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Achkaerin:


ACHKAERIN VOTES LEAVE

By: Emilia Brittaine, CTO Correspondent

Achkaerin has voted to leave the Commonwealth Treaty Organisation, the result was a bit of a shock to some especially given how things were going for most of the night as the Remain campaign held sway but eventually something gave as two major cities Solaria and Dovah declared for Leave this followed up by landslide leave votes in Gowu and Mossflower brought an end to Achkaerin's CTO membership. As expected following the night's events the Emperor, in coordination with the Secretary General of the CTO issued a statement outlining the reasons why Achkaerin had in his opinion voted to leave and what the timetable of Achkaerin's departure will be. It begins at the upcoming summit at Aldspring where an Achkaerinese representative will hand over a letter to the Secretary General announcing the countries formal intention to leave, and ends at the end of the current Secretariat term. It's seen as surprising that Achkaerin would attend the meeting in Aldspring this was explained by Consul Michael Williams

"Originally we did not intend to attend the summit but this comes at the request of the Secretary General who like the rest of the CTO hopes to rectify the circumstances so that this does not become the start of something far more damaging than it already is. Our presence there will be constructive as we hope to outline for the CTO the reasons why this vote has gone the way it has and we hope that the CTO will take steps to address these problems and that it will ensure that it does not repeat itself in allowing the same nations to carry the ball every time. Because if this is not addressed then the CTO's future is in serious doubt. However this does not change how Achkaerin will operate on the international stage we will stand up for justice, we will stand up for the oppressed we will stand up against those who would perpetuate the evils of this world. This will be reaffirmed in our Foreign and Defence Policy Review statement in the coming days where the full policy will of course be restated."

The Secretary General could not be reached for comment as she is presently chairing a session of the General Assembly.


EMPEROR HOPES FOR QUEEN VIKTORIYA'S SWIFT RECOVERY

By: Olivia Moore, International News Correspondent

The Emperor has sent his best wishes to the Lodjan Royal Family following the attempted assassination of Queen Viktoriya, speaking during an interview which touched on a variety of subjects including recent revelations over what may have happened to an Achkaerinese Wasp helicopter the Emperor took a moment to talk about events in Lodja saying: "Queen Viktoriya may not have held the Lodjan throne for long, but she's already become one of the finest Monarch's on Mundus and a role model for plenty of young women and girls everywhere. I have come to know both her, her sister Alana and their family and I view them as friends.I hope for a speedy and full recovery for Queen Viktoriya at this time and my thoughts go to her, her family and her nation at this difficult time."

Achkaerin:


MILITARY TO CONDUCT EXERCISES IN GREAT NORTHERN OCEAN


The exercises will serve as a robust examination of the capabilities of the Kryptonite Class Frigate
By: Penny Noble, Defence Correspondent

The Achkaerin Imperial Navy is to conduct routine military exercises in the Great Northern Ocean in the coming days, the exercises that will in collaboration with the Kingdom of Vaguzia have reportedly been on the books for months and are expected to serve as a test for several things in development as well as the first real examination of how the Kryptonite Class Frigate the newest addition to the Achkaerinese navy does in its intended role. A Ministry of Defence spokesman elaborated on the exercises saying "We do these things periodically as a means of ensuring our military personnel are as sharp as they have needed to be in recent times, we intend to see simulated engagements of routine actions and also the testing of equipment in development, we have no intention of causing problems for anyone else with these exercises which is why we're doing this well out of everyone's way. We're grateful for the presence of the Vaguzian Navy and are quite eager to see just what they can throw at us in the way of curve balls."


HIGH PRIESTESS PASSES AWAY


By: James Robson, Home Affairs Correspondent

Anna Mirabelle, the High Priestess of the Cult of Namis has died. The seventy five year old is reported to have died in her sleep. The process for choosing the next High Priestess is likely to begin shortly, this involves the three Alha's seeking the guidance of the Goddess's through the Oracle as to which of a number of candidates should be the next High Priestess. A period of contemplation that can take many days to complete depending on on the number of potential candidates. The name on most peoples lips is Melinda Jones, a prominent Priestess within the Cult and known to many as she makes regular television and radio appearances, others suggest Rowena Braithwaite as a more traditionalist option. There are other names being thrown around but the expectation is that it will be one of these two.

