Tag Archives: Chuck Callesto

Did UAE freeze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest?!

Claim : UAE froze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest!

People are sharing news reports and/or an Al Jazeera video, which purportedly claim that the UAE just froze its contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France, over its arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.

Firstpost : #FPWorld: Following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended the deal with France for 80 warplanes, according to a report.

Financial Express : UAE cancels $20 billion Rafale deal with France despite Telegram CEO’s release

Kim Dotcom : The French Govt just lost $17 billion over the arrest of Pavel Durov. The UAE froze a deal to purchase 80 Rafale fighter jets and says that the arrest of Pavel Durov is outrageous. Pavel is a citizen of the UAE and a close friend of the Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan Al Maktoum.

Chuck Callesto : SHOCK REPORT: ⚠️United Arab Emirates government look to have FROZEN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS worth of contracts with France after the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov..

Zlatti71. : The UAE has frozen a contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France: Durov’s arrest has angered the sheikhs.

– The United Arab Emirates took drastic measures by freezing a contract to purchase 80 French fighter jets following the arrest of Pavel Durov.

– The creator of Telegram, who is personally acquainted with the son of the UAE Prime Minister, found himself at the center of an international scandal that has infuriated the sheikhs to the limit.

– Experts believe that by its actions, France has made a serious mistake, provoking the anger of influential allies. Now, Paris is paying for its rashness, and the future of the deal, as well as the trust of the UAE, hangs by a thread.

Suppressed News. : BREAKING: The UAE has frozen a contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France worth at-least $10B as a response to Telegram Owner Pavel Durov’s arrest as it has angered the sheikhs.

Mete Sohtaoğlu : 📹📸 #UAE- The United Arab Emirates has frozen its contract to purchase 80 Rafale fighter jets from France worth a staggering €17 billion over the arrest of Telegram owner Pavel Durov

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Truth : UAE did not freeze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest!

This appears to be yet another example of Russian propaganda, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : No evidence UAE froze French fighter jet deal

Let me start by pointing out that there is no evidence that the United Arab Emirates froze its 2021 deal to purchase 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets.

If that actually happened, it would have been announced by the UAE authorities, and condemned by the French government. As a public-listed company, Dassault would also have to issue a statement on such a shocking development. It would also have resulted in widespread coverage by the mainstream media.

Yet, none of that happened. This fake news appears to have proliferated mainly through Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Fact #2 : Al Jazeera video is fake

The viral Al Jazeera video, which claims that the UAE has frozen its contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France, is fake. Al Jazeera never created, nor posted, this video.

The last time Al Jazeera ever posted about any arms deal between the UAE and France, was on 4 December 2021, when it reported on the UAE and France signing an arms deal involving 80 Rafael fighter jets and 12 military helicopters.

To be clear – Al Jazeera never made or posted the viral video below, or its contents:

The UAE has frozen the contract actions for the purchase of 80 fighter aircraft from France. This comes after the arrest of businessman Pavel Durov in Paris.

It is known that the UAE Prime Minister vetoed the continuation of action on the contract. Experts believe that the contract freeze is directly related to the arrest of UAE citizen Pavel Durov.

Pavel Durov had direct contact with the son of Emirati Prime Minister Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. Thanks to the influence of Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Pavel Durov was granted UAE citizenship in 2021.

80 Rafale F4 fighter aircraft were due for delivery in 2027. The estimated value of the contract is about $10 billion. Amid the scandal surrounding Pavel Durov, the contract has been frozen. That could be a serious image blow for the French military-industrial complex.

Political analyst Marwan Bishara is sure that such a decision by the UAE is a consequence of a political mistake by the French government.

“Detaining a businessman who assets are based in the UAE on far-fetched charges that cast a shadow over the entire UAE is a sure way to spoil diplomatic relations between France and the UAE.”

Marwan Bishara emphasises that the UAE leadership has not been notified of France’s intentions regarding their citizen.

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https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Fake-Al-Jazeera-video-that-UAE-froze-French-fighter-jet-contract-over-Pavel-Durova-arrest-small-with-overlay.mp4?_=1

Fact #2 : Fake Al Jazeera report started in Telegram

Ironically, this fake Al Jazeera report appears to have originated in Telegram. According to Maria Dubovikova (archive) who traced this hoax, here is the timeline on 27 August 2024 (Moscow Time):

20:29 : Russian Telegram group Condottiero posted (translated) – “The UAE unilaterally suspended the contract for the purchase of 80 French fighter jets due to Durov’s arrest. Additionally, the Sheikhs are considering a complete blockade of trade operations with France, including in the defense sector.”

20:35 : Russian Telegram group Topaz posted (translated) – “The United Arab Emirates have frozen the contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. They are also considering the possibility of a complete blockade of military-technical cooperation with France.”

By 11 PM (23:00), a fake video appeared on X, mimicking an Al Jazeera news video with this information. This video was never on the Qatari outlet’s platforms.

The fake news then spread outside of Russian Telegram channels, after being shared by Western opinion leaders like Kim Dotcom, Candace Owens, Chuck Callesto, etc.

Fact #3 : No evidence Marwan Bishara ever mentioned Pavel Durov

I could also find no evidence that Marwan Bishara ever commented on Pavel Durov, or his arrest by French authorities, or any response by the UAE government or leaders.

In fact, Marwan Bishara has not written any opinion piece for Al Jazeera for more than half a year – his last piece was posted on 24 November 2023, and it was about the Gaza war.

Fact #4 : UAE to receive Rafale F4 fighter jets only in 2027

There is also the inconvenient fact that Dassault is only expected to ship its first Rafale F4 fighter jet to the UAE in 2027, which is 3 years away. So there is nothing to freeze, so to speak.

