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."

NEWS FLASH: Lemurian Ramu Assassinated!

Nista Ramure, Lemuria- The second Ramu of the Empire of Lemuria, Ramu Taiçardainre I, was found dead in his palace this morning, when attendants failed to rouse him from a strong night of celebrations last evening.

The Mu was rushed by ambulance motorcade to the Ramure Central Hospital at around 6:30am this morning, after failing to rise for a meeting with the new Government of the Empire. After spending an hour trying to revive the beloved leader, the Ramu was declared dead at 7:47am.

It was soon announced to the media by Meran Aauberman, who was to be sworn in today as the Officer for State Affairs, that the Ramu had died silently in his sleep from what appeared to be a poison inserted into his food or drink sometime during the previous night. The slow acting agent did not affect the Mu until well after he had returned to the palace last night. He had not complained of any pain or injury before retiring for the night, so it can only be assumed that he died peacefully once asleep.

Rumours are already circulating that the assassination may have been the work of a small splinter group who were unhappy with the nations withdrawal yesterday from the Grand Commonwealth. Police have not yet released a statement to the media, but an unusual amount of activity at police headquarters today show that they may have a number of leads on the case.

The Council of Elders has been called into emergency session this afternoon for the arduous task of appointing a new Ramu to the Lemurian throne. There is currently no clear contender amongst the Lemurian families to take the role, who were all very fond of the now deceased leader. Being the youngest Ramu to date, at just 28, there has been little previous discussion about a possible successor for Taiçardainre. A spokesman for the Aféñ family said that ?Mu Taiçardainre has been a uniting force for the Empire, just as Ségirdair was before him. It is hard to believe that we have lost two great leaders in as many years.?

A memorial service for Taiçardainre I will be held next Monday in the national capital. It has been declared that all flags will fly at half mast till this date.

Apollo Inquisitor will keep you up to date on the latest in this breaking story as it comes to hand.

Lemuria Leaves; Interland Joins

Meredosa, Lemuria- The Majlis-i-Dharma today voted 6-2 to allow the Empire of Lemuria to leave the Grand Commonwealth.

In one of the quickest votes to date by the council of Commonwealth states, the vote was proposed by Lemuria?s Ramu Taiçardainre I. All members of the Majlis voted in favour of the vote except for Babkhan delegate Osman Shahanshan, who was interested in seeing the Commonwealth stay preserved with its original membership.

On the home front, Lemurian?s began rejoicing in the streets when news of the vote reached the national capital. A vox pop on the streets of some citizens found, however, that there was a small minority of the population not happy with the outcome of the vote.

The passage of the vote marks the end of a remarkable third session of the Majlis, where it has admitted just its second new member state, the Imperial Kingdom of Interland, after the fall of the Atteran Empire. It also saw the introduction of numerous key pieces of legislation, such as the recently passed Banking Act, which has seen the introduction of a Commonwealth currency.

The third session of the Majlis has now retired, awaiting the swearing in of members of the fourth session, and the election of a new Taoiseach.

Interland Joins, Lemuria Leaves

CCT, GC- The Grand Commonwealth looks set to change its face, with the Imperial Kingdom of Interland applying for membership of the Commonwealth, and the Empire of Lemuria seeking to secede from the union.

Interland, which recently left the Atteran Commonwealth, immediately took up protectorate status within the Grand Commonwealth upon its withdrawal from Attera. Kaiser Daniel von Dreebach has been quick to move, applying for full membership within the Grand Commonwealth almost immediatley. Full membership will give Interland voting status in the Majlis-i-Dharma; an equal say with any of the other member nations.

On the other side of the post, the Empire of Lemuria, has presented a motion to the Majlis-i-Dharma to allow its secession from the Commonwealth. The Ramu of Lemuria, ejen ranti taicardainre, has presented a motion amending the Charter to remove the nation from the Commonwealth. What the plans are for the nation are yet unknown, and being the first nation to apply to leave the Commonwealth it is unsure how delegates will vote. The motion requires two-thirds support to pass.

Depending on how delegates cast their votes in the Majlis, the Commonwealth could have a very different face by the end of the week.

Norton Awards Revived!

Following his special appearance at last year's FNORD Awards as Guest of Honour, President Kevin Baugh of Molossia has decided to revive the original Norton Awards this year, at the suggestion of Carson Smith, the King of Ronen, among many other things.

As before, the Norton Awards are held to celebrate Emperor Norton Day on January 8th, to commemorate the anniversary of his death in 1880. A short biography of his life and achievements may be found here.

