Millions of voters in Bangladesh are expected to cast ballots in general elections and a constitutional referendum following the toppling of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, according to Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that national elections will only be held after a ceasefire with Russia and the implementation of security guarantees, as reported by Euronews. Elsewhere, a cyclone in Madagascar caused significant damage and loss of life, while a new study suggests seabird guano played a key role in the rise of the Chincha Kingdom in Peru. Finally, research on Buddhist monks indicates that meditation significantly alters brain activity, as detailed by Wired.
In Bangladesh, the upcoming elections are viewed by many as a potential turning point, with hopes that the energy of mass demonstrations will translate into real political change and solidify democracy, as stated by Al Jazeera. The elections are the first since Prime Minister Hasina was removed after 15 years in power. The article also notes that the country has faced decades of political instability, posing a significant challenge to the consolidation of democracy.
In Ukraine, the constitution prohibits holding national elections while the country is under martial law, which was declared on February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion, according to Euronews. President Zelenskyy pushed back against suggestions of holding elections under pressure from the US, stating, "We will move to elections when all the relevant security guarantees are in place."
Madagascar was struck by Cyclone Gezani, which caused at least nine deaths and significant damage, including collapsed houses and major flooding, Euronews reported. The cyclone made landfall on Tuesday, slamming into Toamasina, the country's second-largest city, with winds reaching 250 kilometers per hour.
A study published in PLoS ONE suggests that seabird guano significantly contributed to the sociopolitical and economic changes in the Peruvian Andes, according to Ars Technica. The pre-Inca Chincha Kingdom, which flourished along Peru's southern coast between 1000 and 1400 CE, was one of the wealthiest and most influential of its time. "Seabird guano may seem trivial, yet our study suggests this potent resource could have significantly contributed to sociopolitical and economic change in the Peruvian Andes," said co-author Jacob Bongers, a digital archaeologist at the University of Sydney.
Finally, a new international study found that meditation is a state of heightened cerebral activity that profoundly alters brain dynamics, Wired reported. Researchers from the University of Montreal and Italy's National Research Council analyzed the brain activity of 12 monks of the Thai Forest Tradition at Santacittārāma, a Buddhist monastery outside Rome, using magnetoencephalography (MEG).
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