The thalapadian government has contracted the firm Entomo aeronautic systems (also know as EAS) to equip the army with EA-9 surveillance drones.
This is a big breakthrough for EAS, a primarily civilian focused drone company, as it is sure to bring them large profits and expansion.
The EA-9 “Liveloúla” (meaning dragonfly) is a micro UAV helicopter, only 16cm long and weighing 18g with batteries. It has three cameras; one looking forward, one straight down, and one pointing down at 45 degrees. It charges in around 25 minutes and lasts the same time on a charge.
EAS has offered to reach contracts with other armed forces too, but only if the thalapadian armed forces approve the deal. The price of the drone has been reported to be 75k per unit.
The LNAC, current Military Junta in charge of Ludville, has publicly executed Jake Ludov, deposed Minister Of Ludville, along with other captured non-nationalist government and military members. The Union Government has kicked the Free State Of Ludville out of the Starhawk Pact until further notice.
Artemesia College - Imperial University of La Citadelle becomes the first Bailtemic college to win University Challenge since Bailtemic teams first became eligible in the 2020/21 academic year. Founded in 1086 Artemesia College is the founding college of the Imperial University of La Citadelle, the oldest university in the USI and one of the oldest universities in the world. They beat New Mako University in the final.
Breaking News:
Van Mathis has been assassinated by an alleged Thalapadian Operative while being escorted to a secure location. The Operative has managed to escape after injuring a Guard. Van Mathis was injected with a lethal dose of BTX. The LNAC has confessed outrage at the Operative being able to escape.
In other news,
The ERN has reported mysterious signatures in Emeraldian Waters, all have been reported underwater, but the Admiralty has chalked it up to faulty radars. Starhawk Pact military forces still continue to build up a military presence on the Ludvillian Border, with Air Units being placed on high alert.
Ikaranara has expressed relief at the assasination of Van Mathis but has stated that it will not remove its sanctions on Ludville until further notice.
BREAKING NEWS: The FIC along with the LPP and AIAD have tracked illegal weapons and funding going to the Losavral People’s Front, a socialist Losavral insurgent group, to the Pasten People’s Party. The AIAD along with the government of Past has issued an order to interrogate senior members of the APP to see who the funding is coming from.
The Termina Commerce Confederacy released a statement condemning the extrajudicial murder of the exiled strongman, van Mathis, by alleged Thalapadian operatives. The Confederacy has also accused Thalapadis for undermining the rule of law and has denounced the state as a rogue state for violating the sovereignty of another country. This is a developing story.
The United Rhaynan Provinces has removed most of sanctions on Ludville, stating that they aren’t necessary anymore now that the “main threat has died in spectacular circumstances”. Rhayna still advocates for a Thalapadian-Ludville meeting for unscalement of the conflict, specially by Thalapadis side.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a infographic about the Sovereignty of nations, which is taken as a jab at the Ilegal Extrajudicial murder of Van Mathis
The Weissersteiner Government have commented on the extrajudicial killing of Van Mathis, stating that the assassination was a violation of the sovereignty of Ludville and condemning Thalapadis’ decision, while also stating that Ludville was also in the wrong for housing Van Mathis.
Despite this, no action will be taken by the Weissersteiner government regarding the situation besides calling for all sides to deescalate the conflict. The Weissersteiner populace are in support for the execution of Van Mathis, seeing him as a symbol of separatism and a war criminal, but does not support the use of extrajudicial killing to achieve it.
“… Van Mathis was a horrible man, yet the actions taken by the Thalapadian government was also horrible.” says a local man in Lindenau.
“It’s wrong to support Van Mathis or Thalapadis’ decision to assassinate him.” says a woman in Qadr Nacht.
The USI has announced sanctions on key people in Thalapadis following the extradition-judicial killing of Van Mathis. It understood arms sales that were also in discussion have been cancelled.
The foreign office has condemned the LoC for brazen acts of colonialism, and has cautioned them to rein their members in.
