GBC News: Glascovia's leading news broadcaster [OPEN]

[Glascovia]

The Glascovian Broadcasting Corporation


"Memores acti, prudentes futuri"

About the GBC
Created by the 1917 Airwaves Act, the Glascovian Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) began humbly as Imperial Bureau of Radio Telegraphy and Signals, a shortwave civilian radio service and a longwave military communications array. Early broadcasts began in 1919 from IBRTS stations in Cansæ, Sciiamchiamensis, and Iacca; despite its fledgling status, the network grew rapidly as devoted listeners tuned in for high-quality music and radio plays. Even in its infancy, the IBRTS placed a strong emphasis on journalistic excellence and integrity; the caliber of its news bulletins, presented every hour on the hour, perhaps played the most important role of propelling the rapid growth of the network.

Fervent popular support led the Imperial Congress to reorganize the IBRTS as the modern Glascovian Broadcasting Corporation during 1925. Smaller stations began sprouting up in towns like Vallis Gratiæ, permitting hitherto isolated communities to engage the world around them. When FM radio made its debut in 1933, the GBC was an early adopter of the technology, allowing it to produce stronger, clearer broadcasts that could reach hundreds of thousands more listeners. During this period, the average daily reach of the GBC was nearly 70% of the adult population.

1938 witnessed further reform for the GBC. Popular concerns about Imperial interference with the news media prompted Congress to divorce itself from the governance and daily workings of the GBC by establishing the Board of Trustees for the Glascovian Broadcasting Corporation. Though the Board of Trustees remains accountable to Congress and the consul, the institutional distancing of the GBC from Congress helps ensure that the former remains free of undue influence.

After World War II, consumers began their love affair with television, and the GBC was quick to respond. On 13 September 1957, GBC first began color television broadcasts, transmitting long-wave television signals throughout Glascovia and surrounding countries.

The comfortable monopoly that the GBC enjoyed was shattered in 1971, when the commercial, independently-operated Zelandian Television Network (ZTN) began broadcasts from Volaterræ, Glascovia. Consumer opinion still favored the GBC, however, and the Congressional Select Committee on the Expansion of the Airwaves elected to award the GBC a larger chunk of the spectrum, permitting the GBC to expand its channel line-up considerably.

News Index

GBC Empire

14 March 2013 — Cornix named shadow Procurator General
05 March 2013 — Electrical storm wreaks havoc in Imperial capital
28 February 2013 — Tredecimviri upholds extra-judicial detention of Republican extremist
27 February 2013 — Major natural gas field discovered off Glascovia's occidental coast

GBC World

GBC Sport

14 March 2013 — Saintland condemns Glascovia to defeat
13 March 2013 — Glascovia triumphs against Yakostan despite team shake-up
12 March 2013 — Praetor Awolowo calls for Bubo's head
28 February 2013 — Man arrested for attempted arson following Glascovia-Legalese matchup
26 February 2013 — Milchama ekes out narrow victory against Glascovia

GBC Finance

01 March 2013 — Seaweed farm company to go public

Proud member of the Universal Broadcasting Union

OOC: This thread is for reporting on news about, or involving, Glascovia. I welcome comments, questions, and critiques.

[Glascovia]

Major natural gas field discovered off Glascovia's occidental coast
Brixia, Glascovia
Last updated 27 February 2013, at 17:13 (AOTC -0300)



Late last night, energy conglomerate Sovereign Gas & Electric (SG&E) announced the discovery of a major natural gas field close to Brixia.

Dubbed the Fulmen field, the natural gas field lies approximately thirty miles southwest of Brixia, on Glascovia's western coast, and sits some 6,000 meters below the surface of the Mare Indianium. SG&E's late-night press release called the discovery "one of the single biggest finds in the oil and gas industry's history." Though SG&E has yet to confirm the Fulmen field's exact dimensions, SG&E's official white paper on the find estimated that 2.295 trillion cubic feet of natural gas would be recoverable. SG&E's geological analysts hope to more precisely define the extent of Fulmen's reserves within the next few months.

