February 18 in History: Church of Scientology is set up, Trinidad invasion, and more!

Repairing the Elizabeth Tower: What does this massive project entail?

Today in History: Resolution 90, Scotch Tape, Robert E. Lee becomes General-in-Chief and more!

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the horrific 'Holocaust' that took place at the time of the second world war. The Holocaust was the attempt by the Nazis and their collaborators to murder all the Jews in Europe. From the time they assumed power in Germany in 1933, the Nazis used propaganda, persecution, and legislation to deny human and civil rights to German Jews. They used centuries of antisemitism as their foundation. Watch report:

A Horrific account of the 'Holocaust' that executed Jews

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hit out at Russian President Vladimir Putin for "deliberately lying" about Poland being responsible for the outbreak of World War-II.

"President Putin has lied about Poland on numerous occasions, and he has always done it deliberately," Morawiecki said in a statement, adding, "this usually happens when Russian authorities feel international pressure related to their activities. In recent weeks Russia has suffered several significant defeats."

Putin in a speech recently had blamed Poland for the outbreak of World War-II and also accused it of anti-semitism in pre-war Poland. Putin said the Polish ambassador in Warsaw at the time had put up a Nazi salute in Warsaw and had agreed to sends Jews to Africa.

As the row escalated, the Polish foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to complain about Putin’s comments.

Morawiecki said European Union sanctions on Russia in the aftermath of the Crimea conquest and the recent Russian doping scandal were responsible for Putin taking a shot at his country.

"I consider President Putin's words as an attempt to cover up these problems. The Russian leader is well aware that his accusations have nothing to do with reality –- and that in Poland there are no monuments of Hitler or Stalin," Morawiecki said.&nbsp;

"Such monuments stood here only when they were erected by the aggressors and perpetrators –- the Third Reich and Soviet Russia," he added.

World War-II broke out in on September 1, 1939 after Hitler's Nazi Germany attacked Poland after which the Soviets attacked Poland on September 17 and occupied a part of the country carving Poland into two parts. Germany and the former Soviet Union had&nbsp;secret clause under the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact to split Poland.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hit out at Russian President Vladimir Putin for "deliberately lying" about Poland being responsible for the outbreak of World War-II.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hit out at Russian President Vladimir Putin for "deliberately lying" about Poland being responsible for the outbreak of World War-II. "President Putin has lied about Poland on numerous occasions, and he has always done it deliberately," Morawiecki said in a statement, adding, "this usually happens when Russian authorities feel international pressure related to their activities. In recent weeks Russia has suffered several significant defeats." Putin in a speech recently had blamed Poland for the outbreak of World War-II and also accused it of anti-semitism in pre-war Poland. Putin said the Polish ambassador in Warsaw at the time had put up a Nazi salute in Warsaw and had agreed to sends Jews to Africa. As the row escalated, the Polish foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to complain about Putin’s comments. Morawiecki said European Union sanctions on Russia in the aftermath of the Crimea conquest and the recent Russian doping scandal were responsible for Putin taking a shot at his country. "I consider President Putin's words as an attempt to cover up these problems. The Russian leader is well aware that his accusations have nothing to do with reality –- and that in Poland there are no monuments of Hitler or Stalin," Morawiecki said. "Such monuments stood here only when they were erected by the aggressors and perpetrators –- the Third Reich and Soviet Russia," he added. World War-II broke out in on September 1, 1939 after Hitler's Nazi Germany attacked Poland after which the Soviets attacked Poland on September 17 and occupied a part of the country carving Poland into two parts. Germany and the former Soviet Union had secret clause under the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact to split Poland.

President Putin has lied about Poland on numerous occasions: PM Mateusz Morawiecki

Chinese actress Gong Li portrays a film and stage star with a hidden agenda in 'Saturday Fiction', a black and white historical spy drama set in the run up to the attack on Pearl Harbour. 
 
Gong plays acclaimed actress Jean Yu, who, in the first week of December 1941, returns to wartime Shanghai apparently to star in her former lover`s play 'Saturday Fiction'&nbsp;at the city`s Lyceum Theatre. 
 
Around her is a fight for intelligence between the Allies and the Axis powers during World War Two, and many soon begin to suspect the actress` motives, especially with her ex-husband in the hands of Japanese forces in the city. 
 
The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, sees Yu`s links to the Allied forces revealed in the run up to the attack on the US&nbsp;naval base in Hawaii, and the actress soon finds herself enveloped in a web of mistrust. 
 
