Khabarnama-e-Sikandari

[Ashkelon]

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Re: Counter-Terrorism Operations in Raigestan

We in the Mezhist Union commend His Imperial Majesty's bold and noble decision to dispense justice upon those who have dared to threaten his people with barbaric terrorism. Let it be said that the day Sikandara declared her initiative for justice, she did not waver for the slightest moment, and enforced her words with immediate, and decisive action. This shows the commitment and integrity of the Sikandari government towards its duty to its people, and His Imperial Majesty's firm resolve in performing what must be done in the name of justice.

As of this message, freight trains carrying needed supplies are now en route to the Sikandari exclave in Sarmatia, to be used by the Sikandari Empire as she sees fit. We stand alongside you in this endeavour.

Cordially Yours,
Kondrat Olbroz,
Director of International Affairs

 

[Serenierre]

Imperial Military establishes beach-head in Raigestan

The Council for Defence has announced today that the Imperial Army has successfully completed a landing on the island of Raigestan, following a week long period of intense carpet bombing and naval shelling – in which many thousands of bombs and shells have descended on the island – a strategy which has been called excessive by some MPs in Shahdara. It is reported that prior to the landing by infantry troops, 1500 paratroopers from the 12th Commando Division landed behind enemy lines, destroyed Raigestani coastal defences and held out against the communist military for twelve hours. The Council for Defence has announced that following the establishment of the beachhead, a total of 50,000 Sikandari troops will eventually be on the island.

Though the landing has been a success, it is not the first attempt to dislodge the communists from the island, previous attempts by the Danish military were unsuccessful because of the geographical distance and the lack of sufficient troops available for an amphibious assault on the island, as well as tougher resistance from the the Raigestani communists due to the less intensive bombing prior to Sikandari involvement. It is said that the Raigestani populace remains firmly communist in its convictions but is mentally and emotionally exhausted following the bombardment of the island and rising civilian casualties following the breakdown in social services. But communist insurgents and militias are dug in the countryside and are engaged in heavy fighting with Sikandari troops, utilising guerilla tactics.

The Emperor visited Akbariyeh, the city closest to Raigestan, and observed the island's north-eastern coast by telescope and spoke with the commanders of the expeditionary force, prior to meeting with those injured in the terrorist attacks by Raigestani communist militants. And internationally as well, the Sikandari involvement has brought support to it from Jurzan and the Sarmatian Mezhist Union, as well as Danmark, which is the Empire's ally in the conflict.

 

[Serenierre]

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT APPROVES INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION BILL
Government to allocate 50 million Ashrafi to industrial sector
Shahdara | Imperial State of Sikandara

The Imperial Parliament, today, formally accepted the Industrial Expansion Bill of 1953 and sent it to the Emperor for his assent. The bill will inject 50 million Ashrafi into the economy, specifically targeting the country's industrial capacity with aims of increasing the sector's size and improve the quality of the existing industries. The bill stipulates that the Government will be given full authorisation to court industrial powers, such as Danmark, Franken, Sarmatia and Frescania, to assist in establishing better factories and procuring the most efficient equipment needed for the industrial capacity of the country to increase over the next five years.

The entire endeavour is set to provide countless jobs, directly and indirectly, to the relatively poor northern Sikandaran populace and revitalise the economy, which has suffered from stagnation and recession in recent years. The Council for Finance has stated that the initiative will allow the Sikandari economy to produce considerably higher amounts of consumer goods, which can increase export revenue, as well as improve the domestic arms industry, which is a national asset. It is expected that the companies taken on board will receive many lucrative projects and will enjoy the Government's favour in their dealings with Sikandara, a prospect which has resulted in many foreign companies lodging formal requests to be considered, though the Council for Finance remains quiet on the matter for the moment.

