Claim: The Israeli consulate in Istanbul was attacked and set on fire by protesters after the May 2024 airstrike on Rafah. Fact: There are no reliable reports about the Israeli consulate in Istanbul being attacked or set on fire during a protest on 27 May 2024. Three Turkish journalists and fact-checkers also asserted that the […]
Claim: In an X post, Elon Musk said, “Democracy is under attack in Pakistan.” Fact: The X post was made by @ElonMuskVines, a parody account pretending to be the social media platform’s owner. The user has been consistently posting about Pakistan and Imran Khan, which the real Elon Musk has never done. On 23 April […]
Claim: A stone tablet depicting a man in front of a computer proves technology existed in “ancient times”. Fact: The stone tablet is not authentic but an artwork created by Mexico-based illustrator, Raul Cruz. On 14 May 2024, Threads user @ishowcybersecurity posted (archive) an image of what appears to be a stone tablet depicting a […]
Claim: A French newspaper has pulled a caricature of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is portrayed as a devil. Fact: The caricature in question was not published by a newspaper called La Presse. It was first published by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency in 2014 as a response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza that year and was credited […]
Claim: The helicopter of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was “shot out of [the] sky by a space laser”, killing him and Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, as well as other high-ranking officials. An accompanying image shows the aircraft ablaze over a mountainous area. Fact: There’s no evidence that Raisi’s helicopter was “shot out of […]
Claim: A video shows Dubai authorities destroying a temple — likely the BAPS Hindu Mandir — after heavy rains lashed the UAE in April 2024 over concerns that the place of worship led to the catastrophe. Fact: The viral clip does not show a temple in the UAE being destroyed; in fact, the video predates […]
Claim: Minouche Shafik said in an interview, over a decade ago, that terrorism “is a form of protesting”. Fact: Shafik’s remarks have been misrepresented. She does not say terrorism “is a form of protesting” but that it is “really troubling” that “there’s actually quite a broad base of society which has some sympathy for the […]
Claim: Columbia University has cut diplomatic ties with Israel. Fact: The Republic of Colombia has severed ties with Israel, not the Columbia University in New York, US. Reiterating his stance on the war in Gaza, the Republic’s president, Gustavo Petro, announced the decision to break diplomatic relations with Israel on 1 May 2024. On 1 […]
Claim: A photo shows Dr Yasmin Rashid lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask after her health deteriorated twice in April and May 2024. Fact: While reports say Dr Rashid was hospitalised in April 2024, the viral picture of her is from 2023. On 20 April 2024, the Facebook page ‘Ali Farhan’ posted […]
Claim: An image shows Maryam Nawaz wearing a short pink dress, alongside two senior Punjab Police officers in bright pink clothes. Fact: The picture has been doctored, likely using the Generative Fill tool of Adobe Photoshop that uses artificial intelligence (AI). On 26 April 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user @MehreenAli99 posted (archive) a picture of […]
Claim: Minouche Shafik gave a Nazi salute during a US congressional hearing. Fact: Shafik did not make any such gesture. A photo showing the same has been altered and was initially published in a satirical article. On 18 April 2024, Facebook user ‘Harry K Watkins’ shared (archive) a picture of Columbia University President Nemat Shafik, […]
Claim: A video shows an April 2024 mugging incident wherein a woman and her elderly mother were robbed in broad daylight. Fact: The video is not recent. It is, in fact, from November 2022. On 18 April 2024, conservative Pakistani columnist Orya Maqbool Jan shared (archive) closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of a mugging. The video […]