The Mexregional Evening News is the paper of record and leading daily news publication in the United States of Mexregiona. Printing news of interest nationwide in Regic, Asendavian, and Staynish since 1860.
Housing Crisis Breaks A Record: No Homes For Sale in Insulmin City for 10 Days Running
INSULMIN CITY, ILN.-- In the latest record to fall in the housing crisis of the century, Insulmin City reached a record 10 days where there was not one home, or even apartment, available for sale in city limits. In the past, it would have been unusual if the number of homes for sale in a given market even approached zero, let alone ever actually reaching that point. In the ongoing nationwide housing shortage, though, it is likely only one new low out of many more to come in the future.
“They can only build buildings so fast, and there are already so few places to build them,” said market analyst Jonas Broaddeck, senior fellow at the Mexregional Financial Policy Institute. “The simple problem is that our country has reached the point where its infrastructure can no longer handle the amount of population there is.”
Construction companies say that they are working as fast as they can - and they lay much of the blame on what they call “onerous” environmental regulations. “It’s one thing to protect the environment. But the number of surveys and wildlife checks and environmental impact reports required before you can begin means we can’t get construction started until six or seven years after we acquire the land,” said Bela Simon, president of the construction trade group Allied Home Builders. “That’s not an exaggeration. It says that on the Scrivener of the Interior’s website. It’s outrageous. We are well into an emergency at this point.”
The Federal Diet has been deadlocked on the question for several months now, primarily due to staunch differences between the Social Progressive Party (SPP) controlled General Assembly and the Republican Democrat Party (RDP) controlled Assembly of States. SPP has refused to budge on a section of the current regulations that mandate at least two years’ worth of various inspections and impact reports, saying they are “crucial” and “non-negotiable.”
“We cannot simply throw away the entire future just to solve a temporary problem now,” said SPP leader and General Assembly Chair Zsofía Dat. “Rotantic countries like ours are already seeing more damaging effects from global warming than almost anywhere else in the world. Now cannot be the time that we set concern for the Urth aside. It’s a violation of sapient rights to say otherwise.”
The RDP disagree, with their primary counterpoint being that homelessness will skyrocket if demand outstrips supply for such long periods of time, putting potentially hundreds of thousands of people at risk. “The Urth is very important, we know it is. But to deny an effort to speed housing construction that is so clearly desperately needed, in a way that puts so many at risk of their home and even their health? That is what we’re calling a violation of sapient rights,” said Assembly of States Provost and RDP leader Mark Ferterrano.
The good news is that this particular shortage applies only to Insulmin City - outer areas of the island do have some housing available. The bad news is that the prices are still higher than they’ve ever been, and they keep increasing. “I’m beginning to have people tell me they’re going to build a boat and live in a marina. I’ve had several people tell me this, seriously,” said Simon, the construction industry spokesperson. “Because that seems to be the only solution people will have. The government plainly isn’t going to come up with one soon.”
Tragedy in Asilica: Leader Orders Army, Air Force Personnel to Assist in Recovery
INSULMIN CITY, Iln.-- In response to the deadly terrorist attack in Asilica, President Mister Leader III has ordered more than 1,000 soldiers to Asilica to assist with “securing and maintaining the peace, as well as assisting in recovery efforts and in distributing supplies and aid,” according to a written statement from the President’s office. Among the Mexregionan troops heading to Asilica include the 105th Air Defense Squadron and the Army 2nd Regiment, both of which have been deployed in foreign aid missions in the past.
The attack in Asilica is the deadliest attack in that country’s history, with the most recent update estimating at least 850 killed and at least 1,500 injured. Among the fatalities are nearly the entire lower house of the legislature, leaving the Asilican government crippled. Asilican President Jorg Renatsch, who Mister Leader says he has spoken with “at length” in the past day, is currently leading government operations under emergency authority.
