Latest news with #Bengali-language
AFP
4 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Footage of Philadelphia plane crash misrepresented as 'Israel after Iranian attack'
After Iran responded to strikes on its military and nuclear facilities by firing hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israeli cities, a video was shared in posts falsely claiming it showed the damage inflicted on Tel Aviv. The video in fact shows the aftermath of a medical plane crash in the US city of Philadelphia in February. "Israel's capital Tel Aviv damaged by Iranian attack," reads the Bengali-language caption of a video shared on Facebook on 025. The video shows a carpark littered with debris and flickering embers, with larger fires burning in the background. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on June 16, 2025 The video surfaced after Iran struck Israel with barrages of missiles, a day after a massive onslaught against its nuclear and military facilities killed top generals and nuclear scientists (archived link). Israel said its attacks on June 13 aimed to prevent its arch-rival from acquiring atomic weapons -- a charge Tehran denies. The longtime foes have continued trading deadly fire in their most intense confrontation in history, fuelling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East (archived link). Iran's health ministry said at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1,200 wounded, while Israel's prime minister's office says at least 24 people have been killed and 592 others injured. The footage was also shared in similar posts elsewhere on Facebook and YouTube. While Israeli cities and towns have been hit by Iranian strikes, the video does not show the damage caused by the attacks. Philadelphia plane crash Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (left) and the YouTube video (right) AFP reported that a twin-engine Learjet 55 had plummeted towards a busy Philadelphia neighbourhood, exploding on impact and showering wreckage over homes and vehicles (archived link). The jet was carrying a Mexican child home from a hospital in Philadelphia. Local media reported that all six people on board the plane were killed, as well as a man and a woman who were in separate cars on the ground at the time of the crash (archived link). AFP geolocated the video to Cottman Avenue and the adjacent Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia (archived link). Google Street View imagery of the area showed a red-bricked building opposite a coffee shop that matches those seen in the circulating video (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and Google Street View imagery (right), with corresponding features highlighted by AFP AFP previously fact-checked false claims the same video depicted an Indian airstrike on Pakistan.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Burkina leader's 'anti-West speech' is AI generated
"Best speech of the 21st century. If Captain Traore wins this time, not only Burkina Faso, but the whole of Africa will win," says a Bengali-language Facebook post on May 28, 2025. The accompanying video, which has racked up more than 1.9 million views, purportedly shows Traore attacking Western propaganda, exposing media lies and declaring a new era for Africa. "The Africa you showed us wasn't real. The story you told us was a lie. The fate you imposed on us was a script you had written for years," he says in English, apparently referring to multiple news organisations. "You're not free press, you're corporate press, your bosses are billionaires." Since Traore swept into power, Burkina Faso has turned away from former colonial master France and moved closer to Russia (archived link). A steady stream of viral social media posts -- many misleading or outright false -- has portrayed him as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country's dignity. The AI footage also surfaced in posts from South Africa and Kenya. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes found it earlier posted on YouTube on May 25, 2025 with a note that it was "entirely fictional" (archived link). The platform has marked the clip as "altered or synthetic content" while the channel has previously uploaded AI clips of Traore (archived link). An analysis of the circulating footage spotted visual errors that are hallmarks of AI. The fingernails on Traore's hands disappear at the 6:30 mark and his hand blurs at the 11:55 mark. Despite the meteoric rise in generative AI, errors persist and checking them is one way to tell the content is not genuine. AFP has debunked more misinformation around Traore here and here.
