APwire ~ Affiliated Press News Agency

[Confederal Republics]

Special Forces free Colton Ridge hostages, end siege
AP Southport-on-Sea

Members of the Commonwealth Army Special Forces have released the hostages taken by Nordic separatists at the All-Cornavian Energy oil refinery of Colton Ridge. The nine hostages seized by the terrorists have been confirmed to be safe, while the authorities are reporting that the five Nordisk Frihet members who attacked the facility were all killed by the attacking Special Forces.

The facility has now been secured by the Army Special Forces and the Commonwealth Constabulary, and the freed hostages are receiving post-traumatic psychological and medical care.

Though the hostages were all released unharmed, it is said that five security guards and four civilians were killed by the terrorists during the course of the initial attack, bringing the number of fatalities incurred to nine. In addition, a catering company employee was earlier held hostage by the terrorists and forced to use his vehicle to grant them access to Colton Ridge, but he has reportedly beeen released unharmed.

It was confirmed by the authorities in the aftermath of the Special Forces operation that ACE Chief Executive Officer Christopher Aldridge, ACE boardmember and Member of Parliament Jerome Kendall (Com.) and several other corporate executives were in fact held hostage during the siege. None of the hostages have spoken to the public yet, but such statements are expected to be forthcoming.

 

[Allegian Republic]

Gabriel's opponents stumble, as He Tries to Force Drakun to The Top of Europe
Haestur, Drakun Imperium

With Drakun's sudden and bombastic emergence on to the European stage, many observers have been wondering how is Gabriel operating with impunity in a nation that has been so bitterly divided by the mafia-esque battles of its powerful families. Well contrary to what the Drakunian media might have you believe, he is not. Several prominent Drakunians are plotting to take a sledgehammer to the Scepter's knees in a political sense but, have been struggling to gain traction. In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, several high ranking Imperium leaders shed light on the unrest they believe will build up to a level it could unseat Gabriel. Yet at the same time, they helped unintentionally just how powerful the Scepter has become.

The Imperium's shedding of its anti-isolationist stance was extremely controversial across the northern state. Unfortunately the opposition was never able to rally together and present a united front against the Scepter, dooming their efforts. The result was Gabriel's chest thumping speech that came after he had demanded representatives from all of the North to be present, who he proceeded to embarrass by sitting them behind fifthly, poverty stricken Drakunians. A significant minority of citizens though were unsettled by the Scepter's speech according to classified polling. Sensing an opportunity, Gabriel's rivals tried to strike back and embarrass him by holding a press conference detailing the polls and anecdotal evidence to suggest Gabriel had lost his mandate.

His allies however, got wind of the publicity stunt and preempted it with Gabriel's interview with the Imperium media on the South Gallian war. It sparked a firestorm, and was reported on by many international media markets. The entire conversation shifted as the people of Drakun were whipped up into a war frenzy. Once more he emerged on top, and continued to emphasize a strong brand of national loyalty over the usual family-centric allegiances. And perhaps most distressing, one of the plotters was involved in a horrific car accident in the capital city just yesterday.

Still Gabriel's opponents swore they had the willpower, and strength to beat the Scepter. They said this was a one time defeat they said. Unfortunatetly that doesn't hold up considering the seven years Gabriel has served as the top dog in the Imperium, consolidating his power.

 

[Polesia]

Vangala plans conference on CoN reform
AP International

The People's Republic of Vangala has announced its intention to host a summit discussing possible reform to the Council of Nations, after the Oikawan Empire blocked the entrance of more potential members into the international organisation. Oikawa is currently vetoing all applications for membership until its partially-recognised allies* are admitted. The diplomatic and political status of these countries is controversial and many governments regard them as territories occupied by Oikawa.

Vangala has a troubled relationship with the Council of Nations and was only admitted in 1993, after Oikawa removed its objections following an improvement in bilateral ties. Several resolutions have also criticised its human rights record and foreign policy. Vangala has called for reforms of the Council of Nations before, including advocating the abolition of the Security Council and greater powers for the General Assembly. In the past these ideas have been rejected or failed to gain widespread support. Yet discontent about current direction of the Council of Nations is growing and recently Suionia proposed replacing the organisation with a new international body.

However, many analysts remain sceptical about how successful the planned summit will be. Vangala's authoritarian political system and alleged role in various insurgencies will deter many from attending. Some doubt a common consensus on reform can be achieved and even if it is, the likelihood of the reforms being implemented is slim.