“Asilica is one of this country’s oldest allies, and with their partnership, our country has gained much. It is not only right, but obligatory, for us to assist them now in their time of need. For such an attack to occur in one of the most peaceful countries on Urth is a grave, grave injustice, and Mexregiona is committed to doing everything it can to help our friends,” said Mister Leader in brief remarks held outside the Executive Mansion on Tuesday morning.
In New Agreement, Mexregionans Can Now Reside, Work in Asendavia With Few Restrictions
STROMHARAD, Asendavia-- Mister Leader III traveled to the capital of Asendavia on Wednesday to announce what he called “the single-most important international agreement” since the 1895 Pact of Amity with Asilica and Reijia - Mexregionan citizens can now apply to live in and work in Asendavia for up to 5 years with just one visa application. The visa, known as an “Extended Residency Permit” or ERP, costs (K)Mu60.00 (SHD $72.60/ASN ⚵86.45) and, as Mr. Leader boasted in his remarks “requires just one single-page form to apply.” The application process itself is also expedited, with the government of Asendavia pledging in the agreement to process all ERP applications within 31 calendar days of submission.
The agreement is part of Mr. Leader’s stated agenda to alleviate the national housing crisis. The Mexregionan population has increased from just over 250,000 in 1900 to more than 2.7 million today, resulting in rapid urbanization that has, according to a government estimate that was leaked last year, taken up as much as 85% of the country’s “usable land for habitation.” The President emphasized that the government was not asking for anyone to leave, but that he wanted to “create opportunities” for people who do.
“Now, I’m not telling anyone they have to leave, or even that they should. But the simple truth is that for people who do want to go out and see the world and move to different places, the process is incredibly difficult. Getting an employer to sponsor you, needing thousands of dollars in cash savings, paperwork on top of paperwork on top of paperwork. It doesn’t have to be that way, and I’m very proud that we’ve built this amazing deal with our friends here in Asendavia,” Mr. Leader said.
Asendavia has been the number one destination for emigrants from Mexregiona in each of the past fifteen years after replacing Asilica at the top in 2005. The government’s hope is that having a new easy emigration option (in addition to Asilica and Reijia) will encourage Mexregionans to move, freeing up housing space in Mexregiona.
While any international travel will still require a passport, beyond that the only requirements to be eligible for the program are to be an adult Mexregionan citizen with a clean criminal record, to have attained a secondary school diploma or equivalency certificate, and to not be “actively ill with a contagious disease.” Applicants are also required to be up to date on a handful of major vaccinations, including tetanus, measles, and Yama virus, among others. All of the required vaccines are ones that are already being provided for free by the Federal Health Services System.
Under the agreement, it will no longer be required for Mexregionans to go through the full immigration screening process, which includes verification of available funds and rates the applicant on several factors, most prominently the field in which they work. It is common internationally for countries to prioritize those with skills in areas the country is lacking, which in developed countries usually include engineers and IT-related fields. Through the ERP program, Mexregionans are not required to have a minimum bank balance and are not rated on their employability. In place of the minimum bank balance requirement, which is used to ensure that the immigrants will be able to support themselves, the government of Mexregiona will establish a fund from which Mexregionans in need in Asendavia can receive assistance in the event of a sudden loss of income or housing.
Applicants will not need to have housing arranged prior to submitting their application. However, in order to physically enter the country with an ERP, the bearer must send verification of housing such as a copy of a lease agreement.
Mayor of Insulmag Moves Forward With Controversial Refugee Resettlement
INSULMAG CITY, ISG.-- Despite threats from Insulmag City Council to hold him in contempt, Insulmag City mayor Andras McDichael announced Thursday that he is proceeding with a controversial plan to allow 10 refugees from Ni-Rao to settle in city-managed public housing. The refugees consist of 3 families who have relocated from Shoni Province, the most violent area in the Ni-Rao Civil War that has now been raging for over a year. The Insulmag City Housing Development Authority, which is headed by a mayoral appointee and is responsible to the city’s executive branch of government, had agreed last month to house the refugees but initially reversed course after a resolution by City Council ordered the agency to cancel the plan, citing the national housing crisis as a reason to deny refugee settlement in favor of opening the apartments to Mexregionan citizens.
