Ostaria 24

Good evening! This is Ostaria News 24 and thank you for joining us here. My name is Ćana Svetlova and here is all the news from Ostaria.

Our top story this evening, President Alexander Sar visited the city of Vukovar earlier today and declared plans to build a new school as well as give a zoning permit for a new church to be built. The President, who is on a mission of goodwill across the nation, announced this plan on the steps of city hall to a group of reporters and civilians. He said, “We are going to build a new school in Vukovar to ensure the educational needs of the children of Vukovar, while we are also going to help as much as we can in the building of a new church to ensure the Spiritual needs of the city.” The President said his decision came after hearing a sermon by Pastor Nikola Stefanovich, who called for the regrowing of the church and for increased education. President Sar will continue on to the city of Mostar tomorrow for his third visit as part of the Goodwill mission.

This Friday, the first ever Ostarian Choir Games (Ostarske Horske Igre) will take place in the capital city of Ostaria, Sarajevo. The games, which will feature choirs from all across the nation, is expected to have an opening ceremony with 50,000 plus the choirs in attendance. Choirs that will compete must either be from a church or from a school, which narrowed the entry rate by 5% according to some reports. Probably the most well known choir participating is the choir of the Church of the Savior, which President Alexander Sar and Prime Minister Natasha Rucner attend. The churches 300 person choir will be the first choir to sing during the first round of the three round games, which takes place on Saturday afternoon. We here at Ostaria News 24 would like to wish the best of luck to all competitors.

In other news, Police responded to a call from the city of Ilidža, which sits on the River Bosna, to a potential drowning. Police arrived to the scene and found that a man had infact drowned in the Bosna River and immediately called paramedics. When the paramedics arrived, they declared him dead on the scene. Police have yet to release a name and it has been speculated that it was possibly a medical emergency rather than a drowning. We will have more news as soon as it becomes available.

Prime Minister Natasha Rucner convened a joint meeting of the Sabor, the House of Representatives, and the House of People’s this morning to set out a plan for the new government for the remainder of the year. The Prime Minister opened the joint session with a prayer, asking God’s blessing on the people and the nation for the remainder of year and throughout the years to come. The joint session yielded some results, with the military act of 2017 and the education bill of 2017 being passed, while the Healthcare Act of 2017 was tabled until the Sabor could have time to meet and debate the bill. The Prime Minister said she will chair the Sabor meeting on Thursday when the debate occurs.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here.

Good morning! This is Ostaria News 24 and thank you for joining us here! my name is Ćana Svetlova and here is the top stories from Ostaira.

This morning, the Sabor met to discuss the Healthcare Act of 2017. They were originally planned to meet tomorrow to discuss it, but Prime Minister Natasha Rucner was able to convince the Sabor to meet a day earlier due to the importance of the bill. The Healthcare Act of 2017 will be the defining bill that stops doctors from using euthanasia, forces jobs to at least give 2 weeks paid medical leave for pregnant women, and allows people to be given new forms of treatment when it comes to treating cancer. The Prime Minister told the Chairman of the Sabor that debating on this bill could no longer wait as both the House of Representatives and House of People’s have already passed the bill. The Prime Minister convened the meeting at 7:30 Sarajevo time and declared that a vote will come by the end of the day.

Starting this morning, the Military is holding its bi annual military drills. Earlier today, the army started training in the mountains of Vukovar, while the Navy started training in the Bay of Kornati and the Eastern Sea. It is reported that 200,000 of the nations nearly 750,000 soldiers, active and reserve, will take part in the drills that are supposed to span from today until the end of the month. In the North-West, the Army along with Special Forces are training with heavy equipment and tanks, some of which have had a harder time crossing the mountains. The Navy began drills with three new ships being involved and new radar system being on all ships. The Air Force will begin training on Friday.

Over an hour ago we received reports from the City of Ilidža reporting that an Urthquake had taken place and that there was much destruction in the northern part of the city. This city, which is 50 miles from Sarajevo, has been effected by three Urthquakes previously, but the extent of this damage is even stronger than then. It is reported that the church in the center of the city was damaged by it, three schools, and multiple other buildings. Some hospitals are now overcrowded due to hundreds of people being checked in by EMT’s. 35 people have been reported dead as it now stands, but close to one hundred are now reported injured.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here.

Good​ ​evening!​ ​Thank​ ​you​ ​for​ ​joining​ ​us​ ​here​ ​at​ ​Ostaria​ ​News​ ​24.​ ​My name​ ​is​ ​Slava​ ​Nikić​ ​and​ ​here​ ​is​ ​all​ ​the​ ​news​ ​from​ ​Ostaria.

Our​ ​top​ ​story​ ​today,​ ​President​ ​Alexander​ ​Sar​ ​commemorated​ ​the​ ​22nd anniversary​ ​of​ ​the​ ​fall​ ​of​ ​Mostar.​ ​This​ ​was​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​final​ ​battles​ ​of Ostarian​ ​Civil​ ​War,​ ​which​ ​saw​ ​the​ ​overthrow​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Socialist​ ​government of​ ​Ostaria​ ​and​ ​led​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Fourth​ ​Republic​ ​being​ ​formed.​ ​The​ ​President said​ ​that​ ​this​ ​day​ ​was​ ​an​ ​honorable​ ​day​ ​and​ ​that​ ​the​ ​rebels​ ​who​ ​took​ ​the city​ ​should​ ​be​ ​commemorated​ ​for​ ​all​ ​the​ ​work​ ​they​ ​did​ ​to​ ​take​ ​the​ ​city​ ​for the​ ​aim​ ​of​ ​an​ ​Independent​ ​state.​ ​"Our​ ​people​ ​need​ ​to​ ​realize​ ​and understand​ ​what​ ​happened​ ​here.​ ​It​ ​wasn’t​ ​just​ ​a​ ​little​ ​rebellion​ ​that​ ​took place​ ​here,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​an​ ​entire​ ​battle​ ​that​ ​saw​ ​the​ ​deaths​ ​of​ ​50,000​ ​rebels and​ ​65,000​ ​or​ ​more​ ​government​ ​soldiers.​ ​If​ ​it​ ​wasn’t​ ​for​ ​their​ ​sacrifice,​ ​we would​ ​not​ ​be​ ​where​ ​we​ ​are​ ​today."​ ​The​ ​President​ ​later​ ​declared​ ​that today​ ​will​ ​be​ ​known​ ​as​ ​the​ ​Liberation​ ​of​ ​Mostar​ ​Day​ ​for​ ​the​ ​next​ ​10 years.

