Atlasian Public Acts - Publication of the Game Engine

[NewYorkExpress]

Confirming unanimous vote.

[It’s so Joever]

Confirmed.

[NewYorkExpress]

Atlasian Public Acts

ELON MUSK ARRESTED AFTER ATTEMPT TO FLEE COUNTRY

by Weatherboy1102

LUTON, UNITED KINGDOM - After being sued by all three of Atlasia’s regional Attorney Generals, and the national Attorney General, newly-minted CEO of Twitter Elon Musk apparently decided that he would be better off fleeing the country than face the lawsuit. Departing via his private jet, he landed at London Luton Airport at 2:30 pm local time, when the aircraft was quickly surrounded by police before they could refuel and take off again.

The following standoff lasted 3 hours, during which Elon tweeted constantly about “government tyranny” regarding the law he was being sued under, as well as suspending several more accounts who tweeted out locations of his private jet in real time, saying that “People who doxx me or anyone else by giving out assassination coordinates will be permanently suspended from the platform”.

Eventually, after convincing all others in the aircraft to leave, police stormed into the plane at 5:41 PM to apprehend Musk. He will be extradited to Atlasia in the coming days.














Vote was unanimous

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

confirming unanimous vote

[It’s so Joever]

Confirmed.

[Joseph Cao]

Only 821 people from Kansas use Twitter and were willing to clown him for this statement apparently. Probably healthy for the state.

[NewYorkExpress]

Elon Musk extradited to Atlasia, will plead no contest in criminal trial.

By NewYorkExpress

Elon Musk has been extradited to Atlasia, and today in Federal Court in New York, Musk pled nolo contendre, or no contest, to multiple criminal charges related to his ban of several Atlasian Politicians from Twitter, in violation of Atlasian law.

Musk was sentenced to one year’s probation, and will be prohibited from taking part in the day-to-day operation of Twitter permanently, as per Atlasian Federal Judge Jed Rakoff’s decision.

For prosecutors, who were seeking jail time on felony charges for Musk, this is a serious defeat for them

Vote was unanimous.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

confirming unanimous vote.

[It’s so Joever]

Confirmed.

[NewYorkExpress]

Secession Crisis imminent? South votes to secede, throws Atlasia into chaos.

By NewYorkExpress and Weatherboy1102

The recent Southern Elections saw the required 75% of Southern voters vote to essentially back the South’s leaving Atlasia, and begin the process of secession.

Today, mass protests erupted across Lincoln and Fremont, demanding the federal government put down the attempted secession from Atlasia. Smaller protests have occurred in the South in some areas of lesser support, or even outright opposition. Both Carolinas in particular have had protests, with Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, Columbia, and Anderson seeing protests in the size of hundreds to thousands.

Sonia Sotomayor, an Atlasian Federal Judge and part-time constitutional law professor at Columbia University, noted that while secession is technically permitted under the Atlasian Constitution, it has never been tested, telling reporters that “we are truly in uncharted territory”.  

Neither Mr. Reactionary, believed to be the leader of the secessionist movement in the South, nor anyone in the Federal Government were able to be reached at press time.

Vote was unanimous

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

confirming unanimous vote

[It’s so Joever]

Confirmed.

[It’s so Joever]

I will make one thing clear, we as GM’s will read the text of legislation as is unless told otherwise prior. Additionally, civilians and outside governments will react to your exact words. There is no “I meant xyz” in real life (unless you publicly change your position but it will usually be too late to prevent some of the ramifications)
I’ve said this before, but write policy and make official statements knowing that there is an audience and they will respond as they read. This is our job to make sure we are keeping the game grounded in reality.

[It’s so Joever]

Inflation falling rapidly, prompting fears of recession:
By Forumlurker:

Nyman, Atlasia
Atlasian families may finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief with the inflation rate having dropped significantly in the past couple of months. The rate of inflation has now dropped to 8.9 percent annually, nearly a 1% drop from the peak annual inflation rate of 9.7% last November. However, not everyone is smiling at the news, with economists and investors alike worried that the rapid drop could lead to a recession. Renowned investor Warren Buffett has sounded the alarm especially loudly, warning of a recession worse than 2008 as “likely, if not inevitable.” His soothing words did little to help an already tumbling market in reversing its decline. Of course, his predictions are a bit more dire than the average prediction, which seems to be one of caution, but not panic.

