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All English Fact Checks
False: No evidence garlic-infused water can treat yeast infections – seek medical advice IN SHORT: Garlic is a common ingredient in home remedies, and has been shown to have some medicinal properties. But there is conflicting evidence and not enough research to say it can treat yeast infections. A video claiming that garlic water can treat a yeast infection has been (Source: Africa Check)
Scam: Beware! Facebook page 'Free Joining Illuminati Nakuru Temple' is just another fake page with scam offers IN SHORT: Scammers are targeting Facebook users in Kenya, promising them money and riches if they join the Illuminati. Know the signs of a scam and be careful not to become their next victim. The Facebook page Free Joining Illuminati Nakuru Temple claims it can change people's fo (Source: Africa Check)
Misleading: Video shows another “warrior” commemorating June 4 in Nanjing in 2023 A video of a man publicly lamenting the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in China has been viewed tens of thousands of times in social media posts that misleadingly claim it was filmed in 2023. While it does show a protester calling for the events of June 4, 1989 to be commemorated, the video has circulated since 2017. According to news reports, the man was arrested for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" -- a vague charge often used by authorities in the country to stifle dissent. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Videos show Liverpool boss praising Son Heung-min to Chinese reporter Two YouTube videos have been shared repeatedly in Korean-language social media posts that falsely claim they show Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp defending South Korean football player Son Heung-min from a Chinese reporter's rude questions. But the Korean subtitles and voiceover are not an accurate translation of Klopp's words, which were taken from two separate press interviews he gave that were unrelated to Son. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Labor has used $360m of taxpayer money to fund the ‘yes’ vote. The claim that $360m of taxpayer money has gone into funding the ‘yes’ vote for an Indigenous voice to parliament is false. The government’s Budget 2023-24 papers reveal the bulk of the money will go to the AEC to facilitate the referendum vote, with other funds going towards Indigenous mental health support and neutral public civics education and awareness activities. (Source: Australian Associated Press - AAP)
Missing Context: HPMV infection has a 43% mortality rate 100 days after infection As health authorities in the United States reported an uptick in human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infections in May, posts have circulated on Chinese social media misleadingly claiming a study has found the respiratory disease kills four in 10 patients. These posts misrepresent the findings of an old study that looked into a small number of patients with serious underlying conditions. Infectious disease experts told AFP the study's findings do not apply to the general population. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Altered Image: This image shows a Hindu temple in Sri Lanka An image of a structure atop a tall, slender island has been shared thousands of times in social media posts that falsely claim the site is an ancient Hindu temple in Sri Lanka. But the image has been digitally altered to combine a picture of a temple in India with an image of Ko Tapu island in Thailand. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: The video shows an Indian woman being taken to burn alive after her husband's death. A video showing a woman dressed as a bride being carried in a carriage while crying is going viral on social media.What's the claim?: The viral video carries Arabic text, which translates to "if her husband dies, they bury her alive with him."The claim further states that the vid (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)
False: Video shows senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal dancing to a Hindi song. A video of a man dancing to the song 'Aa Hi Jaiye' from the 2001 Hindi film Lajja at the beach has gone viral on social media, where users have identified the dancer as senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal.The claim: The post is being shared in bad taste, mocking Kirpal and sharing the (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)
Mostly False: you should eat stale bread (roti) to gain weight Can eating stale food induce weight gain?Not exactly. No evidence shows that eating stale chapati and milk, will directly induce weight gain. However, consuming stale food may lead to increased calorie intake, reduced nutrient content, and digestive issues, which might contribute (Source: Thip Media)
Half True: After Odisha train accident, individuals are damaging train tracks in protest against the Centre Vishvas News conducted a thorough investigation and determined that the viral video is one year old, depicting the protests in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, against the Agneepath scheme. Some individuals are currently attempting to spread confusion by circulating the video from that time (Source: Vishvasnews)
