V.B.N. - News from Viniland!

[V The King]

OOC: Can you say, EPIC gravedig? >.>

OOC: I'm not sure what's wrong with updating a news thread. Saves the trouble of having to post a new thread every time something happens, and keeps all of my country's news in one place.

EDIT: I <3 you and all Jed, but if you have an issue with the thread, let a Moderator know.

Edited February 3, 2009 by V The King

[JEDCJT]

OOC: I'm not sure what's wrong with updating a news thread. Saves the trouble of having to post a new thread every time something happens, and keeps all of my country's news in one place.

EDIT: I <3 you and all Jed, but if you have an issue with the thread, let a Moderator know.

OOC: Actually, I have no issue. It was something I just noticed. ^.^;

Also, <3 V the King

IC: Byzantium thanks Viniland for its assistance and support. We are awaiting the arrival of these 'criminals'.

(OOC2: I'll update that in my news/development thread)

Edited February 3, 2009 by JEDCJT

[V The King]

High-Speed Train between Edmonton and Calgari suggested

Calgari, Nova Coimbra: Today, Nova Coimbra's Governor Amando Janini has announced an ambitious plan to build a high-speed train, spanning from Calgari to Edmondon, with the city of Cervo (Red Deer) serving as the midpoint. This means the rail tracks would cover roughly 300 kilometers of land. Such would greatly ease travel between those two major cities and increase integration, creating potential to eventually form a megalopolis in the area.

The locomotive employed will be the newly developed ETR-700 (by Rete Ferroviaria Vinilandesa), which can reach a speed of 400km/h and employ overhead electrification.

The projected cost of the undertaking is roughly $2,5 Billion Vinilandese Liras, which has brought the issue of whether the railroad will be able to recoup the costs or not, although if the high growth of Edmonton and Calgary does not falter, then it surely will.

An ETR-700, resting at a station in Lethbridge, which served as the RFV's test site.

Freighter off Recife's coast sinks; all but one member of crew rescued by Coastal Guards

Recife, Itamaracá: Yesterday, a freighter belonging to the Grupo de Transporte Marítimo has mysteriously sunk half of an hour after leaving the port of Recife, while being roughly two kilometers away from the coast of the city. The Coastal Guard stationed acted swiftly, and successfully rescued 26 of the 27 crewmen of the ship. However one of them, Lúcio Silva, was already dead due to injuries sustained by shrapnel and widespread burns all over his body.

The ship captain's shared his story to the local police - fifteen minutes after the ship had sailed, his crew heard an explosion originating from the engine room - Lúcio was supposedly doing cleaning services in the area. As some of the crewmen headed to the room, they saw Lúcio's burnt and greatly damaged by shrapnel, those men reckoned he was dead by then due to his burns and shrapnel wounds all over his body. Fire was engulfing the engine room, thus the crew was ordered to combat the flames and the ship began to turn back - the captain also contacted the Coastal Guard and asked for a rescue team, which was promptly dispatched.

Despite the freighter having sprinklers in the engine room and the crew being well equipped with fire extinguishers and vast hoses, the fire was already out of control and damaged the ship's engines beyond repair. Two minutes later, the whole crew was ordered level down the boats and abandon ship, something that was done swiftly. As the crew got into the rescue boars and steered away, multiple explosions could be heard from the boats, and the ship sunk after several minutes. The Coast Guard arrived at the moment the freighter was almost completely eaten by the sea, and brought the crew aboard.

The circumstances of the explosions will be investigated by the police, and a deep-sea (though Recife's coast is not deep at all) investigation inside the ship will take place. There are possibilities that the explosions were deliberately triggered by Lúcio himself in order to sink the ship, but somehow mishandled the supposed explosives; or maybe he committed an accident with potentially flammable cleaning products. All is in the dark right now.

A snapshot of the now-sunk freighter.

[V The King]

Nadrink, Viniland's capital, undergoes major revitalization

Nadrink, Distretto Federal: The mayor of Nadrink, along with the Federal Government, have placed in action a plan to further develop and enhance the city's potential of expansion - the re-evaluation of its public transportation system, expansion of main roads, construction of parks and encouragement for tourism and investment.

The city's bus fleet has been doubled; its monorail transportation system will be expanded so it will take passengers directly from the Cavalcante Moraes International Airport (which serves the whole Distretto) to the city's beaches and financial center - highways leading to the downtown area will have more lanes and all main roads will receive careful repair, along with lane expansion where possible. Dozens of public parks and recreational areas, more notably a vast soccer and hockey complex and a war memorial (to be called "Memorial da Causa"), which will commemorate all of Viniland's fallen soldiers - one of its section has been already built.

Completed section of the"Memorial da Causa"

Additionally, the city of Nadrink is subsiding hotels and entertainment establishments in order to improve their quality and thus increase their attractiveness for foreign tourists during wintertime, since it is too cold in Southern Columbina during this time of the year. The estimate cost of all of those projects are estimated to be roughly $800 Million Liras Vinilandesas, which will blow away nearly all of the city's reserves, but not place it in deficit, thanks to a $50 Million donation from the Federal Government.

