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Today's featured article
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England. Arising from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington, Dorset, it flows northwest through the Somerset Levels to its mouth at Burnham-on-Sea, into the nature reserve at Bridgwater Bay on the Bristol Channel, draining about 50 per cent of Somerset's land area. The 37-mile-long (60 km) river is tidal for 27 miles (43 km) up to Oath. During the Roman era, the Parrett was crossed by a ford, and in Anglo-Saxon times formed a boundary between Wessex and Dumnonia. From the medieval period, the river served the Port of Bridgwater, enabling cargoes to be transported inland. The arrival of the railways led to a decline and now commercial shipping only docks at Dunball. Along with its connected waterways and network of drains, the Parrett supports an ecosystem that includes several rare species of flora and fauna. The River Parrett Trail has been established along the banks of the river. (Full article...) Recently featured: Olmec colossal heads Secretum Tichborne case Archive By email More featured articles About
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In the news

Iranian missiles being intercepted

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Israel invades Lebanon, and Iran launches missiles (pictured) against Israel.
Shigeru Ishiba becomes Prime Minister of Japan after winning the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election.
Flooding in Nepal leaves more than 250 people dead, including 37 in the nation's capital, Kathmandu.
In Australian rules football, the Brisbane Lions defeat the Sydney Swans to win the AFL Grand Final.
Hurricane Helene leaves more than 200 people dead across the southeastern United States.

On this day...

October 5: World Teachers' Day

Women's March on Versailles

869 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople, the eighth Catholic Ecumenical Council, was convened to discuss the patriarchate of Photios I of Constantinople.
1789 – French Revolution: Upset about the high price and scarcity of bread, thousands of Parisian women and allies marched (pictured) on the Palace of Versailles.
1869 – During construction of the Eastman tunnel in St. Anthony, Minnesota (now Minneapolis), the Mississippi River broke through the tunnel's limestone ceiling, nearly destroying Saint Anthony Falls.
1994 – Swiss police found the bodies of 48 members of the Order of the Solar Temple, who had died in a cult mass murder-suicide.

Plácido Zuloaga (b. 1834)
Francis William Reitz (b. 1844)
Magda Szabó (b. 1917)
Varghese Payyappilly (d. 1929)

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