Thousands of people had to be evacuated from a Berlin suburb after a World War II bomb was discovered.
The 50kg bomb was found in Neukolln, prompting police to order some 2,600 people to evacuate their homes.
Transport was disrupted and gas supplies turned off before work to defuse the bomb could begin.
The bomb was discovered to have two detonators and was later described as a "bouncer" by someone who heard one of the detonators go off.
Police later allowed residents to return to their homes and confirmed the bomb had been defused.
Another, bigger bomb was found only last month.
The Russian bomb weighed 250kg and was found in the city's southwest neighbourhood of Zehlendorf.
Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany, was fiercely bombed during World War II, with hundreds of air raids carried out on the city between 1939 and 1945.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Trump wants to cancel Boeing's Air Force One contract
US President-elect Donald Trump urged the government to cancel an order with Boeing Co for a revamped Air Force One, saying costs were out of control.
The Air Force One is one of the most prominent symbols of the US presidency. It has been used by US presidents since 1943, according to the company's website.
It was not immediately clear what prompted his complaint about Boeing and the presidential plane on Tuesday but Trump's transition team said he aimed to send a clear message that he intends to save taxpayers' money after he takes office on January 20.
"Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4bn. Cancel order!" Trump said on Twitter.
The budgeted costs for the Air Force One replacement programme are $2.87bn for the fiscal years 2015 through 2021, according to budget documents.
Trump, who has vowed to use his skills as a businessman to make good deals that benefit American taxpayers, then made a surprise appearance in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, where he amplified his comments.
"The plane is totally out of control. I think it's ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money," he said.
A spokesman for Boeing said the company had no immediate comment. Boeing shares slumped almost one percent after Trump's tweet.
During his unconventional election campaign, Trump complained about the cost of President Barack Obama's use of the presidential aircraft to campaign for his rival Hillary Clinton.
Trump used his own Boeing 757 to campaign around the country, pledging to shake up Washington.
The US Air Force, which operates the presidential planes, first announced in January 2015 that Boeing's 747-8 would be used to replace the two current planes that transport the US president.
The Air Force awarded Boeing an initial contract worth $25.8m in January this year.
This was to conduct studies on the costs of building the plane with the requirements desired by the White House, including making it possible for the plane to communicate even during a nuclear war, while also looking at lowering costs.
The Air Force One is one of the most prominent symbols of the US presidency. It has been used by US presidents since 1943, according to the company's website.
It was not immediately clear what prompted his complaint about Boeing and the presidential plane on Tuesday but Trump's transition team said he aimed to send a clear message that he intends to save taxpayers' money after he takes office on January 20.
"Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4bn. Cancel order!" Trump said on Twitter.
The budgeted costs for the Air Force One replacement programme are $2.87bn for the fiscal years 2015 through 2021, according to budget documents.
Trump, who has vowed to use his skills as a businessman to make good deals that benefit American taxpayers, then made a surprise appearance in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, where he amplified his comments.
"The plane is totally out of control. I think it's ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money," he said.
A spokesman for Boeing said the company had no immediate comment. Boeing shares slumped almost one percent after Trump's tweet.
During his unconventional election campaign, Trump complained about the cost of President Barack Obama's use of the presidential aircraft to campaign for his rival Hillary Clinton.
Trump used his own Boeing 757 to campaign around the country, pledging to shake up Washington.
The US Air Force, which operates the presidential planes, first announced in January 2015 that Boeing's 747-8 would be used to replace the two current planes that transport the US president.
The Air Force awarded Boeing an initial contract worth $25.8m in January this year.
This was to conduct studies on the costs of building the plane with the requirements desired by the White House, including making it possible for the plane to communicate even during a nuclear war, while also looking at lowering costs.
Grammys: Beyonce breaks record with nine nods
Beyonce's Lemonade dominates the 2017 Grammy Awards with nine nominations - including album, song and record of the year.
