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Donald Trump’s plan to block downloads of the Chinese messaging and payment app WeChat has been blocked by a federal judge in California on first amendment grounds.
The ruling put a temporary block on the president’s executive order which would have effectively banned the app on Sunday, despite Mr Trump and his administration describing it as a national security threat.

Judge Laurel Beeler said the government’s actions would affect WeChat users’ first amendment rights – as a ban on the app removes their platform for communication.

Image: Donald Trump had sought to ban WeChat through an executive order
WeChat is popular with many Chinese-speaking Americans and serves as a lifeline to friends, family, customers and business contacts in China.
It is owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent.

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A preliminary injunction against the US government’s ban was brought by a non-profit organisation called the US WeChat Users Alliance, which says it has no connection to Tencent.

The group, which features prominent Chinese-American lawyers, said the executive order risked infringing the constitutional rights of the app’s 19 million regular users in the country.

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According to the US government, WeChat posed a national security threat by providing the Chinese Communist Party with the ability to maliciously collect data on American citizens.
The Department of Justice claimed this data included “network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories”, data which social media apps typically collect on their users, although they are not typically based in China.
Tencent denies the allegations, and says that messages on its app are private.

TikTok: What data does it collect on its users, and how do other apps compare?

The ruling follows Donald Trump saying he has given his “blessing” to a proposed deal that could prevent another Chinese-owned app, TikTok, from being banned by the same executive order.
He told reporters at the White House he is backing a deal with Oracle and Walmart that would create a new company to oversee TikTok’s US operations.
Mr Trump said the new company would be “totally controlled by Oracle and Walmart”.
People in the US had been set to be banned from downloading the video-sharing app on Sunday, following White House concerns about the security of user data.
An earlier statement from the US commerce department said: “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the US.”
It added that the apps posed “unacceptable risks” to national security.
But the president has now said he approves the deal “in concept” and the security will be “100%”, adding: “I have given the deal my blessing.”

Tens of thousands of people marched through the Belarusian capital Minsk on Sunday, calling for the resignation of president Alexander Lukashenko in the sixth straight weekend of protests.
It comes as hackers leaked the personal details of more than 2,000 senior police officers in two batches, pledging that “no one will remain anonymous, even under a balaclava”, amid reports of violent crackdowns targeting demonstrators.

At least 10 people were detained on Sunday, according to the Russian news agency TASS, which quoted a police spokesperson. Human rights group Spring-96 said at least 196 people were detained across the whole of the county.

Arrests after anti-Lukashenko protests in Belarus

Local media organisations shared videos showing the security forces wearing helmets and balaclavas dragging demonstrators off the streets.
On Saturday, more than 390 women demonstrating in Minsk were arrested, including an elderly woman who has become a symbol of the protests.

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The unrest began following the 9 August presidential election which many Belarusians believe Mr Lukashenko, a former Soviet collective farm manager, fraudulently won.

Mr Lukashenko has been president of Belarus for 26 years, during which time he has consistently suppressed political opposition.

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He has resisted calls to resign, sometimes appearing carrying an automatic rifle, and buoyed by support from the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Weeks ago, the European Union vowed to impose sanctions on Minsk for alleged election fraud and human rights abuses, but it is now expected to miss its Monday deadline for action.

Image: Police have arrested at least 10 people on Sunday, according to reports
Thousands of people have been detained during the protests, many of whom have reported being beaten and tortured while detained – although the government denies these claims.
“As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale,” the hackers told opposition news channel Nexta.

Image: A placard depicts the Belarusian president as Kim Jong Un, stating ‘washed-up’
The details include the names of the senior officers, as well their surnames, patronyms – common in Russian-speaking countries – as well as their dates of birth, parent units, ranks and positions.
A second batch of more than 1,000 names was released on Sunday evening, this time naming officers in the western Belarusian city of Brest where the leakers claimed the policer were particularly heavy-handed.
The government said it would find and punish whoever was responsible for leaking the data on police officers, which was distributed over the popular chat app Telegram on Saturday.
“The forces, means and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the overwhelming majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the internet,” said Olga Chemodanova, a spokesperson for the Belarusian minister of internal affairs.

