Liore

[Rogue]

KU and MA sign major economic deal

[Rogue]

Voronan Military launches offensive, threatens WC Peacekeepers

[Drax]

LIORE ALLOWS KANJOR FIRMS TO BUY ITS COBALT, LITHIUM AND IRON ORE

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=84&p=176257#p176257

[Auditorii]

Wirtschaftsnachrichten für Artania: Foreign Office plots massive trade deal with Dovani Pact (August, 5054)

[ChitinKal]

#1 News Provider From Yamabiro to Kuga

Domestic Politics
Populists Sweep Mtukano, Claim Plurality January 5072

Voters in Rural Mwibonde Came out in Record Numbers this Election, with a Turnout of 72%

Elections for the Union Mtukano have been concluded, and the foreseen coming to power of the populist Kilamtu Party (a portmanteau of 'kila mtu', which translates to 'everybody') has finally come to the Union government. The previously reigning Kitembo Party and Ujamaa Mpana have seen a tremendous exodus of supporters flocking to the Kilamtu, which has eclipsed the two juggernauts of Kitembo Politics. However, Kilamtu's ability to form a government and pass more than its basic policies is in doubt, as it has created arch rivals in the Harambee and Modern Parties, which oppose Kilamtu's unconservative environmental and illiberal economic policies respectively, while the Kitembo Party and Ujamaa Mpana leadership are reportedly resentful of the declining support for their parties. Analysts see the most realistic path to Kilamtu leadership is through coalition with Kitembo and the placating of independents, but most see more likely a continuation of cooperation between Kitembo and Ujamaa Mpana in the lower house, with the entrance of Harambee into a Union government. Reportedly, talks have already begun between the leadership of Harambee, Kitembo, and Ujamaa Mpana, with a lagging communication from Kilamtu.

Mtukano Seats w/ Party Agenda
Kilamtu (Everybody): 233
Created in 5063 as a reaction to the declining economy and standards of living within the Kitembo Union, the populists of Kilamtu seek to pass hands-on legislation to relieve the burden of the prolonged, primarily through generous government grants to the private sector and through several large infrastructure projects they argue will create jobs while stimulating the economy and being conducive to commerce.
Harambee (All Pull Together): 191
Radical environmentalists and tribal traditionalists. Seeks to enact policy that will contain environmental degradation through strict restrictions on both the private and public industrial sectors and rollback existing degradation with radical deindustrialization and deurbanization. Promotes pre-colonial tribal life and customs in a modern context, with a radical anti-modern minority calling for a complete abandonment of modern technology and society.
Kitembo: 137
Centrist nationalists and conservatives seeking to maintain the status quo of Kitembo politics and economics. A growing wing of the party has become disillusioned with party leadership for its handling of the recession and have begun pushing for projects similar to the Kilamtu's. The incoming Kitembo delegation have stated their "unanimous support" for the strengthening of the KU Armed Forces and Union-wide welfare programs.
Modern Party: 88
Calls for the total liberalization (called 'modernization' by its supporters and 'westernization' by opponents) of the Kitembo Union, specifically calling for electoral reform, centralization of the KU, and the eradication of the public sector. Incoming Modern representatives have entered the Mtukano already with a bill ready for proposal that would amend the KU constitution that would protect a list of rights and freedoms deemed 'inalienable', including freedom of religion and right to travel.
Ujamaa Mpana (Broad Socialists): 82
A broad coalition of the KU's far-left. Most immediate on Ujamaa Mpana's radar is the resolution of the "national capitalist crisis," with more moderate incoming representatives calling for development programs, increasing welfare, and nationalizing more industries, while more radical representatives have recently proposed and failed to pass bills outlawing the private sector in the KU. At its heart, the Ujamaa Mpana seeks to restore the political and economic order of the early Socialist State of Liore on a larger scale.
Independents: 69

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Economy Today
Amid Crisis in Nefa, Union Legislature Passes Relief Legislation September 5072

Protesters in Minmito, Nefa Call for Aid and Relief as Radicals Mull Devolution

For the past several years, the Kitembo economy has been slowly grinding down, and along with it, the wages and standards of living of millions of Kitembo citizens. In no other region of the Union have the effects of the recession been more severe than in Nefa, the northernmost province of Liore, where the exodus of jobs, investor interest, and capital has led to an economic crisis in the region which some observers have warned may lead to a major humanitarian crisis if not properly addressed. This crisis, in addition to the boundless economic and humanitarian concerns, has also spawned a great deal of instability and political disillusionment, with protest becoming a regular occurrence in the major cities of Jejwi and Minmito and opposition to establishment parties reaching all-time lows (voters in Nefa came out in droves to support extremes within Kilamtu and Ujamaa Mpana in recent elections for the Union Mtukano and Liore's People's Assembly). Too the political radicalization has seen an alarming uptick in cases of political violence, which, coupled with the rise of terrorism in Mina, has made many analysts begin to view the region as a nascent national security threat.

