Israel faces economic slowdown as trade between UIS and USE stops
Israel might be facing some very tough economic times, as the UIS-USE war starts, which has effectively stopped most trade between the 2. The Israeli Government is scrambling to solve the problem, which has cost them an eco level already,. and needs to do somethings, and fast, or it will see more of its lucrative trading income drying up.
Ivory Coast close to AIDS cure as AIDS continues to ravage Africa
The Ivory Coast is reportedly close to an AIDS cure as that virus continues to ravage that continent. AIDS cases spread to all parts of Africa, with several cases showing up in Algeria and Libya. AIDS is killing nearly 100 people a month. This seems small, but AIDS has infected millions. This virus, is spread by either by sharing needles used for drugs, unprotected sex, or accidents during surgery. Basically it spreads by blood. There has been one drug released in 1960 that does, in about 10% of cases, slow down the virus, which disables the immune system, leaving the victim susceptible to infections. The Ivory Coast is apparently close to a cure for this ailment, although nobody knows how close they are, nor the cost of such a drug. Also not know is if this drug would cure the disease, or merely slow it down.
Genocide in Southern Africa!
Genocide is being committed in Southern Africa, according to Amnesty International, Freelance Journalists who dare enter the region, and Religious Missionaries. They are reporting a well-armed, well financed group has been going around the parts of the African Federation not under control by the African Federation, and murder, in cold bloody, all those that oppose the African Federation. The AF Government has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and strongly denies that it was their forces that committed this action. Reports of Genocide have come in from as far north as the Congo and Tanzania regions of the AF, but no further north, which probably means that the militias committing the genocide were not able to get that far north. Reports of deaths are not clear, it is estimated that it might run into the millions. The AF also has begun a military campaign to gain control of land in the north again, with a major push with half a million man. It is meeting heavy resistance from local guerilla fighters. many of those in the South African and Namibian portions of the AF think it would simply be easier for the AF to let all those parts of the country go, and not fight. Experts all agree that the AF will never again gain control over all that is previously owned. Meanwhile, Kenya and Cameroon have declared Independence, which is, of course, not recognized by the AF. Casualty Reports are next to impossible to determine, so the following are rough guesses. Meanwhile, Foreign Investors, nervous about the renewed militarism in the AF, started to flee the country, taking their money with them, which led to a drop in the AF Economy.
(AF: -10,000 Impis, -20,000 Infantry, -20 Tanks, -5 Fighters)
Jamaica, Dominican Republic vote for Independence!
In elections held in the former Philippines Colonies of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, those 2 former colonies voted for Independence, by a landslide. It was over 70% in both cases. After they agreed to allow the Philippines to maintain a Military Base on both of their land, Jamaica then agreed to join the People's Republic of Central America, and the Dominican Republic the Democratic Union of Central America.
Insurgency in the Philippines calms down after actions by Filipino Government
The Insurgency in the Philippines is largely over, thanks to the good actions of the Filipino Government. They initiated a highly successful series of Unity Advertisements, and passed a Bill which gives all Philippine States a large degree of autonomy, much like the USA does. This allowed the Muslims in the South to have what they wanted, which was a Muslim orientated system of Schools, Hospitals, and laws. In the South of the Philippines, Women may not be seen without their Burkas, and the strictest interpretation of the Koran has been implemented. The insurgency is mostly over, and only the extremists, and hardliners who demand a separate nation, battle on. They are few in number, and the Filipino Army has had increasing success at detaining them. With the stability in the Philippines increasing, Foreign Investors are once again coming back to the Philippines, to exploit the large cheap work force. The Filipino economy has increased by one eco level.
Maoris demand more compensation, more land
The Maori people of New Zealand are demanding 2 additional ecos from the CU Government as compensation for their lost land, and they are demanding that the CU grant them land equal to half of what the CU Supreme Court stated that they were owed. If they don't get that, then they are threatening to go to the Supreme Court again, where analysts predict that they will get what they demand easily, and perhaps more. The CU Supreme Court seems to be firmly on the side of Maoris, as well as most CU people. In other CU news, their economy continues to recover.
Kurdistan created!
