Hobrazia

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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby Reddy » Sat Aug 02, 2014 6:38 pm

State MInister Under Pressure
August 4, 3705

State Minister Ioseb Chketidze has landed in controversy following an anti-tax evasion group Social Justice Alliance's decision to release leaked records pertaining to his economic activities in Narikaton and Darnussia. Chketidze is being accused of sheltering his income from his computer repair company PCF in the neighbouring country. In Narikaton and Darnussia, income tax is just a flat rate of 9% while there is no corporation tax whatsoever. This compares to Hobrazia's 58% income tax top rate and a 25% corporation tax.

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Under fire: the State Minister

The records released show that Chketidze paid just 360,000 Crowns of his 17.8 million crown income in the past five years. This amounts to just under 2% of his total income every year. An average Hobratsi who earns 35,000 Crowns paid an effective rate of 19%. The Receiver of Revenue announced that an investigation would be carried and revealed that the State Minister paid just 16,730 Crowns in income tax for fiscal year 3704-5 and no corporation tax whatsoever. The Receiver said his department would issue a more comprehensive report in about ten weeks after full investigations.

'He's slit his own throat', President Tsulukidze is said to have said after hearing about the news. The 43 year old wunderkind of the VM party has thrown away the great political future many consaidered him to have. President Tsulukidze summoned senior party leaders to Astoria Castle to discuss the State Minister's fate. It looks very grim and looked more so as Patriarch Giorgi XIX piped in, at a service at the Church of Our Lady of Stormereti warning those in leadership to be 'fair, exemplary and accountable' - a not too indirect jab at the disgraced State Minister. The ever egalitarian Hobratsis were shocked and already bets have begun on the State Minister's likely successor. Favourites include Agriculture Minister Bara Zhordania and Finance Minister Irakli Nikoloz.
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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby Reddy » Sun Aug 03, 2014 6:33 am

Chketidze Resigns
November 2, 3705

After three months of battling a tax evasion scandal, State Minister Ioseb Chketidze has handed Prezidenti Semon Tsulukidze his resignation letter and that of his cabinet. This came after the Department of Revenue found more evidence of his tax dodging activities. The State Minister's popularity had plummeted with just 26% expressing a favourable opinion of him compared to a solid 63% who held negative opinions. Prezidenti Tsulukidze on the other hand remains popular and his strategy of keeping his head down during the scandal and robustly slamming tax evasion as 'unpatriotic, greedy and unbearable' has seen his approval ratings remaining stable. The Prezidenti said he would nominate a new State Minister in the coming days.

Chketidze on the other hand will be returning to private life and business. He and the Department of Revenue are to conclude a deal which will see him pay as much as two thirds of the amounts he avoided paying in the past. The alternative is a spell in prison. It is very likely that Chketidze will have to sell his company to pay the sum estimated at around 61 million Crowns.

Makharadze Appointed State Minister

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Budu Makharadze

Astoria Castle has announced that the Prezidenti is to appoint Environment Minister Budu Makharadze as the new State Minister. The 62 year old former trade unionist is set to preside over a largely unchanged Cabinet, the only other change being his replacement as Environment Minister. Makharadze is a leading figure on the party's social democratic wing and analysts say the Prezidenti appointed him solely because of the need to appear more egalitarian following the tax evasion scandal and for his ties to the mighty Hobratsi trade unions.
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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby Reddy » Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:06 am

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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby Reddy » Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:20 pm

'Deida' Seeks 'Indecent Clothing' Ban
July 5, 3707

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'Deida' Tamar

Hobrazia's First Lady Tamar Tsulukidze has taken charge of a grassroots campaign set to petition the National Assembly to pass legislation banning several types of 'indecent clothing' chief among them miniskirts, strapless tops and see through clothing of all types. This came following the appointment of Mrs Tsulukidze as Honorary Chair of the Moral Citizens Alliance (MCA) The MCA was founded by citizens galvanised by the Moral Hobrazia legislation and is said to be heavily supported by the Hobrazian Orthodox Church. Mrs Tsulukidze addressed the MCA inaugural annual general assembly

These items we seek to get rid of are symbols of the trivialisation of he value of the Hobrazian woman. They go against our traditonal values, reinforced by the Holy Church's teachings. A wearer of such filth degrades every Hobrazian, male or female and of course, devalues themselves more than I can say. We must take back Hobrazia and recast it in the image of purity and righteousness.


