Briefs for Saturday
Amazon’s audiobook service Audible and phone apps for reading the holy books of Islam and Christianity have disappeared from the App store in mainland China, the latest examples of the impact of the country’s tightened rules for internet firms.
Audible said Friday that it removed its app from the Apple store in mainland China last month “due to permit requirements.”
The makers of apps for reading and listening to the Quran and Bible say their apps have also been removed from Apple’s China-based store at the government’s request.
Apple didn’t return requests for comment Friday.
Judge declines to block mandate
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A New Mexico judge on Friday denied a request by dozens of scientists and others at Los Alamos National Laboratory to block a vaccine mandate, meaning workers risk being fired if they don’t comply with the lab’s afternoon deadline.
The case comes as New Mexico extends a mask mandate for indoor spaces across the state, citing persistently high levels of community spread.
While the vaccination rate among adults in New Mexico continues to hover around 71.5%, the rate among lab employees and contractors is much higher.
The lab said last week that more than 96% of workers had at least one shot, but it’s not known how many have since become fully vaccinated, how many have requested exemptions or how many could end up being fired for declining the shots.
The legal challenge was backed by 114 scientists, nuclear engineers, research technicians, designers, project managers and other workers at the lab.
From wire reports