Giovanniland

Konsortio Intellegentie (Common: Consortium of Intelligence) Industry: Robotics & AI Country of Origin: Giovanniland Description: Konsortio Intellegentie (KI) is an association of several major companies in Giovanniland for the purpose of advancing the development of artificial intelligence in the nation and in Esferos. Participants include the aforementioned Tullerigno, other technology companies such as Abrentekno, Kibermente, and Ordinatro Technologies, as well as independent businesspeople and scientists experienced in the field of AI. KI was founded in 1405 after an unprecedented agreement between several Giovannilandian companies to form a consortium in the area of artificial intelligence, and devoted its early time to research in the field of deep learning. Building upon the research about AI that has been happening since the mid-14th century, KI was one of the pioneers in tasks such as better image recognition, natural language processing, and speech recognition through deep neural networks. Gaining prominence since the last decade with breakthrough advancements related to generative artificial intelligence and large language models, KI has now become a common name in Giovannilandians' lives through the development of its own generative chatbot Violeta and text-to-image model VisioArti. The current CEO, Filippo Sekundino-Lurtoni, has overseen this massive growth in visibility for KI and in this exposition stated his ongoing projects. These include improving the systems that millions of users are now familiar with, expanding KI's international reach, and eventually developing a text-to-video model in the coming years.

Tullerigno Industry: Technology Country of Origin: Giovanniland Description: Tullerigno is one of the best-known technology companies in Giovanniland, if not the best-known one. It was founded in Giovannia during the year of 1371, though its current headquarters are located in the nearby city of Vinikiano. The founder Dolkario Tarquino is a wealthy businessman born in the northern city of Quorivo, and took the company name from an adapted version of the Lavandulan word for technology. The current CEO of Tullerigno is Paulo Akerri-Tuskenio, which has held the position since 1416 and is the third person in the position, following the founder Dolkario (1371-1398) and his successor Ioseppa Lodeni (1398-1416). Initially, the company focused on software development for the rising personal computer market, with a commitment to user-friendly design and cutting-edge functionality. Tullerigno became known to the world through its operating system Osello (meaning brilliance), which has become the preferred platform for a majority of Giovannilandian users and also gained a significant following internationally. In the following years, the company then focused on bringing regular updates to Osello, as well as developing its key applications such as office software and communication services. With the rise of the internet at the turn of the 15th century, the company continued developing its services in order to gain its place as one of the pioneers in this new era, a successful project best exemplified by the creation of the browser and search engine Essio (meaning wisdom). Essio is used by most devices in Giovanniland and many more abroad. In the current century, beyond its key successes, Tullerigno has focused on expanding into new horizons while ensuring that its flagship projects continue having regular new versions and updates, keeping up with the pace of digital innovation. Some of the new markets that Tullerigno has made its mark on during the last 20 years are gaming, social media, and cloud computing. Its electronic manufacturing division is also worthy of note, having launched a line of Tullerigno-branded computers and smartphones. The central building of Tullerigno's headquarters, a complex spanning several hectares.

Emeria Lavanda (Common: Lavender Bank) Industry: Financial Services Country of Origin: Giovanniland Description: Emeria Lavanda is one of the largest banks in Giovanniland, with significant operations in the other Lavender Island countries of Blue Bubble and Minsu as well. The bank traces back its origins to the reign of Giovannian emperor Vittore I, who oversaw an era of maritime expeditions that reached as far as the other side of the Viatic Ocean. The emperor encouraged the establishment of trading posts in different continents, and the trade was facilitated by multiple institutions of merchants and moneylenders. One of them, called the Instituto Kommerki Lavandule (Common: Trading Institute of Lavandula) was established in the northern coastal city of Urido in the year of 923, and around a century later, formally assumed the name of Emeria Lavanda that continues to the present day. Fast forward to more recent times, and Emeria Lavanda has certainly endured the test of time, having stayed in operation for centuries and adapting to the world economy's shifts such as industrialization and the technological revolution. The bank has been fundamental in increasing the financial sector's significance for the Giovannilandian economy, and today has grown into a major bank in Giovanniland and Lavender Island. Presently, around 8% of the national GDP comes from this sector, and Emeria Lavanda among other national banks has earned a reputation of having a very secure and technological system, alongside low taxes for money deposits. Augusto Emilio-Nima, the current CEO since ten years ago, comes from a wealthy family in northern Giovanniland and has continued his predecessors' progress in leveraging the latest technologies to enhance customer experience. In this vein, Emeria Lavanda is also known in the nation for having the most user-friendly and feature-rich digital banking platform, and its use of AI to streamline various operations. The headquarters of the Emeria Lavanda in the central district of Urido.

