Jounalio Nikoşia

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Nicosia takes hardened stance, calls for action against Torrence

Syracuse


With soldiers on every other street corner and police on the others, Nicosia has come to look like something of a police state. With people fearful of further attacks, the King has finally decided to take action against the Solaris regime.

In a speech delivered just minutes ago, Alexander IV outlined a plan to not only punish Solaren but also to dampen their actions against Nicosia.


"Nicosians, friends,

I speak to you from the halls of my own home with one thing in mind. Not revenge, for that is not something that governments should seek. However, we seek to ensure the safety of other nations in this tumultuous world. Difficulties surround us and dangers threaten from this side and from that. Solaris leadership is without question, a danger to all. To let Urban continue with these rants and edicts for violent action cannot be tolerated. Many can look at the golden gleam of doing nothing. Many can look at this and saunter down the road of apathy.

If this is done and the head is turned away, that nation will have given in to the perverted science that emanates from Torrence. This is not a question of EDF or not EDF, nor is it a question of government form. It is a question of common values and ethical fortitude. Torrence laughs at international law and threatens nations that oppose them with such vulgar actions, they would make a hangman quiver.

Urban must be taught a lesson. Torrence must learn that attacking tiny nations with cowardly attacks and vile slander will not be tolerated.

Nicosia calls on the world to once again, freeze the assets of Solaren and to place a partial, or full embargo on the state as well. These will be lifted upon the public denunciation of terrorist actions by the Solaris regime and the return of ransom paid by the Kingdom of Nicosia.

If these benchmarks are not met, an embargo will continue and assets will remain as a frozen glacier"

 

[Akwesasne]

From The Office of the Prime Minister

I would like to personally ensure to our friends in Nicosia that a full embargo on Solaren and freeze all assets from Akwesasne - if any remain after fragile and hostile times with Torrence.

Prime Minister Joseph S. Hendrick
The United Territories of Akwesasne

 

[Polesia]

Ministry of External Affairs

The People's Republic of Vangala is willing to participate in international efforts to punish Solaren for its role in disgusting acts of state terrorism. However, Nicosia must maintain a consistent policy towards Solaren and not choose to appease instead of confront Torrence.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

"World of apathy" says Chancellor

Ajaccio

Following a visit with survivors of the attacks, Chancellor Valdez was visibly moved, uncharacteristically showing heavy emotion.

"We live in a world of apathy. While the world condemns Solaren, they do little when there is a call to action to prevent and punish heinous acts" said the Chancellor.

Little response was given by the international community following a call to freeze international assets belonging to Solaren. "This world wants nothing but the status quo, when a nation does wrong they receive a wag of the finger and for them life returns to normal so long as it does not interfere with their everyday lives" said the Chancellor.

Sources confirm that further non-military options are being considered.

Solaris Church members attacked, 3 arrested

Syracuse

Following a community meeting at the Solaris Chapel of Syracuse, 2 members were violently attacked by assailants who waited by the parked vehicles say police.

The 3 arrested are reportedly ages 18,19 and 17.

Police say the three have been charged with 4 crimes each and will face a minimum of 15 years in prison.

The 2 who were attacked remain in good condition at an unnamed hospital.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Trial of Father Basti begins

Syracuse

Today, under heavy security, the trial of Solaris priest Father Luca Basti began. Father Basti is accused of having been the 'field commander' for the attacks and for helping plan the attacks. Authorities also say that Father Basti planned as many as 4 further attacks including one on a primary school.

The defendant's legal team maintained in opening statements that Father Basti is nothing more than a parish priest, guilty of no more than being the priest of of the attackers. The Crown said it would offer 'indisputable evidence' that Basti played the key role in orchestrating the attacks.

Tomorrow, the Crown will begin presenting its case.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Crown presents case in Fr. Basti trial

Syracuse

In the high profile case of the Solaris priest accused of orchestrating the recent attacks and being a Solaris 'field commander' for terrorists, the Crown issued its case today. In addition the Solaris priest is accused of planning or partially planning four further attacks.

Over the last day and a half, the Crown delivered its case over 12 hours in the court, methodically laying out evidence. Crown Prosecutor Sir Roberti Sotrace delivered what many presume to be dire evidence and testimony. Nine parishioners testified that Fr. Basti, on more than one occasion, advocated violent action against 'non believers in the Pope's holy mission'. An investigation of Fr. Basti's residence yielded maps and blueprints of both locations and several others. Also, the Crown offered phone records that connect Basti with the attackers and with the Solaris embassy that was located in Nicosia at the time. E-mails that were received were confidentially entered as evidence and were not presented during a public session.

