Your hourly fact checks
All English Fact Checks
Scam: It's a scam! Nigerian government not giving out free laptops on Facebook IN SHORT : A free laptop from the government would go a long way in helping young Nigerians in need. But this offer is not from the government, it's a way for scammers to steal your personal information. "The Federal Government through NEF has organized FREE LAPTOP SCHEME," reads (Source: Africa Check)
Scam: Kenyans, beware of this scam Facebook account promising big payouts for promoting 'company products' on WhatsApp IN SHORT: You can earn money by advertising "company products" on your WhatsApp status. Don't fall for this trick used by scammers on Facebook. The Facebook account Mghülí Wå Üñgëm offers thousands of Kenyan shillings to those willing to advertise on WhatsApp. The account does no (Source: Africa Check)
False: No, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni hasn't appointed new central bank governor despite the post being vacant for over a year IN SHORT: Online posts claim that Prof Augustus Nuwagaba is the new governor of the Bank of Uganda. This is not true, the position remains vacant. A Facebook post shared on a page with 6,000 members claims that Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, has appointed Prof Augustus Nuwag (Source: Africa Check)
Fake: Former Mombasa governor Hassan Joho joins Kenya's ruling party? No, ignore doctored photo IN SHORT: As an influential supporter of the opposition, Joho's alleged defection would have been a major news event. But it didn't happen, as claimed online. Influential former governor of Mombasa county, Hassan Joho, has kept a low profile since the 9 August 2022 general electi (Source: Africa Check)
Small boat crossings...: Small boat crossings between January and June are down 20% on last year. "The crossings are down by 20% year on year… the six months to the end of June was down about 20% on last year." Chris Philp MP, 6 July 2023 . During an interview on Sky News last week, policing minister Chris Philp MP claimed that small boat crossings in the first six months of (Source: Full Fact)
The United Nations H...: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sends refugees to Rwanda, so it thinks Rwanda is a safe country. "The crossings are down by 20% year on year… the six months to the end of June was down about 20% on last year." Chris Philp MP, 6 July 2023 . During an interview on Sky News last week, policing minister Chris Philp MP claimed that small boat crossings in the first six months of (Source: Full Fact)
False: Video shows Sweden Presidential palace on fire. A video showing a huge building on fire is going viral on social media with two misleading claims.The first claim: It states that Alcazar Library in Marseille, France was set ablaze during the recent protests in the country, which started after a 17-year-old boy was shot and alle (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)
Altered: Video of Biden loudly ‘sniffing’ a baby is digitally edited A video of U.S. President Joe Biden interacting with a mother and her baby has been digitally altered to add loud sniffing sounds. No such sound can be heard in the original clip. “Breaking News. Joe Biden was caught aggressively sniffing a child. He didn’t know he was on camera. (Source: Reuters)
Altered: Image of Sylvester Stallone in t-shirt critical of gas prices is altered A digitally altered image showing actor Sylvester Stallone wearing a pro-Trump t-shirt with a slogan that reads, “I’d love a mean tweet and 1.79 gas right now” has duped users online. The original photograph shows the actor in a plain black t-shirt. “Happy Birthday to Sylvester (Source: Reuters)
Altered: Altered video of Biden remarks on healthcare circulates online U.S. President Joe Biden experienced microphone feedback noise while delivering remarks about healthcare costs on July 7, but some posts online digitally added audible fart noises to the video. Biden announced policies to crack down on short-term health insurance plans and surpri (Source: Reuters)
Correct Attribution: Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, "Zuck is a cuck," then later added, "I propose a literal dick-measuring contest." About this rating With talk of a cage match brewing between Twitter owner Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it would come as no surprise that the two tech giants might engage in a bit of smack talk. However, we're not sure if anyone predicted Musk tweeting, "I propose a lit (Source: Snopes)
True: On July 5, 2023, Pope Francis met with Bill Clinton and George Soros' son Alexander Soros. About this rating Alexander Soros was part of Clinton's delegation. There was no evidence at the time of this writing, however, that he and the pope met privately. On July 5, 2023, claims began to spread on social media platforms that Pope Francis had met with former President Bi (Source: Snopes)
