MSN Messenger was launched in 1999 to rival AOL’s popular AIM service - propelling the two into a battle to become the most-used instant messenger worldwide, the Verge reported. As recently as 2009, Windows Live still had as many as 330 million users and was an integral part of life for teenagers, in the same way that social media is today. During the programme’s lifetime, Microsoft adding more features to the service – including custom emoticons, games between players, and a ‘nudge’ function which would shake a friend’s chat window to grab their attention. But when Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5bn (£5.1bn) in 2012 Windows Live Messenger lost favour at the business. Figures later declined as Skype gained popularity, and by 2012, Skype had nearly 300 million users. The service has only been available in China since 2005, where it competed with domestic equivalents QQ Messenger. Windows Live users in China received an email from Microsoft announcing the closure on Thursday and added they would receive free Skype credit if they migrated, Chinese newspapers reported. Source: De Peet Journal
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DONETSK, August 30 -- A district was afire in Donetsk after it was hit by incendiary shells in artillery strikes, witnesses said. Several big buildings were ablaze, including a bakery. Two city residents were killed. Central Donetsk is left without water as a pipeline system is damaged. Source: Tass
"The armed forces, the special forces of Lesotho, have taken the headquarters of the police," Thesele Maseribane, sports minister and leader of the Basotho National Party, said, describing a possible coup attempt in the small nation located in eastern South Africa. "The [military] commander said he was looking for me, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister to take us to the king. In our country, that means a coup," he said. But Maseribane insisted the prime minister's government was still in control of the landlocked nation, which is located within eastern South Africa. An AFP photographer reported shots ringing out in the early morning hours, and said a reinforced military contingent was guarding the prime minister's official residence and that soldiers were patrolling the streets of the capital Maseru. The streets of the capital were calm, residents said, although some shops remained closed. South African radio stations also reported that private radio stations were off the air in the nation. Source: AlJazeera Moscow, August 30 -- A Russian Air Force transport Il-76 plane will carry a humanitarian aid cargo to Serbia, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry press service told reporters on Saturday.
ROTTERDAM, August 29 -- You ever wondered where the oil for North Korea is coming from? Here is part on an overview of the routes and suppliers. Recently, the majority of North Korea’s tankers have been visiting Russia’s Slavayanka terminal, which is operated by Vladivostok based GroupTranzit. Built in 1994, the Vostokbunker terminal is now the largest in the region, with an on-site Customs office dealing with import-export paperwork. Located just 100km from the DPRK’s border, this facility further trims delivery times for North Korea’s fleet. GroupTranzit ‘s website describes state-owned Rosneft and Gazpromneft as partners. According to a 2012 press release, the company operating the terminal signed an oil products agreement with Chinese company Huayuan Shitun. RETURN JOURNEY Satellite tracking shows most deliveries making their way to the North Korean city of Chongjin, though occasionally the DPRK’s tankers take the much longer route round to Nampho, where the country’s primary storage facilities are located. Additional delivery points along North Korea’s eastern coast are also possible, although these can be difficult to locate. Analysis of satellite imagery shows what could be storage terminals at Songbong, Rajin and Hungnam. “There are dozens of underground POL (Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants) storage areas in the DPRK. Some are easier to spot than others,” Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins SAIS told us. CRUDE CUSTOMER Long considered to be North Korea’s primary oil supplier and diplomatic patron, China shipped roughly 500,000 tons of crude oil a year to the DRPK, according to historical trade statistics. However, when these same statistics stopped reporting crude deliveries in January, the news sparked a flurry of speculation about a possible castigatory cut-off in supplies. “With China still not reporting deliveries of crude, there’s a great amount of interest in the situation over a potential cut off,” a London-based diplomatic source told De Peet Journal. “If they really stopped deliveries, how long can the DPRK survive without Chinese oil?” However, despite the rumours, De Peet Journal has tracked one of the DPRK’s crude oil tankers moving repeatedly between China’s massive Dalian oil terminal and its home port of Nampho. Called the Nam San 8, the vessel is a purpose crude oil tanker capable of potentially moving up to 12,000 tons of oil a month between the two ports. Although its coverage is spotty, the Nam San 8 has made at least two trips between Nampho and Dalian from July 5 to July 23 – the tanker also disappeared off tracking systems for 11 during that period. However, the tanker can be seen docked at the Dalian’s oil terminal on July 7 and July 23. DAMASCUS, AUGUST 30 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry has called for a global coalition to combat Islamic State fighters' "genocidal agenda" after President Barack Obama admitted he had no strategy to tackle the group.
