NewsBlink #3: Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil...

NewsBlink #3

Hear No Evil
When you can't admit you're wrong, just put your hands over your ears and sing very loudly. And if you're a Stormarker to boot, turn it into a Viking saga and a Cult of the Emperor just for good measure. Because, so far, the bill for Stormark to sever ties with Cranda is not yet a dead cert, with those pesky voters having the sheer audacity to split the vote evenly both ways at the time of press.

See No Evil
So how's the new Attera geting on? We think the Grand Commonwealth sees it as a tame leopard rather than a roaring Lion of Judah, especially as the Atterans seem very in to things like constitutions and coronations for the time being.

Speak No Evil
All's fine at the GSO. Yes, it really is. No, really. Even though there have been no updates for almost two months, and no indication of any either. But it's ok really, it's only a service, so there's absolutely no need for any publicity or advertising.

And Finally...
Babkha celebrated its sixth anniversary yesterday, so go and congratulate them.

NewsBlinks: blink and you'll miss 'em ^MTM

Newsblink #2: Cranda and Stormark, the GSO, and... Attera?!

NewsBlink #2

Cranda versus Stormark
In a typical show of micronational legal prowess, the Viking Empire of Stormark and the Principality of Upper Cranda are locked in an epic struggle over the ownership of the Vaan Aujoen islands. For those of you not familiar with your history, these are the same islands that some years ago Babkha aggressively claimed from Cranda. Stormark, under the mistaken assumption that Cranda being removed from the MCS map under the Atkins plan made it defunct, had annexed the islands, and this had only now come to the attention of the Prince, Johanns fonn Klosso, famed Atteran ex-co-regent and ex-Prime Minister extraordinaire. So far, nothing has been resolved, but it appears that the Most Sovereign and Noble Viking Emperor will not be apologizing for the annexation, which means the Crandish Diet will likely expel him.

GSO versus Giess
In other news, the GSO has spent another straight week without updating the map or informing its members what, if anything, it might be doing. Sources within the GSO organization say that an attempt to shake the leadership from complacency may be underway, however, we have yet to get official word or any outward signs of it.

Attera versus the World
And finally, on our rather short list (I don't get out much, so sue me), rumors have been circulating about the resurrection of the Solomonic Empire of Attera, long-time hated enemy and rival of the Kingdom of Babkha. The Solomonic Empire was perhaps the only African themed nation around, and was made even more unique by also being Jewish. Its return is no doubt feared by all those in the Grand Commonwealth.

And Finally...
That's it for the news today.

NewsBlinks: blink and you'll miss 'em ^MTM

NewsBlink #1: Stormark Stalks, Cyberias Cogitate, Shireroth Snoozes

NewsBlink #1

Stormark Stalks State
Stormark is living up to its Viking heritage and trying to claim the territory of Oscland, even though the latter merely suffered an abdication and change of government. The Duchess of Romsdal has described the situation as a "Complex and Vexing Problem", but we all know there can only be one "satisfactory solution".

A Couple of Cyberias Cogitate
The VCC is discussing spam e-mail and looking for an electoral commissioner. Meanwhile the FRC is playing a new word game, which is more fun. Probably.

Shireroth Snoozes Serenely
Shireroth's forum is on the blink - the challenging colour scheme is too much even for PHPBB it seems, so it's moved to a temporary location with a readable colour scheme, so now's a good opportunity to catch up on all the stuff you couldn't read before, and discover that they've run out of things to do. Again.

And Finally...
Let sleeping micronations lie. Especially ones like Attera.

NewsBlinks: blink and you'll miss 'em ^MTM

Dreesbach's Interland to Stay with the Grand Commonwealth

Interland's Kaiser, Daniel Dreesbach, has vowed that it will remain a member of the Grand Commonwealth for the foreseeable future, and that it would not rejoin Attera if the latter "came back from the dead".

