Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Houses stand in the floods of the Elbe river in Riesa, eastern Germany in June. Pic: AP Photo/dpa,Patrick Pleulile
LAST MONTH’S FLOODING in central Europe caused more than $16 billion or around €12.4 billion in damage, about a quarter of it insured — making it the year’s costliest natural disaster so far, a leading insurance company said yesterday.
Natural disasters worldwide cost the insurance industry a total of about $13 billion (€10 billion) in the January-June period, while the overall cost of disasters was some $45 billion (€35 billion), Munich Re AG said in a regular review of disaster costs.
Both figures were well below the average for the past decade.
Munich Re put insured losses from the flooding caused by the Elbe, Danube and several other rivers overflowing their banks at some $3.9 billion or more — most of them in Germany, but also in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
That is a little higher than the $3.4 billion cost to insurers of floods that hit many of the same areas in 2002. The overall cost of those floods, including uninsured damage, was $16.5 billion.
The German government has set up an €8 billion fund to repair the damage.
Yesterday, the country’s national railway said part of a key high-speed line connecting Berlin with Frankfurt, Cologne and Amsterdam will remain shut for repairs “until further notice,” making time-consuming detours necessary.
Members of the Red Cross make their way by boat in a flooded street in the center of Passau, southern Germany in June. Pic: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader
Still, the flooding doesn’t appear likely to throw the country’s economy off course, since it didn’t hit major industrial areas.
“Politicians should not only set up emergency funds after catastrophes but should act with greater foresight, engaging in prudent supraregional flood control, which should ideally be coordinated across national borders,” Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek said in a statement.
A series of tornadoes in Oklahoma — including one that killed 24 people in Moore on May 20 — were the second-costliest disaster for insurers in the first six months of the year.
They caused insured losses of nearly $1.6 billion, while overall losses totaled $3.1 billion, Munich Re said. April’s earthquake in China’s Sichuan province caused $6.8 billion worth of damage but only a fraction of that — $25 million — was insured, the company said.
Flooding last month in the Canadian province of Alberta caused damage initially estimated at more than $3 billion, with insured losses likely to top $1 billion.
For the whole of last year, Munich Re has said, natural disasters cost insurers $65 billion — with Superstorm Sandy in the U.S. accounting for $25 billion.
It put total disaster costs at $160 billion or €124 billion. Munich Re is a reinsurer, meaning that it provides coverage to insurance companies for large losses stemming from events like natural disasters.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Aoife perhaps you could go and volunteer at rape crisis and helpfully ask the victims if the perpetrator brought any joy to other children or did charity works as this “makes amends for rape or whatever you call it” in your skewed book. #ridiculouscomment
Aoife and Tom your comments are inexcusable utterly inexcusable . So Tom the parents are at fault for trusting a grown man whom happens to be a superstar with their children? So at all times abuse is the parents fault? Rubbish utter utter rubbish. Take Aoife and crawl back to the hole ye come from.
@Tom: some of these girls were in boarding schools at the time under the control of the teachers, not their parents. Not that it matters as the person that should take all of the blame is the paedophile… Saville was an evil creep. Go look up the interview where he defends Garry Glitter’s depravity..
@les “so at all time the abuse is the parents fault?” how can you get that from what tom said. just curious
How much of Saville’s “bringing joy” could have been done by anyone else on BBC. It could easily have been called “Noel Will Fix It” or “John Will Fix It”. I’m sure there was a team behind the TV show actually doing the hard work, it could have been fronted by anyone. As for whatever charity work he did outside the show it was all off the back of it anyway and again could have been done by anyone.
If you want to use that logic to excuse rape or sexual abuse of children then surely we can apply that logic to the church too? I mean those priests brought comfort and joy to loads of bible bashing oldies I’m sure, and they got a lot of donations for the local community centre so that’s fine that they touched up a few kids every now and then.
Well said Elmo! Very true.
Well done boss great comment. back in your box aoife
Aoife. If he had raped you would it be grand because of all the joy he brought to other children? Or your daughter? Ridiculous statement.
I have disagreed with every post Aoife has ever made… but she does have a point, even though i feel most of your comment are wrote to attract as much attention as possible.
Obvious troll is obviously trolling… Aoife, look up a dictionary there (no, no, that’s a Bible. Put that down and pick up the dictionary). There’s probably a fairly comprehensive definition for rape in there that should solve your obvious confusion as to “whatever that is”.
Aoife, if you saw the programme, you are totally underestimating the harm that he allegedly caused. The charges are extremely serious and your comments are naive to say the least. Your prayers should be offered to the alleged victims.
This doesn’t come first, Aoife. Maybe if this had happened to one of your children you might feel differently. And think like a normal person instead of a religious nut.
…is she not playing “devils advocate”…to muster responses!?…
Why the hell did people that knew something come forward years ago??? Frustrating!
Oh get lost Aoife!
seriously journal, just block aoife. she is either really warped or a troll. those comments are not acceptable
Aoife are you only messing? You have to be. Ah seriously, you HAVE to be!
Aoife it gets better as you go on. This man, & he may be innocent, has been accused of having sex with underage girls. Its not a few women handled roughly as you so put it & handled roughly is not a good term for rape.
