Latest news with #BBCVerify
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Verifying Israeli strikes in Lebanon, and assessing calls to scrap the two-child cap
Update: Date: 10:33 BST Title: Looking into overnight strikes in Lebanon Content: Peter Mwai and Richard Irvine-BrownBBC Verify We've had confirmation from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which says it has 'struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites' in southern Lebanon. We've seen multiple reports in recent hours from Lebanese and Israeli media of air strikes in southern Lebanon. Locations suggested include Ansar, Nabatieh and Mahmoudiya. We're reviewing clips posted on social media overnight but, given they are mostly in the dark and in more remote areas, it takes longer to find where they are filmed. So far, we have identified the location of this video which emerged overnight as the forecourt of a petrol station to the west of a small village called Deir Seryan. This video was located to the west of a site that was struck, itself to the west of Deir Seryan, southern Lebanon Daylight images are emerging now, which will give us a better handle on what has been hit and where, and perhaps what has caused the also looking at satellite images which detect heat signatures, such as the burning after airstrikes, to give us another keep you updated. Update: Date: 10:15 BST Title: Welcome to BBC Verify Live Content: Rob CorpBBC Verify Live editor Good morning. Since late last night our verification team has been looking into reports that the Israeli military has carried out a series of air strikes in southern Lebanon. At the moment footage we've seen was taken last night and we're in the process of checking it's genuine. More on that to come shortly. Elsewhere we're investigating former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's call to use higher gambling taxes to fund the cost of scrapping the two-child benefit cap. We'll look into his comments, and assess how likely it is that increasing levies could raise the necessary funds. As well as those stories to come here on BBC Verify Live we've got a new report from the United Nations on the number of buildings that have been destroyed across the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. Plus we'll keep across the wildfires in southern France by checking on Nasa's heat source satellites.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Verifying deadly strike in Ukraine and reports of Gaza aid lorry deaths
Update: Date: 09:37 BST Title: Wednesday on BBC Verify Content: Rob CorpBBC Verify Live editor Hello from the live page team - we'll be bringing you the latest updates on the work of BBC News' fact-checkers, verification specialists and data journalists. Following our editors' meeting we're looking at: We've also carried out an analysis of the number of drones and missiles launched by Russia against Ukraine since US President Donald Trump returned to office. We've found that they have reached their highest levels since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. You can read the full analysis by BBC Verify's Matt Murphy and Ned Davies here.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Verifying video after deadly Russian strike on Ukraine transport hub
Update: Date: 12:20 BST Title: How many hostages are still in Gaza? Content: The UN Security Council is due to meet later today to discuss the fate of the remaining hostages taken from Israel still held in Gaza. The UN session was called after Palestinian armed groups put out videos showing two of the Israeli hostages, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, looking severely emaciated. At BBC Verify, through media reports and video, we've been keeping across the status of the hostages taken into Gaza during the 7 October 2023 armed attacks on Israel by Hamas. Our understanding is that: Regarding hostages no longer in Gaza: Verification work by Alex Murray, Emma Pengelly, and Jamie Ryan Update: Date: 11:39 BST Title: Keeping track of small boats data Content: Anthony ReubenBBC Verify senior journalist The BBC Verify team keeps track of the data on people arriving in the UK on small boats so that we can show how the numbers are changing year-on-year. The Home Office publishes the figures both for the last seven days, external and a time series going back to 2018, external. Each day's figures come out the following day, so we'll get Monday's figures later on. So far this year, 25,436 people have been detected crossing the English Channel in small boats which is almost 50% higher than at the same point last year. Update: Date: 10:58 BST Title: Cooper calls for more robust data on nationality of criminals Content: Robert CuffeBBC Verify head of statistics Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has told BBC Radio 4 Today there should be 'more transparency' about the nationality and immigration status of people accused of crimes. Her comments come after Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick told the same programme yesterday that 'in London, 40% last year of all of the sexual crimes were committed by foreign nationals, despite the fact that they only make up 25% of the population'. Yesterday we described where the data comes from and why it can't tell us whether foreign nationals as a group are more likely to commit crimes than British nationals without taking into account the different ages of different populations. These warnings apply particularly for small groups such as Eritrean or Afghan nationals. They are much rarer in both the Metropolitan Police data (10 and 16 of the 1,600 sexual offences charged or cautioned last year) and population statistics. When you're dealing with small numbers, minor shifts or weaknesses in the data have an outsized effect: taking four offences from the Afghan total would be a 25% reduction. Update: Date: 10:13 BST Title: Verified video shows damage at Ukraine railway station following Russian drone attack Content: Paul Brown and Peter MwaiBBC Verify We have verified video showing severe damage at a railway station in the Ukrainian city of Lozova in the northern Kharkiv region following reports of a major Russian drone attack overnight. Local authorities say at least one person was killed and 10 injured. The videos show the station's roof, wall and windows have been damaged and a train at the platform has a buckled carriage. We have confirmed the footage was filmed at the city's main railway station by matching the unique facade of the building, benches and coloured paving blocks with imagery available on Google maps. Both Ukraine and Russia have been attacking each other's transport infrastructure in an attempt to disrupt industry and movement of supplies. We are also looking into reports that Tatsinskaya station in the Rostov region in Russia's south was hit overnight and will post here on the live page when we have verified material. Update: Date: 09:46 BST Title: Tuesday on BBC Verify Content: Rob CorpBBC Verify Live editor Hello from the team. We're getting on with verification work following an overnight Russian strike on the Ukrainian town of Lozova which officials say killed at least one person and injured 10 others. Images we've seen so far suggest the attack caused significant damage to the town's railway station - Lozova is a key transport hub for the north-east of Ukraine. Our fact-checkers have been listening to UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper who has been doing broadcast interviews this morning as the UK's "one in, one out" migrant returns deal with France comes into force. And we'll also be looking for the latest verifiable information coming out of Gaza as it's reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing to expand military operations in the Strip. If there's a story you think BBC Verify should investigate then do get in touch with us via this form.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Verifying latest footage as Ukraine and Russia trade drone strikes
Update: Date: 09:50 BST Title: Welcome to BBC Verify Live Content: Rob CorpBBC Verify Live editor Good morning. We're starting the day looking at the latest from Ukraine and Russia as we analyse and verify footage being posted online as both sides have accused each other of aerial strikes. Our verification experts are assessing footage appearing to show the aftermath of a Ukrainian attack that targeted an oil depot near the Sochi airport on Russia's Black Sea coast - more on that shortly. Elsewhere in Russia's south, we're looking into reports that a railway station in the Volgograd region was attacked last night as well as overnight footage of damage from Ukraine's Odesa. And we're expecting a news conference from the Reform UK party later this morning so BBC Verify's fact-checkers will be listening to that and will report back on any checkable claims. As well as those stories our user-generated content team is looking to hear from you if you've been affected by Storm Floris which is bringing unseasonable weather to the northern half of the UK - you can follow the latest on the BBC News live page.
The Independent
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
999 call handler's voice cloned by AI as part of Russian disinformation campaign
A British 999 call handler's voice was cloned using AI and used as part of a Russian online disinformation campaign. Speaking to the BBC as part of a BBC Verify investigation released on Thursday (31 July), emergency medical advisor Aaron said he was shocked when he found out his voice was being used as part of a campaign designed to spread fear ahead of Poland 's presidential election in May. 'I don't think my friends or family would be able to tell it's fake. I think they probably would have believed it's real.' His voice was taken from a video posted by the North West Ambulance Service which featured Aaron discussing emergency services available during the Easter holidays.
