Latest news with #JosefStalin
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
70 years on and Stalin's ‘gifted' skyscraper still looms over this Polish city
Seventy years after Soviet dictator Josef Stalin 'gifted' Warsaw its towering Palace of Culture and Science, the skyscraper at the heart of Poland's capital still stirs strong feelings. The Palace, marking its 70th anniversary on 22 July 1955 when Poland was part of the Soviet-led communist Eastern Bloc, was conceived by Stalin as a symbol of Soviet domination and initially bore his name. "If you put a big palace, a kind of skyscraper at the time, in the middle of the city that can be seen from 30 km (19 miles)away, it shows the power," said Dorota Zmarzlak, a member of the palace's board. Younger people no longer see it that way, she said. After the end of communist rule in Poland in 1989, many Soviet-era monuments were removed and street names changed. The Palace remained, even though prominent politician Radoslaw Sikorski, who is now Poland's foreign minister, called for it to be demolished in 2007. It has been used as a concert venue and hosted political events, exhibitions and fashion shows. A riot broke out when the Rolling Stones played there in 1967, long before communist rule ended. "It was an escape for me, I could go somewhere," said Zygmunt Kowalski, 89, a retired railway worker who moved to Warsaw a month after the Palace opened, and swam with his daughter in its pool as well as seeing films and concerts there. "Everything can be torn down, but let this stay for future generations, as proof of what once was ... the next generations will have evidence that communism was here," he said. The Palace still has four theatres, a large cinema and museums, and hosts exhibitions. The concert hall is being renovated. Some younger Warsaw residents focus less on the Palace's political history than on its status as a Warsaw landmark. Karol Los, a 23-year-old student, said the Palace, now surrounded by modern skyscrapers, is inseparable from the city's identity. "For me, it's a symbol of Warsaw. I think young people see it very differently than the older generation," he said. Ukrainian architect Valerii Shcherbak, 32, admires the palace's architectural detail and its popularity with tourists. "This is history and we need to respect it," he said, noting that many Soviet-era buildings in Ukraine have been destroyed. "What happened in the past should be kept for history, not destroyed."
Reuters
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
At 70, skyscraper Stalin 'gifted' to Warsaw still evokes strong feelings
WARSAW, July 22 (Reuters) - Seventy years after Soviet dictator Josef Stalin "gifted" the Palace of Culture and Science to Warsaw, the towering skyscraper at the heart of Poland's capital still stirs strong feelings among Poles. The Palace - which is marking the 70th anniversary of its official opening on July 22, 1955, when Poland was part of the Soviet-led communist Eastern Bloc - was conceived by Stalin as a symbol of Soviet domination and initially bore his name. "If you put a big palace, a kind of skyscraper at the time, in the middle of the city that can be seen from 30 km (19 miles)away, it shows the power," said Dorota Zmarzlak, a member of the palace's board. Younger people no longer see it that way, she said. After the end of communist rule in Poland in 1989, many Soviet-era monuments were removed and street names changed. The Palace remained, even though prominent politician Radoslaw Sikorski, who is now Poland's foreign minister, called for it to be demolished in 2007. It has been used as a concert venue and hosted political events, exhibitions and fashion shows. Singers Andrea Bocelli and José Carreras have performed there. A riot broke out when the Rolling Stones played there in 1967, long before communist rule ended. "It was an escape for me, I could go somewhere," said Zygmunt Kowalski, 89, a retired railway worker who moved to Warsaw a month after the Palace opened, and swam with his daughter in its pool as well as seeing films and concerts there. "Everything can be torn down, but let this stay for future generations, as proof of what once was ... the next generations will have evidence that communism was here," he said. The Palace still has four theatres, a large cinema and museums, and hosts exhibitions. The concert hall is being renovated. Some younger Warsaw residents focus less on the Palace's political history than on its status as a Warsaw landmark. Karol Los, a 23-year-old student, said the Palace, now surrounded by modern skyscrapers, is inseparable from the city's identity. "For me, it's a symbol of Warsaw. I think young people see it very differently than the older generation," he said. Ukrainian architect Valerii Shcherbak, 32, admires the palace's architectural detail and its popularity with tourists. "This is history and we need to respect it," he said, noting that many Soviet-era buildings in Ukraine have been destroyed. "What happened in the past should be kept for history, not destroyed."
Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
At 70, skyscraper Stalin 'gifted' to Warsaw still evokes strong feelings
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A drone view shows Warsaw's skyline with modern skyscrapers and the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki WARSAW - Seventy years after Soviet dictator Josef Stalin "gifted" the Palace of Culture and Science to Warsaw, the towering skyscraper at the heart of Poland's capital still stirs strong feelings among Poles. The Palace - which is marking the 70th anniversary of its official opening on July 22, 1955, when Poland was part of the Soviet-led communist Eastern Bloc - was conceived by Stalin as a symbol of Soviet domination and initially bore his name. "If you put a big palace, a kind of skyscraper at the time, in the middle of the city that can be seen from 30 km (19 miles)away, it shows the power," said Dorota Zmarzlak, a member of the palace's board. Younger people no longer see it that way, she said. After the end of communist rule in Poland in 1989, many Soviet-era monuments were removed and street names changed. The Palace remained, even though prominent politician Radoslaw Sikorski, who is now Poland's foreign minister, called for it to be demolished in 2007. It has been used as a concert venue and hosted political events, exhibitions and fashion shows. Singers Andrea Bocelli and José Carreras have performed there. A riot broke out when the Rolling Stones played there in 1967, long before communist rule ended. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Miscalculation of MOH subsidies and grants led to $7m in overpayments, $2m in shortfalls Singapore Singaporeans continue to hold world's most powerful passport in latest ranking Asia Indonesia on high alert as dry weather fans forest, peatland fires in Sumatra Singapore 2 charged over alleged role in posting bail for man who later absconded Singapore Teen charged after allegedly selling vaporisers, advertising e-cigarettes on WhatsApp Singapore 2,500 turtles seized in India and sent back to S'pore, put down humanely after salmonella detected Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving "It was an escape for me, I could go somewhere," said Zygmunt Kowalski, 89, a retired railway worker who moved to Warsaw a month after the Palace opened, and swam with his daughter in its pool as well as seeing films and concerts there. "Everything can be torn down, but let this stay for future generations, as proof of what once was ... the next generations will have evidence that communism was here," he said. The Palace still has four theatres, a large cinema and museums, and hosts exhibitions. The concert hall is being renovated. Some younger Warsaw residents focus less on the Palace's political history than on its status as a Warsaw landmark. Karol Los, a 23-year-old student, said the Palace, now surrounded by modern skyscrapers, is inseparable from the city's identity. "For me, it's a symbol of Warsaw. I think young people see it very differently than the older generation," he said. Ukrainian architect Valerii Shcherbak, 32, admires the palace's architectural detail and its popularity with tourists. "This is history and we need to respect it," he said, noting that many Soviet-era buildings in Ukraine have been destroyed. "What happened in the past should be kept for history, not destroyed." REUTERS
Canada Standard
14-07-2025
- Business
- Canada Standard
How Eurostack could offer Canada a route to digital independence from the United States
The contemporary internet has been with us since roughly 1995. Its current underlying economic model - surveillance capitalism - began in the early 2000s, when Google and then Facebook realized how much our personal information and online behaviour revealed about us and claimed it for themselves to sell to advertisers. Perhaps because of Canada's proximity to the United States, coupled with its positive shared history with the U.S. and their highly integrated economies, Canada went along for that consumerist ride. The experience was different on the other side of the Atlantic. The Stasi in the former East Germany and the KGB under Josef Stalin maintained files on hundreds of thousands of citizens to identify and prosecute dissidents. Having witnessed this invasion of privacy and its weaponization first-hand, Europe has been far ahead of North America in developing protections. These include the General Data Protection Regulation and the Law Enforcement Directive, with protection of personal data also listed in the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights. Canada clearly took too much for granted in its relationship with the U.S. Suddenly, Canada is being threatened with tariffs and President Donald Trump's expressed desire to make Canada the 51st American state. This has fuelled the motivation of Canada both internally and in co-operation with western European governments to seek greater independence in trade and military preparedness by diversifying its relationships. Prime Minister Mark Carney has begun promoting "nation-building projects," but little attention has been paid to Canada's digital infrastructure. Read more: How Canadian nationalism is evolving with the times - and will continue to do so Three recent developments suggest Canada would be well-advised to start paying close attention: 1. The current U.S. administration has raised concerns about its reliability as a partner and friend to Canada. Most of the concerns raised in Canada have been economic. However, Curtis McCord, a former national security and technology researcher for the Canadian government, has said the current situation has created vulnerabilities for national security as well: "With Washington becoming an increasingly unreliable ally, Mr. Carney is right to look for ways to diversify away from the U.S. But if Canada wants to maintain its sovereignty and be responsible for its national security, this desire to diversify must extend to the U.S. domination of Canada's digital infrastructure." 2. Silicon Valley is exhibiting a newfound loyalty to Trump. The photo of the "broligarchy" at Trump's inauguration spoke volumes, as their apparent eagerness to appease the president brings the data gathered by the internet's surveillance-based economy under state control. 3. Trump's recent executive order entitled "Stopping waste, fraud and abuse by eliminating information silos" is alarming. The order became operational when the Trump administration contracted with Palantir, a company known for its surveillance software and data analytics in military contexts. Its job? To combine databases from both the state and federal levels into one massive database that includes every American citizen, and potentially any user of the internet. Combining multiple government databases is concerning. Combining them with all the personal data harvested by Silicon Valley and providing them to a government showing all the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime sounds like Big Brother has arrived. Civil liberties groups such as the Electronic Freedom Foundation, academics and even former Palantir employees have raised alarms about the possibilities for abuse, including the launch of all the vendettas Trump and his supporters have pledged to undertake. European governments have attempted to rein in Silicon Valley's excesses for years. Trump's re-election and his moves toward potentially weaponizing internet data have further boosted Europe's resolve to move away from the U.S.-led internet. One newer effort is Eurostack. A joint initiative involving academics, policymakers, companies and governments, it envisions an independent digital ecosystem that better reflects European values - democratic, sovereign, inclusive, transparent, respectful of personal privacy and innovation-driven. Spokesperson Francesca Bria explains the "stack" arises from the idea that a digitally sovereign internet needs to have European control from the ground up. That includes the acquisition of raw materials and manufacture and operation of the physical components that comprise computers and servers; the cloud infrastructure that has the processing power and storage to be operational at scale; the operating systems and applications that comprise the user interface; the AI models and algorithms that drive services and its policy and governance framework. Prospective gains to Europe are considerable. They include greater cybersecurity, promoting innovation, keeping high-end creative jobs in Europe, promoting collaboration on equitable terms and creating high-skilled employment opportunities. Canada receives no mention in the Eurostack proposal to date, but the project is still very much in the developmental phase. Investment so far is in the tens of millions instead of the billions it will require. Canada has a lot to offer and to gain from being part of the Eurostack initiative. With the project still taking shape, now is the perfect time to get on board.