*the Republic of Jizhou, the Principality of the West, the Great Kokuryuko Empire, the Kingdom of Chokaku, the Kingdom of Kyzyl, the State of Tenzing, the National Republic of Bashiristan, the United Republic of Dravidpur and Tatastan, the Lanur Free State, the State of Aryana and the Sovereign Republic of Transpurgistan

 

[Confederal Republics]

Nord land activist arrested by Confederal authorities, say opposition sources
AP Southport-on-Sea

Opposition sources in the Confederal Republics and their associates abroad are reporting that members of the Confederal law enforcement have arrested a prominent independent journalist and political dissident. Anton Suvikoski, chairman of the Arendaal-based Democratic Reform Committee, said that Alexander Pettersson Hagen had been arrested near Fjärslott by members of the so-called State Police.

Hagen, whose writings have been frequently published by members of the DRC and other opposition groups in the Confederal Republics, is a well-known campaigner of Nord land rights and Nord possession of oil and gas resources in the Confederal Republic of Järnmark. Hagen has spent his time since 2008 abroad as a journalist and lecturer on affairs in the Confederal Republics, and according to Suvikoski visited the Confederal Republics on a personal affair to see his ailing uncle. Rhinehart said that he had been accommodated by a relative when the house he had been in had been raided by State Police officers. His present location is unknown.

There was no immediate comment available from the Confederal Ministry of the Interior or the State Police itself, but Confederal authorities have threatened to prosecute Hagen and several of his associates of claimed involvement with the separatist group Northern Movement of the Red Star in the event of a return to Confederal soil.

 

[Confederal Republics]

CRN opposition condemns arrest of prominent dissident
AP Southport-on-Sea/AP Emyn Arnen

After officials of the so-called State Police of the Confederal Republics of the North - the agency in charge of political policing in the country - confirmed that Alexander Petterson Hagen had been arrested in the country's Northern region of Järnmark, members of the Democratic Reform Committee as well as domestic opposition groups have accused the Southport regime of political persecution.

Mr. Hagen is a former activist of the Confederal Socialist Party and a former parliamentary aide to Maja Vidkunsdottir Järnland, a CSP member in the Confederal legistlature who fled the country in 2008 after what she has described as a politically motivated criminal inquiry. Both Hagen and Järnland have the status of political refugees in the nearby country of Arendaal, and are active members of the Democratic Reform Committee, an opposition group founded by emigrated opposition members from the CRN.

"I'm not going to be able to tell you what Alexander was doing in Järnmark, to protect the nature of our work", stated Anton Suvikoski, chairman of the DRC, "However, I will tell you that these are politically motivated acts of intimidation against the free elements of our political opposition. At best, Southport has rendered a very liberal interpretation of its own entry control law. At worst, it is abusing that law to the interests of suppressing the opposition at home."

Some Democratic and Confederal Socialist members of the Assembly of Deputies also questioned the grounds for the charges against Hagen, as published in the Internet news maintained by the state-owned Confederal Broadcasting Company. The maximum punishment for the entrance violations he is accused of is five years in prison, and experts in Confederal law say that such a manner of application against a Confederal citizen is dubious at best. "How do you try to jail someone for five years when he is a citizen trying to return home?", one anonymous legal expert asked, adding that all Confederal citizens are supposed to register themselves once returning from abroad but that applying the maximum sentence was an absurd notion.

As a former parliamentary aide to Maja Järnland, Hagen is known as one of the most prominent Järnmarker Socialist dissidents.

 

[Papist Solaren]

Brinac Disease Outbreak in East Padania
Lucca (AP)

The Brinac disease, which began in the Papal town of Brinac in early December of 2010, is believed to have claimed the lives of three Padanian citizens in the eastern town of Seggiano in the past five days.

Despite silence from the state, the Padanian government is believed to be moving to quarantine the small town on the east coast of Padania, with sources inside Padania stating that the government has issued restrictions on travel into and out of the eastern state of Tarese.

Travel restrictions have also been implemented within the Padanian capital of Lucca, where officials have begun checking identification papers for all those wishing to access the nations largest city. It is unclear whether or not this has to do with the outbreak in eastern Padania.

The Brinac disease was escalated to epidemic status several weeks ago when the Papal States recognized the disease as a national issue on December 6, 2010, and has since received support from regional states such as Belmont and Eiffelland.

Despite this aid, the disease is still without cure, and has received a lack of attention since the opening of hostilities between Coronado and Belmont. This lack of attention has allowed the disease to profligate within the Papal States and potentially abroad.