---

About Nadrink:

Differing from other cities, Nadrink, with roughly 500,000 inhabitants within it and its metro area, has difficulty expanding due to its hilly, rugged terrain and being surrounded by mountains on most sides - it is however, located in an excellent defensive specially due to its difficult landscape, which is why the city was built there. Nevertheless, the city has developed in a much slower pace than other Vinilandese cities since it is isolated from other major centers (such as Calgari, Edmonton, Kelowna, etc.). In the past, the "change capitals" subject was common, but the Federal Government never saw enough reason to do so, since the city is well-defended and is Viniland's biggest port, either way, which is the reason that the city managed to grow steadily, albeit slowly.

Much of the city has gone through significant landscape alterations: a lot of the inner land was leveled down in order to allow room for development, and landfills to expand beaches or allow a larger variety of such are common throughout the city.

"Nadrink" does not sound Portuguese, Italian or Aborigine at all, but the name is in fact drawn from the name of the man who made the decision to settle there, along with a few dozen Portuguese and Italian immigrants: his name was Nadílson Ringo Kosta. Despite that, the subject of changing the city's name to something else, such as "Novo Porto" or "Foz do Morro" have never died, since "Nadrink" is universally accepted as a weird name.

A view of the city's historical center and port.

A section of the city's waterfront

A remote neighborhood of the city

[V The King]

Agricultural Sector Experiences Major Growth

Saskatoon, Rio Grande do Leste: Over the last months, though there were warnings that the Vinilandese Prairies would be subject to harshly low temperatures due to the nuclear detonations of the last war, the Agricultural sector skyrocketed as favorable weather increased yield of crops and both private and state investment boomed in fears that if nothing was done to improve the Prairies, then its productivity might falter - but the results was a great improvement in output. The Brazilian states served as the main market for the additional agricultural output, as income and quality of life became even closer to standard Vinilandese standards, while European nations that had their lands ravaged and climate altered in the short run ended up being major consumers as well for basic export products such as wheat and meat.

A combine harvests crops in the Prairies

Reportedly, overall productivity increased by 30%, while a farmer's personal income was boosted by 20%.

OOC: Bought an Agricultural Development Program wonder.

[JEDCJT]

OOC: Wow...congrats.

[V The King]

OOC: Thanks

IC:

"EMP-Proof" Industry suffers first major slowdown

Nanaimo, Alta Vancavite: As the vast majority of the Vinilandese population has taken care of themselves and bought the recent lines of EMP-proof products, they now need little more than standard maintenance procedures - meaning sales are expected to plummet by as much as 40% within the next months, which could result in layoffs as numerous as 90,000. Due to the goods' somewhat higher prices in comparisons to their non-proofed counterparts, some are preferring to buy the least expensive alternative, habit that deals another dent to the fledgling industry.

Factories such as the one shown (located in Nanaimo) could close down due to potential free fall on sales of EMP-proof products.

There has been talks among Members of Parliament and the Cabinet of creating a new law that obliges all electronic manufactures to include a fair degree of EMP protection in their goods - and the government would give only small subsides. The main concern, however, is that the input cost for such goods will increase significantly as more resources, laborers and time are required to prove the proofing and the current subsiding numbers will give no good reason for industries to solely produce EMP-proof electronics and potentially drive them away from the country, seeking cheaper production costs - which would cause even more unemployment. The slowdown in sale is inevitable either way, as the original desired for EMP-proof has passed since most folks own them. On the least, EMP-proof vehicles proved to be highly popular as they are almost as costly as standard ones and attractive designs, fuel efficiency and their usage of alternate combustibles (use of such is increasing greatly in Viniland) helped bolster their successful sales.

Successful fuel alternative cars such as the Óbvio[/i] helped the EMP-proof vehicle industry cement their place in the national market.[/i]

The only feasible remedy seems to be to appeal to the Vinilandese population to do their patriotic duty and keep buying the proofed equipment, as it will pay off tremendously in the scenario of an EMP bomb dropping in the country. Alternate solutions are employing some of the soon-to-be-unemployed workers as mechanics, maintainers and any other profession related to EMP proofing in order to maximize the use of the "laid-off". The skyrocketing agricultural and construction sector, plus the well-faring alternate fuel, military, medical and even the EMP-proof automobile industries may be sufficient to absorb the unemployed in the short run.

Refugee influx triggers big government spending - Jobs for all?

Nadrink, Distretto Federal: Whether if you are in Nanaimo, Calgari, Saskatoon or Recife, it may be a very common sight to see new schools being built, roads being laid, bridges being erected, inexpensive private housing complexes being constructed and factories expanding. This is such due to a drive of both the government and private sectors to absorb all of the extra manpower arriving from Gebiv over the month - the government wishes to employ as many people as possible and pay decent wages in the short run, while the private sector is aware cheap housing will be in high demand and inexpensive manual labor will be plentiful. However, can the country successfully employ the refuges and avoid a potential social issue?

Estimates predict that roughly 2 Million Gebivians will arrive in Viniland throughout the month - the vast majority bring with them little more than belongings, strength and hope as they lost pretty much everything they had in the quasi-genocidal war in Europe. There are many skilled professionals amongst them, but since job opportunities for more specialized jobs that are not currently in high demand will not expand in the short run at all, they are expected to join the manual labor force.

This veteran Italian-Gebivian teacher and historian may be able to find work easily in the dozens of new schools being built across Viniland...

