[01:33.71]the consequences would be catastrophic in that the credibility of this country with friends and adversaries alike would be shredded,
[01:44.68]and there would be not only implications for this presidency but for our future presidencies as well.”
[01:51.00]The United Nations envoy to Syria has warned that the violence there is pushing the country towards genocide.
[01:57.74]Mokhtar Lamani told the BBC that the humanitarian situation was almost a catastrophe.
[02:03.31]But he said it was the growing sectarianism that was now really frightening.
[02:07.29]“This huge movement of the population, leaving their villages according to what they were born.
[02:13.38]Even those, the defectors from the army, are not 100 per cent Sunni.
[02:17.99]You see from the other side also some allied actions.
[02:22.65]That’s people they have caught prisoner of their own group.
[02:25.12]It’s not a choice.”
[02:25.89]UN envoy to Syria Mokhtar Lamani
[02:29.27]In one of the biggest deals in corporate history, the British telecoms firm Vodafone has confirmed that it’s agreed to sell its stake in the US company Verizon Wireless for $130bn.
[02:41.36]Vodafone says it plans to use some of the proceeds to increase its investment in fourth-generation mobile technology.
[02:48.27]However, most of the money will be distributed to the company’s shareholders with British shareholders getting about $34bn.