Cojedes 24

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24. This is Teresa Andrade bringing you all the news from Cojedes.

Our top story this morning, the President of Cojedes has authorized the lifting of the majority of the new sanctions that were placed on Ninhundland right before the Christmas season. The move comes after a new vote in the Cojedan National Assembly retracted a major section of the sanctions that has been authorized, but still like the travel ban in effect until January 29th. The National Assembly did vote however to lower the visa-free stay for Ninhunders from 35 to 15, meaning that Ninhunder's without a visa, residency status, or citizenship to Cojedes, can be expelled from the country after a 5 day grace period. The Governor of Corrientes Province in the south applauded the move, while the Lieutenant Governor of Heravion Province, the earliest capital of Cojedes, called for a 10 day grace period over a 5 day. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs declared that once the travel ban is lifted, he will begin issuing visa's once more to the Ninhundish people.

Schools across the country were closed today as snow and ice, mixed in with wind and low temperatures have caused hazardous conditions nationwide. In the city of Santa Cruz, storm surges, mixed in with the freezing temperatures caused the water that hit the roads to freeze over quite quickly and even caused several cars to be inaccessible due to the doors being frozen. In Rosario, the business district has been inaccessible by three of the seven roads since Tuesday due to ice covering many of them. Footbridges leading into the district were also closed as water levels continued to rise across the city. 2 of the 3 rivers in the city have seen rising water levels since the day after Christmas, leading to hazardous flooding, that has eventually frozen. In the city of Heravion, the original capital, over 5ft of snow has fallen and has stopped the provincial and local government from being able to meet in their respective areas. The Federal government deployed workers from the Department of Transportation all across the nation to begin pushing snow. Since this weather began, 5 people have died and 40 have been reported to be injured.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24. Have a good day!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24. My name is Teresa Andrade and here is the top stories from Cojedes.

The government revealed to the public today that it has placed orders for two different sets of tanks for the Army and the National Guard respectively. The Army, which has been lagging behind in tanks in the past years, has issued an order of 15 tanks, known as the "El Matador" tank. This tank, which will roughly cost 2.05 million pesos per unit, will be a lower armor tank, will be a little faster, and will mount a 120 mm gun. The tank, which was a Third Civil War MBT for the rebels , will include some newer equipment to it, would causes the prices to be higher than normal. The National Guard on the other hand will be receiving 50 of the LS-92 tanks, at a cost of 1,530,000 pesos per unit. This tank, which was a post-Fascist War MBT, originally cost 35,000 pesos per unit, but will now cost 1,530,000 per unit as more modern equipment is added. It has been predicted by the government that the cost of these tanks could be higher, but not much more than the defense companies have reported to them. The Government also ordered for some LS-95 and LS-97 Tanks, which are variants of the LS-92. Each will cost roughly 1,750,000 a unit. The tanks are expected to be completed by late July or Early August. The total cost of all the tanks is expected to be roughly 225,000,000 pesos.

Cojedan singer Benjamín Gutiérrez was found dead in his home this morning after police responded to a call of a loud commotion coming from the house. At 4 AM this morning, Rosario Municipal Police responded to a domestic disturbance call from a neighbor of Gutiérrez, saying that him and two other people were arguing. While on the line with the police, a gunshot could be heard in the background. Three different task forces responded to the crime scene and Benjamín was declared dead at 5:30 AM at Saint Esmeralda Hospital after undergoing surgery. It is unsure at this time what the fight was about or who committed the crime. People in the region have been told to take extra precautions. The Mayor of Rosario declared that people will need to ensure their safety and the safety of their children by sticking together and several other measures.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Teresa Andrade and here is the news from Cojedes.

War games are occurring all across the country as the bi-annual games are taking place this month and into the start of the next. The games, which started yesterday, are taking place on the land, on the sea, and in the air. The naval games, which are centered on the Eastern and Western Fleet's, have seen great success, especially with the ships that were received last year and in 2016. All eyes have been on the RCN Rosario, one of the nation's two aircraft carrier's that is the flagship of the Western Fleet. The Rosario, which underwent refitting last year, was deployed for the first time today to take part in the war games. So far, as Admiral Iker Pareja said, things are going according to plan and the ship is operating at normal status. The RCN Heravion, the Eastern's Fleet's Flagship, has had similar luck and is operating a normal. On land, several weapons that came to the Cojedan Army and Marine Corp last year have been tested and are having equal success with the Navy and Air Force. The President is expected to oversee tomorrow's Army Games while the Vice President and Secretary of Defense will oversee the Naval Games.

In other news, a suspect has been arrested in the case of the murder of Benjamín Gutiérrez. The suspect, who has yet to be named, was arrested after several neighbors of the singer reported seeing him in the area, and after the suspects sister reported that he had taken a gun that had belonged to her. Police Commissioner Alejandro Ramirez stated that at this time they are still looking for a second suspect and that the government is taking this very seriously. "We will continue to look for a second suspect and continue to work alongside police departments in other cities in finding those who are responsible." Benjamín Gutiérrez is expected to be buried later this week.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here.

Good evening! This is Cojedes 24! I am Jordana Cuevas and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this evening, Severino Serrato, the Director of the Cojedan Space Program, declared a deal with the government today to launch two new satellites. The satellites, one of which will be for the weather and the other for agriculture monitoring, have already been built and have been awaiting for the funds from the government to launch the satellites. It has been reported that the government is paying for roughly 50% of the program, while private donors and even some universities will pay for the remaining. The two satellites, named "Fénix 1" (weather) and "León 1" (Agriculture), will most likely been sent into orbit by March or April, with activation of each expected anywhere from two weeks to one month after they are launched. Director Serrato told reporters that he was very excited to be able to launch the two satellites, which are expected to replace the older three that are already in orbit.

In other news, a fire broke out at the Heravion Shipyard today which has set back the production of several Cojedan ships, and even damaged two of the ships. The fire, which broke out around 8 AM this morning, damaged roughly 25% of the entire shipyard and damaged one La Rioja Class Cruiser and one Corrientes Class Destroyer. The remaining of the ships and submarines that were being built there, which totals roughly 6, were all moved to other shipyards where they can continue to be built. At this time, an investigation is underway into how the fire started and it is believed that it was an accident at this time. The Governor of Heravion declared an exclusion zone around the Shipyard and has issued condolences to the two people that lost their lives. For the first time, an Intrépida-class Fast Attack Craft, was able to be used to help put out the fire. The 6 ships that were moved went to Rosario, Corrientes, and Santa Cruz and included 2 submarines and 4 ships (1 destroyer, 2 cruisers, and 1 Fast Attack Craft). 15 people are reported to be injured, but are expected to make full recoveries.

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Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Diego Alejandro Carballar and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story, two projects, that are part of the Rosario Initiative, began in the State of Corrientes. The projects, one of which is for a hydroelectric station and the other for a de-salinity plant, began this morning with the blasting away of part of the coastal cliff for both plants. The two projects are believed to be 7.5 kilometers apart from each other, the former of which is actually right outside the city of Corrientes. President Nestor Estávez was there alongside Aynia Timolova, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Rosario Initiative for the blasting, and both happened to pushed the button to blast it away. We spoke to worker Luz Gaona who told us that he was very excited to get this project underway. "These projects are gonna be another statement of Cojedan ingenuity. We are working to make our country better and to supply more jobs, more resources, and the basics to even live." President Nestor Estávez told us that he was also excited about the project getting under way and told reporters that he would be checking in every week to see how the projects are coming along.

Vice President Valentina Perón was in her hometown of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz today for the declaration of the city as a City of Special Significance and a City of Vital Importance for its economics and its port. The Vice President had recommended the city for the statuses to the National Assembly, which approved it last week. The ceremony, where the Vice President awarded the city the two awards, was attended by over 60,000 people, including several current and former state politicians. Valentina Perón, who is the Former Governor of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, stated that she was thrilled that her hometown was awarded these two high honors. "I am still speechless. I realize that of course I was the one that requested the awards for the cities, but I did not honestly think that the government would accept my request. This is a momentous day for the City and for the Province." Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz is renowned for having the largest port on the Western Coast of Cojedes and for being the 6th largest city in Cojedes.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24.

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24. My name is Diego Alejandro Carballar and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this afternoon, the Province of Santiago del Estero, which is one of the two border provinces of Cojedes and Andrenne, will soon be encompassed by the Rosario Initiative. Earlier today, President Nestor Estávez announced that an agreement had been reached between the Cojedan Government and Andrennian electric company Norzelld Energii OSK to begin production on solar and wind farm in the province with the potential to power over 50% of the Province. The Province, which has a population of roughly 875,000, had not received any money from the Rosario Initiative Fund until this morning when the President declared the agreement. Cojedan Electric Company República Energía (Republic Energy) will be working alongside the Andrennian company, while the Cojedan Government will pay for the entire project. It is unknown how long the project will take, and the President did state that there is a potential hydroelectric station being planned at the current time. Work will start on Tuesday roughly 25km from the capital of the province.

In other news, a government shutdown in the Province of Heravion was averted last night as politicians on both sides finally agreed to a long term budget that would last until 2020. The crisis began yesterday morning during the normal session of Parliament when the opposition would not join the coalition on agreeing on a budget that was beneficial for the province. The main issue regarding the budget was where to appropriate state aid. As it all seemed lost that they would never come to an agreement, an impassioned speech by CFV member Jimeno Nieves was able to rally both sides. The speech called on state aid to be split in half, half going to healthcare and the other going to social services and welfare programs, such as social security, disability, food stamps, and other government assistance programs. The budget was swiftly signed into law by the Governor of the Province.

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Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24. My name is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes.

