Latest news with #English-speaking
France 24
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
Hundreds of deepfake music videos are celebrating the resident of Burkina Faso… why?
What do Beyoncé, Rihanna, R. Kelly, Selena Gomez and Eminem have in common -- besides being world famous singers? They also all appear to have recorded a version of a banger called 'God Protect Ibrahim Traoré ' and posted it on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok. It is an ode to the glory of the president of Burkina Faso, who came to power in a coup d'état in September 2022. As gospel music plays in the background, the music video shows the president of Burkina Faso comforting a wounded man and being cheered on by a crowd of kids. 'God protect Ibrahim Traoré, stand him in your grace, give him wisdom, give him strength to lead this fragile place,' go the lyrics in the version supposedly featuring American singer R. Kelly. R. Kelly can be seen riding a motorcycle as a burst of gunfire explodes behind him. The song goes on to refer to the Islamist insurrection affecting both Burkina Faso and other countries in the Sahel: Jihadist storms have raged too long Displacing hearts and homes Oh Lord, we need your justice now In these blood-stained zones. Later on in the music video, Rihanna appears, calling for "five more years of soldier's rule', thus showing her support for keeping Ibrahim Traoré and his military junta in power. Hundreds of comments in English appear below the music video that supposedly shows R. Kelly and Rihanna, most featuring glowing messages of support for Traoré. They were written by social media users who say they are from English-speaking African nations including Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Malawi. It is impossible to say if these messages were published by social media users or if they are part of the disinformation campaign. In total, our team counted at least fifteen different versions of 'God Protect Ibrahim Traoré' on Youtube, all in English, and all featuring deepfake celebrities singing odes to the Burkina Faso president. AI created music videos However, all of the many versions of 'God Protect Ibrahim Traoré' are deepfakes. They are poor quality, not very realistic -- in fact, they all look like video games. Aside from that, there are other clues that they were AI-generated. The face of one man in the crowd is deformed. The banner featuring Traoré's name has illegible letters on it -- AI still struggles to create legible text on a photo. If you look at these videos on YouTube, they are actually described as 'altered or synthetic content', which means AI-generated. But even though these music videos are clearly false, a number of English-speaking influencers have fallen for them and continue to share them. Nancy Blaq, a Ghanaian influencer with 2.7 million followers, shared the version 'sung' by Beyoncé on Facebook. 'During her sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden last night, the global superstar paused between her chart-topping hits to deliver a message that left the audience in awe: 'God protect Ibrahim Traoré, protect Burkina Faso'', the influencer wrote in a post from May 10. The video was also shared on May 4 by a Facebook page said to be the Russian television channel Rossiya 1 Afrique. Pro-Traoré content has also been shared by social media users who support the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. "Viva Ibrahim Traoré, Viva the Burkinabé army, Viva the AES army," wrote one pro-AES Facebook user in French along with the Beyoncé music video. 294 fake music videos shared by 127 YouTube channels Our team set out to determine just how widely these fake clips had been shared. To do so, we used a software program that enabled us to identify the fake pro-Traoré music videos published on YouTube and how many views they had obtained. While the first versions of 'God Protect Ibrahim Traoré' appeared on YouTube in March, most were published in early May. We counted at least 294 fake music videos that were posted on YouTube. Together, they obtained more than 8.6 million views. These videos were shared on at least 127 YouTube channels. Most of these chains were created recently and have existed for between six and two months. A fair number of them only contain pro-Ibrahim Traoré content, which suggests they were specifically created to support the Burkinabé president. AI was also used to create the page graphics for a number of these YouTube channels. For example, the text on the banners of some of them is gibberish, which can often happen with AI-generated images. 'It's clear that this is a coordinated campaign' 'It's clear that this is a coordinated campaign,' says Samba Dialimpa Badji, a researcher in disinformation and fact-checking at the University of Oslomet in Norway. 'Even if we don't have the elements to prove that Burkina Faso's government is behind this communication campaign, they are certainly benefiting from it.' The Burkina Faso government does not have a history of using AI to create fake videos en masse. "What we've observed up until now is that they mostly relied on influencers on social media -- WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter -- who posted content glorifying Ibrahim Traoré or showing their support for the military junta in power in Burkina Faso. AI makes it possible to create fake content very rapidly, easily and in large quantity,' Dialimpa Badji added. 