Mrs Tsulukidze popularly known as 'Deida' (Auntie) is well known to be considerably more conservative than her husband the Prezidenti and is thought to have had a large role in pushing the controversial Moral Hobrazia legislation which some commentators have described as 'returning Hobrazia to the 21st century'. Hobrazian social liberals are quite worried with reports that the first Lady's involvement in the MCA is part of a National Assembly seat shopping campaign given that the MCA is to be headquartered in her native Zargundia, one of the most rightwing Mxares in Hobrazia. Mrs Tsulukidze's office refused to confirm rumours that she sought a seat in the Natinoal Assembly but also said that she sought to serve the country in any capacity, in civil society or the political field.

Prezidenti: Santillian a Hero

Following his pro-Hobrazian remarks, Victorino Santillian has become a hero in the land of the Hobrazians. Prezidenti Tsulukidze praised him at a VM prayer meeting as ' a up and coming giant and hero in Terra and we can only await his further rise in Gaduri politics with abated breath. We need more warriors for morality in this corrupted Terra of ours, brave men unafraid to upset the dominant political correctness applecart. The Prezidenti also invited Santillian to visit the Hobrazian Republic to exchange ideas with him about protecting the traditional family all across Terra. Rumour has it the Prezidenti plans to surprise Santillian by offering him the nation's highest decoration - the Order of Sainted King Vakhtang the Great.
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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby Reddy » Sat Aug 09, 2014 12:33 pm

All For One!
Five more Years?
December 11, 3609

The primary elections are over and Prezidenti Semon Tsulukidze as predicted, garnered 98.3% of the vote with agrarian communist local assemblyman Mikheil N’jut winning just 1.2% and 0.5% being abstentions. There was a predictably ‘low' turnout of just 62% of party members - some 1,054,000 VM party members turned out to vote. Tsulu accepted his nomination at a party convention in Kiduran City and pledged to continue 'fighting for the Hobrazians'. He also pledged to give tax cuts of 15 billion HCR and a 10% increase in education spending, with free university tuition on the table.

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Tsulu delivering his acceptance speech

The Prezidenti’s re-election is all but assured. An overwhelming 64% of Hobrazians have a positive view of the Prezidenti while 28% have a negative view with 8% having no opinion. ‘it has never been like this’ Tsulu boasted in his acceptance speech to attendees of the convention. His speech was a long rag of his Government’s achievements, chief amongst them economic reforms which have seen what Tsulu called ‘the long suffocating arm of Metzism hacked off.’ The Prezident's re-electino campaign will be managed by Otar Kavtaradze currently Science and Tech Minister in the Makharadze cabinet. Kavtaradze has resigned from Cabinet to manage the campaign and can expect a healthy promotion should he succeed.

First Lady Tamar Tsulukidze has been nominated as the candidate for the Zargundian direct National Assembly seat of Ts'avadi South. It also covers the little village of Irakli where she and her husband were born. Mrs Tsulukidze is number 2 on the VM party list in Zargundia behind Agriculture Minister Bara Zhordania.
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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby Reddy » Mon Aug 11, 2014 12:04 pm

The Gza- End of Days Near?
Government Set to Duel Crime Families
December 18, 3709

I pity the poor Hobrazian
Who wishes he had stayed at home
Who uses his power to do evil
Yet he is always left alone
That man whom with his fingers cheats
And who lies with ev’ry breath



So goes the popular Budu Dadiani poem which is certain to live forever in the memory of the Hobrazian. Dadiani on the other hand, is no more. The 46 year old poet was gunned down coming out of his office in central Astoria City. There were no witnesses of course, for when the 'thieves in law' operate, all men's eyes are suddenly shut as the old adage goes. Of the 53 people thought to have been walking down that part of Grigori Avenue, no one saw or heard any of the 17 gun shots pumped into Dadiani. The 53 undoubtedly remembered the Gza trial of 3704 where 7 out of 23 witnesses lost their lives before testifying in court. Of the other 16, 15 suddenly 'forgot' and only 1 testified in the end. Journalists, prosecutors and policemen often end up in hearses when they pursue members of the Gza too diligently.