The singer has already won 20 Grammys and been nominated for 63 - making her the most nominated woman in Grammy history.
Queen Bey is also the first artist to earn nominations in the pop, rock, R&B and rap categories in the same year.
These include best rock performance for Don't Hurt Yourself with Jack White, pop solo performance for Hold Up and rap performance for Freedom with Kendrick Lamar.
Beyonce is also up for best urban contemporary album with her sixth studio recording Lemonade.
The visual concept album was released last April on paid subscription platform Tidal.
"Artists are feeling emboldened and courageous and just wanting to step out of the predictable boundaries of what they have done," said Recording Academy's CEO Neil Portnow.
"Beyonce is the poster child for that."
Behind Queen Bey are Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West, all scoring eight nominations each.
This includes Drake and Riri's collaboration track Work.
Beyonce, who has yet to win album of the year, will compete against Adele's 25.
The British pop star's hit Hello is also up for record and song of the year - as is Bey's Formation.
Sturgill Simpson's A Sailor's Guide To Earth is the only non-pop album nominated for the top prize.
The nine-track Americana release is also nominated for best country album.
David Bowie's posthumous album Blackstar was snubbed from the best album award, but earned four nods for best rock performance, rock song, alternative music album and engineered album, non-classical.
The big surprise was Chance The Rapper, earning three nods including best rap song and writing credit in Kanye West's hit Famous.
Some well-known acts scored their first Grammy nominations, including Solange, Blink-182 and Demi Lovato,.
Lovato will compete against Adele, Justin Bieber, Sia and Ariana Grande for best pop vocal album.
Comedian Amy Schumer earned two nominations, including best spoken word album and comedy album.
British presenter James Corden will host the 2017 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on 12 February.
:: Main Categories
Album of the Year
Adele - 25
Beyonce - Lemonade
Justin Bieber - Purpose
Drake - Views
Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide To Earth
Record of the Year
Adele - Hello
Beyonce - Formation
Lukas Graham - 7 Years
Rihanna ft Drake - Work
Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out
Song of the Year
Adele - Hello
Beyonce - Formation
Justin Bieber - Love Yourself
Lukas Graham - 7 Years
Mike Posner - I Took A Pill In Ibiza
Best New Artist
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance The Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak
Best alternative album
David Bowie - Blackstar
PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project
Bon Iver - 22, A Million
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Chinese firm buys Chequers' local pub after President Xi's visit
First it was House of Fraser, then it was Hinkley Point - now the local pub for Britain's Prime Ministers has become the latest UK asset to be snapped up by Chinese investors.
The Plough at Cadsden - which last year hosted a visit by David Cameron with Chinese President Xi Jinping - has been sold to Sinofortone Investment for a reported £2m.
Sinofortone has designs on building the Buckinghamshire pub into an international brand and cashing in on the new thirst for British pub life in China - the world's second-biggest economy.
The Plough has already become a favourite with Chinese tourists after President Xi's trip for a pint and fish and chip supper with then prime minister David Cameron.
The visit also prompted a surge in sales to China of Greene King IPA, the pint supped by President Xi on that occasion.
Thanks to its location close to the Prime Minister's official country residence at Chequers, The Plough has seen a succession of top political visitors over the years.
Less auspiciously, it was also the pub where Mr Cameron accidentally left his daughter Nancy following a Sunday drink in 2012.
Sinfortone approached pub and restaurant agents Christie & Co about buying The Plough.
The Chinese firm's managing director, Peter Zhang, said: "The English pub concept is growing very fast in China, and it's the best way culturally to link people from different countries and build friendships.
"We see bigger opportunities, namely countries lying between China and Europe in where we believe we could also export the UK brand internationally."
Neil Morgan, managing director of pubs and restaurants for Christie & Co, said the pub "has become quite a tourist attraction for Chinese visitors… who are keen to sample the classic British food and beer that the President tried".
It is the latest Chinese swoop for a UK business after rather larger scale deals including the £1.4bn purchase of UK travel website Skyscanner for £1.4bn by China's Ctrip.com.
