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21 migrants die attempting to reach Crete
At least 21 people died over the weekend while trying to reach the Greek island of Crete, authorities confirmed on Monday. The Greek coast guard found eight bodies on one boat and 12 on another, while rescuing around 40 people from both vessels. Another body was discovered on Monday afternoon. Maritime police launched an emergency rescue late on Saturday after a boat sent out an alarm signal. Strong winds made sea conditions difficult, the coast guard said.
Woman rescued after 20 hours at sea following cruise ship jump
A woman survived 20 hours in the Ionian Sea after jumping from a cruise ship, Greek authorities confirmed on Monday. The 44-year-old Salvadorian passenger jumped from the Royal Caribbean vessel Odyssey of the Seas early on Friday while the ship sailed southwest of Zakynthos island. The woman later told rescuers she jumped because she wanted to disembark, a coastguard spokesperson told AFP. Greek authorities launched a major search operation after the alert went out on Friday morning.
Hundreds of French high schools shut as new violence erupts
PARIS – French high school students lit fires outside schools and faced off with police on Friday, 2 October, as a protest movement that has forced the closure of, or disrupted education at, more than 560 establishments showed no sign of abating. According to an AFP report, the movement, which began last week in the Paris region and rapidly spread nationwide, has seen teenage pupils at lycées in their final years of schooling block access to buildings and clash with police.
Cinq fausses informations récurrentes sur les cancers
Le cancer du sein est le plus fréquent et le plus mortel chez les femmes en France, avec 61.000 nouveaux cas diagnostiqués et plus de 12.000 décès chaque année. A l'occasion d'Octobre Rose, mois de sensibilisation au dépistage du cancer du sein, l'AFP Factuel revient sur cinq fausses informations régulièrement relayées sur les cancers en général, et du sein, en particulier. Le soutien-gorge favorise le cancer du sein ?
Cinq fausses informations récurrentes sur les cancers
Le cancer du sein est le plus fréquent et le plus mortel chez les femmes en France, avec 61.000 nouveaux cas diagnostiqués et plus de 12.000 décès chaque année. A l'occasion d'Octobre Rose, mois de sensibilisation au dépistage du cancer du sein, l'AFP Factuel revient sur cinq fausses informations régulièrement relayées sur les cancers en général, et du sein, en particulier. Le soutien-gorge favorise le cancer du sein ?
Jellyfish swarm forces shutdown of three reactors at French nuclear plant
LILLE, France – A swarm of jellyfish forced the shutdown of three reactors at France’s largest nuclear power plant on Monday after the marine creatures clogged pumps used to cool the units. Energy group EDF confirmed that three reactors at the Gravelines nuclear power plant near Dunkirk were taken offline, while output at a fourth reactor was reduced by half. Only one reactor continues operating at full capacity, with a sixth already offline for scheduled maintenance.
Nearly 160 migrants rescued after boat catches fire during Channel crossing
French and British rescue teams pulled 157 migrants from the Channel on Tuesday morning after their boat caught fire during an attempted crossing from France to Britain. The incident, which occurred on the boundary between French and British waters, forced all passengers to jump into the sea. No casualties were reported, according to the prefect’s office in France’s Pas-de-Calais region.
Three lions die from suspected heatstroke at Tokyo zoo as Japan battles extreme heat
Three lionesses have died from suspected heatstroke at a Tokyo zoo, with several others still receiving treatment as Japan’s humidity proves deadly for the big cats. Tama Zoological Park confirmed the deaths occurred between Friday and Tuesday, with ten of the zoo’s 16 lions showing symptoms since mid-July including loss of appetite and reduced activity.
Luxembourg arrests suspects in French nationals’ deaths in South Africa
Two suspects, including the ex-husband of one victim, have been arrested in Luxembourg over the murder of three French nationals in South Africa. The bodies of three adults who had suffered multiple violent blows with a blunt weapon were discovered on 11 July at two separate locations near Pretoria, said Gauthier Poupeau, the public prosecutor in Coutances, northwest France. The victims were a couple from near Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, and the woman’s mother.
