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CHINA IS TODAY mourning the 36 dead from a New Year’s Eve crush on Shanghai’s famed waterfront, as the city government revealed the victims were mainly young women.
The incident was Shanghai’s worst since a fire in a high-rise residential building killed 58 people in 2010 and tarnished the commercial hub’s international reputation.
Around 100 people gathered in front of a statue of Shanghai’s first Communist mayor Chen Yi near the accident scene, some laying flowers in a government-approved show of mourning.
Relatives wailed uncontrollably at a funeral home where some of the bodies were taken, with one woman crumpling with despair almost immediately after coming out, family members holding her up.
One man from Jiangxi province said: “My son is in there, I can’t believe this happened.”
The youngest of the 32 fatalities identified so far is a 12-year-old boy, Mao Yongjie.
He became separated from his mother in the overwhelming flow of revellers, news magazine Caixin reported, and efforts by hospital staff to save his life failed. His mother spent New Year’s day crying until she passed out from exhaustion, Caixin added.
All but four of the dead on a list released by the city government today were aged 25 or under, and 21 were female. The oldest fatality was 37.
Shanghai residents were questioning why the city government did not control the crowds, though police said a “more than normal” 700-strong police force was present.
“The Shanghai government should take responsibility for the incident. Most of the young victims must be the only child of their families,” said taxi driver Xu Jianzhong.
Under China’s strict birth control regulations most couples are restricted to a single child.
University student Chen Xiaohang placed white chrysanthemums at the memorial site in memory of the sister of a high-school classmate who died.
“I feel very sad about this and I hope the government will offer better safety controls for events like this,” she told AFP.
Authorities at first removed flowers after the incident but later set up crowd barriers to allow them to be laid in a controlled area. On Thursday evening, mourners lit candles including an arrangement in the shape of a heart.
Internet postings and media reports initially blamed US dollar-like notes — actually promotional items from M18, a glitzy Bund nightclub — thrown from a building for setting off a scramble and causing the carnage.
But police said the “money” throwing occurred 12 minutes after and 60 metres away from the crush in a plaza.
“This happened after the stampede incident,” police said in a statement that cited surveillance video, adding it did not cause crowding pressure.
The number of injured was raised by two to 49 on Friday, the Shanghai government said on a verified microblog account.
- © AFP 2015.
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Imaging giving your vote to a political party based on that party’s forecast of housing completions, when that party or its representatives doesn’t actually build any houses
@Kevin Kerr: Doesn’t that rule also out using housing as a reason to vote for the opposition who also haven’t built any houses but forecast what they are planning to build?
@Ger Whelan: yes, I wouldn’t look at the number of forecast completions as it’s just a random target that’s not based on any methodology – they may as well just stick their finger in the air. I look at policy, and the competence, or otherwise, of politicians as I see it
@Kevin Kerr: like SF…they dont build any houses and also object to planning application
@Bri Lye:
To be fair, all politicians will object to planning when it suits them
@Kevin Kerr: so, you do agree that the housing crisis is caused by an immigration crisis?
@Boody:
The only way the housing crisis will be solved will be by immigration.
We are desperately short of building staff, young Irish lads have no interest, experienced foreigners won’t come here because of high rents so the only hope is training the IPS immigrants that do come.
Give them a trade and a route to permanent residence after x amount of years.
@P. J.: you’re so out of touch with reality. Do you think these IPS immigrants are going to train to work a trade in Ireland? They are coming from Africa and East Asia. They don’t work construction. We have over 100,000 Indians in Ireland, I’ve never seen one work construction in my life. There is a few thousand Moldovans, I come across multiple on sites. Also, if you brought in 200,000 immigrants, where about 5% will work construction, then that 5% will have to build accommodation for the 200,000 to break even. That’s not going to happen. So you’re trying to chase the demand, but we’re increasing the demand every year. It’s great for construction workers as there wages will continue to rise as the demand for them continues to rise. It’s bad for everyone else.
@Ger Whelan: no, because the opposition have never been in power, so there is no evidence of them ever failing to meet housing targets, whereas ffg have and there is evidence of them failing to meet housing targets every single year
@Kevin Kerr: the policies of the Government however do deliver houses, and last year there were over 65k commencements
@Joe Willis:
Firstly, why bring up Indians? They are not in the IPS system because they wouldn’t qualify, and can’t get the dole, they are working, (and paying taxes), mostly in the service industries
Is it you don’t like the look of them?
