Author Topic: Lodja Times  (Read 37935 times)

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Offline Libby

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Lodja Times
« on: September 01, 2017, 12:31:26 AM »




QUEEN SENDS CONGRATULATIONS TO ELENA OF HERRENBUCHT

Queen Viktoriya today sent her congratulations to Princess Elena of Herrenbucht upon her nation of Herrenbucht changing its constitution to legalizes female succession. As such she now is eligible in the line of succession, however Her cousin Markus von Wateringas, who was hoping to become Crown Prince, criticised the move saying "A woman as the leader of our country and our army is not acceptable " before adding "Women aren't made for this job". The Queen wrote an open letter to Elena offering her congratulations and support.

Quote from: Open Letter

Dear Elena

Let us start by congratulating you and your people, today they have taken a great step forward in allowing women to inherit, and should a time come when you assume the leadership of your nation we hope to be able to support you however we can. Around a year ago we were plucked from being an ordinary 18 year old girl who was preparing for University, we found ourselves prepared in a short time to take on the huge responsibility of running a nation. In that time we hope that we have shown what we are capable of, first establishing the Network of Crowns, hosting the amendment conference for the Uppsala Convention and then forming the CNN, all things that have helped our nation take its fledgeling steps onto the international stage. In short we are confident that by the time you are called to serve your people you will be strong, confident and magnificent.

While you seemingly already have your critics we can tell you first hand that these are things you must take with a pinch of salt. To say women aren't made to lead is ridiculous, by looking around Mundus one can see that for yourself. A history lesson gives the warrior Queen of East Moreland, Rhiannon The Fierce who was voted the 2nd Greatest Mundusian ever, furthermore we have had more female General Secretaries of the CTO than we have men, showing that they can achieve greatness. With talk of not being able to run an army we have personally overseen reforms of our nations militaries taking it from a shabby piece of work into something our nation can be proud of, meanwhile the East Moreland military, one of the most respected on Mundus is commanded by a woman. Women are capable of great things, in our youth we recall stand offs between the Warsaw Pact and CSTO, mainly lead by Rokkenjima, that tension was defused after many attempts failed, the person who lead that was Willa Sunbrek, a woman bringing one of the biggest steps towards global peace. The times for women to be seen as inferior are gone and anybody denying that has no historical understanding of Mundus.

We would therefore like to invite you to our capital Gaia for your first official state visit. It is our hope that this will be the first of many between our nations.

May Sessifet Bless You

Queen Viktoriya Tar of Lodja, Guardian of Sessifet.

The Queen has been underfire at home recently with the first anniversary of her marriage just two months away, traditionally the Queen has conceived a child in the first year of marriage and failure to do so is seen as a bad omen for the future of her reign. This was however down played by Lord of the Conclave, Besarian Ivanov who said. "Look at Her Divine Majesties track record, it's excellent, she's created thousands of jobs, given Plebs more oppurtunities, improved our defensive capabilities and opened a world full of oppurtunities to our nation. She is doing a wonderful job and will continue to do so whether she has a child or not. I look forward to continuing our successful work."


Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2017, 09:39:01 PM »




QUEEN AIRLIFTED TO GAIA MILITARY HOSPITAL

It was announced moments ago that Queen Viktoriya has been airlifted to Gaia Military Hospital following an attack within the Palace of the Goddess. The exact nature of the attack is not known however a spokesman for the Conclave has stated, "The Queen is in a serious condition. She is surrounded by the very best medical experts and it is our hope, that with the Goddesses protection she will recover and be with us soon." The Queen was taken by military helicopter and will be treated by the Army Medical Corps who are experts at trauma treatment.

One member of the palace staff, who did not see the attack said, "I was working on repairing one of the old corridors near a garden within the Palace, suddenly I heard shouting and six or seven members of the Security Agency came pounding past me, some carried weapons while others carried what looked like first aid kits but much bigger. I tried to follow them and see what was happening but at the edge of the garden they had men with guns keeping the Palace staff back. I saw several agents working on helping the Queen and one of the Ladies in Waiting was covered in blood, it looked terrible." The Palace was put under immediate lock down however it is suspected that the attacker, thought to be a young apprentice gardener acted alone. The same witness said, "We heard shouting and four agents had hold of a young man by each limb literally carrying him away, he was yelling, I can't remember his exact words but it was about the Goddess being released." There has been in recent months a growing belief amongst some that the Queen's failure to get pregnant is a sign that she does not truly have the Goddess Sessifets blessing and a handful going so far as to believe the Queen is cursed.

These superstitious notions had been addressed only a few days ago by High Priestess Raisa Chownyk spoke about this saying, "Nowhere in the texts of Sessifet does this notion of the Queen needing to conceive in a set time exist, anyone saying this is the case is either provoking nonsense or uneducated in the teachings of the blessed Goddess. The Goddess knows all and when the time is right for her to become a mother then she will become a mother, it is that simple." The High Priestess is the aunt of the Queen's husband Baron Roman Chownyk who was in Luebin at the time of the attack. It has been confirmed that he too has been airlifted and taken to Gaia Military Hospital to be with his wife.

Already large crowds have gathered at the causeway of the Island of the Goddess lighting candles for the Queen. While the Queen is incapacitated it is the duty of Lord Besarian Ivanov to make the final decision after meetings of the Conclave.

Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2017, 10:21:33 PM »




"PRIORY NOT ON OUR RADAR" SAY GENERAL KUBIK

Following a claim made by the so called Priory of Sion, a terrorist group from the Ecclesiastical State, that they were behind the assassination attempt of Queen Viktoriya the nations Minister of Defence, General Lubos Kubik, Duke of Helaov has spoken of the claims. In a statement made as he entered Gaia Military Barracks the military man said, "The group known as the Priory of Sion is not on our Radar, the claim that they are responsible would be laughable and also actually more appealing than the truth. To have had a foreign organisation be the ones trying to kill our Queen would be bad, however the fact that it was actually one of our own makes things worse, for a Lodjain to betray his Goddess is appalling and as soon as we have ruled out co-conspirators he will face justice openly and publically, that appearence and the story about what happened yesterday on the Island of the Goddess will show just how desperate and grabbing the Priory are for international acclaim. If I'm honest I had to google who they are and what they stand for so I'm not surprised they would try and take what they probably assume is the glory of our Queen's blood." Duke Lubos added, "The Security of the Isle of the Goddess and around all the people there will be increased and no stone will be left unturned ensuring anyone with connections to the assailant is dealt with.

The Security Agency have yet to release the name of the would be killer and have only confirmed that he was a male who was unknown to the Intelligence Agencies. A special team has been put together in order to investigate the incident and track down any co-conspirators.

The Queen yesterday went into surgury upon reaching the Gaia Military Barracks and doctors confirmed that she recieved "a significant amount of trauma to the neck which required life saving procedures and a major transfusion of blood." They also announced that the Queen had been put into a medically induced coma in order to give her a better chance of reducing any injuries suffered because of loss of blood flow. Her Royal Physician confirmed that the Queen is still "Critical". Prayers have been said across the nation and many well wishers have been gathering at the Isle of the Goddess.

Legal experts have confirmed that while the Queen is incapacitated her powers will be held in a regents capacity by Lord Besarian Ivanov, however it is also known that a precautionary series of meetings have been taking place in order to identify a potential successor should the Queen not recover. One of the names considered was Lady in Waiting Jasmina Danailov, who was considered for Queen when Viktoriya Tar was named. The 18 year old Lady in Waiting turns 19 in three weeks and many believe that should the Queen die in that time her coronation would be rushed through. Darya Natalka, a 17 year old friend of Princess Alana is also being placed in Royal Security as she turns 18 in two weeks and is considered a good candidate should Queen Viktoriya not recover.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2017, 07:07:47 PM »




QUEEN NOT RESPONDING TO TREATMENT

A spokesman for Lord Besarian has today announced that having visited Gaia Military Barracks that the Queen is still unconcious. A week after the Queen was rushed to the barracks she is still unconcious. The spokesman made the announcement from the barracks gates saying, "It is sad to say that the Queen is so far not responding to treatment. Doctors here have provided superb treatment and done everything possible to help the Queen. We continue to pray for her and urge others to do the same." So far several thousand people have gone to the barracks gate and left flowers or other tokens as tokens of their hopes for the Queen's recovery. One medic at the base confirmed that the Queen had now been taken off her medication which had been keeping her in a medical coma.

The Conclave have been in control of the nation since the Queen was stabbed, with Lord Besarian Ivanov at its head. One of the actions that he has taken is to put the Priestesses to task searching for a potential new Queen. Furthermore it was confirmed today that he has also asked the nations High Court Judges to begin considering several points of law regarding the position. One former judge said, "We face a situation where we could potentially have a Queen who can't communicate her commands to the nation. This would be very difficult for the country to continue to operate as we would clearly not have guidance from the Goddess. We must also consider whether we can pre-choose a new Queen, I think it would be a difficult decision to make."


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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2017, 09:57:53 PM »




QUEEN "UNLIKELY TO RECOVER" AND DISCOVERED TO BE PREGNANT

It was sadly confirmed today by the Royal Physician that Queen Viktoriya is "unlikely to recover" from her injuries. An announcement was made just before sunrise at the gates of the Gaia Military Baracks in which the Physician stated, "It is regretable that the Queen's loss of blood was significant enough to have caused severe damage to the Queen. It is now the case that the Queen is unlikely to recover and is being kept alive by artificial means. We have also determined that the Queen is currently pregnant, a fact that will neccesitate a different approach to that normally used in such situations. We ask the nation to pray for the child and it's father Baron Roman as we seek to find a way through these difficult times." The news was meet with tears and sadness by those assembled at the gates, some of whom had been laying good luck tokens and flowers.