In 2014, China's Sanpower bought department store House of Fraser.
Elsewhere, China is a major investor in the new nuclear plant to be built at Hinkley Point.
The pub purchase is not the first investment by Sinofortone in the UK.
Last year it said it would put £100m into an entertainment resort to be built by US film studio Paramount.
The Plough at Cadsden - which last year hosted a visit by David Cameron with Chinese President Xi Jinping - has been sold to Sinofortone Investment for a reported £2m.
Sinofortone has designs on building the Buckinghamshire pub into an international brand and cashing in on the new thirst for British pub life in China - the world's second-biggest economy.
The Plough has already become a favourite with Chinese tourists after President Xi's trip for a pint and fish and chip supper with then prime minister David Cameron.
The visit also prompted a surge in sales to China of Greene King IPA, the pint supped by President Xi on that occasion.
Thanks to its location close to the Prime Minister's official country residence at Chequers, The Plough has seen a succession of top political visitors over the years.
Less auspiciously, it was also the pub where Mr Cameron accidentally left his daughter Nancy following a Sunday drink in 2012.
Sinfortone approached pub and restaurant agents Christie & Co about buying The Plough.
The Chinese firm's managing director, Peter Zhang, said: "The English pub concept is growing very fast in China, and it's the best way culturally to link people from different countries and build friendships.
"We see bigger opportunities, namely countries lying between China and Europe in where we believe we could also export the UK brand internationally."
Neil Morgan, managing director of pubs and restaurants for Christie & Co, said the pub "has become quite a tourist attraction for Chinese visitors… who are keen to sample the classic British food and beer that the President tried".
It is the latest Chinese swoop for a UK business after rather larger scale deals including the £1.4bn purchase of UK travel website Skyscanner for £1.4bn by China's Ctrip.com.
In 2014, China's Sanpower bought department store House of Fraser.
Elsewhere, China is a major investor in the new nuclear plant to be built at Hinkley Point.
The pub purchase is not the first investment by Sinofortone in the UK.
Last year it said it would put £100m into an entertainment resort to be built by US film studio Paramount.
Trump: 'Out of control' Air Force One deal should be cancelled
Donald Trump has said he wants to scrap plans for a new Air Force One - labelling the project as "ridiculous".
The President-elect claimed the cost of converting a pair of 747 jumbo jets into a state-of-the-art command centre has exceeded $4bn (£3.1bn), and called the expenditure "out of control".
On Twitter, he said the US government should cancel its order with Boeing.
Speaking to reporters outside Trump Tower in New York, he later added: "I think it's ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest questioned Mr Trump's figures, saying they "don't appear to reflect arrangements between Boeing and the Department of Defense".
The Pentagon estimates that the Air Force One replacement programme will cost $2.87bn (£2.26bn) between 2015 and 2021,
according to budget documents.
Boeing also has a $170m (£134m) contract to conduct studies on the costs of building the plane with the requirements desired by the White House, including making it possible for Air Force One to communicate during a nuclear war.
In a statement, Boeing did not address Mr Trump's claims but said it would "deliver the best planes for the President at the best value for the American taxpayer".
Following Mr Trump's tweet, Boeing's shares dropped 0.7% to $151.08 (£119.20). Shares of other major defence contractors also fell.
In July, Mr Trump hit out at President Obama and Hillary Clinton for using Air Force One on the campaign trail, calling it a "total disgrace".
He said: "Air Force One is a very old Boeing 747 and it sucks up a lot of gas, a lot of fuel. Boy, the fuel bill. You turn on those engines (and) I can tell you it's a lot of money."
During his own presidential campaign, Mr Trump travelled across the US on his private plane, a Boeing 757-200 that has been dubbed "Trump Force One".
Bob van der Linden, curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, told Sky News there would be "very little likelihood" the US Secret Service would allow a serving president to charter a flight.