Kurdistan, the long-awaited homeland for the Kurdish minority, has been created, taking with it a large chunk of Turkey, and smaller chunks of Iran, Iraq, and the UIR. Iran, Iraq, and the UIR did not really mind giving up that land. After all, it got the problem of the pesky Kurds rebelling, and whining about a homeland off their plate, but the Turkish people did. They lost a good chunk of their land, and several million people. Kurdistan has very close ties to Russia, and in fact has about 10,000 Russian Military Advisors in it, to give advice to Kurdistan on how to build its country up. The Kurdistan Worker's Party, a Socialist Party, verging on Communism, won the first Kurdish election, and it seems those close ties with Russia will continue. There is a lot of animosity between Kurdish and Turkish representatives in the UIS Congress.
IBM Relocates to Moscow!
In a move that shocked the Business World, but didn't surprise it, IBM has moved its International Headquarters from the USA to Moscow, Russia. Russia has been undergoing a Economic Revolution, of sorts, and is now considered the best place in the world to conduct business, with many Foreign investors taking advantage of low interest rates, and other Government incentives which encourage companies to relocated to Russia. IBM is the biggest company to have done so, and this will, over the next few years, provide immense benefits for Russia as IBM continues its work on Computers. Russia has the lowest corporate income taxes in the world, no restrictions on foreign and international corporations, and no sales tax for its stock exchange. These bold policies are attracting so many companies into Russia that Russia has the lowest unemployment rate in the world, except for the Falklands. Clearly, Russia is booming, and its economy just edged up another notch to make Russia a Powerhouse economically, and barely behind the USE in sheer profits.
War erupts between Pakistan, India as bombs go off!
Everyone saw it coming a long time ago. With hundreds of thousands of troops on either side of the border, it would take but a minor push to have India and Pakistan at war. Well, they got a fairly large shove. It all started when Muslim extremists, or what looked like Muslim extremists, planted several bombs in Northern Indian cities, and set them off, killing over 30 people. The Indian Government was furious, and blamed Iran and Pakistan. Then simultaneous explosions took place in Mosques in Pakistan and Iran, infuriating Muslims. Muslims blamed Hindus, who blamed Muslims. After 3 days of intense rhetoric, the shooting began. Nobody knows who pulled the trigger first, both sides blame the other, of course, both the giant armies of Pakistan and Indian have swung into war. That is, Pakistan and India are in a de facto state of war, a shooting war in the mountainous region that they share their common border. The war has been raging for awhile, and thousands of soldiers have died. Truces were called 4 times, and both times, each blamed the other of breaking it. Currently, a very sketchy cease-fire is in place, but soldiers still continue to die. Millions of Muslims and Hindus on either side are answering the call to take up arms, get some training, and kill the other. The only certainty about this war is that neither side will win, unless WMDs are used, and that will be disastrous for either side. This is a story of 2 ethnic groups who hate each other, killing each other in a bloody war of attrition. Any ground gained is almost instantly taken back. Another factor that is starting to play a major role in this war is a deadly new virus which was unleashed, either by man or by nature. It affects the respiratory tract, and makes people feel weak, and sick, but not necessarily die. It has been causing havoc in Pakistani lines, but has yet to have a real negative impact on the Indian side.
(-20,000 Indian and Pakistan Troops, -500 Pakistan Tanks, -400 Indian Tanks, -20 Indian Interceptors, -10 Pakistan Fighters, -5 Pakistan Interceptors)
Indira Ghandi delivers on promises for India
The newly elected leader of India, Indira Ghandi, is delivering on promises that she made during her election. She has invested billions into Education and Health Care in India, with free college for all Indians, banning Child Labor, and encouraging tourists. People are still wary of India, and Foreign Investment has not picked up, as Investors need to be absolutely sure that these new policies are not simply a trap, and will indeed be for the long-term, but some are starting to re-invest in this country. Indians are being encouraged to have more Children, and people living in overpopulated parts of the country are encouraged to move to less populated parts of the country. The Tamils, Khalistani, and Sikhs have all gotten more autonomy in their local affairs, which has largely ended their complaints. Indians are being encouraged to join the Army, and many are volunteering, especially the unemployed. While all of these policies hare having a net benefit for Indians, India still has many challenges to overcome before she can become a Superpower. She faces a potentially very costly war with Pakistan that is unwinnable, and possibly with China. Inside India, poverty is still bad, but getting better. Foreign Investors need long-term, stable planning by the Government in order to invest in India. India's past, the genocide of Muslims, and political upheavals, are also road bumps for India to get over. The caste system, which India has been trying to eradicate, still exists. Some are lower in the Social system, and suffer because of that. India still also faces some sporadic fighting among ethnic groups, and the Sikhs and others still demand a separate Khalistan, although cries for that are diminishing. If India can get over that, then India will one day rival the likes of Russia and the USE for the Most Powerful nation in the World. India has been forging a very close relationship with Germany. It remains to be seen what will become of this. Germany and India have been doing some War Games in various types of terrain, many have been centered around an invasion of Pakistan, say experts.
