Atlasian Public Acts - Publication of the Game Engine

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

GAME ENGINE

GM Team: Weatherboy, NewYorkExpress, Forumlurker

CONTEXT

It was established on Article VI of the 5th Constitution that:

Fifth Constitution, Article VI, Section 1 (Game Engine):

All powers which the Congress shall deem necessary and proper for simulating either the impact of actions by the Republic of Atlasia, the several Regions, or the citizens thereof; or the actions of non-playable entities, shall be vested in a Game Engine.

The Congress shall have the power to establish the structure and powers of the Game Engine by appropriate legislation.

The Game Moderation Team (GM Team) is, as of late 2022, a body of three members representing the Game Engine. Nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate following the established procedure for Cabinet nominees, the Game Moderator is formally empowered by the Game Engine Restructuring and GM Team Creation Act to fulfill a key series of duties pertaining simulation of events and arbitration over accepted "reality", as follows:

Game Engine Reconstruction Act, Section 3:

i. The president shall appoint three (3) members of the game moderation team (henceforth referred to as "the GM team") with the advice and consent of the Senate.
ii. The GM team shall have power, except where limited elsewhere by this legislation:
(a) to simulate the effect of domestic and foreign legislation of the government of Atlasia and of the several regions;
(b) to simulate the actions of non-playable entities;
(c) to simulate domestic and global events;
(d) to be the final arbiter in all questions of the reality of events which occur during their tenure;
(e) to be the final arbiter on the reality of the status quo with respect domestic and global conditions.
iii. The word of the GM team, once spoken, is Canon, and may not be revoked by their successor.
iv. Members of the GM team may be removed from office according to the same provisions set in place for the impeachment of executive officers.
v. A majority of members of the GM team may not hold any other elected or appointed office in either the Federal or Regional Governments.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

NOBLE PREDECESSORS:

GM Kalwejt (I) : August 2016
GM Clyde1998: September - November 2016
GM Kalwejt (II) : November 2016 - February 2017
GM Dkrolga: February - June 2017
GM 1184AZ: June - November 2017
GM R2D2: November - December 2017
GM Harry S Truman: December 2017 - December 2018
GM Mr. Reactionary: December 2018 - December 2019
GM Ninja: January - April 2020
Pontifex Maximus Lumine (I) : April 2020 - March 2021
GM Peanut: March - October 2021
Pontifex Maximus Lumine (II) : October 2021 - March 2022
GM Crane: April 2022
GM Lumine (III) : May 2022 - Aug 2022

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

WORLD LEADERS:

Atlasia: President Joseph Cao
Argentina: President Alberto Fernandez
Australia: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Austria: Prime Minister Alexander Schallenberg
Bolivia: President Luis Arce
Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro
France: President Édouard Phillipe & Prime Minister Christian Jacob
Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
China: President Xi Jinping
Costa Rica: President Carlos Alvarado
Cuba: President Miguel Diaz Canel and First Secretary Raúl Castro
Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
Iran: Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei & President Hassan Rouhani
Israel: Prime Minister Benny Gantz and President Miriam Peretz
India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Ireland: Taoiseach Micheál Martin
Italy: Prime Minister Mario Draghi
Japan: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Mexico: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Netherlands: Prime Minister Mark Rutte
New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
North Korea: President Choe Ryong Hae & Prime Minister Ji Seong-ho
Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega
Paflagonia: President Kurt Narriman
Palestinian Authority: Mahmoud Abbas
Peru: President Pedro Castillo
Philippines: President Leni Robredo
Russia: President Vladimir Putin
Saudi Arabia King Salman
Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez
South Korea: President Lee Jae-myung
Syria: President Bashar al-Assad
Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
United Kingdom: Prime Minister Owen Smith
United Nations: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Vatican City: Pope Francis
Venezuela: President Leopoldo López

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Confirming unanimous vote.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Confirming vote

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Lumine gave the precedent during the KS crisis that the NPC government was still in office, so that's why I wrote this whole nullification story.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Author's Note:

All stories regarding the nullification of regional laws are now deemed non-canon. Although public support may exist for such a thing, until new state legislatures are elected no such events can take place.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

ATLASIAN PUBLIC ACTS

DOMESTIC

ATLASIA ELECTS: PRESIDENT CAO REELECTED, SENATE EVENLY DIVIDED.
By NewYorkExpress

The October Presidential Elections were historic, as President Cao and Vice President ReaganClinton became the first ticket to be reelected in several years, bringing stability to Atlasia at a time when the country badly needs it. With decisions to be made over what to do about a possible intervention in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as spiking inflation, and a foreign policy dispute with Israel, Cao’s second term will have a full plate to deal with.

Many ordinary citizens are celebrating. Federalist Party activist Ron DeSantis stated that the President is a “great man who deserved reelection after bringing stability to our great nation”.

Others, however, have been bowed their heads in defeat. New York Barista and social organizer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who attended a rally for Labor nominee Devout Centrist and was a prominent staffer for Labor Vice Presidential nominee Peebs stated that she was “depressed, and spent today, after the result was called for Cao, in my bedroom eating Ice Cream and binge-watching Game of Thrones.”

The February Presidential race is already beginning to take shape, as Spark has announced a bid to run for the Federalist nomination.

Florida recovers from Hurricane Ian
By NewYorkExpress

Hurricane Ian, which devastated Cuba, Florida and the Carolinas less than two weeks ago, killing at least 137 people, and causing over $50 billion in damages, has caused agony for many across the South.

