Latest news with #Germans
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Conscription, once buried, returns to the debate at a turning point in Germany's defence arrangement
Apart from efforts to attract volunteers, the idea of reinstating conscription – suspended in 2011 – is now in the spotlight. PHOTO: SERGEY PONOMAREV/NYTIMES Conscription, once buried, returns to the debate at a turning point in Germany's defence arrangement – The Bundeswehr seems to be everywhere in Germany these days – on posters, sandwich wrappers, in television adverts and across social media. The German military sends personalised postcards to hundreds of thousands of 16 and 17-year-olds and promises 'exclusive experiences' and 'up-close impressions' at open days aimed at enticing them to sign on. Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 in what Germany calls its Zeitenwende – a historic turning point – the military has launched a major image campaign. The reason is simple: Far too few young Germans are volunteering for service. Apart from efforts to attract volunteers, the idea of reinstating conscription – suspended in 2011 – is now in the spotlight at a time when the German military budget is set to rise significantly in the coming years. At its recent summit, Nato acceded to US President Donald Trump's demand that European allies vastly increase defence spending to 5 per cent of their respective gross domestic product (GDP) from the erstwhile 2 per cent expectation. Seen as a Cold War relic at the time, Germany's conscription system was suspended in the wake of professionalisation trends across Nato and a waning perception of immediate military threat, particularly from Russia. The Bundeswehr was streamlined, and defence policy pivoted towards international missions and soft power. By the time of its suspension, mandatory service had already been reduced to just six months and applied to only a fraction of eligible recruits. Questions about both the duration and fairness of the draft process undermined its legitimacy, leading to its indefinite suspension. Things changed, however, when Moscow annexed Crimea and occupied the Donbas in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and then unleashed a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia is now again a security threat, with the German military short of funds, arms and troops. Moreover, the US, with Mr Trump's appeasement approach towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, is no longer a reliable ally. Germany has committed the funds towards beefing up its military but needs to address the shortage of fighting men. 'We need conscription again,' said Lieutenant-General Alfons Mais, Germany's army chief, at the Munich Security Conference in February. 'Our goals can't be achieved otherwise.' One of those goals, set by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, is for the Bundeswehr to grow to 260,000 troops from the current 182,000 within a decade, ready for high-intensity warfare. This would bring the Bundeswehr to around its strength at the turn of the 21st century, when it had about 250,000 troops, but still short of the more than 500,000 at the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s. Mr Pistorius is currently banking on a revamped voluntary service model to reverse the Bundeswehr's recruitment shortfall. Under the new initiative, set to begin in the latter half of 2025, all 18-year-old men will receive a questionnaire to assess their willingness and fitness for military service. Those who express interest may be called in for further screening, with the goal of gradually increasing the number of full-time soldiers and reservists. The programme offers several incentives: Recruits can earn a monthly base salary starting at around € 1,800 (S$2,700), receive free accommodation, healthcare and training, and are given pathways to civilian careers within the Bundeswehr system. However, Mr Pistorius has made it clear that if the voluntary route fails to meet Germany's ambitious personnel goals, he will not hesitate to push for a return to mandatory conscription. 'If we don't succeed voluntarily, we will have to consider other steps,' he warned at an interview in May, signalling a significant cultural shift in Germany's post-Cold War defence policy. Germany projects that its defence expenditure would more than double from € 62.4 billion in 2025 to € 152.8 billion by 2029. Of the eventual 5 per cent of its GDP invested in defence, Chancellor Friedrich Merz aims to spend 1.5 per cent on dual-use infrastructure and 3.5 per cent directly on the Bundeswehr. To unlock this funding, the new German government had pushed through a constitutional amendment enabling significant new borrowing – underscoring the urgency and importance of this policy change. Dissent among politicians Against the backdrop of the broader debate on national defence, it is perhaps of little surprise that many observers are rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Is it really Germany – of all countries, the one responsible for two world wars in the last century – that is now setting out to build one of the most powerful armies in Europe once again? A group of Social Democrats led by former parliamentary leader Rolf Mutzenich recently published a paper protesting against the massive increase in defence spending, while rejecting the stationing of US long-range weapons on German soil. They also called for a renewed policy of cooperation with Russia, harking back to the generally cooperative relations between Germany and Russia in the two decades after the Cold War. The Social Democratic Party is part of the current ruling coalition led by Mr Merz's Christian Democratic Union. 