Les définitions de certaines pratiques sexuelles au programme de l'école primaire ? C'est faux
"L'éducation sexuelle en primaire c'est ça... [On apprend aux enfants les mots] Fellation, pipe, sucer... ! Ils sont où là [...] les influenceurs, les médias, les politiques... les parents, bordel, réagissez !", s'alarment des internautes dans des messages publiés sur X et sur Facebook (1, 2, 3), début février 2025. Capture d'écran prise sur Facebook le 10 février 2025.
Non, les stationnements ne sont pas interdits pour les voitures hors Crit'Air 1 et 2 dans Paris
"Les horodateurs dans Paris sont reliés au fichier des cartes grises. Si [vous n'avez, NDLR] pas le bon classement Crit'Air, pas de paiement possible et donc PV. Si voiture trop lourde, prix du stationnement plus cher", assure dans une publication relayée plus de 1.800 fois sur X depuis le 2 février l'écrivain Alexandre Jardin.
Non, il n'est pas dangereux de consommer des canards vaccinés contre la grippe aviaire
"Non aux canards gavés de vaccin ARN messager expérimental !" : sur les réseaux sociaux, de nombreuses publications (1, 2) s'inquiètent d'une supposée dangerosité des conséquences pour l'être humain de manger du canard préalablement vacciné contre la grippe aviaire.
Les véhicules Crit'Air 3 non couverts par les assurances en cas d'accident dans une ZFE? C'est faux
"Le scandale invisible des [zones à faibles émissions ; ZFE]", "Les assurances auto ne couvriront plus les accidents d’un véhicule Crit’Air 3 dans une ZFE" soutiennent des internautes dans des publications partagées sur Facebook (1, 2) et sur X (3, 4, 5, 6) depuis début janvier 2025. Soit depuis le début de la mise en place de ces restrictions de circulation pour certains véhicules dans plusieurs villes de France.
Image of Singapore animal crossing falsely shared as 'wildlife bridge in the Netherlands' Original
"In the Netherlands, over 600 bridges and natural paths have been built to help animals cross the road safely. This initiative demonstrates the country's commitment to protecting wildlife and reducing accidents as a result of roads that pass through animal habitats," read part of a Malay-language Facebook post on January 3, 2025. The post included an aerial image of a vegetation-covered bridge connecting patches of forest separated by a highway.
Non, la prison n'est pas un "moyen d'être régularisé" pour les détenus en situation irrégulière
"Aujourd'hui pour [une personne sous obligation de quitter le territoire (OQTF)] il suffit de passer par la case prison pour avoir un numéro de sécurité sociale et finalement pour pouvoir travailler en France", indique la légende d'une vidéo partagée par des internautes sur Facebook fin décembre 2024 et début janvier 2025.
Attention à ces affirmations trompeuses sur le Beyfortus, traitement contre la bronchiolite
"Rappels importants sur la bronchiolite et le Beyfortus.
Attention à ces images du public venu écouter Zelensky à l'ONU
"Les lamentations de Zelensky ont touché tout le monde : la salle de l'ONU était presque vide pendant le discours du président ukrainien", ironise sur Facebook le compte "Pôle politique Africa". "L'image que vos médias aux ordres ne vous montrerons [sic] pas ! Discours de #Zelensky à l'#ONU salle vide", assène une utilisatrice sur X (archivés ici et ici).
Non, les enfants de Gaza ne se font pas "empoisonner" par le vaccin oral contre la polio
Dès le début de la campagne de vaccination des enfants de Gaza, des messages sceptiques, voire alarmistes, ont essaimé sur X notamment, comme celui de Silvano Trotta, le 2 septembre 2024, partagé plus de mille fois: "De nouvelles images de l'effort massif de vaccination à Gaza montrent des enfants recevant le vaccin par voie orale.
JO 2024 : flot de désinformation après la cérémonie d'ouverture
Les JO ont été officiellement ouverts vendredi dans la foulée une inédite, lors d'une cérémonie pluvieuse close par Céline Dion en pleurs sur la tour Eiffel (lien archivé ici).
