WhatsApp co-founder quitting

SAN FRANCISCO • The co-founder of WhatsApp, a messaging service owned by Facebook with more than one billion daily users, said on Monday he was leaving the company, in a loss of one of the strongest advocates for privacy inside Facebook.

Mr Jan Koum's plan to exit comes after clashing with the parent company over WhatsApp's strategy and Facebook's attempts to use its personal data and weaken its encryption, the Washington Post earlier reported.

REUTERS

Scotland sets floor unit price on alcohol

LONDON • Scotland introduced minimum unit pricing on alcohol yesterday as it tries to improve public health by raising the cost of cheap, strong drinks favoured by young people and binge-drinkers.

A unit of alcohol, defined as 10 millilitres of pure alcohol, must not cost less than 50p (S$0.90) as Scotland becomes one of the first countries in the world to introduce this pricing.

The increase on mainly cheaper white ciders and value spirits will help to cut alcohol-related deaths, according to the Scottish government.

REUTERS

Summer comes early to the US

SAN FRANCISCO • Mother Nature has decided to skip over spring in parts of the United States and head right into summer.

New York, which just two weeks ago saw temperatures drop to as low as 3 deg C, could hit 32 deg C later this week, nearing a record for this time of year, according to weather forecasting site Accuweather.

Heat is forecast to spread across much of the eastern US this week, with Philadelphia and Washington also facing temperatures nearing 32 deg C.

It could be the warmest stretch of days for the region this year, according to the site.

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