American News Report
INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC SPREADING THROUGH MURILLA. Nueva Toledo, Murilla. A scare has emerged in South America of a deadly new strain of influenza that has been rapidly spreading throughout the nation of Murilla. Despite the rather backward infrastructure and transportation systems in the primitive nation, it has been reported that entire villages have been abandoned after hundreds of deaths to the dreaded disease. Many have fled across the borders into Peru or Paraguay, seeking refuge from the spread of the influenza, threatening those nations with similar outbreaks. Murilla itself has been partially placed under quarantine, as the government seeks to maintain order through the spread of the disease. Protests have erupted in the quarantined areas, and the president has vowed not to allow the corruption of the army or government by the virulent sickness. Reports have emerged from several border towns in Paraguay, Peru, and Argentina of the spread of the influenza, and local people have been urged to seek medical treatment as soon as the symptoms present themselves.
AMERICAN ELECTIONS HELD. Washington D.C., United States of America. The United States has gone through another process of elections as the nation became focused once more on slavery. The Republican Party, having been out of office ever since the end of the Second American Revolution, has roared back to the forefront under a young veteran of the Russo-American War, Theodore Roosevelt, who had gained immense fame for his part in the Battle of San Francisco in 1875, having lied about his age to be in the fight. Campaigning in a vibrant and energetic manner, using the railroads to a great extent to get his message out, Roosevelt has built his agenda in two key forms. First, he has used the recent fixation upon slavery to pledging to do his part to end slavery in the Americas. Second, he has promised to give a Fair Deal for the American worker, which has acted as the bastion of his electoral support. With Roosevelt as a motivated young voice at the helm of the desperate Republican Party, he has managed to win election. Unfortunately, the American Congress remains mostly in the hands of the Democratic Party, but many Democrats find much to like in Roosevelts more hawkish foreign policies.
PERU LAUNCHES PORT EXPANSION PROGRAM. Lima, Peru. The Peruvian government has begun a highly publicized drive to modernize and develop the nations ports and shipyards. With an eye towards increasing local industrial production and the ability of the nation to import and export goods, the new program has immediately began to recruit as many laborers as possible for the construction. The new ports involve links with the nations young railroad network, helping to rapidly gather and distribute stockpiled materials. Construction has been proceeding fairly quickly, and all of the investment put into the project has been welcomed, and has helped build support for the regime among dockworkers and coastal cities. On the other hand, many in the countryside have been opposed to this, claiming that cheaper imports could cause a disruption of the nations agricultural bounty.
COLOMBIAN ARMY COMPLETES CLEARING OPERATIONS. Bogota, Colombia. The Colombian army has proudly announced the completion of a series of campaigns throughout the year against the final holdouts of the previous regime, which had been deposed only in 1899. They have stated that the last remnants of the old government have been wiped away, cleaning the slate for the future of Colombia. The operations reportedly entailed a series of brief but brutal battles in the jungle as the Colombian government forces used local scouts and guides to hunt down concealed camps throughout the Amazon. Neutral observers have also confirmed that hundreds of resistance leaders have been killed in this campaign, securing the governments base of power. Many are optimistic that the successful operations will help prevent further instability and unrest for at least a few years while the opposition finds a way to regroup.
COLOMBIANS LAUNCH NEW REFORM PROGRAMS. Bogota, Colombia. The Colombian military regime has begun workings towards the creation of new civilian arms of government. A fresh bureaucracy has been established and new employees have been hired throughout the nations capital to populate it. A major census has been conducted and the army has sought to turn over power to civilian administrators rather than local military rule. The recent campaigns against the last remnants of the old government have caused a stretching of resources, and the reforms have been stated to be a means to help reduce the burden of labor upon most military leaders at this time. There have been rumblings of discontent at this policy as many object to an easily corruptible civilian government which have long been the bane of a prosperous society in Colombia. Still, most foreign observers believe another coup to be unlikely, so long as the true power of Colombia remains in the hands of the army.
