11-25-2019, 08:13 AM
[/hr]International | Politics | Entertainment | Lifestyle | Opinion | Business
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The Litudinem Herald
Sunday, November 24th, 2019
[/hr]VOL. CXXXVII - Num. 10 | In the News: Empress Wu Zhou of Shen dies at 83 -- Xiomeran and Zamastanian naval standoff ends in world leaders taking sides -- Documents leaked revealing further details of Kerlian "Aurora Program"
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Empress Wu Zhou of Shen dies at 83
by Suzan Whitney, Writer
In a shocking announcement made this Saturday by Shen authorities, their Empress, Wu Zhou, died in her sleep last night. This is the second world leader to pass away this year, with the Emporer of Xiomera being assasinated back in October.
The elderly sovreign died apparently of natural causes at 11:00 PM in her bed chamber. The nation will enter a period of mourning in the coming days. Zhou left behind a daughter, Wu Zhao, who will take up her position as ruler of the Kingdom of Shen, and a legacy forged by 64 years of service to her citizens.
Under Zhou's authority, the Kingdom of Shen developed from an agrarian state to the industial giant it is today. Her reign was characterized by a push to modernize Shen and reduce national debt acumulated by her father. Zhou also faced harsh criticism throughout her reign as a result of her brutal crackdown on political dissidents. She was a woman loved by many and hated by many but she will doubtlessly be remembered by all for overseeing perhaps the single largest change in Shen culture in their history.
President Lucas Brown spoke publicly about Zhou's death Saturday afternoon saying, "I am deeply saddened to learn of passing of Empress Wu Zhou. My sincerest prayers go to her family and friends, and to the people of Shen. The entire nation has lost a figure they all look up to, a woman whos administration supported Maximusian causes on numerous occasions. I am pleased to report that the new Empress shares her mother's respect for Maximusian culture and I look foreward to working with Empress Zhao in securing a brighter future for the world."
Xiomeran and Zamastanian naval standoff ends in world leaders taking sides
by Matt Tyler, Political Correspondent
On moday, only 24 hours after the swearing in of Zamastanian President, Foley Sakzi, Xiomera and Zamastan were involved in a breif naval standoff. A Zamastanian patrol fleet accidentally strayed into Xiomeran waters and were proptly itercepted by Xiomeran vessels. What followed was a fourty minute standoff ending with the Zamastanian fleet being "chased" back into international waters. The official reason given for the Zamastanian fleet straying is listed as "faulty navigational systems". You would think that the the international community would accept this reason and go on with their lives. You would be wrong.
It would seem that the Zamastanian fleet's flagship was actually warned that they were entering Xiomeran waters but did not alter the fleet's course. Foley Sakzi, likely looking to show he wasn't a pushover, refused to acknowledge that the Zamastanians had done anything wrong. This earned him no less than five international condemnations from other world leaders. More concerning still, many of these national leaders belived that the Zamastanian Navy was intentionally straying into Xiomeran waters and not leaving for their own sinister purpose.
President Brown stated on Thursday that "The notion that [Zamastan] would be hatching some sort of a diabolical plot is simply fear mongering." However, he went on to say: "...I do find it quite odd that the Zamastanians would be patrolling so close to Xiomeran waters. I wish Sakzi would just admit that his fleet was closer than they needed to be so we can end this controversy and get back to buisness as usual."
David Mulany, National Security Advisor to the President of Libertas Omnium Maximus, also commented on Thursday saying: "We simply don't see any foul play. It looks like the Zamastanians made an honest mistake and had a comunications failure afterwards. However, we acknowledge that the Zamastanian fleet's lingering in Xiomeran waters is a bit unexpected. We will be watching the situation with great intrest but do not believe anything will come of what was most likely and honest minstake.
Documents leaked revealing further details of Kerlian "Aurora Program"
by Joe Mandela, Writer
Early this morning a number of documents were leaked from the Kerlian Matriarchy outlining their so called "Aurora Program". These documents built upon and further outlined what had been leaked on two previous occasions last year.
According to the documents leaked in 2018, the Aurora Program is a Kerlian program that aims to train young orphans in the matriarchy and send them into foreign nations as sleeper agents. These agents' objectives might include political assasinations, sabotage, espionage, election rigging, or even destabilizing the entire nation's political structure. To say the least, these individuals would be an imminent threat to the national security of any nation they were deployed in.
Naturaly, the Kerlian government denies the existence of any such sleeper agents. They claim the program was just an educational initiative for women. This assertion is entirely uncorroborated and directly opposes all leaked evidence released to date. Most of the international community seems to agree that the Aurora Program is precisly what the leaked documents outline it to be.
This third set of documents are perhapse the most unsettling to date. They indicate that multiple Auroras have already been deployed in Libertas Omnium Maximus along with nearly a dozen other nations.
Only a few hours after the documents were leaked, Director of the Maximusian Department of Internal Security, James Maguire, made an official statement. He stated: "We have been aware of the threat posed by the so called Aurora Program since we first discovered the program's existence. These documents that have been leaked only conform our suspicions. We have been in the inteligence gathering phase for well over a year now and these documents are certainly making the procces much faster. I can assure you that the DIS is very close to acting on the knowledge we have accumulated on these agents over the past year."
Early results of a Litudinem Herald poll indicate that 87% of Maximusians view this event as being "the largest breach of national security in all of Maximusian history". The Department of Internal Security, while critisized by many for being overbearing, has had a historically good track record of identifying and eliminating threats to national security quickly and efficiently. Maximusian citizens can now only pray that the government can locate and neutralize the Aurora agents before they strike.