Sicilian News Broadcasting Service

[The FSM]

[b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY[/b]

Live from SNBS Headquarters in Ajaccio! This is the inaugural broadcast of the new name in Sicilian News brought to you by the AI Corporation, Advanced Issues, Mediterranean Solutions!

Today's top stories:

Steward Aosta announced the end of major combat operations today as Operation- Forge, the campaign to free Sicily and Malta comes officially to a close. Operation- forge will be replaced by Operation- Constant Vigilance as the Sicilian Armed Forces complete mop up operations and hunt down wanted fugitives and leaders of the opposition.

The Steward also announced that a new Cabinet would be announced within the next few days and hinted that potential changes to the government structure may be in the works.

The two major Internet Service Providers, Servizio Internet Siciliana (SIP), and AI Internet, a subsidiary of AI Corp, in Sicily announced that services have been restored to 99% of households. AI Internet CEO Fareed Abdel-Aziz also announced that AI Internet had completed work on its national hi-speed wireless network and would be offering subscription packages within the coming days.

[The FSM]

[b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY[/b]

AI Corp Founder and Chairman Alexei Illyushkin announced the establishment of a new news service, focused on providing premium foreign content to viewers in Sicily and around the World. The Global News Network (GNN- World News, Local Touch) will have primary broadcast centers based in Ajaccio and Helsinki, Finland. Mr. Illyushkin announced that GNN would be co-owned by AI Corp and the Finnish news service.

[Uberstein]

The Mariehamn Broadcasting Company is proud to be a member of this effort for unbiased global news.

[The FSM]

[b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY[/b]

While The Steward and his advisors are still in tense deliberations over the War of The Americas the National Government has released the following announcements:

-A new National Directorate has been created by the Steward, updated information can be found at the National Government's Factbook. This Directorate is interesting for the fact that it has unified the military branches under the authority of the Sicilian General Headquarters (GHQ) which will be lead by Admiral Calomar Acbari of the Sicilian National Navy.
-An announcement has been released from the GHQ temporarily reorganizing the Navy into one Sicilian National Fleet. Adm Acbari said in the statement "This is a necessary step to temporarily address the losses sustained to the Navy over the past year of uprising and instability. As shipbuilding is restarted and new ships become available for service this temporary reorganization will be ended"
-An announcement has been released from the Steward's Office informing the public about the creation of a Rapid Reaction Corps within the Sicilian National Army that will be available for quick deployment to hotspots around the world. A separate Mediterranean Corps is being organized, the Steward stated that this force would be responsible or dealing with threats and missions outside the normal spectrum of military affairs and was a necessary step to maintaining the national defense against the full spectrum of hostile threats.

[The FSM]

[b]CLASSIFIED:

Sicilian General Headquartes- Internal White Paper- Security Clearance AAA

PLAN: HARDENED THOUGHT
ISSUED BY: GHQ- Foreign Threat Analysis Office[/b]

Monitoring of internet activities has shown recent spikes in activity by combatants on both sides of the Americas Conflict, leading this office to believe that the war has also spread to the domain of the virtual world and the internet. Given the dependence of modern fighting forces on satellite communication, control and imagery, plus the deep integration of technology in all aspects of today's most effective fighting forces, it is apparant that the virtual world has become a front as important any in winning a prospective conflict.

While the Sicilian National Armed Forces are only just beggining the long process of rebuliding following the Uprising, it is the belief of this office that an excellent opportunity is before us to reconstruct the armed forces as a fully modernized and technologically advanced fighting force. Part of this, and the proposal outlined in this plan, involves securing domestic government and GHQ communications and data networks and hardening them against various forms of cyber attacks.

It is the proposal of this office that a domestic government-military comm-data network be created, entirely separate of the global data web. This domestic network will handle all data transmission between various levels of the military and government. Access between this network and the internet will be handled by a series of hardpoints through which all traffic with the outside world will be handled. These nodes will be protected by various levels of firewalls and encyrption, a breach of the firewall will initiate a hard-shutdown of that hardpoint, thus severing access between that portion of the domestic net and the internet.

The domestic net will be compartmentalized with external traffic for each compartment handled by a seperate hardpoint. Should an attack neutralize security systems and gain access to a compartment, it will be possible for that compartment to then be decoupled from the domestic network to minimize hostile access and network contamination.


