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GIANT CHUNKS of melting ice broke free on the Danube River today, crashing hundreds of boats into each other, sweeping away several barges and sinking one of Belgrade’s trademark floating nightclubs.
The thick ice had closed large parts of Europe’s busy 2,860-km-long waterway as the region faced a record-breaking cold snap, but it started shifting yesterday afternoon because of rising temperatures. There were no reports of injuries.
Officials around the region were trying to determine whether melting snow and ice would cause heavy flooding, adding more misery to an area that is dealing with a death toll that has risen over 600 and trapped thousands in remote, mountain villages behind massive snow banks.
Ice floes up to a half-a-metre thick began to break up in the Belgrade area of the Danube, damaging boats and crashing pontoon bridges. A barge restaurant, called Alexander, sank completely, officials said.
This video shows some of the chaos as boats are crushed and dragged along with the ice on the river:
(Video via darkox85)
The flashy floating restaurants and nightclubs lining the Danube are one of the main tourists attractions in the Serbian capital, by night blasting loud turbo folk music, a mixture of traditional Balkan folk and contemporary electronic beats.
Officials were hoping that lowered water levels in the Danube from a drought last year would help Serbia avoid flooding like that that has hit Bulgaria and Greece.
Nikola Marjanovic, a Serbian water supply system official, said there is no need for panic but the situation must be carefully monitored. “At this moment we don’t know what will happen,” he said.
Some 3,300 people remain stranded by deep snow that hit remote areas of southern Serbia and they can only be reached by helicopters, said Serbian emergency official Predrag Maric.
In Romania, melting snow and ice claimed the life of a 42-year-old man who was killed after an icicle fell on his head in front of the shop where he worked in the eastern city of Barlad.
In Montenegro, the US military responded to a request from the government by dispatching two Black Hawk helicopters to evacuate people from snowbound regions of the small Balkan country, the US Embassy said.
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Party based voting is a perversion of the democratic process. It should be illegal to force a TD to vote a certain way. They are supposed to represent their constituents views.
They are elected on a party platform as opposed to their own views. Therefore its reasonable to assume that most people voting for them are also voting on the party platform. It would then be wrong for them to suddenly decide that they don’t want to represent that platform. If that’s what they want they should go as an independent before the electorate.
There’s nothing wrong with party based voting, per se. It’s party based speaking time in the Dáil that’s the problem. The smaller your party, the less time you have to speak. If you’re an independent, you’re screwed unless you put together a technical group.
Is the catholic church or the government running this country ?
Or in other words ‘Is the catholic church or the government RUINING this country?
We have no idea how much the catholic church runs the government. Any politician that is catholic could face excommunication on these matters. Thats the gun being held to their head.Do we really want to live in a state run by an organisation without credibilty. This is a fight to the death for the catholic church. They see their power slipping away.
Since all the Sunday collections have nearly stopped the Fs (FG/FF) have directed larger amounts of tax payers money into church controlled charities (Ruhama, Immigrants Council of Ireland…).
Those charities in turn use their citizen paid PR departments to push church policy from an ‘independent’ advocacy position. The local TD gets to cut the ribbon at the next charity event, they get elected for ‘doing good for the community’ (non-church groups don’t have a chance) with the aid of the few votes the church can muster.
The whip ensures that there is no free vote and the church/government policy/finance/vote loop is closed.
There should be no obfuscation or waffling on this matter. We need to legislate with safeguards for all. Its a disgrace that we have, after all this time, exported our problems abroad as if it never happens. Typically Irish solution to an Irish problem, stick our heads in the sand and hope it goes away. We need “Savita” legislation now.
We need to legislate with safeguards for all…………………what in all that’s holy could this mean?
Meanwhile over 4,000 women still travel to the UK, it’s really time we face the reality instead of continuing to stick our heads in a sandbox
Another insult to our intelligence by the masters, Fine Gael. They haven’t the nerve to vote as a party on the matter after Savitas death,so are hoping to weasel around it with a free vote.
Don’t believe me? Where was Shatter calling for a free vote back in April on the same matter?
“an insult to our intelligence”…….mmmmmmm?
Has the Dáil ever had a free vote recently, it must be one of the world’s most whipped parliaments.
Any TD who votes no is blocking the democratic will of the people. No TD should even countenance voting no.
In terms of abortion in general, I don’t think parties should have policies other than a commitment to hold referenda or not. That said, every candidate should state the way they would vote on such matters before the election.
Dame Edna has said NO.
A free vote for all TDs is essential. Otherwise we will have a dictatorship headed by Dictator Enda!
Some say that the Supreme Court decision on the X case is probably incorrect and unconstitutional. If true why has the Expert Committee of Advisers not recommended a review of the X case before recommending legislation.FG gave a or election commitment that it would NOT legislate for abortion.It is now doing so. FG has adopted the policies of the Labour Party on abortion. If the government do not reassess its position FG will be wiped out at the next election. Remember the VAT on children’s shoes! Sad!
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