The International Press is a nonprofit international organization that compiles news from thousands of news outlets all over the world.
Stats
GEOPOLITICAL RANKINGS
Great Powers: New Inca Empire, Australasian Empire, Federal Confederation of the Somali People, Amaros Republic
Emerging Great Powers: Kingdom of Mysore*, Zulu Empire*, Empire of China*, United Dioceses of Italy
Middle Powers: Second Empire of Brasil, Levantine Republic, Empire of Mexico, Russian Imperial Republic
Emerging Middle Powers: Kingdom of Transjordania, Great Bulgaria
Rankings have been rebalanced to take into greater account current military capability and stability.
The Kingdom of Mysore is a falling great power due to changing how the status is calculated. It is now calculated taking into account stability and military power. The Kingdom of Mysore is maintaining its position almost entirely through sheer economic might. Otherwise, the great powers have not change greatly.
Emerging great powers now include the Zulu Empire and Empire of China. The Zulu Empire is pushed ahead thanks mostly to stability and relative military might, while the Empire of China’s massive conquests and five armies propelled it directly to this level. The UDI maintains its position from last year.
The Levantine Republic has finally joined the ranks of middle powerdom along with the Russian Imperial Republic.
Finally, our emerging middle powers are the Kingdom of Transjordania and Great Bulgaria, both unchanged from last year.
NEWS FROM ASIA
FALL OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS USHERS IN NEW ERA OF MILITARY DOCTRINE. The day Australasia’s 1st Army, under the command of Thomas Lee, begin its Solomon Islands campaign and established beach heads was the beginning of the end. With significant equipment and technological superiority over local forces, General Lee divided his forces to attack multiple points at once. Local forces fought near to the last man in defending their positions, to little effect. By the end of the massive assaults, 80% of resistance forces had been destroyed with nearly no casualties suffered for Australasia.
The local resistance launched one final desperate assault against General Lee’s now-entrenched forces, ending in the resistance being completely shattered with little loss of life and equipment for Australia. [-10 IP for Australasia]
THE CONQUEST OF PAPAU. General Sutherland of the Australasian Empire had a high bar to meet. General Lee had successfully crushed the Solomon Islanders, but Sutherland was fighting an enemy equipped with artillery pieces. Admittedly, the artillery used by the Papau Resistance had no hope of matching Australasian artillery, but it was a new wrinkle to Australasia’s plans. The initial invasion was met with several scattered attacks on the 2nd Army.
Sutherland’s forces marched into Papau and immediately secured several strategic villages and defensive sites. Instead of holding these sites, the initial defensive plans called for a mobile defense sacrificing a hill or two in order to draw out resistance forces. The plan worked incredibly, crushing the initial resistance attacks. The lines solidified, and the mobile defense dug in. Resistance attacks weakened.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was Sutherland’s massive retaliatory attacks which attacked the remaining resistance camps beyond the frontlines. Sutherland’s victory over Papau in October had surpassed Lee’s Conquest of the Solomons.
THE PANYU COOPERATIVE ASSOSCIATION AND REPUBLIC OF PILIPINAS. In the decades since the fall, China has been in a near state of anarchy. Republics, petty kingdoms, dictatorships, and warlords have filled the political space of China. The inability of the Republic of China to restore her “birthright” has given space for the establishment of the PCA, an intergovernmental working group controlling Canton, parts of Korea, and the southern parts of Japan.
Further south, the Republic of Pilipinas, founded in the 1930s, is finally coming out of its decades long self-imposed isolation. The RoP is an incredible democratic, cosmopolitan republic, standing in stark contrast to the Kingdom of Mysore to the west and Australasian Empire to the east.
The PCA enters the world stage with Industrial II, while the RoP enters it with Navy II.
