Luthori

[Ligbruderkrieg]

OP ED: The Failure of Reconciliation with Dovani or Dovani’s seeming inability to move on from colonial-era politics.
By Dr. Robert E. Morton, Originially Published by the Northminster University Publications - April 5720

The Luthorian government recently announced the end to the Luthorian-Dovani Reconciliation Fund, an initiative which was praised as a landmark imitative by many in both Luthori and in numerous former colonies such as Bianjie, New Englia and others – as it presented an never-seen opportunity, a Western nation apologising for its colonial crimes and offering economic cooperation and development as “reparations.”

As many of us now knows, it wasn’t to be. Prime Minister Schnee, who many claim was the “mastermind” behind the fund’s foundation and was the one who convinced an uneasy Prime Minister Holian-Keaty to pursue the plan.

Now, with the “Mr. Dovani” himself seemingly backing off from his previous idealist ideals in terms of relations between Luthori and Dovani, it seems that a new reality has set in Luthori. As said earlier, the Luthori-Dovani Reconciliation Fund, while hailed as a landmark initiative by many, was also harshly criticised in Luthorian circles specifically. The Tories attacked it as a sign of Labour “kowtowing to foreign leaders”, the election of Jay Parkford in 5616, following the failure of then-Tory leader, Jake Sullivan (now Shadow Home Secretary) to secure an electoral victory against Schnee’s National Labour Party, allowing what would become another 5 years of Labour government, radicalised the anti-fund movement, with the newly-elected leader decrining it as a “living example of our government’s weakness and weak nature”, he pushed around a new idea, where Luthori shouldn’t do anything in terms of colonial apology and reparations.

If you ask a government official, he will tell you that Mr. Parkford’s message is wrong. That Luthori isn’t “weak” by apologising but merely atoning its past actions. For the opposition, it’s merely a Labour pet project, which projects not strength, but weakness on the world stage and is a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Now – with the failure of the program, we can say ourselves, why didn’t it work? And I think I might have the answer.

Dovani in general, has still to move from their resentment towards former colonial empires, notably the Luthorian Empire. Of course, having some form of lingering resentment is normal – granted, Luthori colonised and exploited these nations, but it’s been 2.000 years since the collapse of the Luthorian colonial empire – these suspicions still remain in an alarming degree within Dovanian statesmen, with many using anti-Western sentiment to justify failures that have nothing to do with colonial legacy.

Honestly, I’m fearful that Dovani is merely using colonialism and its legacy as an excuse to cover up their own failures as a continent and unite the continent behind a dull and meaningless anti-Western sentiment, stroke artificially by both politicians and states in order to forget about Dovani’s own crimes among itself. 

For 2.000 years, Dovani, Temania and Vascania have seen massacres, wars, even some form of genocides, but do we see these events being brought up in Dovani media or even lingering resentment towards other Dovanian states for the long stories of struggle that has shaped the continent ever since. Instead, Western colonialism is seemingly still a source of notable complaint, with some states such as Yerrawa using anti-Western sentiment and the legacy of Western colonialism as a primary element in their state-sponsored propaganda efforts.

Unfortunately – it seems that one element has been thoroughly ignored by many and doesn’t really draw much of the ire that Western colonialism does and that is...Eastern colonialism. Depending on who you ask, Eastern nations also engaged in the colonisation of Dovani, notably, Hulstria and Gao-Soto (while the former can be considered “Western” in some regard, the latter is undoubtely recognised as an “Eastern nation”), which owned the second-largest colonial possession in Dovani, second only to the Luthorian colonial empire, Yingdala, after swiftly occupying Luthorian possessions following the collapse of authority in the Luthorian territories and their subsuquent collapse into anarchy, treated these regions as colonies of the Son of Heaven. But do you see some lingering anti-Yingdalan sentiment within these nations? No, not really, rather the opposite, Yingdala was recognised as the de facto “paramount power” in both Dovani and, the entire Eastern World – at least until that position of predominance was usurped by the Xsampans due to their rise and Yingdala’s decline from their dominant position.

If both Hulstria and Yingdala seemingly get a free pass for their past colonial deeds, why are the Western nations still vilified for their role? Is it due to the length of the colonial period, Luthorian colonisation and Hulstrian rule both happened in relatively similar timeframes. Why are Western nations still subject to a weird anti-Western sentiment in Dovani, a sentiment that also translate into government offices and shaped foreign policies.