Konglomerato Andoliano Estrattioni (Common: Andolian Conglomerate of Mining) Industry: Resource Extraction Country of Origin: Giovanniland Description: Konglomerato Andoliano Estrattioni is a group of mining companies operating in Giovandolia, each specializing into a specific resource. The conglomerate's history dates back to the mid-9th century with the discovery of valuable minerals including gold and silver, and the imperial government's establishment of state offices to use these resources in favor of national development, consolidating the economic growth of the Giovannian Empire's Golden Era (9th and 10th centuries). Over time, these offices changed hands to private ownership, diversifying their mining operations towards other resources, and making pivotal contributions to the industrialization of Giovanniland in the 13th century. In the year of 1261, several of these major mining companies were brought under the name of the Andoliavilla-based Konglomerato Andoliano Estrattioni, founded by mining magnate Nikolo Veturio Amorino. His successors maintained the conglomerate's status as one of the major companies in Giovanniland, and in the 14th century, the tenure of CEO Debora Lukiano-Palkarma started the focus on mining of useful resources for Giovanniland's scientific and technological revolution that has been a key focus of the conglomerate ever since. Of course, since the rise of environmental policies in Giovanniland during the 14th century, one of the Konglomerato Andoliano Estrattioni's major challenges has been to adapt to these regulations and reduce the impact of its mining in the environment, for example adopting reclamation plans to restore mined areas and seeking possible reuses of tailings. More recently, extensive studies have been made on bioleaching, the extraction of metals from ore with living organisms such as bacteria, which relies upon the fact that some bacteria are able to break down the minerals chemically. Another interesting concept in regards to green mining is the use of enzymes to selectively dissolve metals from ore. Current CEO Violetta Onofrio has placed these goals at a high level of importance.

Avvento Industry: Energy Country of Origin: Giovanniland Description: Avvento is a key player in the current push to make windpower more prevalent in Giovanniland and the world. The company works extensively with the concept of offshore wind farms, avoiding disadvantages of doing it inland such as disturbing people and wildlife, while also benefitting from the fact wind speed is often higher at the sea. Based on the fifth largest city in the country, Abrentopole, the company was founded in 1364 by Vespasio Tuditano Zopelli and its current CEO is Gabriella Iustiniano. Despite hydroelectricity's pivotal role in Giovanniland's transition away from fossil fuels to renewable sources in the 14th century, the government also recognizes its disadvantages such as loss of arable land, population displacement, and disruption of ecosystems, and has moved to phase it out as the main contributor in the coming years. This is a golden opportunity for companies like Avvento to bring out their best efforts towards the transition to generation of even cleaner energy. As the late founder Vespasio used to say, wind is the future — vento è l'avvento in Giovannese, a slogan that explains the company's name and its core belief. Through the Esferos Economic Expo, Avvento is committed to its goal of expanding windpower as an energy source across the world. Already the company has acted significantly in Giovanniland, building many offshore wind farms across the nation's vast coasts on the Darkesian Sea, and now it hopes to encourage change abroad too.

