The Citizens' Daily (Official Publication of the Game Engine)

[Sirius_]

Welcome to The Citizens' Daily, the official publication of the game engine! I will be posting stories regarding domestic and world affairs here, as well as other information as needed. All information posted by myself in this thread is recognized as in-game canon, and as the final truth by law.

To avoid clutter, please direct questions and comments to my office.

The Citizens' Daily makes no guarantee of daily issues.
The Citizens' Daily is not affiliated with the political organization formerly known as the Citizens Party.

[Sirius_]

Current World Leaders

Atlasia - President Adam Griffin
Brazil – President Jair Bolsonaro
France – President Édouard Phillipe & Prime Minister François Baroin
Canada – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
China – President Xi Jinping
Germany – Chancellor Angela Merkel
Iran – Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei & President Hassan Rouhani
Israel – Interim Prime Minister Yuli Edelstein
India – Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Italy – Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte
Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Mexico – President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Netherlands – Prime Minister Mark Rutte
North Korea – President Choe Ryong Hae & Prime Minister Thae Yong Ho
Paflagonia – President Adolf Freiherr Von Kummerspeck
Palestinian Authority – Mahmoud Abbas
Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte
Russia – President Vladimir Putin
Saudi Arabia – King Salman
Spain – Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez
South Korea – President Moon Jae In
Turkey – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
United Kingdom – Prime Minister Owen Smith
Venezuela – General Francisco Antonio Espinoza Guyón, Chairman of the Provisional Government

All other leaders are the same as otl.

[Former President tack50]

It might be a good idea to sticky this?

[Sirius_]

It might be a good idea to sticky this?

I PMed Yankee about it.

[Sirius_]

January 25th, Issue 2020-001

North Korean Voters Approve of Reunification in Historic Referendum

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Pyongyang, North Korea

At 10:00 PM, January 25th, 2020 (GMT+9), North Korean election authorities announced that 87.19% of voters answered yes to the question of unification with South Korea. 12.11% of voters answered no and 0.70% of voters spoiled their ballots. The referendum was proposed late last year by Prime Minister Thae Yong Ho's government and passed by the parliament. The measure was approved by President Choe Ryong Hae December 21st, 2019. The president did not take a position on the referendum, but described it as "The fairest way for citizens to decide whether they want to live in North Korea or Korea." Upon the results being announced, President Choe and Prime Minister Thae both vowed to uphold the results. Thae stated after the election that "The voices of North Korea have spoken, they have spoken words of change. We must finally restore justice to the Korean peninsula." South Korean President Moon Jae-In is expected to lend his support to the movement in an upcoming press conference.

The actual process of reunification is not likely to be as simple as this rubber stamp, however. Many questions are still left unanswered. North and South Korea have different constitutions, governments, leaders, services, and several other differences. It will have to be decided whether one of the existing constitutions is adopted or if a new one will be drafted, who will initially lead the new nation before the first election, and how to promote equality across the continent. It is also not yet officially known if the south will agree to reunification. Most believe that they will, however it is possible that the wealthier southerners will not be happy to give large amounts of economic support to the poorer north. If these questions are answered, there may finally be a lasting peace on the scarred peninsula.

Novel Coronavirus Lands in Two Major Atlasian Airports

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Seattle, WA and Newark, NJ

Two Atlasian Citizens have been hospitalized and diagnosed with the Coronavirus originating from Wuhan, China. Both victims recently arrived in Atlasia on flights from China where they were likely to have received the virus. Both patients are expected to recover and are currently the only confirmed cases of the virus in Atlasia, but this does not rule out the possibility of more, including spreading of the disease by the two.

The first victim was an anonymous man in his 30s residing in Everett, Washington. He was previously in Wuhan before leaving earlier in the months, arriving at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on a Delta Airlines flight from Beijing. He reported to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett on January 21st, after feeling symptoms. The man has declined to give more information. The second victim is 63 year old Susan Liu who lives in Manhattan. Mrs. Liu informed The Citizens' Daily that she was visiting family members in the city of Huanggang, adjacent to Wuhan. She left China earlier than planned due to the outbreak, and said it was "difficult" for her to make the last minute travel arrangements. She finally found a seat on a United Airlines flight from Shanghai to Newark Liberty International Airport, but started feeling symptoms associated with the virus during the flight, which arrived this morning. After landing she was immediately transported to Beth Israel hospital in Newark.

