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When Tonia Samsonova started working for Russian tech giant Yandex in 2019, it was a company that shared her vision of using innovation to solve everyday problems.

But after Russias invasion of Ukraine, Samsonova was dismayed to discover that the companys media aggregator was implementing Kremlin censorship and displayed almost no information about the bloody conflict.

I realized that we as a company are responsible for this. We are not victims, we are actors, Samsonova told The Moscow Times. She resigned last month from her position as the head of Yandexs Q&A service.

The jewel in the crown of Russias tech scene for more than two decades, Yandex dubbed Russias Google has been increasingly forced to balance its vision of an innovative, international-facing future with the demands of Russias ever more repressive government.

Russias attack on Ukraine has made this balancing act all but impossible.

Since the war began, the New York-listed company has hidden independent news from search results and allowed Yandex News to funnel users to state-owned media stories that repeat Kremlin messaging about a special operation to liberate Donbas. Elsewhere, Yandex has complied with demands to remove BBC podcasts from its streaming services.

Each move has sparked public outrage, with anti-war Russians accusing the company of being no more than a tool of official censorship.

The Kremlin is in control of Yandex because they are in control of the Russian economy. And because, as a Russian company, you have to follow Russian law. We had to follow these regulations, said one ex-Yandex employee who requested anonymity to speak freely.

With a series of high-profile resignations and economic turmoil, Yandexs immediate future is uncertain.

Tigran Khudaverdyan, deputy CEO of Yandexs Dutch holding company, stood down last month after being sanctioned by the European Union, and Yandex chief executive Elena Bunina stepped down from her position a few weeks later. Both Khudaverdyan and Bunina have reportedly left Russia.

Yandex announced Thursday that it was scaling back its investments and scrapping its financial forecasts for this year.

The companys shares were frozen on the New York Stock Exchange as a result of Western sanctions, leading bondholders to seek repayment on a $1.25 billion bond guarantee. Yandex said Thursday that it did not have the money for the repayment, and was negotiating to restructure the debt.

This is totally uncharted legal territory, dependent more on sanctions and legal battles than on anything specific to Yandex, said investor and philanthropist Esther Dyson, who was one of two Yandex board members who resigned last month.

Can the cancer at the top be cured without killing the patient? As an American citizen and Yandex stockholder, I am not expecting any financial returns, Dyson told The Moscow Times.

A particular point of criticism in recent weeks has been aggregator Yandex News, which is heavily skewed toward news reported by Russian state-owned media outlets

Don't forget that the main propagandist of the war is not TV at all, but the Russian IT giant Yandex, jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny tweeted last week.

Yandex announced in March that it was seeking a buyer for Yandex News, and company sources told The Moscow Times on Tuesday that Yandex owner Arkady Volozh had tried to sell the asset as well as blogging platform Yandex Zen to Russian internet giant VKontakte, but was blocked by the Kremlin. Yandex denied any government interference in the deal.

Walking the tightrope of appeasing the Russian government while pursuing projects abroad and employing a liberal workforce has long been a problem for Yandex.

We were always looking for ways to distance ourselves from the government. We would work with them on projects like education programs for coders or environmental initiatives, but anything patriotic, wed say no, said one former employee who left the company last year and requested anonymity to speak freely.

If they ask you to do something, you think how not to do it. To a certain extent, it works, said Samsonova.

The Russian states drive for greater control over Yandex culminated in 2019 when the company relinquished two board seats to state-appointed directors, handed the state a golden share and acquiesced in the formation of a special foundation with the power to block transactions.

However, in the immediate aftermath of the invasion, retaining Yandexs young, liberal workforce is likely to be the companys most urgent concern.

Some employees, like Samsonova, quit outright, and there are likely to be more departures, particularly by in-demand engineers and developers.

Many of Yandexs approximately 18,000-strong payroll fled to Armenia and Israel after the invasion. Yandex reportedly approached the Israeli government about relocating 800 employees, and is seeking an office in the Armenian capital Yerevan.

But while the companys ethos may change amid staff emigration, resignations and state pressure, its operations in Russia are unlikely to go anywhere.

