News

[The Grim Hamster lord]

As Horatio asked I have decided to create (rather than revive) a news topic. Here's a nice piece of news for you, because there seems to be a spate of huge robberies in Europe at the minute. GASP! Moriaty is back! *whisks out deerstalker hat and revolver* The game is afoot!

 

Flying Squad foils £80m robbery

 

 

The target was £40m pounds worth of gold bullion

Police have thwarted what they believe would have been Britain's biggest robbery.

The target was £40m pounds worth of gold bullion and between £30-40m in cash, stored at the Swissport Cargo Warehouse at Heathrow Airport.

 

Armed police were lying in wait for the gang as a white Transit van smashed into warehouse doors.

 

Seven people have been arrested - one man who hijacked a vehicle is still on the run.

 

The gang threatened staff with at least one firearm, knives, cudgels, hockey sticks and lumps of wood, after reversing at speed through the warehouse shutters at 1000 BST on Monday, police said.

 

They then forced their way into a secure area containing a large quantity of precious metal and bank notes.

 

"We have foiled what would have been one of the biggest robberies ever committed in the UK"

 

Det Supt Barry Phillips

 

But as the men tried to escape, officers fired special bullets - designed to deflate tyres with minimal damage - into the van's wheels.

 

Six men were arrested but two suspects hijacked a white van, forcing the driver to smash through entrance gates and drive to Stanwell, Surrey, police say.

 

The driver of the hijacked van gave himself up near the airport shortly before 1300 BST.

 

But the other man escaped on foot.

 

The hijacked van was recovered, and those arrested taken to West London police stations for questioning, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

 

One officer had suffered minor injuries, the statement added.

 

A Swissport spokesman said security guards had stopped the van at the complex's main entrance - but the gang had had legitimate paperwork to collect a shipment.

 

The gold bullion and cash had arrived earlier on Monday, he added.

 

"Some members of higher management were aware this raid was going to take place - but for operational reasons this information was not shared with the rest of the workforce," the spokesman added.

 

"This has obviously been a very shocking experience for many of our members of staff - some are very upset, and counselling has been arranged for them.

 

"The company was pleased to co-operate with the police, and congratulate them on the outcome."

 

 

FOILED HEIST AT HEATHROW

 

1 1000 BST: Armed gang ram warehouse shutters in a van and threaten staff. They are trying to steal £40m in gold bullion plus cash.

2 Police lying in wait disable the van and arrest six of the gang

3 Two men hijack another van and drive off towards Stanwell

4 1300 BST: Seventh man is arrested

 

The gang is thought to have had inside information about the warehouse.

 

Detective Superintendent Barry Phillips, of the Flying Squad, said: "They knew where the gold bullion was located inside the premises and went straight for it."

 

But the area had been under surveillance for weeks.

 

Swissport's management had been "very co-operative", Det Supt Phillips added.

 

"In preventing this attack, we have foiled what would have been one of the biggest robberies ever committed in the UK. We believe that these men were part of an organised criminal enterprise," he said.

 

"A lot of planning and preparation went into the attack - but the Flying Squad was one step ahead of the team for some time."

 

The swoop operation, codenamed Cartwright, was part of the larger Operation Grafton, an initiative launched by the Met's Specialist Crime Directorate in partnership with Thames Valley Police, Surrey Police, HM Customs and Excise.

 

Det Supt Phillips said the initiative had enjoyed "substantial success in dismantling the organised networks that have been operating in and around the airport" in the past year.

 

World's biggest robberies

Apr 1945: Reichsbank in Berlin, Germany looted. Estimated £2.5bn stolen.

Feb 2003: £65m diamond robbery in Antwerp, Belgium

Jul 1987: £60m robbery at Knightsbridge safety deposit centre, London

1994: £29m gems raid in Cannes, France

Nov 1983: £26m Brinks Mat robbery at Heathrow, London

Jan 1976: £22m robbery at British Bank of the Middle East in Beirut, Lebanon

Source: Guinness World Records

 

It was "a classic example of that partnership approach" and had "removed a serious and organised criminal gang", he added.

 

The gang were "career criminals", with some known to police, Det Supt Phillips said.

 

The Met's Specialist Crime Directorate head Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur said: "A professional team of armed robbers have now been removed from society."

 

Airport operator BAA Heathrow said in a statement: "We are delighted.

 

"We have worked very closely with the police and cargo operators at Heathrow in recent months on improving security around valuable cargo."

 

Swissport, majority-owned by London-based private equity house Candover Partners Ltd, handles more than three million tonnes of cargo every year.

 

Its UK customers include British Airways, First Choice, Ryanair, Monarch, Britannia, Thomas Cook Airlines, easyJet, FlyBe, Eastern Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

 

I'll fill you in on the £52 million gem heist in Amsterdam when more information is released from the police.

[Horatio]

As Horatio asked I have decided to create (rather than revive) a news topic. Here's a nice piece of news for you, because there seems to be a spate of huge robberies in Europe at the minute. GASP! Moriaty is back! *whisks out deerstalker hat and revolver* The game is afoot!

 

Flying Squad foils £80m robbery

 

 

The target was £40m pounds worth of gold bullion

Police have thwarted what they believe would have been Britain's biggest robbery.

The target was £40m pounds worth of gold bullion and between £30-40m in cash, stored at the Swissport Cargo Warehouse at Heathrow Airport.

 

Armed police were lying in wait for the gang as a white Transit van smashed into warehouse doors.

 

Seven people have been arrested - one man who hijacked a vehicle is still on the run.

 

The gang threatened staff with at least one firearm, knives, cudgels, hockey sticks and lumps of wood, after reversing at speed through the warehouse shutters at 1000 BST on Monday, police said.

 

They then forced their way into a secure area containing a large quantity of precious metal and bank notes.