High Priestess Raisa Chowynk spoke an hour later saying, "The Goddess is clearly testing our nations determination to follow her ways, she has deemed that Viktoriya has left us in a position of strength and we do not require a day to day level of input from Sessifet. This is a testimont to the wise rule of the Queen. While the medical profession are greatly skilled and highly respected they do not posses the power of Sessifet and I hope the Goddess will return in her partnership with Viktoriya to guide us once more. It is now our duty to continue Viktoriya's work in her abscence and we shall not let her down."

Lawyers have already begun examining what this announcement means for the nations government, with no provision set up to declare an emergency without the Queen's authority it is uncertain what will happen in the mean time. Currently Lord of the Conclave Lord Besarian Ivanov is running the government on the Queen's behalf supported by his fellow ministers, however it is believed that some lawyers believe that laws permit the Queen's husband Baron Roman to take the title of King following the Queen being confirmed as pregnant, alternatively some lawyers believe that Princess Alana may also be able to act on her sisters behalf until such a time as her recovery. It is likely that courts and the Priesthood will make a ruling on this in the coming days.

One leading nobleman who wished to not be named suggested that "the Queen needs to be permitted to die, the group of cells within her is not yet a child, and it is sad to say it must be sacrificed to permit our nation, and the Goddess, to have a strong ruler once more. The child will not have any say in our government and is an irrelevence in this situation. It is my understanding if even carried to term, something I understand is unlikely, that it will be disabled in some form, making it impossible to take any position within a government if even given a role. Nature must be permitted to take its course."

Another however has said, "The Goddess will take Viktoriya when she chooses, regardless of what we must do. If this is a test then surely it is a test of our love for the Queen, how hard will we work to keep her with us. As long as there is a way we must follow her path and continue her work, only when Queen Viktoriya's path diverts from the Goddesses will we need a new Queen."

It was also confirmed that the Conclave and Priesthood have pre-determined that should the Queen die within the next seven days Lady Jasmina Danailov will inherit the throne with the High Preistess stating, "It was clear Sessifet had a hard time choosing between Viktoriya and Jasmina, as such I believe should Jasmina still be 18 it is clear that the Goddess has choosen her, so strong was the connection between the Lady in Waiting and the Goddess. We have determined should the seven days pass and Viktoriya remain with us we shall conduct testing to determine a new Queen should the need arise, therefore allowing a smooth transitition of the Goddess."

Lady Jasmina is currently kept under guard on the Island of the Goddess, however her father Lord James Danailov stated, "To have my daughter considered as the role of Queen is a great moment in my life, for it to happen twice even more humbling. I have mixed feelings at the moment, I don't know any nobleman who wouldn't wish his daughter on the throne, but for it to happen in such a circumstance would be heartbreaking." 

Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2017, 09:53:59 PM »




KING OF EAST MORELAND HONOURS VISIT DESPITE QUEEN'S CONDITION

At the foundation of the Network of Crowns it was agreed that King David III of East Moreland would visit Lodja for a week at this time in order to observe the training progress of the soldiers being trained by his nations elite Red Legion. So far some 2000 Lodjain soldiers have been retrained following an inspection of the state of Lodjain forces some 8 months ago. The new training programme seeks to stop people gaining positions in the military based on wealth and family connections but rather by ability. The scheme will see some 3,000 soldiers turned into instructors who will return to their units and pass on the skills they have been taught. One of the first units to be part of the scheme were the Lodjian Royal Marines who underwent an intensive 14 week programme, one recruit who went through this said, "It made our basic training training look like childrens football practice, there was much less focus on drill and uniform and a lot more of weapons handling, once we stopped running it was actually enjoyable."

The first of the instructors graduate this weekend and the King is the guest of honour at their passing out parade, an honour he was expected to share with Queen Viktoriya. The parade has been cancelled however the King apparently insisted on coming anyway. As he landed in Gaia he was taken first to the Island of the Goddess where it is said he joined Palace staff in morning prayers in the shrine of Sessifet. One palace insider said, "The King stood alongside us solemnly and while he may not share our faith he took part respectfully, clearly out of care for our Queen." Following that the King had a brief meeting with the Conclave, which Lord Besarian Ivanov said was "Useful, supportive and productive."

The King made his way to Gaia Military Barracks where the Queen is being kept alive on life support. As he left he stopped to talk with well wishers and make a statement to the press.

Quote from: King David of East Moreland (Cheers Ironside)

Today was a moment I wish had never come along. To see a youthful monarch lying surrounded by machines and tubes is one of the saddest sights I have ever seen. Earlier today I meet with the Queen's Ladies in Waiting and her Conclave, I was honoured when one of them told me Queen Viktoriya viewed me as a mentor, if she does in deed consider me that then I am proud of her. I remember meeting her at her coronation, and if I am honest she came across almost as a young girl playing dress up. I meet her a few months later at another global celebration and she was still that nervous little girl, it was there we became not mentor and pupil, but friends, at least I like to think so. I watched after that how she grew, not physically but in stature. Someone who wanted the best for her people and for the world. She showed determination to do the right thing, making hard choices such as asking for East Moreland's help in improving her armed forces, not only there but making Lodja a diplomatic power. Under her guidance not only has Lodja took steps forward but the Uppsala Convention was improved under her guidance, the Network of Crowns establised, and for the first time in living memory Lodjain soldiers set foot beyond their borders, not as conquerers or warmongers but as rescuers, medics, carers and heroes. There are a great many people in Uppsala alive thanks to her decision, the dedication of the men and women under her control and for the support and friendship they gave my nation I am forever thankful.

I understand having meet with Doctors the chances of this amazing Queen coming back to us is practically impossible and if that is the case then I shall greive with your nation. What we must remember however is that what she has achieved in just short of a year is more than many dream of in their lifetime. She would leave a legacy of a Lodja that is no longer a quiet nation satisfied with sitting in its corner of Albion, she will have left a Lodja that is a force for good and the world will be a darker place for her passing.

The King is going to spend four more days in Lodja examining the training programme as well as meeting with some of the Conclave in private meetings.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2017, 10:49:49 PM »




ISLE OF THE GODDESS TO HOST "POTENTIAL QUEENS"

High Priestess Raisa today announced that the Conclave has given special permission to begin examinations for a new host for the goddess Sessifet. With the Queen's medical staff saying that she will never regain conciousness it is likely that a new Queen will be required sooner rather than later. Over the course of the next few days a search of nobles daughters will take place during which those deemed likely to have the potential to be Queen will be housed on the island. The High Priestess explained the process. "We shall examine the heritage of all noble daughters who will be eligible, normally this is for those aged 18, however this situation is different and as such we shall be including those soon to turn 18 while excluding those over 18 years and 6 months. The exception to this is Lady Jasmina Danailov who for the next week shall be our immediate recepient. Those girls whom we believe are born under the protection of the Goddess, due to omens on their day of birth, or incidents during their lives so far, will be invited to the Island of the Goddess, there we shall observe their bearing and conduct as well as their knowledge of the Goddess. The Conclave and the Priesthood will then confirm who is most favoured and they shall remain on the Island."

It is expected that around 10 girls are eligible however not all are likely to be invited to the Island. It is also thought likely that King David of East Moreland, who is currently a guest on the island, will be witnessing part of the process, the first time a foreigner will have done so. The High Priestess explained, "The potential Queens live on the Island so we can see how they interact with the nobility they will govern, however thanks to Her Divine Majesty Queen Viktoriya things have changed and we are now part of the international community, we must therefore see how they interact with other monarchs, we normally would not have the ability to do this, yet King David's stay presents a unique oppurtunity and he has kindly agreed to meet any candidates we deem suitable."

It was also today confirmed by the Courts that while the Queen is unable to make decisions her powers will pass to Lord Besarian Ivanov, this is until such a time as the Queen gives birth which would see Baron Roman become King and therefore he would inherit the Queen's powers until her death.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2017, 08:35:54 PM »




DUKE ANDRONIKASHVILI CONFIRMS DAUGHTER TAKEN TO ISLAND FOR TESTING

The Duke Robert Andronikashvili today confirmed his daughter, Katyusha, has been taken to the Island of the Goddess for testing, making her the first to be confirmed to the media. The 58 year old Duke, who resides at Qudaghlo Palace near Iskar, said "I am very proud of Katy anyway now that the Priestesses think their is something about her pleasing to the Goddess makes me excited, its the biggest honour a Lodjain noble can have. Obviously I wish it was an oppurtunity that never came up but Sessifet will guide us in all things." The 17 year old Katyusha turns 18 in three days time and has recently enrolled on a course at university studying Literature and Music.

The Andronikashivili family were enobled in 1642 and have been prominent in the Priesthood ever since, Katyusha's 22 year old sister Albina became a Priestess just six months ago having graduated Gaia Theologiocal University. The most prominent historical member of the family was General Ivan Andronikashvili who like most of te family was born in Qudaghlo in the North Eas. His mother, Mariam Bagrationi, was the daughter of the then 3rd King Solomon and therefore he had royal blood. He himself was married to Princess Nino Imeretinsky further cementing the families links to royalty. He served later in the Heavy Horse during a brief rebellion in the late 1820's. He was promoted Major General in 1841 and appointed Governor General of Tilifs in 1849, this was a small city in the South of Lodja that he helped transform into a major railway hub by 1865. Since then his descendents have held the title of being Dukes and also Governor General of Tilifs.

