HAARP research facility was not behind recent UK Northern Lights sightings
A solar storm, not HAARP, created the intense auroral display seen in many parts of the world around 10 May. Read
Fact checks
Sian Bayley
Senior News and Online Journalist
Sian joined Full Fact in April 2024 as senior news and online journalist. Prior to that she was news editor at The Bookseller magazine. She has previously worked for the Local Democracy Reporting Service and the Evening Standard.
Bill Gates is not planning to attack food supplies to create a market for bird flu vaccine
Mr Gates did not tweet “There really is no choice—bird flu jab, or die painfully”. Read
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Image shows Russian military in Syria, not Niger
A widely shared image claiming to show Russian troops taking a US base in Niger actually shows Syria in 2020. Read
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Video shows a market in Marseille, not Paris
A video circulating on Facebook claiming to show Paris was actually filmed at a flea market in Marseille, in the south of France. Read
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5G tower did not kill palm trees in Arizona
A group of palm trees photographed in Arizona did not die because they were next to a 5G tower. Read
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Austrian airports don’t have counters for passengers who meant to fly to Australia
False claims that Salzburg or Vienna airports have desks to help passengers who accidentally fly to Austria instead of Australia have been recirculating online. Read
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Viral clip of Robert De Niro doesn’t show him shouting at pro-Palestinian protesters
The video actually shows him rehearsing a scene for a new show. Read
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Congestion charge and ULEZ weren’t suspended for Trafalgar Square Eid event
Posts claiming the charges were suspended for London’s Eid in the Square event this year, but not for the London Marathon, are untrue. Read
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Video of girl with epilepsy is not related to Israel-Gaza conflict
A video claiming to show a girl traumatised by bombings in the Israel-Gaza conflict is taken from a TikTok page about a Syrian girl suffering from epilepsy, likely in Lebanon. Read
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UN has not issued a directive to create a ‘one world government’
The United Nations is not forcing countries to hand over their militaries or change their names in July 2025. Read
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