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Not The Same: Judge Aileen Cannon, who was assigned to the Donald Trump documents case, appeared at a September 3, 2022, political rally for the former president in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Not The SameDid Judge Aileen Cannon, who was assigned to the Donald Trump documents case, appear at a September 3, 2022, political rally for the former president in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: There's no evidence to suggest she was at the event but a glib cap (Source: Lead Stories)
Only Platforms: Bill C-11, Online Streaming Act will censor social media users Only PlatformsHas Canada's Bill C-11 caused Canadians' social media posts to be censored, including posts about Canadian wildfires? No, that's not true: Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act, became law in Canada in April 2023. It requires that online streaming platfo (Source: Lead Stories)
False: Easter celebration in Saudi Arabia in 2023 A video of a parade featuring an image of Jesus Christ carrying the cross has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook and YouTube in posts that falsely claim it shows an Easter celebration in Saudi Arabia in 2023. The clip was actually taken during a Palm Sunday procession in Guatemala in early April 2023. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: South Africa to get new R500 note? No, old claim from 2009 resurfaces IN SHORT : South Africa's highest value banknote is R200. But after the Reserve Bank announced it would be issuing redesigned currency, a rumour about a new R500 note started circulating on social media. But the rumour is false, and has been for 14 years. On 3 May 2023, the South (Source: Africa Check)
Fake: Broadcaster NTV Kenya didn't report that Machakos governor Wavinya Ndeti sought deputy president's protection. Ignore fake graphic IN SHORT: As a land dispute rages in the Machakos county of Kenya, claims that a major TV station reported the governor as seeking protection from deputy president Rigathi Gachagua are false. A graphic posted on a public Facebook group claims that governor of Kenya's Machakos cou (Source: Africa Check)
Scam: Beware fake Facebook account misusing name of Kenya's first lady Rachel Ruto IN SHORT: Africa Check has exposed several Facebook accounts falsely claiming to offer cash and loans in the name of Kenya's first lady, Rachel Ruto. This is yet another. A Facebook account called Hon Rerrchel Chebet Ruttoh claims to be offering Kenyans money for their school fee (Source: Africa Check)
Scam: It's a scam! Beware of fake Unilever learnership and job ads doing the rounds on social media in South Africa IN SHORT: Unilever is once again warning social media users not to fall for a job scam using its name. The ads claim the company is recruiting people for learnerships and job opportunities. This is not true. Unilever is looking for over 8,000 people older than 18 to take part in (Source: Africa Check)
Incorrect: "Nigeria is the largest producer of corn in Africa …" The latest publicly available reliable data shows South Africa has grown more corn than Nigeria in the last three years. There is scant evidence that corn leaves can provide respite for respiratory diseases and even less, that the liquid from boiled corn kernels improves digestiv (Source: Africa Check)
Unproven: "Respiratory illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis can be treated by boiling the leaves [of corn] and inhaling the steam." The latest publicly available reliable data shows South Africa has grown more corn than Nigeria in the last three years. There is scant evidence that corn leaves can provide respite for respiratory diseases and even less, that the liquid from boiled corn kernels improves digestiv (Source: Africa Check)
Unproven: "In traditional medicine the most common use of corn is to boil the kernels and drink the liquid to treat various digestive disorders." The latest publicly available reliable data shows South Africa has grown more corn than Nigeria in the last three years. There is scant evidence that corn leaves can provide respite for respiratory diseases and even less, that the liquid from boiled corn kernels improves digestiv (Source: Africa Check)
Unproven: "Corn can also treat skin conditions and wounds by grinding the kernels into a paste to apply topically." The latest publicly available reliable data shows South Africa has grown more corn than Nigeria in the last three years. There is scant evidence that corn leaves can provide respite for respiratory diseases and even less, that the liquid from boiled corn kernels improves digestiv (Source: Africa Check)
False: No, sex has not been declared an official sport in Sweden IN SHORT: A claim that sex has been declared a sport in Sweden has been circulating online and reported by news outlets. But this is not true. Numerous social media posts circulating in South Africa and Nigeria in June 2023 claim Sweden has declared sexual intercourse an official (Source: Africa Check)
