Floods in Copan as old source of Wandle flows

The capital of Copan has flooded after heavy rain caused an old source of the River Wandle to start flowing again. Westcroft Canal, which runs from the Grotto in Carshalton Park to the Secluded Place (or “Smokers’ Wall”), capital of Copan, has been dry for many years now, but over the past few days it has become full of water after heavy rain. The canal is now flowing over the entrance to the Secluded Place (a large depression in the ground surrounded by trees), creating a waterfall and stream in the capital. It is thought that the Secluded Place would once have been totally underwater – there is a grated pipe at its other end, through which the water has flowed and made a large part of the Plain of Copan completely waterlogged. Located in Carshalton Park, the Grotto was the original source of the Wandle before drying up late last century, and fed the current source, Carshalton Ponds (another source of the river arises in Croydon). According to the Sutton Guardian, this is the first time in 15 years that heavy rainfall has caused the water-table to rise sufficiently for the source at the Grotto to flow, filling Westcroft Canal with water. Queen Emma of Copan has expressed dismay at her capital being flooded, but reflected on the fact that Westcroft Canal has prevented the water it now holds from flooding other areas. A short video of the flooding of Copan can be seen here – to reclarify, everything shown in the video would usually be dry. UPDATE 19 JANUARY 18:00 – Water continues to flow over the entrance to the Secluded Place, with the flow if anything having increased. Large parts of the Plain of Copan are now completely waterlogged.

County of Memphis granted autonomy from the Grove

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Jonathan I has passed an edict granting the County of Memphis autonomy from the Kingdom of the Grove, of which it is a part. The Grove and Copan (collectively known as Orly) were both liberated from foreign rule by a rebellion last week which refounded the two states as they existed prior to Declan I of Wilcsland seizing control over them in December 2010. Jonathan I accepted the wish of the Orlian people to have the two kingdoms restored under Austenasian suzerainty, as Orlians generally regard the authority of their monarchs to come from the Austenasian Throne, which appoints them. Having appointed new monarchs of Copan and the Grove last week, Jonathan I also promised that he would grant Memphis, capital of the Grove, relative autonomy. Her Illustrious Highness Countess Eritoshi, a close friend of the Emperor, has held the title Countess of Memphis since September last year. In a lengthy proclamation issued by the Emperor last night, Memphis itself and a large part of the surrounding area in the Grove have been incorporated into a County of Memphis, ruled by Countess Eritoshi, who now has the power to veto any command of the King of the Grove in regards to Memphis and, while recognising him as her feudal superior, cannot have her title or powers removed by him. The proclamation, named the Second Edict of Orly, is nearly two thousand words long due to also delineating in precise detail the exact boundaries between Orly and the United Kingdom, and within Orly between the Grove and Copan.

Declan I deposed as Austenasian suzerainty reasserted over Orly

Dissatisfaction with Declan I broke out into open rebellion in Orly today as citizens declared the King of New Wessex deposed from Orly and asked the Emperor to appoint new monarchs. King Declan I of New Wessex, who has ruled Orly as a Wessaxon constituent country since January 2012, was due to visit Orly today. After it was found out that Declan had missed the first two trains and would arrive over two hours later than planned, a group of Orlian citizens who had met to greet him grew restless. Waiting for him to arrive, the citizens learnt that he planned to demand Jonathan I relinquish the title Shahanshah (King of the Kings) of the Carshalton Nations, a title assumed by Declan I himself when he was Emperor of Austenasia to denote the position held by the Emperor as overlord of the Carshalton Sector. This led to overt discontent, with the Orlians openly expressing their wish to be under Austenasian suzerainty rather than independent rule by a foreign monarch. Walking to Orly from the nearby train station, citizens refounded the kingdoms of the Grove and of Copan, polities which had been deprived of their sovereignty when Declan I unified them into the Tsardom of Orly (later declared part of New Wessex) in December 2010, and declared Declan deposed. Telephoning Declan I via mobile to inform him of the unfolding events, the Emperor discovered that he had not yet even bought his train ticket. Realising that it may be ill-advised to go ahead, Declan cancelled the visit. Given the phone by Jonathan I, Countess Eritoshi of Memphis bluntly told Declan I that there was no support for his reign in Orly to continue and stressed that Orlians would always consider the Emperor as overlord, resulting in Declan relinquishing New Wessex’s claim to sovereignty over Orly. The Emperor, Countess Eritoshi and Crown Princess Caroline (the latter giving her consenting vote via mobile) passed an Act of Parliament renouncing Austenasian recognition of Wessaxon sovereignty over Orly. Emperor Jonathan I then made an Imperial Edict appointing Calum I – the founder of Orly, and Duke of the Grove under New Wessex – King of the Grove, appointing prominent Orlian citizen Emma I as Queen of Copan, and promising autonomy for the County of Memphis in the Grove to Countess Eritoshi. Orly was founded on 4 July 2010, being split into the Kingdoms of Copan and of the Grove later that month, both recognising the suzerainty of Austenasia and the right of the Emperor to appoint Orlian monarchs. Declan I, the first King of Copan, rejected Austenasian suzerainty over Orly when he reunified it in December 2010 as part of a larger secret plan to remove the then Emperor Esmond III from power, but its citizens always made clear their recognition of the Emperor as their overlord. Esmond III and several Orlian citizens who were unable to attend the would-be visit have expressed their delight at the news that Orly is once more under the suzerainty of the Empire.

