Austria has officially transformed Adolf Hitler's birthplace into a police station in a landmark effort to prevent the historic building from becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. After years of political debate, legal battles, and public controversy, the government completed the €23 million project in Braunau am Inn, replacing the building's dark legacy with a symbol of democracy, law, and public security.

The former birthplace of Hitler has now become a district police headquarters, while the memorial stone reading "Never Again Fascism" remains outside the building. Authorities say the move is intended to strip the property of its symbolic value for extremist groups. However, Holocaust survivor organizations remain divided, arguing that the building should instead have served as a permanent educational memorial.

Austria converts Hitler's birthplace into police station | Nazi legacy erased? | Wion 

Newly declassified documents from the IDF and Israeli state archive reveal Avraham "Yair" Stern, leader of Lehi, an underground militia also known as the Stern Gang had was either trying to establish contact or had a connection with Nazi Germany. It was trying to stir up a revolution in the British Mandate of Palestine. It argued that the Zionist militia did not believe that the British would ever fulfill its promise of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine, whereas Germany, which was trying to cleanse Europe of Jewish could simply transfer them to their supposed “homeland”."According to the information, there is a man who contacted the Germans. This man is known; his name is S," said Eliya Golomb in 1941, the de facto commander of the Haganah, the pre-independence army of the Jews in then-British Mandatory Palestine, in a small, closed forum. "S" was Avraham "Yair" Stern, leader of Lehi.&nbsp;&nbsp;"The Jews are a party in the war and therefore cannot be neutral. Britain betrayed the Jewish people and will never allow the establishment of a Jewish state. On the other hand, Germany has no special interest in Palestine, and since the Nazis want to cleanse Europe of Jews, nothing is simpler than transferring them to their own state," read the document as reported by Israeli news outlet Haaretz.&nbsp;Stern believed that he could persuade the Germans to reach an agreement where the European Jewish would be “recruited into a special army that would fight its way to Palestine and conquer it from the British”.He argued that the Germans would be happy to help them get rid of the British from the East.&nbsp;According to Stern, German officials believed that strengthening the Jewish community in Palestine, as it would later assist them. “We will manage somehow with the Germans after they conquer the land, just as the Soviets managed with them when necessary”. Another such document in a similar file shows that Stern believed he was considering becoming a 'Jewish Quisling,' with the help of a foreign power.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lespresso-israel-cover-controversy-west-bank-1775913067459">Italy’s L’Espresso cover 'L'Abuso' on West Bank settlers draws Israel’s ire</a>The documents reveal that the contact was not merely theoretical; there was historical evidence of the proposal of an "active partnership" based on “shared interests between German policy and Jewish national aspirations,” that a Jewish state would form an alliance with the German Reich.&nbsp;Golomb further claimed that these contacts did not succeed: "Several Jews were arrested, suspected of connections or attempts to connect with Italians or Germans, most likely with the Germans."&nbsp;Zalman Shazar, who would later become the Minister of Education and the President of the State, was also present in the closed forum. "The Nazis are indeed against the Jews, but their hatred is directed at the Jews of the diaspora. There is no opposition in the Nazi program to a Judenstaat (a Jewish state)." said Shazar, quoting the ideological pamphlet of Lehi.The file also quotes Naftali Lubenchik, someone who met the Nazis, and rejected the idea that the Nazis wanted to exterminate Jewish, “the Axis does not seek the physical destruction of the Jewish people, but rather their expulsion from Europe and their concentration in one place.”&nbsp;It further states that he sought, “to prove to Axis policymakers that it would be worthwhile to designate Eretz Yisrael as that place of concentration, thereby gaining the friendship of the Hebrew people, who would enlist for this purpose in the war against England.”According to the documents, &nbsp;Natan Friedman (Natan Yellin-Mor), another leader of Lehi, who later became a member of the Knesset, wrote, “Germany has not yet been defeated and may still become our ally.”The document concludes that these contacts did not succeed and that “nothing came out of it”. However, postcolonial historians who deconstruct the orientalist narrative of exotic east suggest that the Zionist movement, “like Nazism, embraced dissimilation, the notion that Jews could not be assimilated into European societies" applied it on the indigenous territory of West Asia, hence there is a perpetual conflict that rages on.&nbsp;

Declassified Israeli files reveal Lehi leader Avraham Stern attempted contact with Nazi Germany, seeking support against British rule in Palestine.

Newly declassified documents from the IDF and Israeli state archive reveal Avraham "Yair" Stern, leader of Lehi, an underground militia also known as the Stern Gang had was either trying to establish contact or had a connection with Nazi Germany. It was trying to stir up a revolution in the British Mandate of Palestine. It argued that the Zionist militia did not believe that the British would ever fulfill its promise of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine, whereas Germany, which was trying to cleanse Europe of Jewish could simply transfer them to their supposed “homeland”. "According to the information, there is a man who contacted the Germans. This man is known; his name is S," said Eliya Golomb in 1941, the de facto commander of the Haganah, the pre-independence army of the Jews in then-British Mandatory Palestine, in a small, closed forum. "S" was Avraham "Yair" Stern, leader of Lehi. "The Jews are a party in the war and therefore cannot be neutral. Britain betrayed the Jewish people and will never allow the establishment of a Jewish state. On the other hand, Germany has no special interest in Palestine, and since the Nazis want to cleanse Europe of Jews, nothing is simpler than transferring them to their own state," read the document as reported by Israeli news outlet Haaretz. Stern believed that he could persuade the Germans to reach an agreement where the European Jewish would be “recruited into a special army that would fight its way to Palestine and conquer it from the British”.He argued that the Germans would be happy to help them get rid of the British from the East. According to Stern, German officials believed that strengthening the Jewish community in Palestine, as it would later assist them. “We will manage somehow with the Germans after they conquer the land, just as the Soviets managed with them when necessary”. Another such document in a similar file shows that Stern believed he was considering becoming a 'Jewish Quisling,' with the help of a foreign power. Also Read: Italy’s L’Espresso cover 'L'Abuso' on West Bank settlers draws Israel’s ire The documents reveal that the contact was not merely theoretical; there was historical evidence of the proposal of an "active partnership" based on “shared interests between German policy and Jewish national aspirations,” that a Jewish state would form an alliance with the German Reich. Golomb further claimed that these contacts did not succeed: "Several Jews were arrested, suspected of connections or attempts to connect with Italians or Germans, most likely with the Germans." Zalman Shazar, who would later become the Minister of Education and the President of the State, was also present in the closed forum. "The Nazis are indeed against the Jews, but their hatred is directed at the Jews of the diaspora. There is no opposition in the Nazi program to a Judenstaat (a Jewish state)." said Shazar, quoting the ideological pamphlet of Lehi. The file also quotes Naftali Lubenchik, someone who met the Nazis, and rejected the idea that the Nazis wanted to exterminate Jewish, “the Axis does not seek the physical destruction of the Jewish people, but rather their expulsion from Europe and their concentration in one place.” It further states that he sought, “to prove to Axis policymakers that it would be worthwhile to designate Eretz Yisrael as that place of concentration, thereby gaining the friendship of the Hebrew people, who would enlist for this purpose in the war against England.” According to the documents, Natan Friedman (Natan Yellin-Mor), another leader of Lehi, who later became a member of the Knesset, wrote, “Germany has not yet been defeated and may still become our ally.” The document concludes that these contacts did not succeed and that “nothing came out of it”. However, postcolonial historians who deconstruct the orientalist narrative of exotic east suggest that the Zionist movement, “like Nazism, embraced dissimilation, the notion that Jews could not be assimilated into European societies" applied it on the indigenous territory of West Asia, hence there is a perpetual conflict that rages on.

Declassified Israeli files reveal Lehi leader Avraham Stern attempted contact with Nazi Germany, seeking support against British rule in Palestine.

Declassified files reveal Zionist militia Lehi explored pact with Nazi Germany

Capable of speeds far beyond the best Allied piston-engine aircraft, the Me 262 forced the world’s air forces to rethink how wars would be fought in the air. 

World’s first fighter jet: How Hitler's Me 262 changed air combat but failed to win World War II

Britain paid tribute on Wednesday to those who took part in D-Day, promising to "always remember" the sacrifices made by the Allied soldiers who invaded France by sea and air to drive out the forces of Nazi Germany.

80 years on, Britain promises to 'always remember' D-Day

Moscow held its final rehearsal of the upcoming May 9th victory Day Parade. The day marks the 79th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Watch in for more details!

Russian weapons & soldiers parade in Central Russia ahead of May 9 victory parade

British media reports citing officials in Ukraine, on Sunday (July 2) reported that eight Hurricane fighter planes dating back to World War Two from the United Kingdom were found in a forest near Kyiv. The National Aviation Museum of Ukraine began excavations after a World War II-era bomb was discovered near Kyiv which prompted the local authorities to check the entire ravine with metal detectors when they stumbled upon the remains of the aircraft.&nbsp;

<h2>About the discovery</h2>

The remnants of the aircraft were found near an unexploded bomb dating back to the same conflict, in the forest south of Kyiv which until 1991 was a part of the USSR. “It is very rare to find this aircraft in Ukraine,” said Oleks Shtan, a former airline pilot who is leading the excavation, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “It’s very important for our aviation history because no lend-lease aircraft have been found here before.”&nbsp; 
 
The British Hurricane fighter jets were sent as&nbsp;part of a package of Allied military support for the USSR by Britain after the invasion by Nazi Germany in 1941, and paid for by the United States under the so-called lend-lease scheme. Notably, Washington is currently using similar legislation to send military aid to Kyiv amid its conflict with Moscow.&nbsp;

The discovery is said to be unique since Hawker Hurricanes are rarely found in Ukraine. According to historians, some of these aircraft were purposely broken and buried by the Soviets so that they did not have to pay back the US as a part of the legislation requiring the USSR to pay for donated military equipment that remained intact.

<h2>What is the Hawker Hurricane fighter jet?</h2>

“The Hurricane was a strong, easy to fly machine,” said Shtan, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “It was stable as a gun platform and suitable for inexperienced pilots. A reliable aircraft.” It is also reported that the rusty remains of the aircraft had been stripped of its valuable components like radios and machine guns as well as any useful scrap metal.&nbsp;

The Hawker Hurricane is said to be key in the Battle of Britain and shot down more than half of the enemy aircraft when Nazi Germany attempted to invade the UK. While its role was overshadowed by the Spitfire plane, Hurricane’s role was seen as significant in 1940.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
As per British media reports, a total of 3,000 Hurricanes were sent to the USSR between 1941 and 1944 to support their war efforts. However, most of them were destroyed in combat or dismantled later for parts. The &nbsp;National Aviation Museum of Ukraine aims to reassemble the Hurricanes fighter jets found and put them on display.