So far, due to the lack of a public internet presence, the only evidence of this has been the frequency of articles published by the state journal, the Red Shield III. It recently reported that Emperor Mik?el Tzion I had approved the creation of a new "East Interland" in Attera to "teach" Dreesbach how to establish a "viable entity". It will be interesting to see if this can be achieved, given that Interland was allowed to languish for many years under Atteran control.

The Kingdom of Interland voluntarily joined the Grand Commonwealth at the beginning of this month, following its independence from Attera after the change of government that saw founder Emperor Mik?el Tzion I (aka Diga Makonnen) retake control and refocus its presence away from the internet-based nation it had been for a number of years. Kaiser Daniel said that Interland was better off in the Grand Commonwealth as it "retained its sovereignty and own identity".

Commenting about Makonnen and the recent changes in Attera, Dreesbach added: "He has a very defined view of what Attera should be and not be, which has not changed over the years. On the other hand what has changed is how he deals with others, especially within Attera. Diga has been more unbending toward Atterans who disagree with him. That in itself may not be a bad thing but how he dealt with those issues did cause problems."

Shireroth Denies Involvement in SPEAR Alliance

SHIREKEEP, SHIREROTH - Controversy erupted in Shireroth today when an official statement was issued denying any involvement in the SPEAR alliance announced by Attera two days ago.

The Atteran Prime Minister, Johanns fonn Klosso had announced that Attera had signed "the Skiron Pact for Economic and Armed Reinforcement, an agreement between Attera, Shireroth, Natopia, Antica, and the Union of Atteran Monarchies." However, it appears that Attera is the only nation to have actually signed the Pact at the time of press.

Earlier today, the Shirerithian Minister of the Exterior issued the following statement:
"Yesterday, the Prime Minister of the Atteran Empire, HH Johanns fonn Klosso, announced the formation of an organisation called the SPEAR Alliance, apparently an economic and military alliance of which Attera, Shireroth, Natopia, Antica, and the Union of Atteran Monarchies are allegedly members. This announcement was also reported in the news publication Atteran Chronicle World.

"The Imperial Republic of Shireroth categorically states that, contrary to the statement issued by Prime Minister fonn Klosso, it is not a member of the SPEAR Alliance, and that no agreement to join it has either been decreed by His Imperial Highness Kaiser Alejian I, nor approved or even proposed to the Government of Shireroth. Neither has the Shirerithian Minstry of the Exterior received any diplomatic communciations from the Atteran Empire concerning this matter.

"The Imperial Republic of Shireroth therefore requests that the Atteran Empire retracts the issued statement immediately and issues a corrected statement, apologising for the error."

The SPEAR Pact is in for a rough ride in Shireroth if and when it is finally presented there, as it has been designed, through military alliances and a single economic system, to pave the way for potentially closer political ties for the members with the Atteran Empire. This is highly likely to conflict with a number of treaties that Shireroth currently holds with other nations, which is guaranteed to upset a significant proportion of Shirerithians.

Taoiseach Condemns Illegal Activities

COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL TERRITORY, GC - The Taoiseach of the Grand Commonwealth, Lachlan Powers, today released a statement to the peoples of the Commonwealth condemning the actions of any nation who violates macronational laws.

While not specifically mentioning any nation, or condemning any nation, the Taoiseach's declaration was clearly pointed at the comments made by the Atteran Emperor late yesterday.

Taoiseach Powers made it clear that the Commonwealth would condemn any nation which

"...wilfully participates in the destruction of National Documents and Electronic Data, attempts to access documents or data to which they are not privileged, attempts to deploy codes and ‘weapons’ against the hosting and email services of anyone [and] threats to level the abovementioned means and weapons against any person or nation."

He also stated that:

"The Grand Commonwealth does not wish to seek relations with any community who acts, or supports nations who act, in a manner that is uncivilised and considered illegal in marcronational countries (including, but not limited to, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Australia), and condemns the actions of any persons who do act in such a manner. Disputes between nations should be rightfully settled through negotiation and diplomacy, not through the threat of illegal actions."

