Local news from your country - Part III (30)

200 involved in Belfast disturbances

DAN KEENAN

DISTURBANCES involving some 200 people last night led to the closure of a major road in Belfast, the PSNI said. The Albertbridge Road, a major thoroughfare which runs from the city centre to residential parts of east Belfast, was reported closed to traffic by police after 9pm.

A PSNI spokesman said some 200 people in two groups were involved in a confrontation at the junction of Castlereagh Street and Mountpottinger. Some missiles were thrown and police vehicles were also targeted.

The area where the trouble started is close to an interface between the nationalist Short Strand enclave and surrounding streets which are strongly unionist.

There has been a spate of incidents in the area over the summer and a football team bus, used by Catholics, was targeted last week in what was regarded as a sectarian attack.

Same story from the BBC....






Police fired baton rounds in Belfast on Monday night.

They were used when two rival crowds started trouble on the Albertbridge and Castlereagh roads in the east of the city.

Up to 200 people gathered in the area. Missiles were thrown at police and passing motorists, but there were no arrests.

The trouble began after a rally was held by Sinn Fein to mark the closure of Mountpottinger Police Station.

DUP councillor Robin Newton said he wanted to know who was behind the organisation of the event.

"I would like to know if this was an event with the blessing of Sinn Fein, or whether this was something organised by one or two individuals," said Mr Newton

"Because if it was a Sinn Fein organised event, then I think it was something that was reckless on their part. It obviously developed into a riot that they were unable to control."

East Belfast Sinn Fein representative Niall O Donnghaile said the use of plastic bullets was "completely unjustified" and that the event and the trouble afterwards were not connected.

"Interface trouble has been ongoing in this area over the past number of weeks and has been flagged up by community workers and statutory bodies from both sides of the community," he said.

"The PSNI would have been made well aware of this these problems and, in my opinion, have failed to deal with the situation adequately

Bulgaria Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has proposed a change to the Law on Road Traffic, in which drivers will have to pay fines before being allowed to appeal against them.
Tsvetanov stated that the current system of allowing drivers to appeal against fines has a long backlog of cases. He said that the idea follows the Dutch model that has also been introduced in France, leading to a 50% reduction in traffic accidents.
Tsvetanov added that he will be coordinating with Education Minister Yordanka Fandakova to make sure the first day of the school year goes smoothly.
The new traffic law is an attempt to stop the war on the roads that has led to Bulgaria being one of the most dangerous places to drive in Europe.