The 17 year old however caused controversey moments after her fathers announcement with what some are calling a ill considered Tweet


Some have said it shows a lack of respect and sympathy to Queen Viktoriya who is still on life support at Gaia Military Barracks. One former member of the Conclave said, "This should and will count against her as it is not becoming of a Queen toshow such a lack of common sense. Today every word written on the internet is avaliable and teenagers are becoming more liberal in what they post. This will make finding a suitable Queen even harder, especially when the first candidate is so unthinking." Others meanwhile have suggested that Katyusha's use of social media is exactly what is needed with one youngster posting in a debate online saying, "The Queen is going to need to be someone who can communicate with the whole of Lodja, Queen Viktoriya tried but never did this as she wasn't really social media savvy, Katyusha already has some 200,000 followers on Instagram thanks to some of her music posts playing harp to modern covers. She knows how social media works, she'd make a great Queen probably."



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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2017, 06:14:46 PM »




HIGH PRIESTESS NAMES FINAL THREE CANDIDATES FOR THRONE

In an unexpected announcement High Priestess Raisia has confirmed the identity of the three girls who will join Katyusha Andronikashivili on the Isle of the Goddess to be tested for their potential to be the new Queen should the critically injured Queen Viktoriya die. The 17 year old Katyusha was yesterday announced to be on the island by her father the Duke of Andronikashivili, it was apparently this that lead to the High Priestess confirming the identity of the others. "Having a daughter in the contention for being Queen gives a family certain advantages and while we would have prefered to keep their identity secret to avoid the distractions that is now not possible if we are to be fair to each of these families." The High Priestess went on to explain the problems with selecting the new Queen. "When we selected Queen Viktoriya we were a nation hidden from the world in many way, now our teens are globally connected, this means suddenly people are taking note of this process beyond our borders. I have already seen instagram and Twitter polls asking teenagers to rate or vote on people who the media have mentioned. This is a thing we can not stop but we can perhaps save some other girls from going through the problems of having social media criticise everything about them. The social media element is one that clearly when this process began thousands of years ago was never an issue, today many Lodjian girls have embraced things like YouTube and Twitter with fashion and style blogs, some getting millions of hits, this makes it hard to ignore."


The first of the final three candidates is Nataliya Kozel, she is 17 in two weeks time and is the eldest of three daughters and one son that Viktor Kozel, the nations current ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Unified Iwi has. She was a student at Gaia Grammar School, however when her father was posted to the Iwi around a year ago she moved there as her father thought it was important for her to be with her family. She has spent the last year studying at Hunter's Bay Girls School and is considered an "average" student by many of her peers. She has applied to go to University in The Iwi and was likely to start a course soon in Geography. It is thought her father will remain in The Iwi during the process however her Mother has travelled back with her. High Priestess Raisia explained the selection saying, "Nataliya was born on a full moon meaning if selected her reign is likely to a bright one, it was also a favouable set of omens that day showing that even if not blessed to be a Guardian of Sessifet she still has some role to play in Lodja."


The second of the three is Arina Pasternak, the just 18 year old daughter of Major Erik Pasternak, a Marine Commander and Lord of Heratok. The Major currently serves as a junior minister to the Conclave's General Lubik, and is therefore no stranger to the Island of the Goddess where he and his family have been frequent visitors. Major Pasternak has an older daughter called Mirabelle and a 7 year old son, his wife also has a 2nd husband, a minor nobleman who runs a small magaizne company. Arina is currently at Gaia University studying Journalism. The High Priestess said, "I have meet Arina a number of times, she is a bright and articulate young lady and carries herself with grace at all times."


The final of the three is 18 year old Tatiana Kohut who was actually removed from Initial Officer Training for the process. The Kohut family have a proud military history and two Regiments, the Kohut Lancers and Kohut Hussars bear the family name following being established in the 1800's by twin brothers Peter and Alexander Kohut. Tatiana's father is a fomer Air Force Squadron Leader who is currently one of the Headquarters staff for the Armed Forces who has overseen the modernisation of the military. Tatiana was in the process of training to become a medical officer with the Army when the High Priestess selected her saying, "Tatiana is a very intelligent young woman, her families heritage and dedication to the country is beyond doubt and breeding such as that is worthy of a Queen. Furthermore we have a priority of improving our armed forces and even though she has not passed out from training we have never had a Queen who has even attempted to do military service in her life."


It is unlikely a decision will be made public while Queen Viktoriya remains on life support.






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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #9 on: October 24, 2017, 10:06:43 PM »




A-XX TO ENTER SERVICE IN THE NEW YEAR

Following a series of successful test flights the nations first domestically produced combat aircraft, the Lodjawings A-XX has begun production. The light ground attack aircraft will begin being delivered to squadrons in the new year with an initial order of some 50 aircraft placed. The aircraft can also double up as a reconnessance aircraft and will be used as a basic trainer for pilots joining the air-force. A member of the Air Force stated, "The new aircraft is going to be one of the most modern in our nation and will thankfully be the first step towards a more modern and more capable air-force. There are a lot of pilots within squadrons who are hoping to get selected to fly the aircraft."

So far no official name has been granted to the new aircraft which is still being refered to by its test designation of the A-XX. It is also hoped that the aircraft may get some overseas sales as Lodjawings have bid for a contract from Cascadia.




POTENTIAL QUEEN CANDIDATES BANNED FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

The four candidates to become Queen should Queen Viktoriya die have been banned from social media. The move comes after High Priestess Raisia meet with members of Palace security who raised concerns about the number of selifes and other photos the girls were posting to their various social media accounts and became worried that it could help people plan attacks within the Palace of the Goddess. The layout and design of the Palace has always been kept from public knowledge and has helped create a sense of mystique about the Palace, meanwhile the Island of the Goddess is more well known with many visitors having attended events on it. The four girls had posted a combined total of 72 images within 48 hours of being on the island however since the ban was imposed nothing has come from any of their accounts.

The High Priestess announced that the move meant "The four girls can now focus on getting to know the island, the palace and the people based here, all of it a vital part of being the Queen. As such it is important they focus on the matter in hand rather than digital media and the like." Many people however believe if the monarchy is to remain relevent to modern Lodja it needs to have a monarch who is in touch with the new technology. Out of the four Katyusha  Andronikashvili has the most social media followers with some 300,000 who follow her on instagram and YouTube where she performs musical covers. Arina Pasternak has some 200,000 mainly thanks to appearences in her father's magazines giving teen make up advice meanwhile Tatiana Kohut has some 180,000 followers and is considered rather quirky. The least followed of the four is Nataliya Kozel who has only 1,800 followers on social media, largely because she has not been active within Lodjain social circles having moved to The Iwi.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2017, 06:30:04 PM »




FINANCE MINISTER REFUSES TO RELEASE QUEENS FUNDS

It was today announced that the nations finance minister, Dragan Knežević, has essentially frozen the Queen's funds. As part of his role managing the nations finances he is also responsible for the oversight of the Queen's bank account, thought to contain some $200million. The Minister made the decision in order to "protect the integrity of that account going forward." Minister Knežević, the former CEO of Knežević Enterprises, didn't explain what was meant by that however experts have come up with several suggestions.

The Queen's funds are passed on between monarch and include rents from private estates and investments made over the last 200 years. It was estimated that when Queen Sonya died in 2016 that some $230million sat in the account. In the final few days of her reign family members were able to get around $30million out of the account which were used to pad the families finances. One train of thought suggests that with the Queen on life support the Tar family may attempt to remove money from the account depleating the funds further. Other people believe that the Finance Minister may have made this move to resist calls on him to hand the account over to Lord Besarian Ivanov who is currently acting on behalf of the Queen in managing the nation.

Over the last six months since becoming Finance Minister Knežević has made several investments overseas from the Queen's accounts and it is thought likely that by April, when the financial year ends, that the balance could be closeto $215million.




QUEEN VIKTORIYA'S MOTHER GIVES BIRTH TO HEALTHY SON

It was announced by the Palace today that the mother of Queen Viktoriya, Lady Helene Tar, has given birth to a son. The 41 year old mother of two went into labour while sat at her daughter's bedside, the family have announced that the child will be called Viktor. The child's father and Lady Helene's 2nd husband is  30 year old former Army Officer Lt-Col Vitya Nikolaev who spoke briefly with journalists as he made his way into the Gaia Military Barracks where the Queen is being kept on life support and his son was born. The Lt-Col said, "I am obviously delighted to become a father but these are times of mixed emotions for our family, my daughter-in-law is lying confined to a hospital bed and my wife and Brother-Husband are destrought, I will be doing all I can to support them and of course spend time with baby Viktor."

As he left several hours later Vikta confirmed that Lady Helene, "is doing well and thrilled to be a mother again. I'll be taking Viktor home after the weekend to Tar Island and eagerly awaiting news on my daughter-in-law."

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2017, 10:19:21 PM »




HIGH PRIESTESS IN ROYAL MURDER AND SUICIDE

It has emerged in the last few hours that High Priestess Raisia Chowynk, the Aunt of Queen Viktoriya's husband Baron Roman Chowynk has shot and killed the Queen before killing herself. Queen Viktoriya had been attacked and seriously injured by a servent on the Island of the Goddess and was being cared for at Gaia Military Hospital, where it was expected that she would never regain conciousness. Eye witnesses have reported that the High Priestess, who has been a regular visitor to the Queen since she was admitted to hospital, arrived for her scheduled prayers with the Queen, which happened in private each day, when she locked the door secretly. While alone with the Queen the 51 year old High Priestess produced a 9mm handgun and shot the Queen in the head before then shooting her in the stomach. The sound of gunfire alerted security staff who raced to the room just in time to witness Raisia shoot herself.

A spokesman for he military said, "Today we have witnessed a crime beyond our imagination, a High Priestess dedicated to the betterment of Sessifet destroying the Guardian that the Goddess had selected and loved. Nobody would have guessed this would have happened and of all the potential threats to the Queen the High Priestess is the last person you would suspect."