 

[Serenierre]

NEWS ALERT

Orders for full mobilisation issued, as Miroslavl threat reaches Shahdara​

The Council for Defence has ordered the Imperial Military to commence preparations for full scale mobilisation, in preparation for a Miroslavian response to the Sikandari declaration of war on the communist puppet state of Raigestan. The military, which has been on heightened alert for several months already, has cancelled all leaves and recalled reserve units. Already the deployment of troops heading off to Raigestan is proceeding at a decent pace and the order for full mobilisation might hamper the government's planned social policies for the year, which are expected to take a back seat as the situation develops.

 

[Serenierre]

HEADLINES

> Emperor and Chancellor visit troops headed to Raigestan at base in Akbariyeh
> National mobilisation continues as Miroslavian threat lingers
> Council of Defence announces measures in case of national emergency.
> Inner Seas Straits: military presence intensified

 

[Serenierre]

HEADLINES – 29 January 1953

> Miroslav invades Sikandara's Burjzam province
> Emperor orders immediate imposition of war economy
> Council of Defence begins recruitment drive
> Oil prices skyrocket as Top 5 producers all at war, ICPEN meeting convened in Arendaal

 

[Serenierre]

UPROAR IN PARLIAMENT AS IMPERIAL AUTHORITY QUESTIONED

The opposition Orange Democrats have caused a major uproar in Parliament today by introducing legislation aimed at reforming the constitution, with demands placed on curtailing the rights and privileges of the Imperial Family, as well as limiting the powers of The Emperor. The introduction of the legislation shocked the ruling Cerulean Democrats, who have responded by outright blocking the admission of the legislation, and Chancellor Abdullah Jhangvi has called such demands "bordering on the verge of treason". Opposition Leader Nasir Zanj, was most vocal in today's parliamentary session, and has condemned the Chancellor for attempting to stifle the freedom of speech of his MPs and has stated that his party's demands are well within reason, arguing that demanding the removal of a monarchy altogether would be classified as treason, not the creation of a constitutional monarchy.

The clash in Parliament in just the latest in a series of arguments in regards to the monarchy, though the issue has in the past been confined to academic debates and articles in various news publications, to have it occur in the legislature is, both, surprising and alarming. Given the tense and volatile situation in the region, curtailing of the monarchy is being seen by traditionalists as a cultural invasion by the communist and republican ideologies and has the potential to severely destabilise Sikandara, warn some analysts. The events in Parliament are set to polarise public opinion and are causing considerable concerns in Shahdara.

 

[Serenierre]

OPPOSITION BLOC FACES INTERNAL DISPUTES FOLLOWING CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM AGENDA

The Opposition group in Parliament, the Orange Democrats, an alliance between the People's League, Liberal Union and the Progressive Party, has seen its own internal cohesion damaged following the presenting of a reform agenda by the People's League which would see the curb of Imperial Power, which is a controversial issue in Shahdara. Meeting at their national headquarters in the Imperial Capital, the Orange Bloc has been reported to have debated an immediate dissolution of the bloc to allow the People's League to pursue its constitutional agenda.

 

[Serenierre]

thestandard
April 18, 1953 • Private publication

Opposition trounce on Government's economic performance

SHAHDARA: In yesterday's session of the Imperial Legislative Assembly, the Opposition tore into the Government's record on its economic policy, which had been touted as a cure to the country's high inflation rate and unemployment figures, both of which have continued on to grow during the three years since the Cerulean Coalition government, headed by Chancellor Jhangvi, has taken charge of the country. The Shadow Minister for the Treasury, Mir Agha Yaqub, particularly focused his attacks on the performance of the budget presented last year, which he said had been disastrous for the country's poor populace, which has seen the price of essential commodities, such as wheat, barley and rice, rise several times in the year.

To counter the opposition's virulent attack on his economic agenda, the Grand Councillor for the Treasury, Mir Ahmed Shah Yahya countered by saying that the problems of inflation in the country were directly related to the conflicts raging in the region rather than the policies of the current government. The Grand Councillor went on to say that the Government had indeed moved to curb inflation and the national budget for Y1952-1953 had stabilised the inflation rate, though he admitted that his budget saw it increasing several times, andthat in the coming budget, additional measures would be introduced to bring the national inflation rate lower, now that it had more or less stabilised.

