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Dateline
Gorilla Q0, 3204.330
Following initial reports of the reappearance of the mysterious
Alien Visitors from another universe at the independent system of
Gorilla, the Government of Gorilla instituted a massive and, it
would seem, well planned lockdown of the entire system. The last
reports to come out of the system indicated that all merchant ships
have been impounded, all traffic into and out of the system frozen,
and a 'shoot first' policy announced against anyone entering the
M25 without authority. All civil and nonessential communications
have also been blocked as their HSTS system is undergoing 'essential
diagnostics and overhaul'. Trade organisations were muted in their
protests, mainly because, it seems, they are being well compensated
for their inconvenience. In an official statement the Government
spokesperson said "This is a serious quarantine issue - so
long as the Aliens are in our system it is off limits to the rest
of the Universe." There have been howls of protest from Visitor
Watcher groups - people who were hoping to travel to Gorilla and
see these creatures and bid for their artifact. But these objections
have been largely ignored. The Supreme Humanity Command was asked
for their view on developments from a Defence point of view but
their press office was unable to comment at this stage.
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, Dateline New Draconis, Q7 3204.295
In a dramatic early morning raid the Chief Electoral Officer and most
of his staff were arrested today (3204.295) on charges of corruption
and conspiracy to commit electoral fraud.
This development has thrown the current tri-planetary referendum into
chaos and experts predict its postponing.
They say that the Chief Electoral Officer, Alfonso the Spaniard, has
long been suspected of incompetence and thought the
organisation of the Referenda was criminally bad the corruption charges
come out of the blue. Other evidence of the incompetence of the Electoral
Commission was the chaotically bad voter registration process on Legend.
Another reason to postpone the Referenda maybe the highly visible
goodwill visit of a flotilla of the RNV Navy
which had opponents crying foul and bandying accusations of voter
intimidation around.
The RNV electoral team brushed aside these accusations saying the
highly successful visit (see story and picture on pages 5,6 &
7-12) had been cleared with all governments and the Electoral Commission
and merely demonstrating the benefits of membership of the RNV.
No government spokesman was available for comment. |
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Dateline Offle, 3204.267
Offle has finally voted to join the RNV. After the first referendum
was wrecked by low turnout many observers thought
that Offle was just not that interested. And when the government
invoked a little known clause in the electoral law to
have a rerun only a year later people were questioning both the
propriety (see pages 4,5 & 12 for other stories about
the closeness of senior Ofili politicians to the RNV ambassador
and electoral team) and wisdom of those in power.
But both this decision and the one to invite the IEC to oversee
proceeding have been vindicated by a high turnout and decisive result
accepted by the
IEC.
Full Results:
Should Offle join a polity? yes 61% / no 39% Turnout 68%
Which polity should Offle join?
Greater Federation of Asteel (GFA) 4
Mars Association of Free Colonies (MAFC) 8
The Centauri Conglomerate (CG) 2
The Earth Empire (EE) 3
The Republic of New Venus (associate member) (RNV) 40
The Sirian Socialist Republic (SSR) 0
The Union of Xyon (UoX) 2
The Wolf359 Commonwealth (Wolf) 22
The Mald Foundation (Mald) 0
No preference 18
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| Dateline Orion Q4 3204.230
Further to our story last year 'Southernopolis in Flames, Dateline
Orion Q4, 3203.058'
Our reporter regrets to report the situation that had stabilised
is now worsening.
Large scale Ethnic cleansing and Civil war are about to break out
leading to a death toll in the millions and potential reducing the
planet back to the stone age. Yet again the big powers are either
fanning the flames or turning their backs.
The only polity to show any interest in this ongoing humanitarian
disaster is the Wolf Commonwealth whose under resourced local team
has been distributing aid and trying to mediate but really its worse
than a sticking plaster on a gaping wound.
The latest rumour is that the Wolfers-funded team are getting nowhere
and are preparing to leave - peaceful intervention has failed and
they are clearly wary of committing troops.
The Union of Xyon, the nearest polity has officially shown no interest
but seems to be unofficially encouraging the Clewgist oppression.
The government has been critised for weakness in the face of Clewgist
thuggery, the Reverend Elrond Roach of the New Davidian Elders said
'The National Party is in the Clewgist's pockets, we cannot share
the same land with them any more'. The Davidians also accused the
Clewgists of receiving support from Planum, a nearby Union of Xyon
world.
A government spokesman stated that Davidian aggression can not be
tolerated and a line must be drawn. Unofficial sources spoke of
an flood of Davidian civil servants and politicians leaving Southernopolis
for the provincial capital of Alberta.
It is this reporter's opinion that Orion is on the brink of disaster,
if the Wolfers pull out how much longer before this planet is a
ruin?
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. Dateline
R27 system, Q3 3204.257
The recently failed colony of R27 in the remoter part of quadrant
3 has had considerable difficulty evacuating colonists. The trouble
began when the colonists were unable to meet their harvest requirements
and had well below expectations on their red mercury recovery rate.
Corporate sponsors pulled the plug - too fast in some people's opinion,
and since the end of last year there has been an unseemly scramble
to leave the planet. This was exacerbated by a scavenger raid by
unidentified pirates, who stripped the already destitute survivors
of their remaining equipment.
Information is sparse, and estimates vary of between 20,000 and
50,000 starving colonists are barely subsisting - many deaths are
expected soon.
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Dateline Fancy Flower, Q8 3204.255
An in another failed colony, the survivors have been at each other's
throats. Complications arising from another poor colonists extraction
- the surviving few thousand have started fighting over remaining
technological equipment and the better irrigated farmland that remains.
Without technology, the combatants have been attacking each other
using pointed sticks and machetes. Reports say it is like something
out a historical trivid movie. Thousands have been killed already
in he fighting.
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Dateline
Oith Q7 3204.257
Rumours have emerged that the Venerian Colonial Government on Oith
is faced with a growing crisis over the primacy of local versus
Republican Law. Under the long-standing system of Republican Primacy,
local laws have always taken second place. It seems that there is
a vociferous movement planetside on Oith seeking to overturn this,
at least on the issue of taxation, apparently arguing that local
interests are insufficiently represented. Of course, the Venerian
Media are portraying this dissent at the work of agents provocateurs
and subversive elements, but a large number of representatives of
the Oith Independent Now Kaucus have left Venerian space to argue
their case. The local authorities have already explained that these
individuals will not be allowed back and are no longer citizens
of the Republic. Whether this is a crisis of any sort will depend
on just how much support this movement gains on the coming octants.
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Dateline Weygand Q6, 3204.299
The Imperial Audit office today announced the arrest of fourteen
defence procurement staff in the colonial office on Weygand, Q6.
The outcome of a year-long investigation by undercover IAO agents
the officials were having their 'pockets filled with credits by
contractors' according to the press release. A whole range of defence-related
contracts, including the local employment of 'security specialists'
were 'facilitated' by payments totaling nearly a million credits.
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