal uniform will round up people for questioning when they are reported. Most people do return home, but some have disappeared outright. When questioned, officials within the system state that they failed questioning and needed to attend special guidance for those lacking the proper religious faith. It is believed that these classes are in the hands of the Catholic Church, although it would seem the the monarchy plays a role in their teachings.

Meanwhile, many journalists and expats have been urged to, or forced to leave by having their status invalidated. Twatter famous journalist Sophie Schneider has been forced to leave the country after having her residence visa application denied. This is not an isolated incident by any means, as the AP Office in Kispest has lost nearly half of its journalists in the last week. The AP Office has been informed it will be allowed to stay open, but future guidance may be given to it.

A new normal seems to have fallen upon Csengia in which the supremacy of the crown is the most important thing, but yet the freedoms for people seem to be tied to commerce. There is a drive for citizens to spend, consume, and if possible create. However, a new company also must submit its registration to an inquisition office now. The Inquisition seems to seep into every aspect of life, and yet it has only been a week. It is perhaps impossible to predict the future, but this mix of religious piety and secret police would seem to give the impression that Tarusan justice has arrived in central Germania.

 

[Vrijpoort]

Vrijpoort Will Recognise Pannonian Passports Until End of 2022
AP Vrijpoort

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority Vrijpoort today announced that the passport of the now defunct Pannonia will be recognised as a valid travel document until the final minute of 31 December 2022. But in a rare move for the world's most open country, the Vrijpoort authorities will require that Pannonian passport holders immediately either claim asylum or refugee status upon entry to Vrijpoort or any of its overseas crown colonies or else be refused entry. By default, Vrijpoort does not require visas for entry to the country as a so-called Social Pass is granted to all passports from recognised countries without the need for a visa. The pass is a simple stamp in the passport and allows short-term tourist and business visits of between 100 and 200 days, depending on the issuing country.

Exceptions have been outlined for holders of a Pannonian ID card that has a registered address in the province of Thalgau. These ID cards may be used for daily commutes between Thalgau and Vrijpoort - asylum or refugee status does not need to be claimed.

Further to this announcement, Vrijpoort will begin issuing a document called a laissez-passez to Thalgau residents and Pannonian refugees and asylum seekers. This document is the same size and shape as a typical passport and has the embossed silver seal of the Vrijpoort crane and crown, but it is yellow instead of royal purple. The purpose of the laissez-passez is to grant the holder the ability to identify himself and travel the world freely without encountering problems using a Pannonian passport, which might not be recognised by many countries anymore.

Refugees that have the right to apply for new Bourdignian, Csegnian or Eugenian passports or ID cards will be encouraged to do so if they so wish. Currently, however, none of the successor states of the former Pannonia have operating diplomatic presences in Vrijpoort.


Former Pannonian Embassy in Vrijpoort in Ownership Dispute Limbo
AP Vrijpoort

The embassy of the former Pannonia in Vrijpoort, a large, ornate structure of architectural beauty, remains closed and empty. Although Csegnia has been recognised by Vrijpoort as the only legitimate successor state to Pannonia (as the Vrijpoort government claims the other breakaway states declared independence undemocratically and through violence), a lawsuit filed in Revonia Island magistrate's court by an NGO claims that the building does not belong to only one successor state. The embassy was owned outright by Pannonia, including the land it sits on. The building itself is worth hundreds of millions of florins, but the land it sits on near the central business district on Revonia Island is worth tenfold.

The NGO, Allies of Democracy, claims that the building and land should be sold by a trustee and the profits distributed between the different successor states. The governments of each state would need to hire legal counsel in Vrijpoort to lay claim to their share. For Bourdignie and Eugenia, who are not officially recognised by Vrijpoort, this could be done via a foundation or trust hiring a local law firm to act on their behalf.

Upon filing of the lawsuit a magistrate judge ordered that the embassy and land be frozen in the Land Title book, preventing any sale or lease until a full legal proceeding can be completed. At this time it is too early to know if any of the successor states of Pannonia will involve themselves in the lawsuit to try and lay claim to this tidy fortune.

 

[Rheinbund]

Bourdignie joins lawsuit Allies of Democracy to lay claim on part of former Pannonian embassy
AP Versoix

The government of Bourdignie indicated that it has grounded a foundation in Vrijpoort to hire a law firm which will act on behalf of the Bourdignian State or Bourdignian citizens in Vrijpoort. The law firm hired is Wesseling, Duintjer & Van Gilze. The first case to be taken up will be the lawsuit started by Allies of Democracy to lay claim on a part of the former Pannonian embassy.

 

[Serbovia]

Pressburg Pact ratified after a heavy debate, opposition protests in Serbovian cities
AP Petrovgrad

Serbovia has officially ratified the newly founded Pressburg Pact, now forming an alliance with the Empire of Tarusa and its affiliate state the Kingdom of Csengia. The move formalizes Serbovia's new closer political alignment with Kremlyov, which has been up and coming since appointment of the notoriously pro-Tarusan Aleksandar Plesic as Prime Minister.