Tomorrow, Basti's representation is expected to cross examine witnesses and begin to deliver their case.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Kingdom activates reserves

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Syracuse

As tensions with Solaren remain unchanged, the King ordered the activation of most of Nicosia's military reserve in order to ensure 'protection against terrorists and other actions that may be initiated by Solaris forces' read the press release.

"The idea is to heighten our security as much as possible. With the current trial of a Solaris priest and threats by the Solaris government, we have no choice but to increase security in as many areas of the kingdom as humanly possible" said Chancellor Valdez. The King activated 30,000 reservists and, according to the NDF, it is the largest deployment of Nicosian forces since 1984.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Basti Defence: "only a priest"

Syracuse


In 16 hours, Fr. Basti's legal team did its best to tear holes in the Crown's case. Basti's team maintained that Fr. Basti was "only a priest in the service of the Solaris Church; a church recognized by Nicosian law". His team went on to note Bati's civic service including Lr132,000 he raised over 5 years for awareness and youth programs.

Basti's team also made note that "yes Fr. Basti had continued contact with the attackers but he is their priest, nothing more".

Tomorrow, closing arguments will take place and a jury will decide Fr. Basti's fate.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Fr. Basti's trial still "suspended"

Syracuse

High court members are continuing to investigate why the Father Basti Trial moved at such a frenetic pace. Accusations by Basti's legal team were numerous, including that they had been pressured to move things 'quickly' by political forces.

The public seems to disagree as numerous protests outside government offices urge the trial to resume. Since early March, the trial has remained halted as others who have been accused have been quickly tried and sentenced behind closed doors (most being acquitted or deported according to released documents).

Tourism nervously returning to Nicosia

Ajaccio

With heavy security throughout the country and newly implemented security measures, Nicosia is seeing the slow return of one of its chief sources of industry. "The hotels are filling up and the cruise ships are docking again" said Lui Villokos, owner of the Ajaccio Harbor Resort.

September-April tends to be the the heavy season for travel to Nicosia. "We are fortunate enough to catch the tail end of the season. Our economy needed it and Solaren's cowardly words are not enough to keep them away" said Chancellor Valdez who was in Ajaccio on a short vacation.

Reports of military exercises

Syracuse

Media sources are getting countless reports of heavy military activity in the countryside. Beyond cities and the eyes of tourists, Nicosian soldiers seem to be practicing for the worst.

Reports and from what the Jounalio has ascertained is that the military operations are only temporary and that, according to a source, life will return to relative normality soon.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The silence of surrender?

Syracuse

Is the Solaris government's silence an indication of acceptance? Rumors continue to flow, fueled by mixed messages from various government officials.

Despite the freezing of international monetary assets, the Solaris government has yet to retaliate by any clear means. Many suspect that the recent Trier bombing may be a "death rattle" of Solaris radicals. "Its as if they were in a heated classroom debate, stood to further their point and seeing the forces mounted against them- fell back into their seat mute" said Chancellor Valdez who also cautioned that Nicosians and others must be vigilant.

"The King has decided that we will seize an equivalent ammound money that was taken as an illegal ransom by Solaren. Furthermore, we will ask the international community to continue holding these assets until Solaren answers the call of justice and formally apologizes for its actions" concluded Chancellor Valdez.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Nicosians eye modern transport system

Syracuse


The bright yellow and orange buses speed around Nicosia's tiny metropolis, running in a strangely delightful and fairly efficient manner. Nicosia's 3 tiny highways cross the rocky countryside and hug the beautiful coast. A quiet tram runs through Ajaccio's heart, providing cheap and clean transportation to Ajaccio's blue collar workers.

The problem? The iconic buses, beloved by tourists, are mostly 20 and 30 years old and are constantly refurbished. The constant upkeep is "a drain on Nicosia's coffers" said a Transportation Ministry official. With new buses only being added in 2009, the bus situation seems to be slowly improving....almost too slowly.

