27th of July, 2021
Arnton, WL - Cloudy. Max: 22C Min: 12C
DOMESTIC: Armed robberies shock Badara communities
BADARA (AN) - Arlanite police today announced that fifteen men were arrested following coordinated raids in Menindai, Badara and two rural properties to the west of Badara. Eleven are Ahnslen citizens - four of whom are brothers, one is a dual national of Ainslie and Roendavar whilst the remaining three are Roendavarian citizens.
The raids follow investigations into early morning break and enters into highly valuable properties owned by wealthy Badarans over the past two weeks. Over eight nights, four gated communities were woken up to the sound of gunshots as the intruders entered houses without mercy, killing any inhabitants which stood in their way. Five people died and a further ten were hospitalised when emergency services got to the premises and it was declared safe to enter. One night at Ellera Gardens, residents were told to stay in their homes as police engaged in a shootout with the robbers who had sheltered themselves around the various different residences to avoid capture. It is not known whether the robbers that night are part of the fifteen who have been apprehended, although the Governor has signalled that that information will be released shortly.
The fifteen men are being held in various different police stations around the electorate and are expected to be interrogated well into the night before further investigations are undertaken tomorrow. It is expected that armed robbery, attempted murder and murder charges will be levied against various members of the group. The members are understood to have been acting in concert with one another and are only a portion of the people responsible for the robberies in Badara. Police today told the public that they were not acting alone or autonomously and that the threat had not passed following the raids today. They appealed to the community for any information about individuals involved in these criminal acts, particularly if they have anything to tell authorities about who they may suspect have communicated or helped coordinate the robberies.
The Governor in her press conference today when asked about the motives of these robberies theorised that it was very likely that sophisticated criminal organisations operating in and around Badara were responsible for these robberies and that they were not random or ideological in their beliefs or acts but rather trying to raise finances for their various activities. She noted that multiple interceptions of Buzz at the border over the past days would have caused the groups to take a massive hit to their capacity to conduct their operations.
The recent attacks have also reignited the gun control debate, with gun owners and a number of interest groups campaigning for the government to go to the Electoral Council to request a relaxation in the sorts of weapons people can own in Arlanah and the purposes for which they can keep and carry them both around their properties and in their houses. Currently, it is heavily restricted and largely only used in the context of hunting or for ensuring farmers can free themselves from the threats of the natural environment or in self-defence from human threats. However, such calls are likely to fall on deaf ears as the electorate itself has no sure fire way to back away from the strong consensus amongst the Governors and the Federal Government against any relaxation in gun ownership policies.
The Governor today also revealed that during the raids they found dangerous chemicals, drugs and prohibited weapons in Ainslie - with the discovery of four sub-machine guns particularly of note to local authorities. It is not yet known how the men acquired the guns, the drugs or the various chemicals that were seized as a part of the raids.
Governor Garver today stressed that it was for this very reason that gun restrictions needed to stay in place in their current state, a comment which has received decisive condemnation amongst farmers, shooters and hunters who primarily live in the south and the west of the electorate. The Governor has also asked that gun owners be particularly careful with storage and security of their firearms when they are not using them, suggesting that these groups may be looking for guns that they can take off of lawful owners in order to use them for illegal acts such as the robberies of the gated communities.
The upper class communities in Badara appear to have increased security too, with reports of additional private security patrols and the upgrading of alarm systems across the many properties owned by the wealthy in the city being shown to Arendai.
The Federal Government offered a general statement at the daily press briefing this afternoon, stating that they are willing and open to support any electoral authorities on this matter. Kari Tarlow, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister, also confirmed that the Public Safety Officer would travel to Badara tomorrow to more actively engage with local police as they undertake their investigations and go on a fact finding mission to help inform the Federal Government as to what kind of support can be effectively given to the Arlanite Government as they continue to grapple with the threats emerging from the Badaran Underground.
SPORT: Ahnslens cling onto narrow victory in Arnton
ARNTON (AN) - The series stands at 2-1, with Ainslie winning in Arborai and Mandara whilst New Jacobland beat the hosts by sixty runs in Renderra. In Arnton, there is now a chance for the touring team to draw the series. For the Ahnslens, the Arnton test represents an opportunity to reassert their strength in home conditions and to show up on a spin-friendly surface which has traditionally been a bastion for Jacobian teams touring across the Isles. Runs were on the agenda in this test match, unlike the last three where bowlers continually seemed to make a breakthrough at critical moments. No innings in the match was below 290 with a healthy average run rate all the way through to day five when wickets started to fall in an attempt to chase down Ainslie’s total.
The players were out to impress, offering many of the standout performances which will define this series. Both the Prime Minister of Ainslie and the President of New Jacobland were in attendance after a week-long state visit between delegations from the two countries culminating in their attendance at the final test match in the capital city.
The scene was set for an exciting test match, as Ainslie aimed to maintain its reputation at home whilst the Jacobians had a real shot at attaining a draw in conditions that probably are the friendliest of the entire season to their team. Both teams announced an unchanged squad from the Renderra test match, with key Ahnslen paceman Pararen still sitting out with an injured shoulder.
