Pakistan state TV (PTV) has been taken off air after its headquarters were stormed by anti-government protesters in Islamabad.
PTV showed live images of crowds breaking open the gates and pouring into its offices before its transmission ended.
Latest reports say troops have removed the protesters from the building.
Protesters want PM Nawaz Sharif to resign. He denies charges of corruption and electoral fraud.
Earlier, fresh clashes erupted between protesters and police.
A number of police officers have been injured during clashes near PM Nawaz Sharif’s residence (photo The Express Tribune)
A number of police officers were reported to have been injured in the violence as thousands of demonstrators – some wielding batons and throwing stones – moved on the main building housing Pakistan’s federal bureaucracy and Prime Minister’s House.
Riot police were forced to retreat from the main road in front of parliament, Constitution Avenue.
Protesters attacked vehicles and set fire to shipping containers placed on the road as roadblocks.
On Sunday night protesters used trucks to smash through the outer fence of the parliament building.
Demonstrators loyal to opposition politician Imran Khan and cleric Tahirul Qadri have been taking part in a sit-in in the centre of the capital for two weeks.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union married on August 30 in Miami.
According to a report by Local 10 News, guests and the wedding planners were sworn to secrecy about the nuptials.
The Miami Heat star and his bride asked their guests to sign confidentiality agreements and told them not to bring cameras or phones.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union married on August 30 in Miami (photo Getty Images)
However, some information has leaked out. Gabrielle Union’s friend, actress Essence Atkins, tweeted before the wedding: “Congratulations Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union on their wedding.”
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union were wed at the Chateau Artisan mansion, a castle-like building that even is surrounded by a moat.
According to People magazine, the couple was scheduled to arrive via helicopter, and music for the ceremony was provided by recording artist John Legend.
The wedding weekend reportedly cost $5 million.
It is the second marriage for both Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union.
Russia has been given by the European Union one week to reverse course in Ukraine or face new sanctions.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the EU was working urgently on further restrictive measures.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said his country was “close to a point of no return – full scale-war” with Russia.
Russia denies Western accusations that its forces have illegally crossed into Ukraine to support separatists there.
Pro-Russian rebels have made gains against Ukrainian troops in recent days in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Some 2,600 people have died in fighting.
The conflict in the east erupted in April following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula a month before.
Western leaders say there is clear evidence of regular Russian military units operating inside Ukraine with heavy weapons.
Speaking after a summit in Brussels, Herman Van Rompuy said the EU “stands ready to take further significant steps in light of the evolution of the situation on the ground.
“Everybody is fully aware that we have to act quickly.”
Herman Van Rompuy did not specify the nature of further sanctions, but said the proposals would be ready within a week.
The US applauded the EU’s move.
Speaking in Brussels, President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine was a victim of military aggression and terror (photo AFP)
“We welcome the European Council’s consensus today to show strong support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to prepare further sanctions for consideration in coming days,” White House National Security spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.
The EU and US have already imposed asset freezes and travel bans on many senior Russian officials and separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine.
Western sanctions also restrict loans for Russian state banks, block defense-related technology exports and certain oil industry exports to Russia.
Russia denies that its forces are backing the rebels, instead accusing Ukrainian forces of aggression and deliberately firing at civilians.
Speaking in Brussels, President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine was a victim of “military aggression and terror”.
“Any offensive action which would be undertaken [by Russia]… would be a point of no return. And that’s why we undertake enormous efforts to stop that.”
Petro Poroshenko also said that he would discuss the possibility of a ceasefire at a meeting in Belarus on Monday of the Contact Group, which includes Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Federica Mogherini, named on August 31 as Catherine Ashton’s successor, said there could be no military solution to the crisis and that while sanctions were being worked on, the diplomatic process would need to continue.
Ukraine’s government forces have lost ground in recent fighting.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said on August 30 that Russian tanks had attacked the town of Novosvitlivka near Luhansk and “destroyed virtually every house”.
Spokesman Andriy Lysenko said troops had been ordered to retreat from Novosvitlivk.
Ukrainian soldiers have also been trying to evacuate Ilovaisk in the Donetsk region, which has been surrounded by the rebels. Reports say a number of soldiers have been killed in shelling by the separatists.
Rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko told the Russian News Service radio station a new offensive was being planned to create a corridor between Donetsk and Luhansk.
In south-eastern Ukraine, people have been leaving the port city of Mariupol, after advancing rebels captured Novoazovsk to the east.
Western and Ukrainian officials say this offensive has been substantially helped by Russian regular troops, opening a new front. Russia denies the accusation.
