Claim: Islamabad has been ranked the world’s “second most beautiful city”. Fact: There is no basis for the claim as no source, survey or data has been provided as justification. The claim appears to be based on a 2014 article on a now-defunct website and that, too, did not offer any statistics or survey results. […]
Claim: Yahya Sinwar’s wife was seen carrying a $32,000 Birkin bag while walking in a tunnel. Fact: Samr Mohammed Abu Zamer, wife of the late Yahya Sinwar, was not carrying a Birkin bag. Soch Fact Check’s analysis revealed that the bag in the image circulating on social media does not match the Hermès Birkin bag. […]
Claim: A video shows Palestinian women wearing a burqa, a loose-fitting garment covering the whole body, participating in a beauty pageant. Fact: The video is from Syria and it shows burqa-wearing women receiving awards for memorising the Quran. On 9 October, X user @realMaalouf posted a video (archive) that shows burqa-wearing women walking down the […]
Claim: A video shows the body of a boy who was killed by the police during the protests over an alleged rape incident at a Punjab Group of Colleges campus. Fact: The clip is authentic but unrelated to the protests. It shows a student who was shot dead in Alipur Chattha by a boy of […]
Claim: Video shows French President Emmanuel Macron criticising Israel regarding the on-going Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Fact: The video is AI-generated. On 9 October, X user @DrEliDavid posted a video (archive) apparently showing Emmanuel Macron criticising Israel. He wrote: “Congratulations to Macron for his new position as H×mas spokesperson.” In the footage, Macron is criticising […]
Claim: Imran Khan is not a suitable candidate for the role of Oxford University’s Chancellor as the former premier is a religious reactionary who lauded the resurrection of the Afghan Taliban, and denounced Western values of free speech. Moreover, Khan is not a victim of political persecution as is evident by his sordid record of […]
Claim: Yahya Sinwar’s wife was seen carrying a $32,000 Birkin bag while walking in a tunnel. Fact: Samr Mohammed Abu Zamer, wife of the late Yahya Sinwar, was not carrying a Birkin bag. Soch Fact Check’s analysis revealed that the bag in the image circulating on social media does not match the Hermès Birkin bag. […]
Claim: Imran Khan is not a suitable candidate for the role of Oxford University’s Chancellor as the former premier is a religious reactionary who lauded the resurrection of the Afghan Taliban, and denounced Western values of free speech. Moreover, Khan is not a victim of political persecution as is evident by his sordid record of […]
Claim: A video shows Israeli soldiers running away after Iran’s attack on Israel. Fact: The video actually shows Israeli soldiers running and screaming during a rocket attack launched by the Palestinian resistance from Gaza during the Seif al-Quds battle in May 2021. Following Iran’s attack on Israel, X account @RTarabic shared a video of Israeli […]
Claim: Video shows state of the art train transporting children directly into their homes in China. Fact: The video was likely created using artificial intelligence or special effects, and it has no connection to reality. On 6 August, an Instagram user “molly_____travel” posted a video (archive) apparently showing an advanced bullet train, transporting a child […]
Claim: After a 7-month hiatus, X is now accessible in Pakistan after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) formally lifted the ban on the social media platform. It may be unclear whether this restoration is permanent but users can connect and post again. Fact: X has not been unbanned in Pakistan. On 12 September 2024, ProPakistani, […]
Claim: A viral video shows a man walking into an elevator with an e-bike battery, which almost instantly bursts into flames, causing an explosion inside the lift. In the latter half of the video, the same man can be seen being dragged out of the elevator, unconscious and almost completely covered with burn marks. Fact: […]
Claim: A video shows Palestinian women wearing a burqa, a loose-fitting garment covering the whole body, participating in a beauty pageant. Fact: The video is from Syria and it shows burqa-wearing women receiving awards for memorising the Quran. On 9 October, X user @realMaalouf posted a video (archive) that shows burqa-wearing women walking down the […]
Claim: An image of Imane Khelif shirtless proves that she is actually a man. Fact: The photo is AI-generated. On September 9, an X user @MumbaichaDon posted (archive) a picture of Imane Khelif standing shirtless, with a masculine body, claiming that it shows Khelif is not a woman. The caption reads, “This is Aligerian Boxer […]
Claim: A video shows destruction in Israel after the recent missile attack by Iran. Fact: The first 14 seconds of the video are unrelated, and actually show a football-related celebration in Algeria from September 2023. However, the rest of the clip shows Iranian missiles landing in Israel on 1 October 2024. On 2 October 2024, […]