Meta is expanding its shift away from professional fact-checking. The tech giant announced it's trialling it's crowdsourced "Community Notes" system across 16 countries in Latin America. Meta says the system will only fully roll out once it is confident it works, but critics warn that with misinformation, manipulated images and AI-generated content spreading rapidly, crowdsourced checks may come too late to prevent false claims from reaching millions. Vedika Bahl explains the risks.

As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, US President Donald Trump has lashed out at the press over coverage questioning where he was. This week, he said two firefighters carried him to safety near the US Steel Building right after the attacks, though he later said that he wasn’t at the World Trade Center on the day of the collapse. His version of events and alleged role at Ground Zero have evolved many times over the years. Vedika Bahl fact-checks in Truth or Fake.

Donald Trump shared an AI-generated map Monday appearing to show the US absorbing Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Iceland, Cuba and parts of the Caribbean into a giant “United States of America”. Shared with no context, the post sparked diplomatic backlash with Iceland summoning its ambassador and Mexico reiterating its sovereignty. Denmark also pushed back over Greenland. Online, the map has triggered widespread ridicule and questions about Trump’s fitness for office.

Pro-Israel lobby group UN Watch has alleged that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres referred to Francesca Albanese, the UN's Special Rapporteur on Palestine, as "out of control", saying he'd previously called her a "horrible woman". But Guterres named no one in his remarks. He said "many" independent rapporteurs were "totally out of control", without singling out any individual. The UN has since said that linking the comment specifically to Albanese is a "misreading" of his remarks. Vedika Bahl fact-checks.

As US-Iran hostilities flare up and strikes resume, so has a wave of misinformation online. Old and unrelated videos are flooding social media, falsely presented as footage of new attacks. As tensions escalate, clips filmed in Dubai, Russia and the US have been misrepresented as Iranian strikes on US bases in the Gulf. Elsewhere, a 68-year-old video of a US nuclear test has been falsely claimed to show Iran detonating mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Vedika Bahl fact-checks in Truth or Fake.

Lake Ontario is now appearing as "Lake America" on Google Maps for US users, following US President Donald Trump's executive order to rename the lake. Canadians still see "Lake Ontario", while users elsewhere see both names. But the change is far from universal: Apple Maps and MapQuest continue to use Lake Ontario. MapQuest has remained defiant against the move and since surged to the top of the US App Store download charts.

As deadly floods hit the Nepal-China border, social media is being inundated with fake and misleading footage. In Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl goes through viral videos falsely linked to the disaster, including AI-generated content and old recycled footage from India, Chile and Alaska. Some posts have racked up millions of views online, exploiting the tragedy to drive engagement for easy clicks or further perpetuate conspiracy theories. 

When announcing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had been drained again, US President Donald Trump doubled down on his vandalism claims, but his latest account raises fresh questions. Online, Trump said the alleged "slashes" stretched for 300 yards, after previously describing them as 250, 300 and 350 feet. This comes as photos and video of the empty pool don't appear to show any obvious signs of the massive gash he described in the pool's liner.

Following weeks of speculation over his health after he hadn’t been seen in weeks, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell shared a "proof of life" photo showing himself alive and well in an apparent bid to silence the rumours. Instead, it fuelled a fresh wave of conspiracy theories. 

Viral claims with millions of views falsely claim the European Parliament has launched a probe into FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. In reality, 72 MEPs penned a letter to EU football associations, urging them to seek a formal FIFA review into the controversial Balogun red card reversal. No probe has been opened, but the episode adds to growing scrutiny around FIFA’s president.