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Al Jazeera
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Genocide or tragedy? Ukraine, Poland at odds over Volyn massacre of 1943
Kyiv, Ukraine – Nadiya escaped the rapists and killers only because her father hid her in a haystack amidst the shooting, shouting and bloodshed that took place 82 years ago. 'He covered me with hay and told me not to get out no matter what,' the 94-year-old woman told Al Jazeera – and asked to withhold her last name and personal details. On July 11, 1943, members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA), a nationalist paramilitary group armed with axes, knives and guns, stormed Nadiya's village on the Polish-Ukrainian border, killing ethnic Polish men and raping women. 'They also killed anyone who tried to protect the Poles,' Nadiya said. The nonagenarian is frail and doesn't go out much, but her face, framed by milky white hair, lights up when she recalls the names and birthdays of her grand- and great-grandchildren. She also remembers the names of her neighbours who were killed or forced to flee to Poland, even though her parents never spoke about the attack, now known as the Volyn massacre. 'The Soviets forbade it,' Nadiya said, noting how Moscow demonised the UIA, which kept fighting the Soviets until the early 1950s. Nadiya said her account may enrage today's Ukrainian nationalists who lionise fighters of the UIA for having championed freedom from Moscow during World War II. After Communist purges, violent atheism, forced collectivisation and a famine that killed millions of Ukrainians, the UIA leaders chose what they thought was the lesser of two evils. They sided with Nazi Germany, which invaded the USSR in 1941. In the end, though, the Nazis refused to carve out an independent Ukraine and threw one of the UIA's leaders, Stepan Bandera, into a concentration camp. But another UIA leader, Roman Shukhevych, was accused of playing a role in the Holocaust – and in the mass killings of ethnic Poles in what is now the western Ukrainian region of Volyn and adjacent areas in 1943. Genocide? Up to 100,000 civilian Poles, including women and children, were stabbed, axed, beaten or burned to death during the Volyn massacre, according to survivors, Polish historians and officials who consider it a 'genocide'. 'What's horrifying isn't the numbers but the way the murders were carried out,' Robert Derevenda of the Polish Institute of National Memory told Polskie Radio on July 11. This year, the Polish parliament decreed July 11 as 'The Volyn Massacre Day' in remembrance of the 1943 killings. 'A martyr's death for just being Polish deserves to be commemorated,' the bill said. 'From Poland's viewpoint, yes, this is a tragedy of the Polish people, and Poland is fully entitled to commemorate it,' Kyiv-based analyst Igar Tyshkevych told Al Jazeera. However, rightist Polish politicians may use the day to promote anti-Ukrainian narratives, and a harsh response from Kyiv may further trigger tensions, he said. 'All of these processes ideally should be a matter of discussion among historians, not politicians,' he added. Ukrainian politicians and historians, meanwhile, call the Volyn massacre a 'tragedy'. They cite a lower death toll and accuse the Polish army of the reciprocal killing of tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians. In post-Soviet Ukraine, UIA leaders Bandera and Shukhevych have often been hailed as national heroes, and hundreds of streets, city squares and other landmarks are named after them. Evolving views and politics '[The USSR] branded 'Banderite' any proponent of Ukraine's independence or even any average person who stood for the legitimacy of public representation of Ukrainian culture,' Kyiv-based human rights advocate Vyacheslav Likhachyov told Al Jazeera. The demonisation backfired when many advocates of Ukraine's independence began to sympathise with Bandera and the UIA, 'turning a blind eye to their radicalism, xenophobia and political violence', he said. In the 2000s, anti-Russian Ukrainian leaders began to celebrate the UIA, despite objections from many Ukrainians, especially in the eastern and southern regions. These days, the UIA is seen through a somewhat myopic prism of Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia, according to Likhachyov. Ukraine's political establishment sees the Volyn massacre and armed skirmishes between Ukrainians and Poles as only 'a war related to the Ukrainians' 'fight for their land'', according to Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher at Bremen University in Germany. 'And during a war, they say, anything happens, and a village, where the majority is on the enemy's side, is considered a 'legitimate target',' he explained. Many right-leaning Ukrainian youngsters 'fully accepted' Bandera's radicalism and the cult of militant nationalism, he said. Before Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, thousands of far-right nationalists rallied throughout Ukraine to commemorate Bandera's January 1 birthday. 'Bandera is our father, Ukraine is our mother,' they chanted. Within hours, the Polish and Israeli embassies issued declarations in protest, reminding them of the UIA's role in the Holocaust and the Volyn massacre. Far-right activists began volunteering to fight Moscow-backed separatists in southeastern Ukraine in 2014 and enlisted in droves in 2022. 