Hawaiian independence protests turn violent:
By Forumlurker:

Honolulu, Hawaii
The ongoing pro-Hawaiian independence protests took a turn for the worst when several official Atlasian government offices along with a nearby McDonalds became the target of several Molotov cocktails, resulting in serious fire damage to both and seven recorded injuries in those uninvolved directly with the protests as a result of the incident. Additionally, police barricades were forcibly trounced, causing numerous additional injuries and completely shutting off traffic in the downtown. Post-pandemic, Hawaii had long been in a precarious position due to their tourism based economy taking sweet time to recover, but these recent protests have only further exacerbated the state’s already dire situation, with millions of dollars of revenue estimated to have already been lost due to the domestic situation. Unfortunately, it is incredibly likely that the escalation of such protests will not help. The Hawaiian Governor, has urged calm but his words appear to have fallen on deaf ears and the state guard in conjunction with local law enforcement forces is now deployed on streets across the state in the hopes of preventing further violence.

Silicon valley stocks continue to plummet, tech bubble bursting?
By Forumlurker:

Santa Clara, California
Although companies across Atlasia have been feeling the sting of the recent market losses, one sector in particular has been hit disproportionately hard by the recent downturn, the tech industry. Already returns have been dissipating with the most recent earnings reports noting losses of up to 5% in revenue earned in comparison to the previous fiscal quarter. To best illustrate the precariousness of the situation, the tech-heavy NASDAQ composite index saw a single day drop of over 800 points, one of the largest drops in the index’s history. Several tech companies, including giants such as Google, Uber, and Meta have begun mass layoffs, causing thousands to lose their jobs. The situation is grim this week, with little hope of a recovery anytime soon. Privately, several tech CEOs have expressed serious concern over the situation, blaming a wide range of factors for the contraction, but ultimately sharing common belief that the crisis will only deepen in the next few months.

Protests over secession rhetoric in The South:
By Authors:

Wichita, Kansas
For the past week, mass protests have swept the South, after Governor Young Texan unilaterally announced plans for the South’s secession from the Union. The Federal Government so far has struggled to intervene, despite President Cao’s announcement of the appointment of a commission to discuss the South’s status in relation to Atlasia at large.


The protests, largely peaceful at first, but often escalating into at times worrying violence, especially in states along the Lincoln and Fremont borders, has already caused millions in property damage, as well as the deaths of nine civilians, six of them in Baltimore during a protest march, two in Wichita when protesters set fire to the offices of the Wichita Eagle, killing both an opinion columnist and the sports editor, and one in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, when a protester ran over a CNN Cameraman with a golf cart.

Not all Southern Residents, however, oppose the idea of secession. The referendum passed with over 75% support, although some polls show that those supporting secession were more “soft” in their support than those who were not. Still, some states have higher levels of support for the move than others.  Indeed, in two states, Texas, and Alabama, secession has an overwhelming amount of support from the populace, and protests in both states were largely muted.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Benedict XVI dead at 95:
By NYE:




Vatican City, Vatican
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who, almost a decade ago became the first person to resign the Papacy in centuries, died on New Year’s Eve at ninety-five years old. His body has lied in state in the Sistine Chapel for the past week, and mourners from around the world are gathering at the Vatican to attend his funeral, which is expected to be later this month.
 
Benedict’s life was a life dedicated both to revitalizing traditions of the Catholic Church, but also facing down the ongoing sexual abuse controversy that has embroiled the Church for the better part of the last two decades.
 
Many are watching his successor, Francis, to see if he will follow Benedict’s example and resign his office himself.



Czech voters elect new President
By NYE:


Prague, Czechia
Voters in the Czech Republic have gone to the polls in the past month, seeking to elect a new President. The campaign, dominated in the late stages by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the Czech Republic’s support of Ukraine, has at times been nasty, especially between the front-runners, retired General Petr Pavel and former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, with Babis accusing Pavel of being the front man for a military dictatorship, and Pavel accusing Babis of corruption in office.
 
