<h3 style="padding:3px 7px; margin:8px 0; background-color:#CEF2E0;">Today's Featured Article</h3>[[File:Flag of Hong Kong (1990).svg-2.png|left|200x200px|style=max-width:40%; margin-right:10px;]]The '''[[flag of Hong Kong]]''' depicts a white stylised five-petal flower of the Hong Kong orchid tree (''Bauhinia'' × ''blakeana'') in the centre of a field of Chinese red, the same red as on the flag of China. The Hong Kong Basic Law prescribes the design, and it is only to be made according to regulation and in approved sizes. Regulations regarding its use are stated in the Regional Flag and Regional Emblem Ordinance; its desecration is unlawful and has been punished. The flag was unveiled on 4 April 1990 and approved on 10 August 1996. It was first officially hoisted on 1 July 1997, during the handover ceremony marking the transfer of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom back to China, and replaced a colonial flag adopted in 1959. The 1959 flag, and a variant known as the Black Bauhinia, have been displayed by protesters in Hong Kong, particularly during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. Government supporters often displayed the Chinese and Hong Kong flags together. ''('''[[Flag of Hong Kong|Full article...]]''')''
<h3 style="padding:3px 7px; margin:8px 0; background-color:#CEF2E0;">Today's Featured Article</h3>[[File:Simon Cameron.jpg|alt=style=max-width:40%; margin-right:10px;|left|thumb|184x184px|Tom Hall]]<big>'''[[Simon Cameron]]''' (1799–1889) was an American politician who was elected senator from Pennsylvania four times, and was War Secretary under Lincoln at the start of the Civil War. At first a supporter of James Buchanan, whom he succeeded in the Senate when Buchanan became Secretary of State in 1845, Cameron broke with Buchanan and the Democrats by the 1850s. An opponent of slavery, he briefly joined the Know Nothings before winning another term in the Senate as a Republican in 1857. He helped nominate and elect Lincoln, but rumors of corruption surrounded him; it was with reluctance that Lincoln appointed him to the cabinet. He did not do well in his post, and Lincoln made him minister to Russia in 1862, a post he held briefly. He rebuilt his political machine in Pennsylvania, winning a third term in the Senate in 1867. After ten years he resigned, arranging the election of his son, Don Cameron, in his place. Simon Cameron lived to age 90; his machine dominated local politics until the 1920s. ''('''[[Simon Cameron|Full article...]]''')''</big>
Recently featured: ''[[Ovalipes catharus]].'' [[wikipedia:SMS_Pommern|SMS Pommern]]. [[wikipedia:Julio_and_Marisol|Julio and Marisol]].
<h3 style="padding:3px 7px; margin:8px 0; background-color:#CEDFF2;">Wiki News</h3>[[File:Philip J. Pierre img.jpg|right|frameless|150x150px]]- In Saint Lucia, the [[wikipedia:Saint_Lucia_Labour_Party|Labour Party]], led by Prime Minister [[Philip J. Pierre]] ''(pictured)'', '''[[wikipedia:2025_Saint_Lucian_general_election|retains its majority]]''' in the [[wikipedia:House_of_Assembly_of_Saint_Lucia|House of Assembly.]]
<h3 style="padding:3px 7px; margin:8px 0; background-color:#CEDFF2;">Wiki News</h3>[[File:Rosen Zhelyazkov 2025 (cropped).jpg|thumb|224x224px|Rosen Zhelyazkov]]- Bulgarian prime minister [[Rosen Zhelyazkov|'''Rosen Zhelyazkov''']] ''(pictured)'' and his government resign after '''days of protests'''.
* [[wikipedia:Clair_Obscur:_Expedition_33|'''Clair Obscur: Expedition 33''']] wins Game of the Year at '''[[wikipedia:The_Game_Awards_2025|the Game Awards]]''' (producer and host [[Geoff Keighley]] pictured).
* In Australia, a ban on the use of certain social media platforms by under-16s comes into effect.
* In motorsport, [[Lando Norris|'''Lando Norris''']] ''(pictured)'' wins '''the Formula One World Drivers' Championship'''.
* In Benin, '''a coup attempt''' by members of the armed forces is thwarted. Architect and designer '''Frank Gehry''' dies at the age of 96.
* In Saint Lucia, the [[wikipedia:Saint_Lucia_Labour_Party|Labour Party]], led by Prime Minister [[Philip J. Pierre]] ''(pictured)'', '''[[wikipedia:2025_Saint_Lucian_general_election|retains its majority]]''' in the [[wikipedia:House_of_Assembly_of_Saint_Lucia|House of Assembly.]]
* Playwright and screenwriter '''[[Tom Stoppard]]''' ''(pictured)'' dies at the age of 88.
* Playwright and screenwriter '''[[Tom Stoppard]]''' ''(pictured)'' dies at the age of 88.
* In motorsport, [[wikipedia:Sébastien_Ogier|Sébastien Ogier]] (pictured) and [[wikipedia:Vincent_Landais|Vincent Landais]] win the World Rally Championship.
* In motorsport, [[wikipedia:Sébastien_Ogier|Sébastien Ogier]] (pictured) and [[wikipedia:Vincent_Landais|Vincent Landais]] win the World Rally Championship.