Ajaccios tram system, really a monorail, is almost 50 years old. With the last major repair job in 1993, many are starting to question its viability. "Repair is not an option. Replacement is the only choice on the horizon" said a Transportation Ministry press release. Light rail quality in Nicosia seems to vary by region according to an independent university study, gaining an overall rating of 3.1/5, something Chancellor Valdez says is "unacceptable".

Nicosia can attribute its fairly decent overall transport efficiency to the quality of roads around the country. With an extremely dense amount of automobile usage, Nicosia leaders in the 1980's took notice and made road maintenance a priority.

Now, Nicosians are becoming more vocal, asking for a better tram and bus system. However, not many are expecting much change. A new system could cost as much as 450 million Lire, a leap not many in Nicosia's leadership are willing to take. Many suspect the highest investments will go towards tourist regions first, something many Nicosians do not seem to particularly support.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

King Nicholas VII passes away, Kingdom mourns

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Syracuse

Former King Nicholas VII died in his sleep as a result of pneumonia complications at age 82 said the Royal Family. Nicholas VII reigned for over 50 years, taking the throne in 1960. King Nicholas was in recent years often given precedence over other leaders at state events due to his length of rule.

Nicholas was often an outspoken critic of human rights violations during his reign, sometimes alienating him from other world leaders. Nicholas is perhaps best known for the 'national renaissance' in the mid 1960's in which he invested heavily into the tourism industry and education programs. Infrastructure investments and international treaties in the 1970's elevated Nicholas to his highest popularity and he became an influential international voice. His popularity in the 1980's suffered when he vehemently opposed a move to democratization, frequently saying "the time is not right". During the terrorist bombings of the 1990's, Nicholas became an international face against terrorism and actively pursued international terrorists- sometimes bending international law to do so.

By 1998, Nicholas began to push for mild democratization and took measures to weaken the centuries old political system that was comprised of the rich and nobility. In 1999, Nicholas began increasingly accepting less responsibility by giving more authority to the new Chancellor, Carlos Valdez.

On March 2nd, 2011, King Nicholas VII abdicated due to health concerns. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Nicholas decided to step down. According to the Royal Family Office of Public Affairs, his health had already been steadily declining.

Chancellor Valdez, visibly emotional, called it the "end of the old guard".

A state funeral is planned but no date has been set.

 

[Großlausitz]

The Prince Regent of Franken

On behalf of my father, His Majesty King Alfred IV, His Majesty's Government and the people of Franken I would like to convey my sincerest condolences to the people of Nicosia upon their sad and lamentable loss.

 

[Rheinbund]

Schloss Charlottenburg
Kanzleramt
Trier, Eiffelland

Our sincerest condolences to the people of Nicosia with the loss of King Nicholas, also on behalf of Government, Parliament and People of Eiffelland.

King Albrecht
Matthias Graf von Seydewitz, Chancellor

 

[Akwesasne]

From the Residence of the Rt. Honourable Chief Governor
The United Territories of Akwesasne

Speaking as a Head of State which has seen the greatest men lead many countries in what was truly the Golden Age of the past, it always comes as a personal and tragic strike to my heart to hear that yet another one of us "old timers" have passed on to what the next life has to offer. I remember King Nocholas as being a vibrant intellectual and a leader with grace and admiration from his people. He will truly be missed and on the behalf of my government and the people of Akwesasne, we would like to send our greatest sympathies to the subjects who have truly lost a one of a kind monarch.

Heaven holds the faithful departed

Rt. Hon. Wedgel Tadaho II
Chief Governor, UTA

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

100,000 turn out for state funeral of King Nicholas VII

Syracuse

After sitting on the throne for half of a century, Nicholas VII passed away. Today, an estimated 100,000 lined the streets to view the procession from the Grandelo Formum to the Grand Harbor.

Nicholas VII laid in repose for several days in the Grandelo Formum before being placed on a gun carriage and slowly proceeding down Riao Grandelo Del Mar. Many of Nicosia's small military were in attendance to escort the casket to the National Cathedral. The funeral service was attended by numerous world leaders, royals, and religious ambassadors. From the service, the procession continued to the Grand Harbor where the King's casket was loaded onto a Navy ship for transport to the island of Thira. There, in a private ceremony, the King will be laid to rest at a Nicosian Orthodox monastery.

Despite being an ardent Catholic, Nicholas and previous Nicosian rulers are considered to be the patrons and protectors of the small religion.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Water in Nicosia: blue gold.