Humanitarian aid drops have been made by the US planes to the besieged Iraqi town of Amirli, the Pentagon has said.
Some 15,000 minority Shia Turkmen in Amerli have been surrounded by Islamic State (ISIS) militants for two months.
The US also carried out air strikes on ISIS positions. The Iraqi army, Shia militias and Kurdish fighters have been struggling to break the siege.
Aircraft from the UK, Australia, France joined the US in the humanitarian aid drops, said Rear Admiral John Kirby.
Food, water, and medical supplies were delivered.
Rear Adm Kirby said operations would limited in scope and duration, as required to protect civilians trapped in Amirli.
The UN has expressed fears there could be a massacre if IS breaks through defenses in the town, which lies in Kurdish-controlled Iraq.
Humanitarian aid drops have been made by the US planes to the besieged Iraqi town of Amirli (photo AP)
Earlier, the US launched new air strikes on IS near the key Mosul Dam.
In a statement, the US military said an armed vehicle, a fighting position and weapons were destroyed in the raid.
It said the strikes were in support of operations conducted by the Iraqi security forces near the strategic dam in the north of the country.
ISIS has been accused of atrocities in areas of Iraq and Syria under its control.
The Shia Turkmen are seen as apostates by the ISIS militants.
From the south, Iraqi government troops and allied Shia militias are trying to push into the Marin hill, which overlook the plain on which Amirli lies.
With the help of air strikes by the Iraqi air force, they are reported to be making slow progress, with roads in the area heavily mined and booby-trapped by the Islamist militants.
From further north, a combination of army forces, Shia militia and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters is reported to be trying to push down towards Amerli through a string of villages held by ISIS.
In one village, Salam, local sources said Shia militias had taken control of half of the settlement – but the ISIS militants fought back and drove them out.
The impression at this stage is that rapid movement to break the siege is unlikely and that it may be a protracted affair.
The operation is reported to have two objectives: to break the siege of Amirli and to reopen the main highway leading north from Baghdad.
The road is currently blocked by ISIS.
Meanwhile, reports from Syria say that hundreds of Yazidi women, another Iraqi minority, have been sold and distributed as wives among militant fighters in Syria.
The women who were abducted during recent attacks by IS in Iraq are said to have been transported to Syria after being forced to convert to Islam.
At least 27 of them were sold to ISIS members for marriage, according to the UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Right.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are reportedly working on their honeymoon as they film in the Mediterranean island of Gozo, near Malta.
“The newlyweds along with their brood of six children are making it a working honeymoon so they can shoot breathtaking scenes for their upcoming movie <<By the Sea>>,”Page Six reported.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are working on their honeymoon as they film in the Mediterranean island of Gozo, near Malta (photo Getty Images)
A local told the publication that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt paid as much as $200,000 to have the locals of Gozo leave during their two-month shoot.
By The Sea will be the first time Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt appear on screen since Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2004, the initial set where they fell in love. Angelina Jolie is also directing the film.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt kept their wedding a secret. They exchanged vows on their property Chateau Miraval in France on August 23.
Joan Rivers has reportedly been put on life support at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
Joan Rivers’ family maintains faith in her ability to bounce back even if they decide to turn off the machines, TMZ reported. They still have a few days to make a decision whether or not they will take Joan Rivers off life support.
Joan Rivers was rushed to the hospital after she stopped breathing while undergoing a procedure on her vocal chords (photo Getty Images)
The comedienne was rushed to the hospital on August 28 after she stopped breathing while undergoing a procedure on her vocal chords.
Joan Rivers was initially in critical condition, but was upgraded to stable later that day.
On August 29, her daughter Melissa Rivers released a statement saying Joan Rivers was “resting comfortably and is with our family”.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has warned that extremists could attack Europe and the US if there is not a strong international response to terrorism after the Islamic State (ISIS) seized a wide territory across Iraq and Syria.
While not mentioning any terrorist groups by name, King Abdullah‘s statement appeared aimed at drawing Washington and NATO forces into a wider fight against ISIS and its supporters in the region. Saudi Arabia openly backs rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad, but is concerned that the breakaway al-Qaeda group could also turn those very same weapons on the kingdom.
“I am certain that after a month they will reach Europe and, after another month, America,” King Abdullah said at a reception for foreign ambassadors on August 29.
“These terrorists do not know the name of humanity and you have witnessed them severing heads and giving them to children to walk with in the street,” the king said, urging the ambassadors to relay his message directly to their heads of state.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has warned that extremists could attack Europe and the US if there is not a strong international response to terrorism (photo Getty Images)
ISIS has been fighting moderate rebels, other extremists and Assad’s forces in Syria for nearly three years. Iraq has faced an onslaught by the Sunni extremists and their supporters since early this year, and the country continues to be roiled by instability.