 

  "We have foiled what would have been one of the biggest robberies ever committed in the UK"

 

Det Supt Barry Phillips

 

But as the men tried to escape, officers fired special bullets - designed to deflate tyres with minimal damage - into the van's wheels.

 

Six men were arrested but two suspects hijacked a white van, forcing the driver to smash through entrance gates and drive to Stanwell, Surrey, police say.

 

The driver of the hijacked van gave himself up near the airport shortly before 1300 BST.

 

But the other man escaped on foot.

 

The hijacked van was recovered, and those arrested taken to West London police stations for questioning, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

 

One officer had suffered minor injuries, the statement added.

 

A Swissport spokesman said security guards had stopped the van at the complex's main entrance - but the gang had had legitimate paperwork to collect a shipment.

 

The gold bullion and cash had arrived earlier on Monday, he added.

 

"Some members of higher management were aware this raid was going to take place - but for operational reasons this information was not shared with the rest of the workforce," the spokesman added.

 

"This has obviously been a very shocking experience for many of our members of staff - some are very upset, and counselling has been arranged for them.

 

"The company was pleased to co-operate with the police, and congratulate them on the outcome."

FOILED HEIST AT HEATHROW

 

1 1000 BST: Armed gang ram warehouse shutters in a van and threaten staff. They are trying to steal £40m in gold bullion plus cash.

2 Police lying in wait disable the van and arrest six of the gang

3 Two men hijack another van and drive off towards Stanwell

4 1300 BST: Seventh man is arrested 

 

The gang is thought to have had inside information about the warehouse.

 

Detective Superintendent Barry Phillips, of the Flying Squad, said: "They knew where the gold bullion was located inside the premises and went straight for it."

 

But the area had been under surveillance for weeks.

 

Swissport's management had been "very co-operative", Det Supt Phillips added.

 

"In preventing this attack, we have foiled what would have been one of the biggest robberies ever committed in the UK. We believe that these men were part of an organised criminal enterprise," he said.

 

"A lot of planning and preparation went into the attack - but the Flying Squad was one step ahead of the team for some time."

 

The swoop operation, codenamed Cartwright, was part of the larger Operation Grafton, an initiative launched by the Met's Specialist Crime Directorate in partnership with Thames Valley Police, Surrey Police, HM Customs and Excise.

 

Det Supt Phillips said the initiative had enjoyed "substantial success in dismantling the organised networks that have been operating in and around the airport" in the past year.

 

World's biggest robberies

Apr 1945: Reichsbank in Berlin, Germany looted. Estimated £2.5bn stolen.

Feb 2003: £65m diamond robbery in Antwerp, Belgium

Jul 1987: £60m robbery at Knightsbridge safety deposit centre, London

1994: £29m gems raid in Cannes, France

Nov 1983: £26m Brinks Mat robbery at Heathrow, London

Jan 1976: £22m robbery at British Bank of the Middle East in Beirut, Lebanon

Source: Guinness World Records 

 

It was "a classic example of that partnership approach" and had "removed a serious and organised criminal gang", he added.

 

The gang were "career criminals", with some known to police, Det Supt Phillips said.

 

The Met's Specialist Crime Directorate head Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur said: "A professional team of armed robbers have now been removed from society."

 

Airport operator BAA Heathrow said in a statement: "We are delighted.

 

"We have worked very closely with the police and cargo operators at Heathrow in recent months on improving security around valuable cargo."

 

Swissport, majority-owned by London-based private equity house Candover Partners Ltd, handles more than three million tonnes of cargo every year.

 

Its UK customers include British Airways, First Choice, Ryanair, Monarch, Britannia, Thomas Cook Airlines, easyJet, FlyBe, Eastern Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

 

I'll fill you in on the £52 million gem heist in Amsterdam when more information is released from the police.

That is fantastic TGHL! I always love it when you report the news!

Now, come and pick up your Black Bat Award. You deserve it!

[Horatio]

*waits for more news on heists*

[The Grim Hamster lord]

*waits for more news on heists*

       

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Calm down Horatio, it was only a £52 million jewel heist after all. And after all, isn't hearing about Bush completely missing the point and thinking that Putin is making Russia into a Totalatarian country more fun?

 

 

 

Bush presses Putin on democracy

 

Both leaders were keen to stress areas of common ground

US President George W Bush has told Russian President Vladimir Putin of his "concerns" about Russian democracy.

Following talks in the Slovak capital Bratislava, Mr Bush told reporters he had expressed these worries in a "constructive and friendly way".

 

Mr Bush said they agreed that Iran should not have nuclear weapons.

 

The US has concerns about Russian nuclear co-operation with Iran. Mr Putin has said there is no evidence that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons.

 

Washington has repeatedly accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. It is also concerned about Russian arms sales to Syria.

 

"All the modern institutions of democracy... should be adequate to the current status of the development of Russia, to our history and our traditions"

Vladimir Putin

 

 

A senior US official speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the summit had not produced any breakthroughs on either issue.

 

At a joint news conference at Bratislava Castle, the two leaders stressed their close ties and agreed to accelerate efforts by Russia to gain entry to the World Trade Organization.

 

However, the BBC's Moscow correspondent, Damian Grammaticas, reports that when it comes to the details of the issues they discussed, the two men appear to be on divergent paths.

 

'Russia chooses democracy'

 

President Putin told reporters that Russia had chosen democracy "independently", not because of pressure from outside.

 

"Any return to totalitarianism would be impossible," he said.

But he added that democracy must be adapted to Russian conditions, taking into account "our history and our traditions" - and he said that comparing which of the two countries had more or less democracy was "not the right thing to do".

 

Mr Bush said: "Democracies always reflect a country's culture and customs and I know that.

 

"But they have certain things in common. They have rule of law, and protection of minorities, a free press and a viable political opposition."

