Cobura

[Zanz]

Evidence of Kafuri involvement in death of Coburan King, says JZG report

[Reddy]

The Southern Bell

The Southern Bell is a liberal regional daily based in the Nome of Dilginato

Bekele Rejects Investigation's Conclusions; Announces State of Emergency

February 4779

At a press conference announcing the imposition of a state emergency, Lord Regent and Grand Vizier Yekuno Bekele has thanked the , the Jelbék Zvrzdtjogad Grsho (Luth: Jelbek Assassination
Group) for its work investigating the assassination of King Psamtik-Iyasu. The Coburan leader silkily declined to accept the JZG's controversial conclusion calling it "an opinion that the Coburan kingdom does not share." The investigation did reveal crucial new evidence about the assassin's financial links with shadowy groups.

The state of emergency was not unexpected following the recent turn of destabilising events, chiefly the royal assassination.The measures adopted so far do however appear to be disproportionate as very few and minor disturbances have been reported since the assassination. Plans to double the police force and increase the military budget by 45% in the next two years point to plans possible beyond simple "law and order".

[Auditorii]

Kafuri Majatran News Network: President al-Sadhi denies assassination of Coburan King (July, 4779)

[Reddy]

The Union Dispatch

The Union Dispatch is a moderately conservative national broadsheet

The King of Love
Bekele Crowned Pharaoh, Pledges "Love and Unity"

November 4780

In one of the most magnificent ceremonies ever witnessed in Cobura, Lord Regent and Grand Vizier Yekuno Bekele was proclaimed and crowned Pharaoh of Cobura. The coronation followed an offer to assume the throne from the Royal Assembly, an offer accepted only with the grandiose title of Pharaoh instead of King. The glory of the old Irkawan Pharaohs was relived today in the various procession and public parties across the country.
The new Pharaoh and Lord addressed his subjects at the Saksoure Central Park in Sharba and promises to work for "love and unity throughout our vast realm"


Pharaoh Yekuno

The new Pharaoh was quick to dispel any rumours that he intended to create an absolutist state and possibly even declare himself a god. He rejected titles which imply divinity.

Yet as many political insiders have divined, the Pharaoh will remain politically divine. His position technically holds only a few reserve powers yet his hold over the ruling party and forceful personality suggest the continuation of his dominance of Coburan politics from the Great House (the monarch's official residence) The new Grand Vizier is Set Meroemes is a genial if somewhat obscure former advisor to the new monarch. The cabinet remains the old one with next to changes, all of them "king's men."

[Reddy]

The Coin Counter


The Coin Counter is a financial newsmagazine which serves as the Bible of the Coburan business elite

Coburan Business Drops Caution As Investment Taps Begin Flowing
June 4781

The wary Coburan business community has given the new pharaonic regime it's stamp of approval with a well choreographed set of announcements.

- on 22 May, the country's largest mining conglomerate Kobra Corp announced that it would invest 430 million LOD into rare earths mining in the recently discovered deposits in southern Dilganato.

- on 24 May, Pleasure Land Inc the party organising and hosting service announced that it had secured 380 million LOD with several domestic and foreign co-investors to construct a chain of hotels, casinos and amusement parks along the southern coast of Cobura.

- on 4 June, Whitestone a global venture capital fund revealed that it was purchasing land and buildings in central Sharba on which it planned to construct a mobile phone assembly line capable of producing 150,000 mobile phones per year.

The government has welcomed the various plans and has offered various tax incentives and regulatory waivers to encourage further investment. Pharaoh Yekuno said that he believed that jobs could reduce the various ethnic tensions which are too often spurred on by the despair brought by unemployment and poverty.

[Reddy]

The Coin Counter


The Coin Counter is a financial newsmagazine which serves as the Bible of the Coburan business elite

The Resilient Cobra
Economy stays on track amidst Majatran slowdown

January 4785

The Coburan economy has successfully withstood the seemingly daunting challenges posed by the Majatran economic slowdown which has hit Cobura's close neighbours Jakania and Deltaria particularly hard. A grinning Vizier for Finances Talau Siames announced to the Royal Assembly that the economy was projected to grow at 3.7% over the next quarter. The economy started growing in a noticeable manner about six years ago ending decades of stagnation and lengthy recessions largely blamed on political instability and ethno-religious strife.

The main engine driving growth appears to be tourism which has dramatically recovered - in 4770, 1.4 million tourists visited the country; by last year, the number tripled to 4.7 million. The government's own intervention has largely been limited to ensuring conditions conducive to investment and support entrepreneurship at home through the Coburan Growth Fund and extensive economic deregulation and privatisation. The Vizier for Home Affairs has also announced that his vizierate will move to soften various state-of-emergency measures particularly in the coastal areas and other tourist hotspots.