In​ ​other​ ​news,​ ​Minister​ ​of​ ​Health​ ​Milan​ ​Kujundžić​ ​announced​ ​this morning​ ​a​ ​warning​ ​to​ ​all​ ​people​ ​as​ ​a​ ​​round​ ​of​ ​heatwaves​ ​has​ ​began hitting​ ​Ostaria. He told us in his statement that the heat had caused 400 cases of heat stroke and thousands of cases of heat rashes. He also said that if people were not careful, the potential for blood blisters could become higher. “People need to realize that the heat can effect them just as much as it can anyone else. They need to be careful and not overdo it when working out, going for walks, or even outside trying to get a tan or swimming. The risk is even greater for little children, babies, animals, and overweight people. Some key things to remember are to keep hydrated, do not stay out for long intervals, keep ice packs near you, use extra sunscreen, and wear lighter clothes.” The Minister later discussed that people should refrain from going to outdoor events until nighttime and that an agreement had been reached between the government and outdoor sporting events for them to be held at night time.

The Ostarian Choir Games began on Saturday morning and continued into tonight with three choirs being eliminated out of the 500 taking place. The President and Prime Minister both attended the first night and opening ceremony of the games and said they were very impressed with the choirs, which range from elementary school choirs to church choirs. One High School choir wowed the crowd with a performance of a Civil War song entitled, Ovo je Ostarija, jednom shvatite (This is Ostaria, Once you understand). Another choir, one from a church, also wowed the crowd by performing the song Moja Domovina (My Homeland). The games will continue tomorrow night.

Our final story for tonight, Prime Minister Natasha Rucner told the people today that the month of August was going to be declared the "Mesec mira i ljubavi (The Month of Peace and Love). She said that it would be this way because the month of August is one of the major months in the country, seeing as it was the month of the ceasefire during the Civil War following the fall of Sarajevo. “This month is going to be symbolic of the old days when the capital had fallen and love was spread across the nation. Though it did symbolize the end of the communist government, the war didn’t end till later. The people of our country love the month of August as it represents this major part of our history, and we want to give honor to that.” She later announced that medals would be given out to those who fought to bring down the Communist government. She also stated that during the month of August, the government would work to improving Veterans healthcare and treatment.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here and God bless all from Sarajevo.

Good afternoon! Thank you for joining us here at Ostaria News 24. My name is Hajrudina Bajraktarević and here is all the top stories from Ostaria.

Our top story this afternoon, President Alexander Sar and Justice Minister Dragan Mektić announced in a joint press conference that following years of investigation, trials against surviving communist era leaders and generals would begin. They announced this decision following protests by the people calling for the trial of Former President Milan Radović and General Nemanja Predojević, both of whom are now charged with crimes against humanity, treason, murder, and various others. Minister Mektić said in the conference, “It is time for the government to move to see justice served. Hundreds of thousands of people died in this civil war, and we cannot allow them to think they can get away with murder that they authorized. Furthermore, they have committed treason against the nation and crimes against humanity, especially through the authorization of prison camps.” They announced together that the trials would begin on July 13th.

The Second round of the Ostaria Choir Games is going on today with 64 of the 497 choirs competing today. The games started this morning at 8 AM and will end at 7 PM tonight. Thus far today, we have seen many amazing acts, including Vukovar High School choir singing Intermeco (Intermezzo), the nation anthem of Ostaria. People said that the performance was the best rendition of the national anthem, which just had lyrics added five years ago. Another choir, the Mostar Baptist Choir sang Jedna si Jedina (You are the one and only), a Patriotic song and former anthem of Ostaria following the war. We will continue to bring coverage on the competition.

We are saddened to inform the people that former President Alija Čović has passed away at the age of 78. Alija, who was the first President of Ostaria after the end of the war and led the rebels during the war, died around midnight in his home in Mostar with his family around him, including his daughter, Natalia, who is the Chief Justice of the State Court of Ostaria. The family announced his passing at 6 AM this morning, after the President and Prime Minister were informed. President Sar and Prime Minister Rucner issued their condolences in a joint conference and personally to the family. President Sar announced a five day mourning period and issued all flags be flown at half-mast. The Sabor held a moment of silence followed by prayer for the family. The Chairman of the Sabor, Edin Spahić, honored the President by calling him the most influential leader in Ostarian history and promising to continue to lead like him. A viewing and funeral service will be held for the President on Friday and Saturday at the Church of Mostar, following by his burial at Mostar National Cemetery.

Municipal elections are expected to begin on Wednesday, with results coming as soon as Friday afternoon. The elections, which will elects mayors and city councils, are expected to field over 500,000 candidates for over 100,000 seats. The major cities to watch for according to many different news agencies here are Sarajevo, Zagreb, Ilidža, Mostar, Dubrovnik, Vukovar, and Zenica. The first four cities are conservative strongholds, while the later three are more center, but some believe that the later three might go to the conservatives for the first time since the end of the war. They believe this due to the recent federal election results in those cities, which saw the election of SBBO and HDZ majorities in all three.

That is all we have for now. We thank you for tuning in to Ostaria News 24. We offer our condolences to the family of President Čović. Have a blessed day from Sarajevo!

Good morning! Thank you for joining us here at Ostaria News 24. My name is Vladimir Nadarević and here is the top news from Ostaria.

We begin this morning with a story from Vukovar. Prime Minister Natasha Rucner is visiting the city today to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the massacre in the city that saw the deaths of over 10,000 Oronians and more than 10,000 Ostarians. The city, which sits roughly 85km from the capital, was besieged during the Ostarian War, known as the Independence War. During the attack on the city, rebel soldiers held out as long as they could, but eventually the government forces broke their lines. The government, deciding to make an example of the people, began burning the city. They led many to their death and many unspeakable crimes were committed there. It was discovered in 1996 that this had happened. Prime Minister Rucner told the people, “We cannot forget what the Communist did here. We must always remember those who died for the cause of freedom. They were martyrs for the cause of a democratic government. We will never forget you Vukovar.” Parliament held a moment of silence for the victims.