Image: Security forces have detained people in the capital Minsk
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya praised the women’s march in a video statement from Lithuania, where she fled after being held inside a government electoral office following the election.
Speaking to Sky News, Mrs Tikhanovskaya said she was not yet ready to talk about what happened to her during the time she was held in custody.
It is thought she was threatened with being separated from her two young children, whom she had already moved to Lithuania.
“They have frightened and put pressure on women for the second month, but despite this, Belarusians are continuing their peaceful protest and showing their amazing fortitude,” Mrs Tikhanovskaya said of Saturday’s march.

‘There were blood smears on the walls’: Belarus protesters traumatised by brutal treatment

The Belarusian government reacted angrily to reports that Mrs Tikhanovskaya could soon meet EU foreign ministers.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticised the EU, accusing Brussels of attempting to “rock the boat” in Belarus – seen by Moscow as a strategic buffer against the EU and NATO.
Russia has accused the US of fomenting revolution in Minsk, and agreed to give a $1.5bn (£1.16bn) loan to prop up Mr Lukashenko’s government following a meeting with Mr Putin.
Belarus will spend $330m (£255m) of the money it has received to cover its outstanding debt to the Russian gas giant Gazprom, according to Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov.

Donald Trump says he has given his “blessing” to a proposed deal that could prevent TikTok from being banned in the US.
He told reporters at the White House he is backing a deal with Oracle and Walmart that would create a new company to oversee TikTok’s US operations.

Mr Trump said the new company would be “totally controlled by Oracle and Walmart”.
People in the US were set to be banned from downloading the video-sharing app – as well as another Chinese app, WeChat – on Sunday, following White House concerns about the security of user data.

Image: Donald Trump said he has approved the deal ‘in concept’
An earlier statement from the US commerce department said: “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the US.”

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It added that the apps posed “unacceptable risks” to national security.

But the president has now said he approves the deal “in concept” and the security will be “100%”, adding: “I have given the deal my blessing.”

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Reuters news agency reported on Thursday the new company, called TikTok Global, will have a majority of American directors, a US chief executive and a security expert on board.
It is expected to create at least 25,000 new jobs and will be based in Texas, the president said.

What data does it collect on its users, and how do other apps compare?

Oracle and Walmart are expected to take significant equity stakes and ByteDance – which owns TikTok – has agreed to significant security safeguards, with Oracle housing all data and having the right to inspect the app’s source code.
However, China must still approve the deal.
TikTok said in a statement: “We are pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the US Administration and settle questions around TikTok’s future in the US.”
It added: “Our team works tirelessly to provide a safe and inclusive platform and we’re thrilled that we will be able to continue serving our amazingly diverse and creative community.”
Mr Trump said: “We’ll see whether or not it all happens.”
It is not immediately clear if the commerce department will row back on its plans to force Google and Apple to stop offering TikTok on their US app stores on Sunday.

Just 6% of the UK’s population had COVID-19 antibodies at the start of September, the government’s scientific advisers have warned.
Newly released documents from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said current levels of immunity were unlikely to mitigate the impact of “a significant winter resurgence”.

There is also evidence that antibody levels wane over two to three months, according to minutes from a SAGE meeting on 3 September.

New restrictions in North West and Midlands

“Evidence from serology studies suggest a small proportion (about 6%) of the UK population has antibodies to COVID-19,” SAGE said.
“There is an antibody response in nearly all infected people, including those who are asymptomatic (high confidence).

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“It is not yet known how long these responses last, the degree of protection conferred, or effects on transmission, but where neutralising antibodies are present, protection against infections seems very likely (medium confidence).”

SAGE added: “There is evidence of antibody levels waning over 2-3 months (medium confidence).

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“There is evidence that individuals with certain types and levels of antibody can still have significant viral load and potentially transmit the virus (high confidence).”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in May that a study had shown at least 5% of people in the UK had developed COVID-19 antibodies.

Hancock on potential for second lockdown

Meanwhile, researchers from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust found just under 6% of England’s population had antibodies for the virus at the end of June – an estimated 3.4 million people.
The latest revelations come as official figures show the coronavirus transmission rate – the R number – could now be as high as 1.4 in the UK.
SAGE said there is “widespread growth of the epidemic across the country”, with the number of new infections growing by between 2% and 7% every day.