While providing arms and support to Sunni militants in Syria, Saudi Arabia has denied directly funding or backing the Islamic State group.
British officials raised the country’s terror threat level on August 29 to “severe,” its second-highest level, because of developments in Iraq and Syria.
The White House has said it does not expect the US to bump up its terrorism threat warning level.
Saudi Arabia, a major US ally in the region, has taken an increasingly active role in criticizing the ISIS group. Earlier this month, the country’s top cleric described the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda as Islam’s No. 1 enemy and said that Muslims have been their first victims. State-backed Saudi clerics who once openly called on citizens to fight in Syria can now face steep punishment and the kingdom has threatened to imprison its citizens who fight in Syria and Iraq.
A decade ago, al-Qaeda militants launched a string of attacks in Saudi Arabia aimed at toppling the monarchy. Saudi officials responded with a massive crackdown that saw many flee to neighboring Yemen. In the time since, the kingdom has not seen any massive attacks, though it has imprisoned suspected militants and sentenced others to death.
Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL player, has failed to make the St Louis Rams’ final roster.
The Rams filed their roster before August 30 deadline and Michael Sam was not among the 53-strong squad.
The 24-year-old defensive end can still be picked up by another team ahead of the season-opening matches next week.
Michael Sam’s move to declare that he is gay in February was applauded by many, including President Barack Obama.
He was one of 22 players waived in the Rams’ final cut.
Michael Sam has failed to make the St Louis Rams’ final roster (photo Getty Images)
Michael Sam had been selected by the Rams on the final day of this year’s draft in May and he kissed his boyfriend as a national television audience looked on.
Head coach Jeff Fisher had said he was mainly focused on what the footballer could do on the field.
Jeff Fisher said on Saturday there would be no challenge for any team that picked up Sam.
“He’s not about drawing attention to himself. He kept his head down and worked and you can’t ask anything more out of any player for that matter,” Jeff Fisher said.
“The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I’ve always known. The journey continues,” Michael Sam tweeted after the Rams’ decision was announced.
Michael Sam featured in the 26-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints, saying afterwards: “You know, I can play in this league.”
Michael Sam played college football at the University of Missouri.
Former US navy sailor John Walker Jr., who led a spy ring for the Soviet Union, has died in a prison medical centre at the age of 77.
Retired Navy Warrant Officer John Anthony Walker was sentenced to life in prison in 1985 for passing codes and other sensitive data to the USSR.
John Walker Jr. had recruited his son, his brother and friend to continue spying after he retired. All were convicted.
The breach was considered among the largest leaks of military secrets in US history at the time.
Retired Navy Warrant Officer John Walker Jr. was sentenced to life in prison in 1985 for passing codes and other sensitive data to the USSR
John Walker Jr. pleaded guilty in 1985, in a deal to gain a lighter sentence for his son, who was released in 2000 after serving 15 years in prison.
The spy ring began when John Walker Jr. walked into the Soviet embassy in Washington DC in 1967, and offered to hand over secret coded material on a regular basis.
The Soviets used the information John Walker Jr. and others passed to them over the course of 17 years to decode millions of secret US navy messages.
Prosecutors said at the time of his arrest that John Walker Jr. was more motivated by greed than ideology.
John Walker Jr’s cause of death was not immediately released.
The Market Basket supermarket chain has agreed to sell to a majority stake to former boss Arthur T. Demoulas, ending a months-long dispute.
In announcing his purchase, Arthur T. Demoulas told workers, who had gone on strike in July to protest against his firing: “You are simply the best.”
The 70-plus stores belonging to the chain are mostly located in the northeastern US.
It was estimated the company was losing $70 million a day during the strike.
On August 27, Arthur T. Demoulas announced that he had reached an agreement to purchase the 50.5% of the company he did not control from a rival faction controlled by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, for $1.5 billion.
“Words cannot express how much I appreciate each and every one of you,” Arthur T. Demoulas said while addressing workers outside the company’s Massachusetts headquarters on August 28.
The company employs roughly 25,000 people in the area.
Market Basket has been sold to Arthur T. Demoulas for more than $1.5 billion
The saga began in June, when Arthur T. Demoulas was ousted as CEO of the company by a rival faction of his family, which controlled 50.5% of the firm.
The dispute was said to have been over a series of investments Arthur T. Demoulas had authorized, which led to large losses and smaller payouts for Market Basket’s shareholders.
