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Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson dismissed for leaking secret Huawei 5G plan
Theresa May has dismissed Gavin Williamson from his post as defence secretary over "compelling evidence" that he leaked top secret national communications infrastructure plans to The Daily Telegraph (BBC News).
The Telegraph published a story indicating that Huawei could be involved in the construction of "noncore" parts of the country's 5G infrastructure – a highly confidential decision discussed at a National Security Council meeting. The story was published after Williamson met with Telegraph deputy political editor Steven Swinford. Penny Mordaunt is taking over as defence secretary.
Assange sentenced to 50 weeks in prison over breach of bail
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching bail conditions and fleeing to the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years to avoid extradition over Swedish rape charges (The Guardian). Meanwhile, proceedings are due to begin today requesting his extradition to the US over alleged involvement in cracking a password on evidence of US war crimes, including firing on civilians, obtained by Chelsea Manning and which he published on Wikileaks.
Fortnite creator Epic buys Rocket League studio Psyonix
Epic Games will buy San Diego game developer Psyonix, best known for multiplayer car football hit Rocket League (Ars Technica). The PC version is set to move to the Epic Game Store "in late 2019". It's another coup against rival Valve's market-leading Steam platform, but Psyonix has clarified that "anyone who owns Rocket League through Steam can still play it and can look forward to continued support."
The controversial science behind the Caster Semenya verdict
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected an appeal by South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya against new athletics regulations that set an upper limit for testosterone in certain women’s events (WIRED). From now on women who want to compete in international competitions at distances of between 400 meters and one mile will have to reduce their blood testosterone level to below five nanomoles per litre for at least six months before the event, and then keep it there.
For Semenya, the double Olympic and triple World 800m champion, it is a crushing blow. There’s no scientific reason why hyperandrogenism should be treated any differently to other genetic differences that confer increased athletic performance.
Wolves are more socially cooperative than dogs
New research reveals that wolves are more likely than dogs to give treats to pack mates in an adjacent room (Motherboard). The test of prosocial behaviour allowed the canines to give one another treats by pressing a touchscreen button and provides evidence for the argument that generosity in dogs is inherited from wolves – who rely on cooperation to survive – rather than bred in by humans.
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
