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Elon Musk has acknowledged that his $44 billion takeover of X may fail — a stark admission that came as he faced fresh public outrage over a decision to eliminate the social media sites block feature.

Musk commented on Xs uncertain future came even as Threads, the rival text-based social media platform launched by Mark Zuckerbergs Meta last month, prepared to roll out a web version in its latest effort to lure users.

The sad truth is that there are no great social networks right now, Musk said. We may fail, as so many have predicted, but we will try our best to make there be at least one.

The X owner, who is worth an estimated $225.5 billion, infuriated users last Friday by revealing they would no longer be allowed to block accounts, except in the case of direct messages.

Musk argued that the block feature makes no sense and said users would have to make do with simply muting accounts from appearing on their timeline.

The move triggered immediate pushback, with Monica Lewinsky among those who urged Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino to reconsider nixing the feature.

The sad truth is that there are no great social networks right now.

We may fail, as so many have predicted, but we will try our best to make there be at least one.

Please rethink removing the block feature. as an anti-bullying activist (and target of harassment) i can assure you its a critical tool to keep people safe online, Lewinsky said.

Despite his apparent doubts about Xs future success, Musk poked fun at users who had raised a stink about his decision to get rid of the block function.

Pretty fun blocking people who complain that blocking is going away. How does the medicine taste? Musk wrote on Sunday.

The criticism was one of the multiple headaches that emerged for X over the weekend.

On Saturday, a glitch on Xs platform caused pictures and videos that were uploaded to Twitter prior to 2015 to disappear from the site.

One of the pictures to be temporarily erased was comedians Ellen DeGeneres famous selfie from the 2014 Oscars alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Meryl Steep. That image was later restored, though the glitch appeared to persist for other media.

“More vandalism from @elonmusk,” said user Tom Coates, who was among the first to flag the issue. “Twitter has now removed all media posted before 2014. Thats – so far – almost a decade of pictures and videos from the early 2000s removed from the service.”

Separately, a report from Mashable revealed that 42% of Musks roughly 153 million followers had zero followers of their own. More than 100 million accounts that follow Musk have tweeted fewer than 10 times.

More vandalism from @elonmusk. Twitter has now removed all media posted before 2014. Thats – so far – almost a decade of pictures and videos from the early 2000s removed from the service.

For example, heres a search of my media tweets from before 2014. https://t.co/FU6K34oqmA

The data suggests that many of Musks followers have inactive accounts — and raised the possibility that some could be bots. The billionaire famously vowed to eliminate all bots from Twitter as part of his plans to rejuvenate the site.

Meanwhile, Zuckerbergs plan to roll out a web version of Threads added additional pressure on X. While Threads has lost more than half of its user base since its debut, it is still considered the most significant challenge to date for Musks platform.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri confirmed on Friday that Threads web version was close to a debut.

Its a little bit buggy right now, you dont want it just yet, Mosseri said. As soon as it is ready, we will share it with everybody else.

If X were to fail at some point, it would mark one of the costliest business disasters in history. Musk was forced to sell off a significant chunk of Tesla stock to fund the $44 billion deal.

Earlier this month, Yaccarino claimed that X is close to breaking even from a revenue perspective following Musks extensive cost-cutting measures, including mass layoffs.

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Police appeal to trace further 18 people linked to disorder at Unite the Kingdom march

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Police appeal to trace further 18 people linked to disorder at Unite the Kingdom march

Police have appealed for help to identify an additional 18 people suspected of public order offences and assaults on emergency workers on the day of the Unite the Kingdom march.

Between 110,000 and 150,000 people attended the rally in central London on 13 September, the Metropolitan Police estimates.

Protesters heard a number of speeches, including from far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who organised the rally and called it the “biggest freedom of speech” event in British history.

Pics: Met Police
Image:
Pics: Met Police

An anti-racism counter-protest, attended by about 5,000 campaigners, also took place, with the two groups clashing on Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, separated by lines of police.

Police previously said 24 people were arrested at the protests, 23 of whom are believed to have been involved in the Unite the Kingdom rally, while one was believed to be involved in the counter-protest.

The force launched an appeal to identify 11 people last week, one of whom was identified.

Officers now want to speak to a further 18 people “in connection with a range of public order offences and assaults on emergency workers” and have released 16 new images.

Pics: Met Police
Image:
Pics: Met Police

The Met previously said 26 officers were assaulted with kicks and punches, adding: “Bottles, flares and other projectiles were also thrown and concerted attempts were made to get past barriers.”

“Our post-event investigation continues and officers have looked through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage to review evidence to help with further inquiries,” said Detective Chief Inspector Natalie Norris.

