A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows the “intact” face of late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein captured during the exhumation some 12 years after his death. The claim
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AFP Fact Check→ Hoax circulates online that Switzerland has ‘officially confirmed’ coronavirus tests are ‘fake’
A claim that the Swiss authorities have “officially confirmed” that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test used to diagnose novel coronavirus is "fake" has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook. The posts cite the Swiss public health authorit
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax circulates online that Switzerland has ‘officially confirmed’ coronavirus tests are ‘fake’
A claim that the Swiss authorities have “officially confirmed” that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test used to diagnose novel coronavirus is "fake" has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook. The posts cite the Swiss public health authorit
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax circulates online that Switzerland has ‘officially confirmed’ coronavirus tests are ‘fake’
A claim that the Swiss authorities have “officially confirmed” that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test used to diagnose novel coronavirus is "fake" has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook. The posts cite the Swiss public health authorit
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates online that video shows assault on a Hindu woman in the Indian state of Kerala
Footage of a man assaulting a young woman has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows a Hindu woman being attacked in the Indian state of Kerala, where Hindus are a minority. However, the clai
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax circulates online that bumblebees use ‘acoustic levitation’ to fly
A claim that bumblebees use “acoustic levitation” to fly has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook. The claim is false; bees use a specific aerodynamic phenomenon called “leading edge vortices” to fly, not “acoustic lev
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates online comparing SARS and Covid-19 outbreaks in the Philippines
Multiple Facebook posts shared tens of thousands of times purport show an accurate comparison between the Philippine government's responses to the 2003 SARS outbreak and the 2020 novel coronavirus pandemic. The posts claim a prompt travel ban in 200
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates about closures and layoffs at high street shops during coronavirus pandemic
Social media posts shared thousands of times since at least July 2020 claim that several high street shops have closed their stores, laid off staff or discontinued production due to the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is misleading; representatives for
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates on Facebook that Duterte has signed order to open nuclear power plant
Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times in August 2020 claim that President Rodrigo Duterte has signed order to open a nuclear power plant. The claim is misleading; in July 2020, Duterte signed an executive order to conduct a study on the coun
AFP Fact Check→ Outdated guidance on masks circulates on Facebook in Manitoba
Facebook posts shared hundreds of times in Manitoba claim that the official guidance from Canada’s central province on mask-wearing states it is ineffective at preventing illnesses like the novel coronavirus. The posts feature an image of a document
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online that Thai school banned students from raising three-finger salute
Multiple Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim that a school in Thailand has banned students from raising the three-finger salute, a symbol widely used in the ongoing nationwide anti-government protests. The claim is misleading; in response t
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates on social media about man pictured dining with Bollywood stars
A photo of several prominent Bollywood figures has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim that one of the men pictured is Indian organised crime fugitive Dawood Ibrahim. The claim is false; the man
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates on Facebook that plant seeds can restructure their DNA if you spit on them
An image has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook which claim it shows plants can “read your DNA” if you spit on them and subsequently “structure [their] own genetic blueprint to create a superfood”. The claim is fa
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online that drinking coffee with lime can relieve migraines
Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook claim that drinking black coffee mixed with lime juice can “reduce migraines”. The claim is misleading; health experts told AFP that while coffee may temporarily alleviate pain, combining it with
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates on Facebook about Philippine housing projects under Duterte
A photo collage has been shared thousands of times in multiple Facebook posts alongside a claim it shows a comparison between government housing projects in the Philippines under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte and his predecessor Benigno S. Aquino
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates on Facebook about dangers of face masks alongside photos of skin conditions
Five images have been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts which claim they show images of people suffering from skin problems that have been caused by wearing face masks. The claim is misleading; three of the images show cases of chicke
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates on Facebook about Philippine retailer’s face shield price guide
An image has been shared repeatedly in multiple Facebook posts that purportedly shows an announcement from a Philippine retailer about the price of face shields in its malls. The purported price guide states face shields would be sold at SM’s mall
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online about Philippine Health Department’s guidelines for face shields
An image has been shared repeatedly on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows guidelines issued by the Philippine Department of Health about appropriate face shields to protect from the novel coronavirus. The claim is misleading; the Philippi
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates on Facebook that Australians ‘will be fined if they discuss COVID-19 conspiracies’
Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim that “Aussies will be fined if they are found to be talking about conspiracies to do with [COVID-19]”. The posts included a screenshot of a segment from an Australian breakfast television
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online about pay rise for Sri Lankan government ministers
A screenshot of a Sinhala language newspaper has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts published in August 2020 which claim it shows the Sri Lankan government approved a salary increase for government ministers. The claim is mislead