...but this French-Gebivian video game developer might not be as lucky, as opportunities in the virtual entertainment will take a while to have a significant amount of new customers, since the refugees will very likely not spare funds for expensive entertainment.

Some professional careers, however, such as medics, health specialists, teachers, policemen, civil and electric engineers and many more are in very high demand as the population count booms and services are expanded. The prospect for those positions are excellent and jobs are very well secure, albeit pay for those jobs may be substantially reduced in the short-term.

Still, both the Government and the corporations are confident the majority of the refugees will be well absorbed into the workforce - most will work in construction in the upcoming months, while as the projects reach completion, commerce, industry, superfluous services and more will have increased by then. Natural rate of unemployment will unavoidable so increase, probably from the current 4% to anywhere from 5.5% to 7% for at least several quarters. The Central Bank may or not may drive interest rates (currently pegged at 3%) up in order to further attract investment so to reduce unemployment, but such could result in an undesirably high inflation rate (currently 2.8%).

A cause of concern is the welfare of incapacitated, seniors and unemployed. Minister of Finances Cláudio Silva announced social programs would be extended to those individuals, but the overall funds given out would be reduced in order to not spend an excessive amount on services that will not directly create long-term wealth. He stated, though, that the refuges would "do just fine in our wonderful nation, opportunities are plenty".

The nation's GDP this year is expected to receive a strong boost due to the increased labor force and the many projects being carried out, albeit it might suffer a setback in the following year as less construction takes place.

Edited March 4, 2009 by V The King

[Sargun II]

The superb reporting skills of Viniland's newspapers have resulted in a 9001% increase in subscriptions across the Oceans.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

ooc: Damn skippy, the Chairman just subscribed.

[JEDCJT]

OOC: Like others said, you're awesome at writing news reports, V The King. It seems that I need to take lessons from ya.

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Like others said, you're awesome at writing news reports, V The King. It seems that I need to take lessons from ya.

OOC: We could ALL take lessons from him. I try, but somehow I'm not up to his standards...

[V The King]

OOC: Thanks a lot for the feedback, guys. It actually means quite a bit to me since one of the careers I'm considering for the future is Journalism.

IC:

Major Split in the Conservative Party Erupts

Calgari, Nova Coimbra: When Calgari was flooded with Gebivian refugees, so was the Partido Progressista Conservador (OOC: Forgot to mention that the original party merged with someone else. :C) - with new membership - as it is the party that the majority of the Gebivians associate themselves the most closely, due to the fact that there is no Libertarian or Anarcho-Capitalist party in Viniland - and the PC stands for laissez-faire, smaller government, increased civil liberties and other ideals, fitting quite well the beliefs of the emigrés. With its membership increasing by 50% since the arrival of the first Gebivians, it seemed as thought that the party would once again be the main driving force of Vinilandese politics very soon.

However, division among the "fresh" members and the older establishment soon arose - the "Old Guard" and the "New Guard" or the "Gebivian Guard". Common ground was found in less issues than expected - firstly, in how "free" the market should be - the Old Guard supports subsides to farmers and intervention in the economy if it is found to be in recession, while the New Guard believes that subsides makes trade more difficult and waste taxpayer's money - and that recessions are wholly natural and thus no intervention should take place, unless it is a particularly deep drawback in the economy.

Let the business cycle run its course, or flatten the peaks and troughs through intervention and spending in order to increase stability and security?

Another issue where bitter arguments are common is the exact role of government, where there is a three-way split: most of the Old Guard supports a government smaller than a liberal/socialist one, yet one that may still violate some individual rights at its own peril - Much of the New Guard and the most of the Old Guard is for a government that only maintains vital public institutions and seeking non-interference in the market and individual rights as much as possible - and lastly, a large fraction of the New Guard supports the complete banishment of the State and argue for a society based in voluntary trade of private property (including money, consumer goods, land, and capital goods) and services in order to maximize individual liberty and prosperity, but also recognize charity and communal arrangements as part of the same voluntary ethic.

Is it worth to adopt Anarcho-Capitalism or not? The idea was not popular with the Vinilandese until the arrival of the refugees, who are spreading both the aforementioned ideology and Libertarianism.

However, the most obvious split is in religion. The Old Guard supports the maintenance of Catholicism as a leading force in Vinilandese society, while the New Guard argues for discouraging organized religion, eradicating religious matters in all levels of government and "treating the Church as everyone else" (revoking tax exemptions, per instance).

A minor brawl involving some mid-ranked officers from both Guards. Scenes such as this one is not uncommon inside the Party's Headquarters in Calgari. The opposing sides seem to be having an issue with controlling their followers' emotions and fists.

Most political experts predict that the New Guard might leave the PC en mass and form their own political party within a week or two, denying the Conservatives any chance of being leading players in the Vinilandese political scene in the near future. On the other hand, Party Chairman Rodrigo Belga stated that a division was "possible, but it will be prevented." and "it is now time for re-thinking and re-alignment", meaning he'll put plenty of effort in preventing a major "walkout" within his party. Pasquale Bianchi, most prominent figure and de facto leading figure of the New Guard, stated that he "would attempt to bring both factions to an understanding, unite ourselves and grow strong." Despite such statements, most analysts stand with their original "party walkout" view, and believe Bianchi and Belga made such assertions in order to hide the obvious weakness of the current PC.