Southern Citizens Protest Traffic; Lack of Public Transportation Options

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Atlanta, GA

Today demonstrations are being held in cities across the Southern region protesting long and stressful commutes in the region. These protests are being organized by the recently formed Transit Solutions for Dixie advocacy group, whose mission statement is "To lift the South from Atlasia's transport desert to its transport leader by supporting policies aimed to improve transit options in cities large and small." Southern cities do often lack public transportion options and have severe vehicle traffic. Atlanta is infamous for its traffic jams despite being one of the few Southern cities with a subway system, and commuters have gathered in the city's Centennial Olympic Park. One Conley, GA resident told The Citizens' Daily "I commute to work in Midtown (Atlanta) every day and its awful. Conley doesn't have any convenient transit options so I drive and sit through traffic twice a day every day. Its a waste of my time and gas and I hate it. But I can't afford to live closer to the city where the metro runs, so I really hope the city expands their network."

[Dr. MB]

I stand with the anti-traffic people.

[Sirius_]

January 28th, 2020 - Special Report

Benjamin Netanyahu Convicted of Corruption

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West Jerusalem, Israel

At 4:35 PM, January 28th, 2020 (GMT+2), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sentenced by the District Court of Jerusalem to 3 years in prison and $700,000 in fines for bribery, fraud, and breach of the trust. Charges were first pressed last November by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and the Prime Minister was unable to obtain immunity from the deeply divided Knesset. Without immunity, the criminal trial began in the District Court. The Attorney General revealed evidence of crimes committed by Netanyahu in the Bezeq-Walla! Affair and the Yediot Aharonot-Israel Hayom Affair which was found to be enough by the judges of the court to find him guilty. Netanyahu has appealed this ruling to the Supreme Court of Israel, which has agreed to hear the appeal, however unlike Ehud Olmert the court decided not to postpone his sentence for the trial, forcing Netanyahu to step down. In a statement, the Supreme Court concluded that "Mr. Netanyahu is not able to serve as Prime Minister with the confidence of the Israeli Citizens at this time." Experts believe that the Supreme Court is unlikely to overturn the decision.

This conviction comes with highly consequential timing for Israel. Just a day before, Netanyahu announced controversial plans to annex portions of the West Bank of Palestine. This has also come before a parliamentary election which will be held March 2, 2020, and will be the third election in Israel in under a year. It is possible that this shakeup could spell doom for Netanyahu's Likud party. The current Likud-led caretaker government, in power due to an inability for any party to form a governing coalition, quickly announced their selection of Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein of Likud to serve as interim Prime Minister, who was soon approved by President Reuven Rivlin. Likud will also hold a new leadership election before the general election in March. Prime Minister Edelstein upon taking office said that "The decision by Netanyahu to annex portions of the West Bank was made too hastily, and should be further reviewed. However, I will not rule out a similar plan."

[Continential]

I wonder what the Election will be like and if Gantz will fall in the polls and Labor-Gesher-Meretz will rise.


This should be Pinned and the old thread down.

[Sirius_]

February 3rd, 2020 - Issue 2020-002

Atlasians Safely Evacuated from Wuhan

Guam

As of January 31st, 2020, 1205 Atlasian citizens have been evacuated from the greater Wuhan region. This is all known citizens to be in Greater Wuhan before the evacuation, including overseas residents, government officials, and vacationers. The citizens were transported on aircraft provided by United Airlines from Wuhan airport to Guam at no charge. The passengers were screened for coronavirus infection after arriving in Guam. 3 citizens were found to be carrying the virus and were immediately transported to a quarantined section of Guam Memorial Hospital. The remaining passengers have been cleared of the disease and given vouchers for flights to their final destinations in Atlasia. Since February 1st, the Chinese government has placed Wuhan and its surrounding cities of Huanggang, Huangshi, Xianning, and Xiaogan under quarantine. Rail and air travel has been shut down and those traveling by road are subject to thorough screening.

Peru Votes for New Parliament; Ousts Right Wing Popular Force

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Lima, Peru

On January 26th, voters in Peru elected a new parliament to replace the old parliament which had been dissolved by President Martin Vizcarra for corruption. Here are the results:

Popular Action: 32
Alliance For Progress: 24
Purple Party: 20
Broad Front: 13
Agricultural People's Front: 12
Podemos Peru: 10
We Are Peru: 9
Popular Force: 7
Union for Peru: 2
APRA: 1

Although the right wing Popular Force, opponents of Vizcarra, lost a considerably number of seats, right of center parties will hold in plurality in the new congress. The center, represented by Popular Action and the Purple Party, will be the second largest bloc, with the left holding only a few seats. This new makeup, although leaving no clear majority, is expected to be considerably more friendly to President Vizcarra's agenda.

