Belfrasian News Network [BNN|News]

by **Belfras** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:21 am

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History · Headquarters · Authority · Careers · Associated press

BNN History
The Belfrasian News Network started in 1870 as a government-run news regulatory body for the nations newspapers or town criers. As technology progressed, as did the BNNs jurisdiction. Eventually, in 1962, the company went private after Parliament voted to end all executive powers on the corporation.

Work in progress

BNN Locations
The Belfrasian News Network maintains thirteen complexes, eight of which are used as provincial broadcasting centers. The remaining five are the Technology exhibition, Wolfspire Academy, Goldfield Studios, Nos Tellis broadcasting station and the Isn Deslen Headquarters.

Work in progress

BNN Authority
The Belfrasian News Network is run by a board of twenty-two individuals, the chief among which is the Chairman/woman. These twenty-two board members are privately wealthy but publically known individuals that, between them, control the Networks. They are still subject to common law and, as such, swear fealty to the Monarch of Belfras and its territories, even if they are not natively born.

The current chairman, Sir Edgar Rovenson, has been the chairman for close to fifteen years. As chairman he has expanded the BNN to encompass all of Belfras'

Work in progress

BNN Careers
We are always looking for new talent and those eager to join our ranks. Below you'll find a link and brief description of what we're looking for and what the job originally entails. Chairman Rovenson wishes you the best of luck!

Reporters
Link to Reporter job page
If you wish to become a reporter, we are seeking people who can feel comfortable in front of the camera in many countries around the world. You will be required to present proof of primary and secondary schooling and if over the age of twenty-eight proof of university qualifications in Journalism and have a history of reporting.

If you're under the age of twenty and wish to sign up after secondary school, feel free to post an application at the Junior Reporter section. If accepted, you will be sent to the BNN academy in Wolfspire Academy which will lead you to gaining qualifications necessary to becoming a reporter for the Belfrasian News Network. After a five-week training course you will begin with short network broadcasts which will be taped for review. As you progress you will eventually make a provincial-wide reporting broadcast about a news story that you will be tasked with covering. Once you graduate from Wolfspire Academy you will be given the full title of Reporter.

Presenters
Link to Presenter job page
Being a presenter is a demanding job that focuses heavily on your ability to connect to the audience, look the part, and speak in solid and fluent English. Should you choose this career path you will be inducted as a trainee and be taught by the BNNs past and present presenters prior to making recorded presentations of old and new news stories which you will be required to cover in full. As your training progresses and your level of comfort in front of the camera grows you will eventually be called to give live presentations on county and provincial news networks. At this point your career depends on yourself and your local network and it is up to you to work your way to national presentation.

Correspondents
Link to Correspondent job page
Correspondents are the written news that so often accompanies reporters and presenters giving live coverage of events around the globe. You will be required to move between countries in order to gain access to resources, sources, and sometimes give interviews with people involved. This can be from a victim of a crime to the Prime Minister and even the Monarch. When you are accepted you will be a junior Correspondent that will work under one of our main correspondents, who can be found below. Under them you will watch and learn, and act as a member of their retinue as they go about their jobs for the Belfrasian News Network. This can involve anything from fetching them drinks, preparing recording material, or fact and spell checking all public releases.

The leading Correspondents of BNN will eventually give you promotions to increase your position until they decide you're ready to become a Correspondent in your own right, at which point you will be writing publications that will be checked by your mentors prior to release. At this point you will be required to have five publications before you will be reviewed by the senior board. Once you pass this stage, you will be a full-time Correspondent in charge of multiple trainees.

BNN Associated Press

by **Belfras** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:29 am

BNN Breaking news

• 17 APRIL 2014 — Belfrasian and Estovakivan businesses in historic trade agreement

BNN Correspondents
This is a list of top-tier correspondents that work for the Belfrasian News Network. For a full list of Correspondents, reporters, presenters, and journalists visit BNN.bs/staff

Political Correspondents
Gary Mitchell (@TheMitchell)
Nathaniel Ridgewood (@RidgewoodNate)
Oscar Herrenford (@HerrenfordOscar)
Foreign Correspondents
Mark Walker (@MarkWalker)
Hannah Montell-Wright (@HannahMWonwri)
Amanda Ridgestone (@AmandaRidgestone)
Theodore Umber (@UmberTeddy)
Stuart Kiley (@StuartBNNKiley)
Samuel Ramsay (@TheRamsaySam)
Royal Correspondents
William Brandy (@BrandTheWillie)
Tobias Montell-Wright (@MontellTobias)
Health Correspondent
Dr. Sebastian Cortson (@BNNHealth)
Robert Leistweister (@BNNHealth)

Entertainment Correspondents
Melissa Van Vortun (@VanVortun)
Eduard Viegate (@StuartViegate)
Crime Correspondents
Josiah Menfries (@FrytheMensJosiah)
Eduard Cantauf (@CanttellifEduard)
Sports Correspondents
Jamie Hunstead (@BNNSports)
Alice Layson (@BNNSports)
Nicholas Greystone (@BNNSports)
Business Correspondents
Nicki Patridge (@BNNBusiness)
Paul Morthin (@BNNBusiness)
Science & Technology Correspondents
Zack Yurnsgate (@BNNTech)
Rebecca Keinsdale (@BNNScience)
Sebastian Redlon (@BNNTech)
Kevin Oldfield (@KevinOldfield) - Belfrasian Space Agency correspondent.

BNN Twitter

Twitter Chains

Hot tweets

BNN Twitter feed @BNNTwitter
22/MAY/13

Breaking news brought to your computer.

BREAKING #IanDavies to speak about #RepentanceCamp later today. Reportedly described #PHRI report "shocking".
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BNN Twitter feed @BNNTwitter
20/MAY/13

Breaking news brought to your computer.

INTERNAL #MichelleThompson sacked for derogatory news stories against #Rodarion. #ERovenson: "Put everybody in a bad luck, had to go." @TheMitchell takes her place in the Political Correspondent team.
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BNN Weather

Live Weather Reports
Weather reports in your location

by **Belfras** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:32 am

BNN Domestic

8 May 2013 — Baron Jyburn arrested by RIM agents
11 May 2013 — DoJ begin mass purchase of new High-speed interceptor units
16 May 2013 — Shoot-out leaves twelve dead, sixteen injured in Isn Deslen
20 May 2013 — Army conducts operation "Resurgence" in Kingsfield.
9 August 2013 — Ship seized in Belfrasian Waters - Drugs found onboard.
1 October 2013 — Rioters rage through Nos Callis following Pope Pius' address.

BNN International

7 May 2013 — Economic ties cut with Rodarion
9 May 2013 — Emmerian President Luis Castilla killed during Premislydic speech
10 May 2013 — Davies roasts ACA during BNN Question time
12 May 2013 — PM offers port to 'stranded' Belhavian fleet
13 May 2013 — PM gives Castillian forces warning
14 May 2013 — Relief over Castillian decision
14 May 2013 — Formal celebrations in capital after Castillian withdrawal
20 May 2013 — PM consents to travel warnings against Rodarion.
22 May 2013 — PM speaks out about PHRI release.
31 May 2013 — PM ramps up pressure against Rodarion.
31 May 2013 — Rodarion in act of war against Belfras.
01 June 2013 — Talks, terrorism, and an arrest warrant.
04 July 2013 — Titus Corlățean makes first court appearance amidst Rodarion unrest
11 November 2013 — Pravene military action after Rodarion execution
9 December 2013 — 500,000 dead in Itailian massacre

BNN Politics

16 May 2013 — Opinion on the Rodarions - Ceausescu needs to go.
18 May 2013 — PRRB engage in long, drawn out rant after BBN story.
29 July 2013 — Prime Minister Davies outlines campaign promises ahead of early 2014 elections.

BNN Entertainment

BNN Science and Technology

8 may 2013 — XR-1 'Dóchas' makes first solo ascent

BNN Economic news

17 April 2014 — Belfrasian and Estovakivan businesses in historic trade agreement

by **Belfras** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:47 am

ECONOMIC TIES CUT WITH RODARION

"Enough is enough." says Prime Minister.

The following news story has been forwarded to us for publication by the Belfrasian Government. This article encompasses the question-time and decisions made by the Parliament.

Isn Deslen, Belfras. -

Today, 7th may 2013, Parliament has voted to sever and restrict all economic ties to Rodarion in light of the country beginning annual payments to Tarsas for the invasion of Mardullah.

The move also comes shortly after Papal Republic of Rodarion Broadcasting (PRRB) modified a news article which apparently included Minister Ceausecu calling for the death of King James I. Minister Ceausecu has been widely named an enemy of Belfras for his continued rhetoric against the country. Whether or not his rhetoric is government sanctioned is not entirely known, although it is widely believed that Pope Pius III is the key reason behind the hostile attitude from Rodarion to the Kingdom in recent years.

Ian Davies was asked about Minister Ceausecu and the nation of Rodarion, who gave a rather frank response.

"Minister Ceausecu has always been hypercritical of the Kingdom for no apparent reason. It's important to remember that during the last fifty years at no time has the Kingdom been overtly offensive toward Rodarion. Even so to a degree that the 1850 freedom of religious belief act encompasses choosing Pius III as their Pope. Economic freedom between our two countries on our side of the border has always been a key topic for Belfras as we've always been eager to encourage better relations between our countries. And despite these issues, the Rodarion government has continually rejected any chance of friendship between our countries in favor of denouncing us as imperialists, evil people and even cowards. These denouncements are obviously an attempt to cause a rash action from us that would in any way, shape or form, prove them right. All the while they appear to do exactly what they accuse us of."

Our news reporter then asked Mr. Davies about the actions being taken in better detail for Belfrasians.

"It'll be a three stage occurrence. We will be imposing a ban on Belfrasian-Rodarion banking transfers before ordering an immediate cessation of work visas to and from the country. It's important to note that this does not include work visas already issued, of course. After this we will be reviewing all Belfrasian nationals residing in Rodarion for a possible return order at a later date. We've tried to hide what the Rodarion government is for a long time now, with this Parliamentary decision we no longer need to do that. I'm not saying they're monsters, I'm just saying that enough is enough and we all need to admit that Rodarion clearly isn't interested in being a friend of ours."

Mr. Davies was finally asked if he had a direct message for Rodarion.

"Of course I do. My message is directed at the government of Rodarion, as their citizens are in no way responsible for the actions of their elected officials. I would say to them that their rhetoric has only served to permamently annihilate a fragile relationship that could have been repaired. The final straw is that, while calling us imperialists, you now fund a foreign nation to invade an innocent nation so that, in the end, you get cheaper oil prices. We have mourned the loss of our friendship for many years now. It is time to move on.

