Le Messagero

[Ebrary]

Le Messagero is the oldest newspaper currently published in Ebrary, first published in 1891. It is headquartered in Ceres, the capital of Ebrary, and is considered the Ebrarian newspaper of record.

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PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW EXTENDING COVERAGE TO CHILDREN
30/08/2021

The Senate voted to approve the State Medical Coverage for Minors Act, which extends coverage under the National Christian Healthcare Fund to all children under the age of 12. Despite intense lobbying against the bill by President Carlos Renaldo, a cross-party coalition of sympathetic members of the Ecumenical Dominionist Party and every member of the Farmer-Labor Party pushed the bill forward, and the bill passed the Popular Assembly last month. The Senate had an intensely debated session, but ultimately the bill was pushed through today with a narrow majority. It is not expected that the Sovereign Protector will use his veto to strike the law down, and President Renaldo has effectively conceded defeat on the issue.

This has been heralded as a landmark victory by Assemblyman Jon Carlo, Leader of the Farmer-Labor Party. Carlo's party broke with their usual alliance with the president's Center Reformists, citing the need to reduce the cost of childcare in an era when Ebraria is experiencing below-replacement fertility rates and net migration out of the country to find work. President Renaldo has generally pushed for market-based reform, which has caused some friction with the Farmer-Labor Party. However, both parties remain committed to economic development and have consistently isolated the formerly dominant Ecumenical Dominionist Party and sidelined its focus on social and religious issues.

The bill is expected to reduce premiums for Ebrarian families, although critics cite it as an expensive increase in government spending at a time when the government cannot afford to spend more. Proponents counter that Ebrary does not currently spend an obscene amount on healthcare, at only 7.5% of GDP. The previous law mandated the purchase of health insurance by employed adults which would cover their dependent children, with exceptions for those of low income, so the new law merely extends the coverage under the exception to all children under 12. State contributions to medical savings accounts of families covered by the law will not be changed, and the new law will not affect the Special Medical and Pharmaceutical Fund for the elderly and disabled. 

Edited September 1, 2021 by Ebrary (see edit history)

[Ebrary]

Below is an article from Le Dissension, an underground newspaper in Ebrary:

DANIEL LUCAS COULD DIE ANY DAY
13.09.2021
By: Anonymous

Though it is becoming more difficult to get information from the inner circle of the Sovereign Protector, our sources can confirm that Daniel Lucas has suffered a series of debilitating heart attacks in recent weeks. We all know in recent years he has made fewer and fewer public appearances, however the government has put up a facade to fool the public into believing their dear leader's health was under no immediate threat. More details are hard to come by, but rest assured that the facts we bring you are true.

President Carlos Rendalo has been more and more active in governing the nation than past presidents precisely because Lucas's health (and influence) has been waning. Though we are no fan of Renaldo and his support of the current theocracy, his liberalizing influence is certainly a modest improvement. We can only pray that the result of this development with improve the freedom of the Ebrarian people, and not replace Lucas with an even worse dictator over our once proud, free nation. Keep an eye out for agents of the so-called-Christian Defense Legion. As their commander-in-chief becomes more ill, they will surely become more violent against dissidents.

Viva Libertate! Viva Ebraria! Viva Le Dissension!
 

[Ebrary]

GOVERNMENT CELEBRATES FEAST DAY OF ST. MARCUS EBRAIUS
29.09.2021

President Carlos Renaldo gave his annual speech commemorating the Feast Day of St. Ebraius, founder of Ceres and namesake of the Ebrarian nation. Banks, businesses, and government offices have been shuttered in honor of the holiday, which is recognized by the national government and most churches including the major Ebraricist, Christenist, and Orthodox denominations. The speech was given in the Rose Gardens at Castello Providence in Ceres, residence of the Sovereign Protector. Daniel Lucas made a short appearance at the event, but did not speak as has been his custom for some time. 

