Global News Report
POPE PAUL VI DIES, NEW POPE SELECTED. Rome, Papal States. The Catholic world mourned this June as Pope Paul VI, beloved leader of the true Christian Church, passed away after disappearing from the public eye for several months. The cause of death is undoubtedly the typical ill health of a man well over eighty and under the immense strain that is leading the world's largest religious group. The conclave immediately began the search for a successor, seeking out one to carry on the legacy and glory of the Papacy. Selected for this task was a native Italian, who previously served as a high ranking member of the Inquisition, where he had been affectionately known as "Il Duce". He had been a fervent supporter of the Church since youth from the town of Forli, and witnessed his hometown switch hands from papal control to Italy and other governments over time. He also served as a young man in the Papal army, gaining an education in warfare before turning to the clergy. Stalwart against all types of heresy and liberalism, this man has widely been known as one of the youngest considered for the position. He has also been considered a bombastic speaker, able to get others to embrace his own visions, and this charisma and his previous positions in the Papacy have made him an obvious choice. He has taken the name Pope Pius X and has pledged a strong international strengthening of the Church.
BRAZIL ESTABLISHES NEW ALLIES. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The nation of Brazil has been at the heart of two new alliances this year, which have shaken up the international diplomatic corps. The first of these was a new agreement with Spain, which has established a nonaggression pact and a number of other elements to the treaty. The treaty was heavily opposed by Germany, which continues to lead resistance against South American influences in Europe. The new alignment has caused some concern about future Brazilian involvement in the affairs of Europe, as neighboring parties are less than pleased. The second, and far less groundbreaking, agreement made by Brazil this year was a continued affirmation of the longstanding alliance between that nation and Colombia. The new pact between them has further strengthened military and economic ties between Brazil and Colombia, mostly based upon the ideologies of moralism.
News from Europe
CZECHS PASS NEW CATHOLIC LEGISLATION. Prague, Cechy-Morava. As part of a program of concessions to the Moral Defense party, the government of President Přemysl Hlavač has worked with them to pass Catholic supported legislation. The new laws have been fairly moderate when considering the original demands of the religious elements of the Czech political sphere. The new law has established Catholic Christianity as the state religion of Cechy-Morava, abandoning the secular course of previous liberal regimes. The laws have also opened the halls of the legislature to currently practicing clergy members should they choose to run for office in their relevant districts. The opposition has virulently opposed these proposals, but have lacked the power in the nation's Congress to prevent them from being passed. The government has applauded the act of Congress, stating that this is a strong step to pushing the Czech people to a more moral standing under God.
KING MOVES TO CONSOLIDATE POWER IN POITOU. Poitiers, Poitou. The new King Louis III of Poitou has moved to take the constitution into his own hands, and has looked towards consolidating power from the largely social proletarist congress. Objecting their own policies and ideals, the king has issued a order closing the nation's Parliament and forbidding the entry of the legislature's members. He has stated that this is largely to preserve the nation from undue rebellious influences, and the undermining of stability. For a tense moment it was uncertain whether or not the legislature would stand down, and the military was called out to enforce the edict. The king has declared that new elections would be held next year rather than this year as previously scheduled. He has further issued calls for the arrest and imprisonment of Prime Minister Rémy Corentin and other key members of the social proletarist party. The military has backed these moves, widely suspected due to threats of cut funding by the social proletarists, and the former prime minister has been arrested along with his cabinet. Foreign observers are uncertain whether or not the king will actually allow elections next year, but it seems for the time being that the press in the nation is either under the monarchy's control or fully supporting these new developments.
HUNGARY SEVERS ALLIANCE WITH GERMANY. Budapest, Hungary. Due to the heightened tensions created by last year's unveiling of Germany's involvement in the funding of the Hungarian proletarists, this year relations have deteriorated to a new low. The government of Hungary has clearly stated that the Germans have proven treacherous time and again and can no longer be trusted to honor or support their international commitments. They have further denounced Germany's support of Croatia, calling it an illegitimate state involuntarily removed from the Hungarian empire. They have stated that it remains clear that Hungary's interests are better supported with a new detente and alignment with the Russian Empire. The announcement was made with a grand parade, demonstrating the newly acquired T-28 tanks supplied by the Russian military. The king has stated that these armored war machines are proof that the Russians can provide in ways that the Germans never did.
