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1

NOUVELLE ALEXANDRIE'S BUDGET HEADS TO VOTE WITHOUT OPPOSITION

• Without the Expected Debate, the Federal Assembly Moves the General Appropriations and Taxation Act of 1730 Towards a Decisive Vote, Unchallenged.
• Crafted by the Federal Consensus Party, the Budget's Journey Was Conspicuously Unimpeded by the FHP.
• While Supporters Praise the Government's Focus on Social Justice and Sustainability, the Absence of the FHP in Discussions Leaves a Gap in Democratic Process Scrutiny.

CARDENAS, FCD -- The Federal Assembly of Nouvelle Alexandrie closed debate on the highly anticipated General Appropriations and Taxation Act of 1730, with a vote expected today. What was expected to be a fiery session ended with the ruling Federal Consensus Party (FCP) steering the budget towards a vote without any meaningful opposition.

The budget, viewed as a transformative plan for the nation's future, lays out sweeping tax reforms and substantial investments in public services, education, environmental protection, and technological advancement. Despite the broad implications of these tax changes and spending priorities, the Federal Humanist Party (FHP), currently the official opposition, notably refrained from participating in the debate, effectively allowing the government and its allies to expedite the process to a vote.

This unusual silence from the FHP has raised eyebrows across Nouvelle Alexandrie, leading to speculation about the party's internal dynamics and its future strategy. Critics of the FHP have pointed out that this abstention from the debate represents a missed opportunity to challenge the government's policies and to advocate for alternative proposals, potentially alienating its voter base and supporters who expected robust representation.

The lack of opposition debate has not gone unnoticed by the electorate, with reactions ranging from disappointment to outright frustration among those who had anticipated a comprehensive discussion on such a significant piece of legislation. The FHP's absence in the debate is seen by many as a dereliction of their duty to provide checks and balances, leading to concerns over the health of Nouvelle Alexandrie's democratic processes.

As the budget now moves uncontested towards a vote, the focus shifts to the implications of the FHP's strategy, or lack thereof. Observers suggest that this could lead to a period of introspection within the party, as it grapples with the fallout from its decision to remain silent. Meanwhile, supporters of the budget celebrate what appears to be an assured passage, even as they lament the absence of a more vigorous democratic debate.

The upcoming vote on the budget, while almost certain to pass, marks a critical juncture for Nouvelle Alexandrie, not just in terms of fiscal policy but also in the broader discourse on political engagement and representation within the federation.

2

DIPLOMATIC MISSION ENDS IN TRAGEDY: SHIREROTH'S PRINCES DOWNED BY BENACIAN UNION DEFENSES

Image based upon accounts of witnesses and reconstruction of events by Magisters-Carnifex; Benacian Union; 1730 AN.

• The "Journey to the West" Mission, Aimed at Resolving a Succession Crisis and Diplomatic Tensions, Culminates in a Fatal Misunderstanding
• Princes Rubin and Ichirō, on a Diplomatic Mission to 's Koningenwaarde, Perish as Their Aircraft Is Mistakenly Targeted
• Immediate Repercussions Felt Across Shireroth and Hurmu, as Benacian Union Expresses Regret Over the Incident and Faces Internal and External Scrutiny

SHIREKEEP, IRS - In a sudden and sorrowful conclusion to the diplomatic endeavor known as the "Journey to the West," the mission spearheaded by Princes Rubin and Ichirō to address a succession crisis and other diplomatic challenges in 's Koningenwaarde, has tragically ended. The princes, representing the Shirerithian throne by directive of Kaiseress Salome, were aboard an electric jet when it was erroneously engaged and destroyed by the Benacian Union's defense systems.

The delegation aimed to tackle the complications arising from the "Secunda Divisio" and the contentious marriage of Aurangzeb Hakimi bin Alsalam to Lucy Myksos, deemed illegitimate by Shirerithian law. Departing amid escalating tensions, their aircraft faced immediate challenges, including radar lock-ons by the Benacian Union's air defenses, leading to a catastrophic miscommunication within the Benacian military command.