My bounds as a politician and servant of my country limit what I can say, which doesn't appear so for certain ministers of the Rodarion government. While we are not officially denouncing the government for its moves, this is as close as we are willing to get at the moment. They had a choice to be a friend, they've refused it."

Before Mr. Davies left our studio, he was asked about the PRRB title which hinted that Minister Ceausecu called for the death of King James. He simply answered that it hadn't been confirmed by Minister Ceausecu although it was certainly in line with what he would say.

© Belfrasian News Network 2013

by **Belfras** » Wed May 08, 2013 6:19 am

BNN Domestic

Baron Jyburn arrested by RIM agents
Fifty million USD worth of drugs found.
^{08/MAY/2013 | By Josiah Menfries (@FrytheMensJosiah) (BNN)}

Officers from the Tactical Response Unit (TRU) raided the estate in the early morning after being called up by the Royal Investigation Ministry.

Nos Kenwadi, Belfras. - Department of Justice spokesman Eric Slight gave a press conference on Wednesday morning, in which he told reporters that 62-year-old Matthew Jyburn, Baron of Totem, was arrested that morning after a three month intelligence operation by the Royal Investigation Ministry. The RIM confirmed that Baron Jyburn had been under investigation for links to criminal syndicate rings for several months prior to moving ahead with plans to arrest Baron Jyburn, which occurred at roughly 3:45 AM this morning.

Eric Slight went ahead to say "[Jyburn] is currently in custody at the Talisman Sheriffs station awaiting royal extradition to Isn Deslen." and that "[The Kenwadi Sheriffs Department] are still searching the property, but we've issued his formal charges. Baron Jyburn is charged with possession of a controlled substance intended for sale, the possession of assault weapons, and the sale of a controlled substance. He is also to be tried in connection to the disappearance of fifteen men within the last three years from the areas between Nos Kenwadi and the Western border. It is without doubt that Baron Jyburn had secured for himself a dominance in the areas of drug smuggling within this region and this is a victory that the Royal Investigation Ministry couldn't have claimed without the assistance of the officers of the Kenwadi Sheriffs Department and the Nos Kenwadi Police Department."

When asked about how he will be tried, Eric Slight told reporters "He's committed a crime within the realms of the Department of Justice, and will be tried under that same format. He'll be facing a trial in front of a jury of peers as per common law. We sought out and received permission for the arrest warrant from the Golden Palace prior to our raid, which clearly states that the Royal Court will be remaining out of this matter entirely."

When members of the Kenwadi Sheriffs Department stormed the property, they found a metric ton of cocaine packed and loaded on a five-ton truck in an office area built on the grounds for Baron Jyburn's security company, OpSec. On the truck they also found fifteen Anemonian designed AR5R2s. The weapons, which were built in Belfras, were reported missing from a military base almost seven hundred miles from the estate a year prior.

Should Baron Jyburn be convicted of the charges, he may well be facing a minimum term of fifty-seven years. Should he also be connected and convicted in connection to the disappearances of the fifteen men, he may well face life. The fifteen men were declared dead after a lengthy search for each individual turned out no trace.

Josiah Menfries reported on this from Nos Kenwadi with the assistance of Kenwadi Herald and the Kenwadi County Sheriffs Department.

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by **Belfras** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:19 pm

BNN Science and Technology

XR-1 'Dóchas' makes first solo ascent
"Definite proof of the capabilities of Scramjet" Says director
^{08/MAY/2013 | By Kevin Oldfield (@KevinOldfield) and Michelle Thompson (@MichelleThompson) (BNN)}

The XR-1, pictured during the initial main engine ascent. Until now, it has been exclusively launched by way of Energia rocket system.

Isle of Jarvus Space Center, Belfras. - Wednesday marked a milestone for the Belfrasian Space Program when its native-built spaceplane, the XR-1, made its first ascent into orbit without the assistance of a launch system like the Energia. According to director Jamie McCallister the flight went "Without a hitch, [Dóchas] is sitting comfortable in a 150 mile orbit. Her crew are currently testing out some other upgrades we've made to her systems to make orbital operations easier. She'll rendezvous with an unmanned Dragon capsule that we placed in orbit a week ago and dock with it. Shortly after making contact with the capsule she is to undock and make two further orbits prior to landing at Karven [space center]."

Mr. McCallister was sketchy as to the technology behind the Dóchas' ascent, but eventually went on to say "It's definite proof of the capabilities of Scramjet and what it can do. Once the Dóchas had ascended and reached Mach 5, she opened her scramjet doors and deactivated her main engines to save on main engine fuel whilst the scramjet carried her to a very comfortable speed and height that ascending to orbit was easier to achieve then we thought after we had to shut down the scramjet engine."

The XR program has so far executed several flights, most of which have been testing systems since its inception in 2012. The XR-1 has previously utilized its Scramjet engine on a horizontal test two months ago and opened up the door to today's achievement. The XR-1 "Dóchas" is the second XR-1 to be built and was named on behalf of the government in Nova Caledonia.

"It's certainly a milestone in what we can do with technology." says Captain Jeremy Edmundson, pilot of the XR-1 'Achilles', in an interview given shortly after the announcement. "We used to be propelled into orbit on the back of an Energia launch system carrying full fuel, hydrogen fuel for the Scramjet as well. While I imagine we'll still utilize the Energia for launches to a higher starting altitude, I imagine that the XR-1 being a single-stage-to-orbit craft as she was designed will put a smile on many peoples faces. This is a good day." Captain Edmundson was a test pilot for the Belfrasian Air force before being put up for selection for a then top-secret program. He and twenty-four pilots qualified in piloting what they thought was going to be a replacement for the SR-71 reconnaissance plane.

"Yeah, I can remember it very well." Edmundson told our correspondent, "They walked us all into the hangar and unveiled the XR-1 prototype, the Petyr. We still thought it was designed for high altitude reconnaissance missions until we were handed our flight manuals." Jeremy then pointed to his hand, "It was as thick as my hand is long. On the front it had in gigantic letters 'XR-1 Flight manual'.. I don't know why, but right then I knew this was something that was going into orbit. The manual had everything, it told you about take-off procedures, the original idea for getting her into orbit and emergency procedures should anything bad happen."

Prime Minister Ian Davies has already commented on the achievement, saying that "[The XR-1 program] is an colossal success, far more then anyone could have hoped for. I'm to meet the Director of the BSA as soon as I can to discuss future possibilities for the program."

Kevin Oldfield reported on this from Isle of Jarvus Space Center with the assistance of Michelle Thompson in Isn Delsen.

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by **Belfras** » Thu May 09, 2013 3:11 am

BNN International

Castilla Tragedy

Emmerian President Luis Castilla killed during Premislydic speech
Vice President Hayes vows to find those responsible
^{09/MAY/2013 | Hannah Montell-Wright (@HannahMWonwri) (BNN)}

Prime Minister leads tributes from Belfras.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - Tributes this morning from political figures have been pouring in about the death of President Luis Castilla, who was assassinated during a speech in Split, Premislyd. Vice President Washington Hayes hailed President Castilla as a "champion of freedom" and that he "bore a beacon [..] for the unshakeable bastion of liberty in this world."

Information from the shooting appears sketchy, but it appears that the shooter used a long-range high-powered sniper rifle and had managed to fire from beyond the protective cordon set up by the Secret Service in the days prior to the speech.

Vice President Hayes, who will be the acting President until the november elections, announced "We will never quite until those responsible are brought before justice. [..] To whomever was involved: Yes, we will find you." he went on to say that the Emmerian way of life would continue in spite of this assassination.

Prime Minister Ian Davies led tributes to President Castilla. "A beacon of freedom and liberty has been killed. [The killer] will be found by the Emmerian government and face justice. I've ordered the flags at the Emmerian embassy be lowered to half mast in remembrance and honor of this fallen icon." when asked if Belfrasian authorities would be assisting in the search, he had this to say:

"So far we have no reason to become involved. The shooter may well still be inside Premislyd but if the Premislydic and Emmerian authorities believe he has fled into Belfras, as we're only across the Inner Sea, we will do everything in our power to assist them in their search. Of course, the culprits have four avenues of escape by land and another by sea. [The Emmerians] will find the culprits and ensure they meet justice. This I have no doubt."

Belfras and Emmeria have had warm relations in recent years with them being allied in the Central Defence Initiative (CDI), an organization devoted to security within the Central Ocean and against extra-regional aggression. The CDI has come under fire in recent months as a result of the apparent inaction against the Anti-Communist Alliances naval exercises in what is widely believed to have been a training exercise for the invasion of Emmeria and again after Tarsas invaded Mardullah. The Kingdom has privately condemned the invasion and has severed economic ties with the Papal Republic of Rodarion after it began financially backing the invasion.

Ser Tobias Mensfield, who served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1998, commented on the potential political ramificiations of the assassination. "[The asssination] will certainly trigger a shift in the political climate from Emmeria. [..] Whether or not they'll admit it, that cowardly action has [..] brought in a new era of tension. [The shooters] could have been sent from anything, [..] although the biggest suspects are without a doubt the ACA and the Rodarions. Who else has been against Emmeria and President Castilla?"

Mr. Davies has yet to comment on who may have backed the assassination, but has insisted that he will attend the funeral "as is our duty"

See the United Press article on the assassination and full speech by Vice President Hayes here.

Hannah Montell-Wright reported on this in Isn Delsen with the assistance of her junior correspondents and the United Press.

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by **Belfras** » Fri May 10, 2013 2:52 am

BNN International

Question Time

Davies roasts ACA during BNN Question time
"The pardesian people do not want the A.C.A inside our regional borders." says Davies.
^{10/MAY/2013 | Hannah Montell-Wright (@HannahMWonwri) (BNN)}

The Prime Minister is currently down in opinion polls and has faced criticism both in Parliament and from other nations.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - For the question time of the month the Prime Minister had some large questions to answer in regards to the Anti-Communist Alliance, the Tarsan invasion, a potential Rodarion-SSN war, and the relations between Belfras and Rodarion being terminated. Mister Davies looked quite cool as he entered our offices on Friday morning, being relaxed and giving friendly conversation to several people before having a brief banter with someone about the recent performance of the local football team, to which Davies is a member of the board of directors. He asked for a cup of tea, preferably a Cotton-hill brand and sat down for the interview to begin.