The pan-Dovanianism ideals are wrote in a way that explicitely argues against foreign involvement in Dovani, specifically from Westerners. While this might seem a little hypocritical considering New Verham and Xsampa’s ascension into the (de facto) Western-led Altéa Accords (led de facto by former colonial power – Egelion), nevertheless it’s still a representation of the lingering anti-Western sentiment reigning in Dovani to this very day.

It’s simple – Dovani still uses colonialism as an excuse for their blatant failures throughout the last two millennia, blaming the Luthorians is still an easier excuse than admitting that Dovanians themselves, made the mess – blaming colonial fabrications remains a more potent excuse rather than admitting guilt. So-called “anti-imperialist” or “anti-colonialist” policies are proned by numerous Dovanian states as a way to reinforce their opposition to the Western World, who they see as the “responsible” for Dovani’s continued difficulties into the modern day. Unfortunately, this behaviour is seemingly quite backfiring on everyone, as the Luthorians are losing patience with this lingering sentiment which sees its interactions with Dovani states being filled with doubt, suspicions at its goals – ultimately leading to the Luthorian Prime Minister’s controversial decision to “pull the plug”, as the Telegraph stated on the Luthori-Dovani Reconciliation Fund.

I have a question for my Dovani readers, whoever that might be.

Is the Western World responsible for Dovani’s issues that it has encountered during the last 2.000 years?

In my view, no, and it’s quite unfortunate that this view continues to poison bilateral relations (specifically with Luthori) - this old and inadequate view of the Western world will continue to be a barrier between Dovani and respect in the world stage. Can we recognise that the West (notably Luthori) made crimes? Yes. Are we responsible for what happens now? No. Should colonialism still be at the forefront of relations between Luthori and Dovani? No.

Hopefully – this paper will encourage the creation of a debate within Luthori and Dovani itself about the place of anti-Western sentiment in their national consciousness and hopefully, lead into way to fix these issues – unfortunately, such changes can only come from within Dovani – which needs to finally let go of 2.000 years and stop its hypocrisy on colonial history against the Empire and Western nations in general.

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NLB News (New Luthorian Broadcasting) is the news section of the privately-owned NLB Media Group, it is a major Luthorianacting as one of the "Big Three" in today's Luthorian media environment, alongside the LBC and the Times.

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Newfound "Young Kalistani" group forms, threatening the Prime Minister's fragile party unity.
October 5720

The so-called “Young Kalistani” group within the National Labour Party poses immense challenges to the Prime Minister’s agenda. Created due to the unilateral decision to terminate the Luthori-Dovani Reconciliation Fund on Fort William’s part and from a desire to see more “socialist-oriented” politics being implemented and pushed by the Cabinet have led a small group of MPs in both the Peers and the Diet to effectively stand in opposition to Prime Minister Schnee’s agenda.

The Prime Minister’s response was that of mere acknowledgement, stating that “in a large political formation such as ours, it’s normal that dissent rises. Such is the reality of politics. I still vow to adequately represent all forms of political opinion within my government,” the head of government is currently reported to be “unbothered” by the apparition of the “Young Kalistani” group in both Houses of Parliament.

After all, without large support from Labour Party insiders, it’s unlikely that the group will be able to change much, Prime Minister Schnee’s NLP remaining the dominant party in the Diet and commanding a sizeable plurality in the Peers.

But who are those “Young Kalistanis”? A decently-sized group of 7 Labour MDs who stand in opposition to the Prime Minister’s “unfortunately mediocre” agenda, according to Paul Scorne MD, one of the founding members of the group. Its own members acknowledge its limited strength, but argue that even with merely 7 MDs and no visible left-wing leader to support them, that they can be able to “inspire a leftward turn” in the Cabinet’s policy.

“We want a government that will care for our workers, our communities that have been on the decline for a long time [...] we are currently not seeing this from the current government [...] we have to stand togrther, if we want to inspire real, meaningful, leftward shift in policy, one focused on sustainability, accountability and responsibility.” said Julia Fawkes MD on an interview given the day following the group’s founding.

The “Young Kalistanis” stand in direct opposition with the “Rational Socialist Club”, a centrist-leaning unofficial faction founded just recently in 5718, to represent “all voices left that are wishing for a credible, sensible and moderate left-wing alternative in government.”

