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All English Fact Checks

False: Politico did not report that 20 million Ukrainians would die to win war Politico did not publish an article saying the deaths of 20 million Ukrainians were needed to win Russia’s war on the country, as suggested in a misleading image shared widely online. The Politico logo can be seen across the upper-third of a supposed screenshot with a headline th (Source: Reuters)

False: The Guardian did not publish op-ed criticising British ex-politician's award The Guardian newspaper did not publish an opinion column that suggested an award won by British broadcaster and former politician Nigel Farage was because of Russian money, as is claimed in a fabricated screenshot circulating online. The image shows the headline of a fictitious c (Source: Reuters)

Average mortgage pay...: Average mortgage payments will be going up by £2,900 this year. "Average mortgage payments will be going up by a crippling £2,900 this year, so where does the Chancellor think families will get the money to pay the Tory mortgage penalty?" Rachel Reeves MP, 20 June 2023 . In Parliament last week , shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed that " (Source: Full Fact)

False: A powdered milk product increases breast size. Filipino doctors say consuming milk does not enhance the size of one's breasts, contradicting false claims shared on Facebook to promote a brand of powdered milk. A plastic surgeon and a gynaecologist separately told AFP that only surgical procedures effectively enhance breast size. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: JVP cooperative acquired an apparel factory that shut down in Sri Lanka Facebook posts in Sri Lanka falsely say a cooperative controlled by a political opposition party acquired a factory from a major conglomerate in the island nation to save it from closure. But spokespersons for the cooperative and the People's Liberation Front (JVP) opposition party told AFP the claim is a fabrication. Apparel manufacturer Hirdaramani announced it had shut down its operations at the factory on May 22. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Indonesia's ruling party PDI-P announces Ahok as VP candidate A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times after it circulated in June 2023 with a false claim that the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has officially nominated former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama -- also known as Ahok -- as the party's vice-presidential candidate for the country's election in 2024. While the PDI-P has named Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as its presidential candidate in the election, as of June 30, 2023, the party has not named his running mate. A senior PDI-P politician and Ahok's camp have also told AFP the claim is false. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Video shows Joe Biden walking away mid-interview with MSNBC journalist Nicolle Wallace. A video of US President Joe Biden walking away after an interview is being shared with the false claims that he exited "mid-interview", using the same to mock and claim it was a "senior moment" from the 80-year-old Biden.BOOM found that the video has been falsely shared to claim  (Source: BOOM Live)

False: Video shows Muslims in Bengaluru announcing economic boycott of Hindus. An old video of a group of Muslims announcing an economic boycott of Hindus in Rajasthan is being shared online as a recent incident from Bengaluru. BOOM found that the incident took place in Barmer, Rajasthan, in 2019.In the video, a man is heard appealing to the crowd to not ta (Source: BOOM Live)

False: Video shows an extremist mob attack on a person in Punjab. An old video of a man and a woman beating a specially-abled person with sticks is now doing rounds with a false claim that the clip shows visuals of an extremist mob attack in Punjab.BOOM found that the incident took place in 2022 when a couple was arrested for beating their rela (Source: BOOM Live)

False: Social media campaign, urging Hindus to give a missed call to 9090902024 as a mark of support for UCC. Authors Kushel HM Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.ClaimSocial media campaign, urging Hindus to give a missed call to 9090902 (Source: Newschecker)

False: The Great Reset, the WEF, the UN and Agenda 21/2030 advocate for the end of national sovereignty, universal basic income, a world social credit system, ending of privately owned property and confining people to 15 minute cities, amongst other things. A post on Facebook appears to make a number of claims about plans from the World Economic Forum, its co-founder Klaus Schwab and the United Nations. The post says "The Great Reset; New World Order" and "Agenda 21/2030; Political Correctness" and then lists a number of events, inc (Source: Full Fact)

