Luthori

[Ligbruderkrieg]

The Conservative Party and the Moderates, once a splinter group from the Tories, the Moderates failed to create a distinct identity from their Conservative counterparts. 

Considering the long history of collaboration developed between the two political formations, with the Moderates joining every government led by the Conservative Party, the announcement that an announcement had been reached for the return of the Moderates under the Tory Party's fold makes no surprise.

Current Tory leader and Prime Minister, Davy Harper announced all jubilant that the "right was coming ever closer together", with this declaration of the Moderates' joining the Conservative Party.

Although this decision is stated to have been in the "works" since years, with Conservative and Moderates insiders stating that negotiations started about 3 years ago, the ultimate decision to dissolve the Moderates and rejoin the Conservative Party sparked massive controversy, both within the Moderates and in public opinion.

This massive shakeup of Luthorian politics hasn't gone unnoticed, on the internet, users have pointed at the "Consolidation of Government" theory, openly embraced by some high-ranking Conservative political leaders, such as the elderly leader of the Identity Study Committee, Margaret Harper. The theory states that the main political ideologies are best represented through the two largest parties that are the Conservative Party and the National Labour Party. This theory calls for the "consolidation" of Luthorian politics between these two parties, by squezzing out the other political parties into their respective apparatus.

This theory, despised on the left and looked with envy on the right, is source of controversy, especially with the Tories expanding their presence in the lower and upper house through acquiring the Moderates' MPs. Numerous voters are expressing their worry as about "the respect of their voices", many voted for the Moderates as a political formation and are now seeing the party they've voted for be absorbed into another political formation. With the Moderates all but dead as a political formation with this agreement, most of their members have expressed willingness at "joining" the Conservative Party, according to an inside poll.

But even as a majority of Moderates' members express their willingness to join the Tories, others have announced that they would leave the Moderates and not join the Conservatives, instead forming their own political formation, if they can.

Current MP for Lorcaster-East, John Trevalyn, expressed his "deepest apologies" about the party's decision to dissolve itself, calling it a "shameful decision that robs millions of their vote in favour of stable leadership, fiscal conservatism and social pragmatism", he also attacked the Tories' "dogmatism" towards party doctrine, stating that the Conservative Party wasn't the best choice for "individualism and free-thinking MPs".

He and 7 other Moderates' MPs, in both Houses of Parliament, signed a tribune, vowing to create a new political formation to "carry on the Moderates' will", out of these, some also expressed willingness at joining the Liberal Party to push forward a "socially liberal and fiscally conservative agenda".

It is expected that out of 41 MPs in the Chamber of Representatives affiliated with the Moderates' group in the lower house - 31 would heed the call and join the Conservative Party as per with their party leadership' call, making the Conservative delegation in the Chamber rise from 127 to 158.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

Harper shifts to the right with recent Cabinet reshuffle; creating tensions between coalition partners.
May 5695 (backdated)

FORT WILLIAM - Luthorian Prime Minisrer Davy Harper has been increasingly observed to be following a pattern in recent months. Following the merger of the Tories and Moderates parties into the Conservative and Nationalist Party, the head of government engaged in a "seduction operation" towards the right and far-right, aiming at securing his control over the Tory Party.

The prime minister plunged headfirst into this strategy alongside other members of his team. Accused by right-wing conservatives of being "too moderate" and with Hosian Democrats and even members of the influential Tory right-wing faction, the Identity Study Committee expressing discomfort at the prime minister's lack of conservative credentials. 

Numerous MPs have expressed total "displeaure" at the fact that the Conservative Party had become a "ineffective party in government". For one MP, who wished to remain anonymous, the Tories "are [basically] the party of the status quo and not of change". While the party usually embraced the image of stable leadership during their premierships, it has begun to draw the ire of many within this large political organisation. For an donator who also wished to remain anonymous, the party is "lacking spirit, is lacking conservative innovation to drive it forward". 

The Prime Minister responded to these critics through the nomination of numerous right-wing politicians or politics-related personalities to numerous positions or offices within his government. Notably, the appointment of Mrs. Margaret Harper (77) to the key post of Secretary of State for the Home Department. This role allows for control over domestic security, the Luthorian police system and allows for greater collaboration with the criminal justice system. Such an important position falling within the grasp of the conservative firebrand spells a shift in Mr. Harper's line of direction for this rest of his term.