Repeat blooming roses were out in full force at the event, with most of the cabinet, the High Ecumenical Council, and many leaders from the three major parties attending. Renaldo touched upon topics of faith and family, steering clear of the hot-button domestic economic issues which have defined his presidency. However, the president did touch upon foreign policy, mentioning that it is "the clear way forward" for Ebrary to "forge closer bonds with our Christian brethren abroad against very real and powerful threats." 

The various Ebrarian officials then sat down and broke bread together, having an outdoor, public meal, with the president flanked on both sides by the leader of coalition partner the Farmer-Labor Party on one side and the leader of the Ecumenical Dominionist Party on the other side. This has been the tradition of the Christian Commonwealth since the Feast Day of St. Ebraius was first celebrated under the modern constitution in 1983. Although, it has only been held in the Rose Garden irregularly since Castello Providence became the Sovereign Protector's residence in 1987. The meal is meant to symbolize domestic unity and togetherness, and emphasize the Christian bonds which bind Ebrary together. Sovereign Protector Daniel Lucas left before the meal, the first time he has not attended the meal since the 1991 when he was recovering from gallbladder surgery. 

Ebrarians around the country are also celebrating with family meals, as this popular holiday has long been a sort-of "Ebrarian Thanksgiving". It has not always been a peaceful day, however. In 2005, the terroristic separatist organization Gallasian Wildcats planted bombs in the Ceres Stock Exchange. The explosion caused great damage to the building and injured four security guards, but the exchange itself was empty due to the holiday. 

President Carlos Renaldo ended his remarks by leading a prayer for the "hopes of the future of Ebrary's children." Certainly, the current president is intent on forging a new and different future for Ebrary.

[Ebrary]

PARLIAMENT PASSES POPULATION ACT
15.11.2021

The Population Growth and Immigration Reform Act, or Population Act for short, has just passed the Ebrarian Senate after having passed the Popular Assembly days ago. The bill originated with President Renaldo's Center Reformist Party (PRC), but was significantly overhauled after being blocked by the Farmer-Labor Party (PFL). The Renaldo administration has been pushing for an increase in immigration to Ebrary in order to grow the Ebrarian economy but has been stymied by PFL consistently. However, the new bill was drafted to include many proposals on domestic population policies which have been supported by the PFL.

The stated intention of the bill is to stop Ebrarian economic and population decline by both increasing immigration and boosting Ebrarian birthrates. Currently Ebrary has a negative net migration rate and sub-replacement fertility, and has experienced a declining population for some years. Wages in Ebrary continue to be low enough that significant numbers of Ebrarians emigrate to other countries temporarily or permanently to find work.

While the act does little to address wages, it attempts to boost birth rates with a reduction in taxes and an increase in payments to married couples with three or more children. Paid family leave has also been extended for fathers specifically. As well, the new law also funds a media campaign to promote marriage and large families in Ebrary. On the opposite end, immigration limits have been more than doubled to accommodate a lack of skilled workers. Immigrants who are eligible to apply for citizenship or permanent residency are still required to be professing Christians in almost all cases, but this requirement has been lifted for highly-skilled temporary workers who are expected to leave the country on the expiration of their work visas.

Low-skilled workers are also seeing a modest increase in limits, as well as refugee caps. In return, the law is funding expanded religious and language education for immigrants, as well as a sharp increase in funding for immigration enforcement.

The bill is not expected to be vetoed by Sovereign Protector Daniel Lucas, who has remained out of the public eye for many months. President Renaldo (PRC) is touting the bill as a great win for his party, as is Deputy President Abraham Morgano (PFL). The bill received opposition by the Ecumenical Dominionists (PDE), with only one third of their Parliamentarians voting for the law.

