Unprecedented Interest in Offle Dateline Offle Q4, 3204.175

With just 55 days to go before the rerun of last years lacklustre referendum Offle is swept by voting fever. All 17 planetary parties are enthusiastically campaigning and polls predict a record turnout of at least 73%. What a fickle bunch these Ofili's are. Uniquely all major polities have been entered in the ballot including The Mald Foundation (though they only have 0.3% support and wouldn't accept Offle anyway!). See below for latest opinion poll. If there is no clear winner there will be a second round between the top two groups 10 days later.
It is rumoured that several polities including the RNV and The Wolf Commonwealth are pulling out all stops to woo Offle. One resident said 'They'll be handing out steak knives next'. A representative of the IEC stated that the actions of all participating polities are open and above board and that auditors and observers are making this election one of the
most rigorous in recent history.

Pundits point to the embarrassingly low level of support for Earth on the planet lower even than Mald! They point to a widespread feeling thought Q4 that they're being ignored by Earth.
An Earth Q4 Governor Thornton representative said 'It's well known that Offle was settled by malcontents and fugitives from the Earth Empire and that juvenile anti-Earth prejudice is still taught in their schools. And yes, we're just not that interested in Offal. But we are, jointly with Asteel, the largest polity in Q4 so you can't say we're not interested in Q4
cause we are! D Brent the leader of the Brains Party (pro-Mald) said 'If we had brains we'd be dangerous'

Callous Crime Deplored on Deenar. Dateline 3204.175 Deenar Q7
Imperial authorities have introduced a security clampdown on Deenar after a criminal gang escaped with over 10 million credits in funds destined for the relief effort on the world. According to local COPs, the gang stuck suddenly, taking advantage of the preoccupation of the local police and government on ameliorating the effects of last octant's massive flooding. It is reported that the gang broke into the secure strongroom in the Deenar Planetary Bank's vault in Plus Eight City, via the high class sauna next door, then escaped down the nearby flooded river in a submersible (itself only possible due to the unusually high level of the river being experienced at present). The Deenar Chief of Police said "Have no fear, these callous and unprincipled curs will soon feel my hand on their collars. Its is only a matter of time".

Ancient Shipwreck Dateline Masada Q0, 3204.211
Xyonist Scientists and IFF experts are reported to be ecstatic at the find of what seems to be the remains of a crashed Forerunner starship. The framework, buried deep in peat, shows the outline of a large spherical ship that may have attempted to land, and crashed, in a very marshy area some 200,000 years ago.
Work is at an early stage, but it is hoped by the experts that this will give humanity a huge insight into forerunner space travel.

Reactor Leak Kills 50 Dateline Big Red, Q7, 3204.151
There was widespread mourning for the 50 workers killed in Rouge City on Big Red, the Esteeler colony, during the recent containment failure on City Reactor 502. Experts are studying the wreckage to search for a cause - and initial indications are corrosion on an input/output manifold in the Ness convertor. According to locals the fusion reactor was poorly maintained by the Big Red Energy Company - though a spokesperson for the company was unavailable for comment. This will have a big effect locally as the city's other reactors may not be able to match demand in the short term, causing power blackout and the possibility of short term power rationing.

Dangerous Archeology, Dateline Anderson Q6, 3204.191
The GFA civil authorities on Anderson, Q6, with the help of the local military have cordoned off and are closely guarding a newly discovered forerunner site. Unconfirmed reports are that a number of people have died whilst exploring an ancient subterranean structure - allegedly as a result of 'pressing the wrong buttons' it is rumoured. Officialdom is tightlipped"We are waiting for the IFF to send someone who can deal with this" a military spokesperson said.

Hedronn Rocked by Quake, Dateline Hedronn Q3, 3204 195
A state of emergency was declared throughout the northern continent of Hedronn Q3 as the continent was hit by a massive planetquake. This was the largest such quake to hit the colony since its first founding 25 years ago. Initial estimates indicate that over 9,000 casualties were caused and a number of small towns have been completely destroyed. On-world services are working flat out to attempt to rescue possible survivors, and to reestablish the infrastructure, but activity has been hampered by severe weather. Hedronn is a poor colony, and this disaster is not going to help its prospects for the future.

Drug Crackdown Dateline Owl, Q2, 3204159
Just under 2,000 people have been arrested in a ten-day crime crackdown involving thousands of COPs across the whole of the planet of Owl III. Officers seized 100kg of class A drugs in Barn City alone and recovered 500,000 credits under the Proceeds of Crime Act during the blitz. It is announced that a similar coordinated crackdown will be repeated once an octant until the end of the year. The aim is to reduce all types of crime across the planet by gathering information on criminals and making COPs visible on the streets. Officers used spaceport-style scanner search arches and specially-trained dogs at rapid transit stations to target drug dealers. Groundcars and flyers were checked and various addresses were raided in the capital city

Njord Suffers Worst Ever Cold Snap Dateline Njord, Q0, 3404.201
Climatologists are hurriedly revising their models of Njord II's climate as the southern hemisphere suffered its worst winter in the history of human colonisation of the planet. Snowdrifts up to 20 feet deep cut communications and severe blizzards ground all flights and forced much reduced planetside to orbital traffic. Over 111 people have died from hypothermia, and the emergency services are reported as being 'overstretched' t present. Climatologists are saying that this cold snap should only last a relatively short time, and that people should 'hunker down and wait for it to pass'.