Planetquake Smashes New Colony Dateline Ant Q5, 3206.210
Having only just started up as a going concern, colonists on Ant are struggling to recover from the effects of an unexpected and serious planetquake. Many thousands of citizens are homeless and hundreds lost their lives. The damage to newly-built infrastructre means that the colony may very well fail in the next few octants unless it gets urgent assistance from outside.

Ultra-Hot Weather Stifles Hub. Dateline Hub, Q8, 3206.217
An emergency meeting has been convened by the colonial government of Hub to discuss how to deal with the severe drought caused by unexpectedly ultra-hot weather. The Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel, has asked political parties as well as trade and business representatives, voluntary groups and other non-governmental organisations to attend.

The northern continent is one of the worst affected by the drought, which has also affected most fo the rest of the planet. At least 150,000 people are said to be affected, planetwide With the reslting prolonged periods of dryness, there are reports of crop failure in many areas. The Colonial Government has stepped up relief efforts to bring water and food to areas worst affected. Oceal-going transports have been ordered to ship eight million litres of drinking water around the planet from the polar regions. And on the main contient, the new rapid transit system will be used to transport supplies. Hundreds of thousands of megadon have died but, so far, no human deaths have been linked to the drought.

Criticism
The government has warned that food production might drop by up to 30%. Some regions have now started a work-for-food programme so thatcolonists could earn some money. "We have provided employment for 18,000 people and set up camps for people wanting to provide their animals with food," Hub's Relief Minister, Gulab Singh Shakawat, told INN. The colonial government on Hubi has, however, come under increasing criticism for failing to anticipate the situation.

"We were aware of the situation in 3201," said a local aid worker "It is sad that everybody just sits and waits for things to get worse," she said. She said Hub had enough food to feed everybody but the really needy did not have access to it.

An INN reporter who has been visiting Hub, says most people on the planet have been resilient in the face of their adversity. But many others are simply praying for rain. The failure of major rains for two years running has exacerbated long-running water shortages in the drier parts of the planet. Local meteorolgical experts warned that the total amount of rainfall this year would be lower than that of 3201. However, the government has said it believes the rains this year will return to normal.

Disease Threatens Struggling Colony Dateline Headlight Q2 3206.240
Experts say that the colony of Headlight is on the brink of a major dino flu epidemic — one that could claim more than a million lives, the head of the Headlight Virology Institute, Academician Dmitry Lvov said at a press conference. “Up to one million people could die around the whole planet in six months,” Lvov said. The expert did not give a timeframe for the epidemic, but said that it is highly probable that it will start this year. “We are half a step away from a planetwide pandemic catastrophe,” the academic said. The academician said the pandemic was most likely to be caused by the so-called dino flu stem. “The death rate among those who contract this type of flu reaches 70 percent,” Lvov said. The expert called for the Headlight authorities to prepare for the epidemic. The planet will need a reserve of at least 100,000 hospital beds if an epidemic breaks out, he said.

Death of An Admiral, New Jerusalem Q0, 3206.267
Reports have come in of some consternation at the unexpected death of Vice Admiral Toria Pelan in New Haifa City on New Jerusalem. Official sources say that the Admiral died of a cerebral haemorrage. The Admiral's senior role in Naval Intelligence was an open secret within the Union, and the sudden loss of such a senior figure is expected to have political repercussions for the Prime Minister Tassic. Foul play is not, at this stage, suspected. Admiral Pelan leaves a life-partner but no children.