But Communist Party members of the parliament were adamant in their opposition, by bursting into loud speeches advocating the plight of the farmers in Burjzam Province and northern Sikandara, where the annual rainfall has been less than satisfactory, which has resulted in a massive price rise in the region, to which they demanded a government subsidy be granted. The Grand Councillor has stated that the export quota for wheat and other essential crops would be lowered to ensure that domestic prices come down. Though the news from Shahdara has resulted in the international price for Sikandari wheat being driven up considerably.

Oil operations temporarily stopped due to explosion, IHC urges for calm The Imperial Petroleum Company is announcing that its operations in one drill in northern Sikandara have been temporarily halted due to an explosion which has killed 3 workers on the crane. The Grand Councillor for Energy has sent his condolences to the families of those killed.

Local Christians invite Mormon groups as part of inter-faith dialogue covention The Christian Community of Sikandara have officially dispatched invitations to Mormon groups across the world to take part in an inter-faith dialogue convention organised by the Mayor of Akbariyeh. The goal of the convention is to foster better relations between the Sikandari Christians and Mormons.

business&money
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Oil & gold go up, stocks go down

SHIRAVAN: The economic capital of the country has seen, over the past week, the stock market continue to get lower, amid rising regional tensions and the prices of oil and gold, one of Sikandara's major exports, go up, which has pushed the stocks of the Imperial Mining Company and Imperial Petroleum Company up on the rankings. The sudden upswing in both commodities prices has come as suprise to most analysts as international prices seem relatively stable and the increase in prices is apparently confined to Sikandari markets, which is all the more puzzling as the price of gold to Ashrafi has recently touched quite a high price, and given the inflation and unemployment rates, domestic consumer demand is low.

It is theorised by some that the Government is shoring up on these two commodities as the regional situation continues to develop and the possibility of a worsening is ever present on the minds of cautious Sikandari treasury council mandarins. Attempts to get an official response by the Government have ended with our phones to the Treasury being left unanswered. And in the current economic situation, the Ashrafi has also weakened, going so low as to hit 60 to an ounce of gold.

culture&entertainment

Sikandari literature prospers as cinema struggles for air

SHERAVAN: Sikandara is famed for its literature, with many authors publishing books ranging from the religious and the philosophic, to the mindless and romantic, and even to the extent of heretical and erotic. But while the written word is widely appreciated, the same popularity seems to evade the cinema industry, a strange reversal of the situation across the world where cinema has become the dominant form of entertainment. As such, where last year the publishing industry made profits in many millions, the film producers barely covered their costs.

On average, for every twenty books that make a profit for their publishers, only one film manages to do the same for its producers. The cinema industry is also plagued by an impression in the mind of society at large that it is a way for prostitutes to increase their profile to earn higher rates from customers – an unproven allegation that continues to drive people away from cinemas. That impression, however, is further aggravated by the vulgar excesses of the private lives of many people in the cinema industry, which has spawned an entire industry of "tabloid" publications, which embellish and cook up unbelievable and immoral stories, which while socially unacceptable, continue to sell in their thousands.

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[Thaumantica]

Church of Oceanic Saints

As the legitimate and direct heir to the Mormon legacy of Europe, the Church of Oceanic Saints would gladly represent itself in Akbariyeh at an inter-faith convention for dialogue. Our Quorum in Western Concordia have chosen the wise Apostle Henry Armentiers, from the Grand Covenant Province of Madeleine, to represent our faith in this faraway land.