The entirety of the televised the interview is viewable here, which includes the majority of domestic issues and the issue of Baron Jyburns arrest and the recent milestone of the Belfrasian Space Agency conducting its first SSTO ascent with the XR program. What you will below inhabits the international matters which we have separated into categories for your viewing convenience.

Castillas death

Our correspondent asked Davies for his thought on Castillas death and the succession of President Hayes for the duration of his term.

"It's a terrible thing [to be assassinated], to be sure." Davies started. "My heart goes out to the entire nation and as allies, we will always be there for them [Emmeria]." he was asked about his opinion on President Hayes, "[Hayes] will be a good President [..] he learned from President Castilla and served beneath him [as Vice President]. [..] He will be a friend to [Belfras] as we have been a friend to [Emmeria]."

The Tarsan invasion

Davies was asked about his thoughts on the Tarsan invasion, in which he had condemned.

"[Tarsas] is clinging to the thought that once it gains access to the oil and starts offering it at a cheaper price, we [the international community] won't care anymore." Davies declares, sitting back. "It's quite the contrary. This is an illegal war fought with no valid casus belli, and is to be condemned in the strongest regards. We have started negotiations with the Mardullan and Unified government to assist them in whatever fashion they want, short of putting boots on the ground."

The question of 'Does the Unified Government and Mardullah have the strength to repel Tarsas?' to which he responded in the positive. "Definitely. What the Tarsan government has done is underestimate the Hegemonic Union and the Mardullans. They're strong, they're powerful. I can imagine them winning the war easily once they've fully deployed their joint forces. Should they require anything in the way of aid, food, or other goods, we are willing to help."

Iliescus death

Our correspondent asked Davies for his thoughts on Iliescus' death and the succession of Minister Ceausescu.

"[Cancer] is a terrible thing." Davies began "I can safely say that many [Belfrasians] have lost someone to [cancer]. Our thoughts are with him and I hope that his faith kept him calm during the end." Davies was then asked about Minister Ceausescu succeeding Iliescus. "Mister Ceausescu [..] certainly has the desire to see his country strong. I believe he has been going about it the wrong way. He's labelled countries as barbarians, denounced pretty much everyone and isolated his country. Belfras had always been eager to improve relations with Rodarion, a desire that Minister Ceausescu annihilated with his rhetoric. I'm afraid to say that, with him as President, this will only get worse. Maybe the position will let him cool down a bit, who knows?"

The A.C.A.

A brief break was had in which he was informed of the next question so he may prepare himself. 'What do you wish to say in regards to the ACA, they're tenure here and the apparent lack of response?' we eventually sat back down and the cameras rolled again.

"The ACA have preached that they want an end to communism. Why are they here? Last I looked there wasn't any. Yes, Belfras has a political party which has communist-style ideals, the Union Party which is currently in Opposition with the second majority of votes. No, if they get in power they won't have the power to turn our country into a communist state."

"It's unfortunate that the ACA are like a gigantic beast in a china store. They're breaking things, insist on trying to fix them only to break more stuff. They refuse to leave. Why? Pride, probably. If they leave because we insist, they'll suffer a hurt pride because of their self proclaimed invulernability and near-god like justice."

"It's simple. The pardesian people do not want the A.C.A inside our regional borders. Sure, they can trade or conduct national diplomacy.. But, for heaven sake, a naval fleet? They then react hurt when the Pravengrian President tells them that if they try to 'escort' Praven merchant ships they'll treat it as a hostile act. They're not a legitimate government in Pardes, they're intruding and menacing us for no apparent reason then to 'extend their influence'. The Pravene threat is just the tip of the iceberg. The A.C.A. have overstayed their welcome and are now starting to be seen as a hostile force. Eventually someone is going to let off a shot and all hell will break loose."

Hannah Montell-Wright conducted the interview in the offices of BNN Isn Deslen with Prime Minister Ian Davies with the assistance of her junior correspondents and Mister Davies own publications team.

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by **Belfras** » Sat May 11, 2013 12:49 pm

BNN Domestic

Law Enforcement

DoPS begin mass purchase of new High-speed interceptor units
All eight provinces to see police actively patrolling in million-Belfrie cars.
^{08/MAY/2013 | By Eduard Cantauf (@CanttellifEduard) (BNN)}

Many civilian cars, like this Maserati Gran Turismo S, are being upgraded for police duty.

Isn Deslen, Belfras. - An unseasonably warm day was greeting us as we walked through the Isn Deslen Police Department (IDPD) training center just outside the city. [The IDPD] wanted to show us the new vehicles they were being outfitted with to combat a rising statistic in street racing through the cities many streets. In response to this, the Department of Public Safety announced yesterday that the High Speed Interception Unit (HSIU), or known by its callsign 'Henry' in cities and 'Hotel' outside of them is being formed across the country. HSIU originally existed in the 1960s and 70s until its disbandment after street crime being non existent.

Senior Lead Officer Mike Thompkins, one of the 'Cadets' for HSIU was resting against the drivers door of a Maserati Gran Turismo S, almost identical to that which adorns the publications image section. Officer Thompkins is already a member of the Traffic Divisions own Throughway Section, which focuses on policing the throughways. When HSIU was formed, Officer Thompkins, who had recieved five driving awards in the last two months, was their first candidate.

"[Most races] are occurring on Freeways." Thompkins told our Correspondent. "Their main defense is that Freeways have no speed limit [..], which is true. What they don't seem to realize is that street racing applies to Freeways and is illegal. The racing we have in Isn Deslen is similar and not, if you understand." Thompkins drew our attention to a map of the city, which showed how the city was encircled by freeways, with two major throughways and four smaller ones darting through the city. "Throughways such as the King Aleksandr draw the focus of the drag racing enthusiasts because of its five mile stretch of completely straight road. Aside from that, most of our racing takes place in the cities smaller streets, sometimes going into the Old City with the single-lane roads. Our normal cruisers can keep up with them here, but when they reach an avenue or an on ramp for a Throughway, we're had." Thompkins went into detail describing a recent vehicle pursuit in which the offender, driving a VLT sports car, managed to outrun officers once he had gotten onto the Manloov throughway."

"[Street racers] tend to get pretty cocky at that point. They'll organize street races to take them near on-ramps for a quick getaway or purposefully provoke a pursuit to see how fast they can lose us. We've had these interceptors for a week now, we've made some arrests that we wouldn't otherwise be able to do so. The suspect in the VLT reared his head last night, for example, on a race through Crown Square. He got onto the Aleksandr throughway and put his foot down. He later said he was shocked when our interceptors caught up with him."

Commander Alex Bradford, the commanding officer of HSIU for Isn Deslen, wanted to quell worries that were being voiced by the general population. "[HSIU] isn't a patrol unit." he declared from the steps of the Public Safety Headquarters to reports after announcing the formation of HSIU. "The High-Speed Interception Unit is a deployment/rolling-deployment unit only. That means it remains on standby at police stations until a request is made for it to join an ongoing pursuit is made. If a street race is likely to occur, one has recently happened, or a string of high-speed pursuits has been undertaken that day, a rolling deployment is granted for an indeterminate amount of time. During rolling deployment, that Interceptor is to obey the rules of the road as any normal officer is required to do unless rolling with lights and sirens. Our mission is, at all times, to safeguard the populations in which we are tasked to protect. If this unit was a danger to that population or we thought it would be a danger, we wouldn't have formed it."

Isn Deslen was the first major city to see a High-Speed Interception Unit and in the next two weeks other cities will be activating their own Interceptor units. Provincial Sheriff Departments are also being outfitted with them and have given them the callsign 'Hotel', remaining closely similar to the city-based callsigns.

In 1998 the 'National Speed Limit' law came into force. Outside of population centers roads, highways, freeways, and throughways obeyed this law. Roads were capped at 60 mph, freeways at 70mph. Freeways and throughways are, simply put, two different versions of a highway. Freeways, being highways with the maximum amount of lanes that particular province has no speed limit, but has an advisory speed limit of 80 mph. Throughways are highways that go through a population center, such as a major city or a large town rather than going around it. Throughways have a speed limit of 50 mph. These speed limits are statutory and signaled by the presence of National Speed Limit sign (a single, black forward-slash on a white circular sign.)

We would like to remind everyone of the speed limits posted above and hope that everyone remains within them and stays safe on our countries many roads!

Eduard Cantauf reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of the Isn Deslen Police Department and the Department of Public Safety.

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by **Belfras** » Sun May 12, 2013 2:49 am

BNN International

Pardesi-ACA news

PM offers port to 'stranded' Belhavian fleet
"They're not the aggressors of the ACA." says PM
^{09/MAY/2013 | Hannah Montell-Wright (@HannahMWonwri) (BNN)}

The move comes after a cross-party meeting in Parliament.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - We were gathering in the main conference room in the Parliamentary building on sunday morning. A few of us were bleary eyes and were eager to begin the consumption of coffee, myself included. Whenever a morning conference was called, the Parliament staff always supplied us with coffee, usually brewed with expensive varieties of beans and customized to the drinkers wish, to an extent. They had gotten into a set of formalities that had to be completed prior to the Prime Minister speaking to the press. First someone had to come to the podium and tell us that he was coming and what he was covering, and then the flag-pole carrying the Kings eagle had to be hefted in roughly a minute before the PM entered the room. You can imagine that our journalism taste buds were singing when the staff member announced the following: "Ladies and gentleman. The Prime Minister will be speaking in a few minutes regarding the Anti-Communist Alliances presence within regional waters." Because, let's be honest, anything about the A.C.A. gets a lot of headline news.

In came the flag, the proud eagle adorned with the crown. It was set directly behind the Podium, ready to be obscured by the Prime Minister and whoever spoke afterward. An exact minute afterward Mr. Davies walked into the room, gave a small wave, and took to the stage. All the while being bombarded by the flashes of cameras. "Good morning, everyone." he started, the bags under his eyes being a give-away that he probably hadn't enjoyed a nights sleep. "Let us begin."

Mr. Davies set down some papers and began, as he hinted. "Roughly thirty minutes ago a message was sent to the Belhavian fleet currently within Pardesi waters. The message contained an invitation for them to sail to and dock at the naval base at Portsdown. The facts on the ground are that they're [the Belhavians] not the aggressors of the ACA. They're stranded in Pardesi waters with no safe haven to go to. Well, [Belfras] will supply that safe haven in the form of our naval base in the city of Portsdown."

