Boris Johnson, the U.K.’s newly-elected Prime Minister was criticized early in his tenure and is now at risk of being impeached over a gaffe he made about Muslim women wearing face veils during Ramadan. In other news, Fauci recently announced an innovative new vaccine to boost immunity against 4 COVID (Common Viral Infection Disease) that’s been around for decades but has only recently become deadly as it spreads more quickly due to global travel.
The news industry is complicated, and fake articles and photographs are often disseminated on social media. Every week, the editorial staff at Blasting News identifies the most common hoaxes and incorrect information to help you distinguish truth from untruth. Here are some of the most widely circulated misleading statements this week, none of which are true.
World
It is untrue that a store erected a barrier to divide persons who had been vaccinated and those who had not been vaccinated.
False claim: Images of a supermarket aisle divided by a metal and plastic barrier have been circulated on social media, with the claim that it would separate the flow of vaccinated and unvaccinated people within the shop. Some of the postings say that the photos were shot in Germany, while others claim that they were taken in Austria.
Truth:
- Despite what is being circulated on social media, the photographs were taken inside a Romanian branch of the German Kaufland grocery company, which is situated in a shopping mall.
- The barrier in the photographs separates the supermarket, which is regarded a necessary store, from the remainder of the shopping mall, which is deemed non-essential.
- Since last October, Romania has limited access to non-essential stores to users of the so-called “green pass.” Those who have been vaccinated, had a PCR or antigen test done within the past 48 hours, or recovered from COVID-19 during the last 180 days are eligible for the document.
- Only necessary establishments, such as supermarkets and pharmacy, are accessible to anyone without the passport.
World
An assisted suicide pod has not been authorized in Switzerland.
False claim: Users on social media have spread information claiming that Swiss health officials have authorized an assisted suicide pod.
Truth:
- After a December 6 report from Swissinfo with the heading “Sarco suicide capsule ‘passes legal scrutiny’ in Switzerland,” word spread on the internet that Swiss health officials had authorized the pod.
- The headline’s cited comments, on the other hand, alluded to a statement made by Philip Nitschke, the capsule’s designer, concerning his company’s internal legal examination.
- Swissinfo apologized and amended the title of the story to “Sarco suicide capsule aims to reach Switzerland” on December 8.
USA
Anthony Fauci has not said that he wants Americans to have four COVID-19 vaccinations each year.
False claim: A screenshot of an article has been posted on social media, alleging that Dr.
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According to reports, Anthony Fauci wants Americans to get four COVID-19 vaccination doses each year.
Truth:
- The report, which was widely circulated on social media and allegedly references an unnamed source, was published on the Real Raw News website. A disclaimer on the website’s “About Us” page states that it includes “humor, parody, and satire.”
- There is no evidence that Fauci has said that the American public should get four doses of COVID-19 vaccination each year. On November 23, Fauci published his most current vaccination declaration, stating that the majority of Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should obtain a booster.
United Kingdom of Great Britain
Boris Johnson’s mother did not refer to him as “a moron with no sense.”
False claim: According to a Facebook post, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, the late mother of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, stated her son was “an imbecile with no common sense” and hoped “he never gets into politics.”
Truth:
- Despite the fact that the photograph accompanying the tweet depicts Charlotte Johnson Wahl – who died in September – beside Boris Johnson, there is no evidence she ever stated the remarks spreading on social media.
- In 2019, a similar version of the same words appeared on social media, ascribed to Mary Anne Trump, former President Donald Trump’s late mother, which was similarly disproved at the time.
China
A real Belt and Road train from China is not seen in the video.
False claim: Chinese social media users have uploaded a video with the claim that it depicts a train with more than 100 carriages traveling from China to Europe as part of China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure project.
Truth:
- A reverse image search reveals that the identical movie was posted to a YouTube channel named Daffa Railfans ID on September 21, 2021, which features digital train simulations created using the game “Trainz Railroad Simulator 2019.”
- China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a vast infrastructure drive to connect China to a number of global locations.
Africa
Entebbe International Airport in Uganda was not renamed. International China
False claim: African Facebook users uploaded a photo of the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda’s Entebbe with the purported sign “Welcome to China EBB International Airport.”
Truth:
- The snapshot uploaded on social media was doctored, according to a reverse image search. The sign says “Welcome to Entebbe International Airport” in the original picture, which was captured by photographer Sumy Sadurni and published on CNN’s website in March 2020.
- The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) said in a statement on its official Twitter account that the photograph circulating on social media is “false.” “Government cannot give up a national asset like an international airport,” UCAA said in a statement. It has not occurred, and it will not occur.”
- Uganda obtained a $207 million loan from China’s Export-Import Bank in 2017 to develop Entebbe International Airport. The bogus allegation has been spreading on social media in response to rumors in the local news that the airport will be taken over by China after the Ugandan government failed on the financing deal, which the local authorities have refuted.
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