However, the dispute simmered for a month until the new management fired eight workers who had protested againstArthur T. Demoulas’s demise in July.
That is when a campaign led by Market Basket workers and customers to “Save Market Basket” began to gather steam.
Workers went on strike, truck drivers refused to deliver fresh produce and meat, and shoppers boycotted stores, leading to empty shelves and the near-collapse of the firm.
Efforts on social media also paid off, with an anonymously-run Facebook page to save the Market Basket gathering over 90,000 likes and the hashtag, #MarketBasket, trending often on Twitter.
This brought national and international attention to the plight of the workers, stunning many in the industry both because the workers were not unionized and because they were campaigning for an almost-unheard of thing: the reinstatement of their boss.
Although negotiations between Arthur T. Demoulas and his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, continued through July, tensions were further agitated when Market Basket’s new co-chief executives announced a job fair in early August to hire replacement workers.
Now, those workers are breathing a sigh of relief.
Many tweeted pictures of newly-stocked shelves at several stores where meat counters and fresh produce areas had been empty for the past few weeks.
The question now is whether the chain, which has been essentially not in operation for two months, can recover from the essential collapse of its operations.
Boycotting customers said they would return to shop at the store immediately, as Market Basket is known for its lower-than-average prices.
Melissa Rivers says her mother, Joan Rivers, remains in serious condition at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, but “she is receiving the best treatment and care possible”.
In a statement to E! News, Melissa Rivers, who flew across the country from Los Angeles to be by her mother’s side, says: “My mother would be so touched by the tributes and prayers that we have received from around the world.”
Joan Rivers remains in serious condition at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York (photo Getty Images)
“Her condition remains serious but she is receiving the best treatment and care possible. We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts as we pray for her recovery. “
Joan Rivers, 81, was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital after she stopped breathing during a throat surgery at her New York doctor’s office. There, the comedienne was placed in a medically induced coma.
Severe storms and tornadoes threaten lives and travelers on this Labor Day weekend in the North Central states.
Warmth and humidity will build across the East Coast as sunshine holds in the Southwest.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), approximately 35 million people will hit the roads and airports on the last unofficial weekend of summer. The number is the highest in six years for the holiday and may be associated with lower fuel prices and improving economic conditions.
The strongest thunderstorms in the North Central states will be capable of spawning tornadoes, especially from eastern Nebraska to western Iowa and Minnesota.
Prior to the outbreak, another zone of strong thunderstorms with hail and damaging winds will threaten western North Dakota Saturday afternoon and evening.
Severe storms and tornadoes threaten lives and travelers on this Labor Day weekend in the North Central states (photo AccuWeather.com)
Otherwise over the weekend, showers and thunderstorms will stretch from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes on Saturday, August 30. The most numerous activity will center on the lower Mississippi Valley and western Great Lakes, including Chicago, Indianapolis, Little Rock, Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tupelo, Mississippi, and Houston.
On August 31, the corridor of numerous thunderstorms will extend from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley to northern New England. A stray shower or thunderstorm will dot the I-95 corridor from Boston to New York City to Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., mainly Sunday afternoon.
People traveling from the western Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and northern New England will want to make provisions for indoor activities for at least part of their weekend. Enough rain can fall and thunderstorms could be locally gusty in this zone, perhaps to the point to cause isolated flash flooding and sporadic power interruptions.
Travel delays would be a threat even if flash flooding does not unfold. Any downpours will reduce visibility for motorists and heighten the risk of vehicles hydroplaning at highway speeds. Airline passengers should prepare for possible flight delays from the downpours and lightning strikes.
On Labor Day, many communities along the East Coast will have to contend with a shower or thunderstorm threatening outdoor picnics, parades and other festivities. This includes in Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlanta and Jacksonville, Florida.
The sunniest locations on Labor Day weekend will be over the Southwest, along much of the West Coast states, part of the southern Plains and for a time along the middle part of the Atlantic Seaboard.
Jethro Tull’s original bassist Glenn Cornick died of congestive heart failure aged 67 at his home in Hilo, Hawaii, on August 28.
Glenn Cornick’s son, Drew Cornick, says his father had been receiving hospice care.
He performed with Jethro Tull from its inception in late 1967 until 1970.
Glenn Cornick performed with Jethro Tull from its inception in late 1967 until 1970 (photo Getty Images)
The band’s vocalist and floutist Ian Anderson said on the band’s website that Glenn Cornick brought bravado to Jethro Tull’s early stage performances.
Ian Anderson said Glenn Cornick made considerable contributions to the music scene.