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Harris-Walz campaign use fake AI crowd photos?!

Claim : Harris-Walz campaign used fake AI crowd photos!

Some people are sharing photos, which they claim prove that the Harris-Walz campaign got caught using fake crowd photos created using generative AI technology!

Donald Trump : Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she “A.l.’d” it, and showed a massive “crowd” of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST! She was turned in by a maintenance worker at the airport when he noticed the fake crowd picture, but there was nobody there, later confirmed by the reflection of the mirror like finish on the Vice Presidential Plane. She’s a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the “crowd” looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake “crowds” at her speeches. This is the way the Democrats win Elections, by CHEATING – And they’re even worse at the Ballot Box. She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!

Dinesh D’Souza : Check the reflection in the plane. Does this look like a real picture to you?

Catturd : LOL – it’s not even good AI.

Chuck Callesto : BREAKING REPORT: Harris campaign BUSTED using FAKE crowd photo at campaign rally stop..

Blaire White (screenshot) : Kamala Harris using AI to inflate crowds is so INSANE that it’s taken me seeing 5+ examples to believe it.

Laura Loomer : Kamala Harris’s campaign is using AI to manipulate her campaign photos and videos. And it’s all being orchestrated by @MikeNellis, a senior advisor to Kamala Harris who works with Loren Merchan, the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan as I have previously reported.

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Truth : Harris-Walz campaign did not use fake AI crowd photos!

This is yet another example of fake news about the 2024 US Presidential election, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Airport photo is genuine and was not created by AI

Many people, including former President Donald Trump, falsely claimed that the Harris-Walz campaign faked photos of the crowd that greeted Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The photo is genuine, and is one of the many taken and posted by people who attended the event, which was attended by thousands of people, as well as prominent politicians. It was also live streamed by dozens of news channel.

In addition, Shayan Sardarizadeh of BBC Verify checked the metadata of the original photo, and confirmed that it was taken using an iPhone 12 Pro Max on 7 August at 18:28 local time.

While it is possible that some photos might have been digitally manipulated to make them appear fake, or created by generative AI software, the size of the crowd is indisputable. According to the local news outlet MLive, “about about 15,000 people filled the hangar, the crowd spilling out onto the tarmac.”

Fact #2 : Telephoto lens make the crowd appear closer than it really is

People are pointing to the reflection of Air Force Two’s fuselage and engine cowling, which appear to show the hangar but no sign of any people. That does not mean the photo was created by AI.

For one thing – the photo appears to have been taken using a telephoto lens, which makes the crowd appear much closer to Air Force Two than it really is.

As this video below shows, the crowd was actually located close to the hangar, and a considerable distance away from Air Force Two. Hence, they would not be so obviously seen in the reflection of Air Force Two’s fuselage or engine cowling.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Harris-Walz-Michigan-airport-video-360p.mp4?_=2

Fact #3 : Reflections are “compressed” on curved surfaces

The second reason why you don’t see the large crowds visibly reflected on Air Force Two’s fuselage and engine cowling is because they are curved surfaces, on which reflections would appear compressed.

It may seem silly but let me just point out that the fuselage and engine cowling of Air Force Two are cylindrical. Like funhouse mirrors, shiny cylindrical surfaces distort reflections, and will not reflect an image like a flat mirror.

If you look closely, you can see how the hangar appears compressed vertically – it appears to be very long, but squashed flat, like someone sat on it. You can actually see the crowd in that photo – it just appears as a dark line because its reflection was compressed vertically by the curved surface.

This video, which was created by someone else (sorry, I don’t know who, but will update this article with the correct credit when I identify the creator) recreated the scene using Blender, to show and explain why the crowd’s reflection can be seen in the photo – they just appear compressed.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Kamala-Harris-fake-crowd-video-360p.mp4?_=3

Fact #4 : Air Force Two no longer has tail number

Some conspiracists pointed out that the aircraft in the photo lacks a tail number, with some pointing out that Air Force Two should have the tail number 80002.

While generative AI can and do create images with distorted or even missing text, that is no the case with the viral photo of Air Force Two at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The truth is – the US Air Force started removing tail numbers and other individually-identifying markings from its C-32A and C-32B executive and personnel transport jets for operational security reasons.

In fact, when JD Vance – the Republican candidate for Vice President recently walked up to Air Force Two in Wisconsin on 7 August 2024, photos and videos clearly show that it lacked any tail number.

Fact #5 : AI stadium crowd photo was not created by Harris-Walz campaign

The viral stadium photo, which purportedly shows supporters of the Harris-Walz campaign, was created using generative AI software. There are many obvious signs of generative AI in that viral photo, as many people have pointed out.

However, it was not created or shared by the Harris-Walz campaign. It was created and posted (archive) by a parody account on X (formerly Twitter) called Dr. Literaleigh A Pheline 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈 (@Sarcasmcat24).

When American YouTuber and political commentator, Blair White, shared that photo, @Sarcasmcat24 pointed out to her that it was AI-generated:

That’s a photo that I generated with AI

Zoom in a bit, you’ll see that the faces aren’t even well developed.

Yeah, I run a parody account, glad you enjoyed the post! 😜

White has since deleted her post, but many continue to post this fake photo (on the right) and falsely claim that it was posted or created by the Harris-Walz campaign. That’s simply not true.

Fact #6 : This is just political fake news

Ultimately, this is yet another example of political fake news surrounding the upcoming 2024 US Presidential election. Here are some other examples I fact checked recently:

As the 2024 US Presidential election draws close, you can expect more of such fake news to appear, so be wary and skeptical!

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

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