Abounding optimism

Since SG&E announced the discovery, government officials have proven sanguine about the Fulmen field's potential. In an official statement to the media, Praetor of the Empire for Commerce, Sertor Lafrenius Fronto, expressed the Government's confidence that the Fulmen discovery would mark an era of economic revitalization and growth for the Empire. Surprisingly, even Vel Burrienus Sisenna, leader of the Green Confederation and Praetor of the Empire for the Environment and Energy, expressed support for SG&E's proposal to tap the newfound underwater reserves at the Fulmen field. "While the extraction of natural gas does pose some environmental concerns, the Ministry has no doubt that our robust regulatory protections effectively foreclose the possibility of a Deepwater Horizon-like spill in the Mare Indianium.

Already, some in Glascovia are discussing how to spend the anticipated tax revenues Fulmen gas will bring to the Empire. The Chancellor of the University of Glascovia, speaking on behalf of the Board of Regents, expressed his desire to see "the government's tax receipts from [Fulmen] gas funneled into the Permanent University Fund," the ₳809.8 billion ($8.7 billion) sovereign wealth fund that subsidizes university tuition for Glascovian students. Others, like the Commissar-General of the Imperial Health Services Commissariat, have called for the anticipated tax receipts to finance the expansion of the Empire's universal health care program.

Upheaval in the financial markets

However, Glascovia's positive reception of the Fulmen gas field has been far from universal. Shares in Atomic Energy of Glascovia (AEG) plummeted 2.1% at the opening of the Ludovicopolis Stock Exchange this morning, and uranium prices dropped 1.4% on the commodities markets, reflecting the market's concern that cheap, plentiful natural gas would supplant more expensive alternatives. Unbowed, one insider at AEG called the upset in the nuclear power giant's fortunes "a fluke."

"The Imperial government has long pursued a policy of promoting self-sufficient, renewable, clean energy. No matter which party's in government, I don't see that changing just because Sovereign Gas discovered a new field," the unnamed executive at AEG commented. "Atomic Energy of Glascovia will still be the key player in Glascovia's domestic energy market for decades; Fulmen gas is a cash cow for exports, nothing more."

[Glascovia]

Tredecimviri upholds extra-judicial detention of Republican extremist
Cansæ, Glascovia
Last updated 28 February 2013, at 14:56 (AOTC -0300)



This afternoon, the Tredecimviri's ruling in Hakeswill v. Taenaris recognized the Imperial government's authority to indefinitely detain "enemies of the Empire" without trial.

Aurelio Hakeswill, a key member of the Glascovian Republican Army (GRA) was captured by military authorities in 2009, when Glascovian special forces raided a GRA training camp located in nearby Piccavia. Mr. Hakeswill is believed to be a high-ranking financier in the GRA, an extremist organization dedicated to the violent overthrow of the Imperial monarchy in favor of a "people's republic." Since his capture, Mr. Hakeswill has been detained in a high-security wing of the Imperial Disciplinary Barracks at Castra Vectis.

In 2010, Hakeswill's sister filed a petition for a great writ, requesting the appointment of legal counsel to Mr. Hakeswill, a hearing in a Glascovian court of law to contest the charges, and Mr. Hakeswill's release from Imperial custody. After the Capitoline Hill Crown Court rejected the petition, the non-profit Glascovian Civil Liberties Committee backed an appeal to the Imperial Court of Appeals and Equity for the Second Circuit. In a split decision, the Second Circuit chose to reverse the decision of the lower Crown Court, and ordered the Ministry of National Defense to take Mr. Hakeswill before a judge, who would then ascertain if the government had legal authority to imprison the GRA extremist. In response, the government filed an emergency appeal to the Tredecimviri contesting the appellate court's decision, and arguments before Glascovia's highest court began nine months ago.

His Imperial Majesty's Government argued that the Ministry of National Defense had the authority to detain Mr. Hakeswill indefinitely and without charge pursuant to Imperial Directive 3032, an emergency measure promulgated by the emperor following the Ides of June bombings in 2003. Imperial Directive 3032 authorized the government to "take all steps deemed advisable" to effectuate the "identif[ication], isolat[ion], and sequest[ration] [of] enemies of the Empire." The government also pointed to Congress's 2003 Security of the Empire Act, which amounted to a declaration of war against the paramilitary wing of the GRA. Gaius Caecilius Vespasianus, the Procurator General arguing the case before the Tredecimviri, maintained that the Congress's declaration of war conferred the government with broad war powers vis-a-vis the extirpation of the GRA, and that Imperial Directive 3032 was a lawful exercise of Congressional and Imperial war powers.