The Liberal Party, still a part of the coalition, heavily criticised Mrs. Harper's appointment as Home Secretary, but ultimately ruled out leaving the governing coalition between themselves, the Tories and the Hosian Democrats. This decision was made due to the fact that the Liberals received the crucial political post of the Leader of the Chamber of Representatives, Liberal MP Hayes Allen has been appointed to the position, tasked with organising government business and priorities in the lower house.

Mrs. Harper, for her part, has thanked the Prime Minister for the opportunity he had given her and vowed to "make Luthori's streets safe and cleasened of criminality", already in her new role, the new Home Secretary already used her influence in order to push the Chancellor of the Exchequer to allow her to have an increased budget in next year's expenditures.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

The 5695 Throne Speech has just ended, and numerous things have been reported out of it. The first being the notable absence of both Emperor Richard II (91) and Empress Valeria (93), replaced at this year’s State Opening of Parliament by William, Prince of Orange (55) and his wife, Victoria Mary, Princess of Orange (52). The imperial couple’s absence from the ceremony marks the second time that both the Emperor and Empress have abstained themselves from attending the State Opening of Parliament.

The Orange Palace has stated that the Emperor’s health wasn’t meeting the requirements set by His Majesty and his physicians to allow for his departure for Darlington Palace and his presence at the State Opening. Empress Valeria, for her part, remained close to her husband in their summer home of Hosbury House, in Southern Orange.

The second thing was the Crown Prince’s speech to the Houses of Parliament. While written by the Luthorian government, it is currently dominated by right-wing forces led by the Home Secretary, Margaret Harper and the tone of the address to the assembled Houses. The government laid out its priorities, the first was the passage of an anti-crime bill that would be introduced in the Imperial Diet in the next few days, the second was the passage of a felony act in the Houses of Parliament, its passage being tied to the success of the anticrime bill.

Finally, the Prince of Orange announced that the government would push forward a tax slash in the next budget aimed at "alleviate" the economic and fiscal burden being imposed on “everyday” Luthorians, an objective coupled with enhancing the creation of startups through removing “bureaucratic hurdles” and “anti-business” practices from the government in order to expand the creation of new companies.

This speech was applauded by the Luthorian Employers’ Association (LEA), which applauded the government’s willingness to “tackle the main issues driving businesses backwards nowadays”.

The government also announced its “determination” at “carrying on the military reforms” engaged through the raise of military expenditures engaged 6 years ago and aimed at raising the Luthorian military budget at £192.6 billions by 5700, compared to the figure of £74.5 billions. Nowadays, Luthori’s military budget stands at £112.9 billions for a GDP of around £6,432 billions and the government expressed “solemn resilience” at hitting that figure by 5700.

Reactions to the speech have been mixed, the Labour Party expressed its "condemnation" of the “far-right political program of division of our nation”, the Liberal Party, still a dominant force within the Luthorian government expressed through its Chamber Leader that the issue of crime and penalties bill be discussed beforehand between coalition partners to “build a compromise”, although has expressed initial openness to the aforementioned bills, citing a concern with the “national security apparatus aimed at protecting our people”.

For Home Secretary Harper, the reason of the necessity of increasing the capabilities of the internal security forces comes from the Labour Party’s continued push to defund the National Police Department during their three successive terms in office, which led to “weakening of the National Police as an institution” during these years, forcing the current Tory-led administration to refund the police and internal security forces to provide stability to communities across the Empire.

The Imperial Diet is set to convene tomorrow to begin the debates and proceedings. The Home Ministry has stated that the preliminary version of the Anticrime Bill will be proposed to the Cabinet in September 5695. Harper stated that the Bill will “tackle the worst crimes of human nature” and provide a safe and agreeable community for everyone to live in.

The anti-crime stance of the Home Secretary has been applauded by many, especially in conservative circles, who express happiness that the Conservative Party is no longer " bound by moderation in its coalition”, police unions express “relief” that their situation will be “improved soon” through actions of the government. Minister of State for Crime and Policing, MP Benjamin Hunniford, stated that the anti-crime bill will be one of the “harshest on criminals in the last century”.

