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Statue of Chagatai Khan

Chagatai Khan (c. 1184 – 1242) was a son of Genghis Khan and a prominent figure in the early Mongol Empire. The second son of Genghis's wife Börte, Chagatai was renowned for his masterful knowledge of Mongol custom and law and his harsh temperament. He was appointed to military commands alongside his brothers during the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty in 1211 and the invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire in 1219. After the campaign, Chagatai was granted large tracts of conquered land in Central Asia, which he ruled until his death, often quarrelling with officials like Mahmud Yalavach. Chagatai's inflexibility, most notably never accepting the legitimacy of his elder brother Jochi, excluded him from succession to Genghis's throne. He was nevertheless a key figure in ensuring the stability of the empire during the reign of his younger brother Ögedei Khan, whom he advised. Chagatai died shortly after Ögedei in 1242; his descendants later ruled his territories as the eponymous Chagatai Khanate. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Emma Finucane

... that Emma Finucane (pictured) recently became the first British woman in sixty years to win three medals at a single Olympic Games?
... that researchers accidentally discovered a new antibiotic in soil bacteria?
... that Budi Bowoleksono always traveled with chili paste in his briefcase?
... that Hemenway Park's desert bighorn sheep come as close as a few feet to visitors?
... that the Star Wars line "these aren't the droids you're looking for" became a popular Internet meme?
... that the art of a reclusive Chicago janitor, Henry Darger, was discovered and popularized by his former landlords?
... that cables of large suspension bridges can reach over 1 meter (3.3 ft) in diameter and weigh more than 20,000 tonnes?
... that Jeremy Hambly has operated a YouTube channel about claw machines?
... that the world's largest McDonald's restaurant closed after only six weeks of operation?

In the news

Sheikh Hasina

Former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina (pictured) is found guilty of crimes against humanity in absentia by a Bangladeshi tribunal and sentenced to death.
In Canadian football, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Montreal Alouettes to win the Grey Cup.
In motorcycle racing, Marc Márquez wins the MotoGP World Championship.
The High Court of Justice in London rules BHP liable for the 2015 Mariana dam disaster in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

On this day

November 24: Feast day of the Vietnamese Martyrs (Catholicism)

Eugene O'Neill Theatre

1643 – Thirty Years' War: Holy Roman Empire, Bavarian and Spanish forces led by Franz von Mercy defeated the French army in Germany led by Marshal Josias von Rantzau at the Battle of Tuttlingen.
1918 – The Podgorica Assembly convened in Montenegro, with the intention of uniting with the Kingdom of Serbia.
1925 – The Eugene O'Neill Theatre (pictured) opened on Broadway, New York, with a production of the musical Mayflowers.
1950 – The "Great Appalachian Storm", a large extratropical cyclone, struck the east coast of the United States before moving northeast.
2015 – A Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft was shot down by a Turkish fighter jet after the former allegedly strayed into Turkish airspace and ignored warnings to change course.

Ismail II (d. 1577)
Esther Applin (b. 1895)
William F. Buckley Jr. (b. 1925)
Pat Morita (d. 2005)

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From today's featured list

The ICC Future Tours Programme (ICC FTP) is a schedule of international cricket tours and tournaments that structure the programme of cricket events for International Cricket Council (ICC) full members and associate members with One Day International status. The FTP schedules bilateral cricket tours with the objective of each team playing each other at least once at home and once away over a period of 10 years, known as the "Ten Year Plan", since 2006. The FTP also schedules associate tri-nation series with the objective of each team playing each other at least once at home, once away, and once at a neutral venue, over a cycle of four years since 2019. Additionally, it has scheduled ICC tournaments over a period of four years, known as an "ICC Events cycle", since 2024. Each cycle consists of one men's Cricket World Cup, one women's Cricket World Cup, one ICC Champions Trophy, one ICC Women's Champions Trophy, two men's T20 World Cups and two women's T20 World Cups. (Full list...)

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Renate Reinsve (born 24 November 1987) is a Norwegian actress. She made her film debut in Joachim Trier's film Oslo, August 31st (2011). Her breakout role came in Trier's romantic drama The Worst Person in the World (2021), for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She has since starred in the Apple TV+ legal-thriller series Presumed Innocent, the A24 satirical dark comedy A Different Man, and the thriller Armand (all 2024). She reunited with Trier for the film Sentimental Value (2025). This photograph of Reinsve was taken at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Photograph credit: Harald Krichel

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