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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 938

Around The Globe - 2 hours 34 min ago
As the war enters its 938th day, these are the main developments.

China-connected spamouflage impersonated Dutch cartoonist

Technology - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 23:47
Washington — Based on the posts of an X account that bears the name of Dutch cartoonist Bart van Leeuwen, a profile picture of his face and short professional bio, one would think the Amsterdam-based artist is a staunch supporter of China and fierce critic of the United States. In one post, the account blasts what it calls Washington’s “fallacies against the Chinese economy,” accompanied by a cartoon from the Global Times — a Beijing-controlled media outlet — showing Uncle Sam aiming but failing to hit a target emblazoned with the words “China’s economy.” In another, the account reposts a Chinese propaganda video about the country’s rubber-stamp legislature, writing “today’s China is closely connected with the world, blending with each other, and achieving mutual success.” But Van Leeuwen didn’t make the posts. In fact, this account doesn’t even belong to him. It belongs to a China-connected network on X of “spamouflage” accounts, which pretend to be the work of real people but are in reality controlled by robots sending out messages designed to shape public opinion. China has repeatedly rejected reports that it seeks to influence U.S. presidential elections, describing such claims as “fabricated.” VOA Mandarin and DoubleThink Lab (DTL), a Taiwanese social media analytics firm, uncovered the fake Van Leeuwen account during a joint investigation into a network of spamouflage accounts working on behalf of the Chinese government. The network, consisting of at least nine accounts, propagated Beijing’s talking points on issues including human rights abuses in China’s western Xinjiang province, territorial disputes with countries in the South China Sea and U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. Fake account contradicts real artist Van Leeuwen confirmed in an interview with VOA Mandarin that he had nothing to do with and was not aware of the fake account. “It’s ironic that my identity, being a political cartoonist, is being used for political propaganda,” he told VOA in a written statement. The real Van Leeuwen is an award-winning cartoonist whose works have been published on news outlets around the world, such as the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Korea Times, Sing Tao Daily in Hong Kong and Gulf Today in the United Arab Emirates. He specializes in editorial cartoons, whose main subjects include global politics, elections in the U.S. and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Several of his past illustrations made fun of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s economic policies and the opaqueness of Beijing’s inner political struggles. After being contacted by VOA Mandarin, a spokesman from X said the fake account has been suspended. Other than finding irony in being impersonated by a Chinese propaganda bot, Van Leeuwen said the incident also worries him. “This example once again highlights the need for far-reaching measures regarding the restriction of social media,” Van Leeuwen wrote in his statement, “especially with irresponsible people like Elon Musk at the helm.” After purchasing what was then called Twitter in 2022, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO vowed to reduce the prevalence of bots on the platform, but many users complain it has become even worse. Musk, the world’s richest person, is a so-called “free speech absolutist,” opposing almost all censorship of people voicing their views. Critics say his policy allows racist and false information to flourish on X. Former President Donald Trump has praised Musk’s business acumen and said he plans to have the man who may become the world’s first trillionaire head a commission on government efficiency if he is reelected in November. Network of spamouflage accounts Before its suspension, the X account that impersonated Van Leeuwen had close to 1,000 followers, more than Van Leeuwen’s real X account. It was registered in 2013, but its first post came only last year. The account’s early posts were mostly encouraging and inspiring words in Chinese. It also posted many dance videos. Gradually, the account started to mix in more and more political narratives, criticizing the U.S. and defending China. It often reposted content from another spamouflage account called “Grey World.” “Grey World” used a photo of an attractive Asian woman as its profile picture. Most of its posts were supportive of Beijing’s talking points. It regularly posted videos and cartoons from Chinese state media. It also posted several of Van Leeuwen’s cartoons about American politics. VOA Mandarin and DTL’s investigation identified “Grey World” as the main spamouflage account in a network of nine such accounts. Other accounts in the network, including the fake Van Leeuwen account, amplified “Grey World” by reposting its content. But posts from “Grey World” had limited reach on X, despite having tens of thousands of followers. For example, between August 18 and September 1, its most popular post, a diatribe against Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, was viewed a little over 10,000 times but only had 35 reposts and 65 likes. After the suspension of the fake Van Leeuwen account, X also shut down the “Grey World” account. The spamouflage network is not the first linked to China. In April, British researchers released a report saying Chinese nationalist trolls were posing as American supporters of Trump on X to try to exploit domestic divisions ahead of the U.S. election. U.S. federal prosecutors in 2023 accused China’s Ministry of Public Security of having a covert social media propaganda campaign that also aimed to influence U.S. elections. Researchers at Facebook’s parent company Meta said it was the largest known covert propaganda operation ever identified on that platform and Instagram, reported Rolling Stone magazine. Network analysis firm Graphika called the pro-Chinese network “Spamouflage Dragon,” part of a campaign it identified in early 2020 that was at the time posting content that praised Beijing’s policies and attacked those of then-President Trump.