CHILE AND PARAGUAY SIGN NEW COOPERATIVE TREATY. Santiago, Chile. Faced with unstable and bitter former enemies in Argentina, Murilla, and Brazil, Paraguay and Chile have found common cause. The new Treaty of Santiago has established an agreement for cooperation between the two most stable and developed nations in South America. They have publically pledged to dedicate the two nations to continued peace and stability in South America, particularly in the southern part of the continent. As part of this goal, they have agreed to intervene in armed conflict on each others behalf, whether defensive or aggressive. Lastly, they have promised to make sure to intervene cooperatively in events that threaten the always tenuous stability and peace of the South American continent. Foreign observers state that this agreement appears to be a way for the two strongest states on the continent to continue to dominate their neighbors and prevent any new threats from rising locally. Argentina and Murilla have both denounced the treaty, as expected from the public.
AMERICAN TRADE DELEGATION TOURS AMERICAS. Havana, Spain. American political and economic interests have worked together to assemble a good-will and trading delegation to visit a number of locations in North and South America. A large amount of prominent businessmen and members of President Bryans cabinet were sent out to negotiate with private interests throughout the region. The stops made included locations in Mexico, the Spanish Caribbean, Colombia, Brazil, and Chile. Unfortunately, the stops made in Colombia and Chile became rather unbearable when mobs turned out to throw fruit and rocks at the delegation. They were rather incensed about perceived American support for Spanish imperialism in Cuba and the Americas. They chose to assault the American trade delegations, preventing much from being accomplished. Thankfully, such displays were avoided in Mexico and Brazil, allowing the Americans to conduct business as usual. The delegation is believed to have been a mixed success, but the American public has become outraged by the barbarity of the people in Chile and Colombia towards the American entrepreneurs.
UNITED STATES PURCHASES SANTO DOMINGO. Santo Domingo, United States of America. A treaty has been signed between the Empire of Spain and the United States of America, allowing the annexation of what was once the Dominican Republic by the Americans. The American government has pledged a series of payments for the territory, helping to ease the Spanish loss of the colony. The pricing has so far not been made public, but the Spanish government has assured the press that they have made out the better on the new deal. In the United States the public has turned heavily against it, calling it Bryans Folly and most see little reason to taking over such a blighted possession. It is believed that some of this resentment helped Roosevelt win the elections, despite the fact that he is known to have very heavy support for the Manifest Destiny movement. Other powers in the Caribbean have encouraged the United States to speed the process of Dominican independence and not to fall into the same imperial trap that Spain once did.
US AND CANADA AGREE TO OPEN BORDERS. Toronto, Canada. After several months of negotiations, the governments of Canada and the United States of America established the Bryan-Laurier Agreement, which has begun a new level of relations between the two nations. The Agreement has led to the complete demilitarization of the border and free flow of trade on the Great Lakes. This has been viewed as the latest and most dramatic step in the increasingly friendly relationship between Canada and the United States since the Second American Revolution. For the most part the agreement has been celebrated in the United States, but considerable opposition has emerged in Canada, primarily from the French speaking population. They have viewed the moves towards a closer relationship as a dangerous threat towards their way of life, decrying the growing American influences as further attempts by the English-speaking Canadians to enforce their ways on the French. Others also claim that the new agreement will make it even harder for Canadian businesses to compete against American ones, particularly in terms of industrial goods.
AMERICANS LAUNCH INTELLIGENCE REFORM. Washington, D.C., United States of America. Seeking to improve the nations security apparatus in the wake of rising crime in urban areas, the government has dissolved the former National Bureau of Criminal Identification into two new agencies. The first of these is the Agency of Identification, seeking to improve domestic security and investigate local threats. The second of these is the Agency of Security Intelligence which is a civilian agency dedicated to the collection of foreign intelligence. The new reform has been bitterly opposed by all sides and many Congressmen have called for the repeal of the new system. From the military, they argue that the collection of foreign intelligence should remain in the hands of the skilled professionals of Army Intelligence. On the other side, many congressmen claim that this effectively has created an American secret police like those that oppress the people of Russia, France, or other oppressive states. They allege that this is a potential new tool for presidents to spy on the American people, and have called upon President-elect Roosevelt to severely restrict these new agencies upon taking office.
