Zvezda News

[Greater Serbia]

The leaders in truth, Zvezda News has been the trustworthy choice of news since it's conception in 1931. The hardworking journalists and editors bring YOU, the reader, the real news and facts to your computer screen. One of the first news corporations to move from paper to radio, and now to the computer, has always been the spearhead in Greater Serbia for the adoption of the latest tech. Since 2008, Zvezda News has been state-owned, only adding to the trustworthiness of the grassroots reporting of today's news. You can wake up in the morning, confidently knowing that your daily newspaper is resting on your breakfast table, holding only the correct opinions and stances on global and domestic issues. 

Truth for your imagination. Zvezda News.

 

Edited January 19, 2018 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Derthaler Company Charters Servants from Greater Serbia

The first foreign country to charter servants from Serbia, will be receiving an undisclosed amount of servants, mostly of Bosnian descent. Their future in Derthalen hasn't been disclosed, but the Chamber of Commerce has made a state to Zvezda News that the servants will not be put in hazardous conditions, as per the secret contract with a Derthaler company. The Chamber has released a 5-point list of rights that the servants are entitled to, and the servants will be inspected quarterly per year. The five points are list as below:

• A servant is entitled to not be taxed on any sort of income, or inheritance, even if the income is meant to be taxed, such as a wage or salary.
• A servant is not to be punished or incarcerated without evidence or a fair trial.
• A servant is entitled to at least 2 meals a day, consisting of at least 1,250 calories each, a bed, and clean water.
• A servant is entitled to 2 days off a week.
• A servant is to be returned to Serbia, or anywhere in the Serbian realm, upon the end of the charter.

The Chamber of Commerce gave a state at the end of a meeting discussing the decision to charter Greater Serbian citizens to foreign companies:

"We predict that this decision will bring the interpretation that we are selling state-sponsored slaves to other countries, but let this state be the benchmark for the truth on this topic, that these citizens are doing their national obligation to serve the country and bring a better standard of living for their families back in the homeland. Let this statement be absolutely clear - we are not engaging in any sort of human trafficking or slave trading."

Edited January 19, 2018 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Legislature Repeals Gay Marriage

The lower and upper houses have repealed gay marriage, deeming it 'immoral' and 'socially wrong'. A poll has shown that the majority of the people agree with the lawmakers' decisions. The affected people are both male and female homosexuals, that are in civil unions or religious marriages. Their dependents, such as adopted children, will still continue to be under their custody. However, because the unions are being legally dissolved to cut tax benefits that come from marriage.

Minor protests erupted in Beograd, but the protests were corralled away from the city center. Police say that some of the protesters had weapons,  and some were arrested and found to have connections to the Balkan Communist Party. Some of the protests became violent, and Gendermerie units swiftly quelled them. Estimates claim that the protesters numbered in the mid-hundreds. 

Some loyal Serbian citizens did, however, counter protest against the gay protesters. The counter protests number at around the 5,000 mark, and police struggled to keep the two sides separated from each other. No violence was recorded on part of the counter protests.

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[Greater Serbia]

Diplomatic Envoy Sent to Derthalen

The Assembly has led a motion to vote on the decision to send a diplomatic mission to Derthalen to discuss defense agreements and other subjects related to national defense. The Ministry of Diplomatic Relations hasn't given a statement as to why the envoy has been sent, but it is rather easy to imagine why. The envoy will be spending 8 days in Derthalen, to meet with other Derthaler leaders and politicians. The visit will bring to light how Derthalen can help Greater Serbia and the people. Among the things the mission will work on is military cooperation, and extradition treaties. The vote in the Assembly was unanimous, after a speech was given by the party whip. @Derthalen

Edited January 22, 2018 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Greater Serbia announces interest in the alliance with Derthalen and Ahrana, military bolstering follows

