DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Fact Check: Video of French farmers' protest unrelated to Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of a French farmer dumping manure outside a McDonald’s in eastern France to protest fast-food outlets that import foreign meat products has been falsely claimed online to be about Israel’s war with Hamas. Yannick Augrandenis, an associate at the communications consultancy representing McDonald’s France, told Reuters in an email that the video shows the Nov. 24 protest. This included 21,950 tonnes of beef for minced steaks used in McDonald’s recipes and 18,001 tonnes of chicken, which meant nuggets were 100% French meat, the statement said. The video shows a farmers’ protest over fast-food chains importing meat, not the Israel-Hamas war. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

Persons: Yannick Augrandenis, Read Organizations: Hamas, Twitter, Facebook, Reuters, Google, McDonald’s, Thomson Locations: France, Vesoul, Haute, Saone, McDonald’s France, Israel

☆ Fact Check: Fabricated Marjorie Taylor Greene Thanksgiving post stems from satire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A post by a parody account impersonating U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene apologizing to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for eating turkey on Thanksgiving is being taken seriously by some online. It was posted on X (archived), formerly known as Twitter, and reads: “Sorry PETA, we are eating good today. The account, which uses the handle @MTGrepp and the username Marjorie Taylor Greene Press Release (Parody), has a bio (archived) that reads: “On a mission to arm wrestle Elon Musk. Some (archived) people (archived) responded to the post the post as if it were real. The post was shared by a Marjorie Taylor Greene parody account.

Persons: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, Elon Musk, ”, Read Organizations: Animals, PETA, Twitter, MTG Army, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Northwest Georgia

☆ Fact Check: Armoured vehicles pictured in south Dublin unrelated to riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Armoured vehicles pictured in a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, on Nov. 23 have been falsely linked to policing of a riot that broke out in the city centre on the same day, according to Ireland’s Defence Forces. Reuters correspondent Conor Humphries, who reported on the ground during the riot in central Dublin, said he did not see any army vehicles and only police presence. Reuters did not find any imagery of army vehicles inside the city centre where the riot took place. The Defence Forces did not deploy any assets, and none were requested, in support of Ireland’s police in relation to the unrest, the spokesperson said. “The Defence Forces conduct routine driving and training exercises both in Dublin City and beyond very regularly,” the spokesperson said.

Persons: “, Conor Humphries, “ Terenure, Cathal Brugha, Imaal, Read Organizations: Ireland’s Defence Forces, Social, Twitter, Facebook, Police, Reuters, The Defence Forces, Dublin, Garda, police, Defence Forces, Thomson Locations: Dublin, Ireland, Terenure, Rathmines, Dublin City, Glen

☆ Fact Check: No evidence Army was deployed at Dublin riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There is no evidence that the Irish Army were deployed on the streets of Dublin on Nov. 23 to reinforce police when a riot broke out after a stabbing earlier that day. An article (archived) published by BNN Network, a website that describes itself as a news organisation operated by “the trailblazers, the guardians and the truth-seekers", claimed without evidence that the Irish government deployed the Army during the unrest. While the Irish government declined to comment on the claim, Reuters found no evidence of the authority making any such announcements. Reuters correspondent Conor Humphries, who reported on the ground during the riot, said he did not see any army presence and only police presence. The Irish Defence Forces said they did not deploy troops, nor were they requested to do so, on Nov. 23.

Persons: Conor Humphries, Read Organizations: Irish Army, BNN Network, Irish, Army, Reuters, Irish Defence Forces, Defence Forces, State, Aid, Civil Authority, Power, BNN, Garda, Thomson Locations: Dublin, Ireland, Dublin’s

☆ Fact Check: Satirical Malaysian film falsely linked to Israel-Gaza conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An image from a satirical Malaysian TV movie released in 2018 has been shared online as evidence of Palestinians staging pictures of people in hospital during Israel’s war with Hamas. Included in the image is a caption: “Just a few important items: 1. Eid telemovie ‘Laksa Di Ambang Wati’.”Contacted by Reuters, Yusop confirmed that the image was a screengrab from his TV film he shot in 2018. Malaysian actor Tapai Gegarlawak starred in the scene, Yusop added. The image is from a 2018 satirical Malaysian TV movie.