[Ebrary]

BILLIONAIRE JON PETRACAMPO DEAD IN HOTEL ROOM
10.01.2022

Jon Petracampo III, richest man in Ebary, died today in a hotel room in Egschwil during a business trip from his home and business headquarters in Ceres. Causes are unknown and he was 63 years of age. Petracampo was the grandson of a Dolchic architect named Johannes Steinfelder, who arrived in Ebrary during the 1910s and subsequently designed a number of buildings for the Ebrarian monarchs leading up to the Ebrarian Civil War. Johannes changed his name to Jon Petracampo upon recieving Ebrarian citizenship. His son, Jon Petracampo Jr., invested in the coal industry and was vital in its build-up during the restored Ebrarian monarchy. The recently deceased Petracampo's only son, Marco Petracampo, is set to inherit the largest fortune in Ebrary and a controlling interest in Petracampo Motores, producer and designer of natural gas engines, as well as a large interest in the Prime Carbon coal company. While his father Jon was largely non-political in public, Marco has been a vocal supporter of the current Ebrarian president Carlos Renaldo.

[Ebrary]

HIGH COUNCIL ISSUES EDICT ON ETHNIC AURIVIZHT IN EBRARY
17.01.2022

The High Ecumenical Council of Ebrary has issued an edict, with force of law, recognizing some 150,000 Aurivizht people in Ebrary as a recognized ethnic minority on par with Gallasians and Vorsts. This comes after proposed legislation in parliament has met opposition by Vorstish members of the Popular Assembly (lower house of the Ebrarian Parliament). Leadership in parliament still expect to pass a law recognizing the Aurivizht which will supersede the new council edit upon taking effect as legislation, but opposition slows the process. The new edict is narrower in scope than expected legislation, and makes no mention of any special regard given to the Aurivizht language.

The edict also has non-binding portions declaring the respect Ebrary has for the Catholic faith, while still reiterating their wish that all citizens of Ebrary (including ethnic Aurivizht) would believe in the tradition of the Amendant Christian faith. Currently, Catholics in Ebrary (of which many Aurivizht in Ebrary identify) are a small minority with the right to openly worship and proselytize, but lack certain privileges granted to majority and mainstream Amendant denominations.

All of this occurs in the wake of heightened tensions in the Yeetland region after the leadership of Aurivizh made comments supporting irredentism of areas populated by ethnic Aurivizh peoples in Ebary and Gotneska.

[Ebrary]

PARLIAMENT ENSHRINES EBRARIAN AURIVIZHT AS OFFICIAL MINORITY
26.01.2022

The "Aurivagnos in Ebrary Act" has been passed by the Ebrarian Senate after passing the Popular Assembly days ago, becoming law. The new act repeals the recent High Ecumenical Council "Edict Concerning the Aurivagnos in Ebrary", reinforcing and expanding upon the provisions in the original council edict. After a compromise with Vorstish PMs, the act designates Aurivizht as a "minority language" while Vorstish and Gallasian languages are deemed both "minority languages" and "regional languages".

The new act reconfirms the council edict's designation of ethnic Aurivizht citizens of Ebrary (now officially termed Aurivagnos in Ebraria) as a recognized minority. It also permanently expands the portfolio of the Secretariat of Ethnic Affairs to include the interests of Aurivagnos in Ebraria. Funding has been allocated for Aurivizht language preservation and education, and all Ebrarians may now request official forms and documents in the Aurivizht language beginning 1 Jan 2023. The publishing of a dictionary of the Ebrarian dialect of Aurivizht has been reconfirmed, and more funding has also been allocated to this endeavor. The act also grants a general increase in funding for the Secretariat of Ethnic Affairs.

EBRARIAN ARMY ENGAGES IN MOBILIZATION EXERCISES
26.01.2022

The Ebrarian Army has engaged in unannounced mobilization and deployment exercises today, in order to showcase the Ebrarian military's combat capability. The Ministry of Defense issued a short statement:

Quote

The Ebrarian Army underwent routine exercises today to demonstrate our ability to mobilize and deploy forces quickly throughout our nation. Ebrary is committed to peace and security in our region, and exercises like these help our armed forces stay well-practiced and ensure that our citizens know they are safe. We assure the people of Ebrary that there nothing to be alarmed concerning these military exercises, and care has been taken to keep from disrupting major areas of commerce or travel.

