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Search resuls for: "Reuters Fact Check"


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A video of soldiers from Burkina Faso browsing an arms exhibition at the July 2023 Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg is being falsely claimed online to show personnel from Niger. “Niger Republic Army showing readiness as they jet to Russia to acquire weapons to speak to ECOWAS soldiers in a language they will understand. There is no evidence that the soldiers in the video are with Niger’s military. Part of the video was filmed by Russia state-owned network Zvezda TV, which also said it showed Burkinabe soldiers examining weapons at the July 27-28 meet (here) (here). The video shows soldiers from Burkina Faso, not Niger.
Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Read Organizations: Africa, Posts, Facebook, Nigerien, West African, ECOWAS, “ Niger, Army, Zvezda TV, Reuters, Roscongress Foundation Locations: Burkina Faso, Russia, St Petersburg, Niger,
But posts on social media read: “The Biden administration welded open the Trump border wall in Tucson, AZ. The floodgates, however, open seasonally and predate the Biden administration. The Tucson Sector of the wall runs through most of the state of Arizona (here). A January 2020 article by the Washington Post, published almost a year before Joe Biden became president, shows floodgates had been opened for monsoon season during the Trump administration (here). Border Patrol agents have opened them during monsoon season since before Biden became president.
Persons: Biden, Ali Bradley, ” Bradley, , It’s, Joe Biden, Trump, Ariel Ruiz Soto, Read Organizations: U.S, Facebook, Patrol, DHS, Department of Homeland Security, Biden, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Tucson Sector, Washington Post, Migration Policy Institute, Border Patrol, Reuters Locations: U.S, Mexico, Arizona, Lukeville , Arizona, Tucson , AZ, Tucson, Washington
A clip falsely attributed to Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar and implying that 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in the war against Russia is circulating in multiple languages, but there is no evidence that the company ever released such a video. Users have been sharing the video, which mimics the Youtube Shorts display as well as Kyivstar branding and claims to be the mobile operator’s charity campaign (here). “There was no such communication from Kyivstar, this information is fake,” the mobile operator said in response to a direct message in Instagram from Reuters. There is no evidence mobile operator Kyivstar released a video that mentions 400,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers, and the company has called the clip a fake. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts (here).
Persons: Kyivstar, , Tik Tok, Read Organizations: Facebook, Reuters, New York Times Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Instagram, Ukraine
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is not planning to put vaccines in water supplies, contrary to claims in some online posts. A post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, (here) reads: “The WEF wants to vaccinate you through your water now,” and boasts over 11,800 likes. “WEF never made any statement about or is having any plan to add COVID vaccines to the water.’’ He also stressed the Global Commission on the Economics of Water is an organization independent to the WEF. The WEF did not say it would add vaccines to water. A Davos panelist compared global COVID-19 vaccination rates to addressing global water issues.
Persons: Mariana Mazzucato, Yann Zopf, “ WEF, Read Organizations: Economic, Twitter, Facebook, University College London, UCL Institute for Innovation, Global Commission, Reuters Locations: Davos
A social media video with BBC branding that says Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is alive, having staged his death with Russian authorities, is a fake, a spokesperson for the broadcaster told Reuters. The private Embraer jet on which Prigozhin was travelling crashed on Aug. 23, killing all 10 people aboard (here). On Aug. 29, a minute-long clip mimicking a BBC News report circulated on social media and claimed the mercenary chief was still alive. Captions superimposed on footage of the crash site and a picture of Prigozhin say: “BBC source denies information about the death of the owner of PMC Wagner. In a statement sent to Reuters via email, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are aware of this fake video and our lawyers are urgently looking into it.
Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Read Organizations: BBC, Reuters, Embraer, PMC Wagner, Facebook
A video of ants carrying a biscuit topped with a picture of Jesus Christ, which some social media users are baselessly saying was filmed during Russia’s war with Ukraine, is digitally altered. Some ants are carrying a picture of Jesus Crucified,” a Facebook user sharing the video on Aug. 23 wrote (here ). However, a reverse image search reveals that the video has been altered and predates Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. An unedited version of the footage can be traced to August 2019 on X, (here ) and shows ants carrying a plain biscuit. The unedited video, which dates to at least August 2019, shows ants carrying a plain biscuit.
Persons: Jesus Christ, Jesus, , Read Organizations: Reuters Locations: Ukraine, Makiivka, Russian
A screenshot of a dog with its body submerged beneath flood water stems from a TV news segment filmed in Texas in 2016, contrary to false claims in August 2023 that it shows a dog abandoned during Hurricane Idalia. The image shows a dog positioned outside a house with its head just above water level. The screenshot resurfaced as Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida on Aug. 30 (here). On June 5, 2016, Nehls posted on Facebook saying that he had adopted the dog, called Archer (here). The screenshot originates from a local news segment aired in Texas in May 2016.
Persons: Idalia, Phil Archer, Jeff Shimek, Troy Nehls, Nehls, Archer, Shimek, Read Organizations: Twitter, NBC, County Sheriff, Facebook, PETA, Reuters Locations: Texas, Florida, Fort Bend County, County
A video from 2021 of a purported “Florida nurse” describing plans for a “COVID crisis” expected at her Broward County hospital and implying that it was staged for political reasons is recirculating in August 2023, with some users sharing it as a sign of imminent lockdowns. nurse say they have been instructed to prepare for the COVID crisis starting next week,” reads a Facebook post sharing the clip on Aug. 28 (here). Covid Lockdowns are coming back and it’s all because they want to win in ’24” (here), archived (here). The video, however, dates to at least January 2021, when it was shared on X (here) by an account affiliated with Sovereign Nations, a self-described conservative website. Video warning about COVID crisis dates to January 2021, and is not recent footage.
Persons: , Covid Lockdowns, Read Organizations: Twitter, , Sovereign Nations, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Florida’s Department of Health, Reuters Locations: Florida, Broward County, “ U.S, Broward County , Florida
A video compilation that includes old footage of floods has been shared online to falsely claim it depicts extreme flooding in Britain on August 26, 2023. No reports from credible outlets were found about floods in Britain that put 78,000 people underwater on Aug. 26. Outlets including the BBC (here) and The Independent (youtu.be/gtJAfA6L5Yk?t=35) featured the video in reports of a flood on August 17, 2022. Reuters could not immediately source the video showing a view of River Taff in Cardiff (goo.gl/maps/AG11itb7Yau98z1j6) (1:06-1:18), but the scene resembles a photograph published by outlet WalesOnline on Jan. 12, 2023 (here) (see photo 21). This montage compiles old clips and does not show extreme flooding in Britain on Aug. 26, 2023.
Persons: Storm Franklin, Robert Melen, Read Organizations: YouTube, Reuters, BBC, Polokwane, Farmer’s Locations: Britain, , London, Jackfield , Shropshire, Scotland, Ituna , Saskatchewan, Canada, Shrewsbury, London’s, River Taff, Cardiff, WalesOnline, Bryson Lake, Polokwane, South Africa, Wales
CDC announced the end of the V-safe program in May, along with other changes to programs created specifically for the pandemic, when the U.S. public health emergency declaration ended (here). They read, “CDC Removes COVID Vaccine Adverse Event Reports From Website.” Comments include, "Is that VAERS?" CDC added that data from V-safe is still available (here) and reports of health events have not been removed. Anyone can still make a report to VAERS (here) about adverse events following any type of vaccination. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) closed enrollment in V-safe due to the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023, but VAERS, another vaccine adverse events monitoring system, remains active.