US ESTABLISHES NAVAL BASES IN SOUTH AMERICA. Valparaíso, Chile. The American government has pursued two new treaties that have expanded their fleets projection of power in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Treaties of Valparaíso and São Paulo have allowed the establishment of American territory and naval bases next to each of the named cities and ports. Immediately upon the signing of the treaties substantial American naval forces were moved south to take up occupancy in the new territory granted to them. Locals have both welcomed and feared the arrival of American sailors and soldiers to their borders, as the new bases offer considerably more work and opportunities for local laborers. On the other hand, the influx of foreigners and the immunity to local laws while the sailors are present on their bases is somewhat unpopular with local interests. Neutral observers claim that this new deployment and treaties offer America the opportunity to actually begin to enforce the oft-ignored Monroe Doctrine.
PARAGUAY ANNOUNCES AWESOME NEW PROJECT. Encarnacion, Paraguay. The Paraguayan government has demonstrated the groundbreaking on an untested and unrivaled project. President Pedro Bobadilla has stated that the new Grand Parana Dam will be a hydroelectric facility designed to provide power to much of Paraguays industry and population. Hydroelectricity is still a fairly new way to provide electricity to cities, and has only been tried on a small scale. The length and size of the proposed dam is massive beyond anything ever tested or attempted in history. Experts estimate that if the project can actually be completed, the new facility could easily provide electricity to the homes of Paraguays entire population and to all of its factories, twice over. Other experts have dismissed the project as unfeasible and unsound. They claim that the construction will not be able to hold the sheer amount of water nor will it be able to produce the level of electricity claimed. They stated that if the dam is ever completed, it will more likely than not end in a major disaster.
CSA BEGINS DISSIDENT CRACKDOWN. Richmond, Confederate States of America. The Confederate army and other security forces have begun a major sweep across the nation to eliminate known agitators and rabble-rousers who threaten the stability of the nation. Targeted are abolitionists, those who aid escaping slaves, Mexican nationalists, labor agitators, and other refuse. The sweep has been somewhat successful so far, as military forces are deployed to clean out known havens for those hiding from local law enforcement. Several key leaders of communist movements have been arrested and detained without trial. The Confederate government has announced that all captured opponents of this latest sweep are to be exiled from the Confederacy along with immediate family members. Tensions have been raised in the Caribbean as most of these would-be rebels have been deposited unceremoniously on the Spanish island of Cuba by Confederate naval forces. Spanish authorities have heavily protested these efforts, claiming that they add to an already unstable position in the islands.
CONFEDERACY BEGINS WORK ON NATIONAL RAILROAD. Atlanta, Confederate States of America. The Confederate States of America have begun an undertaking to establish a nationally owned railroad system. Poor and unemployed workers of all colors have been put to work in building railroads to locations throughout the States that have never had the arrival of the railroads. The project also hopes to construct a nation-owned transcontinental railroad to aid in travel of military forces. The project has been vehemently opposed by Confederate railroad magnates, who claim this is an intolerable infringement upon private enterprise and a major detriment to the nation as a whole. They have pledged to fight this program to the bitter end, offering enormous funds to any politician who take sa stand against it. The Confederate Congress has already introduced a bill calling for an end to the program and the sale of the assets to private business at cost.