“There is no such crime as ‘contempt of city council,’ and in order for there to be such a law, I would have to sign it, which I won’t be doing. The only contempt here is the contempt I have for the callous disregard of compassion from cowardly politicians who stoke xenophobia in the name of gaining media attention for next year’s elections,” said McDichael in a press conference in front of the Atalandian Heights apartment building, the public housing project into which the Raonites are slated to move. “These apartments have been vacant for more than two years, despite the housing crunch, due to lack of applications for housing assistance. It’s time to put these apartments to use.”
Insulmag City Council Chairman Karl Dandleton calls the Mayor’s plan “a slap in the face to good, honest Mexregionians,” saying that the vacant apartments—which, as public housing, require families to meet the legal definition of poverty in order to apply—should instead be opened to the private housing market. “In the past 90 days, only 2 new homes were listed for sale in Insulmag City. Two. Demand is exceeding supply at levels unknown not only here in Mexregiona, but at levels unknown in almost every country on Urth. These apartments need to go to taxpaying citizens of these United States. We need to take care of our own.”
A plan proposed by Chairman Dandleton would allow the Raonite refugees to stay indefinitely in Insulmag Intercontinental Airport, a facility that is also administered by the city government. Mayor McDichael says this is a non-starter, calling it “outrageous” and “humiliating” to the refugee families. Dandleton’s plan is likely to pass City Council, as his Insulmag Party holds a majority of seats on the 9-member council. Mayor McDichael, who notably is also the Insulmag Parish Chairman of the Social Progressive Party, is almost certain to veto it. While McDichael insists that his office has the legal authority to allow refugees to settle in the city-owned housing through a waiver issued by a mayoral executive order, Dandleton and the City Attorney’s office have both stated that this would amount to a change in statute and therefore require Council approval. The question is almost certain to end up in the courts.
Public opinion in Insulmag appears just as starkly divided as the city’s government. A poll conducted by the Evening News along with the University of Dropdatderp indicated that 44% of Insulmagonians approve of the refugee settlement plan while 49% are opposed. Mayor McDichael’s press conference on Thursday was interrupted twice by hecklers calling for the refugees to be “sent back,” while the Social Progressive Party is holding a “Welcome Rally” in front of Insulmag City Hall on Saturday.
Mexregiona Will Leave International Forum After Security Council Term Ends
THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM, Rilanon– In a stunning announcement in a rare Saturday press conference, President Mister Leader III announced that the United States of Mexregiona will resign from the International Forum “in all respects whatsoever” when the current term concludes in February of 2022. “It has become very clear to us, as well as to many others around the world, that the International Forum has failed, and continues to choose to actively fail, its mission of uniting the world in a single arena for discussion and negotiation,” said Mr. Leader. “I will plainly acknowledge that the political optics of this may be poor, but Mexregiona is a smart country, and the simple truth is that the International Forum is a waste of time and resources.”
The catalyst, Mr. Leader said, was the recent vote by the Security Council, of which Mexregiona is a member, to deny membership to Gamlevinland in eastern Novaris. “Our government and the government of Gamlevinland certainly do not see eye-to-eye on almost any issue, but that is precisely why we felt it was important that they be admitted.” Mr. Leader also cited the example of Packilvania, who was denied membership in the Fall 2020 term, and very famously afterward declared “there will be no peace on this planet.” “By choosing to be a partisan body instead of a neutral place of discussion, the Forum is actively pushing countries that defy the international order further away, and is actually decreasing global safety and security.”
Jeromy Gride, the Mexregionan Ambassador to the I.F. Security Council, said he was “obviously disappointed that it has come to this.” He noted that he felt some personal responsibility for having failed to convince others on the Council of the importance of bringing in what he called “the rogue countries of the world” to the Forum, something he said he was inspired to do by Ambassador Jaak Moenarr Vähi of Tavaris, whose seat Mexregiona was elected to this summer. “I had hoped that carrying forward this idea that I would be able to inspire others to come around, and obviously I did not.” In the vote on Gamlevinland, only Alksearia and Norgsveldet joined Mexregiona in voting in favor.