NOTE FROM STEWARD: Good idea, will discuss with UMS and RA during visit to get their assistance.

[The FSM]

[b]CLASSIFIED:

Sicilian General Headquarters- MedCorps Organizaion and Mission Outline- Security Clearance AAA

Issued By: General Said Al-Malak, Commander-in-Chief Sicilian Military: Special Defense Operations (SDO) Branch[/b]

Recent examples, namely the ongoing war in Tahoe, as well as numerous examples from recent history, point to the futility of static defenses in the face of superior opponents. When presented with a superior enemy, bunkers, trenches, and defensive fortifications will only assist the enemy in locating, engaging, and ultimately overwhelming our forces. In the face of overwhelming odds it will be only a matter of time before our insignificant military means are overwhelmed, no matter the amount of time and resources which are devoted to constructing the infrastructure of defense.

It is for this reason that time and resources must also be devoted to the construction and preparation of the infrastructures necessary for resistance. Ultimate victory against any invader will only come about through a protracted campaign of resistance, struggle, and attrition. The continued cost of pursuing war against the Sicilian state must be raised to such a height that any potential foe will quickly tire of paying it. In all likelihood a potential invader of the islands will hold a significant technological and manpower advantage, thus our strategy for defense and for resistance must be one that does not seek to best our opponents strengths, but to instead take advantage of our opponents weaknesses.

In this report the backbone of extended resistance operations, the MedCorps, will be elaborated upon. In further reports the facilities, structures, and plans necessary to adequately prepare the islands for an invasion will be described.

While the Sicilian National Armed Forces will be responsible for the conventional defence of the islands, the organization and execution of prolonged resistance operations will fall upon the 20,000 combat personnel of the Mediterranean Corps. Commanded by General Enzo Bargani, the MedCorps is comprised of men and women who are specially selected for their loyalty and devotion to the Sicilian People and their Steward. The MedCorps is trained in both traditional combat tactics, but is also trained to engage in assymetrical warfare.

(OOC: Bleh, 4am. Will finish later)

[The FSM]

SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY

The National Directorate announced today that a national census would take place over the next 6 months to get a more accurate understanding of the devastation caused by the fascists as well as to more accurately map the population and resources of the Peninsula.

[The FSM]

[b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY[/b]

The National Affairs Directorate announced the findings of its nation-wide census, we have boiled it down to the following points:

-The population of the League stands at 3.06 million people, 53% of the population is female and 47% of the population is male.

-The largest ethnicity is Italian (26% of the population, followed closely by French (25%) and Arabic (24%). Other major ethnic groups are Russian (15%), Spanish (3%), Slavic (3%), Greek (2.5%) and Turkish (1.5%).

-By region, the breakdown is the following:
Corsica (1.1 million) French (80%), Russian (16%), Italian (2%), Spanish (2%)
Sardinia (.6 million) Italian (74%), French (11%), Arabic (8%), Russian (3%), Turkish (2%), Greek (2%)
Sicily (.7 million) Arabic (53%), Italian (42%), Russian (4%), Greek (1%)
Malta (.1 million) Arabic (47%), Italian (45%), Russian (6%), Slavic (2%)
Italy (.5 million) Italian (93%), Slavic (5%), Russian (1%)

The Government made the following announcements today:
-Elections would be held for the various consultative assemblies within the next two months. Following these new rounds of elections, the Consultative Assemblies will select representatives to the National Consultative Assembly, with each Archonate recieving 1 seat on the Assembly per 100,000 citizens.
-The Peninsular Mandate is hereby separated into two territories. The Naples Territory, will encompass the lower half of the Peninsula. The Milan Territory, will encompass the Northern Half.

[The FSM]

SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY.

[b]SNBS- ELECTION UPDATE 20XX
[/b]

Its election season here in Sicily, with all four Archonates holding elections over the coming month. Citizens in Corsica will be going to the polls first, in what is widely seen as an indicator of how the various parties will fare in the subsequent contests held in Malta a week later, and then in Sardinia and Sicily towards the end of the month. These are the first elections since the Crisis a year and a half ago, and much has changed in the political landscape since then.

The Rightist Parties, the Peoples Action Party and the National Front, are greatly diminished, hurt greatly by ties to fascist elements (several South Italian PAP legislators defected to the fascist militia groups) as well as a general shrinking of their more conservative base. The PfP and UWF on the opposite end of the spectrum are in almost as poor shape. The Crisis has left their political machinery in tatters and they remain poorly organized.

Some observers are predicting the traditional political balance of politics in Sicily to be shattered by these elections and are picking two relatively new parties to be the big winners in elections this month. The National Whig Party, or the Whigs, and the Sicilian National Party, or Nationals, have attracted a great deal of support in regional opinion surveys. The primary point of contention between the Whigs and the Nationals deals with the nature and composition of the Sicilian Government. Current Corsican Whig leader Jean Calois was a major advocate for the creation of the National Constituent Assembly earlier this year. His position represents that of Whigs more broadly in supporting a strong and independent legislature in regards to the executive, though Calois has often put regional needs ahead of national ones throughout his career. They are opposed by the Nationalists Henri Argille, who has spoke frequently on the need for balance between the legislature and executive as well as for greater cooperation between the Archonates.

Early polling from Corsica indicates that the Nationalists are leading voting with 62% with 3% of returns counted Archonate wide, however this will ultimately bear little impact on who is elected as representatives are chosen by district. Both Henri Argille and Jean Calois are running away with the vote in the Ajaccio-3rd and Porto Vecchio-1st Districts respectively.


Stay with SNBS for continuing coverage of Election 20XX

Edited June 16, 2010 by The Flying Scotsman

[The FSM]

[b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY

ELECTION UPDATE- 20XX[/b]

With polls finally closing late last night all across the Sicilian Archonate, and with 98% of votes in that election tallied, we are finally able to report to you the official election results as tabulated by the Sicilian Elections Autority (SEA). The results for the 150-seat Sicilian Consultative Assembly election are as follows:

National Whig Party- 73
Sicilian National Party- 41
Independent or Unaffiliated- 16
Party for Progress- 11
Peoples Action Party- 9

Though the Whigs captured 52% of votes Archonate-wide, they have failed to gain a majority in the Sicilian Assembly. While Whig candidates trounced opponents in many districts in and around Syracuse, they also lost a series of very tight races to PfP candidates in the rural North-West of the Archonate. With no single party gaining the necessary 76 seat majority needed to seize control of the Assembly, the Whigs will be forced to either strike a deal with one of the smaller parties or, more likely, attempt to lure a handful of Independent delegates to caucus with them. The Whigs inability to attain a clear majority leaves the Nationals with a small window of opportunity to create a coalition majority, or at least prevent the Whigs from gaining out-and-out control of the chamber. With the National Consultative Assembly scheduled to meet next month, the is little time for the Sicilian's to get their act together and elect Representatives to represent the Archonate there.

Just to remind our followers, here are the results of Consultative Assembly elections in the other Archonates.

Corsican Archonate:
Sicilian National Party- 85
National Whig Party- 39
Independent or Unaffiliated- 9
Party for Progress- 7
United Workers Front- 7
National Front- 3

Maltan Archonate:
National Whig Party- 67
Sicilian National Party- 65
Independent or Unaffiliated- 8
Peoples Action Party- 7
United Workers Front- 3

Sardinian Archonate:
Sicilian National Party- 75
National Whig Party- 58
Independent or Unaffiliated- 11
Party for Progress- 5
National Front- 1

[The FSM]

[b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY

ELECTION UPDATE- 20XX
[/b]


The Censor of the National Consultative Assembly (also known as the NCA, or League Assembly) accepted the credentials of the 25 Senators from Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Malta that make up the inaugural class of Senators in the NCA. The full list of members of the 1st Session of the NCA is as follows:

Archonate of Corsica- 11 members

-Sicilian National Party- 8 members
--Henri Argille
--Nicole Demaret
--Silvia Sarcone
--Pierre Strauss-Kahn
--Hector Vasquez
--Ryan Lazarev
--Michel Corsan
--Dominique Villepin

-National Whig Party- 2 members
--Jean Calois
--Allain Jospin

Party for Progress- 1 member
--Jaques Lionel

Archonate of Sardinia- 6 members

-National Whig Party- 3 members
--Carlo Pontevecchi
--Giacomo Tacito
--Giovanna Sforza

-Sicilian National Party- 1 member
--Abdel Hamza

-Independent- 2 members
-- Christos Tzsastikanos
-- Mesut Durdiyok

Archonate of Sicily- 7 members

-National Whig Party- 4 members
--Pietra Attendolo
--Sergio Visconti
--Gian Borgia
--Cesare Melone

-Peoples Action Party- 1 member
--Rasheed Al-Rahman

-Sicilian National Party- 1 member
--Fatima Belkacem

-Independent- 1 member
--Ahmed Ben Bella

Archonate of Malta- 1 member

-Sicilian National Party- 1 member
--Amal Belkhadem

The breakdown of seats by party is as follows:

Sicilian National Party- 11 members
National Whig Party- 9 members
Independent- 3 members
Party for Progress- 1 member
Peoples Action Party- 1 member

[The FSM]

CLASSIFIED- BY ORDER OF THE STEWARD- CLASSIFIED

TITLE: Project Trident of Neptune (ALT TITLE: Project ToN)
PURPOSE: Expansion of Sicilian Nuclear Deterrent, Guarantee of Sicilian Nuclear Strike Capability

Following the fascist insurgency and the national crisis, little effort has been made to redevelop, rebuild, or repair the Sicilian Nuclear deterrent. The recent nuclear test by the French Empire, the continued increase in anti-liberty activities in the Slavic territories and the establishment of the COMPNOR, the presence of a number of nuclear regime's, as well as the East-West polarization of Europe demands the continued focus of the Sicilian League upon the cultivation of greater deliverance and Anti-Ballistic Missile systems. Project ToN, in tandem with Project Aeneas, will address the strategic deficit by focusing on the development of a new sea-based launch and delivery platform. Under the umbrella of P-ToN the Sicilian Defense Development Division will work with private agencies to develop and implement a new Strategic Missile Submarine capable of extended missions in deep water scenarios and capable of operating independent of the chain of command; a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile capable of carrying both nuclear and non-nuclear munitions; a Multiple independently-Targetable Reentry Vehicle containing between 4-6 warheads, the warheads will be designed to have a controlled and maneuvered descent.

[The FSM]

CLASSIFIED- BY ORDER OF THE STEWARD- CLASSIFIED

Title: Project Kraken
Description: Investigation of Alternate Anti-ship weapons systems

With continued advancements in ship-borne armor and the proliferation of CIWS and anti-missile point defense systems on foreign naval assets, it is imperative that steps be taken to ensure the downsized Sicilian Navy is still capable of acting as the nation's first line of defense against foreign invasion. As the proliferation of CIWS has increased the ability of a ship to fend off aerial and missile borne threats, many naval military developments have been focused on either improved ECM systems for missiles to evade CIWS defenses or ways to deliver so many munitions that CIWS are not able to stop all of the projectiles.

Rather than attempting to outdo technologically superior nations in areas where they have invested a great deal of time and effort, it is important to focus our resources on exploiting the weaknesses of foreign Navy development. As it stands, defenses against torpedoes has not seen any significant advancements in the past 80 years and were rendered obsolete long ago. Torpedo defense is now taken up by fleet based escort action against submarines, with the hope that the submarine can be destroyed or chased off before being able to fire their torpedoes.

The only defense against modern torpedoes is the use of advanced alloys and composites in shipbuilding, to counter this the Sicilian Defense Design Directorate is tasked with the following: Developing a torpedo with a greater chance of penetrating or damaging advanced alloy hulls; developing a submarine launched weapon capable of sinking or incapacitating a ship without having to work through the advanced alloy hull.

[The FSM]

[quote][u][b]Kingdom of Cochin- Sicilian League Comprehensive Agreement[/b][/u]

[b]Article I. Statement of Terms[/b]
This Comprehensive Agreement (CA) will define and formalize the economic, diplomatic, and cultural relationship between the parties, as well as touching upon Other Topics. By agreeing to this CA the parties agree to abide by its terms and agree to refrain from actions that undermine this CA or the spirit of trust, cooperation, and friendship that have led to the creation of this CA.

[b]Article II. Economic Agreements[/b]

[i]Clause 1.[/i] The parties agree to refrain from enacting or supporting any policy that will inhibit the free flow of goods and services between the parties

[i]Clause 2.[/i] The parties agree to refrain from placing tariffs or other duties or quotas on the goods and services of the other party[i]Clause 3.[/i] The parties agree to refrain from enacting policies which will inhibit the natural expansion of corporations headquartered in the other party in the markets of the party in question.