Czech Republic Presidential Election-First Round
 
Former Prime Minister Andrej Babis: Ano 2000: 29.89%
Retired General Petr Pavel- Independent- 29.05%
Former Ambassador to Ukraine, Former Ambassador to Russia and Former Minister without Portfolio Jaroslav Basta: SPD: 20.79%
Senator Pavel Fischer: Independent: 6.7%
Businessman Karel Divis: Independent: 5%
Rector of Mendel University Brno Danuse Nerudova: Independent: 4.7%
Senator Marek Hilser: Independent: 2%
Rector of Charles University Tomas Zima: Independent: 1.87%
 
The runoff saw the continuation and marked escalation of the attacks between Babis and Pavel, as the defeated candidates divided their endorsements relatively evenly (Divis, Nerudova and Hilser for Pavel, Fischer, and Zima for Babis. Basta did not endorse either candidate).
 Czech Republic Presidential Election-Runoff:
Petr Pavel 51.0795%
Andrej Babis 48.9205%

GREENLANDIC PARLIAMENT NARROWLY VOTES TO DELAY SOUTHERN ACQUISITION PROCEEDINGS, CITING STABILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
By Authors:

Nuuk, Greenland

In a narrow 17-14 vote in the Inatsisartut (Greenland’s Parliament), the Southern deal to try and annex the island was delayed, with most of Inuit Ataqatgiit (Inuit Community; a democratic socialist, pro-independence party that is the largest party in Greenland), opposing it, as well as a handful of members from other parties joining on, mostly from other pro-independence parties. Most of those voting against cited environmental concerns from possible oil exploration, even with Governor YoungTexan’s executive order meant to address these, or simply desire for independence rather than new ownership. Erik Jensen, a member of the Greenlandic Parliament and leader of Siumut (Forward; A social democratic, pro-independence party in government with IA) was quoted as saying “We are on the path to independence… Greenland is open for business, but it is not for sale”. However, it was the recent instability in the south following their focus towards greater autonomy and potential secession that caused the deal to fall apart. Niels Thompson, the only member of the Democrats (a liberal, pro-Danish union party) to vote against the deal, stated that “I could agree to these terms if we were not throwing ourselves into a nation which only last year suffered a near civil war, and is facing down a new one brought on by the region wanting us to join them. At a later time, perhaps we can work again, but not now.”

Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede (Inuit Ataqatgiit), told reporters that “while we will we always be open to listen to offers for anything, be it Independence or Union with another country if the situation is better than what we have now, what is going on in Atlasia and in the South specifically is definitely not better and would not benefit us here at all”.

Either way, this serves as a massive blow to Governor YoungTexan’s attempts to purchase Greenland for the South for the moment, and could shelf the whole plan entirely unless stability is restored and terms potentially re-negotiated.


France weighs leaving NATO
By Forumlurker:

Paris, France
In a relatively expected move, current French president, Marine Le Pen, has announced that France will begin negotiations to leave NATO. In her official speech to the press, Le Pen cited concerns over NATO policy breaching French autonomy, over the inability of “globalist” organizations to respond to threats that impact the French people, and the stability of The Republic of Atlasia which is by far the greatest contributor in funding to the alliance. Le Pen has also pushed for a withdrawal from the EU, a hallmark of her campaign and one that only further emphasizes the politician’s mistrust in European-wide organizations. The loss of France from NATO would be incredibly damaging to the ability of the alliance to function, with France being the largest army on the continent and a major industrial producer/transport hub between various parts of the continent.

Covid surge in China:
By Forumlurker:

Chongqing, China
As a result of the sudden unexpected lifting of the Covid-19 lockdowns and the entire “zero Covid” response which has been rigorously pursued since the start of the pandemic, new satellite data would suggest that there has been a significant Covid-19 surge in the country, despite official statistics stating otherwise. Hospitals in several Chinese cities currently appear to be exhibiting major traffic increases along with significant evidence of increased crematorium usage in recent days. Chinese officials have denied any reports of a Covid-19 surge, accusing the West of falsifying images in order to spread an anti-Chinese narrative. However, these allegations are unfounded and the epidemiological research community is fairly sure there is indeed a surge in China as a result of policy change. The change came after weeks of brutal protests resulting in several deaths and the temporary shutdown of several Chinese websites such as Weibo.


Bolsonaro Supporters storm the Brazilian Capitol:
By Forumlurker:

Brasilia, Brazil
After a contentious election, newly elected Brazilian president, Lula Da Silva, was likely hoping for a unifying start in the wake of the worst political polarization in decades in the country. Yet just eight days after his inauguration on January 1st, he would find himself in a secured building outside the city while the Capitol would burn. In what started off as a protest against the new administration devolved into a violent storming and destroying of the Capitol Building. Several windows and door entrances were breached at 2 PM local time and despite the “occupation” lasting only approximately 2 hours, rampant property damage was recorded, including what appeared to be a failed arson attempt. The damage costs are still being calculated, but the greater concern would be that of precedent. Already Brazil was in a dire state, with violent clashes between Lula and Bolsonaristos reported throughout the campaign season. Additionally, with inflation spiraling globally, crime rates surging, and the continued erosion of what little faith is left in the public government, it is likely this incident only adds to the delegitimization of the Brazilian state and the consequences to come.

