NEW DELHI: Twitter Inc. is fast losing its sheen as a favored communications tool for many Indian government departments and ministers keen to promote home-grown rival Koo while the US firm comes under fire for non-compliance with India’s laws.
The most high-profile example has been India’s new IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Taking office this month, he opened a new Koo account and soon after announced a review of social media firms’ compliance with strict new rules — information not posted to his 258,000 Twitter followers.
“The idea is to create an alternative to Twitter,” said one government official in media relations, declining to be identified as he was not authorized to speak on the matter.
That sentiment is shared by other ministers and members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who are irked by what they see as a defiant Twitter, a senior person in the party’s IT department told Reuters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist administration first took umbrage with the US firm in February when it refused to fully comply with an order to take down accounts and posts accused of spreading misinformation about farmers protests that have been the biggest display of dissent faced by the government. Twitter argued some requests were not in line with Indian law.
That dispute saw some ministers promote Koo, which unlike Twitter also accommodates content in eight Indian languages, and its downloads surged 10-fold in two days to more than 3 million. Subscriber numbers for the 16-month old platform have since grown to 7 million.
Twitter, which has about 17.5 million users in India, has only seen friction with the government escalate, including over its failure to meet a May 25 deadline for installing compliance and grievance officers mandated under the new social media rules. It has since filled two of the three positions.
It is also now the subject of five police investigations in different parts of India that allege the US company has abused its platform.
Twitter declined to comment on the Indian government’s use of Koo but said it works directly with various ministries and authorities, playing a critical role in disaster management amid the pandemic.
“These institutions and their members seek our strategic counsel to use the power of Twitter by way of training, mobilizing resources, and driving public engagement initiatives,” a spokesperson said.
Underlining Twitter’s reach, Modi, who has 69.8 million Twitter followers, has not yet joined Koo while many government ministers and departments continue to use both platforms even if news on Koo is disseminated first.
India’s IT ministry, the prime minister’s office and the government’s media wing did not respond to requests for comment. The head of the BJP’s IT department, Amit Malviya, declined to comment.
STAGING A KOO
Koo’s growing traction can be seen with the trade ministry’s account which now has 1.2 million followers on Koo compared with 1.3 million on Twitter.
State governments are getting in on the act. The disaster management arm of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, has pinned a tweet telling its 21,900 followers to join Koo — where it has just 992 followers — for “exclusive and latest updates.”
The cold shoulder that many authorities are now giving Twitter contrasts sharply with the past. Modi and the BJP have used it extensively to connect with the public, particularly ahead of the 2014 election, as well as in diplomacy. And in 2018, Modi and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey were all smiles when they met in New Delhi, with the Indian premier tweeting he had made “great friends” on the platform.
Koo says while it has no specific government outreach plan, Modi’s campaign of promoting local businesses has worked in its favor.
“I think it’s a matter of a few more months and you’ll see pretty much everyone is on Koo,” co-founder Mayank Bidawatka said in an interview.
Tech-sector experts don’t see Koo becoming that big that fast but say Koo’s greater local language reach will stand the company in good stead as it pursues long-term growth.
In spats with Twitter, India’s government begins messaging shift to rival Koo
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In spats with Twitter, India’s government begins messaging shift to rival Koo

- After months of tension with Twitter, Indian government and ministers are keen to promote rival Indian app Koo
- Unlike Twitter, Koo ccommodates content in eight Indian languages and reached more than 3 million downloads in two days
Saudi Arabia becoming international creator hub, says philanthropist Dylan Page