'This paper is a denial of reality. It exploits the people's understandable desire for an end to the terrible war in Ukraine,' Mr Pistorius, himself a Social Democrat, said in June in an interview with the German Press Agency. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is perceived by most European states as an existential threat. 2022 pushed the German political class – and much of Europe's as well – into making a long-overdue U-turn, expanding defence spending to rebuild the long-neglected armed forces of Europe's largest economy. That rebuilding will not be easy. Speaking shortly after Mr Putin's Ukraine invasion began, Lt-Gen Mais had said the Bundeswehr stood 'more or less bare' after years of austerity and had only limited options in the face of Russia. That reality, he confirmed at February's Munich Security Conference, has not fundamentally changed. 'We're not in a good place,' he added. 'We're suffering from the loss of equipment sent to Ukraine and from painfully slow structural reform.' Challenges of rapid change To now quickly scale up the army and increase troop numbers would require new infrastructure. This is because dozens of military bases have closed, with barracks turned into residential housing. All 52 local conscription offices were shut down in 2012 – replaced by slimmed-down career centres and advisory hubs tailored to the reduced ambition. Mr Paul Wohlfahrt, 27, a reservist in the mountain infantry, is sceptical of such rapid German military expansion plans. 'Before we even talk about conscription, we need the infrastructure in place,' he told The Straits Times. 'Even now, not every soldier has a bed or a room – many go home to sleep. So where are we going to house new recruits?' He claims that numerous applicants have already been turned away due to a lack of capacity. While the Bundeswehr is tight-lipped about such claims, there are a number of reports on this, including one from public service broadcaster ZDF quoting internal papers of the reservists' association as saying that it is 'critical of the fact that interested reservists are now being put off for so long'. Mr Wohlfahrt completed his service in 2016/17 and has regularly taken part in reserve exercises since. He believes making voluntary service more attractive would be a better path than reintroducing conscription. 'If I have to wait six to twelve months for a response after applying, I'll just take a job in the private sector,' he said. Mass deficit But increasing troop numbers is only one part of the challenge. The Bundeswehr must also decide what kind of force it wants to be: a territorial army capable of defending Germany from attack, a high-tech military focused on drones and cyber warfare – or both. 'Only what is physically present in Central and Eastern Europe can deter an enemy,' Mr Hans-Peter Bartels, a former parliamentary commissioner for the German armed forces, said earlier in 2025, referring to the importance of having tanks and troops on the ground. 'Germany has to provide mass. And right now, that's missing.' His remarks underscore the urgency of building not just capability, but also visible presence – boots on the ground, tanks in the field. To ramp up production of military equipment and weapons, Germany's defence companies seeking to increase capacity are looking to cooperate with the country's languishing car industry. German army recruiters set up a tent and an armoured vehicle at a go-kart race in Germany on May 25. PHOTO: SERGEY PONOMAREV/NYTIMES It was reported in March that Rheinmetall, Germany's largest arms producer, was repurposing two plants making automotive parts to manufacture defence equipment. In early 2025, Hensoldt, a radar and sensor specialist, took over some workers from Continental when the car parts maker closed one of its plants in the town of Wetzlar. Recently, Germany's largest carmaker Volkswagen signalled that it would be ready to offer industrial expertise and strategic consultancy to support military vehicle manufacturers. The nuclear question There is also the issue of nuclear deterrence, given that Russia is a nuclear-armed power. Germany's and Europe's security situation has become more precarious because Mr Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on