ROTTERDAM, August 30 -- Dino Bouterse, son of the nation's president, admits in US that he offered to help Lebanese group set up in his country. The son of the president of Suriname has admitted charges in a US court that he offered the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah a base in his country. Dino Bouterse told a federal court in New York on Friday that he provided a false Surinamese passport to a person he believed was a Hezbollah operative. He also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and firearms charges. The plea came a year after Bouterse was arrested in Panama on charges he conspired to smuggle cocaine into the US. He had already been extradited to the US and jailed when authorities accused him of agreeing to accept millions of dollars to allow Hezbollah fighters to use Suriname as a base for attacking US targets. An indictment said Bouterse was recorded in Greece and Panama meeting people he thought were Hezbollah members and Mexican drug traffickers. His contacts were in fact undercover agents with the US drug enforcement administration. The indictment said Bouterse agreed to be paid $2m to help Hezbollah fighters settle in Suriname with fake identities and arm them with weapons including surface-to-air missiles for attacks on the US and the Netherlands. Bouterse also told the US agents that he was interested in using Hezbollah "tough guys'' for operations inside Suriname. Bouterse's father, Desi Bouterse, was elected president by the country's parliament in 2010. Desi Bouterse has previously said he was shocked by his son's arrest but added he was "responsible for his own actions". Dino faces a prison term of 15 years to life at sentencing on January 6. Source: Agencies Mercedes punish Nico Rosberg over Lewis Hamilton collision with 'suitable disciplinary measures'30/8/2014 ROTTERDAM, August 30 -- The Mercedes Formula One team have taken unspecified action against Nico Rosberg, after he admitted to culpability in the accident which punctured team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s left rear tyre on the second lap of last Sunday’s Belgian GP, and thus extended his title lead over the Briton from 11 to 29 points. The Mercedes Formula One team have taken unspecified action against Nico Rosberg, after he admitted to culpability in the accident which punctured team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s left rear tyre on the second lap of last Sunday’s Belgian GP, and thus extended his title lead over the Briton from 11 to 29 points. Both drivers were called before bosses Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe at the team’s factory in Brackley, Northamptonshire, to discuss the incident and find a way to move forward. The team have allowed their drivers to race all season, believing that to do otherwise would be unfair to them, such has been the dominance of their W05 Hybrid race cars. Mercedes have won nine of the 12 grands prix so far, taken pole position for all of them and set the fastest lap in 10. A team statement confirmed the drivers would still be free to race one another, but that another collision would not be tolerated. The statement said: “Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton met today in the boardroom of Mercedes AMG Petronas headquarters to discuss the events of the Belgian Grand Prix. “During this meeting, Nico acknowledged his responsibility for the contact that occurred on lap two and apologised for this error of judgement. Suitable disciplinary measures have been taken for the incident.” Hamilton said on his website that he is adamant his relationship with Rosberg is not irreparably damaged, despite the increasing intensity of their battle. “There is a deep foundation that still exists for me and Nico to work from, in spite of our difficult times and differences. We have the strongest group of individuals who have worked their hands to the bone to give us the best car. It’s important that we never forget that and give them the results they deserve. “Nico and I accept that we have both made mistakes and I feel it would be wrong to point fingers and say which one is worse than the other.” Source: F1 BUSINESS: Canadian food exporters to lose more than $600 million due to Russian counter sanctions30/8/2014 OTTAWA, August 30 -- Canadian businesses are still interested in the Russian market, waiting for the sanctions cancelling and losing no hope to work in Russia and with Russian companies, an official says. Canadian food exporters to Russia will lose this year more than $600 million due to the restrictions on the imports of agrarian produce, introduced by the Russian government, agriculture adviser at the Russian embassy in Ottawa Sergei Strokov said on Wednesday. “Based on the available information, in the meat exports alone the losses will amount to $600 million, and if we take into account seafood, this figure will be higher,” he told Reuters. On August 7, in response to sanctions the West imposed on Russia over its stance on the developments in Ukraine, Moscow fully banned the imports of beef, pork, fruit and vegetables, poultry meat, fish, cheeses, milk and dairy products from the European Union countries, from Australia, Canada, Norway and the United States. According to Strokov, before the introduction of sanctions - from January to June 2014, the exports of agricultural produce and food from Canada to Russia reached some $370 million. “This is almost half of the total Canadian exports to Russia’s market. The animal breeding sector traditionally accounted for the largest share - $285 million. Canadian farmers supplied a total of 82,000 tonnes of pork to Russia during the six months of the year,” he said. Over the same period, Canada exported to Russia seafood worth $60 million, including shrimp (10,000 tonnes) that accounted for $43 million.