Arrest of Khaled Ali video goes viral in Egypt:
By Forumlurker:

Cairo, Egypt
A brutal seizure of human rights advocate, Khaled Ali, has triggered outrage and mass protests against the current Egyptian government's human rights abuses and lack of democratic rights. On January 20th, Khaled Ali, an activist and crucial figure in the downfall of Mubarak, had his house stormed into by police officers who proceeded to push the man into a wall and upon knocking him out, began to beat Ali’s body bloody until finally forcing his arms into handcuffs and dragging him out in the dark. Unknown to the officers was that the family had already prepared well for such an incident, with several hidden security cameras operating independently capturing the event in real time. The footage was blocked on Egyptian social media almost as soon as it spread, but by that point the damage had already been done and the video was saved thousands of times before being taken down. Protests against the mishandling of the case have already begun to take the nation by storm, with especially sizable crowds in Alexandria and Cairo. So far, the protests have remained peaceful and there has been little crackdown, a relative shock to outside observers but a welcome one given the long history of violent crackdowns of political expression in the country. For context, Ali had already been barred from running for office in the presidential elections and has long been viewed as a major threat to the administration. However, it is still unclear what prompted this recent detainment.

Tigrayan War Truce Announced:
By Forumlurker:

Mekelle, Ethiopia
In a completely unexpected turn of events which few experts saw coming, a miracle breakthrough in talks between Ethiopia and the Tigrayan Government (TPLF) was announced earlier this month, with the provisions set to take place immediately upon the signing. A few weeks in and to the absolute shock and delight of international observers, the truce has more or less held, with only a few scattered incidences of violence, largely in the first few days after the truce had been announced. The first flights from Addis Ababa to the beleaguered northern region have helped bring vital food, medicine, and supplies to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the World currently. Additionally, hundreds of families who have been separated by the conflict have now finally been able to reunite. There still is reason for caution, as the truce is not a permanent deal by any means nor a formal conclusion to the conflict. Additionally, Al Shabaab and the Oromo Liberation Army both continue to operate within the country, meaning that while the situation has improved, especially in the North, there still remains significant ethnic conflict even post-truce.


Major Earthquake hits Turkey-Syria border, thousands dead
By Weatherboy

Gaziantep, Turkey

 It was still dark in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey when violent shaking woke most of the residents out of their slumber, immediately causing panic as pipes burst, cracks formed, and eventually buildings collapsed around and on top of many. The initial earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8, and rescue efforts were quickly underway. Aftershocks rocked the area not long afterward, many scoring about a 5.0 magnitude, but by noon it was assumed things had finally ended. They were wrong. An aftershock nearly as strong as the main earthquake at a magnitude of 7.5 struck north near Elbistan. Aftershocks are still being recorded as of the time of writing, with the aftershocks making a slanted T formation on a map, stretching from Göksun in the west, to south of Malatya in the east, and to the Mediterranean in the south.

The series of earthquakes have left devastation in their wake, and the damage, both economic and human, is yet to be fully known at the moment. Estimates have so far put the death toll over 7,000, with at least 35,000 injured. Economically, Turkey’s economy has suffered a blow as the Turkish Lira fell to a record low of 18.80 to the Dollar, and banks fell 5.5%. President Erdoğan has requested humanitarian aid to help rebuild.


Vote was unanimous.

[NewYorkExpress]

Confirming unanimous vote.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

confirming unanimous vote.

As clarification on the Greenland story, from the team, when it says "with most of Inuit Ataqatgiit ... opposing it" the "it" is the deal, they are in opposition to the southern deal, and were in favor of delaying proceedings.

[NewYorkExpress]

A Public Statement from NewYorkExpress

The GM Team does not condone anyone who tries to push us into writing a specific story or scenario. While we do take requests, we are not obligated to follow up on them if they are not realistic, would break the game, or would violate the terms of service of this forum.

A certain elected individual, who shall remain nameless, is attempting to dictate to us what to write. This is inappropriate, and may violate Atlasian law.

We will not be bullied. We will remain independent arbiters of canon within the bounds of the game.

NewYorkExpress

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Public Statement from WB

I concur with my fellow team member’s statement and add that the GM Team takes some offense to any accusations of bias towards any particular viewpoint. We often disagree on points and will debate internally on issues before publishing stories, in order to remove as much bias as possible. Insinuating that we are deliberately writing stories for our own views’ benefit is an insult to that process.