The Queen's husband Baron Roman Chowynk, the nephew of the Queen's assassin, has yet to speak to the media and his spokesman has asked that he be given time to come to terms with what has happened. The situation now means that Baron Roman has no official connection to the government and will effectively make Lord Besarian Ivanov the leader of the country until a new Queen is selected. This situation however is now complicated. There has traditionally been a two week period between the death of the Queen and the coronation of her successor, who is named on the day, however this decision is made by a council headed by the High Priestess. With no High Priestess a Congress of the Priesthood must conveen to select a new High Priestess from among their number before beginning the process of selecting a new Queen, therefore the process is likely to take closer to a month.

Lord Besarian spoke on the causeway of the Island of the Goddess saying, "We are all greiving, Queen Viktoriya was like a shooting star of a monarch, she graced us for a short time but created much brilliance. Her legacy will be one of a willing reformer, of a woman who had started Lodja on a great adventure of being an active partner to all of Mundus. It is my sincere hope that the Goddess Sessifet graces us with a new Guardian who shared Viktoriya's ambition and drive. I ask all of the people of our great nation to give thanks to the Goddess for sending us Viktoriya and know the Guardian will be blessed with a place in the heavens where she will no doubt continue to watch over us. We now prepare ourselves for a difficult few weeks and while the Goddess may not be directly with us we ask that she continue to bless us and hopefully grant me the wisdom to do what is right for the nation."

There have already been calls for the Chowynk family to be punished for "treason" which could potentially mean Baron Roman would lose his land and titles, this is however unlikely however a more likely impact would be that the family be banned from holding political or religious office for five generations. Queen Viktoriya was also pregnant and the child, which was only a few months developed, died with the Queen. It had been hoped the Queen would survive on life support to a point where a healthy child could have been born before a decision being made about the Queens life support.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #12 on: November 22, 2017, 10:02:16 PM »




ALLA KOHAN NAMED AS NEW HIGH PRIESTESS IN WAITING

It was announced today that 46 year old Alla Kohan, Priestess for Iskar, is in line to become the new High Priestess. As of late there has been a constitutional crisis following the murder of Queen Viktoriya by former High Preistess Raisai Chowyk. Under Lodjain law the Queen is the only person capable of picking a new High Priestess, however conversely the High Priestess is responsible for running the process to name the new Queen. Lord Besarian Ivanov, the nations current leadership, has used his power as Lord of the Conclave to ask the nations Supreme Court to come to a decision on how to proceed and they have determined that as the Priestess at the 2nd most Holy Shrine in the nation it is fitting Kohut be named to the position of High Priestess pending confirmation.

This now means that the process for selecting a new Queen can begin and the four candidates selected by the Priesthood can be examined by Kohan who will eventually present the combined Conclave and Priesthood with a choice of two candidates whom they will vote on, Lord Besarian as serving Lord of the Conclave will have the casting vote in the event of a tie. This should mean that the identity of the new Queen will be known in around two weeks. Following the new Queen's coronation, Kohut would step down as High Priestess allowing the new Queen to select her own High Priestess or confirm Kohut into the position.

In the meantime Queen Viktoriya's body has now been moved to a special morgue on the Island of the Goddess where it is resting before the ceremony to crown the new Queen. So far the four candidates to be Queen have been living upon the island of the Goddess and undergoing various observations to help the Conclave determine who they will vote for. While none of the Conclave will say who they favour at this point Minister of Defence, General Lubos Kubik, stated, "Each of the four seem lovely young ladies, I am sure the one selected will do a fantastic job for our nation and as guardian of Sessifet. We are blessed to have such beautiful, intelligent women in our nation."

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2018, 08:53:08 PM »



STATEMENT FROM ALLA KOHAN EXCITES NATION

The interim High Priestess today made a statement from the causeway leading to the Island of the Goddess about the selection of the new Queen.

Quote
Over the last few days we have tested the four candidates, they have been observed, their actions watched and even interviewed publically. We are blessed that we have had four beautiful and intelligent young ladies to choose from but the process can not continue forever, it is vital that Lodja get a new Queen and that shall come by Saturday. I will in the coming days give my opinion to the Conclave and they, along with myself shall discuss and vote on the matter until the Goddess helps us come to the most logical conclusion about where her future lies. It is important that the Conclave takes account of the viewes of the priesthood, we are the ones whom consult with our Goddess on a daily basis and in the past I am aware of behind the scenes scandals that have been a part of this decision making process. We must ensure the right girl is selected for the right reasons. We have already included elements of the diplomatic circle that reside on the Island as part of the process, they have meet and spoken with the candidates and while their opinions mean nothing to me, it has given me a chance to see how the girls will interact internationally. It is my hope that by the beginning of next month we have a new Queen.

The news was greeted with joy by the people of Lodja, many of whom came out onto the streets celebrating at the news, one store owner in Gaia said, "I think this process has been far too long, we should just allow the High Priestess to choose and have done with it. We must trust the Priesthood know the will of our Goddess." meanwhile the hotels in Gaia have reported an upsurge in bookings for rooms over the next two weeks as people prepare for a coronation that is likely to be one of the largest ever seen in the nation as people come out to say farewell to the earthly body of Queen Viktoriya while welcoming the new partnership of Queen and Goddess.

So far little information has come out of the Palace about the fortunes of the four girls, however social media polls seem to place Arina Pasternak and Katyusha Andronikashivili as favourites.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #14 on: January 28, 2018, 10:30:35 PM »



NEW QUEEN ELECTED

It was announced today that Tatiana Kohut will be crowned the new Queen of Lodja in a few days time. The 18 year old was elected ahead of Katyusha Andronikashivili, Nataliya Kozel and Arina Pasternak in a process that was, for the first time in history, observed by ambassadors holding noble rank. It is understood that ambassadors from monarchist nations such as Achkaerin, Arda Tuluva, Neu Uburzis and Ui Cenneslaig were among those present when the new Queen was named by High Priestess Alla Kohan. The candidates are also believed to have interacted with the ambassadors of nations such as the Ecclestical State and even King of East Moreland, David Ironside, prior to their appointment.

As news reached the city of Gaia people began to prepare for the long awaited coronation and funeral that will take place on the Island of the Goddess, garlands were being hung from lamposts, businesses decorating their storefronts and streets on the procession route being adorned with good luck slogans. The parents of the newly elected Queen, Squadron Leader Varlaam Kohut who is a highly respected military man and brother of the Duke of Negalavik was seen being escorted in by members of his squadron. The new Mother of the Guardian will be Ruslana Kohut, a very distant cousin of the Science and Education Minister Brayan Coxovich, she herself was a member of the Science Institute where she lead studies into antibiotics. There shall also potentially be a new Prince of Lodja if the Queen's elder brother Genadi, a trainee plastic surgeon, is deemed worthy by the Priesthood.

One of the Queen's first official duties will be to appoint a new Head Priestess, largely expected to be Alla Kohan who has held the position on a temporary basis. The 18 year old Tatiana will also be leaving her position as an Army Officer Cadet where she was training to be a medic, her Commanding Officer confirming she had been discharged with honourable service while adding, "I am proud to have helped in the education and development of our new Queen, she is a great loss to our military but a massive gain to our nation. I will gladly and proudly salute her." the new Queen is also a talented dancer having studied ballet and various other forms of dance from the age of 4 until her 17th birthday, her former dance teacher said, "Tatiana was an enigma, without music she could be awkward and ungraceful, once music began though a switch was thrown and she became the most elegant, most beautiful of dancers as though floating on air. It was clear that within music she found her connection to the Goddess and I know that once Sessifet saw that she would have selected her."

The coronation will also likely follow Viktoria's in allowing foreign visitors to witness it. The new Queen however has announced that she will not use her own name, instead she is taking the title Queen Klara, naming herself after Queen Klara Zima, the monarch regarded by many to be the first real Queen of Lodja and one who brought a period of unprecidented stability.




"CNN DERBY" AT WORLD CUP

Lodja have been drawn against East Moreland in the Quarter Final of the World Cup. The Lodjain national team face the part timers of our CNN allies in what on paper should be an easy victory for the Lodjain team made up of professional's from the Lodjian Premier League. The Morelanders however have a habit of upsetting the odds with their club sides having done well in recent Champions League games. Lodja team manager, Vitali Ratsov spoke to the press saying, "Our nation should be confident of victory, on paper we have the best team, we're more skillful, faster, stronger and fitter, but sadly football is not played on paper. The big game atmopshere can do strange things and we know the Morelanders will not go down without a fight. It is my hope that we can get a few early goals and then take advantage of their panic."

It is expected as well that kit makers will add the name Klara to the left arm of the shirt in a show of respect for the new Queen. Ratsov spoke of the news from home saying, "It's an exciting time for Lodjain's to welcome a new Guardian, I know Queen Viktoria was a supporter of our national team and often sent messages of support before the games. I have no idea if Queen Klara is a football fan but I hope she will be proud of our efforts."

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #15 on: January 30, 2018, 09:56:12 PM »



QUEEN ANNOUNCES NEW COAT OF ARMS

As is tradition the soon to be crowned Queen of Lodja, Tatiana Kohut, who will be titled Queen Klara II, has released the coat of arms she will use during her reign. The shield will feature a yellow castleated wall with blue above and a blue sailing boat impossed upon the wall. A white eight pointed star sits in the upper field of blue. The accompanying press release explained the symbolisation saying, "The boat represents the nations nautical heritage thanks to our outlying islands which are a key part of our nation. The yellow represents the rich wealth of the land of Lodja and the castelation shows the strength of its people's will to defend their home. The white star symbolises Sessifet who guides our nation like the stars guide the sailors who carved out our nations island homes. The colours of blue and yellow are reminisant of the Queen's dress which is always blue and gold."