False: Video shows a train set on fire in Zurich by Muslim migrants A video showing a part of a train engulfed in flames at Zurich Altstetten station, Switzerland, is being shared with a false and communal claim that a train was set on fire by Muslim migrants.BOOM reached out to Swiss Federal Railways spokesperson who said that the cause of the f (Source: BOOM Live)
False: Video shows dozens of cars burning in Marseille, France, amid protests Video of burning vehicle lot in Australia falsely linked to French riots | Fact checkShow Caption Hide Caption Protests continue in Paris suburb after teen shooting France has mobilised tens of thousands of police officers to counter widespread rioting following the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old. APThe claim: Video shows dozens of cars burning in Marseille, France, amid protestsA July 3 Facebook video shows dozens of burning cars. "Parking lot with new cars on fire in Marseille as protests in France continue," reads the video's caption. But the video shared on Facebook is unrelated to those riots. Fact check: Video shows burning post office in Philippines, not French libraryPhotos and footage of the fire were published by numerous news outlets at the time, including The Guardian and Australian outlets 9News and The Sydney Morning Herald. (Source: USA Today)
Partially False: Image shows South Africa cash bust in June 2023 After police arrested a teenager with a large sum of money in South Africa’s Limpopo province in June 2023, social media users shared a picture of a plastic bag filled with South African rands and US dollars, linking it to the bust. This is misleading: the picture shows undeclared cash worth R6.9 million (about $367,000) seized at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg in 2018. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Altered: Another edited photo of Kyle Rittenhouse with rosy cheeks circulates online A photo of Kyle Rittenhouse has been digitally altered to enlarge his physical appearance and blush his cheeks, and some online have taken the image seriously. The photo was first tweeted by a user who had made a similar edit of Rittenhouse in March (here). User @GaryPetersonUSA (Source: Reuters)
False: The UN has called for pedophilia to be legalised. The claim that the UN wants to legalise pedophilia is false. The claim misrepresents a report that calls for a human rights-based approach to criminal law on a range of matters. The passage in question calls for a more nuanced approach to when adolescents of similar ages are engaged in consensual, non-exploitative sexual activity. (Source: Australian Associated Press - AAP)
False: The proposed Indigenous voice would be null and void as it would be enshrined in a fictional constitution. The claim that the proposed Indigenous voice would be null and void as it will be enshrined in a fictional constitution is false. The claim has its roots in sovereign citizen theories that have long since been debunked. In particular, the Royal Style and Titles Act 1973 did not amend the constitution. Suggestions that the constitution is invalid as it makes no mention of the Queen of Australia have also been dismissed by the High Court. Claims Australia is a corporation date back to the 2000s when the Commonwealth of Australia was registered as an entity in the US for the purpose of issuing securities. The documentation makes clear it was registered as a foreign government. (Source: Australian Associated Press - AAP)
The voice will grant...: The voice will grant paramount rights favouring Indigenous people that would breach discrimination laws in normal circumstances. The claim the voice will grant paramount rights favouring Indigenous people that would breach discrimination laws in normal circumstances is false. Experts told AAP FactCheck the proposal does not confer paramount rights and would not restrict, or change the rights of anyone who is not Indigenous. Additionally, they said that there is nothing about the voice proposal that would amount to a breach of domestic discrimination laws and international conventions. (Source: Australian Associated Press - AAP)
Until the mid-1960s,...: Until the mid-1960s, it was illegal for Aboriginal people to live within one mile of a white settlement unless they had a permit. The claim that until the mid-1960s, Aboriginal people were banned from living within one mile of a white settlement unless they had a permit is mostly false. State governments imposed a patchwork of laws that limited the movements and activities of Indigenous people. In some cases, authorities used those laws to ban Aboriginal people from entering certain areas. However, there was no blanket rule in Australia about how close to white settlements Aboriginal people could live. (Source: Australian Associated Press - AAP)
