Hoping For a Thaw

This is The World Today [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZTE0bnk2eGUyOC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Hoping For a Thaw [Formerly DailyChatter - Why are we changing our name?](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdDZibjZnY3d5aS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) [Share Today's Edition](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZ3NvNXIxOHljby8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) [GlobalPost] [Listen to Today's Edition](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbDU0dTZ4MjF4Ny8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) [GlobalPost] [Share Today's Edition](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbXNta29hdjNoOC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) [Listen to Today's Edition](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbWE2Z2VlMWFnNi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) GlobalPost is an exclusive benefit for subscribers of The Charlotte Observer The Largest Daily Newsletter Devoted to World News Hoping For a Thaw THE WORLD TODAY — Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Hoping For a Thaw Hoping For a Thaw Need to Know Hoping For a Thaw [Bulgaria](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvM21tdGIzY2Vibi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Freedom of information advocacy group Reporters Without Borders once [concluded](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdGJ3OTdpYzh2by8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) that Bulgarian media mogul and political boss Delyan Peevski embodied the “corruption and collusion between media, politicians, and oligarchs.” Many Bulgarians agree. Around a decade ago they took to the streets to protest against Peevski’s role in politics due to his unsavory relationship with former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. The US has also slapped sanctions on Peevski for corruption. “Peevski has significant control over the judiciary and the security services and Mr. Borisov has old sins that he is afraid (will be punished) if there are real working courts and prosecutors,” another former prime minister, Kiril Petkov, [told](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbWF2cjRnc21oeC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Politico. “So Borisov brings the votes and Peevski guarantees that the current institutions do not pose risks.” Now, however, Peevski and his allies’ grip over Bulgaria’s government might be loosening. Borisov’s center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB) held office from 2009 to 2021, but since then, the Balkan country has had six parliamentary elections where GERB could not form a government. When it could, it lasted less than a year. Meanwhile, four out of the six votes failed to lead to an elected government after reformers like Petkov sought to crack down on graft and exorcise Russian influence from the former communist nation, [added](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsveTJxemQ1NzRydS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) the Associated Press. Borisov has now distanced himself from Peevski due to the latter’s unpopularity, [reported](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvOGR5bHE3dGI0bC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Radio Free Europe. Longtime leaders of Peevski’s Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, which traditionally represents the Turkish minority in the country, have also expressed anger at Peevski’s moves to kick them out so he can solidify control of the party. These changes come after the election in June that resulted in yet another political impasse, when Bulgarian President Rumen Radev rejected then-interim Prime Minister Goritsa Grancharova’s proposed government choice for interior minister, Kalin Stoyanov – a Peevski ally – Balkan Insight [explained](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZjFjM2s2bDAwZC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). Radev has now scheduled a new vote for Oct. 27. No one is expected to win a clear majority. Borisov’s GERB is expected to garner about 24 percent of the vote, [according](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcjd6aHV2OTgxcS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) to polls cited in the English-language news website Sofia Globe. Reformers under Petkov’s We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria are slated to come in second with under 15 percent. Peevski’s Movement for Rights is on track to win around 6 percent. A few other parties are in the running. [Writing](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdDdxNTZ6bDRsbC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) in the Financial Times, Bulgarian political analyst Ivan Krastev lamented that his country had become a “frozen democracy.” The far right can’t win power, he says, while the center are just calling out the corrupt. But nothing is changing, and the people are growing tired. Bulgarians want a thawed-out democracy. But what they are getting is something very different, he said, adding: “The suspicion is that political parties cannot govern because they do not want to govern. It is more important for their constituents to know whom they will not cooperate with than what can be achieved. The unresolved question of Bulgarian politics is: who actually rules the country?” [Share this story](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvOHZyNGd0dTljdS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Hoping For a Thaw ~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcXY4ZDc2Z25mbi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~ The World Briefly At the Edge At the Edge [Iran](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZzN6NTdnbmloZS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) / [Israel](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbWwycnE3d2FlZC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) / [Lebanon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbXNvdXF5dmx2My8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Iran fired almost 200 ballistic missiles at Israel Tuesday evening with little advance warning, less than a day after Israel moved its troops into southern Lebanon, moves contributing to a quickly deteriorating situation that has left many worried over a regional war igniting, the BBC [reported](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvYnJhem02aWpjdi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). Israel’s air defense systems identified about 180 missiles fired from Iran, most of them stopped by weapons defense systems before they could hit their targets, Israel’s military said. Across Israel, residents scrambled for shelter while the Israeli security cabinet convened in a