Why wouldn’t the people in the IPS centres work in construction? Did you ask them? Those people are stuck in old hotels and empty nursing homes etc, with the threat of being sent home. Now the courts system allows them to drag that out too long, I think we would agree on that but if they had the choice of going home after a year or working construction with the chance of residency after time a lot more than 5% would take it.
BTW I also work in construction and my rates have doubled in the last few years so maybe we shouldn’t suggest solutions!!
@P. J.: I’ve seen plenty of these IPS gang and the majority dont strike me as building workers, going by their designer trainers and fancy clothes.
The majority are unskilled and simply drawn here by our handouts mentality.
@Thomas Sheridan:
I seriously doubt you would ever actually go into an IPS centre and see how they live and listen to their stories.
Probably afraid they would somehow damage your “Irishness”
@Kevin Kerr: so you exclude fine Gael and FF
If only many more would wake up and follow suit. Stop electing people who’ve failed and will fail again.
@Bri Lye: SF have consistently delivered credible housing plans which have had to be shelved because of the unbelievable willingness of the Irish people to let them selves be ruled by the corporate, outrageous FFG
@S Suilleabhain: I can produce a plan… especially when I know I won’t have to deliver it cos I won’t be in government
@Bri Lye: SF won the 2020 election..yet for the foreseeable we are still going to be reading stories about scandals bought and paid for by FFG. It’s not right. It’s not ok
Fianna Fail are the only party to loo k after the economy
@Boody: even I’m laughing at that one
Makes no difference, as they’ll be in Government for at least 5 years. They’ll offer another juicy give with one hand take in secret with the other hand which will buy them votes from the blinded older voters who get out and vote while the majority of younger voters refuse to vote instead choosing to sit at home and complain online thinking they are making a difference.
@Ger Whelan: FF unshackled gave us and would give us again a housing surplus.
@thomas molloy:
No they won’t Thomas. Because they, or any other party regardless of political ideology, have enough builders.
@thomas molloy: FF “unshackled” bankrupted the country and left hundreds of ghost estates littered around the country. But sure you knew what and chose to ignore it right?
@thomas molloy: possibly the dumbest comment to grace the journal comments…. & that’s saying something!
@Ger Whelan: we should have voted in Sinn Fein. Everyone would get a free house.
@Ger Whelan: it’s know way to run a country
@Joe Willis: let me guess,home owner , retired, public sector
@sean weir: not yet, no where near, and no.
@Ger Whelan: unfortunately
@Joe Willis: then you’ve plenty time to stop voting for FFG
Fianna Fail will always be the most popular party, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t vote for Fianna Fail
@Boody: I don’t. Now you know one person that doesn’t vote Finna Fail.
@Boody: burst your bubble boody… There’s a big world out there.
@Boody: wouldn’t it be great if they could manage public finances better and put irelands priorities first above all others maybe then they’d get more support just a bit of cop on on they’re part just a little. If they could focus on the key areas for once it would give people a lot more assurance.
@Paddy C: why would fianna fail listen to this or attempt to actually do the right thing? They (narrowly) came first this time having routinely done the wrong thing
@S Suilleabhain: true they don’t need to do much at all they’ll get back in again next time anyway no matter how bad it gets.
@S Suilleabhain: Also lying to the public pre election oh they do that everytime.
We need Fianna Fail and the Church
@Boody: at least we know how many trolling accounts you have now with 51 likes
@Boody: you forgot the Christian Brothers.
@Boody: Don’t forget the Gaa
@Jp Cleary: and the worst apologist nuns and priests who are proud of the clerical abuse they did and covered up. Fine people
FFG have given Ireland one f the worlds highest debts per capita according to the CSO
@barry lyons: pretty sure Fianna Fail gave wasters like you, an increase in your dole
@barry lyons: but I seen an article of an NGO on here yesterday, that we should be paying off Africas debts because it’s the right thing to do? Did you not say we have one of the highest debts per capita in the world? Who’s right here?
@Boody: is that why you voted for them?
@Joe Willis: we have the 9th highest debt per capita in the world
The state of him.
If you don’t vote for Fianna Fail, then there is something radically wrong with you
Alternative headline ‘Sinn Féin back on top’
@Brian D’Arcy: does that not depend jn who was asked? And where? These polls had SF winning the last election…..but look at what happened. If you think 1029 is truly representative of the populace who are eligible to vote, we could save millions on future elections and just ask 1 person per parish what they think.