Sanibel Island, where Ian came ashore, has been completely cut off from the rest of Florida, and an intense debate in the South and across Nyman is expected about rebuilding. At least one person, Michelle Knotworth of Naples, Florida, has stated that she thought “it was time to abandon hurricane prone areas like Florida”.

Some scientists believe that Ian’s strength is related to global climate change, but many are cautioning into drawing inferences into linking any one storm to global climate change.

DIA Bust!
By Forumlurker

“God save the Queen!”

These were the rallying cries of approximately 50-100 conspiracy theorists who had long threatened to storm the DIA airport to “find” the Late Queen Elizabeth, who they alleged was still alive and hiding in a bunker under the DIA airport. The conspiracy began on 4chan and was mostly seen as an inside internet joke, until some people took it literally. When this small group of theorists rushed into the DIA gates, security had already been well prepared, and nearly a dozen have been detained for attempting to deface property and for creating public unrest in an airport. The DIA airport has long been the source of theories, but since the incident, a webpage devoted to these theories on the website has been taken down, likely to prevent further spread.

While the incident itself resolved relatively quickly and only minor disturbances to operations were reported as a result of this “raid”, it does further demonstrate how the internet has become a source of misinformation and extremism, including an increasingly viral theory known as “O-Anon”. Just months after OBD’s controversy in Nyman and a constitutional crisis which followed, a growing number of searches have been related to a strange new theory known as O-Anon. Essentially, this theory states that OBD was actually a reformer, about to release a ton of information exposing every political party in Atlasia as being complicit in a pedophilic ring. This theory has no evidence and yet has gained traction, with even a few local labor candidates across the country beginning to adopt these theories. There remains concern by experts that Atlasian Democracy is still at major risk of downfall in the next decades, and these theories do little to calm those concerns.
 
Inflation Continues to Woe Atlasia
By Forumlurker

In a devastating blow to prior optimism among economists, this month’s CPI report shows that inflation continues to remain stubbornly high in Atlasia. Driving the high numbers is the recently concluded “blockade” of Taiwan along which has led to a significant disruption in supply chains that already were frazzled due to Covid-19. Currently, inflation has increased by 9.7% over the last year, a staggering figure that continues to worsen each month. Economists believe that extreme austerity measures may be the only way to address the spiraling problem, but acknowledge that doing such risks a major recession. Consumer Confidence has also taken a hit, reaching record lows this year. This likely is a result of inflation itself scaring consumers, however, the one silver lining is that low enough consumer confidence may be what is needed to finally curb purchases and cool the overheated economy.

What is interesting is despite the record low consumer confidence and sky high inflation, spending patterns seem to have remained relatively unchanged from their frenzied highs earlier this year. A reduction in the velocity of money is likely necessary to reduce inflation, but that seems to not be manifesting despite most conventional theories suggesting a drop in spending with lower consumer confidence. It is possible that further inflation expectations are driving Atlasians to buy more now out of fear of major price surges. Unfortunately, such spending can lead to a cycle of never ending inflation without severe austerity measures and rate hikes. All of these would likely cause a recession, but are the only policy tools left to resolve the cost of living crisis.

With the release of the new inflation report, stocks plummeted due to fears among investors of a rate hike. Ironically, the news of high inflation also caused commodity prices to lower consistently. However, these are extremely short term losses caused by worries of a recession, but are not likely to continue. Either way, the Cao administration will have a lot on their plate…while the Atlasian people will have less due to the cost of groceries.

INTERNATIONAL

BLOCKADE OF TAIWAN OVER, REPORTS OF UNREST ON CHINESE MAINLAND
By Weatherboy

KEELUNG CITY, TAIWAN - As men began to board a vessel to take the place of another returning from the night shift on Thursday morning, an urgent message was received. The PRC navy was retreating.

As the day went on it became more clear that this was not a small group of deserters, but in fact the end of the naval and aerial blockade. After 10 months of hardship and near-collapse of morale, Taiwan has held. President Tsai made a speech shortly after it became clear that the blockade was ending, talking at great length about the “camaraderie and unity of our people in the face of overwhelming odds'', as well as thanking “our great allies both inside and outside for their aid in these trying times.” Indeed, Atlasia’s decision to airlift supplies, reminiscent of the Berlin airlift in the 1940s, is credited with saving the island from devastation if not outright collapse.

Although the blockade is over and supplies may return to the island, the damage that has been done will still last for months if not years, and death tolls are believed to be in the thousands due to food shortages and cyber attacks affecting hospitals. President Tsai has publicly requested that allied nations send aid packages to rebuild and also to mitigate potential issues with blockades in the future, mostly through expanding storage capabilities and increasing self-sufficiency by improving the agricultural industry, including expanding vertical farming. Some Atlasian groups, mainly including workers in the fields Taiwan wants to expand, have raised objections to aid going to the nation for this purpose, with one statement saying that “Atlasia should not be helping nations take away our job market.”

Speculation abounds regarding the reasons for the PRC’s withdrawal from the blockade, but reports out of the mainland have painted a picture of widespread discontent as the cost of the blockade mounted. Images that have circulated on social media show protesters facing armed troops, and in one case overrunning a tank. These protests may also be fuelled by a burnout from continued COVID lockdowns, although how many protesters joined for which reason is near impossible to ascertain.

On top of this, a report of a mass riot in a prison camp in the Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang has also surfaced, with recently released satellite imagery confirming a large fire in the area believed to house security. Aside from this, however, there is little known about the damage caused or whether similar incidents have happened at other camps. It is speculated, however, that military force is being dispatched to the area to put down the riots, a force which may have been unavailable with the ongoing blockade. The PRC’s military capabilities were severely crippled after the North Korean Civil War, and as such the consensus opinion is that the PRC could not maintain the blockade and keep domestic stability at the same time.

