Mayoral elections called for the Empire’s cities
HIM Emperor Jonathan I has called for local elections to take place in the Empire’s two cities on 9 February. Wrythe and New Richmond became Austenasia’s first two towns to be granted city status earlier this month, on 8 January and 9 January respectively. The local elections will see the electorates of both cities elect a Mayor, who will hold responsibilities in local government. The position of Representative will also be up for election, but it is expected that the incumbents – Jonathan I in Wrythe and Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy in New Richmond – will be re-elected. As the positions of Representative and of Mayor are incompatible, it remains to be seen who will run for election as Mayor in the two cities. Alongside calling the elections, the Emperor also granted a mural crown to the arms of both cities in recognition of their new status.
Rosie arrives at the Imperial Residence
Yesterday evening, Emperor Father Terry and Crown Princess Caroline arrived back home at the Imperial Residence with Rosie, the new pet cat of the immediate Imperial Family. Rosie was acquired from a friend of Emperor Father Terry who lives in Yorkshire. Updates will be posted as Rosie continues to settle in. UPDATE 5 APRIL 2017 – After initial disputes about the name, the Imperial Family’s pet cat has now been renamed Baby.
New pet expected for the Imperial Family
The immediate Imperial Family have announced that they plan to acquire a pet kitten, to arrive in Wrythe on Saturday 10th December. The family have decided that the kitten will be named Rosie, in honour of the late Mascot of the Order of the Bullmastiff, Rose, who passed away in April 2014. Rosie will join Rose’s successor as Mascot, Edd, who – being of a very gentle temperament – is expected to get along well with the new arrival. This will be the first time that the immediate Imperial Family have owned a pet cat, having previously only owned dogs, fish, and hamsters. Rosie was born on 18 October to a cat owned by a friend of the family.
UK police helicopter hovers over Wrythe
Around 16:00 BST this afternoon, a British police helicopter flew low over Wrythe and the surrounding area, hovering and circling for some ten minutes before flying away. The helicopter is believed to have been a Eurocopter model belonging to the United Kingdom’s National Police Air Service. Ministry of Defence records show that a similar helicopter was observed in the area at the same time of day on 21 August last year. Emperor Jonathan I, who is also incumbent Representative of Wrythe, has issued a statement on the infringement of air space: “Earlier this afternoon a British police helicopter flew over Wrythe and the surrounding area for approximately ten minutes. There is no evidence that this action was directed towards Wrythe itself; nevertheless, we ask all residents to be vigilant for suspicious signs from the larger countries bordering the Empire. Should similar incidents recur in future, we shall discuss the formulation of a policy on air space with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence.”
Flagpole installed on Imperial Residence
A rudimentary flagpole has been installed on the roof of the Imperial Residence. Prior to this, whenever the national flag was flown from the Imperial Residence, it was required to be held in place by the closed windows of the Imperial Quarters. The flagpole will enable said windows to be opened during summer yet with the flag still flying. The flag currently flying from the Imperial Residence was presented as a gift to Austenasia in August 2011. Four more flags were recently ordered from MicroFlag, a company run by the Russian micronation Lostisland, and will be sent throughout the Empire so that more areas can fly the national flag.
Imperial Residence hot water system improved
Work on the hot water system in the Imperial Residence has been ongoing over the past week. The taps in the Imperial Residence stopped producing hot water last Saturday. Initially a broken valve was suspected, but further investigation revealed that the boiler was broken. The old boiler in the Imperial Kitchen has been removed and a new one installed in the loft of the house. Several central heating and hot water pipes have also been replaced or repaired, with wall panelling having been taken down around the building to gain access to them. With the boiler now in the loft, a new chimney has been installed in the roof of the Imperial Residence to provide a flue for the new boiler. The upgraded central heating and hot water systems of the Imperial Residence are now both far more efficient in terms of expense and far quicker in heating. The Treasury contributed to the cost of the repairs.