'In the situational threat to [Ukraine's] very existence, there's no room for reflection and self-analysis,' rights advocate Likhachyov said. Warsaw, meanwhile, will keep using the Volyn massacre to make demands for concessions while threatening to oppose Ukraine's integration into the European Union, he said. As for Moscow, it 'traditionally plays' the dispute to sow discord between Kyiv and Warsaw, analyst Tyshkevych said, and to accuse Ukrainian leaders of 'neo-Nazi' proclivities. Is reconciliation possible? Today, memories of the Volyn massacre remain deeply contested. For many Ukrainians, the UIA's image as freedom fighters has been bolstered by Russia's 2022 invasion, somewhat pushing aside reflection on the group's role in the World War II atrocities. For Poland, commemoration of the massacre has become a marker of national trauma and, at times, a point of leverage in political disputes with Ukraine. In April, Polish experts began exhuming the remnants of the Volyn massacre victims in the western Ukrainian village of Puzhniky after Kyiv lifted a seven-year moratorium on such exhumations. Some believe this may be a first step in overcoming the tensions over the Volyn massacre. Reconciliation, historians say, won't come easily. 'The way to reconciliation is often painful and requires people to accept historical realities they're uncomfortable with,' Ivar Dale, a senior policy adviser with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, a human rights watchdog, told Al Jazeera. 'Both [Poland and Ukraine] are modern European democracies that can handle an objective investigation of past atrocities in ways that a country like Russia unfortunately can not,' he said.
Time Business News
04-07-2025
- General
- Time Business News
This is the fate of Gaza for the indifferent vision of the deaf world
This is the fate of Gaza for the indifferent vision of the deaf world – Franca ColozzoItalian poet, novelist and human rights activist Dr. Arch. Franca Colozzo, a member of the International Union of Architects (UIA), said that Gaza today is a tragic fate for the indifferent vision of the blind and deaf world. He said this in an interview timebusinessnews .Franca Colozzo speaks on behalf of the helpless women and children of Gaza, Palestine, at various international is a retired teacher of technology, drawing and art history in Italy. Multilingual author of 18 books, translator and freelancer. Blogger of the UN SDGs. Ambassador of Peace for various NGOs in India, Pakistan and the UK. Member of the International Academy of Ethics. Winner of several awards for peace and poetry at national and international is an excerpt from his interview for the readersMd. Mafidul Islam Sarkar: What message would you like to share with the viewers of timebusinessnews?Dr. Arch. Franca Colozo: My short message to the readers is to become 'resilient'. A word widely used after the post-pandemic crisis that has led us to inhumanity. In the indifferent gaze of the blind and deaf world, inhumanity is now more evident than ever in what is happening in Gaza. I believe that it is important to raise our voices against social injustice, oppression and imbalance, even if it sometimes seems insignificant globally, which has trapped the world in a vicious cycle of impatience, violence and most powerful message today should be the message of peace and tolerance if we want to teach future generations respect for their fellow human beings, women and the elderly. The word tolerance, along with interreligious harmony, should be the basis of understanding between people, a 'condition' to measure the level of civilization of the human race, which is still trapped in a huge circle of backwardness and ignorance, which nullifies the thousand-year history of ancient civilizations. It is up to all of us to transform the small droplets of water that represent us into a tsunami in the vast ocean of Islam Sarkar: What was the greatest challenge of your life and how did you face it?Franca Coloso: Without a doubt, the most important challenge of my life was to face the unknown, like Ulysses' journey to the Pillars of Hercules. Due to my innate interest in languages, the selection of several languages at the Italian Foreign Ministry faced me with an unexpected existential choice. After winning the language selection, I was sent to the Italian High School in Istanbul as a permanent teacher. At that time, I hesitated whether to temporarily leave my daughters with my husband and my elderly mother or to take on a new job. At that time, my two daughters were 13 and 8 years old respectively. I had to leave them with my engineer husband and my elderly grandmother until I could find suitable accommodation in Istanbul. This separation was not easy.I still remember my tearful eyes as I left my loved ones to catch a flight from Rome Fiumicino on that fateful morning of January 2, 1996, about 160 kilometers from my hometown of Geta (Lazio). I knew that this separation would be limited to a few weeks, but it still hurt me a despite my hesitation and disappointment, I managed to face this difficult period of my life with courage and determination. Initially, the winter fog and gloomy rain in Istanbul seemed to silence my longing for a family. I had to teach Italian to people who could only speak Turkish or difficulties of teaching Italian forced me to learn Turkish at the Tomer University in Istanbul. At the same time, I improved my knowledge of European languages such as French, English, Spanish and German in the cultural institutions there. The primary objective of learning the basics of Turkish was to adapt to a multinational society and to contribute to building a cultural bridge between two worlds (West and East) that are very different from each other through Islam Sarkar: Tell me about a personal or professional achievement that you are