BCN News, July 4 1969

## Channels Of Paradox

*"Hello and welcome to the 6:30 news. I'm your host, Kate Ashbury, with today's international headlines."*

**Chaos in China**

*"The decades-long Chinese Civil War has come to a horrible close after the massive barrage of destructive weapons both Communist and Nationalist China fired onto each other. Now it seems, a successor of both, the Atomic Kingdom, took the country by storm. We're on the line with Jim Chang, our Eastern political expert. Hello Jim."*

*"Hello Kate. There certainly has been a lot of activity here in the orient, with Vietnam converting to Communism while the South Vietnamese Ranger Forces try to diminish the threat, and by now everyone knows of the horrors going on in Korea, but as the dust settles from the last World War, we can see that China has suffered the most recently. The Atomic Kingdom seemingly came out of nowhere with some quite outlandish "atomic" technology which they boast can destroy entire cities in mere seconds. It seems our satellite networks can only confirm this, as over 80% of the Chinese mainland is in ruins. As you can imagine, the Allied Nations are nervous, since the Atomic Chinese haven't attended any of the peace negotiations going on in Europe, and aren't necessarily aligned with either the Allies or Soviets. It isn't quite clear what their goals are, but from the sound of things, it doesn't look like they're vying for world domination just yet. Back to you, Kate."*

*"Thanks Jim. In a related story, scientists and international journalists have been barred from entering the new Kingdom of China. The new government has created bans on many television and radio stations in concert with the media and research blackout. Among the groups denied entry is a team of astronomers wishing to study remnants of a meteor from a shower more than a year ago. Because of the unstable peace, neither Allied nor Soviet scientists were allowed to travel to China. Reportedly, this meteor was just a fragment of a much larger one still in far orbit around the Sun; unfortunately, any additional information regarding the meteorite has been censored by the Chinese leadership."*

**Anti-Allied Riots Intensify**

*"In Berlin, there is a new wall under construction that will divide Germany in two, separating the East and West - the Communist parties from the Democrats. The divide has been highly controversial and has sparked riots on both sides of the wall. The United Kingdom has announced that Riot Agents are now being recruited throughout Europe to keep the peace in urban zones as more and more riots break out in the streets of many major cities. The riots are in part due to the Allied Nations' decision to appoint national leaders instead of the parties elected by the populace, in the interest of world stability. More Allied Reservists are used in active duty to lower the riots through serving in the Peacekeeper corps. But on the contrary, the riots have become even more intense today, as a large group of American patriots calling themselves the Continentals gather outside the White House to protest against what they call "a disgrace to democracy and to the independence of the USA." The Continentals are a known terrorist group and are infamous for their raids in the southern United States. According to officials, the weapon technology firm International Inc was victim of one of their attacks recently. Although no one was hurt nor killed in the process, a few outdated vehicles were stolen."*

**Religious Violence in Yugoslavia**

*"A mysterious cult unveiled itself in Sarajevo unexpectedly over the weekend, as its main church was discovered, though it was burnt to the ground and all of its members were found dead. Among the fisted red banners of the cultists, local security discovered the stencil of an eagle commonly found on such ruined sites recently. Meanwhile, another terrorist group, the self-proclaimed Global Liberation Army, tries to gain control in the Middle East, but they too seem to have a fight with the ones using the eagle. The Allies have mobilized an investigative team to discover the identity of both the cultists and their killers, the third such incident this year and the closest yet to a major population centre."*

**Business News**

*"The Mediterranean Syndicate has avoided yet another trial regarding questionable use of government-issued grant money. The mega-corporation, which constructs various military battlesuits and specialty weapons, claims that their money was used for the research of steel applications to reinforce building superstructure. However, numerous reports as well as the company's shady history point to the manufacturing of weapons and technology commonly found on the black market. An inquiry has been in negotiations for the last three months, but there is no set date for it yet."*

*"FutureTech, the Mediterranean Syndicate's business rival, announced yesterday that they are* "back on track" *after the sudden murder of senior executive Arnold Schwartz. In the announcement they released footage of a new line of military technology being employed in the armed forces of the Allied Nations. The set of experimental vehicles employs various types of physics-altering weaponry. The rising controversy over the use of said technology does not deter the Allies from utilizing them, however. FutureTech stocks have declined by 2.3% in the last month, before rising slightly at today's close. The decline is likely due to the closer relations between the Allies and Japanese Empire, which is leading to the sharing of technology, and less dependence on other weapons suppliers."*

**Unknown Robots Sighted**

*"That's all for today at the 6:30 news, we'll leave you with some images of the bizarre robots spotted near the coast of Japan. More than 200 pictures have been collected from various sources, and while experts still dismiss any theories involving aliens, the Empire has stated that they took no part in the development of these metal monsters. The question remains: Just who exactly created these robots, and what are they designed for?"*

*"I'm Kate Ashbury, thanks for watching."*