President Costava

ARSTOTZKA - The Arstotzkan Rrepublic has acceded to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, after a bill was passed by the People's Assembly today. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are the core of international humanitarian law, setting out rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. These rules protect persons not, or no longer, participating in hostilities, such as civilians, health workers and aid workers, wounded or sick soldiers, prisoners of war and other persons deprived of their liberty, and impose restrictions on the means and methods of warfare to which parties to conflict can resort. "I am very pleased to announce that Arsotzka has acceded to the Geneva Conventions. These rules which seek to protect human life and prevent needless suffering are now fundamental principles shared by our country's constitution." said President Costava. "The Geneva Conventions must continue to be incorporated into the training and doctrine of Arsotzka's army so they are known and complied with." he added. "This is an historic moment for Arsotzka," said Prime Minister Kuchma. "These laws restricting the means and methods of warfare must be adhered to if we are to forge a path towards peace and prosperity. Today we as a nation underline our commitment to the principles of humanity even in times of war.". The Arstotzkan Red Cross mandate to protect and assist victims of armed conflict derives from the Geneva Conventions. The organization provided technical support and advice to the Arstotzkan government during the accession process. The Arstotzkan Red Cross also conducts training and information sessions on international humanitarian law for Arsotzka's armed forces. In Arstotzka, the Arstotzkan Red Cross works to prevent violations of international humanitarian law and supports hospital and physical-rehabilitation services. It also helps poverty-affected communities and provides shelter to the homeless.

ARSTOTZKA - At least 200 people have died and 180 have been injured as huge explosions tore through the Jorji Costava Medical Center in Grestin City during the evening. Near simultaneous blasts hit the Emergency Room and the Non-Emergency Reception. Early reports say that two bombs exploded on one ambulance as it pulled into the parking lot right next to the emergency room. Blasts were also believed to have taken place on an unidentified vehicle right outside the reception. The government said there were four explosions altogether. Vladimir Rostov, 35, who was in a corridor not too far from the explosion, said: "People started to scream and run, some bumping into each other. I saw people with blood pouring from them, people on the ground." The Arstotzkan Red Cross has set up an emergency field hospital outside the Medical Center, which is the major Hospital of Arstotzka and serves the entire population of the City and its outskirts. Grestin Rescue Services official said there was "a multitude" of injured at the medical center. Emergency services are trying to rescue patients, doctors and nurses trapped under the rubbles. Clinics in the city have appealed for people to come forward to give blood. A vast morgue has been set up in an exhibition hall and busloads of relatives are arriving to try to identify remains. Authorities have warned it is almost impossible to match body parts. The Government declared a state of emergency in the country and enacted all anti-terrorism protocols. Arstotzka's national telephone operator, ArstotzTelekom, has urged people to send text messages instead of making calls to take the pressure off the network, which has collapsed. No group has admitted carrying out the attacks but the Arstotzkan government blames the far-left revolutionary group "Order of the Red Star of Arstotzka" for the bombings. "There is no doubt the Red Star Order is responsible," said Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma following an emergency cabinet meeting. "The far left wing had been looking for a massacre in Arstotzka," Mr Kuchma added. Mr Kuchma said there was no prior warning of the explosions. The leader of one outlawed Red Star Order cells linked to the now defunct Communist Party of Arstotzka, denied the Grestin bombings were the work of the revolutionary group. He suggested "rogue secret services" elements could be behind the attacks. Police are reported to be hunting for three men seen jumping outside a ground floor window next to the sites where the explosions happened.