Ekoprodutti Industry: Alternative Resources Country of Origin: Giovanniland Description: Ekoprodutti is one of the major producers of environmentally friendly products in Giovanniland. The company was founded in 1330 in the capital Giovannia, during an era in Giovannilandian political history where left-wing and green parties rose in prominence due to increasing concerns about the negative effects of industrialization, and how to overcome them while maintaining development. Due to extensive environmental legislation and subsidies when these parties have led the government, the nation became one of the leading powers in Esferos for environmentally friendly economic development, and still is today, with Ekoprodutti at the forefront. Nowadays, scientifical advancement in Giovanniland and the world allows for a wider than ever range of opportunities to continue bringing together environmental protection and national development. The environmental policies of the 14th century have paid off, and green products are ubiquitous for Giovanniland's customers—so Ekoprodutti is looking forward to display a variety of them in the Esferos Economic Expo, with the goal of expanding its international markets. The company offers both its own green products, for example clothing, furniture and utensils, while also helping other companies adopt environmentally friendly practices, most notably packaging and waste reuse. In many cases, for example plant or fungi-based alternatives, Ekoprodutti works together with local organic farmers and producers so their waste can be used for a good purpose while healthy food is also produced.

Benaventura Corporation (Giovannese: Korporatio Benaventura) Industry: Infrastructure Country of Origin: Giovanniland Description: Benaventura Corporation is a company that grew out of a local family business to become one of the largest infrastructure companies in Giovanniland and beyond. In 1233, during the industrialization of Giovanniland, Porto Violeto businessman Terentio Benaventura founded the company that initially offered local construction and infrastructure services. Over time, his descendants would then improve the corporation's reach to a nationwide and soon international status, participating in large projects and even being hired for governmental projects. The current CEO is Erasmo Benaventura, who has continued the company's good fortunes and also successfully acted on his father Klaudio's desire to branch out to other areas of the economy, though infrastructure remains the corporation's flagship action. Some of the company's largest national projects to date include a full-fledged renovation of Porto Violeto's Neurino International Airport, the building of several powerful hydroelectric dams in the large Irto River to improve energy generation in Giovandolia, the pivotal role in completing the 14th century state highway and railway projects to connect every settlement with more than 1,000 inhabitants, and most recently the construction of Porto Violeto's new tallest building, the Prosperita Abria tower. The company has also acted in other high-profile infrastructure projects in Aura, Andolia and other continents. The Prosperita Abria tower (center) in Porto Violeto. (OOC: The Benaventura Corporation has formerly appeared in the II Summer Esferiad roleplay thread, where it aided in building or revamping a few venues and also attained official sponsor status, and Erasmo is seen in a discussion with two other companies' CEOs).

Lavionda (Common: Lavionda Airlines, Giovannese: Lavionda Linie Arie) Industry: Transport (aerial) Country of Origin: Giovanniland Description: Lavionda, a portmanteau of lavanda (lavender) and avio (airplane), is an airline based on Giovanniland that operates flights to numerous destinations across Esferos. Originally a regional airline operating mainly in Lavandula, the region spanning the three Lavender Island countries' northern areas, it has since then positioned itself as one of the main airlines of Giovanniland, competing with the nation's flag carrier and other notable companies. Notably, it has maintained its primary hub in the Ianteno International Airport of Urido, adding the Emperor Giovanni the Great International Airport of Giovannia, the nation's main airport, as a secondary hub. Some of the airline's busiest destinations include Lavandulan cities such as Urido, Quorivo, Dazano, Osellio, and Lampo; other major cities in Giovanniland such as Giovannia, Porto Violeto and Andoliavilla; and various international routes, especially Lavender Island destinations including Kopai, Forte Lavanda, Kharventhin (in Blue Bubble), Asahi and Kongo (in Minsu). Although previously not very known internationally, the airline rose in prominence after handling thousands of flights for the Quorivo-Kharventhin II Summer Esferiad. The company was founded in 1378 by Vittoria Peskennio Lodago and its current CEO since 1419 is Flavio Gigerano. Flavio's current tenure is establishing Lavionda as one of the leading innovators in the aviation industry, particularly in regards to Lavionda's commitment to sustainability. For example, the company is investing in electric airplane technologies and hopes to unveil its first commercial electric flight by the company's 50-year anniversary in 1428. This will greatly reduce fuel costs and maintenance, besides enabling quieter takeoffs and landings. Lavionda is also notable for a commitment to digitalization of manual processes in both airports and flights, in order to improve the customer experience, and for its partnership with local film producers from the region of Lavandula, with the goal of promoting regional culture and offering more in-flight entertainment options for passengers.