Our top story this evening, the Church of Cojedes celebrated its 1,500th anniversary today. The first church, which was established in Heravion, rang its bells at noon and it was soon followed by churches from all across the country. The Church, which today accounts for 50% of the population, was recognized in a speech made by the President today before the National Assembly. "The Church of Cojedes is the true basis of our nation. It has been the guiding and leading religious establishment since 518 AD, at a time when Cojedes was just beginning to come together. I thank the current leader of the church, Luca Vlaerio, for all that he has done since 2000 and since my election as President." Patriarch Luca Valerio stated to the people today, "This is a major day in our church and in our country. Today, we thank God for all He has done for us and for all that will be done in the coming future." The church has been known for its devolution status, which allows churches to be autonomous from the central authority.

Singer/Songwriter Alessandra Dorantes released a new song today entitled "Mi sueño" (My Dream). The song tells the story of her overcoming her economic circumstances in one of poorest districts in Southern Cojedes, which had once been destroyed by war. In the music video, she is seen going from her native town to the capital city, Rosario and making her "dream" of being a singer a reality. Most of the filming of the video was actually done in Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz and in Heravion. The video reached 50 million views within the first four hours and then reached roughly 200 million around 7pm tonight. The majority of views is of course from Cojedans who have played the song on repeat. Alessandra told reporters that she was amazed by the support that she had received.

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Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story, preparations are underway in the city of Corrientes for the 2018 Copa Cojedes. The championship, which will take place in January of 2019, will come to Corrientes for the 7th time. There is no way to know which teams will be participating in the championship match, but since the Corrientes football* team, known as the Corrientes Pumas, won the last Copa Cojedes on January 14th against the Heravion Jaguars 38-35, the game will come back to the city. The venue will be the legendary Corrientes National Stadium, which has the largest seating capacity in all of Cojedes, currently seating 107,600 people, but having the full capacity of around 115,000. We spoke to Paulo Cristobal, the owner of the stadium, who said that the renovations began the day after they won the January 2018 match, which ended the 2017-2018 football season. "We are very excited to have the people come here to our city for the 7th time, the first since 2000. They will see that so much has changed in the past 18 years, especially since our remodeling in 2011 and 2012." The Copa Cojedes had a record number of viewers in 2017 with roughly 27,500,000 people tuning in to watch the game.

Police were called to the Metropolitan Museum of Rosario today after alarms went off in the early morning. The police arrived to discover that several valuable artifacts had been vandalized while several others had been stolen. The most notable artifact that was stolen was the "Primera Biblia", the first Bible to be printed in the Cojedan language, which would have at then been the South Cojedan language. It is believed that in the condition the book is in, it could be worth more than 1.5 million pesos. The most notable artifact that was destroyed however was a column from the city of Córdoba that was the last one standing after the firebombing of it by Ninhundish forces during their invasion after the Fascist War. A nationwide investigation is underway and the military has been called in to help the police.

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(OOC: * denotes the fact that football in Cojedes is US football, while association football in Cojedes is known as fútbol. This reference will be made in the future as well.).

Good morning and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story today, preparation are underway for the Cojedan Games! The games, which is in its 58th edition, will bring people from all of the provinces of over 20 different sports together for several events. Last years games saw the Province of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz triumph over the other, will they be able to hold on to this same record this time? The opening ceremony of the games will take place at National Stadium-Rosario, while the first actual game will take place at the Santiago del Estero Aquatic Center. All provinces will this year, for the first time, host at least one game. For the first time also, the Corrientes National Stadium will host five different events, which include shooting, archery, fútbol, and football. President Nestor Estávez will open the games in the capital with the Speech of Champions. The games will begin on 20/21 October, at which time, the Opening Ceremony will take place. The Province coming in first will host the 2019 games, while the province coming in second will be given the right to host the 2020 games, which will instead take place in the summer.

Police in the Province of Rosario are still looking for the nations First printed Bible. Several leads have been sent in by people across the province and across the nation and so far, none have turned up useful. The Metropolitan Museum has added additional security, while even includes Cojedan soldiers and Marines. Events at the center have been closed, though exhibits are still open for the people to come in and see. Several other Museum, such as the Museum of National History, have either closed fully or have increased security in the daytime and at night. The President appointed Camilia Banderas as the leader of the mission to recover the lost artifact. He told reporters, "I have full trust in Secretary Banderas and I believe that she will be able to recover our lost artifacts." Secretary Camilia has issued an order to all border guards to check all cars thoroughly before letting them leave the nation and for increased road checks across the nation.

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Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story tonight, the National Assembly announced this morning that the Department of Health and Human Services would split and form two separate departments. The announcement came after a vote in both the House and the Senate confirmed that the two should be separate government departments as they do not officially relate to each other. House Speaker Catalina Jose Maria Estavez and Senate Chairman Mauricio Morales issued a joint statement after the vote declaring that the two would officially separate on 15 March. Speaker Estavez had this to say, "We believe that it is imperative to the growth of Cojedes that these two departments are separate." The Chariman on the other hand had this to say regarding the departments leadership. "We had trusted in Secretary Matias Prieto in the past 5 years he has been secretary and we still trust him now. For the Department of Human Services, we have voted and decided to appoint Axel Cotilla as the Secretary and head of the deparment."

In other news, the City of La Rioja has opened a new hospital today, making it the fifth hospital in the city. The project, which began back in 2010, cost a total of 5.1 billion pesos, the majority of which was from private donors. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held today and the President and Vice President were both in attendance of the ceremony. The hospital consists of a 500 room Emergency Department, an oncology center, a trauma center, and 2,500 rooms aside from these. It is considered to be a state of the art hospital and will begin operations tomorrow morning. It is also the first hospital in the city to contain a trauma center and an oncology center both. Miriam Castillo was appointed as the first President of Operations and will serve until 2020.

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Good morning and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes.

Our top story this morning, the Supreme Court yesterday declared their ruiling in the case of Entre Rios v. Silver Electric Company. The court ruled in favor of the State of Entre Rios, declaring that the Silver Electric Company, in which the government has a 25% stake, has no authority to shut off power in the region under the contract that has been made between the government and the company. The case, which began in mid 2017, was in response to the Silver Electric Company deciding to shut down their power stations in the region in response to a miscommunication between the government and the company. When the government requested the company turn back on the power, they complied. The government later asked for money to be given back to the people that had lost heat during the time as it was in the middle of December when the incident happened. The company refused, but in the Supreme Court order, they are being forced to pay 15 million pesos in total to the province, which will then be tasked with distributing it to the people.

Also in regards to Entre Rios, the province has finally completed an 8 year project to build a subway system that would connect the city of Entre Rios to the cities of Colón, Concordia, and Diamante, which make up the largest metropolitan area in the province. The subway, which has a total of 30 stations operating in the area, began its construction under Governor Sebastian De Montoya and was completed under Governor Cristina Corazón. A ribbon cutting ceremony, which was attended by the Vice President and the Secretary of Transportation, took place this morning and the first transport rolled out of the station right after. It is believed that it will service anywhere from 1.5 million to 2 million people as the region is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Cojedes. The Vice President applauded the work of the people in building the subway and wished all the current workers well. Governor Corazón thanked everyone for their hard work and also declared that they will be continuing with other projects in the province as part of the Rosario/Cojedan 2022 Plan.

Our news organization has received a small bulletin informing us that the President and Vice President will be meeting with officials from Andrenne, Maloria, and Goyanes next week. The reason for this meeting, which will be held at the House with Chimaeras in Rosario, is to discuss trade relations and relations overall. The President said he is looking forward to the meeting and is very optimistic into the result of said meeting.

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Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes.

Our top story today, nominations for the 2018 Presidential Election officially closed today. The National Conservative Party/Cojedan Front for Victory coalition held a party conference and nominated Vice President Valentina Perón for President as current President Nestor Estávez is term limited. The Liberal Party of Cojedes/Christian Democrats of Cojedes coalition on the other hand nominated Antonio Dujovne, member of the Senate and former governor of Entre Rios, as their candidate. In opinion polls that were conducted several weeks ago, a hypothetical poll between these two showed the current Vice President as being in the lead by 20 points. The majority of people have agreed that the Vice President is the best choice and several thousands celebrated her nomination in the capital and other major cities yesterday. The last Presidential election was in 2014 when the NCP/CFV Coalition won the Presidency for the sixth time in a row. Presidential candiate Valentina Perón declared her campaign motto as "Revive, Heal, Inspire".

Cojedan Singer/Songwriter Juan Tasis has taken the country by storm with his new song "Tú Eres Imparable" (You Are Unstoppable). The song, which was released three days ago, has achieved 6.4 million views of the music video and has been bought 8.5 million times through eMusic. The song was unveiled in the city of Corrientes, where the singer was born. According to Juan, "The song is basically just for anyone who is thinking about giving up at something. It tells you to never give up and keep on going until the very end. It is meant to encourage people to aspire to something higher than themselves." The University of Cojedes at Rosario, Heravion State University, Santa Cruz International University, and La República High School have all asked the singer to preform at their commencement ceremonies in May and June. The singer was also invited by the Presidential Ingauguration Committee to sing at the Inaugural Ceremony in July, one month after the Presidential election. The singer told us he is excited and will glady preform at all of the events.

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Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes.

Our top story this afternoon, students at Santa Cruz High School got a huge surprise today when President Nestor Estávez came to the school to speak to students. The school, which had told students that an assembly with a guest speaker was being held today, had made plans with the Cojedan President several months in advance. The speech he gave today was to encourage students to follow their dreams. He told the students, "I am not going to sugarcoat it. Life is not going to be easy. No one is guaranteed a fair and just life. You will face several challenges throughout your future and these challenges will make you stronger. Do not falter when a challenge comes your way. Success is just on the other side." We spoke to the President of the Student Council who told us that he feels that his classmates were amazed by what the President had to say and that he feels several students were inspired. Some students responded by saying that they were going into the military, while others said they would seek positions in the ever growing medical and educational fields.