whether America would honour Nato's collective defence clause – Article 5 – in the event of an attack. His appeasement approach towards Mr Putin, along with America's ambiguous stance on Ukraine , has sowed further doubt. So what would European security look like without the US and without the American nuclear umbrella? While Britain has explicitly placed its nuclear forces at Nato's disposal, France has deliberately kept its nuclear forces, the so-called 'Force de Frappe', under national command and not part of Nato's nuclear planning group. But even if France were willing, would its stockpile of roughly 300 warheads suffice as credible deterrence? Within Germany, public sentiment has shifted noticeably since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While pacifist instincts remain strong among many Germans, recent polls indicate growing support for national defence efforts. A YouGov/dpa survey from 2024 showed that more than half of the population favours reintroducing some form of conscription, particularly among older Germans , although support remains lower among the 18-29 age group. Nevertheless, the war has left a mark on younger Germans as well: There is a visible uptick in interest in defence-sector careers, especially in technical and logistical roles. Companies like Rheinmetall and Airbus Defence report increased applications, and more young professionals view work in security-related fields as both meaningful and future-oriented. Mr Wohlfahrt believes that there is a rising sense of urgency among Germans that having an operational defence is of the essence. 'Step by step, soldiers are realising that change is under way. It may be slow, but at least something is happening,' he said. Markus Ziener is a professor at Media University Berlin and writes on political and security issues. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Germany U21s accused of pinching BEER MUGS by ‘crying hostess' who stormed team bus past security with machine guns
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A 'VISIBLY DISTRAUGHT' woman stormed past a security armed with a submachine gun onto the Germany Under-21 team bus to accuse them of stealing BEER MUGS. Antonio Di Salvo's men are aiming to tame our Young Lions in Bratislava tonight and become European champions. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Nick Woltemade is aiming to shoot down England tonight in Bratislava Credit: Getty 3 German players were accused of stealing 15 beer mugs in an angry confrontation on the team bus Credit: Getty And it seems £35m-rated star striker Nick Woltemade and Co's thirst for success has got the better of them. Germany secured their spot in the showpiece by thumping France 3-0 on Wednesday at Kosicka Futbalova Arena. Now explosive reports in their homeland have revealed that afterwards they were confronted by one of the stadium's VIP hostesses on the team bus. The fuming woman, described as being 'visibly distraught' and having 'her makeup smeared by tears', stormed the coach as staff and players waited for the few remaining stars to complete post-match doping tests. The lady marched straight past a security guard armed with a submachine gun and four stewards to board the coach and headed straight for boss Di Salvo, who was seated near the front. She then pulled out her phone and began taking several photos as the Germans looked on in total bemusement. The mugs, worth €3 each, were believed to have been provided for the match officials to enjoy some post-match fluids. Instead, 15 of them went missing and stadium staff were quick to point the finger of blame at the German players. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS A stadium supervisor told BILD: 'German players simply stole around 15 beer mugs. They probably think it's all free — but it isn't. 'That's why my employee ran onto the bus. She wanted to take photos as evidence.' England and Spain stars in mass brawl after U21 Euro quarter-final Germany denied all accusations of theft and instead claim that somebody else, not associated with them, must have removed the mugs. U21 press officer Markus Beer said: 'It was all completely different. The woman had brought several beer mugs into the catacombs, presumably for the referees. Then later, empty mugs were there, which were suddenly gone. 'Someone must have thrown them away. She obviously thought our players had simply taken them. But that was definitely not the case.' It remains unclear whether the mugs were eventually recovered by the distraught woman and staff at the Kosicka Futbalova Arena. 3 Boss Antonio Di Salvo was confronted by a 'visibly distraught' woman on the bus Credit: Getty But Lee Carsley and his England side will be going all out to ensure it is Woltemade and his pals who look the mugs at the Stadion Tehelne Pole in the Slovakian capital. And hopefully it will be them crying into their beer steins later should our boys lift the European Championship for a second-consecutive time.