"Making this film really was not easy," Gong, known for 'Memoirs of a Geisha'&nbsp;and 'Farewell My Concubine', told a news conference. 
"I think this film is a very personal one for our director and has a lot of his characteristics but we actors were allowed a lot of liberty, the director gave us a lot of freedom to express ourselves." 
 
In production notes, director Lou Ye describes how he would visit his parents at the Shanghai theatre, where they worked backstage, and watch actors take to the stage. 
 
"The backdrop to this story was a time that was very chaotic and dangerous," he told reporters. 
 
"It has this big backdrop and this important timing, one week away from an important event but what I was mostly interested in this context was each individual person, I wanted to focus on their troubles against such a troubling backdrop."

'Saturday Fiction'&nbsp;is one of 21 films competing for the Venice Film Festival`s top Golden Lion Prize, whose winner will be announced on Saturday. 
&nbsp;

Chinese actress Gong Li portrays a film and stage star with a hidden agenda in 'Saturday Fiction', a black and white historical spy drama set in the run up to the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Chinese actress Gong Li portrays a film and stage star with a hidden agenda in 'Saturday Fiction', a black and white historical spy drama set in the run up to the attack on Pearl Harbour. Gong plays acclaimed actress Jean Yu, who, in the first week of December 1941, returns to wartime Shanghai apparently to star in her former lover`s play 'Saturday Fiction' at the city`s Lyceum Theatre. Around her is a fight for intelligence between the Allies and the Axis powers during World War Two, and many soon begin to suspect the actress` motives, especially with her ex-husband in the hands of Japanese forces in the city. The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, sees Yu`s links to the Allied forces revealed in the run up to the attack on the US naval base in Hawaii, and the actress soon finds herself enveloped in a web of mistrust. "Making this film really was not easy," Gong, known for 'Memoirs of a Geisha' and 'Farewell My Concubine', told a news conference. "I think this film is a very personal one for our director and has a lot of his characteristics but we actors were allowed a lot of liberty, the director gave us a lot of freedom to express ourselves." In production notes, director Lou Ye describes how he would visit his parents at the Shanghai theatre, where they worked backstage, and watch actors take to the stage. "The backdrop to this story was a time that was very chaotic and dangerous," he told reporters. "It has this big backdrop and this important timing, one week away from an important event but what I was mostly interested in this context was each individual person, I wanted to focus on their troubles against such a troubling backdrop." 'Saturday Fiction' is one of 21 films competing for the Venice Film Festival`s top Golden Lion Prize, whose winner will be announced on Saturday.

Actress or spy? Gong Li unveils hidden layers of yeteryear star Jean Yu in 'Saturday Fiction'

Exploring The Contribution Of Indian Soldiers In World War 2

Gravitas: Unsung Indian soldiers of World War 2

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday asked Poland's forgiveness for history's bloodiest conflict during a ceremony in the Polish city of Wielun, where the first <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/80-years-since-world-war-ii-timeline-of-worlds-deadliest-conflict-246168">World War II </a>bombs fell 80 years ago.

"I bow my head before the victims of the attack on Wielun. I bow my head before the Polish victims of Germany's tyranny. And I ask forgiveness," Steinmeier said in both German and Polish.

Poland suffered some of the worst horrors of World War II: nearly six million Poles died in the conflict that killed more than 50 million people overall.&nbsp;

That figure includes the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust, half of them Polish.

"It is the Germans who committed a crime against humanity in Poland. Anyone who claims it is over, that the national-socialists' reign of terror over Europe is a marginal event in German history judges that for himself," Steinmeier added in the presence of his Polish counterpart.

The line appeared to be a clear reference to the German far-right, whose co-leader Alexander Gauland once called the 12-year Third Reich a "speck of bird poop" in an otherwise glorious German past.

"We will never forget. We want to remember and we will remember," Steinmeier said.

Polish President Andrzej Duda for his part denounced Nazi Germany's attack on Poland, calling it "an act of barbarity" and "a war crime."

"I am convinced that this ceremony will go down in the history of Polish-German friendship," he added, thanking Steinmeier for his presence.

'Smoke, noise, explosions'

The heads of state will later tour the Wielun museum and meet with local survivors of the September 1, 1939 bombing.&nbsp;

"I saw dead bodies, the wounded... Smoke, noise, explosions. Everything was burning," Wielun bombing survivor Tadeusz Sierandt, 88, told AFP ahead of the anniversary.

The carpet-bombing came one week after Germany and the Soviet Union secretly agreed to carve up Eastern Europe between them by signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans attended a separate dawn remembrance Sunday in Westerplatte, where a Nazi German battleship opened fire on a Polish fort on September 1, 1939.&nbsp;

Hitler's attacks on Poland led Britain and France to declare war on Nazi Germany. On September 17, the Soviet Union in turn invaded Poland.

