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The Latest Breaking News from Vedika Bahl

FIFA World Cup: Fake racism videos go viral as players, fans face real abuse

AI-generated fake videos, viral hoaxes and real racism are colliding at the FIFA World Cup. From a fabricated Ronald Koeman rant and false claims targeting Algerian fans to the racist abuse of Kylian Mbappé and FIFA investigations, misinformation is spreading alongside genuine discrimination. Vedika Bahl fact-checks the biggest World Cup…

France 24

Israel 'dominated' by Hezbollah on the ground? No, these images are misleading

After extensive aerial bombardment across Lebanon that left scores of Lebanese dead and displaced, Israel began its ground offensive in the country early on Tuesday. Clashes with Hezbollah continue at the southern border, and Israel's latest figures announce nine of its soldiers dead. Online, however, internet users are sharing outdated…

France 24

No, these images don't show 40,000 international Hezbollah mercenaries

This week, Israeli media mentioned IDF concerns about "40,000 Hezbollah fighters" from Iraq, Syria and Yemen hiding in the Golan Heights, waiting for Hassan Nasrallah's call to join the fight. Based on this claim, a number of online accounts began posting false videos and photos to illustrate the supposed militia…

France 24

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Telegram boss's arrest: Fake Al Jazeera video claims France lost $17 billion in UAE arms deal

Although he was only in French police custody for a few days before his release under judicial supervision, disinformation surrounding the Russian-born Telegram founder Pavel Durov has hit the internet. A doctored social media video – falsely attributed to Al Jazeera – alleges that the UAE froze a $17 billion…

France 24

No, the Mpox virus has no link to the Covid-19 vaccine or gay sex

Following the recent Mpox outbreak in Africa – particularly in DR Congo and amongst its neighbours – the WHO raised its highest alarm. But it’s not just the virus that's spreading. So is fake news and misinformation, namely false claims that the Mpox virus is only transmissible via gay sex…

France 24

Grok AI: Elon Musk's unrestricted chatbot that could cause 'reckless' fake news

Elon Musk's "Grok," the AI chatbot reserved for premium members of X, has launched a new image-generation feature – but without the usual safety guardrails and stringent policies to prevent disinformation and abuse. Unlike other major AI image generators, Grok allows users to depict real-world violence, political or explicit content…

France 24

Rouen cathedral fire: Map resurfaces online claiming 'Christianophobia' against French churches

Following the small fire that broke out on the spire in Rouen’s famous Gothic cathedral, misleading posts have circulated online fuelling claims that the fire was a “religious attack”. Not only did Rouen’s authorities never said this, but the misinformation also surged after a map claiming to show “all church…

France 24

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Here’s how Moscow’s fake news machine tried to interfere with French elections

In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl outlines how the Russian fake news machine attempted to interfere with the recent French legislative elections, as well as how it tried to impersonate French media, which is illustrated in our previous edition. Dubbed "Operation Matryoshka", Russian fake news post content…

France 24

No, this video doesn't show CNN's debate moderator 'helping Biden'

Since US President Joe Biden's shaky performance in his first face-off debate against Donald Trump, pressure has been mounting – even within his own Democratic party – for him to drop out of the race. This has triggered a wave of false online claims about the president linked to his…

France 24

No, Ukraine's first lady did not buy a new Bugatti with US taxpayer dollars

Racking up millions of views, pro-Russian accounts on X have falsely accused President Volodymyr Zelensky's wife of using €4.5 million of Western military aid to buy the latest Bugatti model while visiting Paris. The posts cite a deepfake of a Bugatti employee's testimony as well as a doctored invoice as…

France 24

These images don't show Israelis fleeing the country out of fear of war with Hezbollah

Images showing crowds of people at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport have been shared out of context online, with internet users claiming it shows a mass exodus of Israelis who fear war with Hezbollah as tensions escalate. Vedika Bahl gives us more insight in this edition of Truth or Fake.

France 24

This Palestinian man was just released from Israeli jail, but this is not his 'before' photo

A video recently went viral showing 29-year-old Palestinian man Badr Dahlan released after spending 30 days in an Israeli prison. Visibly distressed and traumatised in the video, he spoke of harsh conditions in detention and of being beaten by Israeli forces. Misleading photomontages quickly circulated online claiming to show his…

France 24

Does France's National Rally party have Nazi founders?