Whispers about a potential prison bill, aimed at increasing the spaces available to harbor new prisoners following the passage of both the anti-crime bill and the penalties bill is considered for the next parliamentary session, with Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Mathilde Plundell reportedly pushing for it alongside the Home Secretary, under heavy Liberal opposition.

The Liberal Party has, for its part, begun to distance itself from a government now mostly dominated by conservative interests, Liberals, even though rewarded with important ministerial posts within the second Harper government seems to have lost crucial control over the situation, with their values beginning to clash with the Conservative’s right-flank values which are now becoming policies.

Liberal leader, Robert McArthy is expected to announce his resignation as Leader of the Liberal Party next month, as health issues have caught up to him. What opens next is a new leadership struggle that would define the party as it enters the 58th century.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

The Home Secretary has today introduced to the Chamber of Representatives, the so-called “Crime Prevention and Protection Bill”, a government bill primarily aiming, at least according to the Home Secretary, at the “prevention of future crimes by giving law enforcement organisations the necessary tools to act”.

Mrs. Harper, as the Secretary of State for Home Affairs and even before her appointment to the position, has repeatedly called for the enactment of a “harsher crime bill” seeking to “root out the evil of criminality from our communities”, even as in her swearing-in ceremony, the Home Secretary described the policies of previous administrations as “lacking” at best.

Mrs. Harper has stated that the Department of Home Affairs was targeting the “main issue” with criminality and that being the lack of preventive actions to prevent them. In the bill, the National Police Department and the local law enforcement agencies will receive new orders to become far more “in touch” with a community’s inhabitants, as it would require the police to remain at less than 17 miles (27 km) from an habitation in urban centers, although this limit will be increased at 35 miles (40 km) in rural areas due to the lesser numbers of policemen and policewomen in these areas. 

Patrols are also stated to be increased, as of now, the National Police doesn’t force a set number of patrols per neighborhoods, for the Home Secretary, this state of affairs “cannot stand” and has argued that the police be patrolling every neighborhood in urban centers at least thrice in a month.

The Act also tackles the issue of intelligence gathering, empowering the Government of Luthori in terms of data collection, it states that the Domestic Intelligence Agency will be able, as per with “reasonable concerns” and a court order to collect data from known criminals and criminal organisations for use in their fight against these said organisations. According to Number 10, the Luthorian government’s “lack of legislative tools” to combat crime organisations was the main driver towards the “increase in crime rates” that Fort William observed in recent years.

While the Conservative Party ultimately wholeheartedly supported the Home Secretary’s bill, alongside the Hosian Democrats as well, the Liberal Party remained divided, with some lamenting the bill’s perceived attack on “individual liberties” through the surveillance and data monitoring of some individuals, the bill’s emergency protocol, which states that custody can be raised from initially 24 to 36 hours in case of “great risks” to the nation and that it could be extended as much time as needed by law enforcement officers (as opposed to 24 hours under current legislation).

The usage of this policy would need to be backed up by the preliminary use from the government of an act empowering its capabilities in the name of “national security” and previously passed as an Act of Parliament (such as the War Measures Act), it would also need to provide proof to courts that the bill’s invocation was due to domestic and/or foreign threats.

The Liberal MP acting as Government Chief Leader in the House, Hayes Allen, stated that the bill had “caused a great deal of distraught” to the Liberal caucus in both Houses of Parliament, but that ultimately, the Liberals were expected to “fall in line” with the government’s proposals, stating that “the security in our communities remains a Liberal commitment during the campaign and one that we believe is strongly supported by this Bill.”

Mr. Allen nevertheless stated that the Liberals would bring amendments to the bill to reduce the risks of government “overreach” on individual liberties and internet rights.

In the Opposition, meanwhile, reactions have been more mixed, the Communists, Radical Democrats have each called this move “dictatorial” and an "infringement on the Luthorian people’s sovereign right to not be spied upon by their government”, the Official Opposition in the National Labour Party has already expressed its opposition to the proposed bill, not because of opposition to the Home Secretary’s program, but because of its so-called “anti-poor profile”, they argue that the Bill will be focused on Luthori’s poor populations, specifically those of immigrant backgrounds, which in Labour’s eyes, will be systematically race-profiled as per with the provisions of the Bill.

The Leader of the Opposition Pat Holland stated that the Labour Party would “fiercely” rebuff any attempt at pushing this Bill in either Houses of Parliament.