 

[Potenza]

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The Reformed Church of Potenza has asked her elders in Sikandara to not take part in the Christian-Mormon conversations, and to advise her Sikandari faithful not to participate. While we encourage just and friendly relations with their Mormon neighbors, such "inter-faith dialogue" tends to break down the walls of orthodoxy and sacrifice truth for superficial peace. As such, we cannot ask our elders to partake in a situation where they would give Mormons the greeting required of a Christian, as the apostle John warns us that the person who does so "takes part in his wicked works" (2 John 1:11). The apostle Paul likewise warned us: "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them" (Romans 16:17). As the Mormon churches teach heretical views of the Persons in the Trinity, justification, and the afterlife, and were founded upon the teachings and beliefs of a false prophet, we cannot rightfully permit our leaders and members to enter into any form of communion with them. We will, however, continue to enjoy warm relations with the Sikandari government and non-Christian members of the populace.

 

[Serenierre]

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COMMUNISTS GRILLED IN PARLIAMENT
Vangalan support for Communist Party casts shadows on loyalty to state

DIPLOMATIC MEETINGS WITH DANMARK IN SHAHDARA
Danish Foreign Minister to arrive in Imperial Citadel to discuss important strategic issues

IMPERIAL MINING COMPANY SEEKS TO EXPAND OPERATIONS
Government asked to sponsor dialogue with foreign investors

CONTROVERSY ERUPTS IN INTER-FAITH CONVENTION
Potenzan Reformer Christians refuse to take part in assembly with Mormons, convention to go on
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[Socialist Commonwealth]

Commissariate for Foreign Affairs

It is a revealing feature of the Sikandari state and bourgeoise society, that foreign support for a just cause, foreign solidarity with the victims of injustice and persecution, is twisted into a question of "lack of loyalty". As much as the monarchists may insist on divine sanctioning for their rule, the real truth is that a government has no inborn right to the loyalty of its subjects - it must earn this loyalty by serving its people. Sikandara is not serving its people, it is persecuting political deviance and oppressing the revolutionary commitment to the advancement of the human race. As long as the Sikandari government continues to do so, it will cast shadows unto its legitimacy and unto its relations with the Workers' Republic of Carentania.

 

[Serenierre]

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IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT OF SIKANDARA COUNCIL FOR DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS

SHAHDARA; the 23rd of April, 1953
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To,
The Commissar for Foreign Affairs
The Worker's Republic of Carentania

SUBJECT: Official response to the Carentanian statement

The Imperial Government is of the opinion that the Marxist strain of thought dominant in many nation-states across the world is wrong in its attempts to involve itself in the domestic affairs of sovereign states. It is additionally thought that the Carentanian government is not truly aware of the love the peoples of the realm for His Excellent Majesty The Emperor and is, thus, advised to refrain from passing such condescending judgement when it is least informed of the ground realities.

The Imperial Government, in closing, would like to convey that the true reason for the souring of the bilateral relationship between ourselves and Rijecka has more to do with the Carentanian government's refusal to accept the fact that it cannot impose its will, in the manner Marxist states are used to within their own borders, on the Sikandari State. We are open to engage in open discussion only as long as Carentania ceases to meddle in the domestic affairs of Sikandara.

Haider Hayat
Secretary to the Grand Councillor

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GOVT. STAND-OFF WITH SCP CONTINUES
Parliamentary efforts to ease tensions result in stalemate
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SHAHDARA (April 23): It has emerged that efforts by politicians in the Imperial Legislative Assembly to resolve the tensions between the ruling Cerulean Coalition (CC) and the Sikandari Communist Party (SCP) have been derailed following an inconclusive meeting of the parliament's Sub-Committee for Political Affairs, where a proposal tabled by an independent politician to diffuse the tensions has been rejected by the CC and the SCP, as well as by the Republican Party which has stated that it was far to lenient with the SCP.

Reacting to the situation in the ILA, the Communist Party's General Secretary has announced that he will still seek to file a legal petition with the Supreme Court to release 150 party members who have been in detention in Osmaniye for over a month, and that he would hold the national government, based in Shahdara, and the provincial government of the Northern Territories, based in Osmaniye, – both of which are led by the Cerulean Coalition – as the defendants of the case. In his opinion, the detention of the party members was illegal and unconstitutional, which could very well topple the government of Chancellor Jhangvi if the Supreme Court rules in the SCP's favour.

