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Shannen Doherty

"All Hell Breaks Loose" is the third-season finale of Charmed, an American fantasy series that aired on The WB. It follows Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), and Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano), three sisters who discover they are witches and use their powers to protect innocents from demons. "All Hell Breaks Loose" was written by Brad Kern and directed by Doherty (pictured), and aired on May 17, 2001. It was the third episode of the series directed by Doherty. In the episode, Prue and Piper are caught using their powers on live television, which proves to have deadly consequences. During filming, Doherty used a Salvador Dalí painting as inspiration for the episode's aesthetic, and helped her co-stars shoot emotionally challenging scenes. A week prior to the episode's airing, Doherty was fired from the series due to a feud with Milano, which resulted in her character being killed off. "All Hell Breaks Loose" has been cited as one of the show's best episodes, with critics highlighting Prue's death. (Full article...)

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The Park

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... that, on the fourth anniversary of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a video address showing the bunker in which he told the US that he needed ammunition, not a ride?
... that Pamela Ball was prouder of her mathematics degrees than of being the first Jamaican woman to be a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England?
... that Frank DeAngelis, the former principal of Columbine High School, wrote in his book that he recites the names of the victims of the Columbine High School massacre every day?
... that a contract for building the Boracay Bridge was awarded despite opposition from the local municipality, the Ati people, and the Archbishop of Capiz?
... that Cifelliodon is estimated to have been as large as a hare at a time when most other mammaliaforms were shrew- and mouse-sized?
... that a test of the Spadina subway line took 3.5 hours and used a diesel locomotive because electrical workers were on strike?
... that Jordan Hadaway was the youngest manager in Welsh senior football at the age of 18?

In the news

Dalton Tagelagi

Niuean prime minister Dalton Tagelagi (pictured) is re-elected for a third term following a general election.
The Philippine Senate goes into lockdown after the attempted arrest of senator Ronald dela Rosa.
The Progressive Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Philip Davis, wins a second term in the Bahamian general election.
Passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius disembark in Tenerife after being quarantined due to a hantavirus outbreak.

On this day

May 17: International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia; World Hypertension Day

Edward Stafford

1395 – An outnumbered Wallachian army repulsed invading Ottoman forces at the Battle of Rovine.
1521 – Edward Stafford (pictured), whose father had been beheaded for rebelling against King Richard III of England, was himself executed for treason against King Henry VIII.
1900 – Second Boer War: The Siege of Mafeking in South Africa was lifted after 217 days, a decisive victory for the British against the Boers.
1974 – The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force detonated a series of car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland, killing 34 people and injuring almost 300 others.
1995 – Six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama selected by the 14th Dalai Lama, was kidnapped by the Chinese government, who advocated a proxy.

Martin Delrio (b. 1551)
William Birdwood (d. 1951)
Jeannette Piccard (d. 1981)
Patricia Guijarro (b. 1998)

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Today's featured picture

The Balearic green toad (Bufotes balearicus) is a species in the family Bufonidae, the true toads, native to Italy, Corsica, and the western Mediterranean Sea region. Although named after the Balearic Islands, it was probably introduced there by humans during the Bronze Age. It is mainly a lowland species but can occur up to 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level. Formerly treated as part of the European green toad complex, genetic studies now recognise it as a distinct species, though limited hybridization occurs where its range overlaps with related green toads. The species has characteristic brownish or reddish-spotted paratoid glands. It is classified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, although Balearic populations are declining. This female Balearic green toad was photographed near Giuncarico in Tuscany, Italy.

Photograph credit: Richard Bartz

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