The inclusion of the phrase "from this day forward" and the lack of an official condemnation of Attera indicates that the Taoiseach may be willing to forgive the actions and comments the Emperor yesterday and work towards a peaceful outcome of the situation surrounding Santa Gertrudis.

For the latest information on the Grand Commonwealth, stay tuned to the Apollo Inquisitor.

Attera Threatens the Commonwealth

ADELWIN, AERLIG, GC - After a certain talking dog publicised this week plans by the Grand Commonwealth to launch a protection force to the former San Martin territory of Santa Gertrudis, tempers have reached boiling point between the Commonwealth and Attera.

Late this afternoon Atteran Emporer Mik'el Tzion I made a statement at the MNN Forums threatening to "take out" the Commonwealth if it entered the Santa Gertrudis territories. Earlier in the week, Attera entered into an agreement with the one-person state to protect its colonies from any invasion of their territories.

The Grand Commonwealth is yet to make an official comment on the matter, but it is sure to not look to kindly upon being threatened by the Atteran menace. Attera’s suggestion of undertaking illegal activities to make its point, as has been done in the past, appears to only have further enraged some Commonwealth citizens.

For the latest information from around Micras, keep reading the Apollo Inquisitor.

Lose Some, Win More...

Micronations.Net has received four new personal warrants from heads of state for the provision of its news services.

The new warrants, which may be seen on the homepage of its website, were received following the withdrawal of the warrant from the Atteran Emperor, a politically-manipulated protest following the failure of Atteran Chronicle World to qualify for the recently-introduced MNN Accredited Sources scheme.

The warrants were granted by the Emperors of Minorca and Lemuria, the Kaiser of Shireroth and the Protector of Aerlig, with the Minorcan one replacing that provided by its predecessor Baracão.

Attera Launches South Asia Assistance Fund

In the wake of the recent devastating tsunami that caused vast destruction and loss of life throughout the East Indies and many other Indian Ocean islands and coastal regions, the Atteran government has created the Atteran South Asia Assistance Fund (ASAAF).

With authorisation from Prime Minister Johanns fonn Klosso, the ASAAF's goal is to raise "to raise at least US$200 to help alleviate the crisis in South and Southeast Asia", a target believed to be reasonable and achievable given the financial status of the majority of Atterans.

Donations will be forwarded via Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore and are being co-ordinated by Charles Beard, who said: "All micronationalists, of every country or macronationality, are invited to participate in ASAAF's fundraising drive. While the donation will be made in the name of the Solomonic Empire of Attera, the micronations of all who participate will be mentioned in the letter I send to CRS. I implore you, for the sake of those who are suffering, to consider making a donation to ASAAF."

He added: "I believe ASAAF's work can help build bridges between micronations and micronationalists, but more importantly, with those who are suffering, and do not have the luxury of micronationalism."

Treesia Increases Early Lead

Speedway Stadium, Treesia- After two draws in the opening round of the 2004 EIFA Champions Trophy, no-one was willing to settle for level scores yesterday, with definite winners emerging in each match of the second round.

The closest match of was that between world numbers one and two Treesia and Aerlig, which finished with a final score of 3-2. Both teams had a good first half, each managing to score a goal. The game looked set to finish in a two-all draw before Treesia stole away with four minutes to go, running the length of the field before setting up a magnificent shot from just outside the square. Aerlig goalkeeper Tyde vanHorshan, recently returned from injury after the Babkha Tri-Nations incident, could do nothing to stop the goal which shot between the goalposts at tremendous speed.

Karnali showed off its own skills, almost immediately proving too much for EIFA newcomer Navland, which looked as though it was already out of the match after the first ten minutes. Karnali pounced on their inexperience and broke away, scoring an amazing 10 goals to Navland's 2.

Attera faced its second loss of the tournament, when it went down to Cranda 6-3.

Treesia now sits with a clear lead at the top of the Champions Trophy league table with two wins and six points, followed by Karnali and Cranda who have one win each. Aerlig and Navland sit on one point with a draw each to their names, while Attera sits solely at the bottom with no points.