Yandex can still be a force for efficiency in the Russian economy, according to ex-board member Dyson. As long as they stick to goods rather than ideas.

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Turmoil at 'Russia's Google' Amid Sanctions, War and Censorship - The Moscow Times

The pay dispute at Arriva London South is being followed closely by bus drivers across London from the standpoint of launching a long overdue fightback.

Opposition has continued to grow against Unites attempts to foist a below-inflation pay cut on Arriva south drivers. After last months strikes, Unite re-entered pay negotiations only to recycle a below inflation 3 percent offer which drivers had already rejected, with the proviso it is backdated and with the addition of an insulting 750 lump sum.

Unites actions refute the claims by a group of so-called union activists, defenders of Unite and promoters of its General Secretary Sharon Graham, that the union has been reformed under her leadership and will fight the corner of bus workers against the companies.

The activists responded to the growing exposure of Unite by attacking the London Bus Rank-and-File Committee, opposing its fight to organise bus and transport workers independently of the pro-company unions. The activists called for censorship against the World Socialist Web Site demanding drivers stop posting its articles on social media.

Their smear campaign followed publication of an April 13 article,Activists promote Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham in Arriva London South pay dispute.

Unable to answer WSWS politically, the activists responded with a pile-on slandering WSWS as liars and saboteurs, seeking to create maximum confusion over Unites 2021/2 pay claim and legitimise its below inflation deal. They resorted to anti-socialist red-baiting.

This was answered in the articleArriva London South pay dispute: Fact versus fiction which, along withUnite blocks joint action by bus drivers against pay restraint, attracted widespread readership and support among bus drivers on social media.

In their comments on social media, drivers condemned Unite. They described the union as being in the pocket of Arriva, called for a no-confidence vote in the union, and insisted on a pay demand of no less than 9 percent and up to 15 percent.

As we wrote, It is critical that drivers speak out and oppose the unprincipled efforts to silence the WSWS. Political censorship sets a dangerous precedent. It is a direct attack on drivers right to know information being suppressed by the mainstream media, the bus companies and Unite the union. It is aimed at blocking a politically conscious fightback by the working class.

Bus drivers have responded to this appeal by explaining their reasons for following and sharing the articles from the WSWS and the importance of the fight taken up by the London Bus Rank-and-File Committee.

An Abellio driver said, We are all following the strike at Arriva and were surprised to see that Brixton drivers had to work during the strike. Now we know that they could and should have joined the strike. That the legal case against them was a fraud is another example of the way the union separate us. I spoke to drivers on the 137 from Brixton and they all supported the strike and wanted to join it.

Our wages and conditions are very bad, the driver continued, explaining that they had changed the union in their garage and hoped they would see a change. Describing how drivers were leaving for another London company with better pay, they asked, Why cant we have London-wide pay negotiations?

A petition was being circulated here and in Camberwell garage to get rid of [Unite Regional Officer John] Murphy and the other full-timers but not Graham as its said she is different, but we have not seen any change at all. They are all the same. Why is it that its the same union that does the negotiations, but we end up with completely different wages and conditions?

Speaking on the censorship of the WSWS the driver said, So the attack on you is because you let drivers know what is happening in the different companies which the union keeps quiet about. I pass the WSWS articles on to our WhatsApp group so bus drivers can read the WSWS articles at the garage. So it gets around and the union knows this. That is what they are reacting to; their behind-closed-doors deals are being exposed. Its important that you keep this up.

A former RATP Dev driver victimised over COVID-related health and safety concerns told us, The truth will always hurt. The word unite means just that, but in Unite The Union it means to divide and conquer.

When RATP Dev bus drivers voted to go on strike over a year ago many of these RATP garages then became, overnight, with the blessing of Unite, different subsidiaries. WSWS exposed this and many dirty tactics of the companies, with the union having their hand in it too.

For example, Stamford Brook garage was prevented from going on strike with Park Royal and Shepherds Bush but all are RATP Dev-London United garages. Unite and RATP said Stamford Brook did not have a majority to go out on strike. Utter rubbish when it is Unite members who voted overall in favour of strike action across the garages.

