Greater Middle East

El Mundo

Abascal's anti-corruption efforts 'backfire' as Civil Guard conducts corruption investigation on Vox Populi members

Spain's Government Accountability Board (JRG), an agency under the direction of the Prosecution Ministry has opened an investigation into six members of the Vox Populi. On Friday, Luis Navajas who serves as Lieutenant Attorney General in the Ministry and also chairs the JRG announced that he was opening six different investigations into corrupt politicians within the Vox Populi. Among them are members within the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Presidency, and four members of the Spanish Parliament. Among the crimes listed by Navajo is embezzlement of public funds, accepting bribes and corruption. The JRG issued only two arrest warrants on Friday but warned that it would issue more as the investigations progressed. The people under investigation have been banned from leaving the country and have had their assets seized.

On Sunday, Vox Populi Secretary-General, Javier Ortega Smith announced that Prime Minister Santiago Abascal had fired the officials in question and banned them from the party. Ortega also issued an apology to Spaniards, but added that the Prime Minister's anti-corruption efforts were bearing fruit.
"Regardless of ideology, party affiliation or position, corrupt officials have no place in His Majesty's Government. These investigations prove that President Abascal's efforts to root out the corrupt and the wicked from Spanish politics is working." He told gathered party members in Madrid during a weekly party leadership meeting.

The JRG was created in mid-2019 by Prime Minister Santiago Abascal as part of his anti-corruption efforts he promised during the campaign trail. Using the Rajoy Government's corruption scandal which essentially collapsed the center-right People's Party, Abascal pledged to tackle Spain's corruption within government entities. The JRG, which is authorized by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and the Prosecution Ministry to carry out investigations against government officials and issue warrants with the approval of a judge has been responsible for over 50 investigations and 37 arrests since it was created in July of 2019. As of May of 2020, these numbers have exponentially increased to over 100 investigations and over 64 arrests. Many have criticized the agency as draconian and authoritarian, labeling it as unconstitutional. However, statistics have shown that over 86% of Spaniards approve of the JRG's efforts.

Spanish involvement in Libya to increase as aircraft carrier Javier I sets out for the Mediterranean

Spain's involvement in the Libyan Civil War, which had been negligible since it began earlier this year will be increased. This was announced by Prime Minister Santiago Abascal during a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Madrid regarding the Libyan Civil War and how Spain could assist its NATO allies. On Thursday, King Carlos VIII issued a Royal Proclamation authorizing the deployment of the Spanish Armada to the Mediterrenean in order to begin airstrikes against the forces of military dictator Field Marshal, Khalifa Haftar. The Spanish military stated that the Armada would be deploying the aircraft carrier, Javier I along with its escort composed of several frigates, corvettes, and supply ships. The carrier will bring a complement of F-35B aircraft and maritime reconaissance helicopters to assist in the operation.

Spain has also pledged to provide humanitarian assistance and long-term financial assistance for the eventual reconstruction of Libya after the war. The government has set aside a fund totaling $65 million to begin funding reconstruction efforts. In addition, Spain will join the United Provinces and other NATO countries in a joint humanitarian mission to ease the suffering of many civilians suffering due to the war. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs listed the items of aid that will be sent to Libya, these include:

- 20 Doctors and specialists
- 55 Nurses and other medical assistants
- 2 tonnes of medical regular medical supplies including PPE and over-the-counter medications
- 50 large portable tents to house hospitals and patients with air conditioning capacity.
- 2 CASA C-212 transport aircraft to move personnel and light cargo.
- 1 CASA C-235 transport aircraft for moving heavier cargo and personnel.
- 10 Iveco M-250 trucks for cargo transport
- 12 Spanish HMTV for personnel transport
- 4 NH90 helicopters for cargo and personnel transport.

The Spanish Government has also opened four centers in Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, and Valencia to receive donations from the general public to help Libyans in need.

Live | Gobierno Nacional

Tropical Storm Amanda Press Conference

^{Minister of the Interior Edmond Mulet: Good evening and thank you for joining this special press conference regarding to Tropical Storm Amanda. As many know, we are currently in a very delicate situation as a country. We are making every effort to move the country forward and this tropical storm puts us in a much more complicated situation that we will only be able to face if we have the support of the mayors and the population. All the emergency systems have been activated. We have already identified the whole issue of shelters, the evacuations that have been carried out, and we are applying all the protocols to guarantee the safety of our personnel. Until now, we have unfortunately registered 13 deaths, 10 of them being in El Salvador and 3 of them in Guatemala. We deeply regret this event and send our sincerest condolences to the affected families. In the morning hours, we had more than 1,537 shelters enabled, with more than a one thousand five hundred families sheltered, in which were located in various departments of the provinces of Guatemala, El Salvador and also the national district. We continue working, this is just a preliminary figure of what we have until this hour. Resources have already been allocated, but before we can determine the amounts of damage, we have to carry out the evaluations and our teams are already in the affected territories, doing all the evaluations regarding to infrastructure and human damage. The country is currently in an emergency, the government is responding to this emergency and the President is taking the necessary measures to protect the population. We counting on the public's collaboration so that together with the government we can get ahead. We would like to thank the French and British gover for their humanitarian assistance, their help is saving lives and bringing hope to those affected. I would like to remind the public that these are information gathered from the National Coordinator of Disaster Reduction, as of right now the CONRED had comfirmed the descalation of the tropical storm to a tropical depression. Tropical Depression Amanda will be heading north towards the gulf states and will affect the provinces of Belize, Santa Cruz, Yucatan, Campeche, and Tabasco. More information will be released in another press conference in fallowing hours. Thank you for tuning in and god bless. "}

