Latest news with #British-administered
Canada Standard
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Incoming MI6 boss grandfather was Ukrainian Nazi Butcher media
The Daily Mail has confirmed that Blaise Metrewelis grandfather was a war criminal, claiming this has no bearing on her service The Daily Mail has revealed that the grandfather of Blaise Metreweli, who is expected to become the first woman to lead the foreign intelligence service (MI6), was a Nazi collaborator who oversaw atrocities in occupied Ukraine. Metreweli's father, Constantine, was naturalized in British-administered Hong Kong in 1966. The London Gazetteidentifiedhim at the time as Dobrowolski, known as Constantine Metreweli, of uncertain nationality. In a story published Thursday, the Mail confirmed that Constantine was the son of a German-Polish Ukrainian man - also named Constantine - who worked for the Nazis and was implicated in the mass killing of Jews and other atrocities during World War II. The newspaper said it had reviewed "hundreds of pages of documents held in archives in Freiburg, Germany, detailing the extraordinary - and blood-soaked - life and times of Dobrowolski, which are themselves worthy of a spy thriller." According to the records, Dobrowolski Sr. was born into a family of noble landowners in what is now Ukraine's Chernigov Region. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, the estate was violently plundered, leading the younger Constantine to become a fierce enemy of the new authorities. He was imprisoned in 1926 for anti-Soviet and anti-Semitic agitation. He joined the German occupiers at the first opportunity in 1941, and earned the nickname 'Butcher' for his brutal actions. He is believed to have been killed in 1943. His wife, Barbara (nee Varvara Andreeva), married Georgian-born David Metreweli in Yorkshire in 1947. The Mail alleged that the Russian government is attempting to exploit Metreweli's family history in an effort to discredit her appointment. While Russian media reported on the announcement of the first female MI6 chief and her family's ties to Ukraine and Hong Kong, the British media appears to be the first to make the Nazi connection. "Ms. Metreweli cannot be judged for the sins of her grandfather," the paper stated. "One of our nation's most formidable intelligence operatives, she has served her country with distinction on dangerous operations for MI6 across Europe and the Middle East for two decades." READ MORE: Zelensky has a Nazi problem. He cant lie his way out of it Western nations sheltered thousands of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators after World War II. Many of them were recruited by the CIA to take part in covert operations against the Soviet Union, with a guerrilla war in western Ukraine continuing into the 1950s. In 2023, Canadian lawmakers gave a standing ovation to SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka during a visit by Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky. In Kiev, historical figures associated with wartime nationalist movements, including war criminals, have been honored as national heroes. (
Canada Standard
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Incoming MI6 boss grandfather was Ukrainian Nazi Butcher UK media
The Daily Mail has confirmed that Blaise Metrewelis grandfather was a war criminal, while claiming this has no bearing on her service The Daily Mail has revealed that the grandfather of Blaise Metreweli, who is expected to become the first woman to lead the UK's foreign intelligence service (MI6), was a Nazi collaborator who oversaw atrocities in occupied Ukraine. Metreweli's father, Constantine, was naturalized in British-administered Hong Kong in 1966. The London Gazetteidentifiedhim at the time as Dobrowolski, known as Constantine Metreweli, of uncertain nationality. In a story published Thursday, the Mail confirmed that Constantine was the son of a German-Polish Ukrainian man - also named Constantine - who worked for the Nazis and was implicated in the mass killing of Jews and other atrocities during World War II. The newspaper said it had reviewed "hundreds of pages of documents held in archives in Freiburg, Germany, detailing the extraordinary - and blood-soaked - life and times of Dobrowolski, which are themselves worthy of a spy thriller." According to the records, Dobrowolski Sr. was born into a family of noble landowners in what is now Ukraine's Chernigov Region. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, the estate was violently plundered, leading the younger Constantine to become a fierce enemy of the new authorities. He was imprisoned in 1926 for anti-Soviet and anti-Semitic agitation. He joined the German occupiers at the first opportunity in 1941, and earned the nickname 'Butcher' for his brutal actions. He is believed to have been killed in 1943. His wife, Barbara (nee Varvara Andreeva), married Georgian-born David Metreweli in Yorkshire in 1947. The Mail alleged that the Russian government is attempting to exploit Metreweli's family history in an effort to discredit her appointment. While Russian media reported on the announcement of the first female MI6 chief and her family's ties to Ukraine and Hong Kong, the British media appears to be the first to make the Nazi connection. "Ms. Metreweli cannot be judged for the sins of her grandfather," the paper stated. "One of our nation's most formidable intelligence operatives, she has served her country with distinction on dangerous operations for MI6 across Europe and the Middle East for two decades." READ MORE: Zelensky has a Nazi problem. He cant lie his way out of it Western nations sheltered thousands of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators after World War II. Many of them were recruited by the CIA to take part in covert operations against the Soviet Union, with a guerrilla war in western Ukraine continuing into the 1950s. In 2023, Canadian lawmakers gave a standing ovation to SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka during a visit by Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky. In Kiev, historical figures associated with wartime nationalist movements, including war criminals, have been honored as national heroes. (