An Arriva driver said, I have no trust in Unite based on experience, they have been useless. They should not be pushing 3 percent at Arriva which drivers have taken strike action against. The cost of everything is going sky high.

During the pandemic we were described as key workers but our safety was not taken seriously by the company or union. We made sure the NHS workers got to work and all those who were essential as well. During last summer we worked in 43-degree temperatures as there was no air conditioning in the cabs. The management were not bothered as they were in their air-conditioned offices.

Speaking to David OSullivan and the London Bus Rank-and-File Committee I became more aware about the dangers with COVID in the workplace and all the measures that could be taken to prevent infections and drivers losing their lives but which were not being taken. It was shameful how he was treated for trying to change things.

We have to raise our voices now and act together and unite regardless of which company we work for. It is not believable when they claim they do not have the money.

We do have the power to change things. If London Underground can be shut down why cant this happen on the buses. They will not listen to us otherwise.

I did not know about the struggle of bus workers in Maharashtra [India] until Dave made the appeal and I read about it on the World Socialist Web Site. Such an important fight over the most basic rights. We do need to look across national borders and see we are part of a wider struggle.

A Metroline driver explained, I think those who are defending Unite are worried about the facts you have exposed because of the outcomes and reaction of bus drivers.

The union is worried about the knock-on effect of the Arriva strike because they want to minimise all the pay disputes across London. We got around 2.5 percent for a two-year deal last time. The union rep at the garage is saying they are pushing for 10 percent in our pay talks this year but they have never discussed this with the drivers, it is a made up figure. They are keeping drivers in the dark about the other pay disputes like at London United.

Unite has failed to deliver on a long list of issueshealth and safety over COVID, pay, and terms and conditions. We voted to strike against Remote Sign On and this was not honoured, they do not respect our views.

The election of Sharon Graham has changed none of our circumstances, this does not change with a new name at the top of the union. The rank-and-file committees is a logical alternative to the union/management alliance, which is a poisoned mechanism, its a sick system.

The WSWS publishes the facts about our concerns which the union tries to silence. Unite has been covering up about COVID and then sided with the company when David OSullivan and the London Bus Rank-and-File Committee fought for action to protect drivers lives.

It is laughable to say there is no connection between pay and the broader issues. Everything is about profit, 100 percent, especially with the privatised buses. Workers are the main force in society. Without us there is no profit, but we have to fight for a pay rise just to make ends meet.

This is part of an international fight as the struggle by bus workers in Maharashtra, India shows. Its a different country but the same issues stemming from the system of capitalism which puts profits first. Workers need to be informed and gain knowledge against the propaganda and lies of the media.

Join the campaign to reinstate London bus driver David OSullivan!

OSullivan was sacked for upholding workers health and safety during a pandemic that has killed 60 bus drivers in London alone.

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London bus drivers speak out against smears and censorship of WSWS by defenders of Unite - WSWS

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain offered an interesting insight into Democrats 2022 midterm election strategy on Sunday, musing about French President Emmanuel Macrons ability to win reelection despite a 36 percent approval rating, implying a similar possibility for U.S. President Joe Biden. Instead of trying to turn Bidens sinking approval ratings around by ditching failed policies, Democrats seem content with their underwater numbers so long as they can drive Republicans popularity even lower with smears and censorship.

Bidens approval rating is at 40.9 percent, according to the RealClear aggregate, although a Quinnipiac poll has him as low as 35 percent and a CNBC poll has him at 38 percent. A February NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll reported that 56 percent of Americans thought Bidens first year in office was a failure, and the month before a mere 25 percent were satisfied with his administration.

The Biden administration has helped drive its own approval ratings into the ground with crisis after self-induced crisis. Democrat-led Covid lockdowns and ballooning federal spending have caused the worst inflationary crisis in decades, coupled with energy prices that were on the rise even before Russias invasion of Ukraine thanks to Bidens war on oil and gas. Destabilization in Ukraine and a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan may top the list of Bidens most deadly mess-ups, but theyre far from the only line items.

