All posts tagged: Truth or Fake

Did Qatar’s prime minister ‘snub’ JD Vance? Doha, Washington deny claim – Truth or Fake

Did Qatar’s prime minister ‘snub’ JD Vance? Doha, Washington deny claim – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

A viral clip from the first round of US-Iran peace talks in Switzerland fuelled online speculation that US Vice President JD Vance was snubbed by Qatar’s Prime Minister, after users claimed the video shows him “ignore” Vance in favour of greeting Pakistan’s Prime Minister. The Qatari PM though, dismissed the claims as “unfounded,” saying he and Vance had already spent hours together during the talks. The White House also rejected the narrative, pointing the finger at Iran for the rumours. In posts racking up millions of views and reports, social media users claimed the viral video from the Lake Lucerne Summit is proof of a diplomatic slight, and that the Qatari leader had deliberately “ignored” Vance and chosen to greet Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif first. Users called the moment “so embarassing” and that it showed America “is a laughing stock.” Others cited the interaction as evidence of strained relations surrounding the US-Iran peace process, with some claiming it shows the “level of relations that the Trump administration has created.” The Qatari PM though, rejected the claims directly. …

Did Macron ‘snub’ Trump at the G7 summit? Viral video lacks context – Truth or Fake

Did Macron ‘snub’ Trump at the G7 summit? Viral video lacks context – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

With the G7 summit underway in France, some social media users are claiming that French leader Emmanuel Macron deliberately “humiliated” US President Donald Trump by not being there to greet him upon his arrival at the airport. Many posts shared a video showing Trump disembarking an aircraft and later appearing unsmiling during a handshake with Macron, suggesting the two events were linked. However, the viral footage omits important context. Social media users claimed that Macron “sent a protocol official to welcome Trump” and that the US president was “humiliated”. The context missing from these claims is that Donald Trump did not fly directly to France. He first arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was greeted by the president of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, in line with standard diplomatic protocol. Macron therefore would not have been expected to meet him at the airport, and the official shown receiving Trump at the tarmac was not “sent” by the French president. Trump was transported to Évian-les-Bains, the spa resort town hosting the G7, via helicopter and armoured car, where …

Did Emmanuel Macron ban the Russian flag from the French Open? No – Truth or Fake

Did Emmanuel Macron ban the Russian flag from the French Open? No – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again Cover image: TRUTH OR FAKE © FRANCE 24 Issued on: 09/06/2026 – 23:12 06:14 min From the show Reading time 1 min This weekend saw the French Open wrap up with Russia’s Mirra Andreeva winning the women’s final. There has since been a lot of speculation as to why her country’s flag was not allowed at the trophy ceremony. Some people online are that claiming French President Emmanuel Macron is responsible, but as FRANCE 24’s Charlotte Hughes explains, this is not the case.  Source link

UK far-right rally: AI images, old footage exaggerate ‘Unite the Kingdom’ turnout – Truth or Fake

UK far-right rally: AI images, old footage exaggerate ‘Unite the Kingdom’ turnout – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

Waving Union Jacks, tens of thousands of supporters of far-right activist Tommy Robinson descended on London’s streets last Saturday for a rally known as “Unite the Kingdom”. Addressing the crowd, Robinson said “we are here in our millions”, and his supporters followed suit online, sharing images of enormous rallies. In reality, London’s Metropolitan Police believe 60,000 demonstrators attended, and several of the viral images online are either AI-generated or using old footage.  Read moreTens of thousands march in London for far-right, pro-Palestine protests Multiple viral images of crowds carrying UK flags and signs were generated by artificial intelligence, showing either distorted faces, inconsistencies or possessing a digital watermark which confirmed its source. Users claimed they showed “British patriotism” and “millions” taking to the streets, believing that the images were real. Aerial footage of crowds from the previous “Unite the Kingdom” rally last September was also often shared online as if recent, falsely exaggerating the turnout. This included a post by Polish right-wing politician Dominik Tarczynski, who shared a video on his X account that was actually from …

‘Plandemic, Covid 2.0’: Fact-checking viral conspiracy theories about hantavirus – Truth or Fake

‘Plandemic, Covid 2.0’: Fact-checking viral conspiracy theories about hantavirus – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

