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Enfriqua safe from Algerian wildfires
Word has been received that Enfriqua is not under threat from the relatively nearby wildfires burning in northern Algeria.
Enfriqua is an autonomous Crown Dependency of Austenasia, annexed from the M’Sila province of northern Algeria in January 2015.
Multiple ongoing deadly wildfires have been raging in nearby areas of Algeria since 9 August, killing ninety people so far.
His Excellency Mr Akka Bey, the crown dependency’s Governing Commissioner, has reported that Enfriqua is not under threat from the wildfires and that “everything is going well” for them.
Enfriqua consists of a residential property inhabited by a family of four.
Mr Bey has also served as the (unaccredited) Austenasian Ambassador to Algeria since February 2016.
Lord Austin Jaax retires – Kingeston downsized
Sunday 22nd saw Lord Austin Jaax retire from frontline politics, resigning most of his positions within Austenasia.
This came after Lord Jaax took on a greater role in Canadian local politics, resulting in increased demands on his time.
Lord Jaax joined Austenasia in December 2018 as the Governing Commissioner of Kingeston, a new crown dependency which upon its creation consisted of an uninhabited area of farmland.
Kingeston was expanded in May last year, becoming a Town with the annexation of a part of Jaax’s family home, making himself and his brother Austenasian residents. Jaax was appointed Acting Representative of the new town, being elected to the position proper a few months later in July.
Now, however, the changes made to Kingeston in May 2020 have been reversed as a result of Jaax’s resignation. An Act of Parliament was passed yesterday, transitioning Kingeston back into a crown dependency.
Jaax will be staying on as Kingeston’s governing commissioner due to the comparatively few duties required in administering an autonomous and uninhabited claim, but has resigned from his other posts, including Baron of Kingeston; as a knight, he will therefore henceforth be known as Sir Austin.
Jaax had served as Chancellor since June 2020, and as Speaker of the House of Representatives since February earlier this year.
Lord Wilson and Lady Dillon confirmed as general election candidates
Emperor Jonathan I yesterday confirmed two candidates for next month’s general election.
Lady Addison Dillon, Representative of Blue Ridge, will be running against Lord William Wilson, Representative of Nahona.
Both candidates have recently founded political parties to organise their supporters: Lady Dillon the Alliance Party and Lord Wilson the Arete (Excellence) Party.
The Alliance Party describes itself as “syncretic” and “endorses civil rights, equality before the law, Athenian direct democracy, and broad technological and social reform.” Lady Dillon has noted that it “focuses on social issues rather than ideological economic specifics.”
Lord Wilson has stated that the aim of the Arete Party “is to bring about the best of cultural, economic, and political life in Austenasia through the application of the 11 moral virtues described in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.”
The Arete Party held a party conference earlier today, in which incumbent Prime Minister Lord John Gordon was elected party secretary. Two other Representatives have also joined.
The general election will take place on 17 September, and will elect the country’s sixth Prime Minister.
The winner of the election will come into office the following day, 18 September, which this year as the third Saturday in September will also be Austenasian Independence Day.
The incumbent Prime Minister, Lord John Gordon, has been in office since June last year, but is stepping down as head of government due to increasing demands on his time, as well as the fact that despite enjoying broad popular support he was not directly elected.
Lady Addison Dillon became an Austenasian governor in July 2020 upon claiming the then Territory of Blue Ridge. This was expanded into a Town in December with the annexation of her adjoining residence, of which she was elected Representative in February. She currently serves as one of Austenasia’s three delegates to the Grand Unified Micronational.
Lord William Wilson joined Austenasia with the creation of the Town of Nahona in January 2020. He currently holds office as Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Herald, and also served as Home Secretary from August 2020 to February 2021.
First post-pandemic tourists visit Wrythe
The capital city of Wrythe this afternoon hosted Ollie and Sebastian, two filmmakers interested in creating a documentary on Austenasia to be published on YouTube.
Ollie and Sebastian are the first tourists to visit Wrythe – not including a working visit from Attorney General Anthony Clark in June – since the COVID-19 pandemic saw restrictions on movement within the neighbouring United Kingdom brought into place last year.
The third and last lockdown in England officially ended on 12 April, but many restrictions remained in place until being lifted on 19 July.