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The scene outside Dadiani's office

Dadiani a lifelong critic of Hobrazia's notorious thieves in law - the Gza (The Way) - a normally allied syndicate of crime families, most notably the eastern Jaiani family who 'rule' over the capital Astoria City and the north western Tsereteli who are thought to be in control of organised criminal activities in eastern Muzalkaz and northern Zardgundia. Dadiani's poems such as 'the Poor Hobrazian' addressed the situation where impoverished rurla Hobrazians who emigrate to the cities in search of better lives often end up serving the thieves in law. A family as large as the Tsereteli has as many as 8,000 operatives and an unknown number of affiliates. Estimates of total membership in the Gzarange between 80,000 and 180,000.

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Boss Tseretseli and four 'friends'

Since the great wedding of 3607 which saw the Tsereteli boss' eldest son wed a Jaiani boss' daughter had been greeted with relief by officials as it did reduce ongoing turf wars between the two families. The effect seems to have run out and violence has risen in downtown areas of big cities like Astoria City and Muzal City. The recently re-elected Government which has looked on complacently up to now, is set to begin a major anti-organised crime effort, with new State minister Givi Cherkezia saying he would seek to uproot the 'corrupted cancerous tumour' that is the Gza in a major anti-organised operation. Prezidenti Semon Tsulukidze announced that he would name the slain Dadiani to the Order of Sainted King Vakhtang the Great - the highest of Hobrazian honours.

OOC: I ripped off the poem part from an old Dylan song. :mrgreen:
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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby Reddy » Wed Aug 13, 2014 4:42 pm

Playing For 3614?
Cherkezia Takes Over VM
February 16, 3712

In what has been called a vicious yet brilliant power grab, State Minister Givi Cherkezia has taken over the leadership of the VM. Cherkezia's seizure of the party leadership followed a carefully crafted party coup which saw dozens of VM legislators file a motion of no confidence on the party's longtime leader Education Minister Tengiz Chkubianishvili. Chkubianishvili was first chosen as party leader in 3704 following Tsulu's election to the Prezidency. He has chosen to defer to the Prezidenti most of the time and failed to deliver the strong leadership which so many in the party value.

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State Minister Givi Cherkezia

With the Prezidenti focusing on foreign affairs and increasingly ignoring domestic affairs, Cherkezia took advantage of this and began organising his own action in the VM. His faction successfully pushed for a revision to party leadership election rules, making it a more democratic process controlled by party delgates not grandees as before. It was from that faction that the 71 signatures moving a motion of no confidence originated and old Chkubianishvili decided not to contest and announced his retirement. At the February party convention Cherkezia was elected unopposed to the post of party Chairman. Days after he announced a 'bloody' cabinet reshuffle which saw Chkubianishvili and a number of other senior Ministers removed from office. His allies like Giorgi Sigua the Health Minister were promoted with Sigua netting the Economics Ministry. Prezidenti Tsulukidze accepted the inevitable and swallowed the reshuffle. Chkubianishvili was named Vice state minister - a new position created just to accommodate the potential nuisance and at the insistence of the Prezidenti who wished to keep his old ally nearby.