There is some questions surrounding how much confidence military and other officials in the PRC have in Xi Jinping after this failure, especially due to the cost of maintaining the blockade for what ended up being no gain, but from the outside it appears his position remains stable, if slightly less so than before.

East African Drought
By Forumlurker

Due to historic weather conditions, the Horn of Africa is seeing its worst drought in over 40 years. Somalia is especially being hit hard, with millions of Somalis living in food insecurity and a very possible mass famine on the horizon. It does not help Somalia nor neighboring Ethiopia and Eritrea that there remains major instability in the region, and experts fear those tensions could rise as the food supply dwindles.

However, when asked about the weather conditions, Ethiopian PM Abiy Amhed addressed reporters emphasizing that,”Ethiopia is secure and will persevere through these tough conditions. Thanks to the resilience of our farmers and the assistance of other producers we can rely on for extra grain, we will make it through the crisis a stronger and better nation.” However, people are less optimistic, with panic buying activity and hoarding already being reported throughout the region.

 The region already became the spotlight of attention after several high profile terrorist attacks, including the recent mass shooting in Addis Ababa this New Year. On a silver lining, recent analysts have noticed a sudden drop in military activity along the Tigrayan battlefront, perhaps signaling a deescalation of the conflict soon.

France Moves to Right as Marine Le Pen is elected President, Socialists hold Narrow Parliamentary Majority.
By NewYorkExpress

Over the past month, France held its Presidential and Parliamentary elections, with the Government of President Edouard Phillipe and Prime Minister Christian Jacob on the line. Phillipe’s popularity had dropped dramatically throughout the past few years, as France responded to COVID-19, and the burning of Notre Dame, proved to one disaster too many for Phillipe to recover from, as a scandal that emerged in the weeks before the election showed money meant to be going for the reconstruction of Notre Dame instead going into the campaign coffers of Phillipe and his political party, leading prosecutors in Paris to open a criminal investigation.

Polls a few months out showed Phillipe as far down as fourth or fifth place, and despite improving as the situation between Russia and Ukraine deteriorated it was just too little, too late.

One of the bigger stories of the election was the near revival of the late Emmanuel Macron’s La Republique En Marche, now under the leadership of Stanislas Guerini who pulled of a shock fourth place finish despite essentially being left for dead with no resources at the beginning of the campaign, due the party’s collapse following Macron’s death.

French Presidential Election-First Round
National Assemblywoman Marine Le Pen (National Rally): 19%
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (Socialist) 18.46%
Incumbent Edouard Phillipe (Les Republicans) 18.12%
Assemblyman Stanislas Guerini (La Republic En Marche) 17.21%
Pau Mayor Francois Bayrou (MoDem) 9.97%
Assemblyman Jean-Christophe Lagarde (UDI) 9.52%
Assemblyman Jean-Luc Melenchon (LFI) 7.72%

The runoff between Le Pen and Hidalgo, scheduled for September 27, was unusually nasty, between a high-profile right-wing politician with authoritarian leanings, and a left-wing politician, whose city is in the spotlight as they host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

However, it was Le Pen who emerged victorious, as Hidalgo ran up the margins in Paris, but lost to Le Pen almost everywhere else, much to the horror of many in Europe.

French Presidential Election, Runoff:
Marine Le Pen: 54.768%
Anne Hidalgo 45.232%
President Before the Election-Edouard Phillipe
President After the Election- Marine Le Pen

The Parliamentary elections, meanwhile, saw Hidalgo’s NUPES grouping take a narrow majority in the National Assembly, and a slightly larger majority in the Senate. Le Pen has thus chosen former Ecology Minister Segolene Royal as her first Prime Minister.

French Parliamentary Elections:
National Assembly:
NUPES: 309 seats
Ensemble: 100 seats
National Rally: 80 seats
The Republicans: 75 Seats
LIOT: 13 seats

Senate:
SER: 177 seats
LR: 71 seats
UC: 35 seats
RDSE: 26 seats
CRCE: 19 seats
LIRT: 18 seats
RDPI: 2 seats

Burkina Faso Faces Military Ccoup
By Forumlurker

Once again, the avenues of Ouagadougou were rife with intense gunfire exchanges as the second power transfer in the past year took place in Burkina Faso. However this was no ordinary election, but rather the second coup to have hit the land of upright men in 2022. Both coups took place amidst growing concerns over national security in the country due to continued terrorist attacks by Islamic Extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda.

This violence began (and still takes place) in Mali, but has since spread to neighboring countries, being a constant source of fear for the millions of Burkinabes, especially in the North and Eastern parts of the country. Although yet another promise was made to end these attacks, security experts and policymakers have little reason to believe that there is likely to be a significant decrease in the numbers, with a possibility of increased violence due to price pressures which have further caused living conditions to deteriorate in the already impoverished country.

Beyond Burkina Faso, experts fear a rise in the strength of Islamic extremist groups in the Sahel, especially as food insecurity increases and popular dissatisfaction/desperation continues to rise.

Lula Returns to Presidency of Brazil, Avoids Runoff
By NewYorkExpress

Brazil went to the polls today to vote for the Presidency in a referendum on President Jair Bolsonaro, whose popularity has declined at home due to his response to COVID-19, and internationally, due to his allowing the Amazon rainforest to be burned by ranchers and land speculators.