False: Sweden declares sex as a sport Viral claims about Sweden’s sports authorities approving sex as a national sport hogged global headlines on social media in June. However, the reports are false: the Swedish Sports Confederation confirmed rejecting an application for official recognition of sex as a sport. A "sex contest" hosted by SSF gave rise to the claims. The event was not endorsed by the national sports body. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Muslim man responsible for Odisha train crash After India's worst train disaster in decades killed at least 288 people, social media posts fanning the conspiracy theory that Muslims were responsible for the crash shared a photo of a man they identified as "Mohammed Sharif Ahmed", the manager of a railway station near the crash site. The posts racked up thousands of shares, but an Indian Railways spokesperson told AFP the man in the picture was in fact a railway employee with a different name and working in another part of the country. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Video shows execution at Debre Elias Monastery Online users have shared a graphic video of uniformed men shooting two people in the back of the head, claiming it was filmed in May 2023 at a monastery in northern Ethiopia where the military said it carried out an attack on militants. But the killing actually occurred in a different place: exclusive footage obtained by AFP Fact Check proves the clip shows an execution in the western Benishangul-Gumuz region, which has seen recurring violence linked to ethnic tensions. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission confirmed the location of what it described as an "extrajudicial execution". Local reports and sources indicate the incident took place in early 2022. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Ninety-three per cent of children who change their gender end up regretting it. The claim 93 per cent of children who undergo gender transition later regret it is false. Studies assessing levels of regret among transgender people mostly put the figure at about one per cent or lower. (Source: Australian Associated Press - AAP)
False: Video shows Muslims are attacking devotees on their way to Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. A video showing a physical altercation between a group of people and a few horse and mule operators in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand is going viral online with a false and communal claim that the clip shows Muslim men attacking Hindu devotees at the pilgrimage site.BOOM spoke to DSP Gup (Source: BOOM Live)
False: Video shows massive waves capsising a boat in the Arabian sea during Cyclone Biparjoy A video from February 2023 of a massive wave capsising a boat during a rescue operation by the US Coast Guard near the mouth of the Columbia River off the coast of Washington and Oregon is being shared with a false claim that it shows footage captured in the Arabian Sea during Cy (Source: BOOM Live)
False: A diamond rattlesnake has bitten a dog, which is now fighting for its life. Hoax posts claiming that a rattlesnake has bitten and seriously injured a dog have been shared hundreds of times in Facebook groups around the UK. Full Fact has seen examples of the posts in "buy and sell" groups in Dudley (West Midlands) , Carluke (Lanarkshire) , Alfreton (Derby (Source: Full Fact)
The government is cu...: The government is cutting waiting lists. We're cutting waiting lists Rishi Sunak MP, 31 May 2023 . The Prime Minister recently claimed in a tweet shared by several other ministers that the government is cutting waiting lists in the NHS. This is a general claim that the Conservative party has also made before. It has als (Source: Full Fact)
False: A map shows that Poland has not been the target of any terror attacks, the lack of which is a result of the country’s “strict no-migrants policy.” THE FACTS:A screenshot of the map spread online in recent days alongsideerroneous claimsthat it showsa linkbetweenPoland’s migration policies and low levels of terrorism. (Source: Associated Press - AP News)
Miscaptioned: Video does not show Trump supporters marching to the Miami courthouse in June 2023 A video of people with “Trump 2020” flags near the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. has been falsely labeled as footage of supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump marching to the Miami courthouse in June 2023 following his indictment. On Friday, a federal grand jur (Source: Reuters)
Synthetic Media: Image of Tom Cruise with stunt doubles is AI-generated An AI-generated image purporting to show American actor Tom Cruise alongside two of his stunt doubles has confused social media users online. Its creator said it was made using artificial intelligence (AI) based text-to-image generator Midjourney. The widely shared image (here) c (Source: Reuters)
False: Donald Trump was charged with espionage Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunksOur rating: FalseLegal experts said Trump was not charged with espionage in the classified documents probe. He was charged with the willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act for allegedly possessing documents related to national security. Experts said the Espionage Act encompasses crimes other than espionage itself. The Espionage Act encompasses multiple issues involving national defense information independent of actual spying or espionage, Moss said. Kevin Bishop, Graham’s spokesperson, told USA TODAY in an email that 31 of the 37 charges reference the Espionage Act. (Source: USA Today)
