Terrorism hits Norway

OSLO and Utoya Island were the scenes for mass murder on Friday afternoon.  It is thought that 76 people were killed in two separate attacks which have rocked the world.  32-year old Anders Behring Breivik has been arrested and might even face the death penalty, although a long jail term of upto 21 years is more likely.

     On Utoya Island, around 20 miles away from the capital, Breivik dressed up as a police officer, enticed young political activists to him, as he let them know about the earlier carnage he’d caused outside the government buildings in Oslo.  He then went on a shooting rampage, which gave his victims very little chance of escape.  Initially, the death toll stood at 10 and had risen as high as 98.  This has been downgraded today, as in the carnage; it is thought that some bodies were counted twice.  Around 600 young people were estimated to be at the campsite for the summer.

WRECKAGE: A crumpled car lies in ruins after the Oslo explosion

     For those who escaped Breivik’s madness, they have been brought back to Norwegian mainland by the police, completely shocked and traumatised by the whole incident.  Just hours earlier, Breivik had detonated a car bomb outside the offices of Norway’s prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg.  Stoltenberg was due to visit the Utoya Island site on Saturday.  Seven people were killed in Oslo, which saw finance, oil ministry buildings and the PM’s office severely damaged.  Although they remain on high alert, the police have said that they aren’t linking Breivik to an international terrorist organisation, despite Norway’s small presence of army troops in both Libya and Afghanistan.  Instead, they believe that this was the work of a ‘madman.’

     PM Stoltenberg has vowed that the country will stick together.  He told the Reuters news agency; “We are a small country, but a very proud one.  Nobody can bomb us to be quiet; nobody can ever scare us from being Norway.”  Breivik’s apartment in Oslo was searched before his arrest.  A Christian fundamentalist, one of his friends told a media organisation that he was extremely right-wing in political aspects and used websites often to express his strong, unforgiving opinions. 

     Both David Cameron and Barack Obama have expressed their support with the Norwegian people following the trauma.  Obama, who collected his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, said that “our hearts go out to them and we will provide any support we can.”  Cameron told Sky News; “The Norwegians are old friends and allies and neighbours of Britain and I know all of Britain will stand with the Norwegian people in the days of sorrow that lie ahead.”

    Norway has always been seen as a friendly, peaceful country with a good society and no sign of any impending trouble.  The tranquil life that Norwegians enjoyed has now been terminally shattered on its darkest day, as the country and the entire world not only mourn the dead and pray for those seriously injured, but face up to the still severe threat of international and domestic terrorism.  

Volcanic ash cloud returns

LONG: Could be a frustrating night for many passengers

MISERY faces thousands of airline travellers yet again, as the volcanic ash cloud over Iceland returns to haunt people again.  The latest eruption, which occurred on Sunday, caused misery for millions of passengers last year.  Although it is believed to not have the same impact as it did in 2010, there is still plenty of disruption and delays particularly today for many passengers.  Tonight, a number of these will face the severe possibility of sleeping on the floors of airport terminals across the country yet again.

     The ash cloud is across all of England, but it is Central Scotland that has been the worst affected part of the UK today.  Most flights in and out from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were cancelled, as those delayed were forced to either wait around, or to be diverted onto coaches to airports in the North of England that weren’t as badly hit.  Newcastle airport was one of those not so fortunate.  Easy Jet and Ryanair have cancelled approximately 75 per cent of all Scottish bound flights, but Ryanair are furious with the cancellations they’ve had to make.  They attempted to defy the ash cloud today; the Irish airliner claiming that a test flight made earlier this morning showed ‘no evidence of volcanic ash on the wings or engines’ of its test aircraft.  It’s chairman has accused the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) of incompetence.  In the end, it was the Irish Aviation Authority who forced Ryanair to back down on safety grounds.

     The transport secretary Phillip Hammond has responded to those claims made by Ryanair;

“The CAA can confirm that at no time did a Ryanair flight enter the notified area of high contamination ash over Scotland this morning.  My information is that the Ryanair jet did not in fact fly into any of the ‘red zones’ designated by the CAA.”  He told Sky News.