No Labour “big names” has yet to have reacted to the rise of the group, which will be sure to upset the balance of power between the already struggling informal factions within the Labour Party.

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The Labour government of Henry Schnee announced that it was unlocking a “never-seen-before multi-billion-pound package to restore trust, professionalism and expand the capabilities of the Imperial Luthorian Navy”, through a statement the Ministry of Defence said that “It is important that, from our perspective, that in order to secure Luthorian national security interests, that a clear outlook in our defence be brought forward to Parliament for approval.”

Prime Minister Henry Schnee said in Parliament today during a PMQs session, in an attempt to justify the recent increased defence commitment to the Luthorian public, that “national security remains an important matter for every political formation assembled in this Parliament, as such, in a spirit of multi-partisanship, we’ve engaged every political formation in the drafting process of this law”, using the “multi-partisan” argument so as to bring every political party, from the Left Party to the Hosian People’s Party into the discussions – furthermore, branding the decision as a trans-partisan issue helps solidify the government’s argument as about the necessity of the decision.

“The Imperial Navy currently has two overseas bases, one in Mordusia and one in Amudim. The naval procurement program is aimed at being centred around these two bases.” the Defence Secretary said in a press conference. “We aim at expanding the capabilities of the Imperial Navy, restructure the fleet system and find a new territorial objective for the Home Fleet, one less focused on territorial defence.”

One official added: “After, in terms of territorial defence, the Coast Guard exists for a reason.”

Currently, the government’s objective with the multi-billion package is to rapidly expand the current naval capabilities of the Imperial Navy, using Luthori’s two new overseas bases and multilateral alliances. It aims at equalizing the Imperial Navy’s ship numbers in each of its future numbered fleets, the armed forces having proposed to completely modify the nomination of all Luthorian fleets from now on, shifting from a localised denomination towards a numbered denomination.

“It will allow for a greater flexibility in deployments,” a Defence Staff spokesperson said. “While the Imperial Navy’s current denomination system continues to work, it emphasizes the geographical position of said fleet and their current operations a tad-too-much in our regard,” he added that “While the new numbered fleets count will continue to take geographical positions into regard, it’ll not be the main elements taken into account when naming that fleet.”

According to the Defence Staff, the naval procurement program aims at expanding the number of ships from its current numbers of 71 naval vessels to 90+ vessels by 5740, including the replacement and replenishment of numerous naval vessels currently operated by the Imperial Navy.

Included in the costs is the future, currently unknown replacement for the Type-67 destroyer and the Type-40 frigate upcoming replacement, as each of these ships are becoming to make themselves old and the Navy is heavily considering retiring them from active service.

“It is important that we don’t fall behind other nations, so that we can continue to remain independent and support our allies in the best of our capabilities.” an undisclosed spokesperson said, revealing the government’s assessment of the situation.

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Luthori was the host of the T20 Cricket World Cup this year, and while, nominally, all nations were favourite to win the tournament, some were more favourite than others. Bringing together Luthori, Mordusia, Tropica, Saridan, Vascania, Malivia, Vorona and Beluzia in the so-called “Final 8”, it was clear from the start that Mordusia’s “Golden Generation”, Vascania’s solid collective and reigning world champions and Malivia’s clear winning streak in the last few years made them the favourite.

Luthori placed itself as an outsider; sport commentators complained during the tournament that the Luthorian side was the “weakest” that they “had ever seen in their lifetime” - a non-negligeable blow to the already 18-time world champions’ morale. However, the Luthorian national cricket team made good on that promise of an outsider, as they were faced against Beluzia, their neighbor, in an intense match at the Empress Katherine Cricket Stadium in Alchester. In a close match, the Luthorians successfully beat the Beluzians in the relatively close score of 187 to 177 – with the Duke of Alchester present on the stadium to celebrate Luthorian success at the tournament.

What came up as “shocking” in this World Cup was the surprise defeat of clear favourite of Malivia out of the quarterfinals – following a relative clear from Tropican players, who paid tribute to the Malivian team by carrying out a “fair and difficult” game by performing a haka following their victory. Tropica won the match decisively, winning 274-202 against Malivia and moving to the semifinals against Mordusia, who won against Saridan 321-215.

