Xsampa

[jrandle8]

Utemboan Government Approves Yingdalan Economic Development Projects

[DueWizard70]

Empty damn in Utembo
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As we all know, Utembo has had a massive issue with water for the past few years, and today King Ratna has announced his plan to solve it.

But before we look at the proposed solution, we must understand the problem. Utembo has had a water problem for generations, but it has been exacerbated in recent years. A decrease in rainfall in the area mean that damns have seen their water supply nearly cut in half. This decrease in rainfall also means that the hundreds of villages spread out across the country have many issues. Firs of which has to do with farming. Utembo is a country that heavily relies on farming, and nearly 30% of the population has a job related to farming. The decrease in rainfall has meant that farmers lack the water they require to maintain their crops. There is also a problem with the fact that a lot of the water that they do get, is not clean. This means that they cannot use it for crops, and risk to use it for other things as they could fall ill with cholera or other similar diseases. Another major issue is private ownership of underground water. This contamination of the water supplied is caused by companies who carelessly dispose of their waste, at the expense of the general population. There are many underground lakes and other water deposits owned by large corporations. This means that all of that water is either unavailable for public use, or it is a lot more expensive than usual, as corporations in the area seek to gain money from selling the water. Last but not least, there is a problem that is generated by the Ring Po mountains. They divide the northern part of the country from the south, and there are many small villages in them. The problem comes because the vast majority of the water supply is from the south. This means that the north has many issues with getting water. Pipelines that go through the mountains are not reliable and water trucks have to go through an extremely long journey, through some of the most difficult terrain in the country to access the villages.

These are some major issues, so how does King Ratna propose to resolve them? The first problem he seeks to address is the water problem up north. He announced that he will dedicate a special part of the budget to CCDD, the state-owned water company, to construct new pipelines that will connect the north of the country to the water supply. The process will take from 5 to 7 years, but King Ratna expects it will work and alleviate many people up north. To deal with companies, he has announced two initiatives. The first is that any and all water found underground immediately belongs to the government. If companies don't declare that they own water underground, and are caught, they will be fined several million Florin. The second is that the government will offer subsidies and tax cuts to corporations that take action in reducing how much they pollute.

Although some of these solutions might seem like they are not doing enough, many believe that it is a good first step to deal with the massive problem in Utembo. The construction of the CCDD pipeline connecting north and south will begin in three months, and the government initiatives regarding corporations will come into effect in the new year, to give time for the companies to adapt.

This message has been approved by the government of the Serene Empire of Utembo for its public broadcast.

[DueWizard70]

PTN in a concert
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PTN Back to FOMAT
December 4877

Today it was announced that pop star PTN will go back to FOMAT to represent Utembo. The artist has already attended FOMAT on two other occasions, achieving a third place and a fifth place. The artist put his name n the ring for this year again, and King Ratna selected him. In a press conference, PNT said:

I am so grateful to his Majesty King Ratna for giving me the opportunity to represent my nation once more. I will do my best to make you all proud. I also have some news that might not be to the liking of you. They are that after this FOMAT in Selucia is over, I will no longer go to the competition. I have decided to focus more on my family and, although I will continue to perform here in Utembo, preparing a piece for FOMAT is incredibly time-consuming, and generates massive amounts of stress. This is why I am leaving.

Many people were sad to see him say this, but as one fan told us "I am sorry that I won't see him at FOMAT anymore, but I am so happy for him and wish him the best". This seems to be the public's general attitude towards the announcement.

As for the song he will perform, it is called "Chenpo Lotse" or "Brother Lotse". It is a dog dedicated to his brother who passed away recently.

We wish him the best if luck!

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Click on link to go to song

This message has been approved by the government of the Serene Empire of Utembo for its public broadcast.

[jrandle8]

Yingdala-Utembo Partnership Established

[ChitinKal]

Liori Government Comments on Utembo Hosting Yingdalan Fleet

[DueWizard70]

King Ratna during the press conference
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King Ratna held a press conference earlier this morning to respond to the comments made by the government of Liore.

Dear citizens, I come to you here today to answer the accusations made by the government of Liore, and more specifically Minister Obama. They bring an extremely pessimistic rhetoric, where they speak of a "threat to peace in our hemisphere" and of a "direct military threat by Yingdala". They speak of letting an empire into Dovani and say that it is hypocritical of us to do this. Of us? Do I need to remind you of how just 15 years ago they had military exercises with Deltaria, a nation that just 5 years later launched a full-on attack on Vascania and Rapa Pile? We find it baffling that Liore accuses us of letting western imperialists in when they were the ones who opened the door to them.

