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Anuj Chopra

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Kate Middleton conspiracies linger after cancer revelation

by Anuj Chopra - March 25, 2024 - 11:09am

The revelation that Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, has cancer prompted a swift backlash over a torrent of lurid social media speculation around her health, including by those positing she was secretly dead....

Israel agrees pauses in fighting but rules out ceasefire

by Anuj Chopra - November 10, 2023 - 4:11pm

Israel has agreed pauses in its offensive in northern Gaza that will allow some civilians to flee heavy fighting, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out any broader ceasefire as a "surrender" to Hamas...

White House 2024: AI threatens to 'supercharge' disinformation

by Anuj Chopra - November 3, 2023 - 3:34pm

From fabricated images of Donald Trump's arrest to a video depicting a dystopian future under Joe Biden, the 2024 White House race faces a firehose of tech-enabled disinformation in what is widely billed as America's...

Old Twitter vs X: Israel-Gaza war spotlights 'information crisis'

by Anuj Chopra - October 20, 2023 - 4:19pm

Twitter won fame in the Arab uprisings nearly a decade ago as a pivotal source for real-time crisis information, but that reputation has withered after the platform's transformation into a magnet for hate speech...

Tech firms struggle as Israel-Gaza falsehoods explode

by Anuj Chopra - October 10, 2023 - 5:23pm

From fake accounts impersonating journalists to war-themed video games fueling false narratives, tech platforms are struggling to contain a tsunami of misinformation around Palestinian-Israeli hostilities after rolling...

Facebook alters fact-checking controls for US users

by Anuj Chopra - July 7, 2023 - 12:10pm

Meta-owned Facebook has handed US users the controls over fact-checked content, in a potentially significant move that the platform says will give them more power over its algorithm but some analysts insist could...

'Significant threat': Around world, doctors battle impersonators

by Anuj Chopra - June 30, 2023 - 10:43am

The trend underscores how medical professionals are often sitting targets for online scammers seeking to profit off disinformation, which leaves their reputations tarnished, provokes harassment and, in some cases,...

Vaccine misinformation spawns 'pure blood' movement

by Anuj Chopra - January 25, 2023 - 10:34am

Vaccine skeptics blocking transfusions for life-saving surgeries, Facebook groups inciting violence against doctors and a global search for unvaccinated donors -- Covid-19 misinformation has bred a so-called "pure...

Second coming of once-banned conspiracy theorists after Twitter amnesty

by Anuj Chopra - January 9, 2023 - 10:49am

Twitter has turned into what campaigners call a cesspool of misinformation, hate-filled conspiracies and racial slurs amid what appears to be reduced content moderation in recent weeks following mass layoffs and...

Waste of tears -- fake 'onion water' flu cure exposes disparities

by Anuj Chopra - December 23, 2022 - 8:53am

If it tastes this bad, it must be good for you?

Twitter turmoil, staff exodus aggravate security concerns

by Anuj Chopra - November 20, 2022 - 9:00am

Twitter's owner Elon Musk has pledged the platform will not become a "hellscape," but experts fear a staff exodus following mass layoffs may have devastated its ability to combat misinformation, impersonation and...

Saudi hosts vaccinated pilgrims for 2nd downsized hajj

by Anuj Chopra - July 15, 2021 - 11:35am

The kingdom seeks to repeat last year's success that saw no virus outbreak during the five-day Muslim ritual.

Saudi scraps death sentences over Khashoggi murder, jails 8

by Anuj Chopra - September 8, 2020 - 8:19am

Eight unnamed defendants were handed jail terms of between seven and 20 years in a verdict that comes after Khashoggi's sons "pardoned" the killers in May, paving the way for a less severe punishment.

Push for COVID-19 vaccine as Trump disinfectant theory sparks uproar

by Anuj Chopra - April 25, 2020 - 9:34am

The United Nations on Friday launched a global push for a coronavirus vaccine as President Donald Trump triggered an uproar by suggesting patients be treated with disinfectant and the US death toll passed 50,00...

Saudi Arabia suspends entry for pilgrims over coronavirus

by Anuj Chopra - February 27, 2020 - 2:55pm

Saudi Arabia, which so far has reported no cases of the virus but has expressed alarm over its spread in neighboring countries, said the suspensions were temporary.

Coronavirus puts 'fragile' global recovery at risk: IMF to G20

by Anuj Chopra - February 24, 2020 - 8:50am

Global growth was poised for a modest rebound to 3.3 percent this year, up from 2.9 percent last year, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said after a two-day meeting of G20 finance ministers...

Saudi court sentences five to death over Khashoggi murder

by Anuj Chopra - December 24, 2019 - 8:17am

Five people were sentenced to death Monday over Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder, but two top aides to the powerful crown prince were exonerated in a verdict that sparked international condemnation.

Saudi Aramco shares to begin trading after world's biggest IPO

by Anuj Chopra - December 11, 2019 - 4:16pm

Saudi Aramco's shares begin trading on the domestic stock market Tadawul on Wednesday, after the energy behemoth completed the world's biggest initial public offering.

WATCH: First Saudi woman driver to race car in kingdom

by Anuj Chopra - November 27, 2019 - 5:34pm

Sliding behind the wheel of a sleek electric SUV, Reema Juffali is set to blaze a trail in male-dominated motor sports as the first Saudi woman to race in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia to offer tourist visas for first time

by Anuj Chopra - September 27, 2019 - 11:34am

Kickstarting tourism is one of the centrepieces of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform program to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era.

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