King Alex’s Bottle rediscovered

King Alex’s Bottle, royal regalia of the Kingdom of Rushymia, has been rediscovered after being lost for nearly two and a half years. The extraordinary find was made this afternoon on Rushy Meadow Field by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, who decided to have a quick look under the trees at the edge of the Field while passing by on the off chance that the bottle would be there. Oral tradition states that at the end of his reign, King Alex of Rushymia (reigned c. 1997 – July 2000) placed the bottle, which he had used similarly to a ceremonial mace, at the top of a fence which separated the school playground in which Rushymia – and later the Midget Empire – was located from the Field. The first person to retrieve it would be his successor as King of Rushymia. The bottle remained at the top of the fence until 17 October 2010, when it was successfully retrieved by the then Emperor Esmond III of Austenasia. The title “King of Rushymia” was merged with the Austenasian Throne four days later, and was automatically assumed by Esmond’s successors as Emperor upon their ascension to the Throne. However, the bottle itself was lost soon after it was retrieved. Esmond III had placed the bottle in his bag, which he dropped to the ground while climbing back down the fence, but a large dog being walked on the Field ran up to him, took the bag, and ran around the Field with it in its mouth. By the time the bag was recovered by the dog’s owner, the bottle had come out and was lost. Despite Esmond III and the then Crown Prince Jonathan searching the Field for the bottle, they could not find it. They had assumed it had fallen out of the bag into long grass while the dog was running around the Field with it, but did not search under the trees by the fence where the dog first took it. With the loss of the bottle, the only proof that it had ever existed outside of eyewitness testimonies was a photograph taken at a fundraising event at the school in December 2006 which shows a pixelated red object at the top of the fence. The discovery today of King Alex’s Bottle reveals that it had most likely fallen out of Esmond III’s bag the moment the dog took it. The now Emperor Jonathan I has confirmed that the size and colour of the bottle which was discovered is the same as that which was retrieved by Esmond III and lost in the area. King Alex’s Bottle has been taken back to Wrythe, and will be stored in the Imperial Residence.