ARSTOTZKA - The decision Jorji Costava made 20 years ago to ban the Communist Party on the territory of the Arstotzkan Republic looked perfectly natural and justified back then. It happened right after the August 1991 putsch in the Soviet Union, organized by the leaders of that very Communist Party. After the coup attempt failed, Costava was at the peak of his popularity in Arstotzka. That time was the peak of popularity for the new Arstotzka and the peak of unpopularity for the Communist Party of Arstotzka. People didn’t even hate the communist party; they despised it for what it had done to the country. That was a terrible time, when Arstotzka was a cold, starved country, drowning in filth, deficit, and chaos, with absolutely no certainty, and terribly afraid of its own future. Naturally, people attributed all that to the Communist Party of the Arstotzka, renamed "Democratic Union of Arstotzka" in the mid 90's. In the eyes of most people in the country, President Costava had saved Arstotzka and, the undisputed winner, banned the helpless party for its attempt to regain power. At that moment, that was a powerful and very dramatic gesture, for nobody knew back then for how long the Soviet Union would last. Of course, from today's point of view, that decision of Costava's had no political substance behind it. Besides, most of the Communist Party bureaucrats had not disappeared by that time; most of them had changed offices, but still remained in power. Moreover, in the new Arstotzka, Costava deliberately chose not to arrest the Communist Party leaders, which have lived and contributed to the political debate in the country ever since. The reasons for that are to be found in the personality of Costava himself. He is a genuinely large-scale, strong, and not vengeful, politician. Perhaps he decided back then not to finish the Communists off, remembering very well how he had been a Communist for most of his life. Besides, Costava never banned anyone; he never prosecuted his opponents and forgave them regularly; it is his manner, his political style. Even now, some of the more nationalist and anticommunist-minded still say that Arstotzka needed a law on lustration (in modern times, the term came to refer to government policies of limiting the participation of former communists in the successor political appointee positions or even in civil service positions) and still blame Costava for not having passed it. The general opinion is that such a law would not have worked in this country. The country, after all, was full of ex-Communist Party members most of whom who had joined it because it was the ruling party. Such were the rules of the game one had to play in order to make a professional career in most fields. Costava, himself a former high-ranking Communist Party of Arstotzka official, would have been the first to fail the lustration, and so would have most liberal politicians of the time that Costava relied on. As a result, most of Communist Party bureaucrats, especially those who used to work for the Arstotzkan KGB, acquired and secured private property, which they had not been allowed to have before, despite all the privileges of the Arstotzkan Communist elite. Their long-standing dream came true: now they had power and property. The other part of those bureaucrats, along with people supporting the communist ideology, found themselves in the Communist Party. Ever since, under another name, that party has only been second to the ruling one – mostly because Arstotzka is a very poor country, so leftist views are very popular here, notwithstanding people's nostalgic longing for their youth and the Soviet Union.. In the meantime, today's ex-Communist Party in Arstotzka looks neither like its Soviet forebear nor like the Social Democrats. To be like the latter, it lacks support in society, it is not the ruling party, and it is not international. To be like the former, it lacks both moderation and intelligence. Today's Communists in Arstotzka follow a leninist, marxist ideology and often play the anti-capitalist card. The Communists' prospects today fully depend on the prospects of Arstotzka. If the country remains as it is, with its poverty, corruption, inefficient social elevators, and absence of working democratic institutions, Arstotzkan Communists will remain the second-strongest party in the country. The leftist electorate will be numerous – and will never fail to vote for the leftist party. However, the Communists are hardly going to be the number one party either. For that, they have no charisma, no expression, no bright leaders, and no organizational leverage.

ARSTOTZKA - Arstotzka has invited national and Russian companies to build part of a new oil export pipeline linking the country’s eastern Kurch fields to Ukraine, an oil ministry spokesman said on today. The stretch of pipeline through Arstotzkan territory will act as new route along an existing pipeline that has suffered repeated technical faults. “We are keen to build a new pipeline to boost export and streghten relations with the Greater Russian Empire. A new export pipeline will provide flexibility to make oil flows continue if we have any issues with the old line,” he added. The pipeline may link to an existing route on the Ukrainian side, but several options are being considered, the Ministry of Oil spokesman said. Arstotzka Oil Industry and affiliates (GazProm Arstotzka) have submitted bids, he said, without giving details. The winning bid is expected to be chosen in late September, he added. It is not clear whether the new pipeline will follow a similar route to the existing one which runs through the country from the strait of Kertch to Grestin. Arstotzka's extraction facilities have a capacity of one million barrels per day (bpd) but normally carries only around 350.000 bpd due to repeated technical faults, caused by the lacking of proper investments and trained technicians. Arstotzka is by chance the largest crude oil exporter in the Black Sea region but the nearly 50-year-old line has also suffered regular maintenance and technical problems due to repeated leakages. Prime Minister Kuchma said talks are being held between Arstotzkan and Russian authorities in order to come to an agreement. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arstotzka is seeking to streghten diplomatic and economic relations with its neighbor in an attempt to fall under the sphere of influence of the Empire.