One year anniversary of the Liberation of Orly celebrated
The first anniversary of the Liberation of Orly was today marked with a celebration in the Copanese Embassy at East Wrythe. Tea and cakes were enjoyed by Emperor Jonathan I and Queen Emma of Copan, who was appointed monarch upon the Liberation one year ago. They were joined by two prominent Orlians at the embassy, which, while under Austenasian sovereignty as an exclave of the capital, is administered under Copanese law due being under extraterritoriality. As East Wrythe is therefore in a sense both Austenasian and Orlian, it was felt to be the best location to celebrate the occasion. The Liberation of Orly is the name given to the events of 24 June 2013, when citizens of Orly deposed Declan I and turned to the Emperor of Austenasia to restore legitimate government in Copan and the Grove, the two states which comprise Orly. Declan I had seized power over the Carshalton Nations in December 2010 by exploiting a power struggle between the then Emperor Esmond III and Crown Prince Jonathan, but had abdicated from the Austenasian Throne in January 2013. His deposition from the throne of Orly (and its re-division into Copan and the Grove) marked the end of foreign rule in the Carshalton Nations. Jonathan I yesterday visited the Grove in a personal capacity to feed the wildlife there, an activity joyfully partaken in by the newly independent Orlians a year ago immediately after having deposed Declan I. The Emperor hinted that this may become an annual tradition.
Pigeon shot by air rifle falls into Wrythe
A pigeon fell out of the air onto the patio at the back of the Imperial Residence this afternoon after having been shot with an air rifle. The shot had been fired from 316 Green Wrythe Lane, a house close to the Imperial Residence. A person living there is thought to have been visited by police officers only a few weeks ago due to him using the air rifle in their garden, having been heard to loudly complain about the incident on a mobile phone. The pigeon landed on the patio and frantically shuffled into Wrythe Public Park, where the Emperor himself contained it under a large basket to prevent it from spreading blood over the park or injuring itself further. After telephoning the RSPCA (a British animal welfare charity) to ask for the bird to be taken to be treated for its injury, the Emperor was asked by them to contact the British police to inform them of the incident, as both injuring a wild bird and shooting something outside of one’s own private property (as the pigeon almost certainly was) are illegal in the United Kingdom. Two police officers soon arrived and were invited into the Imperial Residence by the Emperor, where he informed them of the situation. Despite the near-certainty that the bird had been shot – it had fallen out of the air after a loud “crack”, with the people at the nearby house having been heard mere minutes ago talking about “shoot[ing] it” after having been seen using the air rifle in their garden – the lack of an actual eyewitness meant that the police could take no action against them without the case being brought to court. The Emperor declined to press charges, only expressing concern for the welfare of the pigeon. The police officers waited for several minutes for the RSPCA officers to arrive, but then had to depart, leaving a note with contact details should the RSPCA wish to press charges against the shooters. After some time, an RSPCA officer telephoned the Imperial Residence stating that they were over an hour away and that it would be better for the bird to be taken to a nearby vet. However, there was nobody in the Imperial Residence who was allowed to drive on British roads, with the Emperor Mother and Emperor Father being at work and visiting friends respectively. Lord Michael – uncle of the Emperor and twelfth in line to the Throne – kindly came to Wrythe and drove the Emperor and the pigeon to a nearby veterinary clinic, where the pigeon was given treatment and will soon be transferred to an animal sanctuary. Lord Michael has received official thanks both from the Emperor and from Lord Hengest Crannis, Minister for the Environment, for transporting the pigeon to the vets.
Copanese embassy founded as Wrythe expands
Despite four separate pieces of land joining the Empire only yesterday, Austenasia has expanded once again this evening with the annexation of East Wrythe. This piece of land, comprised of a garden, has been annexed as an exclave of Wrythe, situated roughly a third of a mile from the main town, on a large island of the River Wandle which was named the Island of Wrythe on 10 January earlier this year. This is the first time that the territorial composition of Wrythe has changed since March 2011, when a small piece of land bordering Wrythe granted to the Slinky Empyre was re-annexed after the latter polity collapsed. East Wrythe is adjacent to the house of Queen Emma I of Copan, and has been granted extraterritoriality as an embassy of Copan. Although under Austenasian sovereignty, Copanese law will apply for as long as East Wrythe remains an embassy. This is the first embassy (not counting the symbolic Crepundia) to be founded in the Empire.
Pancake Day celebrated in Wrythe
Residents of Wrythe this morning celebrated Pancake Day – also known as Shrove Tuesday – the day before Lent in Western Christianity. The tradition in Britain is for pancakes to be made on this day, due to Lent having been a time of fasting from animal products, with milk and eggs needing to be used up. Although fasting during Lent is now rarely observed so strictly in western Europe, the tradition of making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday remained in Britain, and has been continued by the population of Austenasia. Pancakes were cooked this morning in the Imperial Kitchen and enjoyed by the Crown Princess, Emperor Mother and Emperor Father. The Emperor himself was not present due to currently living in university accommodation at Roehampton.