"Down with the police, White people and fascists" is a placard that's going viral on French social media. It's said to have been seen during last weekend's mass nationwide demonstrations against the far-right National Rally party. Social media users quickly discredited the French left, calling it "racist". Meanwhile, a French…

France 24

These news sites are AI-generated Russian propaganda. Here's how to spot them

There's been a rise in the last few months of Russian-linked disinformation sites that look misleadingly like real news outlets. These may look like regular print news websites, but the content is AI-generated with a pro-Russian narrative looking to intentionally mislead users. In this special edition of Truth or Fake,…

France 24

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France 24

The US-built Gaza aid pier broke apart. Here's what we know

Just over a week after its completion, a slew of poor weather off Gaza’s coast battered the US-built humanitarian aid port off the enclave, which President Joe Biden had said would ramp up deliveries to those in need. Some social media users claim the pier drifted away or sunk entirely,…

France 24

Rafah air strike: Israel says its missiles 'could not have' caused deadly fire

Following an air strike – and subsequent fire – that left 45 Gazans dead at a camp for the displaced in the southern city of Rafah, Israel has stated that its munitions are not what triggered the blaze. The IDF said it's investigating possible theories, including a Hamas weapons warehouse…

France 24

No, this video doesn't show Robert De Niro confronting pro-Palestinian protesters

As the police crack down on US campus protests, tensions are mounting, along with a surge of misinformation. An out-of-context video is circulating widely, claiming to show actor Robert De Niro aggressively confronting protesters while defending Israel. Another video containing false information is an interview with US House Speaker Mike…

France 24

What we know about the mass graves found at Gaza hospitals

Palestinian authorities are calling for the UN to investigate what they call "war crimes", after reporting hundreds of bodies found in mass graves around hospitals in Gaza after Israeli raids. Some bodies were reported to have their hands tied or be stripped naked – although Israel calls the claims "baseless",…

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France 24

No, the Dubai floods weren’t caused by cloud seeding

After a year's worth of rain hammered the UAE in a single day, bringing the country to a standstill, speculation soared that cloud seeding – a process that involves small planes flying through clouds while dispersing substances to induce precipitation – was to blame for the severity of the deluge.…

France 24

Iran's attack on Israel: Misleading images shared by both sides

Iran's missile strike on Israel late on Saturday was its first ever direct attack on the country. Fears are continuing to mount of an escalation of violence in the region. After analysing the images shared by both Iran and Israel, we found inconsistencies in the footage published by authorities on…

France 24

Debunking false rumours that Ukraine sold Russia its French-made artillery

Social media users have been sharing false claims that the Ukrainian army sold two of the heavy-duty CAESAR howitzers – given by France – to Russia for $120,000 per unit. In this edition of Truth or Fake with Vedika Bahl, we look into the source of these rumours – which…

France 24

Pro-Russian propaganda: Zelensky accused of buying Joseph Goebbels' villa

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has accused Ukraine of being a neo-Nazi state – with President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government often targeted as sympathisers. A video by a German "whistleblower" now accuses the Ukrainian president of buying a former Nazi holiday home that belonged to Hitler's propaganda…

France 24

No, Palestine's official 1939 flag never used the Star of David

Even before the current war between Israel and Hamas, pro-Israeli internet users had claimed Palestine has always been a Jewish entity. They point to a flag depicted in a 1939 Larousse dictionary showing Palestine's flag bearing the Star of David. In this episode of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl shares…

France 24

Gaza's water and electricity: How its vital infrastructure is being destroyed

Since the start of Israel's ground offensive, access to electricity and water have become a scarcity in Gaza. In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl takes a closer look, using satellite imagery to fact-check reports of Israel carrying out air strikes on Palestinian infrastructure.

France 24

Gazan children put 'in cages'? Here's why these images are out of context

Posts claiming to show Israeli troops "arresting" Palestinian children and detaining them "in cages" have gone viral online, with users denouncing Israel's mistreatment of children. This comes as the United Nations deems Gaza "the most dangerous place to be a child". But whilst these videos are indeed from the Palestinian…

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