He went on, "Should they accept our offer, they'll be met at the mouth of the Belfrasian Gulf by a Naval cruiser that'll lead them to the assembly area just outside of Portsdown. Thisis because they'll be unfamiliar with our docking procedures and the general landscape of Portsdown in general. From the assembly area they'll be met by a small flotilla of civilian piloting ships that will off-load a single pilot to each Belhavian vessel that will guide each ships navigation team into docking at the Naval base itself. Tugboats will be on standby should they be required, but the civilian sector pilots are pretty experienced at this."

"They'll be berthed in slots reserved for ships that are currently on exercises and their crew will undergo a standard custom check if they venture off of it. This, as you all know, is usually an ID check and to ensure they're not bringing anything illegal into the country. They'll be given a tenure-stay visa, similar to that given to passengers of cruise liners. The ships will be offered replenishment of fuel, food, and anything else they may need that doesn't stray into military ordnance."

A question was asked in regards to a potential Belfrasian-Belhavian meeting, which Davies responded "I'd like to think so. At the moment we're just offering them a port to replenish themselves and to stay at until they're ready to move on. Admiral Teller, the commander of Portsdown Naval base, has already expressed a desire to meet the Belhavian fleet commander if and when the fleet docks."

Davies was then asked about the recent Prussian announcement which seemed to "stray into the boundaries of an aimless rant and eventually culminated in a threat of nuclear holocaust on Pravengria." as the reporter whom asked the question put it.

"I'm not for trusting news sources in other countries." Davies answered, smiling. "But I did notice how he quoted me, then ignored what I said. Probably because it's true. ACA have no legitimate reason to be in Pardes, they're doing this because they think it'll make them look big when it comes to facing actual communists. Let's look at the whole picture. If they collapse to pressure to leave, they'll never be taken seriously by communist states. Once pressure for them to leave us alone dies down, they'll move onto someone else. At the moment this is just rhetorical nonsense."

Further detail went into the conference, which can be viewed Here.

Hannah Montell-Wright reported on this in Isn Delsen with the assistance of her junior correspondents and members of the Parliaments news team.

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by **Belfras** » Mon May 13, 2013 9:56 am

BNN International

Pardesi-ACA news

PM gives Castillian forces warning
"Castillians have crossed the line" says PM
^{09/MAY/2013 | Hannah Montell-Wright (@HannahMWonwri) (BNN)}

The Prime Minister was critical of Castillian policy and promises a similar response.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - In possibly one of the most heated statements issued by Prime Minister Davies, we were all called into the conference room with the promise of an international headline. We certainly received more than we bargained for. During the statement Davies refused to mention the Anti-Communist Alliance, but rather singled out Castille de Italia.

"Castillian forces are coming to the waters just outside of Pardesi territory, and they think it makes it better." he began. "They're sending a ballistic-missile carrying fleet that can, apparently, strike any target within Pardes. This is a blatant act of aggression that needs to be dealt with in similar nature. Until now the so-called 'War of Words' had been just that, a rhetorical conflict. The Castillians have escalated this by actively bringing nuclear weapons to our homes. It is quite clear that the Castillian government desires a war with the entirety of Pardes, as this threat is not angled toward any particular nation but to the region as a whole." Davies appeared eager to emphasize the need for a joint response to this threat to the safety of Pardesian citizens.

"I am appealing to all nations within Pardes to unite behind this new endeavor of ours. The Castillian forces outside of Pardesi waters are clear in their intent to terrorize our citizens for no valid reason. This is something we cannot and will not tolerate. The Castillians must withdraw these forces immediately as they have no other purpose to serve but to preempt an invasion of our region. Should they refuse or simply ignore this warning, forces will be dispatched to intercept the Castillian forces. They've started a real, tangible conflict with this act of aggression. They can either withdraw their forces or be the responsible party to a shooting war."

"To the crews aboard the Castillian ships that now terrorize our citizens with the threat of annihilation, I say to you this. Appeal to your commanders to bring you home, for all of our sakes." Davies then abruptly walked off without answering any of our questions.

It seems highly possibly that the forces that would intercept the Castillians be the formations that make up Warfleet Trident, a colossal armada that is comprised of the first five fleets of the Belfrasian Navy. Warfleet Trident was proposed and accepted as an emergency plan in the event of a conflict in order to project the largest force possible. While the strategy in 1998 called for the deployment of close to 200 warships, it is unknown how many vessels would be successfully utilized in this actual deployment, should it occur.

Live coverage of this story will follow.

Hannah Montell-Wright reported on this in Isn Delsen with the assistance of her junior correspondents and members of the Parliaments news team.

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by **Belfras** » Tue May 14, 2013 3:22 am

BNN International

Pardesi-ACA news

Relief over Castillian decision
"They've done the right thing, the honorable thing." says PM
^{09/MAY/2013 | Hannah Montell-Wright (@HannahMWonwri) (BNN)}

The Prime Minister expressed relief over the Castillian decision not to send forces that would be stationed just outside of Pardesi waters.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - The Prime Minister was eager this morning to address the recent Castillian decision to not dispatch forces that would take position just outside of Pardesi regional waters. The move, which came after wide-spread condemnation and threats of military action, was warmly received by Mr. Davies and King James.

"[The Castillians] have done the right thing. The honorable thing. The Imperial High Command and Chancellor Victoria Mede both have the thanks of a grateful nation and undoubtedly a grateful region. It is from here that negotiations and, hopefully, a resolution came be birthed. We want to address the concerns they have that would force them into sending an invasion fleet and find a sensible solution that leaves all parties in agreement." Davies continued by saying that "[Warfleet Trident] won't be mobilized, but I have given the order for several flotillas to be mobilized from our stations throughout the region. These flotillas will be on call should any merchant shipping be threatened or placed under attack by anybody within the region. They'll be tuned to the international distress frequency and will respond to any calls that directly ask for their assistance."

Davies was then asked about the cause of the verbal conflict and the possibility of an attack on merchant shipping. "I don't think there will be an attack on merchant shipping, by anyone. Not only would it be an international piracy crime, it'd also give the victims nation valid casus belli to start a war. I can guarantee that Belfrasian naval vessels would neither shadow nor attack merchant shipping from another nation, as it'd be against Belfrasian native law. This force is an in-Pardes bred naval task group that will respond to distress calls specifically asking for Belfrasian assistance. At no other time will they be deployed to distress calls.. Unless, of course, it is of a ship in distress and one of the flotillas is capable of responding quickly."

The Prime Minister was then asked what he was going to be doing in light of this recent relaxation of tensions. "I plan very much to enjoy the golfing trip I had to delay over the weekend." he replied with a grin, "This is a taxing job and some down-time is good for the spirit."

King James also wanted to thank the Castillian government for their restraint and honorable move, but was represented by Aide Robert Hangfast, one of his confidants and one of the highest ranking members of the Palacial staff. Aide Hangfast was clad in the black suit of the staff with red stripes over his shoulders, signifying his position as a Cupbearer. Cupbearers are a position that has gone back several hundred years and means that the staff member is one of the monarchs personal servants.

"King James, first of his name and head of house Achilles, wanted to warmly thank Chancellor Victoria Mede himself, but is unable to because of his ill health of late." Aide Robert Hangfast told reporters. "The restraint and actions undertaken by Chancellor Mede which were reflected in the Imperial High Command are of the highest standard and deserve nothing but praise. His Majesty has also heard that Chancellor Mede is unwell with the Common Cold and wished that, should she still be afflicted with it, that she have a speedy recovery from the ailment."

Hannah Montell-Wright reported on this in Isn Delsen with the assistance of her junior correspondents and members of the Parliaments news team.

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by **Belfras** » Tue May 14, 2013 12:00 pm

BNN International

Pardesi-ACA news

Formal celebrations in capital after Castillian withdrawal
"Couldn't have been achieved without our fellow Pardesi nations" King James quoted as saying.
^{09/MAY/2013 | Hannah Montell-Wright (@HannahMWonwri) (BNN)}

Celebrations were held in Isn Deslen after the Castillian decision not to send forces to the waters outside Pardes.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - Parties are being hosted throughout the capital in formal celebration of the Castillian withdrawal from what was surely a war-starting decision. In a tradition almost five hundred years old, the capital city was formally clad in the yellow and blue stripes previously used to identify the medieval armies of house Achilles during the Unification war. The tradition formally started after the Achilles household took the old city of Isn Deslen, they in turn dressed the city in their houses colors and lead celebrations for a fortnight. Whilst the longevity of these celebrations will surely subside come tomorrow, the mayor of Isn Deslen, Ser Patrick Mournhold, has given bars free license to sell alcohol into the night but reinforced police presence on the streets. He called on people to address the nights celebrations with sensibility and to be mindful that it is a working and school day tomorrow. Warning "Hangovers make even the nicest people into the devil."

The King was represented by his youngest child, Princess Elizabeth in leading a processing to present offerings at the Chapel of the Nine gods. The Princess, clad in her houses colors, presented the pantheon roses and Bloodwine - Wine from the Mountainblood estate that has a strong consistency, gaining its name from its appearance. She was quoted as saying that "The decisions made by our honored friends both across the Inter-regional sea and within Pardes have humbled us."

Prime Minister Ian Davies is due to fly out to Kunarii to begin a two-day golfing trip, but was able to make a final statement in which he praised the actions of "our fellow Pardesi nations." and promised "The actions of their nations governments and people will never be forgotten by Belfrasians. Everybody gathering behind our endeavor helped the honorable Chancellor Mede and her subordinates see the error in this judgement and allowed them to correct it, leaving us all at a situation we can be happy with."

Davies continued his praise for his fellow Pardesi leaders. "Without the support of the governments of Emmeria, Pravengria, Estovakiva, Tehraan, the Holy Roman Empire, and Itailia, we surely would not have gotten this mutually beneficial agreement. Despite our recent disagreements with our southern neighbors of Rodarion, we also thank them for their actions. Together we have shown the entire world what Pardesi people can do when united behind a common cause. Together, my friends, we shall usher in a brighter era for our region than previously thought possible."

Hannah Montell-Wright reported on this in Isn Delsen with the assistance of her junior correspondents and members of the Parliaments news team.

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by **Belfras** » Thu May 16, 2013 3:52 am

BNN Domestic

Law Enforcement

Shoot-out leaves twelve dead, sixteen injured in Isn Deslen
"Chaos in the streets." chief Tucker summarizes.
^{09/MAY/2013 | Eduard Cantauf (@CanttellifEduard) (BNN)}

The firefight began shortly after a 'Code zero' was called in by a patrol unit that was ambushed.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - As celebrations for the Castillian withdrawal continued in some areas of the city, most of the population had gone back to their every day lives. This is how the officers of the Isn Deslen Police Department began their afternoon shifts on Wednesday, but it was soon to turn for the worse.