Mafia, Gangs, becoming a problem in Russia
Russia has solved many problems that she once had, but another is emerging, and that is criminal activity. The Mafia has been growing in power in downtown Moscow, and, while the Russian Police and Special Forces have been having good luck in brining it down, it seems to be like the fictional multi-headed monster, operating is small groups, each group separate of one another. The new tactic of the Mafia has been to sell illegal drugs, either Heroin from Afghanistan, or Cocaine from Colombia, to get young Russians addicted, and then extort money from them, with which to do evil deeds. this problem is not out of control, but more attention needs to be paid to crime in general in Russia.
Morocco and Western Sahara Granted Independence
The former USEian colonies of Morocco and the Western Sahara have been each given 1 eco by the USE, and granted Independence! This is a stunning change from just 13 years ago, when the USE and UIS fought a very bloody war over those 2 parts of Africa, and others that the USE held then, and many historians are scratching their heads thinking why did we fight for them again?. But, some good came from it, Democratic Elections were held in those 2 former colonies, and they have joined the UIS. Normally, this would improve relations between the UIS and USE, but, as we shall see later, it didn't.
IRA terror campaign gets worse
The Campaign by the Irish Republican Army, demanding that Ireland be granted Independence, is heating up. The attacks by this group have been fast and furious, and gunfights and explosions are now commonplace on the streets of Dublin and Belfast. It seems clear that they got funding for their renewed attacks, but the big question is from whom. Meanwhile, in Italy, given the war, the noises for Independence by Italians has quieted down, but polls that just came out show that over 60% of Italians want Independence. Over 70% of Irish want independence, and the numbers are about 25% of French want Independence. Experts say that keeping Ireland might be impossible, as even the heavy USE Military Presence in Ireland cannot halt the violence. The USE has lost about 4,000 troops there, and 20 tanks, overall.
Battle for Cyprus turns into stalemate!
The War over Cyprus began as Turkey, who has always maintained a claim over all of the small Island of Cyprus, began a war for Cyprus. Turkey, after losing a lot of land to Kurdistan, demanded that the UIS help it get back all of Cyprus, of which, 2/3 is Greek. Well, Turkey tried, and the UIS, but the might of the USE and Greek Navies presented an insurmountable problem. The USE blockaded the Suez Canal and Gibraltar strait, not allowing any UIS ships in or out, and then used their immense naval power to destroy a lot of the UIS Navy, and stop any attempts by then to take the rest of Cyprus. The Turkish attack against the Southern Cyprus failed because the USE and Greece had reinforced their troops. This is a war for which the UIS cannot win, not until it seriously improves its Naval and Air Force capacity. Things did sort of go right for the UIS, though. They managed to trick a USE Carrier and some USE and Greek ships to pursue UIS ships up the Dardanelles region, near Istanbul, where they set off a Nuclear Weapon, destroying those ships. At least, the UIS is suspected of setting off the Nuke. They immediately blamed it on the USE and Greeks, and used that as propaganda to rally Millions of Muslims in a Jihad against the evil Spanish.
(USE: -1 Carrier, -3 Destroyers, -2 Cruisers, -1 Battleship, -3 Submarines, -25 Fighters, -40 Tanks, -5,000 Troops, -50 Interceptors, -10 Bombers; UIS Losses: -6 Submarines, -5 Destroyers, -7 Cruisers, -2 Battleships, -60 Vultures, -5 Bombers, -20 Interceptors, -6,000 Infantry, -45 MBTs; Greek: -2,000 Infantry, -2 Destroyers, -3 Cruisers, -1 Battleship, -4 Submarines, -20 Tanks)
For now no complaints 
