FNORD! Malarbor Green with Envy as 2006 Winners are Announced!

THE NORTON LOUNGE, MNN - This morning His Majesty the King of Gotzborg presented the 2006 FNORD Awards, in association the Royal Institute of Micronational Antiquities (RIMA), but the Shireroth's Evil Tree God (TM) Malarbor (TM) was so jealous at the winner of the journalism award that he created his own.

Addressing the assembled audience, His Majesty thanked the awards committee and applauded the new awards, commending this year's changes and improvements, and declaring that they "represent the best examples of the people, efforts, projects and micronations which make up... the most dynamic community in our online world".

He added that, irrespective of the numerous reasons for people coming together to participate in micronations, in the end everyone walks away from their experiences "better for the interaction, better for the opportunities and better for the time spent".

The official award winners are:

Best New Micronationalist - Carson Smith
Best Revolutionary Concept - The Kingdom of Lovely
The Bill Dusch Award for Micronational Cultural Development - Ric Lyon
The Odlum Award for Individual Achievement - Ryan Caruso
The Norton Award for Excellence in the Field of Journalism - Novaya Zemlya
The Peter Little Award for Excellence in Micronational Literature - Greg Russell
The RIMA Award for Excellence in Micronational History - The Staff of Microwiki

Meanwhile, Malarbor's (TM) Malarbor Award for Journalistic Nift (TM) went to Nick "Foghorn" Leghorn.

Elwynn Pays Tribute to Babkha's Anniversary

Today the Shah of Babkha was honoured as a new Count in Elwynn as tribute to Babkha's fifth anniversary celebrations. Elwynn is a Barony of Shireroth, and the Shah was created the Count of Lesser Zjandaria by the Baron of Elwynn, RicLyon, and was bestowed a new County of the same name, incorporating three detached communes within Elwynn.

In his decree, the Baron of Elwynn said: "In honouring the foundation of the Babkhan nation and recognizing that so many people of this great Land of ours feel affection for their Babkhan nationhood and ethnicity, the Baronial Authority of this State feels that it is with all right that a county shall be created for them in the areas in which they form a distinct majority."

Shah Ardashir Osmani, in an exclusive interview with the Apollo Inquisitor, said: "We have been pleasantly surprised and honoured by this unexpected and most generous award from the Baron of Elwynn. As Count we promise to rule wisely and firmly with traditional Babkhan humour and fair play, and also to demonstrate the respect and hospitality towards our neighbours for which we are so rightly famous."

Shireroth Gets Paranoid Over and Suspends Immigration

SHIREKEEP, SHIREROTH - Shireroth's much-vaunted recent recruitment campaign seems to have spectactularly backfired this evening, when the entire immigration process was suspended indefinitely as a result of the growing realisation that acquiring as many new citizens as it did was useless if they had nothing to do and kept disappearing as a result.

The unprecendented panic measure was introduced this evening by Minister of the Interior and
Director of Tourism, and Steward, Fax Celestis, who in a statement, said: "Due to the large influx of new immigrants who have yet to show their faces more than twice, and due to the recent additions of citizens for the express purpose of obtaining a means to an end, instead of the betterment of the nation, there is now a freeze on all immigration to Shireroth."

The Minister's statement also hints at Shireroth's first rejection of an immigrant application for many months, if not years. This evening he denied citizenship to Stormarkian Lady Vesteralen, on the grounds that he feared that she was only wanting to join in order to "join the nation simply [to] fight in the War of Vengeance and then become inactive." However, vigourous lobbying by the RicLyon, Baron of Elwynn and Lac Glacei, later convinced the Minister to make an exception to the new immigration regime, by permitting a decree by the Baron allowing her a "chance of proving herself", who explained that the decree "has no legal effect anywhere else. The decree simply states that in Elwynn she is to be regarded as a companion. That means that she can engage with us other Elwynnese on an equal basis in our community".

Both decisions were roundly condemned by many fellow Shirerithians, but it highly unlikely that the situation will be resolved until after the true Kaiser (who unfortunately is ill) is able to return.

The End of Menelmacar

After a good month of compelete inactivity, Ric Lyon has declared the end of OAM, and with it the official end of the Menelmacar era. This end was long anticipated, because before the last month of inactivity, the country had already been withering away for about a year and was only being kept alive by idle chatting between Mari Greenwood and Kathyrn.

In his final speech, Ric Lyon, probably the only person who had citizenship in all incarnations of the micronation, referred to the hopeful start of the new nation in the summer of 2002 and to its long and slow downfall during the following year. His speech was written in Tolkienian style, in accordance with the theme of the micronation. Finally he addressed the new inhabitants of the land that Menelmacar once occupied on the MCS map: "My last hopes remain in the new rulers of Fëanoria, that they will toil the barren land, and make her once more bloom in all splendour. Blessings I give to the friends in the Red Antilles of the Fëanorian Isles." Ironically he ended the speech in the OAM forum with "peace and somemen", a phrase contributed to Archetype23, former arch-enemy of this part of Menelmacar.

It is not certain that Ric Lyon had the authority to declare the end of Menelmacar, as he officially resigned his citizenship on the 25th of February this year. However, it is unlikely that anybody cares enough to contest his declaration.