Future World News

Here is the news brought from around the world. Fill in detailed articles about various issues so other players have a deeper understanding of what is happening.

The Union of Everett
FNN News 9:00AM February 10th 2009

The Everetti government orders the launch of the space shuttles Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour to act as temporary satellite systems to re-establish civilian capabilities that were destroyed by Taiping's cyber terrorism. The newer fusion shuttles, Liberty, Vigilance, Integrity and Equality are already in orbit, deployed yesterday, above Everetti airspace, functioning as satellites and space walks are to take place, deploying new emergency satellite systems into orbit. Meanwhile it is day two of Everetti and American airspace becoming a no-fly zone. It is expected that the FAA will allow civilian aircraft back in the air possibly within hours or possibly days, depending on Taiping's acceptance of a new peace treaty. World flight plans are crippled as planes continue to back-up at major airports across the globe. The world economy remains in dire straights as a result of Taiping's attacks against civilian satellites and the internet. Stock markets plunged for a second straight day, many international communications have been disrupted including severe losses in the United States, Everett, the United Kingdom and many other world markets. Everett announced it will automatically reset the stock market to the levels they were at previously to the satellite attacks. Any changes that occurred during this period of time will be reversed including those who bought and sold during the collapse.

FNN News 1:00PM February 10th 2009

The Union of Everett turns it's internet back on after two days of being down to stop Taiping cyber terrorism. The return of the internet restores many international internet systems as well. After the initial shutdown, many other nation's internet capabilites were lost or severely disrupted. Cell phone service also returned after being down of almost two days and vehicular GPS systems are expected to be working within the next few hours. There is yet no report as to specific idea as to when airports will re-open and flights can continue. It is reported that three people have died as a result of the satellite attacks including a woman who was on her cell phone with 911 but was cut off when satellites were lost. The woman was found dead several hours later in her apartment by her landlord, killed by an apparent heart attack.

FNN News 3:30PM February 10th 2009

The Union of Everett officially announces the reactivation of it's infrastructure. The internet, cell phone service, GPS and the airports are all back online and functioning. Civilian aircraft began taking off again around 3:00pm around the planet. Cell phone providers report a record surge in cellular activity since the reactivation of cell phone services.

The Department of Defense announced new programming for civilian and military satellites that will stop future hack attacks, patching vulnerabilities. The military also released that a new force of satellites have been placed into orbit today by Everett's fleet of fusion powered shuttles. A total sixteen specialized satellites have been set in orbit. The DoD also said that a new type of satellite will be completed by March 1st which will replace the lost satellites and others that are outdated.

Meanwhile, the owners of AskJeeves.com are suing the Taiping government for lost revenue and damages.

A satellite crashed into Central Park in New York City earlier today. No one was injured or killed but a swingset and some benches were damaged. NYPD arrived on scene and were accompanied by HADV2 droids and a biohazard squad in radiation suits. The satellite is from Taiping, brought down by Everett's viral attack. The Everetti military responded within minutes and quarantined the area.

FNN News 4:30PM February 10th 2009

The Union of Everett announces the testing phases of Project Tractus which begin at midnight, Everetti EST time. A crew of 550 will take the massive craft on it's test run flight, first around the planet at 40,000 feet and then tested in general flight mode to the moon and back followed by a mission to circle Mars and then return. A total crew of 2,500 people have been in training for over a year, learning how to fly the craft which has been named "Liberty". Unofficial reports state that the "Liberty" will be taking a final test run using hyperdrive technology taken from extraterrestrial space craft stored at Area 51. It is unknown the destination of the final test but local conspiracy theorists claim the craft will head to Alpha Centauri, the nearest solar system to ours. Others state that the craft will fly from planet to planet within our own solar system, as far out as Pluto and then return. The Everetti military refused to comment. The "Liberty" is known as an AC-0001 Class Space Transport; a military grade space craft with combat capabilities. It is capable of housing 200,000 people luxuriously (600,000 maximum), making it unofficially a moderate sized city. President Spencer will not be aboard the craft during it's test phases.

