Achkaerin News Service

[Achkaerin]

QUESTIONS FOR THE CROWN BRINGS SENATE CURTAIN DOWN

Empress Serenity answering questions in the Senate earlier today

By David Woods: Political Correspondent

The Senate has concluded the calendar years business program with the final session of Questions for the Crown, the session which is a weekly occurrence when the Senate is sitting sees Senators pose questions to the Monarch, this the last session before Life Day is typically more jovial and light hearted, it sees those involved in the session turn up in festive jumpers as well. The questions posed to and answers given by Empress Serenity were as follows:

Can the Empress tell the Chamber what her engagements are for the festive period? (Consul Michael Williams, Unity Party)

"I intend to spend Life Day with family and friends, I'll be attending a Constellation Ball in a few days time, I'll probably be eating a fair bit more than I probably should, getting into snowball fights and building snowmen with my daughters."

What does the Empress think of the situation presently unfolding in Nya Aland? (Senator Barbara Mason, Endeavour Party)

"I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The situation in Nya Aland is one that we had hoped to see resolved without violence, sadly this hasn't happened. Appropriate steps in regards to safety will I'm sure be taken by the Foreign Office, and I can see the Minister nodding in his seat, the Government remains committed to supporting the people of Nya Aland at this time, the year 2023 will be remembered for many things including the reaffirmation across the international community that we stand against terrorism, and it doesn't matter who you vote for at the ballot box that remains the commitment. I have faith that the Nya Aland leadership are capable of handling this issue and if they need our help then we'll be there just as we were several years ago in Uppsalla."

What reaction does the Empress have to the Rokkenjiman Imperial Address? (Senator Ajax Semantar, Liberal Party)

"I found it underwhelming and greatly disappointing. To see the Empress of Rokkenjima take aim in the way that she did is not befitting of the office she holds. Neither King David nor Princess Freya need me to ride to the defence of East Moreland, because they've both articulated very well why the Rokkenjiman Empress is wrong. My reaction in more detail is this - The Empress of Rokkenjima speaks about how 'the Northfort Experiment has failed miserably, leading to losses of life not seen since before the Covenant/Commonwealth era' first is there such a thing as the Northfort Experiment? No. What I've seen over the last decade is that as the international community has grown the political landscape has changed, the CSTO is no longer fit for purpose, the international community is no longer as it was it's no longer a group led by Rokkenjima and a group led by the USR it has far more to it than that now. East Moreland are very good at not only making but keeping their friends, rather than criticising them Rokkenjima would do well to learn from them. The Empress states what is true insofar as the loss of life now is something not seen since before the the Covenant/Commonwealth era, but and it is a big but the Covenant/Commonwealth era extends from 2014 through to 2019, therefore it is also true that the loss of life during the Covenant/Commonwealth era was far greater than anything since. Insulting the armed forces of the two nations that carried so much of the load at the CTO is not going to help the Empress's pitch especially when we look at what happened in Marseilles and ask what happened to the 30,000 Rokkenjiman soldiers, fleet and aircraft that were promised. It makes you wonder how many people who died liberating Marseilles would still be alive if those Rokkenjiman's had shown up, how many civilians would have lived if more support had been on the ground. What would have helped the Empress's pitch is her taking a swing when the opportunity was there which was at the Festival of Sail."

What is the Empress's opinion of the Concert of Democracy proposal? (Senator Adam Lonsdale, Republican Party)

"For me it's a non starter, there will be a formal response once it is written but having read the proposal I will say this - no sovereign state would ever in their right mind give up their right to defend themselves and no organisation should ever attempt to impose by proxy conformity to international treaties that its members may not be signatory to. It's not a viable proposal and we will not be involving ourselves in it. If the Empress of Rokkenjima truly wishes to restore a common international forum then she must look at why the predecessor failed. And that's not a difficult answer, it failed because the same two nations, Achkaerin and East Moreland repeatedly bore the load of having to enforce what the resolutions required, it failed because nations preferred to rake over old ground rather than focus on the real issue of the moment, it failed because the overwhelmingly majority of its members treated it as box to tick rather than a serious diplomatic forum, as evidenced by who did and did not show up when push came to shove. It's not pride that causes us to avoid engaging in such endeavours, it's experience we've been there before and we've seen what it brings. Restoring a common international forum requires assurances that we have not yet seen."

