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BRITISH AUTHORITIES SAID that border officials had searched an incoming Aeroflot plane, a move Russia called an act of “blatant provocation” in the ongoing diplomatic spat between London and Moscow.
Britain said it conducts routine checks on aircraft to protect the UK from organised crime and people attempting to bring harmful substances into the country.
The Russian embassy in London said Friday’s search on a scheduled plane arriving from Moscow at London Heathrow Airport was “extraordinary”.
Britain’s Security Minister Ben Wallace said in a statement: “It is routine for Border Force to search aircraft to protect the UK from organised crime and from those who attempt to bring harmful substances like drugs or firearms into the country.
“Once these checks were carried out the plane was allowed to carry on with its onward journey.”
The Russian embassy suggested the jet had been searched in connection with the diplomatic crisis over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil earlier this month.
“We have witnessed another blatant provocation by the British authorities,” it said of the search. “This kind of event is extraordinary.”
The embassy claimed British officials at first tried to search the plane without the crew, although the captain was eventually allowed to be present.
It claimed their requests for clarification on the search had been met with no response.
“We have no other explanation but that the incident at Heathrow is in one way or another connected with the hostile policy that the UK government is conducting with regard to Russia,” it said.
Relations between Russia and the West have been plunged into crisis following the first use of chemical weapons in Europe since World War II.
Skripal, who came to Britain in a spy swap, and his daughter Yulia have been in hospital since 4 March after they were poisoned in the southwestern English city of Salisbury.
British authorities say a Soviet-designed nerve agent dubbed Novichok was used.
London, supported by its major Western allies, says there is no alternative conclusion other than Russian state involvement. Moscow denies being behind the attack.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is verifying Britain’s findings.
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I hope someone is digging a moat around the blue light
Or at least take out all the poitin.
Women,children and Guinness first please!
First thing I thought as well: “Oh, no – not The Blue Light!”.
Was Adam Clayton drinking in the Blue Light earlier? No ash trays in there these days!
Danny healy rae has angered the gods!!
I live in Churchtown and can see the fire very clearly. It is in no way burning out.
Hope people and their homes are safe
Where’s the rain when you want it.
It looks serious from the other side of the liffey as well
I wonder how it started. Fire brigades have enough to be doing.
I heard it was a bunch of marauding Luas drivers who started it.
Hilarious!!!!
Luas lips sink ships.
Good mountain bike tracks up there.
This is another reason why we should have water charges. Imagine how much water is needed to put out these fires. Also it would help pay for services for another 5 years. We should be increasing the prices not getting rid of them. With the help of god Enda will get back in and continue to impose some common sense on the people. We need water to put out these fires and it comes at a cost
Do you think the fire brigade should do a house to house collection to pay for the water before they put out the fire, probably in Irish Waters fine print somewhere…. lets hope you’re wrong and he’s not reelected
Thought this was a funny pisstake. Now I’m not so sure
it is
We need Gorse tax to fund the water needed.
Absolute piss take! Love winding idiots up on this
Its only a Gorse fire, like some people on here, it creates a lot of smoke but it will burn itself out quickly
Unlikely it is some size now. Will be going for some time tonight.
Fires dont “burn themselves out” they either run out of fuel or oxygen, and there is plenty of both. Unless its extinguished using an extinguishing media or its starved of fuel by back burni g and creating fire breaks it will never “burn itself out”.
Not that quickly, unfortunately. I can see flames as high as a house and at least 3 different fire fronts. How they can get it under control as there are houses nearby.
Well its hardly a bush fire, where ever there are gorse bushes there are going to be gorse fires.
Ya your spot on, Gorse fire look worse than they actually will continue on to be. Problem is the land is not be used and maintained. It will look alot worse a night alright. But from the picture it’s small enough compared to worse ones down in Kerry.
Rubbish…..fires do “burn themselves out” when it exhausts the fuel load it effectively burns itself out, the fact is this fire has plenty of fuel and given the location of the fire little chance of using any extinguishing medium or creating fire breaks
Was walking back from Stepaside earlier and feared this…
“A barman at the Blue Light pub in Barnacullia said the fire appeared to be getting worse, and was just a few hundred yards from the bar”
I wonder who started the fire
Billy Joel
He didn’t! ;-)
Praying all the Guinness makes it out of the blue light ok
It was Irish Water!
It needs Irish water!
Sick of these click bait articles. Time for some real stories.
Good man!!
People possibly loosing their homes and Ireland possibly loosing one of it’s best pubs isn’t good enough for you, in the Self Explanatory article?
I know it’s fashionable to say “click bait” a lot, but do please dignify your use of the term with at least a superficial awareness of its meaning.
I have seen fires on Three Rock before….This looks more serious.
That was right behind my granny’s house…was a scary experience
have your say