     It isn’t just the general public affected.  Barcelona have decided to travel earlier than initially planned to London.  They will touch down at Heathrow airport this evening, to avoid being caught up in the ash cloud chaos before Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United.  Barack Obama was forced to arrive in the UK 24 hours earlier than initially anticipated, cutting short his state visit to Ireland in the process.  The Met Office predicts most of the ash cloud will have left the UK by tomorrow lunchtime, although this depends on the latest ferocity of the eruptions on the Icelandic volcano.

    It might not be about to create the mayhem it did last year, but the Icelandic volcano is back as a factor in travel plans and many stranded passengers face a long and frustrating evening.

Osama Bin Laden is dead

ONE of the biggest mass murderers in history, Osama Bin Laden is dead.  He was shot dead in the town of Abbottabad, around 50 miles away from the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad in the early hours of this morning.  Bin Laden has finally been captured after a decade of search from US troops.  This followed the event that changed everyone’s lives.

     Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda planned a terrorist attack to such detailed plan that it was going to have deadly results.  On Tuesday September 11, 2001, planes were hijacked and flew into some of America’s landmark buildings in New York.  Both towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed with hundreds trapped inside the burning buildings.  The casualties on this day were horrendous and the War on Terror began.

     Bin Laden wasn’t a stranger to the terrorist network.  US embassies had been bombed in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.  However, it was the events of 9/11 that put him into global context as the world’s most wanted man.  Within months, America, with Britain’s help went into Afghanistan and they began air strikes to get their man.  However, George Bush would never seek his prize and it has taken a decade before the news of his demise could be broken this morning by his replacement Barack Obama.

     With backing from the Taliban, Bin Laden set-up training camps and hence, many extremist groups have been created since.  With Bin Laden’s death, it might be a massive setback on Al-Qaeda that their figurehead is no longer around, but the War on Terror will still go on and there is likely to be a backlash on his death from Al-Qaeda.  This morning, Foreign Office leader William Hague has insisted that British embassies across the world review their security policies in a heightened alert of a possible attack.  Currently, Britain, like America – remains at the second highest terrorist threat level possible, not at the critical mark yet.  US officials have said that after being shot in the head, Bin Laden's body was buried at sea, according to Islamic traditions.  Three other men, including one of Bin Laden’s sons were also killed in the mission.  The whole operation took approximately 40 minutes to complete.

     There might be now some justice for the families who have lost their lives in terrorist atrocities; not just those in America, but those killed in Bali (2002), Istanbul (2003), Madrid (2004) and London (2005). 

     There is no doubt that the world is still nowhere near a safe place.  In fact, everyone still has to totally remain vigilant, especially as risks may well rise in the US and the UK in the coming weeks.  However, there can be no doubt that Osama Bin Laden’s death is a historical news moment and the biggest news story of 2011.  The War on Terror goes on and will for generations to come, but this is a victory for the West and in particular for Barack Obama, who now will get high praise for keeping all this quiet and earn a second term in office as American President.  The world’s most wanted-man has finally been taken out of the picture for good and for the families, some form of justice has now been done, even though it won’t bring their loved ones back.

WORLDWIDE REACTION TO BIN LADEN’S DEATH

George W. Bush (Former American President) – “The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakeable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”

David Cameron (Prime Minister) – “It is time to thank those who work around the clock to keep us safe from terrorism.  Their work will continue.  I would like to congratulate Barack Obama and those responsible for carrying out this operation.”

Tony Blair (Former Prime Minister) – “This is a huge achievement in the fight against terrorism, but we know the fight against terrorism and the ideology that Bin Laden represents, continues and is as urgent as ever.”

William Hague (Foreign Secretary) – “It is unequivocally a good thing that he is no longer able to pursue terror, murder and mayhem in the world.”

Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) – “Bin Laden was a symbol for the international terror that did not respect life, only killed and only destroyed.  His death is good news.”

Cameron leads air strikes on Libya

BRITISH forces have moved in on Libya, as air strikes have begun or the regime of Colonel Gadaffi.  David Cameron, Barack Obama and French president Nicholas Sarkozy have sent their men over in an attempt to stop the growing unrest

     Here is the report into the air strikes from BBC Breakfast yesterday morning, which includes Cameron's speech on Saturday night to the British public, confirming the move into Libya.  