As the world saw with Covid-19, the only thing that spreads faster than a virus is misinformation, and hantavirus is no exception. Despite only a few confirmed cases, conspiracy theories have swirled on social media falsely claiming hantavirus is a planned pandemic, or a ploy to disrupt the US midterm elections. Others alleged it’s a “bioweapon” created by big pharma to “poison” people or even that it’s a side effect of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.  Many Covid-era conspiracy theories have been revived since the outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship, likely amplified due to the anti-vaxx movement and fears about a new global pandemic. As with the coronavirus, theorists allege hantavirus is a planned pandemic – or “plandemic” – created by Big Pharma and vaccine manufacturers, a “biological weapon” created in a laboratory to push vaccines onto the masses. Known conspiracy theorists Alex Jones and Marjorie Taylor Greene (who was notorious for sharing false narratives during the Covid-19 pandemic) amplified these claims on their platforms, with Greene also sharing fake news that anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin could be …

Trump backs proposal to rename ICE as ‘NICE’ – Truth or Fake

Trump backs proposal to rename ICE as ‘NICE’ – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

What started out as a joke on social media has now got the US president’s backing. Donald Trump says he supports the idea of changing the name of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – or ICE – to a new acronym, “NICE”. This comes as the US immigration agency continues to face mounting scrutiny over its operations, funding and record-high deaths of detainees in its custody.  A month ago, conservative influencer Alyssa Dehen posted on social media that she wants Trump to rename ICE as the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement, so that “the media has to say NICE agents all day every day.” Weeks later, the US president reshared her post, responding “GREAT IDEA!!! DO IT.” Soon after his online backing, the official social media accounts of the White House and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) both used this proposed name change on their accounts, captioning posts “ICE is NICE”. However, in order to make this change a legal one, the DHS would have to submit the proposed name change to Congress for approval, where a law …

Trump, Iran both share false information about eight women facing execution – Truth or Fake

Trump, Iran both share false information about eight women facing execution – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

On Wednesday, Donald Trump claimed that out of respect for him, Iran had agreed to spare the lives of eight young Iranian women facing execution. But he was quickly struck with accusations that the images of the women were AI-generated. Iran itself gave conflicting information, both mocking the AI claims but also declaring that none of the women faced confirmed death sentences. The reality – as confirmed by two NGOs – is that all parties shared incorrect information.  The US president claimed that the Iranian government agreed to release eight young women facing the death penalty, after being arrested during protests that swept Iran in December and January. His announcement came a day after he’d reposted a photomontage of the women – alongside a claim they faced hanging – as he urged Tehran to release them as a gesture of goodwill ahead of potential peace negotiations. Almost immediately, internet users claimed that the women in the photo did not exist, and that the images were AI-generated. Official Iranian embassy accounts on social media were quick to jump on board with these claims, with many …

‘L’Abuso’: Real Italian magazine cover of Israeli settler sparks online storm – Truth or Fake

‘L’Abuso’: Real Italian magazine cover of Israeli settler sparks online storm – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

Prominent left-leaning Italian weekly L’Espresso is at the centre of a diplomatic storm online, after the Israeli ambassador to Italy slammed its choice of front cover as “manipulative”. The magazine titled its latest edition “L’Abuso” or “The Abuse”, illustrating the cover with a photo of an armed Israeli settler sneering, whilst pointing his smartphone at a visibly distressed Palestinian woman. Israeli envoy Jonathan Peled said the image of the grinning settler “distorts the complex reality with which Israel must coexist, promoting stereotypes and hatred.” Online, pro-Israel accounts are casting doubt over the photo’s authenticity, questioning if it is fake or AI-generated, with some saying it dehumanises Jews and reinforces anti-Semitic stereotypes, likening it to Nazi propaganda during the Holocaust. In response to the criticism, the photographer of the image, Pietro Masturzo, confirmed that it is indeed real, sharing a video filmed from the incident in Idhna, west of Hebron on October 12, 2025. He explained that it was captured on the first day of the olive harvest there, when an armed group of Israeli settlers …

Epstein files: AI photos circulate of Zohran Mamdani’s mother at party – Truth or Fake

Epstein files: AI photos circulate of Zohran Mamdani’s mother at party – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again © France 24 Issued on: 02/02/2026 – 21:26Modified: 02/02/2026 – 21:43 06:07 min From the show Reading time 1 min The fallout continues after the US Department of Justice released over 3 million documents pertaining to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mother, film director Mira Nair was named in an email, in reference of attending a film party. But AI-generated images by a parody account triggered viral false claims Mamdani has devious political connections or is Epstein’s illegitimate son. Vedika Bahl debunks them in Truth or Fake. Source link