Claim: Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that if Pakistan and Iraq do not take Iran’s warnings seriously, they will hit them again. Fact: The statement has been falsely attributed to the Iranian foreign minister. A similar statement was issued by the Defence Minister of Iran, Brigadier General Mohammadreza Ashtiani who said that Iran […]
Claim: A Pakistani man was arrested by authorities on a flight to Australia for misbehaving with a flight attendant. Fact: The man in the video is an Australian, not a Pakistani. The video was first published by 9 News Australia and has been widely reported by various Australian media outlets. On 2 January 2024, a […]
Claim: Director General of WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom has said that Disease X is a global problem and that we should be prepared for it. Fact: The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos discussed Disease X, a hypothetical outbreak. Disease X is not a specific disease but is the name given to a potential novel […]
Claim: An image shows a Palestinian girl whose face and arm were maimed during Israel’s war against Hamas that started in October 2023. Fact: The image is old and from Syria. It is not related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. On 22 January 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user @Kahlissee posted (archive) a picture of a […]
Claim: A video shows the Yemeni Houthi group attacking and boarding a Maersk container ship before US helicopters “successfully thwarted” the attempt. Fact: The video is a compilation of four different old clips edited into one longer video to make it look like footage of a new naval battle. On 1 January 2024, The Times […]
Claim: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan is on financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s list; court documents identifying his associates are now public. Fact: Khan’s name is not on the list and the evidence presented in the viral post does not prove his connection with Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein scandal Financier Jeffrey Epstein, born on 20 […]
Claim: A video shows a group of people being struck by a tsunami after an earthquake hit Japan on 1 January 2024. Fact: The clip is neither recent nor is it from Japan. It is from Indonesia and dates back to at least 2021. On 1 January 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user @ZockerfreakYT posted a […]
Claim: A video shows an Israeli tank running over a car with at least one passenger in Palestine. Fact: The video is from Ukraine and has nothing to do with Israel. On 24 December 2023, the Instagram account @kashaf_ul_khair20 posted a video (archive) showing a tanker, allegedly belonging to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), purposely […]
Claim: An image shows a vessel on fire after being attacked by Yemen’s Houthi group in the Red Sea. Fact: The image is old. Neither does it show the aftermath of a Houthi attack, nor was it “breaking news” in 2023. On 31 December 2023, X (formerly Twitter) user Mario Nawfal — @MarioNawfal — posted […]
Claim: Social media posts contain two images claiming to show an attack on a church during Christmas this year in Nigeria. Fact: The claim is false as the images are not related to the recent attack. The original pictures date back to the 2022 attack on a church. [Trigger warning: This fact-check contains graphic content […]
Claim: A picture shows a Palestinian boy who lost his legs due to Israel’s bombing. Fact: The picture shows a Lebanese boy who lost his legs in 2006. On 28 December 2023, X (formerly Twitter) user @ShaykhSulaiman posted (archive) a picture of a child with amputated legs and wrote, “THEY TOOK THIS CHILD’S LEGS.” @ShaykhSulaiman […]
Claim: Saudi Arabia and the UAE have told Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas to resign and dissolve the current government so that they can appoint a Saudi- and UAE-approved regime in its place; if Abbas does not agree, the two states would halt future financial aid to the Palestinian territories. Fact: Since no reputable outlet has […]