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From today's featured article

Teenagers celebrating Independence Day with flags and body paint

Independence Day is an annual public holiday in Nigeria observed on 1 October to commemorate the country's independence from the United Kingdom. The formal transfer of sovereignty took place in Lagos in 1960 when the Union Jack was lowered and replaced with Nigeria's green–white–green flag. Princess Alexandra of Kent, representing Queen Elizabeth II, presented the constitutional instruments of independence, and the new Nigerian federal government formally assumed authority. Independence Day is a key date in the country's civic calendar: the president of Nigeria delivers a national broadcast, and state governments organise parades and cultural programmes. The anniversary has occasionally been marked by national incidents, such as the suspension of festivities following the 1992 Nigerian Air Force C-130 crash and the October 2010 Abuja bombings. The holiday is legally recognised under the Public Holidays Act 1979, which designates 1 October as Nigeria's national day. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Bai Yun

... that Bai Yun (pictured) was artificially inseminated with Shi Shi's sperm because the two pandas could not get along?
... that actress Barbra Streisand bought a New York City townhouse after being rejected from housing cooperatives due to her occupation?
... that Momčilo Gruban was convicted of crimes against humanity for his actions as a guard at the Omarska concentration camp during the Bosnian War?
... that around half of the collection at Casa da Saudade, a library in Massachusetts, is in either Portuguese or Cape Verdean Creole?
... that John Huston's 45-year directing career comprised 37 feature films, including film noirs, war dramas, and Westerns?
... that the Popular Democratic Union was the oldest communist party in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula?
... that the Idaho Statesman reported that Joe Pellegrini was still playing for the New York Jets when he was actually working for a local bank?
... that an imperfect take of the song "Hadashi no Kisetsu" was used for the final release, as its producer thought that it would endear Seiko Matsuda's voice to listeners?
... that carpet weavers on strike in Yonkers demanded that their bosses stop docking their pay for talking, laughing, or looking out the window?

In the news

Bangkok floods

Flooding in Bangkok (pictured) and the surrounding area leaves at least 23 people dead.
The Chess Olympiad concludes with Uzbekistan winning the Open event and China winning the Women's event.
In Australian rules football, the Brisbane Lions win their third premiership in a row, defeating Fremantle in the AFL Grand Final.
An attack on a police complex in Kohat, Pakistan, leaves 31 people dead.

On this day

October 1: National Day in China (1949); Independence Day in Nigeria (1960); Unification Day in Cameroon (1961); Independence Day in Tuvalu (1978); Defenders Day in Ukraine (2015)

Flag of Tuvalu

1891 – Stanford University, founded by railroad magnate and politician Leland Stanford and his wife Jane in Palo Alto, California, admitted its first students.
1906 – A deputation of Muslim leaders led by the Aga Khan III met Indian viceroy Lord Minto to secure greater political representation, eventually leading to the founding of the All-India Muslim League.
1946 – Mensa, the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world, was formed in the United Kingdom.
1978 – Tuvalu adopted its national flag (pictured) on the day that the country gained its independence.
2022 – After losing a league home match to their local rivals, Persebaya Surabaya, some 3,000 Arema supporters invaded the pitch at Kanjuruhan Stadium and met with police resistance, causing a stampede that killed 135.

Severus Alexander (b. 208)
Yaqub Spata (d. 1416)
Nasir al-Wuhayshi (b. 1976)
Jane Goodall (d. 2025)

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Today's featured picture

The grey-cheeked fulvetta (Alcippe morrisonia) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae, the laughingthrushes. Endemic to Taiwan, it is a common year-round resident found in montane forests and other upland habitats across the island. Measuring about 14 centimetres (5.5 in) in length, it has brown upperparts, buff underparts and a predominantly grey head, with a conspicuous white eye-ring and narrow dark crown stripes. It readily joins mixed-species flocks, often acting as a nucleus species around which other birds congregate. It was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863. This grey-cheeked fulvetta was photographed in Xindian District in New Taipei City.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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