The Green Party also expressed concern at the risk towards individual liberties and expressed opposition. The Radical Liberals, who originally turned towards an opposition to the Bill, swinged opinions, with a majority of their MPs expressing disapproval of the government’s measure, but a minority being “opened” towards “negotiations” for “some part of the Bill”, according to Radical Liberal House Leader, Rebecca Graham.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

While in Luthori, debate around the controversial Crime Prevention and Protection Bill, pushed by Secretary of State for Home Affairs Margaret Harper, on foreign affairs, the mood is sharply different. Prime Minister Davy Harper entrusted in his former role in Mr. Parker-Stanford’s government, Liberal firebrand and rising star, Mr. Gordon Learmouth (33) to become the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in his new government. Appointed in a bid to reassure the Liberal Party about the conservative influences within his government, the Prime Minister secured an ally at the Foreign Ministry, as Mr. Learmouth shares most ideals that the Prime Minister pursued during his term as Foreign Minister.

For his foreign displacement as Foreign Secretary, Mr. Learmouth seems to have chosen the Commonwealth of Mordusia as a fine destination. Indeed, the Luthorian Empire and the Mordusian Commonwealth, have since three centuries, at least, shared a similar monarchical head of state, that being the monarch of Luthori. In the coming wave of celebrations related to His Majesty the Emperor’s 70th anniversary since his ascension as both Emperor of Luthori and King of Mordusia, the Foreign Office argued that the Foreign Secretary chose Mordusia as his first foreign trip in order to “reassure the ancestral and unbreakable bond between the Holy Luthori Empire and the Commonwealth of Mordusia”.

The Foreign Office stated that officially, discussions will be focused around three main courses, the first being military cooperation between the two states, which has been a primary point of their relationship since centuries, according to the Foreign Secretary, Luthori has a “sincere wish to greatly expand this relationship to new heights”, discussions shall focus around a permanent presence in Mordusia and the Sea of Lost Souls through the creation (and reformation) of Luthorian naval forces command structures in the Western Seleyan Area. 

The second shall be related to the Emperor and King, Richard II, as monarch of both Luthori and Mordusia for the last 68 years, his presence remains paramount to the characterisation of bilateral relations between the two states. Even if His Majesty hasn’t visited the Commonwealth for four decades now, the Orange Palace stated that the Emperor and Empress, in likely their last foreign engagement in their reign, would visit the Commonwealth of Mordusia during the Platinum Jubilee of the Emperor in 5697. Details about the visit haven’t yet been released to the public, but the Palace is keen to “correct an objective mistake on their part”, and have the Emperor visit Mordusia and head the ceremonies of commemoration of his reign’s anniversary from Randworth instead of Fort William.

Prince William (55), Prince of Orange and heir apparent is poised to take charge of the celebrations in Luthori alongside his family, including Prince Edward (17), his eldest son and likely future Emperor of Luthori in his own right.

Finally, the final topic up to discussion is about Luthori and Mordusia’s relationship, according to the Foreign Secretary, the two countries shares an “unbreakable bond” but also “lamented” the fact that it was merely “unofficial”, he stated that he wished to begin talks with his Mordusian counterparts about potential discussions about the formalisation of the two nations’ relationships. He stated that the Kerisian Empire, proclaimed by the Egelians after their family seized the thrones of Nadiya and New Endralon and Kizenia was an “huge inspiration”, citing also the Jelbic Empire or the Canrillaise Empire.

“Luthori has been in an union with Mordusia for the better part of the last three centuries, and we aren’t officialising it. That is the most shameful thing that the Foreign Office has failed to achieve in recent decades, if you want my opinion.”, said the Foreign minister before leaving for Darlington Palace.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

As Parliament debates; the Voice of the People takes a stand.
January 5696

As Members of Parliament are deliberating on the fate of the illiberal Crime Prevention and Protection Bill, a bold number of 43 Luthorians, from all sectors of society have signed an open letter at the intention of Darlington politicians, arguing for them to defeat the proposed Bill in either the Chamber of Representatives or the Senate. Their bold declaration in favor of human dignity and their unwavering commitment towards their liberty and that of others, something that is lacking in the current cabinet, make their effort even more splendid.

