Latest news with #Polish-American
News18
an hour ago
- News18
World Bicycle Day 2025: 5 Health Benefits — Number 2 Will Blow Your Mind
Last Updated: World Bicycle Day 2025: The day celebrates the bicycle's impact on mobility and culture. World Bicycle Day 2025: Observed every year on June 3, World Bicycle Day celebrates over two centuries of the bicycle's impact on mobility and culture. Across the globe, this day encourages people to opt for cycling as a healthy, sustainable, and affordable way to get around, benefiting both individuals and the planet. World Bicycle Day 2025: History In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared June 3 as World Bicycle Day. The day was initiated by Polish-American social scientist and professor Leszek Sibilski, who, together with his students, launched a campaign in 2015 to raise awareness about the bicycle as an eco-friendly mode of transportation. The initiative was first championed by Turkmenistan and later supported by 56 other countries. Today, World Bicycle Day is celebrated worldwide with cycling events, activities, and awareness campaigns, all aimed at encouraging people to choose bicycles for a cleaner, healthier future. World Bicycle Day 2025: Significance The day highlights the importance of promoting cycling as a sustainable mode of transport to address urgent global issues such as air pollution, traffic congestion and climate change. It encourages people to choose bicycles over fuel-powered vehicles whenever possible. Additionally, the day emphasises the health benefits of cycling, encouraging an active lifestyle, especially crucial in today's predominantly sedentary world. World Bicycle Day 2025: Heartfelt Wishes Wishing a Happy World Bicycle Day to all cycling enthusiasts! May your rides be filled with adventure, beautiful sights, and unforgettable moments. A bicycle is more than just a mode of transport; it bridges divides and promotes equality. Here's to good health and unity. Happy World Bicycle Day! Cycle for your health, cycle for the planet. Together, let's pedal towards a brighter, greener future. Happy Bicycle Day! Let's embrace cycling to ease traffic, reduce stress, improve our health and air quality, and revive our cities like days gone by. Happy World Bicycle Day! May this World Bicycle Day inspire everyone to experience the joy, freedom, and exhilaration that comes with every pedal stroke. First Published:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Photos reveal scenes of everyday life in Hamtramck
Over the past year, Detroit Free Press columnist John Carlisle and photojournalist Ryan Garza have immersed themselves in Hamtramck, a town of about 2 square miles, that sits like an island in the middle of Detroit. Hamtramck: Two square miles: The evolution of Hamtramck They've told the stories of its people and the dramatic evolution of the city's cultural landscape. Once a predominantly Polish-American city, Hamtramck has blossomed into one of the most diverse communities in the United States. In this photo gallery, you'll walk the streets of Hamtramck, getting a window into the daily rhythms of life in the vibrant enclave. Read the entire series here. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Photos reveal scenes of everyday life in Hamtramck
Euronews
4 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Poland's ties with US a key issue in Sunday's presidential runoff
New data from the Polish research agency the Centre for Public Opinion Research (CBOS) shows that Poles hold the most negative view of their relationship with the United States since the fall of communism. However, despite the negativity, there is no doubt that the US is fundamental to both Polish and European security. Some, including the Law and Justice (PiS) backed presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki, argue that Poland "needs the certainty that a future president will care about Polish-American relations". Likewise, Rafał Trzaskowski, the Civic Platform (PO) candidate, said that Poland should "strive for the closest possible cooperation between the United States, the European Union and Poland, because together we are a power." But can the relationship with Washington have a tangible impact on the election results? Relations with the United States have become one of the key themes of the presidential campaign. With the ongoing war in Ukraine and security issues along the border with Belarus, the two remaining candidates in the race ran their campaigns on the premise that they would be the ones to ensure the closest possible transatlantic cooperation. During a parade to mark the anniversary of the Polish Constitution, conservative presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki met with the Polish community in Chicago to celebrate the holiday and express his support for maintaining close ties between the two countries. The previous day, Nawrocki was received in the Oval Office by US President Donald Trump, after attending an event to mark the National Day of Prayer. In