AFP
11-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Burkina leader's 'anti-West speech' is AI generated
"Best speech of the 21st century. If Captain Traore wins this time, not only Burkina Faso, but the whole of Africa will win," says a Bengali-language Facebook post on May 28, 2025. The accompanying video, which has racked up more than 1.9 million views, purportedly shows Traore attacking . "The Africa you showed us wasn't real. The story you told us was a lie. The fate you imposed on us was a script you had written for years," he says in English, apparently referring to multiple news organisations. Image Screenshot of the false post taken on June 2, 2025 Since Traore swept into power, Burkina Faso has turned away from former colonial master France and moved closer to Russia (archived link). A steady stream of viral social media posts -- many misleading or outright false -- has portrayed him as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country's dignity. The AI footage also surfaced in posts from South Africa and Kenya. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes found it earlier posted on YouTube on May 25, 2025 with a note that it was "entirely fictional" (archived link). The platform has marked the clip as "altered or synthetic content" while the channel has previously uploaded AI clips of Traore (archived link). An analysis of the circulating footage spotted visual errors that are hallmarks of AI. The . Image Screenshot of the video with the visual mistakes highlighted by AFP Despite the meteoric rise in generative AI, errors persist and checking them is one way to tell the content is not genuine. AFP has debunked more misinformation around Traore here and here.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Clip shows brawl over mining dispute, not 'extremist Hindus' attacking Bangladeshi nationals
"Indian extremist Hindu terrorists are brutally torturing the relatives of Bangladesh patients undergoing treatment in various hospitals in India. Avoid India," reads the Bengali-language caption of a Facebook video shared on April 20, 2025. The graphic video, which was viewed at least 23,000 times, shows a brawl with participants picking up hospital equipment to hit one another. The same video was shared in similar posts in May elsewhere on Facebook. "There are a lot of Indians living in Bangladesh, they will pay for this," reads a comment on one of the posts. The posts circulated as relations between India and Bangladesh soured following the latter's August 2024 revolution that ousted New Delhi's old ally Sheikh Hasina (archived link). Hasina fled to India by helicopter and remains in self-imposed exile. Dhaka has requested New Delhi allow Hasina's extradition to face charges of crimes against humanity for the killing of hundreds of protesters during the unrest that toppled her government. New Delhi, meanwhile, has repeatedly accused Muslim-majority Bangladesh of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu citizens -- charges denied by the caretaker administration of Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. But the video circulating online does not show Bangladeshis being attacked in a hospital in India. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to the same footage used in a news report by India broadcaster NDTV, which was posted on YouTube on April 12 (archived link). The report is titled, "Clash Breaks Out At Dera Bassi Hospital In Punjab Over Village Mining Dispute". According to the video's description, the fighting took place at the sub-divisional hospital in Dera Bassi, Chandigarh and reportedly stemmed from "a dispute over alleged illegal mining in Mukandpur village". "The chaos caused panic among patients and hospital staff, with frightened individuals fleeing the premises for safety," it added. The brawl was also reported by other local media (archived here and here). None of the reports say Bangladeshi nationals were targeted as part of an attack. Bikramjeet Singh Brar, the deputy superintendent of police in Dera Bassi, Chandigarh, told AFP the clash in the Dera Bassi Civil Hospital on April 11 involved a group of locals. Asked if any of the individuals were Bangladeshi nationals, Brar replied: "No. They were locals from Punjab only." AFP has debunked other false claims which have surfaced following the ouster of Hasina's government here.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Old Pakistan airport fire clip misrepresented as recent
"Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore, Pakistan is burning after a missile battery of Air Defence System exploded during installation," reads a Facebook post on April 26, 2025. "All Services have been suspended at Lahore airport & Pakistan Army has taken control," it went on to say, adding "14 Pakistani soldiers" died in the incident. It also shares a video showing a building filled with smoke as a crowd looks on, and Bengali-language text that largely repeats the false claim. The claim surfaced days after gunmen killed 26 people in an attack on tourists in Pahalgam in India-administered Kashmir on April 22, which New Delhi blames on its neighbour. Islamabad denies the charge (archived link). Four days of tense fighting broke out between the nuclear-armed foes in May -- claiming over 70 lives on both sides -- before they agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire (archived link). The false post was shared elsewhere on Facebook, with comments indicating some users believed the claim to be true. A comment reads, "This is only for the airport now, soon it will be for the whole of Pakistan." "Very well done, let it spread all over Pakistan now," reads another comment. But a reverse image search on Google using keyframes shows the video was uploaded to YouTube on May 9, 2024 (archived link). "Massive fire at Lahore Airport," the video's caption reads. "Investigation suggests that a short circuit was the cause of the fire." Further searches found the columns of smoke next to a sign in the false clip can also be seen at the 14th-second mark in a video report on the fire that Pakistani outlet Aaj TV published on the same day (archived link). Other Pakistani media outlets also reported on the fire at the time, saying a short circuit was to blame for the blaze (archived here and here). The state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on April 26, 2025 that the Pakistan Airports Authority said there had been no incident of fire, and dismissed the claim as "baseless, false and misleading" (archived link). AFP has debunked misinformation spreading following the Kashmir attack here and here.