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1423 Giovannilandian Chess Championship Concludes! The official logo of the 1423 Giovannilandian Chess Championship. Sonserino, Giovanniland — The 1423 Giovannilandian Chess Championship came to an end this Tuesday, 26th December 1423, with multiple-time former champion Raffella Quadrigaro returning to the position of champion after almost a decade. The competition started in the first day of the month and featured forty participants from different regions of Giovanniland, playing in a group stage where the top two from each group advanced to the knockout stage and then decided the winner. The event was visited by notable political figures, including Prime Minister Elisa Anario-Silva and His Majesty King Giovanni VI, as well as His Serene Highness Prince Marcarius of Saint Mark. Every year, regional competitions determine the participants of each championship. Places are allocated to each region in proportion to their population, and these competitions are often a place for rising stars in national chess to be known for a wider audience, while established players usually are the first to confirm their qualification. Thirty-nine players arrived into the national competition out of this process, joined by the defending champion, and all were afterwards ranked and divided into five pots by ELO rating in order to be randomly sorted into one of the eight groups. Group A was led by defending champion Guillermo Urido-Amorino, winner of the 1421 and 1422 chess championships. It also had three other participants that were last present in 1421, namely Iuliana, Ioseppa and Valeria, as well as Augusto whose most recent entry into the national championship was five years ago. In a surprising twist, Guillermo did not finish in first place because both him and Iuliana had the same amount of points, but in the head-to-head record he had lost to her. The two ended with three points each, from three wins and one loss, while Ioseppa was close but did not make it—she won against the eventual group leader but drew against lower rated opponents. Group B's highest rated player was Dezeno Purparboni, notable for being the champion in 1411 and runner-up in 1422, and he indeed finished first far ahead of the others, with three wins and one draw for three and a half points. Aside from returning participants Kiro, Aurelio, and Daniella there was also Massimiano who entered the national tournament for the first time. The surprise of this group was Daniella, who returned after three years and qualified in second place to the dismay of Kiro. Both achieved two points, but as Daniella had more wins, she qualified for the knockout stage for her first time. Group C saw the participation of perennial participants Karlo and Gepello, who rarely fail to qualify; returning players Gallio and Gratia; and another new arrival to the tournament, Zerina. Karlo—notable for winning three consecutive championships from 1408 to 1410—led the group with the same results as Giovanni did in Group B, however competition was more fierce, as the second place Gepello was only half a point behind. The international master has a history of creating some upsets, for example in 1421 when he defeated then-defending champion Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone and caused her to miss the knockout stage; in fact he might be promoted to Grandmaster in the near future. This time, he defeated the slightly higher rated Gallio who then lost the second place to him. In the Group D, the 1420 champion Lavinia improved her chess record by topping the group after failing to qualify to the knockout stage twice in a row in the last two editions. She got 3.5 points and only failed to win against Amanda Gilvano Trinelli, who also ended with the same amount of points, and the draw meant that Lavinia finished in first for her higher rating. Amanda continues to enjoy success after her surprising run to fourth place in 1421 despite not having any chess title at that time, followed by a fast rise in the national rankings. New participant Angelo did not get any points, however the bigger