ARSTOTZKA - Despite criticism by the Arstotzka Human Rights Commission and the Democratic Union of Arstotzka led by MP Petro Symonenko, and even the lawyers about the lack of sufficient checks and balances between the executive and legislative powers, Arstotzka’s People's Assembly approved a new Constitution today. One of the most disputed provisions curbs the powers of the constitutional court on budget and tax matters and allows the President of the Republic to dissolve Parliament if a budget is not approved. The right-wing National Party of Arstotzka, which swept into power last months with a two-thirds majority, was the only party that voted for the Constitution in the 200-to-5 vote. The decision by the main opposition Democratic Union of Arstotzka party to boycott the vote reflected the controversy not just over the contents of the Constitution, but also the way it was drafted and the political polarization that has continued ever since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990 and its former soviet republic transitioned towards democracy. Prime Minister Kuchma, leader of the National Party of Arstotzka, told Parliament before the vote that the Constitution represented something fundamental: a break with Arstotzka’s communist past. The Constitution served to repay “those Arstotzkans who changed the regime and the political players who took part in shaping political life,” he said. “We are trying to settle that debt.” As soon as he was elected last month, Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma, who was once a leading dissident, said he would move quickly to write and pass a new Constitution that he claimed would complete Arstotzka’s transition to a full-fledged democracy. The opposition party, however, withdrew from a commission that was established to draft a written Constitution, the first in Arstotzka’s turbulent history since 1922. “They withdrew for political reasons,” Prime Minister Kuchma said in an interview. “We wanted them to participate. We kept asking them to come back. It was a big mistake that they did not rejoin the commission.” The opposition claimed it would not have been listened to even had it remained in the commission. The new constitution will give Arstotzka a legal framework in which nationalist and religious factors are decisive. The constitution reeks of Christian-Orthodox fundamentalist and nationalist ideology, which the National Party calls the “national creed”. God, Christianity, the Republic and pride in the thousand-year history of Arstotzka are enshrined in the new constitution as legally binding standards. The text refers back to the country’s “historic” heritage. In a speech to the nation, Prime Minister Kuchma said the new constitution ended the phase in which “Arstotzkans were systematically suppressed”. The right to utilise a referendum to oppose political decisions has been considerably restricted. Generally, a referendum can no longer be instigated by popular demand, but only through a majority in parliament. Referendums calling for constitutional changes or to amend election law are completely excluded.The protests against the constitution have been limited. There were several demonstrations against the government in Grestin, but these were mainly dominated by the Democratic Union of Arstotzka. The opposition parties fear being excluded from power permanently. Regardless, the new constitution claims to represent all Arstotzkans.

ARSTOTZKA - Arstotzka’s law banning the full Muslim veil has returned to the forefront of debate following an outburst of urban violence apparently sparked by police action against a woman in a Grestin City suburb. Officials said this morning about 20 vehicles were set alight and four people arrested in a first night of disturbances around the capital city, where the original incident took place. It followed several hours of rioting in a suburb of the Capital where the husband of a woman stopped for wearing the veil was being held on allegations of having assaulted the police officers involved. He was later released pending charges but a 14-year-old boy was seriously injured in the eye and several police were hurt during the clashes. Around 200 people attacked the police with rocks and fireworks and riot squads used teargas against the crowd. The current government is in an awkward position over the burka law, which bars the face being covered in public. The Democratic Union Party abstained when it was introduced by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma, against angry opposition by Muslim groups. President Jorji Costava has made no move to overturn the legislation and is backing police action to uphold it. Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma, under strong pressure from the National Party of Arstotzka to reinforce application of the law, said in an interview with Truth of Arstotzka newspaper: ‘The law must be applied everywhere and for everybody.’ Asked whether police enforcement of the burka law was inappropriate, he replied: ‘These controls must be carried out, as prescribed, with discretion, but there is no period, whatever the religion, when the law does not apply.’ In a statement he said a strong security force presence would be maintained around Grestin City ‘until a sustained calm returns’. MPs of the National Party of Arstotzka whose popularity is mounting steadily in the opinion polls ahead of general elections last month, were quick to add their voice to the issue, saying the riots were linked to mass immigration. They said Arstotzka was ‘losing its iron fist against the vandals, Islamists and delinquents. It is more than time to bang the fist on the table to restore law and order on every square metre of the national territory.’

