fact checking

Mostly false: “Dutch finance minister claims healthcare costs exceed 100 billion euros. He is off by 30 billion.”

On 28 February the Dutch minister of finance and leader of the Christian democrat party CDA, Wopke Hoekstra, participated in an election debate broadcast by RTL. During this debate, he stated that the costs of Dutch healthcare exceed 100 billion euros. In a response on Twitter, member of Parliament Fleur Agema, number 2 on the…

fact checking

Mostly false: “PCR tests do not tell if someone is infected or contagious”

On 20 October 2020 Slovenian TV presenter Marko Potrč claimed in his Facebook post that the tests performed to detect the presence of the virus (PCR) do not tell if someone is actually infected or even contagious. He said that dr. Lejko Zupanc, infectious disease specialist, also had to admit this on national television. This…

fact checking

Mostly false: “We have to provide our soldier with basic equipment for work”

At the end of 2020, Slovenian parliament passed 780 million euro bill of investments. Member of the Slovenian Parliament Alenka Jeraj stated that Slovenian soldiers do not have the equipment they deserve; they have to wear shoes and helmets in bad condition. The statement was used to justify the large amount of money provided by…

Mostly false: Pope Francis endorses same-sex civil unions in documentary “Francesco”

In October, several newspapers published articles with headlines like “Pope Francis backs same-sex civil unions“. The claim is based on previously undisclosed footage from an interview with Pope Francis in the new documentary “Francesco” which we have watched for our fact check. After extensive research we assess the claim as mostly false. “Francesco” is a…

fact checking

MOSTLY FALSE: Russia has imposed retaliatory sanctions against German and French leadership representatives because of “Navalny case”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation, represented by Sergey Lavrov, the Head of the Ministry, imposed sanctions against Germany and France on the case of Alexey Navalny. This information was reported by the Russian News Agency (TASS) on November 12, 2020. On November 12, 2020, Sergey Lavrov, head of the Ministry of Foreign…

fact checking

Mostly false: “The Public Employment Service Austria disclosed that 95 percent of immigrated Chechens make a living from Austrians” 

“A recent job market study shows that about five percent of male Chechen immigrants living in Austria since 2016 have a job” states unzensuriert.at. As claim source the article mentions a study conducted by the Public Employment Service Austria (AMS) – this is false. Moreover, the authors of the actual study do not fully confirm…

fact checking

Mostly false: “The first doses of the vaccine will be available in Italy in early December”

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that the anti-Covid drug will begin to be distributed in just over a month: “If the final stages of preparation of the Oxford-Irbm Pomezia-AstraZeneca vaccine will be completed in the coming weeks, the first doses will be available in early December. The statement, taken from the book “Why Italy…

fact checking

Mostly false: French women are using code word “mask-19″at pharmacies to escape domestic violence during lockdown

Domestic violence cases have jumped by 30 per cent during lockdown in France. Being confined at home with abusive partners increases the risk to victims. A TV report on Channel One Russia, covering the situation in France, included the claim that using code word “mask-19” is a common practice among French women to let people…