The new Queen has however broke with tradition by not using the Kohut coat of arms used by the rest of her family. This too was explained by saying, "The future Queen wishes it to be known that she is not intending to rule on behalf of her family, she intends to rule on behalf of all Lodjains who she cares for deeply. It is therefore neccessary for her to posses her own, unique Coat of Arms."




GENERAL KUBIK BANS FITNESS TRACKERS

Following the revelation that a popular brand of fitness tracker has inadvertidly released heat maps of all its users running and training routes, Minister of Defence General Kubik has announced today that until further notice members of the armed forces will not be permitted to wear the devices and they will be banned from all military establishments incluing the Isle of the Goddess. Heat maps have shown highly accurate street plans for the Island of the Goddess, inlcuding the large internal corridors of the Palace itself. This was highlighted by Kubik as a security risk and he branded the manufacturers as "Highly incompetant, they are risking national seucrity of every nation on Mundus" This makes Lodja the 2nd nation to ban such devices for their military after East Moreland did the same within  a few hours of the heat maps being published. While the company responsible are considering removing them it is believed any damage could already have been done.

One of the other establishments shown on the maps is the Gaia Royal Barracks where Queen Viktoriya died, the base has long been kept from public gaze because of the amount of time the royals spend there.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #16 on: February 02, 2018, 09:50:29 AM »



NEW QUEEN GIVES FIRST TV INTERVIEW, REVEALS PLANS FOR FIRST WEEK

The future Queen of Lodja, Tatiana Kohul, yesterday gave her first TV interview to the state run Lodjain Broadcasting Agency, the interview will be aired in full on Saturday but parts have been pre-released. The soon to be Queen Klara II spoke about her hopes for the Queendom and her plans for her first week in charge of the Kingdom.

Quote from: Extract

The first week will be important, it will set the foundations for the rest of my reign and show the people what our priorities are. Queen Viktoriya has given me much to work with internationally but there is still much to do at home. My first week will be spent touring the cities of Lodja, there are many I have never set foot in and if I am to be the Queen of this land I should know it. I intend to invite ambassadors to join me on this tour and show them the beauty of my homeland. Once upon a time the Queen would make a progress from time to time, travelling her lands, meeting the people and being seen in her glory, I can certainly make sure I fulfil the first two of those. I also will hopefully have chance to welcome home some World Champions, it would be a fantastic start to my reign to see Lodja crowned the best in the world at football, I'm even learning the offside rule so I can understand it.

Following that first week I intend to get out and see some more of Mundus, I have already instructed Nataliya Kozel to return to the Iwi with a request for a visit, I shall of course seek to visit our CNN allies in East Moreland and Ui Cenneslaig too, I hope the later enjoyed their Imbolc festival, but I want to make new friends too and so that shall be a focus of my early reign.

The Royal Press Office also confirmed that a Royal Reception will be held on the Island of the Goddess for the national football team on their return with a spokesman saying, "The nation are very proud of the team and their efforts will be recognised, the future Queen will be rooting for them and looks forward to welcoming them home, that will be squeezed into her schedule no matter what."

The future Queen Klara II has also confirmed that the three unselected candidates will also be given roles of responsibility with Natalya Kozul being made an honorary ambassador to the Iwi. Arina Pasternak will become a trustee of an arts charity run by the Crown, while Katyusha Andronikashivili will become part of the Royal Literature Circle, a group of sons and daughters of nobles who are responsible for creating new works of literature and poetry on behalf of the Crown. This marks the first time all four candidates for the Queen remained in royal service, two of the candidates for Queen when Viktoria were selected also entered royal service, Lady Jasmina became a Lady in Waiting while, Zoya Tatyana became a member of the Royal Ballet. Inya Eraskia who was also a candidate is currently studying economics at Gaia University.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #17 on: February 22, 2018, 06:39:42 PM »




ISKOR TO HOST 2nd MCUR CONFERENCE

As her first official foreign policy attempt Queen Klara has invited the world to the city of Iskor to review the Mundus Convention of Universal Rights. The MCUR is a document that was signed by Queen Viktoriya in the first few days of her reign, however it is the belief of Queen Klara that the document presents many issues to Lodjain society. The 18 year old Queen has used the clause that calls for an annual conference to review, amend and reaffirm the treaty in order to bring forward Lodjain concerns. The annual conference has never taken place and therefore the Queen is using this as an oppurtunity to take the lead on the matter. Speaking to the media Home Affairs Minister Maxim Schnoor said, "The treaty is a reflection of the world as it was when it was signed, however the world is not a static object, it is ever changing and today the charter no longer fits in with what we find compatable for Lodjain life. We are committed to providing all our citizens with a great future, but it must be a Lodjain future, I therefore understand completely the Queen's stance. Had I been a member of the Conclave I would have advised against signing it at all, but now we must give it a fair hearing before Her Majesty determines what role it will play within our society."

It is believed the Queen will raise issues of it taking away the right of governments to make their own laws, is hypocritical and that there are issues surrounding the articles of marriage. Many suspect that should no agreement not be reached Queen Klara is likely to bring into law a new Lodjain Bill of Rights. The meeting will also mark the first time that Iskor has hosted an international event, the main city on the island of Grand Alucard is actually closer to Nya Aland than the capital of Gaia and has lead many to believe the Queen is likely to be ensuring more investment for the island.





NAVY TO GET NEW SUBMARINE

The Lodjain Navy is set to receieve ten new submarines to replace the aging Orca Class Submarines. The new design of sub, yet to be given a classification, is set to be much smaller and is likely to fulfil the role of patrolling home waters. Initial reports and briefings given by Defence Minister General Lubos Kubik have stated that the new procurement is likely to incorporate a large amount of stealth elements and is thought to be entirely electric in propulsion. The subs are each expected to cost around $250million each, compared with the inflation adjusted cost of around $750million each for the outgoing Orca class.

General Kubik stated, "The ten new subs will be quick to build compared to the Orca Class, this is due to the reduced size, being only around 10% of the size of the old giant. We suspect the first vessels can even be in service before the end of the year and the rest phased in over the coming years. It will also be able to be transported by cargo ships allowing us to deploy them quickly anywhere in the world. The sub will be among the most technologically advanced on Mundus and will be a pocket dynamo in terms of its capabilities. It is the first major naval procurement in eight years, and that was a royal yacht, before that it was the early 1990's, much of our equipment is much older and will slowly need replacing."





NO ROKKENJIMAN MAGIC WAND

Following announcements from Rokkenjima that Empress Beatrice is reassuming control of the nation it was left to Lord Besarian Ivanov to spell out the nations stance. "Rokkenjiman law courts are free to interpret their nations law the way that they see fit. In the eyes of many in the international community there will remain concerns about her actions and lack of actions as the case may be. We have built a strong and supportive relationship with East Moreland and I know that they are likely to be very concerned, that therefore means we are concerned. The Empress will of course be given an oppurtunity to show that she is not what the media and various sources around Mundus alledge, but it would be wrong for them to believe a magic wand has been waved and international relations can return to a pre crisis level."


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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #18 on: March 17, 2018, 11:48:53 PM »




BARON ROMAN WILL NOT FACE CHARGES

Following several weeks of investigations into the assassination of Queen Viktoria it has today been announced that her husband Baron Roman Chowynk will not face charges of any kind. The assassination was carried out by the then High Priestess Raisia Chowynk, the Barons aunt, leading some to believe that potentially the Baron may have been involved in some way. The Warriors of Gaia, the Queen's personal security service carried out the investigation and determined that the Baron did not know of the assassination plan, nor did he have any oppurtunity to prevent it. The Baron had been kept under house arrest on his private countryside estate however he will now be permitted to return to his everyday life. It is expected however that the Baron will no longer be permitted to be part of Conclave meetings and will not be granted any royal title despite having been expecting a child with Queen Viktoria at the time of her death.

There had been some discussion about Baron Roman marrying the new Queen however that was ruled out by Lord Besarian today who explained that the matter of the Queen's marriage was yet to be discussed. "We are aware that there were issues at times between Queen Viktoria and Baron Roman, maybe we didn't queit consider the marriage well enough, or perhaps the High Priestess had too much influence. It was clear the pair where not perfectly suited but their marriage was a brief and happy one. I think when we select a husband for Queen Klara we will not have a 17 year age gap."

It was also announced that Princess Alana, the younger sister of Queen Viktoria will no longer marry Tikhon Savva. The 17 year old Princess was due to marry the Duke on her 18th birthday in two weeks time however Queen Klara has withdrawn permission for the marriage and instead arranged for the Princess, who is being permitted to keep her royal title, to marry Sergey Ivanov, the 25 year old brother of the Lord of the Conclave, Besarian Ivanov.  Duke Tikhon has refused to comment, however a spokesman for Princess Alana has announced that the Princess is "heart broken but will do her duty to the Goddess."

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #19 on: March 23, 2018, 09:52:08 PM »



ALLA KOHAN CONFIRMED AS HIGH PRIESTESS

Queen Klara II has today confirmed that the stand in High Priestess Alla Kohan will retain the position on a permanent basis. The 47 year old took over the position following the sucide of Raisa Chowynk after she murder Queen Viktoria, this was neccessary to allow the nation to break the constitutional deadlock of the Queen needing to select the High Priestess. The new High Priestess was also responsible for the coronation of the current Queen.

