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Yarralumla is a large suburb within Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Located approximately 3.5 kilometres south-west of the city centre, Yarralumla extends along the southern bank of Lake Burley Griffin. Europeans first settled the area in 1828, and it was named Yarralumla in 1834 from the Ngunnwal Indigenous Australian name for the area. Yarralumla is most noted for being the site of Government House, the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia, built in 1891. The suburb was officially gazetted in 1928 and today is home to approximately 3000 people and many diplomatic missions. In recent years, it has become one of Canberra's most desirable and expensive suburbs because of its leafy streets, attractive lakeside setting and central location. (more...)

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From Wikipedia's newest articles:

...that Haghpat Monastery (pictured) in Armenia was placed on the World Heritage List over 1,000 years after it was founded?
...that Randy Shilts was the first openly gay man in the mainstream U.S. media?
...that the chaperon was a hat from the Middle Ages that could be worn in at least six different ways?
...that Millennium City, Hong Kong has skyscrapers numbered 1, 2, 3, and 5, possibly because 4 is considered unlucky?
...that the Louvre describes Virgin and Child from the Sainte-Chapelle as the most beautiful ronde-bosse ivory carving ever made?
...that in his 1560s work the Zimmern Chronicle Count Froben Christoph von Zimmern tried to establish a lineage to the ancient tribe of Cimbri just because his name sounded similar?

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In the news

Adam Air Flight 574 disappears near the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (map pictured) with 102 people onboard.
Romania and Bulgaria join the European Union, bringing the total number of member states to 27.
The Islamic Courts Union is forced to retreat after the Battle of Jilib deprives them of Kismayu, their last stronghold in Somalia.
At least eight bombings in Bangkok kill three people, leading authorities to cancel New Year's Eve celebrations in the city.
A van bomb explosion in Madrid Barajas International Airport injures 26 and leaves two missing.

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On this day...

January 3:

1521 - Pope Leo X (pictured) excommunicated Martin Luther from the Roman Catholic Church after Luther refused to retract 41 of his 95 theses.
1749 - Benning Wentworth began to issue the New Hampshire Grants on land which was also claimed by New York, and is now Vermont.
1958 - Ten former British colonies in the Caribbean joined to form a new self-governing West Indies Federation.
1973 - George Steinbrenner and a group of investors bought the New York Yankees for US$8.7 million.
1990 - United States invasion of Panama: General Manuel Noriega, the deposed "strongman of Panama", surrendered.

Recent days: January 2 – January 1 – December 31

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Today's featured picture

The Clock Tower is a turret clock structure at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament building in Westminster, London. It is popularly known as Big Ben, but this name actually belongs to the clock's main bell. It was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old one was destroyed by fire. The tower is designed in the Victorian Gothic style, and is 96.3 metres (316 feet) high.

Photo credit: Diliff
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