After the Nazis tore up the pact with Moscow, two alliances battled it out to the end: the Axis powers led by Germany, Italy and Japan and the victorious Allied forces led by Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States.&nbsp;

Later Sunday, US Vice President Mike Pence, Steinmeier and Duda will deliver speeches at a ceremony in Warsaw's Pilsudski Square, the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.&nbsp;

No Johnson, Putin, Trump

Though it has been 80 years since the war started, there are still unresolved matters according to Poland, which says Germany owes it war reparations.

A parliamentary commission is currently working on a new analysis of the extent of Poland's wartime human and material losses. Berlin, however, believes the case is closed.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will attend the Warsaw ceremony, but no other major world leaders are expected.

US President Donald Trump had planned to attend the war commemorations but cancelled at the last minute so that he could monitor Hurricane Dorian.&nbsp;

Also not attending are French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited -- unlike 10 years ago -- because of Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

The Polish presidency had said the commemorations would be attended by around 40 foreign delegations, a few of them led by heads of state.

They include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whose partnership matters to Poland, which believes its security depends on Ukraine remaining outside of Russia's sphere of influence.&nbsp;

Duda said Poland wants neighbour "Ukraine to be closer to the European Union, to be closer to NATO" after meeting with Zelensky in Warsaw on Saturday.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday asked Poland's forgiveness for history's bloodiest conflict during a ceremony in the Polish city of Wielun, where the first World War II bombs fell 80 years ago.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday asked Poland's forgiveness for history's bloodiest conflict during a ceremony in the Polish city of Wielun, where the first World War II bombs fell 80 years ago. "I bow my head before the victims of the attack on Wielun. I bow my head before the Polish victims of Germany's tyranny. And I ask forgiveness," Steinmeier said in both German and Polish. Poland suffered some of the worst horrors of World War II: nearly six million Poles died in the conflict that killed more than 50 million people overall. That figure includes the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust, half of them Polish. "It is the Germans who committed a crime against humanity in Poland. Anyone who claims it is over, that the national-socialists' reign of terror over Europe is a marginal event in German history judges that for himself," Steinmeier added in the presence of his Polish counterpart. The line appeared to be a clear reference to the German far-right, whose co-leader Alexander Gauland once called the 12-year Third Reich a "speck of bird poop" in an otherwise glorious German past. "We will never forget. We want to remember and we will remember," Steinmeier said. Polish President Andrzej Duda for his part denounced Nazi Germany's attack on Poland, calling it "an act of barbarity" and "a war crime." "I am convinced that this ceremony will go down in the history of Polish-German friendship," he added, thanking Steinmeier for his presence. 'Smoke, noise, explosions' The heads of state will later tour the Wielun museum and meet with local survivors of the September 1, 1939 bombing. "I saw dead bodies, the wounded... Smoke, noise, explosions. Everything was burning," Wielun bombing survivor Tadeusz Sierandt, 88, told AFP ahead of the anniversary. The carpet-bombing came one week after Germany and the Soviet Union secretly agreed to carve up Eastern Europe between them by signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans attended a separate dawn remembrance Sunday in Westerplatte, where a Nazi German battleship opened fire on a Polish fort on September 1, 1939. Hitler's attacks on Poland led Britain and France to declare war on Nazi Germany. On September 17, the Soviet Union in turn invaded Poland. After the Nazis tore up the pact with Moscow, two alliances battled it out to the end: the Axis powers led by Germany, Italy and Japan and the victorious Allied forces led by Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States. Later Sunday, US Vice President Mike Pence, Steinmeier and Duda will deliver speeches at a ceremony in Warsaw's Pilsudski Square, the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. No Johnson, Putin, Trump Though it has been 80 years since the war started, there are still unresolved matters according to Poland, which says Germany owes it war reparations. A parliamentary commission is currently working on a new analysis of the extent of Poland's wartime human and material losses. Berlin, however, believes the case is closed. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will attend the Warsaw ceremony, but no other major world leaders are expected. US President Donald Trump had planned to attend the war commemorations but cancelled at the last minute so that he could monitor Hurricane Dorian. Also not attending are French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited -- unlike 10 years ago -- because of Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The Polish presidency had said the commemorations would be attended by around 40 foreign delegations, a few of them led by heads of state. They include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whose partnership matters to Poland, which believes its security depends on Ukraine remaining outside of Russia's sphere of influence. Duda said Poland wants neighbour "Ukraine to be closer to the European Union, to be closer to NATO" after meeting with Zelensky in Warsaw on Saturday.