The election was scheduled for two rounds, with the winner needing to clear 50% of the vote to win outright.

Bolosonaro’s biggest threat throughout the campaign had been the candidacy of Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Once imprisoned as part of the Operation Car Wash Scandal, Da Silva’s political comeback was made complete, with his outright victory in the First Round.

Brazilian General Election

Worker’s Party:  Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva: 51.452%
Liberal Party: Incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro: 29. 657%
Christian Democracy: Former Federal Deputy Jose Maria Eymeal 8.564%
Democratic Labour: Former Federal Deputy Ciro Gomes 7.353%
Brazil Union:  Senator Soraya Thronicke: 1.628%
Brazilian Democratic Movement: Senator Simone Tebet: 1.256%

President Before Election: Jair Bolsonaro

President After Election: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Russia-Ukraine Stalemate Continues, Zelensky Commissar Order Quietly Repealed.
By NewYorkExpress

As the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine stretches into what looks like a stalemate, causing some observers, such as retired Atlasian diplomat and Ukraine expert Marie Yovanovitch to opine that the situation, which continues to see a stalemated conflict zone of troops fighting near Sumy, and near Dinipro, as well as a third hot zone as part of a Ukrainian offensive towards Crimea, is comparable to the Korean War between North Korea and China and the former United States and South Korea between 1950 and 1953, which technically hasn’t ended, and is only will have considered to end once both countries ratify the Panmunjom framework. That war spent many years bogged down in a stalemate, and Yovanovitch, speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, stated that this one likely would remain one too, unless NATO got involved, or Atlasia intervened by itself.

One of the most aggressive acts of the war, meanwhile, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, based on the Nazi’s Commissar orders, requiring the execution of any captured Russian soldiers, was quietly repealed after widespread disobedience from Ukrainian soldiers, and threats to bring Zelensky before the International Criminal Court on War Crimes charges.

A UN resolution, proposed by the United Kingdom, to institute sanctions against both Ukraine and Russia is awaiting a vote, but it is expected to be vetoed by Russia, and possibly China.

Russia-Ukraine War Divides Europe
By NewYorkExpress

European leaders over the past few weeks have largely been divided by the war between Russia and Ukraine, and how best to respond to it.
Newly sworn in Italian Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and British Prime Minister Owen Smith have led a group of nations (Italy, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Malta, Greece, Switzerland) that have either sought to remain neutral or sanction both sides. Meanwhile, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, leads a bloc of Nations, mostly former Soviet satellite states, but also represented by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Austrian Prime Minister Alexander Schallenberg are openly siding with Ukraine. Finally, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, and newly elected French President Marine Le Pen, have openly declared their support for Russia.

Many other countries around the world are waiting to see what Atlasia will do, but many believe any decision on what to do in this conflict will not happen until after the swearing in of the new Congress, and Atlasian political and military analysts believe that involving the military could lead to catastrophic results.


GM Team Vote was Unanimous

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

ATLASIAN PUBLIC ACTS - NEW YEARS 2023 EDITION

DOMESTIC

Elon Musk buys Twitter, immediately bans multiple Atlasian Politicians:
 
By NewYorkExpress
 Business magnate Elon Musk’s purchase of social media site Twitter, for $44 million became official last week, and today several Atlasian politicians woke up to find that they were permanently banned from the popular social media site for no explainable reason.
 
Among the victims are Lincoln Deputy Dwarven Dragon, Fremont First Minister and Secretary of State Scott, Vice President ReaganClinton and Senator-Elect Spiral.
 
None of the politicians have made posts that violated Twitter’s terms of service in the past six months.
 
No one at Twitter was able to be reached about the bans in question at press time.
 
Scientists Warn of wildfire risk in Fremont
By Forumlurker
 
Garden City, Kansas: In the midst of what has currently been one of the worst droughts in recent history for much of Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado, scientists have become increasingly worried of a potential wildfire risk looming on the horizon. Although not currently the typical fire season by any means, local environmental researchers have noted the historic low levels of precipitation coupled with a lack of safeguards in place may lead to a serious risk of a large-scale disaster. In the words of local Kansas meteorologist, Jeff Elliot, “Forget the dust bowl, we are looking at a fire bowl if we do not prepare as a community and as a country.”
This would not be the first time the region has suffered from wildfires, with the Anderson Creek Fire just last year burning hundreds of thousands of acres.
 
Another potential worry is that the violence/instability this year in Kansas could have impacted emergency response teams negatively. Although as a whole the state is still operating normally, some small towns in Western Kansas remain bitterly divided over the tensions that escalated just a few months ago. While services are back at full capacity, social trust remains lacking in these formerly tight knit communities, and journalists on the ground have noted a feeling of tension even now. Southern and Fremonter flags are seen hanging throughout, representing a sharp new social cleavage that would be unfathomable to people here just a few years ago.
 
Whether or not a wildfire would exacerbate these tensions is unknown, but both local police and fire departments are on high alert and preparing for the worst.
 
Carole Baskin Arrested at Florida Home, Statement from Southern AG Expected
By Weatherboy
 
TAMPA, FLORIDA – With the passage of S.22-4.72, the Tiger King Act, earlier this week, many expected swift action to be taken against Carole Baskin, with a point included that singled out the case of the 1997 disappearance of her husband, Don Lewis. Those expectations were proved correct early this morning as a warrant to search the premises of Big Cat Rescue Corp. was issued, and Tampa Police were spotted at the scene around 8:45. Police maintained a perimeter around the premises, meaning that news outlets were only able to see minor details of the search. By the end, however, around 9:30 am, Carole Baskin was led out to a police car in handcuffs, screaming obscenities at the officers and at least once saying “The bastard deserved it!”. A statement from the Southern Attorney General is expected later today, to clarify the situation.
 