Ollie and Sebastian are the first tourists to have visited Wrythe since August 2019.
They were met at Carshalton station by Emperor Jonathan I and Emperor Father Terry before being given a guided tour of Orly and other various locations of interest to the history and culture of Austenasia, culminating in their arrival at Wrythe.
The filmmakers were then introduced to Emperor Mother Margaret, and conducted an informal interview with the Emperor in the Imperial Residence before also being shown Wrythe Public Park.
A link to their documentary on Austenasia will be provided upon its publication. (UPDATE: The film can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HuurMwnAsM )
Relations established with Lundenwic at London meeting
A treaty was signed yesterday establishing mutual recognition and formal relations between Austenasia and Lundenwic at a multilateral meeting in central London.
Emperor Jonathan I met Lord Mike Lewis, Prime Minister of Lundenwic, as well as Emperor Adam I of Adammia.
Adam I is also currently serving as Acting President of New Virginia after last month’s failed coup in said nation.
The three national leaders met at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, gradually making their way to Kensington over the course of the afternoon.
Lundenwic was founded in December 2013, and has a population of fifteen. Its land claims are bordered by south-west London.
Despite only entering into formal diplomatic relations yesterday, Austenasia has held informal friendly relations with Lundenwic for some time. Lord Lewis visited Wrythe as a tourist in December 2016, took part in Austenasia’s tenth anniversary celebrations along with Grand Duke Julian of Lundenwic in September 2018, and joined both emperors at the June 2019 GUM Birmingham Summit.
Over the course of yesterday’s meeting, Austenasia, Adammia and Lundenwic all agreed in principle to the creation of an organisation to promote the interests of small nations and unrecognised independence movements in the British Isles. This idea was put forward by Austenasian Prime Minister Lord John Gordon in November last year, and its promotion made a priority of the Austenasian Foreign Office.
More details of the prospective organisation will be forthcoming as discussions progress.
The location of Speaker’s Corner was chosen to commemorate the tenth anniversary – off by only ten days – of the 2011 Intermicronational Summit. This summit, which likewise had Speaker’s Corner as its initial meeting place, saw fourteen politicians and diplomats gather for the first multilateral in-person meeting of members of the “MicroWiki community”.
Riverside land claimed in territorial changes
Wednesday 11th August saw territorial changes taking place for Austenasia, with a new territory being claimed from the U.S. state of Maine while most of New Pontunia was ceded back to Louisiana.
The new Territory of Cenomannica overlooks a waterfall in the Machias River, Maine, and was claimed for Austenasia by the now Lord Archie Birch.
Cenomannica spans 660 square feet and is part of a public park boasting scenic riverside views.
Meanwhile, the autonomous crown dependency of New Pontunia has been downsized to a single house, the family home of its leader Duke Andrew I.
New Pontunia joined Austenasia in October last year as an already existing nation of twenty three people claiming thirteen residential properties and two public parks. The dependency was significantly downsized in February with the cession of the two parks and four of its houses.
The decision to further “streamline” the dependency down to the Duke’s house alone was made due to most of its residents – friends who had initially joined prior to it joining the Empire – having fallen out of contact with Andrew I or no longer being interested in living independently from the United States.
New Virginia balkanises after failed coup – Adammic Emperor becomes Acting President of rump Commonwealth
An article from the Adammic Express on recent events in New Virginia.
Adam I, Editor
TURING, Lagentia – A week of constitutional chaos has resulted in one of Adammia’s close allies, the Commonwealth of New Virginia, splintering into four states. After initially supporting a left-wing revolutionary movement, President Brooke Kennedy subsequently resigned, making Adammic Emperor Adam I, the President of the New Virginian Senate, the Acting President of the Commonwealth. However, with numerous key territories announcing their secession, he inherits a crippled nation, with the previously deposed parliament and government having been slowly restored over the past couple of days. After declaring independence from the Empire of Austenasia last year due to differences on social issues, New Virginia grew rapidly to become one of the most successful nations in the MicroWiki community. Emperor Adam I, a long-time ally of President Kennedy within the GUM, was invited to serve as President of the Senate, which was supposed to be a low-intensity role confined…
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