Lodja Times

[Libby]

QUEEN OPENS "PRINCESS FACTORY"

Queen Natalya today has opened the Royal Preparation Academy, a new educational institute which has been dubbed by many as the "Princess Factory". The Academy is located in Gaia and this year will be accepting 36 noble women at University level for a new course dubbed "International Leadership Studies" that will take in areas of study in economics, politics, history, disaster management and international relations. The Academy is designed to help prepare any future heir to the throne after Queen Natalya raised the age of inheritance of the throne from 18 to 21 in order to bring more stability to the throne on the death of the monarch. The school will also feature a variety of programmes to encourage sport, the arts and cultural pursuits on a beautiful campus that was once the property of the Hamsik family but was seized following the end of the recent civil war. The initial course supervisor is Dr.Maddie Howard of East Moreland who greeted the Queen and her entourage as they arrived. Queen Natlaya spoke with the first intake saying, "While I am hopeful of being on the throne for many years it is important we remember we are a Queendom, for a long time we allowed women to become those responsible for a narrow field and they were out of the Conclave for decades because of how Queen Sonya in her old age became hoodwinked. That's over. I intend for noblewomen to feature prominently during my reign and I want to equip them not to just look after family business while men run states, cities or even the Conclave. The 36 who make up the first class of the Academy are blazing a trail for that and will be our future ambassadors, Ministers or even Lord of the Conclave. While I am exceptionally grateful that Professor Howard has taken this role I believe it will be a one year role. She is the kind of bright, intelligent, beautiful and sophisticated woman we want the Academy to produce and we are lucky to have her but this project will eventually need to be run 100% by Lodjains only utilising global experts like Dr.Howard when it adds significantly to our offering."

The school will welcome 16 years olds in 2024 and offer Lodjian higher exams before those achieving well progressing onto degree level. One of those beginning this year is 18 year old Sabina Volkov, a cousin of Queen Stasya of East Moreland, the well connected student said. "I'm excited to have this chance to learn here. They've acquired an amazing roster of tutors, the lessons look very interesting and the facilities are out of this world. While the media may call this the "Princess Factory" it is nothing like that. To me this is an opportunity to get a degree from what will become a leading institute and as a result I'll be positioned to have an exciting career and if the Queen wills it a chance to be of service to the Queendom. I can't wait to get started."

Some though have criticised the Academy concept with one saying "If Queen Natalya was serious about making it easier to move between being a Pleb and a Patrician then why didn't they open the school to both classes. Imagine the leg up attending would have made to a Pleb, it would be life changing and inspire so many to know that they can become anything they set their mind on." Meanwhile the Lord of the Conclave  , Lubos Kubik, defended the decision saying, "It will eventually become the case that the future Queen will have to have been educated here. The class sizes are always going to be limited and we want as wide a pool as possible. Only a patrician can inherit the crown and so that naturally sets the field of who we can accept."

High Priestess Arina Maksimov blessed the facility and those attending for their first day and said "I'm thrilled that the Goddess will, a long time from now, have a well prepared, well educated and cultured protector to be her Guardian. This school is an amazing idea and will be a beacon in many ways for our nation. I'm hopeful that while its aim is to prepare diplomats, government officials and the like some may also consider entering the Priesthood as we always need a new generation to keep our faith strong. Its especially telling that this opening coincides with the comet NS-2013 arriving overhead. It shoots off into the heavens lighting a path in darkness, something of a good omen as this is what we hope this school will do."

[Libby]

FIRST FEMALE ROYAL GUARD APPOINTED

Following the end of the recent Lodjain Civil War the members of the Army responsible for the security of the Isle of the Goddess have undergone radical change. The 187 year old unit known as the Warriors of Gaia was disbanded and replaced with the new 1st Royal Guard Regiment. The new unit is not considered a special forces unit but just as its predecessor it does have higher requirements in terms of fitness and soldierly standards than the regular army. Since the formation of a specialist unit to guard the Isle, a role once undertaken by the Queen Marine Squadron, there has never been a female member. Today Lieutenant Violetta Matveev became the first to pass the final hurdle to enter the service, a 1km open swim followed by a 2mile run. This is undertaken across Gaia bay and then up the hill to the Palace itself. The 26 year old was formerly a member of the 2nd Horse Artillery and is the youngest daughter of the Sheriff of Karpovka, a small town in the North of the nation. In the coming days she will be formally inducted into the new regiment and presented the silver beret by Queen Natalya. Speaking following the announcement Lt.Matveev said, "A while back Queen Natalya spoke of the Queendom regaining its traditions of women taking the lead within the nation after for the last few centuries a corrupted priesthood and nepotism diminished most womens roles. I'm proud to be the first to join the Queen's guard and I now dream one day of being the commanding officer of it."

