Good evening. We join you tonight at City Hall, where the Council has just released a confirmation accepting the UN P5's declaration of the Six Trees District as an Interim Administration Zone. This decision came after more than a week of rioting tore the district apart, arising from the heavy handed attempts by the Reserve Assault Unit to clear the district and turn it over to the Host for redevelopment, followed by military intervention by the P5 as the situation raged out of control.
Some background on the story for our viewers. The Urban Redevelopment Initiative, originally launched by the Host with the publicly stated aim of regenerating and renewing the poorer areas of The City, had long been mired in controversy as it became clear that the less fortunate were being forcibly expelled without fair compensation for their homes and businesses as the URI began taking over various neighborhoods. The Council had nevertheless continued their support of this scheme in defiance of public opinion, claiming that the benefits from the redeveloped districts far outweighed the disruption caused by the evictions.
Investigators from ORPO however have presented a confidential report to the P5 and while we have not had sight of the report itself, our sources state that the report contains details of how the URI was used by the Host and the Council to siphon out billions of nu-credits from The City. In broad outline, the assets held under the URI, originally obtained below their actual market value, were used as security to raise borrowings in foreign currencies such as dollars. These loans were funneled into various black box schemes under the control of the Host and The City or directly into the personal accounts of certain connected individuals. How much of this foreign money was actually used to carry out the URI's publicly advertised objectives is presently unknown.
The URI has also met with objection from citizens' rights groups, as it arguably breaches The City's founding charter. One of the requirements of the URI is that de facto control over the areas it falls under is to be turned over to the Host. As The City is created from territory contributed by various UN members, the UN under the founding charter remains the final deciding authority on not just land use within The City but also on many other matters regarding its governance. The Council in a very unusual move, had allowed the Host to have effective control over land purchased under the URI without prior consent from the UN.
While the Council has asserted in the past that since de jure power over the affected districts remains in The City's, and therefore the UN's hands, making this concern irrelevant, the members of the UN who had contributed the respective districts during The City's construction have gone on record demanding an explanation on how such an arrangement respects the sacrifices in territory the nations of this world agreed to bear for The City to even be established.
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Even more troubling is the finding the report makes that the highest tiers of the Council and the Special Operations Police are well aware of the scheme and have either closed an eye to such wrong doing or are actively benefiting from it. These findings, combined with the recent agitation from the Host about allowing angels to join SOPO, has led to widespread fears that The Council and SOPO have grown ineffective at enforcing their own authority and respecting the agreements that allowed for The City's founding.
In a press statement we just received, the P5 spokesperson referred to the reprisals carried out by SOPO and RAU in Six Trees as not just crimes against humanity, but against all species, and that the disproportionate violence used by The City made the P5's military response necessary. Describing P5 losses from the operation as minimal, the P5 has confirmed that SOPO and RAU have surrendered control over Six Trees and the district is now being held by the P5 task force with assistance from ORPO. The P5 has delivered a message of thanks to the Council for their cooperation, regardless of how belated such cooperation is.
It is under these circumstances that the UN P5 has formally revoked The Council's authority and assumed temporary administrative control over the Six Trees District pending a full investigation of the riot as well as the URI as a whole. The P5 has sent its own team of investigators to The City and is working in close cooperation with ORPO to bring the truth to light.
The UN P5 has also announced as part of a travel advisory that until further notice, Six Trees District is no longer regarded as part of The City and is to be considered P5 sovereign territory. As such, all transit in or out of the district requires a valid travel document. ORPO has been licensed to carry out policing in the Six Trees District under the supervision of a UN appointed provisional governor. All residents of Six Trees are therefore advised to register themselves at their nearest ORPO station for the relevant documents to be issued.
In other news, the prestigious Unity Academy was rocked by scandal today when the Head of Administration, Catriona Alley, was at the Academy grounds publicly taken into custody by ORPO for questioning. ORPO have refused to answer any questions regarding this case, only stating that they have received a warrant from the Magistrate to keep Mrs Alley in remand. We have not been able to get in contact with Mrs Alley and Unity Academy has stated that they are in consultation with their general counsel with regard to their next step. We shall keep you updated as this story develops.
Have you seen this man? Special Operations Police is looking for Daffyd Gallant, also known as David Greer, also known as John Doe to facilitate investigations into multiple cases of terrorism, murder and inflicting grievous bodily harm. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, contact the SOPO hotline XXXXXXXXXX or the nearest SOPO station immediately.
Do not, we repeat, do not, attempt to approach or apprehend him yourself. He is regarded as armed and extremely dangerous. Contact the authorities immediately if you have seen him.
That's all we have for tonight. United Nations City Broadcasting Corporation signing off.