“The Hurricanes are a symbol of British assistance during the years of the Second World War, just as we are very appreciative of British assistance nowadays,” said the head of research at the museum, Valerii Romanenko, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “The UK is one of the largest suppliers of military equipment to our country now.”

He also spoke about how even in 1941, Britain was the first one to supply fighter aircraft to the Soviet Union on a mass scale and currently the UK is the first country to provide Storm Shadow cruise missiles to the Ukrainian forces. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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British media reports citing officials in Ukraine, on Sunday (July 2) reported that eight Hurricane fighter planes dating back to World War Two from the United Kingdom were found in a forest near Kyiv.

British media reports citing officials in Ukraine, on Sunday (July 2) reported that eight Hurricane fighter planes dating back to World War Two from the United Kingdom were found in a forest near Kyiv. The National Aviation Museum of Ukraine began excavations after a World War II-era bomb was discovered near Kyiv which prompted the local authorities to check the entire ravine with metal detectors when they stumbled upon the remains of the aircraft. About the discovery The remnants of the aircraft were found near an unexploded bomb dating back to the same conflict, in the forest south of Kyiv which until 1991 was a part of the USSR. “It is very rare to find this aircraft in Ukraine,” said Oleks Shtan, a former airline pilot who is leading the excavation, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “It’s very important for our aviation history because no lend-lease aircraft have been found here before.” The British Hurricane fighter jets were sent as part of a package of Allied military support for the USSR by Britain after the invasion by Nazi Germany in 1941, and paid for by the United States under the so-called lend-lease scheme. Notably, Washington is currently using similar legislation to send military aid to Kyiv amid its conflict with Moscow. The discovery is said to be unique since Hawker Hurricanes are rarely found in Ukraine. According to historians, some of these aircraft were purposely broken and buried by the Soviets so that they did not have to pay back the US as a part of the legislation requiring the USSR to pay for donated military equipment that remained intact. What is the Hawker Hurricane fighter jet? “The Hurricane was a strong, easy to fly machine,” said Shtan, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “It was stable as a gun platform and suitable for inexperienced pilots. A reliable aircraft.” It is also reported that the rusty remains of the aircraft had been stripped of its valuable components like radios and machine guns as well as any useful scrap metal. The Hawker Hurricane is said to be key in the Battle of Britain and shot down more than half of the enemy aircraft when Nazi Germany attempted to invade the UK. While its role was overshadowed by the Spitfire plane, Hurricane’s role was seen as significant in 1940. As per British media reports, a total of 3,000 Hurricanes were sent to the USSR between 1941 and 1944 to support their war efforts. However, most of them were destroyed in combat or dismantled later for parts. The National Aviation Museum of Ukraine aims to reassemble the Hurricanes fighter jets found and put them on display. “The Hurricanes are a symbol of British assistance during the years of the Second World War, just as we are very appreciative of British assistance nowadays,” said the head of research at the museum, Valerii Romanenko, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “The UK is one of the largest suppliers of military equipment to our country now.” He also spoke about how even in 1941, Britain was the first one to supply fighter aircraft to the Soviet Union on a mass scale and currently the UK is the first country to provide Storm Shadow cruise missiles to the Ukrainian forces. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

‘Very rare’: Ukraine finds remnants of British WWII Hurricane fighter planes outside Kyiv

An initiative launched last month on the grounds of the former Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp seeks to preserve 8,000 children's shoes. The laborious exercise is expected to be a two-year effort which seeks to showcase the gory reality of the camp where Adolf Hitler and his Nazi troops eviscerated millions, including children, mercilessly, from 1940 to 1945.&nbsp;

At the site of the camp now stands a museum and the&nbsp;modern conservation laboratory where the shoes are being conserved. According to an AP report, more than&nbsp;100,000 shoes of victims remain, some 80,000 of them in massive heaps on display in a room where visitors file by daily. Some are warped while some have their original colours fading, and shoe laces disintegrated. However, conserving them is a grim reminder of the lives brutally cut short by the megalomania of one man.&nbsp;

“Children’s shoes are the most moving object for me because there is no greater tragedy than the tragedy of children,” said Mirosław Maciaszczyk, a conservation specialist from the museum’s conservation laboratories.

“A shoe is an object closely related to a person, to a child. It is a trace, sometimes it’s the only trace left of the child.”

Currently, the museum is able to conserve 100 shoes a week and since the start of the exercise, 400 shoes have been processed. The experts are not attempting to restore the shoes to their original state, albeit,&nbsp;render them as close to how they were found at war’s end as possible. The project is expected to cost nearly $500,000 and is funded&nbsp;by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/adolf-hitlers-ancestry-in-focus-russia-says-hitler-had-jewish-roots-476411">WATCH |&nbsp;Adolf Hitler's ancestry in focus, Russia says Hitler had Jewish roots</a>

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<h2>The horrors of concentration camps</h2>

From mid-1942 the Nazis systematically deported Jews from all over Europe to six camps -- Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka. While Nazis were able to destroy evidence of their barbarity from most camps, they could not do so at Auschwitz.&nbsp;

In December 1942, Poland's then London-based government-in-exile forwarded a document, titled "The Mass Extermination of Jews in German Occupied Poland", to the Allies.

The document included detailed accounts of the unfolding Holocaust as witnessed by members of the Polish resistance, but drew disbelief and only muted reactions from the international community.&nbsp;

Before the Nazis sent people to the gas chambers on the compound, they were told to undress and leave everything, including their shoes outside. They were sent into the gas chamber on the pretext of being taken to the shower to be disinfected.&nbsp;

However, the world only learned about the horrors of the Auschwitz camp after the Soviet Red Army forcefully entered the camp on January 27, 1945.&nbsp;David Dushman, one of the last soldiers who liberated the camp and died in 2021 revealed that once he mowed down the electric fence using his T-34 Soviet tank, all he could see was 'skeletons' lying everywhere.&nbsp;

"They staggered out of the barracks, sat and lay among the dead. Terrible. We threw them all our canned food and immediately went on to hunt down the fascists," he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/group-of-neo-nazis-celebrate-hitlers-birthday-raise-their-arms-to-salute-dictator-585327">ALSO READ |&nbsp;Group of neo-Nazis celebrates Hitler's birthday, raise their arms to salute dictator</a>

<h2>Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany&nbsp;</h2>

Adolf Hitler ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 with an iron fist. In a quest to create the perfect Aryan race, Hitler started the holocaust of Jews. It is reported that during his tenure, Hitler massacred over 11 million people, of which six million were Jews.&nbsp;

Hitler loathed Jews ever since Germany lost the First World War. As he climbed the political ladder, his hate for Jews continued to rise. Once Hitler became the chancellor, he pushed his vile anti-Semitic ideas vehemently amongst the masses. He made the ordinary Germans believe that the genocide of Jews was the right way for Germany to achieve its full socioeconomic potential.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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An initiative launched last month on the grounds of the former Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp seeks to preserve 8,000 children's shoes. The laborious exercise is expected to be a two-year effort which seeks to showcase the gory reality of the camp where Adolf Hitler and his Nazi troops eviscerated millions, including children, mercilessly, from 1940 to 1945.

An initiative launched last month on the grounds of the former Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp seeks to preserve 8,000 children's shoes. The laborious exercise is expected to be a two-year effort which seeks to showcase the gory reality of the camp where Adolf Hitler and his Nazi troops eviscerated millions, including children, mercilessly, from 1940 to 1945. At the site of the camp now stands a museum and the modern conservation laboratory where the shoes are being conserved. According to an AP report, more than 100,000 shoes of victims remain, some 80,000 of them in massive heaps on display in a room where visitors file by daily. Some are warped while some have their original colours fading, and shoe laces disintegrated. However, conserving them is a grim reminder of the lives brutally cut short by the megalomania of one man. “Children’s shoes are the most moving object for me because there is no greater tragedy than the tragedy of children,” said Mirosław Maciaszczyk, a conservation specialist from the museum’s conservation laboratories. “A shoe is an object closely related to a person, to a child. It is a trace, sometimes it’s the only trace left of the child.” Currently, the museum is able to conserve 100 shoes a week and since the start of the exercise, 400 shoes have been processed. The experts are not attempting to restore the shoes to their original state, albeit, render them as close to how they were found at war’s end as possible. The project is expected to cost nearly $500,000 and is funded by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. WATCH | Adolf Hitler's ancestry in focus, Russia says Hitler had Jewish roots × The horrors of concentration camps From mid-1942 the Nazis systematically deported Jews from all over Europe to six camps -- Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka. While Nazis were able to destroy evidence of their barbarity from most camps, they could not do so at Auschwitz. In December 1942, Poland's then London-based government-in-exile forwarded a document, titled "The Mass Extermination of Jews in German Occupied Poland", to the Allies. The document included detailed accounts of the unfolding Holocaust as witnessed by members of the Polish resistance, but drew disbelief and only muted reactions from the international community. Before the Nazis sent people to the gas chambers on the compound, they were told to undress and leave everything, including their shoes outside. They were sent into the gas chamber on the pretext of being taken to the shower to be disinfected. However, the world only learned about the horrors of the Auschwitz camp after the Soviet Red Army forcefully entered the camp on January 27, 1945. David Dushman, one of the last soldiers who liberated the camp and died in 2021 revealed that once he mowed down the electric fence using his T-34 Soviet tank, all he could see was 'skeletons' lying everywhere. "They staggered out of the barracks, sat and lay among the dead. Terrible. We threw them all our canned food and immediately went on to hunt down the fascists," he said. ALSO READ | Group of neo-Nazis celebrates Hitler's birthday, raise their arms to salute dictator Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 with an iron fist. In a quest to create the perfect Aryan race, Hitler started the holocaust of Jews. It is reported that during his tenure, Hitler massacred over 11 million people, of which six million were Jews. Hitler loathed Jews ever since Germany lost the First World War. As he climbed the political ladder, his hate for Jews continued to rise. Once Hitler became the chancellor, he pushed his vile anti-Semitic ideas vehemently amongst the masses. He made the ordinary Germans believe that the genocide of Jews was the right way for Germany to achieve its full socioeconomic potential. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Auschwitz museum starts work of conserving shoes of 8,000 murdered children

Every year on May 9, Russia marks the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II with a parade of troops and sophisticated military hardware and public celebration. Watch this report for more details.

Victory Day in Russia: Moscow celebrates triumph over Nazi Germany

Here we bring you a quick round-up of all the latest news and top headlines from all across the globe - Every year on May 9, Russia marks the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II with a parade of troops and sophisticated military hardware and public celebration.

