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Apple will take a 'deeper look' at disputed borders in Maps
Apple might just rethink its approach to disputed borders following its change to Crimea for Russian users. A spokeswoman told the BBC in a statement that Apple would have a "deeper look" at how it handles contested borders in Maps in the wake of the controversy, and that there might be more changes as a result of the review. You shouldn't expect it to reverse its Crimea changes, however. The company stressed that it was only labeling Crimea as Russian to obey that country's law, and that the territory would still be listed as Ukranian for everyone else.
Apple caves on demands to show Crimea as part of Russia in its apps
Apple's Maps and Weather apps now display Crimea as a Russian territory when viewed from within the country. According to the BBC, the company was pressured by the State Duma to do so, and had originally suggested displaying Crimea as an "undefined territory". However, Apple finally caved to the Russian officials' demands, according to Vasily Piskaryov, chairman of the Duma security and anti-corruption committee. In contrast to Apple's Maps and Weather apps, Google Maps shows Crimea as belonging to neither Ukraine nor Russia.
Ukraine's military wants HoloLens helmets for its tank commanders
It's not easy to see out of a tank (that's the point) but in order to be effective on the battlefield, their crews need to know what's going on around them. Modern tanks often have a variety cameras mounted to their exteriors to help the soldiers inside get a better view but crews still have to rely on monitors in the cabin to see out. However, a new HoloLens-enabled helmet from Limpid Armor can give tank commanders a better view of their surroundings just by turning their heads.
Russia's head of censorship ***** after being censored on ********
An aide to Vladimir Putin has told Russians to leave Facebook after the head of the country's telecommunications regulator was censored by the social network. As the Moscow Times reports, Maxim Ksensov was given a 24-hour time out after posting an ethnic slur for Ukranians on his personal page. The paper believes that the word has now been blacklisted by the service and will be instantly deleted if it's found. In response, Putin aide Igor Shchegolev has instructed locals to abandon Facebook in favor of Vkontakte, its homegrown alternative.
Blizzard blocks 'World of Warcraft' and 'Diablo 3' in Crimea
Players in Crimea can no longer access Battle.net, the service that houses Blizzard games World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, Hearthstone and others, The Moscow Times reports. Blizzard blocked its games in response to US sanctions against Crimea -- Google, Apple, PayPal and Valve have also suspended service to the region, the site says. The Moscow Times pulled its Blizzard report from Russian site Geektimes.ru, which published an email sent to Crimean Battle.net users. "In accordance with current trade regulations relating to the region of Crimea, we are legally required to suspend access to your Battle.net account," a translation reads.
Russia threatens to disrupt GPS navigation in fight over sanctions
Hold onto your sat nav. The Russian government has just threatened to end cooperation with America on major space projects, including maintenance of the GPS system. The policy will also prevent NASA from accessing the International Space Station from 2020, as well as blocking the supply of components for America's Atlas V rockets, which are currently vital for sending military and commercial satellites into space. With regards to GPS, Deputy PM Dimitry Rogozin says that he'll shut down Russian base stations that keep the system going, unless the US promises to house reciprocal stations to support the competing GLONASS platform. He's quoted as saying that Russia is wary about developing future "high-tech projects with such an unreliable partner as the United States, which politicizes everything." Why the sudden burst of angry rhetoric? As you can probably guess, aside from the dispute over local GPS stations, it has everything to do with America's decision to impose sanctions on Russia, following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.