The Ebrarian military, when exercising, stayed at least 35 miles from the border with neighboring @Aurivizh. However, increased patrols are still maintained at the aforementioned border. It is unclear how this will impact the situation in the Yeetland region.

[Ebrary]

Ebrarians react to outbreak of civil conflict in Baltica

07.03.2022

It is now well-known to the wurld that civil war has broken out in Baltica, a country in Central Argis. Multiple major and minor powers are now involving themselves in the conflict both directly and indirectly. The Ebrarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning to Ebrarian nationals to avoid the area of Baltica and for all Ebrarian nationals in Baltica to vacate the country immediately. Other than this warning, the Ebrarian government has remained neutral concerning the conflict. 

The All Ebrary Companions Association (ACEO), the largest group of Lamenters in Ebrary, has issued a declaration calling for prayer and charity to help alleviate the suffering caused by the war. The statement contains the following,

Quote

"We Companions pray, and call upon the wurld to pray, for peace and understanding in Baltica, which has recently been plunged into the dark pit of war. We believe that violence is never the answer, and urge the factions in Baltica and the international community to seek a peaceful resolution to this sad state of affairs. It is also important for all the wurld to show brotherly love and help the Balticans who are victims of violence and brutality. We give our prayers and love to the Balticans and the wurld."

Many Lamenter churches have held late night prayer services for peace. Lamenters represent a visible religious minority in Ebrary, having historically opposed military conflict.

However, not all Ebrarians feel the same. Notable controversial Christenist writer, talk radio host, and pastor Carolo Galano has openly challenged the Lamenters, saying that peacekeeping intervention is necessary to reduce the number of deaths. In addition, he attacked their pacifism as "naive and dangerous". Galano is a noted critic of President Carlos Renaldo, and has openly disagreed with his foreign policy. He also states that the civil war is a "sign of the end times" and that it is "Ebrary's destiny" to fight on the side of God in the coming struggles around the wurld. In the recent past, Galano was highly critical of the concessions made to the Aurivizh minority after the "Speech of Hate." Galano was fined in 2017 for hate speech when he made comments critical of the Gallasian minority, but his popularity has only grown since and the Renaldo administration has been largely loathe to prosecute far-right critics of government policy.

In addition, the small Ebrarian Orthodox Church has issued a call for prayer in support of peace and the Ahranaian peacekeepers in particular, due to Ahrana's status as a majority-Orthodox country.

[Ebrary]

RENALDO MOVES TO FORM OWN POLITICAL PARTY AHEAD OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
21.03.2022

President Carlos Renaldo of Ebrary

President Carlos Renaldo of Ebrary has officially resigned from the Center Reformist Party amid a row with high-ranking party leadership over the structure of the party and the continued “unity cabinet” with Ecumenical Dominionist Party and the Farmer-Labor Party. The unity cabinet, formed under informal advice from the Sovereign Protector, has been increasingly strained. Renaldo has for some time been openly critical of the current power-sharing arrangement, which has hampered his ability to enact policy. While this has thrown the current administration into crisis, Renaldo has made no moves to remove members of the current Cabinet.

Unnamed sources state that Renaldo is in talks with allies in his own party as well as receptive members of the other two major parties to form a new political party before the October legislative elections. While the three major parties in the Popular Assembly both have roughly equal shares of the vote, the next election could upset this balance.

The Sovereign Protector’s High Protectorate Office has issued a statement urging Renaldo to maintain the current cabinet arrangement and calling for cooperation among Ebrary’s political faction for the greater good of the nation. However, no direct comments from Sovereign Protector Daniel Lucas have been forthcoming, typical of his recent silence in recent months.

