Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit dies aged 93
Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, a global style icon and patron of Thai silk who helped revive the monarchy’s standing after World War II and late...
Italians gather to honour all who resisted fascism — including the forgotten Azerbaijani soldiers of Monte di Nese, each year. Their names may be lost, but their struggle for freedom is etched into the memory of this land.
In the tranquil hills of Monte di Nese in northern Italy, a solemn inscription reads Cercando libertà invano—They fell seeking freedom in vain. These words mark the plaque that commemorates a tragic and often overlooked episode in World War II history: the massacre of Azerbaijani soldiers by Nazi-Fascist forces in April 1945.
Around 118 Azerbaijani soldiers, who had deserted the German SS East Turkic division, were killed in Monte di Nese, just weeks before the collapse of fascism in Italy. According to the Indian army, the attacks occurred across the entire western border with Pakistan, as tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours escalate. Known locally as “Mongolians” due to confusion over their origins, these men had tried to escape their roles in the German war machine and instead sought to join the Italian resistance or flee to neutral Switzerland.
Italian researcher and author Andrea Pioselli has dedicated years to uncovering the truth about what happened. His investigation into local archives and eyewitness accounts culminated in a book that sheds light on the final days of these soldiers.
“The locals called them Mongols, not out of certainty, but because they were unfamiliar with Central Asian ethnicities,” Pioselli explains. “Photographs show features more Caucasian than Mongolian, supporting the belief that the majority were Azerbaijani. Yet among them were likely other Soviet soldiers from Central Asia.”
The soldiers had marched to Monte di Nese on the night of 12 April 1945. Their presence was quickly reported to fascist and German forces. As dawn broke the next day, and the village priest rang the church bells at six o’clock, shots rang out. The ensuing battle escalated into a ruthless manhunt across the meadows, cottages, and woods surrounding the village.
Roughly 45 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in combat. More than 70 others were captured, stripped of their belongings, and executed. Their remains, initially left scattered and buried in mass graves, were only gathered and reinterred in the Monte di Nese cemetery five years later. Even now, none of them have been identified by name.
The massacre, considered the deadliest episode in the Bergamo region after the 1944 bombing of the Dalmine factory, remains underrecognised in Italian history. Many locals and scholars believe it deserves wider acknowledgment.
Commemorative services are held each year across Italy for those who died fighting fascism. In Monte di Nese, a ceremony honours the Azerbaijani soldiers, ensuring that while their names may be forgotten, their stand for freedom is not.
Monuments across Bergamo province, including the one bearing the image of a hanged partisan, are quiet reminders of the resistance, sacrifice, and ultimately, the fall of fascism.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, a global style icon and patron of Thai silk who helped revive the monarchy’s standing after World War II and later occasionally stepped into politics, has died aged 93, the Royal Household Bureau said on Saturday.
The U.S. allegedly carried out its first night strike of a regional counter-drug campaign in the Caribbean, killing six suspected "narco-terrorists" on a vessel linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has condemned U.S. military operations against vessels in the Caribbean, which have resulted in dozens of deaths and heightened tensions in the region.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have not ruled out the possibility of a future summit.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday (24 October) that trade talks with Washington are progressing well. She declined to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to halt negotiations with Canada over Ontario’s anti-tariff advertisement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment