NBC Newsfeed/1693

II

ECONOMIC FOCUS CENTER TO DEMOCRATIC CHANGE'S LATEST PARTY BROADCAST

Multi-language advertisement campaign raises profile of new party

SANTIAGO, SANTANDER -- A national multi-language advertisement campaign by the republican Centro Democratico is making a splash at a time where none of the other parties are doing so - and it's helping them catch the attention of voters.

The advertisement campaign focused on the party's commitment to grow the economy and has signaled that it will be a central message in the upcoming elections.

Cambio Democratico's campaign was short on details but has seized the attention of voters, who in a recent IOP poll listed jobs and the economy as their foremost concern as the country heads into the 1693 elections.

OOC commentary: Initial campaign has drawn a lot of attention to you, people are curious and are paying attention. Good positive winds start to gather behind your sails after this.

III

VICE-PREMIER ALVAREZ ENDORSES THE PROGRESSIVE FEDERALIST PARTY

Leftist leader puts his weight behind PFP

PARAP, WECHUA NATION -- Vicaquirao Alvarez, long-time Wechua Prime Minister and Vice-President of the Government, has announced that he will be joining the Progressive Federalist Party.

"The legacy of the Coalition for Federal Progress and the New Prosperity Plan rests with the Progressive Federalist Party. It is a broad front for our nation's left and center left, providing a unifying political force to advance a progressive and federalist agenda. I'm joining the PFP, and I'm proud to endorse it ahead of the 1693 general elections."

V

OIL SPILL STOPPED, CLEAN-UP ONGOING AT ALKHIVA OIL REFINERY

ALKHIVA, ALDURIA -- The Aldurian Oil Company said today an unspecified hydrocarbon release from the wharf at its Alkhiva oil refinery has been stopped and a clean-up is ongoing.

The company said a sheen was observed in the early afternoon on the water near the wharf at the Alkhiva Oil Storage and Refinery Facility (AOSRF), which can process 245,271 barrels per day of crude oil.

The spill triggered a health advisory from the Aldurian regional Department of Health for residents of Alkhiva and nearby coastal communities around the wharf, according to local media reports. Environmental assessment teams and crew are on site.

“We have issued a community notice and ask the public to remain clear of the area so crews can quickly contain and clean up the released volumes,” the company said.

VII

PFP IN TROUBLE AS VILLALOBOS RESIGNS FROM LEADERSHIP

"The party is formed, now it's time for new leadership," says Villalobos after his resignation

CÁRDENAS, FCD -- Fernando Villalobos, founder and leader of the center-left Progressive Federalist Party, has abruptly resigned from leadership of the party.

PFP party spokesperson, Maria Lopez, has confirmed the resignation. The Party's Central Committee is currently meeting in the party headquarters in Cardenas to select a new leader that can take the party to success in the next elections.

ALDURIAN OIL COMPANY ACCUSED OF COVER-UP IN ALKHIVA OIL SPILL

Local health authorities and the Department of Energy confirm "spill worse than originally reported"

ALKHIVA, ALDURIA -- The federal government has accused the Aldurian Oil Company (AOC) of falling short in the information it has provided about the Alkhiva oil spill, in a clear sign of the growing frustration in Cardenas with the handling of the spiraling environmental disaster.

“In responding to this oil spill, it is critical that all actions be conducted in a transparent manner, with all data and information related to the spill readily available to the federal and regional government and the people of Nouvelle Alexandrie,” said Josefina Barcelo, the Secretary of Energy and Environment.

In a letter to the AOC's CEO Frank Gary that despite claims by the AOC that it was striving to keep the public and the government informed, “those efforts, to date, have fallen short in both their scope and effectiveness.”

The Aldurian Oil Company remains government-owned. In the letter, Secretary Barcelo asserts "as a government-owned entity, the AOC is entrusted to maintain the interests of the people first, and this has not happened here."

The statement followed allegations that the AOC had engaged in a “cover-up” about the extent of the damage and the amount of crude flowing from its Alkhiva Oil Storage and Refinery Facility (AOSRF).

TV images of oil sloshing into the sea have underscored the gravity of the situation and raised public concern and anger about the unfolding catastrophe.

MARCEL DE LA CROIX RISES TO INTERIM LEADER OF THE PFP

Reports are coming out of the PFP Central Party Committee meeting tonight - Marcel de la Croix has been chosen to lead the Progressive Federalist Party in the interim.

VIII

THRACI TERRITORIAL AND MILITARY EXPANSION IN EURA THREATENS TO EXPLODE INTO WAR

Constancia and Nouvelle Alexandrie taken aback by the dramatic expansion

Constancia: "The only rational response for Constancia to such an aggressive expansionist move would be a declaration of war"

CÁRDENAS, FCD -- The Thraci Confederation has expanded into Razjania, a neighboring unclaimed area in Eura, in its latest territorial claim. The move has prompted Constancia and Nouvelle Alexandrie, who were operating troops in the area to quell the Razjania Insurgency, to strongly condemn the expansion.

The government of Constancia went even further, strenuously objecting to the expansion, saying "the only rational response for Constancia to such an aggressive expansionist move would be a declaration of war."

Premier Lavaud and Secretary of Defense Rawa Vilca have yet to comment on the developing matter. Sources inside the Lavaud administration confirm that Nouvelle Alexandrie also objects to the expansion and that there are preparations underway in the eventuality of a conflict with the Thraci Confederation.

NOUVELLE ALEXANDRIE WITHDRAWS FROM TREATY OF KARPUZ

CÁRDENAS, FCD -- The Treaty of Karpuz, according to the Department of State, is now kaput.

The Treaty of Karpuz linked Nouvelle Alexandrie and the Thraci Confederation into a commitment of cooperation, friendship, and non-aggression.

Today, the Department of State has announced that Nouvelle Alexandrie will withdraw from the Treaty and close all travel to and from the Thraci Confederation to any Nouvelle Alexandrian destinations.