How conspiracy theories surged after the Beirut explosion While many nations and individuals are rallying to Lebanon’s side, others are using the disaster to pursue their own political aims dispatch Emily Lewis
Ammonium nitrate that devastated Beirut was manufactured in Georgia, officials confirmed Conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns are poised to focus on targets outside of Lebanon dispatch Natalia Antelava
Google queries in Africa reveal how coronavirus disinformation is evolving A recent report examined 3,000 search questions from 21 countries and discovered that it’s not always obvious that Africans know where to look for answers about Covid-19 dispatch Rachel Sherman
Italy’s anti-vaxxers are getting political The coronavirus pandemic has boosted the ranks of anti-vaxxers in Italy and abroad dispatch Alexandra Tyan
The fight against Turkmenistan’s Covid-19 blackout In one of the world’s most isolated and authoritarian countries, masks are mandatory and hospitals are struggling to cope — but, officially, the virus still doesn’t exist feature Mariam Kiparoidze
Enter the Grayzone: fringe leftists deny the scale of China’s Uyghur oppression This week, writer and commentator Max Blumenthal downplayed Beijing’s actions in Xinjiang on international TV — and he’s not the only one feature Caitlin Thompson
Duterte’s troll armies drown out Covid-19 dissent in the Philippines Trolls and bots are deflecting criticism of President Duterte’s handling of the worsening crisis dispatch Lynzy Billing
In Kazakhstan, coronavirus conspiracies are the latest celebrity craze As the nation battles a wave of infections and drug shortages, pop stars and influencers are using social media to push wild theories feature Katia Patin
Bolivia’s president wore a “virus blocker.” Then, she got Covid-19 The interim leader was one of many politicians around the world who wore a badge containing chemicals that claimed to protect against coronavirus follow-up Isobel Cockerell
Doctor by day, anti-disinfo warrior by night: fighting Yemen’s Covid-19 crisis Armed with social media, one Yemeni doctor living in Germany has marshalled hundreds of medical professionals to provide free and accurate coronavirus advice to people in his homeland dispatch Casey Coombs
Tensions skyrocket in Serbia as the president casts street protestors as violent conspiracists After two nights of pandemic-related unrest, President Aleksandar Vucic described protestors as anti-5G activists and flat-earthers dispatch Katia Patin
How coronavirus slammed the door on asylum seekers Countries around the world are shutting their borders to asylum seekers and implementing harsh immigration policies dispatch Joshua Craze