The news was recieved warmly by many in the nation who believe that Kohan is likely to be less involvedin politics than her predecessor who had several issues working with the Conclave and was largely responsible for arranging Queen Viktoria's marriage to her own nephew. It is likely that Kohan will likely limit her input to religious matters having previously had minimal input into local politics in and around Gaia where she was a local Priestess before being elevated to the position. It is however likely that the issue of finding the Queen a husband is likely to be her first priority. Kohan will take up residency on the Isle of the Goddess tomorrow after formally accepting the Queen's offer of the position. Following that she is likely to be given the oppurtunity to name new religious members of the Conclave in order to bring the nations version of a cabinet up to strength. Several members were replaced for their close connections to Raisa Chowynk.




STASIUK FAMILY BUY POTAKI DYNAMO F.C

The influential real estate and resort owning Stasiuk family, headed by Duchess Ekaterina Stasiuk, have today paid $50million to purchase Potaki Dynamo F.C. The club finished 3rd in the Lodjain Premier League while also finishing as runners up in the National Cup and were put on the market by long term owner Gunnar Ratislav only due to ill health. The Stasiuk family made their fortune through real estate development and establishing a series of high end holiday resorts. In more recent weeks it was announced that the Duchesses daughter Oksana is set to marry the King of Royal Seleucid meaning the family are now linked to royalty.

The clubs new CEO is named as the families youngest daughter Isidora who is set to take over the day to day running of the club from Monday. The teams supporters club embraced the purchase with fan club spkesman saying, "The club have for a long time sat behind Dynamo Gaia and Spartak Gaia, its time for us to get out from their shadows and get the title out of the capital. Its our hope that the Stasiuk family put their hands in their pocket and help us make some quality signings that mean the Mundus Champions League can be something we can really compete in."

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #20 on: April 28, 2018, 11:41:27 PM »



QUEEN APPEARS ON TV FOR REVEALING INTERVIEW

Queen Klara yesterday appeared at a national TV station to give an interview that was unannounced to the nation. The 18 year old monarch appeared on Lodjain Breakfast News, dressed rather casually, to take part in an interview with the nations most popular news programme. During the interview Queen Klara spoke on issues ranging from policy, to traditions and to her future plans. A summary of the interview can be found below.

Q - What can we expect to see from your government in the first year?

A- I intend to build on the ideas in many arenas of Queen Viktoria. She had the idea of focusing development on our Plebleian citizens, I think this has to continue, as such I will be investigating such things as creating easier access to higher education. We are toying with the idea of a quota system for Universities receiving public funding, after all if the Plebs are paying taxes to fund a University they should be able to access it.

In terms of the environment we are going to aim to make Lodja plastic free within the next 25 years, its an ambitious target but one I feel we must do. We have an Island aspect to our nation, I grew up on Grand Alucard and the amount of plastic washing up on those beautiful beaches is heart breaking. I think we can also do more to make use of the ocean as an energy source. Its ironic that as a nation with so many islands we don't really embrace our connection with the sea. A naval protection area will be made to ensure fishing stocks remain high.

In terms of our military the reforms we started under the Morelander review have stagnated. There is a stubbon streak in our established officer class and I will sort that out, there can be no more excuses that compromise our national defence and response to internationl incidents.

Q - What changes can we expect to see with the Conclave?

A- There will be few if any change of faces. I will be creating a few more positions and expanding the Conclave, look at other nations cabinets and they have many many specialist ministers, we have six. There is no way in a modern nation six people can run a whole government. I know that the Priesthood supports the Conclave but they are experts in faith not government and I don't mean that disrespectfully. I intend for example to move the Ministry of Health to a full time Minister and away from a Priestess, I furthermore intend to create positions such as a Minister for Sport, a Minister for Culture and a Minister for the Environment. Those serving at present will remain, Lord Besarian has done a good job as Lord of the Conclave and Dragan Knežević has managed our finances superbly, you do not fix what is not broken.

Q- Have talks begun on your marriage and if so which nobleman is in the frame?

Unlike Viktoria I will not be a slave to tradition. I respect them but a tradition only becomes one after it is repeatedly done, and not all traditions are good. I fully intend to follow the tradition of the Conclave determining a marriage for me, it may not be the first one however. My first marriage may not even be to a man, but when the Conclave select someone who I think is agreeable then yes I'll marry and have children, there is no hurray as we are, unlike other monarchies, not tied to a single dynasty so I have no pressure to produce an heir.

Q- So you believe you could marry a woman?

A- I don't see why not. Other Queen's in the past have had female lovers, there is nothing in scripture stating a Queen can not marry a woman. I have never publically said I am bi-sexual, my family know, my friends know but now as I serve as a mother for our nation I must be honest about who I am. I will not deny my true self and who I marry and love will have no impact on how well I can rule Lodja.

What do you see as Foreign Policy goals?

A- We're members of the CNN which means we've a close knit group of good friends. We need to do more with nations like Paracambi and Nya Aland whom we need to be more active with. Beyond that I think its more a case of an issue based foreign policy, we need agreements internationally that support our nations development, be that economically or in terms of oppurtunities. We will have to wait and see where that takes us.



The Queen was seen heading to the airport shortly after but her destination was not revealed leading to speculation of a foreign visit. However later in the day Lady Anna Immich and Lady Roksana Pajari, the two most senior Ladies in Waiting where spotted at Gaia's Temple to Sessifet leading others to believe the Queen may be spending time on Grand Alucard where she was born.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #21 on: May 13, 2018, 10:29:41 PM »



DUKE OF PELAGIYA NAMED ENVOY TO ALBA KARINYA

Queen Klara announced today that she will be creating four special envoys, one for each continent, as part of her diplomatic service changes. The Queen had already spoken of appointing specialist contacts for various nations, with Nataliya Kozel who was one of the failed candidates for Queen, already being named as a special ambassador for The Commonwealth of the Iwi where she has spent the last two years studying. These new special envoys will be given partial powers to speak on behalf of the Queen and able to make decisions for the nation in discussions with the areas they represent.

Duke Tobias Pelagiya is the father of Lady in Waiting Stasya Pelagiya and has served in various different government positions since inheriting the position of Duke of Pelagiya. The Duke will now split his time between the nations of Alba Karinya, where he is likely to make East Moreland his residency. The Duke is also likely to hand over day to day running of the families businesses to his wife Duchess Anuoshka  Pelagiya.  The Duke spoke of his excitement saying, "I'm honoured to be trusted with this, I suspected that one day Lodja would branch out across the world and we prepared our family for this. My daughter speaks fluent Morelandish, I know more than a passing few phrases and my son Henrik speaks Latin and Nordic. As a family we're keen to experience the world and if I can help my Queen in doing so then I'll be proud to do so."

It is expected that the Duke will move out to East Moreland rather quickly with the Morelanders preparing for their Festival of Greenflowers which co-incides with King David's birthday.




DUKE TIKHON SAVVA TO CAPTAIN QUEEN'S POLO TEAM

With the approaching Queen's Championship for Polo only two weeks away it was announced today that Duke Tikhon Savva, who until recently was engaged to the eldest sister of Queen Viktoria , will captain the side representing the Queen. The 23 year old had his engagement cancelled despite being expected to marry next month, it is believed that Queen Klara has planned to arrange a new marriage for the Duke, some rumours believing the Queen may infact marry him herself. The Duke is also a well respected Polo player who has in the past represented the Queen's team on three occasions.

The Duke will now select a squad from across the nations best players and hasn't ruled out selecting foreign players. "The four day tournament is one of the highlights of our social calender, its a chance for each of the nobles to select their best players and us all celebrate the sport we love. To get a chance to captain the Queen's side is the pinnacle of a Lodjain's Polo players career and to reach it at such a young age is quiet thrilling." The Polo Championship takes place each year in Gaia and features 16 teams made up of players representing several noble families.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #22 on: May 20, 2018, 11:12:50 PM »




CANTABRIAN PRINCESS FOUND DEAD

The wife of Prince Lennox, Princess Mary of Cantabria, has been found dead. Her body was discovered this morning on a beach some 5km away from the Isle of the Goddess. Early reports suggest she had injuries consistent with a fall from height and was dead before being in the water, it is estimated that she was in the Sea of Alucard for around 48 hours before being discovered washed up on the beach. Lord of the Conclave Besarian Ivanov made a statement on behalf of the Queen saying, "Our condolensces go out to Prince Lennox at this difficult time. He and his wife Mary had become a key part of our Isle family and Princess Mary will be deeply missed. We send our thoughts and prayers to all of the couples families as well as the people of Cantabria who today have lost their Princess. We will extend every aid and respect to Prince Lennox who has served as Ambassador to Albion honourably."

The flags of the Isle of the Goddess are to be flown at half mast for the next three days as a mark of respect.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #23 on: June 07, 2018, 10:20:02 PM »




A-XX TO BE NAMED A-18 AS FIRST ROLL OFF PRODUCTION LINE AMID DEFENCE REVIEW

The nations first fully domestic built combat aircraft today rolled off the Gaia based production line. The A-XX has been developed to be a twin seat ground attack aircraft capable of a long loiter time while capable of carrying a wide range of ordenance. The Air Force have ordered a total of 50 of the aircraft and it is set to be offered on the export market once those have been delivered. The aircraft will be given the designation A-18 Spearfish and is likely to be the first of a range of changes within the military.

Minister of Defence, Lubos Kubik, has completed his Defence Review and is due to make a report to the Conclave in the next few days. There have however been unconfirmed leaks that are highly critical of the armed forces. According to one source the report will speak favourably of the increase in training quality among enlisted members of the armed forces and new junior officers. However the report is also likely to still speak unfavourably of the way senior officers spend little time with their unit and lack knowledge of modern military tactics. While Queen Viktoriya outlawed the practice of purchashing promotion it appears that this has not ended and instead has gone less formally done. One of our reporters found that officers invited to a promotion board for one regiment were asked to make a donation to the Regiments Veterans fund and the promotion went to the one making the largest donation. This has lead to spectualtion that the Veterans fund is being mismanaged.

