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Bulgaria Dismantles Soviet Army Monument

Officials have cited security reasons for taking down the monument. Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP/File
Officials have cited security reasons for taking down the monument. Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP/File
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Bulgaria Dismantles Soviet Army Monument

Officials have cited security reasons for taking down the monument. Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP/File
Officials have cited security reasons for taking down the monument. Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP/File

Regional authorities in Sofia on Tuesday began dismantling a towering Soviet-era monument prominently featuring a soldier following years of controversy between Bulgaria's opposing camps of pro-Europeans and Russophiles.
Once considered Moscow's staunchest ally, EU and NATO member Bulgaria still has many monuments glorifying the Soviet era.
Since the fall of the communist regime in 1989, there have been repeated calls for their destruction.
The memorial in Sofia was erected in 1954 and features three bronze sculptures depicting a Soviet soldier, a mother with her child and a worker.
Officials have cited security reasons for taking down the monument, with experts reporting major cracks in the structure.
"The regional authorities decided to dismantle the Soviet army monument after a survey showed that it poses a threat to local residents," said governor Viara Todeva.
Once fully removed, it will be displayed in the Museum of Socialist Art.
The 45-meter (150-foot) monument including bas-reliefs depicting battle scenes was built as a reminder of the Soviet army's arrival in Sofia in September 1944.
In recent years, it has been repeatedly targeted by unknown artists, who painted the sculptures pink, dressed them in superhero costumes or painted them the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.
But plans to dismantle the monument have long been thwarted by the Russian Embassy and Bulgarian Russophiles, who emphasized the Red Army's fight against Nazism.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova decried Bulgaria's "fresh hostile gesture", accusing it of having "chosen the wrong side of history".
The Socialist and far-right opposition parties also protested the move, stressing that "anti-fascist monuments are being preserved elsewhere in Europe".
"This monument has a rightful place as it illustrates our history and the art of the time," said Vessela Naidenova, a 38-year-old researcher, who came to protest against the dismantling.
But others lauded the move to take down the monument.
"This propaganda tool from bygone days must disappear from the city center," said 19-year-old economics student Daniel Roussev.
According to a poll conducted in October, almost one third of Sofia's inhabitants were in favor of keeping the monument.
The majority of respondents, however, said they would like the memorial to be transferred to a museum or demolished altogether.
Bulgaria is a Slavic and Orthodox country with close historical and cultural ties to Russia.
But relations have been strained since Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine.
Sofia condemned the conflict and has expelled numerous Russian diplomatic staff, as well as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia and a Russian reporter.

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Varieties

Why Do Some Tropical Butterflies Live 25 Times Longer Than Their Relatives?

A Heliconius melpomene butterfly feeds on pollen. (Nature Communications)
A Heliconius melpomene butterfly feeds on pollen. (Nature Communications)
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Why Do Some Tropical Butterflies Live 25 Times Longer Than Their Relatives?

A Heliconius melpomene butterfly feeds on pollen. (Nature Communications)
A Heliconius melpomene butterfly feeds on pollen. (Nature Communications)

Most butterflies have short lifespans, fluttering between colorful flowers for a few weeks before dying, but a few rare exceptions have stumped scientists. Now, some long-lived tropical butterfly species are shedding light on the secrets of longevity.

Butterflies belonging to the Heliconius genus, which inhabit the tropical rainforests of South and Central America, have lifespans that vary wildly. The Dione juno butterfly lives for 14 days after reaching adulthood, while Heliconius hewitsoni lives for 348 days — nearly 25 times longer.

Other Heliconius species also have impressively lengthy lives, enduring between 106 to 277 days, according to a study on the phenomenon published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Some scientists have speculated that Heliconius’ extended adulthood is due to the insects consuming an enhanced diet, rather than relying purely on carbohydrates like other butterflies.

But the exact reasons behind this unexpected longevity have been unclear, which is what inspired Dr. Jessica Foley, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral scholar at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, to take an in-depth look at the intriguing butterfly genus.

“We see vast differences in lifespan across the animal kingdom — adult mayflies famously live only for a day, whereas some whales and sharks can live for hundreds of years,” Foley wrote in an email.

“I’m interested in the evolutionary basis of these kinds of lifespan differences because they might hold insights relevant for healthy ageing in humans,” she added.

Foley and her colleagues discovered that while nutrition has its part to play, some Heliconius have also evolved an anti-aging mechanism the researchers are still unraveling — and how it could be a model for understanding human longevity.

The new research shows that Heliconius can be a potential model insect group for studying increased longevity, including adaptations that could slow aging and have potential applicability to humans, said Dr. Jaret C Daniels, curator and interim associate director for the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Daniels was not involved in the study.

“This study reinforces the utility of many insect groups and important model organisms for various fields of research,” Daniels said in an email.

“Since many insects are often overlooked or underappreciated by humans, studies like this can help change that perspective,” Daniels added.

