<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;"><small>Today's Featured Article</small></h3>[[File:Edith Swan and Rose Gooding.jpg|alt=style=max-width:40%; margin-right:10px;|left|thumb|200x200px|<small>Edith Swan (left) and Rose Gooding (right)</small>]]<small>The '''[[Littlehampton libels]]''' were a series of letters sent to numerous residents of Littlehampton, in southern England, over a three-year period between 1920 and 1923. The letters, which contained obscenities and false accusations, were written by Edith Swan, a thirty-year-old laundress; she tried to incriminate her neighbour, Rose Gooding, a thirty-year-old married woman. Swan and Gooding ''(both pictured)'' had once been friends, but after Swan made a false report to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children accusing Gooding of maltreating one of her sister's children, the letters started arriving. Many of them were signed as if from Gooding. Swan brought a private prosecution against Gooding for libel. Gooding was imprisoned twice, but Scotland Yard investigated and cleared her. Swan was prosecuted in December 1921. A similar case of letters being sent over several years was reported in 2024, in the village of Shiptonthorpe, East Yorkshire. ''('''[[Littlehampton libels|Full article...]]''')''</small>
* <small>Filmmaker and actor '''[[Rob Reiner]]''' ''(pictured)'' and his wife are stabbed to death in Los Angeles.</small>
* <small>Sixteen people, including a gunman, are killed in '''a mass shooting attack''' on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney.</small>
* <small>Bulgarian prime minister [[Rosen Zhelyazkov|'''Rosen Zhelyazkov''']] ''(pictured)'' and his government resign after '''days of protests'''.</small>
* <small>[[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).</small>
<h3 style="padding:3px 7px; margin:8px 0; background-color:#CEDFF2;">Wiki News</h3>[[File:Stoppard 02 (cropped).jpg.jpg|right|frameless|161x161px]]- Playwright and screenwriter '''Tom Stoppard''' ''(pictured)'' dies at the age of 88.
* <small>In Australia, a ban on the use of certain social media platforms by under-16s comes into effect.</small>
* In motorsport, [[wikipedia:Sébastien_Ogier|Sébastien Ogier]] (pictured) and [[wikipedia:Vincent_Landais|Vincent Landais]] win the World Rally Championship.
* In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier (pictured) and Vincent Landais win the World Rally Championship.
* <small>In motorsport, [[Lando Norris|'''Lando Norris''']] ''(pictured)'' wins '''the Formula One World Drivers' Championship'''.</small>
* 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.
* 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 • Nominate an article</p>
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* <small>In Benin, '''a coup attempt''' by members of the armed forces is thwarted. Architect and designer '''Frank Gehry''' dies at the age of 96.</small>
* <small>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.]]</small>
<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:African Chaffinch (Fringilla spodiogenys) female Sfax.jpg|alt=style=max-width:40%; margin-right:10px;|border|center|950x950px|'''Leopard seal''']]The '''[[African chaffinch]]''' (''Fringilla spodiogenys'') is a species of passerine bird in the genus ''Fringilla''. The African chaffinch is found from southern Morocco to northwestern Libya, and in Italy on the islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria. There is also an isolated population in northeastern Libya. Its habitat includes deciduous forests and lowlands, and during the nonbreeding season extends its habitat to open areas including weedy fields and olive groves. The diet of the African chaffinch is similar to the Eurasian chaffinch, consisting mostly of small invertebrates and their larvae as well as flowers, seeds, and buds. This female African chaffinch was photographed in Sfax, Tunisia.
<small>Photograph credit: [[wikipedia:User:Charlesjsharp|Charles J. Sharp]]</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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# '''Global migration trends reshaped cultural demographics''', increasing multicultural integration in major cities.
# '''Global migration trends reshaped cultural demographics''', increasing multicultural integration in major cities.
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Latest revision as of 04:14, 16 December 2025
Welcome to Verified Wikipedia The encyclopedia of verified knowledge
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Today's Featured Article
Edith Swan (left) and Rose Gooding (right)The Littlehampton libels were a series of letters sent to numerous residents of Littlehampton, in southern England, over a three-year period between 1920 and 1923. The letters, which contained obscenities and false accusations, were written by Edith Swan, a thirty-year-old laundress; she tried to incriminate her neighbour, Rose Gooding, a thirty-year-old married woman. Swan and Gooding (both pictured) had once been friends, but after Swan made a false report to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children accusing Gooding of maltreating one of her sister's children, the letters started arriving. Many of them were signed as if from Gooding. Swan brought a private prosecution against Gooding for libel. Gooding was imprisoned twice, but Scotland Yard investigated and cleared her. Swan was prosecuted in December 1921. A similar case of letters being sent over several years was reported in 2024, in the village of Shiptonthorpe, East Yorkshire. (Full article...)
Leopard sealThe African chaffinch (Fringilla spodiogenys) is a species of passerine bird in the genus Fringilla. The African chaffinch is found from southern Morocco to northwestern Libya, and in Italy on the islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria. There is also an isolated population in northeastern Libya. Its habitat includes deciduous forests and lowlands, and during the nonbreeding season extends its habitat to open areas including weedy fields and olive groves. The diet of the African chaffinch is similar to the Eurasian chaffinch, consisting mostly of small invertebrates and their larvae as well as flowers, seeds, and buds. This female African chaffinch was photographed in Sfax, Tunisia.
5G and early 6G testing expanded, supporting industrial automation.
Medical AI tools improved diagnostics for major diseases.
Global cybersecurity alliances were formed to counter digital threats.
Tech companies committed to ethical AI development.
Telemedicine grew rapidly, especially in developing regions.
Education systems adopted AI-based personalized learning on a large scale.
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International film festivals experienced record global participation.
World music and entertainment industries expanded global reach, especially in Asian and African markets.
Major sports tournaments and global event bids shaped the future of international competitions.
Cultural diplomacy initiatives increased, promoting heritage and creative industries.
Global migration trends reshaped cultural demographics, increasing multicultural integration in major cities.
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