Europe

Does a real video show a cyclist powering a Mercedes on the Autobahn at highway speeds? No, that's not true: The Hive Moderation content detection tool rated the video with a 99.7% likelihood of being AI-generated. Lead Stories found several AI glitches after a visual inspection of this clip. The video appeared in a post (archived here) published by the…

Does a viral video actually show that an African migrant from a group rescued from the English Channel on August 7, 2026, said that he wanted "my money and my free house, and English woman"? No, that's not true: In reality, the man from the clip was filmed two years before the incident; he spoke Arabic, not English; and he…

Does a video clip show a farmer on a French show called "Face Your Worst Nightmare" being confronted with dozens of singing children dressed like the brother he killed in a drunk driving accident? No, that's not true: The clip actually shows a children's choral tribute to French composer and actor Serge Gainsbourg. "Farmer François Lavigne," along with the show…

Did President Donald Trump file an emergency motion to "stop his own lawsuit against the BBC"? No, that's not true: The president's lawyers asked a U.S. federal judge for a stay of discovery into his finances in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster, which the judge granted on Aug. 6, 2026. Had Trump wanted to stop his…

Are viral high-resolution images real photos or screenshots actually showing the person suspected of punching a man in broad daylight in Warsaw, Poland? No, that's not true: Two AI detectors said the images were generated by AI. The real recording of the incident had a much lower quality, and thus, the images could not be authentic screenshots of that video.…

Have you seen a viral video showing a beautiful policewoman asking for engagement or friendship, a simple "Hello" or a follow? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. They do not show real people or situations although the videos are produced for audiences in several…

Does a viral image show a real restaurant bill from Le Club 55 in St. Tropez for 689,235.43 EUR? No, that's not true: It displayed a nonexistent business code and contained math errors. Le Club 55 told Lead Stories that the restaurant doesn't even serve what appeared on the receipt. Four online tools said that the image was generated by…

Was a man named "François Faivre", the supposed surgeon who "announced Brigitte Macron's transgender transformation," found dead in Paris in June 2026? No, that's not true: Lead Stories searched the French national registry of the deceased but found no exact matches. The claim came from a video showing AI-generated people that has resurfaced on the internet multiple times since 2025.…

Is Jason R. Day a real performance artist and impersonator who disappeared in 2012? No, that's not true: Day is an AI-generated character intended to satirize University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday in a fabricated Wikipedia page. Arday has been accused of plagiarism and of falsely exaggerating his achievements, including a claim to hold a "visiting professor" position at the…

Did Reuters publish a photo which shows a Moroccan police officer about to throw a rock down on a migrant who is crawling up a rocky embankment? No, that's not true: This image was made with OpenAI tools, it was not published by Reuters. The image closely resembles a scene which really did occur in or near the Spanish territory…

Does a viral image show the real face of a woman who seemed to have waved at migrants in Ceuta, Spain? No, that's not true: The picture portrayed the woman with an anatomically impossible nose. The image was generated by AI, according to AI verification tools and instructions for the original version of the image. The claim appeared in a…

Does a video show a guard in Morocco opening a border fence located at Ceuta, a Spanish territory, in July 2026? No, that's not true: The footage was posted online in 2021. According to a Spanish police union, it does show Moroccan people crossing into Ceuta. The claim appeared in a post by @alberto_hispanista on Instagram on July 31, 2026…

Does a video show a migrant crisis in Ceuta, Spain? No, that's not true: The clip was uploaded to social media weeks earlier. Two online AI detectors suggested the presence of generative AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on Facebook on July 30, 2026. It opened: Is this an invasion of Spain? This is…

Did the BBC report that Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska was spotted wearing a pendant stolen from France's Lalique Museum? No, that's not true: The BBC denied ever publishing such a report. The video was doctored to digitally add the jewelry item to Zelenska's neck. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by @its_The_Dr…

Does a real photo show Lamine Yamal's little brother Keyne with bundles of cash and the world cup trophy? No, that's not true: The image is AI-generated, it was originally posted on Instagram with an AI disclaimer by an account listing itself as an "AI Nostalgia & Multiverse Creator". AI detection tools at Hive Moderation and Google Gemini both found…

Does a viral clip confirm that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave Monaco bombing suspect Anastasiia Berezovska a military award in 2022? No, that's not true: The rumor was based on a doctored clip. The real footage of the award ceremony didn't show people who looked like Berezovska. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by @GarbageHuman24 on…

Did soccer player Lamine Yamal show a keffiyeh during one of the Spain games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? No, that's not true: The rumor was based on a digitally altered image taken during a match between Spain and Saudi Arabia in mid-June 2026. Multiple photos of that scene published by credible journalistic organizations showed Yamal celebrating his goal…

Was an art exhibition featuring an elderly woman's dead body created after the death of former Conservative Member of Parliament Ann Widdecombe? No, that's not true: The exhibit predates Widdecombe's death by more than two months. The artist who created the exhibition uploaded a video of it to TikTok in April 2026. Widdecombe died on July 8, 2026. The claim…

Is a photo showing Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal draped in the Palestine flag and holding the World Cup trophy real? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Yamal wore a Palestinian flag over his shoulders after Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final on July 19, 2026. The fake image closely resembles authentic photos showing the…

Does a viral clip accurately document what happened during the 2026 FIFA World Cup award ceremony when Spanish soccer player Lamine Yamal came to the podium to receive a medal from Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Contrary to claims on social media, Yamal didn't refuse to shake hands with U.S. President Donald Trump: their handshake was well-documented by multiple…