New lockdowns mean 10 million Britons are under extra restrictions – the rules where you are

The Office for National Statistics said cases are thought to have almost doubled in a week to 6,000 a day in England, its worst prediction since mid-May.
Parts of the North West, West Yorkshire and the Midlands are now being placed under further localised restrictions.
It means that, from Tuesday, one in five of the UK population – just under 13 million people – will be living under extra restrictions.

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A further 4,322 coronavirus cases were confirmed on Friday, bringing the UK’s total to 385,936.
Twenty-seven more people died in the UK having tested positive for the virus, with the number of deaths now at 41,732.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 57,500 deaths registered in the UK where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

People in the US will be banned from downloading TikTok from this Sunday.
The US commerce department said that starting 20 September, Americans will not be able to get the popular video-sharing app.

The ban will also cover the messaging app WeChat.

Image: Chinese messaging app WeChat is also covered by the ban
President Donald Trump could still withdraw the ban before Sunday evening – if a deal is done between TikTok’s Chinese owners ByteDance and US technology giant Oracle.
The two firms are in talks to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address the White House’s concerns about the security of its users’ data, with Oracle having moved ahead of Microsoft in the race for a deal.

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TikTok has 100 million users in the US.

A statement from the department said: “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the US.

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“Today’s announced prohibitions, when combined, protect users in the US by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality.”
It went on: “While the threats posed by WeChat and TikTok are not identical, they are similar. Each collects vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories.
“Each is an active participant in China’s civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP.
“This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security.”

Trump: ‘I don’t mind’ if Microsoft buys TikTok

TikTok has said it would never share user information with Chinese authorities.
Bytedance and Oracle have submitted a proposal for a deal in which TikTok would become a separate US company with with an American board.
There would also be a security committee – the head of which would need government security clearance.
Microsoft had previously been in the running to take over the app, but their offer was rejected on 13 September.
Any deal will need the approval of both Washington and Beijing.

A man has been caught asleep behind the wheel of a self-driving Tesla car that was travelling at 150km/h (93mph).
Police in Alberta, Canada, received a call about a 2019 Tesla Model S speeding on a motorway near the town of Ponoka.

Officers said the car appeared to be in self-drive mode, with both front seats fully reclined and both the driver and passenger sleeping.

Tesla driver caught on video ‘sleeping’ while car is on auto-pilot

It had been travelling at 140km/h, but sped up to 150km/h when police turned on their emergency lights.
The car was pulled over before the 20-year-old man who was driving was charged with speeding and had his licence suspended for 24 hours for fatigue.

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The man from British Columbia was later charged with dangerous driving and is due to appear in court in December.

“Although manufacturers of new vehicles have built-in safeguards to prevent drivers from taking advantage of the new safety systems in vehicles, those systems are just that -supplemental safety systems,” RCMP traffic services Superintendent Gary Graham said in a statement.

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“They are not self-driving systems, they still come with the responsibility of driving.”
Tesla’s website says the autopilot function will steer, accelerate and brake for the car within its lane but still needs the driver to be paying attention – adding that it does “not make the vehicle autonomous”.

Image: In August, a Tesla driver crashed into a police car after allegedly watching a film while his vehicle was on autopilot. Pic: @NC_GHSP
It is merely the latest report of a motorist accused of leaving a Tesla car’s automated systems in control.
In August, a Tesla driver in North Carolina crashed into a police car after allegedly watching a film while his vehicle was on autopilot.
And onlookers were shocked to see a driver apparently sleeping while his vehicle travelled along a California road in August 2019.

Sony has come out swinging ahead of the console wars looming this holiday season by confirming its two PS5 consoles will be available in November alongside a host of exciting games.
The flagship PlayStation 5 will be available for £449 in the UK from 19 November, and a digital edition which doesn’t have a disc drive will cost £359.

Sony delivered the prices and release dates during a showcase on Wednesday which included surprise new games, including Final Fantasy XVI and an open-world RPG set in the Harry Potter universe.

