Luthori

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Joe Bahmner, Theo Oliver, Andrea Rodrigues, Shawn Tilt sentenced to 2 to 5-year sentences by local court.
November 5696

Following the incidents in late May in Middenriding, the Crown Court of Middenhall has sentenced the four youngsters responsible for the tragic incident at different sentences depending on the charges they were indicted with. Joe Bahmner (21), Theo Oliver (18), Andrea Rodrigues (22) and Shawn Tilt (28) were each sentenced to prison sentences for their active participation to this brawl.

Between the 2nd and 3rd of May 5696, during the night following International Workers' Day on the 1st, the South Middenhall bar, the "Ste Catherine" was organising a small-scale event to celebrate the day, inviting to take part to the festivities, their regulars. The bar has an history of alignment with far-left organisations such as the Luthorian People's Liberation Front (LPLF), the Red Sentinels or the Luthorian Anti-Fascist Emergency Front (LAFEF) and has had an history of openly praising worldwide communist leaders, with some portraits of them hanging proudly inside the bar.

During that night, then, four members of the radical right-wing (far-right) organisation, the Orange Order of Luthori made an unforseen appearence at the festivities. Targeting anyone that moved, they entered the bar and begun destroying furnitures and harassing and assaulting both staff and clients. They were stopped by the intervention of some clients who begun fighting off these intruders before the Police came and arrested 6 men who were believed to have been the main responsibles.

While 2 were freed without charges, the four others were indicted with various charges involving volontary assault, property damage, hate speech and others.

The Crown Court today sentenced them to varying degrees, for Bahmner, after confessing his crimes, he was sentenced to 4 years in high-security federal prison for assault (which led to injury) and hate speech (he mentioned wishing to "kill the red sl*ts (in reference to the women present at the bar) and that he was wishing for their deaths". For Oliver, due to his young age and widespread belief that he was manipulated into taking part in the event, he was giving the minimum sentence of 2 years.

Finally, for Rodrigues and Tilt, they were sentenced with 5 years in high-to-medium security prison due to the fact that they are both considered as the responsibles and organisers of said attack. Their lawyers stated that thez yere considering taking the case to the Court of Appeals to appeal of the tribunal's verdict.

Reactions have been near-unanimous in their congratulations and satisfaction concering the Court's verdict. The Justice Secretary also introduced the Felonies and Penalties Bill, aiming to harden penalties related to certain crimes.

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Defence Overview: An Short Review of the Division of Command Structures Worldwide.
January 5697

This paper was authorised for publication by the Imperial War Council, after sufficient approval from His Majesty's Department of Defence (HM DOD) - it presents the creation of two new international command structures, aimed at efficiently manage the different theatres of operations in which Luthorian forces are deployed.

The Imperial Luthorian Armed Forces are a professional, capable and able fighting force, their combat capabilities having been proven during numerous conflicts during the past century, from the Extean War (5582) and the Second Kundrati War, passing by the New Englian Civil War (5630), the different wars fought by the Luthorian Armed Forces throughout this century have helped to foster a battle-hardened consciousness into the military minds, the double trauma from the successive Wars in Kundrati have also helped to foster the military mind into accepting the necessity of sacrifice, collective partnership and created a collective mantra of "Never again". The Luthorian Armed Forces have received much-needed financial support and investments from His Majesty's Government, former Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, Sir Patrick Parker-Stanford, 1st Baronet, the man who is widely considered as the responsible of such change in policy, said during a 5687 speech to the armed forces that: "the protection of what we hold dear, our freedoms, our democracy, our way of life is dependent upon the committment and sacrifice of those who forms Luthori's first line of defence, and that being our proud and patriotic soldiers [...] these strong men and women who spend a significant part of their lives under the colours of our flag, having taken a solemn vow to protect us all, these people need to have the nation's full and unvawering support as without them, it would have been unlikely to have a place to call home."

This address from the former head of government has been followed by his immediate successor, current Prime Minister Davy Harper, who has consistantly stated his intention to "carry on the strengthening of capabilities of the Luthorian armed forces", as decided by his predecessor. Even if the Prime Minister has been politically weakened ever since the formation of his second administration, the defence commitment of the current cabinet isn't to be understated. The current Conservative-led coalition government has reaffirmed the goal of spending up to 3% of the current GDP on national defence. Some voices within the Cabinet have also expressed interest at raising the current threshold at 4%, a policy that has nevertheless been rejected by other coalition partners and the Prime Minister himself. With this influx in investment and capital, the question now asks itself, how will this money be spent? 

