News feed from the Thracian Times unless otherwise noted.

Aid budget cut (21-5-2004):  The State has cut its annual aid budget for the underdeveloped world to 0.7% of the Government budget.  This brings the amount of foreign aid to T 79 billion (US$150 billion).

War report (29-4-2004):  (from �Satellite World News�)  Three Thracian army divisions have made progress on the southern front in Militanar.  New Brounston has come under full Militia Alliance control, and over 2,500 soldiers are making their way towards Militanar City.  There have been at least fifty fatalities for the Thracian Army since the start of the war, but public opinion has increased only slightly against the war, with 65% of voters in the latest poll still supporting military action, and 28% opposing.  We�ll bring you more information on the offensive as it comes through to SWN headquarters.

�Five Pledges� (28-4-2004):  The new Coalition Alliance in Parliament has made �five pledges� to the public in its programme of legislation.  They appear to be a mixture of right-wing economics and traditional liberal concerns, with emphasis on the environment.

From �Parliamentary Report�:  Larry Fuller (CDP): �We make these five pledges to the people of this island.  First; that we shall find areas in the public service which give you value for money, and we shall improve these.  We shall find areas where former governments have wasted money, and we shall remove these.�  (General approval.)  �Second; as we will not be wasting your money on useless projects, we will cut taxes.�  (Applause from Coalition deputies.)  �Third, my friends; with lower taxes we will have less interference from Government into people�s lives.  We will improve freedoms and civil liberties by destroying the �nanny state� thinking of the former Government.�  (Approval.)  �Those who break the law will still have a tough justice system to face; but those who keep the law will be free.  Fourth; as we have freedoms, so we have duties.  We cannot allow our environment to be destroyed by socialist heavy-industry thinking.  We owe it to our children and our planet to make our environment pristine, as it once was.  (Applause from Green deputies; derision from other left parties.)
Thomas Devine (Communist):  �That�s a dirty lie and you know it.�
Fuller:  �Fifth; our human environment is as important as our natural environment.  Our nation will be a player of great stature on the world stage, as befits our strength.  It is our birthright to lead!�
Devine:  �Sounds fascist to me.�
Fuller:  �That is not all we shall do, but unlike the former Government, we shall not make ridiculous promises.  We shall do what we can, and together, we can move mountains.  Thank you very much.�  (Standing ovation.)

SDP lose elections (20-4-2004):  A new coalition has been formed in the House of Deputies after the precarious alliances of the last two years.  The Christian Democrat-Liberal-Green coalition has a large majority in the House and will begin when Parliament resumes in a week�s time.
     Gains made by the Liberals allowed them to take office for the first time, whereas the Green Party�s large increase in numbers gives them a second opportunity to be in the majority coalition.  The main losers were the newly-formed New Left Alliance and the Moderate Reform Party, after brutal riots in the centre of the capital involving both groups.

Militanar atrocities (13-4-2004):  Sources report that at least five Thracian hostages have been slain by the Militanar junta.  The Capitalism Immediately Movement, which has taken much of Militanar, announced the murders were in retaliation for Thrace-Tailteann�s funding of democratic freedom fighters.
     Election results may be affected by the killings, which were provoked by the Republic�s demands for diplomatic immunity for its consulate.  That request was not honoured, and civilians and diplomats in the building were taken and locked away.  According to the CIM, guards killed five prisoners, though journalists hint the true number could be much greater.
     The Government announced the donation of half a billion talents to Militanar�s Proletarian Militia, seen by observers as the main force for democracy in the civil war-torn state.  The Militia has lost the capital city, but holds on to important towns such as New Brounston.  Militanaran diplomats have received asylum for as long as the crisis continues.
     In related news, Biotopia deployed humanitarian relief officers to Militanar yesterday.  Their mission is to identify human rights abuses, by both the CIM and the Proletarian Militia.