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Germany U21s accused of pinching BEER MUGS by ‘crying hostess' who stormed team bus past security with machine guns
A 'VISIBLY DISTRAUGHT' woman stormed past a security armed with a submachine gun onto the Germany Under-21 team bus to accuse them of stealing BEER MUGS. Antonio Di Salvo's men are aiming to tame our Young Lions in Bratislava tonight and become European champions. 3 Nick Woltemade is aiming to shoot down England tonight in Bratislava Credit: Getty 3 German players were accused of stealing 15 beer mugs in an angry confrontation on the team bus Credit: Getty And it seems £35m-rated star striker Now explosive reports in their homeland have revealed that afterwards they were confronted by one of the stadium's VIP hostesses on the team bus. The fuming woman, described as being 'visibly distraught' and having 'her makeup smeared by tears', stormed the coach as staff and players waited for the few remaining stars to complete post-match doping tests. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL The lady marched straight past a security guard armed with a submachine gun and four stewards to board the coach and headed straight for boss Di Salvo, who was seated near the front. She then pulled out her phone and began taking several photos as the Germans looked on in total bemusement. The mugs, worth €3 each, were believed to have been provided for the match officials to enjoy some post-match fluids. Instead, 15 of them went missing and stadium staff were quick to point the finger of blame at the German players. Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS A stadium supervisor told BILD: 'German players simply stole around 15 beer mugs. They probably think it's all free — but it isn't. 'That's why my employee ran onto the bus. She wanted to take photos as evidence.' England and Spain stars in mass brawl after U21 Euro quarter-final Germany denied all accusations of theft and instead claim that somebody else, not associated with them, must have removed the mugs. U21 press officer Markus Beer said: 'It was all completely different. The woman had brought several beer mugs into the catacombs, presumably for the referees. Then later, empty mugs were there, which were suddenly gone. 'Someone must have thrown them away. She obviously thought our players had simply taken them. But that was definitely not the case.' It remains unclear whether the mugs were eventually recovered by the distraught woman and staff at the Kosicka Futbalova Arena. 3 Boss Antonio Di Salvo was confronted by a 'visibly distraught' woman on the bus Credit: Getty But And hopefully it will be them crying into their beer steins later should our boys lift the European Championship for a second-consecutive time. England's Under-21 Euros squad in FULL ENGLAND are looking to retain their status as Under-21 European champions this summer in Slovakia. Here is Lee Carsley's full squad for the blockbuster tournament: Goalkeepers: James Beadle (Brighton and Hove Albion), Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea), Tommy Simkin (Stoke City) Defenders: Charlie Cresswell (FC Toulouse), Ronnie Edwards (Southampton), CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Brooke Norton Cuffy (Genoa), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool) Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton and Hove Albion), Tyler Morton (Liverpool), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth) Forwards: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town), Sam Iling Jnr (Aston Villa), James McAtee (Manchester City), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Jonathan Rowe (Marseille), Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City)
West Australian
5 hours ago
- West Australian
Revealing a lesser known stretch of the Danube
Most river cruises in Europe focus on the Upper Danube — Amsterdam to Budapest — but I'm joining the Travelmarvel Capella on a seven-night, eight-day journey down the Lower Danube from Budapest to Romania. It's a Balkan adventure which covers 1150km, five countries, and two time zones. It is a great way to see a part of the world that is unfamiliar to many people. A Travelmarvel spokesperson says the Balkan Adventure itinerary has been part of the program for several years, but its popularity has grown recently because of increased interest in 'less touristed' regions of Eastern Europe. Budapest is a blur, transferring by coach from airport to ship; a mix of elegant 19th-century mansions, churches, and drab 'panel buildings' constructed from prefabricated concrete slabs in the drive for large-scale industrial housing that started at the end of the 1950s led by Big Brother, the Soviet Union. They're an eyesore. A representative meets me — and others joining the cruise — at the airport, so it's an easy transfer. The river ship is docked at passenger cruise port Mahart 2, which is on the Pest (mind your pronunciation, it's 'pesht') side of the city — I'll explain in a moment — in between the Elizabeth and Liberty bridges. It turns out the name Budapest is a compilation of previously separate settlements either side of the Danube — Obuda, Buda and Pest — first joined by the Chain (Szechenyi) Bridge that opened in 1849 (and had to be rebuilt after World War II because it was bombed by the Germans) before it became a single city in 1873. Buda refers to the hilly part with the castle, which houses the Hungarian National Gallery and Budapest History Museum; and Pest to the flat part. 