Minister of Security, Josip Grubesa, announced earlier today that government forces comprising of the Army, Special Forces, and police, had led a raid in the city of Zenica that resulted in a major drug bust. Over 20 houses were raided in the city. The discovery was well over 200 kilos of cocaine, as well as finding opioids, marijuana, meth, and crushed up prescription pills. The Minister said that the bust was major for the country as the government has been trying for months to curb the drug rates nationwide and the number of overdoses. “Since we began taking a strict stance against drugs, we have seen a sharp decline in the rate of overdoses nation wide and the number of people using drugs or having access to them has fallen. There are things that people can do to help stop these issues. I won’t go into detail, but there is more resources than just the government.” The Minister also stated that another raid will occur soon, but he did not declare in what city it will occur.

President Alexander Sar continued his goodwill tour across the nation today by visiting Dubrovnik, a city that lies on the coast. He toured the city with the mayor and with the governor of the Dubrovnik Province. Following his tour around the city, the President had a joint press conference with the mayor and governor in which he said, “Dubrovnik is a major part of our nation. From the time of its conception it has been a symbol of our great nation. Currently, Dubrovnik ranks in the top 10 for population in the country and the top 5 for the amount of money people make. Dubrovnik has made great strides since the war and it will continue to do so. As a promise to the Mayor, I have agreed to put some of my own money forward to help build a new bridge for the city to increase transportation in the city. Furthermore, the government will be donating 50,000,000 to the expansion of the Dubrovnik International Airport.”

Our final story for the day, Agrokomerc, the nations leading food and beverage vendor, announced this morning that it was buying Banjalučka Pivara, another food and beverage company. The total price of buying the company cost 2,6 billion dinar. The executive of Agrokomerc, Fikret Abdić, later stated that they would retain a the workers from Banjalučka Pivara and that wages of the company would be raised by 3% by the end of the year. “This is a step forward with us buying this company. We promise that we will provide the same benefits to Banjalučka Pivara workers that Agrokomerc workers currently receive.” The Minister of Treasury and Finance, Vjekoslav Bevanda said that this was a a major step forward in this sector of business and said that he hopes it will bring new jobs to the nation as well.

That is all we have for now. We thank you for joining us here at Ostaria News 24. Have a great day!

Good morning! Thank you for joining us here at Ostaria News 24. My name is Adrijan Abramović and here are the latest stories from Ostaria.

Our top story today, the city of Mostar is celebrating its Quadricentennial today. It was 400 years ago today that the city was established by Ostarian Alexander Vidovic. It was also 194 years ago today that Mostar was established as the capital of Ostaria, a position it held until 1957. Festivities have been going on throughout the city since last night when the Mostar Municipal Choir and the Church of the Savior of Mostar Choir combining in a performance of Moja Domovina (My Homeland). During the performance, fireworks were going off all throughout the city, bringing children, adults, and elders together alike. Later today, the two choirs will combine again with Ostarian and Oronian soloist and perform the national anthem along with Moja Domovina at Mostar National Arena. One person, who was in attendance of last nights performance and the fireworks said that they felt like a true Ostarian when it occurred. “When you hear Moja Domovina you feel like you truly do belong. You aren’t just another person, you are a true Ostarian when it is played and it is for all people, not just one of the people groups.”

In other news, Prime Minister Natasha Rucner is still in the city of Vukovar meeting with families of the victims of the Vukovar Massacre of 1995. Yesterday, after speaking before the people of the city, she began meeting the families and offered her sincerest condolences. She got a head start this morning, going out at 6 AM to begin meeting with more of the families. She has made a vow to one family to ensure that the people who committed these crimes are sent to jail for a long time. She promised them that should we work closely with the Justice Ministry to ensure justice is served. One woman told the Prime Minister that every member in her family minus her, her son, and her daughter were executed in the attack. “Had it not been for help from my neighbors and from the government, my children and I never would have made it. I owe it to God that we survived all these years.” Prime Minister Rucner said that many families had decided to be witnesses at the trials.

In other news, President Alexander Sar was back in Sarajevo today, trying to convince the Parliament to switch to using one currency instead of using two. Currently, the Kuna and Dinar are the official currencies of Ostaria, with the Dinar being used when it comes to foreign trade and investment, while the Kuna is an internal currency. Both have the same value and can be used to by products or page wages in the nation, but only the later, the Dinar, can be used in foreign trade. President Sar told the Parliament that they needed to either select the Dinar or the Kuna as the official currency. The Sabor, the highest house of Parliament, refused to even consider adopting one solo currency, and the House of Representatives soon followed suit. A member of the Sabor told us, “The Kuna and the Dinar are a part of our country. It is a part of our history. Our President goes around preaching that we need to hold onto our history and onto our identity, and yet he wanted to get rid of either the Kuna or Dinar. We cannot allow this. We won’t allow this. We will continue using both as our currency, until we find sufficient reason to change it.”

With the January 2018 Presidential Election nearing, the first poll of the election was released this morning. This poll showed President Alexander Sar of the HDZ being only 2 percentage points above SBBO candidate Nemanja Đorđević, who is a popular candidate to win in this upcoming election. The two are expected to debate in mid to late August, and it is believed that the first debate will determine the outcome of the election. Nemanja Đorđević was selected in his parties primary on the first round of voting, while the HDZ took five rounds to determine who would be their nominee. Some people believe that the SBBO will have a dead runaway in this election, both in the Presidency, in the Parliament, and in the cantonal elections. We talked to a member of the HDZ who told us that he would instead be voting for the SBBO candidate. We asked him what his reasoning was and he had this to say, “President Sar has done very good in his time as President, no one can deny that, but he has also done bad by threatening to dissolve Parliament simply because the government wouldn’t pass something that he wanted passed. The President knows that he would be out of bounds to dissolve Parliament, as that is a decision for the courts to make, so to even threaten that is beyond me. I believe that the record of Mr. Đorđević proceeds him though as he is a member of the Sabor, a former member of the House of Peoples, and a former governor of the Vukovar canton.”

That is all we have for now. We wish you all a great day.

(OOC: This is link to performance of Moja Domovina discussed above-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKiMKkOSlMQ&t=194s

Good evening! My name is Svetlana Izetbegovic and thank you for joining us here at Ostaria News 24.

