October 45355000 extra police for HitamFollowing a
spree of killings, violence and riotings in Hitam, Malivia's capital the government has responded by announcing plans to recruit 5000 extra police officers for the capital city, and to maintain a high degree of vigilance in order to protect the safety of the public.
Rajutti National Party (RNP) leader Amish Padagavakar has condemned the Hitam rioters as "savages and barbarians" who "in my personal opinion - and this is only my personal opinion - ought to be rounded up and shot...but this is not how we do things in Malivia".
Despite the hardline rhetoric, the
National Security Act Padagavakar has proposed looks relatively moderate, granting the police more powers, but not going so far as some civil liberties campaigners were fearing.
The RNP is also proposing to
abolish Hosianism's status as the official established religion in Malivia. "We have now seen what Hosian chauvinism and arrogance leads to," Padagavakar commented. "Addressing this issue of Hosian privilege is now not only a matter of justice, but also a matter of national security".
Padagavakar demands Putera Temple on site of demolished church in SeredekiAnother flashpoint has arisen in tensions between Hosians and Gerajans, with RNP leader Amish Padagavakar demanding the government build a temple to Lord Putera on the site previously occupied by the
Matthias the Baptist Church in Seredeki, which was
violently and illegally torn down by a Gerajan mob. Even Hosian leaders with long records of working to promote Hosian-Gerajan reconciliation are expressing furious indignation at the scheme, and vigorously lobbying MPs to vote it down.
In response to the backlash, Padagavakar has suggested the possibility of what he calls a "compromise", whereby a Gerajan temple would be constructed on the contested site, but a church would be constructed nearby in order to replace the one that was burned down. However, this proposal is not winning favour with most Hosians, who are still very sensitive about the entire incident.
Centre for Malivy Island Studies plans new campus in AuroraThe Centre for Malivy Island Studies (CMIS), a controversial hardline Gerajan academic institution which already has 3 campuses across Malivia, has announced plans to open a new centre in Aurora, Selucia's capital. According to recent announcements, the new campus will offer courses on Geraja, Malivian Literature, Malivian History, Yoga and other subjects "designed to explore the common historical, cultural and spiritual heritage which the Malivy Islands share with the mainland".
It is not yet clear whether the Selucian authorities will give permission for the new project to go ahead, or if so, whether the courses it offers will be awarded official academic accreditation.
Deltaria and Dundorf petitioned to contribute to Mundra Temple Renovation FundThe management committee of the Mundra Temple in western Kajpur has written to the governments of Deltaria and Dundorf, inviting them to contribute to the cost of the renovation of the temple, which is falling into disrepair.
"Mundra is a powerful and extremely important Gerajan moon god," the letter states, "and this temple has been dedicated to his worship for hundreds of years". It continues:
We have been praying here every day for the success of the Deltarian and Dundorfian moon missions, and praying for the safety of their crews. We believe Mundra has blessed these missions, and we honour him for doing so. It would be nice if something could be done to help us with the renovation works, however. We are rather short of cash at the moment.