President Renaldo gave a speech today concerning the matter, a relevant excerpt is below,

“The current bureaucracy of the Center Reformist Party has forced my hand, and I am resigning from the party effective immediately. I seek to forge new alliances and build a better organization which will serve the interests of all of the Ebrarian people and our great Christian heritage, instead of merely serving the interests of those who are too afraid of rocking the boat to do what is right. We sit idly by and wait while the wurld will pass us by! I ask all Ebrarians who care about this country’s future to join me. We will stand for strength, morality, and prosperity. I represent strong leadership in an era when we are dangerously close to slipping into weak oligarchy.”

The leadership of the Farmer-Labor Party and the Ecumenical Dominionist Party have both expressed negative views of the move by the current President, but some MPAs (Members of the Popular Assembly) from both parties have state their support for this move and have hinted at a willingness to join a new party.

However, opinion polls are on his side, with the President having a 58% approval rating according to most recent averages. Meanwhile, the current political parties (including the PRC which Renaldo just resigned from) have lower approval ratings. Analysts believe that Renaldo is cutting out unpopular dead weight in an effort to form a big tent coalition to help him increase his power as the current Sovereign Protector ages and withdraws from politics. However, this is a gamble as we are six months from the election. Renaldo will have to act fast to avoid being a president with no allies in the legislature.

[Ebrary]

RENALDO FORMS CHRISTIAN PEOPLE'S PARTY
28.03.2022

Carlos Renaldo, in conjunction with high-level defectors from all three major political parties, held a news conference today to announce the formation of the new Christian People's Party (Ebrarese: Partito Popular Christian; PPC). The new party is branded as a big-tent party, meant to unite the Ebrarian people. Other noteworthy individuals who have defected to the new party include Deputy President Abraham Morgano (formerly Farmer-Labor Party) and Minister of Education Jon Albo (formerly Ecumenical Dominionist Party). All three men were present today at the news conference, broadcast on state television.

In addition, a slate of candidates were announced for the party-list portion of the Ebrarian Popular Assembly election. Fifteen constituency seats in the Popular Assembly, mostly of Renaldo's former party the Center Reformists, have also defected to the new party, as well as two Senators. Renaldo has left open the option for any member of the Popular Assembly or the Senate to join the new PPC.

The party's provisional platform as revealed today endorses Ebrary's Christian nationhood and increased international trade. Domestically, it breaks with Renaldo's previous positions on trade unions by supporting moderate labor rights. The party promises to defend Ebrary's utility cooperatives and state-owned industries against privatization. The platform pledges to reduce healthcare and energy costs for Ebrarians. Most controversially, the party has endorsed the ability of women to be elected to the Popular Assembly and serve in the Ebrarian Cabinet.

Spokesmen for the established political parties have issued strong statements condemning this move by Renaldo as a betrayal of the current unity government. The campaign season for them has started in earnest, but it seems the most attention has been drawn to the new Christian People's Party as Renaldo maintains record approval numbers. Only time will tell how this gamble plays out for Renaldo and his allies.

[Ebrary]

CHRISTIAN PEOPLE'S PARTY POLLS AT RECORD HIGHS
11.07.2022

President Carlos Renaldo's Christian People's Party (PPC) has officially polled at its highest numbers since formation in March. The poll, performed by the Ebrarian Numbers Group, shows support for the PPC at 38% of the electorate, projecting a win of the plurality of seats. The data was collected in late June and has just been released. By contrast, Renaldo's former party the Center Reformist Party is polling at last.

The poll comes after multiple recent polls have established that most Ebrarians support President Carlos Renaldo for a second term. A poll in April found that the majority of Ebrarians rank the new PPC as either their first or second choice. Ebrarian Numbers Group also explored the question of what direction PPC supporters want the new party to go in. 55% of them supported more workers and union rights while 78% want to see the party expand trade and the military.

Currently the PPC stands as the smallest party in the Parliament, comprised solely of defectors from other parties. In addition, the current cabinet has surprisingly remained intact due largely to the influence of the head of state Sovereign Protector Daniel Lucas. The aging Lucas has continued to only make few and brief public appearances, but still has a firm grasp on the issues affecting the Ebrarian people and government.