Board of Rites

The Board of Rites has concluded its meeting with President Fadil bin Rasheed of the Kra Republic (Seri Sayam).

Under the terms of this new agreement, the Kra Republic agrees to provide full autonomous rule for all Thai people living within the Kra, guaranteed by the nation's Constitution and accountable to the nations of Siam and the TSPR. Modelled after the Zhen "special administrative regions", it is expected to provide equal rights to a population that has been systematically oppressed by the minority Malay populace since the end of World War 2.

Extra compensation has also been warranted for the Wang family, who saw 2 of their kin killed in the Kra shelling of a Siamese border town.

In the meeting, the President was made to kneel three times on the ground and touch his head nine times to the ground, prostrating before the Empress.

Following the end of the meeting, the Zhen military intervention in the Kra Republic has been ordered to conclude. Various expeditionary units will retreat to their bases within the TSPR, while the Board of War has pledged to hold off from any "punitive strikes within Kra soil".

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Board of Works

The Board of Works has announced that it would be supporting various international small businesses, in an attempt to mitigate the global economic contraction caused by COVID-19.

50,000 random enterprises across the developing world (see: Asia, S. America, Oceania, and Africa) will receive $420,000 ZGD worth of cash, mailed or delivered to them. It is hoped that this cash can be used to compensate for lost business, or to ensure that workers can still be kept on payroll - especially in low-income countries.

The Houston Chronicle
Nashville Crash: 1 Dead, 1 Injured
^6/1/2020

This morning, a stolen vehicle was pursued to a busy intersection by state and local police on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee. The crash ensuing killed the driver of the vehicle and injured a father of four.

The driver of the stolen automobile was identified as Fred Jackson, a resident of Memphis, Tennessee with a history of petty thieving and alcoholism. Mr. Jackson was unmarried and unemployed, living with his brother Chris. He was spotted climbing into a red corvette with Virginia license plates at a gas station located north of Franklin, Tennessee at 6:46 A.M. this morning, Central Standard Time. When the owner of the vehicle attempted to intervene, Mr. Jackson stepped on the gas and barreled out onto the highway, knocking over two trash cans and breaking a stop sign. The owner of the vehicle at once phoned the police, who arrived at the scene at 6:58. Following emergency calls from two separate motorists at 7:04 and 7:09, describing a man in a red corvette who tried to run them off the road, police pinpointed his destination as Nashville and at once gave chase.

Jackson evaded capture in the stolen vehicle until 8:03, when he t-boned a truck at an intersection just outside Nashville. Jackson was killed instantly in the crash, while the truck's airbag saved its occupant, 34-year-old Bryce Lewis, a father of four living in Brentwood, Tennessee. Mr. Lewis suffered a broken arm but is reportedly in good condition, with no chance of long-term medical issues due to the crash. He is currently receiving treatment at a Davidson County hospital. The police, who arrived only four minutes after the crash at 8:07, inspected the corvette and declared it to be unsalvageable. Fred Jackson was pronounced dead on sight by paramedics. Extremely high amounts of marijuana have been found in Jackson's system, which may explain the incident.

On Monday evening, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed conflicting reports that 17 Individuals had Been arrested in Balochistan Province on Charges of Terrorism through Collaboration with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) who have for the Past Decade pursued a Policy of Baloch Nationalism which they have used to justify their Attacks against Local Forces and Civilians prompting not only the state but also the United Kingdom and United States to designate them as a "Terrorist Organisation". Despite the US and UK's support for the Pakistani government against its fight against the BLA, it has been alleged by many Independent Sources that the Pakistani Forces often resort to Harsh means of suppression such as Assasinations, Arrests and Forced Disappearances. Despite these claims, the Government has repeatedly denied any wrong doing stating that the High military presence in the Area is attributed to the terrorist activities that are carried out. Since 2006, a ban on Local and Foreign Journalists has been placed since "the atmosphere is not safe"

The ISPR has provided no further details relating to the identities of these individuals, issuing a statement that " Yesterday, Pakistan Armed Forces connducted another Brave and Courageous Operation against Terrorist Collaboraters in Balochistan Province, 17 suspected individuals were arrested

!لانگ لائیو پاکستان آرمی
!پاکستان زندہ باد"

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It Remains to be seen whether the Arrested Individuals are Tried in Court