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia is becoming an international hub especially for creators and influencers, social media news anchor and philanthropist Dylan Page said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Page told Arab News that he was looking forward to seeing Saudi Arabia’s next steps in the online space.
“I think their (Saudi Arabia) push to become much more international and bring lots of people in — I mean, signing Ronaldo alone was one of those things that got the entire world’s attention — I think it’s a huge opportunity to make it that international hub, especially for creators and influencers and stuff like that,” he said.
With more than 15 million followers across social media platforms, Page’s content focuses on news, humanitarian projects and pop culture.
Page, also known as TikTok’s “News Daddy,” started off as a janitor, but decided to follow his passion and pursue content creation full time.
Accumulating billions of views, Page grew his account in just 4 years and his life took a turn as he became one of the most followed news accounts on social media.
Ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, Page said he was looking forward to taking a tour of the Kingdom and hoped to visit the construction zone of The Line.
“This is what the world needs. We need to be able to look forward and have some inspiration again. Like Elon Musk always says, you know, we can’t just be focusing on the problems. You also need something to look forward to,” he added.
“Saudi Arabia, a lot of countries in the Middle East, are really pushing that. They’re the ones that are really bringing the inspiration. Like, what can we do in the future?”
Page is involved in substantial humanitarian work and advocacy. He collaborates with Share The Meal, a UN World Food Programme project that aims to end world hunger.
Share The Meal is raising funds for projects in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere.
“At the start, it was one of those (projects) where we didn’t know much about it. So, we looked into it and we thought it was just going to be, like, working together one time to start off with. And then we kept on reaching out,” he said.
Page said he had been working with the scheme for two years. He plans to launch in-person projects to help raise more funds and be more involved.
The philanthropist will also be working on a new Ramadan campaign in collaboration with Share The Meal, his third such partnership with the UN project.
BBC announces new West Bank documentary with journalist Louis Theroux

- ‘Louis Theroux: The Settlers’ examines Israeli settlements in the aftermath of Oct. 7
LONDON: The BBC announced on Monday that journalist Louis Theroux is to produce a new documentary examining Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The investigative journalist is to travel to the region to meet members of the growing ultra-nationalist settler community.
Theroux previously covered the topic in his 2010 documentary “Ultra Zionists,” which explored life in the contested territory. His new documentary, “Louis Theroux: The Settlers,” will revisit the issue in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Theroux said: “(Since 2010) those same extreme settlers are even more emboldened.
“I’m interested in ideologues and fundamentalists of all stripes. In going back to the West Bank I wanted to see settler expansionism up close, and the human cost it entails.”
The BBC said Theroux will “embed himself in the West Bank,” meeting prominent settlers and traveling through the territory in his signature style.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, yet have long been protected by the Israeli security forces.
Since the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 250 taken hostage, settler violence against Palestinian communities has escalated, with reports of forced expulsions and land seizures.
US President Donald Trump recently revoked an executive order issued by his predecessor, Joe Biden, that sanctioned far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of violence against Palestinians.
Experts warn that the move could embolden settler aggression and further undermine prospects for Palestinian statehood.
Theroux said: “It’s a story specific to a time and a place and a region, but it’s also a universal insight into tribalism and the ways in which we can blind ourselves to the humanity of those around us.”
The Taliban suspend Afghan women’s radio station for providing content to overseas TV channel

- Since their takeover, the Taliban have excluded women from education, many kinds of work, and public spaces
KABUL: The Taliban's information and culture ministry said Tuesday it suspended an Afghan women’s radio station, citing “unauthorized provision” of content and programming to an overseas TV channel.
It’s the second time authorities have shuttered an outlet for allegedly working with foreign media.
The ministry said Radio Begum violated broadcasting policy and improperly used its license. “This decision comes after several violations, including the unauthorized provision of content and programming to a foreign-based television channel," the ministry said, adding it will review all necessary documents to determine the station’s future.
Radio Begum launched on International Women’s Day in March 2021, five months before the Taliban seized power amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops.
The station’s content is produced entirely by Afghan women. Its sister satellite channel, Begum TV, operates from France and broadcasts educational programs that cover the Afghan school curriculum from seventh to 12th grade.
Rights groups, including Reporters without Borders, condemned Tuesday’s suspension and demanded it be reversed.
Since their takeover, the Taliban have excluded women from education, many kinds of work, and public spaces. Journalists, especially women, have lost their jobs as the Taliban tighten their grip on the media landscape.
In the 2024 press freedom index from Reporters without Borders, Afghanistan ranks 178 out of 180 countries. The year before that it ranked 152.
The information ministry did not identify the foreign TV channel it said Radio Begum was working with.
Last May, the Taliban warned journalists and experts in Afghanistan to cease their collaboration with Afghanistan International TV.
It was the first time they had told people not to cooperate with a specific outlet.
CNN to expand Middle East operations with new hub in Qatar