ARSTOTZKA - The Arstotzkan People's Assembly approved earlier this evening a law banning any veils that cover the face, including the burqa, the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women, making Arstotzka one of the few countries to plan such a measure. The law passed by a vote of 200 to 8 with about 92 abstentions coming essentially from the Democratic Union of Arstotzka opposition party. The legislation was overwhelmingly approved by the People's Assembly and will go into effect at one minute past midnight. Some 81 percent of people polled approved of a ban, while 19 percent disapproved. A panel of Arstotzkan lawmakers recommended a ban last week, and lawmakers unanimously passed a non-binding resolution calling the full-face veil contrary to the laws of the nation. "Given the damage it produces on those rules which allow the life in community, ensure the dignity of the person and equality between sexes, this practice, even if it is voluntary, cannot be tolerated in any public place," the Arstotzkan government said. The law imposes a fine of 150 Roubles and/or a citizenship course as punishment for wearing a face-covering veil. Forcing a woman to wear a niqab or a burqa will be punishable by a year in prison or a 500 Roubles fine, the government said, calling it "a new form of enslavement that the Glorious Republic of Arstotzka cannot accept on its soil." The Democratic Union of Arstotzka led by MP Petro Symonenko has warned the National Party led government that the ban could be incompatible with international human rights laws and the country's own constitution. The ban pertains to the burqa, a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face, and the niqab, a full-face veil that leaves an opening only for the eyes. The hijab, which covers the hair and neck but not the face, and the chador, which covers the body but not the face, apparently are not banned by the law. However,a 1991 law in Arstotzka bans the wearing or displaying of overt religious symbols in schools other than eastern-orthodox ones - an heritage of the first and uncertain post-communist years of the country - including the wearing of headscarves by schoolgirls. Arstotzka does not keep its own statistics on religious affiliation of the population, in keeping with its laws requiring the state to be strictly secular, but the Arstotzka Human Rights Commission estimates about 2000 muslims live in the country, 10% of the total population.

** PANIC IN ARSTOTZKA** ARSTOTZKA - Businessmen, journalists, office workers, walking citizens, drivers stumbled over each other, tripped, fell and took what seemed like ages to put on their chemical suits and gas masks as air raid sirens sounded over Grestin City. The alarm went off at 19:06 local time as the news of an unspecified attack in the nearby Caucasian Union spread across social networks in Arstotzka. Arstotzka lacks proper detection devices in case of nuclear or chemical attacks and the only source of informations are Athenian medias and internet websites. No one really knew what they were running from: bombs, anthrax or nerve gas. Outside, panicked workers ran towards shelters while a gaggle of stoic, unfazed taxi drivers stood arms crossed, smiling defiantly. The instant the air raid siren sounded, male workers in a motorcycle sales and repair shop threw down their wrenches and pens and ran for an underground lift. The streets of Grestin are deserted. Military personnel in special protective suits are patrolling the streets.