Belga makes his statement, assuring the media his party will remain integrated. Is he truly able to keep both guards together, or is he just fooling himself and delaying the inevitable?

Martenecist Party of Viniland Founded

Kelowna, Columbina: While the predominantly Libertarian, Anarcho-Capitalists attempt to find their own place in the Progressive Conservative party, most of the "remainder" of the Gebivians, who are Martenicists, joined the Monarchist party in order to see if common ground could be found. Soon, however, it was found that Martenicism and Vinilandese Monarchism had nothing to do with each other - thus, the Martenecists did what most people do when they cannot find a party that matches their beliefs - they founded their own.

A convention, open to all Martenicists in Viniland, was held in Kelowna, CO. Within it, the foundations of the Partito Martenecista di Vinilandia (PMV) were laid, leaders chosen, initial membership registered and a headquarters chosen. With eager donations from native Martenicists (OOC: I've always RP'd some Germans/Nordlanders loyal to Martens inside my country) , the party managed to rent a section of a residential-commercial building in Downtown Kelowna.

The PMV's headquarters is located at the eastern half of the building.

The party's Chairman is Dionella Balducci, and she has announced her intention to run for Prime Minister in the next federal elections, while Party Secretary Marcel Schulz stated he would be a candidate for the Governor office in the upcoming State Elections.

Edited March 8, 2009 by V The King

[Gebiv]

OOC: Thanks a lot for the feedback, guys. It actually means quite a bit to me since one of the careers I'm considering for the future is Journalism.

IC:

Major Split in the Conservative Party Erupts

Calgari, Nova Coimbra: When Calgari was flooded with Gebivian refugees, so was the Partido Progressista Conservador (OOC: Forgot to mention that the original party merged with someone else. :C) - with new membership - as it is the party that the majority of the Gebivians associate themselves the most closely, due to the fact that there is no Libertarian or Anarcho-Capitalist party in Viniland - and the PC stands for laissez-faire, smaller government, increased civil liberties and other ideals, fitting quite well the beliefs of the emigrés. With its membership increasing by 50% since the arrival of the first Gebivians, it seemed as thought that the party would once again be the main driving force of Vinilandese politics very soon.

However, division among the "fresh" members and the older establishment soon arose - the "Old Guard" and the "New Guard" or the "Gebivian Guard". Common ground was found in less issues than expected - firstly, in how "free" the market should be - the Old Guard supports subsides to farmers and intervention in the economy if it is found to be in recession, while the New Guard believes that subsides makes trade more difficult and waste taxpayer's money - and that recessions are wholly natural and thus no intervention should take place, unless it is a particularly deep drawback in the economy.

Let the business cycle run its course, or flatten the peaks and troughs through intervention and spending in order to increase stability and security?

Another issue where bitter arguments are common is the exact role of government, where there is a three-way split: most of the Old Guard supports a government smaller than a liberal/socialist one, yet one that may still violate some individual rights at its own peril - Much of the New Guard and the most of the Old Guard is for a government that only maintains vital public institutions and seeking non-interference in the market and individual rights as much as possible - and lastly, a large fraction of the New Guard supports the complete banishment of the State and argue for a society based in voluntary trade of private property (including money, consumer goods, land, and capital goods) and services in order to maximize individual liberty and prosperity, but also recognize charity and communal arrangements as part of the same voluntary ethic.

Is it worth to adopt Anarcho-Capitalism or not? The idea was not popular with the Vinilandese until the arrival of the refugees, who are spreading both the aforementioned ideology and Libertarianism.

However, the most obvious split is in religion. The Old Guard supports the maintenance of Catholicism as a leading force in Vinilandese society, while the New Guard argues for discouraging organized religion, eradicating religious matters in all levels of government and "treating the Church as everyone else" (revoking tax exemptions, per instance).

A minor brawl involving some mid-ranked officers from both Guards. Scenes such as this one is not uncommon inside the Party's Headquarters in Calgari. The opposing sides seem to be having an issue with controlling their followers' emotions and fists.

Most political experts predict that the New Guard might leave the PC en mass and form their own political party within a week or two, denying the Conservatives any chance of being leading players in the Vinilandese political scene in the near future. On the other hand, Party Chairman Rodrigo Belga stated that a division was "possible, but it will be prevented." and "it is now time for re-thinking and re-alignment", meaning he'll put plenty of effort in preventing a major "walkout" within his party. Pasquale Bianchi, most prominent figure and de facto leading figure of the New Guard, stated that he "would attempt to bring both factions to an understanding, unite ourselves and grow strong." Despite such statements, most analysts stand with their original "party walkout" view, and believe Bianchi and Belga made such assertions in order to hide the obvious weakness of the current PC.

Belga makes his statement, assuring the media his party will remain integrated. Is he truly able to keep both guards together, or is he just fooling himself and delaying the inevitable?

Martenecist Party of Viniland Founded

Kelowna, Columbina: While the predominantly Libertarian, Anarcho-Capitalists attempt to find their own place in the Progressive Conservative party, most of the "remainder" of the Gebivians, who are Martenicists, joined the Monarchist party in order to see if common ground could be found. Soon, however, it was found that Martenicism and Vinilandese Monarchism had nothing to do with each other - thus, the Martenecists did what most people do when they cannot find a party that matches their beliefs - they founded their own.