Officers Samuel Leishan and Gordon Prayt were assigned to division sixty-two, taking them through the financial sector as the eighteenth car in that particular division. Wednesday was to be an important day for Officer Leishan who was under review for promotion to Officer Three by Senior Lead Officer Prayt, who wanted the day to be as uneventful as possible so he could clock off early and pick his child up from school. Unfortunately for both of them, a decision to take a short-cut to circumnavigate the busy H-junction turned out to be the worst move they could've made.

Shortly after making a U-turn in order to bypass the traffic jam, they came across an SUV that had been tailing them for roughly an hour. This SUV quickly swerved to stop the police vehicle before two men armed with military-grade assault weapons dismounted and began to fire upon the police vehicle, causing the two officers to back up and park side-on with the attackers. SLO Prayt analyzed the situation and called in a code zero situation. In Officer Prayts own words "[A code zero] is when an officer is under life-threatening attack that a code one, an officer in distress, wouldn't fit. Whereas a code one could include an officer being assaulted, surrounded, or otherwise put in danger. A code zero is usually reserved for when an officer is under attack with intent to kill in such a manner as that officer cannot wait for backup."

Shortly after the code zero was called in, Officer Leishan was able to utilize his Model 9 side-arm to bring down one of the suspects, giving SLO Prayt enough time to access the front of his Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and gain usage of his service shotgun. By this time two police cruisers had arrived in proximity of the event and were in the process of evacuating the citizenry. Unbeknownst to Officers leishan and Prayt, the attackers missed rounds were striking the traffic jam immediately behind them and had inflicted multiple civilian casualities. A second SUV arrived and four more attackers disembarked to enter the fray.

"It was utter chaos." Chief Benjamin Tucker of the IDPD said. "Theres no reason on this earth to actively seek out and try to kill officers such as this." he was asked about his own actions when he heard the code zero called. "I did what any chief would do. I got on the phone to the Tactical Response Unit and told them to mobilize to the situation, given the location and what was apparently going on." The Tactical Response Unit is the armed response unit that specializes in high-risk situations such as shootouts, hostage rescue, high-risk arrest warrants, and more.

The Tactical Response Unit arrived utilizing one armoured SUV and one LENCO bearcat, a heavily armored vehicle designed to shrug off most kinds of gunfire. When they arrived, they were facing a disasterous situation. Officers Prayt and Leishan were trapped behind their vehicle and the civilians behind them were still taking fire as a result of the attackers onslaught. TRU lieutenant Daniel Fisher recalled his decisions. "I ordered the [LENCO] Bearcat to move between the attackers and the trapped officers to provide enough protection for them to withdraw to a safer distance. We have [Fire Rescue] trying to gain access to the downed civilians behind the officers, but were repulsed after the attackers turned to fire upon them."

The BEARCAT utilized in the battle.

The concentration of fire from the officers that arrived, now numbering close to 160, brought down the eight suspects from the two vehicles, of which two survived and are in police custody. Soon after their weapons were secured, FDID were allowed to begin addressing the downed civilians and found a grusome scene. The civilians had been trapped by the gunfire and six people had been slain by the attackers onslaught. A further sixteen people had been injured, some critically, while taking cover from the attack. The six civilians who died have been left unnamed at the request of their families, who wish for privacy in order to mourn their losses from this unexplained tragedy.

Chief Tucker said that "Our duty is to protect and serve the population of this city. For six people to die in such circumstances is beyond acceptable, but it was something completely out of our control. I can guarantee that the two surviving suspects will face the full justice we can distribute to them. Our thoughts and prayers are with both the victims families and the surviving victims from this attack." Of the sixteen wounded, twelve remain in hospital while the others were allowed to leave after requesting to leave the hospital and were not considered to be in a life-threatening condition."

Chief Tucker went on to praise the actions of officers Leishan and Prayt, saying that "These two officers are in line with the high standards we set for our officers. It is my honor to bistow upon them the Award of Valor for their actions in the face of overwhelming firepower until other officers came to their aid." the two officers also earned firearms medals for their accuracy in bringing down two of the suspects in the prolonged firefight.

Eduard Cantauf reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of the IDPD press department.

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by **Belfras** » Thu May 16, 2013 3:32 pm

BNN Politics

Public

Opinion on the Rodarions - Ceausescu needs to go.
"They've gone to far, now they're trying to fix it." top minister says
^{09/MAY/2013 | Michelle Thompson (@MichelleThompson) (BNN)}

Ceausescu had previously been at the forefront of condemning Belfras, but has recently performed a U-turn after becoming president.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - With Octavian Ceausescu, previously the Foreign Minister of Rodarion, becoming President on May 10th, a lot of questions went unanswered in regards to the precarious relationship between Belfras and Rodarion. President Ceausescu, born in 1963, studied law at Voluntari before going on to join the RSP in 1980 and eventually entered government in 1990 as the Minister of Economics. It is when he became the Foreign Minister in 2005 that he leaped onto the regional stage in his almost constant stream of condemnations or name-calling.

Opinion in Parliament is pretty one-way when it comes to Rodarion and particularly that of President Ceausescu, with leader of the opposition party 'Union', Theodore Lechance, being the most stoutly against President Ceausecu. Mr. Lechance has repeatedly called out President Ceausescu for his rhetoric against the country and Prime Minister Ian Davies for inaction against it. The opinions of Mr. Lechance have certainly rung clear for a majority of Belfrasians which view the southern state as "a dictatorship." It's policies against other religions, racial minorities, homosexuals and abortions have caused relations to strain in the past prior to breaking after repeated condemnation from then Foreign Minister Ceausescu.

Members of the Labour party have been unified in their stance against Rodarion, but at a significantly less scale than their opposition. One such MP going on to say that "[Rodarion has gone] to far, now they're trying to fix it."

President Ceausescu spent a majority of his time in office as the Foreign Minister repeatedly insulting, condemning and heckling Belfras and its people in many regards, from being weak to housing homosexuals and finally calling for the death of King James. Not long after this it was formally announced that Rodarion will start financially supporting Tarsas in the illegal invasion of Mardullah, a move which sparked Belfrasian action and an embargo against all economic trades between Rodarion and Belfras itself.

After a report was released by the Papal Republic of Rodarion Broadcasting (PRRB), the countries government-run news agency, Ceausescu has blunt views of Belfras. After an outburst by opposition leader Mr. Lechance, Ceausescu apparently said that Belfras is "a weak and crumbling nation, the King should be put out of his misery - leading such a hollow state." This quotation never made it onto the main news page, but instead adorns the main title. Despite the placement of such a sentence, it caused several protests and a demand to act against a nation that, in many peoples views, is dangerous.

"He's trying to make himself look good for getting his northern 'barbarian' neighbors to kneel." a villager along the Belfrasian-Rodarion border told our reporter. "Before Davies went ahead and cut our trading abilities with them, they hated us. Now they suddenly want us to be friends again. Big brownie points for [Ceausescu] if he can manage to get the weak, crumbling barbarians to trade with them again." A man nearby was introduced and quickly said "[Curse] Ceausescu. The man clearly hates both this country and its people and then gets uppity when anything gets thrown back. It's like a bully that can't take his own medicine. What's laughable is Rodarion is arguably the weakest nation on this continent, all by their own doing. They've alienated everyone that borders them to such a degree that two don't even trade with them anymore."

Of course, not all people harbor a grudge against Rodarion and that of President Ceausescu. The 'Christ's first', a small political party that exists mainly along the border to Rodarion and pushes for Catholicism to be the primary religion of the country, has spoken highly about Ceausescu and Rodarions policies. Party leader, Sebastian Mens, even going on record to say that "[Ceausescu] is a 'hundred percent right. We are a weak state and we need a nation such as Rodarion to teach us gods true way and to erase the heretics of our country so we can be righteous once more."

Belfras' head of the Catholic communities, Reverend Albert Nightshade, appeared critical of President Ceausescu but insisted that his place "is not in politics, but with god." Reverend Nightshade, a member of an ancient household, is widely respected for his tolerant views on other religions and went so far as allowing a local Islamic community to conduct morning prayer in his cathedral after their mosque was closed after a fire.

A full two-hour documentary about the mixed feelings about Rodarion can be seen here. We do advise caution, however, as strong language is contained within.

Michelle Thompson reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of her junior correspondent team.

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by **Belfras** » Sat May 18, 2013 8:59 am

BNN Politics

Public

PRRB engage in long, drawn out rant after BBN story.
"Cloaked threats from their President, in news form." says minister.
^{18/MAY/2013 | Michelle Thompson (@MichelleThompson) (BNN)}

The PRRB has been known to be a propaganda outlet for the tightly controlled regime.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - In a move not unexpected, the Rodarion government issued their news outlet, PRRB, a long, drawn-out rant in an attempt to basically say how Rodarion is clearly better than everyone else in the region, because of vague statistics or otherwise. The PRRB have clearly misidentified the previous article as direct criticism when it was, in fact, a collation of views around the country. The political stand-point on the Rodarion government is minimal, to say the least. As the current political climate stands, the Belfrasian government have more to lose by trading with Rodarion than by continuing the economic embargo. The U-turn would end up falling victim to the Unionist parties accusation that the Prime Minister would easily forgive the Rodarions and that of President Ceausescu after making threats, condemnations or worse.

Several political correspondents for BNN analyzed the news article, which they returned a simple result "[The article is] a rant of things already known. They've crammed in occasional snippets of things such as 'Arrogance', 'ignorant', or side-stepping accusations made in the past. You can pretty much ignore paragraphs two-to-eight as it's material you can find at any library in the nation."

Of course, once we reach the bottom of the rant we come across some gold. The second to last paragraph points at several figures, mostly our population count and that of economic figures and then a bold declaration that Rodarion is clearly the more powerful nation of the two.

"This is not so." Lady Jezebell Antell-Achilles, MP and Secretary of State for the Home Department told reporters. Lady Jezebell married Prince Eduard in 2008, thereby becoming part of House Achilles. "They've pointed at figures, sure, but they're forgetting the larger point of what makes a nation strong. Friends. They've been enemies with the Premislydic people for decades and when they force us to sever ties with them they've lost their northern neighbors as friends. What about the Spherians and the Nova Caledonians? The Caledonians are Triumvirate and wouldn't trade with someone their is an Triumvirate embargo against and the Spherians wouldn't jeopardize their alliance with us. Rodarion has Tarsas, yes. But look at the map, Tarsas is on the other side of the region. Great trading partners, I'm sure. And then look at the map, their only ports that face the ocean are down paths easily blockaded. If that should happen, they've lost every economic route into their nation. Most people would call it secluded."