The ratification passed only narrowly with votes from legislators of the ruling Party of National Renewal and the ultranationalist Legion of St. Peter, and some individual opposition legislators. Most of the Serbovian opposition has been overwhelmingly against the Pressburg Pact, and leading opposition figures gave passionate speeches against the ratification of the pact. "The Pressburg Pact represents a move towards the dark ages of authoritarianism which I thought our country had already set behind", said Socialist Party chairwoman Jana Bukeljovic. Dejan Djindic from the Serbovian Liberal Party criticized Serbovia's new pro-Tarusan foreign policy, accusing Tarusa of aggression and gross human rights violations committed in the course of the Pannonian conflict.

At the same time, thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets in several Serbovian cities, including Petrovgrad, Moskopolje, Drazevo, Gradac and Jegra to protest against the Pact and the Serbovian government. While most of the protests remained peaceful, in Petrovgrad at least two hundred people were arrested and tear gas deployed by the police after protesters attempted to break out of their designated protest zone in downtown Petrovgrad. Petrovgrad authorities banned any protests in the immediate vicinity of government buildings and embassies, citing reports that terrorists were attempting to use the protests as a distraction to launch attacks. Clashes broke out after groups of far-left activists attempted to head towards the Tarusan embassy and were stopped by riot police.

Of particular note have been the "Free Pannonia" protests made in Jegra and other centers of Serbovia's Pannonian community, which are demanding an end to the partition of Pannonia and the establishment of a new democratic government of ethnic Pannonians. While the movement has been active since the start of the Pannonian conflict, it has become more closely aligned against the Tarusan and Csengian regimes during the recent weeks.

 

[Pelasgia]

Pelasgian Nationalists Behind Hierosolyma Barracks Bombing​

AP Hierosolyma​

​

The Pelasgian nationalist group "National Organisation for Philistaean Reunification" (Ethiniki Organisis Philistaikis Epanenosis) or EOPE, for short, has released a manifesto where it claims responsibility for the deadly bombing that took place yesterday at Siloam Military Base, the main HQ of the Isphilistines Mandate's local Defence Force in Hierosolyma. EOPE claimed that it conducted this attack in retaliation for the killing of six of its members during scuffles with security forces in the area last year. EOPE refused to apologise for the attack, which claimed 376 victims, including 6 visiting civilians and family members of the killed IMDF personnel, in addition to injuring at least 150 people and causing thousands of dollars in property damage.​

​

Instead, EOPE claimed that the attacks will continue "until the barbarian occupation of Philistaea, rightful clay in the great amphora of Pelasgian nationhood (sic), is brought to an end." This is not the first time the issue of Epanenosis (or "reunification" as the Pelasgian Orthodox majority of the region call reunification with Pelasgia) is brought to the forefront. Last year, the Mandate was brought to its knees by a general strike demanding, among other things, public observance of Pelasgian Orthodox holidays and a referendum for Epanenosis. The latter request was not granted, leading to violent sectarian scuffles that claimed the lives of twelve people and injured dozens more.​

​

The Pelasgian Government, which has historically kept itself to calling for peace and calm in the region, has notably shifted its tone. While "decrying all violence," Pelasgian Prime Minister Porphyrios Angelopoulos stated that it is "high time" for the EF to reconsider the Mandate System, and especially the EF Mandate of the Isphilistines, given the recent failure of the Thrakian Mandate and the Isphilistines Mandate's own apparent instability. "The people of Philistaea, who are mostly Pelasgian and Orthodox, must be consulted on their own future, given the abject failure of the Mandate System to meet its stated goals more than half a century after its inception," Mr. Angelopoulos stated during a press conference in the Pelasgian capital of Decelea.​

​

In Hierosolyma, the Mandate authorities have aired the imposition of a curfew and emergency measures following rumours that Pelasgian nationalist groups and affiliated unions were planning for another general strike to seek a referendum. However, given neighbouring Pelasgia's shift in tone, such measures are being more carefully considered to avoid aggravating the Pelasgians--particularly at a time when the EF seems to be assailed on all sides, having already lost one mandate to Tarusan and Serbovian partition. On the streets of Hierosolyma, apprehension reigns, as many fear a return to the unstable and violent early days of the Mandate, and minority groups and the Pelasgian majority increasingly view each other with skepticism.​

 

[Serbovia]

Tensions grow in the wake of the Tarusan withdrawal from South Thrakia, Serbovian troops deployed
AP Veliko Tarnovgrad

Serbovian troops and Serbovian-backed North Thrakian paramilitaries have moved into South Thrakia subsequent to the Tarusan announcement that they would be withdrawing their troops from the region, leaving Serbovia as the sole foreign power now involved in the controversial European Forum Mandate of Thrakia. The Serbovian government has assured that it would be capable of guaranteeing stability in the Thrakian region during and after the handover in spite of growing local and international tensions.