False: These videos show PM Narendra Modi watching Dhirendra Krishna Shastri on television. Two videos are going viral on the internet, with users claiming that they show Prime Minister Narendra Modi watching Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, also known as Bageshwar Dham Sarkar of Bageshwar Dham temple, on his television.(Swipe right to view both claims.) (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)
False: Video shows cattle killed by COVID-19 vaccines. This video shows cattle killed after eating poisonous sorghum plants in Italy in 2022. They didn’t die because of COVID-19 vaccines. (Source: PolitiFact)
False: Photo shows bodies from Ethiopian monastery massacre Following reports of a government attack on a monastery in Ethiopia's Amhara region, an image emerged on social media claiming to show the bodies of people killed during the siege. But this is false: the photo is old and unrelated to the incident. The photo was taken by an AFP photographer nearly a decade ago and shows quarry workers killed by Al Shabab militants who crossed into Kenya from Somalia to carry out a deadly assault. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Unproven: As a result of measles vaccination, "children are now suffering" from "adverse effects, some serious". The article depends on a number of widely circulated but even more widely debunked anti-vaxx myths. The claim that children "suffer" serious adverse effects from the measles vaccine is unproven but it has been shown that children who contract measles are at much higher risk of se (Source: Africa Check)
Incorrect: The measles vaccines being given to children "could" be "traditional measles shots, mRNA based measles shots, or C-19 shots". The article depends on a number of widely circulated but even more widely debunked anti-vaxx myths. The claim that children "suffer" serious adverse effects from the measles vaccine is unproven but it has been shown that children who contract measles are at much higher risk of se (Source: Africa Check)
Incorrect: The measles vaccine can be "shed, causing the virus to be spread to others". The article depends on a number of widely circulated but even more widely debunked anti-vaxx myths. The claim that children "suffer" serious adverse effects from the measles vaccine is unproven but it has been shown that children who contract measles are at much higher risk of se (Source: Africa Check)
Posts Misrepresent V...: Posts Misrepresent Virtual Rainbow on Arc de Triomphe for Pride Month A video artist posted an animation of a large rainbow coiling around and through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on June 1 in celebration of Pride Month and support for the LGBTQ+ community. But posts on social media falsely suggested the rainbow had been physically installed and “d (Source: FactCheck.org)
Instagram Post Misle...: Instagram Post Misleads About Pfizer’s RSV Maternal Vaccine Clinical trial data for Pfizer’s maternal vaccine to protect babies from RSV support the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, according to a vote by an FDA advisory committee. The FDA could soon approve the vaccine. But a popular social media post makes misleading claims about the tria (Source: FactCheck.org)
False: Lindsey Graham has endorsed Trump, not Pence, for 2024 Lindsey Graham, Republican U.S. Senator of South Carolina, did not endorse former Vice President Mike Pence for the 2024 Republican race for the White House in June 2023, despite online posts sharing the unsubstantiated claim. Pence officially announced his candidacy for the 2024 (Source: Reuters)
Miscaptioned: Clip shows cows that died after eating poisonous plants A clip that shows sick and dead cows lying on a dried grass shows animals that were poisoned after eating certain plants during a prolonged drought in Italy in August 2022. The clip does not show cows that died after being vaccinated with a bovine “mRNA vaccine,” the veterinarian (Source: Reuters)
Miscaptioned: The UN did not replace its country flags with Pride flags A photo showing rainbow flags at the Rockefeller Center in New York was miscaptioned online to say it shows the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters. U.N. spokesperson Shirin Yaseen said in an email that the flags of the organization’s member countries were not removed for Pride 20 (Source: Reuters)
Miscaptioned: Teary-eyed Trump video predates his classified records probe by multiple years A video saying it shows former U.S. President Donald Trump teary eyed and talking about “carelessness with classified material” is from 2016. Some online posts are sharing it in June 2023, following his indictment for classified records. U.S. prosecutors unsealed an indictment on (Source: Reuters)
False: Las personas atraídas a los menores de edad “ya tienen su bandera del orgullo”. La bandera fue creada por un usuario de Tumblr en 2018 como una broma. La bandera fue esparcida en Internet y puede que haya sido usada por personas "atraídas" a niños, pero la mayoría de las publicaciones que la compartieron lo hicieron para condenar su uso.Grupos de abogacía LGBTQ+ no han incorporado abogacía hacia la pedofilia en su trabajo, ni tampoco han adoptado o compartido la bandera. (Source: PolitiFact)
