AFP Fact Check 🔎

💉 Research on dementia prevention has pointed to benefits from adult vaccination, but one study that failed to reaffirm those findings is being misrepresented online. The paper's lead author said it in no way proved vaccination increases dementia risk u.afp.com/Sr7u

🇺🇸🇨🇦 Trade negotiations between the United States and Canada are ongoing. Posts falsely claiming otherwise on social media are sharing a Fox News clip from 2025 discussing a digital services tax Ottawa has already rescinded u.afp.com/Sr7a

🇨🇦 AI-generated maps on social media claiming to represent the wildfire situation in Canada are missing important context. Experts told AFP they could give false impressions of where fires are burning without properly communicating the level of risk u.afp.com/SrsM

🇨🇦 Canada is facing an intense fire season that scientists say is linked to seasonal increases in high temperatures and dry weather, not "directed energy weapons" or other conspiratorial plots u.afp.com/SrPM

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❌ This supposed Time magazine cover featuring Sonam Wangchuk is fabricated, contrary to posts circulating after the activist's hunger strike protesting flaws in India's examination system. The creator of the image confirmed he used AI to make it u.afp.com/SrMh

⚽️ Images purport to Spain's forward Lamine Yamal holding and praying over a Palestinian keffiyeh on the World Cup pitch. But the visuals were altered using artificial intelligence u.afp.com/Srg2

🇨🇦 Startling images of Canadian wildfires spread across social media in mid-July, but not every clip circulating online was current. AFP identified two videos that were captured during previous seasons but inaccurately labeled as scenes from 2026 u.afp.com/SrYK

🇦🇺 Posts are falsely claiming the World Bank has classified Australia as a "third world country", but a spokesperson for the bank told us it does not use the outdated term and in fact considers the country to be high-income u.afp.com/Srx9

This video shows a deadly wildfire in Spain early this month, not a scene from renewed US-Iran fighting as false social media posts claim u.afp.com/SrcU

🇩🇪🗳️ Some German lawmakers and anti-Kremlin activists suspect Russia of inflaming sensitive regional divisions, smearing mainstream political parties and spreading disinformation to help the far right ahead of hotly contested regional elections in Germany u.afp.com/Sr4G

Donald Trump revived long-debunked claims about fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election, alleging in an address that China stole millions of voter files and suggesting Venezuela could manipulate US voting machines. AFP fact-checked him: france24.com/en/live-news/2…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's land acknowledgement during a recent speech in Australia is a cultural tradition that has long featured in public settings, contrary to posts online. Several visiting foreign leaders have previously followed the custom u.afp.com/SroL

Torrential rain and severe flooding from Typhoon Maysak have killed dozens in China, but this video does not show passengers of a trapped car pulled to safety in the recent storm -- it was in fact filmed in 2025 u.afp.com/2025GuangxiRes…

Journalists: Want to learn how to find and vet photos, videos and testimonies during breaking news events? Sign up for our open-access online course ➡️ u.afp.com/BreakingNews

US health officials are reporting a record number of cases of cyclosporiasis -- an intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite in contaminated produce. The recommended treatment is a combination antibiotic, not ivermectin u.afp.com/SrZa

A speech delivered by Ethiopian army chief Birhanu Jula has been shared as criticism of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. But the clip has been altered and presented out of context. Birhanu's address on national sovereignty never mentioned Abiy. u.afp.com/SrZj

Posts claiming a video shows the aftermath of attacks in Ethiopia's Oromia region are false. The footage shows a fire that destroyed a displacement camp in Sudan's northern Darfur region in May. Read more: u.afp.com/Oromia

⚽️ A video claiming to show a drone tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo in Madeira after Portugal's 2026 World Cup exit is not real. The clip is AI-generated. Read more: u.afp.com/WCR7

Violent celebrations overshadowed France's World Cup quarter-final victory over Morocco, but videos posted online do not show rioting in Paris The footage was filmed weeks earlier during unrest following Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League win u.afp.com/SKvb