With less than two years before the next presidential election, State Minister Cherkezia is an excellent position to claim the candidacy i the party's primaries later next year and victory itself in March 2014. The Prezident's dream that he could influence his own succession is gone. Cherkezia's popularity over his confrontation with the Gza has given him profile like no other contender for 3714.
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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby Reddy » Fri Aug 15, 2014 3:42 pm

Hundreds of Gza Members Arrested
January 9, 3713

State Minister Givi Cherkezia and interior Minister Otar Kavtaradze have announced that the three year anti-Gza campaign has resulted in the arrest of more than 700 members of the Gza. Of these about 5% percent of them are thought to be middle to high ranking members of the greatest crime families. Cherkezia announced that the Government would be setting up a new Court to deal with organised crime only, hoping to speed up trials of the Gza members.

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A senior Gza member being arrested on Irakiya Avenue

The success has boosted the State Minister who is the favourite to claim victory in the VM's presidential primaries in December. Rumour has it that the anti-Cherkezia factions are to present a candidate hoping to stop Cherkezia claiming the presidency. Favourites include Bessarion Gilauri, Economics Minister (3704-9) and Irakli Nikoloz (3704-9) Both are close Tsulu allies and while the Prezidenti has chosen to remain silent on his successor, focusing on Keymon instead, many of his aides and allies have not. They continue to agitate against Cherkezia and even tried to persuade First Lady Tamar Tsulukidze to enter the December primary. Mrs Tsulukidze demurred but not out of lack of ambition - she just believes that it is not time yet and is believed to be campaigning for a 3714 Cabinet seat instead.

In any case the path looks to be clear for a third VM victory. As the only effectively organised party and with a large and devoted membership, very little credible opposition threatens its grip on power. It is internal strife, Prezidenti Tsulukidze noted, which threatens the party the most. For now however, the party can afford to have damaging personality contests.
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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby ShanghaiBoogie » Tue Sep 23, 2014 4:21 pm

Thousands of Malivian immigrants cross border

ASTORIA K'ALAK'I - It has only been weeks since the revolution in Malivia that formed it into the Malivian Imperium, and already thousands of Malivian refugees are crossing the border into Hobrazia. Refugee camps have been set up around Sasakhle and Camaero, but are nearing their capacity rapidly as more people cross the border everyday. Reasons for this is the anti-refugee policy of the Imperial Commonwealth of Narikaton and Darnussia, which is the only other country next to Hobrazia that borders with Malivia.

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Malivian refugees waiting to be transported to the refugee camps near Sasakhle

"With the continueing stream of refugees entering Hobrazia, we had to allocate more security forces to both the camps and the border. There have been small skirmishes already in the crowd that tries to cross the checkpoint between Malivia and Hobrazia, trying to leave their regime behind as soon as possible." Says the spokesman for the Hobrazian Border Control.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Levan Mdivani, said in an interview yesterday "We have not yet contacted the Malivian government in exile, but we will offer them refuge if they request so." The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Medea Saralidze, also stated that "The Malivian Imperium has created a blacklist of Malivians they wish to have extradited, but the cabinet has not yet decided to do so, due to the dangerous situations in the country right now. If we send those Malivians back, we don´t know what will happen to them."
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Re: Hobrazian Broadcasting Corporation (HBC)

Postby ShanghaiBoogie » Wed Sep 24, 2014 8:56 pm

Malivian Government in Exile established in Hobrazia

GAMARJVEBA - The Malivian government in exile has formally requested refuge in Hobrazia yesterday evening, which has been accepted by the National Assembly this afternoon, after setting up provisions to make sure the government in exile will prevail in Hobrazia. The city of Gamarjveba has been appainted to house the group that fled Malivia, or were sent to Hobrazia by the Fatherland Front. The spokesman for the government in exile, Văn Quang Ngô, said in a press conference "We will set up in the Hobrazian city of Gamarjveba, and from there coordinate the Malivian refugees that enter Hobrazia. The Hobrazian government has been so kind to set up new refugee camps near Brentaro and Gamarjveba which will accomodate new refugees."

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The Malivian government in exile

There are still thousands of Malivian refugees crossing the border everyday, although experts have predicted that the stream of refugees will decrease in a matter of weeks.

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The housing units that will accomodate the refugees
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