We have quite a slow news evening but here are the top stories:

President Alexander Sar announced on Saturday that the Ministry of Economy would begin accepting designs for new Ostarian dinar and Ostarian Kuna. Following the Sabor and House of People’s destroying the President’s bid for one currency, the Ministry convinced the President to sign off on this. The arrangement is that it must show the culture of Ostaria in some way, shape or form, or must be something in regards to the religion or history of the nation. He said, “The people who win the contest, which there will be 10 in all, will receive 500 of the bills with their design on them. We are excited to see what we receive from the people and we know they will look really good.” Submissions will begin on Friday and will run until August 13th.

Tomorrow morning, former Communist leader Josip Nemestov is expected to go on trial for his role in the Vukovar massacre. He is charged with abusing human rights, government sanctioned murder, and treason. When he was arrested by the police on Saturday, he did not put up a fight and went with them peacefully. He immediately retained a lawyer, but still spoke to the police. Nemestov told a judge on Saturday that he pleaded not guilty to all charges before him and the judge ordered his passport be seized as he is a flight risk and ordered a gag order on Nemestov and his lawyer. We spoke to his daughter who told us that he is being treated well by the guards and other prisoners and that she is surprised it took the government this long to charge him. “We all know what my father did was wrong. I am just surprised the government waited this long. Even though he is my father, I know how much these people are suffering and I hope they can finally have some peace.”

Our final story for the night, a joint session of the Parliament of Ostaria will be held tomorrow to set the official date for the Presidential election and for the presenting and debating of multiple bills. The meeting, which will be held in the Chamber of the Sabor, is the first joint session held by Parliament alone since 2005 and will not involve any of the Government Ministers, in fact, Executive government officials have been blocked from being allow to enter the Sabor chamber during the meeting. Some government sites have reported on it being a potential coup plot against the President, but the leaders of the Three Houses refuted this claim calling it ludicrous.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here.

Good Morning! My name is Alexei Nedović and here is the news from Ostaria.

Our top story for today, the Ostarian Democratic Union, known as HDZ or ODZ by some, declared this morning that President Alexander Sar would not be their candidate for the 2018 Presidential election. The leader of the party, Nemanja Varoš, announced this decision following a party extraordinary congress in which electors and government officials declared they felt they could not give him their support following some of the decisions he has made, such as economic and defense policy, and foreign policy. “We have reviewed all the information carefully. We cannot find it in ourselves to support his nomination for President and hereby reverse the previously made decision”, said the Party Leader in an official statement. President Alexander Sar responded by saying that they party was only trying to get rid of him. He said that he would stand as an Independent Candidate. Currently, SBBO Candidate Nemanja Đorđević is leading the polls, which show him with a lead of 10% over President Sar.

In a semi-related story to the above, the Sabor and the House of People’s voted yesterday to introduce articles of impeachment against President Alexander Sar in response to the same policies that the HDZ has expressed concern over. The Sabor announced their decision around noon yesterday, with the House of People’s following at 2:30. They said their reasoning was due to the major cuts in defense spending, effectively eliminating international aid, and bribing officials. The Presidency has claimed that the accusations are false, however, the State Court of Ostaria has said that the evidence provided by the House of People’s and Sabor show that he is guilty of a number of crimes, potentially even treason or endangering the nation. The House of Representative’s will vote later today on articles of impeachment, but if it doesn’t agree to it, the impeachment charges can still go ahead since 2/3 houses of Parliament have agreed.

Our final story, the semi-annual military drills conducted by the Army and navy have concluded as of early this morning. The training, which involved mountain training for the Army and sea warfare training for the Navy, was participated in by over 300,000 soldiers. The soldiers, which ranged from cadets to generals, trained in sub-zero temperatures in the mountain ranges, while the Navy was involved in temperatures up to 110 F. Multiple Ministers accompanied the soldiers on their training, including the Minister of Defense and Minister of Finance who both said they were impressed that the Army and Navy was able to do so much, given the circumstances of the mountains have extreme temperatures for this time. The Minister of Defense told us, “Usually, our tanks are not equipped for this kind of temperatures. Recently, however, we were able to equip the tanks will new equipment so that it could be used in these temperatures.”

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here. We will bring you updates on all the news as soon as we can.

Good evening! Thank you for joining us here at Ostaria News 24. My name is Tomislav Kostov and here is the top news from Ostaria.

Our top story tonight is a breaking news story from the capital. Earlier today, President Alexander Sar was shot while leaving the Church of the Savior following the service. The gunman, who was later arrested, is reported to be from a far-right member of the HDZ, the Ostarian Democratic Union, of which the President is party leader. The gunman’s name was not released but the Ostarian Intelligence Security Agency stated that he was on the National Watch list, a terrorist watch list set up by the government. Sarajevo St. James Hospital, where the President is being treated, released a statement saying that the President was in critical condition but said that he is going to live and possibly could return to his duties after 2 weeks recovery time after his final surgery. Until the time the President is healed, Mirko Šarović, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, will be acting President. We will bring more updates as soon as possible.

In other news, Ostarian-Oronian singer Alexei Kolusnekov released a song today entitled “Na krstu”, his fifth Christian song to be released in the past 3 years. The song, which was performed for the first time at Sarajevo Christian Camp, has instantly became one of the most popular songs in Ostaria, already surpassing golden status. Alexei performed the song earlier this morning at a church in Zagreb and afterwards gave an interview to our sister agency, News Zagreb. In his interview, he stated that his performance was solely for the glory and honor of God. “People’s opinions do not matter to me because my name is already written in God’s book.” He also stated that he would be releasing a new song in two weeks entitled “Poznaje moje ime”.

Our final story, the Prime Minister announced earlier today that there would be some changes to the education system of Ostaria in the upcoming year. The first change she announced was that a foreign language will now be required to be taken in middle school and high school, that way people have proficiency in at least two additional languages. The second change that the Prime Minister announced is that Bible will now be a required course. She said this came after the lack of morality in the nation. While some people attempted to challenge this, the Supreme Court of Ostaria upheld the decision saying that it was perfectly legal. The court stated the following, “There is no law in Ostaria that separates church and state. If the government wants to add Bible to the curriculum, then there is nothing wrong with that. There will be no opt-out from the class and all schools must offer it.” The final announcement the Prime Minister made in regards to education is that schools must now offer free breakfast and lunches to all students and that during the summer, 22 of the 25 cantons will now offer lunches and dinner during the summer.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good afternoon. My name is Tomislav Kostov and here is all the news from Ostaria.

