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The Whole-of-Nation Resistance that Made Peace Prevail: The Main Eastern Battlefield in the World Anti-Fascist War

The Whole-of-Nation Resistance that Made Peace Prevail: The Main Eastern Battlefield in the World Anti-Fascist War

As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, attention often centers on the indispensable victories of the Allied forces in Normandy and the Pacific. Yet this retrospective homage remains incomplete without acknowledging the World Anti-Fascist Wars dragging, sprawling, brutal, and equally vital main Eastern battlefield. For 14 years and more, the Chinese people fought valiantly against Japanese militarism in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, sacrificing tens of millions of soldiers and civilians to fracture the Axis strategy. Chinas resistance—the first to ignite and last to extinguish—fundamentally reshaped war trajectory and the peace that followed. Whole-of-Nation Resistance: How Chinas Endurance Rewrote WWII Chronology Long before Nazi Germanys blitzkrieg of Poland, Asia burned after the 1931 Mukden Incident (known in China as the September 18th Incident), an attack staged by the Japanese Kwantung Army. Chinas resistance to this aggression marked not merely the beginning of a regional battle but the first salvos of the World Anti-Fascist War. While Europe debated appeasement, Chinese soldiers and civilians waged relentless guerrilla wars across frozen plains in the occupied Northeast China. For over a decade preceding the Pearl Harbor attack by Japan, China faced the Japanese militarist aggressors virtually all by itself. Statistics reveal staggering persistence: 22 major campaigns, 200 pivotal engagements, and nearly 200,000 battles across 14 years. Chinas refusal to capitulate, despite the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and the relentless bombing of Chongqing, bought critical time for Allied rearmament, and decisively shattered Japans hubris-filled plan for a three-month conquest of China. Strategic Linchpin in the East: Keeping the Axis Japan at Bay The China theater served as the anvil upon which Japans strategic mobility was broken. Data from well-documented Japanese military archives confirm that between 1937–1945, 70–94 percent of its army divisions were perpetually committed to the Chinese mainland. This colossal drain proved decisive. When Japan struck Pearl Harbor in December 1941, its Southern Expansion Plan was already crippled—35 veteran divisions were weighed down by the righteous and resolute resistance of Chinese forces defending their homeland. The then U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt stressed for multiple times the importance of the China theater to the Allied countries very survival and victory, to the effect that without China holding the line, Japan could slice through Burma, throttle India, seize Australia, and link hands with the Nazis in the Caucasus. Russia would be isolated, the Middle East oilfields lost, and the U.S. in peril. China not only resisted Japanese aggressors at home but also provided crucial strategic support to the Allies. “The Hump” airlift transport delivered hundreds of thousands of tons of fuel and munitions to Allied forces in Burma, India and China. Chinese farmers rescued over 1,000 downed U.S. airmen flying this perilous yet strategic lifeline; Chinese workers hauled essential war materials like tungsten and tung oil along the Yangtze River under bombardment to feed Allied war production and maintenance. Pillar of Peace and Justice: Translating Sacrifice into a New World Order Chinas wartime stature culminated on January 1, 1942. As a founding signatory of the Declaration by United Nations, it stood beside the U.S., the U.K., and the Soviet Union—not by patronage, but through the weight of blood shed. Ever since the beginning, as a founding member of the U.N. and permanent member of the Security Council, China has translated wartime fortitude into new international principles. At the San Francisco Conference, Chinese delegates championed national self-determination and anti-colonialism, playing a key role in advocating for the sovereign equality of all nations enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Chinas persistent advocacy for justice and ceasefire stems from its hard-won understanding of the fragility of peace and the dignity as a nation. Eighty years ago, a devastating world war reshaped the world, where nations upholding justice and peace wrote that chapter of history with blood and toil. Today, amid frequent conflicts and turmoil, nations must heed the lessons of that sacrifice: cherish the fragile peace, uphold the common values of humanity, and safeguard our only home. (Note: It is a collaborating publication by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, Finland.)

Piastri wins F1 Dutch GP as Norris retires

Piastri wins F1 Dutch GP as Norris retires

McLaren's Oscar Piastri seized the initiative in the 2025 Formula 1 championship race with victory in Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix, as teammate Lando Norris retired from second place with an engine failure. With McLaren in typically dominant form all weekend long, Piastri drew first blood on Saturday by edging Norris to pole position, and the Briton's hopes of overhauling his teammate were not helped when Max Verstappen barged ahead of him on lap 1. Though Norris retook second place from Verstappen on lap 9, the Briton never seriously threatened Piastri, who dealt comfortably with three Safety Car restarts and several laps of light drizzle, and had the race under control even before Norris stopped with an apparent power unit issue on lap 63 of 72. "It feels good. I controlled the race when I needed to, and obviously it was incredibly unfortunate for Lando at the end," said Piastri, who led from start to finish for the first time in his F1 career, and whose championship lead over Norris now stands at 34 points. "But I felt like I was in control and just used the pace when I needed to. That was a bit of a different race to 12 months ago, so very happy with all the work we've done to try to improve around here, and very satisfied to come out on top." "There were a couple of Safety Cars that spiced it up a little bit and we weathered it all, so I'm very proud of the whole team. It wasn't just myself that improved to get here, it was the whole team around me and without them, none of this possible. It's a big team effort." Behind Piastri, Red Bull's Verstappen was unable to score his fifth successive win at Zandvoort, but his second place was still a popular result with the partisan Dutch crowd, with Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar taking an excellent third place for his first podium finish. George Russell took fourth for Mercedes, with Alex Albon doing well to rise from 15th on the grid to finish fifth. Ollie Bearman used the Safety Car periods to good effect to finish a career-best sixth after having started from the pit lane, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso ensuring a double points finish for Aston Martin with seventh and eighth respectively. Verstappen's teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished ninth, and the second Haas of Esteban Ocon rounded out the top ten. But it was a disastrous day for Ferrari, whose drivers both retired after accidents at the banked Turn 3. Lewis Hamilton triggered the first Safety Car period when he slid into the outer barrier on lap 23, while Charles Leclerc came to grief at almost the same spot on lap 53 when he was tagged by Kimi Antonelli, who took a 15-second penalty for his part in the incident. The 16th round of the 2025 F1 World Championship is next weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Bayern's Boey apologizes for violent head collision with Fellhauer

Bayern's Boey apologizes for violent head collision with Fellhauer

Bayern Munich defender Sacha Boey has apologized for a violent head collision with Augsburg's Robin Fellhauer during the Bavarians' 3-2 Bundesliga victory on Saturday, reported dpa. "Sorry again for what happened and get well soon," Boey said on Instagram. Boey and Fellhauer collided violently in stoppage time in an air dispute for the ball. The Augsburg player had to receive treatment on the pitch for several minutes and was eventually carried off on a stretcher. Boey received a yellow card. Augsburg coach Sandro Wagner said that according to an initial assessment, Fellhauer suffered a concussion and will be out for several weeks. Wagner sharply criticized Boey for the incident. "The only thing I would have wished for was that he hadn't walked away so coolly but had apologized immediately, rather than waiting until he saw that the young man couldn't move," he said. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, meanwhile, defended his player: "Maybe he couldn't really understand the situation at first." Kompany also wished Fellhauer a good recovery.

Man gunned down in Hamburg shisha bar in Germany

Man gunned down in Hamburg shisha bar in Germany

German police said the man who was found dead in a shisha bar in Hamburg early on Sunday morning was killed by gunfire. The perpetrator has not yet been apprehended, according to police. Emergency forces were called to the establishment in the northern German port city's Hohenfelde district shortly after 4:30 am (0230 GMT), but medics were unable to resuscitate the 33-year-old man. After evidence indicated the man had been fatally shot, police said the homicide division and public prosecutor's office took over the investigation. Sniffer dogs were deployed at the scene, and inquiries, particularly into the motive, are ongoing. The area around the crime scene, located on a six-lane thoroughfare, has been cordoned off, with investigators combing the neighbourhood and searching for witnesses. It comes after two men were attacked at the same bar by masked assailants in December. Some three years ago, a 27-year-old man was killed in the establishment after shots were fired at his face and heart, in what police believe was an altercation related to the drug scene.