But in the Jhangvi cabinet, it is believed that, the issue does not concern the national government and instead the SCP should prosecute the Provincial Government of the Northern Territories and the City Government of Osmaniye. The national government has also announced that it is willing to negotiate, on the behalf of the city of Osmaniye, with the SCP to end the situation. It is rumoured that the Communist Party's leadership has refused to even consider the Government's offer without first bringing the matter to the Supreme Court.

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GOVT's LEGAL TROUBLES WITH SCP CONTINUE
Parliament backs Government position, SCP legal team asks political leadership to reconsider strategy

IMPERIAL MINING IN TALKS WITH TWO FOREIGN FIRMS
Discussions aimed at securing deals which would allow IMC to substantially increase production

Government upset with foreign communist interest in legal issue
Sikandari Communists continue to squirm due to foreign support

Treasury: "To control inflation and unemployment is our priority"
Government seeks to improve economy with strengthening mining sector performance
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[Ashkelon]

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Re: Parliament Proposal

We in the Mezhist Union find this move to be a fair and just action. The SCP's continued protest of such an amenable motion towards the wrongfully detained individuals should be seen as a sign of the Imperial Governments grace and mercy. It is this representative's humble opinion that the Sikandari Communist Party doth protest too much, and its continued insistence of the alleged innocence of all 150 detainees, rather than the 80 who have been confirmed to be such by rigorous investigation, is cause for suspect. Perhaps the remainder is partially, or entirely involved in some activities concerning the Vangalan support of the growth of Marxism in the great Sikandari Empire?

Nevertheless, we shall reserve our judgement for when the light of truth reveals itself to the witnesses of this investigation, and in the end, this truth will vindicate those who deserve its due course.

Cordially Yours,
Kondrat Olbroz,
Director of International Affairs

 

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Chancellor's ship to sail or sink depending on the economic health of the country by Mr. Riaz Afridi

SCP attempts at destabilising government weaken party's reputation by Mr. Sarfaraz Shirazi

For the past several years, the economy has been under performing considerably, with growth an ever elusive dream for the economists at the Treasury and the State Bank. Unemployment and inflation rates remain fixed – almost unchanged from the previous year – at 10.2% and 15%, respectively. With the pressures rising on the consumers, which have seen wages and salaries remain stunted amid the ailing economic condition of the country, the political pressure that seems to be mounting on the Cerulean Coalition is making the current government exceedingly nervous. So much so, that it is an open secret in the imperial capital that recent measures by the Imperial Holdings Company to secure foreign financing and assistance in their expansion in the mining sector has been initiated at the express orders of the Government, which hopes that the venture would help in revitalising a sector which had become stagnant due to low investment, mainly due to poor state interest in facilitating foreign financing, and would allow additional jobs, either directly related to the mining sector, or indirectly so, to emerge and considerably ease the burden on the people. The fact that the negotiations with two important, and as of now unnamed, companies have resulted in successful agreements being reached has buoyed the hopes of the shareholders of the Imperial Mining Company, which is publicly traded at Shiravan Stock Exchange and internationally at the Fortaleza Real Stock Exchange. However, the Government must not let just this achievement get the better of them and they must not step down from reinvigorating the various industries of the country, which have been seriously depressed following the 1940 - 1945 recession which saw the economy contract by many fold. Already, thankfully, it is being rumoured in Shahdara that the Government has, despite campaigning against doing so, dropped its earlier objections of allowing domestic companies to offer shares to foreigners on the Shiravan Stock Exchange, which limited it solely to Sikandari nationals, as a protectionist measure following the unrestrained speculation which resulted in the recession. More so than ever before, the current government will truly be re-elected by how it delivers on the economic front, which I believe the current government has realised and has ample time to implement if it picks up the pace of dropping regulations and restrictive controls that are in place. Once the proverbial window will be allowed to be opened and when fresh air will come bursting into the Sikandari economy, in my opinion, I think it would not take long for us to recover, even despite the regional tensions, which may in turn allow us to perform even better, given the raised commodity prices and the food shortages that can be filled by Sikandari produce. There is truly plenty of room for growth in our primary and secondary sector and if the Cerulean Coalition can get past its fear of dealing too much with the foreign world, we will see that rapid strides can be made to resolve the issue and rescue the economy, as far as unemployment and shoring up our foreign reserves is concerned. Inflation, however, is a monster that just does not seem easily controllable. And the problem at the heart of it is our population, 300 million at the last census, which does not allow the State Bank of Sikandara to limit the money supply by as much is needed without driving prices far too high for the majority of the poor and lower middle classes, who will undoubtedly be hit hard due to the stagnation in jobs and salaries. While many economists have already given their opinion on the issue, let me also add mine; I would think that reaching an inflation rate of 14% at the end of this financial year should be a must, with gradual declines of until we reach 12% and following a period of maintaining that figure, we should further, after already making sure that employment picks up, work to push it down to around 10% before the elections in 1955. It will still be nowhere near acceptable, as far as the consumer is concerned, but it would still be down by five points and provide some relief to the people. Some would say that I am being far too optimistic to say that should occur within the time period mentioned, and I would agree to some extent. But to the naysayers I would say that we have to start somewhere and our goal at this juncture should not be controlling inflation but simply lowering it.