False: Universal credit is already being trialled in the UK. A post on Facebook appears to make a number of claims about plans from the World Economic Forum, its co-founder Klaus Schwab and the United Nations. The post says "The Great Reset; New World Order" and "Agenda 21/2030; Political Correctness" and then lists a number of events, inc (Source: Full Fact)

False: A five-year-old girl named Sofia is missing after going out on her bike and failing to return home. A silver alert has been issued following her disappearance. Hoax posts appealing for information about a missing five-year-old named Sofia have been shared thousands of times on Facebook. Full Fact has seen examples of these alerts shared in more than a dozen community groups serving locations across the UK, with some in places such as Ne (Source: Full Fact)

Partly False: Homelessness has increased by 1000%. Thousands of people have shared a Facebook post that compares the UK today to 2010. The post lists 53 different claims about topics, such as housing, crime and the NHS. It has over 4,000 shares on Facebook and also appears on Twitter . Full Fact has not verified every single clai (Source: Full Fact)

Partly False: Rough sleeping has increased by 1200%. Thousands of people have shared a Facebook post that compares the UK today to 2010. The post lists 53 different claims about topics, such as housing, crime and the NHS. It has over 4,000 shares on Facebook and also appears on Twitter . Full Fact has not verified every single clai (Source: Full Fact)

Partly False: Life expectancy has decreased 3 years. Thousands of people have shared a Facebook post that compares the UK today to 2010. The post lists 53 different claims about topics, such as housing, crime and the NHS. It has over 4,000 shares on Facebook and also appears on Twitter . Full Fact has not verified every single clai (Source: Full Fact)

Partly False: The value of the pound has fallen 15% against the dollar and euro. Thousands of people have shared a Facebook post that compares the UK today to 2010. The post lists 53 different claims about topics, such as housing, crime and the NHS. It has over 4,000 shares on Facebook and also appears on Twitter . Full Fact has not verified every single clai (Source: Full Fact)

Partly False: There are 36,000 fewer teachers today. Thousands of people have shared a Facebook post that compares the UK today to 2010. The post lists 53 different claims about topics, such as housing, crime and the NHS. It has over 4,000 shares on Facebook and also appears on Twitter . Full Fact has not verified every single clai (Source: Full Fact)

Partly False: Hate crimes have increased by 50% since 2010. Thousands of people have shared a Facebook post that compares the UK today to 2010. The post lists 53 different claims about topics, such as housing, crime and the NHS. It has over 4,000 shares on Facebook and also appears on Twitter . Full Fact has not verified every single clai (Source: Full Fact)

Partly False: 33,000 nurses leave the NHS each year. Thousands of people have shared a Facebook post that compares the UK today to 2010. The post lists 53 different claims about topics, such as housing, crime and the NHS. It has over 4,000 shares on Facebook and also appears on Twitter . Full Fact has not verified every single clai (Source: Full Fact)

False: Man thrashed in China for publicly praying or offering namaz. (Content Warning: Abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.)A video showing a man sitting on the floor while another person hits and kicks him violently is going viral on social media.What is the claim: The claim states that this incident happened in China, where a Muslim man was bein (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)

False: The video is recent and shows passengers sitting inside the Titan submersible before it imploded. A video is being shared on the internet with a claim that it shows passengers sitting inside OceanGate's Titan submersible minutes before it imploded.What have users said?: Those sharing the video have uploaded it with a caption that said, "In the last scene, you can see five peo (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)

Satire: Claims about Dylan Mulvaney lawsuit against Kid Rock stem from satire site Claims that a lawsuit by transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney against singer Kid Rock was “dismissed with prejudice” originated on a satirical website, and there is no evidence that such a lawsuit exists, although some social media posts omit that context. Some posts online shar (Source: Reuters)

False: Subway sign about transgender bigotry not created by MTA A poster with a message about failure to respect transgender people was not created or distributed by NYC’s subway authority, as suggested in posts sharing the image and calling it menacing. “This is not New York City Transit signage, nor is it authorized to be displayed anywhere (Source: Reuters)