In the semifinals, Luthori found itself facing Vascania, who secured a difficult victory against Vorona, only winning 221-198 against the upstart Dovani nation. On the other hand, Mordusia found itself against Tropica. 

The semifinals seemed like the reaffirmation of the so-called “old order” of cricket – as Luthori once found itself in the “Final 4”, alongside the three other dominant teams in the sport – at least traditionally, even though Tropica came here as an outsider and beat Saridan, another great nation in this sport.

Emperor William XI was present at the Roland, Fort William, assisting to the Luthorian national team’s first confrontation in a while against Vascania in a single-elimination tournament. While the match started well for Luthori, with the Artanian nation taking the lead against the current world champions, unfortunately for the Chardon, the Vascanians ultimately successfully claimed a victory, winning 210-201 against a defeated Luthorian side that was still acclaimed by the stadium. 

In Mordusia’s side, their match against Tropica went more smoothly than first expected, with the Mordusians claiming victory 294-220 against the island nation south of Temania.

Luthori was set to play the third-place match against Tropica after their defeat, even then Joe Layward’s men unfortunately lost the match, 231-200, settling in an unfortunate fourth place, while Tropica comforted itself with 3rd place. The emperor was absent from the match, instead being represented by the Prince of Orange – as per protocol, the bronze medals were handed over to the Tropican team by His Imperial Highness, alongside Tropican and World Cricket officials who were present.

The Prince of Orange, alongside the Duke of Alchester, a life-long cricket enthusiast later praised the Luthorian team’s performance, telling reporters that they “fought like lions” and “should be proud of what they’ve achieved here,” the Duke, the Emperor’s younger brother added that “nobody expected them to reach the semifinals, and yet they did [...] of course, it’s disappointing to not go all the way, but it’s a young squad, they have time to improve themselves, next time it’ll be ours, I believe it.”

The big final was held in Fort William, once again in the Hershen Roland International Stadium, the Emperor was present, both in his capacity as monarch of Luthori, but also as Mordusian monarch, coming to cheer and support the Mordusians.

As per tradition when the final is played in Luthori and a member of the imperial family is present, the imperial/royal anthem, God Save the King was played throughout the stadium alongside both national anthems before the match started, with the monarch remarked to have sung Mordusia’s national anthem before the match started alongside the public.

The match was, for its part, very entertaining. Both teams fought valiantly but, at the end, there can be one winner and that winner was Vascania, who by winning in a very close match by merely 12 runs (221-209) successfully defended its title against all odds and once-again were crowned Cricket World Champions, having won their first T20 World Cup in 5366, making it their 8th world champion title.

Vascanian team capitain, Raghubir Kokraya was granted the trophy by Emperor William XI who personally congratulated him for his team’s victory, Kokraya was also awarded the title of “Player of the Match” due to his very important impact during the game. 

The King was later spotted alongside Mordusian players in their dressing room, addressing them and extending his congratulations to the Mordusians for having “fought all the way to the final”. Of course, he addressed their disappointment at losing the final, stating it was merely a “minor setback in the grand scheme of things,” expressing his belief that Mordusia would win the next T20 World Cup in 7 years.

When asked about the difference with his brother’s address, he stated teasingly to our journalists, that “we do, actually have a different personality and different opinion on sports and team’s chances at winning a tournament [...] don’t tell this, but I’ve bet with him over Mordusia’s victory in the next World Cup, so there’s no way in hell that I’m giving him a way to get back at me!”

The next world cup organiser is expected to be announced in 2 years.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

Luthori’s bid chosen by IFF Conference in Dalibor for the 5726 World Cup organiser.
October 21, 5721

DALIBOR CITY, Dalibor - In an unsurprising move from the International Football Federation, Luthori’s bid for the 5726 World Cup was unanimously accepted by the independent body during its conference in Dalibor City.

Luthori’s bid was the only one laid forward by any national association for the organisation of the 5726 World Cup.

The IFF World Cup is organised every six years, and usually, organisers are given five to six years to prepare for the tournament, which will bring together millions of individuals in Luthori to assist to the games and will bring billions of people to their TVs to watch the tournament live.

The last World Cup, organised in 5720 brought together, according to the IFF statistics, around 2.8 billion people before the final, solidifying football’s place as a giant in international sports, with the World Cup final once again entering the record for the most watched event in the century.