The EIFA Champions Trophy action takes place every second day until November 19th, with three matches per day. It is hosted by the Sovereign Order of Treesia at the Speedway Stadium Treesia, and live results can be seen on the official website.

Treesia Celebrates in Classic Style

Speedway Stadium, Treesia- The Sovereign Order of Treesia has rounded off its fourth anniversary celebrations in classic fashion, and reinforced its position as being the world's number one ranked football team, by opening the 2004 EIFA Champions Trophy with a decisive 7-4 victory over the rising power of Atteran football in a fast-paced match on Tuesday.

The Treesian attack proved too much for the Atterans, who were unable to limit the scoring to a insurmountable total. Treesia broke away early in the first half, scoring four goals, to which Attera could only manage three. Attera crumbled in the second half, scoring just one goal in reply to three from Treesia.

In other matches in the same round, Navland was unable to score anything against Aerlig's strong defence, with the game finishing in a 0-0 draw. Cranda and Karnali also ended the round with a draw at 4-all.

The EIFA Champions Trophy is being hosted by the Sovereign Order of Treesia at the Speedway Stadium Treesia. The tournament ends on November 19th, and live results can be seen on the official website.

EIFA Tri Nations GF Rematch Produces a Winner!

Adelwin, Aerlig - The Superdome was again packed to the rafters today with people queuing in the streets for days to get their hands on tickets for the Grand Final Rematch of the EIFA Tri-nations Tourney. With the current world champions of German Soccer and the runners-up in the English World Cup doing battle, an estimated 67,000 people made their way to the dome to watch the match.

They weren't to be disappointed either. The match got off to a blazing start, with a Babkhan goal in the first five minutes sending the crowd wild. When the Atterans quickly replied, a deafening roar echoed through the stadium. A scuffle broke out between a number of Babkha and Atteran nationals in the Eastern Stand after Babkha put away two more goals to take the lead 3-1, but with those fans removed the crowd went back to focusing on the game to notice that the Atterans had shot away to 3-4. The teams went back and forward scoring before the end of the first half, levelling the scores at 8 all.

The Babkha defence in the second half proved too much for the Atterans however, who only managed to score 2 goals in response to Babkha's 4.

With Babkha's win in this Tourney they have risen to 11th in the World Rankings, just below Navland and Cranda. Additional points to Attera sent it above New Macadam, while Aerlig was bumped up one place above Karnali to second.

EIFA is certainly heating up, with more action soon to come including the Champions Cup and the October Karnalian Tournament, all before the World Cup in three months time!

FINAL SCORE: Babkha 12 defeated Attera 10
CROWD: 67,028 @ MZM Superdome, Adelwin

Sovereign Order Finally Chooses Its Chairman

HALBERD LIGHTHOUSE, S.O. TREESIA - Following what may be one of the most protracted votes ever in micronational history (with nominations having started back in May), Eoin Dornan has been overwhelmingly elected as the first Chairman of the Sovereign Order of Treesia.

Dornan founded and led the original Barony of Treesia and Fabon in October 2000, when the world looked very different, and is currently Prime Minister of Attera. He was elected from a list of three candidates, which included former cleric J John Herueus and Grand Chancellor Sir Iain de Vembria.

Chairman Dornan was unavailable for comment at time of press, but he is expected to fulfil his duties with as much dedication as he gave to Treesia as Ard-Baron, and without unduly impinging on all the other things he gets up to, which you can read all about in his no-holds-barred Livejournal.

Formula Z Finishes With a Flourish

COURLAND BARRACKS, GOTZBORG - Motorsports fans were awed when members of the Gotzborg Royal Family attended the final Formula Z race last Sunday (5th), and then presented the end-of-season prizes afterwards. King August Charles II raided the family silver to hand over some glittering trophies to the first Formula Z World Champion Driver, Trevon Andarosel, as well as series co-organiser and race winner Iain de Vembria, and the World Champion Team, Knightrider Racing.