President Alexander Sar is in stable condition following multiple surgeries after he was shot leaving the Church of the Savior. The final surgery was administered late last night and removed the final bullet that was lodged in his hip. The President spoke to Prime Minister Rucner this morning as well as acting President Šarović. In their meeting, he stated that he was glad to be alive and that God had obviously protected him for some reason. He also said that he would continue his campaign for President as soon as he was physically able to. People from all the across the nation have posted messages and written letters to the President offering prayers and giving encouragement. HDZ party leaders also visited the President earlier and have even taken meals to him and to his wife and children. The gunman who was arrested was identified this morning as Matias Kovačević, a man who has been on the OISA Watch list for nearly 15 years. He furthermore, has been on the most wanted list for the past three years for a murder he committed in 2014. He was arraigned this morning and the judge declared that he was remanded to solitary confinement for 23 hours a day until trial, which is set to begin on August 12th.

In other news, today commemorates the 30th anniversary of the repeal of the Ostarian Blasphemy Law. The law, which was passed in 1827, was repealed in 1987 by the People’s Parliament of Ostaria. The law was used against the Islamic population, and the Christian population alike, which made it illegal to mission to people of the other faiths as well as to defame their holy texts. The punishment for proselytizing was up to 20 years in prison, while defaming another faith’s holy text could be punishable by death. Today, defaming holy texts is a crime under Section 135d of the Penal Code of Ostaria, making it a hate crime by definition. Acting President Šarović commemorated the event today by giving a speech before the Parliament that called the Blasphemy Law, “The Darkest Law in the History of Ostaria”. He went on to say, “We must always remember those who endured punishments under these laws and we must seek to fix this.” Šarović later signed a law into force that grants reparations to those who were effected by the law, either themselves or an immediate family member.

Fire and rescue crews, along with Army forces, are fighting a fire that has now surrounded the city of Dubrovnik. The fire, which began three days, began in Mount Stari, which is less than 10km from the city. The people who started the fire later came forward and confessed to the crime. The three men, who names are not being released to the public, were reported to be member of a mosque in the city of Dubrovnik who were going to visit Stari Most, a bridge in another province. The three men are facing fines of up to 100,000 dinar each and possibly up to five years in prison. So far, 45% of the fire has been contained, and no death have yet been reported.

That is all we have for now. We hope you have a blessed day and week.

Good Afternoon! My name is Todor Kitanovic and here is the daily news from Ostaria.

Our top story, President Alexander Sar announced his resignation yesterday, saying that he didn’t believe he would be able to return to his job or carry out his duties as the President should be. He stated that he had been in deep prayer since his final surgery and decided that this was the best thing. In an official statement he said, “My fellow Ostarians deserve better than I and that is why I hereby tender my resignation to the nation and to the Sabor. May God bless and aid my successor and the President that will be elected in the 2018 election.” The Supreme Court accepted the resignation of President Sar and announced that Acting President Mirko Šarović would be declared the official President of Ostaria until the 2018 election. President Šarović was officially sworn in at 8:45 AM this morning, nearly an hour after President Sar resigned. HDZ and SBBO officials wished both the current and former President the best of luck and many blessings for the future.

Singer/Songwriter Aleksandra Bevanda released a new song yesterday and it is already reaching top charts across the nation. The song, which is entitled Nazovite me Svete planine Neba (The Holy Hills of Heaven Call Me), is the fifth of ten reported songs that are to be on the upcoming album of Aleksandra, which is called Zauvijek (Forever). She said that she wrote the song in response to her recent cancer diagnosis. One of the lines in the song says, “I’ll Take my Flight like a mighty eagle, when the Hills of Home start calling me.” She told our station, “If I am to die from this cancer, I will fly like a might Eagle and meet my Savior. If I do not die from this cancer, then I know that it is a gift from the Lord.” She went on to say that all proceeds from the single will be going to multiple charities and missionary groups in Ostaria.

The Sarajevo Nuclear Facility is undergoing re-modifications currently to be transferred from weapon use to creating electricity and nuclear medicines. The Facility, which is only 1 of 5 currently running in the nation, will be the only one to undergo these changes. The other 4 will continue to be used for other purposes. Prime Minister Rucner visited the facility yesterday and declared that she was amazed by all the work she had seen there and said she believed it will be completed in the upcoming weeks. When she left the facility, the scientists gave her a frozen vial of Promethium-145, the most stable form of the element. Prime Minister Sar told us she had stored it in a freezer at her laboratory in uptown Sarajevo.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here.

Good morning! My name is Alexander Brankovich and here is all the news from Ostaria.

Our top story, Teresa Kovac, also known as Sister Kovac, was canonized by Patriarch Ilya this morning after being beatified back in 2011. Sister Kovac was an Eastern Orthodox nun, missionary, and humanitarian who hid people in her convent during the Communist War in the 90’s. During the war, the government attempted to arrest Sister Kovac many times, but she was able to escape thanks to the help of other nuns and other members of the church. In the final month of the war, Sister Kovac was killed by government forces while she was leading some refugees into the convent. Some has declared her a martyr for the faith and have attributed nearly 4 miracles to her. The final miracle that was verified was the healing of a boy who had been born blind and was eventually given the ability to see at the age of 10. Once this final miracle was achieved, Patriarch Ilya beatified her on 17 July 2011. Two years later, another miracle was attributed to her, which led to her canonization today. The canonization service was attended by nearly a million people. President Šarović, who was also in attendance, later signed an executive order declaring today a national holiday, “The Day of Sister Kovac the Martyr”.

Wildfires in and around the city of Dubrovnik have officially been neutralized as the final fire engines left the city today to return to their stations. The fires, which burned the excess of 2,000 acres, were declared to have been subdued this morning around 6 AM after nearly a two and a half to three week fight against them. In total, 52 people died while another 250 were injured. Nearly 120 buildings were damaged with another 50 to 100 fully destroyed by the fire. In total, the economic cost of the disaster amounts to 200 million Dinar. President Šarović has asked the Parliament for emergency funds to help in the rebuilding of the city. Former President Alexander Sar, who is the chairman of the Ostaria Disaster Relief Organization, has pledged 50 million dollars from the organization to help in the rebuilding of the city and the surrounding areas.

