Liore

[ChitinKal]

Cultural Highlights
Wakombozi to Perform at FOMAT December 4890

Ndardhi-Based Hip Hop Group Wakombozi has Become a Sensation Among Liore's Urban and Working Class Youth

After another respectable FOMAT performance from Liore in the previous iteration, the eleventh Festival of Musical Arts in Terra is approaching and Liore is not yet ready to retire from the contest. Following up a tremendous performance from Watembo-Liori rapper Caamir is yet another activist hip hop group that received the support of voters in Liore's regular pre-FOMAT music contest. This year Liori voters have upped the ante with the urban beats and powerful lyrics of the regionally-popular Wakombozi. Hailing from the industrial city of Ndardhi, Wakombozi has been a musical sensation throughout Liore's coastal cities and urban centers, often basing their music off of the experiences of urban Liori workers and on popular youth culture, though the group has not failed to find success in other audiences and regions. Often using their music to shed light on social issues in Liore and abroad, Wakombozi often uses their music as a call to action for the betterment of the human condition worldwide, and is also not stranger to calling out modern colonialism and imperialism. Because of this, there has been a small controversy regarding sending the band to FOMAT, a festival that has in the past called for entries to remain apolitical and tame, however the Public Information Ministry is firm in their decision to respect the vote and send Wakombozi to Kalistan. Furthering this controversy are statements from Wakombozi member Hodari Jam-Jam, who described Sasa au Kamwe (the song Wakombozi will be performing at FOMAT XI) as "a call-out to all the wealthy who want to keep the poor starving and the imperialists who want to keep others in chains" and commented on his groups future performance as "above all, an attempt to shed light on situations ignored by many people in other parts of the world."

[ChitinKal]

Statement on Executive Action; February 26, 4891
From the Office of the President
Presidential Response to the Yingdalan Occupation of Midway and Summary of Subsequent Executive Actions

The government of Yingdala has again used its armed forces to establish imperial garrisons in Dovani, a direct threat to regional peace and to the existence of Liore. Fourteen years ago of February of 4877,Yingdala began its quest to reestablish imperial hegemony over the Dovanian continent and eastern hemisphere with the establishment of a naval base and extensive garrison of 20,000 soldiers within the borders of Utembo, a blatant threat to Liore and display of the western empire's plans for the east. In an even more blatant and shameless threat to Liore and all of Dovani, the Yingdalan armed forces began earlier this month the construction of a military and naval base in the supposedly neutral state of Midway, a bordering neighbor of Liore to the west. The Yingdalan government boasts of the ability of this base to support 150,000 soldiers, 130 aircraft, and 75 ships. Such an absurdly and abnormally large facility cannot be ignored by Liore, and we have watched the occupation of our brothers in Midway with great and growing horror, as not only is this a threat to Liore itself, but to the sovereignty and freedom of our Dovanian brothers. Seeing as the previous administration did not ignore the threat of the establishment of a Yingdalan garrison in Utembo and noting the greater magnitude and threat and lesser distance of the garrison in Midway, I along with my comrade Premier Abasi Ngige and the cabinet have drafted a list of executive actions this administration will take in response to this threat to our security and sovereignty.

Diplomatic Protestation
In response to the threat against Liore by the Yingdalan government, we have officially closed our embassy in Tian'an and have requested the closing of the Yingdalan embassy in Yamabiro, however we will maintain a consulate in the Yingdalan capital for vital communications reasons. With the closing we have notified the Yingdalan government that embassies will remain closed until their occupations of Midway and Utembo are ceased.

The Liori embassies in Manapo and Bajoum have been instructed to lodge diplomatic complaints with the governments of Midway and Utembo respectively. They have been notified of the wish of the Liori government to maintain friendly and peaceful relations with both nations and have been informed of our perception of the construction of Yingdalan bases on their soil as threats by the Yingdalan government to Liore.

