International

Is a story mimicking The New Voice of Ukraine claiming $140 million was found at Arsen Zhumadilov's home, marked "For the Servant of the People," real? No, that's not true: The New Voice of Ukraine did not publish such a report. Instead, the fake story appeared on a website designed to imitate the publication's real site. Lead Stories found no…

Does a real map show that as far back as 1688 "Lac America" was the established name of the body of water between the U.S. and Canada? No, that's not true: The name of the lake in the 1688 map drawn by Pierre Raffeix has been altered with AI tools. The words in the original map title and lake label…

Does a real story report that Donald Trump folded his arms after a question about China election meddling? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a social media account known for posting satirical content. The account's profile page carries the disclaimer, "Halfway true comedy and satire for your doomscrolling." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by The…

Did Danish officials or Danish media play "Send in the Clowns" before President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's Greenland press conference at the United Nations? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Danish officials or media selected the music played before the press event on Sept. 22, 2026. Both Denmark's press office at the Ministry…

Have you seen viral videos showing automatic haircut machines? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and found that many were created using artificial intelligence. These videos do not show real people or situations. Instead, they exploit the novelty of such machines to drive engagement on social media. This article is part of a series of stories…

Was a viral video of people dressed in various costumes recorded at protests against the Alternative for Germany political party on Sept. 12, 2026? No, that's not true: The clip predated those rallies. It was recorded at a Pride event, as the caption of the first video uploaded said. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by…

Does a video show human meat for sale in a Paris butcher shop where arrests have been reportedly made? No, that's not true: There are no news reports matching the story of a butcher arrested for selling human meat in Paris. The video of a grocery meat case, originally published on Instagram on Jan. 6, 2026, was labeled "this beef…

Did music streaming platform Spotify delete Ed Sheeran's songs after Macklemore's removal from Sheeran's tour for pro-Palestine statements? No, that's not true: As of this writing, the artist's songs are still available on the platform. The rumor seemed to have originated from a self-proclaimed satire account. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Threads where it was published…

Did Donald Trump post a map with "United States" covering both Russia and the U.S. on social media? No, that's not true: A review of Trump's Truth Social account found no record of such a post. There are no credible reports that he shared the map or made a statement suggesting that Russia is part of the United States at…

Does a viral video capture musician David Byrne actually telling singer Ed Sheeran that "it's time to make a musical change"? No, that's not true: The video was not a real recording of the conversation between the two. It originated from an account that splices together unrelated interviews of different people who never actually met or spoke to each other…

Did Ed Sheeran donate concert tickets to veterans after fans requested refunds over Macklemore's removal from his tour for pro-Palestine statements? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from an account on Facebook that explicitly says that "nothing on this page is real". Lead Stories found zero media coverage corroborating what was shared on social media. The claim appeared in…

Was it proven that a Muslim man spiked Millie Taplin's drink in an Essex, England, nightclub on her 18th birthday in 2021, paralyzing her? No, that's not true: Essex Police told Lead Stories there is "absolutely nothing" in the case that supports the claim. There is also no credible news coverage identifying a suspect or their religion. The claim appeared…

Does a video show Ed Sheeran playing a concert alone with a "loop station" after his backing band Beoga quit? No, that's not true: The video footage shows Sheeran in concert on July 1, 2022 at Wembley Stadium in London. Beoga published a statement announcing their departure from the remaining portion of Sheeran's Loop Tour Sept. 15, 2026, and no…

Does a real video show an Indian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet crashing into the runway, scraping the tarmac in a hail of sparks before the pilot ejects? No, that's not true: The video is from the online combat game War Thunder. There is also no evidence from credible sources that such an incident ever took place. The claim appeared…

Does a real video show aide Natalie Harp grinning behind President Donald Trump while he was speaking at the NATO Leaders Summit in Turkey? No, that's not true: The six-second video circulating on social media was made with AI. Only the first frame of the video is an authentic photo, taken by a New York Times photojournalist. The claim appeared…

Has "Superman" actor Henry Cavill been announced as the next James Bond? No, that's not true: The account that posted the claim is a parody account. There are no credible reports of Cavill starring in the next 007 film installment as of publication time. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @DiscussingFake_ account on X on Sept.…

Is an image of President Donald Trump appearing to have wetted himself after meeting with Irish President Catherine Connolly a real photo? No, that's not true: It's from an AI-generated meme. No officially released images showed such a scene. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Threads by the @joekillory account on Sept. 13, 2026. It read:…

Did the 'foreign press' report that the Irish president insisted on being seated away from Donald Trump because he was emanating a disgusting 'fecal' like odor? No, that's not true: There are no credible reports that Catherine Connolly refused to sit near Trump during his visit to Ireland over a 'fecal' odor. His visit was covered by U.S. news outlets…

Does a real photo accurately portray Natalie Harp smiling? No, that's not true: A real image has been altered with AI tools to elongate Harp's teeth and expose her gums. A visual comparison between the altered image and the original, as well as readings from AI-generated content detection tools, all demonstrate the image is fake. The claim appeared in a…

Is the viral selfie featuring Russia's Vladimir Putin surrounded by BRICS leaders an actual photo documenting the group's summit in September 2026? No, that's not true: Three online detectors ruled that it was made by AI. Lead Stories did not find any examples of credible media organizations using the image to cover the summit. The claim appeared in a post…