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Harshana Thushara Silva

@harshatsilva.bsky.social

Digital Verification Journalist at @afpnews.bsky.social ๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ ๐Ÿ“ฐOnce a full-time newspaper journalist | Edward R. Murrow Fellow | GerisNet Member | #MeridianMediaFellow

40 Followers  |  79 Following  |  146 Posts  |  Joined: 24.11.2024  |  1.9742

Latest posts by harshatsilva.bsky.social on Bluesky

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#Rain #Monday

17.11.2025 15:14 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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โšกSyrians furious at major hike in electricity prices

Syrians share their frustration following a recent decision to massively hike electricity prices, even as much of the country continues to face extensive outages.

12.11.2025 12:20 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 5    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Random ๐Ÿ“ท โœจ

10.11.2025 08:30 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

The footage has circulated in news reports since 2016 and the Sri Lankan police said they have not received any information about his return as of November 4, 2025.

10.11.2025 08:29 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Sri Lanka has repeatedly tried and failed to bring back to the country a former central bank chief accused of insider trading, but an old video shared online does not show his extradition. factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

10.11.2025 08:29 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Second player to do so โ€” Laura Wolvaardt scores a hundred in the Semi-Final, and now again in the Final.

02.11.2025 18:11 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Mulaffer was given a position that handles broader religious and cultural matters, and the portfolio for Buddhist affairs belongs to another deputy minister.

30.10.2025 15:48 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Long-simmering religious tensions between Sri Lanka's Buddhist majority and Muslim minority are fanning false claims that Muslim politician Muneer Mulaffer was named deputy minister for Buddhist affairs. factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

30.10.2025 15:48 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

The last time former President Ranil Wickremesinghe's case was heard in court, social media was flooded with unrelated photos and videos.

factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

29.10.2025 11:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Nobel economist warns of AI dangers A winner of this yearโ€™s Nobel prize in economics warned Monday that artificial intelligence offers "amazing possibilities" but should be regulated because of its job-destroying potential.

A winner of this yearโ€™s Nobel prize in economics warned Monday that artificial intelligence offers "amazing possibilities" but should be regulated because of its job-destroying potential. www.france24.com/en/live-news...

14.10.2025 03:24 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

But a widely shared image of the two supposedly shaking hands is digitally manipulated from a genuine photo of Dissanayake with Trump's special envoy for South and Central Asia.

09.10.2025 09:34 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Widely circulated image of US, Sri Lanka leaders is doctored Sri Lankan leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake met President Donald Trump on his first official visit to the United States in September 2025, where the two had a "cordial exchange". But a widely shared im...

Sri Lankan leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake met President Donald Trump on his first official visit to the United States in September 2025, where the two had a "cordial exchange".

www.yahoo.com/news/article...

09.10.2025 09:34 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

The pictures in the misleading posts correspond to a photo from an Indian newspaper that reported the vulnerable mammal was found lifeless on a beach in southern India's Tamil Nadu state.

30.09.2025 14:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Sri Lanka's wildlife agency refuted widely shared online claims that suggested a dead sea cow has recently washed ashore on the island nation's western coast.
factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

30.09.2025 14:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

"A simple phrase like 'false claim' is more powerful and precise than 'misinformation' and 'disinformation,'" said NewsGuard's McKenzie Sadeghi.

"It names the problem plainly and directs attention to the content itself -- without triggering partisan reflexes or rhetorical spin."

23.09.2025 06:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

It renamed its so-called "Misinformation Fingerprints" database to "False Claim Fingerprints," opting for language that it said was "more precise" and "harder to hijack."

23.09.2025 06:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Earlier this year, the watchdog NewsGuard announced it was retiring the labels "misinformation" and "disinformation" -โ€“ terms it said were "politicized beyond recognition and turned into partisan weapons by actors on the right and the left, and among anti-democratic foreign actors."

23.09.2025 06:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
MSN

Some researchers are now opting for more neutral language -- words, and at times, technical jargon that are less likely to inflame or derail vital public discourse about falsehoods flooding the internet.
www.msn.com/en-us/news/w...

23.09.2025 06:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Singapore shipping company tells AFP it will refuse to pay Sri Lankan court-ordered damages of US$1 billion for causing that country's worst case of environmental pollution

23.09.2025 06:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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"Disinformation" is fast becoming a dirty word in the United States.

The label is so contentious in a hyperpolarized political climate that some researchers who study the harmful effects of falsehoods are abandoning it altogether and opting for "more precise" language

u.afp.com/SWUq

23.09.2025 03:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 46    ๐Ÿ” 25    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5    ๐Ÿ“Œ 7

Sri Lanka to ban four species of predatory ornamental fish, including Piranhas, that have escaped into rivers and lakes, devastating native species

u.afp.com/SPhE

17.09.2025 11:21 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Sri Lanka to ban four species of predatory ornamental fish, including Piranhas, that have escaped into rivers and lakes, devastating native species

u.afp.com/SPhE

17.09.2025 06:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 9    ๐Ÿ” 5    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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Israel's army says it has opened a temporary new route to allow people to flee Gaza City, a day after launching a major ground assault aimed at crushing Hamas

u.afp.com/SPhv

17.09.2025 07:14 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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The wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said that laboratory analysis of smuggled biological samples have found he was killed by poisoning while incarcerated in an Arctic prison in February 2024. #AFP

๐Ÿ“ธ Maxim Zmeyev

17.09.2025 09:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 22    ๐Ÿ” 16    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง Britain readied to roll out a supersized royal welcome for Donald Trump's unprecedented second state visit on Wednesday, with King Charles III set to greet the US president amid tight security and out of sight of noisy protesters.
โžก๏ธ u.afp.com/SP8k

17.09.2025 09:50 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 7    ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
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๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ The wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said that laboratory analysis of smuggled biological samples have found he was killed by poisoning while incarcerated in an Arctic prison in February 2024.
โžก๏ธ u.afp.com/SP8U

17.09.2025 10:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 17    ๐Ÿ” 16    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
This picture taken from a position at Israel's border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during an Israeli strike on the besieged Palestinian territory, on September 17, 2025

This picture taken from a position at Israel's border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during an Israeli strike on the besieged Palestinian territory, on September 17, 2025

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ The Israeli military said it was opening a temporary new route Wednesday to allow people to flee Gaza City, as it pressed a major ground assault aimed at crushing Hamas.
โžก๏ธ u.afp.com/SP8S

17.09.2025 10:10 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ VIDEO: Floods devastate India's breadbasket of Punjab

Unprecedented floods have swallowed farmlands almost the size of London and New York City combined. Indian authorities said the Punjab saw rainfall surge by almost two-thirds with the rains killing at least 52 people.

17.09.2025 11:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 6    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง LIVE: Donald and Melania Trump arrive at Windsor Castle for state visit
โ–ถ๏ธ u.afp.com/SP8B

17.09.2025 11:05 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
 Nepal's national flag flies at half-mast in Kathmandu, on September 17, 2025

Nepal's national flag flies at half-mast in Kathmandu, on September 17, 2025

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ต Nepal flew flags at half-mast during a national day of mourning Wednesday for the 73 people killed during youth-led anti-corruption protests that toppled the government.
โžก๏ธ u.afp.com/SP8h

17.09.2025 11:10 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 9    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

@harshatsilva is following 19 prominent accounts