Scotland: We should at least ask. Norway, what do you think?

Norway: No comment.

I don't know if anyone outside the UK or Norway has heard about this, but Orkney has been looking into other forms of govern and they suggested they become a territory of Norway, operating independently. The UK has since said that this is unacceptable and will NOT be happening regardless. The official Norwegian response was basically just "this is an internal affair, no comment".

☾ ° › GEOGRAPHY HAS MADE US NEIGHBOURS

Spain and Catalonia had started negotiations at the end of 2018 and in late January, Spain recognized Catalonia’s independence. Catalonia had been recognized by a good portion of Alacrity countries and a handful of Equanimity’s countries, namely Germany and Austria. While the niche details of Catalonia’s future were still unclear, Catalonia’s ties to Spain were seeming severed for good. 

☾ ° › HISTORY HAS MADE US FRIENDS 

Russia had had a busy few months. Russian forces had efficiently advanced towards their western border forcing Equanimity forces to fall back several kilometers. Vyborg was quickly reached and surrounded, trapping a few brigades within the city walls. In southeast Russian forces were gathering closer to the Ukrainian border. New ships were brought to the ports by the Black Sea --- to strengthen the army, to bring some stability to the situation between Turkey and Greece. Most of Confluence had remained impartial during the conflict but all could agree that letting it get out of hand could cost Confluence a lot. Greece’s internal situation had also taken a turn for the worse. People were unsatisfied with the way international affairs were being handled and they detested the fact that a foreigner was holding the reigns of their country. A few demonstrations which criticized the current rule were held and gained a lot of publicity and support. Nobles and politicians alike viewed the movement as a threat to the current political system and attempts were made to keep most of the demonstrations under strict control of the government.

☾ ° › ECONOMICS HAS MADE US PARTNERS 

Russia’s new moves made one thing clear: they were just as powerful now as they had always been. Siding with Russia and thus with Confluence, was a thought that entered several heads. It only stuck within the ones that were in charge of Romania. After a period of consideration, Romania aligned itself with Confluence, leaving Equanimity. It had been a while since anyone had switched alliances and the changed caused tension in the surrounding countries, especially between Ukraine and Romania. Ukraine was now surrounded by Confluence countries. A new ally was good news to Russia, however China’s growing presence in the world economics was a concern. Whispers about China and France working on a lucrative deal couldn’t be simply overlooked, and the deal China struck with New Zealand widened the country’s reach. New Zealand began exporting steel and other minerals while China exported petroleum at a steep price. 

☾ ° › AND NECESSITY HAS MADE US ALLIES

After a long silence, Norway made a political move. Norway loaned France an extensive sum of money --- the sum caused an outcry from the public and piqued the interest of many countries. Some countries went as far as to condemn the decision: Scotland, Ireland and Sweden voiced their opinion loudly and proudly. Norway’s decision drew them away from other alliances as an unnecessary dalliance with France was highly disapproved. As a way to express their view on the issue, several people requested that they would be leave Oslo. When the idea was seemingly approved by the majority of the people, a move was organized. The new location for the royals was picked as quickly as possible and arrangements for a swift and safe travel were made. South waited for them. 

Headlines

White House, Congress agree on $2 trillion virus rescue bill (AP) The White House and Senate leaders of both major political parties announced agreement early Wednesday on an unprecedented $2 trillion emergency bill to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. The urgently needed pandemic response measure is the largest economic rescue measure in history and is intended as a weekslong or monthslong patch for an economy spiraling into recession and a nation facing a potentially ghastly toll. The economic rescue package would give direct payments to most Americans, expand unemployment benefits and provide a $367 billion program for small businesses to keep making payroll while workers are forced to stay home. (NYT) Americans with direct-deposit bank account information on file with the Internal Revenue Service for tax refunds--about 70 million people--should see their payments arrive within a few weeks of the bill being signed into law. Eligible Americans who do not have such information on file, and thus will be waiting for a check in the mail from the I.R.S., will need to wait up to four months to receive one.

New York is a ‘high-risk area’ (NYT) Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday advised people who have passed through or left the city recently to place themselves in a 14-day quarantine. About 60 percent of the country’s new confirmed cases of the coronavirus were in the New York City metropolitan area, officials said.

Gangs call curfews as coronavirus hits Rio favelas (Reuters) Criminal gangs that have long held sway across Rio’s favelas are taking their own precautions against the virus, according to residents and press reports. The “baile funk” dance parties have been called off. Some open-air drug markets are closed for business. Gangs and militias have imposed strict curfews. Coronavirus is coming, and Rio de Janeiro’s lawless favelas are gearing up for the onslaught.

Prince Charles tests positive for Covid-19 (Telegraph) The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus and is working from home with mild symptoms. A Clarence House spokesman said he was “displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual”. Prince Charles, 71, and the Duchess of Cornwall, 72, are now self-isolating at their home in Scotland.

Coronavirus may have infected far more than estimated (Financial Times) The new coronavirus may already have infected far more people in the UK than scientists had previously estimated--perhaps as much as half the population--according to modeling by researchers at the University of Oxford. If the results are confirmed, they imply that fewer than one in a thousand of those infected with Covid-19 become ill enough to need hospital treatment, said Sunetra Gupta, professor of theoretical epidemiology, who led the study. The vast majority develop very mild symptoms or none at all.

