Claims that there are more registered voters than voting-age eligible citizens in Michigan have circulated for years. But the number of active registrations is well below the eligible voting population, and election officials continuously remove inactive records.

Michigan gubernatorial primary revives old misinformation about voter rolls

Michigan's term-limited Governor Gretchen Whitmer is not on the ballot in 2026, but long-debunked misinformation claiming there were more registered voters than voting-age eligible citizens when the…

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A rush of migrants crossing over from Morocco plunged Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta into turmoil in late July 2026, but this clip is unrelated. It actually shows rioting in Toulouse, France after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League. Read more: u.afp.com/SHSk

🇿🇦 Posts claiming a video shows South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa urging countries to lift travel bans over xenophobic unrest are false. No such bans exist today. The clip is from a 2021 speech on Covid-19 restrictions. Read more: u.afp.com/SABan

🇳🇬 A video claiming to show Nigerian soldiers intercepting weapons hidden in a coffin is not real. The clip was AI-generated from photos of a real 2012 military training exercise. Read more: u.afp.com/NGArmy

❌ This video does not show Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke leaving India for the United States after the end of protests in New Delhi, as posts online claim. The footage was taken weeks ago as he arrived in the city of Jaipur for another demonstration u.afp.com/SrFw

🇮🇩 It is "scientifically impossible" for food or vaccines to alter people's sexual orientation, experts say, refuting anti-LGBTQ claims spreading in Indonesia. The posts reference a so-called "depopulation" conspiracy that we have repeatedly fact-checked u.afp.com/SrDD

'Scientifically impossible': False health claims fuel LGBTQ hate in Indonesia

Rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment in socially conservative Indonesia has triggered conspiratorial claims online that a secretive "global elite" is using food and vaccination to alter people's sexual…

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Research on dementia prevention has pointed to possible benefits from adult vaccination, but one study that failed to reaffirm those findings is being misrepresented on social media. The paper's lead author said it in no way proved vaccination increases dementia risk. Read more: 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.

Old clip used to falsely claim Trump cut Canada trade talks

In July 2026, the United States declined to renew the North American trade agreement with Mexico and Canada in its existing state. But social media posts claiming US-Canada negotiations were…

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AI-generated graphics 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. Read more: u.afp.com/SrsM

AI-generated Canadian wildfire maps obscure information on blazes' spread

Government agencies and other organizations aggregate wildfire data into maps to communicate threat levels across geographical areas, but some AI-generated graphics on social media claiming to…

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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. Read more: u.afp.com/SrPM

Canadian wildfires supercharged by climate, not directed energy weapons

Canada is facing one of its most intense fire seasons on record but claims that the 2026 blazes were manufactured to exacerbate the severity of climate change in the country are unfounded. Scientists…

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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. Read more: u.afp.com/Srg2

Images depicting Yamal with keffiyeh at World Cup are AI-generated

Images spreading online after the Spanish men's national football team won the 2026 FIFA World Cup final purport to show star forward Lamine Yamal holding and praying over a Palestinian keffiyeh on…

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📷 Do you know how to do a reverse image search on a photo to find its origin? How about with a video? Learn more in our open-access online course ➡️ u.afp.com/ReverseSearch

Startling images of a large burst 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. Read more: u.afp.com/SrYK

Outdated clips circulate as wildfires rage across Canada

Startling images of the first large burst of Canadian wildfires of 2026 spread across social media in mid-July, but not every clip circulating online was current. AFP identified two videos that were…

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🇦🇺 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

Pundit falsely claims World Bank classifies Australia as 'third world country'

The World Bank has not classified Australia as a "third world country" -- an outdated term used to describe low-income nations -- contrary to a claim shared by social media users critical of the…

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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

Spain wildfire video falsely linked to renewed US-Iran strikes

The United States and Iran traded fresh strikes in July, but footage of a massive hillside blaze circulating on social media is unrelated to the renewed fighting. The clip was originally shared…

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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. Read more: u.afp.com/Sr4G

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

Fact Check: Trump's primetime speech rehashing election claims

US President Donald Trump resurrected long-debunked claims about fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election, alleging in an address Thursday that China stole millions of voter files and…

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Posts have misconstrued Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's land acknowledgement during a recent speech in Melbourne as a jab at Australians. The cultural tradition has long featured in public settings, and several visiting foreign leaders have previously followed the custom u.afp.com/SroL

India's Modi not alone in giving land acknowledgement during Australia visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a speech during a July 2026 visit to Australia by performing a land acknowledgement, a common practice that far-right websites and social media posts have…

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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. Read more: u.afp.com/SrZa

Ivermectin is not a recommended treatment for cyclosporiasis

Health officials in the United States are reporting a record number of cases of cyclosporiasis -- an intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite in contaminated produce. But while social…

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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

Old PSG victory celebrations misrepresented online as World Cup vandalism in Paris

Violent celebrations overshadowed France's quarter-final victory over Morocco at the FIFA World Cup on July 9, but social media posts claiming to show footage of related fire and rioting in Paris are…

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This clip shows a massive September 2022 fire that enveloped a 42-story building in the Chinese city of Changsha. Posts connecting it to recent strikes in Iran are false. Read more: u.afp.com/SKv5

Old fire videos misrepresented as US strikes on Iran

A video of a skyscraper engulfed in flames spread across social media in July 2026, with numerous posts claiming it showed a US strike on a key Tehran facility for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard…

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Fraudsters are using AI images and videos to impersonate the crown prince of Dubai, ensnaring victims by cultivating online relationships before swindling them out of money u.afp.com/SKjW

AI romance scam impersonating Dubai prince ensnares victims

Maria believed she was romancing a prince from Dubai, captivated by his flirtatious smile and declarations of affection he showered on her during live video calls. But the suitor was an AI deepfake,…

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🇮🇳 This video circulating on X does not show Indian army chief Dhiraj Seth denouncing unreported deaths of soldiers during the country's conflict last year with Pakistan -- the original footage depicts him speaking in Hindi with no mention of the fighting u.afp.com/SKRS

Massive crowds gathered in Tehran to mourn Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but this clip does not show the ceremony. The footage does not match visuals of the Iranian capital, and detection software indicates it was generated using AI u.afp.com/SKaN

🇧🇩 Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave an interview to Indian news outlet NDTV last month, but this video circulating online is unrelated. The footage is nearly two decades old and was filmed during a question-and-answer session at the London School of Economics u.afp.com/SKuC