Russia celebrates triumph over Nazi Germany in World War 2

In Poland, a mass grave with human ashes equivalent to around 8,000 people has been discovered near a former Nazi concentration camp. On Wednesday, the country's Institute of National Remembrance, which looks into atrocities done during the Nazi occupation of Poland and the communist era, said that the remains were discovered close to the Soldau concentration camp, now known as Dzialdowo, north of Warsaw. As per an AFP report, Investigator Tomasz Jankowski said that the sombre finding of about 17.5 tonnes (15,800 kilogrammes) of human ashes supports the assertion that at least 8,000 individuals died there.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: The story of the Holocaust

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Reportedly, the grim estimate is based on the weight of the remains. Two kilogrammes are considered to be roughly equivalent to one human body.

The camp was constructed by Nazi Germany during its occupation of Poland in World War II. It was used as a transit point, a site of imprisonment, and a location for execution for Jews, political opponents, and members of the Polish political elite.

While the exact toll of the deaths of inmates at Soldau has never been determined, but estimates place it around 30,000.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/four-dolls-from-nazi-concentration-camp-fetch-ps5625-in-auction-492419">Four dolls from Nazi concentration camp fetch £5,625 in auction</a>

The majority of the deceased in the mass grave "were probably assassinated around 1939 and mostly belonged to the Polish elites," according to Jankowski.

In order to destroy any evidence of war crimes, Nazi authorities ordered Jewish prisoners to burn the remains in 1944.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-war-zelensky-says-russias-camps-resemble-nazi-concentration-camps-487844">Ukraine war: Zelensky says Russia's camps 'resemble Nazi concentration camps'</a>

Genetics specialist Andrzej Ossowski from the Pomeranian Medical University told AFP that samples from the ashes had been retrieved and will be examined in a laboratory.

He continued, "We can carry out DNA analysis, which will allow us to find out more about the identity of the victims," citing similar studies in the old Nazi concentration camps of Sobibor and Treblinka.

(With inputs from agencies)

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In Poland, a mass grave with human ashes equivalent to around 8,000 people has been discovered near a former Nazi concentration camp. On Wednesday, the country's Institute of National Remembrance, which looks into atrocities done during the Nazi occupation of Poland and the communist era, said that the remains were discovered close to the Soldau concentration camp, now known as Dzialdowo, north of Warsaw.

In Poland, a mass grave with human ashes equivalent to around 8,000 people has been discovered near a former Nazi concentration camp. On Wednesday, the country's Institute of National Remembrance, which looks into atrocities done during the Nazi occupation of Poland and the communist era, said that the remains were discovered close to the Soldau concentration camp, now known as Dzialdowo, north of Warsaw. As per an AFP report, Investigator Tomasz Jankowski said that the sombre finding of about 17.5 tonnes (15,800 kilogrammes) of human ashes supports the assertion that at least 8,000 individuals died there. Watch | Gravitas: The story of the Holocaust Reportedly, the grim estimate is based on the weight of the remains. Two kilogrammes are considered to be roughly equivalent to one human body. The camp was constructed by Nazi Germany during its occupation of Poland in World War II. It was used as a transit point, a site of imprisonment, and a location for execution for Jews, political opponents, and members of the Polish political elite. While the exact toll of the deaths of inmates at Soldau has never been determined, but estimates place it around 30,000. Also read | Four dolls from Nazi concentration camp fetch £5,625 in auction The majority of the deceased in the mass grave "were probably assassinated around 1939 and mostly belonged to the Polish elites," according to Jankowski. In order to destroy any evidence of war crimes, Nazi authorities ordered Jewish prisoners to burn the remains in 1944. Also read | Ukraine war: Zelensky says Russia's camps 'resemble Nazi concentration camps' Genetics specialist Andrzej Ossowski from the Pomeranian Medical University told AFP that samples from the ashes had been retrieved and will be examined in a laboratory. He continued, "We can carry out DNA analysis, which will allow us to find out more about the identity of the victims," citing similar studies in the old Nazi concentration camps of Sobibor and Treblinka. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION LIVE HERE: You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Mass grave with remains of 8,000 discovered at a former Nazi Germany camp in Poland

Russian President Vladimir Putin reviewed on Sunday the parade that marked 76th anniversary of Soviet Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in Second World War. The parade on Moscow's Red Square featured over 12,000 troops and more than 190 90 pieces of military hardware, including intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, and a fly-past by nearly 80 military aircraft under cloudy skies

Putin, who has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, stood beside Soviet war veterans on a review platform set up on Red Square.

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This year's parade has come amid tension with the West over several issues. The relations were strained after Russia's military buildup near its border with Ukraine. It was soon followed by tit-for-tat action by Russia and number of countries including the US that involved expulsion of diplomats. The issue of Putin-critic Alexei Navalny's jailing has been a point of friction as well with US President Joe Biden himself warning Russia in recent months.

The victory parade this year precedes parliamentary elections in September&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian President Vladimir Putin reviewed on Sunday the parade that marked 76th anniversary of Soviet Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in Second World War. The parade on Moscow's Red Square featured over 12,000 troops and more than 190 90 pieces of military hardware, including intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, and a fly-past by nearly 80 military aircraft under cloudy skies Putin, who has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, stood beside Soviet war veterans on a review platform set up on Red Square.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reviewed on Sunday the parade that marked 76th anniversary of Soviet Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in Second World War. The parade on Moscow's Red Square featured over 12,000 troops and more than 190 90 pieces of military hardware, including intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, and a fly-past by nearly 80 military aircraft under cloudy skies Putin, who has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, stood beside Soviet war veterans on a review platform set up on Red Square. This year's parade has come amid tension with the West over several issues. The relations were strained after Russia's military buildup near its border with Ukraine. It was soon followed by tit-for-tat action by Russia and number of countries including the US that involved expulsion of diplomats. The issue of Putin-critic Alexei Navalny's jailing has been a point of friction as well with US President Joe Biden himself warning Russia in recent months. The victory parade this year precedes parliamentary elections in September (With inputs from agencies)

Russia remembers victory over Nazi Germany with parade on Red Square

A top commander in Hitler’s secret police, responsible for deporting tens of thousands of Jews, was shielded by US&nbsp;and German authorities after World War II and later joined West Germany’s foreign intelligence service, which knew about his wartime role, newly disclosed records reveal.

By the war’s end the official, Franz Josef Huber — who also held a general-level rank in the SS, the Nazi paramilitary organisation — led one of the Gestapo’s largest sections, stretching across Austria and with roles out to the east. In Vienna after the Nazi takeover, his forces worked closely with Adolf Eichmann on deportations to concentration and extermination camps.

Eichmann would eventually be executed for his role in coordinating the murder of millions of Jews. Next Sunday is the 60th anniversary of the opening of his trial in Jerusalem. But Huber never had to hide or to escape abroad, as many other top Third Reich commanders did.

He spent the final decades of his life based in his hometown, Munich, with his family, under his own name. And the explanation for this strange immunity appears to lie in his usefulness in the spying conflicts of the Cold War.

US&nbsp;intelligence documents show that there was strong interest in drawing on Huber’s wartime network to recruit agents in the Soviet bloc, even as Austria was seeking to have him tried for war crimes.

“Although we are by no means unmindful of the dangers involved in playing around with a Gestapo general,” a CIA memo from 1953 stated, “we also believe, on the basis of the information now in our possession, that Huber might be profitably used by this organization.”

Newly disclosed US&nbsp;and German intelligence records reveal that both countries made efforts to conceal Huber’s role in the crimes of the Third Reich and to prevent him from facing trial. German public broadcaster ARD obtained the records and shared them with The New York Times. They will be presented in a “Munich Report” investigative documentary scheduled to be broadcast in Germany on Tuesday.

The German intelligence service, known by the initials BND, employed Huber full time for nearly a decade, giving him a cover story that made him appear to work for a private business. It was nearly 20 years after the war before agency bosses decided they could no longer tolerate the connection. A December 1964 memo warned that disclosure of the secret would “frustrate the efforts of the service’s leadership to build confidence with the federal government and the public.”

This was not the first time Huber had adapted himself to new masters.

In the 1920s and early 1930s, as a talented young police officer in Munich, he took part in the surveillance of political parties, including the Nazis. After Hitler took power in 1933, he became a zealous Nazi and, soon after, a senior figure in the Gestapo, Nazi Germany’s feared secret police force.

The Nazi leaders building that force needed experienced police officers, said Michael Holzmann, the son of an Austrian Nazi who has for many years been researching the activities of the Gestapo in that country. “Huber seized this opportunity and turned from a little investigator into a most successful leader of the Gestapo terror regime in former Austria,” he said.

In March 1938, after Germany annexed Austria, Huber was made the Gestapo chief of the most important part of the country, including Vienna, the capital. Shortly after, the Gestapo began an extensive hunt for dissidents in Austria, and Huber gave orders “to arrest immediately undesirable, particularly criminally motivated Jews and transfer them to the concentration camp Dachau.” A few days later, the first two transports of Jews left Vienna for the camp, with many more to follow.

Huber remained in his post until the end of the war, being given more and more personnel and authority. During that time, 70,000 Austrian Jews who were not able to leave the country were murdered, close to 40% of the original community, while their property was looted by the Nazis.

Eichmann confirmed at his trial that he was involved in the deportation of Jews but refused to plead guilty to genocide, saying, “I did not have any other option than to follow the orders I got.”

Huber took a different approach. Speaking to an official of the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal in 1948 — who interviewed him as a witness, not a suspect — he said he had known nothing about the extermination until the end of 1944, when his deputy told him something vague.

“But the historical evidence paints a completely different picture,” says professor Moshe Zimmerman, a historian and Holocaust scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Eichmann may have been a face more familiar to the Jewish community, but the one who shared responsibility for carrying out the terror against the Jews, their collection, their forced boarding on the trains and their deportation to the camps, was the police and the Gestapo under Huber.”

Huber was also photographed accompanying the head of the SS and the Gestapo, Heinrich Himmler, on a visit to the Mauthausen concentration camp in upper Austria, where at least 90,000 internees were murdered.

Toward the end of the war Huber was marked as a senior wanted war criminal by US&nbsp;intelligence, and he appears to have anticipated what might come. He devoted much of his time to dealing with agents from the East, a commodity that would soon be even more valuable.

US&nbsp;forces arrested Huber in May 1945.

There are no available records about his interactions with US&nbsp;military intelligence over the two years he was in custody, but in May 1947, despite plentiful contradictory evidence, a US&nbsp;investigator wrote that Huber was “a fair, factual impartial police officer who carried out the police functions without party bias or racial and political prejudice.” The document goes on to state that the SS general “was not an adherent of Nazi party ideologies” and calls him “completely trustworthy and reliable.”