Persons: Ambang, Al Jafree Md Yusop, oximeter, Eid, ‘, Di Ambang, ”, Yusop, Tapai Gegarlawak, Read Organizations: Hamas, Social, Twitter, Facebook, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Malaysian, Palestine, Hollywood, Israel, Gaza

☆ Fact Check: Washington Post headline about Ukraine and Hamas weapon supply is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Washington Post did not publish a report saying that weapons supply from Ukraine to Hamas had tripled, a spokesperson for the news outlet said in response to a fabricated screenshot of the purported article circulating online. The fake article, with the headline, “Ukraine's arms supply to Hamas has tripled in the last month,” is dated November 2, 2023 and attributed to Chris Moltisanti in its byline. However, a Washington Post spokesperson said in an email that the news outlet had not published the story shown in the screenshot and that Chris Moltisanti is not associated with the Post. A search for the purported headline and the byline Chris Moltisanti yielded no results on the news outlet’s website. The Washington Post did not publish a headline saying that Hamas’ supply of weapons from Ukraine had tripled.

Persons: ”, Chris Moltisanti, Christopher Moltisanti, Michael Imperioli, Ali Baraka, Read Organizations: Washington Post, Hamas, Facebook, HBO, Ukrainian Defence, ”, Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, ” Ukraine

☆ Fact Check: UK parliament paint attack was from environment protest in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Footage from September 2022 showing white paint sprayed on fences around the UK’s parliament has been falsely suggested online to be linked to rallies in 2023 calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza strip. On Nov. 15, a post on messaging platform X (archived), formerly known as Twitter, shared the video of parliament painted white with the caption: “Big Ben - Jihadis attack Big Ben with paint. Khans Met standing around.”A Facebook post (archived) from the same day sharing a screenshot of the video read: “Oh look more trouble and big Ben painted white. News outlets reported on the incident at the time and said the Metropolitan Police arrested ten people. The video dates to 2022 and is unrelated to the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.

Persons: Ben, Big, Read Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Twitter, Metropolitan Police, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, London, Palestinian, Israel

☆ Fact Check: Paraphrased US military quote from 2018 has resurfaced amid Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A screenshot with a quote attributed to a U.S. military general saying that American troops must be “ready to die for Israel” is not a direct quotation, and stems from 2018. It is being shared online as if it were a real and recent quote in the context of the 2023 Israel-Palestinian conflict. “Top US general says American troops must be 'ready to die for Israel”, reads the headline in a screenshot of the article circulating on X (archived), and Facebook (archived). The article circulating about U.S. and Israeli troops dates to March 2018. The quote in the headline paraphrases a longer statement made by a U.S. general at the time.

Persons: Israel ”, Richard M, Clark, Read Organizations: Facebook, U.S . Air Force, Hamas, U.S, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Israel, Jerusalem, Gaza

☆ Fact Check: Video showing policing of Pro-Palestinian protest misrepresented
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of London police officers flanking a column of pro-Palestinian protesters has been falsely claimed online to show police participating in the rally. The claim appeared on social media after more than 140 people were arrested at a large pro-Palestinian demonstration and a far-right counter protest in Britain’s capital on Nov. 11. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said in an email to Reuters that the officers were not participating in the protest but policing it. There are no reliable reports about the Metropolitan Police participating in pro-Palestinian rallies. The video shows officers policing a pro-Palestinian protest in London, not taking part in it.

Persons: israel ”, Read Organizations: London, Police, British Police, Facebook, Reuters, Metropolitan Police, Thomson Locations: Central London, Hyde, Israel, Palestine …, israel, London

☆ Fact Check: CNN did not report White House replaced US flag with Israel’s
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CNN did not report that the White House ordered the removal of the U.S. flag from atop the White House and raised the Israeli flag instead. A screenshot on social media shows an image of the White House with an Israeli flag flying upon the rooftop flagpole. The image depicting the Israeli flag flying upon the White House rooftop flagpole is doctored. The original image, with the truck parked outside the front of the White House, was captured by a Reuters photographer in 2018. CNN did not report that the White House lowered the U.S. flag and raised an Israeli flag instead.