HARRISON BACK IN TRAINING

By: Felicity Stewart, Sports Correspondent

Formula Mundus Drivers Champion Megan Harrison is back behind the wheel, albeit in a simulator. The Riviere Corporation Racing driver suffered a freak accident and severe injuries some weeks ago in qualifying for the Sisko Grand Prix, however after being spotted in the paddock at the Hambley Grand Prix and also at the Krokom Grand Prix she's now got down to the business of rebuilding her strength and is targeting a comeback towards the end of the current season. She took a moment to speak about her experience after the accident:

"I don't know if I'll ever remember any of the accident, I remember losing control at the corner but not the impact. But it's been the most frustrating period of my career just sat on the sidelines watching the races unfold and not being able to do anything to affect the outcome, Amy's been brilliant coming in mid season and I have to say when I walked down the pit lane at the Hambley Grand Prix and saw all the support efforts the other teams had made on my behalf I got so emotional, because even though as a member of the Formula Mundus family you know people are thinking about you, it still shocks you when you see how much they truly care. If all goes well I hope to be back on the grid in a few weeks, whether I'll be my old self or not I don't know but I want to get back there, I want to win more races, win more championships so we'll see what happens when I get back on the track."

Achkaerin:


NEW HIGH PRIESTESS ELECTED

Alexis Minette pictured in Uppsala only days ago
By: James Robson, Home Affairs Correspondent

The Cult of Namis has a new High Priestess. The Council of the Alha has following the death of Anna Mirabelle elected what is seen as a surprise candidate as the baton is passed to Alexis Minette. Ms Minette is actually a Priestess within the Achkaerinese Army and was recently deployed as part of the relief effort to Uppsala. The decision has been greeted with optimism in many quarters as an election that breaks the norm of an academic taking the role as one member of the public put it "This is great now we have someone who can speak from experience rather than just lecture." The date for the Anointing Ceremony has not yet been set though as is custom it is expected to take place in the coming days once the preparations are made. It's believed that her practical experience in Uppsala will stand the new High Priestess in good stead when addressing such matters from a faith point of view. Politicians and the Emperor have also sent their congratulations to the new High Priestess.

Achkaerin:


ARCHBISHOP DEED TO POPE "TAKE CARE OR RISK LOSING THE CHURCH'S SOUL"

By: Victoria Parks, Faith Correspondent

Following recent statements by the Pope of the Catholic Church, Archbishop of Ashwood Martin Deed who is the Senior Catholic Clergy member in Achkaerin has commented on the statements and he's not overly happy about the way in which it has been handled. When questioned he made the following statement:

"This whole affair has been frustrating and unhelpful and there are many reasons for this most stemming not from any history to do with Sionists and conflict but more to do with decisions taken behind closed doors in recent days. In the Catholic Church we have a principle of Papal Infallibility which means that on matters concerning faith and morals the Pope is always right. This infallibility is challenged by some within our Church on many scriptural grounds but that is a point that in the present context is wholly irrelevant as the statements made by the Pope do not concern matters of faith but economic decisions and are therefore matters of state.

In most countries there is a clear division between religion and the state that avoids the sort of confusion we've seen happen in recent days, in the Ecclesiastical State this does not exist so it is therefore  incumbent upon the Pope to take great care in such matters or risk losing the soul of the Church. In making a statement on economics the Pope said the following 'barbarous socialist economic models that have destroyed the Kingdom of Heaven!' The problem is obvious it's a matter of state and yet the language and the person making the statement give a different impression they appear to make it a declaration on a matter of faith and if it ever becomes the policy of a Christian Church to abandon its core values and let's be honest these are values rooted in socialism, then the Church risks a schism the like of which it has never seen.

I hope that moving forward the Pope will continue to develop his personal understanding of his position both as Head of State of the Ecclesiastical State but also as Head of the Catholic Church there is when it comes to Theocracy's operating with this structure a balance that needs to be struck and it needs to be clearly managed and clear to the public and the world, in this instance it hasn't been but this is something the new Pope will learn with experience."


WHAT CAN BE EXPECTED FROM POLICY REVIEW?