A further scandal likely to be unearthed in the report is to do with the Navy. The Navy still operates a system where a vessel is given to an officer who is then responsible for a budget to operate, equip and maintain the vessel. The report is said to have found that 4 out of the nations 7 Native Class Destroyers are currently "unfit for combat duties". Additionally it has been leaked that the three Beluga Class Submarines each only had two of the eight cruise missiles they are supposed to carry. An unnamed source at the Ministry of Defence said, "The lack of equipment onboard some ships clearly shows a level of corruption among senior officers in the military. While the reforms put in place by Queen Viktoria have begun to address issues of the standard of training it is clear that the older heads in the military have not changed."

For the last 18 months or so Lodjian armed forces have been following a basic training package put together by East Moreland's elite Red Legion. This agreement has seen members of the famous Legion running courses for new officers in the hope that the skills taught would be cascaded down through the military. These recruits however are still under the command of senior officers, many of whom command regiments that have been inherited through family lines over hundreds of years in some cases.

One unnamed Red Legionnaire who has worked with Lodjain forces said, "The Lodjian military under the rank of Captain are coming along nicely. The standard of soldiering still needs to improve but the progress we've seen has been good. The body is in improving health, sadly the head still appears to be critical." The arrangement for Red Legion to support military training is scheduled to last another 6 months however there is talk that Queen Klara may approach King David of East Moreland to investigate continuing this practice. In the past General (Retired) Kubik has said, "I wish in my day we'd had such good quality training. Those not willing to engage with it are fools and we need to remove the fools from positions of command."

The full report, including details of which squadrons are getting the new A-18 is likely to be released over the weekend.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #24 on: June 11, 2018, 07:57:18 PM »




DEFENCE REVIEW RUBBISHES LODJAIN ARMED FORCES

The nations annual defence review, carried out by senior officers from the East Moreland Armed Forces, has today given scathing criticism of the Lodjain Armed forces. The 100 page dossier went into great detail about the capabilities and condition of the nations military which was already highlighted as being neglected in the review from 2017. Minister of Defence, Lubos Kubik, said "We were aware of some of the shortcomings and realise that we now need to move forward at a much faster pace than we have been doing. This is a national security issue and as such we can not be found wanting anymore."

The highlights of the review are highlighted below.

Quote from: Military Review 2018

HER DIVINE MAJESTIES NAVAL FORCES (DMNF)

* Several large structural issues were discovered in the nations aircraft carrier Alohura. The officer inspecting the flight deck has suggested no air operations until an extensive overhaul has been completed.

* Two of the three Amphibious Warfare ships had only half the number of helicopters servicable for immediate deployment.

* The Navy had only 68% of the missiles that were needed to ensure a full load for all vessels.

* The Pavov Class Destroyer Vometia was found to have only 75% of the crew needed

* 28% of the guns aboard patrol ships were found to be "far below the standard of cleanliness required."

HER DIVINE MAJESTIES DEFENCE FORCE (HDMDF)

* 42% of the promotions within officer ranks had still been purchased rather than gained through Promotions Boards

* 72% of junior ranks believe birthrite is a more determining factor in regards to promotion than merit

* Only 18% of Regiments had required stocks of ammunition for a rapid deployment.

* 69% of Regiments had issued only one set of combat clothing per soldier

* A total of 752 rifles were found to be "Missing"

* 38% of Regiments were still placing orders for the aging SIR -2 rifle rather than the SIR-5

* Despite instructions from high command for tank units to begin switching to common types this has not happened and the nation still operates five incompatable Main Battle Tanks.

* The Artillary units posses only enough rounds for 7 days of combat operations.

HER DIVINE MAJESTIES AIR FORCE (HDMAF)

* 100 Tornaado multi-role fighters were unservicable due to a lack of spare parts.

* Pilots on 7 Squadrons were permitted only 30 minutes per week of flying time beyond assigned patrols.

* 2 Unmanned Air Vehicles were missing

* Aircraft maintainence logs were found to be routinely falsified or were missing all together.

* Pilots were found to be sharing helmets on more than half of squadrons.

* Three of the nations eight military airfields had runways in need of repair.

* Standards of basic flight training were deemed to be "inadequte"

RECOMMENDATIONS

* All military training for all branches of service to mirror the East Moreland model.

* All Regiments to be taken back under the control of central government rather than being Sponsered by the nobility.

* Senior Officers having been found to be continuing the practice of selling promotions to be arrested and court martialed.

* Random spot checks of combat readiness to begin.

* Removal of the bar to Plebleians from serving as Officers

* Scrapping of 4 types of Main Battle Tank.

* Major overhaul of the nations carrier.

* Replace the agining Jaaguar ground attack aircraft with A-18's.

* Standardisation of supply chain practices.


It is thought that the Conclave will discuss this review tomorrow and make announcements later in the week on what action will be taken.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #25 on: June 12, 2018, 10:29:28 PM »




QUEEN ORDERS ARRESTS OF COMMANDERS OF ARMY, NAVY AND AIR FORCE

Queen Klara today responded the nations abysmal military review by issuing orders for Field Marshall Givi Sokolov, Air Commodore Yuri Lagunov and Admiral Rafail Vasilev to be arrested. The charges include fraud, embezzlement, deraliction of duty and treason, charges that if proven could result in life sentences. The move comes after the East Moreland militay found all three branches of the Lodjain military were not up to standard. In the case of the navy this resulted in several ships to be found to be seriously under maintained and leading to air operations off our nations aircraft carrier being banned for the time being. Minister Lubos Kubik spoke to the media following the announcement saying, "At one time I was proud to serve under Field Marshall Sokolov and even then I knew our forces were not up to the standard required. I was denied several promotions for being one of the few officers willing to speak out against practices undertaken in the military and now I feel vindicated. There was an attitude when I left five years ago that these bad practices are a tradition and therefore should be fully accepted. I love traditions but these are harming our nation and thus they must be halted."

The Queen has yet to appoint replacements but a statement made on her behalf by Lord of the Conclave Besarian Ivanov said, "For the time being command of our armed forces shall go to Minister of Defence Kubik. He is a man our nation can trust and I am confident he will hold the reigns steadily until a suitable replacement has been found." It was later leaked from an unnamed source that an offer had been made to East Moreland's Brigadier Kelly of Red Legion to take command of the Army. The report, which the Ministry of Defence refused to comment of, would have made him a Duke and a Lodjain citizen, the source stated however that the offer was turned down.

The three men have yet to be arrested having been sent to their private estates as soon as the report was released to avoid the media spotlight. It is therefore likely that within the next 12 hours members of the Military Police will effect the arrests with a court date to be set soon after. The military review highlighted cases where each branch of the armed forces was carrying on practices banned by Queen Viktoria and that this was known to the three commanders. Lord Besarian also confirmed, "We will be complying with the majority of the East Moreland recommendations, many of them are not quick fixes and we must keep this in mind. Our military will need to go through a period of transition and this may mean some large changes of attitude. Our military needs to keep up with the times and while I am proud of our nation being one that maintains our traditions some of them must change to ensure we can protect our people."




QUEEN INTRODUCES EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT PAYMENTS TEST

With Plebleian youth groups calling for better support for young people to continue in education the Queen has personally stepped in to issue a new initiative. 2,000 Plebleian students aged 16-18, an age at which generally many leave education to seek employment to support their families income, will be given funding to stay in school. The students were selected at random and will recieve a total of $30 a week if they attend all classes and meet all academic deadlines, extra funds will be paid based on results of school tests. The hope is that the payments will mean there is no extra financial demand on families to send children to school post 16 and therefore will see more Plebs remain in education. The move was announced by Education Minister Bryan Coxovich who said, "The Queen wants every Lodjain to be able to be successful and contribute to the growing prosperity of the nation. For that to happen we need as many educated and skilled people as possible, therefore we need more Plebleians accessing further education and if this scheme works we will achieve that."

The pilot programme will last a year and if considered a success will be rolled out to all Plebleian students. Currently only 42% of Plebleians remain in academic education following the age of 16, while 36% go straight into employment. In recent years however employers have said their is a growing "skills gap" between what workers can do and what companies need. The latest scheme is welcomed by many business leaders who said, "If we can get a 18 year old with a wider range of skills we can help them get into roles that pay more, that in turn generally means our business can run more effectively or expand and that makes us more money. This could be win win for everyone involved."

