Latest news with #Bengali-language
AFP
3 days ago
- AFP
Leopard attack clip shot in India, not Bangladesh
"Human fight with leopard at Lakshmipur brick kiln," reads a Bengali-language Facebook post from June 28, 2025, referring to a coastal district in Bangladesh's Chittagong division (archived ). The accompanying clip shows a man arm-wrestling a big cat while a crowd hurls stones and bricks from a distance. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured July 8, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The video circulated with similar claims elsewhere on Facebook after a leopard was spotted in Chittagong Hill Tracts, raising hopes among conservationists (archived ). Leopards are listed as vulnerable as a species globally, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but critically endangered in the South Asian country of more than 170 million people, warning its population may no longer be viable. Previous reports of the elusive cats had been based on paw prints and fleeting sightings in the forest, according to a zoologist Monirul Khan from Jahangirnagar University. A reverse search of keyframes on Google found the video in a report from Indian news outlet NDTV on June 25, 2025 (archived link). "Man fights leopard bare-handed in Lakhimpur Kheri," the clip's text overlay says, referring to district in India's Uttar Pradesh megastate . People in the video are heard shouting in Hindi. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (L) and the video from NDTV Several Indian media organisations reported the incident and featured similar visuals (archived here and here). An officer at Uttar Pradesh's forest department confirmed the incident occurred in Lakhimpur Kheri, in a brick kiln in Baburi village. "Villagers alerted the forest department, leading to the leopard's swift tranquilisation and transfer to forest department's treatment centre," forest ranger Rajesh Dixit told AFP on July 8. "Some forest officials also sustained injuries during this operation."
AFP
02-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Photo shows quake-hit building in Myanmar, not proof of corruption in Bangladesh
"The contractor says the funds for construction ran out after everyone took their bribes. I thought about it today after seeing this government building," reads part of the Bengali-language caption of a Facebook video posted on May 28, 2025. "Bribe-taking officials are getting frustrated as the avenues for corruption are narrowing." The video shows a partially collapsed fire station, with the building crushing fire engines that were parked underneath. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on June 30, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The short video was also shared in similar Facebook posts ahead of the one year anniversary of student-launched protests that culminated weeks later in the overthrow of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's government (archived link). Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 when Hasina's government launched a brutal campaign to silence the protesters, according to the United Nations (archived link). The country has started trials of senior figures from Hasina's government -- a key demand of several political parties now jostling for power as the South Asian nation awaits elections that the interim government has vowed will take place before June 2026. A tribunal in Dhaka has issued arrest warrants for Hasina, and the interim government has formally requested her extradition from India -- where she fled after being toppled -- several times. The video circulating online, however, was not filmed in Bangladesh and is unrelated to allegations of graft under Hasina's rule. Myanmar quake damage A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared clip led to a YouTube video posted on May 24 by a channel called "2025 Sagaing Earthquake Archive" (archived link). The video is titled, "Damage To Sagaing Fire Station, Sagaing, Myanmar". The city of Sagaing was less than 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the epicentre of a devastating 7.7-magnitude quake that struck Myanmar on March 28, killing nearly 3,800 people and destroying swathes of homes and businesses (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (left) and the YouTube video (right) A subsequent keyword search found a similar image of the quake-damaged fire station in articles from Myanmar news outlet Irrawaddy and the BBC that were published in March (archived here and here). An official Facebook page for the Sagaing fire district also posted the same photo on April 15 (archived link). The falsely shared clip also matches a Google Maps photo of the Sagaing fire station taken in December 2020 (archived link). AFP has debunked other false claims stemming from the unrest in Bangladesh here.
AFP
24-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video of Trump lauding Bangladesh leader is manipulated
reads part of a Bengali-language Facebook post on May 12, 2025. It features a blurry video apparently showing Trump commending Yunus during a meeting. "Yunus is a great personality and my friend also. He has recently taken charge of the interim government of Bangladesh," Trump supposedly says. "Dr Yunus will play a big role in making Bangladesh prosperous." Image Screenshot of the false post taken June 19, 2025, with a red X added by AFP Similar posts among Yunus's supporters as political parties jostling for power in Bangladesh were demanding the Nobel Peace Prize winner to fix an election timetable. He has since announced polls will be held April 2026 (archived link). The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years. Comments to the posts indicate some social media users believed the video was authentic. A reverse image search on Google found of the meeting published on the verified Facebook page of American news channel Fox News on April 30, 2025 (archived link). But the audio has been manipulated and nowhere in the original clip does Trump refer to Yunus. "I just wanna thank everybody, this is really very impressive and I hope people at home get to see some of it," Trump says. "Nobody's ever done public cabinet meetings. They were quiet for a reason because they weren't impressive, especially in the last administration." Image Screenshot comparison of the manipulated video (L) and the clip from Fox News with similarities highlighted by AFP An analysis of the audio in the circulating clip using the voice cloning detection tool Hiya in the Verification Plugin, also known as InVID-WeVerify, found it is "very likely AI-generated" (archived link). Image AFP has previously debunked misinformation about Trump and Bangladesh here and here.
AFP
17-06-2025
- 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.