Luthorian Football Association President Mark Taruk said that he was “deeply humbled and honoured” by the “incredible opportunity granted by the International Football Federation” by entrusting Luthori to organise the World Cup 5726. He moreover added that “Luthori, the home of football will finally see its greatest competition come back home”

His Imperial Highness, the Prince of Orange was present at the announcement of Luthori’s victory in Dalibor City and addressed the assembled delegates by thanking them for the “confidence that they’ve entrusted the Luthorian Empire with,” he also said that “his life-long dream as a football fan was to see the World Cup in Luthori, and of course, for Luthori to win it.”

“It is important that this World Cup be as successful as the others, security levels, infrastructure, threats assessments, tourist attractions, everything must be up to World Cup norms, and of course, it’s what Luthori has been doing.” he said.

In Luthori – domestic reactions have been notoriously postive, with the Prime Minister posting on social media a “V” sign for victory following the announcement. The Ministry of Sports expressed its “deepest and most respectful thank you” as one analyst at the Evening Standard put it to the IFF.

It’s expected that the final details of the World Cup organisation plan will be released by the Luthorian authorities in the next few months, but regardless, it seems that we are off in one of the most exciting moments of our lifetimes!

Of course, Luthori will win it, if we are organising, how the hell can’t it be coming home...right...right?

[Ligbruderkrieg]

Dr. Schnee’s luck seems to have finally ran out. Following a disappointing performance as head of government – the Prime Minister has been voted out by the Labour Party in an unfortunate display of the party’s apathy towards its own leader; with Home Secretary Trowler being announced as Dr. Schnee’s replacement as head of the Cabinet.

As Prime Minister, Schnee headed the second Labour government, having been appointed following his mentor and friend’s resignation in 5715. Following this unexpected move from the elderly Prime Minister – he immediately moved to secure a re-election following his own election as Leader of the Labour Party (and ex-officio as Prime Minister). Then, critics criticized him for his “short-sighted” objective and for his apparent “disrespect” at his predecessor.

His relationship with his mentor, former Prime Minister Holian-Keaty, would quickly deteriorate following the resolution of the 5717 railway workers’ strike. The former PM’s help was required to reach a settlement between the workers and corporations, as his strong credentials among workers helped carry the government’s weight in a way that nobody could have done.

Holian-Keaty was widely believed and credited with having stopped the railway strike, a move that deeply antagonized PM Schnee from him. During the last few years, both men have been engaged in a bitter struggle for dominance within the National Labour Party, as while Holian-Keaty doesn’t seek a comeback, having said himself that he was “tired” of electoral politics following his term as Prime Minister, he was, as confirmed by his biographer, regardless aiming at keeping influence within the Labour Party – which placed him at odds with a Schnee that tried to strengthen his position.

Schnee’s technocratic nature and background also placed at odds with Emperor William XI, which according to Palace’s insiders and royal commentators anticipated with “dread” the moment in which he and his Prime Minister were to meet in a face-to-face meeting every Monday afternoon. Schnee’s refusal, early in his term, to spend a weekend at Oshburn Castle was seen as a “personal offence” by the monarch and represented a violent break from traditional customs – in which the Prime Minister and his family would usually spend a weekend out of Fort William alongside the Imperial Family in their countryside estates.

The Prime Minister’s rather unorthodox philosophy also made him numerous enemies. First aligned with centrist “Maddoxite” (taken from James Maddox) faction within the National Labour Party, he shifted to the right and the social liberal “Hopeful” faction in the Diet and within his government. The formation of the Third Schnee ministry in 5720 is considered to have been the “pinnacle” of the influence of the faction in government – with many “Maddoxites” and Holian-Keaty's allies being sidelined in favour of “right-wing” elements of the Labour Party.

He moreover engaged in a relative economic pro-deregulation stance, specifically with the Representation in the Workforce Act, striking a clear break from Labour Party tradition that further placed him at odds with the more left-wing factions and former Prime Minister Holian-Keaty – who is widely believed to have encouraged the formation of the “Young Kalistanis” faction in October 5720, with the explicit objective of weakening the Prime Minister’s hold over his Diet delegation.