Persons: Biden, , , Read Organizations: U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Reuters Locations: U.S
The image shows both emblems running between what appears to be tire marks printed diagonally across a grey surface. The image is not authentic, however, and was created as artwork prior to the rover making landfall on Aug. 24 (here). No such image can be seen when searching through the ISRO website or social media feeds (www.isro.gov.in/), (www.instagram.com/isro.dos/). A copyright symbol can be seen at the bottom left corner of the image alongside a name, Krishanshu Garg. The earliest iteration Reuters could find of the image stems from Garg’s Instagram account posted on the day the rover landed on the lunar surface (here).
Persons: “ I’m, I’ve, , Read Organizations: Indian Space Research Organisation, Tyres, Twitter, ISRO, Reuters Locations: India, Chandrayaan
Video of a waterspout approaching a beach lined with blue tents dates to June 2023 and is not related to Hurricane Idalia that made landfall on Florida’s coast on Aug. 30, 2023. “Hurricane Idalia has started,” read posts linking the waterspout video to Hurricane Idalia on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter (here) and Facebook (here) and (here). People visible at 0:21 in the video shared on social media are also visible in the fire department video. Millions of residents evacuated or hunkered down in homes and shelters as Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm on Aug. 30, 2023, Reuters reported (here). Video of a waterspout is not related to Hurricane Idalia.
Persons: Idalia, , Dr Mike, Danielle Tarjoman, Read Organizations: Facebook, Storyful, Rescue Department, Reuters Locations: Clearwater Beach, Florida, Clearwater, Orlando
A video clip of a metallic tubular structure floating in the sky originated from a visual effects TikTok account and does not show leaked military video of a UFO shot down over Alaska. The TikTok user shares videos created using “3D animation,” according to the account description (ghostarchive.org/archive/RV745). At 58s, text appears across the clip in Portuguese stating that the clip is a “3D simulation” (ghostarchive.org/archive/29ilL). The TikTok user who originated the video did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The clip originated from an account that shares clips created using 3D animation.
Persons: Read Organizations: Reuters Locations: Alaska, U.S
(Warning: This article contains profanity in paragraph 3 that some readers may find offensive)A child did not shout an expletive toward First Lady Jill Biden during a visit to a school in August despite an edited clip shared online. The video shows Jill standing in front of a white board with students sitting behind tables and chairs, facing her. One user who shared the altered clip via X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “This is HILARIOUS!!!!! Another added in the comments under the video on TikTok: “love love love this! Another video of President Biden with the same audio digitally added to the clip was previously addressed by Reuters (here).
Persons: Lady Jill Biden, Jill, Joe Biden, Biden, Jill’s, Read Organizations: Northern Virginia Community College, D.C, Twitter, SPAN, Reuters, Washington D.C Locations: Washington
Ivermectin is not FDA-approved for COVID treatment, but misleading posts cast the attorney’s statement as though it represented a change in the drug’s status. Referring to ivermectin, a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “The FDA now says the Nobel Prize winning drug is approved to treat COVID” (here). Ashley Cheung Honold, a Department of Justice lawyer representing the FDA, said that “FDA explicitly recognizes that doctors do have the authority to prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID” (see 22:26 timestamp) and “FDA is clearly acknowledging that doctors have the authority to prescribe human ivermectin to treat COVID” (see 31:30 timestamp). “In general, off-label uses have evidence for efficacy and safety that is less than that required to have an indication FDA-approved. Ivermectin is not FDA-approved to treat COVID but the agency does not prohibit physicians from prescribing the drug off-label.
