Short name: Albactana
Full name: Republic of Albactana
Capital: Arbazor
Population: 87,291,336
GDP per capita*: $8,934
Literacy rate (%): 96.2%
Unemployment (%): 10.7%
Part of the Government in the GDP (%)**: 16.3%
GDP allowed to the military (%)***: 2.7%
Population density (x/km2): idk
Name of your national currency: Bataraic Rial
Symbol of your national currency: BR
Value of your national currency when converted to USD: 1 USD = 2.84 BR
Three main exports of your nation: Apparel, Textiles, Metals
Three main imports of your nation: Machinery, Chemicals, Fuels

The National Statistics Office of Albactana has today annoucned that Albactana's child poverty rate has fallen to 26.1%, the lowest level since records began. This means that around 5.7 million of the nations 22 million people aged 14 and under live in poverty. This is a rapid decrease since the year 2000 when the number of children in poverty fell below half of the population under the age of 14 for the first time ever. However, there is still so much work that needs to be done to get rid of child poverty from Albactana. Despite the positive statistic the NSO offers us independent sources estimate that still up to 60% of children in Albactana are at a risk of poverty. Obviously the fact they are not in poverty is a good thing however we must not forget that as recently as 2014 the government changed the definition of poverty which drastically lowered the rate of poverty within Albactana. This helps no one and only makes it so that even more families who would, by first world standards, be classed as poor are not receiving the help they deserve.

The government must stop projecting an image of decreasing inequality to the world as this is far from the truth. The one thing these statistics do concede is that almost 60% of the nations rural children are living in poverty and this figure has barely budged since 2007. The government is turning its back on these children in favour of the urban poor and their children. We can not stand for this. All children deserve an equal chance and the government is denying too many children this. On average rural families have between 3 and 4 children and as the number of children that urban families have continues to fall these children will eventually be noticed when the child poverty rate begins to increase.

Albactana has a choice. We can either act now to stop poverty in rural areas and remove the risk of poverty from all children or we can ignore them and allow for a generation to grow up with resentment for the government that ignored their cries for help and left them to fend for themselves. The government knows which path it should take but it also has it's reasons to not take this path.

 

"Ah of course. An embassy is always a good start" the President said with an amused smile. "Now, what sort of exotic imports can you offer?" he inquired.

The 20 or so Presidential Guards stood in the hot may heat of northern Albactana in their heavy & detailed traditional uniforms. At the end of the long red carpet that the guards lined the President, Soheil Rostami, stood awaiting the arrival of the Emperor. He hoped the meeting would lead to a deal with another nation which could further the expansion the Batarene economy had seen over the past 20 or so years under the rule of his party. Of course he also had wealthy donors who wanted a deal to further open up their companies to the global markets, like almost all Presidents do. When the tower recieved the word the plane was coming in to land the President straightened up his jacket and rubbed his hands together. "Time to get to business" he said to himself.

According to the most recent government estimates released in January 2018 the population of Albactana was 87,291,336. In the 2007 Census the population was recorded as 78,030,754, nearly 80% of whom lived in cities and towns. Since the foundation of the Republic in 1980, and particularly rapidly since the early 2000s, the birth rate has declined. According to the most recent estimate the population has been growing at a rate of about 0.94% per year. Albactana has a population density of ?? people per km². People within the 15-64 age group constitute 66.7 percent of the population; the 0–14 age group corresponds to 25.2 percent; while senior citizens aged 65 years or older make up 8.1 percent. When the population of the Republic was first recorded in 1980 it was estimated to have been around 42.7 million.

The largest ethnic group within Albactana are the Batarenes after which the nation is named. Batarenes account for around 71% of the population. The 2nd largest of the two "major ethnic groups" are the Dastanis who account for around 21% of the total population of the country. Smaller ethnic groups and tribes account for about 7% of the population however this figure may also include Batarenes and Dastanis who prefer not to state their ethnic identity. There is also a large mixed population who normally identify with the ethnicity of their father or the ethnicity most prominent within their blood however some choose to place themselves within the other category on ethnicity.


