QUEEN WORLD CUP #QueenWorldCup FINAL THREAD 1/x OK, here we go. We have had 1,753 votes in this tournament so far and they have sorted all the Queen songs 12 of my friends and I could think of to a last pair. Let's step onto the stage at the Hammersmith Apollo and pretend it's Christmas Eve.

MAGNIFICO-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh! BEATLES WORLD CUP is no more. #BeatlesWorldCup Tomorrow, we kick off the QUEEN WORLD CUP. #QueenWorldCup. A knock-out tournament, songs going head-to-head each day, until we have determined the greatest ever Queen song. Get hyped. Or don't.

/1 THREAD (Call it OSint if you want.) How we know where rebels trained in Syria, and how you can too. With a little bit of asking why Assad / Putin didn’t. Or, let me break down this video, it’s five months’ work in 65 seconds. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

1/ THREAD What can we tell about images of a strike on a bus in Marhanets, Ukraine earlier this week? On Wednesday, Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk, posted these images, saying nine people on the way to work at a local mining company were killed in the incident: t.me/dnipropetrov...

Are you fed up with AI-generated action-figure starter packs? Plenty of illustrators are, and have taken up their pens. @twgerken.bsky.social asked me to drop in and work with the Tech desk by verifying some details. Then I got chatting to some creative types… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

1/ THREAD What do @paulybrown.bsky.social and I know about two strikes in Gaza today, which have reportedly killed at least 31 people? And how do we know? And how can you open-source investigate it, too? First: Khan Yunis, where Palestinian media say a family home was struck overnight.

THREAD 1/ The Presidential Palace in Khartoum, Sudan, was taken back by the SAF on Friday. It’s a high-profile step in their aim to regain control of the capital from the RSF. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Here's a run-through of how we know how much we know.

1/ What can @paulybrown.bsky.social and I say about the strike in Beit Lahia yesterday? Or, what can you or I tell from images of the aftermath? You may have seen it covered here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

TL;DR version: Sending M113s to Ukraine where they might be destroyed is probably cheapest & quickest way for DoD to get them out of inventory, fund $6.5m replacement & save on storage/demilitarization costs.

1/THREAD Quick bit of geolocation work this afternoon with @paulybrown.bsky.social - trying to give BBC News outlets as much information as possible covering the knife attack in Mulhouse, France. In short, three videos and a still all located to within 200m of the market.

1/ THREAD What we know about a strike in Khan Yunis, Gaza, this morning. Yes: An explosive projectile fell from the sky, blowing up a van in Khan Yunis, pre-ceasefire. No: We can’t say what had happened to two bodies lying metres from the van minutes before. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ck...

The situation in #Gaza, 15 months after Oct 7 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... @nickeardleybbc.bsky.social @paulybrown.bsky.social @matt-murphy96.bsky.social

Almost 100 strikes in the IDF's unilaterally designated "humanitarian zone" in Gaza - and this figure doesn't take into account the many reported strikes which didn't have imagery from the scene for us to verify. W/ @richib.bsky.social and @paulybrown.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

BBC Verify has been analysing social media videos and images from Moscow to try to build up a clearer picture of the blast that killed Russian Lt Gen Igor Kirillov and his assistant. @matt-murphy96.bsky.social @joshcheetham.bsky.social @richib.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

THREAD - What do we know about videos of explosions in Moscow? 1/ Short answer: They're both right place, right time. How do we know? So, go back to this thread on how we verified where the two bodies were seen: bsky.app/profile/rich...

IT'S ONLY THE WORLD CUP FINAL #BeatlesWorldCup Welp, here we are. HERE COMES THE SUN v IN MY LIFE 64 songs were nominated, and we have reduced them by half over several rounds. Vote 1/person, in reply, for either #Sun or #Life Result at 9pm, I'll update throughout the day.

Checking in on Syrian state TV for #OverthrowTunes. A limited playlist so far - and no videos yet. Message reads: "The victory of the great Syrian revolution and the overthrow of the criminal Assad regime"

A follow up to our previous piece tracking rebel forces in Syria w/ @paulybrown.bsky.social @shayan86.bsky.social @merlynthomas.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

THREAD - Have-a-go-yourself geolocation in Syria 1/ If you've not seen it, here's BBC Verify on rebel movements in NW Syria: www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/... The thumbnail is an example @paulybrown.bsky.social and I did. It's an instance of being certain of buildings, but guided by the wider layout.

If the screenshot concerns a politican, check their official social media accounts. If it's a politican from a specific country, look for well-known news outlets in that country. If you can't find the BBC or a reputable French news outlet reporting this fake Macron quote, then something's wrong.

It’s been one week since rebel forces launched their largest offensive against the Syrian government in years. BBC Verify has been tracking rebel advances by analysing and tracking footage on social media. @paulybrown.bsky.social @benedictgarman.com www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

IDF establishing new military corridor across northern Gaza, its third in #Gaza along with Netzarim and Philadelphi, with @nickeardleybbc.bsky.social & @matt-murphy96.bsky.social Analysis from @drhahellyer.bsky.social (RUSI) and Dr Eado Hecht (BESA) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

ABBEY SUBMARINE #BeatlesWorldCup If you're new to this: Each day I present two Beatles songs, we all vote for which is better. The winner will go into the Last 16. So: HEY BULLDOG (a personal fave) VS I WANT YOU (SHE'S SO HEAVY) (the reeeally long one off Abbey Rd) Vote #Hey or #Heavy by 10pm.