The Liori embassies in every Dovanian and Temanian nation have been instructed to request statements of solidarity from Liore's comrade nations in the east. We hope to create in Dovani a moral united front against imperialism and neo colonialism that spans farther beyond the Dovani Pact, and we hope symbolic messages of solidarity will display the east's opposition to imperialism in all its forms.

Economic Action
In response to the threat against Liore by the Yingdalan government, we have put in place an embargo upon Yingdalan trade until all Yingdalan military personnel and assets are withdrawn from Midway. This embargo will encompass a majority of all trade between Liori and Yingdalan markets, with particular respect to the Liori export of mineral and import of Yingdalan technological products. Seeing as this is a dispute with the Yingdalan government and that the Yingdalan people are unlikely to share the imperialistic aims of their government, this embargo will not apply to goods essential to the everyday life of the Yingdalan and Liori peoples.

All Yingdalan public and private capital in Liore has been temporarily seized and public and private Yingdalan financial assets have been frozen. All capital and financial assets frozen by this order will be held by the Liori government until Yingdala withdraws all military personnel and assets from Midway. The Yingdalan government has been notified that if it does not halt its imperialist actions in the East within three years, all capital and financial assets will be permanently confiscated.

Military Preparedness
In response to the threat against Liore by the Yingdalan government, the entirety of the Liori armed forces have been put on high alert. All active duty ground troops have been put on standby, and all reserve personnel have been informed to prepare for mustering in the case of a Yingdalan attack. All air force personnel have been put on standby and themselves informed of the possibility of scrambling in the case of a Yingdalan attack. The Red Bass Fleet has been put on the highest alert level and been sent from port with the LPW Kubwa to patrol Liore's territorial waters and defend vital trade routes.

The current army expansion plan has been dramatically increased. The Arch Ministry of Defense has been instructed to add on to the plan the formation of an additional four new LNPA reserve divisions in addition to the original four LNPA and LV divisions, adding to the recruitment goal over 60,000 more personnel over an additional three years. In addition to the LNPA expansion, the LDMS has been contracted with the construction of new warships, including an increase to patrol craft and the formation of a new fleet of high seas warships. The new fleet will consist of five Velryba-Class destroyers, two each of Gepard-Class frigates and Slava-Class cruisers, and a Kirov-Class battlecruiser as its flagship; and over thirty smaller craft have been requested for Liore's coastal patrol force. This increase will occur over the next several years, but will be essential to respond to any future aggression from Yingdala.

A bill has been introduced to the People's Assembly reapportioning more funds to the budget of the Arch Ministry of Defense as the expense of a slight decrease in the budgets of all other Ministries to make up for the expenditure, this bill is expected to pass. The new funds will be used to expand Liore's existing military facilities and armament procurement plants nationwide, to construct defensive structures along the border of Midway, and to further fund the LDMS's research and development projects. The increase in funds and focus on defense will be maintained until Yingdala abandons its bellicose and imperialistic foreign policy and halts all its military threats to Liore.

[ChitinKal]

Foreign Policy Review
Liore Among Founding Members of the Dovani Pact December 4891

Former President and Liori Delegate to the Kiego Conference Thimba Hami Welcomed Home a Hero

After years of deep discussion and meticulous planning among several nations in the region, a supranational organization in the east has been formed and several nations have joined in signing its formative treaty. This comes after the conclusion of discussions at the Ntotoan city of Kiego, the host location for a historic conference between dozens of far eastern nations. Though most of the East is yet to sign the treaty crafted at Kiego and join the Dovani Pact, Liore was one of the first to proclaim full support for the Pact and to sign the treaty as a Security Member of the Pact (its ratification passing almost unanimously in the People's Assembly, the only opposition coming from independent representatives and radical members of the National Movement). Joining Liore were six other founding members: Ntoto, Utembo, and Ostland joining Liore as Security Members; and Tropica, Vascania, and New Alduria joining the Pact as Full Members. Also signing at Kiego was the region of South Englia, an autonomous administrative division of New Englia.