False: Fake headline on far-right conspiracy theories credited to Marianna Spring The Guardian did not publish a headline claiming that a “far-right conspiracy theory is always a far-right conspiracy theory” regardless of whether it is “true or not,” as suggested in a fabricated screenshot crediting the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent Maria (Source: Reuters)

False: Georgia is Democrats' test site for 2024 'private takeover of election offices' "How Georgia Became Democrats’ Test Site For Their 2024 Private Takeover Of Election Offices," reads the article's headline. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunksOur rating: FalseA nonprofit group awarded DeKalb County, Georgia, a $2 million grant to fund election infrastructure needs. DeKalb County grant does not amount to election office takeoverAs evidence for the claim, the article cites a $2 million grant that DeKalb County received from the nonpartisan Center for Tech and Civic Life. But contrary to the post’s claim, the grant does not amount to Democrats’ "private takeover of election offices," according to Michael Thurmond, the CEO of DeKalb County. Dekalb County elections are overseen by a bipartisan board of elections with two members appointed by each county party and a fifth at-large member appointed by a judge. (Source: USA Today)

False: WEF wants to use AI to rewrite the Bible Social media posts say The World Economic Forum (WEF) wants to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create a universal bible. This is false; the WEF never made such remarks and the words of a historian are misconstrued to support this claim. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

Originated As Satire: White actor Tom Hanks will be playing Black civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. in a movie directed by Steven Spielberg. About this rating In June 2023, a number of online posts claimed that white actor Tom Hanks had been selected to play Martin Luther King Jr. in a Netflix movie directed by Steven Spielberg about the Black civil rights activist's life. The posts shared images claiming to show Hank (Source: Snopes)

Altered: Altered image of Jeffrey Epstein with Elon Musk, Ashton Kutcher and Spike Lee The face of late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was digitally added to a photograph of billionaire Elon Musk, actor Ashton Kutcher and filmmaker Spike Lee, who are in the original image and pictured with talent manager, Guy Oseary. Examples of the altered photo circulating  (Source: Reuters)

Misleading: Australian research shows garlic kills Covid Social media posts -- including one from a former Australian lawmaker -- misleadingly claim a study commissioned by a garlic producer has shown the popular spice works better against Covid-19 than vaccines. But the institute that conducted the study has clarified its findings "do not show medical treatment application" for garlic as the research had only been done in a laboratory. In contrast, vaccines have passed stringent human clinical trials and remain "most effective" in reducing severe coronavirus illness and deaths, scientists say. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

Correct: "[There were] fewer election petitions filed [in 2022]; 124 petitions compared to 303 in 2017." Ruto is right that there were significantly fewer election petitions filed after the 2022 elections than in 2017, but a governance expert told us it wasn't easy to discern the reasons for this. The president was also mostly right about the split between the number of jobs in the  (Source: Africa Check)

Incorrect: "A huge number of Kenyans, about 10 million, had … been blacklisted by the credit reference bureaus …" Ruto is right that there were significantly fewer election petitions filed after the 2022 elections than in 2017, but a governance expert told us it wasn't easy to discern the reasons for this. The president was also mostly right about the split between the number of jobs in the  (Source: Africa Check)

Mostly Correct: "... 83% or 15.3 million jobs are in the informal sector." Ruto is right that there were significantly fewer election petitions filed after the 2022 elections than in 2017, but a governance expert told us it wasn't easy to discern the reasons for this. The president was also mostly right about the split between the number of jobs in the  (Source: Africa Check)

Mostly Correct: "Only 3.1 million jobs are in the formal sector, representing 17%." Ruto is right that there were significantly fewer election petitions filed after the 2022 elections than in 2017, but a governance expert told us it wasn't easy to discern the reasons for this. The president was also mostly right about the split between the number of jobs in the  (Source: Africa Check)