Germany asks Polish forgiveness 80 years after WWII outbreak

Poland pats tribute to 1st victims of World War 2

Poland Marks 80 years since World War 2 began

A Report On The D-Day Landings That Brought Down Hitler's Empire June 6, 2019 is the 75 Years since D-day. Here's a report on the history and significance of D-day landings also known as Normandy landings

Gravitas: The story of Normandy landings

Japan on Thursday reasserted its sovereignty over four of the Kuril islands - known as the Northern Territories - which have been occupied by Russia since the end of World War II.

At an annual event to mark the Northern Territories Day Japanese <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russian-president-putin-japan-pm-shinzo-abe-hold-summit-to-break-island-impasse-192038">Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Russia to return the islands</a>.

Soviet Union troops had occupied the islands - Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai and Iturup - known in Russia as the Southern Kurils, in 1945.

Since then, the issue has strained relations between the two countries.

During the event, Abe said he hoped to continue negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a peace treaty to resolve the long-running territorial dispute.

"It is not easy to resolve the issue that remains 73 years after the war. However, we must do it," Abe said.

In January, Abe and Putin began negotiations in Moscow for the signing of the pact but preparations for a summit between the leaders had stalled when Tokyo made it clear it wanted the islands back.

Abe and Putin are scheduled to hold another summit in Tokyo in June to continue negotiations within the framework of the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956.

According to Tokyo, the declaration provides for the return of two of the four islands - Shikotan and Habomai - prior to the signing of a peace treaty.

Meanwhile, former Japanese residents of the Kuril Islands and their descendants organized a petition drive on Thursday in Sapporo, demanding those territories be returned to Japan.

End of January, Abe had reiterated that ending the territorial dispute with Russia is one of the priorities of his government.

"Together with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin we share the determination to put an end to this issue, which has been in place for more than 70 years after the war, without leaving it for the future generations," Abe had said at the year's first Parliamentary session.

His remarks had come after the Russian foreign minister had reiterated that the sovereignty of the islands was not up for discussion.

"We have called the attention of our Japanese friends to the fact that the sovereignty of these islands is not up for discussion: it is territory of the Russian Federations," Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister had said in mid-January, adding that he told his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, it was unacceptable for Japan to keep referring to the islands in question as its Northern Territories.

The Kuril islands are spread over an area of 10,502 square kilometres (4,005 square miles), stretching from northern Japan to the southern tip of Russia's Kamchatka, separating the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean.

Several western institutions, such as the European Union, have postured in favour of Russia handing the islands back to Japan.

Japan on Thursday reasserted its sovereignty over four of the Kuril islands - known as the Northern Territories - which have been occupied by Russia since the end of World War II.

Japan on Thursday reasserted its sovereignty over four of the Kuril islands - known as the Northern Territories - which have been occupied by Russia since the end of World War II. At an annual event to mark the Northern Territories Day Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Russia to return the islands. Soviet Union troops had occupied the islands - Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai and Iturup - known in Russia as the Southern Kurils, in 1945. Since then, the issue has strained relations between the two countries. During the event, Abe said he hoped to continue negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a peace treaty to resolve the long-running territorial dispute. "It is not easy to resolve the issue that remains 73 years after the war. However, we must do it," Abe said. In January, Abe and Putin began negotiations in Moscow for the signing of the pact but preparations for a summit between the leaders had stalled when Tokyo made it clear it wanted the islands back. Abe and Putin are scheduled to hold another summit in Tokyo in June to continue negotiations within the framework of the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956. According to Tokyo, the declaration provides for the return of two of the four islands - Shikotan and Habomai - prior to the signing of a peace treaty. Meanwhile, former Japanese residents of the Kuril Islands and their descendants organized a petition drive on Thursday in Sapporo, demanding those territories be returned to Japan. End of January, Abe had reiterated that ending the territorial dispute with Russia is one of the priorities of his government. "Together with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin we share the determination to put an end to this issue, which has been in place for more than 70 years after the war, without leaving it for the future generations," Abe had said at the year's first Parliamentary session. His remarks had come after the Russian foreign minister had reiterated that the sovereignty of the islands was not up for discussion. "We have called the attention of our Japanese friends to the fact that the sovereignty of these islands is not up for discussion: it is territory of the Russian Federations," Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister had said in mid-January, adding that he told his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, it was unacceptable for Japan to keep referring to the islands in question as its Northern Territories. The Kuril islands are spread over an area of 10,502 square kilometres (4,005 square miles), stretching from northern Japan to the southern tip of Russia's Kamchatka, separating the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. Several western institutions, such as the European Union, have postured in favour of Russia handing the islands back to Japan.