False: Video shows Senator Orji Kalu vowing support for IPOB The secessionist movements in Nigeria’s southeast region have spun many false claims on social media, including one that a video shows Senator Orji Uzor Kalu from Abia state vowing to push for a referendum on the region's independence. But the claim is false: in the video, Kalu talks about the need for unity in Nigeria. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Vehicles seized from Nigeria’s suspended central bank governor Nigerian social media users are sharing a video with claims that it shows a fleet of luxury vehicles found at the home of the country’s suspended central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele. But this is false: the video was taken during a raid on the residence of Bello Matawalle, the former governor of Zamfara state in northwest Nigeria, where authorities seized dozens of high-end government-owned vehicles. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Image shows Ethiopian soldiers captured in Amhara region A photo shared on Facebook purportedly show armed opposition forces from Amhara with Ethiopian government soldiers captured in May 2023. However, this is false: the photo was posted online in September 2022 along with other images of Ethiopian prisoners of war captured in Tigray during the civil war in the country’s northern region. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Satire: No evidence of Donald Trump Truth Social post saying he secretly pardoned himself There is no evidence that former U.S. President Donald Trump published a Truth Social post claiming that he plans to issue himself a “secret pardon” after prosecutors unsealed an indictment against him on June 9. The screenshot appears to show a post published via Donald Trump’s (Source: Reuters)
False: Claims KitchenAid is removing its products from Target stem from satire American home appliance brand KitchenAid is not removing its products from U.S. retail chain Target’s stores as of mid-June 2023. The claim originated from a satirical website called The Dunning-Kruger Times. The story is being circulated after Target pulled some items from its P (Source: Reuters)
False: No evidence Nigeria's president Bola Tinubu has suspended state oil firm boss as claimed online IN SHORT: The new leader of the country is setting up his stall, but there is no evidence to suggest that he has removed Mele Kyari from office. Shortly after Nigeria's president Bola Tinubu suspended central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele , there have been viral claims that the (Source: Africa Check)
Scam: Beware fake Facebook account misusing name of Kenya's first lady Rachel Ruto IN SHORT: Africa Check has exposed several Facebook accounts falsely claiming to offer cash and loans in the name of Kenya's first lady, Rachel Ruto. This is yet another. A Facebook account called Hon Rerrchel Chebet Ruttoh claims to be offering Kenyans money for their school fee (Source: Africa Check)
Miscaptioned: People depicted in a video that circulated in mid-June 2023 were neo-Nazi militia members who were gathering to support former U.S. President Donald Trump. About this rating On June 13, 2023, the Twitter account Terror Alarm (@Terror_Alarm) posted a video that showed at least hundreds of people, most whom appeared to be men, gathering in a large, white room and reciting the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. The caption of the tweet read, " (Source: Snopes)
False: Facebook is set to begin charging users $4.99 per month. About this rating Although Meta did announce in February 2023 that Facebook and Instagram users would be offered the option to pay for verification badges on their profiles, as of this writing the company has announced no plans to charge for use of the platform itself. In Februar (Source: Snopes)
Online Posts Misrepr...: Online Posts Misrepresent Coin Commemorating Trump’s Second Indictment A privately owned company called the White House Gift Shop is selling a coin commemorating the second indictment of former President Donald Trump. But, contrary to a misleading tweet from Sen. Bill Cassidy, the online sales company is not affiliated with the White House in Washin (Source: FactCheck.org)