proud Colozo: I have many moments to be proud of, both in my professional and personal experience. Professionally, when I was able to solve a project involving the restoration and renovation of an old building for public housing, among many that I will not list here. In the field of education, the desire to be part of another world has always fascinated me, the ambition to build bridges of peace between people, to meet the needs of young people, to help them win prizes in art exhibitions. I have drawn to help my students participate in national and international drawing competitions. Not only that! I have not only helped my students draw and paint but also write in foreign languages for international poetry competitions, such as the Laurentian Prize for Italians Abroad or the 'Carducci' Prize and many writing, inspiring students, organizing exhibitions in the most prestigious places in Istanbul, from the Italian Cultural Institute to the IMI. High schools, the most prestigious universities, all this made my heart beat faster, gave a more human dimension to my proud moments, of course, were the birth of my two daughters, despite the usual problems and worries that mothers face. Although there were no particular problems with their birth, except for the eternal doubts about their prenatal and postnatal health. Being a mother always confronts us with existential choices, which are not easy to face.I have always left my daughters with the freedom to choose their own future, both in university and in personal relationships. I have always dedicated myself to their future life choices and have embraced their university studies in England, the United States, their master's degrees in Belgium, their master's degrees in Rome, their jobs abroad and their marriages to foreign men.I have never left my comfort zone, the beautiful Italian provinces.I never thought of my comfort zone, the beautiful Italian countryside, as a safe haven to protect my selfishness and, of course, not to offer them comfort and the possibility of a quiet life close to their parents. I threw the selfishness of motherhood to the wind to see them fulfilled and happy to start their lives.I tried to express my creativity in every possible way, whether forced or voluntary, to break free from the routine of retirement. This included not only artistic expression, poetry, articles, novels, social media commentary, but also research on long-term economics, climate change, sustainability, on these topics and through my participation in many UN Zoom and webinar sessions on world peace, without which nothing would be a result of my appointment as a Peace Ambassador, I have also become an expert on the disputed Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan, a long-standing issue with many UN resolutions since 1947, but which has not led to any resolution for the suffering people of Kashmir. This centuries-old dispute comes from afar and seems to have no solution given the huge presence of the Indian economy in the Islam Sarkar: What inspires you every day?Franca Colozzo: Poetry has always been my mindfulness, the force of regeneration that is often in harmony with the sea, where I love to retreat to the deserted rocks in the summer. There, when inspiration breathes like the wind through my hair, I write poetry and, facing the horizon, I look at the rocks of the sea that form the 'Serrapo Ship' (Gaeta's urban beach, the most famous among expatriates), my favorite destination and a haven for seagulls and cormorants. Poetry and writing, as well as drawing and art in general, have always been my anchor in difficult times in father's constant departures to work on oil tankers in the most remote places on earth led me to travel with my imagination to foreign ports. From the arid expanses of Saudi Arabia to the Persian Gulf, Japan, America, circumnavigating Africa or Suez, etc. These accumulated childhood memories and constant diaspora have become the canvas on which my daughters have also moved over time. The thread and weave of the traditions of my ancestors' experiences, were the common thread of our was the driving force behind writing another (yet unpublished) novel about Italian expatriates living in the United States with my first daughter and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) with my second daughter. My daily motivation comes from the challenges I face every day, from calling my distant daughters and being active on social media.I try to use them as best I can, being aware of the limitations of social media. I publish poems, articles, quotes and thoughts, often taken from my blog and online magazine, to which I devote a lot of time and passion.I fear the advent of AI, but progress cannot be stopped. It would be wise to manage it with a deep understanding of the processes behind the development of new technologies. At the beginning of my teaching career, I dedicated myself to learning the basics of computer science, which allowed me to teach both students and teachers in middle schools, as well as participating in numerous courses around the province of Latina. I also attended courses at IMI in Istanbul to stay up to date with technological advances. Environmental issues are at the heart of my activities, not only through articles, blogs for the UN DESA and UN SDG goals, participation in Zoom meetings and webinars – on a personal level, I have focused on waste recycling and the care of domestic animals, taking care of a cat colony for over eleven years.( If you have any questions for Dr. Arch Franca Colozzo, you can ask Md. Mafidul Islam Sarkar on WhatsApp +8801735-632338 TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan sees first expansion of unemployment benefits in over 20 years