Is the Empress looking forward to the Constellation Ball? (Senator Judith Roberts, Green Party)

"Yes I am, I'm going to be attending the one in Midvale and I'm taking my daughters along. I believe we're in for quite the season this year."

What are the Empress's early engagements in 2024 and what is she looking forward to? (Senator Carolyn Oakes, Progressive Party)

"We're going to be hosting the President of Kalasin early in the new year to discuss the post war situation in that country and what we can do to support the rebuilding effort there. In January we will mark ten years of the Fair Seas Concordat, one of the pillars of international law. I'm looking forward to following the Senate's business when it returns because it will be getting to grips with the matter of artificial intelligence. There is the matter of my niece's wedding to attend and we'll see what else comes up."

[Achkaerin]

EMPRESS'S LIFE DAY MESSAGE

The Official Festive Postcard Released by the Marble Palace, featuring the Empress and her girlfriend Princess Euphemia

By Roisin Shaughnessy: Chief Correspondent

The Empress has delivered the first Life Day Message of her reign, the pre recorded speech, typically done two to three days before Life Day is shown on television in the afternoon of the day. The Marble Palace also revealed a Festive postcard (pictured above) sent out to every home in the nation, a multitude of charities, Achkaerinese embassies abroad, foreign embassies based in Achkaerin and foreign governments, a short message wishing the receipient(s) well and looking forward to the new year is on the reverse side.

The Empress's Life Day Message was as follows:

Life Day Message 2023

"Good Afternoon and a Happy Life Day, Christmas, Yule, Hannukah and festive season to all of you. For many people across not only Achkaerin but Mundus this is a time for family and I'm reminded more of that this year than I have been before, at the start of the year things weren't looking brilliant on that front with my father in a coma but little did I know that my family is actually a whole lot bigger than I thought it was at least in the biological sense myself and Simon now have two sisters another niece and a nephew and so on, and then of course as a family we rejoiced when my father came out of his coma some months later. Having that support that guidance, that advice especially over the last few weeks has been of great assistance as Mundus continues to tackle the many issues that face it.

I gave this message once before a few years ago, with Simon, when my father was unable to do so and I keep trying to figure out if it feels any different doing it now. I guess it does because now I'm speaking with more years of diplomatic experience and of course the crown is now on my head. I will always fondly remember that day in Valtheim, the gathering of friends to attend the coronation and to support the friendships between our nations and theirs, to see all that was something truly humbling and unforgettable.

It's important to remember those who are no longer around to celebrate this festive season, tragically this year will go down as a year littered with terrorism, from Mersch to Daito, to Rokkenjima, to Kalasin and now Nya Aland, it is a stark reminder of the sacrifices we ask those brave men and women of the military to make to keep people safe, not since 2014 have we had such a sequence of events. With the international community we stared down the unthinkable if not once then twice this year, when some tried to reopen Pandora's Box we kept it closed, something only possible because people were prepared to put themselves in harms way to make it happen. The festive season is a time for giving and I would like to offer all those involved in that my thanks.

2024 is a landmark year, a decade on from the formation of what we could call the first international pillars being established, I'm looking forward to the many celebrations throughout the year marking that, I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for the family and I'm looking to see what bears fruit on the international landscape. Domestically it's a big year for our Government's environmental program many of the checkpoints under the Green Energy Transition Act are about to be hit and I'm sure we'll be up to the challenge there, terrorism must be combatted, diplomacy must be pursued and must be done in earnest, nations must get along for developing friendships breaks down the barriers, but all of that's for naught if we leave Mundus worse than when we found it, 2023 undoubtedly saw struggles in this respect so 2024 must be progressive, it must be better, it must move the needle. I hope that when I talk to you all this time next year that I can do so knowing that has been really achieved. I wish you all a joyful festive season and a happy new year.