disappointment of the group was the grandmaster Giorgia, only earning a single point and finishing in fourth, behind international master Margerito. Group A P W D L Group B P W D L GM Iuliana Flaviano-Emina 3 3 0 1 GM Dezeno Purparboni 3.5 3 1 0 GM Guillermo Urido-Amorino 3 3 0 1 CM Daniella Gigero 2 2 0 2 IM Ioseppa Oselliano 2 1 2 1 GM Kiro Tarquinio 2 1 2 1 IM Augusto Rossiano-Gellio 1 0 2 2 IM Aurelio Vindemia Tassi 1.5 1 1 2 Valeria Fenestella 1 0 2 2 Massimiano Faustino 1 1 0 3 Group C P W D L Group D P W D L GM Karlo Neurino-Sousa 3.5 3 1 0 GM Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone 3.5 3 1 0 IM Gepello Gormo-Pasano 3 2 2 0 IM Amanda Gilvano Trinelli 3.5 3 1 0 GM Gallio Kervario Hortense 2.5 2 1 1 IM Margerito de Alboquerko 2 2 0 2 Zerina Suevio-Medottani 1 1 0 3 GM Giorgia Superbo-Legia 1 1 0 3 IM Gratia Frundoni Lukio 0 0 0 4 Angelo Dolabella Porto 0 0 0 4 Group E P W D L Group F P W D L GM Vittore Nima-Liamo 4 4 0 0 GM Oralino Kezeni Gormo 3 2 2 0 GM Sergio Amorante-Aquilano 2.5 2 1 1 CM Isidoro Andago Santi 2.5 2 1 1 IM Tommaso Kunelli 2 2 0 2 GM Severo Spindola Giordano 2 1 2 1 CM Eustakia Erdene 1 0 2 2 Amando Nevio-Karpo 1.5 1 1 2 Madalena Amento-Oltoveno 0.5 0 1 3 IM Markella Tamudio 1 1 0 3 Group G P W D L Group H P W D L GM Gustavo Takeda 3.5 3 1 0 GM Lavanda Rosetta-Lira 4 4 0 0 GM Zutrina Palbario 3 2 2 0 GM Raffella Quadrigaro 2.5 2 1 1 GM Antonio Ambrosio Borba 1.5 1 1 2 CM Iulio Punso-Lodago 2.5 2 1 1 CM Serena Agrikola 1.5 0 3 1 IM Augustino Neuriani 1 0 0 3 CM Otto Velite-Peskennio 0.5 0 1 3 CM Vittore Ugeno Kelestino 0 0 0 4 Meanwhile, Group E was one of the only two groups where a participant won all the matches. It was Vittore Nima-Liamo, who recently earned the Grandmaster title and notably got the bronze medal in the previous edition. He even overcame Sergio Amorante-Aquilano, a regular participant of this tournament and champion in two separate occasions, 1411 and 1418. Eventual third place in the group Tommaso did not get the chance to see the knockout stage again after his quarterfinal appearance two years ago, while the two other participants Eustakia and Madalena enjoyed joining the tournament for the second and first time respectively. Group F was a group where all participants had been in at least one of the two last editions. The two Grandmasters of the group, Severo and Oralino, had little difference in their ratings, and in fact drew the match between the two, however the former did qualify while the latter did not. It was the candidate master Isidoro who achieved second place instead, in his fifth appearance here, after an also interesting run as far as the quarterfinals last year. The overall group was competitive, all players without exception being exactly half a point in distance between each other, from the first place Severo to the last place Markella. As for Group G, it was the only group to have three Grandmasters, since a total of seventeen players with this title qualified to the competition. The 1419 champion and strong contender for his second title Gustavo Takeda led the group as expected, however he did not win all the matches as he managed to do in the previous two years. Instead, he won three of his matches and drew the other one, against fellow grandmaster Zutrina Palbario. She was able to join the tournament again after a two years-long absence and performed strongly, taking the second place in the group. The other three players in the group—Antonio, Otto and Serena—all have played in the national tournament before, however they could not achieve a good result this time. Finally, Group H was the other group where a player got the most points possible, four, after winning all matches. Unexpectedly it was not the top rated player of the group, multiple-time former champion Raffella Quadrigaro, but rather Lavanda Rosetta-Lira. Lavanda finished in fourth place in the last tournament, her best finish so far ever since her first participation seven years ago. Meanwhile, Raffella qualified for the knockout stage in second place, fighting until the end with Iulio Punso-Lodago for the position, but it was an improvement