Shireroth: Future Less Ugly

Shirekeep, Imperial Republic of Shireroth:

Kaiser Los III's brave and controversial decision to overturn a long standing Shirerithian tradition of horrendous forum designs has met with partial success with a new and undeniably beautiful banner replacing the old and rather unsightly Shirerithian 'jack' - the flag of a globe spanning empire that looked as though it was drawn by an eight year old on ritalin when in fact it was designed by Erik, the founder of Shireroth, sometime in the dim and distant past though presumably not when he was eight and on ritalin (disclaimer).

The Shirerithians have also enaged robustly with their infamous forum background replacing the infamous tiled Malabor effect with a stretched forest village scene that while not exactly pretty is at least not quite as queasy and unsettling as its predecessor.

However Kaiser Los, for his efforts to prevent foreigners and new citizens (of whom there are now a considerable number thanks to a recent advertising campaign) being physically sick whilst they browse, has come under a certain amount of criticism from Shirerithian traditionalists, of who there is, predictably, a substantial minority that considers an alteration to the appearance of the forum to be an unpardonable slight against all that is right and holy in Shireroth. However it is hard to tell whether the Yardistanis have oppossed the redesign just to be bloody-minded and eccentric.

So controversial has the thorny issue of removing Malabor been that Kaiser Los, who is blessed with a degree of absolute authority that Anticans can only dream of, has had to resort to finding consensus (the Kaiser incidentally says that he always favours reaching a consensus, but then he would say that wouldn't he) via opinion polls in the Temple of Lumina. The result of the poll appears to have given a landslide in favour of the redesign but rumours persist that the result was slightly skewed on account of a certain unnamed member of the Almagro family voting a dozen times.

It seems likely that the new forum design will survive the reign of Kaiser Los III though whether it will do so without bloodshed is entirely another matter.

Shireroth Convulses the World

These are strange days, and things have just gotten a whole lot stranger. Shireroth has now done something that it has always vowed never to do (i.e. consider changing its forum design), while simultaneously a semi-senior micronationalist was last seen turning into a goose and subsequently plotting a campaign against some of his allies. Coincidence, or consequence?

So just what is going on? The Kaiser of Shireroth has apparently cracked under the overwhelming pressure of foreign opinion and published not one, but two polls regarding the future look of the Imperial Republic's message boards.

Shirerithians have resisted for many years any changes their look, inspite of some brave but (in hindsight) foolhardy attempts to do so (resulting in people being exiled, for example), relying instead on potential visitors and citizens to be of strong enough mind to overcome such visually-challenging issues as under-contrasted (blue on blue) and over-contrasted (red on blue) text (and sometimes both together), uncoordinated background patterns, over-enlarged (and thus horribly pixelated) background images, decorative images in a cornucopia of differing styles and quality, and various banners that take up almost as much screen space as the boards themselves. The national symbols have been subtly improved in recent months, although a garish anti-aliased flag has only been replaced by one just as garish (although at least aliased now), but with most un-flag-like 3-dimensional bevelled edges.

Such fundamental changes are never without unforeseen consequences, and the global convulsions resulting from this improbable change in the status quo have seemingly been so great that they have managed to turn the mind of a once-respected micronationalist, so that he is convinced that he is a goose on a one-bird crusade to rule the world, making everyone a vegetarian on the way and creating a glut of fermented apples in the process, while allegedly accompanied by an army of pecking moorhens.

In the meantime, new forum designs are being tested in a new Temple of Lumina, surreptitiously hidden away in an isolated corner of Shireroth. The current proposal is a rather smarter design full of reds and blues, but the opinion polls remain divided on the subject. Malarbor, as yet, doesn't seem too bothered about it though, preferring to bask in the glory of making public appearances instead.

New Protector for the Commonwealth

Taoiseach's Winter Office- Adelwin, Aerlig (GC)- The Taoiseach today announced the first Protector of the Commonwealth, and extended his cabinet by one with the appointment of Thomas Cutterham to two positions this morning.

