Here's a brief round-up of current affairs in the rest of the world.
Third World countries, which includes China, are poor countries with a severe lack of resources or anything to help the country alleviate its position. Due to the lack of money, medical and other essential supplies are in short supplies, and this means that AIDs and other epidemics are rife in the area. With high populations, many of the people try to get money anyway they can, and this means that the multicorps can get away with (almost literally) murder as they use the people for testing, illegal organ harvesting and more.
Despite the fact that the rising temperatures are rapidly melting the last remaining ice caps, the Antartic is home to many people, and comes complete with towns. The majority of the Antartic is controlled by Argentina, but nearly all nations and multicorps have bases here, for mining, research or other reasons. The UK has a sizable mining community here, and there are frequent clashes between the miners and the Argentine law enforcers.
Socialist rebels with Vatican support (military and polical) and advisors helped form the CAC nations, throwing aside all European and North American influences to create their confederation of states.
Despite having Vatican help, the CAC is in a state of tension with the USA and other South America nations.
The CAC do not export real coffee from their countries anymore.
China as an independent country broke up in 1973, possibly as a result of the Nine Minute war with Russia in 1970. Warlords took control of the country breaking it down in to many feudal kingdoms, many warring with each other. Since that time, the economic state has also broken down making China a Third World state with much poverty, rivalling that of Africa.
Japan is the leading nation for technological advancement, which may have something to do with the fact that GenTech East have their headquarters here. Indeed, many people don't recognise Japan as being separate from GenTech East. However, there is a difference, and one of the local Japanese exports is the Yazuka, who have their hands in a lot of pockets world wide, but mainly in America where they are fighting the Mafia for control of a number of differing rackets.
Mexico is a lawless country, one where gangs rules and the law is the gun. Compounding this is the fact that the CAC make frequent clashes with USA troops, although this is generally not reported to the public. Because of this lawlessness, America has built a wall on the border of Texas to keep Mexico and the gangs out.
The middle-east. Also sometimes referred to as the Pan-Islamic Confederation. The Congress is made up of several Middle East nations (including Libya, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Eygpt) who have banded together for trade and self-defence against the rest of the world, but especially Israel. Since its formation, the Pan-Islamic Congress has become a very bureaucratic state, complete with a department for ordering jihads. It is also a very unstable state with much infighting amongst its members.
The USA has been the strongest thorn in the Pan-Islamic Congress, funding guerilla and military activity in the area
Israel is not included in the Pan-Islamic Congress, and indeed a state of cold-war exists between the nations.
The Soviet Union is a large, bleak, and mostly barren country. In almost constant territorial disputes over Krill farming with Japan and GenTech East, the SU doesn't hold much power in world politics these days. However, where it does score, is that they produce the best musichip artists in the world, with Petya Tcherkassoff being the most well know pop idol in the world. In addition, the Soviet Union produces the most pornoflicks as well, which are shipped worldwide.
However, the Soviet Union manufactures luxuries, is fairly open to the world and its people are generally happy.
The current ruler is Premier Boris Yeltsin, who, as of 1999, is on his third musichip bride.
Neutral in world affairs and one where people still put their money if they wish it to be safe. One of the more stable countries in the world.
The EC has been hit by natural effects as well as a breakdown on law and order. With the heat and the drying up of the ice caps, Venice is virtually underwater and many other coastal towns are on flood alert. Terrorist activity within the EC is rife, and many of the many smaller countries are in a state of civil war.
Sicily is being used as a penal colony for the EC and is where most of the countries dump their criminals. The life expectancy of inmates here is estimated to be three months. However, the inmates are allowed to do as they please on the Island, and a feudal system has arisen, currently being run by a psychotic Mafia don who has an obsession with cleanliness. The island is patroled by robotic sharks to stop escapees.
The UK is under strict rationing for food, water and ammunition, and is expected to be for a few more years. Not as barren as the USA, or quite as lawless, the UK does have its fair share of problems. Most of the South of England is under constant flood alert, and Londoners are used to walking through streets of water. Nearly everyone is armed, but the British Bobby is better armed and while drive-by shootings and gang land wars are common, it's not as bad as it could be.
The Commonwealth is all but dissolved, British attention being back at home.
The main tension with the UK is against Argentina. Having lost the war with them in 1981, fights still break out with rival gangs of miners in Antarctica. With Argentina being in charge of policing some of the mining towns there, the UK is seriously considering sending arms and ammunition and possibly troops to defend its resources, this time armed with multicorp equipment to avoid another embarassing defeat.
Interesting to note that to raise money, the UK has started to sell off some of its national icons. London Bridge was sold to an entertainment multicorp in America, where it now lies crumbling and abandoned.
The current Prime Minister is Prime Minister Archer.