Japan reasserts claim, asks Russia to return Kuril Islands

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday denied <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/moscow-says-fbi-arrested-russian-a-day-after-it-detained-ex-us-marine-188459&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiUvvW0iPLfAhWQfH0KHXdgDDsQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2LxRZOzYEW2u4qC5YbY7oH">Moscow</a> was imposing an ultimatum on Japan in talks to end a decades-long territorial dispute but called on Tokyo to recognise the results of World War Two.

Japan is currently mounting a push to reach a peace deal with Russia that would end a dispute over islands captured by Soviet troops in the last days of World War Two.

The islands are known as the Southern Kuriles to Russia and the Northern Territories to Japan. Russia has said Tokyo must first recognise Russian sovereignty over the islands in order for any progress to be made in peace talks.

"These are not pre-conditions, it's just an effort to understand why Japan is the only country in the world which cannot say: 'I accept the results of World World Two in their entirety'," Lavrov told a news conference.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday denied Moscow was imposing an ultimatum on Japan in talks to end a decades-long territorial dispute but called on Tokyo to recognise the results of World War Two.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday denied Moscow was imposing an ultimatum on Japan in talks to end a decades-long territorial dispute but called on Tokyo to recognise the results of World War Two. Japan is currently mounting a push to reach a peace deal with Russia that would end a dispute over islands captured by Soviet troops in the last days of World War Two. The islands are known as the Southern Kuriles to Russia and the Northern Territories to Japan. Russia has said Tokyo must first recognise Russian sovereignty over the islands in order for any progress to be made in peace talks. "These are not pre-conditions, it's just an effort to understand why Japan is the only country in the world which cannot say: 'I accept the results of World World Two in their entirety'," Lavrov told a news conference.

Russia calls on Japan to recognise outcome of World War Two

The killing fields of Cambodia, infamous prisons like S-21 in Phnom Penh and multiple genocide memorials are one amongst many markers which tourists are exposed to when they visit Cambodia. It first generates the feeling of great sorrow and horror, and then of surprise that a country known for gentle conviviality and humbleness was once steeped in a situation where a section of the society killed 20 per cent of its own population within three years in the name of renewal, progress and growth.

It can be counter-argued that similar violence and killings were witnessed during Stalin's era in Russia and the Chinese Great Leap Forward as both were inspired by extreme of the Communist ideology which was hell bent on building a new society in a short span of time and had no view of an individual apart from being a component of a larger project.

I would say that the Cambodian experience was different as genocide did not take place on ethnic or religious lines like Nazi Germany or Russian pogroms. It was short and traumatic.

There are jails in Cambodia where within three years, 18,000 people were killed in the most brutal fashion. There are fields where hundreds and thousands lie buried. The regime killed between 1.7 to 2.5 million people of a population of eight million people in 1975.

<img alt="Cambodia Killing Tree" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="963ffcb5-df33-4f7e-938a-6b94906b38c8" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/cambodia-killing-tree.jpg" />

One of the reminders of brutal killings in Cambodia. (Photo: Kartikeya Sharma)

Cambodia also hides a brutal past of hunger, deprivation, bombings, lack of full democracy, and post-colonial power play. I was surprised to find out that US forces used three times more ammunition in Cambodia than what they dropped on Japan during entire World War II. The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/cambodia-diary-khmer-rouge-tragedy-rural-gulags-188313">brutal Khmer Rouge</a> got more support from international powers at UN than the people who were at the receiving end of the regime. Despite all the upheavals and one party sticking to power for last two decades, Cambodia is stable. The country has been able to address the ghosts of past by memoralising the violence akin to what Germany did after the Second World War.

Most of the museums and sites tell you about the actual stories of the killings. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/ramayana-and-mahabharata-indias-two-oldest-and-most-durable-brand-ambassadors-188417">Tourists destinations</a> like Angkor Wat will have people playing music at open spaces who lost their limbs in war or because of buried, undiscovered bombs and land mines.

<img alt="Cambodia 1" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="35b1ea10-8050-46b1-8c1d-2067faaefcf9" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/cambodia-1.jpg" />

A plaque describing how the executions were carried out.(Photo: Kartikeya Sharma)

In many places, tourists will find survivors of the genocide selling books written about them. The role of those behind the killings have been documented in great detail. Individual stories too have been given space. The evidence of violence is preserved as a reminder of the horror which Cambodia witnessed. A preface at one such genocide memorial read, "The stories of those who survived the atrocities committed by Khmer Rouge must be memoralised in public spaces beyond the court, not only for sake of justice and reconciliation but also facilitate the education of generations to come."

