Nouvelles de Belmont

[Serenierre]

News Update

:!: Chambre des Communes begins debate over Constitutional reform: Every twenty or so years, the lower house of the Parliament starts debates if there is a need to revise the unwritten constitution of the Kingdom. And now, that time has come again. The LDA started debates on the creation of a Supreme Court and defining the powers of the Realms and the provinces.​

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[Serenierre]

News Update

:!: University of Paris welcomes first Batavien students: With a new government in Batavie, Belmont's premier university in the capital, The University of Paris, has announced that it will be welcoming the first batch of several Batavien students on special scholarships sponsored by Prince Nicolas's The Prince of Montaigne Fund
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[Batavië]

Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken | BuZa

We can confirm this report and also hope to include Belmonti universities in a new university educational exchange programme, soon to be established by the Northern Council.

 

[Serenierre]

News Update

:!: Queen to host dinner of Ambassadors at Palace: Palace officials have issued a statement in which they have stated that HM The Queen has invited all ambassadors in Paris and their families to an official dinner at the Chateau de Charbonne. The Palace has sent invitations to all the embassies present in Paris, additionally some consulate generals have also been invited, mainly those in Marseilles.
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[Serenierre]

Headlines

:!: Constitutional reform committee established by speaker of Parliament
:!: Prince de Montaigne dismisses several in Realm of Montaigne government over claims of inefficiency
:!: Premier Martinique opens annual PPL Party Conference in Toulouse
:!: Cortonan PM to visit Paris, bilateral ties to remain strong, says FO

 

[Serenierre]

L'International | Edition Anglais

Free Trade Agreement signed with Hajr
Business community commends the two governments over finalizing the treaty

With His Majesty Sultan Huseyn in Belmont conducting his first state tour of the country, the ties between his Sultanate and our Kingdom are getting stronger as each day goes by. A few days ago, the trade and finance ministers of both countries met in Marseilles to discuss the details of a free trade agreement. After three days of intense negotiations, the four ministers presented the final version of the free trade agreement to their respective heads of state. Yesterday, Her Majesty asked Premier Martinique to oversee the parliamentary ratification of the FTA with the southern sultanate of Hajr. The process is set to take little under a week and when signed will allow the trade between the two states to multiply tenfold.

Already, Hajr's economic capital has seen Belmontien investment increase dramatically as the Sultanate has proven itself to be the most reliable market in all of the region and the political stability in the country has allowed Belmontien banks, retailers and companies to open up at-least one branch of their establishment in Sidra. The oil reserves of Hajr also have been of immense interest to Paris and many government-sponsored expeditions have been sent to the country to explore enlarging the oil sector and in increasing Hajri oil exports to Belmont.

With the new treaty, travel restrictions have also been eased substantially and tourism is set to rise in the coming months. Hajr's sultan is expected to continue his stay in Belmont for an additional week and a half.
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[Serenierre]

Headlines

:!: Government to enact harsh anti-piracy policy
:!: Prince de Montaigne meets with Sultan Huseyn in Montaigne countryside
:!: St. Justinian's Day to be public holiday, set to fall on May 15
:!: College professors in Carcassonne demand more retirement benefits

 

[Serenierre]

Conservative lobbies push for coalition between PCB & PdJ

With the two conservative, right-wing parties having buried the hatchet, conservative lobbies across the nation have started putting pressure on the two parties to form a coalition and unite the two distinct conservative support base of the two parties and form a united opposition against the liberal government of the LDA coalition. Many leading conservative members of the civil society have been seen frequenting the headquarters of both parties and sources confirm that the senior leadership of both parties is being pressured by the lobbies.

These moves come just as Parliament passed the Budget, which had the conservatives cringing due to the continued funding of public schooling, healthcare etc, and the conservative opposition MPs were unable to review the budget in enough detail due to their party's attempts to gain a stronghold in the others strongholds. The conservative sections of the populace have also raised concerns over the increased immigration from the East.

Hoping to remain clean of the mess the opposition has landed in with its support base, the LDA has decided on holding a massive conference in Marseilles, with people across the country expected to attend, to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the PPL, the largest member of the LDA coalition. The Premier, the two Deuxièmes (Deputy Premiers) and many of the PPL's senior leadership are expected to attend and be key-note speakers.

