Liberal Resurgence In Martian Senate Vote Dateline New Mars Q0 3206.215
With the votes now in and counted, the results of the 3206 Martian Senatorial elections have seen a resurgence for the main opposition Martian Liberal Welfare Party and the effective end of eight years of CDP dominance of the Senate, following the fall of Charles L Harness' CDP government over the Douglas Affair, and a recession that has hit the Association's economy. However, because only half of the Senate's 30 seats change hands during any single Senatorial
election, the victory is a partial one, and both the CDP and MLWP will be courting the other parties to try and form a coalition government.

Only the eight outer quadrants directly elect their representatives in a Quadrant-wide plebiscite. The other seats are all appointed by various bodies within the MAFC. The results discussed in full. (external link)

Following the vote the parties are split as follows:
Seats by Party affiliation: 3206 (3202)
Central Democratic Party: 8 (13)
Mars Colonial Growth Faction: 7 (6)
Martian Liberal Welfare Party: 8 (5)
Humanity's Future Party: 2 (2)
Free Mars Party: 3 (2)
New Helix Party: 1 (1)

Earth Senate Vote Confirms Imperial Ascendancy Dateline Sol, Q0 3206.206
The newly-elected Council of Representatives has performed its traditional first action; to select a new Council of Senators. Although the Imperial Party comprises only 25% of the CoR, it traditionally receives broad bipartisan support at Senatorial level, and a number of Republican and Populist representatives tend to vote for Imperial Senators. As a result the 3206-3211 Senate has remained largely unchanged, the most notable feature being the continuing rise of the far right Radical (or 'Real') Republican Party, which opposes rapprochement with the Venerian Republic, and which is believed to count the NeoPope and First Citizen among its supporters. The composition of the new Council of Senators is as follows:
Imperial Party 45%
Citizens Party 15%
Republican Party 5%
Radical Republicans 10%
Populist Party 15%
Non-afiliated 10%

As a result, the Senate looks set to confirm Lee Zhang as First Minister when it re-elects the Imperium, the Solar Republic's guiding body, later this year.

Wing and a Prayer Dateline Wing Q0, 3206.211
Serious Conflict has broken out on the northern continent of WIng between the New Baalian Colony and Corporation Colony 17.

The economy of this marginal world has been in decline in recent years, and it has only survived as a result of inward investment by the giant Hyperspace Technologies Corporation which has the largest hyperlynium synthesis plant in the Universe in orbit around Wing. The Corporation is also the biggest manufacturer of hyperspace drives in the UNiverse, it is estimated that around 45% of all hyperspace drives in service today have the HYPERTECH logo on them.

Planetside, there are four colonies on the world, the two main ones being formed from emigres from Baal and from Shamash. These two have expereinced poor relations since a border conflict some twenty years ago - and have been building up their arms progressively.
In the recent fighting, CC17 forces have occupied a major red mercury mining area in the Iron Thunder Hills, cutting off essential supplies to the New Baalians. A military build-up has ensued and an NBC counter-attack is widely expected soon - though without vital supplies of red mercury, their attack is unlikely to be sustained for long.

It is reported that the NBC colonial government has appealed for outside help, and negotiators from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds are attempting to defuse the crisis.

Meanwhile, the other two main colonial groupings, the Lone Wolf Colony and the People's Repuiblic of Wing are reportedly improving their defences.

Long term warfare on Wing is being widely regarded as destabilising, especially as it might affect the productivity of the Hypertech orbital factories. The Corporation is known to have hired additional mercenaries to protect its corporate property during the crisis, but analyists worry that if matters are unresolved Hypertech will have no option but to move their corporate base of operations - a base that has been at WIng for over a century.

Not a Show of Strength Dateline Amoss Q6 3206.178
Substantial elements of 9th Shock Fleet have arrived in orbit over Amoss as part of an unannounced ' Fleet Training Exercise'. This is in the wake of considerable anti-robot rioting on Amoss, and critical public statements by the local planetary government of the Republican governmentof the way the SSR operates in Q6. An official spokesperson categorically denied that this show of force was an attempt to intimidate the Amossians. However, a senior member of the Quadrant Politbureau is rumoured to have been with the fleet and is conducting crisis talks with Wolfgang Von Strucker, new President and leader of the majority Sirian Revolutionary Party on Amoss. Von Strucker was reportedly incensed at the arrival an octant ago of Ivan Steele, the well known and successful Sirian robot negotiator - refusing to even talk to what he called 'A blasted tin tinker toy'.
The SRP have been forming 'Local Security Volunteers', in effect an illegal militia, who have been allegedly secretly training in guerrilla warfare and have secret arms caches. The LSV have also been implicated in sabotage of robot factories and attacks on domestic robots in the street. A spokesperson for the LSV said "We are just local community initiative against the day the Exterminators return to Q6. We educate people in survival techniques and things like first aid and teach them to be self sufficient and not to depend on clankers"

LSV Volunteers 'Marching'

Douglas Q6 Formally leaves MAFC Dateline Douglas Q6 3206.180
After the 'invasion' Douglas has broken its long term ties with the MAFC. President Zemo, released without charge from Martian 'arrest' has placed the world on a war footing as he says it has demonstrated the imperialst and aggressive 'true nature' of the Martian-Clewgist Conspiracy. "It is only a matter of time before the imperialist Martians come and try to finish the job".
The new government's Special Security organisation has been given additional funding and extensively re-equipped to 'seek out and neutralise subversive elements within society'. A number of Martian sympathisers and 'subversive elements' have been rounded up and are awaiting trial under the new, strict, Fatherland Security legislation, in newly constructed 'temporary holding facilities' usually on remote islands,
The planet's armed militia is being expanded, equipped, it would seem with quite a few weapons 'accidentally' left behind by sympathetic Martian military personnel on withdrawal from the planet. Reports are that over 50,000 militia are under arms - though observers doubt their military effectiveness.
The planetary government of Blenda has also sent a semi-official 'Volunteer Brigade' to help their beleagured neighbours.

President Lilandra returns to office Shi'ar Q0, 3206.204
Following her aquittal in her trial for conspiracy to aid and abet piracy, the President of Shi'ar returned to office today. "Now we can set this whole ghasty business behind us" she told the press "I hope everyone will now understand that I, and my government, are totally, 100%, not pirates". 1,760 alleged pirates captured by Earth forces at the end of last year were found guilty and inprisoned under Shi'ar Law - some of them will be incarcerated for up to a century. There are reports that some of those arrested were 'redered' to Earth custody, and their fate remains unknown.