We regret to inform the nation of the passing of former President Evita Arias. President Arias, who served as Vice President and later President during the Socliast Civil War, passed away this afternoon while she was working in her office at the Senate building. The former President was currently serving as Secretary of Urban Development and as a life member of the Cojedan Senate. Her assistant walked into the room and saw her lying in the floor. A prelimary investigation has been held and the Medical Examiner has issued a preliminary ruling that she died of a heart attack. The President and Vice President both issued their condoloences to her 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. The President of the Senate announced that a state funeral will be held for former President Arias after she lies in state for 3 days. President Estávez announced a five day mourning period and also stated that the Order of the Blue Star and the Order of the Blue Cross will be given to the former President. Evita Arias was 87 at the time of her passing and it is currently unknown who will succeed her as Secretary of Urban Development and Life Member of the Senate.

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Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Axel Pousa and here is the top stories from Cojedes.

We begin this evening with a major shakeup in Cojedan politics. The National Conservative Party and the Cojedan Front for Victory announced this morning that they were merging to form the National Conservative Union. The two parties, which hold a combined total of 47% in the House of Representatives and 59% in the Cojedan Senate, announced the merger after several months of talking. The two parties had culminated to form a coalition to declare a joint Presidential candidate and after that, the two parties felt the need to combine to form the largest party in the country. The party leadership announced that it will run under a unified ticket in the June 2018 House and Senate elections, which are occurring due to Constitutional Amendment 67. The leadership also stated that the parties had chosen to unify several days ago, but waited until today to announce the decision so that it would commemorate the 529th anniversary of the National Conservative Party. The parties will also run in a unified ticket in the provinces beginning with the June elections, which are also occurring due the Constitutional Amendment 67.

The President announced his nominee for the replacement for the Secretary of Urban Development position this morning. Salvador Barrueco, who is a current member of the House of Representatives, was announced as the primary candidate for the position. The President stated, "Mr. Barrueco was the Secretary of Urban Development and Housing in his native province and I feel he will be the best candidate for this position at the federal level." The Senate Committee on Urban Development questioned the member extensively today, while the House Committee on Urban Development will question the candidate next week. A Senate vote is expected to be held by Friday.

The President also met with representatives from Maloria, Goyanes, and Andrenne today to discuss the furthering of trade relations and relations in general. The President stated that he felt that the meetings with the delegations of each country went fairly well and that he hopes it will lead to fruitful relations in the future. The President also stated that he is hoping he will be able to convince the three countries to begin a student exchange policy to allow Cojedan students to learn abroad, and students from the respective nations involved to come here and study.

That is all the news we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! This is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story today, the Rosario Initiative, which is commonly called the Cojedes Initiative, has been in full swing this past week with several projects beginning across the nation. One of the major projects has begun through the form of the Enarsa Electric, Oil, and Gas. Enarsa, which officially began operations in December 2017, has become one of the largest companies in the entire country. The company, which is soon to be found in every province, began several projects this week, including one to build a solar farm and a wind farm in the Santiago del Estero province, along with a hydroelectric plant in Santa Cruz. The Enarsa company is notable for, even though being part of a government program, is actually a private owned company headed up by CEO Juan Santiago. The company is expected to become the second largest oil company by 2020 and the largest electric company by 2019. Several other projects that began this week include an overhaul of the education system, including in the way government aid is granted to students to go to college.

The House of Representatives and the Senate of Cojedes voted in a joint resolution this morning to appoint Salvador Barrueco as the Secretary of Urban Development of Cojedes. The joint resolution comes after the President made the nomination last week and was accepted onto the docket by the Senate and the House. The House Committee on Urban Development met on Tuesday to discuss the nomination of the member and they approved moving it to a vote by a 15-0 result. In the House of Representatives, all members vote in favor of the nominee, while five people in the Senate either voted against or abstained from voting. Salvador was later sworn in by the President at 10:30 AM, after which, he vacated his position in the House of Representatives. Salvador told the press that he will continue to work with the President in the Cojedes Initiative and also stated that he will continue the project of former Secretary of Urban Development Evita Arias, which was to overhaul the housing system and to update building codes and requirements, plus make housing more affordable.

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Breaking News Bulletin from Cojedes 24:

This is a breaking news story from Cojedes 24:

Presidential Candidate Valentina Perón gave a speech before a party congress and the nation this morning declaring that she would not seek election as President in the May 2018 Presidential Election, instead giving the nomination to Juan Andrés Berrocal. The announcement came after the current Vice President was diagnosed with cancer on Tuesday morning. In her speech, she stated, "I am honored that the Party would consider me to be material for the Presidency. At this time however, I request that the party instead nominate Juan Andrés Berrocal to be the candidate for our party due to my recent diagnosis. I thank you all for the nomination and hope that my suggested nominee will be nominated and even win the election." The party then accepted the nomination of Juan Andrés Berrocal, 28, from the San Luis Province, the first person to receive a Presidential nomination from this province. Juan told the press that he will work with party members and with the opposition to help continue the Rosario Initiative and also declared his running mate as Sebastian Rega. His motto has been declared as "Together for a Better Future". He told his supporters after accepting his nomination, "Together, we can change our nation. Together, we can make our nation greater. Together, we can make a better future!" The Electoral Commission later accepted the change in nomination for the President from the National Conservative Union.

That is all for now. We will bring you with more updates when the need comes.

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Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Alejandro Carballar and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this evening, the Presidential candidates have been on the campaign trail this weekend. Conservative candidate Juan Andrés Berrocal spoke at the University of Rosario on Saturday afternoon in front of roughly 8,000 people. He told those gathered that he was a candidate who is looking for a better future for our country. "The time has come for there to be overwhelming changes in the social services of Cojedes and in our country overall. If I am elected President, I will work with both sides of the National Assembly to see that universal healthcare becomes our system. As well, I will reopen the Child Protective Services Department and will declare it to be chaired by a council consisting of myself, members of the assembly, and independent members from all across the country." His speech was widely supported by the Conservatives and the Liberals alike. Antonio Dujovne, the Liberal candidate, spoke at the University of Santa Cruz in northern Cojedes where he declared that he was in favor of austerity measures to ensure that there would not be a budget deficit, which Cojedes has not seen for a couple of years. He stated that he was in favor of short term austerity measures due to the effects of the winter storm earlier this year on the Cojedan economy.

The government announced earlier today that it was closing the case in regards to the artifacts that were stolen from the Museum of National History after a police raid in Southern Cojedes led to the discovery of the remaining missing artifacts. The police and military were given a tip by a citizen in Santiago del Estero province that led to the discovery. The citizen, who has asked to remain anonymous, said that he noticed some suspicious activity going on in his neighborhood and him and a friend went to investigate. When they arrived at the building, they saw all of the missing artifacts inside and immediately notified police. The raid recovered all of the remaining artifacts including the original Constitution that was signed in 1489, which had actually been stolen from the National Assembly building. Several people have been charged with grand larceny, theft, and public endangerment as it is believed they were wielding guns at the time, which were also discovered on the property. The President and the Secretary of Justice announced that they would seek a penalty of no less than 10 year in prison, plus a 50,000 peso (50,000 NSD) fine per person.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Alejandro Carballar and here is the top news from Cojedes!

We begin this afternoon with Presidential candidate Juan Andrés Berrocal holding a rally in Independence Square in Rosario. Earlier this morning, roughly 430,000 people gathered in Independence Square to hear what Berrocal had to say. Before the candidate arrived to give his speech, Cojedan singer's Max Vera, Cristiano Venegas, and Florencia Alcocer unveiled a song on the stage entitled "Equipo" (Team). The three singers were tasked by the Berrocal Campaign to write a song that embodied the spirit of the Cojedan people. The video for the song showed people from different walks of life: soldiers, doctors and nurses, teachers, Emergency crews, students, and several others. After the song, Berrocal came onto the stage with applause and people cheering throughout the whole square. The President declared in his speech, "We are a team in this! We are in this together! We are a team striving to make Cojedes a better country! Join with me and we can complete this dream!" After his speech, Berrocal met with the three singers, who agreed to sing the song at all of his rallies for the rest of the campaign season.

President Nestor Estávez was in this city of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz for the grand opening of the National Library of Western Cojedes. The building, which is 236 feet high, was completed roughly a week ago after nearly four years of work took place. The building is state of the art for that area of the country and it also has 22 levels to it. There are seats for roughly 2,000 people who wish to stay and read, while there is also a 500 seat conference room. Several of the books that are now stored in the building were moved from the Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz Library system and from the National Library in Rosario. President Estávez told the people that this building is another symbol of Cojedan ingenuity and that he hopes future projects like this will take place. Since the ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, roughly 12,000 people have been reported to have visited the library. Officials in the city and province are projecting that over 1,000,000 people will have visited the library by the end of the year.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Alejandro Carballar and here is the top stories from Cojedes.

Our top story today, the Cojedan Aviation Administration announced today the completion of the second and third terminals at the Heravion International Airport and the overall completion of the Deseado International Airport in La Plata. AAC Chairman Manuel Montes issued a statement from the terminals at Heravion International Airport congratulating the people of the city on their hard work to complete the project, which is believed to have cost a total of 10 billion Cojedes pesos. Vice President Valentina Péron on the other hand traveled to the city of La Plata for the opening of the Deseado International Airport, a six year project that cost roughly 17.5 billion pesos. The Vice President told the nation, "It is very exciting for us to have another international airport and I congratulate this fair city on its expansion. We hope it will become one of the largest tourist sights for foreigners so they will see all that the heartland has to offer." The President applauded the efforts of all the workers on the airports and stated that he hopes to see the same effort put into the other international and regional airports being built across the nation.