Venezuela to Finally Hold New Elections

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Caracas, Venezuela

The Transitional Government of Venezuela has agreed to hold new elections after holding power since August of 2018. Debates raging within the government and mass violence raging outside stalled progress on governmental reform after the deposition of Nicolas Maduro, and the deposition of the man who overthrew Maduro, General Padrino, the transitional government has announced its plan for transition to democracy. The government will be reformed similarly to Atlasia's, with a president, court system, and unicameral legislature, with the position of president in particular being weakened compared to its Chavez era counterpart. Elections are to be held April 4th for the new government. The transitional government has also announced that the political prisoners of Maduro and Padrino who have not committed another legitimate felony are to be released. The plan has generally been met with approval from Venezuelan citizens, who were growing worried that the "transitional government" would govern Venezuela indefinitely as an oligarchy.

Wisconsin Issues Retaliatory Ban on Secular Temple of Rogu

Madison, WI

The State of Wisconsin Government has officially passed a resolution banning the growing organization known as the "Secular Temple of Rogu" in response to the temple's bylaw banning the state. The resolution classified the temple as a "hate group" which "spreads hurtful lies against Wisconsin and its People", in reference to claims made such as unusual activity occurring in the state's phone system. Although the leadership of the Temple has yet to comment, online self-identified members have called on the state to lift the ban on their organization, calling it "unconstitutional" and "taking a joke too far". In response, government officials have argued that the state has the right to prevent hate activities from taking place, and that their ban has not violated the constitution as the temple is hostile towards Wisconsin. Those found taking part in Rogu associated activities are subject to up to 3 months in prison.

[Sirius_]

March 5th, 2020 - Issue 2020-003

Cargill Sues Farmer for Libel

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Cozad, NE

The agriculture mega-corporation Cargill has filed a lawsuit against Nebraska farmer Donald McHenry, who resides near the town of Cozad, after the farmer made social media posts accusing Cargill of selling contaminated beef. We went to Cozad to interview Mr. McHenry, and he told us that he "had a contract with Cargill and I was preparing beef to ship. I always get a sample from the shipment tested for contamination before sending it off. I consider it an ethical thing to do. I never had any issues before but this time I got a positive result for E. Coli. I would never want to feed anybody food that wasn't safe, so I emailed the people at Cargill and told them that I can't ship the batch of beef. I knew I would take a financial hit but you know, I think that not giving people E. Coli is better than money. I was shocked when some manager replied telling me to 'send it anyway.' Are they nuts? That's not right at all, so I took to the internet to expose such horrible things, and I'm glad to see that a lot of people are seeing it." He showed our reporters the email exchange, confirming it to be real. Cargill released a counter statement, stressing that the company "would never knowingly sell contaminated products. We wanted to test the beef for ourselves to determine if we could still sell it, and were prepared to provide financial compensation to Mr. McHenry." We asked McHenry what he planned to do: "Get a good lawyer hopefully and not get sued. Either way, my contract is toast and I'll have to hope someone else buys my products. It'll be tough, but I did the right thing."

MIT Refuses to Release Mental Health Data Following Back to Back Suicides
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Cambridge, MA

Following the suicides of two students on campus, the leadership of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has elected to withhold all data regarding students' mental health and suicide statistics from public consumption. It is not yet clear why such decision was made, with no statement being released on the motives of the move. Many across Atlasia, however, suspect foul play and cover ups. In recent times MIT has become infamous for its suicide rate and stressed students. An anonymous student claiming to know one of the suicide victims confirmed his stress online, saying that "he was clearly breaking down and it was worrisome." The Citizen's Daily was not able to confirm the user's identity. This development has been of considerable concern to high school students who wished to go to MIT and their parents, with many now reconsidering their options in their last month. A Georgia student on twitter stated that she "was really set on MIT and I only really held out for financial offers. I'm not so sure anymore though, I'm glad I applied to some other schools." There are countless others in similar situations. Many believe they have a right to know what they're getting into, and are calling on MIT to be more transparent.  