As expected, this increase in capital will bring an influx of new technologies, a rethinking of strategies, an enhanced training program and an increase in global presence, at least that is what is currently planned. One key aspect of the rethinking of Luthorian military strategy is in its current command structure, with the Luthorian armed forces or the Luthorian state engaged in multiple theaters either directly or indirectly (Western Hemisphere - Mordusia, Artanian Sea and Migrants’ Pass), the current command structure has become obsolete, this command structure was focused around the centralisation of command operations in the Home Territory, this greatly hindered Luthorian movements worldwide as it made central command in Fort William overburdened. The Luthorian Defence Office has argued in favor of a policy of “decentralisation”, with localised command structure being created in order to regulate both Luthorian military operations overseas and maintain potential military relations with other states in their jurisdiction (area of command). This policy of decentralisation of the military hierarchy has been approved by a joint decision from the Imperial Defence Council (assembling the Defence Secretary and the different military chiefs) on September 11th and it would entail the creation of two distinct command posts, the first would be the Home Command, focused around the monitoring of defence operations considered as “close to” the Home Territory (ie. Luthori) and the South Seleyan Command, tasked with the maintenance and management of operations in “Mordusian Area”, an area around Mordusia pre-emptively declared by the Luthorian military, acting as a military combat command regional district.

The “Home Command” will be headquartered in Alchester, Grand Duchy of Erneshire, it will be responsible for the command of operations and the supervision of Luthorian fighting force on Luthorian soil, the Artanian Sea, the Migrants’ Pass and the Artanian continent as a whole. As such, the Luthorian Navy’s Home Fleet will now pass under the command of the Home Command, the geographical border of this command has been decided under the long-time Luthorian foreign policy and defence principle that any worrying military activity in the Artanian continent becomes Luthori’s foremost priority, as the threat of repercussions on the Luthorian homeland are near guaranteed, due to Luthori’s geographical situation that guarantees such an issue. The Home Command will be tasked with the protection of Luthori proper and the supervision of military operations in either Artania or closely related territories (ie. the Migrant Pass), either acting independently or in tandem with other nations in multilateral operations. Nonetheless, the Home Command remains subservient to the Imperial Defence Committee in Fort William.

The “South Seleya Command” will be headquartered in Middenhall, Grand Duchy of Middenriding and will be responsible for the supervision, organisation and planning of military operations in the “Southern Seleya Area”, the geographic location of this military area streches from Aldegar to the three Canrillaise countries to the south, assembling five nations, Aldegar, Mordusia, Kanjor, Rildanor and Alduria, as such, the operational command of the “South Seas” Fleet of the Imperial Luthorian Navy and other Luthorian military forces in the area will be bestowed upon them. The South Seleya Command will be tasked with the conducting of military operations, alone or in close cooperation with other nations in the “southern seas”, these being the Sea of Lost Souls, the Aldegarian Gulf (adding in theory, the Schismatic Sea and the Odufart Sea). Both military commands will be headed by Generals or Admirals from each branch of the armed forces at the appointment of the Imperial Defence Committee.

This presentation concludes our small article on the creation of these defence structures, aimed at recalibrating the Luthorian Armed Forces into an effective, modern worldwide fighting force.

@TheDefenceBulletin - The Luthori's Department of Defence official newsletter - aimed at simplfying military news for civilians.

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BREAKING: Assassination attempt on the Prince of Orange; Prince unharmed, reports says.
12 February 5697 - 11.44 PM (last reviewed)

FORT WILLAM - Reports from the Luthorian capital states that the Prince of Orange, William, heir to the thrones to both Luthori and Mordusia has been subject to an assassination attempt during a visit in Fort William. The prince, who was visiting one of the many charities that were sponsored by the imperial family of Luthori was preparing to make a speech before being assaulted by a lone gunman who shouted "Sic semper tyrannis" before firing his gun straight at the prince.

The gun misfired and the prince was unharmed, although the assailiant had time to fire three to five bullets before being immobilised by the Prince's security detail. Out of these bullets, some were deflected upon the crowd and according to the medical and police sources, two people are suffering from bullet wounds from this attempted assassination.