A month later, the commander of the US&nbsp;detention camp stated that Huber’s “diligence and cooperation were highly appreciated.” He was released in March 1948.

In December 1955, Huber enlisted in the Gehlen Organization, from which the BND was born shortly afterward.

“The BND recruited many Nazis, but hardly anyone had such an outstanding position,” said Stefan Meining, a historian and an editor with German public television who created the documentary about Huber. “They knew exactly that Huber was not some petty Gestapo murderer but an SS general who moved within the innermost circles of the Nazi terror apparatus and was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Jews and opponents of the regime.”

Bodo Hechelhammer, the BND’s chief historian, interviewed in the documentary, confirmed that Huber was an employee of the agency and explained that the search for skilled intelligence personnel with a clear anti-communist leaning led to recruitment “far too often among the former Nazis.” The agency did not respond to a request for further comment. The CIA also declined to comment.

In early 1964, fearing disclosure, the BND concluded that it was “no longer conceivable” to keep Huber, lest his role “endanger the service,” and decided to fire him.

But because Huber had not lied to his bosses about his past, “no fault could be proved” to justify firing him, so he was sent on paid leave instead.

He retired three years later, at age 65, and drew a German civil service pension until his death at age 73.

A top commander in Hitler’s secret police, responsible for deporting tens of thousands of Jews, was shielded by US and German authorities after World War II and later joined West Germany’s foreign intelligence service, which knew about his wartime role, newly disclosed records reveal.

A top commander in Hitler’s secret police, responsible for deporting tens of thousands of Jews, was shielded by US and German authorities after World War II and later joined West Germany’s foreign intelligence service, which knew about his wartime role, newly disclosed records reveal. By the war’s end the official, Franz Josef Huber — who also held a general-level rank in the SS, the Nazi paramilitary organisation — led one of the Gestapo’s largest sections, stretching across Austria and with roles out to the east. In Vienna after the Nazi takeover, his forces worked closely with Adolf Eichmann on deportations to concentration and extermination camps. Eichmann would eventually be executed for his role in coordinating the murder of millions of Jews. Next Sunday is the 60th anniversary of the opening of his trial in Jerusalem. But Huber never had to hide or to escape abroad, as many other top Third Reich commanders did. He spent the final decades of his life based in his hometown, Munich, with his family, under his own name. And the explanation for this strange immunity appears to lie in his usefulness in the spying conflicts of the Cold War. US intelligence documents show that there was strong interest in drawing on Huber’s wartime network to recruit agents in the Soviet bloc, even as Austria was seeking to have him tried for war crimes. “Although we are by no means unmindful of the dangers involved in playing around with a Gestapo general,” a CIA memo from 1953 stated, “we also believe, on the basis of the information now in our possession, that Huber might be profitably used by this organization.” Newly disclosed US and German intelligence records reveal that both countries made efforts to conceal Huber’s role in the crimes of the Third Reich and to prevent him from facing trial. German public broadcaster ARD obtained the records and shared them with The New York Times. They will be presented in a “Munich Report” investigative documentary scheduled to be broadcast in Germany on Tuesday. The German intelligence service, known by the initials BND, employed Huber full time for nearly a decade, giving him a cover story that made him appear to work for a private business. It was nearly 20 years after the war before agency bosses decided they could no longer tolerate the connection. A December 1964 memo warned that disclosure of the secret would “frustrate the efforts of the service’s leadership to build confidence with the federal government and the public.” This was not the first time Huber had adapted himself to new masters. In the 1920s and early 1930s, as a talented young police officer in Munich, he took part in the surveillance of political parties, including the Nazis. After Hitler took power in 1933, he became a zealous Nazi and, soon after, a senior figure in the Gestapo, Nazi Germany’s feared secret police force. The Nazi leaders building that force needed experienced police officers, said Michael Holzmann, the son of an Austrian Nazi who has for many years been researching the activities of the Gestapo in that country. “Huber seized this opportunity and turned from a little investigator into a most successful leader of the Gestapo terror regime in former Austria,” he said. In March 1938, after Germany annexed Austria, Huber was made the Gestapo chief of the most important part of the country, including Vienna, the capital. Shortly after, the Gestapo began an extensive hunt for dissidents in Austria, and Huber gave orders “to arrest immediately undesirable, particularly criminally motivated Jews and transfer them to the concentration camp Dachau.” A few days later, the first two transports of Jews left Vienna for the camp, with many more to follow. Huber remained in his post until the end of the war, being given more and more personnel and authority. During that time, 70,000 Austrian Jews who were not able to leave the country were murdered, close to 40% of the original community, while their property was looted by the Nazis. Eichmann confirmed at his trial that he was involved in the deportation of Jews but refused to plead guilty to genocide, saying, “I did not have any other option than to follow the orders I got.” Huber took a different approach. Speaking to an official of the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal in 1948 — who interviewed him as a witness, not a suspect — he said he had known nothing about the extermination until the end of 1944, when his deputy told him something vague. “But the historical evidence paints a completely different picture,” says professor Moshe Zimmerman, a historian and Holocaust scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Eichmann may have been a face more familiar to the Jewish community, but the one who shared responsibility for carrying out the terror against the Jews, their collection, their forced boarding on the trains and their deportation to the camps, was the police and the Gestapo under Huber.” Huber was also photographed accompanying the head of the SS and the Gestapo, Heinrich Himmler, on a visit to the Mauthausen concentration camp in upper Austria, where at least 90,000 internees were murdered. Toward the end of the war Huber was marked as a senior wanted war criminal by US intelligence, and he appears to have anticipated what might come. He devoted much of his time to dealing with agents from the East, a commodity that would soon be even more valuable. US forces arrested Huber in May 1945. There are no available records about his interactions with US military intelligence over the two years he was in custody, but in May 1947, despite plentiful contradictory evidence, a US investigator wrote that Huber was “a fair, factual impartial police officer who carried out the police functions without party bias or racial and political prejudice.” The document goes on to state that the SS general “was not an adherent of Nazi party ideologies” and calls him “completely trustworthy and reliable.” A month later, the commander of the US detention camp stated that Huber’s “diligence and cooperation were highly appreciated.” He was released in March 1948. In December 1955, Huber enlisted in the Gehlen Organization, from which the BND was born shortly afterward. “The BND recruited many Nazis, but hardly anyone had such an outstanding position,” said Stefan Meining, a historian and an editor with German public television who created the documentary about Huber. “They knew exactly that Huber was not some petty Gestapo murderer but an SS general who moved within the innermost circles of the Nazi terror apparatus and was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Jews and opponents of the regime.” Bodo Hechelhammer, the BND’s chief historian, interviewed in the documentary, confirmed that Huber was an employee of the agency and explained that the search for skilled intelligence personnel with a clear anti-communist leaning led to recruitment “far too often among the former Nazis.” The agency did not respond to a request for further comment. The CIA also declined to comment. In early 1964, fearing disclosure, the BND concluded that it was “no longer conceivable” to keep Huber, lest his role “endanger the service,” and decided to fire him. But because Huber had not lied to his bosses about his past, “no fault could be proved” to justify firing him, so he was sent on paid leave instead. He retired three years later, at age 65, and drew a German civil service pension until his death at age 73.

He led Hitler’s secret police in Austria. Then he spied for the West.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday left for Moscow on a three-day state visit to attend the 75th Victory Day Parade in Moscow that marks the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday left for Moscow on a three-day state visit to attend the 75th Victory Day Parade in Moscow that marks the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The defence minister will also hold talks on ways to further deepen India-Russia defence and strategic partnership during his visit. Also read: Rajnath Singh invited to grand military parade in Moscow on June 24 Leaving for Moscow on a three day visit. The visit to Russia will give me an opportunity to hold talks on ways to further deepen the India-Russia defence and strategic partnership. I shall also be attending the 75th Victory Day Parade in Moscow. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 22, 2020 × ''Leaving for Moscow on a 3-day visit. The visit to Russia will give me an opportunity to hold talks on ways to further deepen the India-Russia defence and strategic partnership. I shall also be attending the 75th Victory Day Parade in Moscow,'' tweeted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ahead of his visit today. Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar is also accompanying the minister.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves for Russia; set to boost defence ties

Israel and the United States on Thursday called for action against Iran in front of world leaders marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, comparing the Iranian threat to that once posed by Nazi Germany.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/world-leaders-flock-to-israel-to-mark-75th-anniversary-of-auschwitz-liberation-276087">In Pics: World leaders flock to Israel to mark 75th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation</a>

"There will not be another Holocaust," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Jerusalem gathering of more than 40 heads of state and government, pointing to what he called "the tyrants of Tehran".

Watch Video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/75th-anniversary-of-liberation-of-auschwitz-camp-273889/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

He lamented that "we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state."

In a similar vein, US Vice President Mike Pence urged the international community to "stand strong" against Iran, calling it the only country where Holocaust denial is "state policy".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/wion-edit-the-lessons-from-the-holocaust-276197">Wion Edit: The lessons from the Holocaust</a>

French President Emmanuel Macron, however, rejected such parallels, telling the gathering -- without mentioning Iran, Israel or the US by name -&nbsp;that "no one has the right to invoke (those killed by the Nazis) to justify division or contemporary hatred".&nbsp;

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a summit of leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to "defend peace" in the face of global instability.

Tehran denies it is trying to build a nuclear bomb and accusations of anti-Semitism, insisting that while it opposes the Jewish state and supports the Palestinian cause, it has no problem with Jewish people, including its own Jewish minority.

The leaders of former Allied powers were at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre for the biggest international diplomatic gathering ever held in Israel, to remember the liberation of the World War II death camp where the Nazis killed more than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews.

While the main focus was on the Holocaust, its haunting legacy and the resurgence of anti-Semitism, modern geopolitics quickly overshadowed the event, held at a time of soaring US-Iranian tensions.

Netanyahu said the main lesson of the Holocaust was that "Israel will do whatever it must do to defend our state, defend our people, and defend the Jewish future".

He added: "I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran."

Israel fiercely opposed a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.&nbsp;

Netanyahu applauded when US President Donald Trump in 2018 pulled out of the accord and has pushed European powers to follow Washington's lead.

He said Thursday that Israel "salutes" Trump "for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world".

Aside from Iran, a key theme of the event was the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe and North America, in the speeches at the memorial centre for the six million Jews that Nazi Germany killed in gas chambers, ghettos and forced labour camps.

"This is a historic gathering, not only for Israel and the Jewish people, but for all humanity," said Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, calling on the world to "stand united in the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and extremism".

Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that racist and anti-Semitic "spirits of evil are emerging in a new guise".

The German head of state told the gathering he bowed "in deepest sorrow" at the memory of "the industrial mass murder of six million Jews, the worst crime in the history of humanity ... committed by my countrymen".

Looking at resurgent hatreds, extremism and intolerance, he said: "Of course, our age is a different age. The words are not the same. The perpetrators are not the same. But it is the same evil."

"The spirits of evil are emerging in a new guise, presenting their anti-Semitic, racist, authoritarian thinking as an answer for the future, a new solution to the problems of our age," he said.

About 100 Holocaust survivors were at the event, to pray for the dead and light a memorial torch.

Among them was Yona Amit, 81, who as a child spent the war hiding from the Nazis but lost family members including her cousin.

"I exchanged shoes with him playing," shortly before he was captured, she recalled.&nbsp;

"They were straight away sent to Auschwitz. And of course my cousin, with my shoes: straight away up in the chimneys, in the gas chambers," she told AFP.&nbsp;

"My shoes are in that big mound of shoes in Auschwitz, my shoes are there. I am here."

The ceremonies move on next Monday to the site in Poland of the Auschwitz camp, which was liberated by the Soviet Red Army on January 27, 1945.

Israel and the United States on Thursday called for action against Iran in front of world leaders marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, comparing the Iranian threat to that once posed by Nazi Germany.

Israel and the United States on Thursday called for action against Iran in front of world leaders marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, comparing the Iranian threat to that once posed by Nazi Germany. In Pics: World leaders flock to Israel to mark 75th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation "There will not be another Holocaust," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Jerusalem gathering of more than 40 heads of state and government, pointing to what he called "the tyrants of Tehran". Watch Video: He lamented that "we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state." In a similar vein, US Vice President Mike Pence urged the international community to "stand strong" against Iran, calling it the only country where Holocaust denial is "state policy". Wion Edit: The lessons from the Holocaust French President Emmanuel Macron, however, rejected such parallels, telling the gathering -- without mentioning Iran, Israel or the US by name - that "no one has the right to invoke (those killed by the Nazis) to justify division or contemporary hatred". Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a summit of leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to "defend peace" in the face of global instability. Tehran denies it is trying to build a nuclear bomb and accusations of anti-Semitism, insisting that while it opposes the Jewish state and supports the Palestinian cause, it has no problem with Jewish people, including its own Jewish minority. The leaders of former Allied powers were at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre for the biggest international diplomatic gathering ever held in Israel, to remember the liberation of the World War II death camp where the Nazis killed more than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews. While the main focus was on the Holocaust, its haunting legacy and the resurgence of anti-Semitism, modern geopolitics quickly overshadowed the event, held at a time of soaring US-Iranian tensions. Netanyahu said the main lesson of the Holocaust was that "Israel will do whatever it must do to defend our state, defend our people, and defend the Jewish future". He added: "I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran." Israel fiercely opposed a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Netanyahu applauded when US President Donald Trump in 2018 pulled out of the accord and has pushed European powers to follow Washington's lead. He said Thursday that Israel "salutes" Trump "for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world". Aside from Iran, a key theme of the event was the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe and North America, in the speeches at the memorial centre for the six million Jews that Nazi Germany killed in gas chambers, ghettos and forced labour camps. "This is a historic gathering, not only for Israel and the Jewish people, but for all humanity," said Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, calling on the world to "stand united in the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and extremism". Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that racist and anti-Semitic "spirits of evil are emerging in a new guise". The German head of state told the gathering he bowed "in deepest sorrow" at the memory of "the industrial mass murder of six million Jews, the worst crime in the history of humanity ... committed by my countrymen". Looking at resurgent hatreds, extremism and intolerance, he said: "Of course, our age is a different age. The words are not the same. The perpetrators are not the same. But it is the same evil." "The spirits of evil are emerging in a new guise, presenting their anti-Semitic, racist, authoritarian thinking as an answer for the future, a new solution to the problems of our age," he said. About 100 Holocaust survivors were at the event, to pray for the dead and light a memorial torch. Among them was Yona Amit, 81, who as a child spent the war hiding from the Nazis but lost family members including her cousin. "I exchanged shoes with him playing," shortly before he was captured, she recalled. "They were straight away sent to Auschwitz. And of course my cousin, with my shoes: straight away up in the chimneys, in the gas chambers," she told AFP. "My shoes are in that big mound of shoes in Auschwitz, my shoes are there. I am here." The ceremonies move on next Monday to the site in Poland of the Auschwitz camp, which was liberated by the Soviet Red Army on January 27, 1945.

Israel PM Netanyahu, US vice president Pence denounce Iran at Holocaust memorial ceremony

It's the lesser-known D-Day, one launched two months after the Normandy landings on the other side of France, with French forces this time playing a premier role.

It's the lesser-known D-Day, one launched two months after the Normandy landings on the other side of France, with French forces this time playing a premier role. On August 15, 1944, thousands of French soldiers set foot on home soil for the first time in years as Allied forces staged an ambitious assault on Mediterranean beaches, taking a direct hand in the fight to free Europe of Nazi Germany's grip. Besides accelerating the German retreat, this second landing was hugely symbolic for the French nation eager to emphasise its role in its liberation. Only a handful of French soldiers had taken part in the Normandy landings a few weeks earlier, General Charles de Gaulle snubbed the operation after being largely excluded from its planning. The Mediterranean offensive included the remnants of France's free forces, including tens of thousands of soldiers from its African colonies, whose contribution remained little known, let alone celebrated, for decades after the war. "On the political level, the landings had vital importance, especially for De Gaulle: He can say that French troops liberated France," said Florimond Calendini, director of the national memorial of the Mediterranean landings in Toulon. "After the humiliating defeat of 1940, seeing a French army free national territory showed the entire world that France can fight with an established army," he said. But the collective memory of Operation Dragoon, the code name for the landings, has faded over the decades, overshadowed by the legacy of Normandy. "Many French don't know about the Provence landings," Calendini said. "The publicity given to the Normandy landings is huge, because behind it you have all of America's soft power, with the films that have become famous the world over." President Emmanuel Macron will lead commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the Dragoon landings Thursday at the Boulouris national cemetery in Saint-Raphael, the site of one of the beaches, where 464 troops killed in the operation are interred. His Ivorian and Guinean counterparts Alassane Ouattara and Alpha Conde have been invited to attend, in recognition of the crucial role played by African forces. 'Nancy has a stiff neck' Some 450,000 Allied soldiers using more than 2,000 ships took part in Operation Dragoon, including 250,000 French fighters, with most of the rest from the US. The French launched the assault shortly after midnight on August 15 by scrabbling up the rocky cliffs at Cap Negre, named for the rock's dark colour. Resistance fighters in the south had been alerted to the impending offensive the night before when underground radio sent a series of coded messages using seemingly anodyne phrases such as "Nancy has a stiff neck." As during the Normandy landings, locals would play a key role in harassing German forces as they fell back, helping the Allied soldiers to advance must faster than in the north. Hitler ordered a retreat from southern France as soon as August 17, except for the strategic ports of Toulon and Marseille, but these fell within 10 days. "In less than two weeks, all of Provence was liberated. It was a huge surprise for the Allies," Calendini said. By September 12, the Dragoon forces had met up with the soldiers advancing from Normandy, allowing the Allies to consolidate their forces before the final offensive to wrest France from its German occupiers. Overlooked legacy At the time, France's "Army B" consisted of nearly 600,000 men, two-thirds of them from African garrisons in countries still under French colonial rule. The force included around 233,000 "Muslims", as they were referred to at the time, including Moroccan battalions and infantry sections from Algeria, as well as fighters from Senegal and other West African colonies. There were also so-called Marsouins ("porpoises"), recruits from France's territories in the Pacific or the Caribbean. "Without its empire, France would have been just a liberated country. Thanks to its empire, France is a victorious country," Gaston Monnerville, a deputy from the overseas territory of French Guiana, said shortly after the war ended. African troops, in particular, paid a heavy price, with 55,000 killed throughout World War II. Yet for years their sacrifices were largely overlooked by most French, and in 1959 the government added injury to the insult by capping their military pensions as African nations gained their independence. France finally agreed in 2002 to increase the payouts to partially make up for the veterans' lost spending power over the subsequent decades, though they were still far below those of French ex-soldiers. The pressure continued to mount until then-president Nicolas Sarkozy announced in 2010 that pensions would be the same for all its veterans, regardless of nationality or place of residence.

The other D-Day: France marks 75 years since 'its' WWII landing

The World Jewish Congress on Monday condemned the Polish prime minister for saying that holding Poland liable for the restitution of Jewish property seized by the Nazis during WWII would hand a "posthumous victory" to Hitler.

Poland, a victim of the Nazis, would be turned into a perpetrator, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, becoming the latest ruling party member to comment on a US law on the restitution of Jewish properties seized during the Holocaust.&nbsp;

Poland, which was invaded by Nazi Germany and lost six million citizens during World War II, insists the matter is closed and says the legislation will have no impact at home.

"This unwillingness to acknowledge that the victims of the Holocaust and their heirs are entitled to a modicum of material justice is unfortunate enough," said World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder.&nbsp;

"But Prime Minister Morawiecki's contention -- assuming that it was uttered as reported -- that providing restitution to Jews for their stolen property would be 'Hitler's posthumous victory' is alarming in the extreme," he added in a statement.&nbsp;

According to Polish state television, Morawiecki made the remarks at a convention of the ruling governing Law and Justice (PiS) party in the central city of Lodz last week.&nbsp;

"Whenever anyone says today that Poland must offer someone restitution, we say: we don't consent, and we won't," Morawiecki said, quoted by the television station.

"If it were ever to get to that point, where the executioner and the victim are swapped, then it would go against all principles of international law," he added.

"It would also be Hitler's posthumous victory."&nbsp;

The US Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act -- known as the 447 law -- requires the State Department to report to Congress on the progress of countries including Poland on the restitution of Jewish assets seized during World War II and its aftermath.

Pre-war Poland was a Jewish heartland, with a centuries-old community numbering some 3.2 million, around 10 per cent of the population.

Anti-Semitic concerns regarding Poland have recently resurfaced.&nbsp;

Last year, Warsaw passed a law that made it illegal to accuse the Polish nation or state of complicity in Nazi German war crimes.

The move sparked an outcry from Israel, which saw it as an attempt to ban testimonials on Polish crimes against Jews.

In response, Warsaw amended the law to remove the possibility of fines or a prison sentence.

In February, Israel's foreign minister drew Poland's ire by saying "Poles suckle anti-Semitism with their mothers' milk."