ARSTOTZKA - Proponents of Arstotzka's new anti-immigration laws say they are a much-needed response to a serious problem, but critics say they recall the policies of the communist regime, reports the newspaper "Truth of Arstotzka" in Grestin City. "The life that I'm living in Arstotzka is very poor. I don't have documents. In Arstotzka, if you don't have documents, you are nothing - you are an empty vessel." George - not his real name - is a 24-year-old immigrant who came to Arstotzka a few months ago. He crossed the sea from Turkmenistan in a small boat, along with 25 other people. They crossed the caucasian union and then landed in Arstotzka. He claimed asylum. But George's claim, along with the majority of asylum seekers who land on Arstotzka's shores, was rejected. Since then, he has been living illegally in the suburbs of the city of Grestin, struggling to survive under Arstotzka's increasingly tough policy on illegal immigrants. We see that policy in action as we pass an internet cafe near the hostel where he is staying. Four policemen enter the cafe and single out those of foreign descent, asking to check their official documents "Papers, please." they say. "They're in here three or four times a week looking for people without papers," George says. Arstotzka has come under fire from groups as diverse as the Arstotzka Human Rights Commission for its strict new anti-immigration laws, which were passed early this months. Under the legislation, illegal immigrants are liable to pay a fine of 1000 Roubless and can now be detained by the authorities for up to six months. In addition, people who knowingly house undocumented migrants can now face up to three years in prison. The new law also permits the formation of unarmed citizen patrol groups to help police keep order. The Arstotzka Human Rights Comission is investigating the new laws to see if they comply with the Constitution of the Republic of Arstotzka. "Arstotzka is absolutely not a racist country. We just want to be sure that the immigrants who arrive on our land want to be here to work, not to make crimes. There are legal ways to become an immigrant and we are not going to amend our laws in order to promote or de-criminalise illegal immigration. We firmly defend our borders and costantly monitor the influx of immigrants. This is not racism, this is just enforcing the law." says Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma of the National Party of Arstotzka "Illegal immigrants in Arstotzka who have no visa are unable to get a job". Prime Minister Kuchma, whose government majority ushered the new law through the People's Assembly, firmly believes Arstotzka is facing an emergency. With nearly 1000 immigrants arriving on their shores last months, mostly via land and boats from Asia, many Arstotzkans agree. "There are too many people. You see in the city, on the streets in Grestin, hundreds of immigrants, I think," says one man from Grestin, who did not want to give his name. "I want to help people who are poorer than me, but I want to know where they come from and what they are going to do," says Ludmila, a 23-year-old National Party supporter. "It is better if they come here legally." According to the Arstotzka Human Rights Commission, Arstotzka's new laws could be the beginning of "a catastrophic phase" for not only migrants but also Arstotzkan citizens. "This law really alters the landscape by criminalising the violation," a spokesperson says. Critics of the new citizen patrol groups have staged protests in Grestin City. "In the past you were in violation of the law. That doesn't mean you were a criminal. This law means if you break the law, now you are considered a criminal. That's a big deal." Mr Kuchma readily admits that almost no illegal immigrants would be able to pay a 1000 Roubles fine. In fact, he says, that is the point. "If they have already been arrested for something before, if they don't pay the fine, we will have recidivism." Kuchma says. The immigrant will have made two "mistakes", and "so then we can make the expulsion". Arstotzka issues very few visas to people who are already living in the country, and demand for work permits from potential immigrants greatly outstrips supply. It quickly becomes a tricky situation - illegal immigrants who have no visa are unable to get a job; those without a job are unable to get a visa. As a result, both illegal and legal migrants have become an increasingly obvious presence on the streets of Arstotzkan cities. At night, groups of men from across Africa, the Arab world and Asia roll out sleeping bags and cardboard boxes in Arsotzka's squares. By day, they get by however they can - some by selling fake designer handbags or toys, some by stealing. "I don't have a job. I can't go to the hospital if I am sick," he says. Beside him in the hostel's courtyard, a disparate group of migrants from as far away as Afghanistan and Bangladesh pass the time playing cards. "The Arstotzkan Coast Guard rescued me in the sea. If they didn't want me they shouldn't have rescued me," George adds. Mr Kuchma defends the law and the efforts of the government to crack down on illegal immigration "It is in their interest to be legal immigrants and we simply cannot condone a criminal action, even if this criminal action is up to moral debates within society and the critics of the Arstotzka Human Rights Commission. Nobody is above the law, and Arstotzka always comes first in the Government's agenda. My job as Prime Minister of Arstotzka is to ensure that laws are enforced. Glory to Arstotzka." he said.

Dear Prime Minister, Honourable MPs, People of Arstotzka, Allow me once again to extend my warmest thanks to Prime Minister Kuchma for the devotion he has shown to our nation and for leading it during its darkest times. As we all know, Prime MInister Kuchma made an «exceptional choice» by forming this executive. Exceptional because equally exceptional is the time Arstotzka is currently going through. Faced with an emergency, i urged you to speak the language of truth. I asked you to give the country and the world a token of our will to work and of our sense of responsibility. I gave you one more chance. A chance to prove worthy of the role that the Constitution acknowledges you as representatives of our country. You must prove worthy of serving our country – setting an example of rigour and expertise – in one of the most complex and painful seasons of our history since the fall of communism. By entrusting Prime Minister Kuchma, I intend to address you using the “subversive” language of truth. I therefore confess that I’m fully aware of my limits and I feel all the weight of my personal responsibilities; nonetheless, I’m planning to do anything in my power for my shoulders to be wide and strong enough to carry the weight of the Parliament’s support in my capacity as President of the Republic. Finally, I could not start this speech in such an important context without personally expressing my deepest gratitude to the People of Arstotzka, who in this difficult moment are supporting me with generosity and loyalty. This parliament is a parliament at the service of Arstotzka and its people. The truth is that the economic situation of Arstotzka is still very serious. The public debt we have accumulated in the past is weighing heavily on present and future generations and risks crashing the economic prospects of our country for good. We will find strategies to boost growth without compromising the necessary process of restructuring of public finances. Arstotzka is still suffering a crisis of legitimacy and efficacy right when citizens need it the most. Arstotzka can return to be the engine of sustainable growth, the engine of hope and future, only if it opens up. The destiny of the entire country is closely intertwined. There shall be no winners and losers if Arstotzka fails this test. We will all be losers. Glory to Arstotzka.

