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Today

Did you know... Carlyle Hotel ... that a staff member at the Carlyle Hotel (pictured) once lent his own bow tie to Laurence Olivier? ... that Yangginu plotted to defeat Khan Wan to avenge his murdered father? ... that to prepare for her role in The Last Dance, actress Michelle Wai learned to perform a Taoist funeral ritual traditionally performed only by men? ... that the city council of Hamtramck, led by Mayor Amer Ghalib, banned the pride flag from publicly owned flagpoles? ... that the death rate from adrenal crises can reach as high as 6 percent? ... that Shane Connolly has provided flowers for two royal weddings and the coronation of Charles III? ... that the Child Law Project reports on Ireland's child-care system? ... that U.S. Army chaplain Patrick Ryan celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving for 10,000 people after the liberation of Rome? ... that Perplexities after Escher, a composition for heckelphone, string quartet and double bass, is based on five graphic artworks by M. C. Escher?

In the news Bashar al-Assad Syrian rebel forces capture Damascus following multiple offensives as overthrown president Bashar al-Assad (pictured) flees to Russia. Notre-Dame de Paris reopens following reconstruction after the 2019 fire. The first round of the Romanian presidential election is annulled by the Constitutional Court following allegations of Russian electoral interference. The French government, led by Michel Barnier, collapses following a vote of no confidence by the National Assembly. Ongoing: Israel–Hamas war Israeli invasion of Lebanon Russian invasion of Ukraine timeline Sudanese civil war timeline Recent deaths: Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo Eddie Stobart Dickie Rock Michael Ruetz Paolo Pillitteri Maggie Tabberer

On this day... December 12: Beginning of the Yule Lads' arrival in Iceland George W. Bush 627 – At the Battle of Nineveh, the Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeated the forces of Sasanian emperor Khosrow II, commanded by Rhahzadh, near present-day Mosul, Iraq. 1936 – Republic of China leader Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang, a former warlord of Manchuria. 1988 – Three trains collided near Clapham Junction railway station in London, killing 35 people and injuring 484 others. 2000 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the recount of ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election be stopped, effectively making George W. Bush (pictured) the winner. 2021 – At the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to become World Drivers' Champion. Geoffrey (d. 1212) Edvard Munch (b. 1863) Ikuhiko Hata (b. 1932) Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi (d. 2021) More anniversaries: December 11 December 12 December 13

Today's featured picture Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (born 12 December 1948) is a Portuguese politician and academic. He has been the 20th and current president of Portugal since 9 March 2016. As a member of the Social Democratic Party, he previously served as a minister and parliamentarian in the Assembly of the Republic. This photograph of Rebelo de Sousa was taken in 2017 at Web Summit, an annual technology conference held in Lisbon. Photograph credit: João Pedro Correia Recently featured: Dusky grasswren Kitt Peak National Observatory Leucojum vernum