Having joined the Dovani Pact as a Security Member, Liore has officially committed itself to the collective defense of its fellow Security Member. Unofficially, in comments maid by President Jail Obama, Liore will be expanding the 4868 Darobi Declaration made by then-President Thimba Hami to include all member states of the Dovani Pact and the continent as a whole. "Liore remains committed to the defense of the sovereignty of the peoples of Dovani," stated President Obama, "and we will recognize, guarantee, and back up the independence and sovereignty of our brother nations against incursion from imperialists. The evil forces of the world, from Tian'an to Hugamest, will be met by a stalwart Liori shield before they can defile Dovani, Temania, and Vascania."

On the topic of imperialism "from Tian'an to Hugamest," President Obama reaffirmed Liore's staunch opposition to the construction of a Yingdalan military base in Midway, stating: "Liore is again bothered by the lackluster response from the Yingdalan government, which seems to have a serious issue with downplaying the qualms of nations and peoples they deem lesser to themselves. We are completely unsurprised, it is characteristic of imperialists to ignore the oppressed of the Terra and the global moral majority for the sake of exploitation and needless sabre-rattling." Days after delivering the preceding statement, President Obama issued an executive order officially confiscating all Yingdalan public capital and finances within Liore as a response to Yingdala's continued posturing in Midway, and has stated that Liore is prepared to nationalize several private Yingdalan properties currently within Liore's special economic zones.

Returning from the Kiego Conference, former President Thimba Hami was given a hero's welcome by several government officials (including President Obama and Premier Abasi Ngige) and a large crowd of civilians. Having served as Liore's chief delegate at the Kiego Conference throughout its duration and being the main author of the Dovani Pact treaty, Hami has topped off his former career as a successful and popular President with one of the greatest achievements made by a Liori statesman in recent history. In recognition of his unmatched service to Liore and Dovani, a special session of the People's Assembly voted unanimously to award Hami with the Shuja wa Watu Waliore (Hero of the Liori People), the highest civilian honor in Liore. Hami's award ceremony brought in tens of thousands of onlookers and celebrators from across Liore, giving a stunning end to Hami's career as a statesman.

[DueWizard70]

Liore-Utembo arms deal

[ChitinKal]

Foreign Policy Review
Utembo Purchases Small Arms, AFVs from LDMS June 4892

New LDMS Faru to be Exported to Utembo, Enter Liori Service

Following discussions between officials within the Utembo Royal Armed Forces and their counterparts within the Liori Arch Ministry of Defense (AMD) and overseeing officials within the Liori Defense Manufacturing Syndicate (LDMS), an arms sale was agreed upon between the two parties and approved by their respective governments. The deal, which Liori officials approached Utemban counterparts with in order to help with the fellow Dovani Pact Security Member's military expansion (and no doubt further discourage reliance on Yingdala), will see the sale of thousands of units of small arms and a couple-dozen armored fighting vehicles to the Utembo Royal Armed Forces. The meat of the deal lies in the sale of 30,000 LDMS AR1 assault rifles to Utembo. Having been in mass production since the founding of the LDMS, the AR1 has been slowly rotated in as the primary assault rifle of the Liori ground forces as production of the rifle has been ramped up with the creation of new and expansion of old arms manufacturing facilities. The fulfillment of the assault rifle order will occur at a shipment rate of 2500 rifles per quarter while the LDMS continues to fulfil domestic needs, setting the total time frame of fulfillment at three years.