Earlier this month Poland scrapped a visit by Israeli officials over their intention to raise the restitution issue.&nbsp;

The World Jewish Congress on Monday condemned the Polish prime minister for saying that holding Poland liable for the restitution of Jewish property seized by the Nazis during WWII would hand a "posthumous victory" to Hitler.

The World Jewish Congress on Monday condemned the Polish prime minister for saying that holding Poland liable for the restitution of Jewish property seized by the Nazis during WWII would hand a "posthumous victory" to Hitler. Poland, a victim of the Nazis, would be turned into a perpetrator, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, becoming the latest ruling party member to comment on a US law on the restitution of Jewish properties seized during the Holocaust. Poland, which was invaded by Nazi Germany and lost six million citizens during World War II, insists the matter is closed and says the legislation will have no impact at home. "This unwillingness to acknowledge that the victims of the Holocaust and their heirs are entitled to a modicum of material justice is unfortunate enough," said World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder. "But Prime Minister Morawiecki's contention -- assuming that it was uttered as reported -- that providing restitution to Jews for their stolen property would be 'Hitler's posthumous victory' is alarming in the extreme," he added in a statement. According to Polish state television, Morawiecki made the remarks at a convention of the ruling governing Law and Justice (PiS) party in the central city of Lodz last week. "Whenever anyone says today that Poland must offer someone restitution, we say: we don't consent, and we won't," Morawiecki said, quoted by the television station. "If it were ever to get to that point, where the executioner and the victim are swapped, then it would go against all principles of international law," he added. "It would also be Hitler's posthumous victory." The US Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act -- known as the 447 law -- requires the State Department to report to Congress on the progress of countries including Poland on the restitution of Jewish assets seized during World War II and its aftermath. Pre-war Poland was a Jewish heartland, with a centuries-old community numbering some 3.2 million, around 10 per cent of the population. Anti-Semitic concerns regarding Poland have recently resurfaced. Last year, Warsaw passed a law that made it illegal to accuse the Polish nation or state of complicity in Nazi German war crimes. The move sparked an outcry from Israel, which saw it as an attempt to ban testimonials on Polish crimes against Jews. In response, Warsaw amended the law to remove the possibility of fines or a prison sentence. In February, Israel's foreign minister drew Poland's ire by saying "Poles suckle anti-Semitism with their mothers' milk." Earlier this month Poland scrapped a visit by Israeli officials over their intention to raise the restitution issue.

Jews slam Polish PM for calling WWII restitution a win for Hitler

Russia marks 74th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany with tanks, military parade

France announced Tuesday the death of one the few surviving members of the legendary unit of French resistance soldiers who fought alongside American and British troops on the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944.

Jean Masson died on Saturday aged 95, meaning only three members of the original First French Marine Rifles Battalion led by the Free French commander Philippe Kieffer are still alive, the D-Day Overlord website said.

When World War II broke out Masson quit France and was imprisoned for a time in Spain before being able to reach England.

After joining Free French recruits for training in Scotland, the Kieffer Commando unit stormed the Sword Beach sector at Colleville-sur-Orne, where Masson was seriously injured by a mortar shell.

"He nevertheless returned to keep fighting in the Netherlands and into Germany," the Armed Forces Ministry said in a statement.

"I had to swim while holding my rifle out of the water before my feet could touch the ground," Masson recalled in a French television interview.

"But I hadn't come all that way to stay in the hold."

The 177 commando members were the first French uniformed troops to set foot on French soil since Paris capitulated to Germany in June 1940.

Yet they were only granted France's highest award, the Legion of Honour, 60 years later in 2004 -- General Charles De Gaulle had long considered them a British unit.

Historians have suggested De Gaulle may have been miffed at being largely excluded from D-Day plannings by British and American military leaders.

"In tribute to this brave soldier. My condolences to his family and relatives," secretary of state for the armed forces Genevieve Darrieussecq said on Twitter.

France announced Tuesday the death of one the few surviving members of the legendary unit of French resistance soldiers who fought alongside American and British troops on the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944.

France announced Tuesday the death of one the few surviving members of the legendary unit of French resistance soldiers who fought alongside American and British troops on the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Jean Masson died on Saturday aged 95, meaning only three members of the original First French Marine Rifles Battalion led by the Free French commander Philippe Kieffer are still alive, the D-Day Overlord website said. When World War II broke out Masson quit France and was imprisoned for a time in Spain before being able to reach England. After joining Free French recruits for training in Scotland, the Kieffer Commando unit stormed the Sword Beach sector at Colleville-sur-Orne, where Masson was seriously injured by a mortar shell. "He nevertheless returned to keep fighting in the Netherlands and into Germany," the Armed Forces Ministry said in a statement. "I had to swim while holding my rifle out of the water before my feet could touch the ground," Masson recalled in a French television interview. "But I hadn't come all that way to stay in the hold." The 177 commando members were the first French uniformed troops to set foot on French soil since Paris capitulated to Germany in June 1940. Yet they were only granted France's highest award, the Legion of Honour, 60 years later in 2004 -- General Charles De Gaulle had long considered them a British unit. Historians have suggested De Gaulle may have been miffed at being largely excluded from D-Day plannings by British and American military leaders. "In tribute to this brave soldier. My condolences to his family and relatives," secretary of state for the armed forces Genevieve Darrieussecq said on Twitter.

One of last French D-Day soldiers dies at 95

Austria on Monday marks the 80th anniversary of its annexation by Nazi Germany, with the country&#39;s President Alexander Van der Bellen urging young people not to be &quot;taken in&quot; by neo-fascist and far-right ideologies.

On March 12, 1938, Adolf Hitler ordered 200,000 soldiers, SS officers and police to invade Austria, his native country, subsequently declaring its &quot;Anschluss&quot; or annexation by the Third Reich.&nbsp;

A &quot;Day of Commemoration&quot; will be held on Monday to mark the events of 1938 that changed the course of Austrian history and served as a prelude to World War II.&nbsp;Asked in an interview with the Kurier daily what future generations could learn from the Anschluss, van der Bellen replied: &quot;Not to be taken in.&quot;

People should not take &quot;peaceful cohabitation, co-determination and stable political conditions for granted,&quot; he warned. &quot;These things can change.&quot;&nbsp;

Van der Bellen -- a former leader of the environmentalist Greens who in late 2016 beat an anti-immigration candidate in a polarising and nail-biting presidential election -- said minorities enjoy better protection today.&nbsp;

&quot;They can&#39;t be outlawed at the stroke of a pen as they could then by a majority. If that weren&#39;t the case, the state could be immediately turned into a tyranny of the majority, as happened back then.&quot;&nbsp;

Van der Bellen has repeatedly called for vigilance and for tolerance since a coalition government took power in December, headed by the 31-year-old conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, with the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), Heinz-Christian Strache, as his deputy.&nbsp;

The FPOe, which counts former Nazis among its founders, is the oldest of the major right-wing nationalist and anti-immigration groupings currently on the rise in the European Union.

FPOe politicians have repeatedly rejected neo-Nazism, racism and anti-Semitism since the party joined the ruling coalition.&nbsp;The party has also expressed its gratitude to &quot;the Republic of Austria, democracy, parliamentarism and the rule of law&quot;.

But the FPOe&#39;s position regarding the status of the Austrian state has long been ambiguous, with a strong current within the party -- particularly among student fraternities -- viewing Austria as part of a wider pan-German or &quot;Greater German&quot; identity.&nbsp;

Appearing on Austrian television alongside other leading politicians for the Anschluss commemorations, Strache said it was everyone&#39;s individual responsibility to remember &quot;the National Socialist (Nazi) terror regime that murdered people on a large scale because of their religion, their origin and their political opinions.&quot;&nbsp;

 
But since it joined the ruling coalition, the FPOe has found itself embroiled in a string of embarrassing controversies regarding its relationship to Austria&#39;s history.&nbsp;In January, for example, a leading FPOe candidate in regional elections quit the party because of a scandal over song lyrics praising the Holocaust.&nbsp;

While Strache has been keen to clean up his party&#39;s image, other incidents have tarnished it, such as one FPOe member of parliament who declared in 2006 on television that &quot;National Socialism also had its good sides&quot;.&nbsp;Many events marking the Anchluss anniversary feature eyewitnesses of the time, while public debates will focus on the responsibility of Austria and everyday Austrians in Hitler&#39;s seizure of power.&nbsp;

Talking about such issues in public was almost unheard of until the late 1980s, as Austria preferred to hide behind the status of Nazi victim that the Allies had officially conferred on it.&nbsp;Such denial has prevented Austria from embarking on the very painful &quot;Vergangenheitsbewaeltigung&quot; or self-examination and coming to terms with the past that Germany has undertaken.

Austrian conservatives began paving the way for Nazism as early as 1933 when they put an end to parliamentary democracy, then crushed the Social Democrats in 1934 and set up a one-party regime.&nbsp;In a country in the throes of an identity crisis following the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and in full economic slump, anti-Semitism flourished as early as the 1920s.

&quot;Everything had already long been ready by the time the Nazis arrived,&quot; Kitty Suschny -- who was just 13 in 1938 -- told a conference, recalling that a ban on &quot;dogs and Jews&quot; was imposed overnight in the grounds of Vienna&#39;s Schoenbrunn Palace.&nbsp;

The persecution of Jews began in the early hours of the Anschluss.&nbsp;And on March 15, a euphoric crowd greeted Hitler in Vienna.&nbsp;An artistic installation will be unveiled Monday at the site where the dictator made his first speech after the annexation of the country.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Kurz will ask his cabinet to approve a proposal for a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust to be erected in the centre of Vienna.&nbsp;

On March 12, 1938, Adolf Hitler ordered 200,000 soldiers, SS officers and police to invade Austria, his native country, subsequently declaring its "Anschluss" or annexation by the Third Reich.

