Russia

Russian officials on Saturday accused US video hosting service YouTube of blocking the channel of the lower house of parliament and warned of reprisals.Vyacheslav Volodin, the head of the Duma, said Washington was breaching "the rights of Russians" while foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said "YouTube has sealed its fate"."The United States wants to have a monopoly on the diffusion of information," Volodin said on Telegram."We cannot allow that".Google confirmed that it had "terminated" Russia's State Duma…

Amazon's Twitch will ban users who persistently spread harmful misinformation on and off the live video streaming site, in a move that blocks Russian state media from the platform, it said on Thursday.Twitch, which is popular with video gamers, said the rule would prohibit users whose online presence is dedicated to pushing widely debunked misinformation with clear risks of real-world harm, such as conspiracies that promote violence.A Twitch spokesperson said the new rule would block Russian state media from establishing…

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, global technology companies have joined governments and the international business community in cutting ties with the world's largest country over its ongoing military actions. Companies including Apple, Google, and Meta are restricting the availability of their products and services to Russian users. Similarly, AMD, Dell, TSMC, and Intel are amongst the tech firms limiting or ending sales in the country. While some businesses are complying with new economic and trade sanctions,…

US chipmaker Intel said on Tuesday it has suspended business operations in Russia, joining a slew of companies to exit the country following its invasion of Ukraine.The company, which had last month suspended shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus, said it has implemented business continuity measures to minimise disruption to its global operations."Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia's war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace," the company said.International Business…

PlayStation and Nintendo are suspending shipments to Russia, the Japanese gaming giants said Thursday, as international brands increasingly halt operations in the country following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.Sony Group, which owns PlayStation, said in a statement that its video game unit "joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine"."We have suspended all software and hardware shipments, the launch of Gran Turismo 7, and operations of the PlayStation Store in Russia," it said.pic.twitter.com/1KV95QiFHN—…

Taiwan tech firm Acer said Friday it was halting all business in Russia after Taipei expanded sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.Self-ruled Taiwan has been watching the conflict in Ukraine closely and swiftly joined the international sanctions against Russia.The invasion has heightened fears that China might one day follow through on threats to annex its smaller neighbour.Acer said in a statement it has decided to suspend its business in Russia "due to recent developments"."The company is focusing on the safety…

Ukraine said on Tuesday it had thwarted an attempt by Russian hackers last week to damage its electricity grid with a cyberattack."This is a military hacking team," said government spokesman Victor Zhora. "Their aim was to disable a number of facilities, including electricity substations.""They did not succeed, and we're investigating."Kyiv blamed the attack on a group dubbed "Sandworm" by researchers and previously tied to cyberattacks attributed to Russia. The attack was likely carried out to support Russian military…

The Witcher 3 has been delayed for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. On Thursday, its Polish developer CD Projekt Red said it was moving development back in-house, and as a result, had to indefinitely postpone the release of its blockbuster game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for next-generation consoles.The version, which was originally scheduled to launch late last year and was then delayed to second quarter of 2022, was outsourced to Saber Interactive's Russia office, part of Sweden's Embracer Group.CD Projekt Red did not give a…

A Russian court on Thursday slapped a series of small fines on Google for failing to take down contentious YouTube videos about the Kremlin's military operation in Ukraine.The Moscow court ordered the US tech behemoth to pay a total of $135,000 (roughly Rs. 1 crore) for ignoring the state media regulator's orders to remove posts alleging heavy Russian losses in Ukraine.One of the videos showed an alleged phone conversation between Russian soldiers and their relatives back home in which the troops complained of numerous…

Five allied countries including the United States warned Wednesday that "evolving intelligence" indicated Russia was poised to launch powerful cyberattacks against rivals supporting Ukraine.The members of the "Five Eyes" intelligence sharing network — the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — said Moscow could also involve existing cybercrime groups in launching attacks on governments, institutions and businesses."Evolving intelligence indicates that the Russian government is exploring options for potential…