CHIPMUNKS TAKE LIFE DAY NUMBER ONE

By Zoe Tate: Entertainment Correspondent

The Chipmunks and Chipetes, a CGI and AI generated group spun off from a television series and based at the Royal University of Music, have taken Life Day number one spot in the charts with their cover of Bad Romance. It is a significant milestone for the prestigious honour as this is the first time the award has gone to technically animals instead of humans although as Dina Mellor (the bands 'manager') explains it's a little more complicated than that saying "This is a huge achievement for us, we're just a group of research students that produce a childrens music based show that runs for half an hour in the week, so to win something like this is great and shows that innovation in music can be successful, we only started using AI a few months ago in respect of the voices to create a more authentic vocal range for the six characters we have and then syncing that up with the CGI, we are considering using the AI to assist in other ways as well but for the moment we're really happy."

The winner of Life Day Number One traditionally headlines the New Years Day concert in Valtheim, it has been confirmed that the Chipmunks and Chipettes will be doing so, event organisers commented saying "When it became possible that they could be number one on Life Day we started planning for it and we believe that we can deliver a fully immersive experience for the audience even though we're talking about digitally generated characters singing as opposed to a live band."

[Achkaerin]

SENATE STARTS NEW YEAR WITH DEFENCE QUESTIONS

By Penny Noble: Defence Correspondent

The Senate has reconvened following its break for the festive period, it had been scheduled to resume business with debates relating to committee appointments however events elsewhere on Mundus prompted the Leader of the Senate Chamber and the Senate Business Committee to adjust the schedule and bring forward questions to the Minister of Defence Adam Sheppard (pictured above). In a prolonged session the Minister answered questions across a variety of issues including the following:

Can the Minister update the Senate on the status of Achkaerinese forces stationed abroad?

"I thank the member for his question. Our forces remain stationed abroad in Phuebra, Kalasin and Vaguzia in accordance with our treaty obligations. We continue to ensure that the fledgling Phuebran military is trained to the highest standard, our counter terrorist operations based out of Vaguzia continue to see success and our forces in Kalasin continue to keep the peace there. We do retain the capability for further military deployment should it become required."

What is the Government's response to the testing of missiles by Kusan?

"The Government has taken note of the tests and will be monitoring further developments as and when they happen. I will inform the Senate that the Achkaerinese navy has in relation to the tests of the Harbinger 5 and 6 missiles reported multiple successful catch and claw operations, this level of success has been verified by the MDI. In addition Cerberus platforms positioned in Gowu also conducted successful operations in relation to this matter."

Does the Minister anticipate a swift set of prosecutions in relation to the Kalasin conflict?

"As the Senator knows we have members of the Rangsitpol regime, separatist military and terrorists in custody they will have their day in court. I will not comment beyond that so as to not prejudice any proceedings that may occur but to answer the Senators point I do hope that we see them brought to trial more expediently than the Andean Genocide prosecutions were."

What is the Ministers response to circumstances concerning Rokkenjima?

"The situation in Rokkenjima is being monitored, we are liaising with our allies and partners on the matter and hope to have a clearer understanding of the situation soon."

[Achkaerin]

GENERAL FUJI ON PROVOCATION AS TENSION RISES

By Olivia Moore: International Affairs Correspondent

As tensions around the northern side of the Matilda Channels, General Fuji (pictured above) the commanding officer of Achkaerinese forces in Kalasin has spoken about the situation saying:

"It's absolutely pointless amount of sabre rattling that is not going to achieve anything except the opposite of the expressed intent. The Kusan government will be aware of the terms under which Kalasin surrendered to the coalition forces, specifically that the Kalasin military largely a separatist militia engaging in terrorism was disarmed, therefore when Kusan mobilises a military force to the border how is that to be read? It is a needless escalation, it has to be read as a provocation and it has to be read as Kusan threatening Kalasin, that's why we're now forced to mirror that Kusan deployment because our duty is to protect the Kalasin people, we're engaged in making sure that the terms of the surrender that lay out the path forward are met and once they are met then the coalition is under those terms withdrawing its forces, that's all public information that the Kusan Government has access to and I would also remind the Kusan Government that the Achkaerinese military conducts its operations to treaty provision. Coalition forces will not be in Kalasin a moment longer than the governing authority, which defers to whomever is elected in February, likes. If Kusan wants to see that withdrawal happen sooner rather than later then quite simply they need to stop giving the governing authority reasons to ask us to stay - mobilising military units, missile tests, and now an air force scramble following apparently a drone incursion, these are all part of provocative snowball surrounding this and it all amounts to reasons why we'd be possibly asked to stay. Dangerous rhetoric and dangerous actions will not see a resolution here and they certainly won't take our eyes off what our responsibilities are. If the Kusan government thinks that putting military forces on a border with a nation that has no substantive military of its own isn't a provocative or threatening act then they are welcome to consult any one of the many military commanders across Mundus who will tell them that it can be interpreted in that manner, we as the forces presently responsible for the territorial integrity of Kalasin must perceive it as a threat and act accordingly this is why Achkaerinese military units have been deployed to mirror the Kusan units positions. I suggest Kusan begin to deescalate this situation by standing down those units, remove the perception and let us do our jobs, because the sooner those jobs are done and the better the circumstances the sooner the coalition forces are not in country."
 