By: David Woods, Political Correspondent

Tomorrow sees the much anticipated Foreign and Defence Policy Review but everyone's wondering "What's going to be in it?" given the continued commitment of Achkaerin to the principles of the CTO, despite the decision to leave, most expect a simple restatement in regards to Foreign Affairs.
 However the Prefect system trial is expected to be reported on and probably formalized and rolled out proper. But it is the defence area where there is the greatest anticipation as there are rumors of a reorganization and a bag of tricks being referred to as the 'Chasm Collectibles' in reference to a series of projects that were put into motion during the 'Great Chasm' but have been given further development time because of the end of that period of time.
 Finally there is the matter of Achkaerin's nuclear deterrent there is not expected to be any change in policy in that regard although there have been rumors about an announcement in that regard. But everyone will just have to wait for the review.

Achkaerin:


FOREIGN AND DEFENCE POLICY REVIEW DELIVERED

Ms Taylor delivering the findings of the review this afternoon
By: Roisin Shaughnessy, Chief Correspondent

The much awaited review of Achkaerin's Foreign and Defence Policy has concluded with the delivery of the report earlier this afternoon. Perhaps the first surprise was the identity of the person delivering it - Nettie Taylor, the former Rokkenjiman Councillor for Foreign Affairs and before that Premier of Rokkenjima, now she works as part of the Achkaerinese Royal Household advising the Emperor on her field of expertise in Foreign Affairs. The full text of the speech is below:

Achkaerin Foreign and Defence Policy Review Speech
"This report is the result of many weeks work by the Achkaerinese Crown, Achkaerinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, the Military Defence Initiative, Achkaerinese Intelligence and Military leadership. Special recognition is also due for the Cabinet Secretary Michelle Lowe who has spearheaded and driven this process, we had initially hoped to present this report at an earlier date however to do so with the prospect of having to subsequently review the review due to the CTO referendum wouldn't have been the best use of time. We therefore decided to wait until the referendum result was known as this would allow a smoother and more accurate report.

The findings of the review show that Achkaerin's military has been stretched to breaking point consistently for an extended period of time, ever since Marseilles through Uppsala, Toshikawa, the Cult of Helus Genocide and now presently Phuebra and on standby for Lakhzovia should that descend into another such event. We pay a respected tribute to our service men and women returning from active service in Uppsala, to those still out on active service and also to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, considering the role that it seems our service men and women have been put in lately it was clear that there was a need to change. In the area of Foreign Policy Achkaerin has often apparently had issues with communicating it's positions with many stances being decided on a case by case basis, this is a great strength but also somewhat seemingly confusing for other nations. It was determined that steps to remedy this needed to be taken.

We remain committed to the Treaty's we are signatory to and to the principles we stand for - equality, justice, freedom to name only a few but above all truth, there are many sides to each story and only one truth and it is the truth that must be pursued at all times. To better shape our diplomatic contacts and to reinvigorate them Achkaerin has been trialing the Prefect System -this is a system that establishes a hierarchy within the ambassadorial corps in that for each continent on Mundus one Achkaerinese diplomat is appointed to the position of Prefect, this has been piloted on the continents of Ardia and Alba Karinya with great success and is now being rolled out to Aranye and Albion. The Prefects will be responsible for the Achkaerinese diplomats on those continents and be a point of contact for nations at a more localized level, they will report directly to the Foreign Office. The Prefects are as follows - Declan Cox is confirmed as the Prefect of Ardia to be based in Ui Cenneslaig, Tommy Walker is confirmed as the Prefect of Alba Karinya to be based in East Moreland, Victoria Conway is appointed the Prefect of Albion to be based temporarily in Dartfordia while permanent arrangements are made. The Prefect of Aranye is yet to be determined.

The Emperor is mindful of the need to establish broader diplomatic relations with other nations and hopes that this system will allow us to do that. Pursuing a mutually beneficial and cordial relationship is to be the cornerstone of Achkaerinese policy when making first contact with nations. We will go back to basics and build from there. We will maintain our bonds with our close friends while we make new friends.