Queen Natalya has yet to meet Lt.Matveev but did say "I am very proud of Violetta and look forward to presenting her, and the other three new guards, their berets on Saturday. I have heard Lt.Matveev talk of her dream f one day commanding the Guard and I too look forward to seeing her achieve her dream. I pray that she is the first of many to walk this path."

FOOTBALL TRANSFER SPARKS DEATH THREATS

With the World Cup just a few weeks away it is expected that football will be in the spotlight of the media however today it is for the wrong reasons. 23 year old superstar of the Lodjain womens game Kristina Kovalyov first completed a transfer from Dynamo Gaia to local rivals CSK Gaia becoming the first player in either the mens or womens game to move between the teams. The news sparked an outcry online from Dynamo fans branding the winger a "Traitor" and calling for her to be targeted for "retribution" when the two teams next meet. That meeting, barring a cup tie, will not happen this season as Dynamo Gaia were relegated following a 10 point deduction last season for financial mismanagement. It was this relegation that saw Kovalyov push for a transfer. In August she went on record saying, "This coming world cup will see fierce competition for places in the womens team and I need to be in the top league for my chance to come about. Sadly that means leaving Dynamo."

Later in the day however CSK Gaia had police attending their training ground where Kovalyov was meeting fans for the first time. It was discovered that police had received warnings of at least six death threats against her. While many of these are likely to be simply angry fans using social media to vent their disappointment at what they perceive as a betrayal of their club the Police have said they will be giving Kovalyov a panic alarm for the time being. CSK Gaia have also confirmed that they will be providing her with security until those responsible have been caught.

[Libby]

NOBLE DUO BATTLE FOR EMPEROR

With the 20th birthday of Emperor Orion of Neu Urburzis approaching the traditional competition to become his wife and therefore Empress has begun and two Lodjain noble ladies have put their names forward. Ophelia Danialov and Angelika Kubik have both thrown their name into the metaphorical ring. The two girls face competition from a local ice skater, a noble lady from Asadal and rather ironically the Royal Ambassador to Lodja from Rokkenjima. The competition is to start in the new year but there have already been several social media posts referencing the competition with Princess Sophia, the Rokkenjiman ambassador, already posting criticism of a post on social media by Queen Stasya of East Moreland. In a picture of Queen Stasya and her close friend Lady in Waiting Jasmina Danialov, who is the sister of Ophelia, posted that she hoped Ophelie would "Bag" an Emperor, something criticised by Princess Sophie. The East Moreland Queen has however laughed off the criticism saying, "There is a great deal about Neu Urburzis society that is competative. Their school system has competition built into it and they even love summer schools that pit children into contests. If the Princess things a nicely nicely approach to the competition sanctioned by the nation she's applied to be Empress of is the way forward good luck to her. I'll be hoping Ophelia wins and if for some reason she doesn't then Angelika would be an excellent choice too."

The two Lodjain candidates are both well connected with ancient family connections to nobility. Ophelia is the sister of current lead Lady in Waiting Lady Jasmina while Angelika is the grand-daughter of the current Lord of the Conclave Duke Lubos Kubik. The two girls are also friends with both of them having spent considerable time on the Isle of the Goddess, where ironically one of their rivals, Princess Sophie, has also spent significant time. Over the current summer season it was reported that Angelika had received at least ten offers of marriage however these had been rejected as her grand-father felt they "were not of sufficient standing". Meanwhile Ophelia has recently begun campaigning for Wild Mundus Organisation following Queen Natalya stepping down as their junior ambassador.

The Queen has sent both competitors her best stating, "If one of the two win it is a positive result for Neu Urburzis and Lodja. The country of Neu Urburzis will get an elegant and beautiful Empress to support Emperor Orion. Meanwhile Lodja will naturally feel more inclined to seek ever closer relations with them." The Palace also confirmed that the two will be invited to spend time on the Isle as an "extended part of the royal retinue" if it helps them in their competition. Ophelia has however turned down the invitation in order to spend time in East Moreland visiting Portworth where the founder of WMO, Matilda Osman is based. In addition she will be spending time with family friend Queen Stasya.