Crown Prince appointed Acting Chair of the GUM

HIH Crown Prince Jonathan has become Acting Chair of the Grand Unified Micronational in the midst of a controversy which has brought turmoil to the organisation. Controversy over the expulsion of Sandus and Juclandia from the GUM at the turn of the New Year has continued unabated with frequent arguments having taken place until a few days ago over Facebook between Will Sörgel, leader of Sandus, and GUM Vice-Chair Bradley, Duke of Dullahan, who supported their expulsion. Logs released by Haakon Lindstrom of Zealandia point to the expulsion of Sandus and Juclandia having been a calculated decision by Chairman Yaroslav Mar and the Vice-Chair made for political reasons. Some of the published logs show the GUM Security Council at first proposing to offer mediation to the frequent arguments, but Mar interrupting the discussion to propose Sandus be expelled. Lindstrom claims that he was pressured into “removing Sandus and Juclandia as a sort of return for the votes in favour of my election as Secretary of the Security Council” by Mar and the Duke of Dullahan, who he states “did wrong and have to be held accountable”. It has been pointed out that Lindstrom also held grudges against the two expelled nations, but he has since apologised for what he called “disgraceful conduct” and resigned as Secretary of the Security Council. This controversy has not stayed within the GUM. There has been a widespread loss of support for the organisation, with Renasia, Amager and Uberstadt withdrawing. Friday evening saw demands for early elections, and at 14:02 GMT earlier today Chairman Mar resigned, stating that he had “zero rights to remain” in office “after essentially betraying the Quorum of Delegates”. In his resignation statement, Mar stated that he wished Crown Prince Jonathan, who was serving as Supreme Judge, to “pick up the baton” – the Duke of Dullahan automatically became Acting Chair upon Mar’s resignation, but resigned himself 46 minutes later. Crown Prince Jonathan has thus become Acting Chair of the GUM. Quorum will be held tomorrow, in which a replacement Vice-Chair and Supreme Judge will be selected to support the Crown Prince during the rest of the term. Elections are due to be held in March, but it is possible that they may be called forward. Crown Prince Jonathan has served two terms as Chair in the past, both widely regarded as highly succesful – the first saw a revision of the outdated original constitution and a large increase in membership and activity, and the second saw the only in-person Quorum meeting of the organisation’s history and a special 24 Hour Quorum which raised over £80 for various charities. The Crown Prince has stated that, “with the support and dedication” of member states, he will “attempt to oversee the restoration of respect and integrity to” the GUM.

GUM in turmoil as member states expelled

The State of Sandus and Kingdom of Juclandia were yesterday expelled from the GUM after a motion to do so was made by Haakon of Zealandia. Sandus and Juclandia have for several weeks now made known their active opposition to King Quentin and Prime Minister Bradley of the Kingdom of Wyvern frequently bringing up controversial topics in Skype chatrooms such as the GUM Lounge and Micropolitan Lounge. Said topics frequently involve race, with the two Wyvernian leaders having been accused of xenophobia and – in some cases – racism. Wyvern’s leadership has gained a reputation for talking about little other than race or religion, with Joseph Puglisi of Tiana saying that they “relate every single conversation to Islam”. It was due to statements such as these that Sandus, Juclandia and some other states opposed the nomination of Bradley of Dullahan to the position of Vice-Chair of the GUM by newly elected Chair Yaroslav Mar. After the nomination passed two weeks ago, Sandus and Juclandia changed their full membership to observership in protest. During yesterday’s Quorum the Secretary of the Securty Council, Haakon of Zealandia – who was suspended from the GUM in February for unprofessional behaviour and is known for a long-standing feud with Sandus – shocked the Quorum by proposing the expulsion of Sandus and Juclandia for “agressive [sic] and unaccatable [sic] behaviour”. Expulsion from the GUM is an extremely grave sanction, with the only other time it having been utilised this year being in May with the expulsion of the UDR from the community for confessed criminal actions by its founder. Despite protests that Haakon was assuming a role incompatible with the Security Council’s function of promoting peace in the community, “not exarcabat[ing]” conflicts, a motion to expel Sandus passed by a single vote, with the Chair passing the motion before all online delegates had a chance to cast their vote. Haakon then initially asked the Chair to move on, but after accusations of hypocrisy and of acting in the interests of Zealandia rather than the GUM, was pressured into also proposing the expulsion of Juclandia, again passed by a single vote. Later in the Quorum, Austenasia made a formal complaint in regards to the actions by Haakon, reminding him that the purpose of the Security Council is “not to arbitrarily decide who is in the wrong, and it is certainly not to propose expulsions of those who take part in diplomatic conflicts”, and criticising him for not “first trying to solve the issue at hand through negotiation or mediation, as [the Security Council] is obliged to do.” Renasia and Amager both expressed their support and backing for the complaint, and the Nemkhav Federation resigned from the Security Council in protest. In an interview with the A1 News Service, Chairman Mar stated that the “official reason” for the expulsion of Sandus and Juclandia “was for making racist comments and offending the leadership of the GUM”, despite this not having been mentioned at the time of the expulsion. This statement has come under heavy criticism – the only “racist comment” referred to by the Chair is a joke taken out of context by King Ciprian of Juclandia during a discussion about the Moon, with no comments at all claimed to have been made by Sandus. King Adam of Uberstadt stated that “Sandus is the last micronation I would suspect of being racist”. The second justification, “Offending the leadership of the GUM”, has also come under criticism, with Sebastian Linden of Francisville referring to the new Chair as “authoritarian” and an A1NS interviewer noting that it has “implications for freedom of speech”. Haakon has been directed to author a statement fully justifying why he considered it appropriate to motion for the expulsion of two member states instead of taking up the constitutional function of the Security Council to attempt to mediate the dispute.