'There is no sign that real people are behind these posts,' says the researcher. 'It could be that the accounts sharing this content were also AI-created. One single person could easily do that: create different accounts on different social media platforms and create content in an automated way,' Dialimpa Badji said. Music videos made in Nigeria Our team was able to make contact with the person behind the YouTube channel where a clip called 'God Protect Ibrahim Traoré by R. Kelly" garnered more than 1.9 million views. The person claims to be the creator of this video, which checks with the date the video was created. The YouTuber, who is based in Nigeria, says he is an artist who specialises in using AI to create music videos. He said that he charges about $1,000 (€881) for each music video. He said that using AI to make videos honouring the president of Burkina Faso started out as a personal project. 'My motivation was that Ibrahim Traoré does what many African leaders don't do,' he said. 'I admire him a lot.' 'When people saw that these videos were going viral on my channel, they started asking me to make the same kind of video for them,' he said. 'So that's when I started charging for creating the music videos and promoting them.' The creator said that he was actually behind most of the popular music videos celebrating Ibrahim Traoré on YouTube and TikTok. We weren't able to verify this claim. He also did not respond to our questions about the identity of his sponsors. "The people behind this campaign probably looked for people who had the skills to create AI-generated content [like in Nigeria] where you can easily find someone to carry out this service,' Dialimpa Badji said. Was the publication of these music videos coordinated with Burkina Faso's government? Why was there a sudden explosion of pro-Traoré music videos in May? Interestingly, the Burkina Faso government launched a new communication campaign to up the profile of the president at the same time that many of these videos were posted online. On April 27, Burkina's Information Agency published a news brief boldly claiming that 'Captain Ibrahim Traoré [is] worshipped around the world'. As proof, the news agency cited a tweet by the well-known Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie, who posted the message 'God Protect Ibrahim Traoré' on X on April 25 -- exactly the same phrase as the music videos. A few days later, on April 30, Burkina Faso's authorities declared a ' global day in support of Ibrahim Traoré', calling for people to take to the streets in Burkina Faso and abroad. The posting of these fake music videos seems coordinated with the communication campaign meant to promote Traoré's image, said Mathieu Pellerin, an analyst specialist in the Sahel region with International Crisis Group: 'Since taking office, President Traoré has been using direct references to Thomas Sankara, which give him an air of legitimacy, considering the Burkina Faso population's adoration for Sankara". Thomas Sankara was the revolutionary president of Burkina Faso who was assassinated in 1987. Even today, Sankara is an anti-colonial, pan-Africanist icon in Africa. "This aligns perfectly with the ideas that Traoré wants to represent for his country and beyond: popular uprising, a rupture with colonialism and imperialism in favour of sovereignty, both for Burkina Faso and in a pan-African sense. These are also the messages transmitted by this AI campaign, which is amplifying his message outside of Burkina Faso.' Videos aimed at an English-speaking public Most of these fake music videos promoting Ibrahim Traoré feature singers from the English-speaking world. This isn't by chance. According to the BBC, the users posting most content on X in support of Ibrahim Traoré are from the English-speaking world, including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and the United States. 'We've noticed that these posts are especially going viral in English-speaking countries. So I think that means that these countries have been targeted, probably in an attempt to break out of the straightjacket of the French-speaking world,' says Dialimpa Badji, 'They have probably concluded that in the French-speaking world, particularly in West Africa, a percentage of the public will already know about Traoré. And so perhaps that populations won't be as easy to manipulate with this type of content, because they know a bit already about the situation in the Sahel, in Burkina Faso, in Niger… where there is already a sort of defiance against those in power." 'This propaganda is probably meant to mask the failure of Traoré's security policies and to promote his political position both nationally and internationally, to reduce the chance that he might end up diplomatically isolated,' Pellerin says. 'He's had undeniable success with the latter, considering his popularity within the region and internationally. But I don't think that it is quite the same internally. Even though the president has a base of popular support, it seems like that has been eroding, considering the fact that the regime hasn't been able to restore security in the country. Not to mention the fact that increasing numbers of civilians have been arrested.' In recent weeks, Burkina Faso has suffered several setbacks in its fight against jihadists with JNIM, a terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda. 'Considering the success of this campaign, it wouldn't be surprising if other countries start using the same technique -- like Mali, for example, where disinformation is already rampant,' Dialimpa Badji said.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