Our final story, Prime Minister Rucner visited the Visegrad Hydroelectric Power Station today to mark the 25th anniversary of the station opening. The station, which is the second largest in the entire nation, lies on the Bosna River which runs across the Northwest of the country. In 2012, an explosion occurred at the power plant, which slowed down the work in the plant and production of electricity nearly ceased for 3 weeks. The government, earlier this year, approved 500 million dollars be given to the power station to build bigger and better station that will last for the next 30 years. The plan to rebuild the station is part of the Ostaria 2022 Program, which is expected to be an overhaul of most of the current institutions that are owned primarily by the government. While the Prime Minister was there, she promised to ensure that the safety of all workers is kept during the reconstruction process.

Thank you for joining us here. We hope you have a great day!

Good evening! My name is Sofia Fisenko and here is all the news from Ostaria!

Our top story, two failed attempts in the House of Representatives to remove the Minister of Health and the Minister of Justice resulted in two passing attempts in the House of People’s and the Sabor. Ministers Milan Kujundžić (Health) and Dragan Mektić (Justice) were both indicted recently by the Supreme Court of Ostaria after it was reported that they had used funds for their personal reasons. On Monday, the two had their diplomatic immunity removed by the President and the Prime Minister in a joint declaration. The two were officially removed from their positions after unanimous votes in both the House of People’s and Sabor. The Supreme Court announced that they will try both in their courts in the coming months once the cases against former Communist leaders are completed.

Also in the government today, the three-tier Parliament approved a new Constitutional Amendment that adds an appellate court to the Justice system of Ostaria. This is the first change to the justice system in nearly 45 years. The Appellate Court will be the first of its kind in Ostaria and will allow for people to appeal convictions or government decisions, unless they are handed down by the High Court. The motion to form an appellate court was brought about by House of People’s MP Keaton Alexander. He proposed the law following a decision last year of the Supreme Court to render null and void the 29th Amendment to the Ostarian Constitution. The Appellate Court will hear a trial regarding the 29th Amendment being return to place. Keaton Alexander told us, “The passing of the Judicial Act of August 2017 is a step forward in the governmental system of our nation. We are hoping that the court will replace the 29th Amendment of the Constitution. The 29th Amendment protected our people and with the Supreme Court striking it down, it has cause chaos in a manner of speaking. We hope it will be returned to place.”

Our final story, Minister of Human Rights and Second Deputy Prime Minister Semiha Borovac was found murdered this afternoon in her home on the outskirts of Sarajevo. Sarajevo State Police were sent to the Ministers house after she had not shown up for a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Rucner this morning. The Minister was the only one in the house, which is now leading an investigation by the Federal Government to find her children and her husband. The Sarajevo State Police are leading an investigation specifically about her murder. The President offered his condolences to her family and vowed to bring the murder to justice, while Prime Minister Rucner had this to say, “Ostaria has suffered a great loss. Semiha was more than just a friend to the people, she was a mother, a sister, a grandmother, an aunt. You name is she was it. She cared about her people deeply and wanted to ensure the basic rights of all people. Semiha was a great personal friend of mine and she will be deeply missed.” The President then ordered all flags fly at half-mast for a week.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here. Have a blessed day.

Good evening! My name is Alexander Radovic and here is the news from Ostaria!

Our top story this evening, the husband and children of Semiha Borovac, the deceased Minister of Human Rights and Second Prime Minister, were found safe this afternoon after receiving a tip from a trucker who was at a rest stop in the city of Rijeka. The trucker, who asked not to be named, called police after he saw a car with a driver and four additional people inside. He said that the passengers were bloody and that they were unconscious. Federal police and a group of Marines responded to the call and found the family of the late Minister. The man who was driving the car had attempted to run but an Ostarian Marine shot him in the leg, forcing him to give up the fight. He was immediately arrested and is now charged with murder, kidnapping, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. Two of the four children had to be airlifted to Sarajevo State Hospital, which is attached to Sarajevo State University, and are reported to be in critical condition. The other two children and their father were treated for minor injuries and then were informed of the passing of the Minister. President Šarović went to the hospital to be with the family and offered his condolences on behalf of his family and the government.

President Šarović had a busy morning today as he spoke before the three houses of Parliament. While speaking, the President announced that the year 2018 would be declared the Year of the Bible, the first declaration of such since 1947. He went on to announce his new picks for Minister of Justice and Minister of Health, but refrained from appointing a new Human Rights Minister as he felt it would not be respectful. For Justice Minister, he nominated former High Court Justice Alexander Mikalovich, while for Minister of Health he nominated Nikolai Stefanovich, a doctor/oncologist who works at Rijeka University Hospital. Mikalovich is a member of the SBBO while Stefanovich is a member of the HDZ. Both were immediately approved by all three houses and are scheduled to be sworn in by Tuesday of next week. The last announcement he made was that he would stand for election in the upcoming 2018 President election after receiving approval from the Supreme Court. Šarović decided to run as a member of the SBBO even though the nomination went to another member. The first poll including him was conducted today which saw him overtake fellow SBBO Candidate Đorđević by nearly 10 points.

Former President Alexander Sar was released from his physical therapy center earlier today with the doctors declaring him to be 90% recovered. The President walked out of the center with a little bit of a limp, but was able to walk to his car and drive himself home. Alexander was then seen in Dubrovnik less than three hours later at his beach home there. It was later announced by the Justice Department that they would not pursue any charges against the former President, even though they did say that they were unsure how the President could have afforded such a place. The former leader responded to the criticism by saying that the house has belonged to his family since the pre-Communist Era and that the last renovation was done in 1998.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good evening! My name is Alexander Radovic and here is all the news from Ostaria.