The Assembly has unanimously voted on the motion to align the nation with the tri-nation alliance with the two countries of Derthalen and Ahrana. Greater Serbia will be moving 80,000 active duty soldiers outside the Serbian borders. Along with this decision, the military budget has been increased by .18%, and paramilitaries will be receiving outdated but much welcome lethal and non-lethal aid. Army reserves will be increased to 40,000, the navy's active duty personnel will be increased by 5,000 new ensigns, and the air force will be receiving the bulk of the spending increase, along with 3,000 more active duty personnel, and 5,000 reserve. The Chancellor has expressed his exuberance in a speech to new army officer graduates, at Bačka Palanka Army Academy. Nectar Foods has been developing new military rations for both enlistees and officers, to increase happiness among the soldiers. The Uroš Corporation has been developing new aircraft and firearms, along with a military version of the full-size Big Horse sedan, as an officer staff car. Overall, the military will be seeing more manpower and spending, along with private sector cooperation to improve the forces. @Ahrana @Derthalen

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Legislature passes Interior Logistics Act; Paramilitaries receive outdated but much welcome equipment

The Department of the Army has made a statement tonight, that paramilitaries that were previously registered with the National Defense Notary, will be receiving military munitions, miscellaneous equipment, and arms that are over 30 years old. Seeing as the vehicles are inefficient and past their best by date, they are very welcome by the groups, and the army is happy to free up their aging, crumbling, 70's era concrete buildings made for housing the rusting and mothballing stockpiles. The biggest paramilitary group, numbering at 18,000, nicknamed "Tigers", will be receiving tons of munitions,  old uniforms, and other much appreciated items. The favorite amongst their motorized squads, are the old BOV APCs, and Uros Motors trucks, the Sunrise, most namely. One militia group said that they received an 1889 lever gun, a true relic.

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[Greater Serbia]

Greater Serbia brought to observer status in ATARA

The supranational organization of ATARA has brought the nation of Greater Serbian into observer status. This is a time of outreach from Serbia, with more openness from the Administration. The need for friends in the world has pushed the Chancellor to look for allies and business partners. In regards to business, Uros Motors will soon be negociating to procure robotic units to make production of the famed Pony coupes and Big Horse sedans, not currently meeting production numbers needed to export in profitable numbers.

[Greater Serbia]

Uros Motors to Invest in Robotic Assembly Lines

The Uros Corporation will be inspecting its factories to make audits and inventories to see if a robotic production fitment is conducive to the market. The Big Horse sedan is a more difficult vehicle to make. As a quite large car, it requires more workers per line than the Pony coupe. Currently, there are consultations with the @Synturia Ministry of External Affairs to get a net cost for the installment. It is expected that Uros Motors will start exporting more vehicles to trading partners and any other nation.

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[Greater Serbia]

Department of Defense Signs on Serbian Mercenary Corporations with Army

Three mercenary companies have been granted contracts by the Department of Defense, by request of the Army chiefs of staff. The contracts, estimated at 8 billion Serbian dinars, will be signed at the end of June. The mercenaries will be serving along side deployed defense forces in @Ahrana and @Derthalen. The three companies are Grizzly Security, Penguin Defense, and Uros Contracting.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2018 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Hostage Crisis in Kosovska-Mitrovica, Bosnian Terrorists in the Bosmal Towers

At 16:28, armed men dressed in Islamic clothing with military surplus webbing entered the Bosmal Building in the Kosovska-Mitrovica district. Eyewitness estimates are anywhere from 40 to 80 gunmen. Bystanders said that white Uros FreightLine vans and Big Horse sedans sped down the narrow streets and nearly killed several pedestrians. The vehicles then abruptly stopped at the parking garage entrance, making a block of sorts. Then they dismounted and ran into the underground parking garage, shouting and firing a few warning shots.

The Bosmal Towers were built mainly for residence, but also have many amenities, including businesses, and shops at the lower floors. At the lower floors is where the National Police say most are concentrated, acting as crowd control to prevent the hostages from escaping. A few snipers have been seen on the roof, but have not fired any shots at the police yet.

For now, the police and the Arkan's "Tigers" Militia have created a heavy perimeter of armored squad cars, mobile barricades, and heavy trucks. Currently, as of now, no attempt has been made to contact the group inside, nor has there been any attempt to contact the government, or police. The Chief of Police for Kosovska Mitrovica stated "This is a completely unprovoked attack on the innocent citizens of our great nation. We will get the civilians out by all means necessary." No further comment was made by his office.

