A photo of two white children sitting next to a black toddler in a bird cage has been shared on social media in Africa alongside a claim that the girl on the left is Kate Foster, the British ambassador to Somalia. But this is false: the image was taken at least 70 years ago during Belgium’s colonial rule in the Congo.
In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, Donald Trump on November 8, 2022 claimed midterm elections were being stolen from Republicans, accusing vote officials of enabling fraud. The allegations do not stand up; despite some isolated problems at several polling sites, voting proceeded.
Legal experts say a claim shared across social media misleadingly suggests that several European nations, including France and the Netherlands, have withdrawn from a decades-old Energy Charter Treaty (ETC) because they are “jumping ship on climate commitments”. In fact, the experts say, France and the Netherlands announced that a proposed amendment to the treaty does not accord with the Paris Agreement, making it “incompatible with (their) climate goals”.
A video has been viewed more than a million times after it was shared in social media posts that falsely claim it shows a mass gathering of Muslims celebrating the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday in Russia. In reality, the video was taken during the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday in Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2021.
A video claims people vaccinated against Covid-19 are “genetically modified” and have been re-classified as “homoborgenesis,” citing a supposed NASA study as evidence. This is false; the US agency told AFP it has done no research on the subject, and leading health authorities have repeatedly debunked claims that the shots alter human DNA.
An article shared on social media says studies of Greenland show climate change is caused by natural factors, not carbon emissions. This is misleading; scientists cited in the piece say it misrepresents their findings, and the effect of fossil fuels on global warming is well-documented.