It is our greatest honor to have been chosen as the publisher of the letter and we, at the Guardian, take great pride in being the people’s foremost choice for the defence of their civil liberties. 

As the Second Harper government seems destined towards curtailing civil liberties in favor of authoritarian and a repressive police state, it is up to us, the people, to make our voice heard and to stop the Tories and their allies’ plan to subdue Luthorian democracy to their advantage. But, in this fight, we can’t be fighting alone. In fact, while we will be able to significantly pressure the government towards backing down from their project. At the end, a large part of the work, and frankly, most of it will be done at Darlington Palace, where MPs will have to choose between shameful submission to their respective parties or make a stand towards the preservation of civil liberties and be thanked by 149 million souls for this.

The Chamber of Representatives is a fundamental instrument in our parliamentary democracy and is acting as the bulwark against government overreach as His Majesty’s Government, as per with the constitutional precedents enacted by our forefathers who built the parliamentary system as we know it, is responsible towards Parliament, and more specifically, the lower house. It is therefore the responsibility of MPs in the Chamber of Representatives to make a stand towards clear opposition to this liberticide bill.

Of course, we are saying that without much influence on the actual vote of these MPs on the final day. Understandably, the Conservative Party and the Hosian Democrats are placing an huge amount of pressure towards their own MPs to stand by party line and vote in favour of the Home Secretary’s Crime Bill, and with the recent fusion of the Moderates inside the Conservative Party, the size of the Conservative Parliamentary Party and its influence within the Cabinet have become non-negligeable, and even toxic.

Now, the only hope towards the preservation of our liberties stands with the nominally allied, but extremely unhappy Liberal Party, they have been in a coalition with the right for decades, last time they’ve allied with the left was with Olivia Hall as PM. Right now, the Liberals have been mostly left out of important government roles, with only the Department of Foreign Affairs remaining under their control in the Four Great Offices of State. To the Liberals, haven’t you enough of being used as a convenient tool by the Tories and see your principles being trampled on every possible opportunity by this far-right government? We are aware of your hesitations, but the Tories’ aim is to completely dismantle and trounce on your ideals of small government and individual liberty.

This radical expansion of government goes against what the Liberals stand for. It goes against your electorate's will and goes against the will of the Luthorian people. We can’t convince you right here to just change vote and vote against your own government, but we aim to start a dialogue within your party, we are aware of the hesitation of many of your party MPs, they don’t like the Bill, they made themselves clear, even former Moderates have stated that they would “possibly” vote against it. Our aim is to change this “possibly” to a “surely”.

To finish this already long letter, we would like to call upon you, the Luthorian people, to protest this direct insult to your voice by descending to the streets and calling your MP to argue against voting in favour of this Bill.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

Parliament Approves of the Home Secretary's Anticrime Bill With Wide Margin.
April 5696

It seems that the controversy surrounding the Home Secretary’s Crime Prevention and Protection Bill wasn’t enough to prevent its passage for its opponents, as the final vote in the Senate returned an approval from both Houses of Parliament. On February 3rd, the Bill passed the Chamber of Representatives after a final vote following the third reading of the bill. Following this success, the Bill remained for a month in the Senate, where the Government held a majority of seats. After countless hours of negotiations between the Tories and Whigs on the matter of the Bill, the Liberals pushed forward amendments to guarantee both legislative oversight on some aspects of the Act and modified some amendments present in the original version of the Bill to provide for a higher emphasis on the preservation of civil liberties.

Home Secretary Harper has described the passage of the Bill as an "enormous victory” for the Luthorian people and an affirmation of the Conservative Party’s commitment towards its constituents and their security. She, who in mid-January, described the “Letter of the 43” as a “paper filled with lies and ignorance”, seems to have been strengthened by the lack of public reaction to the Bill. Prime Minister Harper (not the same) also expressed his satisfaction at the easy passage of the Act in Parliament.

The Bill is expected to strengthen police forces in order to tackle the government’s new fear, that being the rising trend in criminal and uncivil behavior, by promoting prevention and enhanced surveillance methods.

Indeed, the Crime Prevention and Protection Act was mostly opposed on an ideological background by left-wing and liberal activists, some organised protests and sit-ins in front of Darlington Palace, hoping to get their message clear to the Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Houses of Parliament. But, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, in Fort William alone, the largest demonstration against the Bill merely assembled 3.216 people in a peaceful march between King’s Cottage and Darlington, where the protests then established a sit-in on the gardens next to the Palace.