over the previous year where she stayed out of that stage entirely. This was also a group where all participants have played in one of the two last editions, including the other two players Augustino and Vittore. The results of the knockout stage. After the group stage, twelve Grandmasters qualified for the knockout stage, as well as three International Masters and one Candidate Master. In the upper part of the bracket, Raffella Quadrigaro made up for her not very good group stage performance with a streak of confident wins, denying players such as Dezeno Purparboni and Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone a chance of getting another championship. The latter went as far as the semifinals, defeating multiple-time champion Karlo Neurino-Sousa throughout her way, and thus proceeded to play the third place match. Meanwhile, other players did not get past the round of 16, for example Sergio and Isidoro, two of the quarterfinalists in the previous championship, and Zutrina who reached this stage for the first time. The lower part of the bracket had matches just as interesting as the upper part. Vittore Nima-Liamo was the finalist from here, firstly defeating the two best international masters of the tournament, Amanda and Gepello—the latter was the only one to go past the round 16, after he won against Oralino. Then, a very awaited and exciting match came into being, with Vittore facing Gustavo Takeda in a repeat of last year's quarterfinals! Gustavo came to this match with high morale after knocking out the defending champion Guillermo Urido-Amorino out of the tournament, but it unfortunately wasn't enough in the tiebreaker matches, and he fell a second time to Vittor. Last but not least, the final and third place match happened in December 25th and 26th which is the same time as the Lavender Festival started, a very important week-long celebration in Giovanniland, thus adding to the great expectations for these last two matches. The bronze match was fittingly between 1419 champion Gustavo and 1420 champion Lavinia, in a very close dispute that the former won after tiebreaks. As for the great final, multiple-time champion Raffella faced the rising star Vittore, and convincingly won the game to add one more title to her collection, although Vittor also played very well. Raffella has played professional chess for over three decades now, winning the national championships of 1400, 1405, 1407, 1413, 1414, 1415 and now 1423. Celebrations then ensued, as the medals were awarded to the top three and the final rankings were announced. Rank Player Group Points W D L 1 GM Raffella Quadrigaro H 6 5 2 1 2 GM Vittore Nima-Liamo E 6.5 6 1 1 3 GM Gustavo Takeda G 6 4 4 0 4 GM Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone D 5.5 4 3 1 Quarterfinals 5 GM Dezeno Purparboni B 5 4 2 0 6 GM Karlo Neurino-Sousa C 4.5 3 3 0 7 GM Guillermo Urido-Amorino A 4 3 2 1 8 IM Gepello Gormo-Pasano C 4 3 2 1 Round of 16 9 GM Lavanda Rosetta-Lira H 4.5 4 1 0 10 IM Amanda Gilvano Trinelli D 3.5 3 1 1 11 GM Iuliana Flaviano-Emina A 3 3 0 2 12 GM Oralino Kezeni Gormo F 3 2 2 1 13 GM Zutrina Palbario G 3 2 2 1 14 CM Isidoro Andago Santi F 3 2 2 1 15 GM Sergio Amorante-Aquilano E 2.5 2 1 2 16 CM Daniella Gigero B 2 2 0 3 Group Stage 17 GM Gallio Kervario Hortense C 2.5 2 1 1 18 GM Iulio Punso-Lodago H 2.5 2 1 1 19 IM Tommaso Kunelli E 2 2 0 2 20 IM Margerito de Alboquerko D 2 2 0 2 21 GM Kiro Tarquinio B 2 1 2 1 22 GM Severo Spindola Giordano F 2 1 2 1 23 IM Ioseppa Oselliano A 2 1 2 1 24 GM Antonio Ambrosio Borba G 1.5 1 1 2 25 GM Aurelio Vindemia Tassi B 1.5 1 1 2 26 Amando Nevio-Karpo F 1.5 1 1 2 27 CM Serena Agrikola G 1.5 0 3 1 28 GM Giorgia Superbo-Legia D 1 1 0 3 29 IM Augustino Neuriani H 1 1 0 3 30 IM Markella Tamudio F 1 1 0 3 31 Zerina Suevio-Medottani C 1 1 0 3 32 Massimiano Faustino B 1 1 0 3 33 IM Augusto Rossiano-Gellio A 1 0 2 2 34 CM Eustakia Erdene E 1 0 2 2 35 Valeria Fenestella A 1 0 2 2 36 CM Otto Velite-Peskennio G 0.5 0 1 3 37 Madalena Amento-Oltoveno E 0.5 0 1 3 38 IM Gratia Frundoni Lukio C 0 0 0 4 39 CM Vittore Ugeno Kelestino H 0 0 0 4 40 Angelo Dolabella Porto D 0 0 0 4

