The Daily Populous

Friday September 17th, 2021 evening edition

image for Google, Apple remove Navalny app from stores as Russian elections begin

Allies of Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's fiercest domestic opponent, planned to use the mobile app to organise a tactical voting campaign to deal a blow to United Russia.

The Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny's Smart Voting app is seen on a phone, in Moscow, Russia September 16, 2021.

Russia demanded this month that Apple and Google remove the app from their stores, saying a refusal to do so would be treated as meddling in its parliamentary election.

Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Thursday, Russia said official approaches had been made to the two companies' chief executives.

Ivan Zhdanov, a Navalny ally based abroad, said on Friday the removal amounted to political censorship.

Reporting by Anton Zverev and Alexander Marrow; Writing by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Robert Birsel. »

Hospital staff must swear off Tylenol, Tums to get religious vaccine exemption

Authored by arstechnica.com
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The hospital is now requiring staff to also swear off extremely common medicines, such as Tylenol, Tums, and even Preparation H, to get the exemption.

"Thus," Troup went on, "we provided a religious attestation form for those individuals requesting a religious exemption," he said.

“A lot of this, I believe, is a hesitancy about the vaccine, and so that’s a separate issue than a religious exemption,” he said. »

The United States of Sanctions

Authored by foreignaffairs.com
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The advent of the Cold War expanded the array of tools of economic statecraft available to the United States.

The United States’ most successful use of economic sanctions in this period came during the 1956 Suez crisis.

Later in the Cold War, the United States used economic sanctions to pressure allies and adversaries alike to improve their human rights records. »

Gov. Newsom abolishes most single-family zoning in California

Authored by mercurynews.com
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By signing Senate Bill 9 into law, Newsom opened the door for the development of up to four residential units on single-family lots across California.

“The housing affordability crisis is undermining the California Dream for families across the state, and threatens our long-term growth and prosperity,” Newsom wrote in a news release.

Newsom previously had shaken up single-family zoning by signing legislation that allowed more homeowners to build in-law units on their properties. »

Valheim development has an end point, developer says, as Hearth and Home arrives

Authored by eurogamer.net
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Smash hit Viking game Valheim will eventually be completed and have a final ending, developer Iron Gate Studio has promised, as today's big Hearth and Home update arrives.

There will be a definitive ending where you beat the game, just so people understand," artist Robin Eyre explained in a 30 minute fireside chat developer video.

"You can still play if you want to, but we're trying to make a game where you progress towards some culmination of what Valheim actually is. »