News from the LUN

[The League]

The Informant
AM Issue

Festivities All Around as LUN Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
Luvere - The streets of all major cities in the League are filled with festivities this morning as 8 nations come together in celebration of Union Day. In this capital city, a parade would take place along the main thoroughfare Union Avenue, to be graced by Secretary-General John Rosemary Hawkins. The parade will showcase the LUN's military assets, its people and culture. Organisers have promised that it will be the ultimate display of the League's economic, political and social successes. In almost every household across the nations, patriotic decorations have been put up by citizens keen to show their support for solidarity on a day that unites 8 diverse cultures together.

Public anticipation has been building up to this day, not only because of the festivities and traditional get-togethers with friends and family to celebrate, but also because this would mark the first day of the League's emergence into the global stage. Under Secretary-General Hawkins' leadership, the League Assembly passed the "Emergence Act" to end the LUN's isolation after 10 years of internal development. Given the urgent problems then, such as persistent strife between some nations over historical animosities and dealing with remnants of an epidemic that ravaged the region prior to Union, Mr Hawkins had felt it important to first focus on weeding out these issues, a focus that entailed removing distractions from international developments which had the potential to fan the flames back at home.

Now, as he put it to a full house of the Assembly last night to mark the last day of isolation, "Our League has come so far from when we were just 8 disparate nations squabbling with each other, not realising the common interests we had and the potential to go much further with Union. Now, having settled our own internal issues, it is time to remove the lid of secrecy and show the world that we are ready to march into a brighter future, together! Europe will soon come to discover not one, but eight dazzling gems on the edge of the Long Sea, brimming with activity and the hopes of millions. Ladies and gentlemen, a lot of blood has been shed for tomorrow. Let us not cause these sacrifices to have been in vain."

All of Europe's news media have descended upon the People's Pinnacle building, home of the Assembly, where the heads of state and government of all 8 nations will gather to officially reveal the LUN to the world and kickstart the parade. The PM issue will have more updates on the festivities.

 

[The League]

The Informant (AM Issue): MIXED REACTION TO END OF ISOLATION

LUVERE, 14 Nov 1954 - Citizens of the League have been showing mixed reaction to ending 10 years of isolation. Being exposed to the outside world opened up opportunities for some like never before while the abrupt influx of international influence just proved too much to bear for others.

On Tuesday the 11th of November, the LUN just celebrated its 10th anniversary of Union with its emergence on the global stage. The parade that went through the streets of capital city Luvere was well received by many. For the first time ever, all peoples of Europe lay eyes on this Himyari union on the edge of the Long Sea. But for some, what this meant was an ugly truth.

These were the people who could not cope with the onslaught of foreign media. Foreign voices over the radio transmitted from neighbouring countries sounded alien to listeners who had, for their entire lives, been hearing only their own native language, let alone the languages of the other nations in the League. And to make things worse, many reeled from the introduction of an electronic device called the "television", which has the ability to relay black-and-white moving images, pre-recorded, through a tiny box-like structure with a screen. Many confessed pondering the implications of such an instrument after hearing about it. Right now, only the rarest of households possess the television.

This is but one of the many examples of people having a hard time getting used to effects of the League opening its doors to outside influence. "We'll adapt," said Secretary-General John Hawkins as he was interviewed by our reporter. "We are a group of nations constantly adapting to the changing environment. We adapted to that epidemic many years ago; there's nothing we cannot overcome. To my fellow citizens, I say this: Have no fear! Under this government, we will harness the good of the outside world and purge its evil elements for the betterment of our League." When asked about the seeming lag in technology in the LUN due to its decades-long isolation, he replied, "Sure, there's a lot of catching up to do, and our diplomats will be reaching out to more nations to bring in more knowledge and tools to advance our economy. We'll get there."

Other stories tell of citizens giving suspicious looks to people of "different skin colour" in the vicinity of Luvere's now-busy international airport.

Word has it that behind the scenes, the LUN is starting to build up its military. Rumours circulating among the press have it that even a conscription system has been discussed in the corridors of power. The Secretary-General was vague on this, only saying that, "A nation's got to do what a nation's got to do in order to survive."

However, not everyone has problems surviving in this new climate. Businessman Luke Veyers, like many of his counterparts in the food and beverage industry, is taking advantage of the new idea of trade with foreign countries. Under his Veyers Veggies business, he has been bringing in new types of vegetables from Germania and Occidentia for sale to marketplaces. Many consumers have responded favourably to the fresh produce. He had foreseen this opportunity and seized it when Sec-Gen Hawkins announced the "emergence" policy. Stories such as these remind us that ending isolation may not be that bad after all.

