Germany apologizes for genocide in Namibia

Germany on Friday formally acknowledged that it committed genocide in the colonial-era killings of tens of thousands of people in Namibia. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Germany apologizes for genocide in Namibia [Skulls of Ovaherero and Nama people are displayed during a devotion attended by representatives of the tribes from Namibia in Berlin, Germany. Germany has reached an agreement with Namibia that will see it officially recognize as genocide the colonial-era killings of tens of thousands of people.] Credit: Michael Sohn/AP/File photo Germany-Namibia Germany on Friday [formally acknowledged that it committed genocide]( in the colonial-era killings of tens of thousands of people in Namibia. After five years of talks on the events that unfolded between 1904-1908, while Germany was a colonizer in Namibia, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany will offer financial support of $1.3 billion, largely on development projects, and has [officially asked for forgiveness]( over the massacres. Russia-Belarus Moscow banned French and Austrian passenger airlines from flying over [Russian airspace on Friday]( in an apparent retaliation over bans on European Union carriers entering Belarus’s airspace. French and Austrian carriers were [seeking alternative routes to bypass Belarus](. The Russia escalation follows European Union bans on Minsk after Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko’s diverting of a flight on Sunday to the capital, and the arrest of opposition activist and journalist Roman Protasevich. AG Garland moves on hate crimes US Attorney General Merrick Garland [announced in a memo]( on Thursday new steps to [combat the growing number of hate crimes]( in the US. Garland plans to expand funding, and offer additional resources to states for tracking and investigating hate crimes. The attorney general also created a new role in the Justice Department focused on hate crimes, coordinating with prosecutors and acting as a central “hub,” [among other measures](. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Lawsuits bring attention to caste discrimination in the US]( [A view of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey. A lawsuit claims workers from marginalized communities in India were lured to New Jersey and forced to work more than 12 hours per day at slave wages to help build a Hindu temple, May 11, 2021.]( Credit: Ted Shaffrey/AP/File photo People across the US are divided over whether caste should be added as a protected class under anti-discrimination policies. This month, lawyers representing lower-caste workers building a temple for a Hindu group in New Jersey filed a lawsuit claiming they were forced to work for less than $2 an hour. And in California, student leaders are pushing to pass [resolutions recognizing caste as a protected category]( on their campuses. [Remembering author Eric Carle]( [Author Eric Carle reads his classic children's book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" on the NBC "Today" television program in New York, Oct. 8, 2009.]( Credit: Richard Drew/AP/File photo Eric Carle, author and illustrator of the children's book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other works died on Sunday at the age of 91. Despite the joy evident in his work, his early life was marked by traumatic events. The World's Carol Hills spoke with Michelle Martin, Beverly Cleary professor for children and youth services at the University of Washington, about his life and work. "Some of the reasons why he has so many books about small insects is that he says that his father taught him to look closely at things and really to pay attention" [Martin said](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Podcast [A deepening coronavirus crisis in Latin America]( [A cemetery worker paints numbers on crosses to be used as grave markers, at the Inahuma cemetery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, amid the coronavirus pandemic, April 28, 2021.]( Credit: Bruna Prado/AP Latin America and the Caribbean now register a million new COVID-19 infections about every six days. With the vaccine rollout lagging and lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance, what is next for the region? As part of The World's [series of conversations on the pandemic]( with Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and as a special feature in our podcast feed, [reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with demographer Marcia Castro](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot There may be hope in reversing deforestation. The Atlantic rainforest in eastern Brazil is providing a possible blueprint for what it takes to [create a successful forest restoration program](. The Institute for Ecological Research has worked with conservation groups to plan regrowth in places that help connect the habitats of endangered species, allowing them to rebound — like the rare black lion tamarin monkey. [Learn more]( about this in our Big Fix segment. [The Atlantic rainforest in Brazil is a beacon for global forest restoration.]( Credit: Courtesy of Laurie Hedges/IPÊ --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it from The World --------------------------------------------------------------- - [Caste discrimination in California]( - [Author Eric Carle dies at 91]( - [Brazil rainforest gives blueprint for global forest restoration]( - [Immigrants with TPS fight for permanent residency]( - [Fresh protests challenge Iraqi government]( - [Bad day for big oil]( - [Ad campaign for reopening the US-Canada border]( - [Families remain split by US-Canadian COVID border restrictions]( - [Reviving the ‘lab leak’ debate]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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