This lack of public interest towards the anti-Crime Bill movement is mostly explained by the fact that Luthorian society is unusually united on that field, most Luthorians supporting the Home Secretary’s bid for an increased security focus from the Cabinet. According to a nationwide poll from Getyup for the LBC, around 62% of Luthorians who responded to the poll, stated that they were “in agreement” with the government’s position on the question, with only 23% stating they were “in opposition” with it.

The House voted for with, out of 434 members, all the Tories (158) and Hosian Democrats (34) voting in favor, alongside the main bulk of the Liberal Party (46) voting AYE as well. They were followed by an insurgent right-wing flank of the Labour Party (20), which broke ranks and voted in favor of the Bill, the Radical Liberal Party (5), for its part, voted in majority against the Bill, while a minority of 2 MPs decided to abstain. All the Green MPs (32) voted against the Bill, as well as for the main corps of the National Labour Party (117), they were also followed by 7 Liberal MPs who rejected the Crime Bill as well. To conclude, the 3 MPs from the Communist Party of Luthori and the 12 MPs from the Radical Democratic Party also voted in opposition to the Bill.

In total, in the House, 258 MPs voted in favor of Mrs. Harper’s Crime Prevention and Protection Act, expected to become law after the Emperor gave his assent to the bill. A similar result was achieved in the Senate, in opposition, 169 MPs voted against in a great defeat for the Labour Party and its allies, 7 MPs were absent at the time of voting.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

Mayor: Incidents reported in Middenhall, 3 injured in politically-motivated attack.
May 5696

MIDDENHALL - It has been reported and later confirmed by police and mayorial sources that clashes have erupted in Middenriding's largest city and capital. Local law enforcement authorities said the confrontation took place in South Middenhall, involving the radical far-left against the radical far-right. Middenhall's local branch of the "International Freedom Fighters" (IFF), a radical far-left organisation openly calling for the overthrow of the current Luthorian government engaged itself in a brawl against members of the far-right, ultramonarchist "Orange Order".

The events took place in a bar next to Malbury Street, there lays a drinking establishment frequently visited by the youth (+18-25 years), these young adults have a tendency to be aligned with far-left theology and ideology, portraits of Ruan Zhi, Karlstein Metz, Vladimir Leonid or even Maxime Flandin (former Aldurian dictator) hangs proudly on the walls of this bar, as symbols of the "international proletarian revolution", as the owners call it.

The bar, named the "Sainte Catherine" (Canrillaise for Saint Catherine/Katherine) has become associated with the local radical left-wing movements, assembling orthodox metzists, ruanists, anarchists, flandinists, or even Xsampans communists. 

On the night between the 2nd and 3rd of May, witnesses reported to the police that a brawl had erupted at about 2.33 in the morning. During this night, following International Workers' Day on the 1st, was organised a concert to celebrate the date, attendance at the bar was higher than usual due to this. According to people present in the bar at that time, a group of around 10 men, dressed fully in black and hooded made their apparence at that moment.

These men, fully armed with baseball bats and other lethal weapons then charged at the bar, hitting and harassing anyone who was there. What followed was a 15-minute clash between members of the Orange Order (later identified by the police) and bar attendees such as members of the International Freedom Fighters before the Police intervened and broke up the confrontation, making 4 arrests of the black-clothed men and 3 arrests of bar attendees.

According to Middenhall Police Chief, Brake Huntsman, the "Sainte Catherine" bar has been closed until further notice, by fear of possible retailiation by either one of the groups, he has also deplored the presence of 3 injured, each taken to the St. John Medical Center and whose state is rapidly recovering. Chief Huntsman alongside Mayor Bryan of Middenhall lamented the "unusual" political violence and have vowed to "punish those responsible" accordingly to the law.

Middenriding Minister-President, George Radcliff (Labour) expressed his "vocal and intense" condemnation of the act and has vowed to remain "in touch" with Middenhall's local authorities in the resolution of this affair. In Fort William, central government spokesperson have stated that the government's recent law "will help to drastically reduce these criminal acts which terrify everyday Luthorians day and night."