[It’s so Joever]

Greenland to set referendum for joining Atlasia:
By Forumlurker and Weatherboy,

Nuuk Greenland
Despite what appeared to be a push left for political death, new negotiations and increased benefits for Greenlanders pushed the government to reopen discussion on a bill to formally leave Denmark and join The Republic of Atlasia as a part of the Southern region. In a contentious but decisive 20-11 vote a non-binding referendum has been called and will be held on March 6th. The government of Greenland had pledged to honor the results of the referendum with the Danish government in turn also pledging to “respect the will of the Greenlandic people".

The opposition mainly came from IA, with 9 of the 11 nay votes coming from them, still citing environmental concerns. The other 2 nays were from members of Siumut. The impending inauguration of President-Elect Tack before the referendum puts many things in question, however, as the president-elect has signaled disapproval with the potential acquisition. Despite this, most within Greenland (aside from hardcore IA supporters) appear to be optimistic about the expanded plan, which seems to address the most common concerns about life for the average Greenlander.

Vote was unanimous

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

confirming unanimous vote

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

ATLASIAN PUBLIC ACTS - GREENLAND REFERENDUM SPECIAL EDITION

POLLS OPEN IN GREENLAND ON DEAL TO JOIN ATLASIA

By Weatherboy

Nuuk, Greenland - Polls opened this morning on the referendum to join Atlasia under the Southern Region’s latest deal. Though observers expect the referendum to pass rather comfortably, there is a question lingering about turnout and spoiled ballots in the race. Former members of Partii Inuit, a left-wing splinter party that broke from IA over their then support of rare earth mining (a stance the party no longer holds partially due to the break, which caused PI to disband after the change from IA) have been vocal in abstaining from voting or spoiling their ballots. Founder of the PI Nikku Olsen was quoted as saying “We can not give this sham idea of a referendum any legitimacy. They tempt us with gifts but what good are they if our environment is destroyed?” The second point especially has been the key of the opposition campaign, spearheaded by IA who seems to have hitched their future electoral hopes on being the only party to almost uniformly oppose the deal.

Despite these vigorous campaigns from the opposing side, the singular poll that has been able to be conducted showed the referendum passing by a wide margin, 65-35 once abstentions were removed. Still, polls are not always accurate, and as such it will need to be seen how the Greenlandic people vote as the results begin to come in.


GM Team Vote was unanimous

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

ATLASIAN PUBLIC ACTS - GREENLAND REFERENDUM SPECIAL EDITION

GREENLAND REFERENDUM RESULTS: ISLAND VOTES TO JOIN ATLASIA BY COMFORTABLE, BUT NARROWER THAN EXPECTED, MARGIN

By Weatherboy and Forumlurker

Nuuk, Greenland - Results flowed in last night and this morning regarding the referendum on the proposed deal to join Atlasia. As expected, the referendum ended in a victory for the proposal, but shockingly the margin was far closer than outside observers had thought was likely.



Aye won by a 16 point margin, but this was closer than the poll of the island, as well as outside observers, expected. The strongest areas of support against the agreement were the capital of Nuuk, and the far northern town of Qaanaaq. Nuuk can be explained by the more urban nature of the city meaning certain promises, such as snowmobiles, held less sway, while Qaanaaq is likely due to existing distrust of Atlasia and the former USA due to the continued presence of the Thule Air Base, especially since many of the current residents were forcibly displaced to Qaanaaq from the site of the air base. Otherwise, nay votes were mostly in areas of high support for IA in the 2021 election, though Nay did not run ahead of them by much. The more remote locales saw overwhelming support for the agreement, and helped carry it to victory.

Still, there is some doubt in the air due to the presence of the relatively strong abstention campaign from the former PI. Turnout was 55%, a full 10% lower than the 2021 election, and observers have argued that had the abstention campaign instead urged a Nay vote, the referendum could have been as close as 52-48 in favor, though no one has suggested the result would be a Nay victory.

Still, with this being a non-binding referendum, the ultimate decision will rest with the Greenlandic parliament. With a strong result for Aye, however, it seems like they will pass the agreement, much to the chagrin of IA.


Team vote was unanimous

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Lmao alrighty then. That was a surprise. Welcome!

[It’s so Joever]

Vote confirmed.

[Pericles]

Is this really what would have happened? Some of these stories stretch my suspension of disblief.