Venetian Lion
February 14, 1090
1/3 Gold

TOP STORY: Napoleon Bonaparte Signs New Constitution!
Venice - Consul for life Napoleon Bonaparte has signed into effect a new constitution for the Adriatic Republic. "We are the most independant nation in the world, our people are forward thinking individualistic people, and we must represent that with our government." said newly established President Bonaparte. The new constitution grants more leeway to local Provincial governments as well as relaxes laws against voting. Under the old constitution only those that owned land could vote, which excluded many government employees such as clerks, advocates and lawyers, ministers and soldiers. Under the new constitution any employee of the Federated government may vote, anyone who serves in the armed forces may vote, anyone who owns property, owns ships, or pays a special tax may vote. There are some who say the law should allow all people, male and female the right to vote however Bonaparte stressed that "Small steps must be made, one must crawl before he may walk. This is the new Adriatic Republic, it is a kinder gentler Adriatic Republic. We are interested in peace and prosperty rather than imperialistic aims."

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DOMESTIC REPORT
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Adriatic Population Skyrockets!
Bosporus - After Adriatic Officials tallied the official census an alarming fact arose, the Adriatic Population nearly doubled from approximately 3,000,000 citizens to nearly 6,000,000 citizens in a few short years. "This is most likely attributed to the rise in civil rights and trade, which contributed to a rise in luxeries and happiness" said Domestic advisor Remy Chirac. The boost in population has lead to more tax income, but at the same time more expenses to help bolster and maintain the population, no tax increase or decrease has been announced however.

Khazar Road Finally Completed!
Novokazalinsk - After centuries of hard labor the road between the Adriatic League and Israel has finally been completed outside of Novokazalisnk. "The centuries of manual labor and hard work has finally paid off" said Domestic advisor Chirac of the initially royal project "This is a major advancement in our CARP agreement with Israel and Mongolia, which should improve trade, already the new Zulu President Molefi Keti has voiced his pleasure over the easier access to trade routes."

Mexico Gains Two More Seats in Parliament!
Garibaldi - The Province of Mexico has doubled its membership in the Adriatic Parliament, doubling from two to four members. As a matter of fact the entire Adriatic Parliament has grown from 136 members to 188 members. The province of Nuova Italia, which formally was a generally weak political area now boasts 10 members of the Adriatic Parliament. "This change forces Europe to recognize the influence of the American Provinces, we have citizens who pay taxes, and we have our rights as well." commented MP Nicolo Liuzzi (E - NI).

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INTERNATIONAL REPORT
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Confusion Over PCAs Ends Without Problems.
Prometheus City, New China - The old grudges that occured during the Great War again reared their ugly head in northern Siberia near the Adriatic fisher town of Nordinsky. Mongolian officials claimed that the Adriatic League had founded cities along a "Neutral Border" which was established during the PCAs (Prometheus City Accords), to which Adriatic Officials took offense. "There were never any agreements to, or talk of, a Neutral Border" commented Antonin Rossi, Adriatic Foreign Minister "Even in the even that there were, we never agreed to such terms." What the issue comprised of was not only the village of Nordinsky, but a Mongolian Unit of Knights which apparently discovered the city; "In order for the village to have been discovered by Mongolian soldiers, they would have had to encroach upon the DMZ established by the PCAs" said President Napoleon Bonaparte. The issue was resolved peacefully, as both sides decided to drop it.

African Anarchy Finally Resolved!
Timbuktu, Mali Nation-State - After years and years of unmitigated chaos and anarchy, government corruption and graft, as well as constant streetfighting between rival political factions the Zulu Nation and the Mali Nation-State have finally resolved their civil disorder in exchange for Democratic governments. General Molefi Keti, former commander of Zulu forces has become the first official President of the Zulu nation (the first actual president being deposed King Shakeem, who was accused of corruption and election fraud) and Shalbim Al Imam, a Commandant from Dakar, became the first President of the Mali Nation-State. "We look forward to future relations with these two nations" said President Bonaparte "Our people have enjoyed good relations with Africa for centuries, and it looks as if this trend will continue." President Keti offered a statement to the Venetian Lion press, stating; "The Zulu Democracy has been restored and it is absolutely thriving! The people are finally happy as I, their true elected leader have taken the helm. I am rebuilding our army from the ground up, retiring our veterans and recruiting soldiers using the latest technologies. Our science is quite a spectacle and our trading is even more prosperous then it was before the revolution. All in all, the Zulus have turned a major corner and are shifting into higher gear. All goals we set WILL be achieved. That we have no doubt of. The General will keep the Zulus and the Axis strong for years to come........."

Scandinavian Soldiers Assault Skopje!
Skopje, Zulu Territory - The Norse Kingdom, who's seat is in Oslo, Scandinavia has attacked the Zulu Naval City of Skopje in a most brutal fashion. "According to early reports" said Antonin Rossi "Two garrisons of Norse Mounted Units attacked the city and destroyed its defenses. Currently an attempt is underway by the citizens to raise a final defensive front agianst the Norse attackers." At this point in time no official word comes from Oslo about the attacks. This comes at a time of immense importance, as Adriatic officials convene with Scandinavian to discuss the Annexation of the Scandinavian Kingdom into the Adriatic Republic. No leaks have indicated how this incident may effect the Annexation Talks.

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EDITORIAL
A. Rossi
Adriatic Foreign Minister
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I first must thank the Editor of the Venetian Lion for giving me this forum. Adriatic Foreign policy is very misunderstood by the world and this gives me an opportunity to at least explain it to our people as well as the many international subscribers of the Venetian Lion. The Adriatic League generally holds a bad reputation, we don't contend with this, the history of our Monarchy has left a very bad taste in the mouth of many foreign nations. However we must implore with them to give the new Republic a chance. Our recent history, I would contend, speaks for itself; we have made two peace agreements with Israel, a nation who we should hold in vile contempt. We have made the CARP agreement with both Israel and Mongolia, two nations who we were at war with under the old Monarchy. We have made peace arrangements with China and the Mali in North America, which should help quell any imperialistic designs we are accused of. We have worked hard to increase trade via production of trade units as well as the development of roads in harsh areas such as Russia and the Khazak deserts. During the latest arguments over the PCAs we kept a cool head with Mongolia, and decided that confrontation is not the answer. Our President Bonaparte has granted more civil liberties to the citizens of this nation, and has decreased our military 50% in lieu of our political situation. We are a nation that is interested in peace and prosperity, we are interested in the future, we are interested in our children. World peace is our goal, my job as Adriatic Foreign Minister is to represent this. Thank you for reading, and as always, if you have any questions or comments please send them to the Foreign Ministry in Venice.