Prince William, has for his part, been swiftly exfiltred from the area and the crowd was summoned to leave the perimeter. The Crown Prince's would-be-assassin if he had succeded has been apprehended by police forces and taken into custody. His identity remains, for now, unknown.

The Prime Ministers of Luthori and Mordusia both were in contact with the Orange Palace, coordinating sources say. His Majesty the Emperor has for his part, refrained from making any public acknowledgment of the incident as of now. Sources say that the Luthorian monarch is expected to make a public statement in the next few hours.

Widespread condemnation of the attack was noticed in the political world, from the left to the right, all parties, in their own manner, condemned the attack, the Deputy Labour leader, Samantha Holl said "it is a disgrace to democracy and Luthori itself as to attack a man which carries the symbol upon which our system is built", this statement was remarked to be more monarchist than some of her colleagues. 

Prime Minister Harper promised for a "swift and just retailiation" to the "unfathomable act of cowardice" and the Home Secretary stated that "justice will be quick, efficient and ruthless when dealing with acts of treasons", meanwhile the Justice Secretary stated that the "current legislation would need to be review intensly" by her ministry.

At the dawn of the year 5697, and with the Emperor's Diamond Jubilee being this year and the monarch leaving for Mordusia in a month, worries about the Prince's security detail appeared following what could have been a total tragedy if not averted. No political groups have claimed responsibility for the attack as of now.

More information to follow.

@TheInternationalPressCorps

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Following the attempted assassination of the Prince of Orange, the Chamber of Representatives scrambled to handle the numerous issues raised by different MPs during its session, most of them related to the recent assassination attempt, the failure of the Prince's bodyguards and overall security detail to prevent the attempt or the security of Emperor-King Richard II during his state visit in Mordusia. Nonetheless, the Houses of Parliament continued debating on the Felonies and Penalties Bill. The aforementioned law proposal was introduced by the Justice Secretary, Mathilde Plundell and was aimed at strengthening the penalties inflicted on criminals who committed a felony.

The bill's objective of harsher penalties was introduced as a "necessity" by the Justice Secretary in her opening remarks when introducing it in the Second Chamber of Parliament. She insisted on the "recent issues" such as the incident in Middenhall being  a "decisive factor" in her decision to introduce the bill, saying that the "current sensation of instability, with criminals roaming the streets, unfazed by police presence" was unacceptable and that "only an increased focus upon our sentencing system" will both slow and contain this new phenomenon.

Introduced in November 5696, the debates for the bill in both Houses of Parliament were slowed down by the Hallowtide holidays and subsquent recess of both the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate, which convened once again in January, nonetheless, the attempted assassination of the Crown Prince by Thomas Lawrence (21), a disgruntled student worker has been credited with having accelerated the debate on the Felonies Bill, as more and more MPs joined the government in support of the bill, as public opinion radically shifted from division to firm support following the attempted assassination. 

Coupled to this is the infamous Treason and Sedition Bill, introduced by the Home Secretary in a press conference recently, this Act, which is yet to be formally introduced in the Chamber of Representatives, but is already source of controversy among left-wing and far-right circles, who fear that the bill would be a repeat of the Democratic Process Stabilisation Act, where for two centuries, far-left and far-right political parties were excluded from the democratic process following the "Troubling Century" (5302-5406).

While the Treason Bill is, at first glance, opposed by some parts of the Luthorian political spectrum, the Felonies and Penalties Act was only opposed by the Communist Party of Luthori and the Radical Democratic Party, they were both following by a segment of the Labour Party's left-wing MPs, who argued against the bill as they wished for a "humane and not a repressive form of justice", Communist Chamber leader, Tom Pell, stated to the Guardian that the "[the Bill] is a sham, it doesn't answer to the needs of the Luthorian people, it merely targets the most unfortunate in our society to lock them for longer periods of time in prison", Labour Party MP, Robert Miller, who were one of the few to vote against the Bill expressed his "abberation" at the bill's content and his "profound sadness" at his party's support of it.

The National Labour Party rallied behind the Bill following the shift in public opinion following the Prince of Orange's near death in February. The Leader of the Opposition has according to sources wished to place himself in the "center" of the "incoming security vs. liberty debate" that will come with the commencement of debate on the Treason Bill, having been vocal about his opposition to the aforementioned bill, Mr. Pat Holland seems willing to compromise on his values to shield himself from potential Conservative attacks come the debate.