Lego Arstotzka® released a new set of lego figures for the joy of children and parents alike. Glory to Arstotzka.

Among the communist dictatorships under the soviet sphere of influence, Arstotzka's was the poorest and quirkiest. As well as suppressing dissent, the paranoid leaders of the Worker's Communist Party of Arstotzka, banned almost all contact with other countries. Few foreigners ever visited Arstotzka, and hardly any Arstotzkans were allowed abroad. The enemies of the state were sent to prison camps, modelled on Stalin's gulags. The inmates were forced to work on the government's mining and construction projects, and many died as a result of appalling conditions. In total, some 3000 people passed through the camps. In a country of 15.000, almost one person in every five was jailed or displaced by the communists. Today, some 1000 former prisoners are still alive. Embittered and impoverished, they have received only a fraction of the compensation promised by post-communist governments. During a hunger strike in Arstotzka in 1992, one year after the fall of the dictatorship, two former prisoners set themselves alight. One has since died of his burns. Two parties, the Nationalists and the Democrats, have dominated Arstotzka since the fall of communism. Both have paid lip service to the requests lodged by victims of communism, while accusing each other of ignoring them. Rather than aiding reconciliation, Arstotzka's painful past has become an instrument of political coercion. The view that all Arstotzkans suffered alike under communism upsets those who lost more than others. The state's policy toward the past, however, seems tacitly to endorse this view - even if it does not articulate it. Former political prisoners have been promised compensation - but are, in effect, treated little differently compared to other citizens. The secret police's archive, which would reveal who spied upon whom under communism, also remains sealed. The archive originally contained the records of suspected enemies of the state. Much of the information in them had been provided by their close friends, relatives and colleagues. Of the thousands of files amassed over 60 years of dictatorship, officials estimate that only about a few hundreds remain intact. Some have been lost. Others were deliberately destroyed by former communists. "A good portion of the files was destroyed in the early 1990s," says a source in the Ministry of Interior. Through much of the last decades, it seems the archives were allowed to deteriorate. "We found open files, with whole pages torn out and scattered across the floor," the source said. Politicians on both sides, however, defend their management of the archive. Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma insists his government is committed to releasing the files. "Although 20 years have gone by, it is essential for Arstotzka to face the past," he says. "The files should be opened." Kuchma accuses the Democrats - currently in opposition - of contributing to the deterioration of the archives that might ruin their MPs reputations. The Democrats, however, accuse their rivals of making empty promises to the victims of communism. The President of the Republic, Jorji Costava, says the archive is just one of several thorny problems inherited from the dictatorship. He blames the deadlock over the files on the current political elite, which he says is composed of former communists, and former dissidents. "The marriage between the two has created an overlapping identity, which makes it controversial - and difficult - to deal with the past," he says. The ranks of senior Nationalists and Democrats today do indeed include many former communists, as well as those who can claim to have been dissidents. In reality, however, the dissidents who are now in politics were often also close to the center of power during the dictatorship. This is because Arstotzka's regime blurred the distinction between dissidents and loyalists: its most senior officials could simultaneously be suspected and monitored as potential enemies of the state. Many Arstotzkans believe top officials from both parties have something to fear from the archive - either because they were spies, or were spied upon. Selective leaks from the sealed archive have already been used to attack or blackmail prominent figures. Moreover, former secret service officials argue that the fear of the unseen files is far more valuable to politicians than the information within them. "Nothing will happen if we open the files," a former KGB agent who prefers to stay anonymous says. "But nobody is interested in doing so because the past is being used as a political tool." Arstotzka remains one of Eastern Europe's poorest nations. It has had a hard journey out of dictatorship and isolation, enduring bouts of anarchy during the 1990s. Amid this turbulence, the country's former political prisoners have struggled to find their feet. Their property had been confiscated when they were imprisoned. Often, their families were also packed off to labor camps. Those relatives who remained behind were usually ostracized. Released into the chaos that followed communism, the prisoners lacked the resources to build new lives. Some have made their homes in abandoned buildings, and still fear eviction. According to the Ministry of Healthcare that oversees the rehabilitation of former prisoners, many of the detainees suffer from ill health as a result of their internment. Many also married late in life, after their release, and are now struggling to support their young.