[Reddy]

The Union Dispatch

The Union Dispatch is a moderately conservative national broadsheet

As The Page Turns
Grand Vizier Resigns As Textbook Controversy Wrecks Cabinet and Ruling Party

April 4793

A small and seemingly silly squabble has torched down Pharaoh Yekuno Bekele's two decade long political project. A number of spelling mistakes in a Year 7 home economics textbook by a mid-ranked bureaucrat in the Vizierate of Education sparked outrage in the Augustan community and led to a domino-like procession of resignation from grade 1 ministry bureaucrats to several Viziers of different backgrounds. When Dr. Zewditu Shale, the Mallan Vizier for Science and Tech dismissed the dispute as "infantile", it only intensified until the Grand Vizier Set Meroemes himself handed in his resignation.

Several military officers have also resigned their commissions, the same has been reported in the police force. Several Augustan and Mallan legislators have defected from the ruling party in the past three days forming thinly disguised ethnic blocs in the Royal Assembly.
The streets of Sharba and other major cities sparkle with electric tension as the various ethnic groups consider each other uneasily.

The royal family's whereabouts are unknown at this time. They may remain in the Great House guarded by their large and highly respected so-called " Jelbic Guard" which includes several foreign citizens most notably from neighbours Jelbania and Vanuku..

[Reddy]

Pharaoh Seizes Power
May 4793

The Pharaoh has taken charge in Cobura naming himself Grand Vizier. The move comes after the so called "textbook crisis" which engulfed the nation into a near meltdown of its political institutions. Trapped in his official residence, the Great House; the Pharaoh took command of his Palace Guard and ordered them along with allied military units to seize control of strategic points in Sharba and other major cities. He then addressed the nation appealing to what he described as "the silent and reflective majority" to keep cool heads and preserve peace and prosperity. He also declared a state of emergency imposing the strictest public security measures ever applied, describing his moves as a "tyranny of necessity."


Pharaoh Yekuno addressing the nation

Few Coburans joined the handful of ethnic-based protests, indeed pro-government rallies vastly outnumbered them. Coburan seem tired of ethno-religious agitation, perhaps preferring the considerable economic gains they have made in the past two decades.

[Pragma]

Government seeks to re-establish trade network
18 July 4895

The Coburan government, led by newly-elected Prime Minister Maren Kabede Kidane - often called MKK for short, has announced its intention to pursue a new network of trade around Cobura in line with its election promises. Alongside Foreign Minister Yitbarek Anom, the Prime Minister told a press conference this morning that various nations and corporations had expressed a willingness to begin negotiations, saying that the international community is 'eager to welcome Cobura back'.

The Prime Minister expressed in his press conference that developing strong transportation links remained a high priority for the new government. Endralonian companies such as Eight Continents Airlines and Lehel Vehicular Centre are among those in talks to help the government achieve its transport goals, with the Foreign Ministry expressing confidence that deals on importing vehicles and charting intercontinental flights from Sharba would be negotiated by the end of the decade. Other Endralonian links set to be established revolve around Hugamest Tech Group which, among a variety of other tech firms from abroad - including several from Vascania, have apparently expressed interest in helping Cobura to develop its rural internet connections.

Other nations mentioned in the press conference by the PM are interested in trading natural resources. The Vascanian and Aldegarian governments, who hold between them a great fraction of the world's oil and gas supplies, were noted as eager partners in 'fuelling the new Coburan economy'. The government in Lourenne was also mentioned, with Lourenne being a potential market for Cobura's extensive mineral and gem reserves. Lourennais fashion and cuisine have become increasingly en vogue in Sharba, leading to talk about importing such goods in greater quantity from the nation. The Foreign Minister noted that the Coburan state is hoping to find partners in Seleya, Majatra, Artania, Vascania and Dovani and was not interested in 'restrictive thinking'.

The Sharba Examiner is a newspaper from the capital of Cobura.

[Pragma]

Cobura celebrates FOMAT victory, plans to host in 4898 revealed
20 December 4895



Cobura's own Akwana Neguse has won the FOMAT-XII music competition, placing first out of sixteen acts. Neguse, who is the first ever competitor to enter FOMAT for Cobura, sung her song "Na Na Na" and managed to get sufficient votes from the public and the jury to claim the title of FOMAT winner. Speaking after her victory was announced, the singer stated that her triumph represented "such an incredible honour" for her and thanked the jury members and the voters at home for granting her the win. The runner-up was Selucia, while bookies' favourites Kalistan and Vascania came 6th and 7th respectively.

The Coburan broadcaster KNTV negotiated with the government before the show, obtaining the right to produce the contest in the event of a Coburan victory. A KNTV spokeswoman confirmed after the result was announced that the show would be held at the Pyramid Insurance Exhibition Arena in Sharba, which hosts 7,500 guests at full capacity. The show is scheduled to be held in December 4898 and organisers hope to include Akwana Neguse in some way during the show. Rules that have been confirmed include a requirement to feature at least some native lyrics, a 5-minute limit to song length and the desire to avoid political topics during the songs and the contest in general. All Terran nations are welcome to compete, while Cobura will arbitrate as a neutral host. The winner will be decided by a points-based system, with 25% jury input, 25% Coburan audience input and 50% international televote.

The Sharba Examiner is a newspaper from the capital of Cobura.