An expansion of Michigan's unemployment benefits takes effect Wednesday, bringing a boost to payments and an increase to the length of time workers in the state can receive them. In December 2024, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law legislation making the changes to Michigan's unemployment benefits. For new claims filed starting Wednesday, the weekly maximum unemployment benefit will go up to $446 from $362, where it has stood since 2002. In 2002, $362 had the same buying power as $642.42 in February 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator. Under the new law, the weekly maximum unemployment benefit will increase to $530 in 2026 and $614 in 2027. In later years, the law requires the state treasurer to adjust the benefit amount to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index, a measure of price changes. The new law also increases the benefit amount for each dependent of an unemployed Michigan worker from $6 to $12.66 a week per dependent. The benefit amount will increase to $19.33 in 2026 and $26 in 2027. Subsequent increases will be tied to inflation. Unemployed workers can claim the dependent benefit for up to five dependents, according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Michigan lawmakers voted on the legislation in December 2024, and Whitmer signed it into law that month. But state lawmakers did not vote to have it take effect immediately, slating it to kick in instead on April 2. But the text of the legislation approved by Whitmer says the increase to Michigan's unemployment benefit amount takes effect Jan. 1, 2025. The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) plans to carry out a review of claims filed between Jan. 1 and April 2 to determine which unemployed workers qualify for the higher benefits, a labor department news release states. "If a claim qualifies for increased benefits, UIA will pay the difference to the claimant," reads the release. Nick Assendelft, UIA communications manager, said in an email only some may receive the maximum weekly benefit increase of $84. "Not everyone will get the full amount since how much they are eligible to receive is determined based on each person's situation and wage history. The increase on a case-by-case basis will be only for the weeks between Jan. 1 and April 2, not for weeks when someone was collecting benefits before Jan. 1," he said. But an unemployed worker who filed a claim earlier this year will not be eligible for the new maximum 26 weeks of benefits, up from the current 20 weeks. The new benefit timeline only applies to new claims filed starting Wednesday. The labor department's news release directs claimants to keep an eye on their Michigan Web Account Manager account for updates and recommends ensuring the bank account and address information is current. "If UIA sends a request for information, respond by the stated deadline and use only official forms from UIA to facilitate timely actions on a claim," the release states. In 2011, Whitmer's Republican predecessor — Gov. Rick Snyder — signed legislation cutting the maximum number of weeks unemployed people could claim benefits for from 26 to 20 weeks. Until the new law took effect Wednesday to restore the 26 weeks of unemployment benefits, Michigan was one of a dozen states offering unemployed workers fewer than 26 weeks of unemployment insurance, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Every Democratic lawmaker voted for the legislation to expand Michigan's unemployment benefits. Three Republicans joined them: state Sen. Ed McBroom, of Waucedah Township, state Rep. Dave Prestin, of Cedar River, and state Rep. Greg Markkanen, of Hancock. Those GOP lawmakers all hail from Michigan's Upper Peninsula and represent counties in the state with some of the highest unemployment rates, according to the latest figures from the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics. More: Trump tariffs trigger jitters for auto stocks, Michigan economy Those seeking assistance with a claim or with other questions can call customer service at 866-500-0017, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The state labor department in a news release also directed those interested in meeting with an agent to schedule an in-person, phone or virtual meeting up to 14 days in advance at Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@ or 313-296-5743. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan sees expansion of unemployment benefits
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Approval of $55M Michigan class-action lawsuit involving unemployment payments delayed a month
The Brief A judge has delayed the final hearing to approve a $55 million class-action lawsuit dealing with unemployment benefits paid out to residents About 23,000 Michigan residents can expect on average of a $1,400 settlement from the case Affected parties include those who protested the state clawing back benefits it believed it improperly paid out without determining if individuals properly filed an appeal (FOX 2) - A judge has delayed the final hearing to sign off on a $55 million settlement tied to the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency's improper clawing back of pandemic-era funds paid out to citizens. Tens of thousands of Michigan residents were impacted by the UIA's decision and will have to wait a month before the class-action lawsuit's settlement is approved. Big picture view More than 23,000 Michigan residents who applied for unemployment