The reaction of Shireroth and Kaiseress Salome's was swift, leading to a tense encounter with the Benacian Union's representative, culminating in a dire sequence of events indicating a serious potential military escalation with nuclear weapons. Hurmu has expressed profound grief, moving to address the repercussions diplomatically with the Benacian Union. Other nations in Benacia like Sanama have also raised their military readiness as tensions continue to escalate.

The Benacian Union has arrested Jon Marenai-Eqlarion al-Osman, responsible for the missile launch, signaling internal accountability measures and heightened military readiness in anticipation of possible retaliatory actions from Shireroth.

12

SURENŠĀHBANU MITRADOKHT DIES AT 86, LEAVING CONFEDERACY IN SUCCESSION CRISIS

Surenšāhbanu Mitradokht, whose 35-year reign was marred by conflict

• Shahbanu passes away on 12th day of 1st month, 1731 after months of declining health
• Cause of death unclear, ranging from old age to radiation sickness to poisoning rumours
• No appointed heir, triggering dispute over succession to Suren throne
• Multiple factions and pretenders stake claim, raising fears of civil war
• Regency council takes interim control but divided over confirming new Surenshah
• Allies anxious as key figure holding together fractious Confederacy is gone

Surenshahr, SUR -- The Suren Confederacy was thrust into turmoil today with the death of its monarch, Surenšāhbanu Mitradokht, at the age of 86. Her passing after a 35-year reign marred by wars and revolts has precipitated a succession crisis, with no clear heir apparent.

Official court chronicles cited Mitradokht's visibly declining health in recent months, including a severe coughing fit, as the cause. However, rumours swirled of potential radiation poisoning from the Babkhan Holocaust over a century ago or accusations she was poisoned by rivals.

In keeping with Zurvanite funerary traditions, the Shahbanu's belongings underwent elaborate rites and cremation under tight security ahead of her anticipated sky burial, the customary exposure of the corpse to vultures in the tower of silence. A period of mourning has commenced across the Confederacy.

With no named heir, the throne passes to the eldest Suren dynast by custom. But internal feuding has muddied the line of succession, with multiple branches staking claims. This has raised fears that infighting could erupt into outright civil war if consensus is not reached.

For now, a regency council of nobles, military, and clergy has assumed interim control. Yet they remain divided on confirming the new Surenshah, with the situation increasingly unstable according to Constancian observers.

Foreign allies who depended on Mitradokht's ability to keep the fractious Confederacy together find themselves adrift, anxiously watching the volatile power struggle unfold.

BENACIAN UNION ERUPTS IN MASS 'DAY OF RAGE' RALLIES

Crowds march through the streets during anti-Shireroth protests in Chryse on the Day of Rage, chanting furious denunciations and ritual curses.

• Massive rallies sweep across major Benacian cities on 12.I.1731 AN in backlash over Shirerithian outrages
• Attendance mandatory in Ardashirshahr, Chryse, Merensk for all able-bodied "meritorious subjects"
• Furious speeches whip crowds into frenzy, call for hardline stance against Shireroth
• Effigies of Kaiseress Salome burned as "Death to the Snake" chants erupt
• Incident days earlier saw Salome decapitate Benacian diplomats, threaten "armageddon"
• Officials declare Shireroth has "dismantled all protections" and lost sovereignty

Chryse, BEN -- Whipped into furious outrage over the shocking execution of its chief diplomat in Shireroth days earlier, the subjects of the Benacian Union took to the streets in unprecedented numbers on 12.I.1731 AN for mandated mass rallies that swept across major cities in a spectacle dubbed the "Day of Rage".

Attendance was obligatory in the population centres of Ardashirshahr, Chryse, and Merensk for all able-bodied and meritorious subjects, with severe penalties threatened for any absences. Workplaces, schools, and public venues were shuttered for the day as transportation networks marshalled everyone to the designated rally sites.

Upon arrival, immense crowds stretching for miles found themselves inundated with feverish speeches from officials and party cadres brimming with furious denunciations of recent Shirerithian actions and calls for an uncompromising stance against the rogue regime in Raynor's Keep.

The spark that ignited the outpouring of rage was the horrifying public decapitation of the Benacian Union's chief diplomat Abner Shas after he delivered a message of condolences over the tragic downing of a Shirerithian aircraft days before. In a shocking breach of all diplomatic protocols, Shas and his entourage were summarily executed on live television by an unsettlingly calm Kaiseress Salome.