Mr. Hakeswill's attorneys, however, vehemently contested the government's interpretation of Directive 3032. Mr. Hakeswill's counsel suggested that the Security of the Empire Act was not a valid declaration of war, and, at any rate, permitting the government to exercise its war powers against its own citizens in the absence of active hostilities constituted a "gross violation of the basic human rights guaranteed to Imperial subjects by the Lex Axiomae."

The thirteen judges of the Tredecimviri were not swayed by Mr. Hakeswill's position, though. In a 8–5 decision, the court upheld the government's detention of Mr. Hakeswill and set aside the appellate court's issuance of a great writ. Looking favorably to its decision in I v. Congreve Rocketworks, the Tredecimviri's opinion stated that the government's power to protect the Empire should "exist without limitations… no constitutional restraints can wisely be imposed on the Government's power without fatally compromising its ability to respond to hitherto unforeseen and unpredictable emergencies." Moreover, the Tredecimviri said, judicial interference in the domain of national security was impracticable, given "the judiciary's lack of relevant information and expertise" to do so. Since Imperial Directive 3032 was promulgated during a lawfully-declared state of emergency and in furtherance of a congressional declaration of war, the government's actions "deserve the broadest degree of latitude this court can afford to provide."

Protests erupted in Cansæ almost as soon as the court announced its ruling, with activists animated over concerns for Glascovian civil liberties. "The Tredecimviri's decision in Hakeswill confers upon this Congress a broad and unprecedented police power, for which there can be no accountability and from which there can be no escape," one congressman from the Freedom & Reason party said. "Can we really trust mere men to exercise that power without trammeling roughshod over the rest of us?" Amending the Lex Axiomae to specifically prohibit the government's practices was briefly discussed on the Congressional floor, but the consul's strong opposition to any such amendments seem to have foreclosed that possibility for now.

So far, the government has sought to assure the public that Mr. Hakeswill's detention is an extraordinary measure, one not likely to be employed outside of a particularly narrow context. But the government's remarks ring hollow, especially in light of a raid just this morning on suspected GRA militants in the Highlands. Whether the government can be trusted with its newfound power remains an open question.

[Glascovia]

Seaweed farm company to go public
Ludovicopolis, Glascovia
Last updated 1 March 2013, at 10:01 (AOTC -0300)



Algae Praedia Volaterrani (APV), Glascovia's only commercial seaweed farming operation, announced plans for an initial public offering as early as mid-April.

APV traces its origins to a government grant issued in 2006 under the auspices of the Independence for Glascovia initiative, a program calculated to encourage innovation vis-à-vis Glascovia's domestic agriculture. Seaweed, a hitherto unknown product in Glascovian markets, achieved remarkable popularity in supermarkets across the Empire, and APV was able to operate independently of government financing by late 2008.

Initial filings with the Financial Markets Commissariat indicate that APV seeks to issue approximately thirty million shares valued between ₳495.23–₳850.42 ($5.34–$9.17). The exact value of the shares remains to be determined, pending a comprehensive valuation conducted by Ludovicopolis banking powerhouse Bacon, Sinclair, & Fabianus. Financial analysts have labeled the company's IPO plan "ambitious for such a small firm," but the consensus seems to be that APV is capable of realizing its target for the IPO.

However, analysts at the state-owned Government of Glascovia Investment Corporation (GGIC), which is playing a supporting role in the IPO, are already attempting to temper the market's expectations for the stock sale. Seaweed's surging popularity among housewives and epicureans alike—thanks to the food's high concentration of protein and antioxidants—has drawn considerable interest from retail investors. As the GGIC noted, though, most of the early stock sales will be to institutional investors, and those retail investors that cannot purchase at the IPO price are unlikely to beat the market in the coming months. As a result, the GGIC has recommended that retail investors seeking to gain exposure to APV do so through an ETF or mutual fund, to ensure diversification.