In his acceptance speech, Andarosel broke down in tears as he thanked "my team, the organisation committee of Formula Z and the MML, the nations who hosted the tracks,... my pet sandworm, my parents and other family, the university for wasting their bandwidth, the guys who developed HTML, PHP and MySQL, Brattain and Bardeen for building the first transistor, James Maxwell for developing the electromagnetic theory, and, finally, Extreme007 for not discovering how to win races before halfway through the season."

Formula Z is a motorracing simulation that was launched in the wake of the growing success of other micronational sports, particularly association football, and has achieved a remarkably consistently high level of participation for each race. Charles II said of it: "Formula Z is an enjoyable respite from stuffy government offices, heated debates, and diplomatic activities. It is an engagement in which people from all over micronations come together to challenge others, themselves and participate in something that is fun."

Races were held in seven micronations in this year: Attera, Aerlig, Babkha, Prya, Istvanistan, S.O. Treesia and Gotzborg.

News Shorts (4 August 2004) (8 Shorts)

Attera - The EIFA AtterCup concluded last week with the team from Navland taking home the trophy, beating World Cup winners Karnali in the final.

Attera - Attera celebrated its 25^th Anniversary a couple of days ago. Happy birthday from all of us at the Inquisitor!

Babkha/Attera - The Babkhan/Atteran cold war of the past three years has finally concluded with the signing of the Argaath Perez Accords.

Shireroth - Shireroth's Landsraad is currently on a week's break to allow things to settle down and give people a break from the current law making frenzy. The nations legislature looks set to settle the chicken-in-the-lawbook debate when it returns.

Shireroth - The Shirerithians are underway with planning for a face-to-face conference of Shirerothian affairs. Events such as a meeting of the Landsraad and performance of the micronational classic Mogbeth are set to take place on Labour Day weekend (whenever that might be ;)).

Panzerland - The nation run by the guy with the fantastic Stalag13.com email address is considering making Slobovia a protectorate of itself. Discussions are underway between Slobovia's President Thompson and the Panzerlandian Kaiser about the arrangements.

Panzerland - Panzerland is roaring onto the MN scene with its German-themed forum. The Waffenwerks are swinging into production, so before their heads get too big drop into the nation (http://p205.ezboard.com/bpanzerland) and stop a Blitzkreig. Hail Wulf!

Shireroth - The Olympic Games are just nine days away, and so are the micronational equivalent. Discussion is still occurring over whether Monopoly will be included in the final program, but it looks like ten nations will compete in the tournament.

English Soccer Takes Off Again

Adelwin, Aerlig- The two English Soccer Leagues, EIFA (National Teams) and EMSL (Club teams) have again kicked off, with the relaunch of EIFA and the launching of the third season of the EMSL.

EIFA recently concluded the AtterCup tournament in Attera, seeing two new nations joining the association. With the conclusion of the tournament EIFA also launched a new website and ranking system, available online at www.mncentre.net/eifa/. The new ranking system is designed to make the league more accountable, being based on points and ranks of different tournaments.

Planning is currently underway for the upcoming EIFA Champions Cup to be hosted by the Sovereign Order of Treesia, where the Association's top six teams will battle it out to try and improve their ranking position.

The EMSL is also restarting in September, with the league currently taking team registrations for the season. Teams interested in registering should head to the EMSL website at http://www.joachimseitz.de/aerlig/emsl/.

EIFA AtterCup Kicks Off This Week

Attera- The EIFA Football Season is revving up again with the start of the EIFA AtterCup this Friday in Attera.

To be battled out between Aerlig, Feianova, Attera, Treesia, Navland and Karnali, the cup is running in a round robin tournament out of Attera's shiny new Rasnet Group Stadium. The first game will kick off on Friday evening between Attera and Aerlig, while Feianova battles reigning World Cup Champions Karnali. Newcomer Navland will then face off against the football heavyweights from Treesia.