Ireland expresses concern after Irish protester hit by Berlin police

Ireland expresses concern after Irish protester hit by Berlin police

Ireland's ambassador to Germany has expressed "concern" to local authorities over a violent incident that saw an Irish demonstrator hit in the face by an officer at a pro-Palestinian rally in Berlin, the Foreign Ministry confirmed to dpa on Sunday, reported dpa. "The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of the incident in question," it said in a statement. "The Ambassador in Berlin and senior officials in the Department have conveyed our concern about the incident to the German authorities." Videos of Thursday's protest show a police officer punching a protester twice in the face, leading to blood streaming from their nose. Irish Bloc Berlin, an Irish protest group, said the person's arm was broken in the incident and that they had to undergo surgery, according to Irish public broadcaster RTÉ. Berlin police confirmed on Saturday that it was aware of video footage of the incident. The officer responsible had been identified and the incident was under review, a spokesman said. So far no proceedings have been launched against the policeman, as the proportionality of his behaviour was still being reviewed, he said. The protester was treated by the fire brigade, the spokesman said, without specifying the nature of their injuries. The person faces an investigation for insulting and resisting officers, police said. There have been a number of clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police at rallies across Germany since Israel began its war on Gaza following the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023. German authorities have repeatedly been accused of disproportionately curtailing pro-Palestinian protests, with many demonstrations broken up by a heavy police presence over accusations of anti-Semitism. Police said hundreds of officers were deployed to Berlin's Mitte district on Thursday evening to dissolve an unauthorized gathering "in the context of the Middle East conflict." Some 100 people were said to have been moving between the Rosenthaler Platz and Hackescher Markt squares. Some protesters had displayed "verbally aggressive" behaviour towards officers, with insults, physical attacks and acts of resistance towards police officers occurring during the operation, according to a press release from Friday. A total of 94 people were detained and investigations on suspicion of displaying signs of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations, assaulting and resisting law enforcement officers, insult, assault and suspected unauthorized residence have been initiated. (By Björn Graas, Stefan Kruse and Jan Mies, dpa)

Germany's jobless benefits set to remain frozen in 2026

Germany's jobless benefits set to remain frozen in 2026

Unemployment benefits in Germany are set to remain frozen in 2026, according to plans by Social Affairs Minister Bärbel Bas. A spokesman for the Ministry of Labour said that the thresholds to increase the basic income payment, known as Bürgergeld (citizen's income), under the existing formula would not be met by January 1, 2026. The German Cabinet still needs to approve the plan. The spokesman's statement, in response to a question, confirmed a report in the mass-circulation tabloid Bild. Germany's new unemployment benefit system was agreed in late 2022 by then-chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government and introduced in 2023. In 2024, amid high inflation rates, the monthly payment for single unemployed adults rose to €563 ($658). According to the current plans, that figure is set to remain unchanged in 2026, as it did in 2025. Benefits for people with children will remain between €357 and €471 per child, depending on their age. Bas, a Social Democrat, also announced plans to tighten rules for recipients of welfare benefits, including stiffening penalties for those who don't pursue work - for example, if one fails to attend appointments at the government job centre without good reason. "I'm ensuring more rigour in support. Anyone who fails to turn up for an appointment without good reason will now be penalized significantly more," Bas told Bild. "The message is clear: We help people get into work, but you have to be willing to participate. Anything else is unfair to those who get up every morning," she said. According to government figures, there were a total of around 5.5 million recipients of basic income support in Germany in 2024. Of these, just under 4 million were fit for employment - basically able to work at least three hours a day. Official figures showed that Bürgergeld payments accounted for €46.9 billion in 2024.