Your weekly fact-checks
#Politics
India Today
Half True: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni is bringing an anti-George Soros law in Italy.
This quote from Giorgia Meloni was taken from a video that was published in June 2018. At the time, the Italian PM was Giuseppe Conte and Meloni was in the Opposition. She did not say this quote recently.
Snopes
Half True: The Biden administration granted Iran $10 billion in sanctions relief days after Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The Biden administration renewed a 2018 sanctions waiver for Iraq on Nov. 7, 2024, allowing Iraq to continue to purchase energy from Iran. However, the Biden administration did not grant Iran $10 billion in sanctions relief out of the blue and seemingly not in response to the recent election result.
Snopes
True: Time magazine selected U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as its 2024 person of the year.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was named Time magazine's 2024 Person of the Year, confirmed on Dec. 12 after rumors circulated online the day before. The recognition highlights Trump's political comeback from a defeated former president to a decisive 2024 election winner, with reports from outlets like The Associated Press and The New York Times supporting the announcement.
#Healthcare
Lead Stories
False: South African trauma surgeon Dr Vicky Jennings dies after suffering a sudden heart attack due to COVID-19 vaccine.
Jennings' colleague and head of department told Lead Stories that he can "unequivocally confirm that her death was in no way related to vaccination." A medico-legal autopsy required by law in South Africa confirmed that she died of a pulmonary embolus after a long flight. "There were no associated other risk factors," said her colleague. The implied claim appeared in a post to Facebook with a collage of photos of Jennings.
Lead Stories
False: Nicotine eliminates brain tumors.
A brain cancer expert from the University of Nebraska Medical Center said nicotine doesn't help and may actually reduce a person's chances of recovering from brain tumors or cancer. Nicotine is harmful, and addictive and can raise the risk of certain cancers.
PolitiFact
False: New $40K AIDS cure is nearly 100% effective and requires two shots yearly.
Lenacapavir has been shown to be nearly 100% effective for pre-exposure prevention of HIV transmission, not treatment, when administered every six months. There is no cure for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), but effective treatment is available.
#Disasters
PolitiFact
False: Video shows a drone crash in New Jersey.
The video shows scenes of the aftermath of a fatal plane crash on the Connecticut-New York border, not a drone. The National Transportation Safety Board said the crash happened in Greenwich, Connecticut, on I-684 while the plane was attempting to land at the nearby Westchester County Airport in New York.
India Today
Half True: This video shows a car overturning due to a recent storm in Chennai.
The India Meteorological Department predicts heavy rainfall across southern states and issued a yellow alert for heavy rains in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu districts on December 11 and 12. Now, a video claiming a car overturned amid a powerful storm is being shared widely on the internet. However, the viral video is not recent; it was from 2016. It shows a car overturning when Tropical Cyclone Vardah hit Chennai.
#Conflicts
USA Today
False: ABC News reported that 1 million Ukrainian soldiers have died in over two years of war.
ABC News did not report that 1 million Ukrainian soldiers have died in two and a half years of war. The video is an altered version of an ABC News report published in 2023 and includes fabricated audio narration.
Lead Stories
False: Image shows Bono and Bob Geldof waving Israeli flags.
The claim appeared in a post on X on December 17, 2024. AI detection tools found that the image was generated using AI technology. The image first appeared on a self-described "fake news" and "satire" account on X.
#Nordics
Tjekdet
Albatros Travel Group har et nyt krydstogtskib, der er »bæredygtigt« og »miljøvenligt«.
Rejsekoncernen Albatros Travel Group markedsfører et nyt krydstogtskib som »bæredygtigt« og »miljøvenligt«, selv om krydstogtbranchen har et stort klima- og miljømæssigt fodaftryk. Eksperter kalder markedsføringen vildledende, fordi krydstogtskibet sejler på fossilt brændstof. Albatros Travel Group forsvarer deres markedsføring, men siger, at de i fremtiden vil tilrettelægge den, så den kun udtrykker det, de med sikkerhed kan stå inde for.
#WTF?! What The Fact of the week
Snopes
True: Kids Once Asked Santa for Atomic Bombs as Christmas Presents, Per 1945 Newspaper.
A viral image of a 1945 newspaper headline stating "Youngsters ask Santa Claus for atom bombs" is real but slightly altered. The original article, published in The Miami Daily News on December 3, 1945, reported that Chicago children were requesting atomic bombs in their letters to Santa, reflecting the post-WWII cultural impact of nuclear weapons. While the social media version isolated the passage and moved the date above the headline, the actual newspaper included it among articles on unemployment, missing persons, and health issues. The story highlighted how the events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki lingered in the public consciousness, even influencing children's Christmas wishes.
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