[Libby]

QUEEN BANS FUR FROM ISLE

In a move sure to send the noblewomen of Lodja scurrying to their wardrobes the Queen of Lodja has today banned the wearing of real fur on the Isle of the Goddess. Traditionally as the winter months have hit the Isle the weather there can get rather cold, especially in some of the older parts of the complex which is home to the Queen, her court and various entourages. This has often seen many nobles opt for the warmth of thick fur coats, including several monarchs. This year however there will be a change following the Queen issuing an edict that real fur will not be permitted to be worn on the Isle at all. The move comes following discussions with Ophelia Danilov, the ambassador to the Wild Mundus Organisation in Lodja, the Queen has determined that she will support the noble-womans anti-fur campaign. The Queen posted pictures of herself wearing faux fur online while praising Ophelia's programme. The Queen stated, "Once upon a time fur was seen by many Lodjains as a necessity. It was the only way to stay warm in winter. We've seen bears decline, at one point the beaver was gone from Lodja and various other species faced farming of sorts which was cruel. Sessifet may have given us dominion over the animals but it doesn't mean we need to abuse them. I'm proud that we will do our bit on the Isle."

Ophelia, who is hoping to become the Emperess of Neu Urburzis, has been helping promote the WMO to younger Lodjains since being named as Queen Natalya's successor as youth ambassador to the body. She hopes to run a small fashion show in the next month which is totally dedicated to "non-animal but animalesque fashion." Explaining the concept she said "Our nation spends much more on average than most nations per person on fashion. We have a whole host of styles we all enjoy suede, leather, fur and various other things give us a beautiful luxurious feel. We can still achieve these without the use of animals. I hope we can show young people that as we are the major consumers of fashion." The show is likely to happen in the next few weeks as Opehlia hopes to capitlise on the Queen's support.

[Libby]

QUEEN TO PROPOSE TIZER AGREEMENT

Queen Natalya is due to travel to Bakkermaya in the coming week in order to meet with representatives of Bakkermaya and Paracambi in order to formulate what she is called the TIZER agreement. The Queen hopes that the agreement will allow the islands of the Northern Alucard to work together to boost each nations economy as well as support the growth of Water Nomad engagement in the region. "The Tri-Island Zone for Economic Relations will be primarily aimed at working together to ensure we can sustainably use the resources of the region to help all three of us. One issue that we have is that the involvement of the Water Nomad within the region can often make the situation regarding the movement of goods and safety of the environment an issue. So far we've largely turned a blind eye to working together and now we need to start making changes. If I get the deal I would like then I will be pushing to make it easier for business owners to move between the islands and also maximise the way these mainly small businesses can work."

The Queen is also expected to try and get a visit to Lymm into the coming weeks saying, "Lymm sits on the opposite coast of the Alucard and is a nation of great potential. I want to see if we can find ways of encouraging them to become an economic partner in the region and I intend to formally invite them to become a part of TUNA. I also desperately want to view more of Mundus and intend to in the coming months." The Queen is expected to also host one of the summer balls this year outside of Lodja. The Queen explained. "We have seen other nations have great success with diplomacy utilising what could be considered cultural exchanges as a way of forging friendships. I think our ball season is exceptionally well positioned to allow us to do this and while nations we've a friendship with like East Moreland, Neu Urburzis and Ui Cenneslaig it makes sense to try and take the experience to new nations therefore I would like to perhaps go to Tanith or Eborcium. Both are continental neighbours whom we have yet to become close friends."

The Queen is currently in the midst of drafting new legislation which, if it goes ahead, would change the nations education system. "We've allowed standards to be too low for too long and we've placed in the past far too much emphasis on nepotism. This is going to change if our economy is to keep growing. Currently we're seeing it slow as we have a shortage of high end skilled workers. " The Queen has yet to reveal any information on what changes she imagines are needed.

[Libby]

SUMMER BALLS GO "OUT OF THIS WORLD"

Every year at the end of May we see the beginning of the annual summer ball season. In Lodjain culture these serve as both a way of the aristocracy networking, arranging marriages for their newly adult daughters and celebrating the beauty of Sessifet. Since the reign of Queen Viktoriya the season has taken on much more of a modern feel with the Queen bringing in more modern music, fashion and encouraging them as a cultural form of foreign relations. As such the Summer Balls, while still very Lodjain in character have since become an annual event at places across Mundus ranging from Northfort Palace, where Queen Stasya of East Moreland hosts one, to next year going to Eboricum. 2024 will also mark the first time a ball has taken place outside of Mundus. With a scheduled addition of the CNN Space Station due in early May the crew will be formed of four Lodjains, with the daughter of the Duke of Demesk, acting as mission commander. Ludmilla Demeskov, the 38 year old former Air Force Officer, will lead the team utilising a Cenneg and East Moreland constructed rocket to the reilnflated modules that serve as the station. These are part of a long term research project to evaluate them as a potential tool for long range exploration. The proposed mission will be to take a third module up and install it. The four individuals will conduct a number of research projects as well as prepare the station for a much longer stay by a team later on in 2024. While there the four have confirmed that on the penultimate night of their stay they will have a ball, thus kicking off the Summer Ball Season.

