World
How can you spot fake news online?
False claims about ballot manipulation spread across social media during the 2025 German elections, raising concerns about the fast impact of misinformation online and how internet users can better protect themselves.
Recent global and geopolitical events have prompted an increasingly large avalanche of false narratives and fake news both in Europe and beyond.
While the US faces a stream of dubious claims made by President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the European continent is also under the constant threat of disinformation.
For example, during and since Germany’s recent federal election, social media was full of misleading posts about election fraud, with some viral posts claiming that the name of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate was missing from the Leipzig ballot.
However, Leipzig officials quickly debunked the claim, saying all ballots were printed the same way, making such changes impossible.
This is just a sample of the false narratives and disinformation campaigns that Europeans and others have to deal with on a daily basis.
It’s increasingly important that we know how to spot and protect ourselves against the flood of fake news, so how can we do so?
EuroVerify spoke to experts who shared their three top tips for spotting and avoiding misinformation online.
#1: Watch for Red Flag stock phrases
Certain cliché phrases are a strong indicator that certain claims may not be what they seem, according to Marc Owen Jones, professor of media analytics at Northwestern University in Qatar.
“Rhetorical techniques are very strong giveaways and things that [misleading posts] might say like ‘Western media isn’t telling you’, or things that ‘the mainstream media is not telling you’… These are red flags”, says Jones.
These statements often appear during decisive events, like elections, or in war-related posts, influencing users’ opinions and behaviour.
For Robert Rajczyk, professor at the Institute of Journalism and Media Communication at the University of Silesia in Katowice, social media and its driven algorithm tools can not only shape but also polarise users’ opinions.
“The more controversial content user consumes, the more content of this type is being offered to internet users,” he said. “So we will hear mainly what we want to hear or what we ourselves believe in.”
#2: Look carefully for AI-generated misinformation
Another significant concern is the use of AI-generated content, which makes it even harder for users to differentiate between real and fake information.
Jones said that while deepfakes and AI-generated images can look incredibly realistic, there are key ways to identify them.
“Sometimes you get artefacts where the ears are not symmetrical, or it’s not very good at generating earrings,” said Jones. “You might look closely and see that if they don’t have glasses there might be glasses stems near the ear.”
These are not “foolproof” methods to recognise fake content, according to Jones, but he said that the main warning signs to identify AI-generated visuals and text can be very similar.
“It’s about manipulation, it’s about trying to inflame the emotions because when our emotions are inflamed, we’re more likely to share something and it’s more likely to go viral. This is the danger of AI,” Jones said.
#3: Double-check your sources
With so many different stories online, fact-checking is key. Ike Picone, professor of media and journalism studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, stressed the importance of media literacy beyond just recognising misinformation.
“When it comes to specific forms of literacy and news literacy, one of the key aspects is understanding how news works,” said Picone. “Because when you understand how news works, you can identify, for example, why certain traditional news media might also be susceptible to a certain bias.”
Although the techniques to recognise bias can vary, for Picone it can also come from a much simpler method, such as checking for others’ opinions.
“Ask your parents, ask your friends, ‘do you think this is real? Do you believe it?’”, he said.
Rajczyk stressed a similar need for media literacy and how crucial it is to compare news from multiple sources.
“Watch mainstream media, verify information with reading, watching and listening to other mainstream media,” Rajczyk said.
“If we haven’t got a proper education and we don’t know the real historical context, we will be much less resilient to such content,” he added.
World
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over ceasefire violations
World
Keir Starmer reportedly considering stepping down as PM and could announce timetable for departure
British PM Keir Starmer could face leadership challenge amid internal troubles
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces significant internal pressure following Andy Burnham’s special election win, potentially triggering a leadership contest. Starmer is under fire for economic pressures, illegal immigration issues, and controversies surrounding his previous role in prosecuting grooming gangs. Elon Musk also accused Starmer of complicity.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly considering stepping down and could announce a timetable for his departure as early as Monday, according to a report published Saturday.
Britain’s Observer newspaper reported that Starmer was discussing his future with his wife at his Chequers country residence before making a final decision.
The outlet reported that senior Labour Party figures expect a statement addressing his future as early as next week.
A government source told Reuters that Starmer remains focused on governing and pointed to previous comments in which he vowed to remain in office.
AS EPSTEIN-LINKED APPOINTMENT SPARKS BACKLASH, UK PM STARMER FACES PARTY REVOLT AMID RESIGNATION CALLS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer awaits Switzerland’s Federal President Guy Parmelin on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday. (Isabel Infantes/Pool Reuters via AP)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the prime minister’s office for comment.
Pressure on Starmer has been building for months amid growing dissatisfaction within his party and concerns over the government’s handling of the economy and cost-of-living issues.
