iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Richard Irvine-Brown

Joe Tidy BBC News @joetidy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Bizarre update/ twist in the FBI hack case. The hackers - Shiny Hunters - are now saying that they won't publish the stolen data on their darknet site and actually 'never intended to'. They sent me and other reporters this ridiculous statement saying the media 'took the story out of context'.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

There's a social media scam featuring AI-generated injured soldiers shilling moody goods. Be on the lookout. Great story from Nick Stapleton for BBC Morning Live. AI detection and sense-checking from me and @shayan86.bsky.social

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Joe Tidy BBC News @joetidy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Exclusive: Special agents' blood and urine test results stolen in FBI hack. Cyber-criminals who hacked the FBI say they have extremely sensitive medical data for thousands of its special agents. BBC News has seen samples of the stolen "fitness-for-work" medical examinations, which...

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Bees United @beesunited.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

25 years ago, Bees United held our first-ever AGM. It was part of a chain of events that helped BU save the club & set the foundations for today's successes www.beesunited.org.uk/in-focus/how-…

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

BRENTFORD, the numbers. End the weekend unbeaten. 4th in the Prem 3rd highest scorers 4 wins from 7 games this season 2 tricky away cup ties overcome 18 goals scored 11 different scorers Not bad for the 13th stop for the 267 from Hammersmith to Hounslow.

static.klipy.com

Nyet967304 Igor Thiago

Alt: Igor Thiago of Brentford hugs Beto of Everton

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

How close were Boris Johnson, Carl Bildt and many European security advisors to at least two Russian drone strikes on Sunday? Lots of geo work, down to Polish train timetables and timing sight:sound difference of an explosion. With @shayan86.bsky.social, edited by @olgar.bsky.social.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Bit of background for Houthi's anti-Saudi actions since Iran asked, and they agreed, to target "regional enemies". For BBC Verify / live page: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...

Satellite images show Houthi strikes on Saudi oil refineries in July
published at 17:05
17:05
By Richard Irvine-Brown

If the smoke plume visible today on Saudi Arabia’s oil pipeline which connects the Gulf to the Red Sea is confirmed to be from a Houthi attack, it would be the latest incident where the Iran-backed armed group has targeted Saudi oil infrastructure.

On 27 July, the Houthis claimed to have struck oil refineries in both the east and west of Saudi Arabia.

Satellite images on the day confirmed a large, dark fire at the south east corner of the refinery at Aqabiq, on the east coast.

Planet Labs satellite image of an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. A grid of buildings, tiny at this size, laid out in a grid pattern against the very faint yellow sand of a desert. To the bottom right is a large, dark column of smoke.

Text: A larger smoke plume was seen on 26 July on the Saudi west coast, at the refinery north of Jazan.
Image: A massive black column of smoke, seen on a Sentinel-2/Copernicus satellite image, stretching for miles over the faint blue sea, down the Saudi Arabian west coast. A smaller black column of smoke is beside it from a second fire.

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Joe Tidy BBC News @joetidy.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I started writing this BBC InDepth feature on Tuesday. Then the story evolved quite significantly. Writing it became a live fire situation as more and more news came in. AI safety has never been more pressing and I have tried to explain it all here. Ahttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74edv9887eo

bbc.co.uk

Can humans stay in control of AI?

AI agents went on an uncontrolled hacking spree, leaving some in the industry worried

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Were pictures of ex-president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro in prison were real or AI-generated? There was some debate last weekend. We didn't find any AI generation, but there is enough about the images to test for other digital forgery. Here's a how-to for anybody to try. THREAD...

Nicolas Maduro, with dark hair and moustache, smiles and flashes a V-victory sign with his right hand, while holding his glasses in his left hand. He wears a light grey sweater and is stood against a plain breezeblock wall of off-white and mid-grey.

Nicolas Maduro, with dark hair and moustache, wearing glasses, smiles and flashes V-victory signs with both his hand. He wears a light grey sweater and jogging bottoms, with white trainers, and is stood against a plain breezeblock wall of off-white and mid-grey.

