2017 Eastern Realms Conference

LaBuonaNotte con Antonio Pettinolla is a nightly talk show hosted by reputed journalist and television host Antonio Pettinolla. It premiered on 14 March 2007, and since then has become one of the most highly rated shows in the late night slot, and one of the most highly respected political and science interview shows. It has been lauded for addressing complex and relevant issues in a way that is accessible to the general public, earning the Giovanni Salucci Award for Science Education and multiple categories in the AST Awards, including Best Interview Show.

Opening Monologue
June 26

Buonasera a tutti! I want to welcome you all to LaBuonaNotte, particularly tonight, when we finally have growing reasons to be optimistic. As you probably already know, earlier tonight the Carabinieri stormed the third floor of the Hotel Molliero, where Sacuri were holding Second Councillor Francesco Sciarra, all Eastern Governors and several other attendants to the Eastern Realms Conference.

While details are still coming in, we know that the operation began at approximately 18:35, when officers from the Carabinieri Special Forces forced the doors to the third floor open, soon after engaging in a fierce gunfight with the Sacuri, most of whom were supposedly killed in the confrontation. This comes as a surprise to most, since the rumours coming from the Palazzo Malzo were of attempts to secure the peaceful release of the hostages, not that there will be much criticism for the operation, given public opinion towards the Sacuri; a recent poll by Chierana University had their popularity at an unsurprising 0%, while an astounding 78% believed that the Sacuri ban should be strengthened.

Thus far, there has been no official information on the condition of the hostages, particularly whether any were killed during the past week or the recent confrontation. We know that at least 6 hostages were killed during the initial takeover, thanks to the Ups posted by Antonio Perano, though it is unknown who those hostages were. We are still waiting for a reply from Carabinieri Headquarters to our query on the condition of Second Councillor Sciarra. Based on images of emergency medical teams racing into the hotel, minutes after the fight ended, it seems that either an officer or a hostage were hurt, though again, there has been no official confirmation, nor have any hostages been seen leaving the hotel.

Praise has been abundant across the political spectrum, from the Progressives to the Merchants, and even Forward offered a restrained congratulations to the First Councillor, though it noted that the operation should have been conducted sooner. First Councillor Valerio himself is yet to deliver a much expected address, which the Palazzo said will happen at some point during the night. I must warn you then, that our show might be interrupted at any moment, if the address starts while we are still talking with our panel.

In any case, this is an exciting new development, and I'm sure there will be much to discuss in the coming days. To start that discussion, our first guest of the night is a military history professor at the University of East Messelia and the Chair of the Futures Scholarship Programme, Dr Adelina Raneri!