It’s not true: from preemptive nuclear strike against Russia to Earth being warmer 55,000 years ago

The world of news is complex – and false stories and images are often widely shared on social media. Blasting News’s editorial team spots the most popular hoaxes and misleading information every week to help you discern truth from falsehood. Here are some of the most shared false claims of this week, of which none are legit.

USA

Researchers don't claim Earth was 2 degrees Celsius warmer 55,000 years ago

False claim: Social media users in the United States have shared a video in which American investor and former oil executive Dan Peña claims that during a trip to Antarctica, scientists drilling ice core samples to determine former Earth temperatures told him that 55,000 years ago the world was 2 degrees Celsius warmer than it is today.

Truth:

• According to data published in 2016 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the temperature in one studied region of Antarctica was -35.6 °C 55,000 years ago, while in 2006 the average temperature in that same area was -28.7 °C – about 6.9 °C warmer.

• Research conducted in the Arctic, the Earth's opposite hemisphere, and published on the Climate of the Past website of the European Geosciences Union in 2014, states that the temperature in Greenland was colder 55,000 years ago.

World

Poster with instructions on how to behave during the 2022 FIFA World Cup is not an official release

False claim: Social media users around the world have shared an alleged official poster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, in which the organizers give a series of instructions on how fans should behave in the country, including rules banning drinking alcohol and homosexuality.

Truth:

• In a post on its official Twitter account, the Qatar World Cup organizing committee said that the poster circulating on social media is not from an official source and contains incorrect information. “We strongly urge fans and visitors to rely solely on official sources from tournament organisers for travel advice for this year’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” the committee said.

• A reverse image search shows that the poster was originally published by a Qatari organization called Reflect Your Respect, which focuses on reinforcing among foreigners respect for the country’s conservative customs.

• Although Qatar has strict rules for alcohol consumption, World Cup organizers announced last September an agreement with the country's authorities to allow the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks inside stadiums and fan zones.

• Regarding homosexuality, although the practice is punishable by imprisonment in the country, Qatari authorities insist that LGBTQIA+ people will be welcome during the tournament.

• Last April, however, Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari, a senior official overseeing security for the World Cup, admitted in an interview with the Associated Press that rainbow flags could be taken from fans at the World Cup to, according to him, protect them from being attacked.

World

Video shot from a car does not show explosion on bridge linking Russia to Crimea

False claim: Social media users around the world have shared a video, shot from inside a car, that allegedly shows the moment of an October 8 blast on the Kerch Strait bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia.

Truth:

• A reverse image search shows that the video has been shared on social media since May 2022.

• While the images in the video show the bridge during daylight hours, the explosion happened at around 6 a.m., before sunrise.

• After the explosion of the Kerch Strait bridge, a vital route for the supply of fuel, food and other products to Crimea, annexed to Russia in 2014, the Moscow government shared videos of the moment of the attack, which was allegedly carried out by a truck bomb.

Europe

Zelensky did not say NATO should consider a preemptive nuclear strike against Russia

False claim: Social media users in Europe have shared articles claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly said that NATO “should consider a preemptive nuclear strike against Russia.” According to the articles, during a video meeting with the Australian think tank Lowy Institute, Zelensky also said that “NATO should make it impossible for Russia to use nuclear weapons.”

Truth:

• On October 6, 2022 Zelensky did a video call with the Lowy Institute. Contrary to what is stated in the shared articles, however, Zelensky did not state during the conversation that NATO should consider a “pre-emptive nuclear strike,” but spoke only of “pre-emptive strikes.”

• After the interview, Ukrainian presidential press secretary Serhii Nykyforov posted on his Facebook account that Zelensky's speech referred to the period before the start of the war. “At that time, it was necessary to apply preventive measures to prevent Russia from starting a war. Let me remind you that the only measures that were discussed at that time were preemptive sanctions,” Nykyforov said.

• “Only the terrorist state Russia allows itself to blackmail the world with explosions at the ZNPP [Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant] and hint in every way at the use of nuclear weapons. You will never hear such calls from Ukraine,” the press chief added.

Asia

Image does not show North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting Russia in September 2022

False claim: Social media users in South Korea shared a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, along with the claim that the image show the dictator during a visit to Moscow on September 30, 2022 – the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

According to some of the posts, the South Korean press reportedly ignored the visit.

Truth:

• A reverse image search shows that the picture circulating on social media is part of a video published by various media outlets around the world on April 25, 2019.

• According to the reports published at the time, the clip shows Kim Jong Un arriving in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok for a summit with Putin to discuss security and the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

• Also on September 25, 2019, the Kremlin released on its website pictures of Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin greeting delegates.