Varieties

22 Saudi Universities Recognized in QS World University Rankings 2027

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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22 Saudi Universities Recognized in QS World University Rankings 2027

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

Twenty-two Saudi universities have been recognized among the world's leading higher education institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2027, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals topped the list of Saudi universities, ranking 63rd globally and securing a place among the world's top 100 universities. King Saud University ranked 107th globally, followed by King Abdulaziz University in 200th place, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in 421st place, and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in 474th place.

The rankings also included several other Saudi universities with a global presence, including Prince Sultan University, King Khalid University, King Faisal University, Umm Al-Qura University, Qassim University, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Alfaisal University, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Taif University, Effat University, Majmaah University, the Islamic University of Madinah, Northern Borders University, University of Hail, University of Tabuk, and Taibah University.

The continued progress reflects advancements made by Saudi universities in education, scientific research, and innovation. It also highlights the Kingdom's growing presence in global higher education and supports Saudi Vision 2030's goal of building a competitive, knowledge-based economy driven by innovation and academic excellence.

Varieties

Plan to Sell Artifacts from Titanic Faces US Government Opposition

FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)
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Plan to Sell Artifacts from Titanic Faces US Government Opposition

FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)

A plan to auction more than 100 artifacts salvaged from the wreckage of the Titanic — including personal belongings, currency, kitchen items and decor — is facing pushback from the US government, according to newly unsealed court documents.

RMS Titanic Inc., the company that owns exclusive salvage rights to the famous wreck in the North Atlantic, wants to sell the artifacts for the first time despite previous agreements to only display them at museums and traveling exhibitions.

Georgia-based RMS Titanic proposed auctioning the artifacts and displaying them on a global tour in four cities, although those locations haven't been publicly revealed. Court documents filed in the US referenced the company's plan to sell artifacts including a bronze cherub, a necklace of gold nuggets and a heart-shaped pendant.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration represents US interests and oversight in the wreck site. The agency contends such a sale would violate RMS Titanic's legal obligations to the site, according to documents a judge ordered unsealed earlier this month.

In arguing that the auction should be prohibited, the government wrote that the company “does not seek the Court’s approval, does not believe that approval is required, and asserts that it is not restricted in its ability to sell” the artifacts.

Representatives for RMS Titanic did not respond to The Associated Press requests for comment Monday. Its attorneys previously said in a federal court filing that the proposed auction arrangement wouldn’t violate existing court orders and agreements about the artifacts.

This is the latest attempt to sell Titanic artifacts Since 1987, salvage operations have retrieved thousands of items and even chunks of the Titanic’s hull. RMS Titanic makes money by exhibiting them.

Over the decades, the company has tried to sell artifacts to fund future explorations and as it faced financial trouble. But those efforts were roundly opposed by US courts along with preservation groups and relatives of the victims. Some of the salvaged items belonged to passengers aboard the ship.

However, items saved by survivors or plucked from the water by rescuers can be sold and often fetch big sums. A life jacket worn by a passenger went for just over $900,000 in April, while a gold pocket watch given to the ship captain who rescued the survivors was sold for nearly $2 million in 2024.

Auctioneers say the unending fascination with the Titanic — which sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Europe to New York, killing more than 1,500 people — and the rarity of artifacts adds up to high demand and exorbitant prices.

A trans-Atlantic dispute over the artifacts RMS Titanic wants to auction some of the first artifacts salvaged from the wreck. Those items were taken to France, which awarded ownership of them to the salvager. French oceanographic institute IFREMER partnered with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on the discovery of the wreck.

The rest of the collection was retrieved during subsequent expeditions, and the salvage claim was made in a US District Court in Norfolk, Virginia.

NOAA argues that all of the roughly 5,000 items — regardless of whether they were claimed in France or the US — must remain in one collection based on conditions set by the US court. NOAA also maintains on its website that a French court’s conditions required that the artifacts not be sold individually and be kept together as a single collection.

The company has argued, among other things, that the US court lacks jurisdiction over the items claimed in France.

Representatives for the French government did not respond to requests for comment late Monday.

Pieces of history for all to see Some undersea explorers have pushed back at the idea of selling Titanic artifacts, which they argue should be displayed in the public interest.

“I don’t have a problem with people recovering artifacts from the Titanic as long as it’s done careful, with proper archaeological techniques,” said Greg Stone, a veteran ocean explorer and ocean scientist. “I’d feel better if it was a nonprofit enterprise.”

Richard Daynard, a law professor at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston who specializes in public interest advocacy, said rules on the display and sale of Titanic artifacts are intended to preserve the wreckage for the benefit of the public, and so it can't be “picked up by billionaires for further display of their wealth and power.”

“If it’s something where someone can walk through their house and say ‘Yes, I bought this for $5 million and it’s original from the Titanic,’ that’s not a good thing,” he said.