 

The meeting with Mr Putin was the final event of a European tour aimed at healing divisions over the Iraq war. Mr Bush is now heading back to Washington.

 

Before the Bratislava summit began, Russia and the US signed a deal to control the spread of shoulder-fired missiles - seen as a growing threat to civilian aircraft.

 

They also agreed on better safeguards of nuclear materials.

 

Concerns on both sides

 

The US president has been under pressure from some senior US politicians to make it clear to Mr Putin that his friendship with the US is at risk unless he maintains Russian democracy.

 

 

A senior administration official told journalists travelling with Mr Bush that Mr Putin had recently told the US president that the Russian people had a history of strong tsars, and that they were accustomed to government playing a strong role in their lives.

 

The official said President Bush had rejected that notion.

 

Russian concerns include the increasing US influence in former Soviet republics such as Georgia and Ukraine.

 

In a speech which correspondents say is likely to have annoyed Russia, Mr Bush addressed Slovaks in a snowy Bratislava square, praising the country's stance as a loyal US ally.

 

Drawing applause from the crowd, Mr Bush praised the 1989 "Velvet Revolution" that defeated communism in the then Czechoslovakia.

 

"In recent times, we have witnessed landmark events in the history of liberty: A Rose Revolution in Georgia, an Orange Revolution in Ukraine, and now a Purple Revolution in Iraq," he said, referring to the voters' ink used in Iraq's recent election.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Fine then Horatio, here is the Jewel Heist.

 

Dutch seek clues to jewel heist

 

KLM staff were threatened in the raid

Dutch investigators are questioning witnesses about Friday's reported 75m-euro (£52m) theft of diamonds and other jewels from Amsterdam airport.

An armed gang disguised as airport workers entered a secured area and hijacked a lorry about to load the valuables onto a flight to Antwerp.

 

Security staff from the airline, KLM, were threatened but no-one was hurt.

 

The empty lorry was later recovered in a nearby town. Police are searching the vehicle for evidence.

 

World's biggest robberies

Feb 2005: £52m diamond and jewel theft at Amsterdam airport, Netherlands

Feb 2003: £65m diamond robbery in Antwerp, Belgium

1994: £29m gems raid in Cannes, France

Jul 1987: £60m robbery at Knightsbridge safety deposit centre, London

Nov 1983: £26m Brinks Mat robbery at Heathrow, London

Jan 1976: £22m robbery at British Bank of the Middle East in Beirut, Lebanon

Apr 1945: Reichsbank in Berlin, Germany looted. Estimated £2.5bn stolen.

Source: Guinness World Records

 

Correspondents say it is the second time a KLM flight has been robbed in six months.

 

The gems were on their way to a flight bound for Antwerp, Europe's diamond capital, when the robbers struck.

 

Nobody was injured in the raid, KLM said.

 

Schiphol police told the BBC that the robbery happened just before the "high value goods" were going to be loaded onto the plane and that there were plenty of witnesses.

 

Among the jewels taken was a considerable sized dispatchment to a high class London firm that does not want to disclose its name.

[Toto]

What a lovely way to copy and paste. If you are going to Plagiarize...please, don't. Put the place where you got it from.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

What a lovely way to copy and paste. If you are going to Plagiarize...please, don't. Put the place where you got it from.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you are going to tell me what to do, go see God's final message to his Creation. It reads like this:

 

WE APOLOGISE FOR THE INCONVIENCE

Edited February 27, 2005 by Horatio

[The Grim Hamster lord]

If you are going to tell me what to do, go see God's final message to his Creation. It reads like this:

 

WE APOLOGISE FOR THE INCONVIENCE

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And thankfully it takes several million light years to travel to so hopefully I won't have to listen to your disgusting drivel anymore.

(Guess how much was edited by Horatio)

[Toto]

Ladedadeda

[Toto]

Be quick to think and slow to speak.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

As I can see that Toto is in this very topic I have a request that I want her to listen to without:

1) being biased

2) refering to anything religous

3) not accepting

The third one is optional.

Now then Toto, as you should remember, before you got involved in the "What Religon are you?" (worst and most troublesome topic ever) that we were very good "friends." However since you got "involved" the friendship level plunged and is at the minute roughly in the same place but in negative rather than positive. Now you might not have made that plagarisim comment if it were still in the positive, would you Toto? If you were honest, the answer should be "No I wouldn't of" but thats your choice.

Now, you and I have a choice.

Carry on like this and plunge the boards into yet another blood feud that I will again be at the centre of or we can just call it the end, keep religous matters inside the "What Religon are you?" (worst and most troublesome topic ever) or other religous topics, end the nastiness, not undermind each other or be rude about the other's choice and just DISCUSS rationally. Or we could leave it all together and let the topic decompose like so many nuclear waste barrels. lets just end the fighting? I am trying the Horatio approach for a change and have sent too many people away in tears (see the Otter event, circa '03) or ended up in flaming rows with them (see the ML crisis circa late '04) to have it happen again. please can we end it?

[The Grim Hamster lord]

As I can see that Toto is in this very topic I have a request that I want her to listen to without:

1) being biased

2) refering to anything religous

3) not accepting

The third one is optional.

Now then Toto, as you should remember, before you got involved in the "What Religon are you?" (worst and most troublesome topic ever) that we were very good "friends." However since you got "involved" the friendship level plunged and is at the minute roughly in the same place but in negative rather than positive. Now you might not have made that plagarisim comment if it were still in the positive, would you Toto? If you were honest, the answer should be "No I wouldn't of" but thats your choice.

Now, you and I have a choice.