Image: Sony confirmed the PS5 would be available on 19 November in the UK
Hogwarts Legacy is a role-playing game set in the late 1800s and appears as if it will allow players to choose their Hogwarts house as well as explore the world beyond the magical school.
Players will have access to spells, potions and magical creatures, and although the underlying story wasn’t revealed the narration suggested it would be shaped by the choices the player makes in-game.

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Final Fantasy XVI seems to be set in a medieval-style world with knights riding the series’ classic Chocobo steeds and characters summoning icon monsters to battle in real-time. Both games will be released in 2021.

Sony’s flagship console will cost exactly as much as Microsoft’s, although the more affordable Xbox Series S is £100 cheaper than the PS5 digital edition. That is due to the digital edition having the same specifications as the version with a disc drive.

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The consoles are going to hit shelves first in the US, Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea on 12 November before coming out the following week in the rest of the world.
Pre-orders will open on 17 September at select retailers, giving Sony a bit of a head start on Microsoft with Xbox pre-orders opening on 22 September.

Image: Sony showcased a number of exciting games for the PS5
Sony put a lot of games into what was planned as a 40-minute showcase, including those above as well as a sequel to God of War, Spider-Man: Miles Morales and a new Call of Duty game.
Sky News had previously completed a full roundup of all 26 games revealed for the PS5 in March, starting with the six we’re most excited for, followed by the rest in alphabetical order.
Response to the event was very positive on social media, with the hashtag #PlayStation5 trending globally on Twitter as people talked about their favourite games.
Sony also announced the PlayStation Plus Collection, which will give players access to classic PS4 games including The Last of Us and Fallout 4 from launch.

British universities and colleges have been warned about a spike in ransomware attacks targeting the education sector by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ.
Academic institutions are being urged to follow NCSC guidance following a sharp increase in attacks which have left some teachers fearing they won’t be able to accept students when term begins.

Last week staff at Newcastle University warned Sky News they had “no idea how we are going to welcome students in three weeks’ time” following one such ransomware attack, which has impacted IT services across the whole university.

Image: Newcastle has been ‘completely crippled’ by an attack. Pic: Newcastle Uni
Similar attacks in which criminal hackers infiltrated computer networks and stole data before encrypting the machines and demanding a ransom payment to unlock them again, have hit Northumbria University, Bolton Sixth Form College, Leeds City College and others in August alone.
Speaking to Sky News, NCSC’s director of operations Paul Chichester said the agency had seen an increase in the “utterly reprehensible” attacks over the past 18 months and was concerned they would disrupt young people’s education.

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There are more than a dozen criminal groups which are currently earning millions by encrypting their victim’s computer networks and then leaking stolen documents online to pressure the victims into paying up.

Brett Callow, a senior researcher at cyber security company Emsisoft which specialises in these incidents, told Sky News “the fact that many ransomware groups now routinely steal data, using the threat of releasing or auctioning it as additional leverage to extort payment compounds the problem”.

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He added: “This means that ransomware incidents are no longer simply costly and disruptive inconveniences; they’re now data breaches and expose organisations to multiple potential problems from the loss of intellectual property to regulatory penalties.”
He warned that the demands being made by the criminals are steadily increasing as well, encouraged by the high rewards available for successful attacks.
“The average demand is currently somewhere between $150k and $250k, with the highest demand to date being a staggering $42 million,” Mr Callow said.

Image: Ransomware attacks against education institutions have risen sharply
“Our advice is always not to pay the ransom,” said the NCSC’s Paul Chichester. “We don’t believe that ultimately helps.”
Instead he encouraged any victims to reach out to the NCSC, or the National Crime Agency, or to regional organised crime units, all of whom have expertise is dealing with cyber attacks.
“Help is there. It can feel really isolating as a victim when you receive these extortion messages – but I would really strong advise organisations when they are hit by a ransomware attack to please report it.
“We are there to help, advise and guide you on the way to respond to these things.”
The NCSC’s guidance for organisations on defending against ransomware attacks is available here.

Kim Kardashian West is shunning the social media site that helped make her a star – freezing her Instagram account for the day.
She is among a group of celebrities who have paused their Insta and Facebook feeds for 24 hours, protesting against the spread of “hate, propaganda and misinformation”.