The Prime Minister’s government appointed liberal Joseph Becker as Governor of the Bank of Luthori following Doll’s 8-year term ended in 5721, marking a rightward turn for the Bank’s independent policy decision-making process. The appointment was widely criticized by the Prime Minister’s centrist and left-wing MPs, with the “Young Kalistanis” threatening a vote of no-confidence against Schnee’s government.

Ironically for a man who said that he didn't like the sport, it was the Cricket World Cup that saved the government in 5721, as the economy was still feeling the positive aftershock of increased demand and production due to the tourist influx during that year's holiday season.

One and a half year later, it seems that the Prime Minister’s luck and political shrewdness couldn’t save him – with Labour MPs demanding his resignation as the 5723 elections approaches – with his approval ratings currently low (37% favourable) and increased scrutiny over the case of cabinet secretary, Josh Blythe, he had no choice but to acquiesce to the demands and presented his resignation to His Imperial Majesty.

Under advice from the so-called “Group of 4” of the National Labour Party’s board, formed by Leader of the House of Peers, Thomas Rosboryn, the Leader of the Imperial Diet, Sylvia Reddington, the Leader of the “Renewal” faction (moderate left), and former Defence Secretary, Patrick Peterson and the former Prime Minister, Edward Holian-Keaty, the Emperor has appointed Henry Trowler as Prime Minister of Luthori.

A moderate civil servant turned politician, aligned with the Labour Party’s reformist faction – he was appointed in 5721 as part of a reshuffle, a former anti-corruption prosecutor; he was considered for the Ministry of Justice before being appointed at the Home Ministry. His appointment, clearly under the influence out of the so-called “Group of 4” was made to see the relatively inoffensive internal minister take the stage and hopefully, find a better replacement before the elections.

The new prime minister’s announcement was reacted with apathy from most of the Luthorian public, with him currently sitting at 43% approval, the lowest in years for an incoming head of government, notably as many Luthorians considers him to be a “puppet” of the Labour establishment. Besides, it seems inevitable that the Conservative Party finally seizes back the Premiership after a 15-year absence from 10 Crown Street.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

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Luthori | Modeling
Another year, another tourist season kicks in – and with it, bring in fashion.
July 5722

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Summer holidays, here we are. The time that everyone has been waiting for, the time where we are finally freed from the restraints of our respective jobs and allow ourselves to spend time reflecting on ourselves, our lives, families and friendships. Besides, it’s not all, this time is also spent relaxing, visiting, making new discoveries, experiences and simply put, enjoying life.

In this long period, spanning from June to September, our habits changes and so does our manner to wear clothes, during summer, due to the high temperatures, lighter clothes are often privileged – even in more “cold” nations such as Hutori or Egelion, where the average summer temperature is between 15°C to 24°C, this fact is still being religiously followed by its populations.

During winter, fashion houses have introduced us to their summer collections, all flamboyant, exquisite pieces of clothes ready to be bought immediately after their commercialisation. During the March 5722 Fashion Week in Fort William, the presentation of the new summer collection had drowned a lot of attention towards Luthori’s traditional pillars of modelling. 

Now with the summer season kicking off – Luthorian men and women have begun appearing in these said new collections – some having more success than others – but what are the “must go” during this summer in terms of fashion?

Tank tops, scarf styling, crop tops, small skirts, the colour yellow – all of these have been recurrent themes for women’s clothing in the latest fashion week, as opposite to a more “conservative” outlook on male’s clothing. For the women, the emphasis was placed on “emancipation” this year – with more revealing outfits being pushed forward in most fashion houses’ collection for the summer, even though dresses and less revealing outfits have also been present, obviously.

According to the feminist organisation, Fifty Per Cent, the fashion houses’ move is commendable, with one spokesperson stating that “it shows that the struggle for women’s equality is now taken seriously everywhere, it’s not to women to think about where to stop to not draw some men’s attention, it’s to the men to keep their eyes from looking at them inappropriately.”

Besides – another style, inspired by some female politicians in Parliament – has been subtly pushed, named “Garçonne” out from an old Canrillaise-born feminist movement in the 3rd millenium, it has subtly pushed clothing formerly reserved for men for women.

For men – suits have made a comeback, and that is the case since at least the start of the decade, the “Old Money” style of men wearing suits, or at least parts of it, such as the jacket, has been considered as the pinnacle of male clothing for centuries. Now this style which had fell out of favour among modelling creators for its “dull and boring nature” is seemingly revisited and making a comeback, with numerous suits, or at least iteration of them, having been introduced to the public in the last Fashion Week’s galas.