Canada News.Net
a day ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Incoming MI6 boss grandfather was Ukrainian Nazi Butcher media
The Daily Mail has confirmed that Blaise Metrewelis grandfather was a war criminal, claiming this has no bearing on her service The Daily Mail has revealed that the grandfather of Blaise Metreweli, who is expected to become the first woman to lead the foreign intelligence service (MI6), was a Nazi collaborator who oversaw atrocities in occupied Ukraine. Metreweli's father, Constantine, was naturalized in British-administered Hong Kong in 1966. The London Gazetteidentifiedhim at the time as Dobrowolski, known as Constantine Metreweli, of uncertain nationality. In a story published Thursday, the Mail confirmed that Constantine was the son of a German-Polish Ukrainian man - also named Constantine - who worked for the Nazis and was implicated in the mass killing of Jews and other atrocities during World War II. The newspaper said it had reviewed "hundreds of pages of documents held in archives in Freiburg, Germany, detailing the extraordinary - and blood-soaked - life and times of Dobrowolski, which are themselves worthy of a spy thriller." According to the records, Dobrowolski Sr. was born into a family of noble landowners in what is now Ukraine's Chernigov Region. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, the estate was violently plundered, leading the younger Constantine to become a fierce enemy of the new authorities. He was imprisoned in 1926 for anti-Soviet and anti-Semitic agitation. He joined the German occupiers at the first opportunity in 1941, and earned the nickname 'Butcher' for his brutal actions. He is believed to have been killed in 1943. His wife, Barbara (nee Varvara Andreeva), married Georgian-born David Metreweli in Yorkshire in 1947. The Mail alleged that the Russian government is attempting to exploit Metreweli's family history in an effort to discredit her appointment. While Russian media reported on the announcement of the first female MI6 chief and her family's ties to Ukraine and Hong Kong, the British media appears to be the first to make the Nazi connection. "Ms. Metreweli cannot be judged for the sins of her grandfather," the paper stated. "One of our nation's most formidable intelligence operatives, she has served her country with distinction on dangerous operations for MI6 across Europe and the Middle East for two decades." READ MORE: Zelensky has a Nazi problem. He cant lie his way out of it Western nations sheltered thousands of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators after World War II. Many of them were recruited by the CIA to take part in covert operations against the Soviet Union, with a guerrilla war in western Ukraine continuing into the 1950s. In 2023, Canadian lawmakers gave a standing ovation to SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka during a visit by Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky. In Kiev, historical figures associated with wartime nationalist movements, including war criminals, have been honored as national heroes.
Canada News.Net
a day ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Incoming MI6 boss grandfather was Ukrainian Nazi Butcher UK media
The Daily Mail has confirmed that Blaise Metrewelis grandfather was a war criminal, while claiming this has no bearing on her service The Daily Mail has revealed that the grandfather of Blaise Metreweli, who is expected to become the first woman to lead the UK's foreign intelligence service (MI6), was a Nazi collaborator who oversaw atrocities in occupied Ukraine. Metreweli's father, Constantine, was naturalized in British-administered Hong Kong in 1966. The London Gazetteidentifiedhim at the time as Dobrowolski, known as Constantine Metreweli, of uncertain nationality. In a story published Thursday, the Mail confirmed that Constantine was the son of a German-Polish Ukrainian man - also named Constantine - who worked for the Nazis and was implicated in the mass killing of Jews and other atrocities during World War II. The newspaper said it had reviewed "hundreds of pages of documents held in archives in Freiburg, Germany, detailing the extraordinary - and blood-soaked - life and times of Dobrowolski, which are themselves worthy of a spy thriller." According to the records, Dobrowolski Sr. was born into a family of noble landowners in what is now Ukraine's Chernigov Region. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, the estate was violently plundered, leading the younger Constantine to become a fierce enemy of the new authorities. He was imprisoned in 1926 for anti-Soviet and anti-Semitic agitation. He joined the German occupiers at the first opportunity in 1941, and earned the nickname 'Butcher' for his brutal actions. He is believed to have been killed in 1943. His wife, Barbara (nee Varvara Andreeva), married Georgian-born David Metreweli in Yorkshire in 1947. The Mail alleged that the Russian government is attempting to exploit Metreweli's family history in an effort to discredit her appointment. While Russian media reported on the announcement of the first female MI6 chief and her family's ties to Ukraine and Hong Kong, the British media appears to be the first to make the Nazi connection. "Ms. Metreweli cannot be judged for the sins of her grandfather," the paper stated. "One of our nation's most formidable intelligence operatives, she has served her country with distinction on dangerous operations for MI6 across Europe and the Middle East for two decades." READ MORE: Zelensky has a Nazi problem. He cant lie his way out of it Western nations sheltered thousands of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators after World War II. Many of them were recruited by the CIA to take part in covert operations against the Soviet Union, with a guerrilla war in western Ukraine continuing into the 1950s. In 2023, Canadian lawmakers gave a standing ovation to SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka during a visit by Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky. In Kiev, historical figures associated with wartime nationalist movements, including war criminals, have been honored as national heroes.