Drew Cornick says his father was brilliant and cantankerous until the day he passed away.
In addition to his son Drew, Glenn Cornick is survived by his wife, Brigitte Martinez-Cornick of Hilo; a daughter, Molly Cornick; and another son, Alex Cornick.
Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton announced on August 29 that she is quitting her job as a reporter at NBC News, citing increased work at the Clinton Foundation and imminent birth of her first child.
Chelsea Clinton had been working at NBC since 2011, sporadically doing feature stories on people or organizations doing public-spirited work.
Politico magazine reported earlier this year that NBC was paying her $600,000 a year.
In a statement on her Facebook page, Chelsea Clinton said: “I loved watching the <<Making a Difference>> stories about remarkable people and organizations making a profound difference in our country and our world. I am grateful NBC gave me the opportunity to continue this important legacy.”
Chelsea Clinton, 34, was initially hired to do stories for Brian Williams‘ Rock Center newsmagazine, but that program was canceled. Her work occasionally appeared on NBC’s Nightly News.
Chelsea Clinton is quitting her job as a reporter at NBC News, citing increased work at the Clinton Foundation and imminent birth of her first child (photo NBC)
Two Chelsea Clinton stories that aired in January were on education programs targeting the underprivileged. She’s done stories on a school program for jailed teenagers named after Maya Angelou, an Arkansas tutoring program and a restaurant chain that donates leftover food to the needy. Her story on actor Jeff Bridges‘ work on childhood hunger aired August1, and another story about a school lunch program for poor children in New Mexico is scheduled to air on August 31.
Chelsea Clinton’s exit removes some potential awkwardness for the network if Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2016. NBC made certain to keep Chelsea Clinton off the air around the time her mother was making media appearances to promote a book, to avoid any appearance of conflict. NBC also received some criticism when stories about her salary appeared
Both NBC and Chelsea Clinton left open the possibility that she could someday return to the network.
“While my role with NBC News may be coming to an end, I look forward to working with the NBC family well into the future,” Chelsea Clinton said on Facebook.
Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, announced this spring that she is pregnant with her first child.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank Steinmeier has warned that the crisis in eastern Ukraine is “slipping out of control” and needs to be reined in to avoid a military clash with Russia.
Frank Steinmeier made the remarks on the eve of an EU summit which will consider further sanctions against the Russian government.
Russia has denied claims by NATO that its forces illegally crossed into Ukraine to support separatists there.
Some 2,600 people have died in fighting between rebels and Ukrainian troops.
The conflict erupted in April when Russia’s annexation of Crimea prompted rebels to take control of large parts of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine for the crisis, comparing its siege of Donetsk and Luhansk to the siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany in World War Two.
Russia could face new restrictions after a summit of the European Union’s 28 heads of state in Brussels on Saturday.
The EU and the US have already imposed sanctions against dozens of senior Russian officials, separatist commanders and Russian firms accused of undermining Ukrainian sovereignty.
Russia has denied claims by NATO that its forces illegally crossed into Ukraine to support separatists there (photo Reuters)
In late July, the EU also blacklisted some key economic sectors, prompting Russia to retaliate by banning food imports.
Russia’s energy minister has warned that the Ukrainian crisis could lead to a disruption of gas supplies to European countries this winter.
Earlier on Friday, NATO held an emergency meeting after releasing satellite images it said showed columns of Russian armed forces inside Ukrainian territory.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on Russia to “take immediate and verifiable steps towards de-escalation”.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen also indicated NATO could consider Ukraine’s application to join the alliance, shortly after PM Arseny Yatsenyuk announced he was putting Ukraine on course for NATO membership.
Meanwhile, heavy fighting has continued near the strategic port of Mariupol on the Azov Sea. Rebel forces are trying to capture the city but Ukrainian government troops are digging in.
On August 28, the separatists seized the nearby town of Novoazovsk.
The separatists’ advance toward Mariupol has raised fears that the Kremlin might seek to create a land corridor between Russia and Crimea.
Rebels are also reported to have surrounded government soldiers in several places further north, near Donetsk city.
Harry Belafonte is to be honored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
The 87-year-old actor and singer will be given a humanitarian award for his work as an activist on racism and equality issues.
Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, Irish-born actress Maureen O’Hara and French screenwriter and actor Jean-Claude Carriere will also collect honorary lifetime awards.
Harry Belafonte is to be honored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (photo Getty Images)
The prizes will be handed out at the academy’s Governors Awards in November.
Known as the King of Calypso, Harry Belafonte has spent much of his life campaigning for various causes including famine relief, education, AIDS awareness and civil rights.