Its trolls like Aoife who should be locked up..either for their want of attention comments or their naivety or stupidity
Think you’re confusing “raped” with “ripped off” there Aoife, ya nut.
Shes right I was raped by a King Edward waaahhhhhhhh
Your kinda right in a way Aoife bout rape not always being rape, lets say for example its rape by a ammmmmm Catholic priest say, then it might be violent assault as well as rape. Dont inflict your stupidity on the internet even, go tell it in confession
Western society was going through a rebellious adolescent stage in the 1970s as a result of the liberalism of the 1960s. Many of society’s rules had been derided as being too suffocating and were abandoned with nothing being put in their place. Predators like Saville knew all the tricks on how to benefit when his peers preferred to look the other way.
Lar can you give an example of some of these rules?
Oral contraceptive pill
Single parenthood
Rock & roll etc, all new cultural phenomena that exploded in the 60s
Aoife, I can only surmise you are a troll and this being the case, I will leave you to it. If this is not the case, I feel sad for you. God bless
He/she is a complete troll. Fake name, fake twitter account. If that person was using their real name there is absolutely no way even if those are his real opinions would he put them out there in public. Some trolls are funny some are arseholes.
And Aoife is the latter.
Trolling is such a sad habit.. Must not have anything/one to do.
@Aoife. I did not accuse, infer or contend that a crime occurred. I merely pointed out the speciousness of your ill-thought-out comment.
Raped, whatever that is? Listen to yourself. It’s all the fault of those damn sexy kids is it? Five women and counting have come forward so far. Five women that were too frightened to say anything as children. Can you imagine the courage it takes to come forward now? Too frightened because its people like you that marginalise their pain with their own self aggrandised form of morals. Rape is rape. Get off the cross.
What rape? It was sexual molestation if anything happened. Hardly painful! People are dramatic and need to step into reality. The man is innocent and cannot be proven guilty. Let him rest in peace!
Troll
Especially if its not fresh right Aoife
surprise sex??
Aoife, you make the point about the allegations being unproven thusfar… would it not be a wiser move to hold your tongue until all the facts come out… if the allegations are found to be true then, as others have pointed out, you havent really got a leg to stand on. It’s like asking us to not forget all the masses that Fr. Brendan Smith said that gave joy to his parishioners, and weigh that against his crimes.
Aoife,I suppose Garry Glitter should be given a break because he made a few hits,and Fr Brendan Smyth should be looked on with a bit of mercy because he said a lovely sermon once?
@Aoife. What planet are you on lady…if I can call you that! If a male wrote any of the comments you put your name name to, the Gardai would be knocking on their door now & rightly so…
Keith, I think Aoife stands up to have a slash.
68 comments, the vast majority prompted by “Aoife”. It’s a good example of one person derailing a thread. So why did you all let her under your skin and so dominate the thread? Don’t feed trolls!
Well said Z. While You guys keep feeding it, it will keep on growing. The trolley has completely taken over the comments section on this thread.
He hasn’t been found guilty of anything. and he will never be able to defend himself. But there is a chance that the allegations are fabricated and Jim is guilty with no trial. There is also a chance he is guilty. I shall sit on the fence for now.
I presume Aoife is actually taking the pee?
Aoife is very obviously a male twerp and should be ignored totally.
Yes Aoife, sometimes it’s a seed. Isn’t past your bedtime?
She was a golden age for paedophaelia. We can’t turn back the clock but thankfully things have changed for the better.
Let’s not forget that this man is being posthumously accused of things for which he has NOT been found guilty. Perhaps it does come to pass that Mr. Savile was improper with some people, but you cannot take away the joy he brought to millions of kids. I’m not saying that this excuses any improprieties he may be guilty of but it goes a long way I think in making amends for rape or whatever you want to call it.
Thats just a mad statement you made. “Make amends for rape”? Can that be done?
Probably the worst comment I’ve ever read on the journal. Can’t believe you said that aoife.
Just check out aoifes profile pic, might explain a bit
That’s an EXCEPTIONALLY stupid statement Aoife…….
‘rape or whatever you want to call it’. Ya I suppose we’ll agree that having sex with a child is probably warranting of the word rape? I think I want to call it that if that’s ok Aoife.
@ Aoife :
Honestly I can’t believe that you’re serious with that comment. “Improper with some people” and “rape or whatever”. Are you living on this planet?
lol that is just mental, obvious pisstake, nobody could be that deranged……..well mabye a catholic nut
Describing the rape of children as improper, has to be the most ridiculous and offensive statement, that I’ve ever heard. Whether he is found guilty, or not, that sentiment is just wrong.
troll.
