Your hourly fact checks
All English Fact Checks
Misleading: Nigerian king says Tinubu did not win election A Facebook post shared in Nigeria claims that Adeyeye Ogunwusi, a prominent traditional ruler in the country's southwest, said president-elect Bola Tinubu did not win the February 2023 election. But this claim is misleading: the monarch congratulated Tinubu during a TV interview, while noting his election was "humbling" because the number of people who voted for opposition candidates totalled more than the number of votes for the president-elect. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Misleading: Joe Biden left an event before an Air Force Academy team presented gifts Social media users are claiming a video shows Joe Biden abruptly leaving a White House visit with the US Air Force Academy Falcons before the collegiate football team could present him with an honorific jersey, helmet and ball. This is misleading; the clip has been edited to omit footage of the president acknowledging each gift and posing for photos. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Missing Context: South Korean lawmakers submitted a bill forcing mandatory vaccinations and quarantine Misleading social media posts shared in South Korea claim that a proposed legislative bill on wastewater testing would make vaccinations and quarantine mandatory for residents in areas where viruses such as Covid-19 were detected. In fact, the draft bill from an opposition Democratic Party lawmaker makes no mention of forced vaccinations and quarantine. A spokesperson for South Korea's disease prevention agency told AFP that while it had started testing wastewater for disease-causing viruses, there was no plan to introduce forced vaccinations or quarantine for residents. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Misleading: Image shows newly inaugurated Vande Bharat train in India leaking water A photo of a train driver holding an umbrella to shelter from a leaky roof has surfaced online in India, with posts claiming it was taken onboard a train inaugurated in April 2023 in Kerala state by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the picture has circulated since at least 2017 and was taken in a different state on the other side of the country. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Video shows Iran’s aid to Russia got blown up in March 2023 An old video of a smoking field of debris has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in Chinese-language social media posts that falsely claim it shows Iranian military aid for Russia blown up by Israel in March 2023. But there is no evidence the event described in the posts actually occurred. The video was in fact shared by an Afghan official in the aftermath of a massive port fire in the country in February 2021. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Altered: Photo shows Lady Gaga attending the 2023 Met Gala Pictures of Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and Zendaya, purportedly taken during the 2023 Met Gala, were shared thousands of times on social media as celebrities graced the red carpet for the New York museum's famed benefit. But the photos are altered -- and the three celebrities did not attend the event honoring the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: State of emergency declared in Amhara region A post shared in late April on Facebook claimed that a three-month state of emergency had been declared in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region. However, this is false: no such announcement was made, and the Ethiopian communications minister confirmed to AFP Fact Check that the claim was unfounded. Meanwhile, an image shared in the post showing armed men was taken in the capital Addis Ababa, not in the Amhara region. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Satire: Image shows genuine Time Magazine cover featuring President Yoon Suk Yeol A satirical Time magazine cover story describing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as "The Doormat" who is working to "make his country dependant on the United States and Japan" has been shared repeatedly on social media. The image, however, was first posted on a satirical website that labelled it a fake cover. A Time spokesperson told AFP the magazine it did not publish the purported cover, while AFP found no trace of such an image on the magazine's website as of May 4. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Video of Nigerian army band preparing for Bola Tinubu's inauguration Video from Ghana (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Video shows New York City celebrating Tucker Carlson's ouster Social media users are sharing a video that purportedly shows New York City residents celebrating Fox News host Tucker Carlson's firing in April 2023. This is false; the footage depicts a celebration after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 US presidential election. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Khanna Voted For — a...: Khanna Voted For — and Against — Raising Debt Limit During Trump Era In the early hours of Feb. 9, 2018, Rep. Ro Khanna voted against a budget bill that also raised the federal debt limit. Khanna opposed the bill because it did not include a provision to protect so-called Dreamers — immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Ye (Source: FactCheck.org)
False: A photo shows that Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has been found in the ocean with no human remains. A tweet with a picture of a plane's cockpit underwater claims: "Malaysia Airplane MH370 that disappeared 9 years ago has been found under ocean with no human skeleton [sic]. The plane had 239 passengers on board." The tweet has over 15,000 shares. It's also been shared on Faceboo (Source: Full Fact)
False: An image shows millions of people protesting in France against "WEF globalist puppet" Emmanuel Macron. An image of large crowds in Paris has been shared on Twitter with the claim: "The French protests in the millions to tell WEF [World Economic Forum] globalist puppet [President] Macron to get the F out." It has over 2,000 retweets at the time of writing. A screenshot of the tweet (Source: Full Fact)
False: Video shows Sen. Josh Hawley threatening 'Biden's aide' with jail time Fact check: Video shows questions about Missouri school radiation, not threat of jail timeShow Caption Hide Caption Residents pick up after floodwaters recede in Nebraska Residents in Nebraska are beginning to clean up as floodwaters recede across the Midwest. (March 28) APThe claim: Video shows Sen. Josh Hawley threatening 'Biden's aide' with jail timeAn April 28 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows a clip of Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, questioning Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunksOur rating: FalseThe video shows Hawley questioning Granholm about the government's response to reports of radioactive waste contamination at a Missouri elementary school. Hawley questions Granholm about response to school contamination, no threats of 'jail time'Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, was closed after a private study reported radioactive contamination on the premises. Fact check: False claim video shows Jim Jordan calling Pelosi a 'witch'USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. (Source: USA Today)