an interview with Republic TV, Nawrocki said that Trump apparently told him, "you will win". "You can see... it is clear from this conversation that this relationship is important for President Trump," he added. Several senior Law and Justice officials, including party president Jaroslaw Kaczynski, expressed their support for Nawrocki and hailed his meeting with Trump as a success. "Karol Nawrocki is the only candidate who can guarantee Poland's security and maintain strong alliances in difficult times, especially with the US," wrote Elżbieta Witek, former speaker of parliament, in a post on X. However, not everyone was so supportive of Nawrocki's visit. "The attempt by Trump's team, which is friendly with Putin, to influence the presidential election in Poland shows their colonial attitude towards Poland," wrote MP Roman Giertych on social media. Many conservative politicians in Poland have welcomed Trump's policies, despite the US president's clashes with Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "Without the Americans, it is difficult to imagine a lasting peace, and yet we all strive for it," Morawiecki said in an interview with Euronews in March. "Without American support we in Europe would not have been able to maintain peace for decades." Current Polish President Andrzej Duda expressed similar sentiments. "Today my conclusion is absolutely unequivocal, there is no one but the United States who can stop Putin," he told Euronews. "That is why I believe that President Donald Trump, through his determination, can end this war," he added. Duda was the first international leader to visit Donald Trump at the White House after his inauguration in January. Most Poles recognise the military might of the US, leading many to appreciate the strategic relationship between the two countries. A survey conducted in March for the Polish weekly magazine Polityka found that 85% of respondents recognised US power as a military presence on a global scale. But at the same time, the percentage of Poles who say the US has a positive impact on the world is falling. In a survey conducted by CBOS in April 2025, only 20% of respondents said the US had a positive influence on international politics, the lowest recorded result since the agency began measuring opinions in 2006. Data from the same survey also shows that only 31% cent of Poles would rate Polish-US relations as "good," another all-time low. Key figures from the Trump administration have praised Poland's policies, including the country's commitment to security spending and a tougher migration policy. In February, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth described Poland as a "model NATO ally" after a meeting with his Polish counterpart Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. In turn, Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed similar sentiments in a statement. "Poland and the United States stand together as partners in building a safer and more prosperous future for our peoples," he wrote. "We look forward to further strengthening our cooperation on energy security." Representatives of Poland's governing coalition, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, have in the past openly criticised the Trump administration. "Europe is ready to face Russia without the support of the US, and Poland is stepping up its efforts for the security of the Baltic Sea," Sikorski said in an interview with the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet. In an interview with TVN24, Tusk admitted that Trump is "a much more difficult partner than any US president before." Despite these critical voices, on the campaign trail Trzaskowski expressed the desire to work with the United States as a key partner. He emphasised economic and security cooperation between the two countries, especially in the face of Trump's sweeping tariffs. "Your presence in our country confirms American security guarantees for Poland. The fact that you are investing here, despite the war across our eastern border, is proof that Poland is safe and stable," he said in March during a meeting with entrepreneurs affiliated with the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland (AmCham). "American entrepreneurs were in Poland much earlier than US troops," he added. Regardless of the election result, US defence experts are convinced that Poland will play a key role in keeping the peace in Europe. "Poland is already doing a lot in terms of defence, but I think there will still be a lot of work to be done, and Poland can play a leading role as a key country on the front line where there is the greatest threat to the alliance from the Russian Federation," Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior analyst at the Hudson Institute and director of the Keystone Defence Initiative, said. Italy and Kazakhstan have signed a set of deals worth €4bn during a visit by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Astana. The agreements were across a variety of sectors, including oil and