From a first-day executive order requiringthat schools ignore the biological differences between male and female students from the athletic field to the bathroom if they wish to continue receiving federal funding, and keeping those same schools closed for months, to bragging about working with Big Tech to silence dissent, exacerbating a record-setting crisis at the U.S. Southern border, ousting people from their jobs with medical mandates, encouraging kids to chop off their genitals, and colluding with the National School Boards Association to smear parents as domestic terrorists, the Biden team has done everything possible to alienate voters.

Meanwhile, Bidens radical legislative agenda has crashed and burned, leaving him with nothing to offer voters but a list of failures. Biden could choose to learn from these mistakes and respond by securing the border, unhampering American oil production, respecting parents and free speech, and protecting minors from predatory sex propaganda. But instead, the White House is tacitly admitting it doesnt care that Americans dont like its agenda.

How is that a workable election strategy? It isnt, unless you can convince voters to hate or fear your opposition even more. Democrats spent all four years of former President Donald Trumps presidency pushing the Clinton campaign-funded Russia collusion hoax, aided by propagandists in the legacy media. When The New York Post broke news of sensational and incriminating Biden family scandals in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, Big Tech and big media collaborated to nuke the story and censor those who tried to share it.

Those are just two of the most explosive examples. There are countless more of tech companies censoring conservative perspectives (including a sitting president), journalists running cover for Democrat conspiracy theories while lying about Republicans, and even tech barons like Mark Zuckerberg funneling nearly half a billion dollars to take over local election offices.

In a fair system, a president with approval ratings that are underwater by double digits would be worried about his next election, and probably worried enough to be making some big changes. But Biden has done nothing but double down. That signals just how confident his people are in their ability to collude with the censorship regime to smear their opponents or keep their arguments from reaching voters entirely. Censorship is a powerful political tool, and its part of why the laptop class is so panicked at the idea that someone with slightly more respect for free speech than they now owns the Twittersphere.

All of Bidens disasters point to a Republican victory in the midterms this fall, but Democrats unwillingness to let nosedives in the polls budge their cultural battles should be a chilling reminder to Republicans that Democrats havent played by the rules for years. The collaborators in the Biden White House, in the legacy media, and in Big Tech are so confident in their backroom rigging that they dont think they need to listen to what American voters think.

This should put urgency and tangible political reforms behind the broad and bipartisan desire among Americans to ensure American election processes are beyond reproach.

Elle Reynolds is an assistant editor at The Federalist, and received her B.A. in government from Patrick Henry College with a minor in journalism. You can follow her work on Twitter at @_etreynolds.

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Dems Have Zilch To Offer So They're Smearing, Censoring The Opposition - The Federalist

Resident Evil 4 VR executive producer Tom Ivey recently defended the decision to censor the game pointing to the current year and claiming the censored and cut content didnt fit with the Resident Evil franchise these days.

Source: Resident Evil 4 (2005), Capcom

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As previously reported, Resident Evil 4 VR was discovered to have censored dialogue and more prior to its launch. The dialogue was typically flirtatious in nature, such as Leon flirting with Ingrid Hannigan, Luis comments on Ashleys ballistics, and Ashleys request for overtime at the end of the game.

Source: Resident Evil 4 (2005), Capcom

Another scene of Leon discovering the corpse of an impaled women was also changed, from Guess theres no sex discrimination around here, to I guess no ones safe here.

Source: Resident Evil 4 VR (2021), Capcom

Sources speaking to Peter Pischke ofThe Happy Warrior Substack claimed the alterations were (in Pischkes words) focused on removing any scenes and dialogue that the gaming news media and social justice crowd may deem misogynistic.

In a leaked video sent to Pischke tracking the alterations, Japanese text notes the changes were related to sexual harassment, sarcastic expressions, sexist conversations, and expressions that may be indirectly linked to them have been removed.

Source: Peter Pischke,The Happy Warrior Substack

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The video also claims These were not unavoidably removed as part of the translation or porting process but were done by Armature Studio at the request of OculusVR and with the approval of CAPCOM.

Facebook later stated that the game also includes select changes to in-game dialogue and animations that we believe will update Resident Evil 4 for a modern audience.