False: 'HemoStop' effervescent tablets cure hemorrhoids. Videos promoting an effervescent tablet alongside an unproven claim it can cure haemorrhoids, also called piles, have been viewed more than one million times on Facebook. However, medical experts have told AFP there is no evidence that the tablet can treat the condition and the usual "complete cure" is surgery. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Photo shows newspaper article warning against comics insulting Buddhism. A screenshot of a purported newspaper article has been repeatedly shared in Sinhala-language Facebook posts that falsely claim "national organisations" met with Sri Lankan police to warn of Japanese animations that depict Buddha in an insulting manner. The posts also claim that those who possess or share such content would face legal consequences. But the newspaper's editor-in-chief told AFP they never published the article, and local police said they had not met the supposed "national organisations" or issued any warning. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Public Health Fakes: the medical system is not ready for epidemiological threats after the explosion of the Kakhovska HPP. Issue #40 This time, Russian media tried to provoke panic by spreading alarming news about topics that have been widely discussed in recent weeks: the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. In the first case, they focused on discrediting the medical sy (Source: Vox Ukraine)
Misleading: Nigerian election tribunal witness goes on the run A Facebook post claims that a witness set to testify on behalf of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a court petition contesting the February presidential polls failed to show and was "on the run". But the claim is misleading: the Court of Appeal is currently hearing two separate petitions filed by opposition parties. INEC presented a witness on the first day of its defence in one of the matters. The second case, taking place simultaneously, was adjourned for a day, briefly delaying scheduled testimony from INEC witnesses. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Video shows rioters in France pushing cars off a building As riots swept France following the police killing of a teenager, dramatic footage of cars falling from a building surfaced in social media posts falsely linking it to the unrest. The clip actually shows a scene from a "Fast and Furious" movie, which was filmed in the US state of Ohio. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Video of Macron apologising to French colonies A TikTok video shared thousands of times claims to show President Emmanuel Macron apologising to France’s former African colonies and pledging reparations during a UN speech in New York in April 2023. But the claim is false: AFP Fact Check traced the footage of the address to a speech from last September and found that the original English translation was replaced with a fake voiceover. Macron did not discuss Africa but talked about the Russian-Ukrainian invasion. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Kajol said we are being ruled by "uneducated leaders". In a recent interview with The Quint, Bollywood actor Kajol talked about importance of education and mentioned how India has politicians who lack proper educational backgrounds.However, an incorrect version of her statement has since gone viral on the internet to mislead people a (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)
False: Dashmat Rawat is not the victim of the Madhya Pradesh urination case. A video of Dashmat Rawat, the tribal individual involved in the urination case that happened in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district, is going viral on the internet.What do the claims say: MP Congress shared the video on their Twitter handle with a caption that said, "Big disclosure i (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)
Fake: Photographs shared online in early June 2023 authentically showed the Las Vegas sphere displaying a Windows error message. About this rating In early July 2023, social media users shareda picture allegedly depicting the Las Vegas Sphere, a venue built to host immersive shows, concerts, and other events, displaying a Windows error message, reaching millions of views. One Twitter user captioned it "Bil (Source: Snopes)
False: Video shows Joe Biden leaning in and sniffing a child. This is an altered video. It was zoomed in and cut short, with sniffing sounds added in. (Source: PolitiFact)
False: As of July 2023, health professionals were urged to call vaginas "bonus holes" to avoid offending trans or non-binary patients. About this rating No entity urged health professionals globally to abandoned the word "vagina" for "bonus hole." Rather, one cervical cancer charity in the United Kingdom published a document for medical staff leading cervical screenings with trans men or non-binary patients in w (Source: Snopes)
False: Protestors in France set fire to a police car while the officers were still inside. (Archives of similar claims can be found here, here and here.)What is the truth?: While this video is from France, it is not recent. (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)