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.
GERMAN POLICE HAVE arrested three Pakistani suspects as 26 women have reported becoming victims of sexual assaults at a music festival, authorities said.
The mostly young women said they were encircled and groped by groups of men on Saturday night in ways that recalled a spate of mob attacks at chaotic New Year’s festivities in Cologne.
Police said they were investigating whether the perpetrators also robbed the women in the latest attacks at a four-day open air music festival in the western city of Darmstadt.
Initially three women had filed charges, leading to the arrests of the three men, Pakistani asylum seekers aged 28 to 31, and another 23 women have come forward since.
Police said they were searching for another two or three men and said in a statement that “the women have reported that they appeared to be men from the South Asia region”.
The Cologne attacks – committed in a crowd of mostly Arabic and North African men – appalled Germany and sharpened public concern about the arrival of over one million mostly asylum seekers last year, most from the Middle East.
In the inflamed debate, far-right groups railed against “sex jihadists” and “rapefugees”.
The yellow box is there for a reason. Lot of people don’t know how to use it.
@Yorkie1892: for parking, right?
@Yorkie1892: Commercial vehicle drivers should know. That is such an idiotic driving.
@eddie horgan: why should they know. Minimum wage job driving a light commercial possibly an agency driver with no English who doesn’t understand the rules in Ireland because the vehicle owner just wants a bum on the seat. The industry is in turmoil because of constantly chasing low costs at any price & this individual with get blamed lose his job & be replaced by another low cost agency worker. It’s only not funny because someone is going to be killed.
@Yorkie1892: Hijacking to air a pet peeve. What’s with the “Keep Clear” boxes? I don’t notice them the way I noticed yellow boxes. Keep it consistent!
@Allora: I’d accept your point about minimum wage etc, but isn’t that the same as every other country? The barriers are the same all over the world, there’s nothing unique about them. It’s just down to stupidity, nothing more
@Yorkie1892: A high percentage of drivers don’t have the patience to wait at the barriers and don’t have a clue how to drive within a city area.
@Yorkie1892: people know what a yellow box is for, they just care
@Yorkie1892: I would be more concerned with the gate coming down than the yellow box.
@DReynolds: stupidity is a possibility or an unfamiliar environment like driving on the wrong side of the road & different signage & rules. Also maybe poorly educated drivers who accept low pay jobs.
It’s going to be a very black Friday for that driver. #unemployed
@Peter Cavey: why should he get sacked we all make mistakes.
He should be sacked because he’s clearly incompetent at following the basic requirements of the job. We can’t just chalk this down as a ‘we all make mistakes’ and let him do it again.
@: Not at a rail crossing and especially not where the driver is expected to be professional. Compounded by forcing his way through the barrier.
@: I think hitting a bridge or other infrastructure like railway crossing is an offence. No business owner can afford to tolerate breaking a law.
@Conor King: Pretty sure this is the one person that will never do this again…
@Cynical There are consequences for stupidity. That’s just the way it is. He should have his licence taken off him as well as his job.
But cyclists are the most dangerous things on the road
@Craic_a_tower: The truck driver – typical cyclist – is wearing neither helmet nor hi-viz.
@Craic_a_tower: we see what you’re doing and we’re not taking the bait. #tool
@Craic_a_tower: if only these road users were trained and had a licence and insurance…oh wait!
@Conoroconnor: and what about tax….don’t forget the tax :-)
@Craic_a_tower: most dangerous thing to themselves
@Thomas Maher: obviously not given this year 2 motorists who weren’t looking at the road ran over a cyclist each. Completely guilty and at fault and didn’t spend a day in prison. Motorists are found to be at fault. If you want you can post up a case in the last year where a cyclist was found at fault for their death by being knocked down.
@Thomas Maher: that’s provably untrue, do some research before you spout your poisonous and dangerous cliches
@Craic_a_tower: you’re a moron
@Craic_a_tower: It wasn’t a cyclist who damaged the gates at a level crossing
Expect to see Shane Ross giving updates from the plinth shortly
What an @sshat. These drivers should be fined heavily and get penalty points for doing this and driving into bridges. The amount of disruption they cause is huge.
No point to talk who is guilty. Train services shouldn’t be suspended. An emergency signals should be there. EOT
I blame Trump!
Same thing just happened to the level crossing in Killarney .. strange.
Sure he was wearing hivis so he is ok.
@Joe Dobias: if only the barrier was wearing a hi viz vest!!! Bloody barriers, asking for trouble.
People should lose their licenses for their incidents like this
At least the second time this year that that has happened, if I’m right
@Ewan O’Doherty: at the very least, because it has happened twice today alone.
He was parked forward of the barrier, so it stopped coming down, then it and the barrier on the far side started to rise again (I assume so the truck could get off the crossing), he couldn’t see the barrier he was under and just drove on…
This is because there is a right turn into Serpintine Court just after the level crossing and the traffic moves but then gets stopped when someone takes a right turn so you get stuck in the yellow box.
have your say