iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

What a person eats -- particularly the frequency of sugary food and drinks -- plays a role in tooth decay, but it is not possible to "heal" a cavity through diet changes alone as claimed by some on social media. Read more: u.afp.com/S9uC

000

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 02/10/2026

"Stealing our water": conspiracy theories about billionaires follow droughts. Read more: u.afp.com/S9ut

Boat operator Brian Essex walks on dry and cracking land where the old Lake Mead Marina once existed, in Lake Mead, Nevada, on August 21, 2026

031

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 02/10/2026

A video purportedly showing Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed addressing the renewed conflict in Tigray is misleading. It is an edited clip from a November 2020 speech, delivered at the start of the first Tigray war. Read more: u.afp.com/AbiySpeech

020

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 02/10/2026

A fake "Times of India" front page claims to show Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed in an awkward greeting with India’s Narendra Modi at the BRICS summit in New Delhi. The entire front page is AI-generated. Read more: u.afp.com/BRICS

041

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 01/10/2026

US Senator flubs facts in accusing former prosecutor of perjury. Read more: u.afp.com/S9uv

US Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican from Missouri, sits behind a microphone as former US Special Counsel Jack Smith testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill

062

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 01/10/2026

🇪🇹 A video shared online purports to show Donald Trump urging peace in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Tigray region. But while the footage is real and shows Trump discussing his first job, the audio is AI-generated. Read more: u.afp.com/TrumpEthiopia

024

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 30/09/2026

Facebook posts have shared a video claiming it shows the Somali coast drying up amid Ethiopia's push for Red Sea port access. But the footage was filmed at the Alang shipbreaking yard in Gujarat, India. Read more: u.afp.com/SomaliaCoast

032

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 30/09/2026

🇺🇬 False claims have spread online since the death of King Oyo of Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom. A fabricated statement was presented as his last message, while old videos were recycled to falsely depict his final hours and the return of his body from the US. Read more: u.afp.com/KingOyo

033

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 26/09/2026

Vaccines are sterilized to eliminate risk of parasites. Read more: u.afp.com/S947

A laboratory technician handles capped vials as part of filling and packaging tests for the large-scale production and supply of Covid-19 vaccines in Anagni, Italy

063

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 25/09/2026

Donald Trump shared an image of Xi Jinping's red-carpet arrival to Washington that appears to have been altered using artificial intelligence, with an unflattering expression captured in live footage of the moment edited out. Read more: u.afp.com/S9Gp

Screenshot of Donald Trump's Truth Social post with an AI label added by AFP

US President Donald Trump reacts as a B1 bomber flies past during the playing of the national anthem while he welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland

3157

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 25/09/2026

🇺🇸📨 🗳️ Misleading warnings over mail-in ballots circulate ahead of US midterms. Read more: u.afp.com/S9SQ

053

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 25/09/2026

Since July, nine women have been found dead in an area east of Johannesburg. A screenshot of a televised police briefing depicting 10 victims circulated online. However, the image was altered. At the time, eight bodies had been found u.afp.com/S9pX

020

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 22/09/2026

Image of FBI director with trainees altered to shrink height. Read more: u.afp.com/S94h

151

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 19/09/2026

RFK Jr rehashes vaccine misinformation in address to Children's Health Defense. Read more: u.afp.com/SjKV

Robert F. Kennedy Jr speaks at a podium wearing a navy suit

065

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 18/09/2026

A strong El Niño has led to a quiet start to the Atlantic hurricane season. Social media posts are crediting bills that ban weather modification for the lack of storms, but technology capable of creating or steering hurricanes does not exist. Read more: u.afp.com/SjKe

Graphic explaining the El Nino phenomenon

064

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 17/09/2026

A government crackdown in Kenya against foreign-owned small businesses drew condemnation from rights groups and neighbours. However, a video of Kenyans protesting was falsely linked to the regulatory blitz u.afp.com/SjaZ

032

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 16/09/2026

No evidence 449,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in California. Read more: u.afp.com/Sjuk

A cardboard privacy screen with the American flag and the word vote on it are pictured at a polling station in an American Legion Post in Hawthorne, California

184

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 16/09/2026

Read the full story here: u.afp.com/SjBj 🔎 And send us a tip here if you spot any other false or misleading claims: factcheck.afp.com/contact

Aerial image of buildings destroyed by floodwaters alongside a muddy river

030

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 16/09/2026

The catastrophe has reignited debate over the impacts of infrastructure projects in the Himalayas, where China is building a massive hydropower dam. While other plants have led to fatal disasters in the past, investigators say they have nothing to do with the latest floods