bunker. No deaths were reported. [Israeli](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZ2JhMGVvMHVtNi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) and US leaders vowed retribution. Tehran will face “severe consequences” for its attack on Israel, the White House said, after the United States used military force to help defend its closest Middle Eastern ally from Iranian weapons for [the second time](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvemdidXNheWx5ZC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) in five months, the Washington Post [reported](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZDg0M3U2bWd0ci8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). Meanwhile, concerns spiked over the rapidly escalating situation setting off a regional conflict, even as Israel is now fighting a war on three fronts with Israel also having bombed Houthi sites in Yemen. Early Tuesday, Israeli troops entered southern Lebanon as part of a “limited, localized and targeted” ground operation aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, USA Today [reported](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZmt3YjY3eGYwZS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). That follows other operations against Hezbollah: In recent weeks, Israeli forces have disrupted the armed group’s command by detonating booby-trapped pagers and two-way radios used by Hezbollah members. Tuesday’s ground assault also followed weeks of airstrikes that have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli military officials described the ground invasion as necessary to ensure the safety of around 60,000 Israelis displaced from northern Israel due to near-daily rocket fire from Hezbollah. They added that the goal of the operation is to “dismantle and demolish Hezbollah infrastructure,” including a network of tunnels and weapons storage facilities. Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist armed group and political force in Lebanon with deep ties with Iran, has maintained an entrenched presence in southern Lebanon since its formation in 1982. It remains a powerful military force: The group is believed to possess an arsenal of around 150,000 rockets and missiles, and its fighters have combat experience from fighting in the Syrian civil war, [according](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvaHgxM2VnYm01aS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) to the Associated Press. Analyst Gilbert Achar told USA Today that Hezbollah could endure fighting Israel “as long as the Iranian regime is able to continue funding the group.” The last time the two sides engaged in all-out conflict was in 2006. Earlier this week, the US ramped up its military presence in the region, deploying naval destroyers, an aircraft carrier and fighter jets to assist Israel in its defense. Amid fears of a broader regional war, analysts have expressed concerns about the fragile situation in Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned that his country is entering “one of its most dangerous phases,” adding that more than a million citizens have been displaced. For years, Lebanon has been grappling with an economic collapse and political vacuum, which Achcar said has left the country “on the edge of the abyss.” In contrast, the recent victories against Hezbollah have been a boon for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced criticism both domestically and internationally over his handling of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the BBC [noted](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsveXZrNGd1NXJrMS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). A recent poll indicated that Netanyahu’s Likud party would win the most seats if an election were held today, though opposition parties still hold a larger majority. His government has been further stabilized by the recent inclusion of former rival Gideon Saar into the coalition, giving Netanyahu more room to maneuver politically. [Share this story](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMmh0YzZ2bnVldS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Pulling on the Threads Pulling on the Threads [Bangladesh](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdnhwYTl2bG81cC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) One person was shot dead and at least 20 others were injured in violent clashes between protesting garment workers and police in Bangladesh on Monday, rocking the country just a few months after its longtime autocratic leader was deposed in a revolution, Reuters [reported](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbGEzcndqOWt5OS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). The violence erupted when protestors blocked a major highway on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, demanding higher wages and improved working conditions in clothing factories, hurling bricks at law enforcement officers and their vehicles. The widespread protests, which have been going on for weeks, have led to the closures of dozens of factories in one of the world’s largest clothing production hubs. Bangladesh is the world’s third-largest clothing exporter, behind China and the European Union, with its factories producing clothing for top European brands such as Zara and H&M. More than 80 percent of the country’s export earnings are produced in the garment industry, Reuters noted. The protests of factory workers in recent weeks, along with recent floods and political turmoil, have resulted in a backlog of production. Garment industry leaders, worried that brands will move their production elsewhere, have addressed most of the protestors’ demands and called on the government to increase security measures to continue operations. The interim government, meanwhile, has formed a committee to address the demonstrators’ concerns while labor leaders have urged for factory-based talks to calm the unrest. This is not the first time garment workers in Bangladesh have tried to secure a pay hike or better working conditions. Four garment workers died in protests against the low national minimum wage last fall, [according](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvc2NmdThwM3l5eS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) to Amnesty International. “Most garment workers are still fighting for decent wages in an industry that brings the most revenue to Bangladesh and paying a heavy price for fighting for their rights,” said Nadia Rahman, Amnesty’s South Asia regional director. Amnesty added that unlawful force has been used by police against protesting garment workers. The current unrest comes at a time when an interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has taken over the country after massive student-led protests forced longtime autocratic leader, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to flee