 

[Serenierre]

LDA rallies begin across Belmont
Paris gathering sees 2,550,000 attend, Premier speaks at her party's 50th anniversary

Today, the Liberal Democratic Alliance (LDA), the government coalition, kicked off celebrations across the country to celebrate the fiftieth year of the alliance's largest member party, the PPL (Liberals). In the 2010 General Elections held in early January 2010, the PPL came out with 212 seats in Parliament, becoming the largest party in the Parliament. Soon after, the party joined into a coalition with the two other main centrist and liberal parties in Parliament, the PDSB (Social Democrats) and the MD (Centrists), thus forming the LDA and forming Her Majesty's Government, controlling a total of 345 of 600 seats.

The Paris rally, the largest such event ever in Belmontien political history, had over 2.5 million people and many popular Belmontien music acts performed at the rally. The Premier, Mme. Shahrazad Martinique, and many senior members of her government and senior leadership of the PPL and LDA member parties were keynote speakers. Each speaker, apart from the Premier, had an average speech time of ten minutes and the speeches were, thankfully, short and to the point. On the other hand, Premier Martinique's speech ran for 30 minutes and covered certain aspects of her government which had defined Belmont and had brought it out of its "demonization in the eyes of the world" and had managed to, rather quickly, bring Belmont's prestige back up again.

Long having stuck to its centrist and liberal position in the political spectrum, the party enjoyed a great period of success in national politics in the 1960s and 1970s but by the 1980s that momentum was crushed by the conservative surge of the eighties. But by 1995, the party had regained enough support to become the main opposition party in the country. But finally, in the 2009 snap General Election, in its jubilee year, the party came victorious in the elections and formed the first centrist, liberal government in Belmont in almost thirty years bringing an end to the PCB dominated political scene in Belmont.

Since its defeat in the elections, the PCB (Centre-right) has been having to deal with blows by fellow conservative party, the PdJ (right-wing), and with dwindling support amongst the Belmontien youth and with majority of its senior leadership past the age of 60, the conservative age of Belmont seems to be at an end... finally.
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[Serenierre]

JOURNAL DES DÉBATS POLITIQUES​

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PCB REMAINS CAUTIOUS AS PARTY ELECTIONS APPROACH​

The days where the PCB was a political force to reckon with are gone. Everybody knows it and everybody welcomes it, maybe apart from the party's own senior leadership and longtime stalwarts who continue to hang on to the highs the party experienced from 1980 to 2008. But apart from the loss of power, the conservatives are fighting a war from within as well, having to fight off strong opposition from the PdJ, a party formed by PCB deserters earlier in the year.

But in all the doom and gloom for the conservatives, there is hope, in the form of former Premier George Bettancourt. Having served as Foreign Minister numerous times and having been a MP for forty years, the man has enough experience to rejuvenate the ailing conservative political scene in Belmont. But at 64, Mr. Bettancourt is seen as too old to attract the Belmontien youth towards the party. Also going against him is the fact that out of his party's members, he is considered to be on the more - comparatively - liberal side, something which could seriously undermine his bid to unseat incumbent PCB Chairman Jean V. Pierre in the upcoming party elections for the Central Executive Committee (CEC), the party's senior most and most powerful body.

Mr. Jean V. Raffarin, who came to the helm of affairs in 2009, in the wake of Premier Plantard's disgraceful exit from office, has had the tough job to controlling the damage done by Premier Plantard's attempts to influence the AP news reports related to Belmont and its, then proposed, anti-communist policies. At 76, Mr. Raffarin is one of the oldest chairman's in the party's history and is considered as one of the most influential party members. Having served as Premier from 1990 to 2006, Mr. Raffarin is one of the most prominent members of the PCB. His views, considered more traditional and more in line with historical conservative positions, give him an edge in the party elections over Mr. Bettancourt but he too faces the dilemma that he can't bring new support to the party.

With a clash between two former Prime Ministers upcoming, members of the already weakened PCB have taken a deep breath to prepare for the upcoming battle which could serve as a catalyst to split the party in another group. The clash with the PdJ, which was ended last week, took a serious toll on PCB politicians and members and they were left in uncomfortable positions many times on many political talk shows, something which resulted in further drops in popularity.

