A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in Twitter, Facebook and Weibo posts alongside a claim it shows visual footage and sound captured by NASA’s Perseverance rover during the US space agency's latest Mars mission in February 2021. The c
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AFP Fact Check→ AFP photo from 2018 circulates in misleading posts about unrest in Nigeria’s southeast region
An image of a soldier rappelling from a chopper has been shared hundreds of times in Facebook posts with claims that it shows the Nigerian army attacking a local militia using a “war helicopter”. Although there has been a resurgence of unrest in
AFP Fact Check→ Old photo of former Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni circulates online with false claims
An image showing former Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni standing on a tractor has circulated online in social media posts that claim that he is supports a tractor rally organised by protesting Indian farmers in January 2021. The claim is false:
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates on Facebook that only South Koreans have Covid-19 antibodies
Multiple Facebook posts circulating online in February 2021 claim that only people from South Korea have Covid-19 antibodies, citing a South Korean scientific study as evidence. The claim is misleading: according to one of the co-authors of the sci
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates that US medical journal endorsed hydroxychloroquine as Covid treatment
Facebook posts shared around the world, including by US conservative website Gateway Pundit and an Australian politician, claim the American Journal of Medicine endorsed hydroxychloroquine as a Covid-19 treatment. This is misleading; the journal pu
AFP Fact Check→ Indian anti-citizenship law protest footage recirculates online in false posts about farmers’ protests
A video of a crowd chanting has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook in 2021 alongside a claim it shows people urging Delhi police to beat Indian farmers protesting against new agricultural laws. The claim is false: the foota
AFP Fact Check→ Old video circulates alongside false claim Delhi police quit after clashes with protesting farmers
After clashes broke out between police and protesting Indian farmers in Delhi on January 26, 2021, footage of a distressed police official has been viewed tens of thousands of times in social media posts claiming it shows a “revolt” and mass resi
AFP Fact Check→ Doctored photo of Rihanna with Pakistani flag circulates online after singer tweeted support for Indian farmers’ protests
An image purportedly showing Rihanna holding the national flag of Pakistan has circulated online in social media posts after the pop star tweeted her support for protesting farmers in India. But the image, which was shared tens of thousands of times,
AFP Fact Check→ Clip from German TV programme circulates in misleading posts about coronavirus vaccines and Bill Gates
As countries around the world scramble to roll out vaccination campaigns, a video showing computer-generated images of people being implanted with microchips is circulating online alongside warnings that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates plans to "obtain
AFP Fact Check→ Image of fabricated CNN tweet circulates online following Pakistani missile test
An image has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter that purports to show a tweet from US media organisation CNN stating the "actual range" of Pakistani Shaheen-III missiles is 5,770 km. The posts circulated with
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates in South Africa linking AstraZeneca vaccine to China
A Facebook post shared by a widely followed account in the name of a South African politician claims that pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca - whose Covid-19 vaccines are set to be rolled out in the country - is owned by a rich Chinese man. The claim
AFP Fact Check→ ‘Jason Derulo’ meme recirculates online in satirical social media posts about Biden’s inauguration
A photo has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Twitter that claim it shows singer-songwriter Jason Derulo falling down the stairs at US President Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021. The photo, however, has been circulatin
AFP Fact Check→ Fake letter ‘from jailed Samsung heir’ circulates online in South Korea
A purported letter from jailed Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has been shared repeatedly on Facebook and on South Korean platforms Kakao Talk and Naver blog in January 2021. The letter purports to state that Lee intends to relocate the
AFP Fact Check→ Image of hoax poster from Irish health service circulates online as Covid-19 cases soar
As coronavirus cases surge in Ireland, a picture of a poster that appears to be from the national health service asking people to report their neighbours for not wearing a mask has been circulating on Facebook around the world. The image is a hoax;
AFP Fact Check→ Edited, manipulated clip of former Pakistani diplomat discussing 2019 Indian air strike circulates on social media and in mainstream Indian press
A purported clip of a Pakistani TV programme that appears to show a former Pakistani diplomat admitting that India’s air strike against the country in February 2019 killed at least 300 people has been viewed tens of thousands times in Facebook, Twi
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax CNN article circulates online that doctors ‘encourage Covid-19 vaccine injections in penis’
Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times in Myanmar claim that doctors encourage injecting Covid-19 vaccines into the penis. The posts shared a screenshot of a purported report from US broadcaster CNN. The claim is false: the image in the posts
AFP Fact Check→ False EU statement about rescue of kidnapped kids circulates in Nigeria
After Nigeria secured the release of hundreds of schoolboys abducted by Boko Haram in December 2020, the president’s aide tweeted a quote from an alleged statement by “the EU Human Rights Forum” praising the government's swift rescue response.
