Wednesday, September 28, 2016
US threatens to cut contact with Moscow over Syria attacks
US Secretary of State John Kerry says America will cut off contact with Moscow over Syria unless attacks on Aleppo are stopped.
The State Department says Mr Kerry issued the ultimatum in a telephone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
It comes as two hospitals were badly damaged and eight people killed as government forces intensified attacks on rebel-held parts of Aleppo.
Medical officials said an airstrike had knocked out generators and cut off the water supply at the M10 hospital - killing two seriously ill patients.
Another medical centre was struck by artillery fire, killing six people queuing for bread at a nearby bakery.
Adham Sahloul, of the Syrian American Medical Society, described the attacks as deliberate.
He said: "With these two hospitals gone, if today there is another offensive like Saturday or Sunday, this is signing the death warrant for hundreds of people."
It was unclear if the strikes were executed by Syrian or Russian forces, both of which are carrying out raids in Aleppo.
Mr Kerry's spokesman, John Kirby, says the politician expressed grave concern over the situation in Syria's second city.
He told Mr Lavrov the US holds Russia responsible for the use of incendiary and bunker-buster bombs in an urban area, Mr Kirby said.
During the call, he said the US was preparing to "suspend US-Russia bilateral engagement on Syria".
This includes a proposed counter-terrorism partnership, "unless Russia takes immediate steps to end the assault on Aleppo" and restore a ceasefire.
Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov have been leading international efforts to bring the five-year-old civil war to an end, and on September 9 agreed to demand a ceasefire.
However, fighting continued and the truce collapsed after just a week.
Reports from Russia say that during the call, Mr Lavrov urged Mr Kerry to make good on American pledges to separate Washington-oriented units of Syrian opposition from "terrorist groups".
He said warlords from militants formerly known as the Nusra Front had openly spoken about foreign support, including supplies of US weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon has described the situation as worse than a "slaughterhouse" during a speech at a UN Security Council meeting on healthcare in armed conflict.
"Those using ever more destructive weapons know exactly what they are doing - they know they are committing war crimes," he said, in an indirect attack on Syria and Russia.
Mr Ban said hospitals, clinics, ambulances and medical staff were "under attack around the clock," and called for "action" and "accountability".
Pope Francis has warned those behind the bombing of the city will have to "answer before God".
During a weekly address at the Vatican, he referred to Aleppo as a "battered city where children, the elderly, the sick, the young, the old are dying".
He said: "I appeal to the conscience of those responsible for the bombardment, who will have to answer before God."
More than 250,000 people are thought to be besieged in the rebel-held part of Aleppo, where intensive bombing has killed hundreds of people since the collapse of a week-long ceasefire.
The Syrian army took control of rebel-held district Farafra on Tuesday, its first advance since Damascus announced it would retake the whole of the divided city.
The push by troops came after the UN's top envoy to Syria accused the government of "unprecedented military violence" against civilians.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has called for dozens of sick and wounded people in eastern Aleppo to be given safe passage so they can be treated.
Apple to base London headquarters at Battersea Power Station
Apple has unveiled plans to create its London headquarters at Battersea Power Station, one of the capital's most recognisable landmarks.
The technology giant will occupy about 40% of the Grade II listed development, with 1,400 staff to be relocated to the complex in 2021.
In a statement, Apple said it was a "great opportunity to have its entire team working and collaborating in one location while supporting the renovation of a neighbourhood rich with history".
Battersea Power Station, a former electricity generator, has stood unoccupied for decades on the banks of the River Thames - with its four towering chimneys forming a prominent part of the city's skyline.
It has undergone a multibillion-pound restoration in recent years and Rob Tincknell, the chief executive of the development company behind the project, said he was "delighted" by Apple's decision.
Mr Tincknell added: "It is testament to our fantastic building and the wider generation of the 42-acre site which offers a carefully curated mix of homes, businesses and leisure amidst extraordinary open spaces and new transport links.
"It has always been our clear objective to create one of London's most thriving new communities and this commitment from Apple will undoubtedly help us achieve our goal."
Politicians have also praised Apple's move, with London mayor Sadiq Khan saying the relocation will help generate new jobs and economic prosperity for Londoners.
Chancellor Philip Hammond added: "It's another vote of confidence in the UK economy, sending a clear signal that companies are continuing to invest in Britain's future, and that we are one of the most attractive investment destinations for the global technology industry."
Adele's '25' goes diamond platinum in the US
Adele's latest album has gone diamond platinum in the US, less than a year after it was released.
The British star's 25 album has sold more than 10 million copies in America alone - a feat no one else has achieved in the last 12 years.
She was awarded a diamond plaque in New York after performing the last of six sell-out shows in Madison Square Garden.