This summer will once again be characterised by fashion tastes and their everyday usage.

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His Imperial Majesty, aged 82, has been admitted at Bretford Hospital, Alchester, after the monarch complained of intense “back pains”, as stated by the Imperial Household Ministry. 

His Majesty, the Emperor has reigned over the Empire for 22 years, ascending the throne upon the death of his father and predecessor, His Majesty, Emperor Richard II. When he ascended the Throne, he was 60 years old, and today, the emperor is three years short of his Silver Jubilee celebration, commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ascension to the Throne.

The emperor’s health status has been declining alongside the rise of his age, although, as per Luthorian tradition, the emperor’s health status has been kept as a state secret by both the Government and the Imperial Household. The late emperor’s own health status has been kept as a state secrecy until His Imperial Majesty’s decision to release them, ten years following his death.

The communication from the Imperial Household upon the emperor’s health concerns have been reported to have “extraordinary” by numerous royal commentators. The Luthorian imperial family’s communication in terms of its members’ health condition has been scarce, to say the least, the Imperial Household Ministry privileging secrecy and avoiding worrying the public instead of clear transparency – with only specific people being authorised to access the Emperor’s health condition – those being the members of the Cabinet and some members of the Privy Council, such as the Leader of the Opposition, the Lord Privy Seal, the Lord Grand Chamberlain and other state officials.

In the statement of the Orange Palace related to the Emperor’s admission to Bretford Hospital, it has been stated by the Palace that the Emperor was admitted to the largest institution in Alchester after having complained of “intense back pains” during his hunting trip at Rottingham Palace, his personal residence in Erneshire, after intense review by his physicians, it was decided to appeal to the state-owned institution for further examinations of the Emperor’s health. 

However, the Palace reassured that the emperor wasn’t going to be hospitalised and was merely admitted upon the advice of his doctors to undergo further medical examinations. The Palace moreover added that the emperor would resume his normal schedule “...as soon as the examinations are complete...”

While the monarchy still maintains secrecy upon the monarch’s own health – this communication about the emperor’s admission to the Alchester hospital represents a noticeable shift in the way that the monarchy communicates about the imperial family’s members health.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

Luthorian Prime Minister Henry Trowler has reaffirmed Luthori’s commitment to the transcontinental alliance by visiting the Dual Republic and the Kingdom of Vanuku.

The Prime Minister’s state visit is aimed at “celebrating” the ties between the Luthorian Empire and its two most stalwart partners in the organisation ever since its founding in the 5700s, MATO having recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. 

The Luthorian Prime Minister met with officials in Bannerhafen and Wiel, his visit in Vanuku being even more historic as it represented the first visit from a high-ranking Luthorian official in the Majatran powerhouse.

The Luthorian Prime Minister stated that the foundation of the Majatran-Artanian Treaty Organisation was the “single greatest geopolitical shift in recent decades” - hinting at the fact that Luthori & Vanuku, two states which were traditionally rivals – specifically in the so-called “Yishelem question”.

In regards to this question, the Luthorian Prime Minister stated that: “What was an issue in the past shall remain in the past, today, we must look boldly towards the future and bringing up that were controversies before will not be at the benefit of either partner.”

The Luthorian Prime Minister met in Bannerhafen with the President and in Wiel with both the King and the Prefect. During these visits, the Luthorian head of government stressed the “necessity” of “gathering trust” between partners, with the explicit argument of “building trust to enhance our standing”.

The Prime Minister sharply criticised what he saw as “an organisation with many potential, but no will to get it moving” - however, he also recognised Luthori’s own flaws in its judgement, stating that “of course, when I’m ranting about this alliance seemingly fumbling its abilities in multilateral collaboration, I’m still blaming our nation – for long, we have hesitant in embracing our part in this organisation [...] hesitant between our long-preserved independence and acting finally as a part of an alliance – fortunately, we can have both.”

Moreover, the Prime Minister engaged himself in an analogy: “An alliance is a teamwork effort, needing everyone to make it work, not one state, not two, but every single one of them. [...] It’s like a farm, you got everyone working in there, collaborating, but imagine you got, one lazy employee who doesn’t do anything, you can risk it all. Maybe if that employee got a bad influence over others, another could join him in his laziness and so on...”