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We Geek Girls @wegeekgirls.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

‘Batman: The Animated Series’ premiered on this day 34 years ago! (September 5, 1992) 🦇 Created by Bruce Timm & Eric Radomski. Voice cast: Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Loren Lester, Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo, Richard Moll, Mari Devon, & more. #OnThisDay #BTAS

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

900 dead in Gaza this year; 1,300 since the ceasefire. @emmapengelly.bsky.social presenting our work. With verification also by @paulybrown.bsky.social and @benedictgarman.com.

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Jack (tehTrunk) @tehtrunk.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Can I get from Tottenham to Nottingham using only public bus services?

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

10 acts you’ve seen as support acts: Comeback Kid The Descendents Money Mark Tryptikon Built To Spill DJ Shadow A Wilhelm Scream Soundgarden Faith No More Grant Hart

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Reposted by Richard Irvine-Brown

Bianca Britton @biancabritton.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

🧵 BBC Verify spent this week investigating the floods that devastated the Nepal-Tibet border. We verified more than 30 videos, used satellite imagery and CCTV to trace the path of the floodwaters, and investigated what caused it Here’s some of our work from the past few days:

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Hourly Cosmos @hourlycosmos.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

James #Webb Space Telescope Stellar Populations and the Interstellar Medium Initial mass function in the lowest metallicity protocluster in the Galaxy - From Jacint Roger (landru79.bsky.social) - flic.kr/p/2paZywk

Initial mass function in the lowest metallicity protocluster in the Galaxy
date_obs: 2022-10-19
targname: #Sh2-284
instrume: #NIRCAM

NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/j. Roger

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Rocky Horror and Jolene are huge memories for me. So was the Winnie the Pooh cartoon, Transformers, Gremlins and Predator. Peter Cullen’s voice of Eeyore, Ironhide and Optimus Prime, plus his noises for some of my favourite monsters will always be with us. Legend. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Peter Cullen: Optimus Prime and Eeyore voice actor dies

Cullen voiced the heroic Optimus Prime in the Transformers TV series and then the Hollywood films.

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Laura Cress @cressup.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

My exclusive interview with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma up now - video to come www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Lewes train derailment investigation. How early verification work can spearhead a news story: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6...

Early images from derailment examined by BBC Verify
published at 13:36 19 August

By Adam Durbin and Richard Irvine-Brown

Shortly after reports of the derailment emerged, photos showing overturned carriages began to circulate on social media.

BBC Verify examined many of them to check their authenticity as AI-generated images and old pictures claiming to be new can circulate when news breaks.

One image that we verified as authentic was taken from some distance way and gave us an early indication that at least two carriages had derailed and an emergency response was under way.

Perhaps the most striking picture that we confirmed was real showed at least four people standing on top of a train carriage while one man could be seen peering out of an opened set of doors.

But the key point of interest in the image was what appears to be buckling in the rails behind the overturned carriage.

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Reposted by Richard Irvine-Brown

Richard Courtice @richardcourtice.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Indeed, might you have time to plug a sensible and informative programme about ADHD? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... it features an archive clip of your good self.

bbc.co.uk

Archive on 4 - Trouble Staying Still: ADHD's Identity Crisis - BBC Sounds

Sally Marlow reveals the changing faces of ADHD and why it remains so contentious.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Second derailment in two days, this time between Wickford and Rayleigh, Essex. Again, part of a wider BBC Verify team, not only James & me. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6...

What we know about the train derailment in Essex
By James Kelly and Richard Irvine-Brown
BBC Verify is analysing images from a train derailment in Essex.
Images show a Greater Anglia train with at least one carriage that has come off the rails in Wickford, Essex.

The derailment happened near an overhead walkway between Salcott Crescent and Russell Gardens, 1km (0.7 miles) east of Wickford station.

Images also show air ambulances landing in an open space a further 800m to the east, near Meresa Crescent.

