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Misleading: Rise in atmospheric CO2 is tiny In a video viewed tens of thousands of times on social media, a US congressman claims the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is "tiny." This is misleading; while the numbers cited are correct, they fail to account for the fact that even a relatively small proportion of CO2 has a strong warming effect that drives climate change. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

Misleading: Anthony Fauci said in an April 2023 interview that masks do not work Face mask skeptics are claiming Anthony Fauci admitted in an April 2023 interview that the coverings are ineffective at preventing the spread of Covid-19. This is misleading; the former top US infectious disease expert acknowledged that public health initiatives focused on mask-wearing may have a marginal impact at the population level, but he went on to say high-quality face coverings are effective for individuals who wear them often and correctly. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Lion roaming in Khartoum amid clashes As heavy fighting in Khartoum raises concerns about the fate of animals in a wildlife reserve, online posts have alleged to show footage of a lion roaming the streets of Sudan’s capital. However, the claim is false: AFP Fact Check found the video was old and filmed in Libya. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Video shows a 2023 police attack in Chicago A video shared on Twitter purports to show a street fight involving police in the US city of Chicago in April 2023. This is false; the clip was filmed in Kansas City, Missouri in November 2022 and showed private security guards grappling with visitors in an entertainment district. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Video shows looting in Chicago in April 2023 A video circulating on social media purports to show people looting a Target store in 2023 in either Philadelphia or Chicago. This is false; the footage was taken in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Kenya's Ruto among TIME's '50 most influential' Just a day after US-based TIME magazine published its list of the 100 most influential people of the year, a purported cover was shared online featuring Kenya’s President William Ruto as one of those selected. But this is false: Ruto was not on TIME’s 2023 list, nor did his portrait appear on the magazine’s cover. The image of the fake cover was digitally altered. TIME has also dismissed the claim as fake. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Slain Indian politician Atiq Ahmed saved Congress party in 2008 Multiple Indian media outlets falsely reported that slain ex-opposition politician Atiq Ahmed "saved" the ruling coalition government in 2008 when he purportedly supported it in a key vote on a nuclear deal with the United States. In fact, Ahmed voted against the then-government in the motion as MP for Uttar Pradesh, parliament records show. The author of the book, which became a reference point for the misreporting, told AFP that he had made a factual error in the text. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Photo features the house of Prophet Mohammed’s daughter An image of a traditional Turkish beehive house has been shared hundreds of times in social media posts that falsely claim it shows a house that was once inhabited by the Prophet Mohammed's daughter, Fatima. However, the Christian minister who took the picture told AFP it shows a house in a southern Turkish town, where experts said there is no historical record of the prophet or his daughter ever having lived or visited. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Video shows Celine Dion in a wheelchair A video has been shared multiple times on social media in Nigeria with claims that it shows singer Celine Dion in a wheelchair. This is the latest in a series of false allegations targeting the Canadian superstar after she announced that she was suffering from a rare neurological disorder and postponed her 2023 European tour. The person in the clip is not Dion but an American woman who was filmed attending her son’s wedding. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

Partly False: BlackRock owns large stakes in both Fox and Dominion Voting Systems Social media posts claim investment giant BlackRock has major holdings in both Fox Corp and Dominion Voting Systems, suggesting this is why the US television company fired host Tucker Carlson after it settled a defamation case with the election technology firm. This is partly false; BlackRock owns shares in the similarly named Dominion Energy -- not the voting business -- and a minority stake in the media group controlled by the Murdoch family. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)