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All English Fact Checks
False: Policies to be enacted if Indigenous voice to parliament approved. A screenshot appearing to show a list of policies has been shared hundreds of times in Australian social media posts that falsely claim it shows measures that will come into force if the country votes to grant Indigenous people a voice in parliament. But the list is unrelated to the 'voice' referendum, and in fact shows ideas that were floated during meetings with Indigenous Australians to discuss constitutional recognition. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Clove-spiked limes will keep dengue-carrying mosquitoes away. As Sri Lankan officials warned of an increase in the number of cases of dengue, posts circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp that falsely claimed limes spiked with cloves would repel the mosquitoes that carry the viral infection. Although the "natural repellent" claim has spread online for years, health experts and an entomologist told AFP the home remedy should not be promoted as a way to prevent dengue. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Public Health Fakes: Ukrainian television reported on the work of “black transplant specialists”. Issue #36 Russian media once again spread horror stories about the activities of “black transplantologists” in Ukraine. Now they claim that journalists from “TSN” told the “truth” and showed how people are “harvested for organs” and others make money from it during the war. We also debunke (Source: Vox Ukraine)
False: Video of Muslim boy praying in street is from Karanataka in May 2023 A video of a Muslim boy praying in the middle of a busy street has been shared on social media with a false claim that it took place in the Indian state of Karnataka after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost to the opposition Congress party in local elections held in May 2023. The uploader of the video told AFP it was in fact filmed in the United Arab Emirates in January 2023. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Museveni's has died Days after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 on June 7, 2023, online posts circulated claiming his health had quickly deteriorated and that he was admitted to hospital where he died from coronavirus complications. But the 78-year-old, who was in self-isolation for more than a week, had not died; this soon became evident when he addressed the Ugandan parliament on June 15, 2023. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Misleading: Humphrey Nwosu declared MKO Abiola as the winner of 1993 election Nigeria's 1993 election is widely regarded as the country’s freest and fairest poll since its independence. Online claims now allege that the chairman of the electoral commission at the time declared opposition candidate Moshood Abiola as the winner. This is misleading: the electoral body was only able to declare partial results before a court order blocked any further announcements and the election was annulled. The commission’s chairman, Humphrey Nwosu, was thus unable to officially declare any winner. Years later, however, he said in an interview that Abiola “was the winner”. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: Thailand signed WHO pandemic treaty that strips the kingdom of sovereignty Social media posts that have circulated in May falsely claim Thailand "just signed" a World Health Organization pandemic accord that strips the kingdom of its power to deal with national health crises. Legal experts told AFP the draft accord aiming to help countries deal with pandemics after Covid-19 actually guarantees state sovereignty. The WHO and Thailand's disease control agency separately said negotiations are continuing until 2024. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
Partly False: If you call 999 but aren't able to speak, press 55. This means emergency services will be able to trace your location through new technology. A post on Facebook , shared more than 38,000 times, wrongly claims that "new technology" means people who are unable to speak on a 999 call can press 55 and the operator will be able to locate them. The post says: "If you ever find yourself dialling 999 and you can't speak press (Source: Full Fact)