CPU — The Government of Athretvari has given final approvals to the city development plans (CDPs) submitted by the city-states of Qwerty and Wysiwyg.

The CDPs represent the last two chapters of the government’s “Infra-1900(II)†National Development Plan (NDP-19/II), the Athretvar equivalent of a five-year plan except spanning a particular quantity of national infrastructure development as opposed to a period of time.

NDP-19(II) is the second to cover the upgrade of each city-state’s infrastructure from 1800 to 1900. The “II†series of NDPs specifically cover the massive reconstruction of infrastructure lost during Athretvari’s simultaneous conflicts with four nations within the Nuclear Knights.

NDP-20(II), covering infrastructure upgrades from 1900 to 2000 throughout the Pixelate, will be the last in the “II†series.

Along with upgrading each city-state’s infrastructure to 1900, the two CDPs also authorize the construction of a total of 12-thousand housing units to accomodate approximately 20-thousand new citizens and residents, and the expansion of state-owned Petrovari refined fuels, gasoline, and plastics production facilities, as well as the newly formed AthMetal’s steel manufacturing operations.

In an effort to diversify Athretvari’s exports and move the nation’s products “up the value chainâ€, Petrovari and AthMetal have been given approvals to begin refined petroleum (gasoline) and steel exports starting in 2006 after national reserve requirements are met.

The approvals come as the Orbis raw commodities markets are currently facing price-per-unit slumps, harming overall Athretvar revenues from crude oil, uranium and iron ore exports.

AthMetal also received a licence to import a limited quantity of coal, a rare resource in Athretvari that is vital in the production of steel.

ATHRETVARI DEFENSE INDUSTRIES GROUP (ADIG) REQUESTS MUNITIONS PRODUCTION AND LEAD IMPORT LICENSES

CPU — Athretvari Defense Weekly is reporting that ADIG, the nation’s primary state-owned defense conglomerate and contractor has requested licences to construct and operate 8 munition factories in the government’s upcoming “Infra-2000(II)†National Development Plan (NDP-20/II) currently being debated and drafted within the Corps of Specialists-Select, the government’s official “think-tankâ€.

Hoping to take the lead in Commander-in-Chief Tyro Leif’s economic revitalization “Make-in-Athretvari†plan and his ambitious top-secret “Anti-Arcanologic†weapons program to counter magic, ADIG seeks to begin indigenous production of the new weapon systems and their specialized munitions within Athretvari starting with the next NDP.

The request is contraversial insofar as it also requires the importation of large quantities of lead, a raw natural resource lacking within Athretvari.

ADIG has been rumored to be in talks with defense contractors from two other nations. The talks apparently surround the joint research and develop of sophisticated anti-arcanologic (anti-magic) weapon systems and munitions. The company did not return requests for more information on the talks and refused to identify the two nations in question. However, rumors are swirling in Cpu that Nova Scotia’s Tetravaal Industries is one of the companies. The other company is believed to be located in Narvan.

RCBC could not confirm the rumors.