Boris Johnson won th...: Boris Johnson won the largest general election majority for 44 years. Conservative peer Lord Cruddas, president of the Conservative Democratic Organisation, made incorrect claims on Twitter relating to the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's election record. After being contacted by Full Fact, he has now tweeted a correction. The original post, p (Source: Full Fact)
Boris Johnson has ne...: Boris Johnson has never lost a campaign or election. Conservative peer Lord Cruddas, president of the Conservative Democratic Organisation, made incorrect claims on Twitter relating to the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's election record. After being contacted by Full Fact, he has now tweeted a correction. The original post, p (Source: Full Fact)
Miscaptioned: Video of fire column predates May 13 missile strike in Ternopil A video of a column of fire has been falsely claimed online to show the aftermath of a May 13 missile attack on the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil. However, the video dates from at least Jan. 28 when it was shared in relation to an oil refinery fire in Iran. “In Ternopil, a s (Source: Reuters)
Miscaptioned: Video of water release from Nova Khakovka dam unrelated to June breach Video of water being released at the intact Nova Khakovka dam in Kherson, Ukraine, in April 2023 does not show a release of water following the June 6 breach of the dam, as claimed in social media posts. The footage is circulating online alongside the claim that Ukraine has opene (Source: Reuters)
For a recall petitio...: For a recall petition to succeed, 10,000 constituents must support it. During an interview on Sky News on Monday 12 June, following former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation as an MP, Labour MP and shadow secretary of state for business and industrial strategy Jonathan Reynolds said that a recall petition succeeds if "ten thousand constituen (Source: Full Fact)
True: Some McDonald's locations features sign with a single golden arch instead of the usual two. About this rating For some years, social media users have been sharing picturesand variousvideos of McDonald's single-arched signs. (@HalxQuixotic/Reddit) Some even added that the single-arched sign also featured an image of Speedee (the first McDonald's mascot). McDonald's resta (Source: Snopes)
Miscaptioned: Video of water release from Nova Kakhovka dam unrelated to June breach Video of water being released at the intact Nova Kakhovka dam in Kherson, Ukraine, in April 2023 does not show a release of water following the June 6 breach of the dam, as claimed in social media posts. The footage is circulating online alongside the claim that Ukraine has opene (Source: Reuters)
False: Wildfires in Canada were started by helicopters with flame throwers Social media users sharing a video of a helicopter dropping flames on a forest repeat claims that Canada's wildfire emergency is the result of blazes set on purpose. This is false; officials confirmed the video shows a heli-torch executing a controlled burn, which is an established suppression tactic where a fire's fuel is set alight as a containment measure before it reaches populated areas. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Video shows Santosh Trophy Champion winning Karnataka football team waiting outside CM Siddaramaiah's house A video showing footballers from the Karnataka state team waiting on a pavement outside former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's residence after winning the Santosh Trophy in March this year is being shared with a false claim that it is recent.The video is being shared (Source: BOOM Live)
False: The First Congregational Church at Spencer, Boston was destroyed after a fire due to a gay wedding taking place there. A video of the First Congregational Church in Spencer, Massachusetts burning down is being shared with a false claim that the fire took place due to the church's pro-LGBTQIA+ stance. Some claims also state that the fire occurred when a gay marriage was happening in the church in (Source: BOOM Live)
Missing Context: Karnataka Chief Minister mistreated the state football team who recently won the Santosh Trophy. Authors Vasudha Beri Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joi (Source: Newschecker)
False: Man gets electrocuted while trying to offer namaz on top of a transmission tower. 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.ClaimMan gets electrocuted while trying to offer namaz on top of transmiss (Source: Newschecker)
False: Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from test cricket. A note is being shared on social media platforms to claim that Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from the test format of the game.The context: It is being shared after India lost to Australia in the finals of 2023 ICC World Test Championship (W (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)