Demeskov has said "My father usually hosts a big summer ball, in fact it's where I meet my husband. I always enjoy them and it'll be interesting to try and waltz in zero-g. I will also be back home for my father's ball so at least I won't miss out." For a Summer Ball to be classed as an official part of the Lodjain Royal Ball Season it must have a licence from the Queen. It is understood that Queen Natalya will travel to the Cenneg launch site to present the crew with the licence and to observe the launch.

[Libby]

SUMMER BALL SEASON BEGINS

Queen Natalya hosted the first of the annual summer balls at the Isle of the Goddess. The Ball was attended by around 350 guests chosen by the Queen as well as the various ambassadors to Lodja. The Queen, as is tradition, travelled to the Isle from the central square of Gaia where she had been with one of her religious advisers Mariah Shvets leading the public in worship. The ball season marks the period of time in which going back through history festivals where held throughout the nation where farmers and merchants traded goods. Often this was the only time of year some would see people outside their own community and therefore was a good time to find partners and arrange marriages. While the pleblains merely held fairs the nobility organised grand balls with each family trying to out do the others. The Queen offered prayers to Sessifet asking her to help people find love, to bless the nation and its people with beauty and to fertility. The Queen looked stunning with a long black gown and spent some time mingling with the crowd before making her way to the causeway which leads to the Isle. There she meet with her guests, some of whom were required to go through a purification ritual, before walking across. The Queen traditionally leads the procession alongside one of her husbands however an unmarried Queen often picks a significant guest. The 22 year old monarch walked, hand in hand, with 18 year old Prince Keane of Ui Cenneslaig who was making his first visit to the Isle of the Goddess. The Cenneg Prince is due to marry the Princess of Cantabria in 2029 however is expected to spend time before then gaining both military and political experience. The Prince was dressed in traditional Cenneg attire. While no journalists were allowed to the ball it was confirmed that the Queen and Prince did initiate the dancing and that the Prince "Had a wonderful evening and got to know a great many of the Queen's inner circle. The Prince will be staying at the Palace for the next week where he will shadow his nations ambassador before being assigned his own role in the Cenneg diplomatic service. The Queen wishes him both an educational and memorable time on the Isle."

Over the coming three months other balls will take place with there being on average two balls a day during the time period. The Queen is expected to attend a great many of them with some saying she should use the oppurtunities to find a husband. The next ball she will attend will be the Ivanov family one being held by former Head of the Conclave and current Royal Envoy, Besarian Ivanov. The Queen has also confirmed that she will visit East Moreland to attend the ball being hosted by Queen Stasya marking the first time the Queen will have attended a royal ball outside of Lodja.

LODJAIN TEAM HEAD TO SPACE

The first all Lodjain mission into space has launched today with  Ludmilla Demeskov, the daughter of the Duke of Demesk commanding. The team will link up with the CNN space station and there install a 3rd inflatable module to the system. The module, which is being nicknamed "The Ballroom" is to expand the capacity as tests on these modules continue in terms of use for prefab construction in space or for the use for long range missions. The module will be connected and then inflated staying up for six months. The team will, once "The Ballroom" is confirmed as operation hold an officially sanctioned "Royal Ball" making it the first to take place outside Mundus. The team are expected to stay aboard for the next two weeks before returning home.

[Libby]

QUEEN ANNOUNCES RESTORATION OF "RELIGIOUS CULTURAL EVENTS"