Former Minister of Human Rights and Second Deputy Prime Minister Semiha Borovac “Lied in State” today as millions turned out to pay their respects to the family and to the Minister. Unlike most ceremonies, the flag was not place over the body covering it up, but was rather draped over the bottom half of the casket. People began arriving around 6:15 AM this morning and continue to line the streets to pay their respects until midnight. Around noon, the President, Prime Minister, and several other officials went to the rotunda in the Supreme Court to pay their final respects. Prime Minister Rucner told Semiha’s husband, Amed, that she would not seek another 2nd Deputy Prime Minister until the government mourning period is over.

It is only two more weeks until kids will return to schools all across the nation. They will see some changes this year including: free lunches, free breakfast, and a new Bible course. Parents also got a major surprise when companies announced that they would be selling school supplies for over 50% off, following talks between the government and these companies. Parents will continue to enjoy the discount over the next two weeks and even possibly after the school year begins. Some students have said that they are prepared to go back to school, while many college students have said they are not and that the school year is unjust. College students in Vukovar requested that their school date be scaled back another week, something the State Assembly of Vukovar immediately rejected.

That is all we have for now on this slow news day. Thank you for joining us here.

Good evening! My name is Isaak Ademovic and here is the news from Ostaria!

Our top story, the Universities of Sarajevo and Dubrovnik released a joint-report this morning which announced that there was a major increase in seminary students for both universities. The joint report showed that the number of seminary students had gone from 1,000 to almost 7,500, a 400% increase. The report stated that the major reason for the increase was the recent “Back to Church” program that was launched in a joint effort of the Protestant and Orthodox Churches of Ostaria. The program, which had major government support, saw hundreds of thousands of Ostaria return or join churches for the first time. The program began back in 2011 following the Joint Convocation of the Churches of the Republic of Ostaria. The churches reaffirmed their allegiance to Christ and to bringing people to him. In the 2015 Census, it was reported that nearly 95% to 97% of the population are Christian, an increase of 20% since 1995, when the country became a Republic.

SBBO Candidate Nemanja Đorđević announced this morning that he was dropping out of the race for President of Ostaria and went on to declare his support for Acting President Šarović, who is now leading the polls by 20 percentage points (52% to 32%). The former candidate announced his decision on the steps of the University of Sarajevo School of Law building. He said that he was withdrawing from the election because he believed that God was telling him to support Šarović. “It is God’s will that I drop out of this election and pave the way for Acting President Šarović to become President. He is the candidate you should be willing to support and he is the one I give me full backing to.” President Šarović later thanked him for his kind words and stated that he would be rewarded for his decision to back out.

Our final story for the night, a new national store has opened after several months of setback. The store, named “Život Put” (Life Way), was opened this morning in three different cities: Dubrovnik, Sarajevo, and Vukovar. The stores sell multiple different religious items and different necessities, but are mostly built around the Church, as the main seller in the stores will be Bibles and other Biblical literature, as well as Christian music. The store decided to violate its policy one time and launch it store on Sunday. It opened in each city with about 500 to 1,000 people in attendance at each of the ribbon cutting ceremonies.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here.

Good evening! Thank you for joining us here at Ostaria 24. My name is Isaak Ademovic and here is the latest news from Ostaria.

We start off the evening with a terrible story. Earlier today in the city of Mostar, a terrorist attack took place in the city center. Three sets of bombs were detonated in the lower levels of the three largest skyscrapers in the city (Mostar Tower, Alexandrov Tower, and Cabal Tower). After an hour, all three towers began to fall. In total, over 4,000 people have been reported as dead, injured, or missing. President Šarović issued an immediate state of emergency and declared that no one would be allowed to leave the city unless permitted by the National Guard, which was deployed alongside humanitarian organizations. President Šarović stated that the attackers would be brought to justice and that they would serve a long time in jail if they are caught. Prime Minister Rucner later condemned the violence in the city of Mostar and declared she would be donating 4 million Dinar to helping the city recover.

In other news, famous Christian author and speaker Svetlana Alexandrova, who is the daughter of Nikolai Alexandrov the founder of AlexandrovCo, will be giving a series of talks throughout the country over the coming weeks and will begin tomorrow at Sarajevo High School. Tomorrow is the first day for Sarajevo High and Svetlana chose tomorrow as the perfect day to speak as there would be many incoming 9th graders who feel insecure about being in a new school and a new setting. She told us, “I want these children to know that they are loved by God. They need to realize that there is no reason to be insecure. People can try and pull you down and they can say all these things about you, but they do not define who your are. Their name is already determined by the Father and they are made in His image. We need to put an end to bullying in these schools and I want them to know that there are people who are there for them and that they have a loving Savior who will not let anything bad happen to them.” Svetlana later told us that one of the major reasons she became an author and speaker is because of the rising rates of teen suicide, most of which are attributed to bullying.

Our final story this evening, today marked the first time in nearly 21 years that the major Christian denominations of Ostaria were able to meet. The last time the groups met was in 1996 at the Christian Unity Rally that took place in all the major cities in Ostaria. Today, over 6,000 church leaders and an additional 50,000 church members, deacons, and other staff, attended the meeting, which marked an increase of over 27.5% from the last meeting. Notable speakers at the meeting included Prime Minister Natasha Rucner, Minister of Culture Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Pastor Dima Kolushkov, the leader of the Protestant Church, and Nicodemus Bakura, the leader of the Orthodox Church of Ostaria. Both leaders signed a historic agreement reaffirming their dedication to ministering to the people, serving the nation, and meeting the needs of the people. With the latter of the three, they declared that they would begin having churches set aside money to help those who are in need.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here! Have a blessed night!

Good evening! Thank you for joining us here at Ostaria 24. My name is Isaak Ademovic and here is the news from Ostaria.

Following the terrorist attack on the 17th of August, cleanup has begun across the city of Mostar and the wounds are starting to heal. In total, 2,000 people were killed with nearly another 3,000 wounded. According to one pastor in the city of Mostar, the Lord truly blessed those in the city who were affected due to the majority of those injured only sustaining minor injuries. Prime Minister Rucner flew to the city and declared that her heart was with the city and that she would lead the cleanup effort alongside former President Alexander Sar, who is leading a non-profit humanitarian organization. Aside from the cleanup effort, 32 people have been arrested in connection to the attack and are currently charged with terrorism, treason, crimes against humanity, murder, and attempted murder. The President issued a statement announcing that the Justice system is to seek the maximum penalty, which could mean life in prison or even death.

