Ambassador to South Mithran Called to Foreign Office

The IOB Ambassador to South Mithran was summoned to the Foreign Office today to be questioned about his government's handling of the recent assassination of a gangster in Legoton.
The South Mithranese Government recently criticised the killing of a gangster, along with his wife and two children by a IOB agent. Prime Minister Adrian Pollisworth did not take kindly to the criticism, which went as far as suggesting the PM step down from office and branded him a 'murderous tyrannic lunatic'. Foreign Minister Greg Dassault summoned the ambassador on the Prime Minister's behalf. It is not know what was discussed or said in the meeting, though the office is expected to release a statement tomorrow afternoon, with it being known that the SM Ambassador's Office being banned from making any official statement.

OCTAN Racing wins Brickbridge Street Race

The OCTAN Racing Team has one the 3rd annual Brickbridge Street Race. Mike Hawthorne drove his ORT -4DS to victory with 22 seconds clear. Brian Jones from Stud-i-o came in second place and James Richards finished third after being overtaken on the last corner by Jones.

Mayor Emily Sandhurst said "The 3rd annual street circuit has been a real success. I look forward to next February now!"

Fish Catch Deadly Disease

The Haddock stock, the primary fish export from the IOB is in danger of being severely crippled as a new disease spreads across the sea. Scientists and marineologists are yet to agree as to its source, and are desperately trying to find a cure as to stop the spread amongst the plentiful Haddock stocks in IOB waters, and ultimately, Haddock worldwide.

The IOB Fishing Authority (IOBFSA)is expected to release a statement soon, with a progress update on the situation unfolding.

PM Plans Visit

It has been revealed this evening that Prime Minister Adrian Pollisworth is planning a state visit to Brickbridge with the foreign ministry and Lego Nations Financial Agency on the agenda, which is due to open in the next week. It is also rumored that Prince Edward will be in attendance, a rare occasion for the prince, who usually prefers to stay in residence in his palace in Brickcastle.

The announcement means more trouble for security forces in Brickbridge, who are already busy preparing for the Brickbridge Street Circuit Race this Friday, and news of yet another major event sparked some irritation from Brickbridge Chief Policeman Inspector Duncan Mallis, who said "Although the visit will be a great honour to the town, this police force and my career, we will find it difficult to provide maximum security at both events, we are already stretched thin enough."

Both the PM's Office and that for Prince Edward were unavailable for comment.

Saturday 20th:

Ardingmouth United 1 - 3 Brickmouth
Brickbridge City 4 - 0 Brickplain County
Brickford United 2 - 2 NBU
Brickton Town 0 - 0 Toblestone Rovers
NBFC 1 - 0 Brickpool United
Norby Town 2 - 3 Oddstoke United
Saladon Town 1 - 1 Brickness Town

Sunday 21st:

Brickbrough Athletic 0 - 0 Brickcester Wanderers
Brickston 1 - 2 Brickchester Rovers
Hallsworth United 3 - 2 Boriscliff Town

Rankings Table will be released tomorrow.

Isle Air beats Air First as Second Largest IOB Airline

Isle Air takes position as second largest airline in the IOB. Here are its current aircraft and routes:

Boeing 737-500 IA-IA N.B.I.A. – London Stansted
Boeing 737-500 IA-IB N.B.I.A. – Brussels, Manchester, Berlin, Lille
ATR 42-500 IA-IC N.B.I.A. – Leeds Bradford, Edinburgh, Kristiansand
ATR 42-500 IA-ID N.B.I.A. – Oslo, Cologne
ATR 42-500 IA-IE N.B.I.A. – Copenhagen

As part of a restructuring scheme, Isle Air has altered its target customer, changing more to the budget airline industry, slashing fares by an average of 18% on its routes. It has also confirmed it has ordered a further 5 ATR 42-500s direct from the manufacturer, and secured rights for a further 3. The new owner, Mike Dannett, denied however, that Isle Air could be floated on the stock exchange, saying “At the moment a move like this would ruin our infrastructure and the way we operate. We are having to change with the industry, and an internal structure change would only have negative impacts.”