Mubarak finally departs - A new dawn for Egypt

MILLIONS of Egyptians were celebrating in the streets of Cairo last night, after embattled president Hosni Mubarak elected to leave his controlling position.  Mubarak hands over power with immediate effect to the military after 30 years as president of Egypt.  This follows almost a month of ugly protests, violent clashes and stand-off from many protestors, supporters of the beleaguered Mubarak and riot police.  During this, Cairo has been bought to a complete standstill.  Following the upheaval of the Tunisian government last month, and talk of rebellious change in places such as Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to come, the world and Africa especially has to deal with its biggest upheaval of change since 1989.

DELIRIUM: Egyptians celebrate the departure of Hosni Mubarak

Mubarak’s resignation was confirmed in a short speech on national television by the deputy leader Omar Suleiman, recently bought in by Mubarak to try and ease the crisis.  The speech also confirmed the move into control of the country by the army.  This came just 24 hours after Mubarak himself appeared on Egyptian television and announced that he was staying on until the elections in September, after there had been wide speculation that he would go straightaway.  Worldwide, the news has been greeted with positively from world powers.  Prime Minister David Cameron admitted that all he wants to see in Egypt is a ‘peaceful transition.’  Barack Obama, a stiff critic of Mubarak’s determination to hang onto power was delighted in a televised address he gave to his nation; “Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than general democracy will carry the day.  The military will now have to ensure a transition that is credible in the eyes of the Egyptian people.”

Egyptian flags, often burnt in frustration during the three weeks of demonstrations, were waving high last night by dancing Egyptians, scenes that haven’t been seen worldwide since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.  This is momentous change for Egypt, especially as they have been governed by Mubarak for so long.  The rest of the Arab world will have been watching with great interest and wonder, ‘could we do the same.’ 

Last month, the uprising in Tunisia, which surprised many onlookers, saw the collapse of the long-standing government.  Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has fled to Saudi Arabia, but unlike Egypt, it looks a very uncertain and insecure place at the moment.  Yemen is on the brink of civil war and political unrest.  Most of the government have already quit there, and their president has decided to step down in two years time after like Mubarak, more than three decades in power.  The hunger for change in these countries is spreading.  So much so, that the president of Syria, who has ruled for 40 years, has allowed the opening of social networking websites Twitter and Facebook.  In these extremes, that is not the smartest move he ever thought of.  

Back in Egypt, 82-year old Mubarak is believed by worldwide sources to have fled to the Red Sea, though his general whereabouts are unknown.  It is believed that Obama’s refusal to back him has left him feeling betrayed and might have been the final catalyst in his downfall.

The people of Tunisia and Egypt have managed to bring down two long-term governments to their knees in two short months.  Others may follow, and I’d expect that.  1989 saw Germany reunified, the Berlin Wall knocked down, Romania, Poland and Czechoslovakia overthrow their long-time dictators and the end of the Cold War.  This ultimately spelt the demise of Mikhail Gorbachev and the demise of the old Soviet Union.  If these recent events have anything to go by, there could be plenty more uprisings in the calendar year to come.  

However bored some may have been with this story, no-one can deny the impact that Hosni Mubarak’s departure is going to have on the world.  We must pay attention deeper than ever to this changing worldwide society.

King bids farewell to CNN

LARRY King bought down the curtain on his CNN live talk show on Thursday evening, with his final words being “Let’s not say goodbye, but so long.”

The veteran interviewer bid farewell to an audience that sadly doesn’t seem to be interested in the US chatshow than it was over a decade ago.  Just ask the likes of David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. 

DEPARTING: Larry King bids farewell after 25 years to CNN

Larry King Live has been a stalwart in the CNN television schedules for the past 25 years.  He managed to get celebrities to open up to him, which so many have failed before him.  This was down to his laidback approach and style to the interview.  Paris Hilton granted him the first interview when she left jail, whilst Bill Clinton, always a favourite with King, talked openly about the heart operations he went under. 