He came up to the stage with a fast, but elegant, stride and approached the lectern. He adjusts his microphone before talking:
“He is dead.” Valentinos Antonides announced. “Yesterday, at 4pm west Cordillian time a specially trained and skilled thalapadian agent killed Van Mathis, the man behind the civil war and deaths of thousands of inocents, using BTX. You’ve all already heard that. There’s been uproar because of it, not as much in Thalapadis as abroad. I am here to say to the world: Van Mathis had to go, and thalapadis had vowed to deliver justice to him, and that’s what we did. We wanted to do it peacefully, but Ludville gave us no choice. 3 times we offered a peaceful, negotiated solution, 3 times they refused. Sometimes,” he stops for a second, seemingly hesitating, but got back on track in a part of a second," paper and pen, oh how mighty they might be, aren’t effective. Ludville made it clear that it won’t ever give him away, and that it recognizes the terrorist, genocidal uprising that was the so called “Kingdom of Neufolk” legitimate, there’s nothing we could have done diplomatically, so we drew the sword. Many foreing governments have condemned it, calling it extrajudicial, illegal, and much more. I want to ask those governments: where ware your silver tongues and sharp words a day prior, when Ludville publicly executed multiple innocent men, including Jake Ludov, only because they ware part of the old government. Then your hippocritical voices layed silent, as i haven’t seen a single government outside of the Starhawk pact condemn the actions. I will ask you: why was that murder just, while the one we did wasn’t? Van Mathis was at least sentenced by a internationally recognized and non bias court, those men weren’t. I will not ask anyone to pull back their condemnations and measures taken against us if they see them as just, the only thing i will ask is for them to think. Thalapadis doesn’t regret it’s decisions and would make them again, are they just is for you to decide, but we belive they are."
With those last words Valentinos Antonides finished his speach and left the stage. Just a few minutes later the congress is dissolved and pre electorial silence starts. In a week’s time general elections will be held in the nation to decide it’s future.
President Storm accuses the Thalapadis government of carrying out extrajudicial murder on foreign soil as part of a populist election strategy for a weak verging on totalitarian government that would otherwise not be re-elected.
Chancellor Ifukube of the Termina Commerce Confederacy responded to Thalapadian accusations of foreign “hypocrisy” with a terse “two wrongs don’t make it right.” The chancellor then went on to accuse Thalapadian regime of using a horrific event on foreign soil to justify their own equally egregiously evil act to spit on the face of Justice.
Meanwhile the Frost Empire has enacted sanctions on Thalapadis and has hinted that it may expand sanctions to LoC member states complicit in the act of destabilizing Bareland.
King Joshua VII has responded to the current situation:
“President Antonides has a point, where were the condemnations when the LNAC publicly executed the Ludvillian Government? Van Mathis had to die, he was just another tyrant, Like David Gray and Meinhard Frank. I wonder why the Izaakian President is condemning this, considering Izaakia’s history with political assassinations, why only focus on the Assassination of Van Mathis, and not the murder of Minister Ludov and his government. I can’t believe I would ever say this, but I would rather have President Blanc, at least she would be able to condemn both sides equally! To those who think the Starhawk Pact will declare war on Ludville, We will not attack unless attacked first. We’ve learned our lessons from the DCW and the Six-Hour War. I say this, we need help, primarily with trying to contain the damage a potential war would bring. We’ve managed to account for the LFA and the LDAF, but the Ludvillian Navy, currently located somewhere in the Mediterranean, is currently unaccounted for. It would a be great service to peace if somebody helped with finding the LDN, before they cause destruction somewhere else.”
Lyssa Fiore replied to statements from Frost and USI: "Now the LoC is the one at fault of the situation? Thalapadis has the right to do whatever they want with their national sovereignty. First the international community wants us to be more “democratic”, and now they want us to dictate actions from member?
We haven’t supported in any moment the attack to national sovereignty from Thalapadis, and it’s stated -explicitely- in our documents that we won’t ever as we are a -defensive- organization, unlike what Frost wants to believe we are to have a casus belli against the LoC.
If they want to apply sanctions against Thalapadis, fine, but we got nothing to do with this. Sorry that the once great empires are now seemingly scared of Cordilia for just being able to defend itself, life its unfair, specially to imperialist."
The Minister of Interior Fiore left the press roll without answering any periodists. Sources point to a possible meeting between LoC leaders for future sanctions and action plans in the Thalapadian-Ludvillan crisis.
When asked about the assasination of Van Mathis, 60% of Ikaranareans said they supported the action, while 20% said that they didn’t care.
The Ikaranarean government has indicated that it will not be making an official response to the situation.
A young woman used homemade bombs to attack police cars in Past that were carrying Terran Mandrake, head of the Pasten People’s Party. Three officers and Mandrake died, and the woman reportedly attempted to commit suicide after the incident, but she was apprehended too quickly. This is a developing story.
The Foreign Office repudiates claims of the Izaakian stance on the death penalty. Stating “It has been Izaakian domestic and foreign policy to oppose the death penalty ever since its foundation on Keyli.”