'Careful you only hold on to the silver railings if you have to, not the green ones because they're gates and they will move,' a crew member tells us as we board the ship. Not that you'd know it's a ship when you step inside. The reception area where we're allocated our cabins looks more like a luxury hotel foyer. Check-in time is 3pm. I'm in a 15.5sqm French balcony suite on the upper deck. It has a queen-size bed, a small sitting area, separate bathroom, toilet, wardrobe, full-length mirror, lots of drawers (not that I use them) and kettle with selection of teas. There's no iron, for safety reasons. A shower is in order after more than 20 hours in transit, then it's off to a mandatory safety briefing followed by a four-course Hungarian dinner with matched wines and Hungarian musicians. The dining room downstairs is a sea of faces, with people talking and laughing like they've known each other for years. Some, it turns out, have — and this is their second, third, or fourth river cruise. As soon as they finish one, they book the next. 'We'd never go on ocean cruises; the ships are huge and there are too many passengers,' several people tell me. I don't know anyone on the first night, and feel like a fish out of water. Wandering around, I spot a vacant space next to two women who are happy to have me join them. What are the odds they would live just a couple of streets from me in the same suburb back home? Yes, it's a small world. Most passengers are from Australia (they're certainly very vocal); a handful from New Zealand, and some from Britain. Most are doing a 14-day return trip to Budapest. The menu is a feast — every night — with a choice of 'chef's selection', so you don't have to think, or a la carte. There's always an entree, soup, main and dessert, with accompanying red and white wines. Likewise, lunch, which also includes a buffet selection — and there's always a queue for ice-cream. It's fine dining, but more casual buffet meals are available most evenings at McGeary's, an Irish-style bar. 'The beer's barely cold,' an Aussie shrugs, halfway into the trip. No problem — it's whisked away and a chilled one comes out a few minutes later. By the third night, I've joined a raucous group, and we finish the cruise together. No request is too much for the waitstaff, with one surprised to see me eating a plate of sliced tomatoes for lunch and bringing out a menu so I can choose some 'proper' food. I'm really not hungry. You get three square meals, pastries in the lounge for 'early' and 'late' risers, as well as late-night snacks (10pm) in the lounge. Most passengers are in their 70s, and there are no children. It makes me wonder if these cruises cater to specific age groups, but apparently they don't. The only requirement is that guests are over 12. There are plenty of activities on board, including origami, painting classes, and book club for anyone who wants to spend an afternoon relaxing on the ship. Likewise, there are optional half-day tours — in Hungary, to a wine tasting in Villany; in Serbia, to a family farm — in addition to the town and city tours on the itinerary. Room staff are friendly and meticulous, commenting I must miss my 'fur baby' because I've got dogs all over my pyjamas, and arranging them like a butterfly on the bed, which is turned down each evening. We spend the first night in port, with an organised tour through the city the next morning. There's the option of heading back to the ship for lunch, but I prefer to wander off to visit: + New York Cafe Totally opulent, with prices to match, and a haunt for artists and writers over the years — though you're likely to see more influencers today. It opened in the mid-1890s as the European headquarters for the New York Life Insurance Company. Today, it's part luxury hotel, part coffee house, spread over several levels. My 24-carat gold New York 'cortado' — equal ratio of espresso to steamed milk — is $19.50. + Ruin Bars A mish-mash of quirky drinking holes that emerged in post-communist Budapest's abandoned buildings in the heart of the Jewish Quarter. If you like shabby without the chic, you'll love spending a couple of hours here. There's a kitchen upstairs. Most places are open from 3pm-4am on weekdays, noon-4am on Saturdays, and 9am-4am on Sundays. + Shoes on the Danube Promenade Sixty pairs of rusted iron shoes set into the concrete embankment of the Danube, on the Pest side, not far from the Parliament building. It's a monument and memorial conceptualised by film director Can Togay and created by sculptor Gyula Pauer to Hungarian Jews, including children, shot dead on the banks of the Danube in the winter of 1944-45 by members of the fascist Arrow Cross Party. The idea was the bodies would fall into the water and be carried away. Often, victims would be forced first to remove their shoes — in short supply during WWII — so they could be used or traded on the black market. If the shoes were worn out, they were killed with them on. The captain's 'welcome cocktail' is on the second night — and we leave Budapest, illuminated and radiant at