Kalistan

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Kalistani News in Brief: Princess named Countess of Green County
Kalistan passes first Sumptuary Laws around display of Gems, Kalistan to undergo review of Naval Needs
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
November 1, 5664


Princess Nicolette Ananto-Collins and Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto in Eveari

Princess named Countess of Green
Her Highness, Princess Nicolette-Carolina Elizabeth Ananto-Collins, upon achieving her Majority in September, became eligible for a Peerage and induction into the Ancient Order of the Gray Smoke. Her formal induction into the secret Order came in mid October, when she was officially named a Royal Lady Companion and received her peerage, the County of Green in North East Ananto. Green County is the mostly rural, picturesque territory north and east of the Green Mountains, which includes both the town of Bozo River as well as the Bozo River Combined Air Ground Training Center and several important geothermal power generation plants that help power the island. In her entitling, The Empress commanded the Princess and new Countess to focus on development of the region aiming to improve transit and mobility through the area as well as the development of municipalities. The Countess will retain the title for life, and will be expected to maintain a home in the county, which will likely be in in Bozo River.

Following her formal induction ceremony in Eveari last month, the Princess was given a reception dinner. While at the dinner, surrounded by the nearly two dozen formal companions in the Order as well as their invited guests, the Princess said she was honored to be among such illustrious luminaries in Kalistani and International politics. "The group of people assembled here are the true movers in the world. Kalistan knows our friends, we take care of our friends, and we look to our friends to support us as well. I have heard all the stories about this ancient Order, and some of them cannot be repeated here, because they are true. But what I do know is: if you aren't a part of this Order, you are missing an opportunity. And those who are know exactly what I am talking about. It is an honor to stand with you in support of our Sovereign, our Empire, and our Order."

The 18 year old professional surfer and student is finishing her last year in High School and will join National Service just before her 19th Birthday.

Kalistan passes first Sumptuary Laws around display of Gems
The National Assembly passed a new Sumptuary Law, dictated by Imperial Fiat, which outlaws the public display of certain gemstones to the General Public. The law passed 60-14, with 5 abstentions in the National Assembly last week, and specifically outlaws the wearing of Amethyst by anyone not a member of the Royal Family, and Rubies and Emeralds by anyone not a member of the Peerage. All other stones remain legal for commoners to wear.

"These stones are stones of our State," said the Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Jennifer Alvarez-Miller. "They are as much of a symbol of the Empire as the flag, or the National Assembly, or the Wilson Bridge is. They are instantly recognizable, and are associated with Her Imperial Majesty and the crown specifically. Therefore, it is as reasonable to ban their public display as it is to make laws prohibiting the usage of our National Flag in advertising."

The law declares that while people may own these gemstones, they may not wear them in public, or they can be confiscated. "House Ananto offers compensation to all those in this nation who wish to grade and sell Amethyst, Ruby and Emerald to House Ananto in either Kaliburg or Sulari, but as this law makes it illegal for these stones to be worn in public, if a person is discovered to be wearing them, they can, and will be confiscated without compensation, as they are now violating the Sumptuary Law. A person whose jewelry is confiscated can retroactively seek a settlement from House Ananto, but it is not guaranteed as it would be if the trade in was voluntary on the part of the individual."

Peers will be required to hand in all amethyst they possess to House Ananto as a royal dictate without compensation. This includes all amethyst jewelry, raw crystal or geodes containing amethyst. "Amethyst has been named the stone that symbolizes the Royal Family, and therefore has essentially been nationalized," said the Chancellor. "Peers, unlike commoners, must obey royal dictum as a matter of fealty oaths, so, there will likely be no monetary compensation. The trade off is that they are allowed to retain their Emeralds and Rubies and display them in public. Such is the will of Her Imperial Majesty."

Kalistan to undergo review of Naval Needs
The Empire of Ananto and Kalistan is a nation whose security is based upon a robust and active navy which covers the entire Northern and Central Anantonese Ocean. Therefore, Her Imperial Majesty's Ministry of Defense has ordered a fleet wide review of the needs of the Navy.

"This will include every asset in all four fleets of the Regular Navy," said Navy Chief Admiral Allen Forrester. "We want to look at not only the conditions of the ships, but also the readiness of our crews. We want to look at naval logistics are handled: How to fuels and supply our ships more efficiently, how to deploy them more effectively, how to guard against new and emerging threats to our Sovereignty and our national waters. All of it is up for review, and all of it will be made public once the review is completed. Warts and all."

The review will be the first all fleet review since the end of the Kundrati War. "We were in a major war, which sunk one of our fleets. We were in rebuilding after that, and took receipt of some major new assets from our cooperation with Hutori, and we've been pretty much on alert since the beginning of the Rildanor situation," said Admiral Forrester. "If something were to break now in the system, it would probably break a lot of things that we aren't even thinking of. So now is the best time to do the review, and if we put it off til tomorrow, tomorrow will be the best time to do the review. We need to make sure all is well in the Fleet before we actually need everything to go well."

The review will take place over the next year, and then the final report addressing deficiencies, noting successes and suggesting efficiency and effectiveness improvements will take another year to compile. All units associated with the Regular Navy are expected to take part, including those hybrid public-private contractors who supply the Navy. Once the report is finished, it will be released to the press, and will likely be celebrated or scrutinized, based on the reader's opinion of the Regular Navy, rather than anything that is actually written in the report.