The Latest Breaking News from Vedika Bahl

No, this video doesn’t show the Wagner Group moving to Belarus

The whereabouts of Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner paramilitary group mercenaries remain unknown since the short-lived mutiny, though there is in place an agreement with Vladimir Putin for Prigozhin and his camp to flee safely to Belarus. A viral video, also shared by an Ukrainian official, claims to show a…

France 24 · Jul 11, 2023

Riots in France: 'Burnt-down library' in Marseille is actually in Manila

In the wake of a week of rioting in France, sparked by the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel by a police officer, out-of-context videos across social media claim to show destruction in the southern city of Marseille. In particular, internet users claim the city's Alcazar Library was burnt by rioters,…

France 24 · Jul 6, 2023

Video shows Russia blew up farm machinery, not Leopard 2 tanks

Russia's ministry of defence published a Telegram video allegedly showing its "successful destruction" of several Ukrainian tanks, including Leopard 2 battle tanks. But analysis of the video shows several holes in this argument, and the "tanks" share more similarities with agricultural machinery. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth…

France 24 · Jun 13, 2023

Ukraine: How a film clip fuelled false claims the war is staged

Lights, camera, action! A viral video of soldiers falling to the ground from explosions – with cameras present – has fuelled accusations the war in Ukraine is staged. But it’s simply behind-the-scenes footage of a Ukrainian short film. We spoke exclusively to the producer and director in this edition of…

France 24 · Apr 13, 2023

No, Russia did not 'capture and destroy' Ukraine's Leopard 2 tanks

According to social media images, Leopard 2 tanks – recently delivered to Ukraine after weeks of waiting – have been destroyed by Russia's Wagner mercenary group. But Wagner's head Yevgeny Prigozhin has denied the claims, and the images have in fact been around on the internet for a while. We…

France 24 · Mar 2, 2023

Theories of 'plastic rice' being exported to Africa resurface online

Videos circulating on social media have been sent to FRANCE 24, claiming "plastic rice" was being manufactured in Asia for consumption in Africa. These videos echo many others that surfaced online in 2017, causing misinformation and panic in African countries. What's true and what's fake? We take a look in…

France 24 · Mar 1, 2023

Stew Peters, Twitter's far-right American voice of pro-Russian propaganda

He's been compared to Alex Jones and Andrew Tate, and is known for spreading Covid-19 misinformation. This week, far-right US influencer Stew Peters posted three misleading stories about the war in Ukraine. But what else do we know about him, and what does he have to gain from a pro-Russian…

France 24 · Feb 28, 2023

Here's what we know about the Ukrainian soldier accused of wearing an IS group badge

Images of a Ukrainian soldier on the frontline wearing what seems to be an Islamic State (IS) group badge on his arm have taken the internet by storm. Some users and media outlets claim this is evidence of links between the terrorist group and Ukraine. The soldier himself says differently.…

France 24 · Feb 27, 2023

Did 'migrant gangs' fire gunshots during Berlin New Year's Eve riots?

New Year's Eve violence and attacks on emergency services in Berlin have prompted calls for a national ban on fireworks, with viral online videos accusing "migrant gangs" of being behind the riots that left scores injured and arrested. In this edition of Truth or Fake with Vedika Bahl, we tell…

France 24 · Jan 5, 2023

Did Vladimir Putin use paid actors in his New Year's speech?

Internet sleuths are setting social media alight with claims that the Russian president used "paid extras" in his New Year's Eve address, after they found previous official photographs featuring a blonde woman with a striking resemblance to one pictured during the speech. These claims have made media headlines across the…

France 24 · Jan 4, 2023