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* Flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah leave at least 469 people dead across Sri Lanka and India.
* Flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah leave at least 469 people dead across Sri Lanka and India.
* An apartment complex fire in Hong Kong leaves at least 156 people dead.
* An apartment complex fire in Hong Kong leaves at least 156 people dead.
* In Guinea-Bissau, armed forces seize power in a military coup, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and proclaiming Horta Inta-A Na Man as head of a transitional government.<p style="float:right;">More current events •</p>
<h3 style="padding:3px 7px; margin:8px 0; background-color:#CEDFF2;">Today's Featured Picture</h3>[[File:Fall Of Baghdad (Diez Albums).jpg|border|center|800x800px|style=max-width:40%; margin-right:10px;]]The '''[[wikipedia:Siege_of_Baghdad|siege of Baghdad]]''' took place in early 1258 when a large army under Hulegu, a prince of the Mongol Empire, attacked Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. Hulegu had been sent by his brother, the Mongol khan Möngke, to conquer Persia. When Baghdad's ruler, Caliph al-Musta'sim, failed to reinforce the Mongol army, an angered Hulegu decided to overthrow him. The Mongol army routed a sortie led by al-Musta'sim's ''dawatdar'' (a leading minister) and besieged the city. After Mongol siege engines breached Baghdad's walls within days, al-Musta'sim surrendered and was later executed. The Mongol army pillaged the city for a week. The number of deaths was inflated by epidemics of disease, but Hulegu estimated his soldiers killed 200,000. Although the siege is often seen as the end of the Islamic Golden Age, Baghdad prospered under Hulegu's Ilkhanate. This double-page illustration, taken from a 14th-century manuscript of Rashid al-Din Hamadani's ''Jami' al-tawarikh'', depicts the attempted escape of the ''dawatdar'' down the river Tigris (centre right); the soldiers on the pontoons forced him back to Baghdad with the loss of three ships. The manuscript forms part of the Diez Albums, now in the collection of the Berlin State Library in Germany.
<h3 style="padding:3px 7px; margin:8px 0; background-color:#CEDFF2;">Today's Featured Picture</h3>[[File:McClure Tunnel west.jpg|alt=style=max-width:40%; margin-right:10px;|border|center|950x950px|'''Leopard seal''']]The '''[[McClure Tunnel]]''' is a tunnel in Santa Monica, California, which connects Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1) with the western terminus of the Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10). It is 400 feet (120 m) long. The first tunnel on the site was a Southern Pacific Railroad tunnel constructed in 1886. This featured in a brief 1898 film called ''Going Through the Tunnel'', which showed the ocean view appearing to the left as the passenger emerges from the western portal. The rail tunnel was demolished and replaced with the current road tunnel, which opened in 1936. It was named after local newspaper publisher Robert E. McClure in 1979.
<small>Photograph credit: Steve Lyon</small>
<b>Recently featured: [[Golden-shouldered parrot]] •</b> [[wikipedia:Template:POTD/2025-12-02|Pedro II of Brazil]] • [[wikipedia:Template:POTD/2025-12-01|The Massacre of the Mamelukes]]
<b>Recently featured: [[Leopard seal|Leopard Seal]] . <small>[[Glassblowing]] • [[Hugh McCulloch]] • [[Siege of Baghdad]] [[Golden-shouldered parrot]] • [[wikipedia:Template:POTD/2025-12-02|Pedro II of Brazil]]</small></b>
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Revision as of 21:37, 14 December 2025
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Today's Featured Article
Tom HallSimon Cameron (1799–1889) was an American politician who was elected senator from Pennsylvania four times, and was War Secretary under Lincoln at the start of the Civil War. At first a supporter of James Buchanan, whom he succeeded in the Senate when Buchanan became Secretary of State in 1845, Cameron broke with Buchanan and the Democrats by the 1850s. An opponent of slavery, he briefly joined the Know Nothings before winning another term in the Senate as a Republican in 1857. He helped nominate and elect Lincoln, but rumors of corruption surrounded him; it was with reluctance that Lincoln appointed him to the cabinet. He did not do well in his post, and Lincoln made him minister to Russia in 1862, a post he held briefly. He rebuilt his political machine in Pennsylvania, winning a third term in the Senate in 1867. After ten years he resigned, arranging the election of his son, Don Cameron, in his place. Simon Cameron lived to age 90; his machine dominated local politics until the 1920s. (Full article...)
In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier (pictured) and Vincent Landais win the World Rally Championship.
Flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah leave at least 469 people dead across Sri Lanka and India.
An apartment complex fire in Hong Kong leaves at least 156 people dead.
Today's Featured Picture
Leopard sealThe McClure Tunnel is a tunnel in Santa Monica, California, which connects Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1) with the western terminus of the Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10). It is 400 feet (120 m) long. The first tunnel on the site was a Southern Pacific Railroad tunnel constructed in 1886. This featured in a brief 1898 film called Going Through the Tunnel, which showed the ocean view appearing to the left as the passenger emerges from the western portal. The rail tunnel was demolished and replaced with the current road tunnel, which opened in 1936. It was named after local newspaper publisher Robert E. McClure in 1979.
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