- Initiative part of network’s broader strategy
DOHA: CNN is to strengthen its presence in the Middle East with the launch of a new operation in Media City Qatar, marking a significant expansion of its regional footprint.
The initiative, which was announced on Sunday, is part of the network’s broader strategy to enhance its global and regional content creation capabilities.
The Qatar-based operation will complement CNN’s existing hubs in the region, including its Middle East headquarters in Abu Dhabi — home to “Connect the World with Becky Anderson” — as well as its bases in Dubai, where CNN Arabic is headquartered, and various news bureaus across the region.
Scheduled to go live in the second half of 2025, the new hub in Media City Qatar will focus on developing multi-platform content covering major global trends. A dedicated team of content creators will produce material for digital and social platforms, along with an innovative weekly program for CNN International.
At a time when the Middle East remains central to the global news agenda, CNN’s expansion aims to bolster its coverage of geopolitics, business, technology, sports, culture, and travel, the network said.
It added it will also introduce training programs in journalism and production for students and young professionals in Qatar, further investing in media talent development.
Mike McCarthy, executive vice president and managing editor of CNN Worldwide, said: “CNN has a deep commitment to editorial coverage of the Middle East.
“Whether by adding to our ability to report from the region, providing new, cutting-edge studio facilities, or allowing us to tell a wider range of stories in new ways — including via a brand-new weekly show — this new operation in Qatar both underscores and expands that commitment.”
Phil Nelson, executive vice president of CNN International Commercial, highlighted the network’s ambition to innovate.
He said: “This expansion into Qatar will bolster our regional and global operations, adding to our long-standing footprint in the Middle East.
“We look forward to launching innovative formats and content propositions from this new studio in Media City Qatar in the second half of 2025.”
Sheikh Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, chairman of Media City Qatar, welcomed CNN’s arrival and stressed Qatar’s growing role as a media and technology hub.
He said: “This expansion signals the continued growth of Qatar’s strategic role in shaping global conversations from the heart of the Middle East — because here, where next is made, we are not only witnessing progress, we are making it happen.”
Israeli-designed AI bot publishes pro-Palestinian messages

- The AI-powered social media profile called Israeli soldiers ‘white colonizers in apartheid Israel’
DUBAI: An AI bot designed to promote Israeli narratives on social media has turned itself into a pro-Palestinian machine, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
FactFinderAI was reportedly developed at the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza in October 2023 to counter “misinformation” about Israeli hostilities.
However, the bot has generated anti-Israeli narratives on X, calling for solidarity with Gazans and referring followers to a charity organization to which they can donate in support of Palestinians, Haaretz reported.
The bot has denied claims that an Israeli family was killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack and has accused Israel of proposing a US ban on TikTok.
With about 3,800 followers, the bot mainly comments on posts from X users rather than creating its own original posts.
In one response to a pro-Israeli user, the bot called Israeli soldiers “white colonizers in apartheid Israel.” In another — to a pro-Palestinian user — it concluded that former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “will be remembered for (his) actions that have caused immense suffering and devastation in Gaza.”
The bot has also posted misinformation, falsely claiming that Israeli hostages released as part of the ongoing ceasefire with Hamas were still being held by the group.
Haaretz said it was unclear whether the bot had been officially funded by the Israeli government or developed independently by pro-Israeli activists.
Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry has dedicated at least $550,000 since the start of the war in Gaza to projects that use AI to spread pro-Israeli propaganda. “One of these was Hasbara Commando, a project that also used AI to generate automatic comments,” Haaretz stated.
The newspaper quoted Israeli NGO FakeReporter’s findings that FactFinderAI posts AI-generated content about Israel’s war on Gaza. While the bot was designed to give a pro-Israeli take on other people’s posts, it ended up trolling pro-Israel accounts with pro-Palestinian opinions.
In one instance, the bot urged Germany to follow the lead of Ireland and Spain and officially recognize the state of Palestine.