[Ligbruderkrieg]

His Majesty the Emperor will visit the Commonwealth of Mordusia between the 22nd of March and the 31st of March, 5697. This year will be punctuated with the celebrations of his Diamond Jubilee, commemorating his ascension to the Luthorian and Mordusian thrones 69 years ago. This announcement comes following Foreign Secretary Learmouth’s preliminary visit to Mordusia in late 5695 aimed at discussing in depth the relation between the two nations. 

While the Foreign Office excluded a return of the Foreign Secretary in Mordusia for the Emperor’s visit stating that the Minister of the Crown wasn’t “available” for a future state visit at that point in time. Emperor and King Richard II will instead visit Mordusia alone, even without his wife, Empress Valeria, who will, for her part, remain in Luthori due to “serious health concerns” from her doctors. Prince William, heir apparent, is expected to assume more and more duties as his father becomes himself, increasingly and more frequently ill.

Emperor Richard II as the head of state of Mordusia will meet the Mordusian Prime Minister, members of the Mordusian government. The Emperor will also meet with the Governor-General of Mordusia, Prince Louis-Ferdinand and will attend celebrations commemorating the beginning of his reign. It is widely believed that the Emperor’s visit in Mordusia will be the last of his reign, as according to the Orange Palace’ leaked memo, the Emperor’s health is causing “great distress” to the Imperial Household. And these 9 days in Mordusia are worrying his doctors about potential negative impact on it.

The Emperor will be watching a small-scale military parade of both Luthorian and Mordusian forces in Randworth. The Imperial Household Ministry, joined by the Foreign Ministry, has announced that the visit will be used by both Governments to “jointly prepare a declaration reaffirming their joint loyalty to the Crown and what it represents, tradition and stability in an ever more dangerous world.”, diplomats from both countries are expected in Randworth as both countries will be working hand in hand in the drafting of this declaration.

An Imperial Conference, bringing together both the Luthorian and Mordusian Prime Ministers at the Emperor’s initiative, is expected to be organised to formally recognise this declaration drafted by both Governments.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

The Naval High Command has today issued a statement detailing and discussing the current and potential future strategies that are being considered by the Defence Office and the Defence Staff; these strategies are designed to, among others, explore the Imperial Luthorian Navy’s potential future military endeavours and deployments. In the current context, where the Luthorian military is receiving an annual increase in its budget, as per former government orders, the 5696 Naval White Paper places a greater emphasis on “strengthening the cohesion” between different military forces, it reports a “worrying lack of intra-army cohesion and cooperation” due to “ill-placed intra-service rivalries”. This reports usually just focuses on the operational failures, weaknesses and potential flaws in organisation which could be damning in a battlefield.

This year, however, there was a little different, instead of merely announcing new possibilities of change in terms of general strategy and strategic outlook, the White Paper announced something that might be highly surprising to many, the dismantlement of the Naval Headquarters at Middenhall and their displacement to Randsey, 95 miles west of Middenriding’s capital. The Naval High Command expressed that a “wider change in Luthori’s naval strategy”, which will now be centred around Randsey instead of Middenhall, hence the reason for the change in location of the Naval Headquarters.

The First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Radcliffe, confirmed the statements from the Naval White Paper, stating that, by 5707, the administrative headquarters of the Imperial Luthorian Navy will be moved from Middenhall to Randsey. The city’s strategic location isn’t widely different from its eastern counterpart, nonetheless, its position, as the city is closer to Fort William and the imposing Citadel complex where the Imperial Army and Imperial Air Force’s headquarters are located, have added weight into this decision.

The First Sea Lord nonetheless affirms that this decision wasn’t taken “lightly” and that recent violent episodes in the city were not “the reason for the Navy’s departure”. The Imperial Navy disengaging itself from Middenhall is a non-negligeable blow to the city’s economy, numerous residents working for the armed forces in the city, creating fears that their future fate will be unemployment. Commercials who are working with naval forces in the region are also worried about a potential dip in their revenue, as one of their main financial supporters will be gone.

The Imperial Navy stated that merely the “central administrative buildings, focused and tasked with the overall operations and coordination of different naval forces” will be moved to Randsey, while the naval base in Middenhall (HMNB Middenhall) will remain operational, as the Navy stated having “no intention” of closing it down.