Persons: “ BIDEN, ”, Read Organizations: CNN, White House, White, Facebook, Reuters, YouTube, U.S ., Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Israel, American

☆ Fact Check: Video of Ocasio-Cortez explaining ceasefires is digitally altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A clip of U.S. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying ceasefire means “somebody sees a fire” has been digitally altered. In the edited video, Ocasio-Cortez says, “Ceasefire means that somebody sees a fire. The original, unaltered video is a recording of an Instagram Live session, posted by Ocasio-Cortez, on the platform (archived) on Oct. 23, 2023. A side-by-side comparison of keyframes from the original and the altered clip shows Ocasio-Cortez's hand movements match. A clip of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrongly explaining “ceasefires” circulating online has fake audio attached.

Persons: Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, “ I've, @C3PMeme, @C3PMeme’s, Lauren Hitt, Dominic Lees, Read Organizations: Democratic, Facebook, Reuters, Ocasio, University of Reading, Thomson Locations: Cortez, Alexandria

☆ Fact Check: Post endorsing Trump is not by Javier Milei’s official account
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A message endorsing former U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2024 elections was posted by an account in support of Javier Milei, not by the official account of Argentina’s president-elect. Some users (archived) on Facebook (archived) have shared the message as if it were authentically posted by Milei himself. The bio indicates it is an account in support of Milei. Milei’s press office said in a statement on Nov. 23 that Trump will visit Buenos Aires and meet with Milei following a call between them. The message endorsing Trump was posted by an account in support of Milei, not by Milei’s official account.

Persons: Donald Trump, Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, Milei, Trump, Read Organizations: Facebook, Reuters, Trump, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires

☆ Fact Check: Claim that Italy had no new births for three months in 2023 is false
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Social media posts claimed without evidence that Italy has registered no new births for three months, contrary to reports by the national statistics bureau and local media. The Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) told Reuters that the three most recent months of data available showed an average of more than 30,000 births per month in Italy, and that preliminary numbers for subsequent months were in the same range. No Child Births in 3 Months.”However, the data published by ISTAT shows 31,105 births in June, 33,753 in July and 33,093 in August 2023. While Italy's overall population has been falling since 2014, the country registered new births in September, October and November 2023, according to local news reports. Published and preliminary data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) shows that Italy has registered thousands of new births in every month of 2023.

Persons: Read Organizations: Italian National Institute of Statistics, Reuters, ISTAT, Thomson Locations: Italy

☆ Fact Check: Misleading antisemitic claims made about BBC University Challenge team
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An episode of Britain’s BBC game show University Challenge has been falsely suggested online to show contestants, as well as the broadcaster itself, reacting with an antisemitic trope to the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. In an episode aired in August, the team used a dinosaur mascot. “It seems to be quite straightforwardly a case of an octopus just being an octopus.”The mascot on University Challenge did not have a globe within its tentacles. The singled-out individual was not wearing the colours of the Palestinian flag, nor did the team’s octopus mascot belong to her. The octopus was one of several stuffed toy mascots the team used, according to the BBC.

Persons: ”, Church, Dave Rich, ” David Feldman, David, Read Organizations: BBC, Twitter, Facebook, University of Oxford’s Christ Church, Christ Church, Reuters, University Challenge, Community Security Trust, Birkbeck Institute, Thomson Locations: Israel

☆ Fact Check: Fox News did not report Deutsche Bank filed Mar-a-Lago foreclosure in November
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fox News did not report that Deutsche Bank filed a foreclosure notice on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, in November 2023. The post reads: “BREAKING FOX NEWS Deutsche Bank has filed a notice to foreclose on Mar A Lago. A spokesperson for Deutsche Bank declined to comment. The account that first posted the claim describes itself as a parody account. A spokesperson for Fox News said that the claim is “fake.”This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Lago, Trump, “, ”, Read Organizations: Fox, Deutsche Bank, FOX, Trump, Facebook, Fox News, Reuters, Deutsche Bank's, Thomson Locations: Donald Trump’s Florida, Mar, New York