@Barry Wilson: you forgot bigly
@Pat Barry: 1 parish pump person*
They’re the only ones in this country who count in the eyes of FFG and how any of those most up to their eyes in debt / bills / kids emigrated can look any loved ones or friends in the eyes – creatures
Dreadful shower, a plague on all their houses!
@Brian Hunt: https://youtu.be/z5yCsUQK4j0?si=mbn3xBRdmWwDKNKx
But sure, haven’t FF and FG not sorted out the housing crisis by letting people build cabins in their back gardens?
@AnthonyK:
And the price for a 2 bed cabin has probably doubled in the week
Did anyone actually before things would somehow change by voting them back in time and time again?
@Paddy C:
What makes you think those people wanted them to change?
@P. J.: that stinks to high heaven of a me feiner population
As everyone knows all they do is tell porky
Pies
@Bren: As Gaeilge, le do thoil.
You mean to tell me that there’s still grown people that believe in fairytales,
@Brian Molloy: true, the 20% who voted for Shinners
You can have all the housing targets you want, and they love to spin it, but nobody to build. This is what you voted for.
@Shane O Mac:
Exactly.
All the parties were falling over themselves on housing targets during the election.
50,000 per year says one, I bid 60,000 says another, I bid 100,000 says someone else……
And every single one of those parties were well aware that we will be lucky to maintain 30,000 regardless of who was elected.
@P. J.: yet there were 65k commencements last year
@Johnny Wilson:
An irrelevant figure.
Completions for 2022 were 29,000
2023 had 32,000 and last year’s were down to 30,000
Almost certain to drop further this year.
@Johnny Wilson: and 30,300 houses built ,
commencements don’t matter
@Johnny Wilson: 30 000 built. That is all that matters and it’s not something to be hopeful about ..
FF back suggesting tax-breaks for developers too..the ‘Boom’ is back lads.
Bet you the FF tent at the Galway Races will be back too, with all their snouts stuck in the trough.
Gwan the Mary Lou! Some woman.
@Tech Wont Save You: should cut down on the pork pies though!
We can end up having to scavange for food and canibalise each other and FF FG support will remain steady. The Kim dynasty will lose an election in North Korea before FF and FG are both out of power.
@GoodBrother: Do SF have a link with North Korea?
@Del Ray: you’re more likely to get one with FG surely, sided with the German ‘socialist party’ in the 40s
if the shoe fits
Polls at this stage make little difference, they have another 4+ years to see what else they can hide from us and tell us more lies
Zero ambition, caretaker govts as voted by the usual majority conservative thinking Irish. Don’t blame ff/fg, they’re inept in any case …. blame yourselves. Ireland needs a radical shift on their thinking and change the stagnant worn-out approaches on anything that isn’t just associated with making capital.
Please don’t bounce back with how the ‘others’ would be worse. I’ve no solutions either but a change needs to happen.
@j m m:
Thing is in that election a majority (barely) signaled they don’t want change, at least not significant change
Or they can’t agree on what it should be.
@P. J.: or they haven’t got a clue,state propaganda is all they look at as regards media and preparing ahead of an election
Think we’re at a point where a lot of ppl just will never own a house.
@John Purcell: what I mean here is there are only so many leavers the government can pull to get and get houses build. Global market now with Eastern Europe booking, and increasing immigration coupled with reductions in interest rates mean supply will never catch demand.
Got the figures wrong when Meehole and his lot tanked the economy back in the day.
We need to go back for the future and order all local authorities to make social housing the priority objective as applied in the post WW2 period.
That cleared the family per room TB ridden tenements, without foreign investors nor any native offshored developers. Dependance on market scarcity driven policy will never solve social needs.
Let the free market build the 4 beds and state build the social 3 beds. For rent Tower blocks of 1 & 2 beds cain be left to REIT and Pension Fund.
@William Kelly:
Great idea!
Who’s going to build them?
@P. J.: all the foreigners that you all complain so much about ,the boom was built on eastern European workforce .I came to Cork in 2002 and the amount of people that complained about “foreign nationals” takings jobs was breathtaking.
@sean weir:
Excuse me, go try find any comment I have ever made complaining about foreigners…….
I think we have nowhere near enough of them.
I actually suggested exactly that, getting immigrants to build on this very article a couple of hours ago.
A thread started by Kevin Kerr.