Queen Natalya has today visited the annual celebration in the town of Kamenytsk becoming the first Queen in 100 years to visit. In 1922 Queen Sonya, then aged 20, visited the settlement which every July decorates the wells and springs that flow through the town, two of which feed traditional spas. The locals take large slabs of clay and push flowers, grasses, mosses and even stones into the clay to form a kind of mosaic style picture that often incorporates either stories from local folklore, praise of Sessifet or some local cause. The Queen arrived early in the morning and toured the 78 decorated dressings before returning to the towns council hall where she cast her vote for which should win. The results shall be announced at the end of July and Queen Natalya refused to say which she had voted for as she said "I don't want to potentially influence the outcome, everyone has worked so hard to make such a pretty display and I loved seeing them all, picking just one was so hard and I know whoever wins will have been incredible." The Queen then meet with various local figures before attending services as Temple. The Queen was accompanied by one of her two personal spiritual advisers, Maria Shvets, and after the service the Queen spoke with the media saying, "Events such as these well dressings are an old, beautiful, part of our nations heritage. I'm sad to say Queen Sonya believed that we perhaps dedicated too much time to spiritual matters and while she defended and promoted our faith she also sought to remove some regional practices and centralising the faith. That is something I want to change. We should all embrace the faith fully and enjoy it. Take our friends in East Moreland, they have far more major days of worship than us and it has helped solidify their nation and its people. My aim is that by the end of the summer myself, Maria Shvets and other key religious thinkers will have put together a new calendar of faith that will make the worship of Sessifets beautiful world the forefront of our minds."

The Queen was not drawn on which festivals she would bring back as national events however one religious scholar stated, "Our faith once had 104 religious events that the faithful were expected to take part in. It was far too many. Now we have reduced this down to three, the date of the physical body of Sessifet being destroyed, the date of the formation of the Isle of the Goddess and the anniversary of the current Guardian, Queen Natalya in this cases, ascention to the throne. I'm not calling for the return of 101 festivals but we can, should and must have many more." The news was also welcomed by several workers groups who said that they believed the news would be good for boosting the economy of the hospitality, food and drink sectors while also allowing workers to enjoy more community times.

The Queen announced that on 6th July she would be undertaking the Sacred Clensing ceremony at the Petrovsk Waterfalls, a ceremony that no Queen has undertaken since 2001. The ceremony involves a purification ritual for the Queen and her closest advisers and attendents.

[Libby]

"EMBLAZONING" RETURNS WITH ROYAL APPROVAL

In recent months the Queen has spoken of restoring many lesser practiced religious and cultural ceremonies within Lodja. Under the later decades of the reign of Queen Sonja many ceremonies and events were given less significance as she reduced her attendance and input into them. Many commentators refer to this as her attempts as Secularising the Queendom as she once spoke of how "the mindset and cultural norms of Lodja are unique across Mundus and to many of the conservative and less liberal nations around us odd or unacceptable. We must walk a fine line." One such event that was forgotten was the "Emblazoning of the Eternal Guardian." what effectively became an art contest. Each year people across the Queendom would make statues, portraits and other art works of the Queen with each province crowning their own champion who would be invited to attend a feast at the Isle of the Goddess. Each year the Priesthood would give criteria they wished to see in the art work. Queen Natalya has revived the event with a more modern approach. The Queen and her staff have today issued six portraits that have been created of the Queen which show "a traditionally dressed Queen" While around 170 portraits have been received following what the Palace have described as "low level promotion of the event" the six have been shortlisted as the favourites. Lady in Waiting Jasmina Danilov has explained. "We intend to have all the 170 or so portraits form a travelling exhibition with these on display as well as art works from previous years that have been restored. All the artists will be invited to an event at the end of the month with the general public picking their favourite."

Some have been surprised that one of the paintings was completed by an artist from Neu Urburzis known simply as Olaf. Lady Jasmina said, "We did not court any foreign entries but when this painting arrived we were obviously happy to accept it. We liked its portrail of Queen Natalya and its important we base this on the art not nationality. I don't know Olaf, for all we know he could worship Sessifet. Either way Sessifet approves of great beauty and this painting is certainly ticking that box." Voting for the winner will begin in the next few days.

QUEEN ANNOUNCES RESTORATION OF TITLE

Following the Queen undertaking the restored annual Sacred Cleansing ceremony an announcement was made that a young 18 year old was to be named "Keeper of the Sacred Pool". The position is said to be ceremonial and that Yana Chumelkov will be expected to attend on the Queen at various ceremonies and host events at the Royal Lodge connected to the site. The position had been vacant since 1979 after the death of Lady Tatianna Roloka who had help the title since 1933. Traditionally the position also included responsiblility for maintaining the sacred sites at the Petrovsk Waterfalls which have been unused by royal ceremony since 2001. This however will not be required as the Queen has also announced the formation of a new public works body to carry out maintenance of them. The announcement is somewhat surprising as the young lady being granted the title was a Plebleian, the first time the post has not gone to a Patrician. This has automatically elevated the Chumelkov family to the position of Patricians.