Social Advocacy Organizations and Atlasian Business owners condemn Atlasian bill
By Forumlurker
 
In a recent piece of legislation passed in Nyman, the consideration of race, gender, or other factors in hiring along with strict limitations on diversity training and goals were pushed onto companies greater than 25 people in size. Although labeled as an “anti-racism” act, numerous racial and social advocacy organizations such as the NAACP have come out and condemned this decision, citing it as overly restrictive on diversity training and as attempting to erase history by forcing silence in training on mentions of racism in Atlasian society.
“It is a shame that the Cao administration and MrReactionary would rather forcibly shut down crucial conversations on systemic biases within Atlasia that have persisted as a result of our history and culture than address these issues for a stronger Atlasia.”
Additionally, such legislation also would likely come into conflict with a number of hiring programs companies seek to increase their representation of different demographics. As one anonymous CEO told us, “The fact is, we need diversity to know how to advertise to different demographics. We need diversity to understand how to expand our outreach and markets. The current government is forcing businesses to ignore key tenets of business and marketing for their social agenda.”
Many experts on the topic who wish to remain anonymous out of fear of potential repercussions have shared similar sentiments, arguing that while there is a legitimate conversation to be held, that this bill may severely hurt businesses long term.
 
Thousands of deadbeat Southern Parents protest at making child support payable from conception
By NewYorkExpress
 
Over 75,000 deadbeat parents of both genders marched in Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, and Dallas, over legislation, the Child Support Begins at Conception Act, that recently passed the Chamber of Delegates by a unanimous vote. While the march was peaceful in Dallas, Miami, and Atlanta, three people were arrested in New Orleans after a police car was overturned and another police car was set on fire. Officers are still looking for two more suspects in those circumstances.
 
Meanwhile, someone, believed to be a deadbeat parent, mailed a letter with a suspicious white powder to Governor LouisvilleThunder, along with a note warning him not to sign the legislation. Tests on the powder for anthrax came back negative, and the powder was revealed to be granulated sugar.
 
There has been no response from the Governor’s office to this point.
 
Mysterious kidnappings in Utah places state on edge
By Forumlurker
 
Provo, Utah The Salt Lake Valley is widely considered by many of its residents as a refuge of family values and community, a last vestige of a time long passed when neighbors were friends and the church brought the towns together. That is what made a series of kidnappings across the state, from Springville to Bingham City, extremely shocking. Over the past month, 20+ children have reportedly gone missing in recent days. Additional missing children cases which the FBI considers possibly connected are present in Oregon, Montana, and Colorado. However, the vast majority still are in Utah, suggesting some local actors. Parents are on edge, many who previously would not have thought twice about letting their children play outside now tracking their kids every movement. Local police have attempted to maintain a sense of calm, but as the numbers grow higher each week, and as zero of the missing children have been found at this point, parents are hugging their children extra tight tonight.
 

INTERNATIONAL
 
 
PANMUNJOM FRAMEWORK FINALLY GOES INTO EFFECT
 
By Weatherboy
 
PANMUNJOM, KOREAN DMZ – The Presidents of North and South Korea, Choe Ryong-hae and Lee Jae-myung, finally shook hands on December 15th at the site of so many talks before, as the Panmunjom Framework for reunification finally went into effect. Having passed many hurdles, especially the South Korean public’s skepticism of the framework, the agreement creates a Korean Economic Community as well as a 10-year period before a referendum on reunification will occur. Migration controls, amnesty for the new regime, and slow disarming of the ”demilitarized” zone also went into effect, with Presidents Ryong-hae and Jae-myung welcoming a North Korean family, already approved for entry in preparation for the event, into South Korea, while also welcoming a South Korean into North Korea. It’s a surprising sign of how far the divided peninsula has come in the process of reunification. In a joint statement, the Presidents said “In 10 years we hope to stand here among many others to witness the family of Korea become one again.”
 
WORLD CUP: ARGENTINA BRINGS IT HOME AMONG CONTROVERSIAL TOURNAMENT
 
By Weatherboy
 
DOHA, QATAR – Cheers rang out for miles around in Doha, and in many cities in Argentina, as Gonzalo Montiel’s penalty shot skidded into the goal, clinching the final game for his home country after almost losing it for them by giving competing France a penalty near the end of extra time, one which tied the game 3-3 and left the fate of the tournament to a penalty shootout.
The dramatic end of the tournament, normally something that would easily be the most memorable thing about it, instead contends with several other events and controversies surrounding the event for that spot.
Atlasian activist groups protested in attempts to force Atlasia to refuse participation in the games, citing Qatar’s poor human rights record. These worries were exacerbated by the complete ban of any rainbow attire, whether intended to support LGBT+ people or not. Grant Wahl, an Atlasian journalist, was detained for wearing such a shirt, something widely criticized in the media and led to extreme scrutiny of his death later on during the games, although an autopsy conducted in New York led to the cause of death being ruled an aortic aneurysm, with no indication of foul play.
This has not stopped many from claiming that Qatar had him killed. Another incident occurred with a man running onto the field during a game between Portugal and Uruguay, waving a rainbow flag and wearing a shirt saying “PEACE IN UKRAINE” on one side and “RESPECT FOR IRANIAN DEMOCRACY” on the other. The man was detained but released shortly after.
These two events were among many that surround the tournament in controversy arguably more notable than the tournament itself. While the diplomatic position of Qatar is certainly amplified, so too are the issues surrounding it, something which has caused Western investment in the nation to, ironically, plummet. Only time will tell how much hosting the cup has impacted the small Gulf nation, as they look to recoup their costs from building several stadiums that are unlikely to see heavy use as the legions of fùtbol fans return home.
 