The winners of the 2005 Norton Awards are:

Cultural achievement: President Kevin Baugh - for developing the Republic of Molossia's culture.
Intermicronational achievement: Marjorie Boodlesmythe of the NFA - for getting Micro-Net back on the Internet.
Political achievement: Northern Forest Archipelago - for being mentioned in 2 articles in the macronational press, one article focusing mainly on the NFA.
New micronation of the year: Utopia - for its promotion of individual sovereignty, and Interlingua as a common tongue.
Personal achievement: Kieran Bennett, Julian Starr, and Richard Shears - for the founding of Kallidéa.

Blast From the Past: Micro-nations.org Returns!

After an absence of several months, the latest incarnation of the what is arguably the mother-of-all-micronational boards of recent years is in the process of returning.

Originally set-up as an alternative to the long-defunct Micronations Today by Lars-Erik Bryld of Corvinia, the last incarnation was in the care of Alteria's Chas Jago, under the name of Micro-Nations.Net (not to be confused with Micronations.Net), under his internet service provider ceased trading last year.

In the intervening period the missing forum was replaced by a temporary blog, and then by two successive boards provided by Majorie Boodlesmythe of the Northern Forest Archipelago. Meanwhile the actual archive of the micro-nations.org and micro-nations.net era boards had come into the possession of Richard Shears, once of the Democracy of Cherusken-Insonomia, but now of Kallidéa.

Following extensive negotiations with Chas Jago, and a meeting in Paris on January 4th, a skeleton site has been set-up, with the domain name of www.micro-nations.com, to host a revived board, plus eventually all the available archives. The actual site is hosted by Kallidéa, with the webmaster being Martì-Páir Furxheir, Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of Talossa and co-founder of ESTO, and while former MNO moderators Sogoln yg Ysca and Kevin have been invited to resume their former positions.

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.

Babkhan Crown Pushes Agenda

KAMALSHAHR, BABKHA - After weeks of relative quiet on the home front following the passing of a new Constitution thatgreatly expands the role of the Babkhan Crown vis-a-vis the Babkhan legislature, Shahanshah of Babkha - Osman Shahanshah - in a series of Imperial Farmans, has effectively sealed the dominance of the Throne over the domestic agenda even as the Royal Shahiyar Palace secured a major legislative victory in Majlis.

Between Christmas and New Year's Day, the Palace has issued seven Imperial Farmans ranging in scope from setting up a new government, establishing an economic system and awarding titles to friends abroad.

His Highness the Sultan of Hatay, Muhammed al-Baqir, a relative newcomer to the Kingdom of Babkha, but one who has seen great advancement in a relatively short time, assumed the Grand Viziership under Imperial Farman 031205. He replaced Amir Shervanis, also of the Behsaz Party. Sultan al-Baqir has been a unwavering supporter of the Palace, and critics claim that his appointment to the Grand Vizierate only cements the Palace's hold over all political power outside of its immediate grasp. To his credit, Sultan al-Baqir quickly moblized the Kingdom's various ministries and helped guide the Subjugation Bill through the Majlis despite the vehement protests of Satrap and former Grand Vizier, Rakesh Maziar Ackbar. It is widely rumored that Sultan al-Baqir will be named as Crown Prince when Osman Shahanshah announces the line of succession on Saturday January 7th.

The infamous nation-state of Aryez along with its founder Aryeztur formally joined the Kingdom of Babkha as a Sultanate held in direct fief to the Imperial Crown under Farman 051205. After a short stint as part of Lavalon, rejection by both the Dinarchy of Antica and the Imperial Republic of Shireroth - Aryez has finally found a resting place in Babkha, even as its founder Aryeztur was stripped of his Sultanate less than 24 hours after joining the Kingdom.

Following the tradition of past Shahanshah's, New Year's Awards were presented by and through Farman 081205. While eight prominent micronationalists were awarded for their various accomplishments, no Babkhan were recognized, which was seen as a significant departure from previous New Year's Awards. King Danny I and presenters of Radio Lovely, all of the Kingdom of Lovely, were awarded the Grand Collar of the Order of the Rastakhiz and the Order of Merit respectively. Novaya Zemylan citizens were also recognized as Premier Vladimir Alexi was also awarded with the Grand Collar and Krasniy Yastreb was honored with the Nishan-i-Liaqat for his unique approach to space exploration.

The Palace was unavailable for comment on any of these Farmans.

Two Lovely Awards for the Inquisitor!

The Apollo Inquisitor has picked up two Lovely gongs at the 2005 Lovely Broadcasting Corporation Media Awards.

The Inquisitor won the award for Foreign Newspaper of the Year, while co-owner and editor Sir Iain de Vembria was named Foreign Reporter of the Year.