night. Standing alone on the upper deck, looking at the magnificent neo Gothic-style Parliament building, the person I miss most is my late mother. She would love this. The Danube, the history, the sound of languages she could speak. For a quiet, aching second, I want to trade places — just to let her have it all. To see the lights. To feel the wind. To be here instead of me. No photo can ever capture this moment. I don't even notice the ship is moving — which is something to consider if you get seasick, because there's no chance of this happening on a cruise like this. It's totally silent, apart from the sound of frogs and birds on riverbanks past midnight a couple of hours out of Budapest, and the only noise I hear is an occasional rumbling, which is the ship's hull scraping the bottom of the riverbed. All shipping communication downstream from Budapest is in Russian as we head to the sleepy port town of Mohacs and travel by coach to Pecs, Hungary's fifth-largest city, where the World Heritage-listed burial chambers and memorial chapels of Sopianae, the Roman predecessor of Pecs, are located. A more recent landmark is the Pecs 'padlock wall', a myriad of padlocks inscribed with lovers' names in a pledge to undying love and devotion. The idea is you throw away the keys if you're sure it will last; otherwise maybe hang on to them, just in case. . . One is inscribed 'Olgi & Laci 26.10.2015.' I wonder if they're still together. Suddenly, our tour guide bursts into the national anthem, Himnusz, on the coach and shares her family recipe for Hungarian chicken paprikash with dumplings. Oh, by the way, each Hungarian consumes 3kg of sweet paprika a year. Next, down the Danube, there's Osijek and Vukovar (Croatia); Belgade (Serbia); Ruse (Bulgaria), which is actually closer to Bucharest than Sofia and, finally, Giurgiu (Romania) for a coach transfer to Bucharest with a walking tour of the old town before airport transfers for people heading home. 'Romania was a kingdom; then the communists came and destroyed everything,' I overhear a tour guide say. It's a similar sentiment in Hungary and Bulgaria. There are still scars of war in Osijek and Vukovar, which has been largely rebuilt after most of it was destroyed during the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995), otherwise called the Homeland War. And given what tour guides say in each city, animosity towards Serbs still runs deep. We're told schools in Vukovar remain mostly segregated, and the first 'mixed' marriages took place only in 2006. Along the way, we sail through Djerdap Gorge and the Kazan — the narrowest and deepest part of the Danube — before passing through the monumental Iron Gates lock system with its massive hydroelectric power station, a joint project between Romania and the former Yugoslavia (now Serbia). The first stage was completed in 1972, and the second in 1984. It has not come without environmental or social cost. Villages were submerged in the process. I've never seen so much concrete. There's a glitch docking at Osijek because the Drava River, a tributary of the Danube, is too low, so the Capella diverts to Aljmas and we bus it. At each port, there's a coach tour of the town with extensive historical and political commentary, followed by lunch back at the ship — though there's always the option to skip this and go exploring on your own. I make the most of it in Belgrade with several spare hours, visiting: Hotel Moskva Built in the Russian Succession style, it opened in 1908 on Terazije Square in the centre of Belgrade, inaugurated by King Peter Karadjordjevic, father of Alexander I who proclaimed the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918 and changed the name of the country to Yugoslavia in 1929. There's an outdoor cafe with a good selection of cakes. Eternal Flame Located in the Park of Friendship, the 27m-high concrete obelisk topped with a bronze fire sculpture originally conceived with a gas-lit flame was unveiled in 2000 as a memorial to the victims of the 78-day NATO bombing of Serbia — without UN Security Council approval — in 1999 during the Kosovo War. It's been shrouded in controversy from the start, graffitied, vandalised and renovated — but the flame remains unlit. Our guide tells us earlier in the day the Monument of Gratitude to France — a symbol of friendship and co-operation between Serbia and France during World War I — erected in Kalemegdan Park in 1930 was covered in black cloth during the NATO bombing in a symbolic gesture of mourning for the perceived betrayal by France, a NATO member. Clearly, people in Belgrade love their dogs. I've never seen so many pampered pooches paraded on city streets, but why do so many young Serbian men walk around shirtless? One even catches my eye in the centre of Stari Grad (Old Town). It's 34C. Maybe he's hot. I get up at 5.30am as the ship's about to enter Djerdap Gorge, a 100km-long natural border between Serbia and Romania with a series of canyons flanked by steep cliffs either side. King Decebalus' sculpture — the tallest rock relief in Europe at 55m high — is on the Romanian boundary marking a heroic figure who's been celebrated since the country was founded in 1859. At the entry, on the Serbian side, there's Golubac Fortress perched on the water's edge; Tumane Monastery, which dates back to the 14th century and is known for its miracles — still — is 9km away, just outside the village of Snegotin. The narrowest — 150m give or take, depending who you ask — and deepest part of the Danube is here, so curiosity finds me on the bridge with Captain Jugoslav Bastijancic, glued to the sonar readout as we pass through the 'Little Kazan' and the 'Big Kazan' (the word means cauldron in Turkish): 70.2m, 73.1m, 73.4m, 77.4m, 79m, 78.5m, 79.1m 78.6m, 78.8m, 79.2m. . . Officially, the deepest point of the Danube is here: up to 82m, so we come close enough. It all depends on the exact position of the ship. 