[Achkaerin]

EMPRESS ADDRESSES KUSAN

By Roisin Shaughnessy: Chief Correspondent

Empress Serenity has responded to accusations levelled by the Government of Kusan against the nation, in a statement given under article seven of the Constitution she gave the following remarks:

"Mr Speaker I thank you for permitting me to make this statement, I promise not to take up too much of the Senate's time but I do believe it important that when accusations are made, especially when they are false, that they are robustly responded to. Let's start with the obvious General Kakashi Fuji is not an idiot he is one of if not the most experienced battlefield military commander on Mundus, any nation's military would be fortunate to have someone of his skill, professionalism and experience in their ranks and there are those that do. The chairwoman has called the deployment of Kusan forces basic steps to securing the security of its borders noting the turmoil that Kalasin is in. This may shock her but I agree with her in that respect, every nation on Mundus has the right to defend itself so when the Chairwoman says that the PDRK is reinforcing their borders because they perceive a spill over of said turmoil, I'm going to assume there's truth to that statement, I'm not sat in their meetings, I'm not in their chain of command, I don't determine their policy, I don't determine their doctrine. However by the same token of nations having the right to defend themselves when General Fuji sees a deployment of forces across the border he has to react to it because he is charged currently with the defence of Kalasin territory, if the Chairwoman and her leadership can perceive the situation in Kalasin as potentially spilling over then a seasoned military commander can certainly perceive a troop deployment across the border as potentially threatening, potentially aggressive and considering the rhetoric that went before from all sides concerned potentially if not probably provocative and escalating. Perception may not be truth but perception is what preparation and action is based on. Whether I like it or not the chairwoman has deployed troops, whether she likes it or not I agree with General Fuji deploying troops to mirror the Kusan positions it is a reasonable response. General Fuji is correct to imply that the reallocation of troops in this manner does take resources away from current operations which are counter terrorist focused - these are operations which are intended to prevent the very thing that she and her government are concerned about.

Now let me turn briefly to what I will politely refer to as the ill informed comments regarding Achkaerin's relationship with Rokkenjima. The Achkaerinese presence in Rokkenjima is limited to personnel who currently have responsibility for the safety of the Imperial family and before someone says it yes the Viceregent is Achkaerinese. That presence operates independently of influence from Valtheim, the Viceregent is not accountable to our Senate in the way of being a member of the Noble Moot would make him, that responsibility was deferred upon his appointment as Viceregent and will remain so until he no longer holds a position in the Rokkenjiman Government but as this point no one other than him can tell us when that may be. The Chairwoman stated 'the Achkaerinese an opportunity to impart upon the Rokkenjimans the importance of disavowing the actions of the Federal Republic instead of embracing them and whitewashing them from their history books.' Mr Speaker let's be clear this is an outright lie. I don't doubt that Rokkenjima hasn't disavowed the actions of the Federal Republic however I know very well that we have strongly recommended it on several occasions, I encourage both the Chairwoman and the Empress of Rokkenjima to read the Covenant Address of 2006 where my father, and the father of the then Empress though she didn't know it, strongly recommended such a disavowing. The Chairwoman may also be interested to know that the very man she has called an idiot was involved in the planning stages of the Anselmo restoration and made clear exactly the same thing. I don't know why Rokkenjima didn't pay heed to that but I do know that the matter was raised and here I am raising it again.

