Kalistan

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Kalistani News in Brief:  Princess Margaret takes Leave to Luxon
New Country/Rock Music Label to start in Nevaras; Empire agrees to Humanitarian Aid for Kundrati Mainland
Luxon, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 14, 5634


Her Highness Princess Margaret Ananto-DeLaurentis on Leave in Luxon

Princess Margaret takes Leave in Luxon
Her Highness Princess Margaret Ananto-DeLaurentis, 20, has nearly completed her second full year in the National Service Program.  She has opted to take her annual leave in Luxon, where she is staying in her parents' Beach house for a month.  "I'm just going to kick back, smoke some reefer, enjoy the waves and relax," said the sister of the Empress.

Princess Margaret, who takes after her mother in her love of surfing, has surfed most of her life.  Beginning at the age of six, when her mother and father, the late Emperor Fredrick III Ananto bought her her first surfboard, the young Royal has been very adept surfing on the Luxon Swell.  "I would surf a little ways up the coast," said the Princess, "But those waves can get pretty big, and I am looking for a more chill experience."  She said her normal surfing schedule when she is on break has her waking up about 5:30 am just before sunrise, drinking a smoothie or protein shake, and then surfing for a couple hours, and then coming back in for some breakfast right around the time when other members of the family wake up.  She'll surf again later in the afternoon.  "I'm adding some Dah to my regimen these days, especially when I'm just waiting for some swells to come in.  It's good meditation to just sit out there on the water and learn patience and center."

The Princess said she intends to enter in the Luxon Open tournament in early August.  "I don't know if I'll win it, but I would like to try it out, and this is the first year that I'm down here where I'm old enough, so I may as well."  She said she will also take in the Global Music Hall of Fame museum while she's in town before reporting back to the Ananto Corps in Kaliburg in late August.

New Country and Rock Label to be founded in Nevaras City
Country/Rock musician Hank Nestor of the band West Wall has announced his intention to launch a new label that records country, blues, and rock.  Tentatively called Plateau Records, the label aims to begin more widely promoting acts that tend to be eclipsed by Alternative and Hip Hop.  "We've had a few country songs creep up into the charts," said Nestor.  "But I think their labels didn't really take them seriously.  And if you are an independent in these days, how can you expect to be able to compete to get your music heard by people who may like it, but never will hear it, because the airwaves are so crowded with alternative music?  The only way to do it, is to do it ourselves."

West Wall has struggled for several years to get noticed, despite being widely hailed as some of the most accomplished country/Rock artists in the nation.  Their reach is generally limited to Nevaras and adjacent areas of Vrassa.  "I mean, the biggest shows we've played are in Vrassa to a crowd of 2500 people.  That's awesome, but when our manager goes to book us shows, the promoters are all like 'Nobody wants to hear that hillbilly bulls--t.' so we're kinda stuck playing where we are, and I would like that to change."

Plateau Records will start by developing a stable of recording artists.  "Once we have some talent here, we can start recruiting producers, engineers, and studio musicians," said Nestor.  "There are wonderful, talented staff who work for the other studios who may be interested in making a move, and once we have something in hand that we can show them, it will be easier for them."  He said until they get a house producer, they will be willing to work with independent producers, and he himself will work as an engineer.  "I came from a sound engineering background," said Nestor.  "I know how to set up a studio, do all the mics, run the boards, and master the tapes.  Music is my life, and the technical aspects of it come easy for me."  The label, he said is a joint venture between him and a small group of Neveras City investors who would like to add country music to the Kalistani repertoire.  Nestor said West Wall's next album will be produced and distributed by Plateau Records and should be out early next year.

Empire Agrees to Humanitarian Aid to Kundrati Legion
The International Politics of the Empire are shifting once more, as representatives from the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan and the administration of Mainland Kundrati have agreed to continue the suspension of trade sanctions, and committed to begin talking.  At a low profile meeting in Hutori, Lady Anya Waltrip said the Empire has agreed to opening the valve on humanitarian aid.

"We have agreed to start the aid with about 1 Billion Imperial Rubles in medical, food and basic humanitarian aid for the people of Mainland Kundrati," Lady Anya Waltrip, Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister said.  "The Legion has committed to meeting Her Imperial Majesty's terms for discussion, and subsequently, we have offered to continue to suspend the trade sanctions, and to provide humanitarian relief to help the people of Mainland Kundrati avoid a famine."  Lady Waltrip said the agreement, which is limited in scope, at least opens the door for future discussions on additional aid and support, while providing a path way for dismantlement of the Legion's WMD program and a potential settlement between Etxea and the Legion.

"We are not sure what fruit the settlement talks will yield," said Lady Waltrip.  "The outcome of those talks will be between the two of them.  Our aim was to provide a push to get them started, whereas before, there was no inclination that they would ever begin.  One of the most important concessions we got was a commitment to end the Legion's WMD program.  Whatever the outcome of the other things are, this will be a major improvement in the security of Artania and the world if they do complete the dismantlement of those weapons and the end of the program."

Lady Waltrip said her Imperial Majesty's government has additionally received official government documentation that she believes discusses Legion programs which Kalistan finds objectionable.  "We will be vetting the documents and confirming the details with what we know of the the Legion's prison programs, their medical experimentation programs, and their labor programs, and intend to release a summary of these documents publicly.  These documents were provided by high members of the the Legion itself in a show of good faith, and we have no reason to doubt their authenticity.  The Legion knows of our plans for these documents, and provided them anyway."

Lady Anya said that the meeting with the Legion was not tense.  The two adversaries have simply taken their first two steps back from the abyss.  "Hopefully, success builds on success," said Lady Waltrip.  She also noted that the aid program is expected to be administered by Davostag, who has the trust of both the Legion and Kalistan, and who will independently verify that the aid is provided to the population as a whole.  The first shipments of medicines and tade credits to purchase food aid on the Global market are reportedly already underway.

@TheRepublic