Carry on like this and plunge the boards into yet another blood feud that I will again be at the centre of or we can just call it the end, keep religous matters inside the "What Religon are you?" (worst and most troublesome topic ever) or other religous topics, end the nastiness, not undermind each other or be rude about the other's choice and just DISCUSS rationally. Or we could leave it all together and let the topic decompose like so many nuclear waste barrels. lets just end the fighting? I am trying the Horatio approach for a change and have sent too many people away in tears (see the Otter event, circa '03) or ended up in flaming rows with them (see the ML crisis circa late '04) to have it happen again. please can we end it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

*sigh*

No response.

[Horatio]

*sigh*

No response.

I do believe that religion posts should be keep in the religion topic only. Please let's do that.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

I do believe that religion posts should be keep in the religion topic only.  Please let's do that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hear Hear, do you agree that there should be no nastiness because of that topic either? Because thats what happened with me and Toto. Where's Jesusfreak anyway? And shouldn't I get commended for not exploding like I usually do and trying your approach Horatio?

[Toto]

Read my religion post.

 

Ha. I remember when we were somewhat friends, yes. That was when I was a pink-loving, shallow, self-centered maniac. (No offence to you, I'm just stating the obvious of what I was.) See my blog, that I will soon create in "Stories...blah blah blah..anything creative.."

[Horatio]

Hear Hear, do you agree that there should be no nastiness because of that topic either? Because thats what happened with me and Toto. Where's Jesusfreak anyway? And shouldn't I get commended for not exploding like I usually do and trying your approach Horatio?

*hands The Red Rose Award to TGHL*

You have done very well. I do commend you and award you The Red Rose Award!

[Horatio]

Read my religion post.

 

Ha. I remember when we were somewhat friends, yes. That was when I was a pink-loving, shallow, self-centered maniac. (No offence to you, I'm just stating the obvious of what I was.) See my blog, that I will soon create in "Stories...blah blah blah..anything creative.."

Toto! It doesn't matter what space you were in at the time, you STILL were friends.

[The Biggest Fan Of Fuzzy]

As Horatio asked I have decided to create (rather than revive) a news topic. Here's a nice piece of news for you, because there seems to be a spate of huge robberies in Europe at the minute. GASP! Moriaty is back! *whisks out deerstalker hat and revolver* The game is afoot!

 

Flying Squad foils £80m robbery

 

 

The target was £40m pounds worth of gold bullion

Police have thwarted what they believe would have been Britain's biggest robbery.

The target was £40m pounds worth of gold bullion and between £30-40m in cash, stored at the Swissport Cargo Warehouse at Heathrow Airport.

 

Armed police were lying in wait for the gang as a white Transit van smashed into warehouse doors.

 

Seven people have been arrested - one man who hijacked a vehicle is still on the run.

 

The gang threatened staff with at least one firearm, knives, cudgels, hockey sticks and lumps of wood, after reversing at speed through the warehouse shutters at 1000 BST on Monday, police said.

 

They then forced their way into a secure area containing a large quantity of precious metal and bank notes.

 

  "We have foiled what would have been one of the biggest robberies ever committed in the UK"

 

Det Supt Barry Phillips

 

But as the men tried to escape, officers fired special bullets - designed to deflate tyres with minimal damage - into the van's wheels.

 

Six men were arrested but two suspects hijacked a white van, forcing the driver to smash through entrance gates and drive to Stanwell, Surrey, police say.

 

The driver of the hijacked van gave himself up near the airport shortly before 1300 BST.

 

But the other man escaped on foot.

 

The hijacked van was recovered, and those arrested taken to West London police stations for questioning, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

 

One officer had suffered minor injuries, the statement added.

 

A Swissport spokesman said security guards had stopped the van at the complex's main entrance - but the gang had had legitimate paperwork to collect a shipment.

 

The gold bullion and cash had arrived earlier on Monday, he added.

 

"Some members of higher management were aware this raid was going to take place - but for operational reasons this information was not shared with the rest of the workforce," the spokesman added.

 

"This has obviously been a very shocking experience for many of our members of staff - some are very upset, and counselling has been arranged for them.

 

"The company was pleased to co-operate with the police, and congratulate them on the outcome."

FOILED HEIST AT HEATHROW

 

1 1000 BST: Armed gang ram warehouse shutters in a van and threaten staff. They are trying to steal £40m in gold bullion plus cash.

2 Police lying in wait disable the van and arrest six of the gang

3 Two men hijack another van and drive off towards Stanwell

4 1300 BST: Seventh man is arrested 

 

The gang is thought to have had inside information about the warehouse.

 

Detective Superintendent Barry Phillips, of the Flying Squad, said: "They knew where the gold bullion was located inside the premises and went straight for it."

 

But the area had been under surveillance for weeks.

 

Swissport's management had been "very co-operative", Det Supt Phillips added.

 

"In preventing this attack, we have foiled what would have been one of the biggest robberies ever committed in the UK. We believe that these men were part of an organised criminal enterprise," he said.

 

"A lot of planning and preparation went into the attack - but the Flying Squad was one step ahead of the team for some time."

 

The swoop operation, codenamed Cartwright, was part of the larger Operation Grafton, an initiative launched by the Met's Specialist Crime Directorate in partnership with Thames Valley Police, Surrey Police, HM Customs and Excise.

 

Det Supt Phillips said the initiative had enjoyed "substantial success in dismantling the organised networks that have been operating in and around the airport" in the past year.

 

World's biggest robberies

Apr 1945: Reichsbank in Berlin, Germany looted. Estimated £2.5bn stolen.

Feb 2003: £65m diamond robbery in Antwerp, Belgium

Jul 1987: £60m robbery at Knightsbridge safety deposit centre, London

1994: £29m gems raid in Cannes, France

Nov 1983: £26m Brinks Mat robbery at Heathrow, London

Jan 1976: £22m robbery at British Bank of the Middle East in Beirut, Lebanon

Source: Guinness World Records 

 

It was "a classic example of that partnership approach" and had "removed a serious and organised criminal gang", he added.