He said: "They would not know how the chartered plane was being maintained, they would have no control over it.
"Under the control of the Air Force it would be completely secure."
On Monday, the White House warned a phone call that took place between Donald Trump and Taiwan's leader had the potential to "undermine" relations between Washington and Beijing.
Air Force One v Trump Force One - how do they stack up?
Air Force One
:: Model - Boeing 747-200B
:: Passenger capacity - 102
:: Fuel capacity - 203,129 litres
:: Wing span - 59.64m (195.34ft)
:: Length - 70.66m (231.82ft)
:: Height - 19.33m (63.41ft)
Trump Force One
:: Model - Boeing 757-200
:: Passenger capacity - 43
:: Fuel capacity - 43,490 litres
:: Wing span - 38m (124.67ft)
:: Length - 54.4m (178.47ft)
:: Height - 13.6m (44.61ft)
The President-elect claimed the cost of converting a pair of 747 jumbo jets into a state-of-the-art command centre has exceeded $4bn (£3.1bn), and called the expenditure "out of control".
On Twitter, he said the US government should cancel its order with Boeing.
Speaking to reporters outside Trump Tower in New York, he later added: "I think it's ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest questioned Mr Trump's figures, saying they "don't appear to reflect arrangements between Boeing and the Department of Defense".
The Pentagon estimates that the Air Force One replacement programme will cost $2.87bn (£2.26bn) between 2015 and 2021,
according to budget documents.
Boeing also has a $170m (£134m) contract to conduct studies on the costs of building the plane with the requirements desired by the White House, including making it possible for Air Force One to communicate during a nuclear war.
In a statement, Boeing did not address Mr Trump's claims but said it would "deliver the best planes for the President at the best value for the American taxpayer".
Following Mr Trump's tweet, Boeing's shares dropped 0.7% to $151.08 (£119.20). Shares of other major defence contractors also fell.
In July, Mr Trump hit out at President Obama and Hillary Clinton for using Air Force One on the campaign trail, calling it a "total disgrace".
He said: "Air Force One is a very old Boeing 747 and it sucks up a lot of gas, a lot of fuel. Boy, the fuel bill. You turn on those engines (and) I can tell you it's a lot of money."
During his own presidential campaign, Mr Trump travelled across the US on his private plane, a Boeing 757-200 that has been dubbed "Trump Force One".
Bob van der Linden, curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, told Sky News there would be "very little likelihood" the US Secret Service would allow a serving president to charter a flight.
He said: "They would not know how the chartered plane was being maintained, they would have no control over it.
"Under the control of the Air Force it would be completely secure."
On Monday, the White House warned a phone call that took place between Donald Trump and Taiwan's leader had the potential to "undermine" relations between Washington and Beijing.
Air Force One v Trump Force One - how do they stack up?
Air Force One
:: Model - Boeing 747-200B
:: Passenger capacity - 102
:: Fuel capacity - 203,129 litres
:: Wing span - 59.64m (195.34ft)
:: Length - 70.66m (231.82ft)
:: Height - 19.33m (63.41ft)
Trump Force One
:: Model - Boeing 757-200
:: Passenger capacity - 43
:: Fuel capacity - 43,490 litres
:: Wing span - 38m (124.67ft)
:: Length - 54.4m (178.47ft)
:: Height - 13.6m (44.61ft)
Vice president Joe Biden hints at presidency run in 2020
Joe Biden has hinted he may run for the presidency at the next US election in 2020.
The current vice president was recorded by a reporter saying: "I'm gonna run in 2020."
When asked what he would be running for, Biden replied: "For president."
When he was pressed on the comment, he said: "I'm not committing not to run.
"I'm not committing to anything. I learned a long time ago fate has a strange way of intervening."
Mr Biden's remarks came after he presided over an emotional vote in the US Senate to rename part of a medical innovation bill following the death of his eldest son Beau of brain cancer last year.