Weibo Operations shutdown
By Forumlurker
 
Chongqing, China: With the recent protests over Covid-19 restrictions in mainland China having yet to have fully simmered despite expectations and promises by the CCP, Chinese authorities have begun to crack down on dissent through a series of emergency measures, including a temporary nationwide shutdown of the popular social media site, Weibo. While likely unknown to most Atlasians, Weibo is one of the most used social media websites in China, functioning as almost a Chinese version of Twitter, but with far more scrutiny and censorship by the government. However, even with such scrutiny, recent trends in Weibo traffic have found numerous code phrases for anti lockdown and anti-Xiist sentiment have begun trending rapidly since the start of these protests with no drop. Additionally, Weibo has been one of several platforms utilized to organize and coordinate protests against the regime.
 
Chinese officials announced a temporary shutdown of Weibo operations  due to potential user security issues, citing numerous phishing scams as the main reason for the shutdown. However, outside observers are near unanimous in their assertion that this shutdown has little to do with phishing, and much more to do with preventing further protests as much as possible. Despite these measures, protests still continue in the streets, with an estimated 32 people having been killed in the past few weeks as a result of the protest instability. Although verified sources are difficult to come by, we currently do have evidence that these protests are ongoing despite attempts at crackdown.
 
Jiang Zemin dead at 96
By NewYorkExpress
 
Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who led China out of isolation after the crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and is responsible for returning Hong Kong and Macau to China, died at 96 years old of complications from Leukemia, and Multiple Organ Failure.
 
Chinese Paramount Leader Xi Jinping has announced thirty days of mourning for Zemin. For Jinping, who faces protests at home, and international condemnation of his failed blockade of Taiwan, Zemin’s death and the mourning is a chance to restore his, and the Chinese Communist Party’s popularity.
 
Violent protests surge in Pakistan over COI, flooding response, Imran Khan
By Forumlurker
 
Rawalpindi, Pakistan: Pakistan has been no stranger to instability this past year. With the drama surrounding Imran Khan and him having been ousted from his PM role along with the devastating floods, protests have continued to surge across the country and are showing no signs of simmering down.
This past month with the assasination attempt on Khan (who has made a near full recovery), protests had been paused temporarily, but with his recovery have become even more prominent as a call for early elections has become a rallying cry across the country. Although Khan has since delayed his planned march to Islamabad out of “security concerns”, police and military are preparing for the worst, with civilian buildings being used to store and shelter soldiers at this point. Experts in the region fear further escalations could lead to the destabilization of the already fragile state.
 
Tigrayan Truce
By Forumlurker
 
Mekelle, Ethiopia: Despite worries of a further escalation of the Ethiopian-Tigrayan conflict, especially with the now infamous church terrorist attack in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian and Tigrayan officials shocked the World with the annuncement of a truce between the two forces for the time being. The humanitarian truce agreed upon will end the two years of war which has beleaguered the region. Additionally, the truce allowed for the first humanitarian aid packages to be sent to the Tigray region which has faced a severe humanitarian crisis in recent months due to a lack of supplies causing mass starvation and disease outbreaks. It should be noted for observers that this truce does not represent a complete end of hostilities by any means. Officially, the war is still going on and while fighting has ceased, a truce is not a guarantee of peace as has been seen in recent history. However, negotiators are cautiously optimistic about the prospects of a peaceful arrangement, with AU head Macky Sall expressing a belief that the war would be officially over by June next year.
Outside observers do remain skeptical given anecdotal reports of continued clashes between militias and looting within the region itself. Additionally, there remains a fear that Eritrea will seek to escalate the situation further even as peace talks proceed. Others have noted that this could be a cynical ploy by the Abiy regime to take time to consolidate power and crack down upon the Oromo and Al Shabaab pressures domestically before moving forwards with a final push into the Tigrayan heartland.
 
Skepticism over Tunisian elections among populace
By Forumlurker
 
Tunis, Tunisia: Walking along the streets of Tunis, one would be hard pressed to find anything out of the ordinary in the country. From the outside, it appears to be relatively stable and prosperous, especially in comparison with its unfortunate neighbor to the east. However, below the veneer lies a feeling of doubt and cynicism among the Tunisian people going into what is technically an election this month. But ask any Tunisian, and they will say otherwise,
 
“It is all a sham, our votes do not matter here.” (Anonymous)
These words reflect a complete deterioration of opinion of current president, Kais Saied, who took power two years ago and has passed a series of controversial measures designed to reduce competition and consolidate his power over the country. Voter participation is expected to be extremely low due to such pessimism, and an air of unease looms as inflation woes and corruption charges further reduce trust in the government’s ability to serve the population.
 
 
Putin invites Mongolia to join the CTSO
By Forumlurker
 
Moscow, Russia: As tensions increase in Ukraine and the country appears to be on the brink of war, Putin showed earlier today his desire to look east as well. In a speech to the press, Putin reported that he was “hereby inviting our Mongolian brothers to join our Collective Security Organization”. Some foreign policy experts wonder whether this is a cynical move to further establish Mongolia as a strong buffer state against a rising China. While the Russo-Sino relationship has long been relatively ignored by the media, the two have not always been so close, with former president Nixon even capitalizing off of the differences between the two in his infamous Ping-pong Diplomacy strategy. Either way, how Atlasia and CHina respond will be of interest to observers invested in the region, even if it is unlikely Mongolia does accept the offer.
 