The method through which the disease may have spread to Padania is still unclear, though experts believe that refugees from the plights may have inadvertently caused it to spread. It is unclear how many have become afflicted with the disease, and whether or not the Brinac disease may now present a potential pandemic.

 

[Thaumantica]

Directory of Home Development
Office of Emergency Relief & Containment

Before this alleged Brinac Disease Outbreak within Padania becomes an outbreak in the mainland, we believe it to be imperative that Officials in the Padanian State focus on documenting the symptoms and methods of treatment, and begin relaying information to this Office so that this does not spiral out of control, like the Sarmatian Flu nearly did last year. Truthfully we understand that with quarantine comes a litany of inconvenient responsibilities that are neither pleasant nor easily undertaken by even the finest of Governments. The Federal States of Miedzymorze can guarantee aid and assistance, if absolutely required, when Padanian officials begin sharing information regarding this outbreak. Let us set out on the right foot together, lock in step like a great march, and contain the effects of this disease as well as humanly possible.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Ministry of the Exterior
Confederal Republics of the North

The Confederal government is obliged to express its concurrence with these concerns presented by the Federal States, and the Confederal government calls for Lucca to give the maximum amount of attention to ensuring that the Brinac disease is contained and that it does not spread to foreign countries. The quarantine already implemented should be continued until the evident disease hazard is over. At this time, the Confederal embassy in Lucca is ready to liaise with Padanian health authorities on the development of the health situation in the country.

Regards,
Mr. Joni Saukko,
Minister of the Exterior

 

[Breotonia]

Department of Health

It is the wish and the hope of His Majesty's Government that all possible aid be rendered to Padania during this outbreak. The Government is prepared to authorize the immediate dispatching of emergency response teams from the Health Protection and Disease Control Agency. The primary mission of these teams will be to transport generous donations of medical equipment and substances to the affected areas and to provide staff for the treatment of the infected and to further aid in containment measures. We also wish to pursue a longterm plan by contracting Optican Medical Technologies (a division of the Shaw-Fujikawa Group) to research the disease and formulate the most effective means of combating it. They operate several BSL-4 rated research and containment facilities in Breotonia that are equipped to handle Brinac Disease practically indefinitely as countermeasures are developed. Their efforts will prove the most successful if samples might be immediately transported to these facilities. They have requested that they be able to send several teams initially to collect samples and shortly after semi-permanent research teams are to remain in Padania as long as is necessary to glean details about teh contagion by the treatment and monitoring of infected individuals.

 

[Großlausitz]

Franken, Vangala hold joined manoeuvre

Nürnberg (AP)

Two days after their arrival in Chingrikhali, the battle group led by the amphibious assault ship KMS Würzburg has begun its manoeuvre with the People’s Navy of Vangala. It’s scheduled to take four days and it will simulate an amphibious assault on Vangalan shores. A spokesman for the Admiralty of the Royal Navy explained there is also a lot to be gained for Franken’s naval branch. “Vangala’s waters and shores differ from the Meridian and Near-Meridian naval environment. Furthermore, it will strengthen the Royal Navy’s general ability to engage and/or cooperate with foreign forces in unknown environments.”

Observers consider the manoeuvre an important sign of trust between both sides, as there was some dispute over the SC Resolution 20 co-sponsored by Franken and Oikawa, which happens to be Vangala’s gigantic rival. The week-long visit to Vangala by the Royal Navy was inaugurated by a small parade of Vangala’s marine infantry, which the senior Franconian officers were invited to watch alongside the general population of the port city. Its citizens were also fairly impressed by the neat and crisp uniforms of the Königliche Marine. Yesterday Konteradmiral Thomas Möller, who commands the battle group, received the People’s Republic’s new Vice-President Anjan Chatterjee aboard his flagship KMS Würzburg.

 

[Thaumantica]

Directory of Defense

Let it be known, for better or for a most unfortunate worse, that if the Royal Navy chooses to compromise the naval territories south of Republican Barazi, which are protected by a very fragile understanding Miedzymorze has achieved with Aryana and other States of the Free League, that we will be obligated to maintain the valued integrity of allied maritime possessions. Gunboat diplomacy is unacceptable here, where we struggle every day to keep the peace.