BRAZIL LAUNCHES MANUMISSION PROGRAM. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Brazilian government has launched a program to slowly and gradually emancipate the nations extensive slave population. At the beginning of the year, millions of slaves are believed to have been in chains throughout the nation. Brazil has had the largest population of slaves in the world since the 1880s and boom in rubber plantations. The government has begun the slow and arduous process of buying slaves freedom from local slave owners, but estimates that at the current level of financial commitment, it may take another four to five years to complete the process, despite optimistic declarations of completion by 1902. Some opposition exists towards the program, claiming that it could completely destabilize the heavily resource-based economy of Brazil, and bring in hundreds of thousands of newly freed workers into the cities, causing rapid destabilization. Questions also exist on the rights of these new freedmen, and whether or not they will be allowed to serve in the armed forces. Still, the move has been heavily applauded by foreign press in Europe, claiming that it is a powerful effort made towards modernization.
BRAZIL BEGINS WORK ON MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The government of Brazil has launched an effort to begin an attempt to put the nation on an even footing with more modern states. Most towns and even cities in Brazil possess infrastructure dating back to the early nineteenth century have had little to no changes in modern life. Railroads are horrendously backward and inefficient, rarely running on time and accidents are common. In countryside, funds are being dedicated towards the construction of new railroads and roads to aid in the transit of goods and resources from the interior to ports on the coast. In more developed areas, the funding is going to the establishment of civil architecture such as hospitals, fire stations, and law enforcement. So far the effect has been minimal due to the size of the country and many do not see an end in sight for the project due to the sheer scope and adversity it faces. Still, proponents of the program argue that it will help put many to work and aid in the development of the nation as a whole.
HAITI BEGINS MILITARIZATION OF BORDER AND COAST. Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The recent occupation of what was once the Dominican Republic by the United States of America has filled the leadership of Haiti with very cautious optimism. They have expressed hopes that this is the first step to the creation of a free Dominican Republic once more and that the American occupation is only temporary. Still, they have proven unwilling to trust that this is only a temporary measure, and have deploy military forces to the shared border. In a similar move, the Haitian government has begun a program to revamp and rearm the nations coastal defenses, allowed to gather dust over the past few decades. The Haitian leadership has expressed that these are only cautionary moves, but hope that the American government will do the right thing for their Caribbean friends.
News from Africa and the Middle East
BOER WAR ERUPTS IN BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA. Cape Town, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Tensions have remained high between the Boer people and the British rulers of South Africa ever since a raid by British business interests in 1896 upon Boer settlements and the ensuing onset of direct imperial rule in 1898. The once independent leaders of the Boer people spent the last two years assembling forces and preparing for a day of reckoning against the oppressive British rule. In early March, the Boers rose to rebellion when British mining interests paid mercenaries to attack a Boer village. The militias were assembled and with great skill, the mercenaries were wiped out and the Boers began to retaliate against all British citizens and interests in the region. They seized control of all of the vital infrastructure and apparatus throughout their territories and have since held a constitutional convention declaring the independence of the new Boer Republic. The Boers have already won limited successes against the British garrison in South Africa, driving back attacks into Boer territory and attempts to evacuate other British personnel. The Boers have demanded the withdrawal of British troops from the borders of their new republic and the recognition of their existence as an independent state.
Losses
Boer Republic: -12% Army Strength
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: -2% Army Strength
TRIBAL RAIDS INCREASE TENSION ON BRITISH-ETHIOPIAN BORDER. Gambela, Ethiopia. Reports have come from the border between Ethiopia and Imperial Britain as the local Nuer tribes have been reportedly attacking Ethiopian border villages and outposts. They have been focused both on taking supplies and captives from the towns assaulted, though many have just been abandoned or burned. The relevant armies have had a difficult time responding to this threat, as the Ethiopians have been more focused on the Dervish border, while the British have maintained their larger garrisons in northern Egypt. This has left the Nuers free to maraud and loot to their hearts content as the Ethiopian government seems powerless to respond effectively. These attacks have dramatically worsened the living standards of the region and seem to indicate a growing lawlessness in the western provinces of the African nation.