Canada News.Net
14-07-2025
- Business
- Canada News.Net
How Eurostack could offer Canada a route to digital independence from the United States
The contemporary internet has been with us since roughly 1995. Its current underlying economic model - surveillance capitalism - began in the early 2000s, when Google and then Facebook realized how much our personal information and online behaviour revealed about us and claimed it for themselves to sell to advertisers. Perhaps because of Canada's proximity to the United States, coupled with its positive shared history with the U.S. and their highly integrated economies, Canada went along for that consumerist ride. The experience was different on the other side of the Atlantic. The Stasi in the former East Germany and the KGB under Josef Stalin maintained files on hundreds of thousands of citizens to identify and prosecute dissidents. Having witnessed this invasion of privacy and its weaponization first-hand, Europe has been far ahead of North America in developing protections. These include the General Data Protection Regulation and the Law Enforcement Directive, with protection of personal data also listed in the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights. Canada clearly took too much for granted in its relationship with the U.S. Suddenly, Canada is being threatened with tariffs and President Donald Trump's expressed desire to make Canada the 51st American state. This has fuelled the motivation of Canada both internally and in co-operation with western European governments to seek greater independence in trade and military preparedness by diversifying its relationships. Prime Minister Mark Carney has begun promoting "nation-building projects," but little attention has been paid to Canada's digital infrastructure. Three recent developments suggest Canada would be well-advised to start paying close attention: 1. The current U.S. administration has raised concerns about its reliability as a partner and friend to Canada. Most of the concerns raised in Canada have been economic. However, Curtis McCord, a former national security and technology researcher for the Canadian government, has said the current situation has created vulnerabilities for national security as well: "With Washington becoming an increasingly unreliable ally, Mr. Carney is right to look for ways to diversify away from the U.S. But if Canada wants to maintain its sovereignty and be responsible for its national security, this desire to diversify must extend to the U.S. domination of Canada's digital infrastructure." 2. Silicon Valley is exhibiting a newfound loyalty to Trump. The photo of the "broligarchy" at Trump's inauguration spoke volumes, as their apparent eagerness to appease the president brings the data gathered by the internet's surveillance-based economy under state control. 3. Trump's recent executive order entitled " Stopping waste, fraud and abuse by eliminating information silos" is alarming. The order became operational when the Trump administration contracted with Palantir, a company known for its surveillance software and data analytics in military contexts. Its job? To combine databases from both the state and federal levels into one massive database that includes every American citizen, and potentially any user of the internet. Combining multiple government databases is concerning. Combining them with all the personal data harvested by Silicon Valley and providing them to a government showing all the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime sounds like Big Brother has arrived. Civil liberties groups such as the Electronic Freedom Foundation, academics and even former Palantir employees have raised alarms about the possibilities for abuse, including the launch of all the vendettas Trump and his supporters have pledged to undertake. European governments have attempted to rein in Silicon Valley's excesses for years. Trump's re-election and his moves toward potentially weaponizing internet data have further boosted Europe's resolve to move away from the U.S.-led internet. One newer effort is Eurostack. A joint initiative involving academics, policymakers, companies and governments, it envisions an independent digital ecosystem that better reflects European values - democratic, sovereign, inclusive, transparent, respectful of personal privacy and innovation-driven. Spokesperson Francesca Bria explains the "stack" arises from the idea that a digitally sovereign internet needs to have European control from the ground up. That includes the acquisition of raw materials and manufacture and operation of the physical components that comprise computers and servers; the cloud infrastructure that has the processing power and storage to be operational at scale; the operating systems and applications that comprise the user interface; the AI models and algorithms that drive services and its policy and governance framework. Prospective gains to Europe are considerable. They include greater cybersecurity, promoting innovation, keeping high-end creative jobs in Europe, promoting collaboration on equitable terms and creating high-skilled employment opportunities. Canada receives no mention in the Eurostack proposal to date, but the project is still very much in the developmental phase. Investment so far is in the tens of millions instead of the billions it will require. Canada has a lot to offer and to gain from being part of the Eurostack initiative. With the project still taking shape, now is the perfect time to get on board.