Virus Knocks Thousands of Health Workers Out of Action in Europe (NYT) Across Western Europe, health care professionals have used the language of war to describe the struggle against the coronavirus, which has left some hospitals on the brink of collapse. Out of Spain’s 40,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, 5,400--nearly 14 percent--are medical professionals, the health ministry said on Tuesday. No other country has reported health care staff accounting for a double-digit percentage of total infections. But the problem is widespread throughout Europe. In Italy, France and Spain, more than 30 health care professionals have died of the coronavirus, and thousands of others have had to self-isolate. The same dynamics are starting to take hold in Britain and the United States, where the contagion is bearing down but has yet to fully bite.

Drone surveillance in France (Worldcrunch) The enforcement of countrywide quarantine restrictions in France just got a tad more dystopian, with the use of drones and helicopters to monitor citizen’s movements, Marseille-based daily La Provence reports. With more than 100,000 police deployed to monitor strict restrictions on movement, drones have already been deployed in the southern cities of Nice and Marseille to film public spaces and announce the details of the new measures over their loudspeakers.

German state to release some 1,000 prisoners due to coronavirus (Reuters) Germany’s most populous state North-Rhine Westphalia plans to release as many as 1,000 prisoners in order to free up cells to be used as quarantine rooms out of concern that coronavirus could spread unchecked in jails, its justice minister said.

Greece pushed to help island refugees at risk of coronavirus (Foreign Policy) Heeding calls from members of the European Parliament, the European Union has asked Greece to get those most vulnerable to coronavirus away from its crowded island refugee camps. Home Affairs Commisioner Ylva Johansson said plans are in progress, “We are working together with the Greek government and the Greek authorities to agree on an emergency plan to help reduce the risk as much as possible in the overcrowded hotspots on the islands,” she said. The EU promised to remove 1,600 unaccompanied children from the island camps at the beginning of the month and has yet to do so.

In Russia, facial surveillance and threat of prison being used to make coronavirus quarantines stick (Washington Post) Russian officials are threatening five years in prison to deter possible coronavirus spreaders. Russia has pulled some tools from its authoritarian toolbox to battle the disease, including the use of facial-recognition technology to track people ordered into self-isolation. The government is also developing a system using geolocation data from mobile operators to monitor individuals.

Fears of Imported Coronavirus Cases Rise in China (Foreign Policy) New coronavirus cases are officially nearing zero within China, except for imported infections--those among people traveling from abroad. The rest of the world is now seen as the threat, and foreigners are increasingly facing discrimination, especially in Beijing. Signs on some businesses in the capital forbid foreigners from entry, and many hotels are refusing to accept foreigners--including residents--unless they are mandated as quarantine sites for recent arrivals. Security staff are even turning away foreigners from offices and apartment buildings. As Chinese officials blame the outside world for the coronavirus, this treatment is likely to only get worse--and residing in the country is likely to become more difficult.

Israel’s parliament speaker resigns, but gavels session closed before replacement elected (Washington Post) Israel’s speaker of the parliament abruptly resigned Wednesday, hours before a court-imposed deadline mandated a vote on replacing him. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein averted one constitutional crisis, but may have sparked another when he immediately gaveled the Knesset out of session until next Monday, infuriating 61 lawmakers who were ready to elect a new speaker. Activists have accused the speaker and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of exercising a power grab in the name of fighting the pandemic. A week ago, Netanyahu’s justice minister abruptly suspended all court activities two days before Netanyahu was scheduled to begin his own trial on corruption charges.

Tripoli officials say clashes escalating over Libyan capital (AP) Clashes between rival Libyan forces for control of Tripoli have escalated as militias allied with the U.N.-supported government based in the country’s capital launched an offensive on a military base held by their rivals.

Islamists ambush Nigerian forces (Foreign Policy) Islamist militants killed 70 Nigerian soldiers in an ambush in the village of Gorgi in the north of the country. According to Reuters sources, the attack involved rocket-propelled grenades and heavy weaponry. Nigerian military spokesman Sagir Musa confirmed the attack, but has disputed the death toll.

Teaching a locked-down world (Worldcrunch) How will today’s children look back on this moment? Beyond the fears about contagion and rumors circulating on social media, many will no doubt remember the coronavirus outbreak with two words: School’s out. With UNESCO estimating at least 130 countries facing nationwide closures, educators are forced to improvise.

In some parts of the world, schools have set up online classes on platforms like Zoom and Skype that have offered the possibility for the learning to continue in ways that wouldn’t have been possible even just a few years ago. Still, as Le Monde reports, even in France’s robust national education system technical glitches have slowed down classes since the country was put on lockdown last week. And of course many students without digital access simply remain shut out from learning for months at a time.

Beyond such digital divides, television and radio (which more families have access to) has come in handy: Argentina’s public television and radio are broadcasting special educational programming, with a website with e-books, interactive tools and other learning materials was set up to complement the broadcast programs. The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Education also instated educational public television programs--in a mere 5 days. TV editors were originally sceptical as many teachers had no experience in front of a camera, yet the first episodes proved successful with high viewership among 4-12 year olds. In Norway, the prime minister herself lent a hand, holding a national press conference for children, explaining the measures put in place to fight the virus and answering questions ranging from “Can I have a birthday party?” to “What can I do to help?”

Meanwhile, China gave us a reminder that no matter how much young people still need to learn, they’re bound to outsmart us. Students in Wuhan flooded their homework app with 1-star reviews in a collective effort to try to get it kicked off the App Store. School’s out!