Harry Belafonte was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. He was also named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1987.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences noted Harry Belafonte’s movies such as Carmen Jones, Odds Against Tomorrow and The World, The Flesh and the Devil strived to bring attention to the injustices of racism and inequality.
Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger, originally known as MSN Messenger, will be switched off in China in October, marking a final end to the 15-year-old service.
MSN Messenger was launched in 1999 but was switched off for most users in 2013, after Microsoft bought rival Skype.
Users in China continued to use the old service but will now be transferred to Skype by October 31.
Windows Live still had as many as 330 million users as recently as 2009.
MSN Messenger will be switched off in China in October, marking a final end to the 15-year-old service
However, those numbers later declined, while users of Skype rose to nearly 300 million by 2012.
The service came to China in 2005, but later faced stiff competition from domestic rivals such as QQ messenger, built by Chinese firm Tencent.
A number of Chinese Windows Live users received emails from Microsoft on Thursday, Chinese newspapers reported, informing them of the planned closure.
The emails told users they would get free Skype credit when they migrated over to the new service, the newspaper said.
MSN Messenger began as a simple text chat service in 1999, a rival to AOL’s AIM service and ICQ.
It later added features such as photo delivery, video calls and games as the technology developed.
Microsoft’s purchase of Skype for $8.5 billion in 2012 spelled the beginning of the end for the service.
The experimental Ebola drug ZMapp shows it is 100% effective in monkey studies, even in later stages of the infection, the only clinical trial data showed.
The study’s findings have been published in Nature.
Yet the limited supplies will not help the 20,000 people predicted to be infected during the outbreak in West Africa.
Two out of seven people given the drug, have later died from the disease.
ZMapp has been dubbed the “secret serum” as it is still in the experimental stages of drug development with, until now, no public data on effectiveness.
Doctors have turned to it as there is no cure for Ebola, which has killed more than 1,500 people since it started in Guinea.
Researchers have been investigating different combinations of antibodies, a part of the immune system which binds to viruses, as a therapy.
ZMapp shows it is 100 percent effective in monkey studies, even in later stages of the Ebola infection
Previous combinations have shown some effectiveness in animal studies. ZMapp is the latest cocktail and contains three antibodies.
Trials on 18 rhesus macaques infected with Ebola showed 100% survival.
This included animals given the drug up to five days after infection. For the monkeys this would be a relatively late stage in the infection, around three days before it becomes fatal.
Scientists say this is significant as previous therapies needed to be given before symptoms even appeared.
One of the researchers, Dr. Gary Kobinger from the Public Health Agency of Canada, said this was a huge step up from previous antibody combinations.
“The level of improvement was beyond my own expectation, I was quite surprised that the best combination would rescue animals as far as day five, it was fantastic news.
“What was very exceptional is that we could rescue some of the animals that had advanced disease.”
However, there is always caution when interpreting the implications for humans from animal data.
A Liberian doctor, one of three taking the drug in the country, and a Spanish priest both died from the infection despite ZMapp treatment.
The course of the infection is slower in humans than macaques so it has been cautiously estimated that ZMapp may be effective as late as day nine or 11 after infection.
But Dr. Gary Kobinger said: “We know there is a point of no return where there is too much damage to major organs, so there’s a limit.”
The group wants to start clinical trials in people to truly assess the effectiveness of the drug.
Beyonce has covered the latest issue of CR Fashion Book and has talked about her daughter Blue Ivy calling her “my biggest muse” in the accompanying interview.
Beyonce, 32, is on the cover of the fifth issue of the publication, looking gorgeous in a bright floral oversized Yohji Yamamoto cape, paired with black heels.
Beyonce is on the cover of the fifth issue of CR Fashion Book (photo CR Fashion Book)
“It’s my daughter, she’s my biggest muse,” Beyonce says of Blue Ivy.
“There’s someone, we all find out soon, more important than ourselves to lose. I feel a deep bond with young children – all those photos in my dressing room – especially those who’ve been stricken. Children I’ve met across the years – they uplift me like pieces of moon and guide me, whispering in my ear.”
While she doesn’t directly address her husband Jay-Z, Beyonce goes on to reflect on herself, her spirituality, and her stage persona.
Jon Voight has revealed he found out about daughter Angelina Jolie’s surprise wedding to Brad Pitt when the rest of the world did.
CBS’ Inside Edition asked Jon Voight, 75, about the wedding on August 28 at around 7:30 a.m. PT, several hours after the couple’s spokesperson confirmed to the Associated Press that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married in France, on August 23.