The Remionese and Serbovian governments are engaged in a major diplomatic spat after Remion announced that it would be attempting to expel Serbovia and Tarusa from the European Forum, accusing them of abusing their mandate in Thrakia. The Serbovian government reacted swiftly, accusing Remion of imperialism and attempts to provoke unstability in Thrakia and its immediate vicinity for its own political gain.

In Thrakia itself, the announced handover is expected to grow inter-ethnic and sectarian tensions as rival interest groups struggle to maintain their power during the process of integrating South Thrakian territories into North Thrakia's structures of government. In North Thrakia itself, delicate balance is maintained in the Serbovian-backed Provisional Authority between rival groups, and many fear that the integration could upset this balance.

The North Thrakian Provisional Authority has announced that new elections in entire Thrakia would be held immediately after the situation in South Thrakia has stabilized. Meanwhile, Thrakian nationalist groups have intensified their demands for the expulsion of any foreign presence from Thrakian soil, including both Serbovia and the European Forum itself. Within the Serbovian National Movement, which currently forms a coalition government with the Orthodox conservative Democratic Party of Thrakia, some activists have called for the secession of Serbovic regions of Thrakia should Remion succeed in its aim to have Serbovia expelled from the EF. Others have proposed the unilateral declaration of a new state of United Thrakia under Serbovian protection.

 

[Serbovia]

Four Serbovians killed, seven wounded in insurgent ambush as Serbovians continue to consolidate South Thrakia
AP Veliko Tarnovgrad

The Serbovian Ministry of Defense has announced the deaths of four Serbovian soldiers in an IED attack near the town of Byal Khulm, located approximately a hundred kilometers south of the Thrakian internal border. In addition, seven others suffered injuries of varying severity and were evacuated from the scene by the Serbovian Army.

The soldiers, said to be part of the Serbovian 9th Cavalry Brigade, were travelling in a convoy of several armored personnel carriers along a road between Byal Khulm and Bagriltsi when two improvised explosive devices were detonated in close proximity with each other. Two armored personnel carriers were disabled by the attack, and personnel travelling inside the vehicles were killed or wounded.

The Thrakian National Republican Army (NRAT), a Thrakian ethnonationalist insurgent group demanding the departure of foreign states and the European Forum from Thrakia, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Serbovian military forces moved into South Thrakia this week with the announced drawdown of the Tarusan presence there. Today's IED attack represents the most serious incident of violence faced by the Serbovian military in Thrakia during the recent months.

The Serbovian Ministry of Defense released a statement subsequent to the attack, saying that "all measures would be exhausted to find and punish those responsible for this attack". In addition, the statement made assurances that Serbovia would be capable of guaranteeing security in South Thrakia, and that additional military forces would be sent to stabilize the area.

 

[Serbovia]

Philantropist billionaire takes a stance against the Serbovian government, promises support to opposition groups
AP Petrovgrad

As Serbovia's new administration continues to steer the country closer with the controversial regime of Tarusa, they are faced with yet another internal opponent critical of the country's new course. Vojislav Tomic, known as one of the richest men in Serbovia with an estimated net worth of 3,5 billion, visited the popular "Mijatovic Show" of Serbovia's NT2 TV channel as the show's main guest, going on a vocal attack against the ruling Party of National Renewal and its policies.

Tomic is the founder and chief owner of the Tomicgas Group, one of Serbovia's leading natural gas companies, started from assets that formerly belonged to the country's old Social-Nationalist regime during the 1990s privatization boom. In addition to natural gas, his corporate group is active in several other sectors, including mass media - the aforementioned NT Media is a Tomicgas subsidiary - and real estate development.

Tomic has has gained a reputation as a philantrophist, as his Vojislav Tomic Foundation is actively engaged in supporting various NGOs and charitable ventures aiming to advance civil rights, freedom of speech and education in Serbovia and abroad. However, critics have made allegations of corruption and unethical business practices, particularly in relation to the establishment of Tomicgas during the late 1990s.

Up until now, Tomic has stayed out of party politics, even though he has been known to be a supporter of various liberal politics.

"(President) Andelic and (Prime Minister) Plesic are working on reversing twenty years of development for this country", Tomic stated, eliciting an uproar from his studio audience, "This current government is a disaster for this country. In less than a year, we have gone from the camp of free states such as Eiffelland and Remion to making threats of war, supporting Tarusan imperialism and drawing up borders for a Greater Serbovia in some foolhardy jingoist venture. "Radovan Nedic was a true statesman who knew the best course for this country. His retirement has left us in the hands of ultranationalists and militarists who still long for the days of our old regime", Tomic said, referring to Serbovia's most recent president who was known as an advocate of the now-abandoned CSEAC and closer ties with the Western democratic states.

