Belarus
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Prominent editor of Russian Wikipedia pages detained in Belarus
Bernstein was reportedly accused of violating Russia's "fake news" law by editing the Wikipedia article about the invasion of Ukraine.
Niantic is shutting down Pokémon Go in Russia and Belarus
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Niantic has decided to shut down app downloads and support for Pokémon Go in both Russia and Belarus.
Twitter is also labeling tweets from state media outlets in Belarus
The company says it's to 'better surface credible information surrounding the war in Ukraine.'
Amazon suspends shipments and Prime Video access in Russia
The company announced today that it will suspend shipments of products in Russia and Belarus, as well as halt access to Prime Video in Russia.
Bumble suspends service in Russia and Belarus
Bumble has joined a growing list of American companies pulling out of Russia amid the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Ubisoft and Take-Two are the latest game companies to halt sales in Russia
People in Russia and Ukraine won't be able to buy or install 'GTA V,' among other games.
EA is halting sales of games and content in Russia and Belarus
Meanwhile, Hi-Rez Studios is donating revenue it earns from Russia to UNICEF.
Airbnb is suspending its operations in Russia and Belarus
Airbnb is halting operations in Russia and Belarus, CEO Brian Chesky announced in a tweet.
CD Projekt Red will no longer sell games in Russia and Belarus
It's halting sales of 'Cyberpunk 2077' and all titles on the GOG store in the two countries.
EA is removing Russian teams from FIFA and NHL games
Belarusian teams are also being dropped from 'NHL 22'
Ukraine wants PlayStation and Xbox to ban Russian players
Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister has called on Microsoft and Sony to ban Russian players from the Xbox and PlayStation platforms.
Belarusian hackers are trying to overthrow the Lukashenko regime
A group of hackers in Belarus infiltrated almost every part of the the country's authoritarian government in a bid to overthrow the Lukashenko regime.
Belarus is reportedly blocking and throttling Twitter in reaction to protests
Twitter has acknowledged that it is being blocked and throttled in Belarus, likely due to protests contesting the legitimacy of recent election results.
Arctic seed vault grows as defense against food crisis
In light of President Donald Trump's rise to power, some people are seriously worried about the planet's health. Count The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists among that group, since they recently pushed the Doomsday Clock to two and half minutes to midnight. Even if they think humanity is closer to extinction than it was just a couple months ago, we're now better prepared to respond to a food crisis.
LG's rumored Nexus, the E960 Mako, poses for Belarusian glamour pics
While Google and LG have kept quiet on the subject of any prospective Nexus phone, the leaky ship that is the LG E960 "Mako" popped another hole today as Belarusian site Onliner.by has apparently gotten its hands on a prototype unit. According to the site the specs match many of the previous leaks saying it's similar to the Optimus G, rocking a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, 1280x768 4.7-inch display and 2GB of RAM, but only 8GB of storage built-in and an 8MP camera. It's running the just-released Android 4.1.2 for now, so unfortunately there's no hint of any potential Android 4.2 features. Hit the source link to check out a few more quality snaps of the "with Google" handset, but at this rate we'll probably have more details any minute now.
Belarus limits use of 'foreign' websites, while Kuala Lumpur mandates WiFi in eateries
Talk about polar opposites. In an update posted to the Library of Congress, we're told that the Republic of Belarus will begin fining citizens that host domestic sites on "foreign" domains. Crazy? Definitely, but no less true. Starting later this week, any Belarusian not registered as an entrepreneur may use "only domestic internet domains for providing online services, conducting sales, or exchanging email messages." According to the interpretation, it "appears that business requests from Belarus cannot be served over the internet if the service provider is using online services located outside of the country," and police (as well as the secret police) are authorized to "initiate, investigate, and prosecute such violations." Wilder still, owners of internet cafes could have their entire business shut down if users are found to be accessing external sites on those networks, and for those curious, the law "may" extend to browsing within one's private home. In a land a bit closer to the equator, it seems as if officials have their heads in a far more sensible place. Kuala Lumpur -- already home to one of the world's most lust-worthy airports and some of the most accessible / affordable mobile data plans -- will soon mandate that all new restaurants provide WiFi to their customers. And by "WiFi," we mean "access to the entire internet." According to the New Strait Times, the rule will be enforced as early as April, applying to eatery owners operating on premises larger than 120 square meters. We're told that existing owners will be forced to comply when renewing their license, and while the waves won't have to be given away for free, they'll be encouraged to charge no more than a "reasonable fee." Furthermore, the government is considering dipping into its own pockets in order to extend gratis WiFi to public facilities in the city, likely as a follow-up plan to the expiring WirelessKL contract. As if going to wander through Batu Caves and the colorful streets shown above weren't enough reason to visit Malaysia...
Big Brother is SMS savvy in some countries
It's no secret that China is rockin' some serious server power dedicated to filtering its SMS airwaves of unthinkable topics like Taiwan, democracy, and pornography, but other countries are getting in on the action, too. Belarus and Iran have both been called out in recent months for listening to its citizens' texts, and in Belarus' case, sending them as well. Although the technology for real-time filtering by keyword is largely homegrown (or so we hope), predictive text manufacturers like Tegic (disclaimer: Tegic is owned by Engadget's parent company's parent company, AOL) are receiving pressure from handset manufacturers to double- and triple-check their dictionaries for words that could be considered distasteful in countries with more oppressive governments than our own. Personally, discovering a word missing from T9 has never prevented us from typing it manually, but nonetheless -- between this and M-Track, we're about ready to head down into the Engadget bunker with a year's supply of Spam and just ride this whole thing out.[Via textually.org]