Her 2011 album 21 also reached diamond status - and according to the Recording Industry Association of America, more than 14 million copies of that record have been sold to date.
Before Adele, the last person to sell 10 million copies of one album was Usher in 2004 - with Eminem and Norah Jones also securing diamond status with their 2002 records.
The soaring popularity of digital music, and streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, has made the threshold more difficult to reach.
However, Adele's decision to keep 25 off streaming services for seven months after its release may have given her sales a boost.
The success of her third studio album, which features singles including Hello and Send My Love (To Your New Lover), has helped cement her status as the century's top-selling artist.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Adele was nominated in four categories at MTV's Europe Music Awards - including best song for Hello, and best female act.
Adele's '25' goes diamond platinum in the US
Adele's latest album has gone diamond platinum in the US, less than a year after it was released.
The British star's 25 album has sold more than 10 million copies in America alone - a feat no one else has achieved in the last 12 years.
She was awarded a diamond plaque in New York after performing the last of six sell-out shows in Madison Square Garden.
Her 2011 album 21 also reached diamond status - and according to the Recording Industry Association of America, more than 14 million copies of that record have been sold to date.
Before Adele, the last person to sell 10 million copies of one album was Usher in 2004 - with Eminem and Norah Jones also securing diamond status with their 2002 records.
The soaring popularity of digital music, and streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, has made the threshold more difficult to reach.
However, Adele's decision to keep 25 off streaming services for seven months after its release may have given her sales a boost.
The success of her third studio album, which features singles including Hello and Send My Love (To Your New Lover), has helped cement her status as the century's top-selling artist.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Adele was nominated in four categories at MTV's Europe Music Awards - including best song for Hello, and best female act.
Adele's '25' goes diamond platinum in the US
Adele's latest album has gone diamond platinum in the US, less than a year after it was released.
The British star's 25 album has sold more than 10 million copies in America alone - a feat no one else has achieved in the last 12 years.
She was awarded a diamond plaque in New York after performing the last of six sell-out shows in Madison Square Garden.
Her 2011 album 21 also reached diamond status - and according to the Recording Industry Association of America, more than 14 million copies of that record have been sold to date.
Before Adele, the last person to sell 10 million copies of one album was Usher in 2004 - with Eminem and Norah Jones also securing diamond status with their 2002 records.
The soaring popularity of digital music, and streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, has made the threshold more difficult to reach.
However, Adele's decision to keep 25 off streaming services for seven months after its release may have given her sales a boost.
The success of her third studio album, which features singles including Hello and Send My Love (To Your New Lover), has helped cement her status as the century's top-selling artist.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Adele was nominated in four categories at MTV's Europe Music Awards - including best song for Hello, and best female act.
Adele's '25' goes diamond platinum in the US
Adele's latest album has gone diamond platinum in the US, less than a year after it was released.
The British star's 25 album has sold more than 10 million copies in America alone - a feat no one else has achieved in the last 12 years.
She was awarded a diamond plaque in New York after performing the last of six sell-out shows in Madison Square Garden.
Her 2011 album 21 also reached diamond status - and according to the Recording Industry Association of America, more than 14 million copies of that record have been sold to date.
Before Adele, the last person to sell 10 million copies of one album was Usher in 2004 - with Eminem and Norah Jones also securing diamond status with their 2002 records.
The soaring popularity of digital music, and streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, has made the threshold more difficult to reach.
However, Adele's decision to keep 25 off streaming services for seven months after its release may have given her sales a boost.
The success of her third studio album, which features singles including Hello and Send My Love (To Your New Lover), has helped cement her status as the century's top-selling artist.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Adele was nominated in four categories at MTV's Europe Music Awards - including best song for Hello, and best female act.
Adele's '25' goes diamond platinum in the US
Adele's latest album has gone diamond platinum in the US, less than a year after it was released.
The British star's 25 album has sold more than 10 million copies in America alone - a feat no one else has achieved in the last 12 years.
She was awarded a diamond plaque in New York after performing the last of six sell-out shows in Madison Square Garden.
Her 2011 album 21 also reached diamond status - and according to the Recording Industry Association of America, more than 14 million copies of that record have been sold to date.
Before Adele, the last person to sell 10 million copies of one album was Usher in 2004 - with Eminem and Norah Jones also securing diamond status with their 2002 records.
The soaring popularity of digital music, and streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, has made the threshold more difficult to reach.
However, Adele's decision to keep 25 off streaming services for seven months after its release may have given her sales a boost.
The success of her third studio album, which features singles including Hello and Send My Love (To Your New Lover), has helped cement her status as the century's top-selling artist.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Adele was nominated in four categories at MTV's Europe Music Awards - including best song for Hello, and best female act.
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