MicroWorld Newsbites – October 2016
DELVERA On 5 October, a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies relocated the capital from Lavrada to Colo, established a Confederal Bank of Delvera, and set up a wage system for government employees. KUMANO JIRITSU On 16 October, Hatsu Aki was sworn in as the new head of state after the resignation of his father in July. The title of the head of state, Daitōryō Daimyō, can be translated as “President-Noble” or “President-Lord”. MOLOSSIA On 29 October, President Kevin Baugh and the Molossian First Family took part in the annual Nevada Day Parade in Carson City for the tenth time. The President met with various Nevadan dignitaries, including the governor and several congressional candidates, most of whom were found to be already aware of Molossia. SABIA AND VERONA On 20 October, Sabia and Verona celebrated four years since its foundation. King Tarik released a statement celebrating the stability of the kingdom. SANDUS On 19 October, Sôgmô Will Soergel celebrated the Sandum holiday of Armilustrium by publishing a playlist on Spotify and conducting a religious ritual. On 26 October, the Sôgmô announced a meeting of the Citizen’s Party of Sandus to formulate an official platform for the party, a goal which had previously been intended to have been reached by May earlier this year. WILDFLOWER MEADOWS On 14 October, the Principality of Wildflower Meadows annexed Grosvenor Park, an ornamental Victorian park in the British city of Chester, located directly between the Principality’s existing claims of Chester Meadows and the walled city itself. ZEALANDIA On 26 October, Claire Nymoria was appointed the new Prime Minister of Zealandia by leader Charlotte Lindstrom.
MicroWorld Newsbites – September 2016
CALSAHARA The week of the first Monday in September has been declared Opera Week, during which all citizens are encouraged to listen to only opera and classical music. CAMPINIA The abdication of Duke Elias I in favour in Shady Morsi, as reported last month, has been revealed to be a misunderstanding. After several days of mistakenly claiming to be Duke of Campinia, Morsi was offered the position of head of government as Grand Constable by Elias I, which he has accepted. DELVERA/NOTTALOTTA ACRES On 1 September, NottaLotta Acres was annexed by the Grand Republic of Delvera with the consent of its citizens, having had an entirely stagnant administration for some time. On 21 September, the Empire signed a treaty with Delvera recognising it as a sovereign state and as the sole legitimate successor state of NottaLotta Acres. Many Delveran officials were previously NottaLottan political and military leaders. FLANDRENSIS On 4 September, the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis celebrated eight years since its foundation. KUMANO JIRITSU Hatsu Aki, son of previous head of state O-Hatsu Kenji-sama, has been unanimously elected to suceed the latter by the National Senate after his father retired in July. Hatsu Aki is expected to take office in early October. LEYLANDIISTAN & GURVATA On 14 September, the Confederation of Leylandiistan and Gurvata dissolved, ceding its territory to the Republic of Ireland. The Empire had held diplomatic relations with Leylandiistan since January 2014. MOLOSSIA On 17 September, President Kevin Baugh and members of his family appeared in the Dayton Valley Days Parade of Dayton, Nevada, it being the seventh time that Molossia has been represented in the parade. ÜBERSTADT On 17 September, King Adam I announced that from henceforth the Kingdom would aim to keep Edmount Island – Überstadt’s original territorial claim, which it initially hoped to one day settle – uninhabited and undisturbed for ecological reasons.
MicroWorld Newsbites – August 2016
CAMPINIA Duke Elias I, who has reigned over the Antarctic duchy of Campinia since 2013, abdicated yesterday in favour of Shady Morsi, who has become the fourth monarch of the sixteen year-old nation. UPDATE: This has since been revealed to have been a misunderstanding. The Duke merely offered Morsi the position of head of government; the latter mistakenly interpreted this as an abdication, which he then publicised. The situation has now been resolved: Elias I reigns as Duke, with Shady Morsi as head of government. JUCLANDIA Juclandians celebrated eight years since the foundation of their state’s current incarnation on 23 August; this begun almost three weeks of celebrations, which will culminate on 10 September, the fifteenth anniversary of the original foundation of the country. KUMANO JIRITSU Hatsu Ryuho, the prime minister and founder of Kumano, nominated on 11 August his younger brother, Hatsu Aki, for head of state, after their father O-Hatsu Kenji-sama retired from the position last month. The National Senate met last week to discuss the nomination. LEYLANDIISTAN & GURVATA On 22 August, a National Dental Health Initiative was signed into law, aiming to promote positive dental hygiene amongst the population. The government will be distributing free dental supplies to citizens. Two years since Leylandiistan and Gurvata unified into a single state were celebrated on 30 August, on which an announcement was made that a governmental plan for 2016 has, with four months of the year left to go, already been fully implemented. SANDUS On 18 August, Sôgmô Soergel appointed Jacob Valentine (né Tierney) as Minister of Diplomatic Affairs. The former Renasian premier is an experienced diplomat, as well as a long-standing and well-liked member of the MicroWiki community. This appointment comes after a steady decrease in the international standing of Sandus, with the state having recently lost diplomatic ties with former close friends such as Zealandia and with the Empire itself. ÜBERSTADT On 1 August, the King of Überstadt embarked on a naval voyage with Baron Ballinger, Vice Admiral of the Navy, conducting sea trials for a new amphibious warfare craft. The new boat has been named HMNS Duke of Edmount.