☆ Fact Check: Claims Colin Kaepernick was fired as a school coach stem from satire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A satirical article claiming that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been fired from a new job as a high school coach is being misinterpreted by social media users who believe it to be true. Reuters reported that Kaepernick popularized the kneeling gesture in 2016 at pre-game renditions of the national anthem. Reuters found no further evidence Kaepernick accepted a position as a high school coach. This year, Kaepernick has been involved in a collaboration with Nike on an apparel collection as well as publishing a new book. Claims that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was fired from a job as a high school coach originate from a satirical article.

Persons: Colin Kaepernick, “ Colin Kaepernick, Dunning, Kruger, Kaepernick, Read Organizations: NFL, Kruger Times, Defense, Reuters, San Francisco 49ers, Nike, Thomson Locations: America’s

☆ Fact Check: Ireland’s McDonald did not expel Israeli ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The X user made the same claim, though misidentified McDonald as Ireland’s president. McDonald said (archived) the attacks on Gaza amounted to war crimes and called on the Irish government to refer Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as to “send the Israeli ambassador home”. McDonald is the president of Sinn Fein, Ireland’s main opposition party. “The Ambassador of Israel to Ireland has not been expelled,” a spokesperson for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs told Reuters in an email on Nov. 21. Israel’s ambassador to Ireland has not been expelled as of Nov. 23, 2023.

Persons: Ireland’s, Sinn, Mary Lou McDonald, …, McDonald, Sinn Fein Ard Fheis, ”, Sinn Fein, Michael Higgins, Leo Varadkar, Verona Ní Bhroinn, “, Read Organizations: Facebook, “, Sinn, Palestinian, Hamas, International Criminal Court, ICC, Verona, Oireachtas Service, Reuters, Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, Irish Government, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Republic of Ireland, Israel, Ireland

☆ Fact Check: British police officer questioning driver in clip is a skit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A comedy skit of an actor dressed as a British police officer questioning a driver sitting outside a train station in a stationary car has been reshared online as if an authentic interaction. “This British cop would’ve failed out of the academy if they had any standards left. Before Long British Citizens will be fined for Just Breathing,” reads a Nov. 2 Facebook post (archived) that shared the clip out of context. Incredulous, the unidentified driver tells the officer that he is waiting for a friend. Teji added that, based on the uniform worn by River in the clip, it did not show an officer with Bedfordshire Police.

Persons: would’ve, Lee, River, I’ve, ” Manpreet, Read Organizations: Long British, Facebook, Reuters, Google, Luton, Bedfordshire Police, Thomson Locations: British, Luton, Bedfordshire, England

☆ Fact Check: Video shows opposition rally in Warsaw, not pro-Palestinian protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video showing an opposition rally in Warsaw on Oct. 1, 2023, has been falsely shared online as footage of a pro-Palestinian protest in Poland held amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war which began on Oct. 7. The video can be traced back to Oct. 1 when an opposition rally was held in Warsaw. A Reuters video of the protest captured from the opposite angle (archived) can be found on YouTube (archived). Local media outlets reported that a pro-Palestinian demonstration was held in Warsaw on Nov. 18. The video shows an opposition rally in Warsaw from Oct. 1, not a pro-Palestinian protest in Poland.

Persons: Read Organizations: Twitter, Facebook, European Union, Protesters, Reuters, YouTube, Local, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Israel, Marszalkowska

☆ Fact Check: Video does not show Adele carrying a Palestinian flag
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of British singer Adele carrying a Mexican flag during a performance in Las Vegas has been mislabeled online, with some saying it shows her holding a Palestinian flag. She’s holding the Palestinian flag and singing her heart out,” read a post sharing the video on social media platform X (archived), formerly known as Twitter. The resemblance can also be seen in another YouTube video (archived) uploaded from the event (see about 6 seconds in). A side-by-side comparisonof screenshots from the two videos shows similarities with the Mexican flag. This video shows Adele holding a Mexican flag, not Palestinian flag.