Kardashian, who has more than 218 million followers across the two social networking sites, announced her action in posts on both platforms.

She said she could not “sit by and stay silent” while content was “created by groups to sow division and split America apart”.
She said the platforms were allowing such information to be shared “only to take to the steps after people are killed”.

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Kardashian, who is currently in training to become a lawyer, went on: “Misinformation shared on social media has a serious impact on our elections and undermines our democracy.”

It is an important year for the US politically, with Donald Trump standing for re-election in November.

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Earlier this year, Kardashian’s husband rapper Kanye West attempted to join the presidential race but missed the deadline to register in key states.
Other stars supporting the #StopHateForProfit campaign include pop star Katy Perry, actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

Image: Perry quoted George Orwell in her stand against fake news
They are calling on Facebook, which owns both platforms, to do more to stop hate speech and disinformation, and called on their fans to follow their lead in freezing their accounts for the day.
Perry, who recently announced the birth her first child with British actor Orlando Bloom via social media, quoted British novelist George Orwell in her Instagram post, writing: “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Baron Cohen shared an image on Twitter, showing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with his face covered in white sunscreen while surfing.

The only thing more terrifying than Mark Zuckerberg surfing in whiteface…Is the white supremacy and lies Facebook spreads every day.This Weds Sept 16 I’m freezing my Instagram to tell Mark to #StopHateForProfit.Who’s in?! pic.twitter.com/nM5VB9YVZd
— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) September 14, 2020

The comic wrote: “The only thing more terrifying than Mark Zuckerberg surfing in whiteface… is the white supremacy and lies Facebook spreads every day.
“This Weds Sept 16 I’m freezing my Instagram to tell Mark to #StopHateForProfit. Who’s in?!”
Despite widespread support, some fans called the act “a stunt” and drew attention to the fact that, after 24 hours, the stars would be back posting as normal.
The Stop Hate For Profit campaign was launched in June, and since then thousands of businesses and major civil rights groups have signed up, including the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People and the Anti-Defamation League.

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In July, the campaign successfully persuaded 1,000 of Facebook’s advertisers, including Ben & Jerry’s and Puma, to temporarily pull their ads from the platform.
The earlier boycott led to a dramatic fall in Facebook’s shares, and US media reported that Zuckerberg’s personal net worth had taken a hit of over $7bn ($5.4bn).
Facebook has previously said it is taking steps to tackle disinformation online and said it will label potentially misleading posts to flag their news value (or lack of it).
Sky News has contacted Facebook and Instagram for comment.

Perfectly preserved sperm dating back 100 million years has been found trapped in amber.
The sperm – roughly 50 million years older than the previous oldest fossil record – belonged to an ostracod, a class of small crustacean that has been in existence for 450 million years. It was found in modern-day Myanmar.

Based on the fossil record and the behaviour of modern ostracod, the male used their fifth limb to transfer extraordinarily long but immotile sperm into the female.
The sperm was enormous too, being about 4.6 times the length of the female’s body.
“This is equivalent to about 7.3m (23ft) in a 1.7m (5.5ft) human,” said Dr Renate Matzke-Karasz of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

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Sadly for the two little critters, they were enveloped by tree resin while in the throes of passion.

This resin fossilised into amber, preserving not just the lovers but dozens of other ostracods.

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Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences were able to use X-rays to obtain high-resolution images of the remarkably well-preserved soft parts of the ostracods.
These images provided direct evidence of the male clasper, the sperm pumps, the hemipenes (they had two penises) as well as the female’s eggs and seminal receptacles (they had two of these as well) which contained the giant sperm.
Fascinatingly, research has revealed that sexual behaviour in ostracods, which features a wide number of morphological adaptations, has remained pretty much unchanged over the past 100 million years.
There are a number of conflicting theories about what the evolutionary value of such long sperm would be, according to Dr Matzke-Karasz.
“For example, experiments have shown that in one group, a high degree of competition between males can lead to a longer sperm life, while in another group, a low degree of competition also led to a longer sperm life,” she added.
Whatever the mechanism, the findings reveal “that reproduction with giant sperm is not an evolutionary extravagance on the brink of extinction, but a serious long-term advantage for the survival of a species,” Dr Matzke-Karasz concluded.