In a statement in the Apadana, Taoiseach Powers announced that Mr Cutterham would take up the role of Deputy Foreign Affairs Advisor, to help clear some of the backlog of Foreign Relations currently plaguing the nation. In the same statement, Powers also announced that Cutterham would take up the position of Protector of the Commonwealth.

The Protector of the Commonwealth is empowered under the Protector of the Commonwealth Act to act as the Taoiseach while the Taoiseach is on a Leave of Absence. Taoiseach Powers shall be taking a leave of absence next week.

This will be only the second head of government in the country, with Powers serving as the Taoiseach since the nations founding in March this year.

Karnali joins the GC

Protector's Office, CCT (GC)- The Republic of Karnali has finally completed the process of becoming a member state of the Grand Commonwealth, with Tribune extreme007 today accepting the Charter of the Grand Commonwealth on behalf of the Republic.

The Commonwealth's Majlis-i-Shahan-Ri voted three weeks ago to admit the Republic to the Commonwealth, but the representatives from Karnali have only just accepted the offer to the nation. One of the conditions of the union, the renaming of the Majlis-i-Shahan-Ri to the Majlis-I-Dharma, has also taken place effective today.

Taoiseach Lachlan Powers and Shahan-Ri Tahmaseb Shah Abakhtari welcomed Karnali to the Commonwealth early this morning, and since the union the Commonwealth has seen a surge in activity unseen in any other nation.

Karnali is the sixth member state to join the Grand Commonwealth.

Aryez threatens Commonwealth, exposed as fraud

MZM CAPITAL OFFICE, CCT (GC) - The Aralanic Empire of Aryez has been exposed today trying to lure Antica into an attack on the Grand Commonwealth with false and misleading information.

Aryez approached the Antican Foreign Office yesterday declaring that "war between Aryez and the GC seems to be imminent" and claiming that unidentified members of the Grand Commonwealth had made derogatory remarks about the nation. The approach followed similar comments at Aryez's own forums. The slanderous rampage then continued into the Grand Commonwealth's own foreign affairs headquarters, with Aryez calling for death to the Commonwealth and calling for the trial of the Commonwealth's Taoiseach, for crimes against humanity, although these claims were backed up with neither examples nor evidence.

A quick conference between leaders of the Commonwealth and Antica soon laid down fears of any conflict, and it was almost instantly apparent that the claims had all been falsified. Aryez then tried to jump on the back foot by claiming that their account had been hacked after it became clear that Antica would not get involved, even though there was an abundance of evidence to the contrary. Nothing has been heard of since from the Aryezian government.

For all the latest news, keep reading the Apollo Inquisitor.

Aerlig Elects New Parliament

ADELWIN, AERLIG - The Aerlig Electoral Commission returned results today for the twelfth session of Parliament of the Republic of Aerlig.

The election saw a record-matching seven candidates run for the five positions available in the Parliament, only the third time that an election has been held for the Parliament. While the campaign this year lacked the ferociousness of the last election campaign, many of the candidates petitioned hard for their positions on the Parliament.

Protector Lachlan Powers announced the results early this morning to a large crowd gathered on the lawns of the Protector's Office. The five returned members were Peter Krembs (Labor), Lachlan Powers (XP), Dugobert Wurmser (XP), Joe Sendler (ANP) and Carson Smith (Ind.). Iain Vembria and Jayce Adryn, both members of the Expansionist Party, missed out in a very tight vote.

So far, only one member has put his hand up for the role of Prime Minister, that being Mr Krembs. Krembs returned to Aerlig recently after a prolonged absence. With no party having a majority in the Parliament, and Powers indicating support of a Krembs ministry, there is a good chance he may get the top job.

For all the latest news, keep reading the Apollo Inquisitor.

MX2 Opens To International Trade

MX2, the long-awaited replacement for PHP MicroXchange, opened to international trade today. MX2 already has ten member nations signed up, and represents months of programming and testing by its creators, Sander Dieleman and Jouker Sendler.

Some new operating restrictions are in force in order to prevent possible misuse of the system. Firstly, no user may initiate more than 5 international transactions within a period of two hours, and secondly, no more than 15% of a nation's circulating money may be transferred abroad every week.

Jouker Sendler, who also hosts MX2, said: "We hope that these limits will not be too restrictive. However, they might be reviewed and changed if necessary. So anyone who cannot transfer money because of these restrictions should post that information in the MX2 Forums, explaining why they think the restrictions should be changed."

Micronational economics has been in the doldrums for many months, mainly due to the absence of any viable operating system, so it will be interesting to see if MX2 can revive demand back to the levels seen in the days of the old ICEO. Certainly the automation of transactions, developed from the initial system in Sander Dieleman's PHP MicroXchange, should help.

Board Restorations May Take a Week or More

Some micronational Ezboards may take a week to restore, following a devasting malicious attack on the Ezboard network yesterday.

The attack resulted in a signifcant loss of current and backup data, creating severe problems for most of the Ezboard communities, some with only recent posts missing, while others have all posts missing.

Rob Labatt, Ezboard CEO, said: "We are taking the fastest route to restore data, but it may take up to 48 hours to get data back to approximately 9,000 boards. A more manual method requiring upwards of seven to ten days is required to restore data to the other boards that lost data. Regrettably we may not be able to restore data to all boards that lost data."

Ezboard staff have requested that requests for board restorals and notices of individual board problems are not submitted as all boards will be restored (where possible).

All Ezboard users are advised to regularly check 'All the News You Need to Know' for updates regarding the latest situation.

They are also advised not to post new messages on affected boards as there is a risk that they may be overwritten during the restoration process.

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.

Aerlig to hold Elections

ADELWIN, AERLIG - Aerlish Protector Lachlan Powers early this evening prorogued the Parliament on request of the citizens, calling for nominations for the twelfth parliament of the Republic.

The Protector has called for nominations to the new Parliament, which is to be made up of five members. With eight currently active citizens in the Republic, there is a strong chance of an election occurring for the available seats. During the election period, Prime Minister Carson Smith will continue to head the caretaker government.

Should an election be called, it is expected that the newly renamed Labour Party, led by Peter Krembs, will fight a strong campaign for seats in the Parliament. The new Aerlig National Party should secure at least one seat under original Aerlig citizen Joe Sendler, while the eXpansionist Party will look to gain up to three seats in the election. The Liberal Republican Party, led by former citizen and Prime Minister Kevin, is expected to lose all representation in the Parliament and consequently be stripped of party status.

Nominations are being accepted by the Protector for ten days until June 2.

More the latest news from Aerlig, keep reading the Apollo Inquisitor.

Chaos in Shireroth!

SHIREKEEP, SHIREROTH - Shireroth descended into anarchy this afternoon with protests raging of the reorganisation of the nations forums.

All PRH has broken loose as the commoners of the Republic have taken to streets demanding that the archives of their former Duchies and Baronies be opened to the public. Minister of the Interior Joseph Strong stood by his decision to lock the forums, stating that the new duchies created under the Duchy Reorganisation Act do not in fact exist until the Kaiser appoints three new Dukes.

This legal basis was not a good enough argument for the Shireroth commoners, who continued bickering until the Minister was forced to bow to the pressure and open up the new forums to the public. Arguments continue to rage, however, over the Ministers use of codenames and images for the new forums, which have quite obviously been put in place temporarily to reorganise the forums. Some citizens, however, appear to believe the Minister has taken it upon himself to rename parts of the nation.

Some visitors to the nation have suggested that the internal brawl may be the work of secret Grand Commonwealth forces infiltrating the Republic to destabilise it, although these rumours appear to be completely unfounded.

More news from Shireroth as it comes to hand, only in the Apollo Inquisitor.

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.