Jon Voight responded by saying he did not know they got married.
Asked whether he had a comment, Jon Voight quipped: “That’s nice.”
Jon Voight was all weekend attending pre-Emmys and Emmys events for his work on his Showtime series, Ray Donovan.
Jon Voight has revealed he found out about daughter Angelina Jolie’s surprise wedding to Brad Pitt when the rest of the world did (phto Getty Images)
However, the wedding ceremony was attended by Brad Pitt’s entire immediate family.
The actor’s contentious relationship with Angelina Jolie, 39, his daughter with the late Marcheline Bertrand, has been well chronicled in the past.
Angelina Jolie and her father reconciled in early 2010 after years of estrangement. In June, Jon Voight praised his granddaughter Vivienne’s acting debut in Angelina Jolie’s blockbuster hit Maleficent.
“Magnificent. She’s wonderful,” Jon Voight told Us Weekly of the 6-year-old’s big-screen debut as young Princess Aurora.
Jon Voight added that Vivienne’s appearance reminded him of when Angelina Jolie first made her debut alongside him in 1982 comedy, Lookin’ to Get Out.
This is not the first time Angelina Jolie kept a top-secret plan from her father.
Angelina Jolie, who underwent a preventative double mastectomy in early 2013, similarly kept her father out of the loop. Jon Voight, like millions of readers, found out about his daughter’s procedure after she penned an op-ed for the New York Times about her bold medical decision.
Nick Gordon has been arrested on charges of DUI less safe, failure to maintain lane and driving on a suspended license.
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s husband was detained after flipping his BMW and slamming the vehicle into a fire hydrant in Roswell, Georgia, on August 28.
Despite the car being significantly damaged and coming to rest on its roof, both Nick Gordon and his passenger, Bobbi Kristina’s best friend Mason Whitaker, did not sustain any serious injuries.
The Roswell police department discovered Nick Gordon was also driving on a suspended license.
Nick Gordon has been arrested on charges of DUI less safe, failure to maintain lane and driving on a suspended license (photo Roswell Police Department)
A Breathalyzer test was not administered at the scene, but officials are seeking a warrant for a blood test, TMZ reported.
Nick Gordon, 25, was then taken to Roswell Detention Center and remains in custody.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 21, and Nick Gordon married last year despite many believing the 25-year-old to be her adopted brother.
It was later revealed Whitney Houston never formerly adopted Nick Gordon.
Corey Feldman’s divorce from his estranged wife Susannah was finalized five years after their separation.
Susannah Feldman, known as Susie Sprague, filed for divorce in 2009 after seven years of marriage and their union has now been officially dissolved.
According to court documents, Corey Feldman was ordered to pay Susannah $750 each month in child support for their ten-year-old son Zen, TMZ reported.
Corey Feldman’s divorce from his estranged wife Susannah was finalized five years after their separation (photo Getty Images)
Corey Feldman’s second wife has reverted back to her maiden name Sprague.
Corey Feldman, 43, shot to fame in the 1980s in hit movies such as Gremlins, The Goonies, Stand By Me and The Lost Boys.
He has been on a downward spiral for years and most recently reinvented himself as a professional playboy, dubbing his female companions “Corey’s Angels”.
A Corey’s Angels website revealed his motivation for establishing the venture, which helps other men to meet gorgeous women.
Malaysia Airlines has announced it will cut 6,000 jobs as part of a radical restructuring plan after being hit by two disasters in 2014.
The reduction in staff numbers represents around 30% of its workforce of 20,000.
Malaysia Airlines will become completely state owned, and a new chief executive will eventually be put in place.
Investigators continue to hunt for flight MH370, the Kuala Lumpur to Beijing flight which went missing in March.
The MH17 air crash in eastern Ukraine is also under investigation. The plane was shot down on July 17, with the loss of all 298 people on board.
The recovery plan will cost about 6 billion Malaysian ringgit ($1.9 billion).
Khazanah Nasional, the state investment company that owns a 69% stake in Malaysia Airlines, will take 100% ownership.
Malaysia Airlines will cut 6,000 jobs as part of a radical restructuring plan after being hit by two disasters in 2014 (photo AP)
“The combination of measures announced today will enable our national airline to be revived,” said Khazanah’s managing director Azman Mokhtar.
“Success is by no means guaranteed – while it is imperative that MAS [Malaysia Airlines] as a critical enabler in national development is revived, public accountability for the use of the funds mean that it cannot be renewed at any cost,” he added.
Long-haul routes will be slashed, and the airline aims to return to profitability by 2018.