British woman accused of drug offences appears in Sri Lanka court
A British woman accused of attempting to smuggle a large quantity of cannabis into Sri Lanka has appeared in court in the country. Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, was arrested earlier this month after authorities allegedly found 46kg of the drug in her suitcases when she arrived on a flight from Thailand. She has not yet been charged, but has previously denied knowing the alleged drugs were in her luggage. If found guilty, she could face up to 25 years behind bars. Speaking to the BBC from prison before her court appearance, Ms Lee said she had travelled from Bangkok to the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo to renew her Thai visa. The former flight attendant arrived at Negombo Magistrate's Court on Friday wearing a white knee-length dress, her long hair parted to the side. She was making a procedural court appearance while the investigation into her alleged offences continues. Ms Lee was held in a cell at the back of the courtroom before being brought to the witness box. She was visibly upset as she stood with her hands crossed behind her back, facing the magistrate. Authorities wheeled in a large brown box containing the alleged 46kg of cannabis found in Ms Lee's luggage. The narcotics division of the Sri Lanka police told the court they intend to file an update on the investigation. Ms Lee's lawyer, Sampath Perera, asked if the alleged drugs had been examined by the relevant government authorities to ascertain if the materials were in fact an illegal substance. The magistrate ordered it to be tested and for a report to be submitted to the court as soon as possible. Speaking to the BBC from a prison an hour outside of Colombo, Ms Lee appeared to be in good spirits. She described her living conditions, saying she shares a cell with five other women and sleeps on a thin mattress on the concrete floor, using whatever clothes she has as a pillow. That is where she spends most of her day, she said, although she does get to go outside for fresh air. "I can't compare it to anything," she said. "I have never been to prison and I've never been to Sri Lanka. This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time." Ms Lee said she tries not to dwell too much on her current predicament. "I am not trying to think about it. If I think, then I feel bad. I'll still rather not process it." Ms Lee said she is concerned for the other women who are also in prison. "There are people from so many different countries who have been here for two years, two-and-a-half years. And it's still just waiting and no-one actually knows anything." She has managed to find other English-speaking women with whom she has developed a kinship. But she has not been able to speak with her family since her arrest. Speaking to the BBC from outside the courthouse after the hearing, Mr Perera said the next step is to make a bail application for Ms Lee, which could take three months. Under Sri Lankan law, people being held on remand must appear before a judge every 14 days. Ms Lee is being held on suspicion of keeping illegal drugs in her possession and drug smuggling. Her next court appearance will be on 13 July. Additional reporting by Charlotte Scarr
Mint
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
India's fight against terror has not stopped yet, Op Sindoor just first arrow in our quiver: PM Modi in poll-bound Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on 30 May that India's fight against terror will continue and that Operation Sindoor was just one arrow in country's quiver. This was second public meeting that Modi addressed in Bihar after the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. 'Pakistan and the world have seen the power of India's daughters' Sindoor... The world has seen the unprecedented valour and courage of the BSF during Operation Sindoor,' Modi said addressing a rally in poll-bound Bihar. Assembly elections are scheduled in Bihar later this year. Two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack, India on 7 May conducted precision strikes on at least nine terror camps in Pakistan in what is known as 'Operation Sindoor'. India and Pakistan indulged in four days of military action post Operation Sindoor. The two nations, however, agreed on an understanding to halt military action on 10 May. Modi also remembered BSF Sub-Inspector Mohammad Imtiaz, a soldier from Bihar's Saran district, was was killed in cross-border shelling in Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pura sector on 10 May. 