RUSSIA INVADES FARS. General Mark Filippov in a previous life was a politician, but he has taken up the role of general effectively. The Russian invasion of Fars is the first test of the new Russo-Incan army doctrine, and the test has met with mixed results. The speed of the invasion put the local forces on the back foot, granting Russian forces the initiative. The Russians had local forces on the ropes for most of the battles in Fars before General Filippov, believing his advantage to be high, ordered a full charge all along. Disaster struck, and by the end of Filippov’s charge, both sides were in gross disarray, neither capable of capitalize on the outcome of the battle. [-13 IP for Russia, -12 IP for Fars]
EMPIRE OF CHINA MARCHES SOUTHWEST. There isn’t much to be said. The Empire of China raised four armies and marched its five armies into three provinces to the southwest. Once the capital of Shensi fell, the 1st and 2nd Army marched east to support the 3rd Army in Hupei at the same time the capital of Hunan fell to the 4th and 5th armies. The Empire of China, in terms of sheer numbers, is now the largest military on the planet, with a track record worth writing home about. [-11 IP for China]
RUSSIAN INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMS CREATING A NEW BOOM. The Russian government’s infrastructure program is hitting all the right keys in the Russian economy, creating jobs yes, but creating opportunity where opportunity did not exist before. The Russian hinterlands of Iran are now more closely connected to major population centers than ever before.
TRANSJORDANIA’S NAVY. Not many people may much mind to the Kingdom of Transjordania. It is, after all, a small power in a region of small powers. Its only military foray has ended in failure, and all in all she’s been very quietly in diplomatic circles. But don’t make the mistake of completely writing off Transjordania, because within the Haifa Naval Academy, magic is brewing. The navy may not be the most powerful, or the biggest, but it is training an unmatched cadre of naval officers, engineers, and scientists the world has never seen before. [+2 Naval Points]
MYSORE’S ROYAL AIR COMPANY MAKING WAVES IN THE SKIES. The MRAC is proving to be a hotbed of aeronautical commercial engineering. Not only that, but it is making money! [+30 Gold Savings for Mysore in Mysore]
REMEMBERING THE RIOTS. The Aceh Riots seem like ancient history today in this sleeping village in Aceh near the port where the riots occurred. The region has healed, the Australasians seem far more polite and respecting, and time has washed away many of the wounds, but the deep hurt remains.
NEWS FROM AFRICA
SOMALI ELECTIONS BEGIN IN 2028, NEXT YEAR. It is that time again when the peoples of a democratic society come together to decide how their country will be run into the future. In 2028, elections will determine which ideology the people will embrace for the time being. For avid readers unaware with the structure of Somali society, lets remember than Somali society is divided into five broad societies: The aristocratic Boqornimada, middle class Baayacmuchtariyadii, priestly Wadaaddadii (priestly in a general, not necessarily Christian, sense), lower class Beertiisa, and soldierly Askari.
A major question this election will be how well the socialists perform. Socialism, especially the new strain of socialism known as “national socialism”, has found a small, but dedicated cadre of adherents, especially among the middle and lower classes.
THE INVASION OF THE IVORY COAST. When a referendum in the Ivory Coast rejected unification with the Amaros Republic, the Amaros 1st Army, led by Raynard Thorburn, sprung into action to take steps to securing major population centers, citing that the referendum had been rigged by dissenters. After twelve hours of fighting, the Amaros 1st Army defeated local forces with little loss. However, the whole situation has left a bad taste in the mouths of those outside the Republic who previously supported the Amaros Republic’s mission. The illegitimacy of the invasion is naked to all, and even some citizens of the Republic are thinking twice about their role in the world. [-4 IP for Amaros]
MADAGASCAR BANS WHITE EXODUS BUSINESSES. The Kingdom of Madagascar issued a ban against any and all companies found to have been funding the White Exodus from conducting business in Madagascar. The major company struck by this ruling was Sydney Holdings, a large corporations in Australia. Unfortunately, the move to ban businesses has led to an even greater Exodus has business interests from Mysore and Australasia, believing the government is using the White Exodus as a pretext to target any white-owned business, are now withdrawing from the country.
