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Multiple Facebook posts claim the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Sri Lanka fifth in a table of countries' responses to the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false: the WHO said it had not created any such ranking system.
Copyright AFP 2017-2021. All rights reserved. Multiple Facebook posts shared repeatedly in early January 2021 claim Filipino pool champion Efren Reyes had died at the age of 65. The claim is false: in response to the hoax reports, Reyes told AFP on January 19, 2021 that he was "still alive". The doctored screenshot in the Facebook posts has been manipulated from a July 2017 report about Reyes discussing his intention to retire from professional pool. The photo was shared in this Facebook post on January 16, 2021. It purports to show a screenshot of a report by Philippine news organisati...
Copyright AFP 2017-2021. All rights reserved. Multiple Facebook posts shared thousands of times purport to show two comparison shots of a mural in Sri Lanka alongside a claim that it shows the painting has deteriorated. The claim is misleading: the photos do not show the same mural. Photos captured of the first mural shows the painting remains intact. This Facebook post was published on January 5, 2021. It has been shared more than 5,000 times. It features a comparison of two images that are titled "Then" and "Now". The "Then" image shows Sri Lankan TV show host Chatura Alwis s...
New Zealand elections The New Zealand Electoral Commission, which is responsible for the administration and running of elections in New Zealand, told AFP in an email: “Dominion Voting Systems are not used by the Electoral Commission”. “In New Zealand, votes in parliamentary elections are counted by hand. We do not use machines to count votes at general elections, including the 2020 election,” the January 11, 2021 email reads. According to the Electoral Commission, once votes in parliamentary elections have been counted the results are recorded manually and entered into the Election...
False claim circulates online that formaldehyde in vaccines can cause childhood leukemia Published On There is no known connection between formaldehyde in vaccines and childhood leukemia, experts say. AFP – Multiple Facebook and Instagram posts shared hundreds of times claim that formaldehyde in vaccines is linked to leukemia among children. The claim is false; there is no known connection between formaldehyde in vaccines and childhood leukemia, experts say. The claim was posted on Instagram by an Australian-based user on December 1, 2020. The post reads: “I was an embalmer for 18 yea...