In the next few days I will be meeting with President Kaikaew where I expect most of the conversation to be about the post war situation in his country and what assistance Achkaerin may be able to provide. Kusan has the opportunity to form part of that but it must recognise that if they desire a minimising or complete removal of the coalition force in Kalasin, which based on the rhetoric appears to be the case, then creating perceptions which increase the timescale is not helpful to anyone. I suggest the chairwoman apologise to General Fuji, I suggest she downscale that military deployment and I suggest that she let the coalition forces do their jobs."

[Achkaerin]

ADMIRAL RANKIN SPEAKS ON LATEST ANSELMO APPEAL

By Olivia Moore: International News Correspondent

Admiral Rankin (pictured above), the Judge Advocate General, has given an interview, while much of the content concerned the upcoming war crimes trials relating to Kalasin which were described as "still in the evidence gathering stage, it's always tricky when you have multiple parties involved, accusations hurtling everywhere and to try and see what the case was pre conflict in some instances but above all we need to get it right we're looking at prosecuting new ground. But we've been here before and we have the most professional and best trained legal staff working on it."

The Admiral was then asked about the latest appeal lodged on behalf of Beatrice Anselmo to which he said "Everyone has the right to appeal, however that's not how appeal processes work if you're going to appeal something then you have to show relevant grounds for the appeal. Kanda Takeo has not done so, the perjury matter isn't about what happened between February and May in 2016 it's about a sworn statement given by Beatrice Anselmo in August 2017 which she later contradicted in February 2018 and when asked stated that the February statement was the truth that is textbook perjury and if memory serves she got a hefty fine for it which is an appropriate sentence for the crime of perjury. The verdict is sound, the conviction is sound and trying to shoehorn a second rerun of the Andean Genocide trial into what is an open and shut procedural matter is an absurdity."

GOVERNMENT TO INTRODUCE AI BILL

By David Woods: Political Correspondent

The Achkaerinese Government is to introduce a bill concerning Artificial Intelligence to the Senate in the coming days, the much anticipated Bill named the Artificial Intelligence Regulatory Act (2024) will detail the laws regarding AI, the focus was explained by Minister for Science and Technology Katherine Deed (pictured above) who said: "Our focus with this legislation is around how artificial intelligence is used rather than what we use it for, we're phrasing it that way because the nature of the beast is that AI reacts to a task it has been set, if I ask an AI to generate an image it'll do that within the parameters I set, if I ask it to write a sermon for my dad to preach it'll do it, point is there is a person inputting the query and that is the person with the guiding mind. So at this point the intent of the person doing the data inputting is what's important, they may have innocent or malicious intent but it is their intent not the intention of a computer entity, hence why we're focusing on how AI is used rather than attempting to limit what artificial intelligence can do."

THREEPEAT FOR THE VIXENS

By Mark Watson: Sports Correspondent

While the Achkaerin's mens team succumbed to penalty shootout heartbreak in the mens final the womens team came from a goal down to beat Rokkenjima 2-1 in their final and achieve an unprecedented threepeat in the history of Mundus international sporting competitions. Falling behind to a shock goal ten minutes in, the Vixens rallied and under the watchful gaze of manager Clarissa Quinn they went on the attack, continued to play their possession style of football and asserted themselves on the game - the equaliser came with twenty minutes to go, a well timed through ball from Ciara Ryder found Sandy Lane and the winger fired home into the roof of the net. The winner came with two minutes left on the clock, some intricate play saw Prissy Salem break clear through the Rokkenjiman defence, she got the ball around the keeper and while she was brought down in the attempt striker Holly Swift was there to put the ball away and seal the victory. Speaking following the medal presentation Clarissa Quinn spoke with the press saying "It was one of those games, you could feel it through the whole match it was going to be a whole lot closer than we'd have liked, credit to Rokkenjima they set up well, they got us on the counter and then made it very difficult to break them down, but we stuck at it we kept trying to run them and we started to create the space that we needed to get our goals."

