Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 December 12

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From today's featured article
Pepper v Hart is a landmark decision in English law on the use of legislative history in statutory interpretation. The House of Lords, by a majority, established the principle that when primary legislation is ambiguous then, under certain circumstances, a court may refer to statements made in Parliament in an attempt to interpret the meaning of the legislation. Before this ruling, such an action would have been seen as a breach of parliamentary privilege. Lord Mackay (pictured), dissenting, argued that Hansard should not be considered admissible evidence due to the time and expense involved in a lawyer having to look up every debate and discussion on a particular statute when giving legal advice or preparing a case. The decision met a mixed reception. While the judiciary were cautiously accepting, legal academics argued that it violated rules of evidence, damaged the separation of powers between the executive and Parliament and caused additional expense in cases. In 2000, a senior judge, Lord Steyn, delivered a lecture in which he attacked the logic and legal theory behind the decision, and several subsequent judicial decisions have considerably limited the use of Pepper by the courts. (Full article...) Recently featured: Battle of Radzymin – Drosera regia – Anna of East Anglia Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that due to the large number of pilgrims who visit Bahrain during Muharram (Muharram procession pictured), the country has been referred to as the "Karbala of the Gulf"? ... that musicologist Klaus Hofmann reconstructed a trio sonata for violin, viola and basso continuo, and attributed it to both Johann Sebastian Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach? ... that in 1786, every church in Denmark donated a rigsdaler for building the Stubbekøbing Church tower? ... that part of the reason Arthur Dobbs, colonial governor of North Carolina, ordered the construction of Fort Dobbs in 1755 was to protect 200,000 acres of land he owned? ... that the Russian ship of the line *Tsesarevich* was transferred to the Baltic Fleet before her steam engine was installed because the Black Sea was demilitarized after the end of the Crimean War? ... that producer and screenwriter Jeremy Boreing met future writing partner Joel David Moore by helping move Moore's couch with his pickup truck? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Indian classical composer Ravi Shankar dies at the age of 92. Cheick Modibo Diarra, the Prime Minister of Mali, and his government resign after Diarra's arrest by leaders of the Malian coup d'état. John Dramani Mahama is re-elected President of Ghana. In the Romanian legislative election, the ruling Social Liberal Union wins a majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In Qatar, the UN Climate Change Conference agrees to extend the Kyoto Protocol until 2020. Seven people are killed and hundreds others injured during protests against Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo. The extinct reptile Nyasasaurus, known from 243-million-year-old fossils discovered in Tanzania, is described as possibly the earliest known dinosaur. Recent deaths: Iajuddin Ahmed – Jenni Rivera – Patrick Moore Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
On this day...
December 12: Independence Day in Kenya (1963) 627 – A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeated Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh, near present-day Mosul, Iraq. 1915 – President Yuan Shikai (pictured) of the Republic of China reinstated the monarchy and declared himself Emperor. 1939 – The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duchess was rammed by the battleship HMS Barham she was escorting and sank with heavy loss of life. 1942 – World War II: German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. 1964 – Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of Kenya. More anniversaries: December 11 – December 12 – December 13 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 12, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Front view of the entrance to Mission de San Geronimo church at Taos Pueblo, an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos (Northern Tiwa) speaking Native American tribe of Pueblo people. The pueblo is approximately 1,000 years old and lies about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The church was originally built around 1620, but was destroyed several times. The current building (pictured) is the fourth to be built. Today, about 90% of the Taos community are baptized as Catholics, but many still also practice their indigenous religion.

Photo: Ansel Adams; Restoration: Ryan Kaldari

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