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/cambodia-diaries-a-visit-to-the-temple-complexes-188425">Also See: A pictorial journey to Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom</a>

Has India done anything of this sort? The violence during Partition was one of the biggest of its kind. Millions were massacred. But do we have a national memorial dedicated to victims of violence funded by the state where the world can see as to what happens when events like these take place?

India has seen violence along the caste, class, religion and ethnic lines throughout its existence as an independent nation state but has failed to create similar educational experience which re-tells the tales of horror and sadness. The attempt by the political parties has been either to find an enemy outside and within to build a space for collective revenge. It is for this reason that episodes like 1984 and post-Godhra violence could go out of hand. This is apart from thousands of riots and ethnic killings which has taken place across India from the North to Northeast. Instead there is a culture of looking away which has built over a period of time.

A small initiative has been taken by the Punjab government by opening a Partition museum which showcases the stories, material and documents on post-Partition violence. The museum was inaugurated last year in Amritsar but none exist at the national scale with intention to educate the coming generation.

It is obvious that India cannot build thousands of memorials and museums on riots and killings but we need our future generations to know about the threat which looms within. The threat is of underestimating the power of bias and hatred. Both are basic ingredients required to kill empathy which is the glue which binds civil society together and keeps the moral fabric functioning. The only way apathy can be broken is to remind the young generation of futility of hostility and bias in civic discourse where a section feels that the other needs to be taught a lesson.

The memoralisation of leaders and powerful figures have become a standard in Indian public life. India needs to build a memorial for those who became victim of violence right under the nose of the mighty state. We can start by putting faces to it which can be a road to healing and reconciliation.

In its absence, the memories at the national stage would either fade away or would be too scattered to have any resonance for the coming generation. India today cannot continue to take shelter behind success in organising elections every 5 years. Time has come to do more. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The killing fields of Cambodia, infamous prisons like S-21 in Phnom Penh and multiple genocide memorials are one amongst many markers which tourists are exposed to when they visit Cambodia.

The killing fields of Cambodia, infamous prisons like S-21 in Phnom Penh and multiple genocide memorials are one amongst many markers which tourists are exposed to when they visit Cambodia. It first generates the feeling of great sorrow and horror, and then of surprise that a country known for gentle conviviality and humbleness was once steeped in a situation where a section of the society killed 20 per cent of its own population within three years in the name of renewal, progress and growth. It can be counter-argued that similar violence and killings were witnessed during Stalin's era in Russia and the Chinese Great Leap Forward as both were inspired by extreme of the Communist ideology which was hell bent on building a new society in a short span of time and had no view of an individual apart from being a component of a larger project. I would say that the Cambodian experience was different as genocide did not take place on ethnic or religious lines like Nazi Germany or Russian pogroms. It was short and traumatic. There are jails in Cambodia where within three years, 18,000 people were killed in the most brutal fashion. There are fields where hundreds and thousands lie buried. The regime killed between 1.7 to 2.5 million people of a population of eight million people in 1975. One of the reminders of brutal killings in Cambodia. (Photo: Kartikeya Sharma) Cambodia also hides a brutal past of hunger, deprivation, bombings, lack of full democracy, and post-colonial power play. I was surprised to find out that US forces used three times more ammunition in Cambodia than what they dropped on Japan during entire World War II. The brutal Khmer Rouge got more support from international powers at UN than the people who were at the receiving end of the regime. Despite all the upheavals and one party sticking to power for last two decades, Cambodia is stable. The country has been able to address the ghosts of past by memoralising the violence akin to what Germany did after the Second World War. Most of the museums and sites tell you about the actual stories of the killings. Tourists destinations like Angkor Wat will have people playing music at open spaces who lost their limbs in war or because of buried, undiscovered bombs and land mines. A plaque describing how the executions were carried out.(Photo: Kartikeya Sharma) In many places, tourists will find survivors of the genocide selling books written about them. The role of those behind the killings have been documented in great detail. Individual stories too have been given space. The evidence of violence is preserved as a reminder of the horror which Cambodia witnessed. A preface at one such genocide memorial read, "The stories of those who survived the atrocities committed by Khmer Rouge must be memoralised in public spaces beyond the court, not only for sake of justice and reconciliation but also facilitate the education of generations to come." Also See: A pictorial journey to Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom Has India done anything of this sort? The violence during Partition was one of the biggest of its kind. Millions were massacred. But do we have a national memorial dedicated to victims of violence funded by the state where the world can see as to what happens when events like these take place? India has seen violence along the caste, class, religion and ethnic lines throughout its existence as an independent nation state but has failed to create similar educational experience which re-tells the tales of horror and sadness. The attempt by the political parties has been either to find an enemy outside and within to build a space for collective revenge. It is for this reason that episodes like 1984 and post-Godhra violence could go out of hand. This is apart from thousands of riots and ethnic killings which has taken place across India from the North to Northeast. Instead there is a culture of looking away which has built over a period of time. A small initiative has been taken by the Punjab government by opening a Partition museum which showcases the stories, material and documents on post-Partition violence. The museum was inaugurated last year in Amritsar but none exist at the national scale with intention to educate the coming generation. It is obvious that India cannot build thousands of memorials and museums on riots and killings but we need our future generations to know about the threat which looms within. The threat is of underestimating the power of bias and hatred. Both are basic ingredients required to kill empathy which is the glue which binds civil society together and keeps the moral fabric functioning. The only way apathy can be broken is to remind the young generation of futility of hostility and bias in civic discourse where a section feels that the other needs to be taught a lesson. The memoralisation of leaders and powerful figures have become a standard in Indian public life. India needs to build a memorial for those who became victim of violence right under the nose of the mighty state. We can start by putting faces to it which can be a road to healing and reconciliation. In its absence, the memories at the national stage would either fade away or would be too scattered to have any resonance for the coming generation. India today cannot continue to take shelter behind success in organising elections every 5 years. Time has come to do more. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