The Cojedan government unveiled a new plan for the Iruya River this morning to build a Hydroelectric station on the Northern side of the River and a portion of a naval base on the side of the Silver Sea, which the river empties into. The government announced this plan after a successful bid from Enarsa to build the hydroelectric station and from the Department of Defense to build the Naval base. The announcement comes after several weeks of government planning for a new naval base and another Hydroelectric station, which is part of the Rosario Initiative. The Iruya River Hydroelectric Station is expected to give power to 1/3rd of the Rosario Province and roughly 2/3rds to the Corrientes Province. The President has vowed to include the governors of both provinces in the project and even met with both of them this morning to sign the deal. The Naval Base, which will only have coastal defenses and small craft in the Iruya River, will be the newer port for Naval Group East and will host one of the two Cojedan Helicopter Carriers.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Axel Pousa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this afternoon, Presidential candidate Juan Andrés Berrocal was in this spotlight this morning after he backtracked on one of his major policies. Originally, the candidate had argued for the establishment of a National Health Service. That all changed this morning when, during an interview with "Wake Up Cojedes", he announced that he would not seek this program, but would instead meet with public and private hospitals, along with insurance companies to work together to lower prices for people all across the nation. In the interview he stated, "Me and my team quickly realized how long it would take to get the national health service established and there is no guarantee that my successor would even keep the program alive. For that reason, I wish to instead meet with hospital administrators and insurance company CEO's to be able to better help the people." Even though he made this announcement on there, which several believed would harm his popularity, opinion polls taken right after by over 2,000 people showed he was up by 2 percentage points.

People across Cojedes are preparing for the holy holiday of Easter. All throughout the week, people have been taking part in several different church events, being hosted by the Church of Cojedes, the Nuevos Church of Cojedes, and all other Messinaist groups represented in Cojedes. The celebrations began on Sunday with the "Celebration of Palms" as it is known here. Today, several different events were held in major cities, including a march of church leaders in Rosario, who went to the National Assembly to pray for the leaders, which has become known as "Prayer Wednesday". Several other events will take place this week, all leading up to the celebration of Easter. As it was described by one church leader, "Easter is, along with Christmas, the most holy day in Cojedes. We celebrate the return of the Messiah on this day. It also makes us look deep into our own history as to when the Word of the Lord arrived to us and how it permeates throughout our culture to this day." Cojedan schools, which are allowed to teach Messianism, have been holding their own celebrations throughout the week and taking part in several different traditions. Several high schools have also taken their students over to the local churches so that they can take part in the holy week.

Our final story, Cojedan writer Iris Zorita released four books today, two of which are biographies on former President's Evita Arias and Caleb Fernandez. Zorita announced the releasing of the books a few weeks ago and they officially hit the shelves today. She told reporters that she had been working on the books for several years and waited to release these four books at one time. She also stated to the same reporters that the other two books that she released, which are part of the "Silver Series" were written specifically to encourage teenage guys, but can be encouraging to girls as well. "The Silver series is somewhat based on real history, but the characters have been transformed. The books also include religious themes used to encourage the reader throughout the stories." The biographies were endorsed by the former President's, and, prior to the death of Evita Arias, she was given a copy which she stated that she enjoyed very much. Several book stores across the country have already reported that they have sold out of copies on all four books and are requesting more, which Zorita says will be sent to them soon.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Valentino Salazar and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story, President Nestor Estávez and Secretary of Defense Matías Amador held a joint press conference two hours ago in which they declared the reformation of the Corrientes, Deseado, Mendoza, Nokomis, and Solar Flotillas. The decision came after the two had met in December to discuss the possible reformation of the flotillas, which all lie on the five respective rivers. The President stated in his speech, "We are very pleased to bring back the Flotillas on these rivers. We hope to be able to have a total of 3,000 to 4,000 troops for all of the rivers combined." Secretary Amador also stated that he was pleased to see the flotillas coming back as they have not been used since before the Socialist Civil War. "They played a major role for us in the Fascist War, including being able to keep supply lines in and around Rosario open. They played a vital role throughout the rest of the war and even in the rebuilding that took place after." The two gentlemen stated that the Flotillas would receive some ships from the navy and then would also receive some patrol boats among other ships in the coming months and years. They Flotillas will be directly under the control of the Chief of Staff of the Navy.

The Cojedan National Gendarmerie, which is tasked with border control and internal security, was on high alert today after a local police station in Deseado received a letter that was threatening a bombing of the Central Cojedes Nuclear Power Plant. Immediately after receiving the letter, roughly 500 members of the Gendarmerie were dispatched to the power plant and were doing round the clock inspections, interviews, and sweeps of a 25km area. After 2pm, the Gendarmerie released a statement that declared that the threat was a hoax and that they were searching for the person who wrote the threatening note. They stated that while they will be on a higher security level for the next week, they did not believe that, at this time, there is any need to fear. A spokesperson for the Gendarmerie stated, "We take threats like this very seriously and we are relieved that it was only a hoax. Threats to national security will not be taken lightly. I applaud the Gendarmerie's readiness and efficiency in getting to the Central Cojedes Nuclear Plant and thank all the Gendarmerie who went into action to defend other power plants and key points of national interest." The Department of Internal Affairs, which is in charge of the 18,000 men strong Gendarmerie, also applauded the efforts of all their members today and stated that it was relieved that it was only a hoax. They also went on to say that they will be working with local police to find the culprit behind the hoax.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Valentino Salazar and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story tonight, the Department of Zoning and Permits of the La Rioja Region, in conjunction with the Federal Department of Culture, announced that they were giving approval for the construction of a new religious complex in the capital of the province. The decision comes after the Council of Religious Leaders of Cojedes met and discussed forming a joint religious complex for the major denominations represented in Cojedes. The center, which will be one building but will contain four separate chapels, will host the Church of Cojedes, the Nuevos Church of Cojedes, the Courantist, and another group to be determined at a later time. Church leaders applauded the decision by the regional government and called it a step forward in uniting the churches of Cojedes. "We may have differences in our doctrine, but at the end of the day, we can all come together and unite for the one common purpose we all have", said a pastor of the Council. The project will begin in roughly one week and is expected to have its opening in Spring or Summer of 2020.

In other news, a water main break in the District of San Luca in Rosario caused major issues for the people and for vendors throughout the day and much of the District was closed off. The water main exploded around 10 AM this morning and flooded several low lying buildings in the area. Emergency Services of Rosario immediately responded to the scene and got to work and by 1:15 PM the water main had been sealed after several hours of leaking. The City Council of Rosario immediately called for the government to update the pipes all across the city, stating that it had been something that was lacking for several years. The government of the city has also called a special meeting to discuss a proper course of action in moving funds to this specific project. The mayor applauded the efforts of all who were involved in the cleanup today and also stated that he hoped to see the San Luca District back to business as usual by the end of the week.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Valentino Salazar and here is the news from Cojedes.

Our top story tonight, the three largest health insurance companies in Cojedes announced today that they had reached an agreement with the government to lower premium rates, deductibles, and out of pocket maximums. The three companies, "MedKey", "Flovian" and "Cojedan Republic Health Group" signed the agreement with the government this morning and immediately laid out plans to have these new changes in place by the coming year. "MedKey" announced that they would be lowering the deductibles from 3,000 pesos to 2,000 pesos, while out of pocket maximums would be lowered from 6,000 to 4,000. "Flovian" and "Cojedan Republic Health Group", which both have the near same deductible and out of pocket maximum rates, announced they would lower each by 1,500 pesos, which would mean from 4,000 to 2,500 and 5,000 to 3,500 respectively. The CEO's of the three companies all stated that they wanted to help people more and that their companies would send word to each hospital in the country of the new plans.

A folk song from the late 1940's had made waves after the Rosario National Choir gave a live performance of the song last night. The song, which is called "Caballo" (Horse), was written in the midst of the Fascist War and became quite popular to Cojedan farmers and soldiers who were trapped behind enemy lines. According to one news article written by HTK 5, another major news group in the country, the song became quite popular throughout the war and after the war ended died off. It also stated that it was a major morale boost for soldiers and farmers to look forward to growth after the war ended, which did come not long after the end of the war. A singer for the Rosario National Choir was looking through the Hall of Records of Music when he found the song and showed it to the conductor, Isabela Hurtado, who immediately fell in love with the song. The song was performed at the Rosario Concert Hall in front of 2,000 soldiers and a grand total of 6,000 people, many of whom were overwhelmed with emotion at the hearing of the song. The group announced that they would record the song and release it to the public. Online, the song has been viewed on VideoCojedes roughly 23 million times since the performance.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Valentino Salazar and here is all the top news from Cojedes!

Our top story, Vice President Valentina Perón announced her resignation earlier today as she has been battling cancer over the course of the past two months. In her resignation speech, she stated that she was very proud of all the nation had accomplished and how much the government had done under her chairing the Rosario Initiative Commission. "I am very pleased by what we have done and what our nation will continue to do. I am sad that it has had to come this but I truly see no other alternative at this point. For this reason, I announce my resignation as Vice President and wish the government the best of luck in the coming months." After submitting her resignation to the National Assembly and the President, Mrs. Perón took her final walk through the House with Chimeras, the Vice President's residence. The National Assembly then appointed Alarico Sandoval, the Secretary of Energy, as Vice President to serve out the remainder of the term. The Secretary accepted the position and stated that he would continue the great work of Valentina Perón in the country.