Misleading: Joe Biden has 1,850 boxes of classified documents at University of Delaware As Donald Trump faces federal charges for mishandling US government secrets, the former president and his allies are claiming Joe Biden is hiding 1,850 boxes of his own classified documents at the University of Delaware. This is false; the president donated papers from his 36 years in the Senate, which are considered personal property and not subject to the rules governing presidential records, to his alma mater more than a decade ago. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Italy's prime minister created a 'Family Pride Month' in opposition to LGBTQ+ Pride Month No, Italian prime minister did not announce 'Family Pride Month' | Fact checkShow Caption Hide Caption Protests outside Pride month assembly at Los Angeles school Protests outside Pride month assembly at Los Angeles school APThe claim: Italy's prime minister created a 'Family Pride Month' in opposition to LGBTQ+ Pride MonthA June 4 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) features images of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and shows a man talking about a purported development in Italy. “Italy’s Prime Minister has announced ‘Family Pride Month’ as a counter to ‘normal’ Pride Month,” reads the video's caption. “Family Pride Month will now celebrate mothers, fathers and the children they raise instead of, you know.”The post garnered more than 37,000 likes in two days. Italy’s prime minister did not announce ‘Family Pride Month’ to oppose LGBTQ+ Pride in JuneContrary to the post's claims, there is no announcement of a “Family Pride Month” on Italy's government website or on any of Meloni’s official social media accounts. Creating a “Family Prime Month” to oppose LGBTQ+ Pride is not something the group is attempting to do, Coghe said. (Source: USA Today)
False: Pride flag colors reference pedophilia An American activist claims on social media that a version of the LGBTQ pride flag includes colors alluding to pedophilia. This is false; the pink, blue and white stripes on the Progress Pride Flag represent transgender people. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Misleading: Drag performer did not expose genitals to children in 2019 Minnesota event A 2019 photo of a drag performer has recirculated with the false impression that they flashed their genitals to children at a library, but unedited photos show the performer was clothed. The original photo shows a drag performer who goes by the name Sasha Sota during an event cal (Source: Reuters)
False: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken publicly criticises External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over ‘attacks against Christians’ under BJP rule in India. Direct Attack on the Indian Minister of External Affairs by US Secretary of State, MR. ANTHONY BLINKEN.Please read it fully.😞👍_INDIAN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER DR. JAISANKAR WAS SOMEWHAT SHOCKED AND PUZZLED TO HEAR THE STATEMENT FROM THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN ABO (Source: Newschecker)
Mostly False: Earwax removal sprays clean the ear safely Is it safe to use earwax removal sprays at home?Not exactly. Earwax removal sprays may not clean the ear safely. It is better to consult a medical professional before using it at home. While earwax removal sprays can help soften and loosen earwax, they carry certain risks. Sprayi (Source: Thip Media)
False: LGBTQIA+ linked to mental disorders Is there a causal relationship between LGBTQIA+ identity and mental disorders?No. Being LGBTQIA+ can be associated with unique challenges and social experiences, such as social stigma, discrimination, prejudice, family rejection, and lack of acceptance. Our research also shows th (Source: Thip Media)
False: CM Siddaramaiah celebrates with people from the Muslim community after winning the elections in Karnataka. Vishvas News in its investigation found that the viral video of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar is being shared with misleading claims of celebrating the poll victory with members of Muslim community. A video of an Iftar party, which took place i (Source: Vishvasnews)
False: Karnataka CM made the football team wait on the footpath The incident of the Chief Minister of Karnataka making the Santosh Trophy-winning football team wait on the footpath outside his residence happened during the BJP government's tenure, when Basavaraj Bommai was the CM; not during the newly formed Congress government's regime. Vish (Source: Vishvasnews)
True: On June 13, 2023, during a split-screen broadcast of Donald Trump’s post-arraignment speech and remarks by Joe Biden, a Fox News chyron read, “Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested.” About this rating On June 13, 2023, hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in a Miami courtroom to dozens of charges stemming from the alleged mishandling of classified documents, he delivered a speech from his New Jersey golf resort. Fox News broadcast (Source: Snopes)
False: Dairy Queen giving free Blizzards to people who share, comment on post Blizzards offered on Dairy Queen rewards app, not by sharing Facebook post | Fact checkShow Caption Hide Caption How to make ice cream at home with 3 ingredients You can make ice cream at home with just three ingredients. “For May of this year at Dairy Queen we wanted to do something special because we know times are tough,” reads the post. “We’ve decided to reward everyone who $hares & comments before May 28th with 2 FREE Blizzard which can be redeemed at any location.”It was shared nearly 200 times. There is a way people can earn a free Blizzard, but it's not through a Facebook post. Any legitimate Dairy Queen discount offers are promoted on Dairy Queen’s official social media accounts, website or app, and deals from other sources "cannot be verified," Ottaunick said. (Source: USA Today)