Finland monitors Russian Zapad-2025 drills, warns of potential threats
Finland is closely watching Russia’s ongoing Zapad-2025 military exercises in Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic and Barents Seas, Finnish Defence Forc...
Holocaust survivors gathered on Monday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi concentration camp where over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were systematically murdered.
The solemn ceremony took place at the former camp site in Poland, which was initially established by Nazi Germany as a forced labor camp before becoming a central hub in the regime's genocidal machinery. Victims perished in gas chambers, or succumbed to starvation, disease, and freezing conditions.
The event was attended by prominent global leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Britain's King Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Polish President Andrzej Duda. Rather than delivering speeches, the leaders chose to listen to survivors who bore witness to one of humanity’s darkest chapters.
Survivors used the occasion to warn of the dangers of rising antisemitism and intolerance. Leon Weintraub, a 99-year-old retired physician who was sent to Auschwitz in 1944, expressed his anguish at the resurgence of far-right rhetoric across Europe.
"It grieves me deeply to see in many European countries, but also in Poland, Nazi-style uniforms and slogans openly paraded at marches. It grieves me to see this happening without any consequences," Weintraub said. "These people proclaim themselves as nationalists, but at the same time they proclaim the hateful ideology of German Nazis—an ideology that murdered millions under the swastika."
King Charles, who visited a Jewish Community Center in Krakow before the ceremony, stressed the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust. "The act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task, and in so doing, we inform our present and shape our future," he said.
The remembrance of Nazi crimes has become increasingly politicized in recent years, fueled by the rise of far-right parties across Europe. On Saturday, controversy erupted after billionaire Elon Musk delivered a video address to supporters of Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, which is currently polling second ahead of the February 23 elections.
In his remarks, Musk appeared to downplay Germany’s historical responsibility for the Holocaust. "I think there's, like, frankly, too much of a focus on past guilt. And we need to move beyond that," he said.
The rally drew sharp criticism, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warning that the rhetoric was disturbingly reminiscent of Nazi-era propaganda. "The words we heard from the main actors of the AfD rally about 'Great Germany' and 'the need to forget German guilt for Nazi crimes' sounded all too familiar and ominous," Tusk said.
As survivors gathered to share their stories one last time, their message was clear: the lessons of Auschwitz must not be forgotten, especially in an era of rising intolerance and revisionism
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Finland is closely watching Russia’s ongoing Zapad-2025 military exercises in Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic and Barents Seas, Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) commander Janne Jaakkola said on Monday.
European authorities have intercepted more than 2,400 shipping containers at Greece’s port of Piraeus in the EU’s largest-ever container seizure, valued at around €250 million ($294m).
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israel will not carry out further strikes in Qatar following last week’s attacks on Doha, which targeted senior Hamas officials.
Leaders from the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and 22-member Arab League met in Doha on Monday, concentrating on the impact of recent attacks on Qatar and the wider Middle East, and calling for coordinated measures to preserve stability and support ongoing mediation efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum establishing the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” which will deploy National Guard troops alongside federal agencies to tackle rising crime in Memphis, Tennessee.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment