- After K-pop, K-novels? South Korean Nobel win sparks joy, hope at home
- After Nadal exit, Djokovic left to rage against dying of the light
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Triple centurion Brook happy to break Dad's club record
- Zelensky touts 'victory plan' against Russia in Macron talks
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- UN peacekeepers accuses Israel of firing on Lebanon HQ
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- Southgate taking year out from coaching
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- Zelensky meets Macron in Paris as part of European tour
- Hurricane Milton shreds Florida stadium roof
- UN probe accuses Israel of seeking to 'destroy' Gaza healthcare
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- England in sight of victory after Brook's triple hundred
- Juventus readmitted to ECA after failed Super League revolt
- World number 2 Alcaraz knocked out of Shanghai Masters by Machac
- Leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia meet amid regional tensions
- Klopp's Red Bull decision 'ruined life's work' say Dortmund fans
- Han Kang wins South Korea's first literature Nobel
- S. Korea's Nobel winner Han Kang a modest, thought-provoking writer
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- The almost impossible job: Beating Rafael Nadal at the French Open
- New French government faces key test with budget plan
- Rescuers say Israeli strike on Gaza school kills 28
- Italy's ex-world champion gymnast Ferrari announces retirement
- Zelensky talks 'victory plan' in meeting with Starmer, Rutte
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Federer lauds retiring Nadal's 'incredible achievements'
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Australia beat China 3-1 to resurrect World Cup campaign
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- Nadal defied injury woes in record-breaking career
- Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in epic rivalry
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- Pakistan at 23-1 after Brook triple hundred takes England to 823-7
- Zelensky meets Starmer, Rutte on whirlwind tour of Europe
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Rafael Nadal calls time on epic tennis career
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines confronts China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Kim Sei-young shoots 62 to take two-stroke lead at LPGA Shanghai
- The haircuts that help traumatised Ukrainian soldiers heal
- Sinner crushes Medvedev to set up potential Alcaraz Shanghai semi
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- England's Harry Brook blasts triple century against Pakistan
- Chinese electric car companies cope with European tariffs
- Zelensky in London for whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
Misinformation mires Australia's Indigenous rights referendum
Holed up in a makeshift studio in Sydney's Russian consulate, a pro-Putin activist on the run from Australian police is using the country's upcoming Indigenous rights referendum to push the Kremlin's agenda.
Simeon Boikov, 33, spends a chunk of his time perched in front of a printed bookshelf backdrop, weaving anti-Western rhetoric with conspiracy theories in regular video broadcasts.
The self-styled "Aussie Cossack" makes no secret of his loyalties: a Russian military symbol is pinned to his lapel.
He's not especially popular, garnering a few thousand views for most posts.
And, as someone convicted in absentia of assaulting a 76-year-old man at a protest, he is perhaps not the most compelling voice in any debate.
But experts describe Boikov as part of a potent ecosystem of "micro-influencers" that, collectively, have had a substantive impact on a referendum debate that will shape Australia's political future.
On Saturday almost 18 million Australians will decide whether to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution for the first time, and whether to create a permanent Indigenous consultative body.
'Yes' supporters believe the reform would help make amends for Australia's often brutal history of colonisation and race-based repression -- what many consider their nation's original sin.
But the referendum debate has been awash with misinformation, according to research by Queensland University of Technology's associate professor in digital media Timothy Graham.
After examining thousands of tweets on X, formally Twitter, Graham found that the vote's opponents often pushed misinformation designed to stir voter fears about what the proposed advisory body would do.
"People are fearful online –- they are worried and afraid of what will happen if the referendum is successful, based on misinformation they've seen," he told AFP.
Throughout the campaign, AFP has debunked numerous falsehoods, from claims the intended Indigenous advisory body would see landowners stripped of their properties to conspiracy theories decrying the vote as a United Nations plot to turn Australia into a totalitarian republic.
With a few days left in campaigning, the polls show the 'no' campaign with an almost unassailable lead.
- 'Disinformation and propaganda' -
If Australians vote 'no', it will not be because of Boikov.
But that does not mean he and others spreading misinformation don't have an impact.
Boikov can reach niche audiences, Sydney University researcher Olga Boichak told AFP.
And together, multiple niche audiences can form something like a coalition.
Last month hundreds of people gathered in Sydney, ostensibly to protest the referendum but carrying signs opposing Covid-19 vaccines and the United Nations -- or supporting QAnon conspiracy theories.
Boikov appeared to be a major driver of the protest.
He and similar actors can become a "catalyst" between groups that feel disenfranchised, according to Boichak.
Seen in this light, the Kremlin's interest in the referendum is obvious, researcher Boichak said. "It is in Russia's interest to make Australia a less democratic country."
And with this loose coalition it becomes "very easy to recruit certain populations into the Russian sphere of influence", she said.
Despite his temporary accommodation, Boikov downplayed his links to Moscow in a video call with AFP.
"The Voice (referendum) has nothing to do with Russia," he said. "This is all purely my personal initiative, there is no link between what I do, what I broadcast and the Kremlin."
Boikov regularly rails against Australian and US support for Ukrainian forces fighting against Russia.
Researcher Boichak said this style of disinformation is similar to that of "micro-influencers" deployed in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
Sometimes, political micro-influencers may not even be aware they are part of a broader strategy, she said.
A.Rodriguezv--AMWN