EARTHQUAKE RATTLES BOSNIA. Dubrovnik, Bosnia. Measured 7.8 on the Clarke Scale, there has been a reported major earthquake along the coast of the small European nation of Bosnia. The earthquake took place not far off the coast, sending waves back and forth while bringing down numerous buildings and destruction. The local infrastructure was badly mauled by the damages, leading to worsening conditions, particularly as varied gas explosions led to uncontrollable fires throughout the city's poorer districts. The government has declared martial law, and deployed military forces to help control the area and preserve order. The damages have been extreme, but fortunately the amount of deaths appears fairly low, only in the low hundreds. The government has stated that they have full intent upon helping those hurt the most by the recent disaster and problems.
ELECTIONS IN DAUPHINE. Grenoble, Dauphine. While surrounding nations appear to face varied types of democratic difficulties and problems, the nation of Dauphine had a fairly tame electoral cycle this year. The New Conservative Party has pointed towards the overall recovery of the economy and new treaties which have allegedly secured peace throughout the area. Their detente with Occitania and Burgundy has put the nation in a prime position for continued freedom and prosperity. The continued high levels of employment and increasing amount of luxury goods has helped to further cement the party as the chosen leadership of Dauphine. Therefore it was little surprise when the New Conservative Party once more claimed a strong majority in the nation's Parliament. The Parliament has elected to retain the government of Prime Minister Roch Forestier, assured that his continued leadership will maintain the status quo of wealth and luxury that has existed since the end of the Rhine-Rhone War. (+1 Stability)
DANISH ELECTIONS HELD. Copenhagen, Denmark. The successes of the government of Statsminister Einar Boye seem to have been undeniable to the Danish people, including the temerity to challenge the Scandinavians. Though the recent crisis did not end as well as many would have hoped, many admire the willingness of the Danish government to confront the Scandinavian proletarist threat. The conservatives have continued to pledge ongoing security and strength for the Danish people, promising to keep the nation safe from attack from within and without. They have further pledged continued strong ties with the Russian Empire to maintain the Danes' economic prosperity and development. This year has seen a slight weakening of the death grip of the Frie Folkeparti over the nation's Folketing, as various liberal and moderate parties have made some headways into the legislature. The Frie Folkeparti continues to maintain overall control, as Einar Boye remains the highly popular Statsminister of Denmark.
ELECTIONS IN ITALY. Naples, Italy. Elections in Italy this year have been the first to feature the involvement of proletarist movements in the ongoing process. Thanks to the compromise made with the Italian proletarists, they have been forced to legalize their political groups, allowing them to campaign for seats in Italy's Parliament. The agreement has utterly destroyed the Democratic Society Party of Prime Minister Giuseppe Bernardino, who has managed to lose support from all sides. Thanks to the effective propaganda and support of press for the social proletarists, the prime minister was accused of turning against the main platforms of working class reform and welfare. Though the traditional proletarists have been marginalized, most liberals have turned to the Social Party of Italy, looking for the social proletarists to bring new reform and protections for the Italian worker. The Democratic Society Party has all but disappeared from Parliament, and the conservatives have still been unable to organize to oppose the social proletarists. They have therefore secured a majority in Parliament as many Democratic Society members defect. One of these key individuals has been elected the new Prime Minister, a long-time proponent of worker reform, Beppe Accardi. He has stated that he fully intends on working with Parliament to establish new legislation to provide more protection for the working man in Italy.