 

The gang were "career criminals", with some known to police, Det Supt Phillips said.

 

The Met's Specialist Crime Directorate head Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur said: "A professional team of armed robbers have now been removed from society."

 

Airport operator BAA Heathrow said in a statement: "We are delighted.

 

"We have worked very closely with the police and cargo operators at Heathrow in recent months on improving security around valuable cargo."

 

Swissport, majority-owned by London-based private equity house Candover Partners Ltd, handles more than three million tonnes of cargo every year.

 

Its UK customers include British Airways, First Choice, Ryanair, Monarch, Britannia, Thomas Cook Airlines, easyJet, FlyBe, Eastern Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

 

I'll fill you in on the £52 million gem heist in Amsterdam when more information is released from the police.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Woah

[Toto]

Let me just say, I am sorry, TGHL. I tend to jump to conclusions.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

*hands The Red Rose Award to TGHL*

You have done very well.  I do commend you and award you The Red Rose Award!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First time I read this I thought it said Red nose and you were connecting it to Red Nose day which is coming up soon.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Let me just say, I am sorry, TGHL. I tend to jump to conclusions.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its alright, probably my fault in the first place for being so provocotive.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Read my religion post.

 

Ha. I remember when we were somewhat friends, yes. That was when I was a pink-loving, shallow, self-centered maniac. (No offence to you, I'm just stating the obvious of what I was.) See my blog, that I will soon create in "Stories...blah blah blah..anything creative.."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Which one?

 

Actually I had you down as a level-headed, calm and sophisticated Attorney, but if you say you were, you must know.

[Mega Wolf]

First time I read this I thought it said Red nose and you were connecting it to Red Nose day which is coming up soon.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Red Nose Day? Is this the coldest day of the year or do you paint your nose Red like Rudolph?

[Toto]

Red Nose Day? Is this the coldest day of the year or do you paint your nose Red like Rudolph?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Man I wish he had that holiday!

[Toto]

Which one?

 

Actually I had you down as a level-headed, calm and sophisticated Attorney, but if you say you were, you must know.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That also was shallow, and pink-loving. But not anymore. I like brown and black. an Attorney may still be a job, but I'm leaning over to Forinsic Science. I'm good in that department. Even though I can put up a good debate with my fellow peers (not talking about what we do here) I still think I'd enjoy being an Investigator or Pathologist.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Red Nose Day? Is this the coldest day of the year or do you paint your nose Red like Rudolph?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

GASP! You have never heard of Red nose day?!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!??!?!? GASP!

[The Grim Hamster lord]

That also was shallow, and pink-loving.  But not anymore. I like brown and black.  an Attorney may still be a job, but I'm leaning over to Forinsic Science. I'm good in that department. Even though I can put up a good debate with my fellow peers (not talking about what we do here) I still think I'd enjoy being an Investigator or Pathologist.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What a coincidence, I'm currently looking at a job with the Met, pathology and SOCO devisions and also maybe as a Detective Inspector or higher.

[Toto]

..aren't you fourteen?...

[Mega Wolf]

GASP! You have never heard of Red nose day?!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!??!?!? GASP!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Never.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

..aren't you fourteen?...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll explain, we are currently being forced to look at want we want to be, ergo why I said I was currently looking at those jobs.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Never.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow. I am horrified. You have never heard of Comic relief either I suppose?

[Toto]

Ohhhh. I thought you were applying to those jobs.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Ohhhh. I thought you were applying to those jobs. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh no, I wouldn't go any where near choosing a job until I've gone through the Oxbridge tests/applied for a university.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Just thought i'd drop in with a quick bulletin.

 

Bush accuses Syria of threatning democracy as he pushes Syrian withdrawl from Damascus and Lebanon.

 

Earlier today, President Bush made a speech to the assembled Mass Media as he stated that America would not back down in this fight on dictatorships and totalitarianism. This links in with Bush's earlier verbal attacks on Vladimir Putin and Iran, expressing the surreal fear that Putin was allowing Russia to slip back into Totalitarianism. Putin replied that: "Although Democracy is what every country must be in this dominated world, we must keep in mind the individual countries traditions and history into mind." he then interrupted Bush in mid-stutter to say: "If anything I would have the people reminded of the Tsar (alt, Czar) and the days when Russia had a King as you call them, not of the fear and corruption that ruled in the days of communism"

Bush was taken back for a minute, but quickly changed the topic to Iran and russia's supply on Nuclear materials to Iran's new Nuclear reactor. He fell back on the time old and tested comment that he has used against North Korea and said: "You are fully away that Nuclear material may well lead to Iranian build up of Nuclear weapons in Iran and the terrorists who lurk there!"

To this Putin replied: "I'm sure that the British will see to it that they don't since they have one of the Nuclear waste proccessing plants in the world, which I believe you use a lot Mr.Bush to keep America on top of the Nuclear stockpile, changing ordinary waste into Plutonium and selling it to the highest bidder."

Bush failed to comment on that statement and pushed Syria instead.

[Mega Wolf]

Wow. I am horrified. You have never heard of Comic relief either I suppose?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, I have. Through reading "Quidditch Through the Ages" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".

[The Grim Hamster lord]

No, I have. Through reading "Quidditch Through the Ages" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But not Red Nose day which is what Comic Relief is all about?

[Mega Wolf]

But not Red Nose day which is what Comic Relief is all about?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nope.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Nope.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Right.