Military force is always a final resort, it is not something we rush to, nor are decisions around the deployment of forces taken lightly. We have a very clear overriding directive when it comes to the sanctioning of or military intervention of some description. A directive which states that Achkaerin does not intervene in the internal affairs of another sovereign state unless under one of the following conditions:

Achkaerin has been attacked - this is self explanatory, an armed attack against Achkaerin will be responded to in a proportionate manner and we make clear that a nation has the right to self defence, if we are attacked we will strike back, we will eliminate the threat and we will make sure that those responsible face the consequences of their actions.

Achkaerin has been asked to step in - this would be comparable to action in Phuebra, we were asked to help stabilize the country by the democratically elected government. I want to make it clear just because Achkaerin is asked to assist does not mean we will assist, any decision made in this respect is made having reviewed the evidence and in the case of Phuebra we saw a clear case of a religious fault line leading into a civil war with a coup taking place. Having seen that we determined that it was right to step in as requested.

Achkaerin is obligated by Treaty to intervene - this is straightforward as it covers stuff like mutual defence clauses so events such as the Seaforth Eugenics War and the War of the Enlightenment, under the CIS Charter we had an obligation to defend those nations and we did.

There is an International Mandate for intervention - This would cover circumstances such as Marseilles and Uppsala, Achkaerin was not obligated by Treaty to commit to these efforts but did so following careful thought and deliberation of all the evidence and implications of such a commitment. Naturally following the referendum result Achkaerin is no longer bound to CTO resolutions but we shall continue to monitor events at the Palace of Nations should the organisation continue to exist, if it does not then we shall see what can be done to build something anew.

To not intervene would be abhorrent and or immoral - Simply put this is the Cult of Helus Genocide, when you have people being massacred because of skin colour, faith, sexual orientation or ethnicity even tribe identity it is not acceptable. It would have been completely unthinkable to not defend the innocent and save them from certain death.

The seeming continued deployment of Achkaerinese forces for extended periods of time has led to the need to refocus our efforts around the capabilities of our military, we don't have the numbers of other nations in terms of boots on the ground so we have to play to our strengths which are found in the Imperial Navy and Achkaerin Air Force. We must take measures to fight smarter as this is how we can make up the deficit to other nations. Therefore we will be bringing into service in the coming days the SCION network, as some may guess this is an Achkaerinese developed system that builds upon the principles of Rokkenjima's ICON network. We will launch the network through our new satellite generation when they go up into geo-synchronous orbit. For those interested SCION stands for Strategic Communications and Integrated Operations Network. This will allow us to identify, analyze and neutralize threats more effectively and maintain a secure communications network. We will continue the development of in progress projects that will see more strings added to our bow, it is sensible to do so as with a military that has been called on time and again in a multitude of environments and situations of late that we do everything possible to ensure that they can do the job more effectively and efficiently. Part of this will be the introduction of the Yangtzee Khiang Class support vessel to the Imperial Navy replacing our Gladius Class support vessels. This new vessel class, currently in production following successful testing, will allow us to move greater amounts of cargo around Mundus and respond to crisis situations far more quickly than our present capability allows us to. These ships are akin to the Global Pre Positioning Ships used by East Moreland and like East Moreland has before us Achkaerin will be seeking homes for these vessels.

Achkaerin is a nuclear power, in fact it is the nation that created nuclear weapons, something which we can't take back no matter how much we may want to, the current Achkaerinese arsenal will be cut down to the bear minimum required for us to be able to support a nuclear deterrent, this is what we term 'Plowshare'. A clear indication of a step in the right direction.

Our policy's are not changing that much there was not much wrong with the intent but more the practicality and logistics this will be addressed by the details of this report and the institution of these measures."

Following the review statement Ms Taylor was asked several questions mostly about the review though one did cheekily ask how she was finding life in Achkaerin to which she answered "It's different to Rokkenjima, it's a lot more relaxed up here, I don't know if that's the cold air or what. It's just nice to not have an office to work in but be able to feel like I'm working from home." As for the public opinion on the review it's been a mixed bag but is mostly positive though as with the media most were taken by surprise at the presence of Ms Taylor and her new job advising the Emperor but in the words of one shopper in the Valtheim Market "She's experienced, intelligent and she knows what she's doing I think this is a good thing."

The review's measures and recommendations are to be debated in the Senate later in the week and are expected to pass with no problems whatsoever.

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