Odd goings-on in Orly as tree blows over

HIH Crown Prince Jonathan, Viceroy of the nearby Wessaxon constituent country of Orly, came across the carcass of a dead turkey as he made his weekly inspection of the nation earlier today. The turkey – headless, plucked, and with the innards removed – had been left on the ground in Wisdom, an area in the Grove region of Orly. After helping a dog walker stop their dog from trying to eat the bird, the Viceroy took a closer look at the carcass before depositing it in a nearby rubbish bin. The bird, although missing most of its meat, showed no sign of decay or rot. Judging by the incident which had just taken place and the many dogs walked in Orly, it had probably not been there for more than a day due to still being mostly in one piece – a leg of the bird was found a few feet away. The state of the carcass made it seem likely that it had been prepared for somebody’s Christmas dinner before, for some inexplicable reason, being left in the Grove. It was unclear if the turkey had been cooked or not. What made this find somewhat more significant than it would otherwise have been was that the turkey was discovered almost exactly on the former spot of the Wisdom Tree, a young ash tree which gave the surrounding area its name and had been uprooted in 2010. The Wisdom Tree was used as a central meeting point for the social group that would become the Orlian nation, with its loss being angrily mourned. Continuing on his patrol of Orly, the Viceroy came across some flower stalks attached to a tree in Memphis, capital of the Grove, with adhesive tape. Memphis became the main meeting place for Orlians after the loss of the Wisdom Tree, with the flower stalks found attached to a tree within a few yards of a large stone used as the throne of the Grovian monarch between 2010 and 2012. Any significance to or meaning behind these two objects being found placed at the two most important cultural sites of the Grove is yet to be determined. A brief inspection of the Secluded Place, capital of the other Orlian region Copan, found nothing out of the ordinary. A clue to the origin of the flower stalks was found in a fallen tree near the border with Copan. Said tree was felled at some point after 22 December, the date of the most recent visit by the Viceroy, probably by recent heavy winds. A bunch of flowers was found in the branches of the fallen tree – whether the flower stalks came from here, and if so why, is unknown. No meaning has been found for the turkey and flowers, and it is unknown if they are even connected, although two such out of place objects being found at two such culturally significant sites on the same date is unlikely to be a coincidence. A follow-up visit to Orly has been planned for some point over the next few days to see if any more anomalous objects appear.

Crown Prince abdicates from Domanglian throne

HIH Crown Prince Jonathan abdicated from the throne of Domanglia yesterday afternoon. Domanglia, in which the Crown Prince ruled as Prince Darkomere, had been in a state of legislative inactivity for some time. In a speech given to the Domanglian legislature, the Landtag, immediately before his abdication, the Crown Prince accused the ministers of “do[ing] nothing”, saying that he “became monarch of Domanglia with the assumption that its government would actually want to govern it”. The Crown Prince named Domanglia’s founder, Urokah Doshevik, as his heir before abdicating. However, Urokah abdicated himself a few hours later, leaving the throne to Kaushik Legata (better known as Matthew Burklandssen) who has ascended it in a provisional capacity as Prince Vladimir. Crown Prince Jonathan has remained in the Landtag in an advisory position, stating that he had “no intention of just abandoning” the nation. It is expected that the reign of Vladimir will be short-lived, as the Landtag plans further reforms for the nation, which has changed its name and system of government several times in the past year. Doshevik has stated that he will soon retake the throne with a coronation which will mark Domanglia’s transition from its current government “into its next, hopefully stable form”. Prince Vladimir has voiced no opposition to requests that he willingly cede the throne back to Doshevik when the time comes. Speaking to the Austenasian Times, Doshevik said the following: “I will create a new Domanglian realm, called, simply and memorably, Doshevika. It will be advertised as a confederation/federation of small, controllable claims, to boost activity, and have a government that isn’t just made of cyber citizens. It will have updated MicroWiki.org.uk articles and an improved website, as well as a once-again updated and active YouTube channel, so the nation has a greater online presence. I will also organise real-life events with Doshevika, including a YouTube-broadcasted coronation… I really do hope Doshevika will last longer than its last Domanglian incarnations”.