Language

The official language of Albactana is Bataraic with 86.74% of the population speaking it as their mother tongue. 10.67% of the population speak the officially recognized Dastan as their first language. 2.31% of the population speak Pashtun as their first language. Other smaller languages and local dialects make up the mother tongue of the rest of the population. Almost 100% of the population can speak Bataraic as a secondary language to their main language, if their main language is not Bataraic.


Religion

Albactana has been a secular state since the end of the Islamic Republic in 1974. The country has no official religion and freedom of religion is enshrined within the nations constitution.

According to official government statistics, Islam is the largest religion with 98% of the population adhering to the religion. However, this is seen as a flawed statistic due to the government basing peoples religion off of that stated on their birth certificate and not taking into account a change in views over the years. According to a 2016 government funded survey 79% of the population identified as Muslim, followed by 18% of people who declared to be irreligious, and 3% of people who followed other religions which includes Christianity & Paganism.

Religion has began to play a larger part in public life over the past 5 or so years with Islamist parties gaining their highest levels of support since the creation of the Republic. In 2016 the second largest party in the Grand National Assembly was the Islamist Propserous Albactana Party which won 37% of the national vote. The wearing of religious symbols, in particular head coverings, is banned in schools, universities, government buildings & for all public workers, military personnel and police officers. A notable exception to the ban is hospitals in which the ban was removed in 2006 due to it being viewed as unconstitutional. Almost 48% of women wear one of the religious head coverings associated with Islam, this proportion is much lower among younger women due to the bans in schools & universities.


Education

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The President is the head of state & head of government in the Republic of Albactana. Until 1995 the President was only the head of state however the reforms Field Marshal & President Rahat El-Mafty led to the creation of a strong Presidential system to remove the infighting that had plagued the government since the creation of the Republic in 1980. The President oversees the running of the government and appoints all ministers to head their respective ministries, they can also create and dissolve ministries at their will. In addition to the basic powers the President has a number of additional powers such as the ability to remove any army officer, the power to dissolve the parliament and call fresh elections & the power to declare a state of emergency and suspend the powers of all other branches of government. These powers have led to intense criticism that the President could destroy democracy if they so wished however so far no President has used these powers to do such a thing. The President is elected in a national popular vote & serves a term of 5 years. They may be only be removed from their office if the Supreme Jurisprudence Council votes to remove them. The current President is Soheil Rostami who has been President since the 2nd of October 2016.



The legislature of the Republic of Albactana is the Grand National Assembly. The name has it's origin in the Grand National Assembly of 1907 which was convened by anti-monarchists opposed to the new Mirazi Dynasty which had been put in place. The Grand National Assembly in it's current form came into being in 1977 when it was created by the military junta to work on a new constitution for the Republic of Albactana. The job of the Grand National Assembly in it's current form is to propose and pass legislation & to amend the constitution if it sees a need to. If the proposed amendment does not pass a 90% threshold then it must be sent to a national referendum in which more than 80% of voters must turn out and approve it with a simple majority. The Grand National Assembly is elected every 5 years along with the President. The current assembly took up office on the 3rd of October 2016, the day after the President assumes office as they traditionally do. The current speaker since the 3rd of February 2018 is İsmail Burakgazi. Currently the Republican People's Party is the largest with 316 of the 590 seats.



The Supreme Council of Jurisprudence is the highest court of appeals within the Republic of Albactana. It's current Chief Justice is Emre Bousaid. The Council's 5 members are all appointed by the Grand National Assembly whenever one of the members resigns, passes away or reaches the age of 70. Below this the 2 other courts are the National Courts of Justice, which try people for higher offences like murder and rape, & the Provincial Courts, which try people for smaller offences like speeding and causing public disturbance.


The nation is divided up into 26 counties each which have their own local governments in charge of things such as rubbish collection & environmental protection of local areas.