Persons: Adele, She’s, ”, Adele ”, Read Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Twitter, Facebook, Caesars, Reuters, Thomson Locations: British, Las Vegas, Israel, Palestinian, Mexican

☆ Fact Check: UN has not been granted ‘powers to regulate all internet content’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The United Nations has not been granted “powers to regulate all internet content,” as claimed in an article circulating online. The article cites a report published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November that outlines guidelines on governing the internet as proof. The report (archived) does not grant the U.N. authority to regulate the internet, however. Nowhere in the objectives does it say that the document gives power to the U.N. to govern the internet. The U.N. has not been granted powers to regulate all internet content.

Persons: “, ”, ’, Lorna Woods, Woods, Read Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, UN, Reuters, Internet Law, University of Essex, Thomson

☆ Fact Check: ‘Gaza place of trans pilgrimage’ headline unrelated to The Guardian
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image mimicking the layout of an opinion column in The Guardian, and which is falsely attributed to British lawmaker Apsana Begum, has been shared online. However, a spokesperson for the British newspaper said it had not published such a column. The image shared (archived) on Facebook (archived) shows the fake op-ed, headlined: “Gaza will rise from the ashes to become a place of pilgrimage for the trans community. Free Palestine.” It also includes a byline and photograph for Begum, a Labour member of Parliament for London’s Poplar and Limehouse constituency, as would be seen on an authentic op-ed published in The Guardian. A spokesperson for The Guardian told Reuters in an email that the screenshot “has never been a published Guardian headline or story”.

Persons: Apsana Begum, Begum, Read Organizations: Guardian, Facebook, Labour, Reuters, The Guardian, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Free Palestine, Limehouse, Palestine

☆ Fact Check: Map featuring Antarctica ‘ice wall’ is an art forum creation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of a map depicting Earth’s continents surrounded by an Antarctic “ice wall” is a creative interpretation from an online art forum. The image shows a map of Earth where the planet’s continents are labelled but structured differently, centered in the middle of a flat Earth, with Antarctica forming an ice ring around them. The map depicts unknown lands sandwiched between the first ice wall and a second, further ice wall. Reuters has previously addressed false claims that misinterpret maps to further the flat Earth conspiracy theory. It is not evidence of a flat Earth.

Persons: “ worldbuilding, Read Organizations: Antarctic, Facebook, YouTube, NASA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Antarctica

☆ Fact Check: Image of Argentina’s new VP wearing white dress is digitally altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of Argentina’s newly elected Vice-President Victoria Villarruel wearing a white dress alongside her running mate Javier Milei is digitally altered. In the original photograph, Villarruel was pictured wearing a suit jacket. In the unaltered photograph, Villarruel was wearing a light blue blazer, not a long white dress. The unaltered photograph was published by various Argentinian outlets including El Tribuno and El Diario Argentina. The original photo shows Victoria Villarruel wearing a suit jacket, not a white dress.

Persons: Victoria Villarruel, Javier Milei, Villarruel, El Tribuno, Milei, Sergio Massa, Read Organizations: Facebook, Twitter, El, El Diario, YouTube, Argentine Nation, Congress, La, Economy, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Villarruel’s, El, El Diario Argentina, La Nacion

☆ Fact Check: Video of volcano eruption in Iceland is not from November 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video showing the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland dates back to March 2021 and does not show new eruptions forecast in November 2023 for the southwest of the country. Users have shared the clip with captions such as: “BREAKING NEWS | #Iceland #volcano Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland is erupting violently. The circulating video shows the eruption of Fagradalsfjall in March 2021. The earliest example found by Reuters was posted on YouTube (archived) on March 22, 2021 by the channel @TravellerInTheWholeWorld, with a caption that says it shows the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano on March 19, 2021. The video dates back to 2021 and does not show a volcanic eruption in November 2023.

Persons: Read Organizations: Twitter, Facebook, Authorities, Reuters, YouTube, Icelandic Meteorological, Thomson Locations: Iceland, Grindavik, Fagradalsfjall

Search resuls for: "Reuters Fact Check"

25 mentions found