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       The new chapter in the thorny relationship between the media and Britain’s royal family has a Russian disinformation angle amidst concerns about King Charles's health.

       Fake news about the death of King Charles III were spread on Monday by Russian pro-Kremlin Telegram channels such as Mash and Readovka, which have millions of followers, and several media outlets such as Sputnik, sanctioned by EU for propaganda.

       A screenshot with a fake statement attributed to the Buckingham Palace was shared as proof. The file was closely modelled on the palace’s announcement of late Queen Elizabeth II's death.

       There were also speculations on the social media platform X, including mentions of flags at half-mast in government buildings, circulating and fuelling the rumours before the fake news went viral.

       Disinformation travelled quickly, reaching other countries even though there was no official confirmation or announcement from the Royal Family.

       After it was reposted in Ukraine, the British Embassy published a statement denying the fake news. "We would like to inform you that the news about the death of King Charles III is fake." The same situation occurred in Azerbaijan.

       Conspiracy theories about the Royal Family have been spreading recently due to the absence of its members from the public because of health issue.

       The Vulture traced the origin of the fake news to the post on a Pakistani outlet from 16 March, it was picked up by X accounts regularly sharing conspiracy theories.

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       A Russian border region plans to evacuate about 9,000 children from the area as it is being continuously shelled by the Ukrainian army, an official said Tuesday.

       According to the governor of Russia’s Belgorod border region, Vyacheslev Gladkov, the children are expected to be relocated further east, away from the Ukraine border.

       The announcement came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin wants to create a buffer zone to help protect border regions from long-range Ukrainian strikes and cross-border raids.

       Ukraine has increasingly used its long-range firepower to hit oil refineries and depots deep inside Russia and has sought to unsettle the Russian border regions, putting political pressure on Putin.

       Three people were wounded in an attack Tuesday on the Belgorod region, Gladkov said, including a 14-year-old who had part of a limb amputated.

       His mother was also seriously hurt in the attack.

       Euronews cannot independently verify these claims.

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       Germany’s Health Minister has joined TikTok, arguing that the Germany government needs to catch up with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) who enjoy a large following on the controversial platform.

       ‘’Revolution via TikTok starts today’’ said Karl Lauterbach, recording his first video in the background of the public broadcaster ARD.

       The SPD politician justified the move in an interview with t-online magazine, saying that he wanted to create a presence on the platform to oppose the AfD, which currently has 409,600 TikTok followers.

       ''We cannot simply leave the platform for the youth to the AfD'' said Lauterbach in a post announcing his new venture on X.

       Lauterbach is especially popular on X, formerly Twitter, where he has over a million followers.

       He is not the only German politician considering TikTok as a platform to connect with voters. When asked if the government would consider opening a TikTok account to combat the disparity in popularity against the AfD at a forum in Dresden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, ''I believe this is right."

       Weighing the risks

       At the start of last year, TikTok reported that it has a user base of over 20 million in Germany. The AfD are present on the platform via the accounts of Bundestag members and AfD parliamentary group members. Tageschau reported that 80% of the AfD's Bundestag members are on TikTok, in contrast to one in ten of Germany's ruling SPD party.

       Individual candidates such as Maximillian Krah, an AfD member of the European Parliament, have found success on TikTok by posting short, personalised videos ranging from dating tips to criticising green policies.

       Maximillian Krah, Magdeburg, Germany 2023. Carsten Koall/(c) Copyright 2023, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten

       According to a study by the Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung, TikTok's algorithm and 'For You' page favours accounts with polarising content, meaning that videos posted by the likes of Krah have a large reach despite regardless of follower count.

       An analysis by political consultant Johannes Hillje shared on public broadcaster ZDF found that videos posted by the AfD notch three times as many views as videos posted by other parties.

       Weighing the risks

       The government's desire to counteract the AfD’s growing following seems to be outweighing international concerns about data security and misinformation, both of which relate to TikTok's Chinese roots.

       Germany security services have warned that TikTok could be used to glean data from government officials' devices, and Lauterbach acknowledged the risk, saying he "definitely won't use a work cell phone for this".

       TikTok has repeatedly emphasised that it does not view itself as a subsidiary of a Chinese company, and ByteDance argues that Western investors own 60% of the company.

       Critics maintain that the Chinese founders of the app and its large presence in Beijing are serious cause for concern, and the US Congress is in the process of passing legislation that would force ByteDance to either relinquish control of the app or withdraw it from the US market altogether.