Unproven: "... Safaricom alone has enrolled at least two million new subscribers into their financial ecosystem courtesy of the Hustler Fund." Ruto is right that there were significantly fewer election petitions filed after the 2022 elections than in 2017, but a governance expert told us it wasn't easy to discern the reasons for this. The president was also mostly right about the split between the number of jobs in the  (Source: Africa Check)

Mostly Correct: "Seven million Kenyans live in slums." Ruto is right that there were significantly fewer election petitions filed after the 2022 elections than in 2017, but a governance expert told us it wasn't easy to discern the reasons for this. The president was also mostly right about the split between the number of jobs in the  (Source: Africa Check)

False: Image circulating on social media shows a damaged Caribbean Airlines aircraft, not a plane landed in Homa Bay, Kenya IN SHORT: Since Kenya's Renegade Air launched a new route to Homa Bay in the west of the country, rumours have flown on social media about the airline's fleet. But this photo shows a damaged plane on Tobago in the Caribbean, far away from Kenya. "Aircraft misses runway at Kabunde (Source: Africa Check)

Misleading: Land use, farming have no meaningful climate impact Elon Musk claims farming and other activities on Earth's surface have "no meaningful impact on climate change." This is misleading; while burning greenhouse gases is the primary driver of global warming, scientists say food production still accounts for up to a third of carbon emissions worldwide. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: A video shows the view aboard the Titan submersible before it imploded A Facebook video viewed more than 1.3 million times claims to show footage captured aboard the Titanic-bound submersible before it imploded in the North Atlantic Ocean. This is false; the recording was taken inside a tourist submarine and shows a sunken ship off the coast of Barbados. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

Pants-Fire: J.P. Morgan y la familia Rothschild planificaron que el Titanic se hundiera para eliminar a Jacob Astor y crear la Reserva Federal. Hay un consenso entre historiadores y expertos que el Titanic se hundió accidentalmente. Expertos dicen que las altas velocidades, un giro equivocado, las condiciones de clima, la alerta ignorada de un iceberg y la falta de binoculares y botes salvavidas contribuyeron a la tragedia. John Jacob Astor, un magnate y promotor inmobiliario, murió en el accidente. Pero no hay evidencia de que este hombre estuviera en contra de la creación de la Reserva Federal. (Source: PolitiFact)

Driving in flip flop...: Driving in flip flops could land you a £1,000 fine and three points on your licence, or £5,000 and nine points. As hot weather has swept the UK, Full Fact has seen several different claims about the potential fines that drivers could receive if they drive a car while wearing flip flops. Several publications including Compare the Market , Warrington Guardian and the West Yorkshire local new (Source: Full Fact)

False: When Boris Johnson was admitted with Covid-19 all staff at St Thomas' Hospital were required to sign the Official Secrets Act. Two doctors who disagreed with his diagnosis refused, and were sent home 'on leave', and one said they did not believe he had Covid-19. A number of posts on social media are sharing claims taken from a satirical blog post about former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's time in hospital with Covid-19 as if they were true . The posts say: "Dorset Eye are reporting that when the PM was admitted to hospital, all staff we (Source: Full Fact)

False: Kuki militants who met Rahul Gandhi recently pledge to give up violence and follow Mahatma Gandhi's path. A satire post claiming that a few Kukis from Manipur who met Rahul Gandhi recently were inspired by him to give up violence and follow Mahatma Gandhi's path is viral as a real incident online.BOOM found that the tweet was made by a parody handle that merely carried the name and p (Source: BOOM Live)

False: Video shows final moments of the five passengers inside the Titan submersible before it met an implosion. A video showing some passengers inside a submarine recording the underwater view has recently been shared falsely claiming that the clip shows the final moments of the five passengers before OceanGate's Titan submersible met a tragic accident under the ocean.BOOM found that the v (Source: BOOM Live)

False: Joe Biden launched unarmed nuclear bombs as a “Russia threat.” Video in this post comes from The Associated Press coverage of a Feb. 9 U.S. nuclear missile test. The Air Force described it as routine. News reports on the testing did not mention Russia. (Source: PolitiFact)