NDTV
17-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Everything A Caste Census Will Change For India
In his book Seeing Like a State, James C. Scott reminds us that modern states rely on simplification, of forests into timber, of people into populations, to govern effectively. The census is perhaps the most paradigmatic of these technologies. It is not just an exercise to record facts. It rather renders societies 'legible', abstracting lived complexity into structured datasets for administration, control, and policy design. India's forthcoming census, scheduled for 2027 after a 16-year gap, will not only reflect social and demographic transformations but also actively shape the institutional architecture of governance in the decades ahead. After prolonged delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and partly due to debates over caste enumeration, India is now preparing to embark on one of its most complex statistical exercises yet. However, the stakes are unusually high this time. This census will not just count people. It will enumerate caste across the country for the first time since 1931. It will do so in a vastly different India, one that is digitally administered, politically assertive, and socially more aware of its entitlements than ever before. The 1871 Census As Bernard Cohn and Nicholas Dirks have shown, the British-administered 1871 census did more than merely record caste. It institutionalised it. It froze fluid and locally contingent jatis (castes) into discrete, pan-Indian categories. The colonial census created what Dirks famously called 'the ethnographic state'. Bureaucratic legibility, in this case, reified and restructured India's social order. Thus, enumerating caste is not merely a matter of asking individuals to self-identify. Castes comprise thousands of regionally specific jatis, many with overlapping or ambiguous nomenclature. Standardising this data across districts, states, and languages requires a sophisticated classification architecture, akin to building a dynamic ontology rather than a static taxonomy. Moreover, matching these self-ascribed caste identities with constitutionally recognised categories, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes, introduces a further layer of administrative complexity. There is also the problem of intent. While the Centre has clarified that the caste data may not be immediately aggregated into an umbrella OBC count or linked to reservation entitlements, enumeration itself is a constitutive act. To be counted is to be recognised. To be omitted is to be invisibilised. As scholars of statecraft have long argued, enumeration creates the basis for claims-making. Even if not linked to policy immediately, the availability of disaggregated caste data will inevitably reframe political demands. The Bihar And Karnataka Censuses The experiences of Bihar and Karnataka serve as instructive case studies. Bihar's caste survey, conducted in 2023, demonstrated the feasibility of a state-level exercise grounded in administrative pragmatism. It revealed that OBCs and Extremely Backward Classes comprised over 60% of the state's population, data that reinforced calls for proportional distribution of state resources. Karnataka's experience has been more contested. Its long-pending caste census, submitted to the state government in 2024, remains unreleased amid political uncertainties. Questions over methodological consistency, data integrity, and the implications for existing quotas have impeded consensus. These divergent outcomes point towards a key insight. Caste enumeration is as much about institutional design and procedural transparency as it is about data accuracy. Without clarity on the normative end-use of data, enumeration risks becoming politically volatile and administratively ambiguous. The Population Question Beyond caste, the census has direct constitutional implications for electoral redistribution. Article 82 of the Indian Constitution mandates the redrawing of Lok Sabha and state assembly constituencies after every census. This exercise, i.e. delimitation, has been suspended since 1976 to avoid penalising states that successfully reduced fertility rates. But the suspension is set to lift after the first census conducted post-2026, placing the 2027 enumeration squarely at the centre of India's next political reorganisation. This raises difficult questions. Population growth has been uneven across states. Southern and some Northeastern states have stabilised or declined demographically, while northern and central states, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, have continued to expand. A purely population-based seat redistribution could significantly shift parliamentary power northwards, raising concerns over the federal balance. This could also strain the political compact between demographically progressive and populous states, sharpening regional anxieties and fuelling mistrust. An Instrument Of Sovereignty Further, India's international border regions - Assam, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, and the Northeast - pose additional demographic challenges. These regions have witnessed complex migration patterns, both internal and transnational. In the absence of recent data, narratives around infiltration, identity, and entitlement have flourished without empirical grounding. A credible, up-to-date census can serve as a corrective, but only if handled with methodological precision and communicative restraint. Here, too, enumeration is not neutral; it becomes an instrument of sovereignty, legitimacy, and social belonging. Thus, the census forms the backbone of India's statistical infrastructure. It feeds into the National Sample Survey, the Socio-Economic and Caste Census, the National Family Health Survey, and numerous state-level databases. Delays in the census have rendered many of these exercises misaligned with current realities. We no longer have a reliable estimate of the urban-rural population ratio, poverty incidence, migration patterns, or regional consumption profiles. Without this baseline, development policy becomes speculative rather than evidence-based. To this end, conducting a census was very necessary. Thus, India's 2027 census will reflect more than just the demographic change. It will lead to significant changes. Delimitation and reservation of women in parliament will just be a start. It will shape how rights are negotiated, how resources are distributed, and how democracy is imagined.