'While performing the sacred duty of serving the motherland, BSF Sub Inspector Imtiaz laid down his life at the border on 10 May. I pay my respectful tribute to this son of Bihar," the PM said. The enemy, Modi said, has seen the power of Operation Sindoor. "They should understand that India's fight against terrorism has neither stopped nor halted. Operation Sindoor is just one arrow in our quiver. If the hood of terror rises again, India will crush it by pulling it out of its hole,' Modi said adding the terrorists considered themselves safe under the protection of the Pakistani Army. "Our forces brought them to their knees in one stroke," he said. Earlier Modi laid foundation stone and inaugurated various projects worth ₹ 48,520 crore in Karakat, Bihar. The PM, who arrived in Patna on a two-day visit to the state on Thursday, inaugurated the four-laning of the Patna–Gaya–Dobhi section of NH–22, worth around ₹ 5,520 crore and four-laning of the elevated highway and grade improvements at Gopalganj Town on NH–27 at a function here. Modi dedicated to the nation the third rail line between Son Nagar – Mohammad Ganj, worth over ₹ 1,330 crore, among others, news agency PTI said. Modi recalled his April 24 promise to hit back at Pakistan during his address on Friday. On April 24, two days after Pahalgam terror attack, Modi had said that he wanted the world to know that India will identify and punish every terrorist. Modi, in a rare English-speaking gesture, said those behind the Pahalgam terror attack and those part of the conspiracy will be punished beyond their imagination. "A terrorist attack took place in Pahalgam and our innocent citizens got killed. I came to Bihar after that and promised the country that terrorist camps would be destroyed. I said that they will get punished beyond their imagination. I have come to Bihar today after fulfilling my promise," Modi said on Friday. Modi also credited Bihar CM and JD-U chief Nitish Kumar of ending Bihar's jungle raj. Nitish Kumar, who has been with INDIA bloc ealier joined the National Democratic Alliance in January last year.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
New Korean pop culture space opens at Incheon Airport
A space promoting Korean culture, from K-pop to beauty, opened Thursday at Incheon Airport's Terminal 1 transportation center. The state-run Korea Tourism Organization launched HiKR Station, featuring different areas for creating K-pop-focused YouTube shorts using extended reality technology, taking photos against the backdrop of Korean landscapes and trying Korean makeup. 'The zone isn't just about promoting everything that's Korean. It's where we strategize delivering the best impression of Korea when foreign arrivals set foot here,' said Seo Young-choong, acting president of the KTO. 'We will continue to come up with ways to make Korea travel memorable,' Seo added. English-speaking staff are available at all times at HiKR Station, which is open free of charge from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, closing on the last Wednesday of every month. Through Monday, the HiKR Station will host dance performances and hand out souvenirs to raise awareness of its opening, according to the KTO. Other cultural establishments like the K-Culture Museum are also located in Terminal 1. The opening of HiKR Station at Incheon Airport has been prompted by the growing popularity of HiKR Ground, a hands-on experience zone advancing Korean culture from music to art at the KTO's Seoul branch in Jung-gu. The space, which opened in July 2022, has since drawn over 2 million visitors, much higher than the initial estimate by the KTO, the agency said.
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
India's fight against terror has not stopped. Op Sindoor is just first arrow in our quiver: PM Modi in poll-bound Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that India's fight against terror will continue and that Operation Sindoor was just one arrow in our quiver. 'Pakistan and the world have seen the power of India's daughters' Sindoor... The world has seen the unprecedented valour and courage of the BSF during Operation Sindoor,' Modi said addressing a rally in poll-bound Bihar. 'While performing the sacred duty of serving the motherland, BSF Sub Inspector Imtiaz laid down his life at the border on 10 May. I pay my respectful tribute to this son of Bihar... The enemy has seen the power of Operation Sindoor. They should understand that this is just one arrow in our quiver. India's fight against terrorism has neither stopped nor halted. If the hood of terror rises again, India will crush it by pulling it out of its hole,' he said. Modi said after Operation Sindoor, Pakistan and the world saw what is the power of 'Sindoor' of the daughters of India."The terrorists considered themselves safe under the protection of the Pakistani Army... our forces brought them to their knees in one stroke," he said. Earlier Modi laid foundation stone and inaugurated various projects in Karakat, Bihar, where assembly elections are scheduled later this year. "A terrorist attack took place in Pahalgam and our innocent citizens got killed. I came to Bihar after that and promised the country that terrorist camps would be destroyed. I said that they will get punished beyond their imagination. I have come to Bihar today after fulfilling my promise," Modi said. On April 24, two days after Pahalgam terror attack, Modi said on Thursday that he wants the world to know that India will identify and punish every terrorist. Modi, in a rare English-speaking gesture, said those behind the Pahalgam terror attack and those part of the conspiracy will be punished beyond their imagination. The Prime Minister said that the entire nation is saddened by the brutality with which terrorists killed innocent civilians, mostly tourists, inPahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22.