Infographic showing the locations of hydropower dam projects near the flash floods in the Himalayas

121

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 16/09/2026

Experts on an international team investigating the disaster told us that several pieces of evidence show a dam failure could not have caused the flash floods

"We can see very clearly from the satellite imagery there is no dam. You can't hide dam construction" - Kristen Cook, geomorphologist at Université Grenoble Alpes

120

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 16/09/2026

The ice-rock avalanche barreled through local villages downstream. Thousands of homes were washed away by the deluge, along with concrete bridges and hydropower plants

Screenshot of a video showing floodwaters consuming buildings alongside a river

Screenshot of a video showing floodwaters taking out a concrete bridge over a river

130

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 16/09/2026

On the morning of August 26, a chunk of bedrock and glacial ice broke off a Nepalese mountain near the border with China, plunging thousands of metres into the valley below. A fresh scar on the peak is visible in satellite imagery taken after the collapse

Satellite imagery of a glacier with green surrounding it

Satellite imagery of a glacier with a piece missing, highlighted in yellow

130

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 16/09/2026

As scientists investigate the deadly floods that swept through Nepal and Tibet, online posts baselessly claim the disaster was caused by a Chinese dam collapse. We reviewed forensic evidence and spoke to five experts to break down the sequence of events behind the devastation 🧵

Infographic showing the route that the China-Nepal floods took through the Himalayas

176

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 14/09/2026

Posts touting mebendazole as cancer treatment go beyond the science. Read more: u.afp.com/Sjn8

Patent proves anti-parasitic drug is 'cure' for cancer? FALSE

031

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 14/09/2026

🇺🇸🗳️ Six newsrooms, one weekly roundup of misinformation that matters. We're partnering with @leadstories.com, @politifact.bsky.social, @factcheck.org, @apnews.com & Factchequeado to produce a pop-up newsletter for the 2026 midterm elections. Subscribe today: u.afp.com/USMidtermsNe...

A red and blue banner reads: "Vote here today"

031

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 14/09/2026

Both China and Nepal have gone after misinformation about last month's devastating floods, but their different approaches have played a key role in shaping what the public saw of a disaster that killed more than 1,400 people u.afp.com/Sjms

Aerial view of destroyed buildings sitting in mud with a green forest background

064

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 13/09/2026

Climate change, not data centers, behind Colorado River drought. Read more: u.afp.com/SjAG

The "bathtub ring," a wall of white mineral buildup from the reservoir's historical high level, is seen in Lake Mead, Nevada, on August 21, 2026

194

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 11/09/2026

An image shared by Texas Governor Greg Abbott's campaign purports to show his opponent, Democrat Gina Hinojosa, speaking with a child at a table adorned with a transgender pride flag. But it has been altered; the state lawmaker's original footage showed a US flag. Read more: u.afp.com/SjAT

Screenshot of an X post from @GovHotWheels_TX with an orange x across the image it to indicate it is altered

Screenshot of the original image as shared on X by @GinaHinojosaTX

1139

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 11/09/2026

A viral clip linked to violence in Nigeria, DRC and Sudan does not show a toddler trying to wake his dead mother. The woman, from the Hadzabe hunter-gatherer tribe in Tanzania, was sleeping. AFP traced a follow-up video of her waking up. Read more: factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

053

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 08/09/2026

🇮🇩 Disinformation about recent anti-government protests in Indonesia has inundated social media in what researchers say is a coordinated attempt to spread propaganda about the one-year-old movement u.afp.com/Sjwy

031

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 06/09/2026

Arizona processed hundreds of thousands of duplicate voter registrations, but those records do not equate to misconduct, experts told AFP. Mulitple safeguards are in place to keep people from casting more than one ballot. Read more: u.afp.com/SVtP

An "I voted" sticker is worn by a person wearing a black shirt with white stars

062

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 05/09/2026

Data center backlash sparks misinformation on animal deaths. Read more: u.afp.com/SVF3

032

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 04/09/2026

Searching through social media networks can be a slog. Find what you need quickly thanks to the tips and tools shared in our open-access courses ➡️ u.afp.com/SocialMediaPro

062

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 01/09/2026

🇿🇲 Zambia's August 2026 election was marred by disinformation. AFP Fact Check debunked several claims, including AI-generated images falsely showing an opposition victory. Read more: u.afp.com/Zm-Polls

