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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
History Today: When Pakistan copied India and conducted nuclear tests
Just 10 days after India conducted nuclear tests in Rajasthan's Pokhran, Pakistan followed suit on May 28. The tests were conducted in five underground locations in Balochistan's Ras Koh Hills. On this day in 1937, the German company Volkswagen was established under Adolf Hitler's regime. Ferdinand Porsche was commissioned to design the vehicle read more The Pakistani scientists posing with a nice view of Koh Kambaran in the background. Facebook Tensions have been simmering between neighbouring countries India and Pakistan since the deadly terrorist attack on Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 this year. Several nuclear stations were attacked during Operation Sindoor, India's retaliation to the attack. While the situation is now back to normal, it is important to remember that both nations are nuclear-armed. While India tested its nuclear missiles on May 11, 1998, Pakistan followed suit ten days later on May 28, 1998. It conducted five underground detonations in the Ras Koh Hills of Balochistan. With this, it became the seventh country in the world to possess nuclear weapons. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. On May 28, 1998, Volkswagen was established under Adolf Hitler's regime in Germany to create a people's car or Volkswagen. Meanwhile, Amnesty International was also founded on this day in 1961 by British lawyer Peter Benenson. Here is all that took place on this day across the world. Pakistan conducted nuclear tests Pakistan conducted nuclear tests for the first time on May 28, 1998. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) carried out these five underground nuclear tests near Balochistan's Ras Koh Hills. The tests, codenamed Chagai-I, were a direct response to India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests on May 11 and May 13 respectively. Pakistan's decision to test was driven by a desire to restore strategic balance in South Asia and to demonstrate its nuclear capabilities. While India's Pokhran tests evaded US satellite surveillance, Pakistan's preparations were monitored in real-time by Western intelligence, reported Economic Times. It further stated that American satellite surveillance detected the pouring of concrete into test shafts 24 hours preceding the detonations. The report further stated that US President Bill Clinton issued a last-minute plea, proposing $5 billion in aid should Pakistan desist from the tests. According to reports, the devices tested were primarily uranium-based, with yields estimated between nine to 40 kilotons of trinitrotoluene (commonly known as TNT) equivalent. This was followed up with a second test conducted two days later on May 30, 1998, known as Chagai-II in Kharan Desert. While May 28 is annually celebrated across Pakistan as Youm-e-Takbir (Day of Greatness) to mark the nation's nuclear advancements, it is viewed differently in Balochistan. Many locals there commemorate the day as a 'black day,' pointing to the environmental damage and health problems caused by the nuclear explosions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Volkswagen was founded On this day in 1937, the German Labour Front, operating under the Nazi regime, established the 'Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH' ('Company for the Preparation of the German People's Car Ltd.') in Berlin. The primary objective of this initiative was to manufacture an affordable automobile for the average German citizen. A Volkswagen Beetle being unloaded at Emden harbour, Germany to be sent to Mexico. File image/AP To bring to life Adolf Hitler's vision of a 'people's car' or 'Volkswagen', Ferdinand Porsche was commissioned to design the vehicle. He came up with the KdF-Wagen which later became known as the Volkswagen Beetle. The construction of the Volkswagen factory in 1938 in the town of 'Stadt des KdF-Wagens,' later renamed Wolfsburg. However, the outbreak of World War II shifted the company's focus to military production. Once the war came to an end, the British took control of the factory and revived the production of the Beetle . The car went on becoming a symbol of Germany's post-war economic recovery. Today, Volkswagen has evolved into one of the world's leading automobile manufacturers. Amnesty International was founded On May 28, 1961, the British newspaper 'The London Observer' featured on its front page an article by British lawyer Peter Benenson titled 'The Forgotten Prisoners.' This publication initiated the Appeal for Amnesty 1961, a campaign advocating for the release of individuals detained globally solely for the peaceful expression of their convictions. Benenson was inspired to author the appeal after encountering an article detailing the incarceration of two Portuguese students who had publicly offered a toast to freedom. Portugal, at the time, was governed by the dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar. Outraged by the situation, Benenson composed the Observer article, presenting a case for the students' liberation and imploring readers to dispatch letters of protest to the Portuguese government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Amnesty International was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its efforts to secure the release of prisoners of conscience. AP The response to the appeal was overwhelming, leading to the formal establishment of Amnesty International in July 1961. The organisation was founded with the support of various individuals, including Quaker activist Eric Baker and Irish statesman Seán MacBride, who became its first chairman, reported It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its efforts to secure the release of prisoners of conscience and combat human rights abuses worldwide . This Day, That Year On this day in 1999, Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper was reopened to public view in Milan. Neville Chamberlain became prime minister of the United Kingdom on this day in 1937.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Peru arrests extortion gang that used Nazi symbols to sow terror
Police in Peru have captured a group of extortionists that used Nazi insignia to intimidate their victims, authorities said Tuesday. The five suspects from Colombia and Venezuela were arrested in raids on two homes, one in the capital Lima and another in the neighboring city of Huaral. In addition to weapons and explosives, police discovered around 100 stickers depicting an eagle with a swastika, an emblem of the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler. Investigators found an oil painting of late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar with a wad of dollars sticking out of his shirt pocket. Police chief Juan Mundaca said the authorities were investigating whether the stickers were the same as those that appeared on the homes and cars of extortion victims. Prosecutor Jose Silva said the gang had threatened business owners in the Huaral area, as well as a judge. Peru is battling a steep surge in gang violence, characterized by a wave of killings linked to extortion rackets. Criminal gangs such as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, which operates across Latin America, are accused of holding entire communities to ransom and of gunning down people who refuse to pay protection money. This is not the first time that criminal gangs in the Andean nation have been caught using Nazi symbols. In May 2023, police seized 58 kilograms of cocaine bricks destined for Belgium which were wrapped in a Nazi flag and stamped with Hitler's name. cm/ljc/cb