The is the first year of the LBC Media Awards, which were founded by the Lovely Broadcasting Corporation to honour the best national and micronational newspapers, and radio and television productions, as a means of "inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity".

Chancellor Vembria Speaks!

SECURE UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, SAHANSARI-TARA; The Apollo Inquisitor is pleased to announce that it has secured an exclusive interview with the Chancellor of Internal Affairs, Sir Iain Vembria, the saviour of Treesia and scourge of Shirerithian Imperialism.

Apollo Inquisitor: Now, Sir Iain, how do you feel now that you are returned to the office of Chancellor of Internal Affairs?
Sir Iain: I am flattered by the honour and will continue to serve the Grand Commonwealth to the best of my abilities.
Apollo Inquisitor: Sir Iain, what plans do you have to raise the profile of your department compared to say defence or external affairs?
Sir Iain: I will continue to ensure that my department's creations are seen by each and every visitor to the Grand Commonwealth, and to encourage innovative contributions from all citizens.
Apollo Inquisitor: Do you consider the creation of a synthesis culture based on contributions from GC citizens to be a priority for your department?
Sir Iain: That has indeed been the inspiration behind all that we've done so far, and we anticipate that will continue in the foreseeable future, not least because that is one of the fundmental facets of the Grand Commonwealth itself.
Apollo Inquisitor: Ok and finally, it is being reported in Shireroth that a dipcorps are looking to make you an offer to renounce Treesia, and by extension the Grand Commonwealth's, wholey legitimate claim to Lac Glacei. What is your stance on the matter?
Sir Iain: I have not been made aware of any such plans, but in any case, such a matter would have to go through the normal diplomatic channels first.
Apollo Inquisitor: Herr Chancellor, thank you for your time.

We at the Apollo Inquisitor have every confidence that with Sir Iain as part of the Taoiseach's team the Grand Commonwealth will continue to assert its dignity and sovereignty across Micras.

Taoiseach Announces New Cabinet: Builds Fences

THE APADANA, SAHANSARI-TARA; Newly elected Taoiseach, Lachlan Powers, has announced the new line up of Chancellors to administer the Micras spanning Grand Commonwealth. To tackle the mission the Taoiseach has set himself of bringing new life to the sprawling empire Lachlan has appointed the same familiar faces from the preceeding Ackbar Administration, the only ommission being Rakesh Ackbar himself, whose career is believed widely to be suffering from an excessive social life at university. Otherwise the continuity in personnel is striking.



Executive Order 006 was issued on Sunday 13 November 2005/Yekshanbeh 22 Aban 1384/2291 ASC. The appointments made are as follows:

Ardashir Khan Osmani, the Osman Shahanshah of Babkha, continues in the post of Protector of the Grand Commonwealth, a position that makes him defacto ruler of the Grand Commonwealth if the Taoiseach is absent from duty for any longer than a specified period of time; Darius Rugahi remains at the Gate of All Nations as Chancellor of External Affairs and Sir Iain de Vembria consolidates the control of his Secretariat over the internal workings of the Commonwealth as Chancellor of Internal Affairs.

The biggest shake up has been to the most active Chancellery, that of Defence in the Plaza of the Army. The office of the Chancellor of Defence has been replaced by two new positions - Chancellor of the Northern Fences and Chancellor of the Southern Fences, with the Chancellor of the Northern Fences taking responsibility for the defence of Treesia, Alteria, Zemlya and Karnali, while the Chancellor of the Southern Fences will take responsibility for the defence of Aerlig, Aundentia Nova, Babkha, Palastina and the Skerries. Defence of the Northern Fences falls to Tribune Extreme Double-O Seven of Karnali, while defence of the Southern Fences becomes the responsibility of Protector and Shahanshah Ardashir Khan Osmani of Babkha.

With this reorganisation Babkha and Karnali will continue to be at the forefront of creating an aggressive, assertive and Shireroth beating armed force, building on the glorious victories in the Jaris War and the defence of Elwynn.

"Lonely Planet" to Publish Guide to Micronations

A travel guide to micronations is due to be published next year by Lonely Planet, according to Khamsin Molossia News. The proposed guide is intended to feature micronations with actual territory, such as Hutt River, Seborga, Sealand, and Molossia itself.

Lonely Planet was founded in the early 1970s by Tony and Maureen Wheeler when they decided to publish a travel guide following a trip from London to Asia and Australia. Today, it is the world's leading independent travel publisher, with over 400 staff in offices in the UK, Australia and the USA.

The Molossian government has been asked by Lonely Planet to provide them with high-quality images and additional information about the country, and believes that this could "mean the beginning of a whole new era for landed micronations, one of actual tourism, and we are all looking forward to the possibility."