It’s ok people. Aoife will say a prayer for us, she buys her spuds in the catholic church. No rape there!
well it’s pretty obvious the majority of you could be eliminated from a jury for being sheep – recent case in point – Jill Meagher’s husband was call by all and sundry as the perp until the video came to light, every bar room chatter, every water cooler chat – all convinced that he was guilty, saying, that no one could go missing when it only 2 minutes from home – yet he had nothing to do with it – until such time as Mr Jim Saville is rightly found to have committed the crimes, beyond a shadow of a doubt then all he is is an accused person – and despite your thoughts on the matter, no matter how heinous the crimes truth and fiction lie in bed together and must be separated for justice to prevail – again, there are no comments allowed on Jill Meagher’s news stories because of the simple fact that the same people lambasting Aoife here would hang and quarter Jim before the truth comes out – without unquestionable proof, the man is innocent but accused, and they are not the same thing – you need to leave the emotion at the door – and we have all seen the results of so called suppressed memories, or memories that were in fact planted – so whilst u may find Aoifes comments abhorrent she has very valid points that would eliminate you all from a jury, the ultimate peer group who should decide the truth on the allegations
He was known in the business as “Jim’ll F#%k It.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/03/liking-young-girls-not-preference-perversion
The reaction of a lot of people in the industry is one of, well, not of surprise anyway. Says a lot, I think.
Stop feeding the trolls
Silence is the only way around them
That mad woman should be reported
The biggest tragedy is that his BBC colleagues seem to have suspicions about his behaviour but never reported it . How could they not act when children were in danger ?
dear queen get rid if that obe!
in my 6 month on.this app aoife you have to b the saddest person whos comments ive read… hopefully youl cop on n just feck off…
It doesn’t matter if he brought “joy” to millions of children. Ruining one life is not worth that. Everyday more and more stories are coming to light, even his nephew has spoken out about paedophile parties Saville was involved in. It’s sick.
Tip of the iceberg. ‘Pedo parties’ which begs the question “was he acting alone”?
I’ve always found Charles (Charlie) Chaplin similarly creepy (remember, the silent era comedian). Chaplin showed the same disturbing interest in young and sometimes underage girls – for example, he got Lita Grey pregnant when she was 16, he was 35. They fled to Mexico to get married in secret to avoid a scandal. Chaplin delayed the birth announcement (Charles Chaplin jr.) to escape a charge of statutory rape. It ended in a messy divorce that almost destroyed his career. Yet his fans stuck by him, and we still remember him for his comedy not his disturbing habit of getting underage teens pregnant. Wouldn’t be surprised if his money and fame covered up other cases.
I think it is hypocritical that Savile gets, a justified, character assassination, while Chaplin (and other celebrities, members of 70s drug dazed rock bands?) remain untarnished, despite perpetrating similar if not identical acts.
Is the reason because Savile was weird and we kinda expected this? Maybe Chaplin was more “normal”, wasn’t eccentric or an oddball loner; he Married 18 year old Oona O’Neil when he was 54, weird, but they had 8 children and a long happy marriage, not weird?
Tripe.
“habit of getting underage girls pregnant”
how many did he get pregnant?
One more than Savile, as far we know
as i suspected, not a habit at all just another throw away slur on someones character
Mildred Harris had a pregnancy scare when she was 16, so she married 27 year old Chaplin when she just turned 17. They got divorced 2 years later. Also, Chaplin choose Lita Grey to play a “Flirtatious Angel” in The Kid when she was 12 and he got her pregnant at 15.
Aoife the troll can keep her “prayers” thank you. Perhaps she is a clever troll, with her holy picture, setting up a Catholic persona to encourage us to continue to react with anger and hate as against the church and it’s supporters. Either way, I already hate the Catholic Church and feel that we have no punishment brutal enough for paedophiles, Catholic priest or otherwise.
Rape is always Rape, and Bullshit is always Bullshit… The shadows that twisted minds hide behind, running mouths, no vision, Blind. – Eh, Aoife.
Aoife, gotta give you full marks for world class sh1t stirring. If it was an Olympic event, I’d be testing you for nandrolone you are so much better at this than the average troll
R.I.P.
The Bbc have released pictures of the women involved. They have released pictures of how they looked back in the 70,s and present day pictures. They have been released under the caption
Now then, Now then
He will not be posthumously found guilty nor can he be exonerated. All evidence will be on foot of testimony from acts that allegedly happened 40 years ago. The fact that the woman who came forward seem to want for nothing but have their stories heard adds credence to their testimony but we shall never have a dig i
definitive answer on the matter. It will be trial by media.
A tragedy if he is innocent and a gross travesty if he is guilty….
How r they not innocent, i’m sure they wouldn’t of asked for any of this.
Yes Aoife as you rightly put it VICTIMS enough said
Oh Aoife sometimes I despair when reading comments on the journal. There is nothing that can amend his actions where he targeted the most innocent an vulnerable members of society!
I wonder how the charities Jimmy Savile supported will feel knowing that their funding came on the back of a conspiracy of silence about him. Always assuming that an enquiry will bear out the allegations.
I watched the programme aired a few nights ago and I must say it doesn’t look good for Savile. He even defended Gary Glitter, for crying out loud!
And as for Aoife’s posts….’nuff said.
here’s the documentary for those who have not seen it.
The Aoife idiot on this thread actually highlights a big problem in this country, indifference and making light of something like rape, i mean these kinds of people are destroying decent society, no principals, no morals, no values, lets just hope they reap the ignorance they sow.
..”devil’s advocate”…
Dirty old weirdo.
have your say