Zeitgeist Magazine, 19 November 301 AP

Zeitgeist Magazine's Utania This Week
November 19th, 301 AP

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BUSIEST OF WEEKS

Zeitgeist News has never been so busy with a week in which the world was on the brink of war, with the environmentalist policies of the first world conflicting with the economic development requirements of the second world. Broadcasting expanded to 24-hours a day on Utania's Channels One and Two as the drama unfolded. Frankly, we cannot wait for Starlight to get online, but that appears to have been set back by at least two weeks due to technical problems. Even as we send this email, we are acutely aware that the briefing will be outdated. The fast pace of events even caught the President out of the loop, very quickly.

ON THE VERGE OF WAR

The world this week teetered on the brink of armed conflict over Allacoan plans to send five oil exploration ships from the Energy Technology Group, Inc. to Allacoan Glaciaria. The ships set sail on Thursday but soon found a naval blockade established in the Rivalian Straits to the south by the Kalesthesians, who are part of the Burovian Realm, in the south. The ships turned north, but were warned of an Ordlandic blockade to the north. The diplomatic firestorm was intense, the Allacoans protesting the proposed "piracy" of the Realm, Christiana and Ordland, while Utanian President Okarvits declared the blockading of the Straits and the Melanian sea as "extraordinary" acts against free trade. After several hours of vassalating, the five ships returned to Kisqa. At last news, they had broken through the permeable Ordlandic blockade and headed for the open sea, and a UNV resolution has been put forward, asking for general concensus and a UNV response to Allacoan actions. The General Assembly is expected to condemn their actions, and approve Realm and Christianan efforts to stop the ships.

Meanwhile, the Feniz*IC* government has dispatched the Frigate Squadron, consisting of six warships, to protect the Oil Feniz oil exploration catamaran. Fighters will be following the fleet, but with no air bases available for use, they will not be in the air for long.
*Latest* The Fenizic Secretary of Defence has revoked the order.

Protests by Allacoan youths filled the streets of the capital, Kisqa, in protest against "global colonialism". While in Utania, tribal chief and Utani nationalist Arnold Johoma held a public rally telling crowds the events were "engineered for the benefit of the rich to oppress the poor", and sided strongly with the Allacoans as an "Utani brother people". With the latest news of the Allacoans pushing to confrontation, President Okarvits may find his Utani-dominated coalition government condemning the international community for their actions to prevent oil drilling in Glaciaria.

Peacegreen (Utania) condemned the Allacoan actions, saying the supposedly scientific mission was "lead-up to drilling in the southern oceans and on Glaciaria", and this was condemned by Peacegreen.

Earlier in the week, the issue was Brolecia, with Ordland sending 3,000 marines from the crack Mauretanian Expeditionary Force to counter secessionist moves by Ingallish and Jermanic former Brolecians, calling themselves the Listonian Free State. While the troops were stood down when the Listonians agreed to terms for a free referendum

HIGHLY EMBARASSED

President Okarvits was severely embarassed by his rapid response to a Listonian call for Utania to manage their independence referendum. The President authorised several million pund and 300 people to be hired on Friday, in anticipation of Ordland's consent, after only two days before saying Utanian Peacekeepers could go to Brolecia. But, Ordland refused to allow "one single nation" to manage the affair, and the parties agreed to the ANNV managing the affair. It was a severe embarassment to the President, who has long pushed his successes in international diplomacy, particularly Dignania. The Opposition are expected to push this failing during this week's Parliamentary session, Mr Kemp already calling it "an overzealous reaction by a President transfixed on international, not national, affairs".

Meanwhile, in Utania, there was a state election in Lasanne, with Zeitgeist News covering the night, providing detailed analysis and news about results as they came to hand. Governor Hope has been returned with 56% of the popular vote, and his government returned with a one-seat majority in the state's House of Representatives.
More: http://www.jaggedblue.com/zgnews/_1117,lsn_state301_victory.html

The President's prized cooperatives legislation is likely to fall to opposition scrutiny for the second time in a row. The legislation, mooted before the July federal election, was withdrawn by the government in August after too many loopholes were found by the opposition. The President said he was "determined" to see the legislation pass by Cruismas so that Utani communities would receive the benefits for this current tax year, worth Û140 million to the poorest communities in Utania.

In a weird twist, events from December 14th this year were reported. A girl, her father and brother will have died from radiation poisoning, after playing with a discarded medical device they bought from a junk dealer who found it at a public garbage dump. The President will announce that he will introduce wide-ranging legislation to prosecute companies that failed to dispose of dangerous goods "appropriately".