This was not a welcome piece of information in Midland Europe, and it certainly was not cute, for now Franken is showing itself to be a reckless giant. The combination of Marine and Naval assets being flaunted outside Vangala is unwise, it was miscalculated, and instead of simulating enemies in the East, Franken is literally creating them this February. Fate and future lies squarely on Franken as the instigator of conflict, it had determined by itself to venture far from home with weapons and assets of destruction that perhaps it does not fully understand. Be rest assured though, Federal Miedzymorze understand the grave responsibility possession of the tools of death come with, and does not simply take them "on parade".

Freedom First,
Federal Marshal,
Dionis Huszar

 

[Polesia]

পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রক
Ministry of External Affairs

The People's Republic of Vangala has no aggressive intentions towards any of its neighbours and is instead the victim of continued threats from the Oikawan Empire and the League of Free States. The joint naval excersises with Franconia were a celebration of a new friendship between two countries who have historically had troubled relations and designed to better prepare both militaries in the case of a coastal invasion.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Unconfirmed reports of dissident death in police custody spark riots in Järnmark
AP Southport-on-Sea

Unconfirmed sources in the Confederal Republics have reported the death of recently arrested dissident emigrant and Democratic Reform Committee member Alexander Pettersson Hagen in custody of the State Police, the secret police agency of the CRN. Both the DRC and CRN government sources reported the arrest of Mr. Hagen this week by the SAPO, ostensibly for entry violations.

While neither official or independent news sources in the Confederal Republics have been able to confirm or deny the reports related to the claims of Alexander Hagen's death in secret police custody, the story has rapidly spread through the CRN blogosphere, the center of most of the opposition reporting in the country.

In Järnslott - the capital of the Confederal Republic of Järnmark - and Järnstad - the Republic's largest city - the news reportedly sparked riots between Nordic youths and members of the Confederal security forces. Järnmark Premier Jorgen Magnusson Thorstrup has threatened harsh repercussions against the rioters.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Dissident leaders denounce violence in Järnmark
AP Southport-on-Sea

After the outbreak of armed clashes between government forces and believed Communist insurgents in Järnstad, the Democratic Reform Committee dissident group as well as members of the domestic CRN opposition have condemned the ongoing violence. At the same time, they took their time to condemn the CRN government's arrest of DRC activist Alexander Pettersson Hagen in addition to calling for moderation in the ongoing government response.

"Neither the DRC or domestic organs of our opposition condone the acts of violence and paramilitarism currently ongoing", DRC head Anton Suvikoski said to AP reporters in a phone call from the organization's Arendaal headquarters, "Nor do we accept militant groups trying to seize our legitimate cause of struggle for their own purposes." In addition, Suvikoski called for the CRN government to release Mr. Hagen, who he said was being held illegally and for political purposes, and called for the international community to assist in the work towards his release.

David Rhinehart and Julia Dwyer-Laitinen, chairpersons of the opposition Democratic Party and the Confederal Socialist Party respectively, have also condemned the ongoing unrest but called for the Southport-on-Sea government to answer to the issues creating violence in Järnmark in a peaceful manner. One of the major points of contention for the Järnmark insurgents of the NRA and NMRS groups is the use of the region's oil and natural gas wealth, which currently goes largely to the central government and Pohjolan, Cornavian and foreign energy corporations.

Dealing with the insurgents, of which NRA calls for a secession of Järnmark as an independent state while the NMRS officially calls for a Communist revolution in the entire Confederal Republics in spite of its unofficial Nordic focus, is a controversial issue for those of the non-violent Nordic opposition. Some DRC members including former Socialist Assembly Deputy Maja Järnland are believed to sympathize with the Red Star insurgents, while open supporters of the Nordic Republican Army are organized in their own Committee of a Sovereign Järnmark, which operates in Arendaal and Suionia. The Confederal government has repeatedly requested foreign governments to classify the CSJ as a front for the NRA.

 

[Confederal Republics]

CRN chemical weapons at risk, says leaked report
AP Southport-on-Sea

Questions have been raised over the safety of the chemical weapons maintained by the military of the Confederal Republics following the leak of a set of classified military documents to the Associated Press. The report, which according to an unnamed source originated within the CRN Ministry of Defense, highlights security flaws in the remaining chemical weapons stockpiles within the Confederal Republics.

Dated for the December of 2010, the MoD report warns that the chemical weapons maintained by the Confederal Northern Defense Forces may be at the risk of theft or sabotage. The report describes a December 2010 test by the Ministry's Directorate of Central Intelligence, in which DCI officers under a false identity managed to attain visiting clearances to one of the main production sites of the chemical weapons program by bribing one of the officers part of the facility's security unit, after which they proceeded to covertly photograph the facility's interior in several occasions.