As he was interviewed by the show's host Sinislav Mijatovic, Tomic made promises that the program of his charitable Foundation would now focus on backing various liberal causes and domestic civil rights monitoring. Tomic also promised financial support for liberal political campaigns and candidates in any Serbovian elections, urging his counterparts to do the same. While the ruling Party of National Renewal enjoys close ties with notables in Serbovian commerce, a minority of Western-oriented businessmen are said to be increasingly opposed to the ruling government, which is seen as an obstacle to economic liberalism and Serbovia's relations with the West.

 

[Rheinbund]

EF-Mandate Al-Magrab: How is it really?
AP Barqah

The EF-mandates are currently under dispute as a result of news messages about unrest, corruption and sometimes plain exploitation. Especially after Remion opened the discussion about Thrakia, the system of the EF mandates are under a magnifying glass.

One mandate that does not often occur in the news in the mandate of Al-Magrab, managed by the Kingdom of Eiffelland. The reason for that is not a limitation on the freedom of the press; at least we hardly experience any hindrance while reporting on Al-Magrab. In order to contribute to the debate, we decided to look at the situation in this calm and quiet EF-mandate, Eiffelland’s favourite destination for sun-sea-beach vacations, mainly known for its sand deserts.

The most remarkable thing in Al-Magrab are the quintilingual signs everywhere: Arab, Ivrite, German, French and Engellish. Arab and Ivrite because those are the native languages of Al-Magrab. German and French because they are the native languages of Eiffelland. Engellish as a gesture to the international status of the mandate. But of course not everything can be written out in five languages out of practicality. Therefore, the use of pictograms is widespread in Al-Magrab. For almost everything there is a pictogram. There are even street signs with pictograms warning for sand storms and crossing camels.

As soon as they took over the power in Al-Magrab, the Eiffellandians turned Al-Magrab into a Mini-Eiffelland. Corruption was fought, schools and universities were founded, hospitals were built, and a bureaucracy was set up, complete with the Eiffellandian stamp culture. Nothing functions without the correct stamps, nowadays digital stamps. But as soon as the stamps are there, you’ll be surprised about the velocity with which everything is done.

Nowadays Eiffelland is still responsible for Al-Magrab’s foreign politics and its defence, and Eiffelland can step in in the case of financial problems and give advice, but there are also local authorities. Al-Magrab has a Mandate Parliament whose 200 members are chosen by the Magrabbines in a 100% proportional voting system. Then Parliament chooses a Chancellor who will form the Government. The same approach is followed for the regional and municipal Parliaments.

The Eiffellanders always claim that it was them who built up Al-Magrab. Indeed, Eiffelland’s contribution to Al-Magrab’s development cannot be ignored, but it has to be said that Remion did not leave its former colony completely undeveloped. There was already a railroad system in Northern Al-Magrab, as well as a road system. After it took up the mandate, Eiffelland perfectioned and developed those further, and nowadays there is a road and railroad system all over the country with even high-speed rail in the North.
Al-Magrab started to industrialise already under Remion, but also here it has to be said that Eiffelland developed everything further. The same for the mining sector. The Rathenau Gruppe, Eiffelland’s automotive industry, Magarus and Eiffelland’s biomedical industry have factories here, and also Eiffelland’s chemical industry. Rheinmund Schiffbau has a wharf in Al-Gharb, and the Bremer Raffnineriegesellschaft has a refinery there.
A new development under Eiffellandian rule is agriculture. It were the Eiffellandians who brought the coffee and cocoa plants to Al-Magrab, and nowadays Al-Magrab is an important player on the coffee and cocoa markets. Also various kinds of fruits are currently grown in Al-Magrab.

The GDP per capita of Al-Magrab is around 25,000 Marks, but it cannot be said that Al-Magrab is suffering from poverty. The reason is its state fund. Al-Magrab has many resources, which are currently mined by the Königliche Eiffelländische Bergbaugesellschaft (KEBG). Of course the KEBG takes a bit of the revenues of its mining activities in Al-Magrab, but 98% of the revenues are invested in Al-Magrab or go into Al-Magrab’s state fund. We are currently talking about a fund of 40 trillion Marks, that is still enlarged. Most of Al-Magrab’s government expenses are covered by the revenues of the investments by the State Fund.

In the 1950s, the Mandatsuniversität Barqah was founded. Four more universities were founded afterwards, but contrary to Eiffelland the technical universities were not separate from the non-technical ones. That is the case still today.

That for the economic part, and for how the country is governed. But are the Magrabbines happy under Eiffellandian rule?