Red Nose Day is a huge nationwide event where people usually do all sorts of weird stuff to raise money for Comic Relief. For example, last year at our school there was "Gunge the Teacher", "Wax the Headmaster's legs" (we made him cry with agony) and various other events. This year's main event is a mock general election, I am leading the Communist party to victory, and of course in true Stalin style I shall have thugs deployed at the voting booths to "perssuade" those undecided voters. I was going to join the RLB (Raving loonies of Britain) and mess about with various decrees like "Cheese is mandatory" and "Blibble Fliible Clompty ploo!"(tanslates as, just cos I'm with the RLB doesn't mean I talk a load of rubbish!). Its usually rounded off with a huge concert type thing where all the famous celebrities put on a show of comedy, music and the usual stuff. Billy Connoly, Victoria Wood and various other people acting and messing about including Roan Atkinson and John Cleese. Usually raises billions from all collected stuff.

[Horatio]

Right.

Red Nose Day is a huge nationwide event where people usually do all sorts of weird stuff to raise money for Comic Relief. For example, last year at our school there was "Gunge the Teacher", "Wax the Headmaster's legs" (we made him cry with agony) and various other events. This year's main event is a mock general election, I am leading the Communist party to victory, and of course in true Stalin style I shall have thugs deployed at the voting booths to "perssuade" those undecided voters. I was going to join the RLB (Raving loonies of Britain) and mess about with various decrees like "Cheese is mandatory" and "Blibble Fliible Clompty ploo!"(tanslates as, just cos I'm with the RLB doesn't mean I talk a load of rubbish!). Its usually rounded off with a huge concert type thing where all the famous celebrities put on a show of comedy, music and the usual stuff. Billy Connoly, Victoria Wood and various other people acting and messing about including Roan Atkinson and John Cleese. Usually raises billions from all collected stuff.

Mr. Bean is so funny!

[Mega Wolf]

Right.

Red Nose Day is a huge nationwide event where people usually do all sorts of weird stuff to raise money for Comic Relief. For example, last year at our school there was "Gunge the Teacher", "Wax the Headmaster's legs" (we made him cry with agony) and various other events. This year's main event is a mock general election, I am leading the Communist party to victory, and of course in true Stalin style I shall have thugs deployed at the voting booths to "perssuade" those undecided voters. I was going to join the RLB (Raving loonies of Britain) and mess about with various decrees like "Cheese is mandatory" and "Blibble Fliible Clompty ploo!"(tanslates as, just cos I'm with the RLB doesn't mean I talk a load of rubbish!). Its usually rounded off with a huge concert type thing where all the famous celebrities put on a show of comedy, music and the usual stuff. Billy Connoly, Victoria Wood and various other people acting and messing about including Roan Atkinson and John Cleese. Usually raises billions from all collected stuff.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah. I see. Anyways, John Cleese ish awesome!

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Mr. Bean is so funny!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We have a fan of Mr.Atkinson it would appear. What about Blackadder?

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Ah. I see. Anyways, John Cleese ish awesome!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hopefully makes more sense now.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Remember the Beslan crisis? Its back......

 

 

Chechen leader Maskhadov 'killed'

 

Russia blamed Maskhadov for a series of attacks

Russian forces say Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov has been killed.

Russian television showed pictures of a body resembling that of Mr Maskhadov, 53, in a pool of blood in Chechnya.

 

But President Vladimir Putin has asked for further identification. Chechens have not confirmed the death, which a spokesman said was likely to be true.

 

The spokesman said Chechnya's war of independence would not be affected by the death of Mr Maskhadov - the most moderate of Chechen rebel commanders.

 

Mr Maskhadov was elected Chechen president in January 1997 but was ousted two years later.

 

Thousands of people - many of them civilians - have been killed in the 10-year war between Russian forces and Chechen separatists.

 

Further identification

 

Few details have been released of the Russian operation at the settlement of Tolstoy-Yurt, near the Chechen capital, Grozny.

 

Col Ilya Shabalkin, a spokesman for Russian forces in the Caucasus region, earlier told news agencies that Mr Maskhadov's body had been found in a bunker.

 

But it was not clear whether he had been killed by the Russian forces.

 

Chechnya's Moscow-appointed Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov told Interfax news agency the intention had been to take Mr Maskhadov alive but that he had been was killed by careless weapons-handling by his bodyguards.

 

Russia's FSB security chief briefed President Putin on the troops' operation in a Chechen village, but did not say how Mr Maskhadov was killed.

 

He told the president the FSB security services "today carried out an operation in the settlement of Tolstoy-Yurt, as a result of which "the international terrorist and leader of armed groups Maskhadov was killed, and his closest comrades-in-arms detained".

 

"Carry out additional identification tests, report back," Mr Putin ordered.

 

"If this information is confirmed, grant state awards to all those involved in the operation," the Russian leader said.

 

"We have to gather our forces to protect the people of the republic and citizens of all Russia from the bandits," Mr Putin said.

 

Russian television showed pictures of a grey-bearded and shirtless corpse in a pool of blood, but a Chechen spokesman said he was not convinced.

 

However, one of Mr Maskhadov's oldest allies, Akhmed Zakayev, told Ekho Moskvy radio from London that the Russian announcement was likely to be true.

 

But this would not affect Chechnya's pursuit of independence, he said.

 

"The resistance will continue, no doubt about it," Mr Zakayev said.

 

If the death is confirmed, this will be a major coup for Moscow, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow says.

 

Moscow has blamed Mr Maskhadov for a string of deadly attacks in Russia, including a rebel attack on a school in the south Russian town of Beslan last September in which more than 330 hostages - half of them children - died.

 

He led the Chechen separatists who defeated Russian forces in a 1994-1996 war.

 

Mr Putin sent Russian troops back into Chechnya in October 1999.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

I also thought you'd like to know about the next step towards cold fusion, developed by the EU.....

 

Clock ticking on fusion decision

 

Europe believes Iter should be built at Cadarache

Europe has made it clear it will not wait beyond June to reach international agreement on where to site Iter, the experimental nuclear fusion reactor.

EU ministers said on Monday they wanted the matter resolved before the current Luxembourg presidency ends.

 

Europe believes Iter should be built at Cadarache in France, but other project members are backing Rokkasho in Japan.

 

The multi-billion-euro reactor will produce energy from nuclear reactions like the ones that power the Sun.

 

After the International Space Station, it would be the largest global research and development collaboration.

 

'Clear timetable'

 

But the six international partners - the EU, Russia, China, the US, Japan and South Korea - are deadlocked on a location decision.

 

Definitive decisions will have to be taken under the Luxembourg presidency

 

Francois Biltgen, Luxembourg research minister

Now, Luxembourg research minister Francois Biltgen has warned the impasse must end by July.

 

"In November 2004, [Europe's Competitiveness Council] took a fundamental decision and set out a timetable and according to this timetable, work on Iter should begin before the end of the year.

 

"If we want this to happen, definitive decisions will have to be taken under the Luxembourg presidency." On 1 July, the presidency is handed to the UK.

 

And the EU's research commissioner Janez Potocnik added: "We have to remember that we would like to start building the project at the site of Cadarache in the course of this year. If we take into account the fact that we would need half of the year to prepare for it, we need to find a solution very soon."

 

The EU and Japan have put proposals forward that they hoped would encourage the other stand down. But neither is prepared to do so at the moment.

 

Six still best

 

Japan is adamant that its Iter plans are superior - and has the backing of the US and South Korea; the EU has Russia and China in its corner.

 

Any solution that does emerge would see the "loser" take up a dominant support role, researching and supplying many of the key technologies that will be required in the reactor.

 

"The EU has been doing its utmost to find a consensus among the six international parties," explained Mr Potocnik.

 

"We have been explaining our offer to the Japanese partners. I have expressed my readiness to meet with my Japanese counterpart to achieve a compromise. I still believe that the best possible solution is to build this project with six parties, not least as a model for future international joint ventures."

 

He has made it clear he would like to see high-level political discussions between the EU and Japan - but this approach appeared to be rebuffed at the weekend by the Japanese.

 

They dislike Europe's aggressive stance, which sees Cadarache construction as the only outcome in any negotiations.

 

"High-level political talks would be fruitless. If we were to hold such talks forcibly, we would only reach a deadlock," Satoru Ohtake, director of fusion energy at the Science and Technology Ministry, told the Reuters news agency.

 

The next European Competitiveness Council meeting on 18 April looks now to be a critical point in this drawn out process.

 

If no resolution is found by this date, it is possible Europe may begin to ask a smaller number of partners to join it in a Cadarache venture - even if that means leaving some of the six parties behind.

 

Final approval for this strategy would likely fall to Europe's senior research ministers meeting under the British presidency of the EU.

 

On to Demo

 

Unlike in fission reactions, in which atomic nuclei are split to release energy, fusion reactions release energy when nuclei are forced together.

 

The process is the same as the one that powers the Sun. Achieving stable and sustained reactions on Earth, however, present an immense challenge.

 

The Iter design is for the reactions to take place inside a 100-million-degree gas (plasma) suspended in an intense doughnut-shaped magnetic field.

 

ITER - NUCLEAR FUSION PROJECT

Project estimated to cost 10bn euros and will run for 35 years

It will produce the first sustained fusion reactions

Final stage before full prototype of commercial reactor is built

Iter will consolidate all that has been learnt over many decades of study. It is expected to produce 500MW of fusion power during pulses of at least 400 seconds.

 

If it achieves this and its technologies are proven to be practical, the international community would then build a prototype commercial reactor, dubbed Demo.

 

Fusion could help fill the void as the world moves away from oil, coal and natural gas.

 

The fusion fuels are plentiful and produce no greenhouse emissions when "burnt".

 

The systems are said to be inherently safe because they shutdown in a malfunction; and although radioactive materials are produced, they are not of the high-level long-lived variety that has so burdened nuclear fission.

[schimmislick]

Random Post, YEP!

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Random Post, YEP!      

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh for [non-existant entity of your choice here]'s sake! Horatio, why did you let these through?

[Horatio]

Oh for [non-existant entity of your choice here]'s sake! Horatio, why did you let these through?

My coffee low level light was illuminated and I thought I had not moderated the post and it kept reappearing so that I would moderate it.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

My coffee low level light was illuminated and I thought I had not moderated the post and it kept reappearing so that I would moderate it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So are we blaming Starschmuck's here?

[Horatio]

So are we blaming Starschmuck's here?

Sure... why not!

[The Grim Hamster lord]

Sure... why not! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok then.

*gets out Foamy Fan Club card*

HAIL FOAMY!

[The Grim Hamster lord]

So? What about this Neo-Nazi in Minnesotea? Wow. News. This is big News. Must.... post..... credible...... story.......

 

Teenage gunman kills nine in US

 

A US teenager has shot dead nine people - seven of them in a rampage through a school that ended when he apparently killed himself.

He earlier shot his grandfather and his grandfather's partner, police said. At least 12 other people were hurt at Red Lake High School on a Native American reservation in the northern state of Minnesota. It was the deadliest school shooting since the Columbine killings in 1999 when two teenage gunmen killed 13.

 

Monday's carnage began when the boy, identified by school officials as 17-year-old Jeff Weise, shot dead grandfather Daryl Lussier - a veteran police officer - and his partner.

 

"I looked him [the gunman] in the eye and ran in the room, and that's when I hid"

 

Sondra Hegstrom

Witness

 

They died at their home in the Red Lake reservation, about 240 miles (390km) north of the state capital, St Paul. Armed with at least two weapons, a handgun and a shotgun, the youth then drove his grandfather's police car to the school, reports said. The shooting there is said to have occurred shortly before 1500 (2100 GMT) on Monday.