“We know that Canadians intend to make the corresponding proposal to the Russian side at a meeting of the International Fisheries Organisation in Northwest Atlantic that will be held in Portugal in late September,” the Russian official said. “Canadian businesses are opposed to the position of the country’s leadership towards Russia and want to preserve good partnership relations with us, in order not to lose the Russian market,” Strokov said. Source: Reuters ROTTERDAM, August 30 -- Missing ship is latest sign of growing tensions between Iraqi government and Kurds An oil tanker loaded with $100 million of disputed Iraqi Kurdish crude has disappeared of the coast of Texas in the latest development in a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse between Baghdad and the Kurds. The AIS ship tracking system used by the U.S. Coast Guard and Reuters on Thursday showed no known position for the United Kalavrvta, which was carrying 1 million barrels of crude and 95 percent full when it went dark. Several other tankers carrying disputed crude from Iran or Iraqi Kurdistan have unloaded cargoes after switching off their transponders, which makes their movements hard to track. Days ago, the partially full Kamari tanker carrying Kurdish crude disappeared from satellite tracking north of Egypt's Sinai. It reappeared empty two days later near Israel.
The court on Monday threw out an order issued to seize the cargo, saying it lacked jurisdiction because the tanker was some 60 miles offshore. The judge has invited Iraq to re-plead its case over the rightful ownership of the cargo. Baghdad could file claims against anyone taking delivery of the oil. Source: The Independent BANGKOK, August 30 -- A truck driver was instantly killed at a mill in Phitsanulok province on Friday after a pile of paddy collapsed. Adul Jantoom, a 39-year-old native of the northern province, parked his truck close to a pile of hundreds of tonnes of paddy at a TSP Rice mill in Wat Bot district while waiting for his vehicle to be loaded for delivery to buyers. The massive pile was inside concrete walls but one of the walls next to his white Hino truck suddenly collapsed onto the driver's cab and the weight of paddy and the wall crushed the man to death on the the driver's seat. Rescue workers and employees of the mill took more than two hours to retrieve the body from the crushed cab under the pile, using heavy machinery including a backhoe. The driver had recently been recruited to work at the rice mill. Source: Bangkok Post LONDON, August 30 -- Harmful elements were discovered in charms sold by British toyshop The Entertainer.
A statement from The Entertainer said to the BBC: "It was brought to our attention that loom charms purchased from one of our stores may contain [banned] phthalates. "At The Entertainer, children's safety is our number one priority so as a precautionary measure we have removed all loom charms from sale with immediate effect whilst we conduct a full investigation. Phthalates is used to make plastics safer and more flexible but as a known carcinogen its use is tightly controlled. The loom band craze, where different coloured bands are woven together to create bracelets, originated in the United States, but has become increasingly popular in Britain with a loom band dress even being sold for £170,000. The Birmingham Assay Office, which independently test fashion and jewellery accessories, said they found two banned phthalates. Speaking to the BBC, tester Marion Wilson said: “Pthalates will get into your system through sucking and obviously a charm hanging off a bracelet is a very high risk item, a thing most likely to suck just as your fiddling with it.” Source: BBC
ROTTERDAM, August 30 -- A banker who managed the money of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has taken $5million and defected to Russia, a South Korean newspaper has reported. Yun Tae Hyong, a senior official for the secretive nation’s Korea Daesong Bank, disappeared last week in Nakhodka, in Russia's far east, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported. He was reportedly now seeking asylum in a third country, according to an unidentified source. North Korea has since asked Russian authorities for cooperation in efforts to capture Yun, according to the newspaper. It remains unclear how Yun managed to enter Russia – which share a 17-km (10.5 miles) land border with North Korea - or what he was doing before he defected. South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, told reporters it had no knowledge of the matter. Owing to the compartmentalised way North Korea is run, Yun would not necessarily have extensive information on the regime and how it functions, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea leadership expert at Dongguk University in Seoul. “(Officials) are only able to know about their work and commitments. It is hard to know something big beyond that in North Korea,” he said. Set up in 1978 to handle payments by North Korean trading firms, the bank focuses on foreign exchange transactions, according to the South Korean Unification Ministry's website. The Daesong bank was blacklisted by the US Treasury Department in 2010, as the US government suspects it is under the control of North Korean Office 39. The division is accused of being in charge of the state’s illicit financial activities, including its procurement of luxury goods banned under UN sanctions. In 2005, $25 million of North Korea's cash was frozen at Macau-based Banco Delta Asia, which the US Treasury said North Korea used for illicit activities. That case stands as practically the only public success in seizing funds from the isolated country. Kim Jong Un, in his early 30s, came to power in December 2011 after his father Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack. Kim's uncle, Jang Song-thaek, who was also involved in the operation of Office 39, was purged in December last year, along with an unknown number of officials connected to him and his business interests. Source: Reuters Source: Bloomberg |
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