As Russian military accelerates its gains along the front line, the US decision to provide mines to Ukraine, and to allow the use of missiles on Russian territory, will play an important role in the next months of the war Great story by @olgar.bsky.social @paulybrown.bsky.social @leguape.bsky.social

Mayday! Mayday! A Day In The Life is about to be knocked out of #BeatlesWorldCup. Let's turn this around

Checked with his management - this account really is Ed Balls...

🚀 We're learning of a major US policy change on this Sunday evening that will make many here in Kyiv very pleased: President Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to launch limited strikes into Russia using US-made long range missiles. @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/cc56...

Two newly joined BBC Verify journos worth following: @biancabritton.bsky.social and @nickeardleybbc.bsky.social In addition to this long list of BBC journos: go.bsky.app/8gWbLmD #BBCVerify

N. Korean troops dispatched to Russia already engaging in combat: spy agency en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2024...

THREAD/ BBC Verify are looking into claims a Russian naval officer has been killed in Sevastopol, in Russia-annexed Crimea, this morning. In short: Can't confirm death, can confirm car wreck. We've seen a lot of images, from which we've verified two videos (from which these stills are taken).

First video of the moment #Russia blew up the dam near #StariTerny in free #Donetsk. Villages downstream of the #Kurakhiv reservoir started to flood. The true extent of the damage is not yet known. #RussiaIsATerroristState

ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE #BeatlesWorldCup (Hello new followers, let me amuse you with a knock-out tournament of Beatles songs.) What's better: Across The Universe or Eleanor Rigby? Vote #Across or #Eleanor in reply, I'll count 'em, with some private votes, and let you know, 10pm, Abbey Road time.

Been working with @shayan86.bsky.social using satellite imagery to monitor the impact of Israel's strikes on Iran www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Today, @benedictgarman.com and I have been looking into Gilot, Israel, and Sidon, Lebanon. (And Kherson and Gaza.) Here's what social media videos could tell us about the scene soon after a truck hit people at a bus stop, north of Tel Aviv: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4... Verification thread, below.

A LinkedIn post, written by local man Eddie Murray, had an outsized effect in stirring up the false belief that the Southport attack suspect was a migrant. Murray's false post quickly became a credible source for many ahead of the Southport riot. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Tasty fixture in @richib.bsky.social's #BeatlesWorldCup today

Join us

The latest from BBC Verify on Israeli air strikes in Beirut www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

Three videos and a photo, three from Iran Park and one from eastern side of town, show IDF controlling parts of Maroun al Ras, southern Lebanon, close to the UN outpost 652. Here's a roundup of what @shayan86.bsky.social, @paulybrown.bsky.social and I could stand up: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cq...

Jeremy Bowen on the legacy of Oct 7, a year on. With contributions from @paulybrown.bsky.social, @mesutersoz.bsky.social (and me) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Combined effort from @paulybrown.bsky.social @benedictgarman.com and Victoria Park, and myself, to get this together, given any single video takes two people to agree as verified. A bit of transparency, hopefully, behind Verify efforts in Beirut this morning. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cg...

A quick whizz through some of the tricks BBC Verify used to analyse footage of the strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

A false story on a obscure website has been widely circulated online after it baselessly claimed that Kamala Harris was involved in an alleged hit-and-run incident in San Francisco in 2011 that left a 13-year-old girl paralysed. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Latest piece is on Israel paving Philadelphi Corridor while it remains sticking point in ceasefire negotiations, with insight from @andreaskrieg.bsky.social www.bbc.com/news/article...

Here's what Verify does really well: Confirm locations and times, quickly and accurately. Here's what @herdjemimah.bsky.social does really well: Put it all together into an understandable package for your eyes. twitter.com/HerdJemimah/...

DC Weekly, a website founded by a former US Marine now living in Russia, has fuelled disinformation stories about Zelensky and Ukraine, including a fake story that he bought two luxury yachts with US aid money, later repeated by Senator JD Vance and Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene.

“A vast Russian influence operation on TikTok involving 12,800 fake accounts spreading disinformation about the war in Ukraine to millions of users in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Israel and Ukraine, has been uncovered by BBC Verify and @dfrlab.bsky.social.“ Via @shayan86.bsky.social.

Two viral videos of detained and stripped Palestinians surrendering weapons to Israeli forces in Gaza have prompted speculation about the circumstances of the events and the filming. @benedictgarman.bsky.social and @paulybrown.bsky.social have examined the footage in detail.

Jamie Ryan and Emma Pengelly, from the UGC Hub / Verify, have been the BBC's dedicated journalists on the hostages taken on 7 October. I've known them work on our records of those taken on days (and nights) off. Pieces like this are testament to their dedication: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-m...