Today, Microsoft announced the creation of their own virtual nation, 'Microsoft Republic'. The UN itself sprung this surprise on an unsuspecting world at 9 AM EDT, announcing their official recognition of Microsoft Republic.

While the contents of the protonation's constitution (or 'EULA', as it is officially called) are under a strict NDA, reliable sources claim the Microsoft Republic President (a political unknown named Bill Gates) serves a 'lifetime and beyond' term.

Critics say this is a thinly veiled attempt to remove Microsoft from the DOJ's juristiction. When asked about these charges, President Bill Gates was heard to exclaim, "I have an army now! Tee hee!" at which point he was rushed out of the press conference by MSSS agents.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft rumour mill reports the possibility of the buy out of Cyber Yugoslavia, which would give Microsoft a 100% market share of the new-born virtual nation market