Data from the website OpenTrainTimes shows the train was a Southend to Liverpool Street train, which left Rayleigh at 14:06 but failed to reach Wickford at 14:11 as planned.

The images above and below this post have been verified.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Lewes train derailment, my work for BBC Verify / Live Page. Overseen by @sryder.bsky.social and @robcorp.bsky.social (who did half the geolocating). (I don’t decide bylines.) www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cl...

Verified image shows buckled tracks and passengers on top of derailed train
By Richard Irvine-Brown
BBC Verify has confirmed that a picture of people standing on top of an overturned carriage was taken just north of Lewes station.
The image shows what appears to be a buckled track and at least four people standing on it.
We’ve checked features seen in the image - like the treeline off to the left of the shot - and can say the incident happened between Landport Road and the River Ouse about a mile north of the town’s railway station.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Third update of the evening from Verify, including me, on the Colombia quake. This time the city of Pereira, possibly closest to the epicentre of the earthquake. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj...

Buildings collapsed and landmark sites clouded in debris in Pereira
published at 20:22
20:22
By Richard Irvine-Brown and Kumar Malhotra

Between Cali and Manizales, and 55km (35 miles) from the estimated epicentre of the quake is the city of Pereira, in the heart of Colombia's coffee growing region.

Videos we've verified show the extent of damage across the city.

At Bolivar Square, the main plaza at the heart of Pereira, footage shows at least one building collapsing, sending debris and dust across the open space where many people had gathered.

To the east, another building, a four-storey apartment building teeters then collapses at the junction of Calle 8 and 13.

Other footage shows at least one building collapsed in the more recently developed neighbourhood near Avenida Belalcazar.

A grab of Google Maps, showing the proximity of the city of Pereira from the given location of the Western Colombia earthquake. (About 55 kilometres or 35 miles.)

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Here's what we have so far on Cali, a city to the SW of Manizales: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj... With @emmapengelly.bsky.social

BBC live page post: Hospitals in city of Cali damaged by quake.
By Richard Irvine-Brown, Kumar Malhotra and Emma Pengelly

Pictures show four storeys of the beige-coloured, five storey wing of a university hospital in Cali collapsed, and the facade snapping off the three-storey, glass-fronted white building of an EPS Sanitas in the city.

Videos from the city of Cali, 200km (130 miles) to the south west of Manizales, has also show the scale of damage the quake has brought.

One video, filmed from the high hills overlooking the city shows giant plumes of dust and debris thrown up across the west of the city.

Another shows the façade of an EPS Sanitas, a Colombian healthcare provider, collapsing onto ambulances along a crowded street.

Meanwhile, a third video shows five of the six storeys of a wing of the Valle Evaristo Garcia university hospital have collapsed.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Right now going through dozens of videos showing the cities of Cali, Periera and Manizales hit by the 7.4 quake in Colombia. With @sryder.bsky.social for the BBC live page: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj...

Damage seen across city of Manizales, including building collapse

BBC Verify has authenticated two clips from the Colombian city of Manizales, showing the extent of destruction brought by the earthquake.

On the western side of the city, damage to buildings can be seen including the clocktower of the Cathedral Basilica now slumped at a dangerous angle.

Meanwhile, a video from the eastern side shows a five-storey building collapsing while people are evacuated from the city's Catholic University across the street.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Man Clark Kent follows a low stakes news story about a legitimate civic project in Metropolis. Most of it is done by phone interview. At one point he doesn’t like the trendy sandwich restaurant Lois recommends but covers his disappointment adequately.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Another day of violence traded between Ukraine and Russia. Working with @paulybrown.bsky.social and @robcorp.bsky.social among others. For the BBC Live Page: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2...

Extensive damage to shops in Ukraine’s Sumy after attack

By Richard Irvine-Brown and Peter Mwai

BBC Verify has geolocated images of the aftermath of last night's attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which injured 12 people.

The pictures, shared by the head of Sumy region Oleh Hryhorov, show extensive damage to several supermarkets and high-rise buildings, which appear to be residential, along Metalurhiv Street in the north of the city.