JO de Paris : à la veille de la cérémonie d'ouverture, des infox en masse
Une étude affirmant que la Seine serait plus polluée que le Gange, une vidéo qui prétend montrer un militant du Hamas en train de menacer la France à l'occasion des Jeux olympiques : à l'approche des Jeux olympiques de Paris, qui se tiendront du 26 juillet au 11 août, les contenus trompeurs autour de cet événement sportif au retentissement mondial abondent sur les réseaux sociaux, dans différentes langues. L'AFP a vérifié plusieurs de ces publications.
Tentative d'assassinat de Donald Trump : un déferlement d'infox et théories infondées
A la suite de la tentative d'assassinat contre l'ex-président américain Donald Trump, blessé à l'oreille le 13 juillet à Butler, en Pennsylvanie, de nombreuses images et affirmations fausses ou trompeuses autour de l'événement circulent sur les réseaux sociaux. Si le FBI a identifié le tireur comme étant Thomas Matthew Crooks, âgé de "20 ans, de Bethel Park, Pennsylvanie", selon un communiqué du FBI (archivé ici), ses motivations restaient inconnues à la date du 15 juillet 2024.
Immigration et délinquance : attention aux interprétations trompeuses des chiffres du ministère de l'Intérieur
"Même aujourd'hui, le ministère de l'Intérieur fait le lien entre immigration et insécurité", "50% de la délinquance à Paris et à Marseille qui est liée à des personnes de nationalité étrangère, près de 60% des agressions dans les transports en Île-de-France (...) sont le fait de personnes étrangères (...) est-ce qu'à un moment vous pouvez comprendre que l'explosion de la criminalité en France a un lien direct avec l'immigration ?", lançait le 9 avril Marion Maréchal (lien archivé ici), tête...
Posts featuring 'Dr Sebi' tout unverified health advice Original
"Since turning alkaline-electric, I have not been sick ONCE (8 years and runnin')," says an April 3, 2024 Instagram post -- one of more than 1.6 million using #drsebi. The hashtag is also popular on TikTok, where thousands of videos in English, French and Spanish reference "Dr Sebi," a Honduran herbalist named Alfredo Darrington Bowman.
Posts falsely link Covid vaccine to cancer after Kate Middleton reveals diagnosis Original
"Princess Kate has been diagnosed with cancer -- she very likely has Turbo Cancer, caused by her mRNA vaccination in 2021," reads a post shared on X, written in simplified Chinese. The post quoted Canadian physician William Makis saying the Princess of Wales "has been diagnosed with Cancer -- there is a high probability she has Turbo Cancer, caused by Covid-19 mRNA Vaccines she took in 2021". AFP has previously debunked misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines promoted by Makis here, here and here.
EU draft regulation on irreparable cars misrepresented online Original
"The European Union Is Considering A Ban On Repairs For All Vehicles Over 15 Years Old," claimed a post shared on Facebook on February 27, 2024. It featured a clip from an online show called "The David Knight Show" whose host was previously fact-checked by AFP for spreading anti-vaccine misinformation. In the clip, Knight is shown reading parts of an article from the online news outlet WinePress that also made the misleading claim.
Posts misrepresent findings of world's largest Covid vaccine safety study Original
"Scientists found MASSIVE increased risks of developing several serious health conditions post-jab," claims a February 23, 2024 Facebook post with a video of Del Bigtree, head of one of the best-funded anti-vaccine organizations in the United States. In the clip, he discusses the results of a study published February 12, 2024 in the journal Vaccine that assessed Covid-19 vaccine safety across eight countries (archived here).
Posts falsely suggest Israel claimed to rescue same hostage twice
"How many times did Israel save the same hostage?" asks the text of February 12, 2024 post on X, formerly Twitter, with more than 19,000 likes. The user attached several screenshots to the post displaying headlines from The Times of Israel newspaper. The images show titles that announce the rescue of Argentinian-Israeli hostage Har, 70, from Gaza, but one of the articles is from February 12, while the other displays a publication date of December 19, 2023.
Satirical video of man pretending to insult Klaus Schwab in Davos shared out of context
The video, originally posted on YouTube, was shared on Facebook in South Africa on January 17, 2024. The clip shows a man supposedly speaking at the WEF and insulting Schwab onstage. “And I appreciate the World Economic Forum providing me the opportunity to be on this stage and say f**k you Klaus Schwab and f**k your new world order…” says the man in the video. Screenshot showing the post sharing the video, taken on January 25, 2024 The video then cuts to Schwab who stands up and walks offstage.