In a taped interview, Barack Obama thanked King for the 25 years of dedicated service he had given, not just to the CNN network, but talk shows in general.  Clinton made a live appearance from Arkansas to wish him the best of luck, as did the governor of California and film actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Sadly, a show that promised ‘loads of surprises,’ failed to deliver and it was a sad end to such a distinguished figure on US television.  In 1993, he attracted 20million viewers for chairing a heated debate between 1992 US President candidate Ross Perot and Clinton’s vice-president Al Gore.  By the end, ratings had diminished down to 700,000, as audiences drifted away from his show to other networks and different styles of programming.

NEW: Piers Morgan takes over in the New Year

From January, he will be replaced by former Daily Mirror editor and Britain’s Got Talent judge, Piers Morgan.  Morgan has experience in America, having already been a judge on America’s Got Talent and although some will not be pleased with his appointment, his comfortable and soft approach to talking to celebrities might mean that it is a better selection for CNN’s future.  If his fantastic ITV programme Piers Morgan’s Life Stories is anything to go by, Piers Morgan Tonight will be an interesting watch.

So, after over 40,000 interviews from George Bush to Marlon Brando, Larry King bids farewell and unfortunately, it wasn’t the explosive and fitting end that a TV legend deserved.

Democrats Set For Damming Mid-Term Losses

BY SIMON WRIGHT & TAMIKA SHORT

BARACK Obama and his Democratic party face massive losses in America today, as millions of Americans vote in the mid-term elections.  What will the affects be from these results?  Simon Wright and Tamika Short investigate.

The final opinion polls indicate that the Republican Party is likely to gain control of the House of Representatives, whilst the Democrats majority in the Senate will be severely cut.  As America struggles to recover from the great recession, energy and enthusiasm seems to be edging onto the right-hand support, unlike in 2008.  Sky News political editor Adam Boulton commented on his blog the general feelings of the nation; “The mood for change is strong and Obama is no longer the change candidate.”

Up for grabs are all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 37 seats in the Senate.  Should the Republicans gain a majority, then Obama’s power within congress will sharply decrease, which means his controversial measures on healthcare reform and financial bailouts will struggle to be passed.  However, American Studies expert at the University of Northampton, David Waller doesn’t think it will affect Obama’s worldwide position too much; “Obama still has some cards up his sleeve, as this is a domestic situation, not an international scenario.  It won’t affect any of his foreign policies.”

The Democrats took control of both houses in the 2006 mid-term elections.  The US president has been campaigning across the weekend on many nationwide radio stations.  Former president Bill Clinton and Obama’s wife Michelle have also been making desperate final pleas to undecided voters.  Currently, nationwide polls suggest the 55% of American people will vote Republic, compared to 40% Democratic, with 5% undecided.  Should these polls be accurate enough, it will be the worst mid-term election losses in more than 60 years. 

It is not the first time that a current president has suffered in these polls.  In 1994, Bill Clinton saw the Democrats lose 52 seats, yet the Republicans failed to usurp him from power in 1996.  Republican Ronald Reagan also had a bad mid-term loss in the 1980’s, yet held on for two terms.  Consequently, these results aren’t likely to have a terminal blow for Obama’s chances in regards to a second term in office.

Barack Obama – Eight facts about the US president

-          Born in Hawaii on August 4 1961.

-          Studied a law degree at Harvard University.

-          Worked as a civil rights lawyer in Chicago.

-          Obama was elected to the US senate in 2004.

-          He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992-2004.

-          He is a devoted Christian and is the first ever African-American president.

-          He follows American football closely, a fan of the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL.

-          Barack Obama was the surprise winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

Political Power

BARACK Obama defeated Republican candidate John McCain to become the first black president of the United States.  He was sworn into power in January 2009.  During his first year in office, he has battled to reform healthcare in the United States, amid strong criticism.  He has also been trying to achieve new agreements on nuclear disarmament and climate change, though with little breakthrough so far.  He has been criticised for his slow responsive actions towards the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  Obama’s tactics for deploying an additional 30,000 troops on the war in Afghanistan and support for building a Muslim memorial on the site of the World Trade Centre have also come under-fire.  However, it is the economic recovery that will probably play the major dynamic of Obama’s political power.