[Glascovia]

Electrical storm wreaks havoc in Imperial capital
Cansæ, Glascovia
Last updated 5 March 2013, at 09:44 (AOTC -0300)



A powerful electrical storm swept across the Sinus Triticium late last night, causing widespread power outages and flash-flooding throughout St. Matthew's Peninsula and the Greater Capital Bay.

Nearly one-and-a-half million Cansæans are without power this morning in the wake of an electrical storm that hit Cansæ around 11:30 last night and persisted until 03:00 this morning. The unprecedented extent of the capital's power outages have been attributed to an "unrelenting fusillade" of lightning that struck a number of electrical substations. An Imperial Grid executive, speaking for the state-owned national electricity transmission network, said that engineers would work "around the clock" until service was fully restored to the city.

The interruption to Cansæ's electrical supply has effectively ground the city to a halt. Though key government facilities and police stations have resorted to back-up generators, many commercial buildings in the downtown core have had to close their doors. The city's aboveground light-rail system has suspended service until full power is restored, citing safety concerns, and the city's fleet of electric buses have scaled back service in order to ration out their battery capacities.

Cansæ has also experienced a considerable amount of flooding, with approximately 9% of city streets, mostly along the shore, under two feet of water. The storm's torrential downpour overwhelmed the city's storm drains and catch basins, though the extensive network of underground subway tunnels remained relatively clear of water thanks to an elaborate system of hydraulic pumps.

The Imperial government has marshaled its considerable resources to assist Cansæ in ameliorating the effects of the electrical storm. Engineers from the Emergency Relief Authority are assisting city and Imperial Grid workers with repair efforts. Moreover, several cohorts of the Imperial Military Constabulary have been deployed in and around downtown to preserve law and order in the city. Although Cansæ has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, one military official expressed concerns that elements of the Glascovian Republican Army could exploit the chaos in the capital to stage attacks against civilian or government targets.

Mayor Octavianus Dacicus Adjutor is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon to address the city's response to the power outages and flooding. Last night's storm underscores long-standing criticisms levied by the Green Confederation, which has long accused the SDU mayor of failing to adequate prepare the city for disasters.

"Disaster preparedness might not be as glamorous as new civic buildings or sleek public transit systems, but it's just as essential to a healthy metropolis—if not more so," said a Green Confederation city councillor. "Certainly, the voters of this great city will see fit to punish the mayor at the ballot box for his shortsightedness."

Fortunately, Cansæ's forecast for the remainder of the week looks clear, giving repair crews and emergency workers much needed time to complete their work.

[Glascovia]

Cornix named shadow Procurator General
Cansæ, Glascovia
Last updated 14 March 2013, at 19:25 (AOTC -0300)

Conservative Party leader George Lloyd Odinga reshuffled his shadow cabinet today, naming Alexandra Cornix as his new shadow Procurator General.

A perennial Conservative backbencher, Ms. Cornix has served as a congressional representative since 1999, when her party made a brief resurgence at the polls. A graduate of the University of Glascovia at Cansae Law School, Ms. Cornix has been a rising star in the Conservative Party since she chaired the Imperial Law Reform Commission in 2008, where she played an instrumental role in streamlining the Empire's notoriously complex system of homicide gradations. Since then, Ms. Cornix has served as a member of the Judiciary Committee, a congressional body charged with scrutinizing the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial courts.

In a brief statement to the press, Ms. Cornix said that properly administering the law was "crucial to the perpetuation of the Empire."

She went on to add that she was "delighted to serve both the party and the Glascovian people as shadow Procurator General."

"George Odinga has articulated his desire for a more transparent legal system, and I look forward to helping the Conservative Party flesh out policy designed to effectuate that goal."

Government watchdogs and legal advocacy groups have applauded Ms. Cornix's appointment and policy agenda, especially in wake of new concerns unleashed by the controversial Hakeswill v. Taenaris decision. Whether the government will act to overturn that legal precedent remains to be seen, but Ms. Cornix has already made clear her desire to curtail the broad governmental powers the Tredecimviri granted in Hakeswill.