The Union government, in a series of multipartisan bills and legislation, has begun to take concrete actions towards the resolution of the economic crisis and a mending of the effects it has had upon the population. "Seeing the Kitembo economy as one though adherent to the lofty ideals of capitalism though reliant on synergy with state action and a strong public sector," explains Kitembo Party representative Imara Okeke and coauthor of legislation dealing with infrastructure development, "it's necessary now to respond to economic crisis with strong and decisive action." By 'decisive action', the Kurageri-born representative means a series of bills with the purpose to pump money and jobs into the economy. The first, and most significant, is the Okeke-Toriyama Infrastructure Act, which approves the allocation of Union funds to a number of infrastructure construction and maintenance projects, including the construction of a system of railways through central Kurageri, vital reparation of highways in the Caltropic Highlands, the expansion of telecommunications networks to rural areas, and the construction of two new nuclear power plants. In addition to this, the Crisis Relief Stimulus Package of 5072 was also passed, which allocates funds for temporary relief programs for common citizens, including a national drive to send vital supplies and food to hard-hit regions (e.g. Nefa) and direct cash payments to all Kitembo citizens falling beneath a certain income bracket. The package also includes provisions for direct state investment into the private sector, with an emphasis on industries which have seen layoffs and closes as a result of the crisis.

[Auditorii]

al-Mina al-Yawmi: New Years attacks in Nefa, growing discontent with Liori occupation (January, 5073)

[ChitinKal]

Economy Today
President Sekebo Inaugurates Liore's First High Speed Rail Line August 5083

Safari Line Connects the Metropoli of the Liori Savannah

Today, the first trip of the Duma has been made, taking Liori President Idi Sekebo and Premier Kaluwa Dimka, along with other officials and representatives from the Liori and Kitembo governments, from Kalilangu to Bakundu-Naranpa, briefly stopping in Jarha, in under six hours. Due to the lack of transport infrastructure development in the Liori savannah, this is a journey that would typically take twelve hours to a day, making regular travel and transport of lightweight cargo across the savannah infeasible. However, with today's inauguration of Liore's Safari Line, a high-speed commercial rail running from Kalilangu to Jarha to Bakundu-Naranpa, with a few stops in select minor regional centers; travel across Liore's outback has become much easier.

The line constructed following approval by the People's Assembly for the allocation of land and funds for a line running through the savannah, with further funding from grants from the KU's infrastructure fund. The construction was approved by a multipartisan development caucus who have justified the rail line as allowing for ease of travel for citizens and as allowing for greater economic development in the region, allowing for consumers and workers to go farther distances in shorter times. Representative Liada Bello, a Kilamtu member from Juuyada and author of the approval bill, also argued that "the success of the Safari Line would serve as a proof of concept for the building of more lines throughout Liore, and throughout the Union. If successful, it would bring a new era of development and closer interrelatedness for the Kitembo people."

The line, however, was not without its opponents. The Harambee delegation to the People's Assembly unanimously voted against the bill, but was unable to defeat the caucus of populists, nationalists, socialists, and liberals who rammed approval through the legislature. "This is a travesty and a further betrayal of the Liori countryside and Kitembo traditions by the Westernizers in Yamabiro," stated Mkuu Mkuu Idi Orji, High Chief of the Imyi and Chairman of the Liore Harambee Party, "This abominable line is a scar across our savannah, and the so-called 'progress' and 'development' it seeks to usher in is nothing more than the rape of Kitembo culture by cancerous Western theories. Our ancestors fought against the cultural imperialism of the West, and now our leaders now wish to make us a cheap copy of a Dorvik or a Lourenne."

The line was also opposed by Pan-Unionists and Kuragao interest groups, who argued that the authority to approve and construct such infrastructure projects ought to lie solely in the Union government and benefit both Liore and Kurageri. The construction of intranational high-speed rail lines, they argue, undermine the unity of Liore and Kurageri.

The future for high-speed rail in Liore and the KU looks promising. As President Sekebo arrived in Naranpa-Bakundu safely and ahead of schedule, he spoke only good of the the Safari Line, and invited Kitembo President Njowga Madaki to join him on the Duma for a journey back to Kalilangu. Some of those in favor of the line, including representatives, entrepreneurs, and news analysts; have also come out to demand the construction of more lines. A line connecting the Caltropic Cities, an over-mountain line running from Nzurchanga to Jarha, and an all-union line connecting the national and Union capitals of Yamabiro, Kuga, and Kitemjiji have all been proposed.

The Safari Line will open to public transit use in the coming months, and will be used primarily for passenger transit. However, the Infrastructure Ministry is looking to approve the line for the transport of mail from city-to-city and light amounts of water to the more remote stops. The line will begin with the use of two trains, the Duma (cheetah) and the Simba (lion), which will run on parallel schedules.