[b]Article III.[/b] Diplomatic Agreements

[i]Clause 1.[/i] The parties agree to maintain formal ambassador level contact.

[b]Article IV.[/b] Cultural Agreements

[i]Clause 1.[/i] The parties agree to enact policies easing travel between their nations with the interest of improving tourism.

[b]Article V.[/b] Other Agreements

[i]Clause 1.[/i] The parties agree to an exchange of military units with the purpose of improving cooperation between their respective militaries. The Sicilian League will be sending the 3rd Regiment of Army North for training in the Kingdom of Cochin, the Kingdom of Cochin will be sending the XX Brigade Combat Team/Mechanized Division for training in the Sicilian League. Both units will remain under the control of their home government and will not engage in combat duty for their host nation.

[b]Article VI. Termination.[/b]

[i]Clause 1.[/i] In the event either party wishes to remove themselves and thus terminate this CA, they must inform their counterpart in private 1 week (OOC: 2 days RL) before they will be free of the stipulations of this agreement.

[b]SIGNED FOR THE SICILIAN LEAGUE[/b]

[i]Jean D'Aosta[/i]
JEAN D'AOSTA- STEWARD OF THE SICILIAN LEAGUE

[b]SIGNED FOR THE KINGDOM OF COCHIN[/b]

[i]His Highness Kerala Varma[/i]
HIS HIGNESS KERALA VARMA, THE KING OF COCHIN
[/quote]

[king of cochin]

The Kingdom of Cochin confirms this and expresses our joy in finding a new and trusted ally.

[The FSM]

[quote][u][b]Ligurian Territorial Transfer Agreement[/b][/u]

[b]Article I. Scope of Agreement[/b]
The Ligurian Territorial Transfer Agreement (LTTA) formalizes the transfer of the Ligurian Region to the Government of the Duchy of Liguria and Duke Benito Abate. This agreement also defines the extent of economic, civil, diplomatic, and defense relations between the Duchy of Liguria and the Sicilian League.

[b]Article II. Territorial Boundaries[/b]

[i]Clause 1.[/i] The Sicilian League hereby cedes the Province of Liguria, including the city of Genoa, to the Duchy of Liguria.

[i]Clause 2.[/i] In the event of a failure of the Ligurian Government, the territory ceded under this Agreement will be administered by the Sicilian League or its inheritor.

[i]Clause 3.[/i] The Duchy of Liguria, or its inheritor, shall make no agreement concerning the ownership of territories ceded under this agreement with another state, nation, government or entity without the express consent of the Sicilian League or its inheritor.

[b]Article III. Diplomatic Agreements[/b]

[i]Clause 1.[/i] The parties agree to refrain from any acts which may undermine the terms of this agreement or the spirit of mutual trust and cooperation that led to the signing of this agreement.

[i]Clause 2.[/i] The parties agree to maintain constant diplomatic contact through the permanent exchange of ambassadors

[b]Article IV. Economic Agreements[/b]

[i]Clause 1.[/i] The parties agree to remove all tariffs, quotas and other trade barriers that hinder the free flow of goods between the parties.

[i]Clause 2.[/i] Neither party will enact policies which hinder or limit the flow of goods between the parties.

[i]Clause 3.[/i] Neither party will enact policies designed to hamper the ability of companies based in the other party to operate in territories governed by the party in question.

[b]Article V. Cultural Agreements[/b]

[i]Clause 1.[/i] Neither party will enact policies which unduly restrict the ability of citizens of either party to cross into territories of the other party for reasons of tourism, travel, or business.

[b]Article VI. Defense Agreements[/b]

[i]Clause 1.[/i] The parties agree to defend each other in the following situations

[u]Section A.[/u] The party in need of assistance has not committed an action or actions which instigated the conflict.
[u]
Section B.[/u] The party in need of assistance is not engaged in conflict due to a defense agreement with a nation that does not share a defense agreement with the other party in this Agreement.

[i]Clause 2.[/i] For the purpose of fulfilling Article VI; Clause 1, the parties agree to cooperate on matters of intelligence and defense.