Malaysia Airlines warned on Thursday that it had seen a sharp decline in weekly bookings following the two air disasters.
However, the company has been in trouble over the past few years, and has lost billions of ringgit in that time.
Malaysia Airlines will be completely delisted from the Bursa Malaysia stock exchange by the end of 2014.
Relevant assets, operations and liabilities of Malaysia Airlines will be transferred to a new company by July 1, 2015.
The current chief executive, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, will continue to lead Malaysia Airlines until the new company is formed next year.
Libya’s PM Abdullah al-Thani has resigned in a move to end the power struggle in the country.
Abdullah al-Thani’s cabinet said it was resigning to enable the elected parliament to choose a new, inclusive government.
The Islamist-linked militia which seized the capital, Tripoli, last week has called for the elected parliament to be replaced by the previous body, the General National Congress (GNC).
Libya has been hit by instability since the 2011 ousting of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The various armed groups which united against Libya’s long-time leader have refused to disarm, leaving the government unable to exert control.
Libya’s PM Abdullah al-Thani has resigned in a move to end the power struggle in the country (photo Reuters)
French President Francois Hollande on Thursday called for the UN to give “exceptional support” to Libya to prevent the country sliding further into chaos.
Following the call by the Misrata-led militia for the GNC to reform, some members gathered this week in Tripoli and said they had appointed a new prime minister.
The UN this week stressed that it only recognized the elected body, the House of Representatives, which is dominated by liberal and federalist lawmakers.
The GNC had an Islamist majority.
Because of the instability in Tripoli, and the second city Benghazi, the House of Representatives has been meeting in the far eastern town of Tobruk.
Abdullah al-Thani, 60, served as Libya’s prime minister since March 2014, when he took over in an interim capacity after Congress dismissed Ali Zeidan. He was previously the defense minister in the government of Ali Zeidan.
NATO is holding an emergency meeting over eastern Ukraine crisis, as the West steps up its accusations of direct Russian involvement in the conflict.
On August 28, NATO released satellite images it said showed Russian forces inside Ukraine and said more than 1,000 troops were operating there.
Russia denies sending troops to eastern Ukraine.
Pro-Russian rebels have gained ground recently. Nearly 2,600 people have been killed since April, the UN says.
Heavy fighting is continuing near the strategic port of Mariupol, on the Azov Sea. Rebel forces are trying to capture the city but Ukrainian government troops are digging in.
On August 28, the separatists seized the nearby town of Novoazovsk.
The advance has raised fears that the Kremlin might seek to create a land corridor between Russia and Crimea – a territory annexed by Russia from Ukraine in March.
Rebels are also reported to have surrounded government soldiers in several places further north, near the city of Donetsk.
Ukraine forces near the town of Ilovaysk say they are cut off and have been urgently asking for supplies and reinforcements.
NATO said that more than 1,000 Russian troops were operating inside Ukraine
Overnight, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the rebels to open a “humanitarian corridor” to allow encircled Ukrainian troops to leave without unnecessary casualties, though he did not specify the location.
Rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko later told Russian TV that his fighters had agreed to the request, on condition that the Ukrainians hand over heavy weapons and ammunition.
At least 2,593 people had been killed in the conflict between mid-April and August 27, the UN said in its latest report.
Human rights violations like abduction and torture were “committed primarily by the armed groups”, referring to the rebels, it said.
Separately, Human Rights Watch said in a report that the rebels were subjecting civilians to torture, degrading treatment and forced labor.
The reports of Russian troops fighting with rebels prompted renewed Western criticism of Moscow’s role in the conflict.
President Barack Obama blamed Russia for the escalation but stopped short of saying its troops had invaded Ukraine.
“There is no doubt that this is not a home-grown, indigenous uprising in eastern Ukraine,” he said.
“The separatists are trained by Russia, they are armed by Russia, they are funded by Russia.”
Barack Obama is due to discuss the crisis with European leaders at a NATO summit in the UK next week.
NATO released satellite images it said showed columns of Russian armed forces inside Ukrainian territory.
NATO Brigadier General Niko Tak said more than 1,000 Russian troops were operating inside Ukraine, both supporting the separatists and fighting on their side.
At Thursday’s emergency session of the UN Security Council, US Ambassador Samantha Power said Russia had “outright lied” about its role.
Her Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin did not respond directly to Western accusations, but said: “There are Russian volunteers in eastern parts of Ukraine. No-one is hiding that.”
He hit out at the Ukrainian government, accusing it of “waging war against its own people”.
Vitaly Churkin also questioned the presence of Western advisers in Ukraine and asked where Ukrainian troops were getting their weapons from.