'Depending on season, especially before the start of winter and at the end of winter, the Danube can rise by 7-8m in some parts,' the captain explains. He's been a river ship captain for 19 years, following in the footsteps of his father, and knows the Danube like the back of his hand; the flow of currents along its entire length. It's a knowledge only experience brings. We're doing 23km/h at the moment, but the previous evening, passing his village in Serbia, he slowed the ship and blew the horn so locals could come out and wave. 'It's all computerised, but there's no autopilot, I drive,' he says. 'A few new ships have this technology, but it can't be used effectively until all ships have it so they can communicate with each other.' + Travelmarvel is Australian-owned APT Travel Group's 'premium' cruising and touring brand. It also has a flagship luxury brand called APT. + Travelmarvel has three river ships operating across Europe: Capella, Polaris and Vega, all launched in 2021. Each one accommodates up to 178 passengers. The Rigel is due to join the fleet in 2026. + The eight-day Balkan Adventure along the Danube runs from April to August each year and costs from $3995 a person, excluding airfares. There are savings up to $1600 a couple for early-bird 2026 bookings. + There is also a 14-night Budapest-return Best of the Balkans tour along the Danube. + Designed specifically for cruising Europe's rivers, its hull was built in Romania, with final outfitting and interior finishes completed at a specialised shipyard in the Netherlands. + 89 cabins, configured with either a queen or twin beds. + Cabin types are window stateroom, French-style balcony suite, or owner's suite. + Facilities include indoor and outdoor lounges, a restaurant, an Irish-style bar, upper terrace with bar, fitness centre, sundeck with barbecue and plunge pool, complimentary wi-fi, bicycles, and elevator access between decks. Olga de Moeller was a guest of APT Travel Group. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.
Metro
a day ago
- Politics
- Metro
New MI6 chief's grandfather was Nazi spy who boasted of 'exterminating Jews'
The grandfather of the incoming chief of MI6 was a leading Nazi collaborator who boasted of killing Jews, it has been reported. Blaise Metreweli, 47, is set to become the first ever female head of the agency after 26 years serving it in Europe and the Middle East. She is the granddaughter of Constantine Dobrowolski, a Ukrainian who infiltrated the Red Army to become an informant for the Germans, according to the Daily Mail. German archive documents unearthed by the newspaper show he was known to Wermacht commanders as 'Agent No. 30' or 'The Butcher'. He was said to have sent letters to superiors saying he 'personally' took part 'in the extermination of the Jews', signing off with 'Heil Hitler!'. Soviet leaders placed a bounty equivalent to £200,000 in today's money for the mole, whom they called the 'worst enemy of the Ukrainian people'. Dobrowolski, born to a German-Polish father and Ukrainian mother in 1906, was said to have vowed revenge on the Soviets after they destroyed his home and killed most of his family during the Ukrainian-Soviet war when he was 11. As an adult he spent 10 years in a Siberian prison camp for dissidence, antisemitism and concealing his ancestry. When the Germans invaded Ukraine in 1941, he joined the Red Army, later writing to his spy handlers that he used the 'panic' to get himself sent to the front despite his 'political unreliability'. That gave him an easy opportunity to defect to the Germans, serving in an SS tank unit and apparently taking part in the ethnic cleansing of Jews in occupied Kyiv. Ms Metreweli never met her grandfather, who stayed in Ukraine when his family fled the Soviet reclaimed Ukraine from German occupation in 1943. Reports indicate her father was also named Constantine Dobrowolski but also used the surname Metreweli after moving to the UK. More Trending Beka Kobakhidze, a Georgian historian who uncovered the family tree, told the Telegraph the revelation will likely become 'a favourite talking point for Kremlin propagandists for years to come'. A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesman said: 'Blaise Metreweli neither knew nor met her paternal grandfather. 'Blaise's ancestry is characterised by conflict and division and, as is the case for many with eastern European heritage, only partially understood. 'It is precisely this complex heritage which has contributed to her commitment to prevent conflict and protect the British public from modern threats from today's hostile states, as the next chief of MI6.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
