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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 31 august 2022
Danube drought reveals parts of hidden World War II history

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC because of the explosives
Associated Press they carried and there
PRAHOVO, Serbia (AP) — were no funds to do it until
The worst drought in Europe recently.
in decades hasn’t only Now, the European Union
scorched farmland and and the European Invest-
hampered river traffic, it ment Bank have agreed to
also has exposed a part of provide loans and grants
almost forgotten World War to finance the operation to
II history: The hulks of doz- remove some of the vessels
ens of World War II German near Prahovo in order to
battleships have emerged improve the traffic capac-
from the Danube River as its ity of the Danube.
water levels have dropped. The total cost of the opera-
In the middle of the mighty tion is estimated at 30 mil-
river separating Serbia and lion euros ($30 million), of
Romania near the Serbian which about 16 million are
port of Prahovo, a rusty hull, grants.
a broken mast where the “These vessels have been
swastika flag used to fly, an sunk and they have been
upper deck where a com- The wreckage of a WWII German warship is seen in the Danube river near Prahovo, Serbia, lying on the river bed ever
mand bridge used to be, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. since,” the EU ambassador
a barrel that could have Associated Press to Serbia, Emanuele Giau-
been holding fuel or even fret, said during a recent
explosive materials lean on ube gorge known as The factors. The dropping wa- ment, with European Union trip to the wreckage site.
a pebblestone dune that Iron Gate on the orders of ter levels created danger- support, is planning to do “And this is a problem.
has emerged from the wa- the fleet’s commander as ous conditions for shipping something about them. It’s a problem for the traffic
ter. they came under heavy on many rivers on the con- Some of the wrecks were on the Danube, it restricts
The ships, some still laden fire from the Soviets. The tinent, including the Dan- removed from the river by the capacity to move, it’s
with munition, belonged idea behind the deliberate ube, Europe’s second-lon- the Communist Yugoslav a hazard because certain
to Nazi Germany’s Black sinking was to at least slow gest river that flows through authorities right after the vessels still contain unex-
Sea fleet that was deliber- down the Soviet advance 10 nations. Authorities in war. ploded ordnance.”
ately sunk by the Germans in the Balkans. But it didn’t Serbia have used dredging But most of them remained, Accompanying Giaufret
as they retreated from Ro- help as Nazi Germany sur- to keep vessels moving. hampering shipping, espe- was Alessandro Bragonzi,
mania as Soviet forces ad- rendered months later, in The wrecks appearing from cially in summer when wa- the head of the Euro-
vanced. May 1945. the depths are an impres- ter levels are low. For years pean Investment Bank in
Historians say up to 200 The unusually hot weather sive sight, but they have there were plans to take the Western Balkans. He
German warships were across Europe this summer caused decades of trouble the ships out of the muddy said the project consists of
scuttled in September 1944 was linked by scientists to for those using the river, and waters, but the operation the removal of 21 sunken
near Prahovo in the Dan- global warming and other now the Serbian govern- was considered too risky vessels.q

Angolan opposition UNITA rejects ruling party’s election win

“UNITA reiterates that it will given him a second five- it won a majority with 124
not recognize the results year presidential term. of the National Assembly’s
announced by the Nation- UNITA got its best-ever re- 220 seats. UNITA has nearly
al Electoral Commission un- sult, coming in second with doubled its presence in the
til the complaints already in about 44% of the votes, legislature to 90 seats. The
its possession are resolved,” according to the electoral remaining seats were won
the party said in a state- commission. by smaller parties.
ment. However, UNITA on Tuesday UNITA had campaigned
If UNITA’s written complaint claimed that according for the support of Angola’s
is rejected, the party can to its calculations it should young, urban population
take the objection to the have won the election with and it won in Luanda, An-
Constitutional Court, which 64% of the vote. gola’s most populous prov-
must rule on the complaint Although UNITA’s leader, ince, and in Cabinda and
within 72 hours, according Adalberto Costa Junior has Zaire, the country’s main
to Angola’s electoral regu- rejected the official results, oil-producing provinces.
lations. he has urged calm. There Angola is Africa’s second-
Main opposition leader Adalberto Costa Junior in Luanda, The Peoples Movement for have been no reports of largest producer of oil and
Angola, Wednesday July 13, 2022. the Liberation of Angola, major demonstrations in has rich diamond depos-
Associated Press known by its Portuguese the capital, Luanda, or oth- its, but the majority of the
acronym MPLA, won with er cities. southern African country’s
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An- majority in the legislature. 51% of the votes cast, ex- Voter turnout was low on 34 million people remain in
gola’s opposition party has The main opposition party, tending its 47-year rule of voting day last week with poverty, according to the
filed a complaint against the National Union for the the country, according to just 45.7% of registered vot- U.N, and unemployment is
the election victory of the Total Independence of An- the electoral commission’s ers casting their ballots. currently above 30%.
ruling MPLA party in which gola, known as UNITA, said results. In the national legislature, Both the MPLA and UNITA
President Joao Lourenco Tuesday that it has submit- As the party’s leader, Lou- the MPLA lost the two-thirds are former rebel move-
won a second term and ted an objection to the re- renco, 68, welcomed the majority that it needs to ments that fought Portu-
the party got a reduced sults. official results which have pass major bills, although guese colonial rule. q