Specifically, training IPS residents in the trades and giving them a promise of residency after a set number of years.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. But we’re a super intelligent country ha ha.
@Brian D’Arcy: I seen what the Bolsheviks did to Europe, to know never ever to vote in a Marxist party as long as I live. Better dead than red.
@Joe Willis: wtf are you talking about ???
Read a book,pure bog animal you are
@sean weir: the only people who want communism like you, are people who can’t compete in a capitalist society. So you want an entire reset, so you can try again.
White stick government, peeing against the wind.
The 25% of fools who voted for this creep and his FF party should have known he had plucked the housing figures out of his rear end. FF have never delivered what they have promised and thanks to these lackeys we are stuck with this detest able clo wn for 5 years.
If you believed the comments here then the far right parties should be on 40-50%. Ireland first and all that crap. The loudest wierdos here speak for 2% of the actual population
@FoxyBoiiYT: The concept of “Ireland First” is “crap”? How long have you been a traitor to your own people? Nationalism is okay for Palestinians and Ukrainians but Ireland belongs to the world, yeah? You sir, are the definition of a cuck.
@FoxyBoiiYT:
Your being very generous with your 2%
Irrelevant nobody’s.
@Chop Chop: Awww did i hurt your far right feelings? Hate being called out don’t ye? Ye are not supported by the people of Ireland and no amount of whinging on here will change that. The truth hurts eh…
@FoxyBoiiYT: the majority of Europe, the USA, Canada (in march), Australia and NZ have a different view. No wonder their standard of living and buying power is higher than ours.
@FoxyBoiiYT: Thats how it goes tho. Legislate the majority based on the minority. Frustraiting.
@Chop Chop: so says the yank
Elected by fools, the majority stayed away. Not a good sign for the future of Ireland
@087 bed: majority didn’t stay away, turnout was 59.7%
@087 bed: Excuse me I’m no fool nor are the Irish electorate they voted to keep the Belfast directed party out. We were proved correct also we knew both the Social Democrats are only a debating society after 3 elections now made their excuses again to crib from the sidelines and as for Labour they still think we haven’t forgotten how they attacked the carers and weakest in Society and now pretend they have the answers
Germany is going far right today thanks to socialist governance
@SteveH:
Germany nowhere near going far right, latest polls put them on 21% so even with a large surge about 75% or 3 out of 4 voters will have rejected them.
The same happened in The Netherlands, where the far right party actually got into power but only after ditching their leader and all of their most controversial policies with the coalition partners joining only after they ensured they would outnumber them within cabinet and government benches.
Doesn’t matter if it dropped to zero percent there in now
Seriously!? Its not all the governments fault! Why are they so expensive, unaffordable and not worth the price they are going for!? Answer obvious! Profit profit profit! Until there is a way figured out to produce homes at normal prices then its never going to change! Until there is no demand anymore and this will happen like the last time because of unaffordabilty which we cant fully blame the government for!
@derek: unbelievable comment
@derek: unreal. This same government in the main created all the crises that we are seeing.
@derek: are you taking the piss of course its their fault. Its their policy
It’s a sad reflection on the electricate sheep,
@N D K:
Or a sad reflection on the opposition, in the midst of the worst housing crisis ever, they couldn’t convince enough people they could do better.
@N D K: did you mean electrocuted sheep ?
@P. J.: that’s exactly it. There is no opposition. All parties subscribe to the same centre and centre right politics. So, there is no reason to change things as they are. The real crime is that this allows far right parties to become the only markedly different alternative. Thankfully, in spite of this, they have no substantial support.
@Alan: centre right? Really? High taxes and mass immigration is left wing. Pro lgbt abortion and censorship is left wing. You’re delusional
@Joe Willis:
Yourself and Alan are mixing economic attitudes and social ones.
On the economy the 3 main parties are centre right, centre and centre left, covering 60% of the voters.
Some of the smaller parties cover the more extreme options.
On Social issues the vast vast majority of TDs are different shades of socially liberal.
@P. J.: high taxes is left wing. We have very high tax here. If you make 100k, you will give half of it to the government when you count in USC PRSI PAYE and the little taxes they squirm out of people. The closest state to right wing in monetary policy is Texas, USA. There is no income tax. Only federal tax that all states have.
@Joe Willis: and the wealthy gulf states of course like UAE, Quatar, Saudi,
*tumbleweed
It’s a sad state of affairs,such poor choices to vote for,fffg are terrible,but unfortunately the best of a very,very bad bunch.