“We have 28 people we want to speak to in connection with a range of offences – and we are again appealing for the public’s help to track them down.”

Read more from Sky News:
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Gatwick second runway given green light

People may have travelled from outside London, so she said she was asking people “across the country” to look at a number of pictures that have been released and to get in touch if they recognise anyone.

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Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

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Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Donald Trump has revealed that media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan could be part of a deal in which TikTok in the United States will come under American control.

The US president also namedropped Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, as a possible participant in the deal during an interview with Fox News, which is owned by the Murdochs.

“I think they’re going to be in the group. A couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people,” Mr Trump said. “And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

Mr Trump said that Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of software firm Oracle, was part of the same group. His involvement in the potential TikTok deal had previously been revealed.

President Donald Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House. Pic: AP/Mark Schiefelbein
Image:
President Donald Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House. Pic: AP/Mark Schiefelbein

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday that Oracle would be responsible for the app’s data and security, with Americans set to control six of the seven seats for a planned TikTok board.

This comes after Mr Trump said he and China’s Xi Jinping held a “very productive call” on Friday, discussing the final approval for the TikTok deal, much of which is still unknown.

Once confirmed, the deal should stop TikTok from being banned in the US after lawmakers decided it posed a security risk to citizens’ data.

More on Tiktok

Officials warned that the algorithm TikTok uses is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to push specific content on the social media platform in a way that is difficult to detect.

Congress had ordered the app shut down for American users by January 2025 if its Chinese owner ByteDance didn’t sell its assets in the country – but the ban has been delayed four times by President Trump.

Read more from Sky News:
Trump delivers speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial
Pentagon orders journalists to agree to reporting rules

Mr Trump said on Sunday that he might be “a little prejudiced” about TikTok, after telling reporters on Friday: “I wasn’t a fan of TikTok and then I got to use it and then I became a fan and it helped me win an election in a landslide.”

After the call with Mr Xi, Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post: “We made progress on many very important issues, including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal.”

Mr Trump later told reporters at the White House that Xi had approved the deal, but said it still needed to be signed.

Representatives for the Murdochs, Mr Dell and Mr Ellison have not yet commented on a potential TikTok deal.

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Gatwick second runway given green light by government

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Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Gatwick’s second runway has been given the go-ahead by the government.

The northern runway already exists parallel to Gatwick‘s main one, but cannot be used at the same time, as it is too close.

It is currently limited to being a taxiway and is only used for take-offs and landings if the main one has to shut.

The £2.2bn expansion project will see it move 12 metres north so both can operate simultaneously, facilitating 100,000 extra flights a year, 14,000 jobs, and £1bn a year for the economy.

It would also mean the airport could process 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s.

Gatwick is already the second busiest airport in the UK, and the busiest single runway airport in Europe.

No public money is being used for the expansion plan, which airport bosses say could see the new runway operational by 2029.

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The expansion was initially rejected by the Planning Inspectorate over concerns about its provisions for noise prevention and public transport connections.

Campaigners also argued the additional air traffic will be catastrophic for the environment and the local community.

A revised plan was published by the planning authority earlier this year, which it said could be approved by the government if all conditions were met.

The government says it is now satisfied this is the case, with additions made including Gatwick being able to set its own target for passengers who travel to the airport by public transport – instead of a statutory one.

Nearby residents affected by noise will also be able to charge the airport for the cost of triple-glazed windows.

And people who live directly under the flight path who choose to sell their homes could have their stamp duty and estate agent fees paid for up to 1% of the purchase price.

CAGNE, an aviation and environmental group in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, says it still has concerns about noise, housing provision, and wastewaster treatment.

The group says it will lodge a judicial review, which will be funded by local residents and environmental organisations.

‘Disaster for the climate crisis’

Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticised the second runway decision, posting on X: “Aviation expansion is a disaster for the climate crisis.

“Anyone who’s been paying any attention to this shambles of a Labour Govenrment (sic) knows they don’t care about people in poverty, don’t care about nature nor for the planet. Just big business & their own interests.”

Friends of the Earth claimed the economic case for the airport expansion has been “massively overstated”.

Head of campaigns Rosie Downes warned: “If we’re to meet our legally-binding climate targets, today’s decision also makes it much harder for the government to approve expansion at Heathrow.”

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden welcomed the decision but said it “should have been made months ago”, claiming Labour have “dithered and delayed at every turn”.

“Now that Gatwick’s second runway has been approved, it’s crucial Labour ensures this infrastructure helps drive the economic growth our country needs,” he said.

A government source told Sky News the second runway is a “no-brainer for growth”.

“The transport secretary has cleared Gatwick expansion for take-off,” they said. “It is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.

“Any airport expansion must be delivered in line with our legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements.”

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