[ChitinKal]

#1 News Provider From Yamabiro to Kuga

Defense Digest
Def. Ministry Authorizes Formation of New Battlecruiser Fleet, Commissions New Ships November 5083

Seamen from the Restationed the Cruiser Mjihami Participate in Ceremony before Departing from Mweza Outpost

Representatives from the Ministry of Defense have announced today the intention of the Union government to form a battlecruiser fleet to be stationed at the port of Bunini, on the eastern coast of Kurageri. The bulk of this "Nibogora Fleet" (named for the Kuragao President who pushed for unification for Liore and the creation of the Kitembo Union) is to be made up of newly commissioned ships, including a Kirov-class battlecruiser as its flagship, and a dozen frigates, cruisers, destroyers, and other smaller craft; but will also receive transplants from the Caltropic Fleet, which officials and analysts have described as a "phenomenal display of Kitembo overpreparedness," due to the lack of strategic threats in the Caltropic Sea. A total of three destroyers and one cruiser are to be restationed from Mweza Outpost to the Bunini Naval Base.

Upon the formation of the new fleet, which hasn't been disclosed but analysts have predicted will take several years, the KU will have a total of three fleets open to the high seas, a naval force in the region second only to Vascania (reports from Vascania have been sparse, but the Defense Ministry has been operating under a best-case scenario in terms of Vascanian strength). Coupled with Vascania's membership of the Dovani Pact Defense Council, these developments all but ensure the security of the KU and her DP allies in the region.

The positioning of the fleet at Bunini is also indicative of the Defense Ministry's evaluation of possible security threats, military and foreign relations analysts say. Located on Kurageri's far eastern coast, Bunini Naval Base offers trouble when attempting to reach the Sovereign Sea (which is surrounded by DP member states, with the exceptions of Midway, Medina, and Rapa Pile), however gives Kitembo sailors easy access to the wide open Red Bass Ocean. Dr. Kamari Boro, former ambassador to Beluzia and the Jail Obama Professor of International Relations and Diplomatic History at the NA Academy of Politics, offers his view: "

Obviously our leaders feel unease at recent events in our continental neighbors to the east. In Artania we see a Dorvik rising once again, but also one that has commendably abandoned its arsenal of nuclear weapons. In Majatra we see ever more unrest and instability, namely in Solentia and Deltaria, the latter of which continues its cyclical history of accumulating great strength before falling to civil war or violent regime change. Of course, some are going to point to this recent fleet of Kalistani smugglers that were able to sells shiploads of drugs and guns to various buyers throughout Majatra and claim that their ability to do this unhindered is proof of impotence in Majatra. Okay. Maybe today Kalistani pirates have free reign over the Majatran Sea, but what about tomorrow? Our leaders understand the nature of Deltaria and her history, and they know a rise is inevitable following the end of this civil war.

Too it's an important aspect of the government's evaluation must be the lack of threat coming from the Sovereign Sea. Of the seven nations who have coasts on this sea, four are Kitembo partners and one, Midway, is historically neutral. And the only other major naval power bordering this sea is Vascania, which is one of those Kitembo partners. The Sovereign Sea is small in size and surrounded by Kitembo friends, the Red Bass washes the shores of four continents and dozens of states, and of those states few are dedicated allies and several are notable powers.

[ChitinKal]

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Defense Digest
Def. Ministry to Purchase Multirole Fighters from ADG March 5094

Officials Seek to fill Major Gaps in Kitembo Air Defense with Introduction of the Unionfighter into the National Arsenal

If you were to ask any serious and respectable military analyst what the weakest aspect of the Kitembo military and defense apparatus, odds are the answer would be the nation's small and out-of-date air force. No meaningful action has been taken by the Union government throughout its existence to modernize the combined air fleets of Liore and Kurageri, both of which had relatively unremarkable and weak air forces before unification. Arguably, the Ministry of Defense has been giving too much attention to other Kitembo defense capabilities (especially naval power) while allowing its centuries-old fighters to rot unused, and pilots go untested and untrained.

Undoubtedly recognizing this weak heel, spokesmen for the Defense Ministry have confirmed that a special taskforce has been created to explore possibilities and opportunities for the development of Kitembo air power and defense capabilities, headed by former Chief of the Airforce Khirry Burro. In recent months, the taskforce has been searching abroad for a model of general multirole fighter craft, emphasizing modern variants that can hold their own in dogfights and have some ground support capabilities, the ultimate search goal being a jet fighter that can maintain domestic air supremacy and support Kitembo ground forces in the event of an attack.

The result of this search is the Unionfighter Typhoon, a Dorvish/Rutanian-designed multirole jet produced by the Artanian Defense Group (ADG). Following subsequent negotiations with ADG and the Dorvish government (which is required by Dorvish law to approve the export deal), the Defense Ministry had agreed to purchase a total of 200 Unionfighters from the defense manufacturer. In the deal, ADG will produce 100 aircraft for the KU over the next six years, and an additional 100 fighters over the following seven years, totaling 200 fighters over the course of fourteen years.

The Defense Ministry has also approved plans to construct new and expand existing airforce infrastructure and raise recruitment quotas for airforce personnel, seeking to ensure the KU has the facilities and manpower to support the expansion. Three strategic regions have been given preeminence in these expansion plans: northern Liore, which borders the unpredictable and often hostile Mina; the Caltropic Coast, the industrial heartland of the KU and home of the Liori capital; and the southern/Kuragao coast, the most likely initial target of an invasion force, also containing both the Kuragao and Union capitals.