BBC Verify live page graphic showing (left) the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier, seen by satellite, from Sentinel-2, Copernicus, on 27 February; (right) a map of the Middle East with Crete, Israel and Iran marked, as well as the location of the Ford.

THREAD
A long first week of the Iran conflict and a team effort by BBC Verify to supply news outlets.

Here's my contribution explained with how-to examples.

First, 24 hours' wait, we finally saw the USS Gerald R Ford after it left Crete. My piece with Barbara Metzler:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx...

Calm Like You YouTube video by The Last Shadow Puppets - Topic

Summertime made promises
It knew it couldn't keep.
The fairytale was climbing up
a mountain far too steep.
Colouring the pictures,
With your loyal hand.
Now I am craving heartbreak
While you're making your demands

www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7qm...
#MusicSky #NowPlaying

A lot of this might be me, @danict89.bsky.social and @leguape.bsky.social.

THE GRAND FINALE
#QueenWorldCup

VOTE!

a woman wearing a crown is pointing at the camera and saying `` i 'm kinda a big deal ! '' Alt: a woman wearing a crown is waving at the camera and saying `` i 'm kinda a big deal ! ''

QUEEN WORLD CUP

#QueenWorldCup

Wake up, babe, we have the other semi-final to do.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
v
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

I’m not saying we’ve whittled this down to the hits, but this could have been Stone Cold Crazy v More Of That Jazz. Y’know, like we were cool and edgy.

Anyway, VOOOTE

VOTE NOW FOR THE QUEEN WORLD CUP!
#QueenWorldCup

a man in a tuxedo with his arms outstretched in front of a row of candles . Alt: Freddie Mercury in a tuxedo with his arms outstretched in front of a row of candles .

QUEEN WORKD CUP
#QueenWorldCup

Route one:

SEVEN SEAS OF RHYE

WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER

That fast one off Greatest Hits, or that other one off Highlander?

Tell me which is better, by 10pm.

NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites

The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war

Chatham House experts and researchers are available to follow on Bluesky.

Connect with them here and follow them for their latest analysis on international events and global trends.

⬇️
go.bsky.app/UKHXrog

How Elon Musk seized on baseless memo claim to create wave of misinformation The X owner shared false claims that a Home Office memo urged police not to intervene in child grooming cases.

Viral X posts shared by Elon Musk claim that a 2008 Home Office document advised police that children abused in grooming cases "made an informed choice about their sexual behaviour".

BBC Verify has found no evidence that a document with that advice exists.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Protesters are performing Alilo, a Georgian Christmas carol.

#GeorgiaProtests

Video: Keti Abuladze

Night snack for Rudolf and Santa: done ✅

This is longish, but if you REALLY want to understand the complexities of immigration from a humanitarian viewpoint, you should make the time to watch.
I learned a lot. Thank you Zoe, and you didn’t even ask us to buy you a coffee.

What verified videos tell us about Igor Kirillov's death Footage from the scene shows a blast targeting the Russian general as he left a Moscow apartment block.

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...

How Facebook restricted news in Palestinian territories Palestinian news outlets have seen a steep drop in audience engagement since October 2023.

How Facebook restricted news in Palestinian territories. After months of claims of 'shadow banning' we looked at the data and found news pages from Palestinian territories had a 77% drop in engagement compared to a 37% rise in Israeli news pages. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ukraine ‘Outraged’ at Yemen Grain Shipment From Occupied Crimea - bellingcat A Russian-flagged vessel surreptitiously exported grain from a port under western sanctions in occupied Crimea to Houthi-controlled Yemen

Ukraine says it is outraged by the continued export of grain by a Russian-flagged vessel from a sanctioned port in occupied Crimea to Houthi-controlled Yemen. Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List investigate: www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/12...

How China is setting up shop in Mexico An increasingly close trade relationship is causing concern in Washington

NEW: How China is setting up shop in Mexico
Our visual story explores the increasingly close trade relationship that is causing concern in Washington ig.ft.com/china-mexico...

An early morning view of a beach in Latakia, Syria

Latakia, Syria

🇷🇺Med Sea Flotilla🇷🇺
3m📷 from 11 December 2024 of the port of Tartus

Russian flotilla still does not feel safe being in port

Could be a small patrol/supply vessel coming back into port & heading towards the Syrian navy berths

6x Osa class missile boats still sitting there, no one seems to worried

a man signing a document in front of a trophy that says scottish cup Alt: Rod Stewart draws a ball for the Scottish Cup

IT'S THE QUARTER FINALS
#BeatlesWorldCup

Live (kinda) now to the draw for the quarter finals, to shake things up.

The Verify gang have drawn number 3: Help!

The Transformers buddies have drawn number 7: In My Life

That's it. Today's game:
HELP! vs IN MY LIFE

Vote: #help or #life by 10pm

Go!

🧵Look towards the light.
As Rebel forces in Syria advanced across Syria & never stopped a key question was why the Regime evaporated. Syria by night provides some clues on how the Regime's social contract collapsed.
Read my analysis here aspistrategist.org.au/just-look-at...
& read on

screenshot of Human Rights report title

1/ New @hrw.org #Sudan report : The Rapid Support Forces & allied militias carried out war crimes in South Kordofan, killing and raping civilians, and looting & destroying homes in attacks that displaced 10s of thousands & left ghost towns in their wake. www.hrw.org/news/2024/12...

The first #sentinel1 images are available. www.esa.int/Applications...

#earthobservation #sar

At least, let’s hope the breakfast is good!

A photo of two foggy streets with teh caption: women: “I feel so unsafe walking home alone at night.” average male experience walking back home: followed by a reader note that says: Women can also see fog. With a Wikipedia link to the entry on fog.

I occasionally still open Twitter for work reasons and sometimes it pays off.

Border drownings rose as migrants rushed to cross and Texas clamped down An investigation found more migrant drowning deaths than the U.S. or Mexico have reported. Many were in Eagle Pass, where Texas’ border crackdown is focused.

At least 1,107 people drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande btw 2017-2023. Last year, more than 1 in 10 victims was a child. Most of the deaths in Texas occurred in Eagle Pass, the focus of Gov. Abbott’s border crackdown.

Via @washingtonpost.com @lhreports.bsky.social El Universal. bit.ly/3OKqx3a

"One day the war will be over and I will return to my poem"

I hope tomorrow is the day they will return to their poem and they will start writing about life, future, hope.

Propaganda is going to be bonkers in this next post-Assad phase.

So here's how NOT to report on "Russia says".

This Sky News bit, framing uncorroborated Kremlin propaganda as "breaking news" and using old footage of #Assad to illustrate, is REALLY BAD journalism + a #disinformation jackpot.