The last paragraph of what is dubbed the 'Rant' by ministers, ends with a veiled threat toward Belfras. In the paragraph, which states that "[Rodarion] offered the Belfrasians another chance for both [us] and them to mend the damage done by us, indirectly or directly, but they refused. They bring on damage themselves and will eventually invite their own downfall. So when relations further fail, we can blame Belfras for failing to take advantage of our offer. They will be the weakest on this continent so very soon." This particular paragraph prompted calls of warmongering from PRRB, which in effect is the political and propaganda section of the Rodarion government. Lady Jezebell offered her thoughts on the message.

"It's clearly warmongering." Lady Jezebell began. "How else would we apparently become the weakest nation on this continent? We have trading partners across the world. This is basically cloaked threats from their President, in news form. His earlier derogatory comments have irreparably harmed relations between Belfras and Rodarion, and he thinks he can shift the blame because we won't forget that they openly called for our destruction on many occasions. I wouldn't be surprised if relations only get worse, theirs already talk of the border regions wanting tougher border control."

Several locals on the border to Rodarion were asked their viewpoint of the situation, we would like to advise readers that the following includes strong language.

"[Those] ****** ********, mang. They've been no-lubing us for years, now they're saying we're the aggressors for not wanting to be friends. Ye' can't be friends with people who have been ******* you for years!" one local said. His compatriot, a fisherman, seemed to agree. "It's not the people in Rodarion, you have to realize. It's that ****** President Ceausescu, he's the biggest racist and radical I've ever met. If he happened to meet an unexpected but well-deserved end this region would be all the happier. My trade in this area has gone to **** after he got his **** anywhere near the child-molesting pope. Perhaps he and Pius go 'round molesting the children, together? Who knows. The pope already looks like goddamn chancellor palpatine!"

The village of Kest, which stands as the closest settlement to the Rodarion border, has been a metaphorical middle-finger to the Rodarions for years. Why? Everyone in Kest is Muslim. Imam Jeffrey Koldale offered his advise. "Across that border, we have the embodiment of hate, intolerance, and conspiracy. Trust must be earned, something the Rodarions clearly have no concept of after destroying every shred of trust the Belfrasians had in them." Imam Koldale was originally born in Nos Kenwadi but moved here with his family to utilize his unique skillset for the common good. Imam Koldale is a qualified surgeon and maintains the nearby hospital, which recently won the State Hospital of the year award. Imam Koldale was asked about racial discrimination or that on a religion basic (Imam Koldale is black.)

"None." Koldale answered with a grin. "From some of the older people, maybe a little. Certainly while I was growing up, I must have been one of the only Muslim boys in my school. My mother was insulted for wearing a niqab. My sister was picked on for observing Hijab. When everybody grew up, it was fine. The generation I grew up with and those afterward are used to seeing people with ways that used to appear strange, and they're okay with it. We once were sworn at and accused of invading the country, but now we have elected members of government and I proudly say that I am Belfrasian. Sure, the economy has taken a turn for the worse, but the food keeps rolling in and the government keeps the stores from raising the prices to extortionate levels."

Overall opinion of the situation has turned exceedingly grim, with only the most devout optimists of Rodarion-supporters maintaining faith in the situations ability to U-turn.

Live coverage on this story is available on BNN news, available on most television outlets with Freeview or better.

Michelle Thompson reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of her junior correspondent team.

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by **Belfras** » Mon May 20, 2013 5:52 am

BNN Domestic

Military

Army conducts operation "Resurgence" in Kingsfield.
"Modern warfare is heavily dependent on support" says Major
^{18/MAY/2013 | Gary Mitchell (@TheMitchell) (BNN)}

An infantryman stands guard beside a WMAV of Anemonian origin.

Kingsfield, Belfras - Those who read the history books would be keenly aware of the sadness that is to be felt when looking at the plains of Kingsfield. During the closing days of the civil war the entire area was a gigantic battlefield, with the death toll in the thousands. A small village once stood roughly where I was when I wrote this, but it was completely annihilated in the battle as the two armies tore at it for resources. It was a dark chapter in our nations history, but it helped usher in a new era of prosperity for the unified country.

We were all situated on a hillside with a large, red flag and several protective barriers surrounding some seats for us to sit on. Our attention was drawn to several HT9A7 tanks coming over a ridge to the east side-by-side, all of their turrets were concentrated on a small make-shift town that was set up two miles away from were we sat. As the several tanks came down the hill, another wave of seven crested the hill in similar formation, only these ones had four MA9A2 'WMAV' armoured vehicles in close proximity.

This was a demonstration of the full armoured warfare the Army was specializing in. The combat unit, as it was called, came to a halt about a half-mile away from us, all of them focused on the town. The speakers and LCD screen let us hear the commander of the unit talking on the radio to a row of ten ARCHER artillery vehicles, which we later learned were 30 miles from us and were preparing to fire their brand new Excalibur artillery rounds. The commander was talking in code and we eventually deciphered "Two rounds, fire for effect." before the Archer systems on the monitor lit up as two of the units fired. The atmosphere got very cold and very uncomfortable as we waited for the rounds to fly at their target. The mean-time was spent with the tanks occasionally firing a round or two into the town, an artifical 'suppression' of the targets.

One round was photographed right above a house before impact, whilst another landed right above a warehouse. The explosions tore both of the buildings apart and, in the briefing we were updated on by a Major that was standing near us, took out both intended targets. We could see the Archer systems keep aim whilst the combat unit rolled in. Just as they arrived, the feed switched to helmet cameras of random infantrymen or 360' rotary cameras on top of the vehicles to let us see the action up-close.

The tanks went to surround the town whilst the WMAVs moved in to dispatch infantry to clear the remaining buildings. We saw three soldiers go down as mock casualities and a WMAV be 'disabled', with a second WMAV having to tow it out of the town before a combat engineering unit swarmed in to fix the problem, which was simulated to have been an engine failiure following an RPG strike.

After the town was 'secured' we were told that several specialists in the unit were setting GPS markers for an artillery strike to destroy the remaining structures to deprive the 'enemy' of anything to utilize in the future. Once they were set, everyone slowly withdrew as the camera feed switched back to show us the ARCHER systems begin to bombard the town for fifteen rounds before ceasing. It was all very, very impressive. But according to Major Thompson, it held a deeper purpose rather than impressing the media.

Two Belfrasian LY908 'Warhawk's over Kingsfield. We were informed that these two aircraft were part of a second exercise which focused on abilities to negotiate battlefields while avoiding fake SAM pings and firing fake weaponry at mock-up targets. These two Warhawks were returning to base following a successful practice run on an enemy installation.

"Proficiency in combat is a perishable skill." Thompson explains. He was fully clad in a dress uniform and had a neat row of medals which pointed at his own proficiency quite well. "Without practice, people become rusty at many things. We regularly training exercises, but Operation Resurgence is modelled at a wider picture. It's a month-long training exercise that creates a mock war across the entirety of Kingsfield and forces troops to undergo similar conditions to what they'll be facing in real battlefield situations. This situation was unique in that no event coordinators were involved. Usually, just before the infantry go in, coordinators arrive in yellow vests and in clearly-marked vehicles to coordinate inside the combat zone. Either by pretending to be the enemy or forcing specific people to become casualities after making mistakes. It's a good system, one which we are constantly improving."

The amount of foreign equipment being utilized in the Belfrasian Armed Forces has recently become so great that the only branch you can find natively designed equipment is with the Belfrasian Navy, which operates Triumvirate-designed vessels from the Achilles-class Carrier to the Falchion-class Destroyer. According to Admiral Tellen, their position in the Triumvirate and their ship-designing history lets them maintain "one of the best navies in the region." and that their position "lets the Navy utilize Triumvirate-desigend vessels that aren't suitable for international sale. Vessels such as the Fanwerth-class intelligence ship stand as an example to this."

Defence Minister Adjunta Tungsten, when asked, said that the decision to use foreign equipment was "to benefit the Belfrasian people by using the best equipment available." and insisted that "this doesn't weaken our position at all, it strengthens our position as our equipment is now of a better quality than it was previously." he was asked about the importance of the military in a world were naval might seemed to win. He answered by stating that "not all enemies are in other regions. Tensions with other regional nations have gotten to levels that demand our proficiency in ground warfare."

The Army has recently downsized in order to focus primarily on special warfare whilst passing on more duties to the Provincial Defence Force, a force that evolved from the Volunteer Militia force, the 'Always Ready Militia'. The PDF had a troubling start, with numerous problems stemming from an apparent lack of training. Three months later, the problems seem to have resolved and each PDF group, which was divided amongst the eight provinces of Belfras, has increased its responsibility. The PDF are expected to be a part of Operation Resurgence as it continues, but plans are remaining confidential for the time being.

Gary Mitchell reported on this from Kingsfield Press Center with the assistance of his junior correspondence team.

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by **Belfras** » Mon May 20, 2013 3:00 pm

BNN International

Rodarion

PM consents to travel warnings against Rodarion.
"Inactivity, violence, and threats form the basis of this decision." PM summarizes.
^{18/MAY/2013 | Nathaniel Ridgewood (@RidgewoodNate) (BNN)}

Ian Davies was recently overheard being told that this could give him a third electoral win,
making him the first person in fifty years to do so.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - Monday evening saw all of us bundle into the main press conference room. This would be my first time acting as a senior correspondent after the sacking of Michelle Thompson, who had been blamed by the management of BNN for creating several news posts that sparked public outrage in Rodarion, a nation widely known for its fanatical citizens. The news posts in question, while varied in subject, met the boiling point when the opinions of a farmer whom accused the Rodarion Pope of being a child molester. The consequences of this action led to several attacks in Rodarion and an assault against the Embassy, leaving two staff members wounded.

Eventually the Prime Minister walked onto the podium and began. He initially started with a brief catch-up of events, which are summarized above, and detailed the main topic. A travel warning against Rodarion. While a travel warning itself doesn't sound that bad, the last time a travel warning was issued against a country from the Belfrasian government all airlines refused to take flights there.