Claims Covid-19 shots caused US disability uptick misrepresent data Original
"Civilian Labor Force with a disability increased by 40% since COVID-19 vaccination started. Coincidence?" asks the caption of a December 9, 2023 photo on X, formerly Twitter, which shows a graph with a sharp ascending trend at the end of its range. Similar claims also citing labor and disability statistics spread across X, where they were amplified by activist and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr before appearing on Facebook. The claims also appeared in French and Portuguese.
Posts falsely claim Pfizer 'officially admits' heart inflammation is Covid jab side effect in 2023
The misleading claim was shared on Facebook on October 18, 2023. "Pfizer has officially admitted that myocarditis and pericarditis are adverse reactions of the Covid-19 vaccine, and that people who have had a severe allergic reaction to any components of the company's vaccine or the Covid-19 vaccine in the past should not be vaccinated with COMIRNATY®," reads the simplified Chinese caption.
Posts misrepresent potential updates to EU vehicle recycling regulations
"The EU wants to SEIZE your old car to meet climate goals," claims Swedish commentator Peter Imanuelsen, also known as Peter Sweden, in a November 27, 2023 Substack post. He made similar claims in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that received tens of thousands of interactions. The Gateway Pundit, a conservative American website that AFP has repeatedly fact-checked for spreading misinformation, republished the Substack piece, gaining further traction on Facebook.
Social media posts falsely link Malaysian funeral course with Israel-Hamas war
"HAMAS propaganda unit needs to edit all the living dead out of their propaganda videos prior to posting on social media," says one post from November 6 that shared the video on X, formerly known as Twitter. The short clip shows two lines of people lying on the ground wrapped in white bags, before one man opens his eyes to the camera and appears to mouth a word.
Video falsely claimed to show Gaza parliament destruction
"After capturing it days ago, the IDF has now blown up the chambers of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Gaza's de facto parliament," says a November 15, 2023 post sharing the clip on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Video shows 2013 massacre in Syria, not Israeli soldiers executing Palestinians
The bloody conflict was sparked by Hamas militants crossing from Gaza into southern Israel where they killed about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and took about 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel retaliated with a relentless air bombardment and more recently a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian territory's health ministry, has killed more than 11,500 people, also mainly civilians.
Video from 2022 shows US troops landing in Romania, not Israel
“THOUSANDS of US Marines have just landed in Israel,” reads the caption of a Facebook post published on October 26, 2023. A screenshot of the false Facebook reel, taken on November 6, 2023 AFP Fact Check has debunked other claims featuring the same video circulating in Arabic and French. The video shows a large group of uniformed soldiers disembarking from a plane.
Posts falsely claim video shows Egyptians supplying water to Palestinians
Reshared more than 11,200 times, the post features an 18-second clip showing hundreds of people carrying makeshift backpacks across a desert. “These are civil Egyptians crossing the Palestinian border to deliver water and foodstuffs to Palestine (sic),” reads an X post shared by a Nigerian account on October 13, 2023.
Weatherman makes misleading climate claims on volcanoes, trees, floods
US weatherman Joe Bastardi, chief forecaster for analytics group WeatherBELL and a prominent climate change skeptic with previous links to the fossil fuel industry, made the claims in an interview with presenter Stu Burguiere on streaming service BlazeTV, posted on Facebook on October 4.
Black flag over Iranian shrine misrepresented amid Israel-Hamas conflict
"The Black Flag has been raised over Razavi Shrine in Mashhad, Khorasan province, Iran. This is a call for war or vengeance," says Jackson Hinkle, an American political commentator, in an October 17, 2023 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Screenshot of an X post taken October 23, 2023 The earliest iteration of the image AFP found online was published in another October 17 post in Arabic.
Dispute over Gaza hospital strike: what we know
At around 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, the health ministry in Gaza reported an Israeli air strike had hit the Christian-run hospital in central Gaza City. Israel denied it was responsible, pinning the blame on a misfired rocket aimed at Israeli territory by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad from near the hospital.
