International

Does a viral graph accurately represent the outcome of the 2025 Romanian presidential election? No, that's not true: The graph showed the odds of Nicușor Dan's victory, not the actual share of the votes he earned. The image originated from a betting website, not from the national election officials. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X where…

Does a video show China air-dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza in May 2025? No, that's not true: The video is from March 2024, when U.S. military planes dropped food and supplies onto a beach in Beit Lahiya, Gaza. Other videos posted at the time show the same scene, and news reports documented the event. There is no evidence that China…

Does a video show Chinese fighter jets escorting a Chinese cargo plane over Egypt's Giza pyramids en route to an air-drop of food and supplies to Gaza? No, that's not true: The video shows a May 4, 2025 joint training drill between China and Egypt's military called "Eagles of Civilization 2025," according to an official statement on China's military website.…

Does a viral video authentically show several cruise ships dumping raw sewage into the sea using huge pipes? No, that's not true: According to several AI detection tools the video was generated using artificial intelligence. It also contains several tell-tale signs of AI generation such as elements that blend into each other and bizarre features on the pipelines themselves. An…

Does a viral image confirm that the Ukrainian government issued new rules prohibiting taking pictures of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from certain angles? No, that's not true: Talking to Lead Stories, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States referred to the image as "fake". The "rules" were self-contradictory and lacked any specific identifying information tying it to…

Did CNN broadcast a graphic touting Pakistan's supposed military success against India, including a caption that read "Pakistan Strikes India's Air Defense"? No, that's not true: A CNN spokesperson told Lead Stories it was a "fabricated image". India has denied Pakistan's claims of having inflicted significant damage on their S-400 air defense system. The fake CNN graphic was presented as…

Does House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries not want to discuss a $1.2 million luxury apartment the Mexican government gifted him in 2022? No, that's not true: The rumor was launched by a Facebook page that profits from political satire. The fake claim came amid backlash against President Donald Trump's decision to accept the gift of a 747 from the government…

Does an image authentically show (presumably) Palestinian women and children crying on demand for a cameraman wearing a green on white headband with Arabic lettering on it? No, that's not true: The scene, which also contained rubble and a boom microphone, was AI-generated according to at least two detection tools. It also contained telltale signs of AI such as weird…

Does U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer "drive to work every day" in a Rolls Royce he received as a gift from the British government? No, that's not true: That rumor originated on a Facebook page that describes its content as satirical. The fake "Rolls Royce" claim came amid backlash against President Donald Trump's decision to accept the gift of a jet…

Did Al Gore receive a $90 million custom Gulfstream jet from the Sultan of Kuwait? No, that's not true: The story appeared on a site that is clearly labeled as satirical. It is run by a man known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The story appeared as an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on May…

Does a viral video show a crowd of passengers streaming off a ferry that has landed in Germany? No, that's not true: It's just a re-post of an old video, with a label mis-identifying the location. Nothing in the post provides verification of the claim that it shows Germany, while an earlier post of the exact same video identifies it…

Does a viral video prove U.S. President Donald Trump refused to drink coffee in Saudi Arabia in May 2025? A longer version of the viral clip showed him gazing around while holding the untouched coffee cup, as other reception participants, including the host, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, took one or more sips. Yet, the footage does not offer…

Does a viral post show an Australian man being arrested for trying to take AU$5,000 from his bank account at a Commonwealth Bank branch in a suburb of Sydney? No, that's not true: Police records show the man was arrested for behaving offensively in public, not for any financial crime. He was also charged with hindering officers who tried to…

Did a letter shared in May 2025 authentically show that Pakistan's Air Force had fired Air Vice Marshall Aurangzeb Ahmed, for supposedly "failing to protect" a nuclear facility? No, that's not true: The fake letter originated on an X account which describes its content as "political satire". The image of the letter also had the word "satire" in the top…

Did the Saudis give Bill Clinton a helicopter worth $17 million "to use in their airspace" and did he then get to keep it as a "gift" when he left office? No, that's not true: The viral claim originated on two self-described satirical Facebook pages. The owner of the pages is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up…

Does a video posted to social media show Pope Leo XIV turning away from a Pride flag as he moves through a receiving line? No, that's not true: It's not a Pride flag but a flag commonly flown at Italian peace marches that says "PACE," which is Italian for "peace". Furthermore, it's not clear the Pope turned specifically away from…

Does a viral image prove that a facility in Northern Pakistan experienced a radiation leak shortly after midnight on May 11, 2025? No, that's not true: What was described as an official government confirmation in posts on social media contained multiple inconsistencies and spelling mistakes, strongly pointing to forgery. The website of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which the "memo"…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump call Australian PM Anthony Albanese a "total RETARD" in a post on Truth Social? No, that's not true: A fabricated screenshot of such a post, in which Trump accused Albanese of "running the country into the ground" originated on an X account that said it was "fake". There is no trace of such a post…

Did CNN air a graphic of statistics from the India-Pakistan conflict that showed India suffered far larger losses than Pakistan and that U.S. President Trump helped "curb India's losses?" No, that's not true: A CNN spokesperson told Lead Stories the global news network did not air the graphic and that it was "fabricated." There are no official numbers of jets,…

Did a widely-shared video authentically show President Donald Trump speaking in praise of Pakistan's Air Force, and claiming India had "humiliated itself", in the context of May 2025 clashes between the two countries? No, that's not true: The video contained fake audio of Trump's voice making remarks he never did, in reality. The fake voice and conspicuously fake mouth movements…