Claim: Video clips uploaded on Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok show raining worms in China. Fact: The videos actually show catkins and not worms. Catkins are a cylindrical flower from poplar trees which appears to be wriggling in the rain, giving the appearance of worms. From 11 March 2023, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok were flooded with […]
Claim: A group of photos taken in March 2023 show a “mysterious red glow” over the Atlantic shortly after a powerful earthquake hit Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. Fact: The images are not from 2023 but from July 2022. They were taken by American pilot Dustin Maggard on 16 July 2022 during a flight 31,000 feet […]
Claim: Dutch researcher Frank Hoogerbeets tweeted a list of “safety rules [for] when an earthquake occurs”, including asking God for help. Fact: Hoogerbeets did not tweet such a list. On 8 February 2023, Twitter account @Frank_Hoogerbee (archive) posted a tweet stating “safety rules [for] when an earthquake occurs”. According to @Frank_Hoogerbee, these rules are as […]
Claim: A group of Indian doctors have invented a piece of advanced equipment to remove coronary artery blockages called Megavac, a mechanical thrombectomy system which removes blockages, mitigating the need for open-heart surgery. Fact: Megavac was created by Dr Richard Fulton, who has also made the SonoGlo and the MammoMark. He clarified that he developed […]
Claim: WHO guidelines on brain stroke claim 7 “biggest brain damaging habits” Fact: The claim is false, as the WHO had not declared such a list. On 29 January 2023 and again on 9 February 2023, Soch Fact Check received a viral image on WhatsApp which claimed the World Health Organization (WHO) identified seven habits […]
Claim: Lahore has made it compulsory for all new buildings to include charging stations for electric vehicles. Fact: Lahore has only made it compulsory for new commercial and industrial buildings to include charging stations for electric vehicles to attain an environmental NOC. On 29 December 2022, ProPakistani uploaded an image on Facebook claiming that authorities […]
Claim: A viral video shows that the moon appears to be extremely close to the Earth, as it orbits around the Arctic Ocean covering the sun completely for 5 seconds while the entire orbit lasts 30 seconds in the observable sky. Fact: This video is a CGI animation and is nowhere close to reality. On […]
Claim: Pictures in various posts claim to show recent snowfall in Islamabad. Fact: There has not been any snowfall in Islamabad in December 2022 or January 2023. On 1 January 2023, images surfaced on social media claiming that Islamabad received snowfall for the first time in history. Soch Fact Check also received the clip on […]
Claim: A video claims to show snowfall on the main grounds of the Kaaba, or the Grand Mosque of Saudi Arabia, for the first time in history. Fact: Saudi authorities have refuted the claim, saying the video is doctored. On 1 January 2023, a video surfaced on social media claiming that the Kaaba in Makkah’s […]
Claim: A social media post claims that “condoms cannot prevent HIV” amid reports of a rise in HIV-positive cases in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. Fact: Condoms are the most effective method to prevent HIV when used properly and consistently, according to multiple reputable public health organisations around the world, including the UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS, CDC, NHS, […]
Claim: Pfizer executive Janine Small confessed in a recent revelation that Pfizer was never tested for its impact on preventing disease transmission. Fact: Pfizer and German vaccine maker BioNTech published a study on the vaccine in 2020 for its approval from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which did not include any data on transmission impact […]
Claim: Multiple news content websites published clickbait headlines claiming white rice is as bad as candy, according to a new Iranian study. Fact: The study did not claim that white rice is as bad as candy. The lead author stated that consuming a diet with high amounts of unhealthy and refined grains can be considered […]