France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Peru arrests extortion gang that used Nazi symbols to sow terror
Peruvian police on Tuesday captured a gang of Venezuelan and Colombian extortionists accused of using Nazi symbols to intimidate their victims The five suspects from Colombia and Venezuela were arrested in raids on two homes, one in the capital Lima and another in the neighboring city of Huaral. In addition to weapons and explosives, police discovered around 100 stickers depicting an eagle with a swastika, an emblem of the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler. Investigators found an oil painting of late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar with a wad of dollars sticking out of his shirt pocket. Police chief Juan Mundaca said the authorities were investigating whether the stickers were the same as those that appeared on the homes and cars of extortion victims. Prosecutor Jose Silva said the gang had threatened business owners in the Huaral area, as well as a judge. Peru is battling a steep surge in gang violence, characterized by a wave of killings linked to extortion rackets. Criminal gangs such as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, which operates across Latin America, are accused of holding entire communities to ransom and of gunning down people who refuse to pay protection money. This is not the first time that criminal gangs in the Andean nation have been caught using Nazi symbols. In May 2023, police seized 58 kilograms of cocaine bricks destined for Belgium which were wrapped in a Nazi flag and stamped with Hitler's name. © 2025 AFP
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Berlin unveils Olympic bid with centenary of Nazi Games in sight
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner (far right) taking part in a press conference to announce Berlin's bid to host the Summer Olympics. PHOTO: EPA-EFE BERLIN - Berlin on May 27 presented its proposal to hold the Summer Olympics, including a bid for the Games in 2036 that would fall exactly a century after the event was hosted by Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. 'No matter where they take place, the 2036 Games will bring the Nazi Olympic Games from 1936 back into focus,' Berlin's Mayor Kai Wegner said at the presentation. Hosting the 2036 Games would show 'a city which has changed in the past 100 years', Wegner said, during the event at the city's Olympic Stadium, built for the 1936 Games. 'No longer do we stand for exclusion and hate, but we instead are a colourful, diverse metropolis which is open to the world,' he said. Berlin joins Munich, hosts of the 1972 Olympics, Hamburg and a joint bid by cities in the heavily populated Rhine-Ruhr region vying to host the festival of sport. The hosts have until May 31 to submit their concepts to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), who will decide on a bid to be submitted to the International Olympic Committe (IOC) by autumn 2026. Berlin said it was also open to hosting the Games in 2040 or 2044, as well as 2036, without indicating a preference. The capital's proposal would see events held across the north and east of the country and at urban locations – mirroring the approach taken in Paris in 2024. Berlin officials said the beach volleyball would take place next to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in the centre of the city. The skateboarding would be at the disused Tempelhof airport, already popular with casual skaters, while sailing events would be held on Germany's Baltic Sea coast in Kiel or Rostock. Previous bids in Germany have been undermined by local opposition. Munich, in an attempt to illustrate public support for the bid, have scheduled a referendum for October 2025. An initiative entitled 'NOlympia Berlin' has promised to push for a referendum on hosting the Games in the German capital. The 2028 Summer Olympics will take place in Los Angeles, with the Australian city of Brisbane hosting the Games four years later. According to the principle of rotating hosts between continents, a return to Europe is likely for the 2036 Games. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Berlin unveils Olympic bid with centenary of Nazi Games in sight
Berlin on Tuesday presented its proposal to hold the Summer Olympics, including a bid for the Games in 2036 that would fall exactly a century after the event was hosted by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Regime. "No matter where they take place, the 2036 Games will bring the Nazi Olympic Games from 1936 back into focus," Berlin's Mayor Kai Wegner said at the presentation. Hosting the 2036 Games would show "a city which has changed in the past 100 years", Wegner said in the event held at the city's Olympic Stadium, built for the 1936 Games. "No longer do we stand for exclusion and hate, but we instead are a colourful, diverse metropolis which is open to the world," he said. Berlin joins Munich, hosts of the 1972 Olympics, Hamburg and a joint bid by cities in the heavily populated Rhine-Ruhr region vying to host the festival of sport. The hosts have until Saturday to submit their concepts to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), who will decide on a bid to be submitted to the International Olympic Committe (IOC) by autumn 2026. Berlin said it was also open to hosting the Games in 2040 or 2044, as well as 2036, without indicating a preference. The capital's proposal would see events held across the north and east of the country and at urban locations -- mirroring the approach taken in Paris in 2024. Berlin officials said the beach volleyball would take place next to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in the centre of the city. The skateboarding would be at the disused Tempelhof airport, already popular with casual skaters, while sailing events would be held on Germany's Baltic Sea coast in Kiel or Rostock. Previous bids in Germany have been undermined by local opposition. Munich, in an attempt to illustrate public support for the bid, have scheduled a referendum for October 2025. An initiative entitled 'NOlympia Berlin' has promised to push for a referendum on hosting the Games in the German capital. The 2028 Summer Olympics will take place in Los Angeles, with the Australian city of Brisbane hosting the Games four years later. According to the principle of rotating hosts between continents, a return to Europe is likely for the 2036 Games. dwi/lp