Nine Years On From 9/11

New York is leading the tributes and remembrance ceremonies across America on the 9th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States.


Joseph Biden, the US vice-president was amongst those who attended the traditional memorial service held at Ground Zero, where the names of the 2,752 people killed at the former site of the World Trade Centre was read out.  Barack Obama is attending a similar ceremony over at the Pentagon, where another hijacked plane crashed on September 11th 2001.


No other words can describe the feeling that the US and the world feels about these attacks.  See below for some of the UK TV coverage on the day of 9/11.

RIP to those who lost their lives on that shocking day, you will never be forgotten.

BP Finally Plug The Gulfing Oil Leak

There was massive relief for the under-fire petrol company BP last Wednesday, when they managed to finally plug the ruptured oil well off the Gulf of Mexico.  News quickly filtered through that most of the oil spill has now been cleaned up or been broken down by natural forces.

The White House claim that the majority of the remaining oil off the Gulf has now evaporated, been collected or has burnt off.  Even the fiercest critic of all, US president Barack Obama has hailed the fact the operation and the ordeal was coming to an end. 

Five million barrels of oil have spewed into the ocean since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20^th, killing 11 oil rig workers.  Local businesses and wildlife have been seriously affected by this environmental crisis, in the worst oil disaster since the Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska in 1989.  BP have taken some significant hits in the markets, both in the UK and in the United States, with their chief executive stepping down at the beginning of October.  Their handling of the spill has given the worldwide company some very troubled and distressing times.  However, it now appears that like Toyota, who have recorded handsome profits since their disastrous worldwide recall in February, BP may be about to turn the corner.

NASA's Ambitious Moon Adventure Ends

NASA has begun the process of shutting down its American spaceflight programme – which ends the ambitious plan to put man back on the moon.  This is largely down to the budget cuts that president Barack Obama needs to make, in an effort to sort out America’s deep economic problems.  The recent catastrophic oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico could also have played a role in this final decision.

America’s adventure with NASA and space stretches back half a century, to the days of ‘The Space Race,’ and the famous battle with the USSR during the dark days of the Cold War.  Initially, it was the Eastern land that was winning the duel, with Sputnik becoming the first spacecraft to enter space, and then Yuri Gagarin became the first man into space in April 1961.  The US were slow off the mark, John Glenn achieved their feat of humans in space, almost a full year later.  On May 25^th 1961, John F. Kennedy announced the groundbreaking plan, that the United States would have the goal of reaching of Moon by the end of the decade. 

On the 20^th July 1969, JFK’s mission came true, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first two men to land on the moon – ‘There’s One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind.’  On landing, Armstrong and Aldrin planted an American flag on the moon’s surface, as a significant propaganda coup.  With the moon landing successful, America’s next mission was to launch the first reusable spacecraft into space.  The Space Shuttle was exactly what the country needed and on April 12^th 1981, the US launched the Columbia Space Shuttle.  Five years later, tragedy struck the American space programme, when Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff in January 1986, killing all seven crew members onboard, including the first citizen onboard, Christa McAuliffe.

As the Cold War ended, so did the ‘Space Race,’ as America and Russia started working together on a variation of space projects, including Mir and the Hubble Space Telescope.  More disaster followed in February 2003, when Columbia broke up on entry to landing in Texas, once again killing all seven crew members.  Now, with news that President Obama announces plans to cancel additional funding of the US Moon programme to return US astronauts to the Moon by March 2020, it is another blow for NASA, as the Space Shuttle programme is also being wound down very soon.  Certainly, the human space programme era, which has seen a lot of colourful history might well now be coming to a swift and anticlimactic ending.     

2009 - The Year In Review (Part 1)

This was first posted on January 20th at http://happydude88.livejournal.com

                    

2009 was a year full of drama and tragedy, sadness and controversy, dreams fulfilled and shattered. Star icons passed on, cheating dominated sport and politics was gripped by its worst scandal ever.

January saw history made as Barack Obama became president of the United States, fulfilling a dream of Martin Luther King over 40 years ago. Over 2million flocked to California for the inauguration. After eight years of torture under the Bush administration, the US once again was seen as a country that could change the world for the better. Back home, Woolworths – one of the well-loved chains shut at the start of 2009. Entertainment chain Zaavi and clothing giant USC also went bust.

February bought some the worst snow seen in the UK in fifteen years. In typical British fashion, everything came to a standstill. The transport network shutdown and hundreds of thousands of school shut. At the Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Brit Danny Boyle stormed the show, winning eight Oscars. Back home, former Grange Hill actor Todd Carty won thousands of fans for his skating inability on ITV’s Dancing on Ice. RBS announced their biggest loss of £24.1billion in February. Once again, the government bailed out a bank in trouble, with our money! Later, it was revealed that greedy banker and former chief executive of RBS, Sir Fred Goodwin would earn a massive pension for the rest of his life. After public pressure, he stepped down and following attacks on his home, handed most of his pension back.

As spring arrived, Jade Goody’s lengthy battle with cancer came to a brave and gusty end. The former Big Brother star, who got married infront of the cameras passed away on Mother ’s Day. March also saw the announcement of Michael Jackson’s final concerts at the 02 Arena in London in the summer. ‘This is it, it is the final curtain call’ were words that came back to hit him and us later in 2009. Tickets sold out for the July concerts in record-breaking time. Peter Mandelson was pelted with green custard by a protestor, something that was silly, but pleasing to watch! Home Secretary Jacqui Smith came under severe pressure when revelations came out that her husband had claimed on expenses for adult movies. Her husband apologised, but it failed to save Smith, who was forced to step down.

                    

April was the month the world was introduced to 47-year old Susan Boyle. Susan’s incredible ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ audition on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent became the most popular video with over 300million hits on YouTube and turned her from a complete unknown, into an overnight global superstar. The Obamas headed for their first visit to London, with Barack stopping off for the controversial G20 summit at Docklands. Many angry protestors clashed violently with police and their strong-arm tactics were heavily called into question by the general public. Ian Tomlinson, on his way home from work was tragically a victim of the heavy-hitting police tactics. On the other side of the world, Madonna went over to Malawi in her attempts to adopt another child. Reservations were made by many people, but the singer got her way on an appeal, mainly due to donating a lot of money to a Malawian charity.

The original I’m A Celebrity lovebirds, Peter Andre and Jordan announced the end of their fairytale marriage in May. After months of speculation and insults, the pair went onto a quickie divorce. Peter has come out a winner and Jordan as a hate figure with the public, who quickly became bored with the party antics again. TV couple Richard & Judy also ended their tenure as a double act after their chatshow failure on digital TV station Watch! It was a miserable month for Mexico, as its tourist industry was wiped out by a new flu pandemic that had everyone panicking again. ‘Swine Flu’ became an immediate concern and a new fear in our everyday lives. In sport, Manchester United wrapped up another Premiership crown, equalling Liverpool’s long-standing record of 18 league titles.

The biggest political scandal in history came out in the summer as the Daily Telegraph went on a relentless campaign of naming and shaming MP’s for their Expenses. It was shameful, deceitful, very damaging and made the bankers look like gods. Several MP’s resigned and many others lost a load of creditability. Gordon Brown survived a petition by his own party, but for how much longer will he remain as our dopey Prime Minister.

In June, the world was stunned into complete shock by the tragic death of the ‘King of Pop,’ Michael Jackson. MJ was pronounced dead after a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles. The public emotion across the globe was felt everywhere. An outpouring of emotion saw many of his classic singles go back to the top of the charts and an emotional memorial in the States was watched by millions around the planet. At Wimbledon, Andy Murray lifted our spirits as we started to believe that he might go all the way at SW19. American Andy Roddick dumped him out in the semi-finals to leave British hopes dashed for the umpteenth time. Swiss star Roger Federer went on to an emotional triumph, beating Roddick in an epic five-set final to break Pete Sampras long-standing record of fifteen Grand Slam titles. This was with the great Sampras in attendance too.