Nevertheless, he still, in his two visits, recognised that Luthori would be “smaller” without MATO. 

“Alongside MATO, we, alongside our allies, are enhancing and stabilising our international position. By collaborating militarily, we secure key access to numerous oceans, notably, the Red Bass Ocean through our extensive patrols in the Migrants’ Pass. We are a force for good, securing international waters for the well-being of international commerce, promoting a tested and resilient model abroad, which is liberal democratic governance,” said the Luthorian head of government as he concluded his visit in the Vanukean capital city.

“Simply put, while we do need to all continue to work together as a team and not leave the burden of the alliance to one. I can say that I’m very satisfied and proud of the work that has been laid out during these last 20 years, for two decades, our alliance has stood strong and will continue to stand strong for another 20, 30, 50 and 100 years.” He concluded as he was applauded by the attendees.

In regard to Luthori’s naval buildup, as decided in the naval procurement program two years ago, the Imperial government stated that the buildup was also meant in a “wider strategy” in “coordination” with MATO allies, with Luthorian deployments being thought in a “supporting role” to already-established naval commitments in some regions, while also acting independently in others.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

5708, 5712, 5715, 5719. Four elections in a row in which the Conservative Party was soundly defeated by its left-wing rival in the National Labour Party, effectively locking the party out of power for 15 years, but now it seems that the Tories’ fortunes have finally shifted, with the party securing a majority following yesterday’s election, the Tories securing 267 seats in the Imperial Diet, out of 477 available, one of the most resounding victories in recent Luthorian history.

Mr. Parkford, a known right-wing nationalist, aligned with the Identity Study Committee, of which he’s considered the de facto leader and who became leader of the Conservative party in 5717, has declared that a “great renewal was underway” and that “the nation shall soon get back for the years of weakness caused by the Labour government”.

“Harmony has been breached, through years of incompetent governance,” said the new prime minister in his victory address, continuing with “fortunately, it’ll be restored soon enough with the natural party of government at the helm.”

The Conservative Party’s large victory wasn’t surprising at all, incumbency fatigue after 15 years of the same party in power, the unpopularity of both former Prime Minister Schnee and Prime Minister Trowler’s governments, the sentiment of gradual decline coupled with rising nationalist sentiments among a large part of the electorate have led to the biggest victory of the right in recent decades, with the Hosian People’s Party and Conservatives winning over 286 seats in the lower house. The Hosian People’s Party won over 19 seats in the Imperial Diet, the strongest ever performance for this small party of the political right.

Meanwhile, in the National Labour Party, after four electoral victories in a row, the party seems to have forgotten the taste of defeat. After fifteen years in government, the Labour Party will once again sit on the opposition benches in the next legislature. Prime Minister Trowler addressed the disappointed crowd of Labour supporters, stating in his concession speech: “[The] campaign was long and arduous, but ultimately that Luthorian people decided to send us in the opposition after fifteen years governing this nation.”

“Ultimately, even if we are sent back on the opposition benches by the will of the people, we must remember that during these fifteen years, we’ve engaged in deep and meaningful reform, strengthen our social safety net, strengthen our cores values, one that makes Luthori truly opened and emboldened to carry on the path that we, together, engaged her in,” the outgoing prime minister said.

“It cannot be understated how I truly believe that Luthori is now a stronger nation that when we’ve taken office, that’s for sure.”

The National Labour Party secured 132 seats in the lower house, becoming one of the smallest ever opposition in history, meanwhile, it was also an exciting night for the Green Party which secured 21 seats in the Imperial Diet, notably at the expense of the Labour Party in numerous urban areas, the Liberal Party secured 25 seats in the lower house and to conclude, the radical left-wing party of the Left Party secured 13 seats.

As always, the Republicans failed to qualify to enter the Imperial Diet. 

Mr. Parkford is set to meet with His Majesty, the Emperor at Clawford House in Fort William in the next few days. During which he’ll be appointed as Prime Minister in replacement of Mr. Trowler, who is set to become the Leader of the Opposition and while the now outgoing PM hasn’t declared anything on his political future, but it’s likely that he’s overthrown in a rare sight of party unity following such a devastating defeat.


The Imperial Diet's future composition following the 5723 general election.