In addition to the 30,000 rifles, Utembo committed to purchase a much more humble total of twenty LDMS Faru (OOC: IDF Achzarit) armored personnel carriers, a recently finished assault vehicle design that is soon to enter production. The Faru, which was designed in order to fulfill Liore's need for a standardized and domestically-produced armored personnel carrier, is the intellectual product of Kinyonga, a private defense company operating within the Ndardhi SEZ that was syndicated under the LDMS in 4888, but has had its schematics shared throughout all LDMS subsidiaries, though Kinyonga has been assured compensation for its product. Kinyonga has also been given the exclusive right (among private subsidiaries to the LDMS) to export the Faru abroad, and as such has been awarded the contract to fulfill the Utemban order, which company spokesmen have indicated should take no longer than one year and two quarters, giving Kinyonga to make necessary adjustments to equiment and facility expansions to produce the new vehicle.

While Kinyonga handles the Utemban order, all other LDMS subsidiaries have been instructed to prepare for mass production of the Faru so as to fulfill demand for Liori forces, which will require more than 1000 Farus in order to both supply unmechanized units and replace aging APCs. Such a modernization project government spokesmen confirm will take years even after LDMS facilities finish their needed upgrades, and will require further government attention in the future.

President Approves Development Package to Bianjie November 4892

Returning to the Hami policy of direct developmental assistance into Dovani, President Jail Obama approved a plan of the Trade and Financial Ministries to invest directly into the economic and military development of Bianjie. The deal, reminiscent of the Liore-Vascania Investment project and agreed upon by both the Liori and Bianji governments, will see among other things a direct influx of funds and finances into the Bianji economy from the Liore. Primarily, this will occur through the sending of economic development grants to Bianjie to be used as the government sees fit as to develop the domestic economy, and as long as the funds are used appropriately Bianjie will not be required to pay Liore back. More directly, the Liore government will also be investing directly into the portfolios of a select few promising Bianji companies. The deal will also see an abolition of most trade barriers between Liore and Bianjie and a general opening of trade between the two nations, though due to protectionist policies that require large foreign companies to provide 30% of all products to the Bianji government free of charge, any influx of Liori companies is expected to be small, with a notable exception bein the establishment of a Lidor Pharmaceuticals facility in Gemun, which has accepted the obligation to provide a portion of its product to the government free of charge.

The development package also included a military development section dedicated to boosting the experience of the Bianji officer corps and training quality of Bianji troops. The section will the the dispatching to Bianjie of a group of Liori military advisors and experts, including Liori officers (retired and currently serving) and Defense bureaucrats and theorists, to Bianjie to fulfill a number of tasks, including advising Bianji policymakers and military leaders as well as the overseeing and direct training of Bianji troops. The advisors have also been instructed to work with the current Bianji officer corps to establish a military academy in Bianjie to train a next generation of Bianji officers in modern tactics developed in Liore and abroad.

[jamescfm]

East Kayal economists produce fresh report on major world economies

[jamescfm]

VIS Sagana arrives in Liore for first major port visit since Rapa Pile

[jamescfm]

Bhim and Vati return from successful tour across Dovani

[ChitinKal]

Cultural Highlights
Kurudi kwa Kapuka: Amani to Perform at FOMAT January 4895

"Kapuka King" Amani Performs to Crowd in Nzurchangha

In a stark turn away from Wakombozi's second place winning performance at FOMAT XI, Liore has voted again for a nationally famous hip hop artist, but one with a softer and more care-free sound than his strong and serious predecessor. Hailed as the Kapuka King, solo artist Amani (real name Jata Igbinedion), has been at the forefront of the Liori pop scene, leading what some have called a return to the style of classical Kapuka artists such as Sauti Liore and Najina, and has been a national music icon for the past year. Like many of his fellow kapuka artists, Amani rose to fame out of the music clubs of the Caltropic Coast, originating from the underground clubs of Nzurchanga before becoming a regular performer at the most popular resorts and casinos of the "Heavenly City," and a nationwide singer with concerts under his belt from Adawombe to Darobi. Amani will be performing the song Zahra in Valois, a traditional Kitembo-Kuragao romance song with his own modern, kapuka twist.

[Rogue]

Water Management Project causes problems for Liore