It depends on whom you ask. Most people living along the coast, i.e. most Magrabbines, are happy. They enjoy the civil and social liberties, work in the Eiffellandian factories or for Eiffellandian companies, and have comfortable lives, often even cars.
A gay living in Barqah told: “I don’t think I would be able to live my life freely here in Barqah when Al-Magrab would not have been under Eiffellandian influence. My family in the South does not accept that I’m gay, but the Barqah police protect me against my family. And against anti-gay violence in general. Here in Barqah I’m free. And eh, also gays who fled the Noks Free State.”
On the other hand, the more traditional Magrabbines living in the South are less happy. Partly because the South is poorer than the North, partly because the Southerners reject the liberal life in the North. This sometimes leads to controversies to and fro. There are stories about southern families who kidnap their gay sons and lesbian daughters after they fled to the North. Furthermore, there are stories about very conservative Islamic imams who want to establish an Islamic theocracy in Al-Magrab.
Only a few Magrabbines agree with the idea of a theocracy, but there are calls for independence of Al-Magrab as a secular case. Like a professor phrased it: “We already determine our domestic affairs without input from the Eiffellandians; we can easily do the foreign affairs as well.” It should be said though that the Magrabbines philosophising about independence do envisage an independence with intensive links to Eiffelland.

But there is one thing that almost all Magrabbines agree on: Distrust in and fear for the Noks Free State. These feelings towards the Noks Free State are apparently shared by Eiffelland, given its large military presence in Al-Magrab. As per the mandate structure, Al-Magrab is not allowed to set up any armed forces, and the defence of the mandate is the responsibility of the country that took up the mandate. Given their distrust in the Noks Free State, the Magrabbines are happy with the large military presence of Eiffelland.

All in all, it can be said that the Magrabbines are happy with the influence Eiffelland had on the development of their country, and are also happy about the Eiffellandian military presence. Despite philosophising about independence.

 

[Pelasgia]

Security Forces Open Fire Against Marchers, Pelasgia Vows Revenge

AP Hierosolyma​

Security forces in the EF Mandate of the Isphilistines opened fire on a large group of striking workers in Sidon, the Mandate's second largest city, killing 12 and injuring 32. The marchers, who belonged to unions affiliated with Pelasgian nationalist and Orthodox Christian groups, were attempting to march to the local government building to demand a Mandate-wide referendum for Epanenosis, or reunification with Pelasgia. Authorities in the Mandate have invoked emergency laws to put an end to the crippling, week-long strike by almost all employee classes in the majority ethnically Pelasgian land, but the strikers have refused to comply. Instead, striking workers have confronted and even violently obstructed scabs, many of them from minority groups opposed to Epanenosis, and have undertaken marches, both of which have been declared illegal by the Mandate's authorities.​

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The march coincided with the anniversary of the Mandate's formal foundation on 27 September 1956, right before the end of the international coalition's occupation of Pelasgia in the wake of the Meridian Sea War. Mandate authorities were expecting trouble, and while the march was largely peaceful, the marchers' decision to approach the local government headquarters despite being repeatedly warned off by security forces seems to be the reason that the latter opened fire. Already, an inquiry has been launched into why live ammunition was used instead of teargas or plastic rounds, and why troops seemingly kept firing after the crowd had started to retreat; however, local fury has not been contained by talk of an inquiry. Riots and protests occured overnight, leading large-scale fires in the downtown sections of both Hierosolyma and Sidon, and intense clashes.​

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Neighbouring Pelasgia, which had warned the Mandate's authorities against harming the protestors, has already made its view on the matter plain. But a few hours after the incident, the Empire withdrew its legation from Hierosolyma and lodged a formal protest demanding that the officers responsible for the massacre be punished, and that the strikers' demands be heeded. In a press conference, Pelasgian Prime Minister Porphyrios Angelopoulos stated that "the Mandate of the Isphilistines will be brought to an end one way or the other--it is clearly no longer fit to administer its own populace." A few hours later, the Pelasgian Government submitted a motion to the EF to abolish the Mandate System; at the same time, the Pelasgian-Mandate border has been sealed, while Pelasgian military police no longer allow the press access to the country's border regions.​

 

[Ebria]

Green Roadrunners present Occidentia aligned foreign policy
AP Camp Hill

Just a day after being declared winners of the Natalian general election, the Green Roadrunners, the eco-socialist faction of the People's Democratic Party, nicknamed the Roadrunners, have declared that they will align the nation closely with the Western Brotherhood, known in Tiburanic circles as the Hermandad Occidental, the brotherhood of nations of the western hemisphere, whose main political culture gravitates around anti-imperialism, liberal democracy and socialist welfare. ​

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President elect Olivia Harper Poole has already published a list of members of her cabinet and besides Brad Ross, the ex-president and now to be vice president, there a few veteran names around too, namely Pedro Herrera, the co-creator of the Herrera-Constanza Doctrine and thus of the Western Brotherhood, keeping his position as the Ministry of External Affairs and leading the nation's external policy, but also James Woodward in the Ministry of Military Affairs, and Natasha Hopkins as the Minister of Health.​

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The Green Roadrunners, while currently not full on leading the government officially have already launched a road-map of the external policy of the Occidental Republic of Natal during their administration, with this currently being seen the most important, especially with the recent tension heat up in Gallo-Germania. Olivia Harper Poole and Pedro Herrera have published on the government's website the new external policy, which while is still built on the previous policy differs from it greatly. ​