RECONSTRUCTION BEGINS IN NIGER. The Amaros Republic has begun the reconstruction process in Niger after a brutal invasion all but destroyed the region and caused a refugee crisis, which is now beginning to pick up steam. Many refugees are settling in richer Amaros cities and forming makeshift camps. Tensions between the refugee groups and locals are high, and the lack of workers in Niger is having an adverse impact on the reconstruction effort.
REFUGEE LABOR ; INDUSTRIAL BOOM; LOCAL ANGER. The refugees of Niger work for less than the average man in Calabar. A Niger female refugee can expect to be paid as much as an Amaros child while working in the great factories of the capital, and while this has proved a boom for industrial growth in the region, the people aren’t exactly pleased with this outcome.
MADGASCAR’S TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. The White Exodus is nearly over, but the effects of the exodus have impacted every part of Madagascar’s upper economy. The government has taken unprecedented steps in funding technical schools to aid in the transition. These programs, for the gold-strapped government, aren’t cheap, but are necessary.
“WHITE SLAVERY”. “While we respect the right of people to migrate, we cannot allow these so-called charities to continue operating within our country. These organisations are funded by people with anti-Madagascan and anti-African agendas with the sole aim of causing a labour shortage in our kingdom.” European Madagascans are demanding an immediate overturn of the law. Some extreme European groups have said this is proof that the government sees whites in the country as merely a source of labor. The ban of all charities subsidizing European Madagascans leaving the country, as well as all businesses associated with these charities, has had a major impact on poor whites in the country who relied on the charities or worked in these business. The White Exodus, which for so long had had a somewhat stabilizing impact on Madagascar, now has some petitioning Australasia and Mysore for immediate intervention.
NEWS FROM THE AMERICAS
THE LONE STAR NATION. Norbert Walker’s grand speech before the destruction of the great Mexican imperial monument in Imperial City set Texas on a path to modernity and geopolitical relevance. Texas, along with the State of Louisiana and Levantine Republic, signed the Treaty of Galveston. While the economic provisions of the treaty were expected, the fact Louisiana and the Levantine Republic would band together against the Empire of Mexico (the presumed power who would threaten Texan independence) to guarantee the independence of Texas has not been lost diplomats.
What could this mean for the region?
BRASIL INVADES ENTRE RIOS. The Brasilian force tasked with the invasion of Entre Rios, on paper, is pretty impressive. Two armies supported by the world’s first dedicated air fleet. Fighting against poorly organized, poorly-armed locals, it seemed like a shoe-in for Brasil. Little did Brasil know that her trio of leaders were, at best, amateur, and at worst incompetent.
Ansaldo Vinci, general of the 1st Brasilian Army, is a timid man who managed to rise to the position of general seemingly through connections and old age. General Ernesto Mateus was a bureaucrat in a previous life renowned for his cowardice. Tomas Soares, Fleet General of the 1st Brasilian Air Fleet, is an intuitive amateur.
The invasion didn’t end with the entire Brasilian armed forces being routed, but did end with local forces resisting the initial invasion long enough to organize into the Free Brasilian Republic. [-12 IP for Second Empire of Brasil. -11 IP for Free Brasilian Republic].
OPERATION: HEART OF DIXIE. The State of Louisiana launched an invasion of Alabama. Under the command of Stu Roy, a brash drillmaster, the 1st Army marched deep into Alabama, seemingly unopposed, until all hell broke loose. Local resistance fighters ambushed Louisianan forces, achieving an incredible victory after the 1st Army pulled off a desperate, by successful, retreat. [-6 IP for Louisiana. -1 IP for the Confederate State of Alabama.]
WAR FOR PUERTO RICO. What can be said about General Travis of the Reconnaissance Army of the Levantine Republic? Those who know him say he is can keep his cool even in the worst situations, and the man has an aristocratic background. Tasked with the continued pacification of Puerto Rico, General Travis must’ve knew he was fighting an uphill battle. Fighting an enemy with substantial strategic control over the province, the initial skirmishes were slightly in the favor of local forces.