The bill is focused around the strengthening and expansion of different penalties for varying crimes, depending on their degree of intensity, as well as the harmonisation into one bill of the different penalties current enforced through different various Acts of Parliament voted throughout the years. It sets increased minimum sentences for acts of burglary, manslaughter, murder, rape, agression and other crimes.

The Bill passed with a resounding 399 votes in favor, with both the Labour and Green parties instructing their MPs to vote in favor and with only 25 MPs opposing it in the lower house, 2 MPs weren't present at the time of voting. It then passed with similar results in the Senate before being made into law.

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The Imperial Confederation - long an informal union between the Luthorian Empire and the Commonwealth of Mordusia for centuries seems to have finally been confirmed by both states. On the last day of Emperor Richard II's state visit in Mordusia, both nations have concluded longtime negociations on the exact nature of their shared relationship. These negotiations concluded in the signature by both states of the Randworth Agreement, in which both parties agree that their "shared loyalty to the Crown" be the defining nature of their relationship.

The agreement was signed by Luthorian High Commissioner to Mordusia, Sir Michael Gordon and the Mordusian Prime Minister Henry Humperdinck, both on behalf of His Imperial & Royal Majesty, Emperor-King Richard II, who has long been in favour of expanding and deepening the diplomatic relations between both of his realms. The Emperor, in visit in Mordusia, looked, satisfied with the outcome, the two dignitaries signing the last remaining documents related to the agreement.

The Luthorian Empire and the Commonwealth of Mordusia has long since been brothers-in-arms, in fact, the Luthorian imperial family has been ruling Mordusia as well for the best part of the five last centuries, but no real moves have been made to bind the two nations together forevermore. Both Luthori and Mordusia intervened in each others' wars, supporting each other in time of need, the Mordusians intervened during the Kundrati Wars, Luthori intervened during the Aldurian War, the Luthorians have reaffirmed their commitment to defend Mordusia if push comes to shove numerous times and the Mordusians have also shown their willingness at supporting and defending their Artanian cousins and their former motherland.

The formation of the Kerisian Empire changed things. The Kingdom of Egelion now found itself in an empire, alongside the Nadiyan Confederation and the Kingdom of New Endralon and Kizenia. The formation of this new geopolitical entity inspired both Luthorian & Mordusian statesmen into making a geopolitical, formal organisation where the Holy Luthori Empire and the Commonwealth of Mordusia could be brought together. The Commonwealth was an unsuccesful attempt at consolidating relations with other Luthorian-speaking states, the Confederation is a mean to reassure relations between nations which share the Luthorian monarch as their head of state.

The agreement defines a few issues, the first being the issue of the monarch, his representation in the other realms and territories that aren't Luthori, the harmonisation of succession and inheritance laws related to the imperial family between the two nations, with current Luthorian law on the question being accepted as the basis for now and the matter of the Imperial household. Furthermore, the agreement define the Imperial Confederation as the "gathering of nations which shares common loyalty towards the Crown", which is the case for both Luthori and Mordusia.

It has also created the ability of calling an "Imperial Conference" to discuss about all matters related to the Imperial Confederation and the relationship shared between its states, be it economic, military or other. This ability has been granted to the Emperor-King and his successors at the request of both countries' foreign ministers.

It also entered the way for potential future members of the Confederation, detailing entry and withdrawal procedures. Any state that recognises the Emperor of Luthori and King of Mordusia as their legitimate head of state will be recognised as a member of the Imperial Confederation following the tenure of an imperial conference to formally accept their entry.

It also reaffirmed the silent statement of support of each nation' sovereignty, with both renewing a silent and tacit agreement about coming to the aid of the others in times of need. Luthorian Prime Minister Davy Harper stated on social media: "Luthori and Mordusia, united forevermore under the Confederation", this optimism was seen throughout the political spectrum, with every party (except the Communist Party - which opposes the monarchy) welcoming the signature of the Randworth Agreement.

The signature of the agreement is expected to be rapidly followed by the ratification of the agreement by both nations' parliaments.