gas, renewable energy and water management. Meloni said she did not consider her visit "merely a formality, but substantial". "Italy was the first EU nation to have decided to invest in relations with Central Asia and its individual member states, setting up a stable format for the sharing of ideas," Meloni continued. The Italian prime minister added that the EU-Central Asia Summit held in April had elevated relations between the regions. Her Kazakh counterpart Qasym-Jomart Tokayev said his country attached "great importance to the development of trade between our states". "Italy is Kazakhstan's third largest trading partner and the largest within the European Union. The volume of trade has reached 20 billion dollars (€17.6bn)," Tokayev noted. Before heading to Kazakhstan, Meloni visited Uzbekistan for the first leg of a Central Asian trip that began on Wednesday. For the occasion, one of the city of Samarkand's main streets was given the name "via di Roma", Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said. At the meeting between Meloni and Mirziyoyev, a joint declaration was signed that paves the way for €3bn in agreements between the countries.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russia's persecution of Ukrainian clergy is part of an organized genocidal campaign
In 1953, Polish-American lawyer Raphael Lemkin, the man who coined the term "genocide," wrote a text titled Soviet Genocide in Ukraine. In it, Lemkin spoke not only about the Holodomor — the man-made famine organized in Ukraine by Stalin in 1932–1933 that claimed the lives of around 4 million people — but also about the Kremlin's broader genocidal practices against Ukrainians, which, he argued, had begun as early as the 1920s. Lemkin wrote that Ukrainians were too numerous to be exterminated entirely in the way Adolf Hitler had attempted with Europe's Jewish population. "Ukraine is highly susceptible to racial murder by select parts, and so the Communist tactics there have not followed the pattern taken by the German attacks against the Jews," the lawyer argued. He went on to describe how this was carried out: "The first blow is aimed at the intelligentsia, the national brain, so as to paralyze the rest of the body.... Going along with this attack on the intelligentsia was an attack against the churches, priests and hierarchy, the 'soul' of Ukraine." As an example of this attack against the "soul of the nation," Lemkin cited the liquidation of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church. "That Russification was clearly demonstrated by the fact that before its liquidation, the Church was offered the opportunity to join the Russian Patriarchate of Moscow, the Kremlin's political tool," he emphasized. We are bringing back Lemkin's text again today, not for purely historical reasons. It helps explain what the Kremlin is currently doing in the territories of Ukraine it occupies. We already referenced Soviet Genocide in Ukraine last year. In our investigative documentary Destroy in Whole or in Part, we argued that Russia's current genocidal practices in Ukraine broadly mirror what the Soviet regime has been doing a century back. Our latest investigative documentary, No God but Theirs, which has just been released, compels us to revisit Lemkin's analysis once more. Read also: Breakaway churches, spiritual awakenings, prayers in captivity. How war is changing Ukraine's faith This investigation examines the systematic persecution of Ukrainian Christians in Melitopol — a city in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast, occupied by Russia since February 2022. It tells the story of churches (Protestant and Catholic alike) being banned, stripped of all property, and of priests and congregants being arrested, interrogated, and exiled. While restrictions on religious freedoms are typical for Russia, the persecution in the occupied parts of Ukraine goes far beyond what occurs inside Russia itself. And these persecutions indeed resemble an attack on the "soul of the nation" — precisely the kind Lemkin described. It is an attack on Christians who, at the very outset of Russia's invasion, demonstrated a clear national identity. In response to the arrival of Russian troops and tanks in Melitopol, local believers began gathering daily on the city's central square. Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians together resisted the Russian occupation through joint prayer for Ukraine. Moreover, in the chaos created by the Russian occupation, churches became islands of stability and order. Priests and pastors were seen more and more as moral authorities. For the Russians, therefore, to attack those churches in Melitopol meant also to strike against any alternative centers of power. And the parallels with Lemkin's text do not end there. Just as a hundred years back, as described by the author of the term "genocide," before simply banning the churches, the Russians attempted to absorb them first. Pastor Mykhailo Brytsyn of the Grace Baptist Church recounts in our documentary how the Russian troops offered him a chance to publicly support the Russian authorities. Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest Oleksandr Bohomaz tells how agents of Russian security services tried to coerce him into revealing the secrets of his confessional. Pentecostal pastor Dmytro Bodyu describes how, during his imprisonment and interrogations, he was offered the chance to become a Russian informant. Only after these efforts to convert Ukrainian clergymen in Melitopol into Russian assets had failed did Kremlin representatives decide to simply eliminate them — once again, fully following the model Lemkin described. And there is another crucial point to highlight. While restrictions on religious freedoms are typical for Russia, the persecution in the occupied parts of Ukraine goes far beyond what occurs inside Russia itself. This means that in places like occupied Melitopol, Russia is not merely replicating its usual policies — it is crafting a new, much harsher one specifically for Ukrainians. Given all this, our new investigation of the persecution of Ukrainian Christian churches in Melitopol is a direct continuation of the previous documentary, which laid out the genocidal intent behind Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Because, in line with Raphael Lemkin's deep and nuanced analysis, these persecutions amount to an attack on the Ukrainian nation as a group. An attempt to eradicate the soul of the Ukrainian nation — with the broader aim of destroying the nation in whole or in part. Ultimately, the story of the persecution of Christians in Melitopol gives yet another reason to finally dare to use, in reference to Russia's actions in Ukraine, the very word that Lemkin coined — genocide. Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. Read also: Faith under fire: Russia's war on religion in Ukraine's occupied territories Submit an Opinion We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
NDTV
19-05-2025
- NDTV
8 Years After Polish Woman Went Missing In US, Husband Now Charged With Her Murder
Nearly eight years after Polish-American woman Anna Maciejewska went missing in the US, her husband, Allen Gould, has been arrested and charged with her murder, despite her body never being found. The high-profile case, which captured attention both in the US and Poland, had long gone cold before investigators recently cited fresh evidence, including suspicious Google searches and a poorly worded birthday text in Polish, to build their case, CNN reported. According to newly released court documents, Pennsylvania State Trooper David Brodeur confronted Gould during a search of his home in July 2017, accusing him of killing his wife. Gould, investigators noted, had no visible reaction - neither denying the charges nor proclaiming his innocence. However, no arrest was made at the time, and the case remained unsolved until this week, when police took Gould into custody. He now faces charges including first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. NEWS RELEASE: MAN ARRESTED FOR FIRST DEGREE MURDER OF WIFE AND TAMPERING OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE The Chester County DAO & the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Troop J announce the arrest of Allen Gould, 60, of Malvern, for killing his wife, Anna Maciejewska. — Chester County District Attorney's Office (@chescoda) May 14, 2025 Anna, 43, was last seen in March 2017. A native of Poland, she had moved to the US in 1997 to study mathematics and worked as an actuary for nearly two decades. She lived with Gould and their young son in an upscale suburb of Philadelphia. Friends and coworkers described her as kind, highly intelligent, and a devoted mother. Court records reveal Anna had confided in friends about her troubled marriage and had even begun attending divorce counselling weeks before she vanished. She was reportedly concerned about losing custody of her son. Among the key evidence cited is a birthday text sent to Anna's father on March 30, 2017, written in broken Polish. Investigators later found Google Translate printouts in Gould's home matching the unusual phrasing. Police also recovered Anna's car in a nearby gated community, with her purse inside and the driver's seat pushed back, inconsistent with her height. Forensic data showed the car hadn't been driven on the day Gould claimed she left home in a panic. Despite the lack of physical remains, prosecutors believe the evidence, particularly inconsistencies in Gould's version of events, points to guilt. "He was being incredibly deceptive about where his wife was, and the only reason for that is that he killed her," Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said. Gould has not entered a formal plea and maintains his innocence. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 27. For Anna's loved ones, the arrest is bittersweet. "It was a sigh of relief that it was finally happening," her friend Ellen Lee said. "But the story isn't over yet."