In addition, other security flaws such as training of the responsible security personnel and the state of on-site surveillance systems were mentioned.

"If correct, this report is extremely concerning as terrorist groups or rogue states might seek to gain these improperly stored weapons of mass destruction for their own purposes", said Jochen Reichardt, a WMD specialist in the Franken-based thinktank Institute of Strategic Studies. Reichardt called for the international community and the CRN government to undertake greater preventive measures against such threats.

No immediate comment was available from the Confederal government.

During the Saloist Royal Northern Union, the RNU maintained a notable chemical weapons program. Though the post-revolutionary government under President Välimaa promised to dispose of the remaining chemical weapons stockpiles, such plans were discarded in 2007 by his successor Mauno Kajala, who has reportedly reactivated the program. Though details of the remaining stockpile are considered state secrets, independent military analysts estimate that the CNDF currently possesses at least sarin, tabun, BZ incapacitant and VX nerve gas and maintains the capability for their air, artillery and missile delivery.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Independent media sources report over 50 dead civilians in Fjärstad fighting
AP Southport-on-Sea

Following the conclusion of violent clashes between government forces and insurgents of the Northern Movement of the Red Star in the Northern CRN city of Fjärstad, independent media sources have reported that over 50 civilians were killed and 150 wounded in the course of the five-day armed fighting. Officials sources have refused to release civilian casualty figures on the account of privacy to the victims' next of kin, but independent bloggers and opposition activists have cited eyewitnesses and unnamed hospital sources.

Official sources only announced casualty figures at 22 Confederal Army and Interior Forces soldiers, Home Guards and policemen, while government forces claimed to have killed 50 Red Star insurgents in the course of the fighting.

"Red Star insurgents trying to stall military advance took up positions in street houses and high-rises", says Maria Nilsdottir Grönberg, an independent journalist operating in Järnmark, "When they got fired upon, the government forces responded by directing vehicle cannon fire, explosive and phosphorous grenades and fuel-air rockets at the buildings, there was absolutely no chance of civilians managing to escape this madness. They've also been rounding up young Nordic men in spite of whether or not they were armed, taking them to a detention center or something."

Several fires were reportedly caused by fuel-air rockets and white phosphorous grenades used by government forces during the fighting, including one which burned down the insurgents' last hold out at the Edelbacka warehouse area. Though most of the civilians are said to have fled areas where fighting has been ongoing, some were unable to escape the sites of fighting between government and insurgent forces.

The CNDF has repeatedly been criticized by human rights groups for its widespread use of white phosphorous and thermobaric weapons even in urban areas and against personnel targets. The 10th Light Brigade which contributed most of the forces involved in the fighting in Fjärstad has been a particular target of criticism, with the unit being implicated in several human rights abuses and its leadership accused by commentators of fostering use of exessive force and similar violations.

CNDF sources denied claims by independent media of excess collateral damage during the Fjärstad operation. In a phone call with the AP, the Defense Staff's head press spokesperson Colonel Sara Järvelä said that most of the civilian casualties had been caused by insurgent use of human shields and IEDs during the fighting.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Ten executed by military court in Fjärstad for connections with Red Star insurgents
AP Southport-on-Sea

Eight men and two women - reported by the Confederal military as having been among the twenty-five people arrested for connections with the Communist Red Star insurgents during this and last week's fighting in Fjärstad - have been shot in the city's main prison. A military court presided by Brigadier General Joakim Lohenoja, CNDF Deputy Judge Advocate General for Järnmark, found the ten guilty of high treason and armed insurgency. In addition, seven others held for believed Red Star membership were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from five to twenty years.

Though three of the defendants plead innocent in the course of the trial, which was conducted today, the military court stated that witness statements from CNDF soldiers involved in receiving their surrenders as well as physical evidence of confiscated firearms and insurgent equipment lent sufficient credence to the prosecution's claims.

Independent media in Järnmark said that subsequent to the trial, Confederal President Mauno Kajala gave his confirmation of the sentence within an hour, immediately after which a masked CNDF officer executed the ten one by one with single pistol shots to the back of the head in the prison's main courtyard.

Human rights groups in the Confederal Republics and abroad have protested the speed with which the CNDF has been conducting the trials in the aftermath of the five-day Fjärstad clashes, describing the executions as politically motivated. In a phone call with the AP, Vidkun Eriksson Hastö from the Confederal Socialist Party in Järnmark said that the evidence reviewed by the court had been gathered in an "entirely arbitrary basis", and accused the central government of committing premeditated murder for the purposes of throwing dirt on the Järnmarker people. Hästö said that the youngest of the executed had been 15, and had been forced by insurgents to provide shelter to them before they surrendered to government troops.

