Lucan Onionhead Declared an Illegal Narcotic

After a week of hurried testing and rushed legislation, finally Lucan Onionhead has been declared an illegal narcotic in all sectors of Federal space. This new statute was rushed onto the books in response to the appearance of a new, slightly modified strain of Onionhead in the Tanmark system.

Onionhead has proven to be a contentious issue among Federal communities over the last few months. The drug is extremely popular among young adults, with many claiming the use of Onionhead is completely harmless.

President Halsey disagrees, pointing to reports by respected Federal scientists that warn of the dangers associated with the popular narcotic. Evidence collected by Federal scientists supposedly suggests the neurological damage being done by the drug not only causes severe impairment of judgement in the short term, but that it may also cause amyloid plaques to form throughout the brains of long term users. Such studies have yet to be made available to the public.

Citizens Show Strong Support for Aisling

Seven days after the program to help free Imperial Slaves before the end of their agreed term was started, Stop Slavery Stupid has claimed that over 100,000 Imperial Slaves have been brought to Cemiess to be freed in the Diva Duval's name.

With her grandfather, the Emperor, unable to fulfil his duties as head of state, this surge of support could mark the start of Aisling making her own move to claim the Imperial Throne.

When asked to comment, Aisling said she was "super thrilled" that so many people are willing to support a cause so close to her heart.

An Imperial source, who wanted to remain anonymous, told us:

"It was only a tiny number of commanders, only a hundred that supported this scheme, each making multiple deliveries. 'Her team' behind her are shady individuals after the power of the throne. This is a stunt. Signing up as an Imperial Slave to repay a debt is no different to signing up for the Military."

Federal Crackdown in Banki and BD+03 2338

The Federation has started to insist that its member states follow procedure if they wish to leave. Congressman Jefferson, the Secretary of State for Finance said:

"We will take a firm stance against States withholding their contributions to the Federal budget. If States wish to leave, then they must follow the proper procedure. It may be unpopular, but that is what they agreed to."

Reports are coming in that representatives of the Federal Navy have been deployed to Banki and BD+03 2338 with explicit orders to bring the systems back under Federal Law.

Independent pilots interested in gaining favour with the Federation are being asked to assist the Gold Advanced Partners in Banki, and the Progressive Party in BD+03 2338. Both groups have been given access to sizeable war chests by the Federal Navy.

Senator Offers Deep Discounts on Military Surplus

Following on from the cessation of hostilities in Durius, civic management teams operating on behalf of Senator Patreus have declared that they will be holding a fire sale to clear out any excess equipment which the citizens of Durius no longer require.

It is hoped that the sale will generate some much needed capital for the impoverished region, although how many of the credits will be directly spent on the Durius system remains unknown. When asked to comment on the matter, Senator Patreus's office said that a fair repayment schedule has been organised. They went on to state that most of the credits accrued would be left in the hands of the Citizens of Tradition, who will continue to manage the day to day running of Durius for the foreseeable future. It is not clear at this stage whether this will cover the repayments.

Any pilots interested in saving themselves some serious credits on small non-Imperial ship upgrades are advised to head over to the Speke Prospect outpost in Durius immediately. Sale only while stocks last!

Vive la Révolution de Lave

Word circulated recently on the GalNet boards that a coalition of pilots of French origin (a country from ancient Earth, whose descendants still speak an archaic dialect) were planning to launch a violent coup aimed at gaining control of Lave station.

As home to one of the galaxy's finest flight schools, Lave holds deep sentimental value to many pilots from all walks of life.

Lord Ryan of Ugain was the first to hit back:

"My family emigrated from Lave to the Empire back in the days of Walden! We won't let the system succumb to tyranny again!"

Commander Ulysses Wolf, an Imperial Explorer, also hit back:

"We won't just stand by and let it happen!"

Many other pilots also voiced their discontent, suggesting that if a French Coalition did attempt a takeover they'd have more than just local Alliance Forces to deal with. President James Gibson of Lave couldn't be reached for comment.

Mistaken Identity Leads to Outrage Amongst Explorers' Association

In a surprising twist to a story published earlier in the week, it would appear that the man previously believed to have been Commander Erimus Kamzel of the DSS Beagle, was in fact an imposter who had stolen the Commander's identity in order to try and sell millions of credits worth of bogus data.

According to the real Commander Kamzel's support team, the last communiqué from the intrepid explorer had come just days before the imposter had carried out his plan to impersonate the Commander. The communiqué in question stated that the Commander's trusty ASP, the DSS Beagle, had received significant damage while in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Lincoln station security services believe that the imposter managed to intercept the message to Kamzel's team, at which point the thief decided to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the DSS Beagle in order to steal millions of credits.

It is believed that Commander Kamzel is currently on his way towards the Scutum-Centaurus arm, at which point he will attempt to send an encrypted signal to his team in case a rescue operation is needed.

Congressman Had Early Knowledge of VP's Death?

The press furore over the death of the Federal Vice President has been given a new burst of life, after a recording of a local constituency meeting was released on the scurrilous news channel 'The Low Down'.

In the otherwise low-key meeting held in a village outside Quenisset, Mars, on January 12th, the local mayor offered his condolences to the family and friends of a local businessman murdered during a robbery earlier in the week. George Fallside, the local Congressman, was present at the meeting. The Congressman, who was clearly distracted by social media at the time of the meeting, followed the mayor's speech by offering his condolences to the Vice President's family.

This was an hour after the VP's death, but half an hour before the news of his death broke. The Congressman was not available for comment, but an aide has said:

"Is it a big deal? He clearly misheard what was said."

On 'The Low Down' they followed up by emphasising the Congressman's links with the military, and in particular his non-exec directorship of Core Dynamics.