A convention, open to all Martenicists in Viniland, was held in Kelowna, CO. Within it, the foundations of the Partito Martenecista di Vinilandia (PMV) were laid, leaders chosen, initial membership registered and a headquarters chosen. With eager donations from native Martenicists (OOC: I've always RP'd some Germans/Nordlanders loyal to Martens inside my country) , the party managed to rent a section of a residential-commercial building in Downtown Kelowna.

The PMV's headquarters is located at the eastern half of the building.

The party's Chairman is Dionella Balducci, and she has announced her intention to run for Prime Minister in the next federal elections, while Party Secretary Marcel Schulz stated he would be a candidate for the Governor office in the upcoming State Elections.

OOC: That's my citizens.

[V The King]

OOC: Yes, they are. And look, they'll cause even more upheaval.

IC:

Conservative Party Stumbles - Libertarian Party Founded

Calgari, Nova Coimbra: Rodrigo Belga was unable to prevent the looming disaster from becoming a harsh reality.

Three days ago, after a general meeting of the Conservative Party failed to bring the Old and New Guard together, leader of the New Guard Pasquale Bianchi announced his intention to found a new Party - which would be based primarily on Libertarianism, as a way to reconcile Anarcho-Capitalists, Libertarians and Classic Liberals - the Partito Libertario (Portuguese: Partido Libertário / German: Libertarismus Partei / English: Libertarian Party)

Provisional Logo of the Libertarian Party.

Although Bianchi initially did not expect many to join his new Party, when he formally resigned from the Conservatives and walked out of the Headquarters, thousands did just the same and followed him through the streets of Calgari. Since the Libertarians did not have a formal HQ yet, Binachi led his followers to the Riley Park. There, he gave a 15-minutes long speech that outlined the principles of the Party and their goals, which resulted in massive cheering, indicating the approval of his party.

On the following day, Bianchi rented (money which originated from his successful investments in the stock market and in housing) a vacant office building nearby downtown Calgary, which would serve as the headquarters of the Libertarian Party.

The HQ of the Libertarian Party, Calgari

The leader of the newly found political organization spent the rest of the day distributing pamphlets and nailing posters across the city in order to garner support and spread the word of the newly established HQ. However, he was soon helped by hundreds, if not thousands of sympathizers, who helped spread the word much more quickly. Many of those posted in online message boards, urging people across Viniland to do the same as they did in Calgari. The foundation of the party also received broadcast TV and Radio, eventually making pretty much everyone in the country aware of the Libertarian Party - and of the Conservative's weakness.

Today, the Conservatives counted the loss of official membership in their Party - roughly 32% had left, and an estimated 50% was expected to also leave for the Libertarians in the upcoming days, completely denying the PC the extra membership stemming from the Gebivian diaspora and even losing a significant portion of members that joined prior to the arrival of the refugees. An all-time high of 31% of popular support may plummet to as low as 10% - a tragic event given that campaigning for federal elections will begin next week.

Conservative Party Chairman Rodrigo Belga explains the events that dealt a crippling blow to his party.

On the meanwhile, several independent polls conducted on this day revealed that anywhere from 15% to 35% of the population support the newly founded Libertarian Party - and anywhere from 23% to a near majority of 45% could envision Bianchi being a competent Prime Minister, mostly thanks to his bold and charismatic attitude, in addition to being outspoken in the field of economics and society.

However, the leader will not solely count on his popularity for the upcoming elections. Since a few weeks ago (indicating he had the idea of founding the Libertarian Party as soon as he joined the Conservatives), Bianchi has been meeting with many high-profile supporters, namely businessmen, politicians and scholars, in order to convince those people to further spread his ideas and possibly as well secure donations, as the party has no public funding.

Pasquale Bianchi (center) meets with several businessmen in Edmonton

[V The King]

Vinilandese National Football Team Dismissed:

Recife, Itamaracá: After a highly disappointing performance in the most recent edition of the Transvaal World Cup, every single player (including reserves), couch (including assistants) and even the medical staff, were dismissed from the team by the Vinilandese Football Confederation (CVF).

The Confederation's council, given its 42nd out of 44th place at the cup, ruled the team's results "wholly unacceptable and worth of shame... for a nation that has highly successful municipal, regional and national football competitions... where it is not uncommon to find folks living and dying by football... and where it has more than enough strength to put up, at the bare minimum, a satisfactory performance in international events". And with such ruling, the council found it "suitable to dismiss the whole team and its staff... and evaluate what went wrong... so to allow for a better fit team to compete in the upcoming international competitions..."

The CVF expects to reach a consensus at the end of the month, and by then begin forming a new Vinilandese team - former players and staff may be able to participate again in the team.

Federal Elections - Campaigning Phase Takes Off!

Nadrink, Distretto Federal: Despite the Liberal/Labour Coalition having not ruled the nation for long, they did not assume power through regular democratic process, as they only came to be the ruling party when the Monarchists resigned. Thus, the "electoral clock" ran its normal course - and now new federal elections are due.

As of 12:00 PM of yesterday (Friday, March 20th), PST time, the campaigning phase for the Vinilandese Federal Elections, signaled by a swift statement from the Ministry of Communications, and felt throughout the nation as radios spared some of its broadcasting to politicians spreading their ideas, TV ads gave room to parties promoting their candidates, voluntaries handing out pamphlets at the streets of many cities and billboards became filled with the logo of parties or faces of candidates. In some cases, primaries were still being held in order to determine the candidate for a given party.