While dealing with all these internal issues, the PCB has neglected its duties in Parliament to a large extend leaving the floor open for the LDA government coalition to table several bills in Parliament which had been crushed by the PCB majorities in the past three decades. With little interest being shown by the PCB's 201 MPs, who instead are focusing on remaining popular in their constituencies and keeping the PdJ away, has given the LDA plenty an opportunity to push through the liberal agenda which has been for thirty years been on hold.

CHATEAU DE CHARBONNE ANNOUNCES ROYAL ENGAGEMENT​

It was predicted to happen for months but, both, The Houses of Montaigne and Nareath had chosen to remain quiet on the issue. But early this morning, the Palace issued a statement in which the engagement of HRH Prince Nicolas of Montaigne, the Heir Apparent, and Princess Iselin of Arendaal was announced.

It has been rumored that Princess Iselin was given a choice of twenty engagement rings to choose from, supplied by Her Majesty's own jewelers in Paris. In the end, Princess Iselin chose a ƒ.55,000 diamond and sapphire ring and the two were formally engaged last week when the Aren Royal family came to visit Belmont to meet with members of the Montaigne family. As of now, the wedding date has only been specified to be somewhere in the Autumn of 2010. As news broke about the engagement, sales of tabloids carrying images of Princess Iselin with her engagement ring sky-rocketed and channels started running small clips of the couple together in various parts of the world over their two and a half year relationship.

While majority of public opinion has been in favor of the two royals' romance, some Catholics expressed their reservations over the couple due to their close familial ties. The two love-birds managed to get papal approval for their love and soon the religious right quieted down. But now, with this news, new concerns have been brought up by them where they have asked whether the possible next Queen-consort of Belmont would convert to Catholicism or not and whether the children of HRH Prince Nicolas would be brought up as Catholics. So far, these claims have resulted in silence by both Royal Houses but, generally, people have pushed such concerns aside.

It is rumored that, upon being married to HRH Prince Nicolas, Princess Iselin will convert to Catholicism and will adopt a new name. Upon her marriage to HRH Prince Nicolas, the Aren princess will be made a Belmontien Princess and will be inducted in the Belmontien royal family and will receive the title of HRH, to be used in Belmont. She is expected to be the next Queen-consort of the Kingdom, the fifth Aren princess to do so.
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[Rheinbund]

Schloß Charlottenburg
Trier, Eiffelland

It is spring and love is in the air. Congratulations to HRH Crown-Prince Nicolas and Princess Iselin with their engagement.

King Albrecht IV

 

[Serenierre]

Headlines

:!: George Bettancourt, former Premier, defeats rival in party race, becomes Leader of the Conservateurs
:!: Coalition Libéral continues celebrations for 50th anniversary of largest member party Liberté
:!: Paris defeats Marseilles in National Football Cup finals
:!: Steel factories in Orleans see increase in exports to Franken

 

[Serenierre]

Premier Martinique calls on DG-ISE to discuss security situation

With the latest efforts by Marquen security officials crushing the Marquen terror group, Red Clay, the ISE started cleanup operations across southern Belmont and according to all reports the ISE has succeeded in making southern Belmont free of Marquen terrorists. The Premier has called on the Kingdom's premier intelligence agency, the ISE, to discuss the details. It is expected that she will announce, officially, the end of the security operation in next week's press briefing.

 

[Serenierre]

Headlines

:!: Katherine Mausane appointed Ambassador to Marquette
:!: Coalition Libéral pushes anti-sexual orientation discrimination bill, PCB fights hard
:!: Chairman of Election Commission to resign by Monday over corruption allegations
:!: Investors head to Batavie to investigate business opportunities

 

[Serenierre]

FO congratulates Wiese, sends messages of support

With the controversial Wieser war games at an end, the Foreign Office has issued a statement in which they congratulated the Wieser armed forces on the successful exercises and conveyed Belmont's support in any potential tensions in the Sarmatian region. The Foreign Office also mentioned that the the two states; The Kingdom of Belmont and the Empire of Wiese, had a long history of cooperation and it was in the interest of both countries to keep ties strong.

The FO also used the statement to inform the media that the Armed Forces of Belmont would be testing a series of missiles in the coming month of June. The tests have been announced in advance to avert possible creation of tensions. The Director General of the Inter-Services Press Relations also said that the missiles will be of the ICBM Flèche.

