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Metrosideros bartlettii, commonly known as Bartlett's rātā, is a rare species of tree in the familyMyrtaceae. It is only found in three patches of dense forest remnants nearPiwhane / Spirits Bay in New Zealand'sNorth Island. It reaches a height of up to 30 metres (100 feet) with atrunk diameter of 1 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 4.9 feet). The species is known for its distinct whitish, paper-likebark and small white flowers. Bartlett's rātā was accidentally discovered in 1975 byJohn Bartlett nearCape Reinga and firstdescribed byJohn Dawson in 1985. Bartlett's rātā typically begins lifegrowing on another plant, inhabits lowland forests, and grows near wet areas. A 2018 article documented 13 adult trees in the wild, down from 31 in 2000. Its decline has been attributed to land use changes and the introduction ofcommon brushtail possums. In 2013, it was listed as acritically endangered species on theIUCN Red List, with a decreasing population trend. (Full article...)

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Entrance to the Lavatory Madeleine

... thata public toilet in Paris(entrance pictured) is aFrench national heritage site?
... thata Wisconsin TV station claimed to have the only revolving stage in a TV studio east of California when it went on the air in 1953?
... thatJatin Chakraborty was sued by pop singerUsha Uthup after Chakraborty labelled her shows as "decadent"?
... thata special election in February 1963 put the firstRepublican in four decades into theMississippi Legislature?
... that aChoquei Instagram post claiming thatLula had won the2022 Brazilian election received more than 1.3 million likes before the official result was announced?
... thatGannon University's original American football program lasted only two years due to fan "apathy", despite going undefeated andholding scoreless six of eight opponents in its first year?
... that thehedonistic pursuit of pleasure may itself prevent pleasure?
... that the arsonist whoburned down a golden Buddhist temple secretly removed one nail, then reinserted it, then removed it again?
... that carrot recorders, butternut squash trombones, and aubergine castanets are all instruments in theLondon Vegetable Orchestra?

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Robert Francis Prevost

Robert Francis Prevost(pictured)is elected asPope Leo XIV, becoming the firstpope of theCatholic Church born in the United States.
Friedrich Merz is electedChancellor of Germany and sworn in alongsidehis coalition government.
Zhao Xintong defeatsMark Williams to winthe World Snooker Championship.
Inthe Singaporean general election, thePeople's Action Party retains asupermajority of seats.

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On this day

May 9:Europe Day in the European Union;Liberation Day in theChannel Islands (1945)

Hotel Polen fire

1877 –An earthquake struck northern Chile, leading to the deaths of 2,385 people, mostly victims of the ensuingtsunami, as far away as Hawaii and Fiji.
1944 –World War II: The JapaneseTake Ichi convoy arrived atHalmahera in theDutch East Indies after losing many ships and thousands of troops to Allied attacks while attempting to carry two divisions of troops from China toNew Guinea.
1977 – The Hotel Polen inAmsterdam wasdestroyed by fire(pictured), leaving 33 people dead.
1980 – Part of theSunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida collapsed after a pier was struck by theMVSummit Venture, killing 35 people.
2001 – Police at theOhene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana, firedtear gas to quell unrest at a football match, leading toa stampede that killed 126 people.

Al-Adid (b. 1151)
John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair (d. 1747)
Yukiya Amano (b. 1947)

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Monday Okpebholo

There have been various leaders ofEdo State, both military and civilian, since Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Upon independence, Nigeria had only three regions, and the area of the future Edo State was located in theWestern Region. TheMid-Western Region was separated from the Western Region in August 1963 and hadDennis Osadebay as its first premier. The modern Edo State was established on 27 August 1991, following the division of Bendel State into Edo State andDelta State.John Odigie-Oyegun became the first civilian governor of Edo State, serving from January 1992 to November 1993, and was succeeded by military governors. In the democratic era,Lucky Igbinedion served as governor from 1999 to 2007 and was succeeded byOserheimen Osunbor.Adams Oshiomhole served from 2008 to 2016, followed byGodwin Obaseki, who was re-elected in 2020.Monday Okpebholo(pictured) has been the incumbent governor of Edo State since 2024. (Full list...)

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TheAllies of World War II, formally known as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed to oppose theAxis powers. Its principal members were the "Big Four": the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and the Republic of China. The Allies became a formalized group upon theDeclaration by United Nations on 1 January 1942, which was signed by 26 countries around the world; these ranged fromgovernments in exile from Axis occupation to small states far removed from the war. This became the groundwork for the present-dayUnited Nations, established in theaftermath of World War II. This 1943 propaganda poster, designed by Leslie Ragan and distributed by theUnited States Office of War Information, depicts the flags of many of the members of the Allies waving amidst smoke, with tanks, battleships and aircraft in the foreground. In whiteall-caps letters, the poster bears the word "United" at the top of the poster, and the caption "The United Nations Fight for Freedom" at the bottom.

Poster credit: Leslie Ragan; restored byBammesk

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