[b]Article VII. Termination[/b]

[i]Clause 1.[/i] Should either party wish to remove themselves from this agreement, they must provide notice in private of their intent to withdrawal. Once a 2 week period (OOC: 48 hours RL) has elapsed all Articles of this treaty will be considered null with the exception being Article II. Article II may only be rendered null at the discretion of the Sicilian League or its inheritor.

[b]SIGNED FOR THE SICILIAN LEAGUE
[/b]
[i]Jean D'Aosta[/i]
JEAN D'AOSTA- STEWARD OF THE SICILIAN LEAGUE


[b]SIGNED FOR THE DUCHY OF LIGURIA[/b]

[i]Benito Abate[/i]
BENITO ABATE- DUKE OF THE DUCHY OF LIGURIA[/quote]

[The FSM]

[quote]ASSEMBLY BILL #0001

SHORT TITLE:
The Territory Organization Act

SPONSORS:
Senator Calois, Senator Durdiyok

SUMMARY:
To better provide for the citizens of the Peninsular Territories this ACT provides for the establishment of a 50 member Territorial Assembly in each territory. In order to improve coordination between the League and the citizens of the Territories, each territory is hereby provided with three non-voting seats in the National Consultative Assembly. The Peninsular Special Police Force is hereby renamed the Territorial Defense Force. The role of the TDF will be expanded from policing operations to general security for the Peninsular Territories. Over the next year the size of the TDF will be decreased by 40% to 54,000 personnel with funding allocated for transforming the TDF into a mobile force.[/quote]

[king of cochin]

[quote]From:
Kingdom of Cochin

To:
Sicilian League

A Royal Cochin Navy taskforce transporting the XX BCT/MD to be stationed in Sicilian League is nearing the Straits of Gibraltar. They would shortly reach Carloforte Naval Station. The 3rd Regiment of Army North which is to be stationed in Kingdom of Cochin for training purposes could be transported by our naval task force as they return home. The Commanding Officer for the XX Brigade Combat Team/Mechanized Division is Col. Salma Harfaz of Royal Cochin Army on deputation with Training Command (Army).

Yours Sincerely,

Gen. Mahesh Varma,
Commander,
Royal Cochin Defense Forces.[/quote]

Edited July 18, 2010 by king of cochin

[The FSM]

[quote]TO: Kingdom of Cochin
FROM: Sicilian League

Aircraft from the 22nd Fighter Wing will escort you in once you have passed the New Palma Republic, naval escort would be provided however developing situation in Liguria warrants deployment, though there is no harm to your fleet. 3rd Reg. A-N will be on hand at Carloforte when your task force arrives, commander of 3rd Reg. A-N is Col. Abdel Ibn Tusi. Carloforte Naval Station Commandant Carla Puccini is fully aware of situation and will be meeting with your Col. Harfaz upon arrival to go over accommodations for the XX BCT/MD.

Sincerely,

Admiral Calomar Acbari,
Commanding Officer- Sicilian General Headquarters[/quote]

[king of cochin]

[quote]To: Sicilian League
From: Kingdom of Cochin

The 3rd Regiment Army-North assigned by Sicilian League to the Kingdom for training purposes have safely arrived in the Kingdom. The Regiment has been garrisoned at the National Training Center, Jaisalmer where they shall be engaged in joint exercises by the resident X ACR as well as the various visiting regiments of Royal Cochin Army.

Yours Sincerely,

Lt. Gen. Shankar Iyer,
Chief of Army Staff,
Royal Cochin Army[/quote]

[The FSM]

[b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY[/b]

At the Steward's request, the National Assembly has approved two pieces of legislation. The first, titled "The Defense Act of 2071," addresses concerns about the growing instability beyond the League's Northern frontier. The Defense Act, which was signed into law earlier this morning by the Steward at a public ceremony at the Carloforte Naval Station, allocates funding for the expansion of the Sicilian National Army by a full 25%, bringing the total number of infantry under arms to 250,000. The Act also contains funding for an expansion of the Armored elements to a total of 3000 tanks. After the signing ceremony the Steward remarked that in order to maintain the necessary level of training, the new units would be phased in to the existing structure over the next two years.

The Defense Act will see the addition of one additional corps to Army North and Army South, giving each a total of 120,000 and 110,000 infantry under arms respectively. The Act will also correct the imbalance in the Armored Groups, leveling out the number of armor in each group somewhat.