They speak of how we now oppose Pan-Dovanism, which we don't- Ideally, we would not need Yingdala's aid, but the reality is that Utembo is an economy that is struggling. We can't afford the luxuries of idealism Liore has. We have an unemployment rate of over 25%. 39% of our population does not have access to clean water. Over 40% have not finished high school. We would love to have Liore's idealism, but our current condition does not allow. They are also speaking of this like we are letting Yingdala in forever, which we are not. There are a clear beginning and end to this relationship.

We hope that they see that our relationship with Yingdala does not mean that we oppose them or Pan-Dovanism. We are simply doing what is needed. We also hope that their privileged and idealistic view doesn't mean that our relationship with them is over. We hope that they can expand their views to see a country that struggles and accepted the help of someone who reached out.

Thank you.

This message has been approved by the government of the SereneEmpire of Utembo.

[DueWizard70]

Tsemo being arrested
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Shocking news from Bajoum, as today CCDD CEO Bhakto Tsemo was dragged out of the CCDD headquarters by police officers.

King Ratna gave a press conference to give an explanation.

Dear citizens, I have come before you today to explain why Mr Tsemo was arrested earlier today. Over the past few months we have been gathering information on him, and we discovered that he accepted large amounts of money from criminals in the Ring Po mountains. As you all well know, the Ring Po mountains are filled by delinquents who act as warlords in the region. It appears as if Mr Tsemo was accepting money from these groups to stall the construction of the North-South Pipeline. We are still looking into specifics and seeing who else was related, but we are certain Mr Tsemo is guilty.

Although many people agreed with the King's speech, many experts say that this is highly irregular. Mr Tsemo has always been recognised for his work and many of his colleagues say that Tsemo is as good as can be. Looking into his file, here at the Utembo Times we have been able to confirm that in the past decade the worse thing he has done is speeding. Many human rights organisations in Utembo have already started protesting and asking King Ratna what the real reason for Tsemo's arrest is.

Note from the editor: Due to us going against King Ratna's narrative, we have been forced to flee to Liore to be able to keep informing you on the latest Utemban news. If you wish to help, contact us at www.theutembotimes.com.li

[Auditorii]

Kafuri Majatran News Agency: Dozens of foreign nationals among those arrested by General Intelligence Directorate for being ASIK/ASIM followers (October 4880)

[DueWizard70]

The military base
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After the agreement Utembo signed with Yingdala five years ago established the right of Yingdala to station troops here in Utembo, a military base began construction. The base would act as the home of the Yingdalan military for the 20 years they will be here, after which the base will move to Utemban hands. After encountering several difficulties in building, the base has finally been completed. The base acts both as a naval base and as a military airport. Once Yingdala leaves Utembo, control of the base will be on Utembo's hands.

With the base complete, the military training Utembo is receiving from Yingdala will be more efficient, particularly because now there is a better location to train aerial combat and naval combat. Although our army is a lot smaller than Yingdala's and our equipment is less efficient, the training will surely aid our military in improving.

Many are concerned as to what having a western power have a military base in Dovani might entail, but King Ratna has reassured that the agreement with Yingdala is very firm on their departure fiteen years from now and that other Dovani nations, particularly Liore, have nothing to worry about.

The Utembo Times broadcasts this message from Liore

[DueWizard70]

Lotse Deki singing
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Today it was announced that pop singer Lotse Deki will go to FOMAT X to represent Utembo. He was the winner of the UFOMA contest, which was created for the selection of the Utemban representative to FOMAT.

Deki is a 39-year-old who has started to find success in Utembo, especially ever since PNT's withdrawal from public life. Many see him as the next PNT. However, he has fierce competition in Takla Dorji, who is another singer. In fact, Dorji was the runner up in UFOMA. Many expect to see Dorji represent Utembo in FOMAT XI.

The song that Lotse Deki will be presenting is "Months and Years". As is usual with Utemban songs, this one carries heavy meaning. It speaks of his life as a kid in the Ring Po mountains and all the hardships he had to endure to survive.

We wish him the best of luck!



Click image to see video.