CNN News 4:00PM February 12th 2009

Everetti President Kaitlyn Spencer commended an Arizona man for going into combat against a group of heavily armed home invaders today. Although none of the invaders were injured or killed, Spencer calls the man a hero, defending the rights of Americans to live in safety. It was all caught on home security video as four men emerged from a vehicle yesterday afternoon armed with assault rifles and hand guns. The four men were then immediately shot at by the home owner. The invaders retreated, none of them taking hits, although the vehicle's windsheild and neighbors' homes recieved multiple bullet holes. None of the suspects have been caught yet but the suspects' vehicle was located. Unlike the United States, vigilante justice is widely promoted in the Union of Everett and citizens that successfully deter and even injure or kill violent criminals are given thanks for securing the nation from violent crime. Ever since the enactment of both the Vigilante Justice Act and the Anti-Crime Vigilance Act, Everetti crime has seen a massive decline over the years. With the enactment of the EDS system in August 2008, violent crime in the Union of Everett is near non-existant. It is reported that the victim of the home invasion may face charges but President Spencer stated she will do everything possible to ensure this hero is not turned into a criminal for defending himself.

FNN News 5:30PM February 13th 2009

It has officially been five months since the start of the Everetti bombing campaign in northern Pakistan. The Everetti government reports nearly 800 Taliban, 750 Al Qaeda and 1,200 Pakistani rebels have been killed. The Department of Defense says that Osama bin Laden is running out of places to hide. Droids and ground forces entered the territory for the first time today, setting off explosives, collapsing caves. Air strikes began deeper into the territory, bombing known warlord's homes, headquarters and rebel bases in response to a kidnapping of an American UN official in Pakistan. Video was released by the hostage takers on Pakistani TV. No group has made a claim to performing the act but Everetti officials state that Pakistan is to blame for condoning the acts in the northern territories by not taking action to reclaim the land lost to the rebels and terrorists. President Spencer states that Osama bin Laden and anyone who aids him will suffer destruction and no one will get in the way of Everett's goal of capturing him.

Last night a commuter plane crashed in Buffalo, New York killing all 49 passengers and crew and killing one person on the ground. The plane suffered mechanical failure and crashed directly into a suburban home killing one person and injuring two others. The government released today that the EDS systems of 49 people went off a moment before the crash, all of them flatlining instantly. This crash was followed the next day by another crash in London, injuring two people.

The Taiping Empire
BBC News February 10th 2009

As hundreds of thousands of Taiping begin to emerge from bomb shelters in Singapore, the slow work of rebuilding from the Three-day War begins, as it has in India, Pakistan and Taiping India. The Archbishop of Chengdu led the nation in a moment of silence for the Taiping Personnel who had died in the border dispute that had degenerated into a war. Meanwhile, with the relaxing of all trade sanctions, East Asian stocks have climbed dramatically since the Treaty of Darjeeling last night. In The Union of Everett, Government Internet Transponders came online after shutdown following internet attacks that are rumoured to have entered the networks of the State Department. The shutdown has affected sites worldwide, though most damage is concentrated in America and Europe. Everetti and Taiping News Networks have exchanged insults, the Everetti considering the hacking attack and the use of Satellites as bombs as terrorism. In response, the Taiping have condemned the Everetti bombing of civilian targets and the threat of using nuclear weapons and insists that, since the Satellite-bomb struck a purely military target, it cannot be called terrorism. While Taiping forces took all the losses in terms of human error during the Three-Day War (Everett having used Droids). The Union of Everett also proved its strength in defeating both Pakistani and Taiping forces simultaneously. In terms of gains, though, the results were more mixed. While Everett managed to halt the invasion of India, the Taiping Space Agency reports the complete destruction of about 20% of American and Everetti satellites (though the other 80% were recently returned to their respective owners). In addition, the nation of Bangladesh, long a trade partner and ally of the Taiping Empire's predecessor, the People's REpublic of China, joined the Taiping as a member state. The Taiping Net advantage has also been shown in its hacking ability. Overall, the conclusion of the war appears to have satisfied the Taiping Government after the UK brokered a deal between all warring nations. However, a vast coalition of countries, including notable US and Everetti ally United Kingdom, have condemned the Everetti and American fixations on war where everybody else has reached peace. Opposition leaders in Britain have condemned President Obama's new policy as "Bushism." Despite Everetti, American and Israeli claims that they have shot down over 100 satellites, the number appears to be much less, as many were Everetti satellites maneuvered into position or used a shields. According to the Taiping, the number is 24, while according to the UK, the number is 53. Regardless, the Taiping Space Agency has announced that the low cost of its Tianshi satellites means that the loss will be more than compensated by the end of the month.