Austria on Monday marks the 80th anniversary of its annexation by Nazi Germany, with the country's President Alexander Van der Bellen urging young people not to be "taken in" by neo-fascist and far-right ideologies. On March 12, 1938, Adolf Hitler ordered 200,000 soldiers, SS officers and police to invade Austria, his native country, subsequently declaring its "Anschluss" or annexation by the Third Reich. A "Day of Commemoration" will be held on Monday to mark the events of 1938 that changed the course of Austrian history and served as a prelude to World War II. Asked in an interview with the Kurier daily what future generations could learn from the Anschluss, van der Bellen replied: "Not to be taken in." People should not take "peaceful cohabitation, co-determination and stable political conditions for granted," he warned. "These things can change." Van der Bellen -- a former leader of the environmentalist Greens who in late 2016 beat an anti-immigration candidate in a polarising and nail-biting presidential election -- said minorities enjoy better protection today. "They can't be outlawed at the stroke of a pen as they could then by a majority. If that weren't the case, the state could be immediately turned into a tyranny of the majority, as happened back then." Van der Bellen has repeatedly called for vigilance and for tolerance since a coalition government took power in December, headed by the 31-year-old conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, with the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), Heinz-Christian Strache, as his deputy. The FPOe, which counts former Nazis among its founders, is the oldest of the major right-wing nationalist and anti-immigration groupings currently on the rise in the European Union. FPOe politicians have repeatedly rejected neo-Nazism, racism and anti-Semitism since the party joined the ruling coalition. The party has also expressed its gratitude to "the Republic of Austria, democracy, parliamentarism and the rule of law". But the FPOe's position regarding the status of the Austrian state has long been ambiguous, with a strong current within the party -- particularly among student fraternities -- viewing Austria as part of a wider pan-German or "Greater German" identity. Appearing on Austrian television alongside other leading politicians for the Anschluss commemorations, Strache said it was everyone's individual responsibility to remember "the National Socialist (Nazi) terror regime that murdered people on a large scale because of their religion, their origin and their political opinions." But since it joined the ruling coalition, the FPOe has found itself embroiled in a string of embarrassing controversies regarding its relationship to Austria's history. In January, for example, a leading FPOe candidate in regional elections quit the party because of a scandal over song lyrics praising the Holocaust. While Strache has been keen to clean up his party's image, other incidents have tarnished it, such as one FPOe member of parliament who declared in 2006 on television that "National Socialism also had its good sides". Many events marking the Anchluss anniversary feature eyewitnesses of the time, while public debates will focus on the responsibility of Austria and everyday Austrians in Hitler's seizure of power. Talking about such issues in public was almost unheard of until the late 1980s, as Austria preferred to hide behind the status of Nazi victim that the Allies had officially conferred on it. Such denial has prevented Austria from embarking on the very painful "Vergangenheitsbewaeltigung" or self-examination and coming to terms with the past that Germany has undertaken. Austrian conservatives began paving the way for Nazism as early as 1933 when they put an end to parliamentary democracy, then crushed the Social Democrats in 1934 and set up a one-party regime. In a country in the throes of an identity crisis following the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and in full economic slump, anti-Semitism flourished as early as the 1920s. "Everything had already long been ready by the time the Nazis arrived," Kitty Suschny -- who was just 13 in 1938 -- told a conference, recalling that a ban on "dogs and Jews" was imposed overnight in the grounds of Vienna's Schoenbrunn Palace. The persecution of Jews began in the early hours of the Anschluss. And on March 15, a euphoric crowd greeted Hitler in Vienna. An artistic installation will be unveiled Monday at the site where the dictator made his first speech after the annexation of the country. On Wednesday, Chancellor Kurz will ask his cabinet to approve a proposal for a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust to be erected in the centre of Vienna.

'Don't get taken in', says Austrian President on 80th anniversary of annexation by Nazi Germany

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India&nbsp;honours Subhas Chandra Bose on Tuesday on his 121st birth anniversary, one of the phalanx of India&#39;s pre-independence leaders who continue to inspire the country&#39;s young.

Subhas Chandra Bose was among the key figures who laid the foundations of modern-day India.

He established the Indian National Army to take on the British. Controversially though -- following the principle of &#39;my enemy&#39;s enemy is my friend&#39; -- he also entered into an alliance with Nazi Germany, hoping it would help overthrow British rule in India.

Here are some lesser-known facts about the patriot of patriots:

Mahatma Gandhi always opposed Bose&#39;s ideology, as he was a believer of non-violence, Bose was opposite of that he believed that Gandhi&#39;s ideology&nbsp;would never be sufficient to secure India&#39;s independence, however, Bose was still admired by Gandhi and was to called&nbsp;&quot;patriot of patriots by Gandhi.&#39;

Subhas Chandra Bose was expelled from Calcutta&#39;s Presidency College for assaulting Professor Oaten for his anti-India comments.

He was influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna after reading their works at the age of 16. He felt that his religion was more important than his studies.

Subhas Chandra Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress twice but he resigned after conflicting ideas of independent India as Bose wanted complete independence while Gandhi and other INC members were trying for dominion status.

Bose was married to an Austrian woman Emille Shinken and his daughter Anita Bose was a popular economist in Germany.

Bose was the editor in Chief of &#39;The Forward&#39;&nbsp;formerly known as &#39;The Jewish Daily Forward&#39;,&nbsp;American magazine published monthly for a Jewish-American audience in New York, but later he left to open his own newspaper called &quot;Swaraj in India.&quot;

Bose, a bright and hard-working student, appeared in the ICS exam and came 4th on the merit list. But he was not happy about the result as he did not wanted to work for the government he grown to hate.

Bose was trying every effort to get freedom for the nation. He sought help from enemy&#39;s enemy, Japan, With Japan&#39;s help Bose formed an Indian National Congress and along with Japanese army, both brought independence to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

To this day there is no certain explanation of how Bose died, the general belief is that he died in a plane crash Formosa now Taiwan. There are still conspiracy theories surrounding his death such as he lived in Russia and later came back to India and lived anonymously in UP.

Bose was called 'patriot of patriots' by Gandhi

× India honours Subhas Chandra Bose on Tuesday on his 121st birth anniversary, one of the phalanx of India's pre-independence leaders who continue to inspire the country's young. Subhas Chandra Bose was among the key figures who laid the foundations of modern-day India. He established the Indian National Army to take on the British. Controversially though -- following the principle of 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' -- he also entered into an alliance with Nazi Germany, hoping it would help overthrow British rule in India. Here are some lesser-known facts about the patriot of patriots: Mahatma Gandhi always opposed Bose's ideology, as he was a believer of non-violence, Bose was opposite of that he believed that Gandhi's ideology would never be sufficient to secure India's independence, however, Bose was still admired by Gandhi and was to called "patriot of patriots by Gandhi.' Subhas Chandra Bose was expelled from Calcutta's Presidency College for assaulting Professor Oaten for his anti-India comments. He was influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna after reading their works at the age of 16. He felt that his religion was more important than his studies. Subhas Chandra Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress twice but he resigned after conflicting ideas of independent India as Bose wanted complete independence while Gandhi and other INC members were trying for dominion status. Bose was married to an Austrian woman Emille Shinken and his daughter Anita Bose was a popular economist in Germany. Bose was the editor in Chief of 'The Forward' formerly known as 'The Jewish Daily Forward', American magazine published monthly for a Jewish-American audience in New York, but later he left to open his own newspaper called "Swaraj in India." Bose, a bright and hard-working student, appeared in the ICS exam and came 4th on the merit list. But he was not happy about the result as he did not wanted to work for the government he grown to hate. Bose was trying every effort to get freedom for the nation. He sought help from enemy's enemy, Japan, With Japan's help Bose formed an Indian National Congress and along with Japanese army, both brought independence to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. To this day there is no certain explanation of how Bose died, the general belief is that he died in a plane crash Formosa now Taiwan. There are still conspiracy theories surrounding his death such as he lived in Russia and later came back to India and lived anonymously in UP.

Remembering 'patriot of patriots' Subhas Chandra Bose on his 121st birth anniversary

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday that he will sign a contested Holocaust bill into law, despite protests from Israel and the United States.

The measure imposes prison sentences of up to three years for mentioning the term &quot;Polish death camps&quot; and for suggesting &quot;publicly and against the facts&quot; that the Polish nation or state was complicit in Nazi Germany&#39;s crimes.

Poland&#39;s right-wing government says the law is necessary to protect the reputation of Poles as victims of Nazi aggression. Israel says the law would ban true statements about the role that some Poles played in Nazi crimes.

Duda also said he will ask the Constitutional Tribunal for clarifications about the bill. Those are likely to be issued after it goes into effect.

The measure imposes prison sentences of up to three years for mentioning the term 'Polish death camps'

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday that he will sign a contested Holocaust bill into law, despite protests from Israel and the United States. The measure imposes prison sentences of up to three years for mentioning the term "Polish death camps" and for suggesting "publicly and against the facts" that the Polish nation or state was complicit in Nazi Germany's crimes. Poland's right-wing government says the law is necessary to protect the reputation of Poles as victims of Nazi aggression. Israel says the law would ban true statements about the role that some Poles played in Nazi crimes. Duda also said he will ask the Constitutional Tribunal for clarifications about the bill. Those are likely to be issued after it goes into effect.

Poland's President Duda says will sign Holocaust bill into law

Poland&#39;s senate on Thursday passed a controversial Holocaust bill, which was designed to defend the country&#39;s image abroad but has instead sparked a diplomatic row with Israel.

The upper house of parliament voted 57-23, with two abstentions, to approve the bill, which sets fines or a maximum three-year jail term for anyone who refers to Nazi German death camps as Polish or accuses Poland of complicity in the Third Reich&#39;s crimes.

The lower house of parliament, which like the senate is controlled by the governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, had passed the bill on Friday -- triggering the protest from abroad.

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<h5>Israeli lawmakers penned a proposed bill of their own Wednesday amending Israel&#39;s law regarding Holocaust denial, so that diminishing or denying the role of those who aided the Nazis in crimes against Jews would be punishable with jail</h5>
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Israel called for the bill to be dropped, seeing one of its provisions as an attempt to deny Polish involvement in Nazi Germany&#39;s extermination of Jews.

Knesset lawmakers penned a proposed bill of their own Wednesday amending Israel&#39;s law regarding Holocaust denial, so that diminishing or denying the role of those who aided the Nazis in crimes against Jews would be punishable with jail.

Before the vote on the Polish bill, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert expressed &quot;concern&quot; that &quot;if enacted this draft legislation could undermine free speech and academic discourse&quot;.

&quot;We are also concerned about the repercussions this draft legislation... could have on Poland&#39;s strategic interests and relationships &ndash;- including with the United States and Israel,&quot; she added.

To take effect, the legislation still needs to be signed by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who on Monday had said he was &quot;flabbergasted&quot; by Israel&#39;s &quot;violent and very unfavourable reaction&quot;.

&quot;We absolutely can&#39;t back down, we have the right to defend the historical truth,&quot; he added.

Poland was attacked and occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II, losing six million of its citizens including three million Jews.

Helping Jews, even offering them a glass of water, was punishable by death in occupied Poland.

More than 6,700 Poles -- outnumbering any other nationality -- have been honoured as &quot;Righteous Among the Nations&quot;, a title given to non-Jews who stood up to the Nazis, by Jerusalem&#39;s Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem.

