Nearly Real World Current Events, 2009

This page documents current events in the Nearly Real World. The events on this page are for 2009 only; previous years have separate articles below.

13
Eduardo Bennuetto Staness has been elected new President of the Civil States of Maphlankf with nearly 100% of the votes towards him. He is from the Federal Democrats party.

11
Al-Qaeda confirm that they are responsible for the Lävîmä car bombings.

10
Five months after winning re-election for a third term, George Vance, Chief Minister of the Georgeland state of Capitalia, suffers an ischemic stroke. He is taken to hospital for treatment where his condition is listed as 'critical', with no prognosis yet announced. Deputy Chief Minister Anna Cole assumes the position of Acting Chief Minister. As of the morning of 11th September, Vance is conscious and doctors report successful surgery, but his recovery is expected to take months.

5
The parties entering the 2010 Leubantian Presidential Election are announced. They are the Conservatives, Liberals, Greens, Leubantian, Labour, Democrats, and the Chiristian Democrats. There are also three Independents.

4

 * Former Georgeland Prime Minister Campbell Rhodes is arrested while holidaying with his family in Italy after assaulting a papparazo who, he claims, was attempting to photograph his children. He has been released on bail.
 * A crash occurs when a Leubantian Airways flight from Trilfuva St. Fîlä's to St. Petersburg.

31
The Drake Islands Election Review Board has made the final certification for the candidates in the 2009 Drake Islands Presidental Election to be held November 27th.

20

 * Artist Henry Boland, arguably Georgeland's most influential painter and sculptor of the 20th century, dies in Doubledance at the age of 102.
 * A car bomb explodes in the Leubantian city of Lävîmä, killing 5 and injuring 20. It is thought that Al-Qaeda is responsible for this attack.

19
In a speech, The Mearkats say that their next album is to be released in 2012.

12
Jüléän Krîzfärd, Prime Minister of Leubantia from 1940 through 1945, celebrates his 90th birthday.

10
Leubantian Airways Cargo agrees to take Nümrä Cigars on its flights.

4
Construction begins on a gas pipe between Leubantia and Poland.

29
A coup de-etat occurs in the Republic of Ular. Chief of State Richard Stubbs is arrested for corruption and the Parliament is suspended indefinitely. The coup's leader, General Albert Ohman, has declared martial law and a curfew. The military government is yet to announce any timetable for a return to civilian rule.

21
Lorenzo Newkirk's record 9-week run at the top of the Drake Islands Hit Survey comes to an end as his song "Night Rider" is bumped by "Let's Start This Fire" by Rick Webster with Project Bavaria.

19
Georgeland's Minister for Workplace Relations, Mary Byrne, resigns from Cabinet after that body makes a decision to relax certain visa requirements for foreign workers to address the skills shortage. Byrne, in her resignation letter, makes it clear she does not support the decision, considers it "bad policy" and "bad for the country" but maintains her personal loyalty to the Conservative Party and to Prime Minister Luke Macaulay.

16

 * The Leubantian Swimming Championships are held in Trilfuva.

14
Lorenzo Newkirk's Eurovision Song Contest entry "Night Rider" occupies the Number One spot in the Drake Islands Hit Survey for a record 9th straight week. That surpasses the record eight weeks held by the Beatles (twice), Project Bavaria (twice), and Elton John.

9

 * Leubantian State Railways Class 460 (460567) is released from Dünfîrd Works.

8
A Leubantian Airways flight from Trilfuva St. Fîlä's Airport to Athens crashes over the province of Zäckîbü.

3
Leubantia withdraws its troops from Iraq.

1
Leubantia records its hottest night in 30 years, at 22 degrees Celsius.

24
Georgeland's Treasurer, James Bradford, announces sweeping reforms to taxation, including a reduction of the country's Value Added Tax from 15% to 12%.

23
Maersk Älpîpä sinks in the Baltic Sea when delivering Cheese, Cars and Computers to Somalia via the Suez Canal.

21
Lylecity FC wins the Georgeland Cup for the second year in a row, defeating Santa Christina United.

12
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Georgeland Andrea Perkins announces the formation of a new political party, UNITY, which she says will have a social democratic platform. Perkins will serve as the party's interim leader as its only MP in the Georgeland House of Commons but announces a recruitment drive to gain rank-and-file members and encourages sitting MPs in all state and federal parliaments, as well as local councillors, to 'defect' to the new party from the Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands, which Perkins claims is 'corrupted by politics' and 'no longer represents the ideals of the Georgeland people'. The new party will aim to hold a national conference later in 2009 at which a formal executive and leadership team will be elected.