Nicosia teeter on thirst

A weekday editorial

By: Anthony Mizi, Junior Editor

Syracuse

Being surrounded by water, Nicosians are constantly reminded of how precious it could be...if only. Hundreds if not thousands of swimming pools cater to tourists, Nicosians, and business travelers. Warm showers cleanse the day away. I cool glass of water that game of rugby tolerable in July's hot days. Water is pumped to feed Nicosia's ever thirsty Almond crops.

Where does it all come from? On 18 inches of rain per year and little of that during summer months. Nicosians work hard to conserve water but still where does it come from?

For centuries, if not a millennium, people in Nicosia have found their 'taps' going from flow to trickle depending on the month. However, things may be changing....slowly. With the largest system of desalination plants in the world, Nicosians are not going thirsty these days. In 1963, the first plants became operational and in the 1980's new plants were built. The plants supply over half of Nicosia's supply of drinking water. The rest comes mostly from natural underground cisterns. But non drinking water comes from a new system that has caught on in some places.

Beginning in 1984, with the age old concern over water, the Royal government proposed a new plan that would require every home to have a rainwater collection system. When this obviously failed, the government decided to take a different route to arrive at the same endpoint. While homes, apartment buildings, and hotels are not legally obligated to have them, all new constructions after 1986 had to. Homes had to have at least a 95 gallon cistern and apartment complexes and hotels were required to have 300 gallon cisterns. Obviously, even filtered, the water is not suitable for drinking but is instead used for landscaping, watering crops, filling swimming pools and toilets, and in non-commercial settings- even for washing clothes.

What does this mean for Nicosia? Well, as a leader in the desalination niche, Nicosian companies have been at the forefront of design and construction of plants worldwide as well as consulting. But for the average Nicosia, it means being able to bring a cool glass of water to their lips. Few nations suffer from lack of water resources in the same scope as Nicosians do. However, since the 1990's, some nations have begun to take notice. Cistern programs, similar to the Nicosian effort, have appeared in some cities across the globe.

Experts say that cistern programs will not only benefit some countries with similar supply issues but Nicosians as well who are called upon to build or consult on such systems.

The recent attacks have raised many eyebrows however. Throughout history, the Achilles heal of any civilization or fortification is not food supply, weaknesses in walls, or the incompetence of commanders but the water supply. "Had the attacks occurred against the desalination plants, Nicosia would be thrown into complete chaos" said Chancellor Valdez. "I can assure the population that these have been under heavy security for quite some time and contingency plans have been made" finished the Chancellor.

With summer approaching and the tourist season about to hit its peak, many Nicosians still watch nervously as the water system comes under strain.


Anthony Mizi is a former Ministry of Tourism employee and has been a Jounalio editor since 2008

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Solaren's silence "shows their arrogance" says King

Syracuse

King Alexander spoke today to media during his weekly press conference. After discussing several domestic issues, the issue of Solaren inevitably came up.

"Listen, many members of the international community have helped to freeze a large portion of Solaren's assets and we have ceased a small portion of the assets to repay the ransom and to pay for increased security. But does Torrance bother to respond? At all? No. They remain arrogant and expect the situation to blow over while the world is distracted by other events, important ones, but others nonetheless. Their silence shows their arrogance" said the King.

"Does anybody, any journalist in this room have the slightest clue what is actually happening in Solaren? No. Their own people probably don't know what their government is doing. The fact is that the world does something or it sets a terrible precedent. If these attacks go unanswered, if the world sits by and lets them silently smirk in the corner, I sense dark days ahead for the entire world" said the King.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Unholy road: One journalists experiences as a captive of Solaren

Phillip Andros had been living in Solaren on and off again since 1999. Andros, a freelance writer and photo journalist, had been taking photos of Torrence and its progress. "The city has really evolved into an odd mixture of amazing architecture, some indifference, and the idea of restrained progress" said Andros in his first photo collection of the city. In 2005, he won a the much acclaimed St. Nicholas Award for excellence in photography. But recently, things changed for Andros.

"I really admired the Solaris people. Not as a whole, I mean the butchers, street cleaners, and truck drivers. Solaris people are hard to describe. They are hard workers, some of them extraordinarily religious, some quite religious, and for the most part very religious. Being a Nicosian Orthodox, I was welcomed when I arrived. Despite hatred of most other religions, I was welcomed and that fact melted away. That was then" said Andros

JN: What happened?