A CNDF spokesman confirmed that executions had taken place, but said that all of the executed had been adults who had either carried weapons, denounced by civilians or other insurgents or who had confessed to their acts themselves.

Sentences by military courts for offenses including insurgency are believed to account for well over a half of the estimated 70 executions carried out in the Confederal Republics in 2010. With the decision to give the right of appeal in the hands of the involved court, military trials are typically conducted within days and their verdicts are also carried out rapidly.

 

[Polesia]

Vangala arrests prominent dissidents
AP International

Several well-known opposition figures have been detained by the security forces in the People’s Republic of Vangala, a few days before the country is due to host a conference on reforming the Council of Nations. Many suspect the ruling Communist Party is attempting to prevent any public displays of dissidence during the talks and avoid questions on its much-criticised human rights record. Access to social networking sites and mobile phone services has also reportedly been disrupted. In Chingrikhali, the port city hosting the conference, there are large numbers of the paramilitary People’s Reserve Police, who have been repeatedly accused of torture and using unnecessary lethal force.

Sources close to the families of the detained have informed the international media their relatives were seized in night time raids and have been transported to secret detention facilities. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has refused to comment on individual cases, although issued a statement claiming there were ongoing counter-terrorist operations to ensure the security of foreign dignitaries.

Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are both guaranteed by the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Vangala, although are routinely ignored by the authorities. Human rights organisations continually complain about the human rights situation in Vangala and have called for improvements. The Communist Party has rejected allegations of human rights abuses, dismissing them as ‘Western capitalist propaganda’.

 

[Confederal Republics]

AP office in Southport-on-Sea searched, two reporters arrested by secret police
AP Southport-on-Sea

Two Confederal Republics citizens employed by the Southport-on-Sea office of Associated Press have been arrested during a search to the AP's Southport-on-Sea offices this morning. Members of the State Police, the CRN's secret political police organization, assisted by members of the paramilitary Interior Ministry Special Forces carried out a four-hour search of the AP offices almost immediately after they were opened by arriving members of the staff.

SAPO and Interior Forces personnel reportedly confiscated several computers and recording equipment as well as archive files during the warrantless search. The head CRN correspondent for the Associated Press, John Mahan, said that during the four-hour search the AP staff had been kept handcuffed in an unwarmed police bus without their outdoor clothing in -15 temperature. He also complained of brutality on behalf of government paramilitary forces involved in the search.

SAPO members reportedly arrested two members of AP staff, senior correspondent Mikael Saukkonen and his photographer Anna Virta. While the State Police has confirmed that the two are in their custody, they have reportedly refused visits of an AP-arranged lawyer to the two citing national security. The State Police has not commented on unconfirmed reports that the two have been transferred into the custody of CI4, the military counter-intelligence division of the Confederal intelligence services.

Saukkonen and Virta were responsible for a recently published AP article detailing severe problems in the storage systems of chemical weapons maintained by the Confederal Northern Defense Forces, citing a military source who remains unnamed due to security reasons. Mr. Mahan speculated that the arrests could be related to rumored attempts by the CRN authorities to uncover the source of these leaks, which have stirred up discussion in the country's political circles about the status of the CNDF chemical weapons program. Some fear that problems in maintaining the security of the weapons could make them an attractive target for terrorist and organized crime groups.

 

[Polesia]

Vangalan President in late visit to Coronado
AP International

Vangala's President Moheen Chatterjee has become the first world leader to visit Coronado since the conflict with Belmont ended, meeting his counterpart Fernando Juarez today at the Presidential Palace in Toledo. The two countries are close allies, both being members in the socialist military alliance the Revolutionary Defence Treaty Organisation. Coronado was also one of the first countries to recognise the Communist regime in Vangala.

President Chatterjee was due to visit Coronado last year for high-level talks, which had to be postponed because of the war with Belmont. During the war, Vangala sent humanitarian supplies to Coronado and called for sanctions to be imposed by the Council of Nations, although did not militarily intervene. However, some reports do allege Vangala also sent military equipment.

The President's itinerary has not been disclosed for security reasons and sources in People's Military Intelligence supposedly worry about a Belmontien assassination attempt, although there has been no official comment. Discussions on strengthening defence and security co-operation are expected to be the main feature of the visit.