The Air Force and Navy both released statements today announcing that they had received a fresh batch of planes and ships respectively. The Cojedan Air Force announced around 7 AM that they had received 8 CAF-36's and and 12 CAF-125's. The Navy on the other hand announced that it had received a new Mendoza Class Cruiser and an Intrépida Fast Attack Craft. The price of these weapons was not released at the time, but it is believed that they are around the same general price that has been mentioned before. The new CAF-36's will be deployed at the Fuertes Air Base in La Rioja Province, while the CAF-125's will be spread across the country. The two ships will both be deployed with the Northern Fleet, with the Intrépida serving in more of a role of the Coast Guard then in the actual Navy. The Navy also released a statement saying that they were in the beginning stages of reviving the river flotillas and hoped to have at least one partially operational by the end of the year.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Valentino Salazar and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story today, Former President Caleb Fernandez, who is the current Chairman of the Senate, the upper house of the National Assembly, has been appointed to the post of Secretary of Energy, taking over from now Vice President Alarico Sandoval. The President made the recommendation last Tuesday for President Fernandez to be appointed to the post due to his background in the energy sector and him being a central figure in the Rosario Initiative. The House Committee on Energy and the Senate Committee on State Energy held a joint session and voted overwhelmingly to appoint him to send the recommendation forth to both houses, which immediately approved him. He was sworn in earlier this morning and pledged to continue working on the Rosario Initiative and to make renewable and non-renewable energy sources soon equal. "The time has come that we use both energy sources, renewable and non-renewable, at an equal stance. I hope that in the near future we can begin to narrow this gap. By 2022, I hope the government will at least be using 33% renewable energy and by 2050, potentially 50%."

In other news, popular fiction writer Amaia Correa, who was once the Press Secretary of President's Evita Arias and Caleb Fernandez, has released a new book entitled The Tale of Serafín and Isabela, which will be the first in a series. The story begins in the fictional country of Lasgalen with Serafín being Crown Prince and, thus, heir to the throne of Lagalen. Isabella, a servant of the Royal Family, is arrested on charges against the state, but Serafín, being more wise than anyone else in the Kingdom, knows that he must intervene and save her as he knows she has done nothing wrong. During his attempt to rescue her, the two fall in love and Serafín tells his father, King Eliseo, that is he cannot marry Isabela that he will forever leave the Kingdom of Lasgalen to never return. King Eliseo then send the two on a quest and if they can complete the task at hand, he will permit them right to wed. Author Amaia Correa stated that the book took her nearly four years to write and will be the first of a series of 5 books detailing their journey, with the final story set to be released in 2021.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Miguel Magrina and here is the top news from Cojedes!

Our top story this afternoon, Vice President Alarico Sandoval and Secretary of the Rosario Initiative Aynia Timolova, were in the city of San Martin y Hidalgo today to announce the building of three new schools, two community centers, a new city park, and a new multi-purpose arena. The city, which is in the Province of Tucumán, has had severe budget cuts in education over the previous few years. After an application from the city government went to Secretary Timolova, she immediately granted approval of the city to receive three new schools, which will replace the current ones. The community centers, according to the federal and city leaders, will have multiple purposes, which include a place for people to come and get hot meals, an area for social gatherings, and even a gymnasium. The city park will be upgraded after it was discovered it has been lacking over the past few years, and the multi-purpose arena will be able to seat between 15,000 and 17,000 people depending on the event. It is unknown at the time how much money will be put towards the cities upgrades, but a fund of 3 billion pesos, not counting the donations of 4 billion from private donors has been granted as of this time.

In other news, the 2017-2018 school year is winding down and graduation preparations are being made. Several colleges around the country have been making repairs to their venues for their annual graduation ceremonies. The University of Cojedes-Rosario and the University of Rosario are both preparing, not only their venues and an en mass crowd after a larger increase of students, for the President to give the commencement address at the colleges near the end of May. The University of Heravion and the University of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz will both play host to former Vice Presidents Valentina Perón and Caleb Fernandez, respectively. The Secretary of Education declared that diplomas are already starting to be made and that the government will release the diplomas to schools within the next two weeks. Each diploma will, for the first time, be signed by the President and Vice President, along with the Federal and Provincial Secretaries of Education.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Miguel Magrina and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story tonight, the 2018 Cojedan Federal Election is only a few days away and the heat is on to see who will be the next President of Cojedes. Candidates Juan Andrés Berrocal and Antonio Dujovne were both in their respective hometowns campaigning today and will be in the capital city of Rosario tomorrow for the final debate. As the latest opinion polls currently, Berrocal of the National Conservative Union is leading by over 18% and is expected to have a landslide victory according to other political commentators. Some political commentators have stated that since both candidates are not establishment politicians, that it may cause more people to get out and vote. In regards to the Senate and House of Representatives, the current polls state that the current coalition parties will take away a majority in both houses. It is unknown at this time if the 6 life members of the Senate or the 13 of the House will have to be removed to be replaced by the President and the Governors, respectively. We will bring you updates to the election on 4 May after polls close at 7 PM Rosario Time.

The Rosario Gospel Choir has completed their tour across the nation just in time to return to Rosario and preform at the Presidential Inauguration on May 5th. The Rosario Gospel Choir, which consists of 300 members, embarked on a nationwide tour on the 2nd of February and was slated to be finished by the end of March. Several other concerts ended up being scheduled and of their 48 shows, 27 were sold out and 5 had less than 100 seats left had. Both Presidential candidates attended a concert in Heravion together to show unity in Cojedan politics and both asked the group that they preform at the Inauguration ceremony of whoever wins, to which they immediately accepted. It is believed that they will preform several Messianic songs along with some native songs, including Mama Rosa's Wedding, which is a popular native song in the South and was supposedly requested by candidate Berrocal.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Miguel Magrina and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this evening, the Department of Defense announced an agreement with the Andrennian government to buy two SVP-21 Oswald's for the purpose of training in the Marines and the Gendarmerie. The announcement comes after the decision to seek weapons that could prove vital to national security. The Secretary of Defense stated that the unit price was 5,72 million pesos per unit and that if the Marines and Gendarmerie enjoy the weapons and like them enough, the government will begin seeking to secure more. The government also stated in the same announcement that they wish to start extended dialogue with the Andrennians for future weapon purchases. The Secretary also made the statement that if the tanks arrive before Saturday that they will participate in the inauguration of the incoming President. The tanks will first see trials in the 15th Marine Battalion and then with the 14th Gendarmerie Division.

In the same announcement made by the Department of Defense, the government body stated that the total number of soldiers had increased over the past year. The new report, which came out today, indicated that the Marines had grown from 27,000 to 28,000, while the Gendarmerie had added 500 more men to its group. It also stated that the Army and Navy had each added 1,000 men and women, while the Air Force saw a slight increase of 250. The report stated that they believed it is due to an increase in patriotism and even that being in the military can lead to several job offers once you are out. The report also stated that more soldiers, current and retired, were taking use of the government military program which allows them, and their descendants, to go to college for free and grants them funds for housing.

The Department of Health released a new study today declaring that the levels of flu and cancer this year, compared to the previous 5 years, are on the decrease. The report, which surveyed over 1,5 million people, showed that the rate of having the flu in this year was 20% less compared to in 2013 and that cancer rates were down 8%. The Department, in regards to cancer, believes that this stems from a government and insurance program that will lower your premiums and will even pay you a few extra dollars per month if you do not smoke in the entire month and can prove it. The Department did not come outright and say why the flu cases were lower this year, but some hinted at more people receiving flu shots for free and that people are taking their health more seriously. The Department concluded its report and findings by stating that they believe that the numbers will continue to fall over the course of the next year.

Steering away from politics and onto sports, the Cojedes National League is gearing up for the first matches to begin this weekend, with the first match taking place in Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz between FC Vera Cruz and FC Panteras, which is the previous years Runner up from the city of Zeles in the Corrientes Province. The match will take place in the newly renovated Municipal Stadium, which now has seating for 48,000 people. The 2017 Champion, FC Corrientes will face off with FC Rosario, the team with the most titles, in the second match, which will take place at Corrientes National Stadium. Cojedes National League President Mario Varela, who is also President of the Union of Cojedan Football, stated his excitement at the beginning of this years league, which will last until early November. "This year is one that will be full of excitement. We are very thrilled about this years games and can't wait to see who the winner will be. The winner will take away the number one prize, the Cope de Cojedes, while the runner up will take the Copa de Rosario."

Our final story of the evening, the final debate between Presidential candidates Juan Andrés Berrocal and Antonio Dujovne took place earlier tonight in the city of Rosario. Both candidates entered to applauding crowds, but it was noted that more people booed when Antonio Dujovne appeared. During the debate, when asked about legalizing same-sex marriage, both candidates stated that they would not push for this and if it did ever come to it, they would prefer a public referendum. When it came to the topic of education, Berrocal stated that the government should continue on the Rosario Education Initiative, which is part of the Rosario 2022 Initiative, and offer free lunches to all students regardless of their families status and income. Both candidates did agree on the need for more jobs, especially in the field of healthcare. Berrocal also touched on the need to continue the Rosario Initiative 2022, which Dujovne believed that several changes needed to be made. After the debate, 5.000 of the 10.000 attendees were surveyed and the majority, 87,2%, stated that they would vote for Berrocal in the election.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

This is a Breaking News Story from Cojedes 24. We now go live to Electoral Commissioner Alejandro Artiza


"Buenos Noches. Good evening and thank you for being here tonight. Today, our country undertook one of the greatest elections in the history of the nation. Today, the 7th General Election since the end of the Socialist Civil War took place. In my hand, I hold the results from the election so without further ado, here are the results in order of the level of office."

"The House of Representative Election, excluding the minority and life members, are as follows:

The National Conservative Union has received 181 seats.
The Liberal Party of Cojedes has received 42 seats.
The Cojedan Conservative Party has received 36 seats.
Independent Politicians have received 33 seats.
And the Christian Democrats of Cojedes have received 25 seats.

These results have been verified by the National Electoral Commission. Members will take their seats on May 7th."

"The Senate of Cojedes Election results, as well excluding minority and life members, are as follows:

The National Conservative Union has received 120 seats
The Cojedan Conservative Party has received 35 seats.
The Liberal Party of Cojedes has received 34 seats.
The Christian Democrats of Cojedes have received 22 seats.
And the Independent Politicians have received 19 seats.

These results have been verified by the National Electoral Commission. Members will be sworn in on May 6th."

"And now on to the election for the President of Cojedes. The elected President will be the 4th Cojedan President since the end of the Socialist Civil War.