"As tensions between Nicosia and Solaren rose, there was definite tension between myself and people in Torrence. Police started hassling me quite often"

JN: Did they know who you were?

"Yes, I have a feeling they were on me in particular. I don't know why. I made Torrence famous for its transformation from a city of 1950 to a city of a modern era. One day, I was taking some low light pictures of a small Cathedral that had recently suffered a small fire when two men in suits began beating me. They smashed my camera and dragged me to a van on the corner. I could barely stand."

JN: Then what happened?

"I was thrown into the back of this van, full of other people. Women, children, old men. Everyone. Soon, I could hear somebody speaking Nicosian before a Solaris man in front yelled for everybody to shut up"

JN: Did you know what was happening?

"I thought I did. First, I was a journalist. Second, I have a small reputation as such. So I figured: Yea ok. They are going to deport us. But then I started to question why they had beaten me. I shrugged it off as anger towards Nicosia. We drove for only a few minutes before we were driven to a gate and at gunpoint told to get inside the gates. It was a stadium...with guard towers. A small school stadium but there were spotlights and thats when I knew...something was wrong. After I was given a half slice of bread and water with what I hope was apple pulp, I was beaten again for no reason that I know of. I woke up to somebody kicking me in the side. I had been in and out of consciousness for some time. My nose and arm were firmly broken and I struggled to stand. I turned and we were being herded towards a line of trucks. A soldier or cop, I cant remember which, shoved a boy to get him moving faster. The boy of about 7 or 8 turned to shove him back and did so. The Solaris guard grabbed him by the hair and shot him in the face. Right there. In front of everyone. I dont even want to think about it."

JN: Where were they taking you?

"We had no idea. I somehow got into a truck that had rather tattered flaps so I could see a bit of where we were going. Nobody could talk and an armed guard sat with us. Everybody got one bottle of water and a a few crackers. Little did we know this had to last us 2 days. I just tried to keep a focus on what I could see from out the side flaps of the truck. I could definitely see we were getting further from the city. The further you go from Torrence or any major city, is the more destitute it gets. I could see ramshackle buildings and tin roofed homes. The only things of grandeur were rundown churches. I had dozed off at some point only to wake to a ruckus. An old man was being pushed to the back of the truck and the guard yelled for the flaps to open. Then he pushed him off the back into the path of another truck right behind us. It was awful"

JN: What happened when you got to your camp?

"From what we can tell, there were 3 prison camps. Each exactly alike. A giant oval with chain link and watch towers. The sleeping quarters were made of of plywood with large gaps at various places. There were no beds and the building was a giant I shape. The compound had two huts for using the rest room. When we got off the trucks we were each handed a tiny slip of paper with the rules. No talking inside sleeping quarters. No eating in the sleeping quarters. Obey guards at all times"

JN: Did you know what was happening?

"Politically no. I knew things had to be bad. I knew we were either going to be held until they decided to release us or until the Nicosian government handled things. We had no idea"

JN: What happened when the deadline passed?

"They started killing. It was totally random and total chaos. There was nowhere to run. Some of the women and young girls were raped in the bathrooms by guards and then shot. A few men who resisted were beaten to death. Then we were told suddenly to go to our sleeping quarters. People were crying and a few shots came through the plywood, high, with a yell to shut up. We all thought we would die.

We awoke the next morning to the sound of trucks running before daylight and a lot of shouting. They herded us at gunpoint to the trucks again and within 12 hours or so we were in Lorraine, too bewildered to understand what had happened. Thousands were coming to Lorraine. Dante never saw such horrors in his Inferno"

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Customs seizes ship, 300 million Lire in drugs

Syracuse

A ship that crossed into Nicosian waters was stopped during a routine check by the Royal Customs Service said a Customs official. The ship, a 250 foot merchant vessel, was boarded in accordance with routine checks by the Customs Service. Upon inspecting documents, Customs officers became suspicious and searched the vessel. On board were a shipment of aircraft parts and grain but also, there was a more dubious cargo.

According to officials, the shipment primarily consisted of opium and heroin but marijuana was also present. The officers were alerted by the fact that the sailing documents failed to show a final destination or a port of origin. The ship is flagged in Vangala but they suspect it is owned by others. The crew is reportedly made of Vangalans and Khalistanis. Officials believe the ship was headed to Coronado when it passed within Nicosian territorial waters. The Customs Service is still investigating.