The political threat to Starmer intensified Friday after rival Andy Burnham won a seat in Parliament, positioning him to mount a formal leadership challenge.
LABOUR MP PUTS CABINET ‘ON NOTICE,’ THREATENS TO TRIGGER LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE AGAINST STARMER BY MONDAY
Britain’s Labour party candidate Andy Burnham speaks to supporters after the Makerfield by-election in Ashton in Makerfield, England, Friday. (Jon Super/AP)
Starmer congratulated Burnham following the victory, writing on X that voters, “chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.”
When asked about Burnham’s apparent ambitions to replace him, Starmer insisted he intends to remain in office.
“I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that,” Starmer said.
UK’S STARMER JUGGLES TROUBLE AT HOME AS HE WALKS GEOPOLITICAL TIGHTROPE WITH TRUMP
Sir Keir Starmer is battling to save his position and refusing to stand aside despite dozens of Labout MP’s demanding he resigns. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Starmer has led the Labour Party since 2020 and became prime minister in 2024.
Calls for his resignation intensified last month, with more than 100 Labour lawmakers publicly urging him to step aside or set out a timetable for his departure. Several parliamentary aides also resigned in protest.
The internal revolt followed a series of disappointing local election results for Labour, which lost hundreds of council seats across England, surrendered long-held ground in Wales and fell behind political rivals in Scotland.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks a news conference at Downing Street in London, March 5. (Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)
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Starmer’s popularity has also declined amid a persistently high cost of living, sluggish economic growth and criticism over his acceptance of gifts from wealthy donors.
Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone and Emma Bussey, and Reuters contributed to this report.
World
Trump vows Iran will not charge Strait of Hormuz tolls, but says US might
United States President Donald Trump has pledged there will be no tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, unless they are collected by his own country.
Trump’s statement, made in a Saturday afternoon post on Truth Social, is the latest sign that a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) may be unravelling.
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“There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired,” Trump wrote, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America.”
Since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, Iran has successfully used the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure point, closing the strategic waterway to traffic.
But under the terms of Wednesday’s ceasefire memorandum, the strait is supposed to reopen for an interim period of 60 days. During that time, Iran is barred from charging vessels for passage.
On Saturday, however, Iran’s joint military command said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing a “clear breach” of the memorandum’s commitments.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), the agency that oversees military operations in the region, denied that report and maintained that the traffic continues to flow through the waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz has long been a flashpoint in the conflict between the US and Iran. Nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas is transported through the strait, as well as about 30 percent of the global fertiliser trade.
Closure of the strait has caused global fuel costs to soar and has tested agricultural sectors across the world.
Trump had responded to Iran’s chokehold over the strait by imposing a US naval blockade on Iran’s ports in the region.
But that naval blockade was lifted under the terms of Wednesday’s memorandum. The deal also paused fighting on all fronts in the regional conflict, including in Lebanon.
The memorandum, though, was not intended as a long-term deal. It serves as a launching point for negotiations on key issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Several points of divergence also went unaddressed in the memorandum. Nowhere does the memo say that future tolls cannot be collected from the strait after the 60-day period expires.
Before the war, there was no charge for passage through the strait. Trump himself said in an interview with The New York Times that the waterway should remain “permanently toll-free”.
But he appeared to reverse course in Saturday’s post, once again floating the possibility that the US could extract tolls in the strait, while barring Iran from doing so.
No fees should be levied, Trump wrote, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed”.
He explained that such a charge would compensate the US “for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs”.
Trump used similar language in his New York Times interview earlier this week, floating the US becoming “the guardian of the Middle East” in exchange for 20 percent of its revenue.
Saturday’s post is not the first time Trump has mused about the US imposing tolls in the strait, either.
In April, for instance, he discussed the idea with reporters, saying, “What about us charging tolls? I’d rather do that than let them have them. Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner. We won.”
There has been no indication that Trump’s plans have been officially presented to countries in the region, many of whom have struck a careful balance in their dealings with both the US and Iran during the war.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly said they will not rule out imposing tolls in the strait, framing the issue as a matter of sovereignty and regional negotiation. The strait sits between Iran and Oman.
Further discussions are expected on the matter in the coming weeks.
But such negotiations have been thrown into jeopardy amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which threaten to violate Wednesday’s ceasefire memorandum.
Iran claimed that Saturday’s closure of the strait was a result of new Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, which killed dozens of people after the ceasefire was announced.
Iranian officials have also said that any upcoming talks should focus on proper implementation of the initial memorandum, and that the 60-day negotiating period stipulated in Wednesday’s deal would begin after that was settled.
Pakistan, a top mediator between the US and Iran, has said that follow-up talks are set to begin in Switzerland on Sunday.
Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that an Iranian delegation, led by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has already arrived for the negotiations.
On the US side, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance are expected to attend.
Vance departed for Switzerland late Saturday.
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