@Deano74: that’s why we need to get rid of all the parties create new ones for the future generations of Ireland
@Housing Hunger yes,I’m well aware fffg are back in government.
@Housing Hunger Games: I never mentioned new parties,the electorate put fffg back in despite there terrible record last term,why,imo there not convinced by the other parties available,and that is a sad state of affairs,and if the electorate disagree there are poor choices,why didn’t one of them end up with enough seats to form a government.
@Housing Hunger Games: so you think that everyone who voted ffg will disagree that the party have made poor choices? How delusional are you. A vote for fffg was a vote to ensure that Sinn Fein did not get into government, as they were the biggest opposition by a mile. Why would ffg voters go and vote for a different new party, half of them stay and still vote fffg and Sinn Fein get the majority? That would be a disaster for this country.
@Joe Willis: What he’s trying to make out Joe is that the electorate disagree with an earlier post of poor alternatives to vote for as opposed to fffg,yet that electorate returned none of them great alternatives to be in government.
Modern houses are too expensive to build and too expensive to certify. So the choice is a Rolls Royce house or homeless, or now a glorified shed in the back garden. Houses built in the boom(with proper blocks!) Are serving people well,yes a little drafty and costs a few quid extra to heat but they work.
@r k:
Now this I agree with.
Ask people would they like a C3 house in a year or an A3 in 5 years I know which they will pick
Sock puppetry
It’s a shame there is no Alternativ fuer Irland
@SteveH:
There was, they got less than 1% of the vote.
Bit late.
And the nonsense continues. There is no difference in any of the parties
@Carl Valderrama: Read their manifestos and stop making silly comments.
@Carl Valderrama: well said
@Brian D’Arcy:
I’m not into fiction.
@Brian D’Arcy: oh really? Read FF manifesto that claims they are a ‘right of centre’ party. Even though there isn’t a single ‘right wing’ policy that they try and implement. Ridiculous high taxes, 100,000+ immigrants in one year, pro lgbt, pro abortion, pro censorship. Sounds very right wing to me.
@Joe Willis: Your limited understanding allows you believe that right of centre means right wing. Veins of the Dunning-Kruger effect run through your comments.
@Jack Hayes: you probably think the AfD is far right
When you have a slogan housing for all, including free housing for Easters who come here no wonder we have a house ing, hospital, school, prison overcrowding .
@BRENDAN O’CONNELL: should be Easters.
@BRENDAN O’CONNELL: Free housing for Easter? Eggselent idea.
@BRENDAN O’CONNELL: won’t let me use w
@BRENDAN O’CONNELL: heard you the first time, Easter Bunny.
@BRENDAN O’CONNELL: happens to ankers a lot.
All within margin of error
18% who voted Fine Gael would and 25% who voted Fianna Fáil it seems would say they would not have done so if they knew the true housing figures. No offense to these people but they are telling barefaced lies.
Germany goes to the polls today. With over 20 million people not born there living there the obvious question is “How German is Germany in 2025?”. Daft socialists can pat themselves on the back for pushing Germany and so many other nations to the right.
@SteveH: exactly blame lies on the government itself ignoring people’s concerns
Could be worse could have spin fein in government and Bankrupt the nation in 3 years.
@Darran Macken: At least they’d do it quicker than FFG….. took them about 95.
@Darran Macken: your reason for that comment and proof
@Darran Macken: the only people who really think like that are beyond help. They love money and most importantly they love the fear that’s been used to keep the cartel in government
And people keep voting them in will they ever learn
Polls 2 months after an election
They could not get a exit poll correct and as for the Business post I’m amazed Sinn Fein hasn’t sued them over false polls leading up to last election
@Tim Brennan: If they had done anything remotely wrong Suin Fein would have sued!!
@Sean Hayes: Note the Exit poll these polling companies have skin in these games seeking to influence voting patterns
Lost of for word’s
So 25 percent of people said they wouldn’t vote Fianna Fáil but they only down 2 percent in the poll?
@John Garvin: well that’s a hell of a lot of clowns, people of Ireland threw away many opportunities since the crash to put manners on FFG
‘She’s a promise in the year of election’
You get what u vote for . No point in complaining
No school places for kids with disabilities, no services, but he sends money out to everywhere and anywhere except use it in Ireland that the citizens need. These endless narratives are over. Support the Irish people for a change.
Housing do
have your say