Antonio Dujovne-7,840,000 or 28% of the votes.
Juan Andrés Berrocal-20,160,000 or 72% of the votes.
Voter Turnout: 28,000,000 or 80%.

The Electoral Commission has certified these results. Effective tomorrow at noon, Juan Andrés Berrocal will become the 66th President of the Republic of Cojedes. Thank you all and God Bless the newly elected members."

End of Breaking News Broadcast. Now on to regular scheduled news.

This is Miguel Magrina bringing you the latest news from Cojedes.

As heard just now, Cojedes has a new President! Juan Andrés Berrocal has been elected with 72% of the votes in favor. The President-elect will be sworn in tomorrow afternoon once the clock strikes noon. The oath of office will be given by Supreme Court Chief Justice Valeria Garcia. The Vice President-elect, Sebastian Rega, will be sworn in immediately after the oath of office of the President. Following this, the President will have 10 days to nominate an entire cabinet, and all members must be approved within a 30 days time period. Members of the House will be sworn in on Monday, while Members of the Senate will take their seats on Sunday evening. We will bring you live updates of the inauguration as best we can.

In other news, the Cojedan and Gojan governments reached an agreement late last night to sign an agreement in regards to the purchase of several Gojan tanks. The price of said tanks was revealed to be 115 million pesos (115 million pesos and 1,150 billion dram). The tanks, which are expected to arrive sometime next week, will be deployed with the Army and the Marines. Once training is completed, it is expected all tanks will be given to the Cojedan Marines. The government will release further statements on the procurement of these weapons when all of the details are hammered out.

Thank you for joining us here and congratulations to President Juan Andrés Berrocal!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Miguel Magrina and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story tonight, it has been only one day since Juan Andrés Berrocal was sworn in as President of Cojedes as he is already getting to work. This morning, the President was on a flight with his Secretary of Emergency Situations, Adelgonada Cabello, who was asked to remain in her position, to the Province of Santa Cruz, which is still cleaning up from the Category 2 Hurricane that hit at the end of September. The pair arrived in the province around noon and began to go around and survey the areas where the most damage was done, which included the coastal cities of Santa Cruz and Flores. After surveying the cleanup efforts that are still ongoing, the President addressed a crowd in both cities where he stated that efforts need to be more combined and stated that the Cojedan Blue Star Organization would be deploying more workers to the province to continue work. Following his speech there, Secretary Cabello stated that the Church of Cojedes and that the Nuevos Church of Cojedes, both of which allow for their congregations to be autonomous, would be asking churches to send workers to the province.

In other news, Cojedan singer Jozyanne has taken the nation by storm and topped the charts with her new song "Mi Milagro" (My Miracle). The song, which was unveiled last Sunday during a worship service at the First Nuevos Church of Cojedes, immediately became a fan favorite and has been downloaded through Cojedes Music over 8 million times. Jozyanne was interviewed on HTK 5 morning show New Day Cojedes and she told the hosts that she wrote the song when her family was in the worst state it had ever been. "About five years ago, me and my family got the news that I would never be able to bear children unless I underwent specific treatments. My husband was considering leaving me until we were blessed by God and the doctors reported that I was pregnant with twins. I gave birth to two healthy boys and they are my miracles." She later went on to state during the interview that she has another miracle on the way, a baby boy which she plans to name Milagro, a popular Cojedan name that means Miracle.

Vice President Sebastian Rega had a busy day this morning as he and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Valeria Garcia were swearing in members of the Senate of Cojedes. The two leaders began administering the oaths of office around 9 AM and completed them around 11:15 Rosario Time. The Vice President then gave a speech to the Senate in which he called for the Conservatives and Liberals to work together for the common cause of national unity in times of distress. "Our nation has a growing economy, a diverse economy, and it is a diverse nation. We need to work together for the common goal which is growth of our people, our industries, and our economy." Of the 249 members of the Senate, the 5 of the life members and the 13 minority members have yet to be sworn in and will be after appointment from the President and regional governors, respectively. The only life member that was sworn in again was former President Caleb Fernandez, who is now serving his 3rd term as a life member of the Senate and his 6th term overall.

Our final story, President Juan Andrés Berrocal announced yesterday, following his inauguration, that he would be retaining five members of the Cabinet of former President Nestor Estávez. The five members that he decided to keep are Secretary of Transportation Ximena Salinas, Secretary of Energy and former President Caleb Fernandez, Secretary of Agriculture Aynia Timolova, Secretary of Emergency Situations Adelgonada Cabello, and Delegate to the PGU Catalina Agromonte. The President stated that he chose to reain these members because they reflected the true spirit of these positions and that they truly cared about the people they are serving. He also went on to say that these people were some of the most trustworthy politicians in the country. After stating his decision to keep these members, he stated that he would have the remainder of his cabinet appointed by the end of the week.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and Bienvenido a Cojedes 24! My name is Miguel Magrina and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story today takes us live to Speaker of the House of Representatives Catalina Jose Maria Estavez.

"Buenas Tardes. Good afternoon and thank you for being here with us. Yesterday, President Berrocal came to a joint session and nominated those whom he wants to be in his cabinet. The House and Senate has met with all these members and has approved them all as follows, without the minority members being eligible to vote at this time:

Secretary of Foreign Affairs-Ari Miralles
Secretary of the Treasury-Antonio Pomar
Secretary of Defense-Felix Vera
Secretary of Justice-Luciana Dengra
Secretary of Internal Affairs-Malena Atenas
Secretary of Commerce-Sofia Belmonte
Secretary of Labor-Sergio Figueroa
Secretary of Health-Miranda Venegas
Secretary of Human Services-Axel Cotilla
Secretary of Urban Development-Isabel Indiano
Secretary of Transportation-Ximena Salinas
Secretary of Energy-Caleb Fernandez
Secretary of Education-Xavier Ocampo
Secretary of Veterans Affairs-Alexandra Moruga
Secretary of State Security-Irene Molina
Secretary of Agriculture-Aynia Timolova
Secretary of Emergency Situations-Adelgonada Cabello
and Secretary of Sports and Youth Sports-Valentino Secado

"We thank you all for your time and we wish nothing but the best of luck to our future cabinet members."

We now return to regularly scheduled Cojedes 24

We welcome you back to Cojedes 24.

In other news, after the ministers were approved, the new cabinet met with President Berrocal at the Rose Palace for their first Cabinet meeting. The meeting was attended by all members of the cabinet, the President and Vice President, along with the Speaker of the House and Chairman of the Senate. The cabinet members began to present ideas on how they want they next 6 months to pan out and how they wished to see the expansion of Cojedes, not only internally but also abroad. We spoke with Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ari Miralles, the youngest cabinet member at only 26 years of age, who told us that he wishes to soon meet with the governments of Andrenne, Goyanes, and Ninhundland. "I am overjoyed that I was elected into this position by the House of Representatives because it gives me the chance to prove myself to the nation and to the world. I will be sending messages out to the government of Goyanes and Andrenne, along with the Ninhundish government, in the hopes to one day in the near future meeting with all of them, whether at a joint conference between the four nations or if at single meetings in their respective countries."

Secretary of State Security Irene Molina, the first female to be in the position, was said to be the most blunt of all the cabinet members in the sense that there needs to be a new focus on the recent string of threats against Cojedan military, research, and energy installations. We were also able to speak with her and she told us, "Recently, we have had five threats against military bases, 2 threats on medical research facilities, and 3 threats against our energy buildings, whether nuclear or renewable. All of these threats have been proven to be false and the Gendarmerie has responded to all these threats in a timely fashion. We should however deal with the threats even stronger. With the permission of the President, I will send the Gendarmerie into permanent positions with bases being installed near the positions for the soldiers and their families."

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good evening and Bienvenidos a Cojedes 24! My name is Filomena Costa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story tonight, the President called a surprising press conference early this morning, stating that he had a major announcement. After the press arrived, which included our own Miguel Magrina, the President revealed his picks for the Life Members of the Senate. The President announced that his three choices for people who have contributed to the advancement of Cojedes were Cecilia Carita, Lautaro Espinar, and Alexis Gallo. He told reporters that he chose these three members because of their advancement to Cojedan culture and healthcare, seeing as Cecilia and Lautaro are cancer and diabetes researchers respectively and Nico Gallo is a Cojedan singer with a Masters Degree in Law. The three choices for Cojedans who have contributed to the political side of Cojedes were announced as former Presidents Caleb Fernandez and Nestor Estávez, along with former Vice Chairwoman of the Rosario Initiative Clara Mina. All six members were either sworn in, or re-sworn in in the case of Caleb Fernandez, and took office immediately.

Cojedan singer Nico Cambiero released a song today entitled "Anhelo" (Yearning) and it is making waves across the nation. The song was released around 7 AM and has been viewed on YouMusic over 15 million times by single viewers, and roughly 30 million with multiple times watching. The singer stated that he wanted to bring a new feel to the music industry of Cojedes, and according to several critics it has. Abril Cadaval, who is one of the judges on the Cojedan TV show "Star Cojedes", told us that the song has brought a new feel into the rock industry. "It is not just a rock song, but it is a blending of genres. Nico has blended progressive music and classic music and added it with rock and it is amazing." After talks with Andrenne, the song was released to the country from the Cojedan YouMusic site, which allows people all around the world to hear Cojedan music. Nico told us he hopes to one day preform in Andrenne and Goyanes.