The VP, who has been a senator for 36 years, decided not to run for this year's presidential election after the window "closed" for him to launch a successful campaign as his family mourned Beau.
He mounted a presidential campaign in 2008 but dropped out to become the running mate for then Senator Barack Obama.
Mr Biden, who would be 77 in 2020, first entered the presidential race as long ago as 1988 but dropped out early.
Shortly after Mr Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972, his first wife and one-year-old daughter died in a car accident.
The current vice president was recorded by a reporter saying: "I'm gonna run in 2020."
When asked what he would be running for, Biden replied: "For president."
When he was pressed on the comment, he said: "I'm not committing not to run.
"I'm not committing to anything. I learned a long time ago fate has a strange way of intervening."
Mr Biden's remarks came after he presided over an emotional vote in the US Senate to rename part of a medical innovation bill following the death of his eldest son Beau of brain cancer last year.
The VP, who has been a senator for 36 years, decided not to run for this year's presidential election after the window "closed" for him to launch a successful campaign as his family mourned Beau.
He mounted a presidential campaign in 2008 but dropped out to become the running mate for then Senator Barack Obama.
Mr Biden, who would be 77 in 2020, first entered the presidential race as long ago as 1988 but dropped out early.
Shortly after Mr Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972, his first wife and one-year-old daughter died in a car accident.
Drake's Spotify reign stopped by The Weeknd
The Weeknd has ended Drake's long reign as king of Spotify, topping the rapper's record of monthly listeners in November.
The Starboy singer had close to 37.5 million plays last month compared to Drake's 36 million.
Data released by Spotify shows Drake hadn't been topped in a monthly streaming list since May.
The Weeknd's latest album Starboy, released late last month, has now been streamed by almost a third of all Spotify users.
Starboy has also been named the "the third-biggest debut of the year" by Billboard.
The singer's second album topped the music magazine's coveted 200 chart on Monday.
Starboy sold 348,000 albums in the week ending 1 December, according to Billboard.
That's still behind Drake's Views and Beyonce's Lemonade.
Starboy, released just one year after The Weeknd's breakthrough album Beauty Behind the Madness, is a mixture of R&B and electronica.
The lead single features a collaboration with French electronic duo Daft Punk.
Earlier this month, Drake was crowned Spotify's most streamed artist of 2016 for both album and song.
"Drake has been unstoppable this year, he's a true global superstar," Spotify said in a statement.
"With the top album and the top song this year, as well as his successful Summer Sixteen tour, Drake continues to engage his fans in a way that only Drake can," they added.
"It's no surprise he is dominating the music industry."
The Canadian rapper's songs have been streamed 4.7 billion times so far this year.
His title of most streamed artist of 2016 remains unchallenged.
The Starboy singer had close to 37.5 million plays last month compared to Drake's 36 million.
Data released by Spotify shows Drake hadn't been topped in a monthly streaming list since May.
The Weeknd's latest album Starboy, released late last month, has now been streamed by almost a third of all Spotify users.
Starboy has also been named the "the third-biggest debut of the year" by Billboard.
The singer's second album topped the music magazine's coveted 200 chart on Monday.
Starboy sold 348,000 albums in the week ending 1 December, according to Billboard.
That's still behind Drake's Views and Beyonce's Lemonade.
Starboy, released just one year after The Weeknd's breakthrough album Beauty Behind the Madness, is a mixture of R&B and electronica.
The lead single features a collaboration with French electronic duo Daft Punk.
Earlier this month, Drake was crowned Spotify's most streamed artist of 2016 for both album and song.
"Drake has been unstoppable this year, he's a true global superstar," Spotify said in a statement.
"With the top album and the top song this year, as well as his successful Summer Sixteen tour, Drake continues to engage his fans in a way that only Drake can," they added.
"It's no surprise he is dominating the music industry."
The Canadian rapper's songs have been streamed 4.7 billion times so far this year.
His title of most streamed artist of 2016 remains unchallenged.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)