MicroWorld Newsbites – August 2016

CAMPINIA

• Duke Elias I, who has reigned over the Antarctic duchy of Campinia since 2013, abdicated yesterday in favour of Shady Morsi, who has become the fourth monarch of the sixteen year-old nation.
  • UPDATE: This has since been revealed to have been a misunderstanding. The Duke merely offered Morsi the position of head of government; the latter mistakenly interpreted this as an abdication, which he then publicised. The situation has now been resolved: Elias I reigns as Duke, with Shady Morsi as head of government.

JUCLANDIA

• Juclandians celebrated eight years since the foundation of their state’s current incarnation on 23 August; this begun almost three weeks of celebrations, which will culminate on 10 September, the fifteenth anniversary of the original foundation of the country.

KUMANO JIRITSU

• Hatsu Ryuho, the prime minister and founder of Kumano, nominated on 11 August his younger brother, Hatsu Aki, for head of state, after their father O-Hatsu Kenji-sama retired from the position last month. The National Senate met last week to discuss the nomination.

LEYLANDIISTAN & GURVATA

• On 22 August, a National Dental Health Initiative was signed into law, aiming to promote positive dental hygiene amongst the population. The government will be distributing free dental supplies to citizens.
• Two years since Leylandiistan and Gurvata unified into a single state were celebrated on 30 August, on which an announcement was made that a governmental plan for 2016 has, with four months of the year left to go, already been fully implemented.

SANDUS

• On 18 August, Sôgmô Soergel appointed Jacob Valentine (né Tierney) as Minister of Diplomatic Affairs. The former Renasian premier is an experienced diplomat, as well as a long-standing and well-liked member of the MicroWiki community. This appointment comes after a steady decrease in the international standing of Sandus, with the state having recently lost diplomatic ties with former close friends such as Zealandia and with the Empire itself.

ÜBERSTADT

• On 1 August, the King of Überstadt embarked on a naval voyage with Baron Ballinger, Vice Admiral of the Navy, conducting sea trials for a new amphibious warfare craft. The new boat has been named HMNS Duke of Edmount.

Counsellors of State appointed as Emperor leaves on holiday

Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy (left) and King Adam I (right) will jointly exercise the powers of the Throne in the Emperor’s absence.

Emperor Jonathan I has appointed two Counsellors of State to exercise the powers of the Throne in his absence as he leaves for a week’s holiday in Seville, Spain, with his unmarried partner the Princess Consort.

His Imperial Majesty will leave for Spain with Princess Consort Hannah tomorrow from Gatwick airport, arriving back on Thursday 8th September.

The Emperor has appointed the Prime Minister, Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, and King Adam I of Überstadt (who also serves as Governing Commissioner of the Austenasian Crown Dependency of Oregonia) as Counsellors of State.

In his absence, the two Counsellors will be able to jointly exercise any power of the Throne.

Unlike a regency, the appointing of Counsellors of State does not prevent the Monarch from exercising the powers of the Throne himself. This is the third time that Counsellors have been appointed during the current Emperor’s reign; the previous two occasions were also due to holidays.

King of the Grove outlaws feeding bread to the birds

One of the notices placed up around the Grove.

His Majesty King Calum I of the Grove has issued a decree forbidding the feeding of bread to wildfowl.

The Kingdom of the Grove, through which part of the River Wandle runs through, is home to many ducks, geese, moorhens and swans, and many visitors to the Grove often feed the birds.

Despite there already being signs up warning visitors that feeding bread to wildfowl is bad for their health, these warnings are often ignored. King Calum has therefore banned the practice outright.

Copies of the King’s decree have been placed up around the Grove.

Information on the damage to birds’ health and to the ecosystem that can be caused by feeding bread to wildfowl can be found at this Guardian article and this page on the British Bird Lovers website.