Then, there was a lull in fighting. Supplies were shipped into Puerto Rico, and local forces organized and prepared for the next round of combat. Another round of indecisive combat before calamity struck in July. General Travis, hoping that the locals were still disorganized, divided his forces and launched several attacks across the front while the locals put together a solid defense.
Suffering a catastrophic loss in military morale and organization, the Reconnaissance Army beat a hasty retreat to landing craft and fled the island. They were not pursue by local forces. [-6 IP for Levantine Republic. -2 IP for Puerto Rico]
IMPERIAL AIRWAYS. The Second Empire of Brasil’s response to the Royal Air Company of Mysore was Imperial Airways. While less ambitious and with lesser funding, the IA-B is proving itself immensely already. Time will tell how the IA performs. [Brasil’s debt in Rio de Janeiro reduced to 43 gold]
THE LEVANTINE CARIBBEAN FINISHES RECONSTRUCTION. Years after the hurricane struck the region, Cuba has finally repaired all outstanding infrastructure damage from that disaster, much to the joy of locals.
NEWS FROM EUROPE
CORRUPTION SCANDAL STRIKES SWISS GUARD. Several civilian officials of the Pontifical Swiss Guard have been accused of accepting bribes and blackmail by one of Italy’s largest and most respected papers. The author of the article spent several months gathering evidence and testimony, and many believe the case to be airtight. People are demanding the government take steps to bringing these men to justice, a few of which have already resigned. The person in charge of the PSG has not been implicated, but several who work directly for him have.
THE FAITH DEBATES RENEWED. What is the proper role of religion in Levantine society? The Faith Debates, which pitted the Moralists against the Secularists, seemed to have been over by early-2027 until a moralist filibustered a government bill to fund the Reconnaissance Army in Puerto Rico by reciting parts of the bible for several hours. Faith is a divisive issue in the country still.
FINANCIAL NEWS
The following countries have automatically borrowed due to having a negative treasury.
Brasil (3 gold)
Confederal State of Alabama (8 gold)
Fars (6 gold)
Puerto Rico (6 gold)
The Confederal State of Alabama, Fars, and Puerto Rico are
requesting financial assistance from the international community.
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
The Kingdom of Mysore, New Inca Empire, Australasian Empire, Zulu Empire, FCSP, and UDI advance to Army II!
The Zulu Empire, Empire of Mexico, and Empire of China advance to Navy II!
The Empire of China advances to Air II!
The Zulu Empire and Empire of Mexico advance to Commercial II!
The FCSP and UDI advance to Industrial III!
The Empire of China advances to Industrial II!
The Second Empire of Brasil and Great Bulgaria advance to Army II!
The Kingdom of Transjordania advances to Navy II!
The Empire of China advances to Commercial II!
The New Inca Empire and Australasian Empire advance to Industrial III!
The FCSP advances to Commercial III!
The Kingdom of Mysore advances to Industrial III!
Levantine Republic, Kingdom of Transjordania, and the Russian Imperial Republic advance to Army II!
The Levantine Republic, Kingdom of Madagascar, and Great Bulgaria advance to Navy II!
The Levantine Republic, Great Bulgaria, and Russian Imperial Republic advance to Air II!
The Kingdom of Transjordania, Great Bulgaria, and Russian Imperial Republic advance to Commercial II!
The Kingdom of Transjordania and Russian Imperial Republic advance to Industrial II!
The Second Empire of Brasil advances to Navy II!
The Kingdom of Madagascar advances to Commercial II!
The Russian Imperial Republic advances to Navy II
The Kingdom of Madagascar advances to Industrial II!
GM NOTES
Trade has seen some massive rebalancing as figuring out which nodes trade which what nodes in which way based on the map grew way too cumbersome. As such, the growth bonus for being an importer has been greatly buffed.
Amphibious Landing (for Navy) and Drop Support (for Air) replaced with Marines and Parafighters. See Military for more information.
See the second post in this thread, at the bottom, to look up even more military changes.