The announcement was explained by Maria Shvets, one of Queen Natalya's spiritual advisers, who said "The Chumelkov family were present at the ceremony the Queen undertook. They were not told of the Queen's attendance and showed a deep respect for the ancient rituals of Sessifet. Yana's family are dedicated to the faith in ways most Lodjains currently are not. She deserves to hold this title and this is a reward for a family doing the right thing when they did not think anyone was watching."

[Libby]

NEW HEIR NAMED

Just over a year ago Queen Natalya promised that in future the transition between Queens would be less problematic. As part of several reforms to the monarchy a system was put in place that opened a new Academy that would seek to act as a feeder system for Ladies in Waiting, Queens and diplomats. While this system has yet to see its first graduates its first degree class have just begun their 2nd year. A further reform was that each September the Queen, after consultation with the Priesthood, would name a noble lady as heir, thus meaning no need for consultations once the previous Queen dies. In addition the Queen increased the age at which someone would inherit the throne from 18 to 21. Princess Alana Tar was the first heir to be named under this new system however as we reach the anniversary of that decree it falls to Queen Natalya to name the next one. For the previous 12 months Princess Alana was permitted to utilise the title Crown-Princess and while already having the right to call herself Princess via being the sister of Queen Viktoriya Tar she would have been permitted to keep the title under new laws. In a statement from the Isle of the Goddess Queen Natalya named 21 year old Duchess Olimpiada Kozlova as the new Crown-Princess. An official ceremony will take place next weekend but the appointment is active as of now.

Duchess Olimpiada hails from Zhony, a city in the West of Lodja that is famed for its lace and silk production. The new Crown-Princess inherited the title Duchess when she was 14 years of age following the death of both parents in a car accident. Since then she has been raised by her aunt, Veronika, who is one of the Priestesses in the city. The Duchess graduated last summer from Gaia University where she obtained a 2:1 in Cultural Studies which she obtained via participation in the CETO study programme where she spent time in East Moreland and Ui Cenneslaig. While she has yet to address her appointment with the media her aunt has said "Naturally we are all honoured that Olimpiada had been given this honour. While naturally I would love to say my niece is Queen and Guardian of Sessifet I hope Queen Natalya continues to reign over us for many years to come. Olimpiada now stands in a position to have an exceptional future." 

As part of her new role she will also inherit Zhary Palace and be expected to undertake duties to support the monarchy. Princess Alana is now expected to take some time off official duties and is then expected to be posted to an ambassadorial role in a favourable nation.

[Libby]

QUEEN PROUD OF TROOPS

Queen Natalya has today meet with troops set for deployment to Kritamala. The Queen visited Gaia Military Airfield where around 500 troops were readying to go to the Aranye country in crisis to held tackle the Kaiju Virus. Speaking to the troops before they began boarding civilian airliners chartered for the flight she said. "A few years ago we relied upon the support of Mundus to help us clean our nation of the horrors of war. Now we have a chance to do our part. The men and women of the military are, I hope, not going to be using their skills as soldiers but will instead be using their skills as medics, carers and engineers to help rebuild a nation. I am keen to see their success come quickly and then visit Kritamala, which my officers have told me is a beautiful nation. Kritamala should stand as an example of where Mundus demonstrates the best of itself and shows just how important global co-operation could be."

The Queen presented two individuals, Arsen Maximov and Akala Grezhnev, with papers elevating their families from Plebleian to Patrician after they had each completed ten years of military service meaning that three consecutive generations of the family had served the crown. Maximov was also awarded the Queen's Baton of Honour having been nominated as the nations most dedicated soldier this year. Maximov not only served as a member of the Queen's Royal Cavalry but has also represented Lodja in climbing at the Mundus Games but also has undertaken a charity climbing challenge that has raised over $500,000 for orphanages across the nation. The Queen presented the award saying "Sergeant Maximov has set a fine example to his soldiers this year and is well deserving of this award. He is someone I am proud to think of as serving our armed forces and I wish him, his men and all Lodjains about to head to Kritamala good fortune."