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President Ross' policy was more balanced, holding the Herrera-Constanza Doctrine but still being present in the Old World, by supporting Remion in the no fly zone over Zara during the early days of the Pannonian Crisis. This time, Poole's administration completely changes the paradigm, as they support the greater integration of the Western Brotherhood/Hermandad Occidental and less interventionism in Gallo-Germania.​

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Under the new roadmap, the Roadrunners promise the creation of a Solidarity Fund, to aid oppressed people enjoy the liberties of the free world, by either sponsoring the arrival of refugees in Westernesse/Occidentia or sponsoring the creation of refugee camps or improvement of conditions in the ones already existing. Also, under what they call the Enhanced Herrera-Constanza Doctrine, the Roadrunners promise an even closer association between the nations of Westernesse, with Natal fully promising to defend and guarantee the sovereignty of San Jose, the Cayabocani Nation and Gran Occidentia. The new government also is set to present a new plan of development of Occidentia, together with the National Investment Corporation, where it will create a development fund to aid the economies of San Jose, Gran Occidentia and Cayabocan.​

 

[Serbovia]

Ethnic Pannonian legislative aide arrested on terrorism charges, drawing protests from the opposition
AP Petrovgrad

Activists of Serbovia's minority of ethnic Pannonians are protesting the arrest of a high-level member of the opposition Pannonian People's Party by the Serbovian security services. Sandor Novak, chief aide to Councilwoman Dorottya Kiraly, was arrested today outside of the Federal Congress by agents of the Serbovian Federal Directorate of Internal Security (FDUB).

The Serbovian Ministry of the Interior announced that Novak is under suspicion of promoting terrorism, preparing to conduct espionage against an allied power and preparing a border violation. Serbovian authorities claim that Novak has been a part of an underground militant group which was making plans to enter Csengia illegally to make contact with local opposition elements as a prelude to staging an insurgency against Csengia's current Tarusan-backed administration. Should he be charged, he might face a prison sentence of up to twenty years.

The Pannonian People's Party has accused the FDUB of harassment against the party and denied all allegations of terrorism. According to Councilwoman Kiraly, her assistant Novak was planning a fact-finding mission to investigate claims of human rights violations and political persecution in Csengia. The party has called for Novak's immediate release. The arrest has also drawn protests from other Serbovian opposition parties and civil rights watchdogs.

Serbovian authorities have also petitioned for a court warrant to revoke Councilwoman Kiraly's Congressional immunity to allow searches of her Congressional and private offices. Under Serbovian law, legislators are immune from arrest and search and seizure unless decided otherwise in Federal courts.

The Pannonian People's Party is a Pannonian regionalist, center-right, Serbovian opposition group with representatives in both chambers of the Serbovian Federal Congress. The party is overwhelmingly against the current Csengian monarchy, refusing to recognize Queen Elizabeth as a legitimate ruler and calling for free and fair elections to take place in the country.

 

[Pelasgia]

Following referendum victory, Pelasgia annexes Philistaea

AP Hierosolyma​

The referendum held by the transitional authorities of the EF Mandate of the Isphilistines regarding the future of the Mandate resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Pelasgian Nationalist camp, who support Epanenosis or "Reunification" with Pelasgia. Gathering 77.3% of all valid balots cast, the pro-annexation option won out over the anti-annexation camp option easily, as the latter only garnered 22.7% of the vote. The vote was highly ethnic, with Pelasgians, who make up 81.8% of the Mandate's population voting overwhelmingly in favour of Epanenosis, while almost all minority groups (making up 18.2% of the population) voted against. Religion also played a big role, with the Orthodox Church openly supporting annexation and formally admonishing any of its members who voiced opposition to reunification with Pelasgia. Conversely, Catholic and Jewish religious leaders mostly opposed annexation, while Muslim authorities remained largely neutral, true to their history of being apolitical.​

Widespread celebrations broke out in most of Philistaea, including the cities of Hierosolyma and Sidon, where the Pelasgian majority waved flags and sang patriotic songs. There were few if any counter-demonstrations, apart from one notable incident, where Orthodox Jews in Hierosolyma hang black flags from their homes and stores to demonstrate their opposition to annexation. Many of these Orthodox Jews came to the Mandate after its creation due to pre-Mandate bans on their migration during Pelasgian rule. As such, they fear that the new authorities might try to deport them from the Mandate. Nonetheless, no scuffles have occurred between the Orthodox Jews and other residents of Hierosolyma, with the atmosphere remaining largely peaceful. Indeed, many owners of street food restaurants, kiosks, and taverns handed out free food and drinks to passers-by regardless of ethnicity, often coated in paper bearing the colours of the Pelasgian flag.​

