Does a picture being shared on social media prove that COVID-19 tests are being used to cause cancer in the general population? No, that's not true: The image just shows a list of different COVID-19 diagnostic tests available, with the names of their manufacturers. No elements in the list or the picture indicate that they have been used to harm…

Will former Croatian Minister of Defense Mario Banožić be sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison for causing a fatal car accident on November 11, 2023, due to negligence? No, that's not true: Banožić, who has now been removed from his duties, is still in the hospital in serious condition. An investigation led by the State Attorney's Office…

Is Lady Gaga Serbian and is her real name Srboljupka Živadinović? No, that's not true: Lady Gaga's real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta and she is American. The singer was born in New York City to a Catholic family of Italian ancestry. The claim originated from a TikTok video (archived here) published by the account @malonasjealnasima on September 24,…

Are the red northern lights seen all over Croatia on November 5, 2023, a sign of harmful cosmic radiation exposure? No, that's not true: Northern lights -- also known as aurora borealis -- result from the collision of charged solar particles with the Earth's atmosphere. They are seen as a display of dynamic patterns of lights that appear as different…

Did an angel spread its wings and fly into the sky above Gaza on November 12, 2023, as shown in a video on TikTok? No, that's not true: The original video was uploaded months earlier by another TikTok creator who has made dozens of videos using computer-generated imagery, often showing shapes in the form of angels, hands held in prayer…

Is Sombor a city in the Republic of Croatia? No, that's not true: Sombor is a city located in the northwestern Bačka district of the Vojvodina province in Serbia, close to the Serbia-Hungary border. During its history, Sombor has been part of the Kingdom of Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, has belonged to the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom…

Was the referendum on the EU accession of the Republic of Croatia illegal? No, that's not true: The referendum conducted on January 22, 2012, that resulted in the Republic of Croatia joining the European Union, followed the Croatian Constitution and laws. The claim originated from a TikTok video (archived here) published on August 24, 2023, under the title: "A.P. THE…

Did the pop star Madonna predict the Hamas-Israel conflict four years before it began? No, that's not true: Madonna's 2019 Eurovision Song Contest performance made an apparent call for peace by showing embracing dancers wearing Israeli and Palestinian flags. It's not the first time that her controversial mid-show act has been linked to conspiracy theories. The claim appeared in a…

Did Kosovan and Albanian presidents say that Israel should keep on bombing "Palestine" and "hospitals in Palestine"? No, that's not true: Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani and Albanian President Bajram Begaj both expressed their support for Israel in the ongoing conflict with Hamas on October 7, 2023, but never called for violence. Lead Stories did not find any statements or reports…

Did an electric bus catch fire in Bradford, England, highlighting issues with lithium-ion batteries? No, that's not true: The fire started on a diesel bus, an email from the transport operator that owns the vehicle and a search of the U.K. government's vehicle tax records confirmed. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on October 13, 2023,…

Does drinking a mixture of apple cider vinegar and warm water cause healthy bacteria to spread in the vagina? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to prove the diluted acidic mix works, according to health care experts and a peer-reviewed study. The claim originated in a video (archived here) on TikTok on April 1, 2023, with the caption…

Is the HAARP Facility located in Petrova Gora in Croatia? No, that's not true: The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a facility for studying the ionosphere is located near Gakona, Alaska, and it is the only facility of its kind in the world. A conspiracy theory about the Program and its intentions for climate control has circulated on the Internet…

Did Pope Francis order priests to announce that Lucifer is the new God of the Catholic Church? No, that's not true: The leader of the Catholic Church has no authority to announce a new God and the post promotes known misinformation and conspiracy theories linking the World Economic Forum, its found Klaus Schwab, and a so-called New World Order. The…

Do PCR tests and COVID-19 vaccines contain the enzyme luciferase? No, that's not true: Luciferase, an enzyme that produces bioluminescence and is widely used in biotechnology, is not contained in PCR tests used to detect COVID-19 infection, nor in COVID-19 vaccines approved by the FDA. The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) on September 9, 2023. It opened…

Is the army going to guard fences around Zagreb's historical center, under renovation plans that draw on a "15-minute city" urban planning concept? No, that's not true: The concept, in which people can access most of their daily needs or services within a 15-minute walk, bike or public transport ride, is mentioned in Zagreb's 2021 urban renovation plan in relation…

Is the Croatian government implementing a population replacement policy by forcing the Croatian population away and importing foreigners into the country? No, that's not true: The decrease of the resident population and the increase of the foreign population stem from different factors. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok by Nikola Grmoja, a Croatian member of parliament and the…

Will all Balkan immigrants who have been granted asylum have to leave Germany? No, that's not true: Germany is introducing a tougher asylum policy, as the German Cabinet approved on October 25, 2023, a legislative proposal that would ease the deportation of rejected asylum-seekers. Immigrants who successfully obtained asylum, though, would not be deported, and the draft legislation still has…

Do Ukrainian refugees in Croatia have all their expenses paid, receive free villas on the Adriatic coast, free pensions and health insurance, and receive a monthly allowance of 2000 euros per month? No, that's not true: Refugees from Ukraine under temporary protection in Croatia, can access free care through public health care institutions, have open access to the Croatian labor…

Did Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić declare war on Kosovo and order Serbian soldiers to go there? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find a single report of Vučić announcing war on Kosovo or sending Serbia's national army to attack Kosovo. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on May 28, 2023. The text overlay (translated…

Did the European Union direct Croatia to import two hundred thousand workers from the Middle East into the country? No, that's not true: No such order was issued from the European Union's headquarters in Belgium. The claim misleadingly referred to a Croatian news article on the country's credit rating which reported that Croatia would need to attract two hundred thousand…