Persons: ivermectin, Ivermectin, COVID, Ashley Cheung Honold, Randall Stafford, , ” Stafford, , Stafford, Ryan Abbot, ” Abbot, Read Organizations: U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Twitter, Facebook, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Department of Health & Human, COVID, YouTube, Justice, Stanford School of Medicine, University of Surrey, University of California, al, , Reuters Locations: Los Angeles, Apter
A traffic light system at the entrance to a Tesco supermarket in the English town of Swindon was accidentally switched on for a brief time in August, a spokesperson for the UK’s biggest supermarket group told Reuters, and is not evidence of the company reintroducing social distancing measures, as is being claimed online. We’ve got the old traffic light system back in operation. Perhaps some lockdowns heading our way?” he asks, while stood outside the town’s Extra store (located here: tinyurl.com/y3ek3epd). However, a spokesperson for the supermarket group told Reuters the traffic light system was accidentally switched on for a brief period at the Swindon Tesco Extra in August and that it has not been reintroduced in any of its stores. The traffic light system was briefly and accidentally switched on at the Tesco Extra in Swindon, according to the company, which said the social distancing measure is not being reintroduced in any of its stores.
Persons: We’ve, Read Organizations: Tesco, UK’s, Reuters, Facebook, Swindon Tesco Locations: Swindon, Swindon , Wiltshire
An image of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump pictured in a living room with bone saws hung on the walls is digitally altered. The altered photograph shows the pair dressed in formal wear, with two bone saws seemingly hung on the far wall. One user who shared the altered image on X, formerly known as Twitter, said, “Omg these are sick sick people #Jared #Ivanka” (ghostarchive.org/archive/tUaOi). Another added in the comments: “Are those bone saws on the wall?” (here). Saws cannot be seen hung on the walls in the original photograph posted by Ivanka Trump to X in 2019.
Persons: Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Jared, Ivanka, Read Organizations: Twitter, Reuters
The Real Raw News website published an article on Aug. 22 with the headline: “Military Arrests FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik Hooks” (ghostarchive.org/archive/tvDZT). One example of the headline shared online had over 1.6 million views on TikTok at the time of writing (ghostarchive.org/archive/l11wt). A FEMA spokesperson said in an email that there is “obviously no truth” to the claims. Reuters has previously addressed claims by Real Raw News about arrests of high-profile officials and politicians (here), (here). The claim that FEMA official Erik Hooks was arrested stems from a website that describes itself as satirical.
Persons: Erik Hooks, Erik Hooks ”, Hooks, , Joe Biden, Read Organizations: U.S . Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, U.S, Real Raw, Reuters, Department of Defense, Real Raw News Locations: Maui, TikTok
A travel advisory to U.S citizens in Belarus to leave the country was first issued in February 2022, at the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and has remained active, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. A travel advisory also published in February 2022 by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs placed Belarus in the “Do Not Travel” advisory category. U.S. citizens in Belarus should depart immediately via commercial or private means” (here). A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters via email: “The Department has advised U.S. citizens to depart Belarus since February 2022.”VERDICTFalse. The U.S did not issue a first alert for its citizens to depart Belarus in August 2023.
Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Read Organizations: U.S . State Department, Facebook, U.S, Embassy, U.S . Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, Reuters Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, U.S, Minsk, COVID, Lithuania, Lithuanian, Latvian
The chyron in a Fox News broadcast covering the shooting at the University of North Carolina (UNC) has been altered to read “shooter described as ‘mostly white Asian male.’”The claim surfaced online after a faculty member was shot dead in a shooting on the UNC campus on Aug. 28. A suspect was arrested and the threat was cleared by late afternoon, Reuters reported, citing officials (here). The screenshot, featuring an image of the suspect, was shared on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter (here) and Facebook (here) and (here). The chyron in the original Fox News broadcast, featuring the same image of the suspect, read, “UNC police release picture of person of interest” (0:06) (here). Screenshot of a Fox News broadcast with a chyron reading, “shooter described as ‘mostly white Asian male’” is edited.
Persons: , “ Shooter, ’ ”, Jessica Ketner, , Read Organizations: Fox News, University of North, UNC, Reuters, Facebook, Fox, “ UNC police, Police Locations: University of North Carolina
A years-old video of a plane landing is being shared on social media to falsely claim it’s proof of Wagner mercenary fighters arriving in Niger in 2023. Authorities in Niger have officially confirmed the presence of Wagner fighters in the country” (here). Reuters did not independently verify the location of the 2006 video, though the deserted area around the runway coupled with buildings close by is markedly similar to the topography around Khartoum International Airport. Reuters’ reporting on the coup in Niger can be found (here). The video dates to at least 2006, thus is unrelated to Wagner and the 2023 coup in Niger.