Capital City: Arbazor
Largest City: Arbazor

Ethnic Groups: 71% Batarene, 21% Dastani, 7% Other
Religion: 98% Islam (85-90% Shia, 10-15% Sunni), 2% Other
Language: Bactaraic, Dastan, Arabic, Persian

Demonym: Bactaraic

Government: Presidential Constitutional Republic
President: Soheil Rostami
Vice President: Hamid Kundachi
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly: İsmail Burakgazi
Chief Justice of the Jurisprudence Council: Emre Bousaid

Legislature: Grand National Assembly

Establishment:
Beginning of the Grand Revolution: August 16th 1967
Janakaraj Muhammad Ardashir Mirazi Abdicates: June 27th 1968
Proclamation of the Socialist Provisional Government: June 30th 1968
Beginning of the 5 Month War: July 5th 1968
Islamic Republic Proclaimed: December 7th 1968
Establishment of Peace & Order Council: May 3rd 1974
Establishment of the Republic: March 11th 1980
Current Constitution: February 8th 1995

Area:

Population: 87,291,336

GDP (PPP): 2017
Total: $2,219,993,257,152
Per Capita: $25,342

GDP (Nominal): 2017
Total: $779,860,795,824
Per Capita: $8,934

GINI:

HDI: 0.781

Currency: Bactaraic Rial

Time Zone: UTC +5

Date Format: DD/MM/YYYY

Drives on the: Right
Calling Code: +98
Internet TLD: .An

Figures released today by the New Apostolic Church of God in Solonia claim a 128% rise in membership in the past year to over 771,000 members. The church's growth has exploded since 2008 when it had only 23,000 members with most of the followers converting from the Solonian Catholic Church.

An expert on the rise of Pentecostalism said that the main reason for people turning to Pentecostalism was a sense that the true meaning of Christianity was being destroyed by centuries of tradition. "People want something fresh and they want to feel a true, personal connection to god and to many this is what Pentecostalism is offering them. It's offering them a chance to be united with god and this is what they long for". He also said that Pentecostalism's rise would not slow down any time soon. "The New Apostolic Church will continue to grow in Solonia. Many are saying it will have over a million members by 2020 and I can see that happening. The odds of the Catholic Church being able to fight back are slim despite strong attendance and baptism records."

"Hmm this definitely seems like something Solonia could be interested in. There's not very many functioning Republics on Mundus so having fellow Republics to align with could always be helpful" Bilski replied.

"I'm fine with intelligence sharing between our two countries. Also I think that everything I would've spoken has been covered."

AYE

Today the Kolumpa Royal Palace anhnounced that King Lansakara XXVI and his wife, Queen Tharindi, would be separating after almost 16 years of marriage. The couple first married in November 1998 when the King was 16 and the Queen was only 13 in a traditional Kaumu wedding, however they divorced soon after and the King decided to continue with his studies. In 2002 when the King was 19 and the Queen was now 16 the couple remarried and within 3 years they had their first child, Crown Prince Dehideniya. The couple also have 3 other children, 11 year old Princess Dilana, 7 year old Prince Marasingha, and 3 year old Prince Chathuranga.

Some people have expressed doubt that the separation would lead to divorce as the couple separated in 2012 before reuniting and having a 4th child. Rumours about why the separation has took place have swirled around the news and internet with some people saying the King is having an affair with Anushika Jayewardene, the star of the highly successful Nuveena, and others saying the Queen is to blame due to her constant arguing with her husband and reportedly abusing her 4 children by beating them for the smallest thing.

Before the couple can divorce they will have to have a discussion with the Bhikṣuva of the Kolumpa Vīrayā Golden Kaumu Temple and if he does not believe they have a suitable reason to divorce then under law the couple may not divorce. Many Palankars expressed their upset on social media over the separation with many saying that the King and Queen are setting a bad example for the many Palankars who seem them as idols of how to lead an honourable Kaumu lifestyle.

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After a short journey from the airport they arrived at the Foreign Ministry where the meeting would be taking place. They were all seated in a large room and all the men were offered a pint of Solonia's finest ale, Mr Bilski of course accepted. "Let's get down to business. How do you envision the relationship between our two Republics?" Mr Bilski asked.