030

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 31/08/2026

Read more fact checks about the Nepal-Tibet floods here: u.afp.com/SVnQ 🔎 Seen something else you think we should investigate? Send us a tip: factcheck.afp.com/contact

Man in a hard hat standing in front of flood-damaged structures

082

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 31/08/2026

Nepal is sadly no stranger to fatal floods and landslides, especially during its summer monsoon season. This video of water rushing past a Buddha statue was filmed during a flash flood in September 2024 and resurfaced in posts with a spiritual slant u.afp.com/SVsY

Screenshot of an X post sharing footage of floodwaters rushing by a golden Buddha statue

170

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 31/08/2026

Genuine footage of the catastrophic flash floods and landslides underscores the scale of the disaster. But this video, purportedly showing a torrent of water breaching a riverbank and spilling over pedestrians and vehicles, is AI-generated u.afp.com/SVdr

Screenshot of an X post sharing footage of a flooded river beside buildings and a street

150

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 31/08/2026

And this clip shows a landslide that destroyed a construction site in India's southern Kerala state in July 2026 u.afp.com/NotNepalFlood

Screenshot of an X post sharing footage of people standing in the rain, watching floodwaters

150

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 31/08/2026

Old flooding footage from India also resurfaced in posts falsely claiming the clips showed the disaster at the Nepal-Tibet border. These videos depict flash floods that struck India's northern state of Uttarakhand in August 2025 and 2026 u.afp.com/IndiaFloodingVideos

Screenshots of X posts sharing footage of floodwaters

150

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 31/08/2026

The US Geological Survey said a glacial collapse triggered a massive flow of icy debris, causing the floods. But this video of a large section of a glacier breaking off into a body of water was filmed years ago in Chilean Patagonia u.afp.com/SVAb

Screenshot of an X post sharing a video of a glacier slab breaking off into a body of water

150

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 31/08/2026

The August 26 disaster saw a wall of water tear through the Nepal-Tibet border region, engulfing villages, disrupting power and damaging infrastructure. But this video of a river washing away a power plant embankment was filmed in Pakistan in August 2022 u.afp.com/2022PakistanFlood

Screenshot of a post on X sharing a video of muddy floodwaters

150

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 31/08/2026

As rescuers in Nepal and China searched for thousands missing after deadly flash floods swept through the Himalayas, social media was inundated with clips falsely linked to the disaster. Here are some of the claims our global team has debunked so far 🧵

Vehicles and people walking through mud between damaged buildings

2216

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 30/08/2026

Our North America team is excited to be partnering with other US fact-checkers to produce a pop-up newsletter debunking deceptive 2026 midterm ads and election disinformation. Subscribe today: u.afp.com/USMidtermsNe...

14712

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 28/08/2026

Donald Trump regularly posts images and memes generated by artificial intelligence on his Truth Social account, but he did not share this picture depicting him dressed as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer arresting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Read more: u.afp.com/SVWW

284

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 28/08/2026

👮 Eight years after three men were arrested for impersonating traffic officers in South Africa, their antics were satirised in an AI picture. Read how a hoax post spread to Kenya, where social media claimed the trio as their own u.afp.com/SVd3

020

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 28/08/2026

🇰🇪 A video claiming to show the launch of a new ship on Lake Victoria as part of President William Ruto’s development projects has no connection to Kenya. AFP Fact Check geolocated the vessel to a shipyard in India, filmed in April. Read more: u.afp.com/LV

021

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 28/08/2026

A glacial collapse appears to have triggered the catastrophic Nepal-Tibet flash floods, but this clip is unrelated. It was filmed in the Chilean Patagonia several years ago u.afp.com/SVAb

0115

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 27/08/2026

The flags in this image have been altered. In the original, Mark Carney's family was holding Canadian flags with the signature red maple leaf. Read more: u.afp.com/SVQn

Screenshot of an X post. An orange x is drawn over the post to indicate it has been altered.

Screenshot of a video posted to YouTube by Mark Carney in January 2025. Elements indicating the image was taken in Canada are highlighted by AFP.

24816

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 27/08/2026

Posts sharing a video of a man fatally wounded during an arrest operation have falsely linked the footage to South Africa and DRC. AFP Fact Check traced the clip to an incident in Mozambique where police were trying to detain a suspect at a bar. Shots were fired, killing the man u.afp.com/SVMa

161

AFP Fact Check @factcheck.afp.com · 26/08/2026

Fact-checking Trump's August 2026 claims on US-Canada trade: u.afp.com/SVf5

Shipping containers are seen in the Port of Montreal

173