No worries! Good luck in real life!

Welcome! Looking forward to your arrival into the region's roleplay!

My exact line of thinking as well

This one continues a series of polls we've had since 2020. Previous polls: #1 #2 #3 Tell us about are your expectations, hopes and wishes for 2024, and whether you think next year will be better or worse than this one!

Looks like it's now a close race!

Nation name: The Kingdom of Giovanniland Nation trigram: GIO Players: 1. Vespasio Laronio-Verdi 2. Margerita Alborata 3. Erminio Portovino

The second question for the holiday season! Choose an option and post the reason below if you want.

Welcome back!

Hello everyone! I am Numerio Dellio Zodeni, host of the special Football Report that is taking place during the 3rd World Cup of Football. Today we'll talk about the round of 16 game against Nieubasria, which sadly resulted in elimination for the Giovannilandian team, as well as expectations for the next world cup. Round of 16: Giovanniland 1-3 Nieubasria (Halftime: 1-1) Goals: Emilia Artena Lurtoni (28') The players of Team Giovanniland started the game with confidence against Nieubasria, knowing the challenge ahead of playing against the defending champions. The team played more defensively than before, with the striker Petro Takeda giving the way to another midfielder, the experienced Arabella Viatore Nima. Through most of the first half this strategy worked, although it was also nailbiting to watch for any Giovannilandian: the ball spent more time in our defensive half than the attacking one, with the team getting its scoring attempts mostly from counterattacks. In one of these attempts, Emilia Artena Lurtoni successfully found her way to a good angle to shoot the ball, receiving the ball from former captain Lorentio Santo-Ferrari, and scored, to the surprise of the Basric team. Giovanniland would then hold the advantage for most of the remaining time in the first half, however Nieubasria's striker Camdyn Cartwrighte dealt a blow to Giovannilandian morale when the carefully set up defense was bypassed by him just before the first half ended, on minute three of stoppage time. As the second half went on, the goal to break the even score was eventually scored by the striker Zedh Coreia from Nieubasria at the 65th minute, and the defending champions further added to their score near the end of the match through a 83th minute goal by Landan Aylmere, unfortunately denying the Giovannilandians any chance at a comeback. Our team was then eliminated from the competition, curiously the third time this happens just at the round of 16 and with a score of 3-1 for the opposing team, dubbed 'The 3-1 Curse' by fans. The coach Rodrigo Violetti expressed their commiserations at the result and the fact the goal of surpassing this stage did not come to fruition, but also lauded the team for playing to the best of its ability against the top team in the world. Gustavo Zapata, the new captain, also commented that due to the significant changes taken in the team since the last world cup this new roster is very much still adapting itself, and over time he expects that it will be stronger.

Since it just became December in the timezone I live in, it's time for questions with a holidays theme! Choose an option and post the reason below if you want.