[Achkaerin]

EMPRESS'S PARTNER RUSHED TO HOSPITAL

By Roisin Shaughnessy: Chief Correspondent

Princess Euphemia of Rokkenjima, the partner of Empress Serenity, has been admitted to the Royal Valtheim Hospital, the Princess is understood to have felt ill during the day and was advised to go to the hospital by the Royal Medical Staff. In a press conference at the hospital Doctor Maddy Dale, the Royal Physician, said "Princess Euphemia has been admitted to the hospital upon medical advice, she has been diagnosed with a parasitic infection of the liver and we are in the process of coordinating with members of her family in regards to next steps. The Princess is in good spirits and we'll make sure updates as to her condition are released in due course and in accordance with her wishes."

[Achkaerin]

PRINCESS CERYS CELEBRATES "SIXTH" BIRTHDAY

By: Niamh Roberts Royal News Correspondent

Princess Cerys has celebrated her "sixth" birthday, the Princess born on the 29th of February 2000 usually celebrates her birthday on the 28th of February however as a "leap child" every four years she can celebrate it on the actual day. A birthday party that is rumoured to have been organised by Princess Cerys's brother Prince Jack and his girlfriend has taken place at the Marble Palace. The Princess spent the day, prior to the party opening a new water sports facility in Djana-Ville, Princess Cerys is a Mundus Games gold medalist in the surfing events, speaking earlier in the day she said "It's always fun when we get to a leap year because I get referred to as being a quarter of my actual age and things like 'the youngest Azurewind' trend on twitter and Jack gets to act like he's the older one of us, but it's all in good fun."

[Achkaerin]

TRANSPLANT TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS

By: Niamh Roberts Royal News Correspondent

Princess Euphemia of Rokkenjima is to receive a new liver within the next twenty four hours, the Princess who is presently in the Royal Valtheim Hospital with a parasitic infection of the liver is in need of a transplant. According to Royal Physician Doctor Maddy Dale the operation will be "a live liver transplant, this is a routine operation in which Princess Euphemia's liver will be replaced with a portion of a donor's in this case Empress Serenity's. I know someone's going to raise an eyebrow at that but that is the situation, the Empress is the donor. We believe the operation will be successful, once again it's a routine operation. Following the operation both the Princess and the Empress will need a few days to recover."

A statement from the Marble Palace confirmed the details announced by Doctor Dale in a press conference Royal Press Secretary Hannah Cartwright provided further information in respect of decision making authority saying "The Empress has signed a letter addressed to the Noble Moot and the Speaker of the Senate, this letter delegates the Empress's authority, normally this delegation would be to the next in line to the Achkaerinese throne however both Princess Astrid and Princess Lisa are underage and Prince Simon is presently serving overseas so in this instance the delegation will transfer the authority to the Emperor Emeritus Peter Azurewind. It will be in effect from the moment that the Empress is taken to be anaesthetised and will last until she comes round following the surgery. Upon which point a second letter will be sent and she will resume her duties with the authority returning to her."

[Achkaerin]

NEW PORTRAIT UNVEILED TO MARK CORONATION ANNIVERSARY

By Niamh Roberts: Royal News Correspondent

The Marble Palace has released pictures of a specially commissioned portrait of Empress Serenity to mark her first year on the throne. The portrait painted by Sẹnaid Hastings was commissioned earlier in the year, however recent circumstances around the Empress and her partner recovering from surgery delayed certain aspects of its production, the Empress commented on the painting expressing her happiness at the result saying "It's a little weird to see that sort of portrait about you for the first time, the gallery wing at the Palace has all the pictures of all the Emperors before me and of course the only other Empress before me and you have the reproductions of all the swords of mark as well. I look back at the coronation and I can't remember half the day because there's a lot of stress involved and you're thought process is on so many other things than enjoying the day, even though I tried to. Seeing this portrait which is beautifully crafted and Ms Hastings is a fine artist it's a reminder and helps me remember a little bit more about it. But it also marks a year since the coronation, the settling in period is over, my feet are under the table now so it's time to get down to work."

As for the artist Ms Hastings commented saying "To be asked to do this painting was a great honour, I thought I was being scammed when I got called and told 'we'd like you to take a Royal Commission' they're the words you dream of hearing but you never expect it and then yeah you find yourself taking pictures of the Empress and then going and painting the portrait. It's been challenging and I've redone sections more than once because I wanted to do it justice but I'm happy with how it's come out."