benefits due to the Covid pandemic were wrongly asked by the labor department agency to repay the funds. The UIA failed to determine whether the claimant who protested the decision to pay back money had submitted the appeal correctly - or at all. As part of a settlement tied to the class-action lawsuit, Saunders V Unemployment Ins. Agency, the state will not admit responsibility for the case. In exchange, those part of the lawsuit will receive on average $1,400 from the state. Judge Brock Swartzle from the Michigan Court of Claims will decide when the money should be sent to plaintiffs in the case. The backstory At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, public health measures that ordered businesses closed in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 led to a surge in unemployment in Michigan. As hundreds of thousands of workers were sent home, the UIA saw a surge in claims for unemployment benefits, overwhelming the agency and leading to millions of dollars being wrongly paid out. Over the following months, the UIA attempted to retrieve some of the wrongly-paid-out funds - sometimes doing so without determining whether appeals from beneficiaries had been properly submitted. Where things stand The deadline for residents to join the lawsuit has passed. As of Dec. 20, 2024, an independent claims administrator is no longer accepting new participants. Judge Swartzle has scheduled the final hearing to approve the settlement for April 24, 2025 at 1 p.m. Anyone past of the lawsuit can attend the hearing either virtually or in-person to address their concerns. The hearing will take place at the Michigan Court of Appeals courtroom at 925 W. Ottawa Street in Lansing. The Source Previous reporting and a press release from the Unemployment Insurance Agency.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Appeals Court Rules That Corner Crossing Is Legal in at Least Six States
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Western U.S. today ruled that corner-crossing, or accessing public land at a common corner with private land, is legal and protected by federal law. The legal challenge to corner-crossing was pushed by a group of four Missouri hunters who in 2020 and again in 2021 had accessed a section of BLM land by crossing a corner shared on two sides by private land owned by Iron Bar Ranch. The ranch owner had the hunters charged with both criminal and civil trespass, citing their momentary presence in the airspace above the private land — the hunters had used a ladder to cross the corner. The Wyoming Carbon County court found the four hunters innocent of criminal trespass charges in 2022 and a U.S. District court threw out the civil case in 2023, but the Iron Bar appealed. It's that suit that the Appeals Court ruled on today. Across the West, where millions of acres of public and private land intermingle in a checkerboard pattern, with alternating sections of public land connected only at the corners, the legality of accessing those land-blocked public sections has been an open question, with states declining to rule out of deference to private landowners. In the original civil suit the ranch claimed the men caused more than $7 million in damages. 'Iron Bar Holdings has a right to exclusive control, use, and enjoyment of its Property, which includes the airspace at the corner, above the Property,' wrote prosecutors in the civil suit. Today's ruling applies only to the states within the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals — Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming — but the precedent could make corner-crossing legal in other states, too. Circuit Judge Timothy Tymkovich, writing for the majority, cited the long history of Western land management, including provisions of the Louisiana Purchase, westward expansion fueled by the Homestead Act of 1862, Wyoming's range wars between cattle and sheep owners, and even John Adams' colonial-era defense of the sanctity of private property rights. Ultimately, though, the judges ruled that no laws were broken by the Missouri hunters. 'The Hunters never made contact with the surface of Iron Bar's land,' wrote judge Timothy Tymkovich, who today joined with two other circuit judges to uphold a decision reached by Wyoming federal judge Scott Skavdahl in 2023. 'There is no evidence the Hunters made physical contact with or damaged Iron Bar's property.' The court ultimately based its decision on a provision of the 1885 Unlawful Inclosures Act (UIA), passed by Congress to 'harmonize the rights of private landowners and those accessing public lands.' The court concluded that based on case law and language in the law, 'any inclosure of public lands is prohibited, and no one may completely prevent or obstruct another from peacefully entering or freely passing over or through public lands.' 'The western checkerboard and UIA reflect a storied period of our history,' wrote Tymkovich. 'Whatever the UIA's merits today, it — and the case law interpreting it — remain good federal law.' Read Next: How Seriously Should We Take the Sale of Federal Lands? Very Seriously, Experts Say Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, which had joined the lawsuit as a 'friend of the court' in support of the Missouri hunters, today called the appeals court ruling 'Another huge win for corner crossing! This decision upholds the right to access millions of acres of public land.' The case could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, unlike circuit court appeals, the Supreme Court is not required to hear the appeal, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