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online that Singapore has ‘banned’ sale of US produce due to coronavirus
A claim has been shared repeatedly on Line Messenger and Facebook that states Singapore has “banned” people from buying fruit and vegetables imported from the US over fears it could be contaminated with the novel coronavirus. The post goes on to
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates on Facebook that Australian bank will stop accepting cash and cheque deposits
Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim that Australian bank Westpac will stop accepting cash and cheque deposits by the end of 2020. The claim, however, is misleading; in response to the social media posts, a spokesperson for the bank
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim recirculates online about ‘image of northern lights seen from space’
An image has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter which claim it shows the “northern lights seen from space” as captured by NASA. The image, however, has been shared in a misleading context; NASA told AFP the i
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s visit to Hindu temple
A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visiting a Hindu temple after declaring the country had reached its 100th consecutive
AFP Fact Check→ Image of WWII-era newspaper circulates alongside false claims of Trump plan to bomb Scarborough Shoal
An image has been shared in multiple Twitter and Weibo posts that claim that it shows Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reporting in late July 2020 that US President Donald Trump planned to bomb an island in the South China Sea. The claim is false; th
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates on Facebook that people cannot catch COVID-19 from infected people or contaminated surfaces
Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim that COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, does not spread “from person to person”. The posts also claim that people cannot become infected by touching contaminated surfaces. T
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax circulates online that vaccines have caused deaths in the Philippines
Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts shared thousands of times in August 2020 claim that five people in the Philippine city of Tarlac died after receiving vaccine shots. The claim is false; the Tarlac City government and the Philippine Department of H
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates on Facebook about elephant attack in Sri Lanka
Three photos have been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim they show a child killed by an elephant in a Sri Lankan village in early August 2020. The claim is misleading; the photos have circulated online since 201
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates online in the Philippines that Canada is ‘free’ of the novel coronavirus
Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts shared thousands of times in August 2020 claim that Canada is “free” of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; as of August 9, 2020, the Canadian government reported it had
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax circulates online that Fauci ‘knew’ about effective coronavirus treatments in 2005
Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on various websites claim that US top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci “has known for 15 years” that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are effective treatments
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates on Facebook that ‘viruses do not harm or kill’ people
Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim “viruses do not harm or kill [people]” and that any “harm and death” caused by a virus can be attributed to "the overreaction of a weakened and dysfunctional immune system". The claim is f
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates online that the United States is testing a COVID-19 vaccine on Ukrainian soldiers
Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook and Twitter claim that four Ukrainian soldiers died after participating in American COVID-19 vaccine trials in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The claim, published in several languages ac
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates in Hong Kong about government-issued press passes
A graphic shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook in Hong Kong contains a claim that government-issued press credentials are required in China, the UK, the US and Singapore. The posts, which circulated during Hong Kong's pro-democra
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online comparing severity of COVID-19 with swine flu
Multiple Facebook posts shared tens of thousands of times claim the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has infected far fewer people than the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, but “media hysteria” has prompted an overblown response. Th
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates that photo shows US consulate staff in Chengdu ‘cheering for China’ after Beijing ordered closure
A photo has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and Weibo alongside a claim it shows staff from the US consulate in China’s Chengdu "cheering for China" after Beijing closed its premises on July 24, 2020. The claim is false; a simil
AFP Fact Check→ Hoax circulates that the WHO has approved Indian student’s ginger juice ‘COVID-19 remedy’
Multiple posts shared repeatedly on Facebook and Twitter claim that the World Health Organization (WHO) has approved an Indian student's ginger juice “home remedy” for COVID-19. The claim is false; the WHO's spokesperson for India said the posts
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates about WHO’s advice on COVID-19 transmission from cats and dogs
Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a statement that cats and dogs do not “carry” COVID-19. The claim is misleading; a WHO spokesperson told AFP they have published no such stateme
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates about ‘formation of government committee’ in Sri Lanka
Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook claim that Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a committee of three former ministers to review an expert committee’s report. The claim also circulated on WhatsApp. The claim is mi
AFP Fact Check→ False list of ‘home treatments’ for COVID-19 circulates online
A list of purported treatments for COVID-19 at its “different stages” has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts. The posts recommend that people with breathing problems should use an oxygen cylinder and monitor their oxygen lev
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online that Google and Apple removed label for Palestine from maps
Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in July 2020 claim that Palestine has been removed from Google Maps and Apple Maps. The claim is misleading; on July 20, 2020, a Google representative told AFP that Pale