KING "IN DARK" OVER SEMELBERGWith an announcement coming from the Charterlands of Reenberg that the Prinicipality of Semelberg will now be underwritten by the Pelagiya family the King of East Moreland has stated he was unaware of any plan on behalf of his wife. Insiders from the Palace say that the first he knew of any arrangement was just a few hours before it was announced by the Charterlands Gazette and that upon hearing it he was "annoyed". One source who wished not to be named said, "King David has been careful to always walk a path of East Moreland not being expansionist. When he first came to the throne several nations built networks of military bases across Mundus and despite having ample oppurtunity to do likewise East Moreland never did. Historically East Moreland has always been considered the "Holy Land" for the Cult of Helus and as such there is no need to expand the nation in anyway. To have arrangements made so that monarchs from East Moreland hold royal titles in another nation was not on his mind." It is understood that the King had been under the impression that Queen Stasya was visiting the Charterlands in order to secure partners for her various fashion enterprises.
Later in the day Queen Stasya released a statement saying. "There were three major reasons for me jumping upon this oppurtunity while visiting Reenberg. The first was to help a historic nation maintain its national identity. This is something that East Moreland have always backed be it through CETO or promoting cultural exchanges. The second reason was to help my son Llewellyn. While he is always going to be loved as Prince of East Moreland he will be a royal without a task of his own. He will now one day become High Prince of Semelberg and as such be able to spread the wonderful ideals his father teaches him beyond East Moreland. Finally it makes sound business sense. The Pelagiya family have a variety of different business interests ranging from gas and oil enterprises, to spa resorts and a fashion brand. Companies always look for ways of expanding but the chance to invest in a whole micro-nation is a rarity." The Queen also stated that she intends to be very hands off saying, "While I will obviously take an interest and be a frequent visitor to Semelberg the day to day running will be done by a family appointed chancellor and my brother Henrik will also be moving there in the short term."
The Palace later stated that "the King has spoken with the Queen and has made sure that she is clear that this can not and will not be part of East Moreland's official policy. The Charterlands are a unique set up in terms of a nation and of course that requires a different approach from dealing with more traditional status nations but actively having involved is not something East Moreland shall do. King David will not use the title "High Prince" however he has always tried to give Queen Stasya freedom to deal in her own projects and as such if she elects to use the title "High Princess" then that is her decision. It has been made clear to her however that until he reaches the age of 18 and can make his own decision Llewellyn shall not utilise the title." Meanwhile the Queen has already utilised some of her newly acquired influence to announce that a Temple dedicated to the Sisterhood of Helus will be constructed in the coming months.
MILITARY MOVED TO HIGH ALERTDuring a visit to Portworth Dockyards to meet with equipment developers Red Legions new commanding officer, Brigadier Jim Corey, explained that the military was increasing its military alert level. The move sees the alert level raised from Black, where it is believed that a threat exists to Morelanders security either at home or abroad, to Black Alpha which is used for when their is a specific threat or target identified. The Brigadier stated, "While I can not and will not be drawn on the threat let me just say the fact it comes at a time when we have seen some sort of action against Rokkenjiman royals that has resulted in the abduction of Princess Asuna and also Daitō shortly after began erecting military checkpoints and seemingly evacuating their Emperor. There seems to be a move in the Cross Straits community towards some kind of potential instability and we have seen how that can often encourage others to try their luck. We will, as always stand ready to respond to any threat.
Sir Harry Samuelson, the nations Minister of Defence, also spoke about the situation as he joined the Brigadier. "We have been in touch through our ambassadors with the Rokkenjiman government. They know we will be praying for the safe return of the Princess and, as like when previously abducted, the Rokkenjimans know that the government of East Moreland will aid in any way that we can to help bring her safely home." Sir Harry explained that he hoped to convene a meeting of the CNN Ministers of Defence early in the New Year and that the ongoing situations would be on the agenda along with "procurement opportunities."
Meanwhile former Rokkenjiman political heavyweight Charles Ofdenson has also been released from custody on a technocality. Once released he has already discussed East Moreland apparently having a weapon in space in the form of the satellite capture system known as the "Seeker". Sir Harry rubbished these claims saying "The Seeker system is operated as a scientific tool and business not a weapon system. It is not inside the military chain of command and is operated by the Royal Aeronautical Society, a body that is a civilian scientific operation. The system has been offered out to many nations to solve unique problems and should be utilised more rather than blasting missiles into space creating micro-debris fields that complicate the study of space."
While at Portworth the Brigadier and Minister were both treated to a demonstration of the scale model version of "Common-Warrior" a combat UAV being developed by EMAC utilising only existing parts used in aircraft operated by the Royal East Moreland Air Force. Sir Harry said he was "pleased with the demonstration and exicted to see full size testing in the near future."
RECORD BREAKING ARCHDUCHESS RULES OUT GAMES NEXT YEAROn December 24th an EMAC supported attempt at the speed record for ice skating on natural ice was set by Åland speed skater Bjarne Erling Moen as he broke the 100kph barrier clocking in a top speed of 103kph. On Spikholm Lake today in Nya Åland Mundus Games legend Archduchess Sophie Harrison-Ironside set her own record. The Archduchess is a member of what EMAC are describing as a team "Test-Badgers" testing experimental equipment and techniques in order to give Morelander athletes an edge in the future of sport. Utilising specially aerodynamically designed helmets and skates along with a newly designed body suit intended to cut down wind resistance the Archduchess hoped to beat the 1hr endurance record by skating at least 31km. Without the aid of "Wind Catcher" utilised by Moen for his record the Archduchess took to the ice and after a brief warm up began the hour long session. At just after 10am local time the stopwatch reached zero and independent judges from sports governing bodies agreed that she had travelled a distance of 31.6km. Speaking after the event the Archduchess was naturally asked about making a return to the Winter Games and said, "There is no 2023 games on my horizon. Today hurt, a lot, I've been getting repetitions in working with EMAC, OsmanTech, Erra Sportswear and various other people involved in the "Test Badger" programme but that is nothing compared to the work needed to grace the games. Skating non stop for an hour is not something done in the Games, nothing like the endurance is needed however speed is and training for the two at elite level often means you do one or the other. I enjoy challenging myself but my first commitment has to be to the Air Force. I can fit testing around deployments and leave and still be helpful to the team so that will be my focus." She confirmed however that she had interest in other such challenges. "Sport and fitness is a passion of mine. Even if I'm not actively competing at elite level I will still take part in the Ostlake Military Games, I'll run for my squadron in inter-service competions and I hope to do more endurance challenges like this."
The Archduchess has won 15 medals at the Mundus Games and became the first person to win medals at both the Winter and Summer Games when she switched from Cross-Country and Distance running to Speed Skating. She is the 2nd most decorated East Moreland athlete behind her friend Daisy Greechan who has won 17 in the pool at the Summer Games. In 2018 the pair rowed the Mhorish for charity and the year before became the first female to solo trek across Hrothgar. When asked what she had planned she said that she hadn't yet made up her mind but among them would perhaps be to complete a triathlon in each continent on consecutive days.
The Archduchesses uncle, King David, sent her a congratulatory message saying "Once again I am proud of the sporting greatness of my niece. She is a great example of the sporting success our armed forces men and women aspire to. The military has been a great breeding ground for our sports stars, both in terms of Daisy Greechan and Sophie. It my hope that she can now put her feet up and relax for a while before proudly serving her nation in blue once more. I today stand as a monarch proud of the achievements of one of my subjects but also and more importantly as a proud uncle. I hope that soon we will be celebrating more success on the snow and ice as our athletes take to wherever in the world hosts this next Winter Games."