PERSIAN GARRISONS BESIEGED IN CAUCUSES. Tbilisi, Persia. Angry mobs have formed throughout the Persian-controlled Georgian provinces in the Caucuses. Apparently in response for the arrest and execution of a local Orthodox cleric, the mobs have clearly demonstrated against Persian rule and the local Islamic population. Muslims have been attacked in the streets and the Persian garrison in Tbilisi and other towns were forced to wall themselves into their local garrison, allowing the outbreak of disorder in the streets. Additional reinforcements were requested by the Persian garrison and eventually these forces marched in to restore order, the local railroads razed by the Georgian rebels. The Georgians have continued to seethe under Persian rule, and it seems plausible that further revolts may take place. Local Persian military forces insist that the situation is under control and further disturbances can be contained by the reinforced garrison. (-1% Army Strength for Persia)
OTTOMANS AND PERSIANS SEEK NEW PEACE WITH TREATY. Basra, Ottoman Empire. As concerns about Western imperialism continue to mount, the empires of Persia and the Ottomans have sought a new security on their mutual border. The signing of the Treaty of Al-Basra has offered a new chance at peace in the Middle East. The treaty has demilitarized the border except for occasional border stations, and created ease of travel for citizens passing between the two states. They have also offered student exchange programs between national universities, creating the potential for new cultural and intellectual exchange. There do exist a number of opponents to the treaty on both sides, concerned about the possibility of betrayal and of course the rather fluid movements of various ethnicities in the border region. It is hoped that these concerns are simply minor problems that will disappear with time.
OTTOMANS FIGHT MAJOR FIRE NEAR MOSUL. Mosul, Ottoman Empire. Reports of disaster have begun to emanate from the Ottoman Empire as it is claimed attempts towards oil extraction took a turn for the worse. Allegedly the sultans have been aware of an oil deposit in the region for some time but have recently decided to begin extraction. Unfortunately, with no skilled oilmen in the entire nation, the process was apparently badly bungled. Massive fires have been raging for nearly two months in the area near Mosul, eventually spreading to the city itself from sparks and ash. Thousands have had to flee their homes to other areas, and local reports claim the skies were black with smoke for weeks. The disaster seems to have been contained, but local observers report that pillars of smoke still rise from the extraction sites, and the Ottoman army and local militia continue to fight the fires.
NEW UNIVERSITIES ESTABLISHED IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE. Baghdad, Ottoman Empire. Seeking to regain lost technological ground with the European empires, the Ottoman sultan has financed the construction of three new major universities. They have announced plans to welcome a large number of students next year from a variety of backgrounds throughout the empire, without discrimination based on religion or ethnicity. Priority is being given to military officers and their children, but most incoming students will come from other backgrounds. The new universities have been constructed in Baghdad, Izmar, and Istanbul, using older structures to help supplement the newly built areas. The new universities have reported a shortage of qualified teachers, but insist that classes will begin as planned and scheduled in 1901.
NEW ETHIOPIAN PROGRAM FOCUSES ON WATER. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has initiated a series of projects designed to help build up the water resources of the African nation. They have offered grants and bonuses to primarily French industrial interests to help expand localized irrigation networks. Other smaller projects include the drilling of deeper wells for use in villages and towns throughout the Axum region, hoping to provide more for the local population to drink. The largest of the proposed projects to date is the construction of a dam on the Akaki River to corral a good amount of water for local irrigation and drinking. Multiple French construction firms have taken an interest in the projects and surveyors have arrived, already assisting in the smaller endeavors to take place.
PERSIA LAUNCHES CONSTRUCTION OF NEW OIL RAIL.. Baku, Persia. The Persian government, anxious to garner more revenues from the Baku oil fields, has begun developing construction on a new railroad between Baku and Tehran. The railroad is to cover ground previous undeveloped by local industry, building new bridges and tunnels to improve the journey. The government has marked Baku as a vital asset to Persias growth and economy, and stated that this is a military and economic necessity for the greater good of the nation. Foreign investors have offered aid in the construction, but for the most part the Persians have remained determined to construct this feat on their own as part of the national wealth. Construction has already begun, but most estimates place completion several years away.
