Update 2
Map updated.
One territory dispute has been forwarded to the UN.
New nations
Federation of the Savanna claimed by Mathalamus
World politics
Alliance of North African Independents becomes a protectorate of Portugal
Territorial changes
Caribbean Commonwealth cedes Holguín to the NCSA
Somaliland abandons claims to Shinyanga in favour of the Zulu Confederacy
Wars
The República de Punta Arenas is suing Patagonia for peace, demanding the return of Buenos Aires Province to the NCSA and recognition of Punta Arenas' right to sovereignty.
News on the March
Atomic weapons now available
Despite the Hetmanate's best (non-violent) efforts, it has so far been unable to secure the remaining viable warheads from the other nuclear powers. While a few nations were verified to have decommissioned their arsenal during the peace, the overwhelming majority refused to allow UN inspectors and are presumed to still maintain functional ICBMs.
More worrisome, however, are the four warheads captured by rebels during the global political unrest at the end of the war. Having vanished into the depths of the black market, they may be covertly sold to devious non-nuclear states... or may be used by rebel groups themselves.
An alternative method of missile disposal
In response to this threat, the Hetmanate has stepped up its disarmament initiative. In conjunction with the UN and the NLLP, it has started a programme, codenamed the "Lacuna Project", to acquire, analyze, and process nuclear weapons to develop an inventory on the current designs, components and configurations to aid in the reboot of Pacifistan's Strategic Defence Initiative. The broader the database of known makes and models, so is reasoned, the sooner a "universal" shield can be developed.
The catch: the warheads must be in an operational state in order to be of any value to the project. After extensive negotiation with the UN, the Hetmanate offers the following incentive: Any nation that transfers a warhead to the Hetmanate explicitly for the programme gains a reputation benefit of +5, rather than +2 through normal decommission. The Hetmanate reasserts that it will not tolerate
any nation undertaking a weapons programme, even if the intent is to provide complementary R&D for the SDI.
Prepare for WAAAAGH!
Something's in the air, and it's not just radiation. Observation posts across the globe are reporting dramatic increases in Abhorrent activity. Bolstering security in and around Red Zones is strongly advised as wasteland province breakouts seem inevitable. Expect attacks beginning next turn.
Ceylon Calls For Aid
Denying any connection to the attack on the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, the government of North Ceylon has made a desperate plea for outside intervention, asserting "with certainty" that the incident will precipitate military action, although stopped short of suggesting the attack was staged. Tamil Nadu has expressed interest in leading a UN-mandated peacekeeping force along the national border.