JOLT POD GETS LONG AWAITED TEST OUTING

By Penny Noble: Defence Correspondent

The Jolt Pod has been one of the most talked about projects for the last few years that it at times has appeared to take on some sort of mythical status. The project was first theorised in 2016 however wasn't actively pursued until late 2019, theories to do with this have presumed that the development of the Rokkenjiman Akuma sparked the surge in development. The Jolt Pod is a counter drone device working on the same principle as the Chidori missile already fielded by the Achkaerinese military. The Jolt Pod was given a test run during the latest series of LTTE's (Lateral Tactical Training Exercises) Deputy Sky Marshall Raymond Holman spoke about the project and the exercises in general saying "These are the exercises that the military does regularly to be as ready as we can be when a curveball gets thrown at us, it's exercises like this that put us on a solid footing in the Lodjan crisis, both early on and when our military and the Aostan military found themselves combatting the Morelander. The Jolt Pod is a niche bit of kit and has scored at 65% by no means is that ideal, but it's where we expected the pod to be on the first run considering what this actually is. We've got another test for it in a few weeks if it comes up to scratch the Air Force is likely to add this pod to its toolbox."

[Achkaerin]

EMPRESS IN SEAFORTH TO TALK TROYES

By Olivia Moore: International News Correspondent

Empress Serenity has arrived in Seaforth for talks with the Seaforthian government on the matter of Troyes, the visit comes following the apparent seizure of the city by the Real Marseilles group who have proclaimed a 'Republic of Troyes', a move that has not gone down well with either the Empress or the government in Valtheim. Speaking following her arrival in Seaforth the Empress said "The Achkaerinese position on Troyes has been very clear from the start, the only authority who can grant sovereignty over land is the legitimate government that owns that land, that didn't happen a few years ago and it didn't happen a few hours ago, but we are now in a far more potentially dangerous place than we were a day ago on this issue. While the frustration of the citizens of Troyes is understandable, the current situation has the potential to put several nations all of whom support the position that Troyes is the sovereign territory of Marseilles on opposite sides of matters because of existing international relations. The hope now is that diplomacy can resolve this issue before anyone is put in the position of having to make hard choices. Achkaerin and Seaforth share a significant history of cooperation dating back to our days in the CIS and beyond, so hopefully that puts us in a place where a path forward can be developed. While I'm here my cousin Sakura is in Marseilles meeting with President Sauzee and Prime Minister Deschamps, the aim is the same to develop a path that resolves the Troyes issue in a peaceful manner. But this is contingent on the situation not escalating any further, there's a substantial difference between what we might describe as a creative protest and where this might go, it's the responsibility of all those who want to see this resolved to exercise restraint at the moment."

[Achkaerin]

LADY KATYUSHA TO BE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF EDELWEISS FESTIVAL

By Roisin Shaughnessy: Chief Correspondent

Lady Katyusha Andronikashivili is to be the new artistic director of the Edelweiss Festival, the annual classical music festival that runs over the summer annually in Achkaerin. Lady Katyusha, the girlfriend of Prince Jack will assume responsibilities concerning the festival schedule which will include things as such as deciding which pieces are performed, which orchestra's are performing when, which musical or musicals are selected for performance by the Royal family and when the various competitions that occur during the festival happen. The announcement of Lady Katyusha's involvement was made by Duchess Renee Azurewind who is chair of the Edelweiss Festival, in making the announcement the Duchess said: "I'm really pleased to welcome Katyusha into the wondrous world that is the Edelweiss Festival, last year she was vital in ensuring the festival's success as between Peter being in hospital and Serenity's coronation and all the rest of it there was a lot that we had trouble with behind the scenes, Katyusha provided a lot of support. It's a really exciting moment for the festival to have her onboard in this role, she brings a lot of energy, a lot of new ideas and she has active interests in pretty much every aspect of the festival."

As for Lady Katyusha herself she expressed her excitement and eagerness to get on with the job, she also announced the first thing that she was doing in her new role "We're hoping to take Lodja night to the next level, currently its a case everyone gets dressed up and listens to Lodjan music while we have a few professional dancers on stage, it simulates a ball atmosphere which is what the night is about. We're currently working with the Lodjan ambassador in applying for and hopefully obtaining a license to make Lodja night an official ball."