“Our goal in running for the Security Council was to make a statement that countries that are small in population can still make valid contributions to global security, and to the world in general,” explained Mr. Gride. “The International Forum has proven to not be a place where this is true.” He described the I.F. as “rapidly becoming simply a club where countries who already follow the international order pat themselves on the back and call it a day” instead of “daring to bring on the hard discussions with difficult people.” And while he declined to give names, he stated that he was certain that there were other countries who were considering making the move away from the I.F. as well.
Once the term ends and Mexregiona ceases to be a member, President Leader stated his priority would be “bilateral and multilateral negotiations directly with other countries” as well as diplomacy through other international organizations such as the League of Novaris and the Rotantic Congress, in both of which Mexregiona is a founding member. The League, which notably also rejected Gamlevinland in a recent vote, “is a smaller body in which our voice can more easily and readily be heard,” said Mr. Leader, though he noted “in no organization and on no issue is Mexregionan patience infinite.” Ultimately, said Mr. Leader, the decision to leave the I.F. was “about standing up and making the bold choice, the right choice, instead of the safe or comfortable choice.”
Mr. Leader noted that the amount of money the United States currently sends to the International Forum in membership dues is “not an insignificant number,” and that he “looked forward” to being able to redirect the funds into areas “that are actually worth our time and effort, of which the International Forum is clearly not one.”
Nuclear Accident In Vesienväl; Extent Unknown as Authorities Remain Silent
DROPDATDERP– An incident at a nuclear power plant in Järvi, Vesienväl has been reported on the social networking site Pigeon after what Vesienvällic state media source The People’s Daily reported was a “major power outage” in that city and its surrounding region. While officials in the Mexregionan government as well as Dropdatderp University have been able to reach out to individuals on the ground through social media, Vesienvällic government officials have refused all requests by the Evening News for comment.
“Information out of Vesienväl is incredibly limited and we are working extensively to verify the information we have received, but what we know at this time is that a nuclear power plant has gone offline and almost certainly suffered an explosion. It is very likely that there has been a release of radiation into the atmosphere, possibly a significant amount. We are monitoring the situation as best we can, including frequently assessing the atmosphere for radioactivity, and if it is determined that there is any cause for action here in the United States, we will take that action swiftly,” said Scrivener for Energy and the Environment Arpad Balogh in a statement.
Professor Arisztid Csonka, Chair of the Department of Nuclear Sciences at Dropdatderp University, made contact with an individual living in the city of Järvi. “I had already picked up a higher ambient level of radiation than I had seen in some months when I got a bad feeling and checked Pigeon. I almost gave up searching when I came across an article from a sports site that said an area of Vesienväl had lost power after a football match, especially considering the wind was coming from the southeast to the northwest. An individual spoke of having tasted metal, and then I knew. It was a terrible, sinking feeling.”
According to Dr. Csonka, depending on the severity of the incident, it is possible that areas kilometers away from the site of the power plant are at risk of toxic levels of radiation. “The taste of metal in the air is usually a sign of incredibly high levels of radiation, levels that can kill in days or hours,” she said. User @JarviBoi226 on Twitter, the individual contacted by Dr. Csonka, reported that a helicopter apparently involved in firefighting efforts had crashed in the street, which Dr. Csonka said could be the result of radiation interfering with electronic flight systems or even radiation levels affecting the pilot.
“It’s very heartbreaking,” said Antero Korhonen, a Vesienvällic-Mexregionan immigrant living in Insulmag said to the Evening News. “This level of secrecy is, though many might not believe it, not normal for Vesienväl. There have been many changes in the past year, many ways in which the government has restricted information. Changes in military structure, too, and I hear that the military is involved heavily in securing and restricting access to Järvi. I have family in Järvi and I have no idea if I will ever see them again.”