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A diffused grenade was found in the premises of the Red Fort in the national capital on Thursday evening, triggering an alert.

The grenade was recovered in a well during a routine operation.

A team of National Security Agency and District Commissioner of Police (DCP) reached the spot and a massive search was launched to sweep the area.

The grenade has been taken in for investigation, upon which it will be decided if it belonged to the World War era.

Earlier in February, ammunition and boxes of explosives were found during cleaning of a well inside Red Fort.

The discovery triggered panic, prompting police to cordon off the area and inform the NSG.&nbsp;

(ANI)

The grenade was recovered in a well during a routine operation

A diffused grenade was found in the premises of the Red Fort in the national capital on Thursday evening, triggering an alert. The grenade was recovered in a well during a routine operation. A team of National Security Agency and District Commissioner of Police (DCP) reached the spot and a massive search was launched to sweep the area. The grenade has been taken in for investigation, upon which it will be decided if it belonged to the World War era. Earlier in February, ammunition and boxes of explosives were found during cleaning of a well inside Red Fort. The discovery triggered panic, prompting police to cordon off the area and inform the NSG. (ANI)

Delhi: Grenade found at Red Fort, NSG informed

Veteran British war correspondent Clare Hollingworth, who broke the news that the Second World War had started, died in Hong Kong&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;aged 105.

Hollingworth later reported from many of the 20th century&#39;s troublespots, witnessing the horrors of war in Vietnam, Algeria, the Middle East, India and Pakistan, as well as the Cultural Revolution in China.

But she is best remembered for her scoop on World War II in 1939, when she was just a rookie reporter.

Aged 27 she broke the story of Germany&#39;s invasion of Poland during her first week working as a journalist there for The Daily Telegraph, covering the worsening security situation in Europe.

Using a borrowed car from a British diplomat to drive across the Poland-Germany border, she spotted hundreds of German tanks, armoured cars and field guns, all facing Poland and ready for action, when a hessian screen blocking the view blew to one side.

Three days later, on&nbsp;September 1, Hollingworth called the British Embassy in Warsaw to tell officials that the war had started, after she was awoken by the roar of Nazi aircraft and tanks in Katowice, a Polish city near the German border.

When they did not believe her, she said she held the telephone out of her bedroom window to capture the sounds of German forces.

&quot;If there is a war, and if the world wants, I would like to cover it,&quot; the journalist, still proud of her scoop, told AFP in a 2009 interview.

Hollingworth also unearthed British double agent Kim Philby&#39;s defection to the Soviet Union in 1963.

&quot;I enjoy action, I enjoy being in a plane that&#39;s bombing something, or being on the ground in the desert when they&#39;re advancing,&quot; Hollingworth once said.

In 1946 Hollingworth and her late husband Geoffrey Hoare narrowly escaped death when terrorists blew up the King David hotel in Jerusalem, where they were staying, killing 91 people.