That is all for now. Thanks for joining us here at Cojedes 24! Have a blessed evening!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Filomena Costa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this afternoon, the Joint Broadcasting Union of Cojedes announced earlier this morning that is was planning to hold a contest. The contest, which will be called the Cojedan National Song Contest, is a music contest that will involve all of the 13 states of Cojedes and the 6 largest municipalities. The announcement came after a meeting of the Broadcasting Union executives who decided that a music contest would garner many viewers and even national support for music. A spokesperson for the JBUC revealed that the contest will take place at Unity Arena in Rosario in mid-July. "We are very excited to announce this contest. Each state and municipality will be required to hold a regional final to select an entry. A Grand Final will be held at the Unity Arena in Rosario with 12,000 tickets being allocated to Cojedans and 10,000 to the rest of Eras. The contest will consist of four host, two male and two female. More details will be revealed at a later date." The President stated that he was very excited to hear about the contest and wishes to attend the contest and present the trophy to the winner.

Secretary of Emergency Situations Adelgonada Cabello attended a meeting of the National Council of Geological Research today. The meeting, which was held in Heravion, was attended by hundreds of Cojedan geologists and by the deans of several Cojedan Universities Schools of Geology. The Council released a compiled report stating that there is a chance that more earthquakes could occur near the Silver Mountains, which means that the state of La Rioja and Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz coulc see more then 10 earthquakes a year. The report stated that there has been a major shift in the Cojedan fault lines in recent times but stated that they don't know yet how strong the earthquakes could be. The chairman of the project told the Secretary that he predicts that most would be less than a magnitude 5, but that they could go as high as a 5,8. The Secretary will return to Rosario tomorrow and meet with the Cabinet to discuss the findings of the project.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good morning and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Filomena Costa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story, the Unity Bridge between the northern Shore or Corrientes and the Province of Rosario officially opened this morning, with Vice President Sebastian Rega being the first person to go across the bridge by vehicle. The bridge, which had been planned since the 1990's to make travel quicker between the two provinces, has taken roughly six years to complete, with the rail line section expected to be completed by late June 2018. Vice President Rega congratulated the workers on their excellent work and applauded their efforts, especially through several attempts to stop the bridge from being built. "I congratulate you on this amazing feat that you have completed. Because of you, we will be able to travel quicker between Rosario and Corrientes, not only for leisure, but for economic reasons including jobs and transportation of goods." The bridge has begun to allow traffic to run through it and the government is hopeful that it will help create new jobs on both sides of the bridge. The total cost of the bridge is estimated to have cost roughly 5 billion pesos, meaning that of the 6,5 billion allotted to the construction, which was done by private contractors and government workers alike, 1,5 billion was saved and will go to other nationwide projects.

In other news, the Supreme Court of Cojedes ruled against Antonio Curbelo, Governor of the San Juan Province, declaring that he does not have a constitutional right to immunity under federal law and thus can be prosecuted by the federal courts. Governor Curbelo was arrested last Monday, but was released after a provincial judge declared that he had right to immunity. The case was then sent before the Supreme Court, who issued their verdict late last night. Members of the National Police Force of Cojedes were at the Governor's home this morning to arrest him on charges of corruption and money laundering. It is believed that he has stolen over 300 million pesos from the region and even from regional banks. President Berrocal issued a statement this morning declaring that he was going to execute Constitutional Amendment 28, which allows the President to remove the Governor from power. He announced that Lieutenant Governor Alexander Cadaval would be appointed as Acting Governor until an election can be called.

President Berrocal signed an Executive Decree last night calling on the hospitals of the country to lower prices for healthcare. The decree, which is the fourth of its kind, states that by 2020, public hospitals will be required to cut their cost of patient care by 35%. While the President cannot force private hospitals to lower their prices, several hospitals in Rosario and Corrientes have already begun to lower prices for specific procedures or other medical needs. Corientes Medical Center, which is actually a private hospital, told reporters that they have lowered prices by a maximum of 20% and that they will continue to do so to ensure that people get the medical attention that they deserve. Hospitals across the nation have responded to the Decree by firstly lowering cancer treatment costs. The President stated that the decree also extends to women who are pregnant to lower the cost of medical attention for them and their baby after they are born.

Exciting news came early this morning in a press release from Axel Cotilla, Secretary of Human Services. The press release stated that his wife, MP Alessandra Cotilla, had given birth to their first child, a son named Jairo Cristian Cotilla. Jairo was born around 4 AM at the University of Rosario Medical Center and weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces. President Berrocal, who was suppose to attend the opening of the Unity Bridge, instead went to the hospital with his fiancé, Soledad Santángel to congratulate the two and meet the baby. First Lady Soledad then posted a picture of the five of them on Picgram, with a message of congratulations for their friends. Other members of the Cabinet have already come to the hospital and others, including the Secretary of Defense Felix Vera and Secretary of Labor Sergio Figueroa, have both sent well wishes as they are in other parts of the country. The press release also stated that the baby was in healthy condition and that they are expecting to take their son home on Thursday.

Our final story for the day, Secretary of Urban Development Isabel Indiano issued a statement earlier that outlines her plan for lowering the cost of housing for people across the nation. The plan, which is part of the overall Rosario Initiative, is expected to make housing more affordable for college students, for new workers in the workforce, and even to the working class people in the lower and middle classes. Secretary Indiano also stated that subsidies will be granted to people with children and to people who have adopted children. She also stated that new housing will be built across the nation, as well as upgrading current housing in cities and towns. "Several of our plans in the past have forgot one important part and that is that the people living in these houses are still humans. Some of the plans, while at the times was a good idea and the houses were in pristine condition, has been left underfunded and lacking. It is time that we fix that through A. Renovating the current housing and B. Building new places for people to live nationwide. It will not be an easy task and the renovating will require people living inside these building to move to other areas for some time, but the government will help with that as much as possible, even if it includes them staying in the civilian homes of our military bases." The plan has been granted approval from the National Assembly and will begin by Friday.

That is all for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Filomena Costa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this afternoon, Cojedan government workers and soldiers have been racing to the border to repair damaged roads, bridges, and power lines. The damage, which ranges from the Province of Corrientes in the West to the Province of Córdoba in the East, was caused by a Spring thunderstorm that still remains over the area. The Cojedan National Weather Service reported to the border control last week that storms were heading their way but did not state that the storm would cause damage to main roads. After the storm came however, several trees were knocked over onto bridges and roads, and power lines also began to collapse. The soldiers and government workers have been sent to repair the roads and the power lines and are even going to be building makeshift bridges and roads for the time being so that border control can resume their normal duties and people can cross the borders safely.

It is only three days until several universities across the country hold their graduation ceremonies and students could not be more excited. The University of Rosario-Central Campus has been preparing for the graduation for months now and has confirmed that President Juan Andrés Berrocal will be speaking at the Commencement ceremony and will also receive an honorary degree in International Law. On the other side of the country, at the Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz National University, former Vice President Valentina Perón will be giving the commencement address. Universities has sent out statements on parking conditions during the time and the President has even ordered that the federal National Police and National Guard both be deployed to areas to ensure that people are safe and that roads are not congested. Several people we spoke with said they will be utilizing the Unity Bridge between Rosario and Corrientes as well as the Gloria Rodriguez Bridge between Entre Rios and Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz and the Heravion Memorial Bridge between Heravion Province and Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz Province. The government stated that tolls will operate with a lower price of 1 peso per trip.

"Justice was served today." Those were the words that Mariana Andrade said this morning after Eduardo Carballal was sentenced to death for two counts of murder in the first degree, one count of premeditated murder, and one count of extrajudicial execution. Mariana Andrade, the mother of Matthew Andrade and of Rafaela Andrade, the two victims of Eduardo Carballal, stated to us that she was very happy with the outcome and that the judge had made the right decision. "My son and my daughter were both murdered by this man simply because they went onto his property because our dog had run onto it. They did not deserve to go out like this and to me, justice was served today against that cold blooded killer." The pair were murdered back in 2015 and Mr Carballal was arrested within three days of the disappearance of the siblings. The trail, which was oversaw by Judge Celeste Manzanares, ended after three years with the final result being that Eduardo Carballal was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, the first such case of a death penalty in Corrientes since 2004. The Court of Appeals of Corrientes refused to hear the case and said that the death penalty would stand. Prosecutors have also been able to connect Eduardo Carballal to the death of Nicole Espinar and stated that they will also try him for that crime and that all his assets will be given to the victims families.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Filomena Costa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story today, the Cojedan border is still suffering from severe issues in regards to the recent damage that has been caused to it. The Cojedan military reported earlier this morning that the damage caused by the storm is very severe and that due to ongoing weather conditions, it will be nearly impossible to begin setting new power lines up. A spokesperson for the Border Control of Cojedes stated that they are using backup generators supplied by the military to continue operations at the border and that they have been diverting traffic to roads that are still in operation. "The men and women who protect are borders are doing the best they can with what they have. They are sending travelers to the roads that are without damage and so far we have had no reported issues of people coming into or exiting the country. We will be working alongside government officials in the Southern provinces to ensure that we can get our borders back up and running along with main roads for citizens in a timely fashion." A state of emergency has been issued by the President for the Southern Provinces of Corrientes, Santiago del Estero, Entre Rios, La Rioja, and Córdoba.

The Cojedan military has deployed several of the Patagón 87's to the Province of Heravion following a reported threat to the Heravion Desalination Facility. The threat was called in around 6 AM and was reported to be a bomb threat. The government responded to the threat by deploying the Patagón's along with 2 Platoon's of the Marines and 1 Platoon of the Army. Following the arrival of the troops, the facility was placed on lockdown. Around 12 PM Cojedan Standard Time, the lockdown was lifted and operations were allowed to continue as normal. A spokesman for the Heravion Provincial Government stated that the soldiers will remain at the facility until the end of the week. The National Police of Cojedes are investigating the threat and are treating it as a possible prank. President Berrocal did not immediately comment but a statement was released saying that they were going to have an official investigation launched by the Bureau of Internal Investigation.