The student shot dead a male security officer at the door and walked down the hallway to a classroom, where he fired at pupils, killing five of them and a female teacher.

At least two students remain in critical condition at a local hospital on Tuesday.

One survivor, Red Lake pupil Sondra Hegstrom, told the Pioneer of Bemidji newspaper: "You could hear a girl saying, 'No, Jeff. Quit! Quit! Leave me alone. Why are you doing this?'

"Boom, boom, boom, and then no more screaming."

Other witnesses said the teenage gunman was "grinning and waving" as he fired. Pupils and teachers dived for cover and used mobile phones to call police. When the police arrived, a gunbattle with the boy ensued before he retreated to a classroom where he is believed to have shot himself, FBI spokesman Paul McCabe said.

 

Red Lake tribe chairman Floyd Jourdain said: "This is, without doubt, the darkest hour in the history of our tribe. "It's extremely painful. The community is in utter shock. Our hearts go out to the families."

The FBI said it was too early to speculate on a motive for the shootings.

Described as a loner, Weise is reported to have expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler on a Nazi website. His fellow pupils said he was sometimes teased because he dressed in black. The school - close to the Canadian border - has about 300 pupils. The reservation is home to Native Americans of the Chippewa tribe.

[Horatio]

So? What about this Neo-Nazi in Minnesotea? Wow. News. This is big News. Must.... post..... credible...... story.......

 

Teenage gunman kills nine in US 

 

A US teenager has shot dead nine people - seven of them in a rampage through a school that ended when he apparently killed himself.

He earlier shot his grandfather and his grandfather's partner, police said. At least 12 other people were hurt at Red Lake High School on a Native American reservation in the northern state of Minnesota.  It was the deadliest school shooting since the Columbine killings in 1999 when two teenage gunmen killed 13.

 

Monday's carnage began when the boy, identified by school officials as 17-year-old Jeff Weise, shot dead grandfather Daryl Lussier - a veteran police officer - and his partner.

 

  "I looked him [the gunman] in the eye and ran in the room, and that's when I hid"

 

Sondra Hegstrom

Witness

 

They died at their home in the Red Lake reservation, about 240 miles (390km) north of the state capital, St Paul. Armed with at least two weapons, a handgun and a shotgun, the youth then drove his grandfather's police car to the school, reports said. The shooting there is said to have occurred shortly before 1500 (2100 GMT) on Monday.

The student shot dead a male security officer at the door and walked down the hallway to a classroom, where he fired at pupils, killing five of them and a female teacher.

At least two students remain in critical condition at a local hospital on Tuesday.

One survivor, Red Lake pupil Sondra Hegstrom, told the Pioneer of Bemidji newspaper: "You could hear a girl saying, 'No, Jeff. Quit! Quit! Leave me alone. Why are you doing this?'

"Boom, boom, boom, and then no more screaming."

Other witnesses said the teenage gunman was "grinning and waving" as he fired. Pupils and teachers dived for cover and used mobile phones to call police. When the police arrived, a gunbattle with the boy ensued before he retreated to a classroom where he is believed to have shot himself, FBI spokesman Paul McCabe said.

 

Red Lake tribe chairman Floyd Jourdain said: "This is, without doubt, the darkest hour in the history of our tribe. "It's extremely painful. The community is in utter shock. Our hearts go out to the families."

The FBI said it was too early to speculate on a motive for the shootings.

  Described as a loner, Weise is reported to have expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler on a Nazi website. His fellow pupils said he was sometimes teased because he dressed in black. The school - close to the Canadian border - has about 300 pupils. The reservation is home to Native Americans of the Chippewa tribe.

*says a prayer for all the people involved*

[The Grim Hamster lord]

*says a prayer for all the people involved* 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Load of good it'll do them, you can't bring back the dead to life again. All you can do is back Anti-bullying schemes, try and eliminate the Nazis and all other sub-groups (for example, every day I go out and try and stop a BNP Nazi) and try and get decent pschatrists in schools.

[Horatio]

Load of good it'll do them, you can't bring back the dead to life again. All you can do is back Anti-bullying schemes, try and eliminate the Nazis and all other sub-groups (for example, every day I go out and try and stop a BNP Nazi) and try and get decent pschatrists in schools.

My thoughts are not just for the deceased. My thoughts are for the family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, everyone in the tribe and town. The magnitude of what occurred impacts more than just the deceased.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

My thoughts are not just for the deceased.  My thoughts are for the family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, everyone in the tribe and town.  The magnitude of what occurred impacts more than just the deceased.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, but maybe those who were affected brought this upon themselves? Certainly those who teased the Goth-Nazi brought it upon themselves.

[Mega Wolf]

True, but maybe those who were affected brought this upon themselves? Certainly those who teased the Goth-Nazi brought it upon themselves.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I feel sorry for the shooter. The tormentation that led him to do that. His only friends were the neo-nazis he knew on a website.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

I feel sorry for the shooter. The tormentation that led him to do that. His only friends were the neo-nazis he knew on a website.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

His mental status is questionable though. You should see some Flash work he did for NG. "Clown" is disturbing and "Target Practice" basically shows what he wanted to do.

[Mega Wolf]

His mental status is questionable though. You should see some Flash work he did for NG. "Clown" is disturbing and "Target Practice" basically shows what he wanted to do.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I saw it on the news. Dreadful, really.

[The Grim Hamster lord]

I saw it on the news. Dreadful, really.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The shootings or the Flash cartoons? MW, if you know NG's address, try searching for "Target Practice" or "Clown" (Don't forget the speach marks). Both are disturbing. I believe the Neo-Nazi called himself...... Let me find it...... *plays annoying elavator music* Ah here we are, on NG the Neo-Nazi went by the name Regret.... Ironic.....