The tactical situation looks bleak for the militants. Numbering only 40-80, they are outnumbered by 200 National Police officers assigned to this case; the police are armored, have armored squad cars, and AFVs at their disposal. 90 militiamen from Arkan's Militia that live in the area responded alongside the police. A temporary HQ has been set up by the National Police in the nearby neighborhood of Bosmal. Visibly from the outside of the building, it seems that some of the residential blocks have been unaffected, although empty. The underground parking garage and main entrances are heavily barricaded, utilizing the interior props, such as the benches and plants to attempt to resist gunfire.

The Department of National Safety has released a statement concerning the terrorists: "We will be attempting to negotiate with the militants holding our innocent civilians hostage. We will compromise heavily, if needed. A negotiator will be sent in soon to see what their demands are."

 

 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2018 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Hostage Crisis in Kosovoska-Mitrovica Resolved, 58 Terrorists dead, 3 Injured, 5 Alive, 2 Civilians Injured

The recent hostage crisis in Kosovska-Mitrovica, specifically, in the grandiose Bosmal Towers, has been ironed out. The original estimates about the numbers of the group were somewhat true. At 7:45 today, negotiations broke down. The demands were not reasonable, and the negotiator was then taken hostage as well, forced to radio back to the field police HQ, about his capture.

At 16:52, platoons of the Tigers militia dashed past the police barricades, to key points of the towers, out of view from the terrorists, as a police sniper team killed all belligerents on the rooftop with silenced rifles from an undisclosed location. Eight minutes passed, then immense gunfire started. The militia platoon at the underground garage launched grenades once the squad leader saw there were no civilians in the area. Shortly after, 2 machine gun teams emptied their magazines at the enemy. While all this was happening, the second team went in through the front and main entrance, skillfully killing most of the terrorists.

The final and third team went in through the rear of the building, where the emergency exit is. The second and third teams regrouped and started to move up the floors. As these two teams are doing so, a helicopter hovered above the building, dropping off yet another squad of militiamen. When the whole building was cleared, the order was given to let the paramedics come in, but most people came out in body bags. 2 civilians were injured, and are in stable condition.

Police then sent in forensics specialists to start gathering evidence on this unknown terror cell that has now peaked its head in Serbia.

[Greater Serbia]

Uros Motors Debuts its New Sport Sedan, the 'Mamba'

Uros Motors have recently aired advertisements with the Wheelhorse sedan, with a new sport model. Before, consumers only could buy the Touring trim, with a 4.6 litre, 4 valve, 320 horsepower engine. The new Mamba trim has a supercharged, 5.8 litre, 662 horsepower heart. Colors are only available in jet black, a few limited red, metallic blue, or white. New to the 21-year old generation of sedans, specifically for the new Mamba, is an aggressive bumper, and a low-profile spoiler. The suspension features thicker roll bars, vented brakes, and a full conversion of the rear live axle to coilovers. The frame for the body has also been seam welded, no longer allowing for easy body work if it's needed to be removed for repairs, though this modification will increase rigidity for the better.

Uros Motors, on their website, lists the MSRP at $45,000. Meanwhile, the current MSRP of a base model Wheelhorse is $28,000. With the purchase of a new Mamba, comes a certificate, a leather jacket, and a sterling silver key ornament. Uros Motors stated in a press release that the Wheelhorse line of sedans will be halted in production after 3 model years of the Mamba trim have been produced. Production is estimated, by the end of its production, to be in the ballpark of 50,000. Sales have declined since 2011 to the point where the generation of these full-size sedans are no longer profitable enough to justify a completely new generation, and shrinking gasoline reserves in Greater Serbia cannot justify a sedan of this size and fuel economy at the pumps. Additionally, the Wheelhorse have had a marginal rating for the side-impact crash tests for a few years, because of updated crash requirements. The Wheelhorse still passes the front and rear collision tests, however.

This new trim of the Wheelhorse makes a melancholy farewell to the stalwart, reliable, comfortable, and long-lived production of Greater Serbia's favorite family car, police car, and fleet vehicle.

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The Mamba, with police/fleet trim rims. 