Crown Prince re-elected Supreme Judge as GUM elections conclude

HIH Crown Prince Jonathan has been elected to a fourth term as Supreme Judge of the Grand Unified Micronational, with Yaroslav Mar of Lostisland becoming Chairman. Voting in the December 2012 leadership elections for the Grand Unified Micronational, an international organisation founded in January 2009 which plays a major role in the Empire’s foreign affairs, ended at 20:00 last night. Yaroslav Mar was elected the 13th Chair of the GUM, beating his opposing candidate Ciprian I of Juclandia by six votes. Crown Prince Jonathan was Supreme Judge from July to September 2010 and from August to December 2011. Elected to a third term in September earlier this year, he has now been re-elected to a record fourth term, after becoming the longest-serving Supreme Judge in GUM history on 12 November earlier this year (including a time during August and September 2011 in which he was Acting Supreme Judge – excluding that, he will become the longest-serving Supreme Judge tomorrow). The Crown Prince beat the opposing candidate, Prime Minister Lucien Albertschine of Amager, by five points. Furthermore, Austenasia was elected to a second term on the Advancement Council, the body which promotes cultural, social and technological development between and among member states. Wyvern, Eragia, Juclandia and Amager were also elected. The Security Council, the body which promotes peaceful relations between member states and offers mediation and arbitration services for international disputes, has had Zealandia, Würdigeland, the Nemkhav Federation and Lostisland elected to serve this term. The fifth seat was tied between Lewisham and Rukora, with the Quorum of Delegates (the GUM’s fortnightly meeting of member states) to decide between the two on Sunday 16th. The transfer of power between the old and new holders of offices will take place at midnight tonight (12th/13th). The first Quorum meeting under the new Chair will be held this Sunday, when the Vice-Chair will be approved by the Quorum after being nominated by the Chair. Former Chairman Bradley of Dullahan, who was removed by a vote of no confidence earlier this year, has been promoted by M. Mar as his first nomination. While it is likely that he will become Vice-Chair, his candidacy is strongly opposed by Sandus and Juclandia, who have accused him in the past of racism. It is unknown who M. Mar will nominate should a vote on Mr. of Dullahan fail.

Prime Minister appointed Prince of Domanglia

HIH Crown Prince Jonathan has been appointed the Prince of Domanglia as the former protectorate of Austenasia moves towards the implementation of Theodorism. Marshal Urokah Doshevik, founder of Domanglia, contacted Crown Prince Jonathan on Tuesday 20th and offered him candidacy in an election for a new monarch taking place within the Domanglian leadership. The Crown Prince won the election, his reign as Prince of Domanglia beginning yesterday on the 21st. He has adopted the regnal name of Darkomere for use in Domanglia. Domanglia is currently administrated by a provisional government comprised of the Prince, Marshal Doshevik, and leaders of the various Domanglian territories. Elections are planned to take place soon, after which it is intended for Theodorism (socialist economic policies and direct democracy protected and enforced by the power of the monarch) to be implemented. Domanglia was briefly Theodorist in late January earlier this year after a revolution by several of the leaders of its territories, but the movement disintegrated two days later when a power struggle broke out between the monarch and the leader of the vanguard party. It was this failed revolution which prompted Crown Prince Jonathan to write The Vanguard Monarch, revising Theodorist theory to make it easier to realistically implement. This is the fourth time that Crown Prince Jonathan has held a throne; he was Second Midget Master between 6 September 2004 and 31 July 2006, joint King of Moylurg between 19 October and 10 November 2010, and Lord Regent of the Grove between 12 November and 8 December 2010. This also marks the first time in nearly two years that the House of Austen – to be formally known as the House of Kaiser in regards to Domanglia – has held sovereignty over a nation. Austenasia and Domanglia entered into diplomatic relations on Halloween last year, when Domanglia was accepted as an Austenasian Protectorate. It held this status until 6 April earlier this year.