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FORGOTTEN HISTORY: 2 | History Defined

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

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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…

France 24

No, the Empire State Building didn't light up in honour of Palestine

Videos of a Libyan city devastated by floods have been misrepresented as the besieged Gaza Strip, and false claims are circulating about the tower lights of New York's Empire State Building. Vedika Bahl takes a closer look at some viral fake news about the Israel-Hamas conflict in this edition of…

France 24

Israeli journalist 'arrested' for exposing secret army deaths doesn't exist

Viral social media posts claim to show a video of "renowned" Israeli journalist Ephraim Mordechai revealing that scores of Israeli soldiers' bodies have been hidden in hospital morgues, while their families remain unaware. The posts allege that he's since been arrested by Israeli authorities. There's one problem, however: there's no…

France 24

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Pro-Palestinian marches: Is fake news feeding a narrative of 'violence' abroad?

Since October 7, social media has been flooded with imagery claiming to show violence and clashes abroad linked to pro-Palestinian rallies. This comes as some European countries have already banned demonstrations in support of the Palestinians. In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl debunks some viral disinformation that…

France 24

No, USA Today did not report that Zelensky's delegate started a 'drunken bar brawl'

A fabricated video – edited in the social media style of American media outlet USA Today – claims a member of the Ukrainian delegation provoked a drunken bar fight in New York during President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the US, before being detained by police. However, in this edition of…

France 24

False video claims jet ski tourists 'taunted' Algerian coastguards before being killed

A viral video circulating on both French and Arabic social media claims to show that the two men on jet skis who strayed into Algerian waters from Morocco "provoked" and "taunted" the coastguards moments before being shot dead. However, our team's fact-checking confirms that this video dates back over a…

France 24

A female slave market in Ethiopia? No, this is a Senegalese cultural event

A Dutch far-right politician has reposted a video claiming Muslim women in Ethiopia are being sold and enslaved. But our fact-checking reveals that the video actually shows "Ndut" - a rite of passage belonging to the Serer ethnic group in Senegal. Our team liaised with a father whose son participated…

France 24

India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission: Fake news takes flight alongside spacecraft

Although India made history with its Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, becoming the first country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon's unexplored South Pole, it wasn't the only thing to take off. A surge of misinformation surrounding the mission has also surged since the initial landing, with false imagery circulating…

France 24

No, this video shows neither Nigerien nor Nigerian forces at their shared border

A video of a military convoy circulating online claims to show both Niger and Nigeria’s troops travelling to their shared border, at a time when the countries share tensions -- due to Lagos heading the ECOWAS bloc that's threatening to forcibly overturn the military coup in Niamey. In this edition…

France 24

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

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France 24

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

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

No, Elon Musk is not building a 'robot wife'

According to some internet users, pictures of Tesla founder Elon Musk kissing humanoid female robots are proof of Tesla's final stages of production for a "robot wife". But the images are AI-generated, including work by the same artist who created a viral image of the pope in a puffer jacket.…

France 24

Pakistan political turmoil: These 'PTI protest' images aren't real

An AI-generated photo and two out-of-context videos are being presented as images from Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf nationwide demonstrations in support of former prime minister Imran Khan. Vedika Bahl takes a closer look at the misinformation that's circulating, in this edition of Truth or Fake.

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France 24

Bashar al-Assad 'casually walking around' Syria unguarded? No, this video is from 2017

Just as the Arab League has reinstated Syria's membership after a 11-year suspension, a video has emerged showing President Bashar al-Assad wandering the streets of Damascus without security – which some Twitter users claim shows his "bravery" and "popularity" amongst his people, unlike other world leaders. But is this true…

France 24

Video game footage presented as air raids in Sudan

A video shared heavily on Arabic-speaking social media channels has been presented as aerial bombardments taking place in conflict-ridden Sudan. But the FRANCE 24 Observers found similarities with a military video game. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.

France 24

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

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

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

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

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.…

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