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A Mamba in jet black. 

 

[Greater Serbia]

Legislature Mandates an Ethanol and Natural Gas for Cars Initiative

The Greater Serbian legislature has met today to discuss possible alternatives to pure gasoline, as the nation's poorer fuel economy per vehicle and large displacement cars have been siphoning the emergency reserves for quite some time. Ethanol has been listed as the number one stop-gap measure, with compressed natural gas coming in second. Electric cars were taken off the tally as there is a large lack of solar and renewable infrastructure to support a fully electric car conversion. Naftna Srbija, Serbia's largest energy corporation, were also present for the meeting, and the business leaders mostly agreed that at least an E25 mandate must happen, or else Serbia will face a fuel price hike, and the results of that must be avoided.

The government will develop a plan by Friday to organize the big 3 Serbian energy companies, Naftna Srbija [Oil Serbia, also called NIS] and Energetike Srbije [Serbian Energy], and the smaller, but still among the largest, JugoPetrol [Yugo Petrol]. All 3 have their own ideas about how to implement E25 at the pumps, and Naftna Srbija will also offer CNG to consumers that want to make that more drastic change, too. Overall, consumers interviewed by Zvezda News have positive comments on hearing about the changes to come. 

The Uros Corporation, has focused more development on the next model year to be ready for the E25 fuel. The newly introduced Mamba sedan will be ready for this switch, too. All Serbian-made gasoline vehicles will be converted to ethanol via a dual government-Uros Motors fund for consumers to take their Uros cars to their local dealership for the correct modifications. The modifications expected will be a computer tune, oil change to synthetic, and spark plugs.

Farmers have also responded positively, among the good attributes to the ethanol initiative would be converting surplus sorghum to ethanol, instead of letting it go bad or selling it for food at a loss. 

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NIS gas station. 

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Serbian farmers on a field. 

 

Edited March 11, 2019 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Naftna Srbija, Energetike Srbije, Convert Oil-dependent Electricity Plants to Orimulsion

Due to the increasingly depleting crude oil, diesel, and gasoline reserves, 2 large energy corporations in Greater Serbia have started a massive conversion to orimulsion. This decision comes in support of the action on ethanol, and will further make Serbia's reserves last much longer. At the end of the month, there will be a 100% diversion of crude oil use in the electric plants to use for solely fuel and lubricating oils. Remaining plants that require fuel will be supplied with coal, and converted accordingly. One of @Tagmatium Rules's top news agencies, Tagmatika Kidemonas, cited environmental concerns. These have merit, as orimulsion is a much dirtier fuel than crude oil or natural gas. There are possibilities that orimulsion has the potential to be less polluting than coal, though research trials have shown there is nearly the same amount of pollutants in the emissions from burn tests. 

There is a real potential for Greater Serbia to become an energy independent nation, though not a fuel independent one, for the first time ever in it's history. The chains of foreign crude oil can now be broken ever since Serbia's oil deposits dried up in the 1960's. For now, the ethanol, 25% as in the current plan, will make Serbia's fuel reserves go longer until a permanent solution can be reached, whether economically, industrially, or political. The energy economy's future in Serbia looks bright - a future without the blockading nations that tried to wring Serbia's neck.

Other news: Naftna Srbija has introduced a fuel rewards card for it's most loyal consumers. It will be a 5-tier system based on how many gallons of fuel are pumped on average by the cardholder each week, and for the tier 1 cardholder, there are some big savings to be made at the pumps.

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Orimulsion being pumped in an undisclosed facility.  

 

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Naftna Srbija's fuel rewards adverts!  

 

[Greater Serbia]

Breaking News - Chancellor Milosevic Plans Summit for Negociations, Neutral State is yet to be named

His Greatness, Chancellor Milosevic, has left His resort in Vojvodina(OOC: the Mount Triglav Facility), to convene at once with His cabinet, in the Assembly, to make an outline for negotiations with the blockading nations. The cabinet collected in His Greatness' office tonight, and are already diligently working to make a legal agreement to end the economic blockade on Greater Serbia. It is noted that the Radical Party has also assembled to discuss the matter, and also are making proposals should His Greatness address the Assembly. "Options are on the table, I am open to talks, but I will not backpedal on the oath I took, to protect the Serbian people. Protecting our homeland, our fields of golden wheat and highrises of Beograd, is what I have pledged to do, and if any section of a proposal threatens to aggravate this pledge, I will get up from my chair and leave the summit.", His Greatness added in an exclusive interview with Zvezda News.