The current stand-off between the Cerulean Coalition government and the Communist Party, which has its origins in the arrests of 150 individuals in Osmaniye, in the northern territories, has quite frankly become ridiculous beyond measure. I am sure by now, we all know the case and the dynamics, about the 80 innocents and the 70 not so innocents and the SCP's stubbornness of wanting to secure the release of the entire 150, despite strong evidence that not all 150 are worthy of being released. I question the rationale of the SCP leadership in wanting to bring forward the case to the Supreme Court and that too not to question the detention but to question the right of the government to exercise its writ given that it has, supposedly, breached the constitution by not dismissing the provincial government in Osmaniye. This is a typical communist attempt to confuse the issue. Firstly, the Supreme Court and the arrest issue do not converge as the case does not belong to the jurisdiction of the court, at-least not before being heard at the district and high court levels, in Osmaniye. Secondly, there are specific reasons when a proceeding may be filed in the Supreme Court against the Imperial Government as far as Article 14A and 14B are concerned and so far the Government has not crossed that line. Additionally, it can be argued quite effectively that the issue of arrests in Osmaniye do not fall under the the Imperial Government as the provincial government is responsible for the law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, the evidence is before us all that the Governor and Chief Minister in Osmaniye authorised the arrests. So to question the Imperial Government, all the way in Shahdara, is really missing the point. It is clear that the Communist Party is steadily losing support and is desperate to stay relevant and is using this event in Osmaniye as some perverse excuse to destabilise the government and calling elections where it hopes to possibly win more seats, in that underhanded way that it ever so conveniently manages to do in the five constituencies where it rules like the absolute monarchs that they claim to be against. Though, in my honest opinion, were the Sikandari Communists to ever allow a free election to take place in their districts, they would truly see that not many would vote to see them return as their representatives. And despite the Imperial Government having to listen to one message of reprimand after another from Marxist states from across the world, it has been very gracious with the SCP, which continues its own propaganda to show itself as the victimised party. That assertion is not true. The SCP is a group of thugs who hide behind the hammer and sickle and lead people astray by whipping up emotional frenzy on issues that do not truly exist in the world. Perhaps the Government should open up a case against the Communist Party, as is clear, it has a few skeletons to hide. One wonders, what truly can be unearthed after a good search of the SCP's records. Possible foreign financing? Terrorist plots to assassinate the Emperor and other government officials? Plans for a coup? Personally I would not be suprised if we found all of the above. I am not a supporter of the Republican Party but, I must say, the Parliamentary leader of that group was wise to say the following yesterday in Parliament, while berating the SCP's handling of the issue at hand: "Wherever Communism has gotten a hold, it has meant nothing but persecution and misery at the hands of a hypocritical regime which creates ungodly cults around the death of its less than average leaders." I suppose now I am being repressive.

