Claim: Video clips uploaded on Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok show raining worms in China. Fact: The videos actually show catkins and not worms. Catkins are a cylindrical flower from poplar trees which appears to be wriggling in the rain, giving the appearance of worms. From 11 March 2023, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok were flooded with […]
Claim: The tallest skyscraper in China -fourth tallest building in the world- caught fire, leaving six hundred people dead. It was the biggest fire since 9/11. An additional claim in social media posts argues that the fire was an American conspiracy plan. Fact: No casualties from the incident were reported. Furthermore, the building is not […]
Claim: Pakistan is a top destination for countries to dump their waste, with most countries opting to dispose of their waste in Pakistan. Fact: According to publicly available information, Pakistan’s relative share in the import of global waste is small. The misinformation appears connected to reports that 40 No Objection Certificates (“NOCs”) were issued to […]
Claim: All Confucius Institutes in Pakistan have been shut down. Confucius Institutes are Chinese language and culture centers set up through partnerships between universities in Pakistan and the Chinese International Education Foundation. Fact: Confucius Institutes in Pakistan remain operational. Fact or Fiction? In a 15 May 2022 tweet, TV personality Orya Maqbool Jan stated the […]
Claim: A viral video of a multi-lane circular bridge, with the lanes spiraling down towards the center of the shot, allegedly depicts the Nanpu Bridge in Shanghai, China. Fact: The video is not an accurate depiction of the Nanpu Bridge. While the bridge is known for its elevated, circular design, the video creates the impression […]
Claim: A video circulating on social media shows Russia dropping a thermobaric or vacuum bomb on civilian areas in Ukraine. Fact: The video is in fact from 2015 and depicts a deadly blast in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. Fact or Fiction? On 10 March 2022, Facebook user Habib Khan Meryani shared a video […]
Claim: A video shows an ‘artificial sun’ created recently by China after successful experimentation going up in the sky during a launch event. Fact: The video is actually of a rocket launch event. The ‘artificial sun’, which was created in a superconducting tokamak magnetic nuclear fusion energy reactor, cannot be launched into the sky. On […]
Claim: A video circulating on social media allegedly depicts the world’s first plastic woman, created by China. Fact: The clip is from a short promotional film for the adventure video game; Detroit: Become Human. It features the character of Chloe, who is an android personal assistant in the game. Fact or Fiction? On 8 […]
Claim: Pakistan is using a Chinese vaccine which was proven to have an efficacy of 50.4% during late-stage trials held in Brazil. Fact: Pakistan has currently approved Sinopharm Biotech Ltd.’s vaccine from China. The Sinovac vaccine that was tested in Brazil has not been approved in Pakistan. Pakistan is currently testing one other Chinese vaccine, […]
Claim: Six Indian soldiers were killed in face-off between the Indian and Chinese army in Ladakh Fact: Six civilians were injured in Srinagar following a failed attack on an Indian Army vehicle by suspected militants On August 30, two offences against the Indian Army took place in two different locations. One in the Baramulla region […]
Claim: News headlines portray bubonic plague case in China as a novel occurrence Fact: Cases of the bubonic plague are reported worldwide every year. The disease is curable in most cases. A number of western international media outlets such as CNN, BBC and the New York Times reported over the weekend that a case of […]
CLAIM: Chinese officials are on standby with 100,000 “duck troops” to assist in Pakistan’s national locust emergency, Chinese experts recommend the use of ducks in Pakistan over pesticides and other methods FACT: Zhang Long, part of the delegation of Chinese experts sent to Pakistan to assist in the locust emergency, rejected the report that China […]