The Labor Party, per instance, is still not decided with a number of candidates for the Parliament and thus has some on-going primaries.

Although the "course of the nation" is always at stake whenever a party other than the ruling one has a chance at coming at the top of the ballots, this federal election is expected to, if not result in a radical change of domestic and foreign policy, then at least have a significant amount of elected representatives that hails from a number of parties that are promoting ideals that were a few months ago nowhere close to mainstream politics - or even "reliable ideas" - in Viniland.

The most noticeable "newcomer" by a long shot is the Partito Libertario (Libertarian Party), headed by the charismatic Pasquale Bianchi. At first, it almost exclusively relied on Gebivian-Vinilandese support but it quickly climbed the ladder to be one of the leading political parties of the country as the ideas of Libertarianism appealed to a middle and upper-class longing for better economy efficiency and reliable plans as well as attracting some lower-class supporters with promises of pacifism and, like the other classes, a better functioning economy, which would deny the need of plenty of welfare issued by the government. Each parties' platform will be laid in detail in the upcoming report.

Although not as influential as the Libertarian Party and probably not standing a chance of holding a significant number of seats in the Parliament, the Partito Martenecista di Vinilandia (Martenecist Party of Viniland) also emerges as a potential political force - bolstered principally by German and Nordlandic support (which well increased with the Gebivian diaspora). Having a strong concentration of voters in Southwestern Nova Coimbra and Eastern Columbina, the chances of the MPV getting on the very least a seat in the federal legislature is quite good.

Along with the MPV and the PL, traditional parties such as the Partido Conservador (PC; Conservatives), Partido Monarchista (PM; Monarchists) and of course, the ruling Partido Democrata Liberal (PDL; Liberal Democrats) and Partido Trabalhista (PT; Labor). Experts say that the elections will likely be a struggle between the PDL and the PL, with PT, PC and PM being important support parties in the Parliament. It is important to note that parties cannot campaign and be elected as a coalition - they can be only such after elections, hence the importance of some parties in a given side of the political spectrum managing to add up to more than 50% of the seats.

And now, the Vinilandese people will have some time to make up their minds. The casting of ballots is to take place at April the 4th.

The Parliament seats await the candidates...

OOC: I'll post up a separate thread with each party's platform tomorrow.

[V The King]

Major Fire Breaks Out In Lower Class Neighborhood In Calgari

Calgari, Nova Coimbra: Although no fatalities have been reported thus far, current reports state that 38 individuals are currently injured, six of them being in critical condition, mostly stemming from widespread third-degree burns. Nearly all of the other injured people sustained a certain degree of burn in their bodies. Property damage, however, has been extensive, with estimates citing losses as high as $10 Million Liras Vinilandesas thus far and about 250 residents left homeless.

It all started at roughly 4:43 PM of today at the neighborhood of Sunalta, nearby the core of the city and predominantly inhabited by Gebivian refugees. A sudden explosion occurred inside the kitchen of one of the small flats (occupied by the Di Croce family), later found to be the result of a poorly sealed gas cylinder connected to an oven. The pressurized gas began leaking as the oven was turned while all five occupants of the flat were at the nearby living room reading newspapers and socializing. Soon, the cylinder exploded, immediately causing great injury to all of those within the flat and initiating the fire.

The building's sprinkler system failed to function at its proper time - and nowhere in the building was a fire extinguisher. Thus, the fire quickly spread to other flats. The fire escape system, thankfully, was comprehensive and all inhabitants managed to flee the burning apartment before they were consumed by the flames. However, another resident was badly injured by tripping and being partially burnt by the fire as him and others rescued the Di Croce's.

After roughly fifteen minutes, the building was almost wholly burnt and the fire spread to other three nearby low-cost, residential condos. The whole populace of the area was swiftly evacuated and massive firefighting efforts began. It took two hours to subdue the whole fire because of the building's high flammability, poor fire-prevention systems and cheap, hazardous utensils used by the bulk of the local population as they are of low to middle income.

Firefighters combat the flames

Many calls for more strictly enforced fire security regulations have been made, both for buildings and house apparels. Demands of improving living conditions of Gebivian refugees were also made, given most of those live in low-rent apartments, at times residing inside hurriedly, poorly designed buildings. João Resende, the mayor of Calgari, issued the following statement:

"We understand the need of improving living conditions for the Gebivians and better enforcing fire safety - we'll ensure at once the latter happens, while we'll maintain our efforts of giving our residents the best possible conditions. Unfortunately, while Viniland is the country of opportunities, we cannot possibly expect the refugee's life standards match everyone else's - most came penniless, and it does take time for people to accumulate wealth from nothing... it is actually a miraculous sign that nearly all of them have found jobs, can meet basic needs and have a roof to live under."

The latter part of the statement generated some controversy, with critics asserting that "Resende implied that Gebivians deserved to be in the condition they were, as thought they were somehow inferior to others" and many stating it was "completely unnecessary" and evidence that "Resende is a xenophobic".