Celebrations erupted in both nations, with both capitals organising fireworks to commemorate the event, in Luthori, there is talks of making the day of the proclamation of the Imperial Confederation a bank holiday for commemoration.

Luthori and Mordusia, now share together a common destiny, brought together by their shared loyalty towards the Crown, their similar cultures, their love for their respective democratic processes. A page of history has turned and another chapter now opens, leaving both nations, now united under the Confederation to face the future.

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Published in September 5697.

The Chamber of Representatives has been busy lately, first dealing with the fallout of the attempted assassination on the Prince of Orange, then the passing of the Felonies and Penalties Act, which increased some felonies’ minimal sentences, the ratification of the recenly-signed Randworth Agreement through the Statute of Darlington Bill and now, they got to deal with the infamous Treason and Sedition Bill, promised by the Prime Minister in the fallout of the attempted murder of the imperial heir. With usual business rescheduled to discuss the different means to deal with the ongoing crisis as the attempted assassination of His Imperial Highness was the first major attempt at a political assassination since the assassination of the late Emperor Charles IX in 5317, the government’s response was the creation of a renewed Treason Bill, which would regulate the different forms of actions which would be considered as “treasonous” by His Majesty’s government if faced in court, these different ways will then be the subject of different penalties which will be set by this Bill. Luthori, in its existence, already has been the subject of different Treason Acts, while each different by its severity, it nevertheless became connoted with democratic backsliding, party banishments/prohibitions (especially on the left) and an increase in imperial prerogatives beyond the current accepted established consensus.

The main concern was that the Treason Act would be “too broad” and as such, far too easy for the government to use at its discretion for its own political goals in broader disrespect for the Luthorian constitutional order and the consensus around the unalienable rights for political discourse. Others fear that the Treason Bill would be used as a political tool like the infamous Democratic Process Stabilisation Act, which prohibited the legal activities of the Communist Party of Luthori (CPL) and other extremist organisations, forcing them into clandestinity and domestic terrorism. These fear-mongering thoughts mostly originated from the Luthorian left such as in the National Labour Party, the Communist Party or the Green Party, each party expressed through different means their worries about the bill and their rejection of it. The Labour Party expressed its rebuff of the Justice Secretary’s Treason Bill even before it was properly and officially introduced in the Chamber of Representatives, with the Leader of the Opposition, Pat Holland expressing his “reservations” about the law on an interview to Humperdinck-owned Channel 7, there he said: “It’s unusual for a government to call for such extreme measures when dealing with an attempted assassination, I do fear, that in this debate where the values of security clashes with those of liberty that we lose some privileges due to the future Treason Bill. For which reason? I do fear that the incoming bill will merely empower and embolden future Prime Ministers and their governments into cementing their political dominance through the exclusion and harassment of various opposition leaders that could be indicted under the Act.”

For the Communists, it’s much simple: “I very much doubt that, yet another restrictive law will help our nation nor help the millions in poverty, nor help the desperate that can, potentially do like Mr. Lawrence [Thomas] and attempt to assassinate state officials.”, proclaimed Communist party leader Joseph Cunnibach during a small rally in Orange. The Communists were joined in their opposition by the Radical Democrats, who in a statement lamented that Luthori was becoming a “Tory-dominated dictatorship”, due to all the security-related acts of Parliament that passed during this term, most importantly being the Crime Prevention and Protection Act and the Felonies and Penalties Act, both pushed by either the Home or Justice Secretary, who solidified their respective position as de facto heads of government, as the Prime Minister’s moderate conservatism begin to be overlooked in the media in favour of hard right-wing conservative values.

Although, it should be known that the content of the Treason and Sedition Bill isn’t as risky for our democratic institutions that what the left wants us to believe, the Treason Bill doesn’t have any provisions regarding the ban of political parties, nor relating to the imprisonment of opposition leaders, in fact, the Treason Acts do not focus on politics, it focuses on the actions that are considered as “treasonous” and their minimal sentences. Actions such as attempting to assassinate a member of the Luthorian imperial family, conspiring to overthrow the Luthorian government or fermenting a terrorist attack on Luthorian soil, assisting an enemy of the Luthorian state during times of crisis, scheming the secession of one Luthorian territory and its entry into open rebellion against Parliament and so on. These are the actions which are considered as “treasonous” by the Treason and Sedition Bill, it is punishing traitors, and not political opponents. The Bill doesn’t state that it’s now forbidden to insult or criticise the Monarchy as an institution or the persons of the Emperor, the Empress or the Prince and Princess of Orange, nor any member of the imperial family for that matter. It doesn’t state that opinion on the government’s action, be it in opposition would now consider as treason against the Empire. No, the left wants us to be feared, while in fact, this Bill is necessary going forward, we’ve seen that radicals, both on the left and the right feel emboldened by the recent incidents, now encouraged to pursue more extremist acts to destabilise the State. This Bill aims at protecting the Luthorian people and its democratic institutions from rogue actors that might wish for its destruction.