Pants-Fire: Joan Rivers fue asesinada por decir que Michelle Obama es trans. Joan Rivers murió por complicaciones después de tener un procedimiento médico.Las declaraciones de Rivers fueron en broma, dijo su representante a CNN en 2014. (Source: PolitiFact)

Barely-True: Donald Trump is an “affirmative action advocate.” In a 2015 interview, before he was president, Donald Trump said he was "fine" with affirmative action. Later, when Trump was president, his administration took actions seeking to leverage federal government policy against affirmative action. He also appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who signed onto the June 29 majority opinion that overturned affirmative action.Trump applauded the Supreme Court ruling June 29 in a Truth Social post. (Source: PolitiFact)

True: A video from a live interview on June 29, 2023, authentically showed U.S. President Joe Biden walking off the MSNBC set of "Deadline: White House" before host Nicole Wallace was finished introducing a commercial break. About this rating On June 29, 2023, Twitter users shared a video from earlier in the day that purported to show U.S. President Joe Biden abruptly walking off the set of the MSNBC show "Deadline: White House" following alive interview, before host Nicole Wallace was finished cuein (Source: Snopes)

False: Video shows 'World Order minions' are burning down Canada Social media users are sharing a video of people running away from a wildfire to claim activists are intentionally starting blazes in Canada. This is false; the original poster told AFP the clip shows his participation in volunteer firefighting operations with an Indigenous community in the province of Quebec. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Canada wildfire smoke greater than 100 years of carbon emissions Social media posts claim the carbon dioxide released by the record-breaking Canadian wildfires has surpassed human-caused emissions from the past century. This is false; one expert told AFP nearly all vegetation on Earth would have to burn simultaneously to equal 100 years' worth of CO2 from fossil fuels. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Biden admitted to treason Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunksOur rating: FalseBiden didn’t admit that he committed treason in a July 23 roundtable event. The context and tone of his remarks make it clear the state secrets comment was a joke, and he later clarified that he was kidding. But Biden didn’t admit that he committed treason during the event. Rather, the Instagram post cuts off later comments where Biden indicates his state secrets comment was a joke. As shown in the post, Biden said at the beginning of the event, according to a White House transcript:“Okay. (Source: USA Today)

All German Fact Checks

Manipuliert: Ein Bild zeige ein Graffiti des ukrainischen Präsidenten Selenskyj an einem Galgen in Den Haag. Am 26. Juni tauchte in Sozialen Netzwerken ein „Werk polnischer Künstler in Den Haag“ auf. Es zeigt einen Platz vor einem Gebäude mit einem Graffiti, das den ukrainischen Präsidenten Wolodymyr Selenskyj als Karikatur darstellt. Ursprünglich stammt das Bild aus den Instagram- undT (Source: Correctiv)

Falscher Kontext: Ein Video zeige eine neue, lärmende Wärmepumpe im Normalbetrieb. Typisch Nachbarn. Ohne Rücksicht auf andere stellen sie sich einelaut rasselnde Wärmepumpein den Garten und terrorisieren damit ihre Umgebung. Das zumindest will einTwitter-Nutzeranderen weismachen und so Wärmepumpen in Verruf bringen./n/nWas er nicht dazu sagt: Das Video, das er (Source: Correctiv)

Frei Erfunden: Coca-Cola verschenke einen Minikühlschrank und weitere Preise an Personen, die die Anzahl der Enten auf einem Bild richtig zählen. Auf Facebook ist diese Masche immer wieder zu beobachten: Nutzerinnen und Nutzer werden mit Gewinnen gelockt, wenn sie unter einem Bild kommentieren. Diese Art von Gewinnspiel stellte sich schon häufiger als Fake heraus. Betroffen waren Marken wieEdeka,ActionundFanta./n/nDiesmal  (Source: Correctiv)