Europe

Does the plan to address prison overcrowding in England and Wales cut short sentences for sexual offenses? No, that's not true: Under current law many inmates typically serve 50% of their sentence in prison, followed by a probation period. A new plan would reduce that to 40% but with exceptions for certain convictions like sexual or violent offenses. Offenders with…

Does posting a statement ensure that users of Meta services will not have their data used in Meta's artificial intelligence training? No, that's not true: Posting the viral statement, or any other statement, doesn't mean that Meta will not use that data for AI training, but users in Europe can object via a form in their account settings. The statement…

Does a viral picture of U.K. police officers appearing to kneel to a group of men in traditional Islamic clothes portray a real-life scene? No, that's not true: Three AI detectors said the image was generated using AI. The image showed classic indicators of that such as missing body parts and unnaturally positioned limbs. The image reappeared in a post…

Was Irish teacher Enoch Burke arrested on September 2, 2024, for "refusing to endorse and affirm transgender ideology"? No, that's not true: Burke was arrested for contempt of court after repeatedly showing up to teach at a school where he was suspended and told not to return. His arrest by police was due to his noncompliance with a court order,…

Did police in the United Kingdom arrest an 11-year-old child in August 2024 for posting "mean tweets"? No, that's not true: Authorities in Cleveland, England, told Lead Stories, "We haven't arrested an 11-year-old for sending mean tweets." One 11-year-old suspect was taken into custody for arson, while another was detained for "violent disorder." The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did Al Jazeera publish a video that reported the United Arab Emirates froze the purchase of 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets from France over the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, as posts on X claimed? No, that's not true: Al Jazeera told Lead Stories that's not their report, and that the video is "fake." Likewise, the French embassy in…

Did the United Kingdom and France issue a "Secret International Arrest Warrant" for Elon Musk? No, that's not true: No news organizations reported anything about the supposedly existing "secret" arrest warrant for Musk approved within jurisdictions of the U.K. or France. The International Criminal Court that issues international arrest warrants denied there is one for the owner of the X…

Was a U.K. man sentenced to over two years behind bars for "waving an English flag"? No, that's not true: The man pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated harassment, having an article with intent to destroy or damage property and obstructing or resisting a constable. Social media posts omitted information about the actual charges in this case, which had nothing to…

Did the messaging service Telegram announce that Apple might be deleting the Telegram app from devices in August 2024? No, that's not true: No such announcement has ever been made by Telegram. A false social media hoax from 2021 resurfaced after Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on August 24, 2024. It was debunked in 2021, and it's…

Does a 2017 paper on resveratrol suggest it could be used to stop or treat monkeypox as part of the public health emergency declared in August 2024? No, that's not true: An author of the paper told Lead Stories that resveratrol was never tested on humans or animals in their research, and it's "unclear if it suppresses poxvirus replication." An…

Was Thomas Jolly, "the artist who created the Olympics opening ceremony," hospitalized after being hit by lightning? No, that's not true: The viral claim was based on a fake screenshot of a nonexistent AP article. Lead Stories found no actual news reports or any evidence that such a lightning strike happened. The claim appeared in a reel on Facebook on…

Did the World Health Organization order governments to "Prepare for 'Mega Lockdowns' Due to 'Deadly Monkeypox' Strain"? No, that's not true: WHO responded to a Lead Stories inquiry about the report of orders for lockdown preparation with "It is false." Preparations for or even the suggestion of major lockdowns because of the monkeypox virus would be major news worldwide, yet…

Does a photograph shared to X in August 2024 genuinely show Pope Francis wearing a rainbow scarf? No, that's not true: One digital forensics website concluded that the photograph was "99.9% likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content." Another indicated the photo was 96 percent "artificial." The image also contained several artifacts like weird fingers, inconsistent clothing and odd hair…

Is a photo showing French President Emmanuel Macron kissing a man authentic? No, that's not true: The photo in this post was digitally altered to change the original image and make it appear like Macron was intimate with another man. In public media accounts, the unedited image displayed Macron play-fighting with his bodyguard while on vacation -- not kissing him.…

Did a viral video show authentic property records proving that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife bought an Italian villa from singer Sting for 75 million euros? No, that's not true: A screenshot of what looked like a document allegedly confirming the transaction was forged. When Lead Stories accessed the Italian property records database, authentic documents contained no traces…

Does a social media video show police apprehending a elderly man on a scooter who was involved in a "far-right" riot in the United Kingdom in 2024? No, that's not true: At least two media organizations have reported that this video shows a police incident in Amsterdam in 2022. This video footage does not show a participant in one of…

Did The Daily Telegraph publish an article by Fiona Parker reporting that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering "emergency detainment camps" on the Falkland Islands? No, that's not true: The publication said, "No such article has ever been published by the Telegraph." There is no publicly available information showing Starmer is planning such camps. The claim appeared in a…

Does a video on social media show Moroccan football players at the Paris Olympics doing throat-slitting motions and shouting "Allahu Akbar"? No, that's not true: That video was posted to Instagram in July 2023, when Morocco was participating in the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. That competition was held in Rabat, Morocco, one year before the Paris Olympics started. The…

Did a man with a darker skin tone and Arabic-sounding name get away with the rape of a 12-year-old girl in the U.K. with a sentence of only community service while two men convicted of anti-immigrant or racist activities got jail time? No, that's not true: The man pictured in the rape case was a 15-year-old member of a gang…

Did Irish professional boxer Kellie Harrington say she would refuse to compete against "biological males" at the Paris 2024 Olympics? No, that's not true: The Olympic Federation of Ireland told Lead Stories on August 2, 2024, that Harrington "does not recollect a conversation about this," and that there is no record of Harrington making any such statement. Lead Stories also…