No evidence that a video features a doll rather than a dead child in Gaza
In the worst attack in Israel's 75-year history, Palestinian Hamas militants burst through Israel's heavily fortified Gaza border on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,400 people inside the country, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. Israel has carried out bombardments that, as of October 18, 2023, have killed more than 3,000 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to authorities in the Hamas-controlled territory.
Misinformation about Israel-Hamas war surges across social media Original
Thousands of Palestinians fled to southern Gaza for refuge on October 13 after Israel warned them to evacuate before an expected ground offensive against Hamas in response to the deadliest attack in Israel's history. The ongoing violence has been accompanied by a wave of misinformation shared in numerous languages across platforms -- exacerbated by a lack of moderation on social media sites such as X, formerly known as Twitter.
Luton fire not caused by electric car, emergency services say
Numerous online posts repeated the unfounded claim about the blaze, which shut down flights for hours after it broke out on Tuesday at the airport north of London. "Word has it this fire was start (sic) by electric SUV," one user said in an October 11, 2023 message on Facebook.
British PM makes misleading climate policy claims
"We will never impose unnecessary and heavy-handed measures on you, the British people. We will still meet our international commitments and hit Net Zero by 2050," Sunak said in a tweet (archive) on September 20, 2023, marking a major climate announcement.
Posts falsely claim BRICS controls 80% of petroleum production
"BRICS now controls 80% of global oil trade. The oil trade will not be in US dollars," says an August 24 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Putin's dedollarization project is shaping up beautifully." Screenshot of an Instagram post taken September 8, 2023 Similar claims spread elsewhere on X, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms -- including in French, German and Polish.
Footage of suicide attempt falsely linked to French protests
A photo has been shared thousands of times in social media posts that falsely claim it shows a man who lost his hand trying to stop rioters setting his car on fire during protest that swept France in June and July 2023. It actually shows a man injured after a suicide attempt on a tram line in October 2022. Warning: graphic images The photo shows a man lying near a railway track next to a pool of blood. "Rioting in France," reads a simplified Chinese caption post on Sina Weibo from July 2.
Video shows attack on Niger’s ruling party headquarters, not the French embassy
After a coup in Niger on July 26, 2023 that ousted elected president Mohamed Bazoum, a clip emerged online alongside a claim that it shows an attack on the French embassy inside the country. The embassy was indeed targeted by demonstrators, but this footage actually shows the destruction of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism’s (PNDS) premises on July 27, 2023 by coup supporters. “Things are getting out of hand in #Niger republic.
Paper does not prove Pfizer mRNA vaccine causes 'turbo cancer' Original
No link between Covid-19 vaccination and cancer has been established in scientific literature, but social media posts claim new research proves Pfizer's vaccine causes the disease. This is false; the experiment -- in which only one mouse developed a tumor -- has numerous flaws and was published in an unreliable journal, cancer specialists told AFP. "In a new Belgian study by Sander Eens et al. they injected 14 mice with 2 Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
Non, le vaccin Gardasil proposé au collège à la rentrée n'est pas "toxique"
A la rentrée scolaire en France, les parents des élèves de 5ème se verront systématiquement proposer le vaccin contre le papillomavirus, un virus sexuellement transmissible responsable de plus de 6.000 cancers par an. Une campagne de vaccination qui fait réagir des centaines d'internautes, qui assurent que ce vaccin n'a pas prouvé son efficacité et est responsable de graves effets secondaires.
Non, le forum économique mondial n'a pas exhorté les pays occidentaux à interdire "de toute urgence" l'argent liquide
Le Forum économique mondial (WEF) a-t-il exhorté les pays occidentaux à interdire "de toute urgence" les espèces, comme l'affirme une publication relayée plusieurs milliers de fois sur les réseaux sociaux depuis début juillet ? Attention : on ne trouve aucune mention de cet "appel" ni dans le rapport du WEF ni dans les propos tenus par un économiste américain sur lesquels s'appuie l'auteur de la publication pour étayer son affirmation.
Claims of lower Amish death rates in pandemic are misleading Original
Social media posts claim the death rate from Covid-19 among the Amish in the US is significantly lower than the general population since they did not follow pandemic mitigation directives. This is misleading; researchers say available data shows the religious community was also hit by the coronavirus, leading to excess deaths.
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