The scheme is the first of several reforms the Queen has said are coming that will support closing what she has said is the nations "embarassing wealth gap"
 

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #26 on: June 30, 2018, 10:01:45 PM »




ROYAL ENVOY SPEAKS ABOUT TAMORA SITUATION

The nations envoy to the CNN, Royal Envoy Princess Anfisa Naumov, Great Grand-daughter of Queen Sonja, has today spoken out about the situation in Slava Lavosk. The 34 year old was appointed as a special envoy of Queen Viktoria and kept on by Queen Klara who gave her the responsibility of representing the nation at the CNN and promoting the nations image overseas. The Princess' words came after the announcment in the Lavosk media of there potentially being "detention camps" for Tamoran people. "The Slava Lavosk government are concerned about maintaining their culture and traditions. This is something we have in common with them, our nation has old and established cultural traditions that define Lodja as what we are. What makes us different however is that we will never lock someone up for practicing their religious beliefs or following their own nations traditions, so long as they follow Lodjian law then we are happy to let them have freedom. I commend President Kravec for taking action to stop slavers in his nation. Slavery is something we have long disestablished in Lodja and I believe it has no place in the 21st century. What I fail to believe though is that a sizeable portion of Tamorian's in Slava Lavosk are engaged in the slave trade and therefore have no place being put in any alleged detention camps. I echo the calls of the  Tamoran government to allow anyone detained to be checked on and publically offer my services as part of this process as a neutral observer. I would however urge the Tamoran media to stop reporting fake news, in recent days they have labelled us "Guardians" of human rights for processing asylum claims from Tamoran slaves, I must correct here that this is not the case. Our nation while being against slavery has not put in place any special status for those claiming asylum from Tamora. Should a citizen of any nation present themselves with a claim for asylum the process shall be the same regardless of where they come from. They must provide evidence of their human rights being in jepodey and be able to confirmed as being no threat to our nation security. While I am not in Lodja and don't have the figures to hand I believe to date we have not granted asylum to anyone from Tamora on these grounds, although we would not rule it out should they meet all criteria. It is flattering to be considered a nation that guards human rights and we look forward to working with the government of Tamora to ensure their citizens living in Slava Lavosk are not denied theirs."

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #27 on: July 05, 2018, 11:01:02 PM »




SEWERS OF LEUBIN "A DISGRACE" SAYS MAYOR

The city of Leubin yesterday discovered what the mayor, Ariadna Shwetz, has described as a "Monster Fatberg" in the cities sewers. Fatbergs are conjealed masses of fat, usually from discarded cooking oils, which has mixed with non-biodegradable products such as nappies, used condoms and wet wipes. This particular one is thought to be one of the largest ever recorded and according to the mayor's office is likely to have been forming for the best part of a decade. Sewer inspectors believe it is 820-foot-long and weighs as much as a Blue Whale. Mayor Shwetz said, "This is a disgrace, our city is home to 1.6million people and one of the computer development capitals of Albion. Yet our sewer system dates back to the 18th Century and isn't fit for purpose anymore. We're still living in the 1700's regarding some of our infastructure."

One Plebleian resident, who wished to not be named, spoke about the discovery. "Our street has complained of strange smells and backlogs for months, nothings been done, meanwhile just a mile down the road we have a Patrician's gated community that has had local council workers there everyday for the last two months doing who knows what. Its not on, we pay our taxes, work hard and follow our Patricians leadership and they haven't taken care of us."

The Mayor said the problem lies with the way funds are allocated for local services. "The central government allocates funding for the upkeep of each city to our office and we then allocate this out to Patricians who are responsible for each area, they must then ensure all neccessary services are provided. Clearly in the case of the sewers in this area that hasn't happened and now we face a giant bill to ensure that the sewer is cleaned." The Mayor however was also critical of the Plebs of Leubin saying, "It is well known that things like nappies, condoms and wet wipes should not be flushed down the toilet, it even says so on their packaging. Those who live in that area have clearly not followed these instructions and now are paying for it. Down the road the Patrician community have no such issues, we need to consider being more self responsible. While the Plebs seem incapable of even managing to keep their sewers properly functioning then what chance do they have of being granted more say in the government?"

The Lord of the Conclave, Lord Besarian Ivanov is from Leubin and even spoke entering the Isle of the Goddess about the discovery. "I'm disgusted that the people of Leubin have allowed this to happen, like a parent I am not angry just disappointed. I will be speaking to the Mayor and instructing her to take steps to better educate the people of our home city."

It is likely to take sevral weeks to clear the fatberg and will involve workers actively digging out much of the blockage with spades. It is expected that once removed the fatberg will be processed and turned into biofuel. By the sound of the size it is likely to be able to fuel 40 buses for a week.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #28 on: July 22, 2018, 12:58:22 AM »




QUEEN CREATES NEW MINISTERIAL POST

Today Queen Klara announced the creation of a new post in the Conclave, the first in 80 years since the creation of the post of Minister for Social Affairs. The new ministerial post will be entitled "Minister for Modernisation" and will be taken up by businessman and philanthropist Yuliy Shvets. The 56 year old is the founder of a company called Shvetacom which manufatcure affordable laptops and Smart phone that are extremely popular among the Plebleians of Lodja. His company however began by making cheap home electronics in the 1990's and has made Shvets a multi-millionaire thought to be worth in the region of $180million. The Gaian native is also Lord of Gzhel, a small town around 20km east of Gaia a title that has been in his family for over 200 years. The announcement was made by Head of the Conclave Besarian Ivanov who said, "Her Divine Majesty believes that if Lodja is to become a stronger nation we have relics of the past we need to improve. Be that infastructure, industrial legislation and various other matters. As such Lord Yuliy's appointment is designed to take advantage of his extensive entrapernarial spirt to ensure we become the envy of Albion in the next 30 years. Its an ambitious target but I feel we can do it."

The Minister will attend his first meeting early next week and said in a phone interview, "Its exciting, the ultimate job and I look forward to working with a wide range of skilled individuals committed to making our nation a better place. I thank Queen Klara for this oppurtunity to serve the Goddess." The news was greeted with praise by one Plebleian pressure group who said, "Shvets has a track record of putting in place chances for poorer Lodjains and I think his appointment means someone uniquely placed can help our people."





PELAGIYA POWER FOR FORMULA MUNDUS?

Lady Stasya Pelagiya, one of the Queen's Ladies in Waiting and the rumoured love interest of King David of East Moreland was photographed in the EMAC-Rytol pit during    Royal Vafleon Grand Prix. The 22 year old daughter of Lord Tobias Pelagiya, the Royal Envoy to Alba Karinya, was photographed in EMAC-Rytol racing attire and looked stylish posing next to the teams car belonging to driver Matt Cooke who finished 5th in the race. The King of East Moreland was also in attendance visiting the team leading to more discussion about the monarch and Lady Stasya being partners.  It however appears there were other motives for Lady Stasya being in attendance.

"I love watching the motor sports, its exciting and has something of real glamour about it. Me and my father have plans for a race team from Lodja, Pelagiya racing and todays been a bit of a fact-finding mission. The boys at EMAC have been really helpful and we've been introduced some really interesting young engineers that EMAC want to get experience of top class engineering. Its my hope, well I hope it doesn't happen so perhaps it would be better to say intention, is that if a team drop out financially during the season our family will step in and buy them. If that does happen I'd hope we could see a partnership similar to what Rytol have with them, we have a lot less experience so perhaps we could act like a junior team for them, Pelagiya-EMAC does sound good. Should, as I hope is the case, all the teams make it through the season we'll put an application in for a team for next year." The Pelagiya family is one of the wealthiest in Lodja where Lord Tobias runs a hotel, restaurant, fitness spa and holiday resort company as well as having shares in several oil and gas companies. Lady Stasya was asked about her relationship with King David and simply said, "I'm honoured to be invited along as his guest. He was a mentor figure to Queen Viktoria and as such is a friend of Lodja"

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #29 on: July 24, 2018, 11:55:20 AM »




2nd NEW MINISTER ANNOUNCED

Queen Klara has today announced the 2nd new ministerial post in as many days with the appointment of Alexei Smedenov as Minister for Minorities. The 36 year old is the 2nd son of the Duke of Rostovia and a former Lieutenant in the Rostovia Grenadiers. Despite being  born with hand and arm deformities and a twisted right leg which had to be amputated when he was a baby he was given a military commission because his father operated the unit. This commission was however revoked following Queen Viktoria's reforms as military control was tightened up. Since leaving the military, where he acted as a quartermaster for his fathers unit Smedenov has run a company for his father which manufactures and sells many different forms of salt. He has also been a keen supporter of disability sport. Queen Klara made the announcement at a gala dinner held by the Royal Ballet to mark the beginning of their season of performances. "Lodja has long sadly been focused too much on creating prosperity only for those at the top end of our society and we have failed to realise the middle and lower ends have begun to change. We see a nation that has always embraced the LGBT+ community whom are seen as minorities across Mundus, but others such as the disabled, whom some see as being cursed by Sessifet, have found life harder. Alexei Smedenov is a great example of someone who can change those things and as such I am proud he accepted my offer to sit on the Conclave.

The new look Conclave will meet on Thursday to put together a legislative agenda for the year which is likely to be published soon after following the path Queen Viktoria took of making the Queendom aware of the path the nation would be taking. Some prominent experts believe it will focus on improving foreign relations as well as trade opportunities with the wider world. There is still likely to be a heavy focus on the military especially with  Field Marshall Givi Sokolov still being searched for on charges of fraud and embezzlement among others.




LADY STASYA DATING KING DAVID

It was confirmed today that Lady Stasya Pelagiya, Lady in Waiting to Queen Klara and eldest child of Duke Tobias Pelagiya the envoy to Alba Karinya is in a relationship with King David III of East Moreland. The two have been rumoured to have been in a relationship for many months now however neither have spoken of the romance. Lady Stasya, who is a popular fashion icon in the nation as well as being a member of the Queen's staff, meet King David at a function on the Isle of the Goddess and the two have become close friends since. In the last few weeks Stasya has been seen in East Moreland, on the pretence of visiting her father in his new role however it is likely now to have been to spend time with the King. The pair where photographed and filmed by a Seaforthian journalist at the King's estate in Hearthstone before he was arrested by security. The images showed an intimate moment between the two.

Upon her return to Lodja to recommence her duties Lady Stasya was meet at the airport, as is usual when she travels, by the media. The 22 year old noble lady said, "Our relationship is still in the early days. We wish to keep it between ourselves." Some social media followers of Lady Stasya have however taken to the web to call for her to be Queen of East Moreland with one follower saying "East Moreland would not get a more beautiful or elegant Queen in a million years. She will take the grace of Sessifet to the Morelanders."