MicroWorld Newsbites – July 2016
FLANDRENSIS On 5 July, Flandrensis updated its Constitution for the eighth time since the Grand Duchy’s foundation in 2008. The revision has served mainly to insert the Grand Duchy’s environmental mission into its constitution, including a ban on tourists visiting its Antarctic claims and the statement that Flandrensis is the “only country in the world that doesn’t want its land inhabited by people”. KUMANO JIRITSU On 21 July, O-Hatsu Kenji-sama resigned as Kumano’s head of state. Senate leader Dr. Yamamoto Seiji has been appointed acting Sendatsu Daimyo (head of state) until elections take place in September or October. LADONIA The Ladonian cabinet has appointed Indonesian resident Cornelius Marpaung as its Minister for Anime and Hetalian Affairs. Other unusual cabinet posts in Ladonia include a Minister of Thermonuclear Eye Protection and a Minister of Raccoons and 42. ONGAL On 2 July, Ongal issued a claim to West Antarctica, i.e. those areas of Antarctica not already claimed by the seven UN member states of the United Nations which are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty. The Empire is unlikely to recognise this new claim, as the territory in question is already claimed by Westarctica, Flandrensis, Campinia and Arkel, all of which are states Austenasia has treaties with recognising their claims. On 6 July, Prince Milomir I met with former monarch of Bulgaria, Simeon I, at the National Museum of Military History in Sofia. The meeting was of an informal nature, with Simeon of Bulgaria not representing his country in any official capacity. SANDUS On 3 July, a membership application to the Grand Unified Micronational by the State of Sandus was rejected. On 27 July, the Empire suspended diplomatic relations with Sandus after its head of state Will Soergel published unfounded and untrue accusations that Emperor Jonathan I had masterminded a “conspiracy” to persuade GUM delegations to vote against Sandus. WYVERN On 27 July, the Statenraad of Wyvern decided against talks with Sandus which had been proposed in an attempt to resolve long-lasting diplomatic hostilities between the two states, considering it extremely unlikely that such talks would result in any meaningfully positive outcome.
MicroWorld Newsbites – June 2016
GRAND UNIFIED MICRONATIONAL On 4 June, after almost a year as a private venue for professional discussion between politicians and diplomats, the Grand Unified Micronational once more became an intergovernmental organisation, adopting a new Charter. The Empire of Austenasia and many other small nations are once more member states. On 25 June, Co-President Fionnbarra Ó Cathail of Leylandiistan and Gurvata was elected the twenty fourth Chairman of the GUM, beating sole opponent Lord Kit McCarthy by nine votes to one. KUMANO JIRITSU On 11 June, Prime Minister Hatsu Ryuho reached a unity government agreement with his sister the opposition leader Senator Hatsu Sakura under the supervision of Kumano’s head of state O-Hatsu Kenji-sama, father of the two siblings. The two resolved several political issues and resolved to work together for the country despite their disagreements. SANDUS On 29 June, the State of Sandus convened a legislative caucus to amend its citizenship laws. The last time a caucus was held was between February and April 2010, with legislative power usually wielded by the Sôgmô (head of state). ÜBERSTADT The Überstadti navy has been reduced in size to a single ship, with its amphibious landing craft the Bergstrom having been judged beyond repair after being damaged in a gale in August last year. A search for a new amphibious operations vessel is underway. WILDFLOWER MEADOWS On 16 June, Princess Hannah granted the title Duke of Sweetpea Valley to HIM Emperor Jonathan I. The duchy had formerly been held by the Princess herself. ZEALANDIA On 24 June, the People’s Electoral Commission revoked the registration of the Moderate Party, claiming that it was not sufficiently active.