The National Assembly also approved "The Regional Redevelopment Act" which allocates funds for the largest series of infrastructure programs in League history. In order to "place this League on a firm footing for the future and give our people and businesses the modern infrastructure they need to compete and thrive" as the Steward said in his remarks at the Act's signing ceremony, the Act allocates funds for a number of projects that will improve the physical and digital infrastructure of the League.

The largest of the projects allocates funding for expansion of the National Transit System over the next five years. Under the NTS expansion program new transit lines will be built to connect various local highways on the Peninsula into two major thoroughfares. One such line will run from Catanzaro to Turin along the West side of the Peninsula and will connect the Naples, Rome and Genoa areas. The second line will run from Taranto to Milan and will connect the Foggia, Pescara and Bologna areas. The routes will be three or four lanes in each direction and will be designed to maximize speed of travel and safety for users. It is expected that these new transit lines will reduce the time it takes to travel the length of the Peninsula by as much as an hour depending upon traffic conditions.

The NTS expansion program also will see the construction of two major bridging projects. One, the Sicily Bridge, will stretch across the Straits of Messina and will connect Sicily with mainland Europe. The two level bridge will consist of a level for automotive transport with three lanes of traffic in each direction, the other level will have four lines for rail traffic. The Sicily Bridge will connect the NTS route on Sicily with the Catanzaro-Turin and Taranto-Milan routes.

The other bridge, the Bonifaccio Bridge, will cross the Straits of Bonifaccio between Corsica and Sardinia and will be identical to the Sicily Bridge. The Bonifaccio Bridge will connect rail and NTS traffic on Corsica and Sardinia.

The Act provides further funding for massive expansions of the Ajaccio, Syracuse and Milan airports to allow them to accommodate more trans-continental air travel. Expansion for the Milan Airport is expected to be finished within two years with the Ajaccio and Syracuse Airports finishing in 3-4 years.

Another interesting, though comparatively minor, program in the Act creates an urban development pilot program. This pilot program will call together a number of city leaders in Ajaccio as well as developers from around the league to maximize the use of space for future development in the city. Though Ajaccio has little need for urban renewal, it is expected that if this program shows success in directing investment in teh city that it will be used to drive renewal in such cities as Naples and Syracuse that are still shells of their pre-crisis selves.

[The FSM]

[b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY[/b]


The AI Corporation has announced that it will be directing a 400 million euro investment in new facilities in the greater Ajaccio area in coordination with the Ajaccio Urban Development Committee. The majority of this investment is devoted towards the construction of the 'League Financial Center' on undeveloped property between Chemin de Saint- Joseph and the Ajaccio International Airport which is also undergoing an extensive expansion program. The League Financial Center is a 550 million Euro business and financial complex that is being funded by AI Corp and Entera Financial, owner of the SLX Stock Exchange in Ajaccio.

The LFC will consist of five skyscrapers. Four 50 floor buildings will be built as right triangles and will be arranged around the central tower of the LFC, known as LFC 1. LFC 1 will be an 80 floor, multitiered structure that will be designed by a team of the League's leading architects. The first three floors of LFC 1 will be circular, with a diameter longer than that of the main tower of LFC 1. This portion will be the new home of the SLX Stock Exchange.

AI Corp. spokesmen have informed SNBS that AI Corp will retain a majority stake in the holding company that will be created to maintain the LFC complex. This project represents the largest commercial development investment in Ajaccio in the League's history and reports from Entera Financial indicate that much of the planned space has already been rented out to various companies from the Sicilian League.

International corporations wishing to rent space in the LFC complex are encouraged to contact Paolo Andressini at Entera Financial.

Edited August 25, 2010 by The Flying Scotsman

[The FSM]

[quote]ASSEMBLY BILL #00261


SHORT TITLE: Foreign Intervention Act


SPONSORS: Sen. Argille, Sen. Calois


BILL SUMMARY:
The Sicilian League recognizes the principle of the right of sovereign governments to address domestic issues without the specter of foreign interference. As such the League clarifies to the international community the situations in which it will become involved in foreign conflicts. These situations consist of direct threats to allies, direct threats to France or Athens, and direct threats to the people of the League.[/quote]