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[Serenierre]

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SUPREME COURT DISMISSES COMMUNIST PARTY LEGAL FILING
Government emerges victorious following Chief Justice's statement that the SCP's legal case was "flimsy" and "trivial"

IMPERIAL MINING SIGNS DEALS WITH POSEJDON & BULGARI
Company set on course to expand and modernise in multi-million Ashrafi deal with foreign giants

Military funding should be debated in the Legislative Assembly
Parliamentary committee suggests Government should open up on military funding

80 Communist Party workers released from Osmaniye Jail
Government offers apology and compensation for their illegal detention
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[Serenierre]

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Established 1856 • May 2, 1953 • Roshangarh Publications

GOVERNMENT SETS EYES ON MASS INDUSTRIALISATION CAMPAIGN
Chancellor seeks to transform Khomestan & Dabestan Provinces
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SHAHDARA: In a press conference, held earlier today at Feiruzgarh Palace – the Chancellor's residence and office – Abdullah Jhangvi said that his government knew that the path to reviving the economy could only be achieved by mass-industrialisation and by including the populace of the underdeveloped northern provinces of Khomestan and Dabestan in any such franchise. Chancellor Jhangvi stated that he believed limiting industrial and economic progress to the southern provinces was, in part, responsible for the current economic stagnation facing the country. He stated that it was his objective to push through legislation which would allow foreign investment in the provinces, so far confined only to the booming mining sector, to establish a wide variety of secondary industry, which would ease the burden on the industrial regions further to the south and see "even and balanced advances into modernity and progress across the realm."

The Imperial Legislative Assembly, which also picked up the issue following the Chancellor's statement, saw a heated debate ensue when simmering tensions between the Cerulean Coalition and the Sikandari Communist Party, in part to the recent legal drama between the two, forced the proceedings to be halted twice by the Speaker. However, the Orange Democrats, while being restrained in their own opposition to the government, have also shown their disapproval of the industrialisation scheme being put forward by the Government for the northern provinces. There are also some reservations about the idea of uncontrolled or regulated foreign investments being made into Sikandari companies could lead to serious destabilisation of the economy and the Orange Democrats have called for further discussions on that issue in the Sub-committee for Finance.

The Cerulean Coalition was elected into power in 1950 on a slogan of economic reform and revival. It is now the beginning of their third year in power and the promises of economic reform and revival sound like long forgotten promises to the common man. With unemployment at a staggering 14.3% and inflation also proving to have a crippling effect on consumers, it can be safely said that the stagnation now is worse than when the Cerulean Coalition were elected into government. But, while it is easy to lay blame on the incumbents, one must look at the tough fight being fought in the legislature by the political parties.

In 1951 and 1952, the Ceruleans presented a total of twenty proposals for consideration to the parliament and found, much to their dismay, that the opposition parties formed a common front and refused to accept the proposals. It is not everyday that one gets to see the Republican Party and the Communists agree on something, let alone support the Orange Democrats. And as the proposals require 60% support in parliament, they have been firmly defeated. The fight for economic reforms is proving to be much tougher than expected and the Government is blocked in the legislature, leaving them little room to manoeuvre themselves in. But were this localised industrialisation scheme to achieve fruition, it will represent a major victory for the government and might very well prove to be the catalyst for greater economic growth across the economy.

OTHER NEWS
Orange Democrats decry proposed increase in military spending in upcoming financial year
The Emperor to embark on state visits across world to meet heads of state of allied nations
Military cooperation with Mezhist Union, Danmark, Ivernia important for our national security, says official
Grand Council for Diplomatic Affairs seeks to revitalise foreign policy

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