The Pelasgian High Commissioner promised that all minorities, both religious and ethnic, would be treated fairly and equally, even if the new regime will "openly recognise and respect Philistaea's predominantly Pelasgian and Orthodox character". The High Commission eris reportedly already coordinating with the Mandate's authorities regarding the transfer of power, as the Pelasgian Government has designated its High Commissioner as the provisional governor of Philistaea. Closer to the border, Mandate officials have opened up crossings in anticipation of annexation. Overnight, the Pelasgian Government published a decree annexing the Mandate as the "Province of Hierosolyma," and Pelasgian troops and security forces reportedly crossed the border to take over from their Mandate colleagues. In so far as Pelasgia is concerned, it would seem that the EF Mandate of the Isphilistines has already ceased to exist. Given the Mandate authorities' cooperation with the new power in Hierosolyma, it appears that they too share this conclusion--bitter as it may be for many opponents of Epanenosis.​

 

[Serbovia]

Opposition activists blame Serbovian police for inciting Freedom March violence, police accused of brutality and far-right collusion
AP Petrovgrad

Nearly a thousand protesters were arrested today and possibly up to three to five hundred injured in a police crackdown against a major anti-government demonstration in Petrovgrad. The Freedom March, jointly organized by Serbovia's leftist and liberal opposition parties, was violently broken up by police forces after clashes broke out between participants in the march and counter-protesters representing various Serbovian far-right groups.

In news reports produced by Serbovia's National Radio Corporation NRK, blame for the events was shifted to members of the protest who attempted to break through a police blockade line to start a fight with counter-protesters. However, opposition sources have disputed this account of the events, also pointing out that NRK has close ties with the current Serbovian government. The company is owned by Slobodan Andelic, known as the brother of Serbovia's former President Dejan Andelic, who is also an extensive backer of the ruling Party of National Renewal.

Instead, opposition activists blamed members of the Legion of St. Peter, an ultranationalist party tied with numerous violent incidents, for starting the violence. Activists also accused riot control elements of the Serbovian Federal Police of deliberately letting Legion activists past their blockade lines to attack opposition protesters of the Freedom March. Members of far-left Antinationalist Action and various Solidarist (Serbovian radical socialists) groups were also present in the clashes, and it is not conclusively known who started the violence.

Congresswoman Jana Bukeljovic, head of the Serbovian Socialist Party and one of Serbovia's main opposition figures, said that Federal Police riot squads who descended into Vukovic Park - where the Freedom March was to conclude - harassed her and other opposition leaders, threatening to arrest all present if they would not disperse. A spokesman of the Federal Police said that an incident had occurred with Bukeljovic after the authorities ordered a cancellation of the march due to the outbreaks of violence in vicinity of the Grand Central Railway Station.

In addition, Bukeljovic accused police forces involved of excessive use of force and rampant police brutality. "Tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets were fired at completely peaceful protesters without any cause. Riot policemen manhandled protesters twice smaller than themselves with painful locks and struck people with batons at the slightest wrong word", Bukeljovic listed, demanding an independent inquiry into the conduct of police forces involved. Bukeljovic blamed the Federal Police, but also various regional police forces that were providing assistance to their counterparts in Petrovgrad, for most of the violence.

The Serbovian government has denied the opposition's allegations.

 

[Rheinbund]

Independent or Imperial? Opinions are divided in Francophone Bourdignie
AP Versoix

After a day of pro-Empire-protests throughout Francophone Bourdignie, only one conclusion can be drawn: Francophone Bourdignie is divided. Massive pro-independence demonstrations are matched by massive pro-Empire demonstrations. Half the Patois want to join the Holy Frankish Empire, and half the Patois want to stay independent. This division is also visible on Twatter, where the numbers of pro-independence twatters and pro-Empire twatters are about equal.
Meanwhile, the Emperor presented a plan for the future of Francophone Bourdignie that almost looks like a bribery. Next to a high level of autonomy, he promises to triple the education budget, modernise the health care system and invest 92 billion Franks into the region. It is doubtful whether he is really able to make those 92 billion Franks available without inflicting damage somewhere else in his country, but apart from that he overlooks that Pannonia was already a modern country before the civil war broke out. The modernisation of the health care system he promises is nothing more than the exchange of a smartphone from 2020 with a smartphone from 2021. The tripling of the education budget sounds nice, but education was already good in Pannonia, and Bourdignie was very well capable to keep it up.
Meanwhile, the Frankish news source Le Moniteur Universel presents a highly pro-HFE version of the events, while the Versoix-based Le Temps puts the situation in Francophone Bourdignie in a light that is unfavouring to the HFE. Le Temps described the strikes as more harmful than they actually are, but the way Le Moniteur Universel downplays the effects of the anti-HFE protests and strikes is further beneath the truth than the reportings by Le Temps.
One thing is certain: When Francophone Bourdignie becomes part of the HFE, the Emperor will add a highly divided country to his empire. And a country with a large number of very dissatisfied people. One other thing is also certain: The Emperor's decision to send his army into Bourdignie has set a lot of people off; many Francophone Bourdignians do not consider the HFE-soldiers liberators but occupiers.