AFP Fact Check→ Fake Nancy Pelosi letter circulates online
An image of a letter allegedly sent by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler suggesting how to respond to “riots” in the northwestern US city is circulating online. But Pelosi’s office said the letter is “fake,
AFP Fact Check→ Fake Nancy Pelosi letter circulates online
An image of a letter allegedly sent by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler suggesting how to respond to “riots” in the northwestern US city is circulating online. But Pelosi’s office said the letter is “fake,
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax report circulates that Filipino police officer was released after double murder charge
Multiple blog posts have shared a video they claim shows a Filipino police officer was "released" after being charged with double murder in December 2020. The claim is false: the video in fact shows a news report about an unrelated case. Police i
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim that Cristiano Ronaldo ‘converted to Islam’ circulates alongside 2014 photos of footballer in Dubai
Two photos of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo have been shared repeatedly on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and in blog posts alongside a claim he converted to Islam. The claim is misleading; the photos have circulated online since 2014 in reports
AFP Fact Check→ False list of Biden accomplishments circulates online
An invented list of accolades for President-elect Joe Biden has been shared thousands of times on social media. All of the claims about Biden's accomplishments are false -- a fact acknowledged by some of the posts, which claim inaccurate statements abo
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax report circulates online in the Philippines that delivery driver was ‘tricked into delivering severed head’
A purported news report which claims that a delivery driver was tricked into delivering a severed head has been shared on multiple blog pages that mimic the website of a Philippine news organisation. The claim is false: the screenshot in the purported
AFP Fact Check→ Old video of whistleblower accusing Philippine vice president of poll fraud recirculates in misleading social media posts in 2020
A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple YouTube and Facebook posts that claim it shows a December 2020 news report about a whistleblower accusing Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo of poll fraud. The claim is misleading;
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online in Thailand that high air pollution will significantly increase the country’s Covid-19 mortality rate
Multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter claim a rise in tiny particle air pollutants, known as PM 2.5, will significantly increase the mortality rate of Covid-19 in Thailand. The misleading claim circulated online shortly after parts of Thailand’s cap
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online about security concerns for new Thai banknotes
Two photos of Thai banknotes have been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim that the new 100 Thai baht banknotes lack a key security feature, a EURion constellation, making it easier to copy them and create counterf
AFP Fact Check→ False claims circulates online that Facebook will shut down Messenger service
Multiple posts shared thousands of times on Facebook claim that the social media giant's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced it will shut down its Messenger service. The claim is false: as of December 16, 2020, there is no record of Zuckerberg makin
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates online about US Congress repeal of key internet legislation
A tweet has been shared thousands of times in social media posts that claim the US Congress voted 49-46 to add the repeal of Section 230 — legislation which shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content — into the country
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates on Facebook about British grandmother who received UK’s first Covid-19 vaccine outside clinical trials
Photos of a 90-year-old British grandmother who became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial have been shared repeatedly in multiple misleading Facebook posts in December 2020. The po
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates online that formaldehyde in vaccines can cause childhood leukemia
Multiple Facebook and Instagram posts shared hundreds of times claim that formaldehyde in vaccines is linked to leukemia among children. The claim is false; there is no known connection between formaldehyde in vaccines and childhood leukemia, experts s
AFP Fact Check→ Spanish adult film actor’s photo circulates in false Thai Facebook posts which mock students’ protest against school uniforms
As Thai high school students staged a protest against school uniforms in Bangkok in December 2020, several photos circulated in Facebook posts which purported to show a US honours student who made comments in support of school dress codes. The claim is
AFP Fact Check→ Viral video of couple at a gym in Trinidad circulates with false claim about ‘love jihad’ in India
A video showing a man and woman training at a gym has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows an example of “love jihad”, a conspiracy that alleges Muslim men in India seduce Hindu women to
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax report circulates on Facebook that Myanmar actor is set to donate $380 to every household in Myanmar
Multiple Facebook posts claim a famous Myanmar actor and his foundation will donate 500,000 kyats (US$380) to every household in Myanmar. The claim, however, is false; the actor’s foundation told AFP the report was not true and that its work focuses
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates on Facebook that Philippines lifted coronavirus restrictions for basketball games in November 2020
Multiple posts shared repeatedly on Facebook claim the Philippine government lifted coronavirus restrictions on village basketball games in November 2020. The claim is misleading; the graphic shared in the posts was issued by a city government in centr
AFP Fact Check→ Doctored photo of Pelé ‘bidding farewell’ to Maradona circulates online
A photo purporting to show football legend Pelé grieving by the grave of Diego Maradona is circulating online following the icon's death on November 25. However, the image has been doctored and shows neither Pelé nor the late Argentine player's grav
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates on Korean social media that ‘Germany closed 66 Chinese Confucius Institutes’
Multiple posts on Facebook and Korean social media platforms claim that Germany closed 66 Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes. The claim is misleading; the article referenced in the posts reports that 66 organisations in “the Western sta
AFP Fact Check→ Doctored weather forecast circulates in false Facebook posts about tropical cyclones hitting the Philippines
A photo has been shared repeatedly on Facebook alongside a claim it shows a series of tropical cyclones set to hit the Philippines immediately after Typhoon Vamco made landfall in November 2020. The claim is false: the photo has been digitally altered
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax circulates online that Afghanistan announced $30 million Covid-19 aid package for Pakistan
An image of a purported news report by a Pakistani broadcaster has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook and Twitter in November 2020 alongside a claim that Afghanistan announced a $30 million aid package for Pakistan to support the country during
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online that Philippine Supreme Court justice has been ‘removed’ from participating in poll dispute case
A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube and in multiple online posts which claim it shows that a Philippine Supreme Court justice has been "removed" from participating in a vice presidential poll dispute case. The claim is mis
AFP Fact Check→ Manipulated footage purporting to show a Pornhub logo during a CNN election broadcast circulates online
A video that appears to show a notification for adult site Pornhub appearing on a screen during CNN’s live coverage of the 2020 US election has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. The video, however, h