Your weekly fact-checks
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#TrumpCheck
BBC
Mostly False: Trump said an Islamic State (IS) group in Nigeria is "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians".
Journalists found that the figures cited by Trump and other US politicians, which trace to one opaque Nigerian NGO, are difficult to verify, with other research groups reporting far lower numbers of Christians specifically targeted.
AP News
Mostly False: Trump says he’s ended eight wars.
President Trump claims to have ended eight wars in his second term, but many of these conflicts remain unresolved or were never actual wars. This includes ongoing issues in Gaza, renewed fighting between Cambodia-Thailand and Rwanda-Congo, and tensions like Egypt-Ethiopia that never escalated to war. While Trump has played a role in some ceasefires (Israel-Iran, India-Pakistan, Armenia-Azerbaijan), experts note these are often temporary agreements rather than permanent resolutions, and several have already seen renewed violence.
#Politics
StopFake
False: One in four Swedish women experiences rape due to the country’s government being focused only on helping Ukraine.
The statistics spread by propagandists are outdated and manipulative. The high rate of rape in Sweden is mainly caused by the fact that women are more likely to contact law enforcement agencies. Moreover, the legal definition of rape and the process of processing statistics in Sweden are different from those in other countries. The data has nothing to do with either the influx of migrants or aid to Ukraine.
Factchecker.gr
False: Ursula von der Leyen describing free speech as a virus and censorship as its vaccine.
A viral claim falsely alleges EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "Freedom of speech is a virus and censorship is the vaccine," but journalists found this is a deliberate distortion of her May 2024 speech about disinformation. Von der Leyen actually used a metaphor comparing information manipulation (not free speech) to a virus and prebunking (not censorship) to a vaccine, explaining how proactively educating citizens about manipulation techniques can build societal resilience against disinformation before it spreads.
StopFake
False: Odesa and Mykolaiv were “Created by Russian people”.
Historical records, both Ukrainian and international, indicate that neither Odesa nor Mykolaiv arose “from scratch,” as the Kremlin asserts. Instead, both cities developed over time from earlier settlements and existing trade centres.
#Economy
News Mobile
False: PM Modi said, “If We Consider 2 Rupees As 1 Rs, Dollar Will Become 45 Rs".
A viral social media graphic falsely claims Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "If we stop using 1 ₹ and consider 2 ₹ as 1 ₹, the dollar will automatically become 45 ₹." Journalists found no credible media coverage or posts on Modi's official social media accounts supporting this claim, confirming the graphic is fake and misleading.
#Healthcare
Snopes
Mostly False: Poinsettia plants are poisonous to cats and dogs.
Poinsettias are mildly toxic to cats and dogs, causing skin irritation from the plant's sap or stomach upset if ingested. Claims that poinsettias can cause serious health problems or death greatly exaggerate the risk, according to experts.
#Conflicts
Factly
False: NDTV journalist Aditya Raj Kaul reported that 15 Indian Army officers resigned over the past few days, citing extra-judicial operations in J&K.
NDTV journalist Aditya Raj Kaul did not make any such statement, and there is no evidence of Indian Army personnel resigning over extra-judicial operations in J&K. The viral video is digitally manipulated, with AI-generated/deepfake audio added to unrelated visuals.
WebQoof - The Quint
False: Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus said that his mother was raped by Pakistani soldiers during the 1971 liberation war, as per this Dhaka Tribune graphic.
The graphic is altered and there is no evidence of Yunus having made a statement of this nature, making the claim is false .
#WTF?! What The Fact of the week
Snopes
True: An 'Invisible Sculpture' was sold for $18K.
Italian artist Salvatore Garau reportedly sold an "invisible sculpture" called Lo Sono for €14,820 (about $18,030) at an Art Rite auction in May 2021, with the buyer receiving only a certificate of authenticity. While the artist, auction house, and certificate exist and can be verified, Garau describes these works as "immaterial sculptures" that exist in the void as "a space full of energy" based on quantum physics principles, making them intangible artworks that cannot physically be seen.
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