ARSTOTZKA - In a major fillip to investment, especially in the infrastructure sector where a 5.000.000 roubles expenditure has been approved, Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma announced the completion of three new clinics and a large medical center in Grestin, the Capital of Arstotzka, along with three new stadiums for the local sport clubs, envisaging the return of the Arstotzkan Premier League for the joy of local hooligans. Spelling out his budget priorities, Mr. Kuchma said investments for infrastructure would be encouraged up to 12.000.000 Roubles by the end end of October. The government would also seek funds from key trade partners to build a new industrial corridor in Arstotzka, near the border with western Crimea, linking it to the neighbouring Greater Russian Empire. Mr. Kuchma also referred to creation of a regulator to give a boost to road projects and address bottlenecks faced by investors. The most important of the initiatives was creation of a new railway and two new dual carriageways between the existing industrial corridors, sparking the protest of environmentalist groups. As for rural infrastructure, he said the National Bank of Arstotzka and the Rural Development Bank, had successfully utilised the first tranch of investments to finance construction of warehouses, godowns, silos and cold storage units designed to store agricultural produce, in both the public and private sectors. Arstotzka's economy has recovered from the initial meltdown and unemployment rates have dropped to pre-independence levels, stabilizing at 13%. Ministry of Economy analysts predicted another drop by the end of October, due to the major investments approved by the government to fight unemployment and promote the opening of new businesses thanks to the cheap workforce much requested by highly developed foreign markets.

"When referring to the Soviet Union, Arstotzkan medias and politicians mean the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" that existed between 1917 and 1991. Arstotzka was a soviet republic between 1922 and 1991, as Autonomous Socialist State in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1991 due to the collapse of the USSR (1922-1991) Arstotzka ceased to exist as the "Arstotzkan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic" and renamed itself to "Glorious Republic of Arstotzka" also known as "Arstotzkan Republic/Republic of Arstotzka" or simply "Arstotzka". Therefor, none of the statements by President Costava or Prime Minister Kuchma refer to the "Caucasian Soviet Union" which we refer to as the "Caucasian Union" in order to distinguish it from the Soviet Union we were part of for almost 80 years. Arstotzkan citizens are aware of the difference and in Arstotzkan common talks the name "Soviet Union" always refers to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, and never the Caucasian union." - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Arstotzka

ARSTOTZKA - Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma announced a “first wave of reforms” today aimed at rolling back decades of state control over the country’s sheltered and dysfunctional economy. The changes seek to improve public welfare, he said in a nationally televised address. Mr. Kuchma’s speech, delivered as a sort of state of the nation address, appeared to reflect confidence that he could confront vested interests in the country, including businesses that could suffer in a more liberalized and competitive environment. He vowed to reduce the state’s role in an ambitious list of sectors: education, energy, trade, health care, finance and telecommunications. He also appeared to signal a desire for more foreign participation in the economy, saying that alleviating poverty would require “international grants, aid, loans and technical expertise.” Largely because of state control, cellphones remain prohibitively expensive for most of the small country’s 15.000 citizens, and the banking system, largely based on cash transactions, is primitive. The country has no lending for terms longer than one year, and no home mortgages. “Economic reforms will really prompt political reform,” Mr. Kuchma said. The program announced on today may help “convince the average person that they will benefit,” he added. Mr. Kuchma has sought to cut all ties with the totalitarian past of the country, but he is also competing with Mr Symonenko, leader of the opposition party Democratic Union of Arstotzka, for the hearts and minds of nostalgic citizens. This mix has caused frictions in recent days, with Mr Symonenko stealing the spotlight for a moment when at one point the vote results were uncertain. Twenty years ago, after the collapse of the USSR, Arstotzka privatized industries and sold off state property, a process that benefited tycoons and other people linked to the regime. Mr. Kuchma vowed for a more open procedure for the wider category of assets under consideration. A foreign investment law will be passed during the next session of Parliament, scheduled to begin tomorrow, Mr. Kuchma said. The planned government’s reforms — including the loosening of news media controls and new law to protect freedom of speech and independence of the judiciary — have persuaded Western countries to invest in Arstotzka and sign new trade agrements. Icons of Arsotzkan capitalism like Grestin Constructions Inc. and the Electric Company of Arstotzka have announced plans to open new businesses in the country. While shifting his focus toward the economy, Mr. Kuchma said he would continue to work on “national reconciliation, national peace and stability and the rule of law, and the safety of the public.”