Source: Resident Evil 4 (2005), Capcom

Amid Resident Evil 4 VR on Meta Quest 2 (the rebranded Oculus Quest 2) adding its Mercenaries mode in an update, Eurogamer spoke to Tom Ivey, the executive producer for developer Armature.

Eurogamer asked about the altered dialogue and scenes to which Ivey responded,Its the year 2022 and some of this stuff doesnt age well, and it doesnt fit with the Resident Evil franchise these days.

Source: Resident Evil 4 (2005), Capcom

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So the idea was that were keeping every aspect of the rooms and the creatures that you fight, and the story and how it progresses and the plot points of the story, Ivey explained.

But, you know, just kind of saying its the year 2022 does this fit with the way that Resident Evil should be presented in this day and age? Ivey reiterated. Thats the concept there.

I definitely agree with the changes we made to the game so were definitely on board with that, Ivey defended. We think its the right thing.

Source: Resident Evil 4 (2005), Capcom

Not only did Ivey defend the previous censorship of the game, but he also revealed the there are fundamental changes to Mercenaries.

He noted, All the gameplay from the original RE4, weve kind of cordoned off into one selection, which is called Classic mode. So you can play all the maps and characters, and the way that the timers work and the placement of the timers in the levels and all that is exactly the same.

But theres also things that are fundamental changes to the rules of Mercenaries, he revealed. Theres a mode called Time Rush, which is you start with a very, very limited amount of time. And we place two timers in random locations around the map so you have to look around really quick see that timer and think how am I going to get there while also killing guys while running to keep my combo going? And then I pick it up and I get maybe like 20 more seconds.

Source: Resident Evil 4

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Resident Evil 4 VR Executive Producer Defends Censorship: "It's The Year 2022 And Some Of This Stuff Doesn't Age Well" - Bounding Into...

Cond Nast has announced it is closing its entire Russian franchise as a result of the war in Ukraine and Russias new censorship laws.

The magazine publishers seven Russian publications Vogue, GQ, GQ Style, Tatler, Glamour, Glamour Style Book and Architectural Digest are expected to close with immediate effect.

In a memo emailed to Cond Nasts global staff on Tuesday, the companys chief executive officer, Roger Lynch, wrote: The escalation in the severity of the censorship laws, which have significantly curtailed free speech and punished reporters simply for doing their jobs, has made our work in Russia untenable.

While weve had a successful business in Russia for over 20 years, the continued atrocities brought on by this unprovoked war and the related censorship laws have made it impossible for us to continue operating there.

Cond Nasts Russian editions were initially suspended on 8 March. When Vogue Russia announced its suspension until further notice to its 1 million Instagram followers, it added: We believe that this is not a farewell letter, but only a short pause, after which we will return to you. We hope that soon we will be able to continue our work. It has not posted on the social media site since.

Vogue launched in 1998 as its 10th international edition and the flagship of Cond Nasts Russian arm. Models including Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner have appeared on its cover.

Fiona McKenzie Johnston, a British journalist who regularly contributed to Vogue Russia, said the Vogue Russia team was very much pro-peace and had used the magazines platform to promote anti-war messaging.

In early March, Vogue Russia shared a series of Picasso-inspired doves illustrated by Russian artists on its Instagram feed. Vogue is calling for Peace was a constant refrain, McKenzie Johnston said.

On its website, Cond Nast said Vogue Russia had more than 800,000 readers and was the most-read high-end fashion magazine in the country. The company claims that the combined reach of its Russian editions was more than 21 million people.

Lynch explained to staff that about 10% of employees in Russia would remain to fulfil certain outstanding obligations.

Its our absolute priority to do all we can and support everyone affected, including providing enhanced severance and benefits, employee assistance and outplacement programs, and dedicated People team guidance in applying for open positions in other markets.

Cond Nast Russias initial suspension followed announcements from numerous fashion designers and luxury goods companies, including Herms, LVMH, Richemont and Kering, that they were pausing trading in Russia.

On 9 March, Hearst Magazines publisher of Elle, Esquire, Harpers Bazaar and Cosmopolitan announced it was terminating its licensing agreements for its Russian publications.

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Vogue Russia closes as Cond Nast stops publishing after rise in censorship - The Guardian