 

[Pelasgia]

Pelasgian Ultranationalists besiege Thermi, Evosmos - Loyalists evacuating forces to Archipelago

AP Propontis

Forces loyal to the Ultranationalist Regency Council in Decelea, headed by Superintendent General of the State Alexandros Metaxas, are advancing toward the outskirts of the coastal cities of Evosmos and Thermi, the two largest urban centres in Pelasgia outside the Propontine peninsula and the capital, Decelea. Loyalist forces recognising the Constitutional Monarchy of Emperor Athanasios I currently hold these cities and have no trouble reinforcing them due to their control of most of the Imperial Pelasgian Navy, but they lack the ground forces to simultaneously hold both these territories and the Propontine peninsula. Ultranationalist forces have made use of artillery and aerial bombardment on the outskirts of the two cities to signal their intent to attack, while massing armoured columns near the perimeter. The numerically fewer land forces loyal to the Propontis Government have begun an evacuation to the islands of the Archipelago and the military port of Daphne, near Propontis, where they hope to reorganize and prepare for a stalwart defence of the Propontine peninsula.

Civilians in the two cities seem apathetic to the change of administration, preferring whichever side will bring stability and meet their material needs after almost two years of internal strife and instability in Himyar's most populous nation. This is in stark contrast to the newly acquired province of Philistaea, where the Ultranationalist cause has found fervent support among the local populace. There, the local Pelasgians hold mutual distrust against the many ethnic and religious minorities previously shielded by the EF Mandate and now caressed by the Loyalist authorities in Propontis in hopes of improving relations with Gallo-Germanian nations. As it stands, Propontine forces are on the defensive in Sidon, the only major city in the region still held by them, where mandatory curfews have been imposed to avoid attacks by pro-Ultranationalist militias and insurgents. The Ultranationalist Regency Council has stoked the fires of ethnic fanaticism by promising to impose Standard Modern Pelasgian as the public language and the Orthodox Christian faith as the dominant religion across the country's territory upon its victory.

In Tyrasia, the rebels have redoubled their efforts to fortify their region's borders and consolidate their fledgling, unrecognised state in the face of hostility by both Pelasgian authorities in both Propontis and Decelea, knowing full well that a victory by either faction will likely mean the end of their dialect and distinct local traditions. The secessionists are attempting to focus on delaying the Ultranationalist advance toward Thermi, the largest Propontine exclave on the Pelasgian mainland, as they fear that a victory against the Loyalists there would free up Ultranationalist forces to swarm Tyrasia. The publication of a decree by the Regency Council suppressing the Tyrasian identity and dialect earlier today has only added to such fears; however, the blockade imposed upon both the self-proclaimed Tyrasian Confederacy and the western areas of the Regency Council by the largely Loyalist forces of the Pelasgian First Fleet has made the Tyrasian militants' efforts to arm themselves even more complicated. For now, the Ultranationalists' focus on trapping Loyalist troops in Thermi and Evosmos, and the Loyalists' focus on preventing such a strategic disaster, are the only thing giving the Tyrasians some space to breathe.​

 

[Tarusa]

Who is Truly running the government of ScanLaw?
AP Kremlyov

With the rising tensions in Gallo-Germania between Tarusa and members of the Post-Delegationist ScanLaw many within the Kremlyov Government have been left asking, "Who is truly running the government and calling the shots over there?" This question is asked as time after time the Germanic counterparts do the complete opposite of their Scandinavian counterparts and openly disregard the authority of superior government officials.

For years the absolute powers that be in Kremlyov have constantly sounded the alarms of the threat of Post-Delegationism and its decentralized form of government. It has claimed something similiar to what is unfolding now in its Gothic Sea neighbor could happen where those in charge of the various remaining parts of government would refuse to cooperate between each other causing a further break down in public order and an increase in potential dangers. Those alarms have begun to sound louder in the Imperial Halls as officials see that Bakken was forced to travel to Hertha from Gothenhagen to meet with the Germanic leader of Lethonia. The meeting between the senior leader of ScanLaw Prime Minister Bakken and the Lethonian President Leupolz has already been rumored to have not succeeded in squashing the defiance of the Lethonians. This only reaffirms the thoughts of the Tsar and his fellow officials that the Ideaology is a failure and a threat to the continent and the world as a whole as it defies a centralized authority for regulating the safety of citizens and nations.

What exactly does this mean for the continent? The possibility of yet another conflict, a full blown war this time, stemming from the Pannonian crisis. As the Lethonians shun their own government and those of their neighbors and continue to act as they see fit. This threat can be seen across both sides of the Continent as the Frankish Empire has itself called for a larger reserve force in light of the weapons programs from the Lethonians and the Tarusan Empires expansion of its defense spending and military capabilities across the board. It makes for a logical conclusion that both of these nations view the Lethonians as the potential ignition source of a greater continental conflict and it now becomes not a question of if, but when will war happen?