Israel intensifies air raids on southern Lebanon amid escalation fears

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 21:53
Israeli defence minister says Hezbollah to 'pay an increasing price' as group promises retaliation over device attacks.

Video captures Israeli soldiers pushing dead bodies from roof

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 20:22
Video from the occupied West Bank town of Qabatiya shows Israeli soldiers pushing dead bodies off a roof.

Against All Enemies

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 20:00
Inside violent US far-right groups, the role played by military veterans and the threat they pose to democracy.

Lawmakers, teachers clash over upcoming Florida constitutional amendment

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 19:39
Closely watched constitutional amendment in the US state threatens to deepen political divisions over education policy.

Iran warns Israel of ‘crushing response’ after attacks on Hezbollah

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 19:09
Iran's Revolutionary Guard commander promises 'destruction' of Israel after communication device blasts.

Can Israel fight on two fronts?

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 18:55
Hezbollah is weighing its options after two days of remote attacks targeted its members and civilians.

CIA officer who sexually assaulted dozens of women given 30-year sentence

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 18:49
Veteran officer with US spy agency found guilty of sexually assaulting dozens of women while stationed around the world.

Lebanese army detonates electronic device found on village street

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 18:41
Lebanese forces carried out a controlled explosion of an electronic device found on a street in Klayaa Thursday.

Hezbollah’s Nasrallah says Israel’s Lebanon attacks crossed ‘all red lines’

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 18:19
Nasrallah says attacks on communication devices are a 'declaration of war' by Israel and Hezbollah will retaliate.

‘Sidelining antiwar voices’: US Uncommitted Movement not endorsing Harris

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 18:16
Group says Donald Trump must be stopped but Kamala Harris's inaction on Gaza makes endorsement impossible.

Elon Musk is a threat to Brazil’s democracy

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 18:15
Under the guise of defending free speech, the tech mogul is attempting to assert dominance over Brazil's judiciary.

Transgender woman stabbed to death in Georgia amid LGBTQ bill controversy

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 17:51
Kesaria Abramidze, a transgender model, is killed in Georgia, raising concerns over LGBTQ rights and safety.

Lebanon blasts: Why would Israel attack now?

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 17:49
Here’s a look at why Israel would attack Lebanon and what could happen next.

Talk of Ukraine’s missile deal riles Russia; Kyiv vows to make more weapons

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 17:29
Ukrainian officials lay out plans for domestic defence industry as they await word from Western powers.

Hezbollah chief: Israel crossed “all red lines” with device explosions

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 17:16
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for sabotaging communication devices that exploded across Lebanon.

Judge in Brazil orders Musk’s X to obey ban or face daily fine

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 16:51
The social network X faces hefty new fine after its appears to defy ban ordered by a judge.

UN accuses Israel of ‘massive’ violation of child rights treaty in Gaza

Around The Globe - Thu, 09/19/2024 - 16:20
UN committee says horrific impact on children from Israel's war on Gaza will have an 'extremely dark place in history'.

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