As Justice Secretary Plundell stated during her speech in the Chamber of Representatives: “the preservation of our democratic institutions is paramount to the creation and writing of this Bill, if not passed, then our enemies within will receive the message that Parliament is unwilling to protect itself and invite them to conduct other terrorist acts aimed at destabilising our democracy, our traditions and our way of life.”

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Thomas Lawrence, attempted assassin of Prince William sentenced to life in prison.
March 5698

The Crown Court of Fort William today concluded that the shooter of Prince William in February 5697, Thomas Lawrence, who in his attempt wounded two people, is guilty of attempted murder on the person of His Imperial Highness, the Prince of Orange. The man, described as a calm, reasonable person by those who knew him, attempted to kill the prince while in a visit in Fort William, arrested immediately by police forces, he was taken into custody in Rutania Yard for interrogation, there, his identity was revealed to the press.

Mr. Lawrence (21) was a student at the Imperial Academy of Fort William, during his studies, he entered into various left-wing movements, especially those on the far-left, he first joined the Communist Party of Luthori, but then left it due to “conflicting values”, on his social media pages, searched by inspectors, it was shown that the accused stated that the Communist Party was “revisionist” due to accepting to “participate in the bourgeois democratic process”, he then joined the Ruanist Soldiers’ and Workers’ United Front, an illegal organisation which argues for the pursue of “total war” against the Luthorian state, although, before his action, he had long left the organisation, although kept contacts within in.

Domestic intelligence stated that “no trace of foreign involvement in this attack” was reported, ending paths that stated potential foreign actors might have had a role.

Luthorian courts have argued that the attempt on the life of an official of the state amplified the severity of the sentence towards Mr. Lawrence, who will now spend the rest of his days behind bars. His lawyers have expressed a willingness to take the case up to the High Court of Luthori for review, hoping to reduce the sentence from life to another, less severe sentence, using the fact that the attempt had failed.

The Prime Minister’s Office stated in a simple statement that “Justice has been served.” in regard to Mr. Lawrence’s sentence. The Prime Minister also announced that “far-left organisations that were linked with Mr. Lawrence would be “investigated” upon and “suppressed” if illegal. He excluded the Communist Party from the list, in fears of causing further controversy.

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CHUKYO – It’s been days since the civil war erupted here in New Verham. But one thing is certain, President Argat’s rule is now over, replaced with instability, infighting upon New Verham’s streets.

The now former President, who fled the nation following the seizure of the Presidential Palace here in Chukyo, capital city of New Verham by Ostlander and Vanukean militias is widely seen as the main perpetrator of the current political crisis by many here. Mr. Argat introduced the now-defunct Panmuan Heritage Act in late 5698, the law, branded as an “apartheid law” by its opponents planned to increase the income tax for non-Gaoics, and enforce Panmuan as the primary language throughout the nation.

This move, came to shatter whatever unity the state had left, as it antagonised Ostlander and Vanukean minorities, among others, in a nation where corruption was rampant and facing economic troubles. Following this unpopular decision, protests erupted both in the north and south of the country, as protestors demanded an end to “Gaoic apartheid” and the restoration of a representative democratic system.

The fall of President Argat in February, following only 4 months of active combat from his forces seem to confirm what the previous government wouldn’t. New Verham is a country rotted to its core, so much that its own armed forces were unable to properly defend their government. Reports from the New Verhamese press state that “only minimal resistance” was reported from New Verhamese military forces, with some even laying down their arms to join the various rebel groups.

Internationally, reactions have been for now relatively muted, governments in other Dovanian states have been said to “carefully monitor” the situation. Gemun and Metz-Leonid, the two paramount powers in today’s Dovani are expected to play an increasingly important role in this conflict.