In other news, the British arm of the Taiping Software Giant Ganymede confirmed it would release the new WMPM-45 Dummy Plug, a system designed to allow artificial intelligence to pilot weaponry traditionally used by humans such as tanks. This action would serve to eliminate the cost of droid production and ensure some limited defense to the UK. Meanwhile, the Fourth Reich has denied all allegations of internet warfare on the Taiping after the return of all hacked Everetti accounts and blame intdependent hackers. The situation in Japan and Russia also appeared to have calmed down. In business news, stocks around the world rose again after the reopening of the Panama Canal and the restoration of the World Wide Web. Major winners include Everetti and Taiping Arms manufacturers, whose machines proved to be of utmost importance during the three-day-war.

Taiping Early Morning News February 10th 2009

Today, in the aftermath of the Three-day war, the government has confirmed that all satellite communications have been allowed to be restored by the Everetti. Meanwhile, the payloads of Tianshi II satellites have been launched as much of the world resumes normal operations. Recently, a Taiping Satellite that had failed before its GreatWall Encryption system had been installed failed and crashed into New York City. Meanwhile, the American, Everetti and Israeli governments continue to post allegations they have shot down over 100 satellites and that the Taiping Empire has committed acts of cyberterrorism. As of yet, this has only been considered by most countries as nothing more than the usual post-war fuming and Jingoism that can be attributed to Presidents Obama and Spence as "Bushism", the willingness to call anything close to a threat terrorism and then to essentially have a seizure. Meanwhile, the Taiping Government continues to work on advancing its droid forces after the casualties sustained in the war. Meanwhile, it has been reported that the Mark Oni V Armor has been released in Japan along with the Bio-bomb, and the Taiping Government is doing its best to create countermeasures. More will come in the Late Morning Update.

Taiping Morning News February 11th 2009

Yesterday, with the release of the Oracle interspace fighter and the launch of the Everetti Colony Ship Liberty, Taiping Government officials confirm that the space station Zhang Heng is actually not a space station, but a craft being built. While the Zhang Heng remains behind the Liberty in Development, the Taiping Government has suggested that it is rapidly catching up. Meanwhile on the ground, Peace has returned to India and the Taiping as the Empire concluded a treaty with the Empire of Japan for mutual research and development in the are of electromagnetic weaponry and the new Yinghuarite industry. This, for the first time, has united all of East Asia as one nation that will, with luck, eventually overcome even its greatest obstacles.

Taiping Morning News, 2-13-09

The Pakistani government has, as the premier act of joining the Crescent League, lodged a formal complaint of the obvious disregard for national sovereignty of the US in actively entering Pakistani territory. While nations Turkey and Iraqistan remained fairly adamant, nations such as Lebanon and Egypt (who have been host to incursions by such countries as Israel), in addition to nations such as Yemen and Saudi Arabia, expressed their support for Pakistan and called for Mediation. Meanwhile, the Taiping Government has completed the signing of the sale of 2,000 Dummy Plugs and 3,000 Tianyang frames to the Pakistani government in order to remove its insurgents. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government demanded that the Union of Everett respect the sovereignty of smaller nations along with the Taiping Empire and Italy (the UK, though, a key ally of both the USA and the Everetti Union, abstained from signing this resolution in the UN). Meanwhile, the Taiping Space Agency has confirmed the completion of the Space Battlecruiser Zhang Heng. While smaller and weaker in terms of armor and firepower, it is far more cost-efficient and is expected to be worth 60% of the cost of the Everetti Starcruiser Liberty.

Zulkavita
Radio Minsk February 11th 2009

Today, the President of Zulkavita, Andrei Miadiko announced tonight that the New Japanese Empire has 7 days to agree to a peace treaty with Zulkavita or Zulkavita will continue the war. Miadiko said that Japan's refusal for peace with Zulkavita was "a sign of new aggression against our motherland and world peace". Zulkavita's Foreign Minister, Alexei Grusrahatov, had gone to Japan to visit Emperor Hayashi for peace talks but Hayashi refused, because of Zulkavita's previous refusals. But government officials say that this does not mean Zulkavita will go to war immediately as the Taiping Empire is trying it's best to secure peace terms with Zulkavita and Japan and the Union has joined suite by urging Japan to agree to peace.