 

[The League]

People's News Network (PM Broadcast)

NEXT COUNCIL SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN ILLOTYNE

Anchor: "Good afternoon L-U-N. Top on our news, the Department of Interstate Affairs announced yesterday that the next summit of the League Council will take place in Illotyne, capital city of the constituent nation of Guitarica in a week's time. On the Council's agenda will be the economic progress of the League and legal reform, owing to many points of contention between constituent nations in jurisdictional and territorial issues. All members of the Council, namely the heads of government and state of all nations, will converge in the northern city's concert hall for a simple opening ceremony and get-together before proceeding for the talks. It has been said that notice periods have always been this short to catch the politicians unawares, thereby giving them little time to prepare in order to be as candid as possible in the discussions. This might reflect the importance placed in the level of trust and collaboration between the national leaders. After all, they are the ones who set the guidance for policymaking every year."

RAPIST CASE TORN BETWEEN TWO NATIONS

Anchor: "A curious criminal case which straddles international borders came under the spotlight recently. Listen to this - a Deutschmanian couple was driving along a road in Deutschmany leading to its border with Luvodique. The young man apparently got into a quarrel with his wife, a very heated one at that, and beat her in the process. The wife then left the car and ran off in a random direction, somewhat aimlessly. Her husband proceeded to chase after her and when he caught up with her, he pinned her to the ground and sexually assaulted her in a rage. And that was when, to both their surprise, the Luvodique police arrived at the scene and apprehended the man. They didn't realise that they ran across the border! But here's the tricky part - in Luvodique, it is against the law to physically abuse your wife, but it is not against the law when it involves something sexual, whether consensual or not. Well, we all know how they can be a nation of upstanding, chivalrous but sexually crazed and romantic gentlemen... On the other hand, the exact opposite is the case in Deutschmany - rape or forced, unconsented sex is illegal but, since they're a bunch of chauvinist pigs... no laws have been developed to address spousal abuse! Now I'd be very happy if I were the man - if he stays in Luvodique, he can get away with his crime because there are no extradition laws between the two nations and what he did isn't illegal in the country he's now in. There are no League-wide laws that target such contradictions between national laws. In fact, League laws were designed to be as generic and vague as possible to give more wriggle room for the sovereign sates. I reckon there's bound to be people who think that he should be punished regardless, when you look at the entire chain of events as a single act. What I think is that we need a good lawyer here... this should make for a pretty interesting legal drama.

 

[The League]

People's News Network (AM Broadcast)

NEW MILITARY BASE TO BE BUILT

Anchor: "Good morning L-U-N. The Department of Defence today announced a new construction project - the building of a gargantuan military base along the eastern coast, fronting the Gubina Bay. According to the press statement released, this is part of efforts in military expansion, which is necessary for the safety and security of our 8 nations. The base will be owned by the Grand Legion as a joint triservice base, which means it might feature runways and docks. Now you may remember from the latest Department of the Economy statistics which indicate a rise in public sector employment. Part of it might have been contributed by this expansion. Our analysts have more on that later on."

MASSIVE LANDSLIDE IN MAGNIFIQUE FOREST AREA

Anchor: "Disaster strikes the border between Deutschmany and Luvodique as a landslide occurred in the Magnifique Forest Area, which straddles the two countries. The landslide, which dragged trees and rocks down a cliff, was first spotted by- (*microphone screeches, camera knocked*). What? ... I'm sorry? ... Oh, well... Alright, now that's um... (*camera turns back*) Our sincere apologies for that technical er... fault. It appears that this report is false; no landslide actually happened. Well, nothing happened, in fact... We do apologise for this... error in reporting, because as always we continuously strive to give you full, fair and accurate news reports and analyses. We will ensure that such a fault doesn't occur again. Thank you for your understanding. Now, time for a short commercial break."

 

[The League]

The Informant (Evening Issue)

LUVERE HERALDS IN NEW YEAR WITH MASSIVE FIREWORKS DISPLAY

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LUVERE, 1 Jan 1955 - Revellers thronged the streets of the League's capital city yesterday to enjoy a second spectacular round of fireworks in less than two months. Earlier in November, the LUN had celebrated its exit from isolation and entrance into the world stage with fireworks that lit up the night sky of Luvere and other major cities during night parties. Last night, the mood was equally, if not more electrified as thousands witnessed the fireworks display over the Gubina River. Some drivers stopped their cars just to see the 5-minute spectacle even though they had not planned earlier to do so - in fact, many were not aware of such an event but were left so amazed after it that there is public hunger for more of them in mass events. However, this caused traffic jams along the streets of Luvere and a bad start to the new year for policemen who had to redirect traffic.

Earlier on New Year's Eve, Secretary-General John Rosemary Hawkins delivered his State of the League address to a joint sitting of the League Parliament, a major political speech which, for the first time would be broadcast to the world. It was broadcast in real-time, or "live" here at home. In it, Mr Hawkins highlighted the economic progress achieved by our 8 nations so far, especially in the creation of new jobs, and expressed his hopes for a better future in the year ahead.