In PM davies' own words, "Inactivity, violence, and threats form the basis of this decision. Not only were hostile youths allowed to deface flags, pictures of our Monarch, and other stuff which I shall not speak out loud, they were allowed to assault our Embassy and escape with a warning." Davies outlined that the Embassy would remain open, although the guards would be ordered to search all visitors and detain anyone causing a problem. When asked if this also meant Rodarion citizens, he answered "Their authorities have proven that an attack which causes two injuries means nothing if it's against Belfrasians. If a Rodarion tries that inside the Embassy grounds, he or she will be taken into custody by Belfrasian Embassy Guardsmen for extradition to the Kingdom under our law. The same way that the Rodarion Embassy in Belfras has the luxuries if a Belfrasian enters and attacks someone, we hold the same rights. Until such a time as the Rodarion Government revoke the Embassy Grounds from being Belfrasian sovereign territory, we will operate an Embassy in their country. The warning will stay in place until we perceive that citizens are no longer in danger if they travel to Rodarion."

The incident at the Embassy, as hinted above, involved several nuns assaulting the Embassy with rocks. The nuns, who were arrested, were released with a warning for property damage while two Embassy staffmembers were hurt in the incident. In Belfrasian Common Law, Battery with a lethal weapon, in this case a rock, involves a jail sentence of at least thirty days. Davies said that the authorities "[were] wrong to release the nuns with no official charge. Our Ambassador had been trying to get in touch with them to inform them of the injuries sustained in the attack, but was met with a veil of disbelief and a 'disregard for the safety of Belfrasians' by the authorities he spoke to by telephone."

Davies was asked about the condition of the two staff members, to which he said that "they don't require further hospital treatment, but they sustained several lacerations when the windows were shattered in the assault." the next question was in regards to the protests in the Rodarions major cities and the safety of Belfrasians that may or may not inhabit these cities. "First and foremost, if there are Belfrasians in these cities we heavily recommend you return to the Kingdom or head to a friendlier nation immediately before you come under attack by the mobs of youths the government allows to angrily protest. Such actions are against the law in Belfras, as it is the bottom-level people can stoop to. If people want to buy our flags and burn them or buy portraits of our king to stomp on, it's their property they're ruining at that point."

It was around this time that a member of a local newspaper asked the PM about the economic embargo between Belfras and Rodarion, it's consequences, and why it was in place.

"The Economic Embargo was a unanimous decision by the Parliament to cease all trading, private and public, between anything in the Belfrasian Kingdom and its territories to Rodarion. The basis of the embargo itself originally lay with Rodarions financial dealings with Tarsas, which is involved in an illegal war against the nation of Mardullah. This means that no monetary transactions will be authorized to pass between the countries and no industrial or commercial vehicles are allowed through the border. This is creating a hole in the pockets of many people, yes, but we can get the goods we originally received from Rodarion elsewhere. Until such a time as Rodarion ceases to support an illegal war and can prove that it has ceased its support, we will be blocking any and all trade from exchanging between our nations. We refuse to trade with a nation that supports such actions."

Nathaniel Ridgewood reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of his junior correspondence team.

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by **Belfras** » Wed May 22, 2013 1:51 am

BNN Twitter feed @BNNTwitter
22/MAY/13

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BREAKING #IanDavies to speak about #RepentanceCamp later today. Reportedly described #PHRI report "shocking".
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by **Belfras** » Wed May 22, 2013 2:53 pm

BNN International

Rodarion

PM speaks out about PHRI release.
"It's disturbing, it's insane. It's sadly believable."
^{18/MAY/2013 | Nathaniel Ridgewood (@RidgewoodNate) (BNN)}

Ian Davies has faced criticism for this actions and inaction over Rodarion. He most likely faces
further criticism over this latest information from the PHRI

Isn Deslen, Belfras - On what was supposed to be my day off, my pager went crazy as I was about to sit down to watch a movie at the local cinema with my family. Being a good employee, which I am, I went and contacted work. I was certainly surprised when I was informed that the Pardesian Human Rights Institute had released information in which a person spoke out about human rights abuse inside Rodarion, at the Repentance camps. The full story, which can be viewed at this link contains the full story. Viewer discretion is advised and is not recommended reading for those aged fourteen and under.

By the time I had actually arrived at the press center, they were already locking the doors. During a press conference, the doors are always locked and the guard doubled. Our bags are always scanned and we're watched by at least two people. Not for any act of terrorism or an attack on the PM in general, but any illegitimate recording devices or obscene gestures that may or may not be thrown toward the Prime Minister. The conference is recorded by the Parliamentary Press Team which is fed through news channels and all photographs have to be approved and are checked to ensure nothing confidential was caught in a picture.

Not long after this, the PM arrived. He quickly brought us up to speed and offered us copies of the release to use as references. Shortly afterward, he began to talk. My small recording device had been approved for usage in correspondence as it had no camera.

"The release by [The Pardesian Human Rights Institute] is appalling. It speaks of human rights abuses across the border to heights that strain the mind to fathom. It's disturbing, it's insane. However, it's sadly believable. Regardless of this, it is one persons testimony. One person." Davies tapped his finger on the folder he brought in with him, which we all guessed held some notes on the release. "One person telling a disturbing story which, if true, can be corroborated by hundreds if not thousands of others. Human rights violations in such heights should also leave a trail of proof. I ask this, where is this proof? The Kingdom of Belfras cannot and will not draft and execute any plans as a result of this release until we have solid evidence of its truthfulness. Too often in the past have we had people come and tell us stories of evil in other countries, simply because they disagreed with the government. Of course, this story does stand on the shoulders of a government which certainly oppresses the religious minority, a woman's right to her own body, and the right for a man to love whom he chooses. But let us not given in to personal desires or feeling. We. Need. Proof." the last three words were said with small pauses to give them meaning while he tapped at the folder each time he started a word.

It is clear this release has triggered emotions across Belfras, arguably Rodarions biggest enemy of late. Hostilities reached their boiling point when Rodarions new President called for the death of King James and began to financially back the Tarsan invasion of Mardullah, resulting in an economic embargo which has so far been successful. Relations further worsened after a rogue BNN correspondent posted bias news which triggered riots in which two Belfrasians were wounded by nuns who, according to PRRB, have been sent to these Repentance Camps.

Foreign Minister Adjunta Mayan was quoted as saying he was "shocked" by the information in the PHRI release and that "moves have been made to contact Belfrasians living in Rodarion to secure their well-being and recommended that they remain in contact with our Embassy in Rodarion during this time." he did, however, assure that there was "nothing to be panicked or alarmed about. If this is indeed true, it has been going on for a while and Belfrasian nationals in Rodarion have so far been safe from it."

Nathaniel Ridgewood reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of his junior correspondence team.

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by **Belfras** » Wed May 22, 2013 3:02 pm

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20/MAY/13

Breaking news brought to your computer.

INTERNAL #ERovenson: #Rodarion news letters comments blocked after repeated abusive messages from multiple people. Comment policy to be reviewed for future releases.
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by **Belfras** » Fri May 31, 2013 3:18 am

BNN International

Rodarion

PM ramps up pressure against Rodarion.
"Everybodies rights are to live." says Imam Koldale
^{31/MAY/2013 | Nathaniel Ridgewood (@RidgewoodNate) (BNN)}

Ian Davies' party has dropped in opinion polls to an all-time low, with the Unity Party taking first place in the opinion polls.
With the elections due later this year, this may swing things entirely in their favour.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - PM davies appeared eager to continue jousting with his opposite, President Ceausescu, on friday morning when he greeted us all prior to beginning his conference. In this conference he appeared to call out Ceausescu for his position and highlighted the growing level of isolation Rodarion is facing.

"In Rodarion, we have a power-hungry and corrupt leader [President Ceausescu] who is leading his country down a one-way street. He's already passed the point of no return with relations to our country, but he's ruining his chances at a prosperous future on this continent. It is clear that our embargo has had no impact on their decision to support the barbaric Tarsan invasion of Mardullah. Consequently we're going to be appealing to our allies in Nova Caledonia and the Spherian Coalition to join us in our embargo against Rodarion. Given the fact that Nova Caledonia are part of the Triumvirate, we expect our main issue will be convincing our allies in the Spherian Coalition."

On the matter of the impending hostilities between Rodarion and the SSN, PM Davies viewed the situation with "extreme caution." he went on to say that "The official opinion of the Kingdom of Belfras is that Rodarion herself is conducting these atrocities inside of the Social State. We will be watching Rodarion very closely. Their stance and certainly President Ceausescus words about the Natalian people being downtrodden seems to be very self-rhetorical. We have absolutely zero faith in our southern neighbours government after their more recent conduct and then controversial U-turns before going down this path of self destruction. President Ceausescu has also actively threatened the safety of our countries with this threat of us, apparently, reaping what we have sown. We'll be treating this as an active threat from Ceausescu and subsequently will be taking steps to ensure the continued safety of our citizens."

Davies words about taking steps for the safety of Belfrasians have not yet rung hollow. Formation orders for several Provincial Defence Force units have been issued along the border and we have been informed that several border posts have been reinforced. The temperature along the border has chilled to a degree that most people we have met being certain that a conflict was unavoidable. In a move that will surely ignite arguments, womens rights group 'One race' has started several abortion clinics near the Rodarion Border unofficially, with medical officials saying that they're offering free abortions to Rodarion citizenry. Spokeswoman of the group, Irina Virikolov, said that "everyone has the right to their own choices. If a woman wants an abortion, she has the right to do so. If it is against god, then god is wrong."

In the village of Kest, a renowned Muslim community led by Imam Koldale, several clinics and hospices have been opened. In Imam Koldales own words, it is "to offer those oppressed in Rodarion their rights. Their rights are very, very simple; To live. To be free and to choose their own path." Imam Koldale has recently had his name put forward by the Islamic Council for the position of Grand Imam, the highest position the Islamic community offers inside of Belfras. His actions for humanitarian aid toward fleeing Rodarions and his help in creating equal opportunities for everyone has shoved him into the spotlight, with his town of Kests population skyrocketing in recent years.

"It is really rather surprising." Imam Koldale said with a smile. "Our peaceful town of around five-thousand has doubled since 2010, we're focusing on getting a larger Mosque and a Catholic church erected along the high-street, but so far we're going ahead with a garden that'll be focused toward promoting equality. We have a prayer area for Muslims, a play area, a small market, and more. I'm really excited about this opportunity. We have several hospices opening up for people fleeing Rodarion death camps or the Orducii, forces of evil."

Nathaniel Ridgewood reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of his junior correspondence team.