Peruvian Crisis, Castillo impeached, arrested
By NewYorkExpress
 
Unpopular Peruvian President Pedro Castillo began today by attempting to dissolve the Peruvian Congress, and pass a new Constitution, the nature of which is currently unknown, to avoid facing impeachment charges. He ends today in a jail cell, facing charges of Rebellion.
Dina Boularte, who had been Vice President, will be elevated to the Presidency, and become the first female President in Peru’s history. However, with over 60% of Peruvians supporting early elections as recently as September, Boularte has a rocky road ahead if she wants to win the Presidency in her own right in the future.
For Castillo, who has faced numerous investigations since being sworn in, this likely the end of the road for his political career.

 
Peruvian Army massacres civilians in Ayacucho
By NewYorkExpress
 
Protests against the government of newly sworn in President of Peru Dina Boularte reached a boiling point in Ayacucho, as demonstrators demanding the resignation of Boularte’s government and immediate elections, stormed the airport, leading to eighteen dead, and fifty-nine injured.
The Minister of Education, Patricia Correra, and the Minster of Culture, Jair Perez, have resigned in protest, while Congressman Alex Flores (Peru Libre) has become a rising star in his party after filing a constitutional complaint against the Ministries of Defense and Interior for their roles in the massacre.
 
Boularte has pledged to hold elections no later than 2024, but that is not enough for the protesters, who want immediate elections, and many of whom want the return of Castillo to power.
 
It remains to be seen what this dynamic will do for Peru.



GM Team vote was unanimous

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

confirming unanimous vote

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

confirming unanimous vote.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

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.

[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.

[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

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

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

Same here. It's totally unrealistic and the foundations were not laid well at all. But the mods have spoken

Regardless of the personal beliefs of the GM team it would be unrealistic for people to vote against such a large stipend, snowmobiles, and housing. Whether current and future developments will cause a change in viewpoints will be seen.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

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

Same here. It's totally unrealistic and the foundations were not laid well at all. But the mods have spoken

Regardless of the personal beliefs of the GM team it would be unrealistic for people to vote against such a large stipend, snowmobiles, and housing. Whether current and future developments will cause a change in viewpoints will be seen.

You think it’s completely unrealistic for people to vote against becoming part of a completely separate country they have no cultural connection to and don’t even use the operative language of, simply because they are being offered snowmobiles?

It’s actually comical. This GM team’s idea of ‘realism’ is to unilaterally declare that Ukrainians are Nazis and Greenlanders are dying to be colonized by Atlasia. One year ago, a proposed deal involving Taiwan was considered so unrealistic that we created emergency powers to reverse those edicts (powers which, since then, have already been flagrantly abused for the sake of convenience). But we’re supposed to be okay with this?

For years, this game had Game Moderators who went to great lengths to ensure foreign policy in this game was a realistic, playable simulation. I don’t know why the current team insists on repeatedly spitting in the face of their legacy.

Do you even know what you're talking about? All that was done was undo a mistake we made regarding a story that was impossible to happen since the NPC legislators were no longer in office. That was a mistake on our part and especially mine since I wrote said story, and I owned up to that and led the effort to undo the mistake. The Ukraine story as NYE said had them repeal that act and the point was to make the situation more interesting because there were no clearly defined "good guys".

You can disagree on Greenland, but fact is that average people are swayed by promises of money. I haven't been in favor of it pretty much since it was first proposed. You can ask YT about that. When he first messaged me about that I immediately said no and blocked him at the time. But I can't ignore the way normal people behave, in order to push something I believe. To do so would be a dereliction of my duty as GM to remain as impartial as possible. Doing such things is how we get issues like the Taiwan debacle.

I will say the current turmoil going on in Atlasia over this issue will effect this and other foreign policy issues, and we will strive to remain as realistic as we can with this.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

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

Same here. It's totally unrealistic and the foundations were not laid well at all. But the mods have spoken

Regardless of the personal beliefs of the GM team it would be unrealistic for people to vote against such a large stipend, snowmobiles, and housing. Whether current and future developments will cause a change in viewpoints will be seen.

You think it’s completely unrealistic for people to vote against becoming part of a completely separate country they have no cultural connection to and don’t even use the operative language of, simply because they are being offered snowmobiles?

It’s actually comical. This GM team’s idea of ‘realism’ is to unilaterally declare that Ukrainians are Nazis and Greenlanders are dying to be colonized by Atlasia. One year ago, a proposed deal involving Taiwan was considered so unrealistic that we created emergency powers to reverse those edicts (powers which, since then, have already been flagrantly abused for the sake of convenience). But we’re supposed to be okay with this?

For years, this game had Game Moderators who went to great lengths to ensure foreign policy in this game was a realistic, playable simulation. I don’t know why the current team insists on repeatedly spitting in the face of their legacy.

Sometimes, people do have different ideas of what is and isn’t realistic. The South did offer every material thing that Greenlanders are seeking according to many polls. Whether that alone is enough id it’s own debate, we chose one side but understand your skepticism. I will say…if something seems off and weird though…maybe there is a deeper reason for it as well.

Stay tuned.

Well, you see, it isn't realistic for anything to happen unless it's the South being completely razed to the ground through the divine will of God, with every man, woman, and child being killed and every conservative in the country, meanwhile, spontaneously bursting into flames.