Persons: Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Read Organizations: West African, ECOWAS, Wagner PMC, Authorities, Facebook, Reuters, YouTube, Khartoum International, Google, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Niger, Khartoum, Sudan
The reports credit U.S. space tech company Maxar Technologies as having taken the photo on Nov. 1, 2021. A Maxar satellite image of the same location but rotated about 90 degrees taken the same day was published by Reuters (image 2/5) (here). The caption states that photograph shows elements of the Russian 41st Combined Arms Army in Yelnya, Russia. Reuters reported that around 1,000 Russian military vehicles were seen via satellite imagery near Yelnya (here). The satellite photograph of a Russian military unit has been altered to add profanity.
Persons: Russia’s, Read Organizations: Group, Facebook, Reuters, Technologies, Russian, Combined Arms Army, Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Arms Army Locations: Yelnya, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Russian
A video of stand-up comedian Benjamin Bankole Bello dressed as his stage character, “President Obonjo of the Republic of Lafta,” urging the release of former U.S. President Donald Trump following his arrest in August is satirical. Several clips of Bellow dressed as the character can be found on his TikTok (here) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/obonjo/) accounts. Ian Hawkins, a spokesperson for Bellow, told Reuters in an email that the clip showed Bello commenting in character as President Obonjo. “President Obonjo of Lafta Republic is a comedy character who has appeared in a TV special on ITVx and at numerous comedy festivals in the UK. Video shows comedian Benjamin Bello, not an “African president.”This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.
Persons: Benjamin Bankole Bello, Obonjo, , Donald Trump, Trump, Biden, , Conservative Donald Trump, Bellow, Ian Hawkins, Bello, ” Hawkins, Benjamin Bello, Read Organizations: Facebook, Conservative, , Reuters Locations: Republic of, Atlanta, Georgia, America, Republic of Lafta, Lafta Republic
Images of Gilbert Hill, a black basalt rock structure in Mumbai, India, are described falsely online as an ancient tree stump. “Huge old world tree stump, in modern day Mumbai” read posts on Facebook (here) and messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter (here) sharing images of Gilbert Hill. Conspiracy theories have tied narratives of giant trees with an idea that the Earth is flat and “real” trees no longer exist (here). Reuters has previously fact-checked similar claims about Devils Tower, a basalt rock formation in Wyoming (here) and (here). Gilbert Hill in Mumbai is a basalt rock structure, not the stump of an ancient giant tree.
Persons: Gilbert Hill, Read Organizations: Facebook, Survey, Reuters, Devils Locations: Mumbai, India, U.S, Gilbert, Wyoming
Instantly, 78,000 people were killed, a number that increased to 140,000 by the end of 1945, Reuters has reported, citing the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (here). LINGERING HEALTH EFFECTSThe most enduring evidence of the 1945 nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is the testimonials of survivors (time.com/after-the-bomb/) and (here) and their well-documented health effects due to the blasts. The RERF Life Span Study (here) of long-term health effects has followed 120,000 residents since 1950, including 94,000 blast survivors and 27,000 unexposed people. Further reading about health effects from the bombings can be found (here). Hiroshima and Nagasaki were each bombed with a nuclear weapon in 1945, killing more than 200,000 people, but radiation and radioactive contamination dissipated and decayed quickly.
Persons: Oppenheimer, Jeffrey Hart, RERF’s, ” Hart, Derek Haas, it’s, ” Haas, Haas, RERF, Read Organizations: Reuters, Research, Radiation, Radiation Engineering, University of Texas, Locations: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, U.S, Japan, Austin
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