&#39;Magnificent&#39;&nbsp;

Born in 1911, the idea for her future career was implanted early in life during World War I. She dated her interest from a trip in a trap, drawn by her pony Polly, to inspect the effects of German bombing close to her home in Loughborough, central England.

As a young woman Hollingworth travelled Europe as an activist, playing a little-reported humanitarian role before she became a journalist.

Her great nephew Patrick Garrett recently published a memoir about her, which sought to shed light on her less well-publicised achievements.

&quot;Of Fortunes and War&quot; highlights Hollingworth&#39;s work with refugees ahead of the Second World War.

Garrett&#39;s book recounts how she worked for the British Red Cross to help thousands of refugees who had fled to Poland from Czechoslovakia after the Sudetenland was annexed by the Nazis in 1938.

Of her fateful Telegraph assignment to Poland, Garrett wrote: &quot;This was certainly not the kind of assignment that normally went to female correspondents... Clare Hollingworth was however an extreme exception. Watching wars would become her life.&quot;

She was held up as a formidable role model by foreign correspondents who followed in her footsteps.&nbsp;

BBC correspondent John Simpson described her as &quot;magnificent&quot;.

In October Hollingworth celebrated her 105th birthday at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents&#39; Club (FCC), where she was a regular for more than three decades after moving to the city in 1981. She had worked from Beijing in the 1970s.

Although her health had deteriorated and she was looked after at home by helpers, she still marked her birthday each year at the club.&nbsp;

Hollingworth was married twice and did not have any children.

Her family have yet to release further details about her death.

(AFP)

The celebrated war journalist also covered wars in Vietnam, Algeria, the Middle East, India and Pakistan

Veteran British war correspondent Clare Hollingworth, who broke the news that the Second World War had started, died in Hong Kong on Tuesday aged 105. Hollingworth later reported from many of the 20th century's troublespots, witnessing the horrors of war in Vietnam, Algeria, the Middle East, India and Pakistan, as well as the Cultural Revolution in China. But she is best remembered for her scoop on World War II in 1939, when she was just a rookie reporter. Aged 27 she broke the story of Germany's invasion of Poland during her first week working as a journalist there for The Daily Telegraph, covering the worsening security situation in Europe. Using a borrowed car from a British diplomat to drive across the Poland-Germany border, she spotted hundreds of German tanks, armoured cars and field guns, all facing Poland and ready for action, when a hessian screen blocking the view blew to one side. Three days later, on September 1, Hollingworth called the British Embassy in Warsaw to tell officials that the war had started, after she was awoken by the roar of Nazi aircraft and tanks in Katowice, a Polish city near the German border. When they did not believe her, she said she held the telephone out of her bedroom window to capture the sounds of German forces. "If there is a war, and if the world wants, I would like to cover it," the journalist, still proud of her scoop, told AFP in a 2009 interview. Hollingworth also unearthed British double agent Kim Philby's defection to the Soviet Union in 1963. "I enjoy action, I enjoy being in a plane that's bombing something, or being on the ground in the desert when they're advancing," Hollingworth once said. In 1946 Hollingworth and her late husband Geoffrey Hoare narrowly escaped death when terrorists blew up the King David hotel in Jerusalem, where they were staying, killing 91 people. 'Magnificent' Born in 1911, the idea for her future career was implanted early in life during World War I. She dated her interest from a trip in a trap, drawn by her pony Polly, to inspect the effects of German bombing close to her home in Loughborough, central England. As a young woman Hollingworth travelled Europe as an activist, playing a little-reported humanitarian role before she became a journalist. Her great nephew Patrick Garrett recently published a memoir about her, which sought to shed light on her less well-publicised achievements. "Of Fortunes and War" highlights Hollingworth's work with refugees ahead of the Second World War. Garrett's book recounts how she worked for the British Red Cross to help thousands of refugees who had fled to Poland from Czechoslovakia after the Sudetenland was annexed by the Nazis in 1938. Of her fateful Telegraph assignment to Poland, Garrett wrote: "This was certainly not the kind of assignment that normally went to female correspondents... Clare Hollingworth was however an extreme exception. Watching wars would become her life." She was held up as a formidable role model by foreign correspondents who followed in her footsteps. BBC correspondent John Simpson described her as "magnificent". In October Hollingworth celebrated her 105th birthday at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC), where she was a regular for more than three decades after moving to the city in 1981. She had worked from Beijing in the 1970s. Although her health had deteriorated and she was looked after at home by helpers, she still marked her birthday each year at the club. Hollingworth was married twice and did not have any children. Her family have yet to release further details about her death. (AFP)

Clare Hollingworth, who broke World War II story, passes away at 105

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