Remind me never to vote for you again.

My comment was in defense of the GM Team?

Sarcasm/Joking is hard for some people to detect online, hence why /s and /j have become popular in recent years. I understood what you meant but he might not have

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

It is funny to see the "as an unemployed leftwing liberal pro gressive, I of course would turn down $80K, a 20% annual raise, a free house and vehicle, and more autonomy than I currently have if it means drilling icky dirty oil by icky southerners who arent in Philcord" responses to this as though human nature and game theory havent been considered.

The offer is better for the vast majority of Greenlanders than the status quo or independence. Rational actors would choose the option if you dont view them through the racist lens of the "noble savage".

This is stupid. We are to believe that rational actors would choose to forgo all rights of self-determination and put themselves entirely at the mercy of a successor state to the country that has, over three centuries, made countless such promises to native populations to this continent and reneged on nearly all of them?

More to the point, it looks like the game moderation team along with certain members of the government have made the decision to revive Manifest Destiny was initiated and completed within one month with essentially no discussion. I’m aware that this game is run entirely on discord now, but I would think this kind of massive change would warrant at least one thread. But I guess Maoist shadow government is the best we can hope for these days.

there is actually a point to your latter assertion and Forumlurker and I have been spending the evening drafting a solution.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

GM Team Directive #1
Due to concerns by the body over the possibility of future functionality due to the Discordification of internal processes and private DM messaging, the GM Team has unanimously decided to specify our input policies for official purposes.
1. Any member of the Atlasian public, whether elected or not, may input into the GM Team Atlas thread
2. Any elected official may request to simulate private negotiations with NPC entities but MUST do so in the GM Team Atlas thread.
3. All requested private negotiations will involve every member of the GM Team.
4. Circumstances involving confidential information held by the Secretary of State or the National Security Board will not be subject to section
5. Any inputs or requests on a GM process/decision that do not follow the above guidelines will be ignored.
6. GM Team members are permitted to engage in public discussion outside of the GM Team thread, but such discussion may not impact behavior to the extent possible within the Team.
7. Private discussion on Atlasian events that do not involve immediate GM activities is permitted, however also must not impact behavior to the extent possible within the GM Team.
8. The GM Team reaffirms that it is not an advisory role, and any attempts to garner advice on how to obtain a specific goal from a GM Team Member will be publicly released on this thread.
9. All former procedures and customs that come into conflict with the above terms are not to be followed in the future.
10. These established guidelines are to take place immediately upon public release. Additionally, all current negotiations and conversations are also subject to the above terms.

confirming the team has unanimously agreed to this.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

If you want to discuss the current state of the game, I ask politely if you can do so in another thread. I'd prefer for this to remain focused on the news stories and regret not saying this earlier.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

ATLASIAN PUBLIC ACTS

Greenlandic Government Collapses, Snap Election to be Held in May

By Weatherboy and Forumlurker

Nuuk, Greenland - After a 10th straight day of IA supporters protesting loudly outside the Parliament in Nuuk, and several days of protests in major cities around the island, tensions in Greenland reached a boiling point. Buoyed by squabbles between newly inaugurated President Tack50 and Governor YoungTexan, the attempts to end the deal by Tack (which leave the status of it in limbo) and recent re-discovery of the South’s seal clubbing ban by Greenlandic media, popular support for snap elections, and an end to the potential deal with the South, has increased. The IA seems to be fully behind this, seeing a spike in support in a recent poll taken after the non-binding referendum. After previously refusing to do so due to “potential instability such a move would cause”, Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede has announced his resignation, and IA announced their withdrawal from the government, causing it to completely collapse in on itself. With no party able to form government, a snap election was near-unanimously approved in the parliament, to be held on May 3rd, which some MPs are hopeful will be after the upheaval in Atlasia ends.

With moves still happening in Atlasia, this entire episode puts a massive question mark on what happens next.

Current polling shows that IA is making strong gains, mostly off the back of anti-deal Siumut and Naleraq voters, however another party, NQ, is also making gains, thanks to their hardline independence platform and extremely strong stance against the deal. Unless something changes, anti-deal parties will hold a majority.

POLLING: 2023 GREENLANDIC GENERAL ELECTION
INUIT ATAQATIGIIT [Community of the People]: 45.9% 14 seats (+2) [Democratic Socialism, anti-deal]
SIUMUT [Forward]: 23.8% 8 seats (-2) [Social Democracy, previously pro-deal, now has vocal anti-deal faction]
NALERAQ [Point of Orientation]: 10.3% 3 seats (-1) [Populism, previously pro-deal, now has vocal anti-deal faction]
DEMOKRAATIT [Democrats]: 9.0% 3 seats (+/- 0) [Social Liberal, pro-deal]
ATASSUT [Solidarity]: 6.1% 2 seats (+/- 0) [Conservative Liberal, pro-deal]
NUNATTA QITORNAI [Descendants of Our Homeland]: 4.2% 1 seat (+1) [Social Democracy, Decentralization, anti-deal]
SULEQATIGIISSITSISUT [Cooperation]: 0.7% 0 seats (+/- 0) [Liberal, pro-Denmark, anti-deal]


update passed unanimously

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Statement of inaction:

Hello, I know I have not churned out a collection of stories recently, and I just wanted to clarify I still have been planning and watching legislation, I have just been swamped with irl stuff. However with the end of most of my finals on the 28th, I fully expect to have something out by May 3rd. Thank you for your patience and I do apologize for the delays.

I also have been forced to focus due to my finals coming up, they will be finishing in May 3rd.