At this point in time, the Kingdom of Egelion is the only Western government to have officially released a statement on the events in New Verham, Egelion’s foreign ministry released a statement in which Royal Councillor Mongradon, de facto Egelion’s foreign minister, stressed that the situation was escalating “beyond diplomatic solutions” and announced that Egelion’s Southern Armada, deployed in Southern Seleya since 5642 could “potentially” be sent to the Sovereign Sea for “close support” according to the IDE.

In Luthori, reactions have been muted on the situation, Blackhall Palace released a statement on February 15th expressing “worries” regarding the situation in New Verham, the statement said that the imperial government “hoped for the quick resolution of the current conflict”. The Foreign Office stated that Luthori would follow the principle of “non-interventionism” in this conflict, refraining from unilateral actions. Luthorian Foreign Secretary Gordon Learmouth (Conservative) stated that Luthori was “carefully monitoring the situation” to assess the different policies that Luthori could potentially take in relation to the New Verhamese civil war.

Blackhall Palace furthermore announced that Luthorians are now advised to “not travel” to New Verham, as Department of Foreign Affairs announced an update to its travel advisory, moving New Verham from “Level 3”, which argues for a reconsideration of future trip plans to “Level 4”, which simply states: “Do not travel”.

Luthori has advised that Luthorians in New Verham immediately refer to the Luthorian Embassy in Chukyo to remain safe and organise their departure from the war-torn nation.

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Sometimes, a man’s fall from grace can be even more spectacular than his rise. Prime Minister Harper, a man known for having pushed unpopular laws, such as the Treason Act in 5698 or the Crime Act in 5696. He, with his conservative government are notorious for having pushed for the return of first-past-the-post as the electoral system in usage for general elections and the reform of the Senate into the House of Peers, an unelected body composed of 400 peers (capped at 800 by law – other members can be added), appointed by the Sovereign at the advice of the Prime Minister (life peers) or through birthright (hereditary peers) or as members of the Holy Luthori Church’s high clergy.

These conservative “reforms”, demanded by the right for a century at this point, seems to have finally buried former Prime Minister, Harold MacGregor’s work and his ideology of “reformed conservatism”, now the Conservative Party stand once again as the party of “tradition”, undoing any work of any Conservative Prime Ministers. This work wouldn’t have been possible without the groundwork laid by former Prime Ministers Brooke or Parker-Stanford, who for 17 years laid the foundation used by the now-former Prime Minister Brooke to dismantle the “Age of Reform” in Luthorian politics.

With this, PM Harper’s credentials as a “conservative hero” were now secured, and nothing could have prevented him from running at the 5700 general elections (through a recent Act of Parliament – parliamentary term was reduced by a year, from 5 to 4 years and 43 new MPs will enter the Imperial Diet, 434 to 477) as an unbeatable candidate for the new Labour leader, Edward Holian-Keaty to possibly hope to defeat.

But all wasn’t well. Behind the surface hid a government rotten to the core, filled with corruption and “conflict of interests”, it was revealed by the Guardian that the now-Conservative Foreign Secretary Gordon Learmouth, long thought as a potential leader for either the Liberal Party or the Conservative Party, had accepted funds from illicit corporate sources to fund his electoral campaigns.

The scandal brought down the Government, as the Tories in the Diet each demanded to the Prime Minister to resign, at first, he resisted those calls, but following the resignation of Home Secretary Harper for “health reasons”, although most likely an opportunity to leave the sinking ship, the Prime Minister relented and tendered his resignation to Emperor Richard II at the Orange Palace today.

Replacing him after securing the 5699 Conservative leadership election will be relatively unknown young Santerford MD Cameron Seddon (41), who’s been selected to become the new Leader of the Conservative Party and ex officio as Prime Minister of Luthori, beating out former Home Secretary Margaret Harper for the leadership position.

In his resignation honours, the former Prime Minister honoured both Harper and Plundell with life peerages that granted them membership in the House of Peers, Mrs. Plundell became the Baroness Plundell of Mayflower and Mrs. Harper became the Baroness Harper of Shinigtown. Both former Cabinet ministers will be introduced in the House of Peers as life peers and part of the Conservative Parliamentary Party.