DUTCH ELECTIONS HELD. Amsterdam, Netherlands. After the horrendous affair that was the elections of 1926, the government of the Netherlands was besieged by the voting mass. The loss of Flanders and the chaotic time after those elections have caused the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy to collapse into ruin. Stadtholder Gerbrant Smit has fallen completely into disrepute for his failure to preserve the integrity of the nation while also being unable to reign in any legislative coalition, even after the loss of the Flemish seats. He has chosen not to run for reelection, and has retired, allegedly to Hollandia, well away from the judging public. This year's elections were wide open as numerous social proletarist and liberal movements came to the fore to try to replace the PPFD. None were able to successfully capture the hearts of the public, and the National Party of the Republic was at long last able to take advantage. Marginalized by years of leftist rule, the conservatives have been relegated to a minority position. With the events of the last four years though, they have found a new voice from candidate Joël Adrichem. Pledging a stronger Netherlands more closely aligned with Germany and Europe, Joël Adrichem gave charisma to the conservative cause. This was enough for a electoral victory both in the legislature and for the position of Stadtholder. The conservatives have triumphed on all fronts for the first time in twenty years in the Dutch legislature. (+1 Stability)
ELECTIONS IN NORMANDY. Caen, Normandy. Norman elections were a fairly tame ordeal this year, especially in contrast to the changes of other Western European nations. The Unified Conservative Party is widely regarded as successful over the past four years, and Prime Minister Theirn Caron is highly respected. Therefore it was not much of a surprise when the Unified Conservatives managed to retain their majority, and even add a few seats to their overwhelming position in Parliament. To the dismay of the electorate however, Theirn Caron announced his retirement from politics, choosing to step down from the position of Prime Minister due to ill health in his family. The Parliament has chosen famed politician Phillip Dufort to lead the nation for the time being, a proponent of a third route through Western European politics and Norman economic and political independence. (+1 Stability)
ELECTIONS IN ORLEANS. Orleans, Orleans. Recent strikes and political turmoil in Orleans has managed to leave their mark on this year's elections for Parliament. The New Conservative Party, while taking credit for the ambitious reforms passed on workers' rights and the establishment of unions, has still faced backlash from the masses. The liberals have widely accused the New Conservative Party of taking credit for the burdens and efforts of the unions to force the passage of reform. They have continued to trumpet themselves as the main driving force behind all new legislation. Unfortunately for the conservatives, this bid seems to have paid off in the elections. The Socialist Party has made dramatic gains in parliament, pushing forward and securing numerous more seats with the support of the unions. This has proven to not be enough for the leftists to gain control, but the New Conservative Party lost their majority nonetheless. The result was a formation of a coalition between the New Conservatives and independent moderate ministers. To this end, they were forced to pick the most moderate candidate from the New Conservative roster, as President Ethan Mathieu has stepped down. Christophe Traverse has been selected as the new President of Orleans, but the leftists have been outraged by the power plays involved, leading to a highly divided and suspect Parliament. (-1 Stability)
PORTUGUESE ELECTIONS HELD. Lisbon, Portugal. The nation of Portugal has seen unprecedented economic booms and growth over the past three years, as the nation's factories and shipyards rarely have time to even turn out the lights. With immense international contracts and production, Portugal has rebounded from the Jamaica fiasco with a vengeance. Virtually complete employment exists in the nation, as they provide planes and ships to navies and corporations across the world. With such an industry competing only with Brazil, the Portuguese have made leaps and bounds to economic prosperity. They've also created one of several open doors into Europe, having remained isolated from the overall embargo and tensions, creating new friendships in the Americas and elsewhere. This has resulted in only one possible outcome for the year's elections. Prime Minister Martim Serra and the Social Democratic Party have once more one with landslide success across the board, taking full credit for the continuing economic surge. (+1 Stability)
DEATH OF THE KING OF SERBIA. Belgrade, Serbia. To the dismay of the aristocracy of Serbia the beloved King Adrijan has passed away, leaving the kingdom to his first born son, the new King Aleksander. King Adrijan oversaw the reformation of Serbia and the establishment of a strong national alliance with Russia and the Roman Empire. He further was considered by the masses to be somewhat oppressive, expelling or executing most republican or proletarist activists in Serbia. The king also established strong influences over Bosnia, keeping that nation subordinated to the Serbian throne. His son is known as a bit more thoughtful and educated than his father, more of a moderate on social and economic affairs. He has espoused though his immense friendship and respect for the Russian Empire, pledging that alliance will be maintained with their mighty benefactor in Moscow.
BURGUNDY DECLARES STATE RELIGION. Paris, Burgundy. In a move that would have been considered unthinkable during the days of the Septembrist Confederation, the Parliament in Paris has passed a law establishing Catholic Christianity as the state religion. Emperor Robert has fully supported this measure, hoping for new reconciliation with the Papacy and the Catholic Church. The government has made it clear that other religions will be continued to allow to be practiced throughout the nation, but will not receive any official government support or recognition. New legislation has also been put forward introducing religious themed courses and education for all levels of the educational infrastructure from younger children to university courses. They have stated this is a move to help provide new insight to the heritage and culture created in Burgundy with their closely histories to the Catholic Church. The liberal opposition has been outraged by this development, saying that it is a leap away from the type of state the Confederation was, and a probable step towards a moralist tyranny like those in South America.