Yad Vashem said it opposes the Polish bill, as it &quot;is liable to blur the historical truths regarding the assistance the Germans received from the Polish population during the Holocaust&quot;.

But it added that to refer to the extermination camps the Nazis built in Poland as Polish is &quot;a historical misrepresentation&quot;.

American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris urged Polish leaders &quot;to withdraw the legislation and focus on education, not criminalisation, about inaccurate and harmful speech&quot;.

The bill imposes fines or a maximum three-year jail term for anyone who refers to Nazi German death camps as Polish or accuses Poland of complicity in the Third Reich's crimes

Poland's senate on Thursday passed a controversial Holocaust bill, which was designed to defend the country's image abroad but has instead sparked a diplomatic row with Israel. The upper house of parliament voted 57-23, with two abstentions, to approve the bill, which sets fines or a maximum three-year jail term for anyone who refers to Nazi German death camps as Polish or accuses Poland of complicity in the Third Reich's crimes. The lower house of parliament, which like the senate is controlled by the governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, had passed the bill on Friday -- triggering the protest from abroad. Israeli lawmakers penned a proposed bill of their own Wednesday amending Israel's law regarding Holocaust denial, so that diminishing or denying the role of those who aided the Nazis in crimes against Jews would be punishable with jail × Israel called for the bill to be dropped, seeing one of its provisions as an attempt to deny Polish involvement in Nazi Germany's extermination of Jews. Knesset lawmakers penned a proposed bill of their own Wednesday amending Israel's law regarding Holocaust denial, so that diminishing or denying the role of those who aided the Nazis in crimes against Jews would be punishable with jail. Before the vote on the Polish bill, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert expressed "concern" that "if enacted this draft legislation could undermine free speech and academic discourse". "We are also concerned about the repercussions this draft legislation... could have on Poland's strategic interests and relationships –- including with the United States and Israel," she added. To take effect, the legislation still needs to be signed by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who on Monday had said he was "flabbergasted" by Israel's "violent and very unfavourable reaction". "We absolutely can't back down, we have the right to defend the historical truth," he added. Poland was attacked and occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II, losing six million of its citizens including three million Jews. Helping Jews, even offering them a glass of water, was punishable by death in occupied Poland. More than 6,700 Poles -- outnumbering any other nationality -- have been honoured as "Righteous Among the Nations", a title given to non-Jews who stood up to the Nazis, by Jerusalem's Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem said it opposes the Polish bill, as it "is liable to blur the historical truths regarding the assistance the Germans received from the Polish population during the Holocaust". But it added that to refer to the extermination camps the Nazis built in Poland as Polish is "a historical misrepresentation". American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris urged Polish leaders "to withdraw the legislation and focus on education, not criminalisation, about inaccurate and harmful speech".

Polish senate passes Holocaust bill, slammed by Israel

The head of Germany&#39;s armed forces has called for an inspection of all army barracks after investigators discovered Nazi-era military memorabilia in a garrison, broadening a scandal about right-wing extremism among soldiers.

The discovery at a barracks in Donaueschingen, in southwest Germany, was made in an investigation that began after similar Nazi-era items were found in the garrison of an army officer arrested on suspicion of planning a racially motivated attack.

As a result, General Inspector Volker Wieker ordered a wider search of barracks.

&quot;The General Inspector has instructed that all properties be inspected to see whether rules on dealing with heritage with regard to the Wehrmacht and National Socialism are being observed,&quot; a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the military must root out right-wing extremism.

&quot;We must now investigate with all due rigour and with all candour in the armed forces,&quot; the minister told broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening. &quot;The process is starting now, and more is sure to come out. We are not through the worst of it yet.&quot;

Displaying Nazi items such as swastikas is punishable under German law, although possession of regular Wehrmacht items is not.&nbsp; 
Von der Leyen said last week, however, she would not tolerate the veneration of the Wehrmacht in today&#39;s army, the Bundeswehr.

Von der Leyen said the arrested officer - who had falsely registered as a Syrian refugee - had likely worked with others to squirrel away 1,000 rounds of ammunition, but the chief federal prosecutor was still investigating the matter.

The suspect&#39;s goal, she said, had likely been to carry out an attack and then pin the blame on migrants.

Von der Leyen said the military had not taken the threat of right-wing extremism seriously enough but that the Bundeswehr had also been busy dealing with other issues such as the rise of Islamic State and increasing military threats from Russia.

&quot;You have to have a reason to dig deeper,&quot; she said, noting that 18 members of the armed forces had in fact been dismissed for right-wing extremist views since 2012.

Von der Leyen provoked criticism from a soldiers&#39; group and some lawmakers last week when she criticised what she called &quot;weak leadership&quot; in the military after the officer&#39;s arrest on suspicion of planning a racist attack.

On Thursday, she apologised for the tone of her criticism of the military over its handling of the racism case, as she sought to contain a divisive row in the buildup to national elections in September.

A preliminary report into the inspection of all barracks is due on Tuesday, with final results due on May 16.

(Reuters)

The discovery at a barrack in southwest Germany was made in an investigation that began after similar Nazi-era items were found in the garrison of an army officer arrested on suspicion of planning a racially motivated attack

The head of Germany's armed forces has called for an inspection of all army barracks after investigators discovered Nazi-era military memorabilia in a garrison, broadening a scandal about right-wing extremism among soldiers. The discovery at a barracks in Donaueschingen, in southwest Germany, was made in an investigation that began after similar Nazi-era items were found in the garrison of an army officer arrested on suspicion of planning a racially motivated attack. As a result, General Inspector Volker Wieker ordered a wider search of barracks. "The General Inspector has instructed that all properties be inspected to see whether rules on dealing with heritage with regard to the Wehrmacht and National Socialism are being observed," a Defence Ministry spokesman said. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the military must root out right-wing extremism. "We must now investigate with all due rigour and with all candour in the armed forces," the minister told broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening. "The process is starting now, and more is sure to come out. We are not through the worst of it yet." Displaying Nazi items such as swastikas is punishable under German law, although possession of regular Wehrmacht items is not. Von der Leyen said last week, however, she would not tolerate the veneration of the Wehrmacht in today's army, the Bundeswehr. Von der Leyen said the arrested officer - who had falsely registered as a Syrian refugee - had likely worked with others to squirrel away 1,000 rounds of ammunition, but the chief federal prosecutor was still investigating the matter. The suspect's goal, she said, had likely been to carry out an attack and then pin the blame on migrants. Von der Leyen said the military had not taken the threat of right-wing extremism seriously enough but that the Bundeswehr had also been busy dealing with other issues such as the rise of Islamic State and increasing military threats from Russia. "You have to have a reason to dig deeper," she said, noting that 18 members of the armed forces had in fact been dismissed for right-wing extremist views since 2012. Von der Leyen provoked criticism from a soldiers' group and some lawmakers last week when she criticised what she called "weak leadership" in the military after the officer's arrest on suspicion of planning a racist attack. On Thursday, she apologised for the tone of her criticism of the military over its handling of the racism case, as she sought to contain a divisive row in the buildup to national elections in September. A preliminary report into the inspection of all barracks is due on Tuesday, with final results due on May 16. (Reuters)

German army orders barracks inspection after Nazi memorabilia found in garrison

nazi-germany

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nazi germany

Austria converts Hitler's birthplace into police station | Nazi legacy erased? | Wion

Austria converts Hitler's birthplace into police station | Nazi legacy erased? | Wion

Declassified files reveal Zionist militia Lehi explored pact with Nazi Germany

How Hitler's Me 262 redefined air combat but couldn’t win World War II

80 years on, Britain promises to 'always remember' D-Day

Russian weapons & soldiers parade in Central Russia ahead of May 9 victory parade

‘Very rare’: Ukraine finds remnants of British WWII Hurricane fighter planes outside Kyiv

Auschwitz museum starts work of conserving shoes of 8,000 murdered children

Victory Day in Russia: Moscow celebrates triumph over Nazi Germany

Russia celebrates triumph over Nazi Germany in World War 2

Mass grave with remains of 8,000 discovered at a former Nazi Germany camp in Poland

Russia remembers victory over Nazi Germany with parade on Red Square

He led Hitler’s secret police in Austria. Then he spied for the West.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves for Russia; set to boost defence ties

Israel PM Netanyahu, US vice president Pence denounce Iran at Holocaust memorial ceremony

The other D-Day: France marks 75 years since 'its' WWII landing

Jews slam Polish PM for calling WWII restitution a win for Hitler

Russia marks 74th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany with tanks, military parade

One of last French D-Day soldiers dies at 95

'Don't get taken in', says Austrian President on 80th anniversary of annexation by Nazi Germany

Remembering 'patriot of patriots' Subhas Chandra Bose on his 121st birth anniversary

Poland's President Duda says will sign Holocaust bill into law

Polish senate passes Holocaust bill, slammed by Israel

German army orders barracks inspection after Nazi memorabilia found in garrison

nazi germany

Austria converts Hitler's birthplace into police station | Nazi legacy erased? | Wion

Austria converts Hitler's birthplace into police station | Nazi legacy erased? | Wion

Declassified files reveal Zionist militia Lehi explored pact with Nazi Germany

How Hitler's Me 262 redefined air combat but couldn’t win World War II

80 years on, Britain promises to 'always remember' D-Day

Russian weapons & soldiers parade in Central Russia ahead of May 9 victory parade

‘Very rare’: Ukraine finds remnants of British WWII Hurricane fighter planes outside Kyiv

Auschwitz museum starts work of conserving shoes of 8,000 murdered children

Victory Day in Russia: Moscow celebrates triumph over Nazi Germany

Russia celebrates triumph over Nazi Germany in World War 2

Mass grave with remains of 8,000 discovered at a former Nazi Germany camp in Poland

Russia remembers victory over Nazi Germany with parade on Red Square

He led Hitler’s secret police in Austria. Then he spied for the West.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves for Russia; set to boost defence ties

Israel PM Netanyahu, US vice president Pence denounce Iran at Holocaust memorial ceremony

The other D-Day: France marks 75 years since 'its' WWII landing

Jews slam Polish PM for calling WWII restitution a win for Hitler

Russia marks 74th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany with tanks, military parade

One of last French D-Day soldiers dies at 95

'Don't get taken in', says Austrian President on 80th anniversary of annexation by Nazi Germany

Remembering 'patriot of patriots' Subhas Chandra Bose on his 121st birth anniversary

Poland's President Duda says will sign Holocaust bill into law

Polish senate passes Holocaust bill, slammed by Israel

German army orders barracks inspection after Nazi memorabilia found in garrison

How Hitler's Me 262 redefined air combat but couldn’t win World War II