Ainslie won the toss and Braiden Mellen and Michael Hotham, the two openers who have guided many of the successful batting performances so far set out to replicate their efforts in past matches with relative success - scoring 34 runs and 44 runs respectively. Keeper batsman Aaron Brunnel then entered at #3, offering a half century before being caught in the slips off of the bowling of Rod Jackson and allowing for Karalee to get settled at the crease before he made 103, one of the few centuries of this series with Isaac Comara who offered up 45 runs to his partnership with the captain. The middle order then offered up some productive performances with Dundan scoring 25 and Bersen 33, whilst Dunra (21 runs) also offered a contribution by batting with a tail which held up against the Jacobian bowling by adding an extra 42 to the total. Hall was amongst the wickets this innings, conceding 58 runs for his three wickets whilst Jackson was the second highest wicket-taker at 2-62.
The Jacobians were left to chase down 399, an intimidating but achievable total so long as the top order rallied around one another and built those all important partnerships. And they did - Josephs batted his way to an impressive 125 with Jones (56 runs) and Sallop (43 runs) both offering support from the other end. Carter then followed up by scoring 53 runs before letting a ball from Bersen knick his bat on its way to wicketkeeper Brunnel’s gloves. The middle order also held up, with Cook scoring 29 runs, Lewis 31 and Roland 25 before the tail offered some useful extra runs to get them past the Ahnslen total, offering up 427 runs. A key feature of the innings was the increased presence of spin with the set batsmen often falling to that rather than to spin - a calm and collected Josephs was bowled by Mellen, a part-time spinner whilst Karalee, who is far better known for his batting snagged the wickets of Sallop and Lewis. Duncan was the leading wicket-taker for an economical 3-68, whilst Karalee’s short spells led him to receive career best bowling figures of 2-12.
Mellen and Hotham once again returned to the crease under sunny skies, offering a foundational and stable partnership of about 50 runs before Mellen’s stumps were dislodged by a ball that slipped past him as he tried to play a defensive shot. Hotham then combined with Brunnel, Karalee and Comara batting late into Day 3 to get a score of 104. Brunel (34 runs), Karalee (30 runs) and Comara (38 runs) were all supporting acts to the opener’s important century which must have emboldened the middle order who continued the good work with Dundan posting 20, Bersen 26 and Dunra 15. Chaven, Canters and Talara all played the defensive game on a deteriorating pitch to not much success. Wenton took three wickets for 39 whilst Roland late in the innings began to utilise the pitch effectively for an economical 2-42.
Ainslie posted 327, leaving the Jacobians 299 runs to chase down. Josephs once again was the highlight of the batters posting 82 runs before being bowled by Dunra, whilst his partner at the top captain Roy Jones posted 33 runs before being dismissed lbw. It quickly became evident that spinning deliveries were about to become a headache, as Jacobian #3 Sallop was dismissed uncharacteristically quickly for only 12 runs whilst Carter who had been impressive in the first innings only managed to get to 14 runs before being caught and bowled by a textbook delivery by off-spinner Daniel Talara. Lewis then committed himself to the rebuilding effort with all-rounder Benjamin Roland by his side, with the two offering a productive partnership of 60 before both being dismissed by spinners. Lewis was dismissed by Mellen whilst Roland was stumped off a delivery by Talara. Seville then departed quickly for 30 after mistiming an expansive shot against Talara, which instead landed safely in the wicketkeeper’s glove. The game then hung in the balance - with the target in reach on Day Five and off of the bats of Hall and Jackson, who had managed to stem the tide of wickets, it began to look like they may achieve the run-rate needed.
As the sun began to come down and Day Five drew to a close, the tail still oriented itself towards the prospect of a win. Near the end of the last session, the captain took the ball for himself and bowled Hall out for 18 - leaving the #10 and #11 with 15 runs to chase down for the win. The Ahnslen spinners then in tandem committed to the task of dismissing one of them offering a number of chances as the fielding team began to seem uncomposed and chaotic at times. Canters then pulled through, hitting Wenton’s stumps as the ball chipped off Ned Wenton as he attempted the same defensive shot that had been the mainstay of his innings.
The Jacobians, all out, were sent packing without the extra two runs they needed to win and thirty minutes before the end of the day.
The mood in the Ahnslen dressing room was one of relief, as they had retained their record of almost always beating the Jacobians in Ainslie. Prime Minister Gifford, who mingled with the cricketers at the end of the game, described the atmosphere as one of “elation yet with a hint of deflation”. The Prime Minister then went over to the Jacobian dressing rooms where she met the President and the touring team and congratulated them on their performance, particularly the win in Renderra that they had.
Ahnslen captain Connor Karalee was awarded man of the series honours whilst Hotham got man of the match for the important runs he attained. Ned Wenton was announced as the MVP for the touring side, having consistently taken wickets and kept them in the game at several intervals.
The final test marks the end of this series filled with twist and turns, with the Ahnslen tour of New Jacobland slated for three month’s time. The Ahnslen coach and staff will be hoping that they can improve on the mixed performance during this series, with the captain also noting that “whilst this test has been a good boost for us, there is more work to be done if we are to win in New Jacobland when we play there.”
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