[Libby]

SON OF LEGEND SELECTED TO BE FIRST QUEENS CLUB SKIPPER

With the start of 2025 Polo season a month away it will mark the first time that the Lodjain Premier Polo Conference (LPPC) will include the Queen's Club. While the club has existed since 1892 it has always functioned as an invitational team playing only 171 games in its existence, usually against visiting teams from overseas. As such the club has never had a delegating skipper responsible for decisions during matches and supporting with selection. With Queen Natalya having registered the team for competitive action and with the Lodjain National Polo Federation (LNPF) assessing the club as having "exceptional resources" it was determined the club would be entered directly into the LPPC, the nations highest league, on a provisional basis until they declared their first 10 man squad. At this time it would be determined whether the club had "sufficent depth and quality" to actually play in that league or whether it would move to a lower one. Today Yakim Sergeyev was unveiled as the clubs first skipper and first registered player. The 20 year old is the son of Lodjain legend and 10 goal handicap player Matvei Sergeyev. In polo players are rated by their national body using an handicap system from -2 to 10. In matches that use handicaps a four man team add up its handicap and any difference between teams is reflected as head-start on the board. In the history of polo there have been less than 100 players with a handicap of 10 goals and currently there are only 12 in the World. 2/3 of all players in the world have a handicap of 2 or less. Yakim Sergeyev is currently rated as a 5 goal player making him the second highest rated in the nation behind Radmir Markov with a rating of 7. Markov is currently having a season off stating a back injury as a cause. The Queen's Clubs now historic skipper said. "Any player wants to have the access to the best conditions to showcase what they have got, to reach that almost elusive 10 goal rating. I think our Club has the best facilities of any professional polo club in the world and access to some amazing horses. I'm honoured Queen Natalya is allowing me to be her skipper and I pray to Sessifet I can do her proud." Over the next week Sergeyev is expected to announce the remaining nine players on the squad along with helping form a womens team for the first time in the clubs history.

Polo is a highly popular sport among the Patricians of Lodja and LPPC matches are usually well attended social events as well as competitive. The season features a league between what will now be 13 professional clubs playing in a round robin format. There will also be a knock out competition between all 64 clubs in the professional pyramid in both handicapped and non-handicapped matches. The Pelagiya family have also this year sponsored a new knock out competition for players under the age of 25 which will be called the Development Trophy and carry prize money of some $5,000,000 for the winning squad.

HEAD LADY IN WAITING GIVEN NEW TITLE

Lady Jasmina Danilov, the Queen's Head Lady in Waiting is considered by many to be among the most influential women in Lodja. As the Head Lady in Waiting she spends more time with the Queen than anyone else and is responsible for overseeing the Queen's appointment diary and handling arrangements for foreign visits among other duties. Often she is said to be among the inner circle of advisers trusted by the Queen. Lady Jasmina became a Lady in Waiting aged 18 in 2017 and was named Head Lady in Waiting when Queen Natalya took the throne following the death of Lady Anna Immich. Today Queen Natalya granted Lady Jasmina the title of Duchess of the Halls a title that hasn't existed for 200 years. The title was traditionally given to a female resident of the Isle of the Goddess who held significant influence on the community that live there. The 25 year old new Duchess said "I've always been honoured to serve the Queen of Lodja but to be considered someone that is worthy enough to be renewing a title such as this is one of the happiest moments of my life. I believe I have many years left serving the Queen and look forward to 2025 being a fantastic year for Lodja and the Isle of the Goddess."

[Libby]

LAWS PASSED TO PROTECT FASHION INDUSTRY

A new law was today passed to ensure that workers in the fashion industry are protected from unethical practices. The new legislation will see a variety of measures that will protect designers intellectual property as well as ensuring the welfare of models working in a variety of ways. As a result there will now be a fashion industry ombudsman who will help ensure regulations are followed and it will be compulsory for any professional model agency to register with this body. This ombudsmen will also have powers to fine any agency that is deemed to not be working in the best interests of the individuals they represent, in addition agencies must now provide clear written contracts to clients with transparency regarding terms and conditions. Modelling agencies are now also legally bound to pay their models within 45 days of completing a job, normally models reguarly waited as long as 90 days for payment. The legislation also placed a duty of care on the organiser of any fashion work to have a health and safety report available to those working. The ombudsmen will also act as an official channel for anyone wishing to report harassment and abuse while working within the industry. Perhaps most significantly however the new laws will put in place protection connected to artificial intelligence.  As part of this any publisher or artist using AI created images for a business reason must obtain clear written consent for the use of the models digitial likeness or a designers clothing.

Anna Vetenova of the Model Alliance, a body set up to campaign for these measures says, "Often it is the model who ensures that the designers work looks its best and attracts the attention yet over the years we've been getting more and more challenges. Whether that be unscrupulous agents, dodgy photographers or simply people out to make a fast buck at our expense. Now there are many individuals who think AI is a way of using our members for free and thats not on. We're glad that today we're able to take steps towards protecting ourselves and our industry."

The law comes into force on the 1st May 2025.