1

 * The Leubantian Air Force celebrates its 90th birthday.

28

 * Îdwärd Zünlé Büns Wîrlä, President of Leubantia, presents a mourning speech in memory of the 56 people who died in the Kürénsbîrä rail accident the preceeding day.

27

 * Kürénsbîrä rail accident: 56 deaths and 120 injured when a Leubantian State Railways Class 460 (number 460567) collides with a DB Schenker locomotive with a train of ballast in Kürénsbîrä, Leubantia.

19

 * Magnus Noonan, a long-serving member of the Georgeland House of Commons, dies of a heart attack in Topstad.
 * New Cambria's President Daniel Burns orders flags at all state institutions lowered for three days, in memory of the 126 people who died in the Ferne Hotel walkway collapse. He also declares 20 May a National Day of Mourning.

18
Two suspended walkways at the atrium of the Ferne Hotel in Arvant, New Cambria, collapse onto a crowd of spectators of a dancing competition. An estimated 2,000 people were in the atrium at the time of the collapse, and early estimates place the death toll at 77. Injuries were exacerbated by the ensuing human crush as survivors tried to flee the building.

1
2009 swine flu outbreak
 * The Georgeland government calls for calm after 45 reported cases of swine flu in the country turn out to be regular colds and other non-threatening viruses. The country's Health minister, John Sutherland, declares that the nation's healthcare system is adequate to deal with a potential swine flu outbreak in the country but stresses no genuine cases have been reported in Georgeland.

29
2009 swine flu outbreak
 * The Drake Islands has confirmed its first case of Swine Flu, a 26-year-old Glendale man returning from visiting family in his native Mexico. President Russell Bentley urges people to stay calm and to use common sense in dealing with the matter.

24

 * Trained United Islands Navy personnel from the cruiser UIS Doubledance board the captured GMV Tamara and rescue the 21 members of the surviving crew. One crew member and one naval operative are killed in the operation.
 * Lois Daniels, the President of Georgeland, orders the deployment of two naval frigates to the Gulf of Aden to assist in the ongoing international operation against piracy.

22
Somali pirates hijack a Georgeland merchant vessel, the Tamara in the Gulf of Aden.

4
Project Bavaria becomes the first Drake Islands musical act to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

3
Chief Minister George Vance is re-elected with an increased majority, winning 38 of 67 seats in the unicameral House of Assembly, an increase of four. The opposition Conservatives lose seven seats, mostly to the government. Opposition leader Andrew Vaysey loses his own seat to the Liberal Democrats, as do shadow ministers Jason Newman and Curtis Schaeffer. Incumbent Governor of Capitalia Emma Hewitt is re-elected with 55% of the primary vote.
 * Capitalian legislative election, 2009
 * Capitalian gubernatorial election, 2009

1
An April Fools Day hoax in Georgeland attracts major news coverage when Santa Christina radio station 3UD 'breaks' a story stating that the federal government plans to use internet censoring technology to block access to Wikipedia across the nation due to its potential for cyberterrorism and due to pressure from major universities. Communications minister Bob Prior and his opposition counterpart, Felicity Porthrop took part in the hoax by talking seriously about the topic in major news media, though a second 'spin-off' story occurs with reports Porthrop did not know the story was a hoax. The hoax, part of a long tradition in Georgeland of media-based April Fools Day hoaxes, is reported by Reuters to have generated more than twenty million emails, phone calls and text messages 'spreading the news' within four hours of its commencement.

26
New Cambrians celebrate Pon Peli, marking the new year in the Keva calendar.

17
Georgeland's Prime Minister, Luke Macaulay, announces a cabinet reshuffle. Environment Minister Michael Armstrong becomes Minister for Finance and Economic Development, while existing Finance minister Senator John Ford is demoted out of Cabinet as Transport Minister. Youth, Sport and Tourism minister Madeline Woods enters Cabinet as Environment minister, becoming the second-youngest ever member of the Cabinet at the age of 31. Her previous role is filled by Lisa Chan.