the country. More than 1,000 people died in the protests, [reported](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsveDVidHAwZTV3NC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) NBC. The interim government has been tasked with maintaining stability and organizing parliamentary elections. [Share this story](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcWZ0ZzVud2hycy8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Hoping For a Thaw Support Our Student Initiative ~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvOHBuaGs0aW90bi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~ GlobalPost provides free subscriptions to students and teachers around the world. Help us expand students’ global knowledge. [Donate now](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvc2U1MmhsdDNqZi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). Your contribution is fully tax deductible. Hoping For a Thaw ~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsva2tycGV3czhjOC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~ ‘Find Their Place’ ‘Find Their Place’ [Benin](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbGtzbm14eHg0bi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Benin has approved a law that would allow the descendants of African slaves taken to the Americas to become citizens of the small West African nation, a move that comes as the country grapples with its own role in its history of slavery, Bloomberg [reported](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZWUwZmgxdzRjeS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Tuesday. According to the new law, which was passed by the legislature last month, any person who can trace their ancestry back to a victim of the transatlantic slave trade and who is not a citizen of another African country “may acquire Beninese citizenship by recognition.” Applicants can provide a variety of documentation as proof, including a DNA test confirming sub-Saharan African lineage. The applicant can also transfer their Beninese citizenship to their descendants. Many European traders bought captives from African middlemen in what was then known as the [Kingdom of Dahomey](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNzdiZXBzbTFoOC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). The port city of [Ouidah](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMXQ2cGNyOWd2ZS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) in modern-day Benin was one of the region’s largest slave trading hubs between the 18th and 19th centuries, where more than a million men, women and children were captured and put onto ships headed toward the Americas, including the United States and Brazil. “Our brothers and sisters of the Diaspora, uprooted by force during the dark days of the transatlantic slave trade, must find their place once again within the African community,” Benin’s Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari said Saturday in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Over the past few years, Benin has explored its transatlantic slave-trading history, building museums and memorial sites to document its complicated past. In neighboring Ghana, which also contains the remnants of European slave trading posts, more than a hundred African Americans have been granted citizenship since 2019, including the iconic musician [Stevie Wonder](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvOXluY2FubnNzNy8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) earlier this year. [Share this story](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNWZtd2RyZmNxdi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Weekly Quiz ~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvY2swZGV5YjR4ay8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~ The Bubbles of Life Discoveries The Bubbles of Life Scientists recently discovered a small “scuba-diving” lizard species in Costa Rica’s jungles that can elude predators by diving underwater. Meet the [water anole](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdzU0czAzaWc0YS8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~), a semi-aquatic creature about the size of a pencil that can stay underwater for at least 20 minutes, according to a [new study](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNHlkeXFwdWYyNy8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). These lizards don’t have gills, but they can form a small air bubble on top of their heads to stay underwater to avoid becoming a snack. “Anoles are kind of like the chicken nuggets of the forest,” researcher and study co-author Lindsey Swierk said in [a statement](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcHo1dWZ3OGY0di8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~). “Birds eat them, snakes eat them.” Swierk and her colleagues described the lizard’s bubble-making mechanism and its functional role in a new paper – the lizard has special skin that allows air bubbles to form and remain in place. They discovered this after experiments in which they took a group of anoles and separated them into two groups: One group was covered with a substance that prevented the formation of bubbles, while the control group was left untreated. The team then tested how many bubbles each group would form and how long they could “rebreathe” underwater. Not surprisingly, the control group could stay below the surface 32 percent longer than the lizards with the anti-bubble coating. “This is really significant because this is the first experiment that truly shows the adaptive significance of bubbles,” Swierk noted. “Rebreathing bubbles allows lizards to stay underwater longer.” Researchers are now exploring whether the lizards are using the bubbles as a “[physical gill](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcGQzYW9oeW1jby8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~)” – to breathe underwater just like some insect species do. In the future, the authors believe the study can shed more light on the bubble use in vertebrates and open the door to new bioinspired materials. “Fundamental science is so important because that’s often where our really new discoveries come from that can impact humans, that can change the way we use materials, the way we change the way we engineer products,” Swierk [told](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvamgwbDl5czA2Yi8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) NPR. [Share this story](~/AASU4wA~/RgRo355AP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvYnd2cGswMXVnZC8_bGhfYWlkPTE4ODMzJmxoX2NpZD1raTg3OXlnOXNpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmb4QBn9ZhQMEWhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAWg~~) Thank you for reading or listening to GlobalPost. Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated. 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