20-year-old declares himself first Gen Z president of new country after discovering unclaimed land

A 20-year-old, Daniel Jackson, claims to have founded the Free Republic of Verdis on a disputed strip along the Danube River between Croatia and Serbia. Arguing the land is terra nullius, he built an online micronation with citizens and passports. Croatian authorities removed him after a 2023 settlement attempt, leaving him running the project from exile in the United Kingdom.