As if the murders were not galling enough, Salome compounded the offence by declaring "as smoke vanishes, so let them vanish, as wax melts before the fire" - widely interpreted as indicating an intent to unleash apocalyptic retaliation upon the Benacian Union. Her actions were unanimously denounced as displaying depraved callousness and a deranged disregard for human values.

At the Ardashirshahr rally, titanic effigies of Salome were ritualistically burned as multitudes chanted slogans like "Death to the Snake" and "Avenge Shas". One speaker, Jahangir Khan, the Szodan of Elluenuueq, whipped the masses into a frenzy by demanding Shirerithian subjects be given 48 hours to renounce their homeland or face internment as the Benacian Union prepared to enact "full accountability" upon the rogue state.

Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Ayesha al-Osman, addressing crowds in Chryse, went further by declaring that Shireroth had forfeited all sovereign rights and "dismantled all protections" through its embrace of "state terrorism and crimes against humanity." She vowed the crimes of Salome's regime would not go unanswered but stopped short of explicitly calling for war.

The visceral rage and unrestrained vitriol on display underscored just how profoundly the recent Shirerithian actions have inflamed the Benacian populace. With officials and N&H cadres fanning the fires of indignation with bombastic rhetoric about enduring "grievous" trials ahead, it seems increasingly clear that significant escalation or rupture in relations now appears inevitable.

13

HURMU RECALLS AMBASSADOR TO SHIREROTH?

Prince Alexander is grandson of the reigning Basilinna of Constancia and related to the royal families of Nouvelle Alexandrie, Natopia, and Shireroth

• Submits resignation of commission to his mother, Princess and Chancellor Rosamund
• His father is Hurmudan Senator and Imperial Constancian Ambassador to Hurmu

Huyenkula, HUR -- It came as a surprise to many when the regular Hurmu Air Service flight from Normark landed at Huyenkula International Airport, to reveal its VIP passenger, Prince Alexander Ayreon-Kalirion, Ambassador of Hurmu (officially, "The Realms held in right by the Order of the Holy Lakes") to the Imperial Republic of Shireroth. Prince Ayreon-Kalirion has been ambassador to Shireroth since 12.XIV.1724. He was previously Ambassador of Hurmu to Natopia.

Ambassador Ayreon-Kalirion, dressed in an ordinary dark-colored business suit, was whisked away from the tarmac by official vehicles, and did not deign to pass by the passenger terminal like ordinary travelers. No one was present to reveal further details to the press. The spokesperson of the Secretary of State for External Relations later noted dryly for the assembled media that, "Ambassador Prince Ayreon-Kalirion, our ambassador to the Imperial Republic of Shireroth, tendered his commission to his mother, Princess-Chancellor Rosamund, upon his arrival in Huyenkula."

It is not yet determined if the removal of Ambassador Ayreon-Kalirion was an official act of the Government, or if this was done by the ambassador's own volition. It will be recalled that Ambassador Ayreon-Kalirion's maternal family is also the reigning dynasty of the Imperial State of Constancia, which has very publicly directed all its flags within the Euran state and elsewhere throughout Micras, to be flown at half-staff, an internationally-recognized symbol of mourning. It is yet unclear if the Imperial Constancian Embassy in Shirekeep has recalled its ambassador as well. There is also talk in Petropolis that the Shirerithian Ambassador was summoned to the Imperial Palace mere hours after news broke of the murder of the Benacian Ambassador to Shirekeep. In the Imperial Synklētos, there were a great many speeches decrying the "barbarism of a crowned sovereign", and a "shameful display of one claiming to be a civilized state".

Sources within the Senate of Hurmu claim that the ambassador's father, Senator Prince Utas Enrique Naian and concurrent Imperial Constancian Ambassador to Hurmu, offered a resolution of condolence on the death of Princes Rubin and Ichirō, and that the ambassador's own mother, the Princess Chancellor, announced to the Senate that her son left his post in a rage at the treatment of a fellow accredited diplomat to the Imperial Republic.

Harming the diplomatic representative of a sovereign nation is generally treated as an act of war.