One shop has partially collapsed and the next has had its entire facade ripped down to the brickwork. A second shop has multiple smashed windows and a large metal panel has caved in.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Reposting this! Thanks for finding the non-TikTok version!

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

The story of the man chased and attacked by a drone in Kherson, today. Paragraphs by me on verification work, overseen by @robcorp.bsky.social. Top story on the website right now, but based on years of verifying drones in Kherson. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Video shows Russian drone chasing Ukrainian street vendor in 'human safari' attack

Ukraine said the video - showing a terrified civilian being hounded by a remotely-controlled drone - amounted to a war crime.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Talking today, this week, and the past 17 days in warehouse strikes across Russia, on the BBC News Channel.

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Reposted by Richard Irvine-Brown

Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

President Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb a suspected underground nuclear site in Iran known as Pickaxe Mountain. The facility is believed to be buried deep inside a mountain and its exact purpose is shrouded in mystery and speculation. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain and why does Trump say he wants to bomb it?

BBC Verify has spoken to experts and analysed satellite imagery to piece together what we know about the site, and the potential impact of a US strike.

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Joe Tidy BBC News @joetidy.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Teen hackers tell BBC how police are helping them use their skills for good. After many months of trying, I finally got access to the National Crime Agency's Cyber Choices programme that works to steer kids off cyber crime. We spoke to young hackers on the programme and to police working to...

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Kumamoto, Japan: 7.1 magnitude earthquake. What can we see and say? Analysing the situation as people left the Aeon Mall for the BBC Live Page: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c9...

Screengrab from a social media video showing a person in a white t-shirt with long hair shepherding a child in a blue t-shirt through a large shop toward double doors, among many other people leaving. Aeon Mall, Kumamoto, Japan.

People seen evacuating Japan mall after quake
published at 14:11
14:11
By Richard Irvine-Brown

We’ve verified a minute-long video showing people making their way toward the exits of the Aeon Mall. Many of those seen in the footage appear to remain remarkably calm as an alarm sounds.

In the clip, one man can be seen carrying a baby and a woman can be seen with her arm around the shoulder of a child as they walk out of the building.

As the camera pans, we can see shelves hanging loose and debris scattered on the floor including tiles from the building and cups and baskets from a coffee shop.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

At least eight people were killed in Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s equivalent of Amazon warehouses at the weekend. Then other retail depots were hit on Monday. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

bbc.co.uk

Ukraine strikes online shopping warehouses in Russia

Ukrainian drones struck warehouses belonging to Russia's biggest online retailer, Wildberries.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

WORLD CUP IS OVER What a great final that was. (Joke (c) @danghile.bsky.social)

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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Division has been hitting Russian ships around Crimea with vigour in last few days. Joint BBC Russian & Verify effort to explain what we can see www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Ukraine strikes Russian ships near Crimea, escalating attacks on fuel supplies

The attacks appear to be the latest phase of Ukraine's bid to choke off supplies and routes into and out of occupied Crimea.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Yes, yes, other things are good, but have you ever had two toy robots which turn into sicknasty cars with flames on their bonnets? HAVE YOU?

Author’s own copies of Transformers The Movie reissue Generation 1 Hot Rod; a futuristic sports car in magenta with a yellow spoiler and a yellow flame decal on an orange bonnet. Next to it is Transformers Robots In Disguise Side Burn Supercharged Mode, a red Dodge Viper with chromed exposed engine and a yellow-to-orange flame decal on the bonnet. Both cars are absolutely mint.

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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Did England stay up to watch the game? UK internet traffic was above the week before. Nationally, electricity use was up compared to the night before, with a little rise toward the end of the game. Regionally, electricity use above the previous four Mondays. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2...

bbc.co.uk

Late nights, phone bans and school screenings - how you watched England's epic win

The last-16 match against Mexico began at 02:00 BST - some fans stayed up late, others set an alarm or watched "as live" on Monday morning.

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