Mr. Seddon becomes the youngest Prime Minister of Luthori, ushering in a new age for a party now dominated by the aging conservative, hard right establishment. Whether or not the new Prime Minister may prove himself as more of a change than his predecessor, remains to be seen.

A classical conservative, Mr. Seddon seized the conservative leadership on promise of a “return to normalcy” and Conservative orthodoxy after years of what is now dubbed as the Luthorian “conservative revolution”.

For now, Seddon expressed a focus on foreign affairs, stating he’ll focus on the task ahead in New Verham, economics, where he expressed his intention of putting “innovation” at the forefront of his economic policy and most importantly, “prosperity for all”, as he moves from his predecessor’s government “heavy-handed” approach on domestic affairs.

The Emperor is expected to receive his cabinet appointments tomorrow.

[Ligbruderkrieg]

Luthori to potentially support "international mission" to seize back airport, says Stanley.
July 5699

FORT WILLAM - The recently renamed Foreign and Confederation Office in Bismarck Palace recently offered an update on Luthori’s position on the New Verham civil war. New Verham, a state that has recently collapsed into civil war and complete political anarchy following former President Argat’s foiled attempt at solidifying the reign of the Gaoic ruling class over its numerous minorities, his rule promptly collapsed afterwards, sending the Dovani nation straight into a bitter and divisive civil conflict.

Following the eruption of hostilities in the area, the Luthorian government expressed hope for a “quick resolution and a cessation of hostilities”, the Foreign Office under former Foreign Secretary Learmouth amplified that position by expressing a “non-interventionism” platform related to New Verham, ruling out “unilateral” interventions, in a subtle pledge for international cooperation.

Since this arrangement was proclaimed, the diplomatic situation related to the New Verhamese situation changed drastically, on February 14th, Egelion’s Southern Armada unilaterally fired on New Verhamese factions’ positions, the IDE (Institute of Egelian Diplomacy) commented that “all diplomatic actions were unsuccessful and very limited to begin with”, the Egelian government commented on the presence of rebel, unaligned forces at the Chukyo International Airport in order to further justify its intervention, stressing the “necessity” in providing a “safe haven” for refugees and foreign citizens to leave the war-torn nation.

This unilateral decision on Egelion’s part to intervene sparked outrage in Wiel, the Kingdom of Vanuku, in retailiation, announced its own intervention in New Verham some days after Egelion did their own. Wiel lamented the former’s “eagerness” at “jumping directly into a military struggle”, Vanuku’s Prefect Trmékez stated that “Egelion's military had already primed their targets for an all-out offensive.”, when asked about his position on Egelion’s intervention in New Verham. The Vanukeans sent their 1st Fleet in New Verham to support their own intervention.

While diplomatic efforts have been engaged to resolve the crisis between the two allies have been engaged, none can deny the tensions lingering between the two states.

The Egelian position received some form of cautious support from Blackhall Palace, which stated its “openness” at an “international, coordinated” operation to secure the airport and allow for the safe return of either foreign nationals still present in New Verham or potential refugees. The Foreign Office also opened the matter of Luthorian military intervention, although it remained, for now, steadfast on its policy of “non-interventionism”, excluding unilateral actions on the matter, Luthori nonetheless reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of its citizens and didn’t exclude the presence of Luthorian troops in a subsequent intervention.

In Chukyo, the Luthorian Embassy in New Verham, opened its gate to the Luthorians who were in New Verham before fighting broke out. As flights were cancelled towards Fort William due to the fall of the Chukyo International Airport to rebel forces, these Luthorians and other refugees were now stranded in the Luthorian Embassy, which, until the intervention from the Nadiyan Red Cross stated that “supplies were dwindling”. The Luthorian government (the Foreign Secretary) announced its embassy services were in “constant contact” with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gemun (Bianjie) and Metz-Leonid (Xsampa) to allow for a potential agreement on the safe passage of these refugees into either nations’ territory for future evacuation towards Luthori or other nations.

The Foreign Office stated that these discussions were taking place in a context where the situation at the airport was still tenuous and that “all diplomatic channels must be kept open for the security of all”.

Luthorian Prime Minister Seddon reiterated Luthori’s position that “peace must return in New Verham in the swiftest delays” and has opened a discussion in the Imperial Diet about a potential humanitarian aid package, which for now the Opposition under Edward Holian-Keaty seemed receptive to.