In other news, the 42nd Marine Battalion visited cadets at the Corrientes Marine Institute today to meet with the cadets, share stories of their missions, and even accept a few members into their ranks. A time honored tradition, this is the Battalion's thirtieth visit to the school, but it is the first since a woman has been in charge of the Institute. The cadets gave a military parade for the 42nd Marine Battalion, who was accompanied by the 32nd and 45th National Guard Battalion's. Following the parade, Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Sarmiento gave a speech before all of the cadets and told them that 47 of the cadets would join the 42nd Battalion and would be deployed to the North along with the Battalion by the end of the year. "You have all done an excellent job this year and should be proud. We have watched you grow from being a freshman four years ago to being ready for the Marines now. Be proud of yourself because you have completed the hard task for the great prize ahead of you."

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Filomena Costa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story, graduations were held nationwide yesterday, with a grand total of 192,000 graduates across Cojedes. Graduates were excited as they braved the stormy conditions in the South to be able to attend their ceremonies and accept their diplomas for years of their hard work. Valentino Pareja, who received a Bachelors in Human Services from the University of Córdoba, said, "I have worked for four years towards this degree and no act of weather is going to keep me away from getting it." He was joined by over 13,000 people from the University who received their diplomas, whether at the main stadium or at several other venues. President Berrocal gave the keynote address at the Univeristy of Rosario in which he congratulated graduates on all the hard work they had done. "You should be proud this day of what you have done. From this day forward, remember your successes and equally remember your failures. Be humble when you succeed and show great humility in your failures. Let these words guide you for the rest of your life." The President closed his speech by saying, "Deja que lo imposible sea posible. Ustedes son los campeones del futuro. Este es tu momento de brillar. Que así sea. (Let the impossible be possible. You are the champions of the future. This is your moment to shine. Let is be so.)."

In other news, the Cojedan Border Control released a statement today declaring that the border was 90% operational and that the border is expected to be fully open by Monday morning. The storm that has affected the area has begun to dissipate and workers have been able to work around the clock to reopen the border at its full potential. A spokesperson for the Cojedan Border Control, Simón Quesada, told reporters that the border situation in Corrientes and Santiago del Estero Provinces have officially been resolved. "There are no longer any border issues in the Provinces of Corrientes and Santiago del Estero and I can report that the borders will be fully operational by Monday morning. The situation in Córdoba will be resolved in the coming days and we will be working on the bridges for the next few days. We will continue to work on the border entrance zones and also on the bridges leading into the province." Bridges have begun to reopen, while several still have weeks of repairs ahead.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here!

Good evening and Bienvenidos a Cojedes 24! My name if Filomena Costa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story today, former Governor Antonio Curbelo appeared before the Supreme Court of Cojedes today to be tried for crimes against the state, including money laundering, corruption, and avoiding prosecution. When brought before the Supreme Court, Justice Soledad Tafalla stated that the former governor was very respectful and showed great respect for the federal government institutions. "You would not believe that he had actually committed these crimes. It seems he may be showing some remorse for the crimes he committed. Otherwise, he is putting on an act for us just to avoid being sent to prison." The former governor plead not guilty to money laundering and corrupt, but did plead guilty to avoiding prosecution, and in his words said, "I did avoid persecution, not only at the state level, but at the federal level. I am ashamed of what I have done." The Justice Department stated that they are seeking the maximum penalty of 20 years and will also be ordering him to pay back all the money he stole in the case that he is found guilty.

Preparations for the Cojedan National Song Contest Regional Finals are underway as the provinces and municipalities have put out calls for singers to register their songs to potentially compete for the state or city. The City of Rosario held a press conference today stating that Spectrum Arena will host the regional final and that the city will also begin to hold selections for the contest. The Province of Corrientes announced that Concepción, in the Northern part of the Province, will host the regional selection at the Emerald Centre, the third largest fútbol stadium in the province. Other provinces and cities have also called for people in their cities and provinces to sign up to compete. The City of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz announced that their regional contest would be held between June 8th and 13th at the Santa Fe Municipal Stadium. Regional and Municipal selections will consist of a jury and a televote, which will be compiled due to regional and municipal calling codes.

In a surprising and shocking move, the Department of Defense has distributed leaflets across the nation telling people what to do in case of natural disaster, nuclear disaster, or even war. Roughly 8 million leaflets were distributed nationwide and the Department says it comes after a request by the government to ensure that people will be prepared. According to Secretary of Defense Felix Vera, "You never know when a natural disaster or even a nuclear disaster will happen. While we are able to control the nuclear disaster more by keeping a constant eye on the reactors, we must ensure that people are informed of what they need to do in case of war. The leaflets state that people need at minimum 10 days of food and 8 days of water, with oxygen tanks if necessary. Rafaela Graciani, a nurse and mother of four, stated that the leaflets are necessary and that people need to be prepared for anything that could happen.

In other news, former President Nestor Estávez was declared Chairman of the Senate of Cojedes following a vote this morning. The former President was nominated for the post by the National Conservative Union, the party that he chairs. The nomination was a shock to some who expected former President Caleb Fernandez, who has served as Chairman since 2011, to receive the nomination and be elected as the Chairman. The vote was held early this morning behind closed doors. Of the 249 members of the Senate, 221 voted in favor of the former President becoming Chairman, while 12 voted against, and 16 abstained from voting. Chairman Estávez was then sworn in as Chairman following the vote and declared that he would work with the current Executive government and with members of the legislature, whether in his party, the coalition, or the opposition to continue making our country better.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good afternoon and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Filomena Costa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this afternoon, doctors in Rosario and Heravion have reported to the Department of Health that there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of influenza cases since the start of the month. The doctors reported that the number of cases compared to last year has gone up, with there being roughly 80 more cases compared to this time last year. The doctors also stated that the majority of the cases that they are seeing have been in children and teens aged 18 and younger. So far, no one has died from the flu and doctors and medical professionals are working hard to ensure that others get the vaccine. According to Isabela Cambeiro, a doctor in Heravion, "This year is going to be a lot better and easier for us because this year we know the exact strain that is going around and we have vaccines to help those who need them and treatments to help those who have the flu." The Department of Health has stated that this is not an epidemic, but that they will be monitoring the situation closely and urges people to always maintain good health and to bring yourself or your child/relative in when they have the first signs of the flu.

On a more happier note, the National Assembly of Cojedes has voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation that would require public hospitals and other public medical treatment centers to give cancer and diabetic treatments for free. The legislation, which was proposed during the time of the former President, states that people with cancer or diabetes will be allowed to receive their treatments for free, including radiation and chemo for cancer patients and insulin for diabetics. The bill was supported by doctors and medical professionals all across the country who said that it was necessary to give better treatment and care to these people, while also lowering the cost for them. According to doctor Eliseo Alguacil, "People, for the most part, cannot control it when they get a disease such as cancer or diabetes. Some people even cannot control it when they get a disease such a diabetes, specifically among people who get Type 2 because they have a thyroid issue or for some reason are unable to exercise to lose the weight to stop and/or reverse a diabetic trend. This bill is momentous because it not only helps people who have these diseases, but it also requires doctors to do more to help the patients and to ensure that others don't fall to the same fate, whether through research or through guidance." President Berrocal signed the bill in the presence of several medical professionals and Cancer treatment patients. He stated that this would be the first of a series of bills to lower the cost of healthcare in the country and to provide better medical care to people in the nation.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!

Good evening and welcome to Cojedes 24! My name is Verónica Figueroa and here is the news from Cojedes!

Our top story this evening, the Cojedan Department of Disease Prevention and Control has deployed several teams throughout the country to provides vaccines to civilians due to the recent outbreak of the flu. Doctors in Rosario are now reporting that the number of cases has now jumped to 237, while Heravion announced that they have had no new cases since the original report came out. The increase in Rosario is only an addition of 5 more cases, which according to doctors means that the outbreak could be slowing down and that it could be contained soon. The head of the CDDPC, Jonatán Navarro, announced that the teams had so far distributed over 2 million flu vaccinations and will continue to do so over the coming week. He also stated that he is pleased to see that Heravion has had no new cases of the flu and that it may be a sign that the flu outbreak will be taken care of quicker. The Executive government has yet to make any comment on the outbreak, but the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate, along with the Speaker of the House, have visited those hospitalized in Rosario.

The Cojedan Navy and Marines are preparing to undergo trials as part of a new defense plan that was brought forth by Admiral Carmen Alarcón, the Chief of Staff of the Navy. The plan, which was approved by the National Council of Security and Defense, states that drills will be held ever 3 months to ensure that the Marines and the Navy are kept trained and informed of new practices that the government implements. Captain Mateo Arboleda, the commander of the RNC Heravion and Commander of the 1st Eastern Naval Division, stated that he is proud that the new plan has been implemented. "It will prepare us to be ready for any threat that comes to Cojedes, whether it be internal or external. It is my personal hope that it will help us to train to the highest capacity that we can go." An anonymous source stated that Cojedan Special Forces, known as the Black Foxes, are training with the Navy and Marines and will be leading some of the training that is given.

In other news, the Speaker of the House of Representatives election will take place tomorrow at noon. The election follows intense debate on the House floor which saw the eventual nomination of two members, current House Speaker Catalina Jose Maria Estavez and Luis Berganza. The two candidates, who have served in the House for 18 and 7 years respectively, were both nominated by the National Conservative Union. Of the two, the Liberal Opposition announced that they would be supporting current speaker Estavez for the position. Luis Berganza stated that he was shocked that he was even nominated and even considered dropping out of the election before the nomination period was closed. According to a survey of 8,000 people from across the nation, 81% stated that they would want to see Catalina retain her current position as Speaker, while 12% stated that they would like to see Luis Berganza as Speaker. The remaining 7% stated that they wished to see someone else nominated or did not have a specific answer. The majority of people said they support Speaker Catalina because she has been a champion of individual rights and has fought for decreased prices of healthcare among all classes. Catalina was named by the magazine Discover Cojedes as the Woman of the Year of Cojedes and came 2nd in Person of the Year according to the Rosario Digest.

That is all we have for now. Thank you for joining us here at Cojedes 24!