High School football season has begun here in Ostaria as 50 teams from across the nation faced off in their first matches tonight. With only being in school for the past couple of days, people were surprised that the season decided to begin this early, but that didn’t stop them from turning out in the masses. It was reported through ticket sales that a grand total of 75,000 people attended the games across the nation, with the most popular being Sarajevo High verses Vukovar High. President Šarović was the guest of honor at the Sarajevo High game and did the honorary opening coin toss. The President also gave a short speech followed by a prayer in which he prayed God’s blessing on all players across the nation during the upcoming season. He told our reporters, “People in our country, especially those who are alumni or Sarajevo or Vukovar High School, just like I am of the later, take football quite seriously. It should come as no surprise then that the turnout was this high and that the turnout will be high for the rest of the year.” The game of Sarajevo Terriers vs Vukovar Lions ended with the Terriers winning 40-0.

A new show is taking waves across the nation as it is bringing young and old together in the nations favorite pastime, music. The show, A Song for Ostaria, began Thursday night with the first audition round in which 150 people took place, or were shown to have on screen. A Song for Ostaria is a government sponsored show, created by private film companies, that attempts to bridge the gap of the music industry. The show featured and will continue to feature young singers and older singers who are competing for the prize of 1 million Dinar. The first night of the show was a big success, with 35,000 people in the audience at Sarajevo Stadium and over 10,000,000 people watching at home. The most surprising singer of the night was Elina Mataras with her song Vi odlučujete za sebe, which translates to You Decide for Yourself. The song was an instant hit with the judges and featured the singer playing the violin during the entire song along with a band in the background.

That is all the news we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good evening! This is Ostaria 24 and thank you for joining us here. My name is Alexander Radovic and here is the news from Ostaria.

Our top story this evening, A Song For Ostaria continued last night with the final audition round. In total, 500 people passed from the audition round, which meant that over 2,500 people did not succeed in passing into the contest. The next round that will take place will begin on Monday and is going to be known as the bootcamp round. All but 3 contestants will take part in the bootcamp round. The three contestants are: Slava Yerebova, Elina Mataras, and Niko Kolunakov. The reason these three will go past the bootcamp is because they were the only 3 who received a perfect score of 10/10, meaning they had the votes of all 10 judges on their side. Elina Mataras was pitted to be put under mentor Alexander Koskov, while Slava and Niko were put under mentor Tina Ponomariov.

Prime Minister Natasha Rucner convened a joint meeting of the Sabor, House of Representatives, and House of People’s today to appoint a new Minister of Human Rights due to the murder of former Minister of Human Rights Semiha Borovac. The Prime Minister announced that the new MOHR would also be appointed as Second Deputy Prime Minister. Her nominee ended up being former Presidential Candidate Nemanja Đorđević. The joint Parliament immediately approved him after 3 hours of debate. He was later sworn in at 12:03 PM. His first statement as MOHR was that he was going to work as hard as he possibly could to ensure the basic Human Rights of all people. He also continued by stating the policy of the government that while homophobic attacks will be considered as human rights violations, but that he would not look for any LGBT marriage rights. This met support from the government and opposition alike.

The Army unveiled two new weapons today, one of which is a tank and the other is a infantry fighting vehicle. The tank was the first weapon to be unveiled in roughly 7 years and has been named the O-84A4 Sniper. The IFV on the other hand was named the OBVP-80A. The first series, which included 10 from each group, was released this morning in the city of Dubrovnik in Victory Square. The tanks were presented before President Šarović and before the Ministers of Defense and Internal Affairs. They watched a show of force of the weapons and it led the President to ordering for 50 more of each, which will bring the total number of projected weapons to 125 for each.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here at Ostaria 24!

Good evening! Thank you for joining us here at Ostaria 24! My name is Alexander Radovic and here is all the latest news from Ostaria.

We start off this news evening with a warning message from the National Weather Service of Ostaria. The organization informed us over an hour ago that what they believed was a tropical storm has now been upgraded to a hurricane and is expected to make landfall later this week. The hurricane, which has now been named Hurricane Isaac, was spotted three days ago forming in the far reaches of the East Ostaria Sea. Around the time of its formation, wind gusts were below the NWS requirement which made them list it as a tropical depression. As the wind continued to increase and pick up speed, the NWS increased to a tropical storm as of Saturday morning. By this morning, wind speeds had increased to over 178 km/h, which gave it a Category 3 classification by the NWS. The government and NWS officially issued an evacuation warning for all coastal towns between Dubrovnik and Sarajevo, the two largest coastal cities that are on opposite ends of the nation’s coast. Prime Minister Rucner requested a state of emergency be issued by midnight or else she would trigger Article 95 of the Constitution, which allows the Prime Minister to declare a state of emergency in the case of a natural disaster.

Prime Minister Rucner is traveling alongside her former counterpart former President Alexander Sar to cities along the coast to ensure that all preparations are made for Hurricane Isaac and that the people will have necessary medical equipment, food, and water for at least two weeks. President Sar decided to get his organization, the Ostaria Humanitarian Disaster Relief Association as well as the Ostarian People to People Organization, involved in preparations and potentially getting equipment ready for a cleanup of the natural disaster. President Sar told us, “We are prepared to help this people and move in all equipment necessary for what is soon to happen. Both organizations have set aside a combined total of 112 billion dinar for the hurricane and disaster. We will help our people, because it is right in the eyes of Christ.” Prime Minister Rucner has donated nearly 12.5 million dinar, along with 2 years with of her salary that will be paid out in installments to small business owners affected by the storm.

Our final story, the Supreme Court has annulled the Budget Act of 2018, stating that the Act violates Article 122 of the Constitution because the budget went over the debt ceiling without approval from the Supreme Court or the Constitutional Court. A justice of the Supreme Court, who is not allowed to be named due to the Media Act of 1995, said that the Act must be replaced by the end of September since the debt ceiling was over the Constitutional limit. He said, “Our Constitution clearly states that the debt ceiling is to be at a fixed rate of 60% for each budget passed by the government and not a cent more. The government knows that this is the law and yet they violated this stipulation without consulting the bodies which have been chosen to ensure the Constitution is upheld.” The Supreme Court is giving the National Assembly the chance to replace the law or completely repeal it.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here!