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by **Belfras** » Fri May 31, 2013 8:24 am

BNN International

Rodarion

Rodarion in act of war against Belfras.
"All communication with the Rodarion Government has now been cut." PM declares.
^{31/MAY/2013 | Nathaniel Ridgewood (@RidgewoodNate) (BNN)}

Members of the fifth army on maneouvers, July 2012.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - In reaction to shock news from Rodarion that they would be forcibly deporting Belfrasians from their country, including the armed incursion of the Embassy and the increase of the Rodarions claim in the Draganesti to include 32% of Belfrasian waters was met with anger. The Draganesti Fleet, formally known as the Thirteenth Fleet, has been seen arming its armada of Nereids with their formidable Foreganger missiles whilst the older Karzelek Destroyers have already left port. The Nereid Corvettes are formidable Altrenian-designed warships that can carry the three million NSD Foreganger supersonic missile that is used in the anti-shipping arena.

At a similar time, the Fifth Army along the Rodarion border has been brought to full activation, with local Provincial Defence Force (PDF) regiments being activated in support. The village of Kest, led by Imam Koldale, is being evacuated by the local PDF units. Other towns along the border have been issued notices to evacuate or that units would be setting up to defend them. I was called by a resident of Kest who informed me that the Belfrasian Army had set up artillery on one end of the town and were using trucks to evacuate civilians as fast as they could, with one soldier saying "If you want to live, you'll evacuate."

With this sudden surge in activity along the borders and at the naval ports in the Draganesti came a statement from PM Ian Davies, who maintained a grave tone whilst speaking. I could note that, during the statement, armed personnel could be seen hidden, as if waiting to prevent any kind of assassination attempt. The tension was pretty high amongst the reporters, including a very unsure looking Rodarion who was comforted by several other reporters. One reporter was told that Rodarion infantry were trying to pass the border, and another that Belfrasian bombers had demolished the Vatican. Everything was uncertain until Davies walked out and started by allaying the fears, with he had heard about.

"I'd like to begin by stating that no hostile action has been taken as of yet. The fifth army and the Draganesti Fleet have ordered to full mobilization and towns in the danger zone are being evacuated. The Golden Palace, after I left, has been sealed and all members of the Royal Family are being recovered and escorted to Sanctuary as soon as time allows. This is a turbulent time and I would like to advise everyone in the Kingdoms territories to remain sure in the Belfrasian way of life. We will defend, we will protect."

PM davies continued.

"The Government of Rodarion have been some grave announcements, backed by equally grave actions. They have claimed 32% of our water in the Draganesti, which includes several oil rigs. They've stormed the Belfrasian Embassy and, at gun-point, forced the staff against their will to leave the country. They are doing similar acts of aggression to all Belfrasians currently inside Rodarion. I have met with the King personally to discuss this matter at great length whilst our delegates to the Triumvirate and the CDI convened an emergency meeting. For myself and His Majesty King James it is without a doubt that the Rodarion Government had committed an act of war against the Kingdom."

"Full measures are being taken to ensure the safety of all civilians within our borders and orders for the full mobilization of the Armed Services is to come within the next few hours." Davies told us, for those who were familiar with the Armed Forces operations knew that the fifth army was the closest to the Rodarion Border and the other armies were at varying levels of readiness. As for the Draganesti Fleet, its Nereids have acted as security cutters in the past, hopefully giving them the training they require in this new crisis.

Davies appeared to stay above the Foreign Minister in his rhetoric, going another way from them by saying that: "Rodarions currently residing within our nation will be forced to submit to an identity check and will have the option to return to their homelands. The Rodarion personnel from their Embassy will be unhindered in their attempts to leave our nation and their Embassy will be sealed off and untempered until their return. Their Embassy is still sovereign Rodarion territory and thus will be treated as such." his attention appeared to refocus and become more hostile to mirror his opposite. "With this act of war from the Rodarion Government, comes the grave new responsibility we must bare. All of our forces are being mobilized in preparation for imminent attack by the Rodarions and we will be inspecting all returning Belfrasians to ensure they are unharmed and that none have been killed."

The Belfrasian Space Agency made an announcement shortly afterward that all operations were being suspended and all in-orbit vehicles were being ordered to deorbit at the nearest opportunity and return to Karven Space Center.

Nathaniel Ridgewood reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of his junior correspondence team.

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by **Belfras** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 8:31 am

BNN International

Rodarion

Talks, terrorism, and an arrest warrant.
"We will push for Belfrasian interests." Says PM
^{01/JUNE/2013 | Nathaniel Ridgewood (@RidgewoodNate) (BNN)}

An infantryman stands guard beside a WMAV of Anemonian origin.

Isn Deslen, Belfras - Tensions along the border to Rodarion have been at the highest since the early 1900s. The entire fifth army has been mobilized and the closest units to the border is a mere ten meters. The border posts have found themselves abandoned or fortified by soldiers. The village of Kest, which has attained regional fame of late, is completely empty. The only noises to be heard are soldiers inside the town or the noise of aircraft passing over. If this crisis was to calm down, it'd be an exercise that would cost somewhere in the region of $32 million Belfries with compensation claims likely to continue until the next decade.

We had heard from a representative that the royal family were aboard the Sanctuary but refused to inform us what or where it is. Before we could further interrogate this poor representative the Prime Minister entered the room and, within a short while, began to speak. He appeared curt and straight to the point as he spoke.

"As you've all heard, Mr. Corlățean has been sacked from his position as the Foreign Minister by the Pope whom has taken personal command of this situation. He's requested talks to disarm this situation before it gets worse. I am here today to inform you that we have sent a communique formally accepting these talks at a neutral location. We will, of course, be pushing for Belfrasian interests and for an agreement that would settle the Draganesti problem once and for all. Preparations are already being made for a potential stand-down of forces along the border and a reversion of orders issued this morning. In a short while you will all be updated with the progress. For now, here is the Foreign Minister, Adjunta Mayan."

Foreign Minister Adjunta Mayan was up on the podium shortly after PM Davies stood down. His face bore the look of solemn as he prepared to speak and two assistants brought a chart-board next to the podium, which held an enlargened image of Titus Corlățean.

"Good afternoon." he began. He straightened his tie and pointed directly at the image. "This is Titus Corlățean. Up until recently he was the Foreign Minister for the Papal Republic and has been labelled as the sole reason as to the escalation and the acts of terror committed upon Belfrasians. His actions have caused this terror in the hearts of those living in both Rodarion and Belfras alike, and thus is subject to the Kings Justice." The next thing Mr. Mayan did was hold up a A4 piece of paper. It was headed the same way all royal documents are, with the crown and lapels crossing over the words "ROYAL DECREE". Only, this time, under it the words "ARREST WARRANT" were in the red ink and hand-writing of the Kings personal aids. We could clearly see it, and it bore the name of Titus Corlățean.

"This is an international arrest warrant in Titus' name. He stands accused of seeking to start a conflict against the Kingdom by way of infringing on national sovereignty and placing multiple Belfrasians under duress. As you are all aware, this falls under the catch-charge of Terrorism. Titus Corlățean stands charged of committing an act of Terrorism against the Kingdom of Belfras, it's citizens and territory. The Rodarion Government are charged with being complicit with this mans actions unless they take him into custody and hand him directly over to the Belfrasian forces currently at the border. Should the Rodarion Government fail in this, a bounty will be posted for this man and distributed throughout the region and beyond. He is now the Royal Investigative Ministries most-wanted criminal and will face the Kings justice."

Nathaniel Ridgewood reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of his junior correspondence team.

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by **Belfras** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 3:36 am

BNN International

Rodarion

Titus Corlățean makes first court appearance amidst Rodarion unrest
"Historical first." says judge
^{01/JUNE/2013 | Nathaniel Ridgewood (@RidgewoodNate) (BNN)}

President Ceausescu has been criticised for the actions of the police during the unrest.

Isn Deslen, Belfras -

Former Rodarion Foreign Minister Titus Corlățean has appeared in the Royal Court charged with Terrorism. King James was represented by Ser Alec Isfross of the Privy council. Mr. Corlățean, who was arrested and handed to Belfrasian officials after Prime Minister Davies issued an arrest warrant in his name, told Ser Isfross that he voluntarily surrendered to officers as he believed he would safer in Belfras than in Rodarion.

It's widely believed that Mr. Corlățean will be offered a chance to escape a prison sentence and instead be rehomed and given a new identity in exchange for testimonies about the Orducii and the Rodarion death camps, which it is now rumored his wife has been sent to. Ser Isfross highlighted the pequliar nature of the situation, saying that "If he is found guilty, he wouldn't just be the first foreign politican to be inprisoned in Belfras, but the first foreigner to inhabit Windcrest Prison." Windcrest is an island-based prison where the prison proper is built into island itself. Ser Isfross also said that "We've asked the Government for any information in regards to his family and capabilities to remove them from Rodarion for their safety. This is a historical first for our country and we'd very much like to keep the family together."

In a twist of events in Rodarion, a pro-abortion protest which was violently suppressed turned into a nation-wide protest against the Government. Three days of rioting left 284 people dead, over 5,000 arrested and countless more wounded. Both the government and police face extreme criticism for their handling of the situation.

In the aftermath of the unrest, the Rodarion Parliament voted to allow abortions to take place if the baby was conceived by means of sexual assault. Despite this, the Papal Republic of Rodarion Broadcasting (PRRB) has stated that the religious figures at the head of the country have both denounced the move and called for the deaths of the protesters. Cardinal Vladu Voceșcu stated, "This is the greatest attack on our religious core, and it's being done by the religious institution its built upon". At teh same time, Father Radu Malaxa called for the deaths of the protesters by saying "You stare the beast in the eyes, lift up the cross in your right hand and the sword in the left, and you cut out the beast’s tongue and let him choke to death on his own poison, place the cross on his corpse and then shall we say, we vanquished all that is evil."

We asked Commander Josephine Valcoti of the Isn Deslen Police Department (IDPD) her opinion on the actions of the riot police during what is being called as the 'Pope Julius Square Massacre'. Commander Valcoti currently commands the Metropolitan Division of the IDPD and has personally led several anti riot deployments during her career.

In her words, the actions "stank of incompetence. When you become a Police Officer, you swear an oath of service toward the people of the country you serve in. The last thing you do is shoot at unarmed citizenry, regardless of what is occuring. If someone is using the citizenry to fire on officers in what is presumed as a human shield, you use non-lethal methods to bring the citizenry down without fatal consequences. Beanbags, tasers, even watercannons!" Commander Valcoti recieved nation-wide recognition after the 1997 Kunarii protests in which 150,000 people occupied the entirety of Aleksandr Avenue to protest against a crack down in the Kunarii province. During the protest, Valcoti took command of efforts to quell violence and her efforts kept a lot of people from perishing.

Nathaniel Ridgewood reported on this from Isn Deslen with the assistance of his junior correspondence team.

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