MicroWorld Newsbites – May 2016
FLANDRENSIS On 9 May, Gwendolien de Loungville resigned from her post as Minister of Finances & Economy after completing the process of paying back all those who had invested money in the building of the nation, paying off the national debt. JUCLANDIA Over the last weekend of the month, the three political parties of Juclandia held their Congresses in the Palace of the Great National Assembly to elect a new President and General Secretary for each party. Furthermore, it has been announced via MicroWiki that a general election will be held in July or August later this year. LEYLANDIISTAN & GURVATA A new government website has been launched and can be seen here. MOLOSSIA President Baugh has set his nation a goal of having 200 tourists this year, to surpass the average of Nauru, the least-visited member state of the United Nations. As of 22 May, 42 tourists have so far visited Molossia in 2016. SANDUS On 22 May, Sogmo Gaius Soergel announced plans to gradually decentralise the currently absolute power of the monarch. On 26 May, Sandus celebrated seven years since its foundation as Sandefreistikhan in 2009. ÜBERSTADT On 26 May, the king’s father was replaced as High Chancellor – top judge – by Terrah Perera, who King Adam I described as “thoughtful, studious, and articulate… [and] the most qualified Überstadti for this job.” The king’s father, Baron Ballinger, had to resign due to taking up a ministerial position incompatible with being High Chancellor. WILDFLOWER MEADOWS A new sovereign state, the Principality of Wildflower Meadows, has been founded by Emperor Jonathan I and his unmarried partner Princess Consort Hannah, the latter of whom now reigns as Princess of Wildflower Meadows. The principality claims land in and around the British city of Chester, and the Empire earlier today ratified a treaty of mutual recognition which also gave Wildflower Meadows the status of a protected state of Austenasia. ZEALANDIA On 22 May, a new Constitution was published, with Zealandia now a socialist commonwealth after its latest revolution last month. The new Zealandian Constitution can be read here.
MicroWorld Newsbites – April 2016
This is the first instalment of a new monthly feature for the Austenasian Times: MicroWorld Newsbites, in which a look will be taken at news stories from around the world of small nations, which are unlikely to be covered by major news networks. COPAN The fence around the Playing Field – part of which formed Copan’s international boundary with the United Kingdom and with the Grove – has been removed by Sutton Parks Service. FLANDRENSIS The Flandrensisian Commonwealth, a diplomatic partnership between Flandrensis, Arkel and Campinia, was dissolved earlier today. The three members of the Commonwealth – which was founded in October 2010 – all claim territory in Antarctica but have populations based in Belgium and the Netherlands. Due to its members sharing a diplomatic policy, a treaty signed in January 2013 by the Empire to formalise its by then four year old friendship with Flandrensis resulted in diplomatic relations being formed with Arkel and Campinia as well. The three nations remain on good terms, but according to Grand Duke Niels of Flandrensis, a renewed focus on environmental matters and a more global diplomatic outlook made the Commonwealth redundant. George De Feyter, Minister of Antarctic Environment, has announced “an ambitious programme which aims at alerting all the countries in the world about the dangers of pollution and damaging Antarctica”. A letter will be sent each week to another government, starting with the top ten most polluting countries in the world. MOLOSSIA On 5 April, Molossia welcomed its second native-born citizen, raising its population to 31. On 16 April, Molossia celebrated Obscura Day, a worldwide celebration of unique places. A group of sixteen visitors was given a tour of the nation by the President, First Lady, and Chief Constable. VIKESLAND A change of government structure in Vikesland is being discussed, with more power planned to be transferred to King Christopher to enable more efficient governance. ZEALANDIA Between 11 and 13 April, the former Queen Astrid of Zealandia (also known as Anna Lindstrom) launched a self-coup against her own government, replacing the monarchy with a communist state council of which she is now chairwoman as Charlotte Lindstrom. Known for its instability, Zealandia’s latest revolution has been criticised by other governments. Diplomatic negotiations to update the treaty between Austenasia and Zealandia concerning New South Scotland – of which the monarch of Zealandia was made ex officio governing commissioner – are currently underway.