[Libby]

QUEEN ANNOUNCES CONCLAVE CHANGES

Today Queen Natalya has announced while being interviewed by national TV that there will be several major changes to the Conclave. The Queen confirmed that the existing plan to install cameras in the chamber where the Conclave meet will go ahead. "There are some discussions so significant to the people of Lodja that I want the public, both Patricians and Plebleians to be aware of exactly who has said what. There are some matters were quiet rightly we need to be held directly accountable and the idea of allowing the public to see just how I reach the decisions I do is important. There will obviously be moments we discuss matters that must remain in that room and we will be able to silence the microphones, turn of the cameras and talk as openly about more classified material as we need to." It is expected that the first televised debate of the Conclave will be shown next Wednesday when the Conclave are scheduled to discuss further co-operation on the project with Tanith, Eboricum and Aosta to build a co-operative trade centre.

The second change comes in the make up of the Conclave. "In the coming days I plan a major reshuffle. There are many people on the Conclave who have given service for a very long time and while we should celebrate their commitment to the Queendom I think we need to occasionally bring new blood into the leading council. As such I plan to do exactly that. You can also expect that I will be further using this reshuffle to ensure that the older corruption that our faith endured will be removed. While Queen Sonya is an icon in our nations history it is certainly true that in the last three decades of her extremely long rule she was manipulated in part to take away the divine guidance of women on the counicl in favour of a more manly make up.  While I will not introduce quota's that are gender based for membership of the Conclave I will be ensuring there is much more female representation. We have previously had ten seats plus myself with each seat holder filling a Ministerial post, I am also going to expand the number of seats and some will be filled on a day to day basis depending on the topics at hand. Its my hope the Conclave will become a much better bank of experts than its ever been by ensuring everyone is appointed based on their expertise."

The Queen finally stated that she will reinstate the tradition of the Tribune of the Plebs having a seat on the Council. Currently the position is vacant and moves are in place to hold elections. The position has always been granted a weekly audience with the Queen and has utilised this to present suggested legislation from the Plebeian Council. For a brief time Queen Viktoriya did experiment with the Tribune of the Plebs being put onto the Conclave but was only for certain debates. Under Queen Natalya's leadership the Tribune would have a permanent seat.

The Queen also spoke of her hopes to further expand Lodja's overseas connections saying. "We've laid some very soldi foundations with several nations across Mundus but now is the year we capitalise on these. I'm planning several trips and I hope to host several nations. We're going to clock up some serious air miles if everything goes according to plan." The Queen was not drawn on her first overseas visit.

[Libby]

PROFESSOR TO LEAD CONCLAVE

Professor Dominika Popova has today become the first female leader of the Conclave in 300 years. The 55 year old is the Duchess of Kisokan and also the Sheriff of Inarigda, two significant former coal mining areas that have become part of a large hydro-electric generation scheme. The announcement was made this morning during a series of proclamations connected to the Queen's intended reshuffle of the nations highest council, the Conclave. The first announcement signalled that this would be some major shake up when it was announced that Lord Lubos Kubik, the current leader of the Conclave, would be stepping down. The 77 year old assumed the position following the nations recent civil war and was the Minister of Defence before that. In her proclamation the Queen said, "Lubos has served the Queendom since he turned 18, first in military uniform and then as a minister. He was one of the most respected and incorruptable army officers we have ever had and much of the push to reform our military came from him. He has now earned a very long and happy retirement but he has assured me, as you would expect from a man of dedication such as him, that should I ever need his advice or guidance then he is only a phone call away. He has agreed to remain in the Palace for the next few weeks to help our new Conclave get up to speed." Moments later the announcement confirming his replacement came. "Duchess Dominika is more than qualified to fulfil this role. She has overseen an ambitious and innovative project in her home estates, she is a Professor of Geographical Studies and a well respected scholar. She has held a multitude of local government roles and I'm aware of many members of the Conclave seeking her advice from time to time. She is a perfect example of someone who is very wise and very well versed in the culture of Sessifetism. I am confident she will help me shape my vision for what I want Lodja to be moving forward."

Duchess Dominika later said that she was "honoured to be able to break 300 years of convention and serve the Queen." She is expected to arrive on the Isle in the next few days and will be joined on the new look Conclave by 10 other new members in a council of 18 individuals. Duke Maxim Schnoor retains his place as Minister of Education and Lord Besarian Ivanov remains as a special envoy. The swearing in ceremonies of the new members will take place over the weekend and will utilise the new cameras set up in the Conclave's venue to allow the public to witness the ceremony for the first time. The Queen has confirmed that one seat remains unfilled and that is for the Tribune of the Plebs who she hopes to have in place by the end of the month.