Lavender Festival Preparations Urido, Lavandula, Giovanniland - Preparations are currently in full force for the end-of-year Lavender Festival, an important celebration in Giovannilandian culture. This event is one of the most important Giovannilandian holidays, along with others like the Empire Day (January 16th) about the founding of the Giovannian Empire; Kingdom Day (June 15th) about the transition from the Empire to the modern-day Kingdom; Abrentan Day (August 29th) about the arrival of the Abrentan people in Lavender Island from Saint Mark; and Constitution Day (October 30th) about the nation's current constitution. The Lavender Festival happens during the week before New Year, starting from December 25th, a reason it's also often considered together with New Year composing its final day. It dates back to the age of the Lavandulan Empire, and archaeological records point to the first edition of this celebration being held around 1100 BF. The tradition has passed down generation to generation ever since, from the days of the Lavandulan Empire, then the post-imperial Duchy of Quorivo, and continues to the present day. In Giovanniland, the lavender is a symbol of renewal and prosperity, hence the festival's date just before the New Year. However, the date has been changed a number of times because the modern-day calendar of Giovanniland has its origins in the Giovannian Empire and its antecessors in the Abrentan civilization, differing from earlier calendar used in the island. During the Imperial days the celebration was expanded beyond the city of Urido and started to happen all across the nation, a status then enshrined into law via the Holidays Act of 1253. The nation celebrates the holiday through various events, such as the planting of lavenders in home gardens some time before December so they can be fully grown by the time of the event, and decoration of houses with lavender bunches and perfumes. Food recipes featuring lavender are also common, such as the famous lavender pasta, cupcakes, tea, and lemonade, among others. Images of various lavender products made in Giovanniland are shown below.

Good evening to all! This is your host of the Sports Report, Numerio Dellio Zodeni, with the news that Giovanniland has successfully advanced from the group stage of the World Cup of Football. It was tough, but we've made it! Huzzah! Matchday 5 - Giovanniland 2-1 Peourouin (Halftime: 0-1) Goals: Lorentio Santo-Ferrari (52'), Iulio Ventomari (90'+2') For the last matchday, Giovanniland came into the match needing a win to advance, and furthermore requiring at least one of Sekiya or Teralyon to lose their matches, since they were in direct competition with our team for the third and fourth spots. The match was against Peourouin, another team that could still qualify, so stakes were high. For most of the first half the match stayed goalless, with midfielder Gabriella Orfei bringing the strongest threat to the Peouroun defensive area in the 15th minute, but the shot was diverted by their side's defense player Voldymyd Gorun. Near the end, the Peouroun forward Odeyh Ussrsaii brought a dangerous attack into the Giovannilandian defensive area that was successfully defended, but in the rebound, their fellow teammate Sayu Aktar opened the score, at the 42nd minute. During halftime, Giovanniland was then the last-placed team in the group, and the moment called for change. Adjustments were made in the second half, including the replacement of Petro Takeda with another striker, Filippa Pleminio, who got to play her first World Cup match as part of the national team. This proved to be successful, as the momentum successfully resulted in a goal by Lorentio Santo-Ferrari. The task was still not completed, however, as the team stayed at fifth place behind Teralyon due to the goal differential. Both teams needed a goal, as a draw would benefit neither, which meant that the atmosphere in the Istadio Gral. Tavara Dipartí continued animated, both Giovannilandian and Peouroun fans cheering for their own teams and the strikers attempting every way possible to break the deadlock. It seemed that nothing would come from subsequent attacks, and the match would stay as a draw. Both teams had beautiful attempts to score, but both defenses were also working perfectly. With both teams on the brink of elimination, when all seemed lost, Giovanniland's striker Iulio Ventomari found the right angle to get the ball past the Peouroun goalkeeper Jakub Ostatna, and score the second and final goal of our team in the stoppage time of the second half. This goal came from an assistance by the young Filippa, successfully making a pivotal impact in her first World Cup match. The stadium erupted with cheers, but waited, as three more tense minutes were still left in the clock. Then, at 90'+5', the final whistle sounded and fans celebrated the nation's qualification at last, in what is perhaps one of the most suspenseful and breathtaking ways to qualify. Team Giovanniland barely made it in, securing qualification in fourth place of the group through a comeback win, while Teralyon dropped to fifth place, a bad day for their fans since their team had just lost to United Adaikes over at Istadio Rio Bianco.