Resende's statements sparked controversy among the population and the media

Current pools show narrow lead by PDL, followed by PL

Nadrink, Distretto Federal: A recent pool carried out by the Vinilandese Institution of Geography and Statistics revealed numbers in regards to the people's party preferences in the on-going Federal elections. Percentages are as follow, with a 4% margin of error:

Partido Liberal Democrata: 30%

Parito Libertario: 27%

Partido Conservador: 12%

Partido Trabalhista: 9%

Partido Monarchista: 5%

Partito Martenecista di Vinilandia: 4%

Other: 1%

Undecided: 13%

High-Speed Train between Edmonton and Calgari under construction!

Edmonton, Nova Coimbra: Given the rapid growth of the major cities of Edmonton and Calgari (and greatly bolstered recently by the refugee influx; nearly half of the 2,000,000 + emigrés settled in either cities), the suggested high-speed train system, starting at Calgari's city core and ending at Edmonton's downtown plus having many internal branches, was accepted by Nova Coimbra's Legislative Assembly and works initiated three weeks ago.

Thanks to the vast amount of freshly arrived emigrés, labor for the construction of the tracks was plentiful, and tracks plus related infrastructure were being swiftly laid. The project's current estimated cost is $2 Billion Liras Vinilandesas and its main components are expected to be fully operation at the end of the year.

Plans of initiating a similar project connecting all major cities in the Brazilian states using a similar system are being made, as well as discussions of connecting Calgari to other major cities across the Mainland such as Saskatoon and Regina - although the costs might make the project little more than talk as of these days.

The ETR-700 performing a test run at some of the recently laid tracks at the outskirts of Calgari

[V The King]

Nuclear Power Plant Completed

Forte St. John, Columbina: Two days ago, the Albuquerque Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) activated three of its reactors and went online. Although not fully operation yet, the plant is expected to support providing electrical energy to those living and/or operating in the states of Columbina and Nova Coimbra, potentially serving more than 15 million customers. The ANPP is unique in that it employs in a large scale the concepts of Generation IV's reactors, which are generally much more efficient and safer, produces less wastes, uses less resources to run and are cheaper to maintain.

The Albuquerque NPP was a project created with the collaboration of several private electrical companies and the state-owned Furnas Centrais Elétricas S/A, in addition to receiving direct government funds in order to ensure its construction would be finished.

A snapshot of a section of the power plant, where all of its reactors are going through test runs.

The location of the Albuquerque Nuclear Power Plant

EDIT: OOC: Got myself a Nuclear Power Plant wonder in-game. Go me!

Edited April 1, 2009 by V The King

[JEDCJT]

OOC: Congrats, V The King!

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Yes, congratulations!

[V The King]

OOC: Thanks, folks.

IC:

Viniland goes to the ballot tomorrow - last opinion poll published

Nadrink, Distretto Federal: Today, the Vinilandese Institution of Geography and Statistics conducted its last poll regarding voters' opinion in regards to their party of choice. The amount of undecided voters fell sharply, and seemingly the Partito Libertario managed to swing nearly all of those who could not make up their minds beforehand - thanks to the new party's intense yet low-budget campaigning, the party's candidate (Bianchi's) charisma and vitality and the PL's tempting, realistic promises of dragging Viniland into an unforeseen era of peace and prosperity, and the population's general discontent with established parties.

Support for the Partito Martenecista di Vinilandia suffered a huge blow, as 50% less people reported that they'd support the PMV since the last poll. This is mostly due to perceived belligerence coming from German/Nordlandic nations, as they initiated a huge military exercise along borders without announcing it first then took an aggressive stance towards those fearing they might start a war. Although traditional Martenecist voters remained loyal, sympathy for the party almost vanished amongst potential new supporters (non-Gebivians or non-Germans/Nordlanders).

The numbers are as follow, with a 3% margin of error:

Parito Libertario: 42%

Partido Liberal Democrata: 28%

Partido Conservador: 12%

Partido Trabalhista: 10.%

Partido Monarchista: 4%

Partito Martenecista di Vinilandia: 2%

Other: 1%

Undecided: 1%

[V The King]

Libertarians win the Federal Elections - Pasquale Bianchi to be sworn in Prime Minister at the end of the week

Nadrink, Distretto Federal: And as predicted by the polls, Bianchi's Partito Libertario managed to beat all of the competition and earn a minority government in the Vinilandese Parliament.

The elections took place with very little disturbances and delays. 0.014% of the electronic ballots malfunctioned during test runs and had to be replaced before voting started, however all stations managed to open up within half a minute after official voting began. Minor protests against all sorts of candidates took place outside voting stations, but none of them turned violent. Typical non-governmental observers deemed the elections free of fraud and bias after observing ballot casting across the country and being given access to results after the tallies had been counted.

The results are as follow (note: percentage states popular vote/seats in parliament, absolute numbers state amounts of seats on the Parliament; there are 350 seats in the Parliament):

-Partito Libertario - 44% - 154

-Partido Liberal Democrata - 23% - 80

-Partido Conservador - 16% - 56

-Partido Trabalhista - 10% - 35

-Partido Monarquista - 4% - 14

-Partito Martenecista di Vinilandia - 2% - 7

-Other - 1% - 4

Therefore, Pasquale Bianchi is the new Prime Minister of Viniland and Bento Gonçalves is the official Leader of the Opposition. The latter will serve his term as a PM until this Friday.

