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Christian Bale (born 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and recurring physical transformations to play his roles, Bale has been a leading man in films of several genres. Born in Wales, he had his breakthrough role at age 13 in the war film Empire of the Sun (1987) and gained wider recognition for his work in the black comedy American Psycho (2000) and the psychological thriller The Machinist (2004). Bale played the superhero Batman in Batman Begins (2005) and reprised the role in the sequels The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). He received acclaim for his performance in the trilogy, which is one of the highest-grossing film franchises. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of the boxer Dicky Eklund in the biographical film The Fighter (2010), Bale was listed on Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid actors in 2014. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Portrait head of Claudia Octavia

... that Nero's divorce of Claudia Octavia (pictured) caused public outcry – so he had her executed instead?
... that about 200 San Francisco police officers led a 1989 riot through a gay neighborhood in reaction to a peaceful protest?
... that John Yelland was insulted by Admiral Hyde Parker's offer of a position aboard his flagship?
... that the Enterprise, a black newspaper in Omaha, supported a separate African American department at the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition?
... that Charles Alban Buckler, an artist, topographer, author, and officer of arms, rebuilt Arundel Castle?
... that Ingrid Andress came up with "Lady Like" after being rejected by a man when she brought politics up?
... that a 1955 satirical comedy play by Kasymaly Jantöshev was one of the first signs of the relaxation of Soviet literary restrictions after the death of Joseph Stalin?
... that Science Park station was built despite the objections of the operating agency?

In the news

Shinzo Abe

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (pictured) is assassinated while giving a speech in Nara.
Boris Johnson announces his intention to resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The Fields Medal for accomplishments in mathematics is awarded to Hugo Duminil-Copin, June Huh, James Maynard and Maryna Viazovska.
Uzbekistan declares a state of emergency after protests in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan.

On this day

July 8: Day of Arafah (Islam, 2022)

Battle of Poltava

1663 – Charles II of England granted the Rhode Island Royal Charter, described as the "grandest instrument of human liberty ever constructed", to the Baptist minister John Clarke.
1709 – Great Northern War: Swedish forces under Charles XII were defeated by Russian troops led by Peter the Great at the Battle of Poltava (pictured), effectively ending Sweden's role as a major European power.
1758 – French and Indian War: French forces defeated the British at Fort Carillon on the shore of Lake Champlain in the British colony of New York.
1947 – Following reports of the capture of a "flying disc" by U.S. Army Air Force personnel near Roswell, New Mexico, the military stated that the crashed object was a conventional weather balloon.
1962 – Following student protests at Rangoon University, Burmese general Ne Win ordered the demolition of the historic students' union building.

Eli Lilly (b. 1838)
Percy Grainger (b. 1882)
Sky Ferreira (b. 1992)

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Austin Wintory

The International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media is an annual award given by the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA). Established in 2007, the award is given to the composer of a video game score based on two criteria: "the effectiveness, appropriateness and emotional impact of the score in the context of the film for which it was written; and the technical and intellectual merit of the composition when heard as a standalone listening experience." As of 2022^[update], 52 composers have been nominated for the International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media. The first award was given to John Debney for his work on the video game Lair. The most recent recipients were Mark Mothersbaugh and Wataru Hokoyama for their work on the video game Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Austin Wintory (pictured) has been nominated eight times and won three; he is the only composer to have been nominated twice in the same year, which happened in 2016. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

St Cyprian's, Clarence Gate, is a Church of England parish church in the district of Marylebone in London. The church was consecrated in 1903, but the parish was founded in 1866. Dedicated to Cyprian, a 3rd-century martyr and Bishop of Carthage, it is near the Clarence Gate Gardens entrance to Regent's Park, off Baker Street. The present church was designed by Ninian Comper and is a Grade II* listed building. The parish was formed by the efforts of noted "slum priest" Charles Gutch, who wanted a church of his own in London. Gutch negotiated that a small portion of St Paul's parish be transferred to a new mission district where church attendance was in any case poor. The district was about one-tenth the area of the parish, but it was densely populated due to the overcrowded slums that at that time occupied much of it. This photograph depicts the nave of the church, looking towards the altar in the background.

Photograph credit: David Iliff

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