14
The Social Democrat Party of New Cambria, led by Jeremy Kinney, returns to power following the general election. With a net gain of 9 seats, the SDP now holds 49 seats in the Assembly. They are expected to enter into a coalition with the EEO and Greens. The Socialist Party returns to the Assembly for the first time since 1994.

11
The Drake Islands Election Review Board has approved 15 Presidential candidates for the November 27th election. The parties represented on the ballot are Libertarian Republican, United Conservative, Federalist, Social Democratic, Christian National, Green, Socialist, International Workers, True Liberty, Objectivist, National Economist, and Drake Islands First; three independent candidates will also be on the ballot.

1
The Governor of the Georgeland state of Capitalia, Emma Hewitt, dissolves the state's legislature and issues writs for an election on April 3, with the Liberal Democratic government of George Vance seeking a third term in office.

27
Drake Islands First Lady Christine Lind Bentley is named Senior Partner at the Glendale law firm of Bergeron & Tupper, which is retitled Bergeron, Tupper, & Bentley.

20
Christopher LaFrancois is appointed to the St. Edward Supreme Court. He succeeds Ian Reiter, who retired earlier this month.

11
The long-awaited Lang Commission on Constitutional Reform hands down its final report in Georgeland, outlining proposals for reforms to government, constitution, parliament and state-federal relations. Among the recommendations in the report are:


 * A switch to a system of proportional representation for elections to the House of Commons. The report specifically recommended either an additional member system or a single-transferrable vote system as used to elect the Senate.
 * Giving power to a joint sitting of Parliament to override a Presidential veto.
 * Granting self-government to the Georgeland Federal District, with its own elected Assembly and Chief Minister.
 * Redefining of powers held by the states and the federal government - the report suggested education be made primarily a federal responsibility, with the states to play a significant role in formulating federal policy.
 * More specific codifying of Presidential powers.

5

 * St. Edward Supreme Court Justice Ian Reiter announces that he is stepping down from the Court after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. President Arthur Hadley says a successor should be in place by the end of the month.

2

 * The provisional government of Linari, led by Edward Otanga, announces elections for April 13. International observers and the ousted government-in-exile have stated the elections are "unlikely" to be fair.
 * The interim government declares Otanga as Acting President and confirms a new constitution establishing Linari as a republic.

1

 * A new law in the municipality of Woodside, Avery County, New Cambria (pop. 2,085), goes into effect, giving the Bosnian language the status of "working language" within the boundaries of the municipality. Municipal documents and records will now be available in Bosnian, either in original copy or translated copy, and residents may conduct business with or appear before the municipality using Bosnian. Bosnians make up approximately 46% of Woodside's population, the largest proportion of any municipality in the country.

30

 * Preparations officially begin for the 2009 New Cambria National Song Contest, to be held in November.

29

 * In a major speech to the National Industry Forum, a non-profit organisation promoting business interests, Georgeland Prime Minister Luke Macaulay commits his country to a 25% drop in carbon emissions by 2020, and announces the government will set up a emissions trading scheme and grant tax incentives for homes and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.
 * St. Edward President Arthur Hadley escaped injury after an assassination attempt by a former member of the outlawed People's Revival Party. Edward Carmichael pointed his gun at Hadley as the president was leaving a Port Morgan restaurant. A police officer struck Carmichael's arm, causing him to miss. Carmichael was then fatally shot when he aimed his weapon at police.
 * Dorn & Ivey Bank, New Cambria's ninth-largest financial institution, becomes the first bank in the country to fail due to the current global financial crisis. Negotiations with another instutution to acquire D&I have broken down, but the Assembly of Deputies is expected to approve a financial rescue package for the bank in the upcoming week. It is estimated that 4,500 D&I employees will lose their jobs within the next 60 days.

23
Eric Nance, the Mayor of the Georgeland city of Skelton, is killed by gunfire while in his front yard. The assassination is the first of its kind in Georgeland.

9
In the Georgeland state of Capitalia, an independent candidate in a state by-election by the name of Peter Fluck is taken to court by several opponents and 'concerned citizens' due to his campaign slogan, Get Flucked, which they claim is offensive and in contravention of electoral regulations.

Past years
2008: See Nearly Real World Current Events, 2008

2007: See Nearly Real World Current Events, 2007

2006: See Nearly Real World Current Events, 2006

2005: See Nearly Real World Current Events, 2005