ORLEANS MOVES ON TO NEW PROJECT. Orleans, Orleans. The cornerstone of recent policies of the New Conservative government have been mostly focused around the agricultural modernization program. They have heralded this as their primary accomplishment during the government of President Mathieu. Unfortunately, with his end of involvement in management of government caused by the late elections, the project was unable to be completed before it could turn into a decisive factor in the said electoral conflict. After the elections were decided the new President, Christophe Traverse, has announced what will be the main focus of his administration. He has declared that is goal is to improve and modernize the roadway conditions of Orleans, bringing new jobs and better infrastructure for the nation. Construction has begun in the more urban regions, giving more work, while allowing the growth of a new economy around these efforts.
CAEN LAUNCHES NEW ECONOMIC PLAN. Caen, Normandy. After the triumphant success of this year's elections the Norman government under Prime Minister Dufort has announced the new Norman Economic Plan. With ambitious goals and ideas, the project's scope is actually far more limited than the government has let on. The repair efforts after the Rhine-Rhone War went a long way to accomplishing much of what the Norman Economic Plan outlines. It includes expansion of ports, which was already completed under Confederate management, and the creation of new infrastructure in rural regions. Despite the lofty goals of the program, critics have pointed out that much of it has already been accomplished under previous programs. What this effort really is achieving is not much more than a rapid update of already extant facilities and infrastructure. Very few anticipate it to last beyond next year or accomplish anything of real value or effort for the Norman people, beyond looking good on the political resumes of the Unified Conservative Party.
DUTCH COMPLETE RECONSTRUCTION. Amsterdam, Netherlands. The United Republic of the Netherlands was easily one of the worst afflicted by the Rhine-Rhone War, facing the brunt of the initial German attacks. Though regions of the Franco-Burgundian Confederation were more heavily fought over, the Dutch people were badly strained by the war as their forces were left in ruin. The Pacific War also devastated the local economy, as the lost of far flung possessions forced a restructuring of the home economy. Over the past five years reconstruction has been feverishly underway, and the departure of Flanders from the larger republic has reduced the amount of area the Dutch government is responsible for fixing. This year the program of reconstruction came to an end, as Stadtholder Joël Adrichem claimed full credit for the success of the effort. He has stated that this, along with the elections, marks a turning point in Dutch history, allowing them to assume a place of stronger leadership within the new European political theater.
DEATH OF BRITISH KING IN GUANGXI LEADS TO NEW MONARCH. London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The tragic death of King Henry VIII in the bloody affair in Xinjing has led to the British throne being vacant once again. Unfortunately the king died without any readily obvious or available heirs, and an uncle has ascended to the throne. The new King Edward III has been brought to the throne and is known as an experienced veteran of Royal Army, having actually seen combat in his youth during the Great War in Poland. As a ardent supporter of the military, he has called for full focus on the war in Guangxi, anxious to avenge the death of his nephew at the bloodbath at the gala. The military and Union Jacks are closely tied to the new king, who is considered highly militaristic and prepared for the warfare to come. Many are optimistic that the new king can work well with the current Parliament, and the Union Jacks are full supporters of the new monarch and his background.
SKAJERRAK CRISIS DISSIPATES. Copenhagen, Denmark. Last year's crisis that erupted between Denmark and Scandinavia has been resolved after heated negotiations and guns remained pointed across the narrow channel. Seeking to lessen tensions in the region, the Danes and Scandinavians have come to terms at last, allowing for the resumption of normal shipping in the area. Neither side has been forced to partake in reparations, as the compromise has been fair and just, as both acknowledge that severe blows had been dealt in the fighting last year. Most of the nations of Europe have applauded the effort to restore peace, but no one is really quite sure who has emerged out on top. Simmering tensions remain between the two states, and it seems likely that these affairs will continue as the guns of both nations remain pointed towards each other. The Scandinavians have constructed a monument to those that died, acknowledging the sacrifice of those involved in destroying the feared Fat Wulda. Many believe that this will be only a temporary dissipation as the tensions subside only for the time being.
, If Germany shows by breaking the treaty it established that it is untrustworthy, it is hard to see how nations will remain aligned with Germany. Afterall if one can't trust Germany to keep a treaty it pushed through, how then can a nation trust Germany to come to its aid in war, or generally be a good ally?