The nation which will host the summit- is still unnamed. Readers of Zastava News cite @Sunset Sea Islands as their number one guess. Director of the Department of National Safety, Stambolic, has placed a curfew on the region of Kosovska-Mitrovica until further notice. This move aligns with concerns over security pending these news, though the reason has been classified. Further news on the summit will be published.

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Serbian police have been directed onto sentry duty since October 27th, 2018. 

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A police team deployed on the streets of Subotica.

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Greenhouse Emissions Make a New Record in Greater Serbia; Conversion to Orimulsion Cited as Concern

The ecological administration within the Serbian bureaucracy has cited concerns over record-number greenhouse gas emissions, the top culprits being power plant conversions to coal and orimulsion, a bitumen fuel derived from Serbia's leftovers of crude oil reserves. In the past week petroleum corporations Naftna Srbija and Energetike Srbije have successfully made the conversions on their crude oil plants to orimulsion or coal. The fuel has been used for a week so far, and it is showing signs of producing higher smog levels in Subotica, Novi Sad, Nis, and Kragujevac. The Serbian government has ordered NS and ES to cease orimulsion services in Beograd, citing concerns over the beauty of the capital city. Instead clean coal will be used in the absence of orimulsion. Zones will be designated in the future over where orimulsion and coal power plants can be built, so as not to hurt fragile nature conservation sites.

The effects of this newly used fuel will be studied more, however foreign scientists that haven't been relocated to their home countries following the Serbian Blockade of 2018 will be excluded from these emissions studies. The Department of Ecological Safety made a statement to accusations of collaborating with Serbia's oil and energy companies: "We are committed to protecting the beautiful Serbian landscape, and there are indeed legitimate scientific studies over concerns of CO2 emissions in development." It is projected that the blockader nations will spin this story in a negative way, making claims over hurting the environment and sending pollution to @Sayf. Zvezda News will reply to the foreign news agencies should developments be made.

For now, Serbia is completely energy independent, in regards to power plants and electricity. Glory to Serbia! Only Unity Saves the Serbs.

[Greater Serbia]

Government to Attend Summit in Variota

The Serb government is making preparations to visit the Pollervan Hallen in @Variota for a summit for the purpose to negotiate with the blockading nations [OOC: haha imagine blockading an inland country]. The summit is being hosted in Variota for it's proximity to Greater Serbia and being the least hostile out of the "Blockade Bloc". The summit is planned to start this week by Friday. Chancellor Milosevic will not be attending the event, but rather a few popular lawmakers, the Chancellor of Commerce, Marko Sivkovic, and the staff from the Serb consulate in Variota. Mr. Sivkovic will be the main dignitary representing Greater Serbia. The end date for the summit has not been announced yet, but it's likely to be a short one, as leadership attending the summit from Greater Serbia have voiced they will be heading back for Beograd on Sunday. 

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Pollervan Hallen: 

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Greater Serbia (see edit history)

[Greater Serbia]

Orimulsion Not a Public Threat to Clean Air

A pollution control study for the safety of using orimulsion as a fuel for power plants has been shown to be as polluting as heavy fuel oil. Despite media dishonesty from Tagmatika Kidemonas in @Tagmatium Rules, the charts in each burn test clearly show lower amounts of NOx, SO2, and particulate matter compared to coal. Although not as clean as natural gas, this bitumen sludge is energy independence in the face of hostile economies. In fact, orimulsion might be here to stay in Greater Serbia to replace coal, though for now the Chancellery of Commerce has voiced its stance to protect the coal industry for the time being, until a state plan is erected to commence for the change. Just a week ago, Srbi Energy, was planning to contract further with Naftna Srbija for orimulsion supplies in reserves, however the CoC had to step in to safeguard against job losses in the coal industry.

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