 

[Serenierre]

Muslim community leaders meet in Marseilles
Increasing radicalization of Muslim youth to be main topic of conference

Every year, the Grand Conseil des Affaires Islamiques (GCAI) meets to discuss issues of importance to the Muslim community in the Kingdom. This year, GCAI has gathered in the country's economic hub to discuss the apparent radicalization of the some of the country's Muslim youth. This situation has come as a shock to many in the Muslim community, which has long been known for keeping their faith a personal matter. The conference, which begins today, will explore as to why such a situation has occurred.

In the opinion of some, the radicalization of some Muslim youth has occurred due to their abandonment of their roots with Hajr and aligning themselves with the more extreme Wazistani branch of Islam. In recent years, several thousand Belmontien nationals have visited Wazistan for extended amounts of time. The trend has picked up more with Muslim families in southern Belmont, which rank lower than their counterparts in other parts of Belmont.

According to Census reports, 1/5 of the Belmontien population of 80,000,000 is Muslim or has a Muslim background. Majority of them trace their roots to Hajr, a former colony of Franken. The GCAI and the government remain in close contact and Premier Shahrazad Martinique is expected to make a speech at the Conference's opening session.
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[Serenierre]

Navy announces launch of new submarine
Launch comes as Navy pushes to become blue water navy

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NORD PAS: Yesterday a new era started for the Royal Navy and for Belmont. Yesterday, the navy launched the first submarine of the new Leopold Class of nuclear submarines. The Leopold Class will expand the operational capabilities of the RN and will enhance the navies role in international contexts. The RNS Leopold IV, the flagship of her class, is the first in a line of twenty others. The Leopold Class will also allow Belmont to play a greater strategic role and will allow the strategic deterrence to be deployed much faster. The navy has been focusing on expansion since 2004 and has already spent many billions of francs on the various projects it has initiated.

The navy has invested in adding more vessels into its ranks and is set on transforming itself as a viable blue-water navy which can work in unison with EDF operations across the world. Since Belmont's induction into the EDF's Level 2 membership, the military has been working extra hard to integrate itself better with its allies and to expand its capabilities to even greater levels than before.

The official ceremony was attended by HRH Prince Nicolas of Montaigne and his fiance Princess Iselin of Arendaal, who also christened the submarine. The official ceremony was attended by the entire Naval High Command and senior members from the Army, Air-force and Strategic Forces also attended the ceremony. The ceremony marked the first time that Princess Iselin attended an official function in her capacity as the fiance of HRH Prince Nicolas.
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[Serenierre]

L'International | Edition Anglais

PARIS - VENDREDI. 22. MAI. 2010.

3 Belmontiens arrive from Marquette, Queen charges them with treason, signs execution orders
As soon as the three extradited Belmontien nationals arrived in Orleans Airport, agents of the ISE brought the three men into custody and they were immediately transferred to Fortress Bastonette. Upon news of their arrival, HM The Queen signed execution orders of the three men. The three men have been charged as having "violated the terms of their immigration papers, promoting terrorism and actively trying to cause harm and injury to the mass public."

L'International® Nouvelles en Anglais - Now available across Europe
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[Serenierre]

ƒ.150 million aid package dispatched for Batavie

As the new government in Batavie gets down to reforming and rebuilding the country, aid is pouring into Vlaanderen from many countries and the Belmontien government has announced that it too was giving Batavie an aid package of 150 million francs. In a statement, the Premier's office announced that the aid was primarily aimed at health and education sectors and that Belmont was committed to supporting the new government of Batavie.

The ties between the two countries have surged ahead as the communist regime collapsed and several high-ranking meetings have taken place between officials from both capitals. The two countries have also agreed to expand economic ties significantly and already Belmontien firms are aiding the Batavien government in oil refinery construction in parts of that country. Also, Belmontien companies such as Groupe Agricole Thatsise have invested in the thriving Batavien agricultural sector.

Sometime in the fall of this year, a visit is being planned by Premier Martinique to meet with her counterpart in Vlaanderen to further solidify the ties established earlier in the year.

 

[Batavië]

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This commitment from Belmont further showcases the value placed upon our relationship and the honest caring of the well being of Batavian people. We are also pleased to announce that the free trade agreement agreed upon in previous meetings is nearly ready for signing.