Claim: A viral image shows a young girl who drowned in Balochistan during the recent monsoon flooding in Pakistan. Fact: The viral image is of a girl who drowned in River Kabul, Peshawar and was found by rescue services near Attock. On 27 July 2022, an image of an infant’s dead body went viral on […]
Claim: Pakistan is a top destination for countries to dump their waste, with most countries opting to dispose of their waste in Pakistan. Fact: According to publicly available information, Pakistan’s relative share in the import of global waste is small. The misinformation appears connected to reports that 40 No Objection Certificates (“NOCs”) were issued to […]
Claim: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will send images of naked humans to space to elicit a response from aliens. Fact: NASA is not working on a broadcast to launch images of naked humans into space. The misleading reports appear to have stemmed from a research study recently published in arXiv — an […]
Claim: An eight-year-old girl discovered that cancer can be treated using antibiotics. Fact: The claim is misleading and concerns a piece of old news from 2015. In 2015, Dr Michael P. Lisanti made news headlines when he and his wife Dr Federica Sotgia, both professors at the Manchester University, UK spoke with their daughter Camilla […]
Claim: A video shows an ‘artificial sun’ created recently by China after successful experimentation going up in the sky during a launch event. Fact: The video is actually of a rocket launch event. The ‘artificial sun’, which was created in a superconducting tokamak magnetic nuclear fusion energy reactor, cannot be launched into the sky. On […]
Claim: A video circulating on social media allegedly depicts the world’s first plastic woman, created by China. Fact: The clip is from a short promotional film for the adventure video game; Detroit: Become Human. It features the character of Chloe, who is an android personal assistant in the game. Fact or Fiction? On 8 […]
Claim: A website shared a story with the headline, “Do not use this medicine, it is causing kidney failure. Doctors have suggested it as dangerous.” Included in the story were remarks from a conference held in Pakistan during which the side effects of allopathic medicine were discussed. Allopathic medicine is another term for science-based, modern […]
Claim: Bill Gates has called for the withdrawal of COVID-19 vaccines after admitting that the pandemic was “a farce”. Fact: Bill Gates did not call for a withdrawal of COVID-19 vaccines nor did he make the other statements attributed to him in the viral WhatsApp chain message. The message is false as it is based […]
Claim: Astronaut Mark Kelly smuggled a full gorilla suit on board the International Space Station (ISS). Fact: Mark was not aboard the ISS but on Earth. However, Mark was the one who sent the gorilla suit to his twin, Scott, who was on the space station, as a ‘care package’. The brothers are former astronauts. […]
Claim: An Urdu news website published an article with the headline, “Chances and impact of pregnancy among 20, 30, and 40 years old women. Know more in the light of expert’s research.” The article states that after 30 years of age, women experience low chances of conceiving and a high risk of complications during pregnancy. […]
Claim: Shoaib Akhtar is having his leg replaced. Fact: Shoaib Akhtar will be undergoing knee replacement surgery. In the headline of a recent report published by this website, as well as in text superimposed onto graphics in the report, it is claimed that former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar lamented, “I cannot run, soon my leg […]
Claim: Viral video shows ‘magic’ stone from Afghanistan’s Wardak province that can melt metal. Fact: The video, in fact, shows nails made of gallium — a metal with a melting point of 29.76°C — melting moments after coming into contact with a rock, which was likely warm due to the hot weather. On 28 November […]