South Korea Passes Reunification Resolution

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Seoul, South Korea

On March 4th, 2020, the National Assembly of South Korea passed a resolution officially recognizing the start of the reunification process with North Korea, after considerable debate. The resolution was spear-headed by President Moon Jae-in's pro-unification Democratic Party, and although expected to pass, there were major opponents from the political right. Detractors argued that the South couldn't take on the economic struggles of the North, and that the disparity would cause the new Korea to fail. Despite these arguments, the majority of the public and the assembly continued to support unification, with many believing that the wealthier south has a duty to help their northern brothers, which would be easiest through a unified state. Following the passage of the resolution, Moon Jae-in announced plans to travel to Pyongyang and meet with President Choe and Prime Minister Thae in the North Korean capital to begin discussions on March 7th. North Korean President Choe has also invited President Pericles or Secretary of State Bruhgmger to join the meeting due to the work by Atlasia in bringing democracy and freedom to North Korea.

Shots Fired on Djibouti-Eritrea Border

Djibouti City, Djibouti

Just 2 hours ago, Eritrean troops stationed along the nations heavily-armed border with Djibouti fired upon Djiboutian troops for currently unknown reasons. Tensions between the East African neighbors have been high since the Doumeira Islands dispute in 1996, but the two nations did not go to war and have not been in armed conflict since that event. The Doumeira Islands are currently claimed by both Eritrea and Djibouti, but are administered by Djibouti de facto. The islands are small, uninhabited, and it is unknown why Eritrea would care to war over them, if they are the motive at all. Djiboutian troops so far have been able to hold back the Eritrean advance, but shots are still being fired and Eritrean reinforcements may arrive soon.

Despite its small size, Djibouti has a relatively high geopolitical importance. The nation has been remarkably stable compared to its neighbors. This oasis of calm in a geopolitical hotspot has made it an important strategic location, with China, Japan, France, and Atlasia maintaining overseas bases in the country. Djibouti is also home to a very large port at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with many imports to African countries such as their larger land-locked neighbor of Ethiopia flowing through. The totalitarian dictatorship of Eritrea poses a major threat to the global community if it were to invade Djibouti. This is a developing story.

[Continential]

What is the Israeli election results?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Mr. GM,

May I receive a cost estimate for this bill?

A BILL
To implement a temporary universal basic income program

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Act.

Section 2. Temporary universal income for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

(1.) Beginning April 1, 2020 and ending on August 1, 2020, every Atlasian citizen of 18 years of age or older, regardless of income or employment status, shall receive $2,000 on the first day of each month.

Section 3. Total cost

TBD pending GM review

Thank you.

EDIT: The monthly total should be specified as well so that this can be extended if necessary.

[jake_arlington]

Mr. GM,

May I receive a cost estimate for this bill?

A BILL
To implement a temporary universal basic income program

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Act.

Section 2. Temporary universal income for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

(1.) Beginning April 1, 2020 and ending on August 1, 2020, every Atlasian citizen of 18 years of age, regardless of income or employment status, shall receive $2,000 on the first day of each month.

Section 3. Total cost

TBD pending GM review

Thank you.

EDIT: The monthly total should be specified as well so that this can be extended if necessary.

Shouldn't it say "eighteen years of age or older" or is it actually just literally for people who are only, exactly 18 yo?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Mr. GM,

May I receive a cost estimate for this bill?

A BILL
To implement a temporary universal basic income program

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Act.

Section 2. Temporary universal income for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

(1.) Beginning April 1, 2020 and ending on August 1, 2020, every Atlasian citizen of 18 years of age, regardless of income or employment status, shall receive $2,000 on the first day of each month.

Section 3. Total cost

TBD pending GM review

Thank you.

EDIT: The monthly total should be specified as well so that this can be extended if necessary.

Shouldn't it say "eighteen years of age or older" or is it actually just literally for people who are only, exactly 18 yo?

Fixed.

[Lumine]

Mr. GM, may I ask for public confirmation regarding the Coronavirus situation in Atlasia as of this moment? I'm told it's been privately confirmed the scenario is similar than of the RL United States now, but would really appreciate a post from the Game Engine if possible (it's the sort of info that really should be public and on the board).

[Lumine]

Mr. GM, may I ask for public confirmation regarding the Coronavirus situation in Atlasia as of this moment? I'm told it's been privately confirmed the scenario is similar than of the RL United States now, but would really appreciate a post from the Game Engine if possible (it's the sort of info that really should be public and on the board).

Bump. Not to be a bother - we all have issues of our own - but it would really help to get formal clarification of what the in-game situation is regarding the pandemic.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Is China part of the UNHRC ITTL?