There was much rejoicing in the major cities of Viniland when the results came about, but many felt dreadful, as the victory of the PL represents a major shift in Vinilandese politics - it marked the first time that traditional parties, such as the Conservadores, Liberal Democratas, etc. did not score a win - but rather, a party not even a year old, utilizing an ideology that is new to Vinilandese mainstream politics.

Libertarianism is also considered quite radical when considering that the traditional ruling ideologies in the country are Social Democracy or Social Conservatism, although there was always significant support for Classical Liberalism and Laissez-Faire. However, the fact that many of the in the Partito Libertarian are Anarcho-Capitalists, held back only by the fact that the idea of something close to Anarchism would never have significant support in Viniland, unsettles much of the population. However, the populace generally trust the Libertarians under Bianchi's leadership.

Major waves of economic deregulation are expected to take place once Bianchi is sworn in as Prime Minister. Bureaucracy for establishing new businesses should be reduced, establishment of private schools will be simplified and encouraged, the health care system will go from wholly public to a hybrid system and much more.

Pasquale Bianchi will be the new face of Viniland this Friday

[Subtleknifewielder]

Promised Land congratulates the newly-elected Prime Minister on his victory.

[JEDCJT]

The UK congratulates the newly-elected Pasquale Bianchi on his victory. May he lead Viniland to greatness!

[V The King]

Pasquale Bianchi Sworn In Prime Minister

Nadrink, Distretto Federal: Yesterday morning, the inauguration ceremony for Pasquale Bianchi, the newly elected Prime Minister of Viniland, took place in front of the Palácio Columbina, the official residence and workplace of the PM. During this event, roughly 350,000 people filled the streets, parks and the esplanade that circumvented the building. The event itself proceeded without significant delays or interferences. Bianchi paraded from the center of the city to the Palácio, then took the oaths of office, made his inaugural speech and went inside for a luncheon with other dignitaries. A massive breakfast was served for the crowd that filled the streets, and concerts took place in the city's Central Park throughout the afternoon and evening, featuring artists performing Pagode and Forró to Symphonic Orchestras to prominent Power Metal bands.

Crowd gathered at the Central Esplanade

Angra, one of Viniland's foremost Metal band plays at the Central Esplanade

After the event came to an end, Bianchi began working. He made all of his Cabinet appointments in the same night. Thus, the current Vinilandese government looks like the following:

Monarch: Vicente D'Albuquerque (V The King)

Prime Minister: Pasquale Bianchi

Chief of Staff: Guisseppe Ferrari

Secretary of State: Mário Rossi

Minister of External Affairs: Celso Amorim

Minister of Internal Affairs: Samaritana Schmid

Minister of Defense: Daniele Favaloro

Minister of Justice: Francesco Storace

Minister of Communications: Luigi Romano

Minister of Finances: Benito Zappa

On the following day (today), Bianchi introduced two bills to the Parliament: one that deals with the health care system - allowing for private hospitals and insurance companies to establish themselves (currently health care in Viniland is provided solely by the government), and the other one is in regards to the Monarch's limits, only allowing him to have limited, mostly ceremonial power. Such bills are currently being debate and a vote will follow up tomorrow.

[V The King]

Dramatic Parliamentary Session Ensues - Public Healthcare Maintained; Monarch Powers Lessened

Nadrink, Distretto Federal: Over the course of the last two days, a dramatic showdown between the Libertarians and the remaining parties occurred as first, a bill that would allow for private companies to participate in the health care system and slash the public health care budget failed to pass - while another one that made all of the Monarch's reserve powers usable only when the country in under a state of emergency, calamity or martial law passed after bitter disagreement amongst the opposition.

At the session concerning Private Health Care, the Libertarians failed to sway a significant amount of opposition members to their side - all opposing parties voted almost unanimously against the proposition, save a few Conservatives - the bill, which if passed would privatize a number of hospitals, allow for more private hospitals to be built as well as private insurance companies to be established, plus reduce the Health budget by 33%, was met with stern opposition, with the most frequent arguments being that the Public Health system has always worked and the Vinilandese seldom complained about it - with the only notable concern being longer wait times for appointments. The opposition also argued that privatization would reduce the overall quality of the public service and coverage wouldn't reach all citizens ("pay or die" argument). Libertarians argued in favor (of course), claiming the bill would bring relief to the current tax burden and allow for more spending elsewhere while not really reducing the quality of the health service delivered.

At the end, opposition to the measure prevailed and the bill was struck down with 54% voting "No" and 46% voting "Yes".

On the following day, another bill concerning the Monarch's powers, which would limit his powers as aforementioned in the article, was met with a higher approval overall, but not without drama as well: opposition parties were deeply divided in the issue, with the Trabalhistas being generally for it, Liberal Democrats supporting and being against it half-half, the Conservatives being mostly against and the Monarchists sternly against. In the end, the bill passed as it had complete backing from the Libertarians, with 68% voting "Yes" and 32% voting "No".

Reports state that Vicente d'Albuquerque (current Monarch of Viniland) was largely indifferent to the bill being approved:

"If that's what our people wish for, then let it be so.", stated d'Albuquerque "I am not going to stay on the way of democracy just to preserve powers I very seldom make use of - I still have them when the tough gets going, anyways."