Today, the IOB government officially announced plans for the "Housing for Heroes" scheme, which provides free housing to servicemen and women who have been injured fighting for the armed forces across the world. The scheme has been trialled with 40 personnel so far, and is said to have been a great success, leading to hundreds of applicants. This is just one of few new schemes led by the Isle Brick Party to improve conditions of those medically discharged from the military. But the opposition just argues that these schemes are a waste of money which will just appease the public. After this statement IBP support rose by 7% to 64% support in a poll carried out by the Brickian Times.

BA Systems Unveils Type 14 Regional Express

Today the nation's premier technological and engineering firm Brick Aerospace Systems has unveiled its first stab into the regional train sector, with the Type-14 Regional Express Class, which rolled into Brickbridge Central Station this morning in the livery of Brickian Railways. The class will comfortably serve trans-island routes used by Brickian Railways, traveling up to speeds of 90mph with 20 on board, a real leap in the railways industry.

Shopping Centre Body that of Legoton Plumber

It was confirmed today by Brickbridge Police that the body of a man found in a shopping centre on Wednesday was that of Juan Borandes, a Legoton plumber working in Brickmouth. A post mortom examination concluded that a knife wound to the body's heart, along with 4 wounds to the body's legs and shoulder caused severe bleeding and ultimately a brain hemerage. Police say it is highly likely the body was taken to the shopping centre after his death, and are currently looking at CCTV footage to track the killer.

Body Found in New Shopping Centre

Police were called to the Brickwold Shopping Centre which is under construction in central Brickbridge at around midday today after workmen found the body of a man in one of the empty shop-shells. The whole area was cordoned off as forensic investigators set to work identifiying the body. In a statement released by the police, the death is said to have been suspicious and the police are looking at murder. The post mortom results will be published tomorrow afternoon, as will the results of an identification check.

PM Pollisworth says "No" to Obama

This Morning Prime Minister Adrian Pollisworth rejected the demands made by President Obama of the United States for the immediate release of 32 soldiers captured illegally operating in IOB territory on Thursday. In a brief statement, the Prime Minister said "The demands set out by Mr. Obama yesterday are silly. I hope he realises that we will never give in to such ridiculous demands from said 'criminal' countries. Of course, all 32 men will go on trial by the end of the month, for they still committed a crime."

Obama Demands Immediate Release of 32 Hostages

Tonight President Obama has ordered the immediate release of 32 soldiers captured operating in IOB territory yesterday without any explanation or apology to the IOB government. The move came before the US ambassador to the UN was being asked to discuss the issue in the UN, which he still refuses to do so.
The comments have angered many within the IOB government, who have labeled the move "outrageous" and "yet another example of America bullying lesser nations to do what it wants". Prime Minister Adrian Pollisworth is expected to reply to the comments tomorrow morning, with the IOB ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr. Thomas Larm already saying "This move by President Obama is preposterous, and we will never give in to the demands of a nation illegally operating military assets within Brickian territory."
Security has been tightened at Brimston Air Force Base, where the soldiers are being kept, under fears the US could try to ex-filtrate the prisoners, who are expected to face charges at a military court and could face up to 15 years in a high-security prison.

U.S. Special Forces Found in Brickian Mountains

A helicopter rescue team mistakenly stumbled across a U.S. special forces team illegally operating in IOB territory. The discovery led to a quick response from the IOB Army and Air Force, with several teams deployed to the scene in the Brickian Mountains of central BrickIsle at around 14:00 hours yesterday.
The IOB Coast Guard Merlin helicopter stayd on scene tracking the team with its thermal imaging camera before two Air Force Apache helicopters arrived on scene, followed half an hour later by commandos from the 2nd Battalion Royal Tarristan Regiment and marines from the 15th Division the Royal Parstonels. The 32 special forces men were arrested without incident, and are currently being held in military custody at Brimston Air Force Base.
Discussion between the IOB government and the Obama administration is said to be "breaking down", with Prime Minister Adrian Pollisworth demanding a full explanation and apology from the White House, and is seeking legal counsel over what to do with the 32 soldiers. The incident has already called outrage in the UN, with the US ambassador being lobbied to address the Assembly tomorrow.