AFP Canada

The majority of refugees worldwide are not men older than 19

Published on 10 December 2019 at 22:48

A meme claims that 75 percent of refugees are men between age 19 and 45, while only 13 percent are women, and 12 percent are children. This is false; United Nations High Council on Refugees (UNHCR) numbers from 2018 show that out of the 20 million refugees under its mandate worldwide, one quarter are men between 19 and 59 years old, while half are under age 18, and 48 percent are women and girls.

Walmart is not offering a ‘free $75 coupon’

Published on 9 December 2019 at 23:48

Thousands of Facebook users in North America have shared links to an offer which claims retail giant Walmart is giving away free coupons worth $75 This offer is fake. “It’s clearly not a valid website or coupon,” a Walmart spokeswoman told AFP.

Average teacher salary in Ontario misrepresented during union talks

Published on 6 December 2019 at 00:28Updated on 6 December 2019 at 16:46

With one of Ontario’s largest teachers’ unions currently in negotiations with the Ministry of Education over future contracts, several numbers have been floated online in reference to the average salary for a public school teachers in the central Canadian province. Some Twitter and Facebook posts claim the average annual salary for public school teachers in Ontario is 59,500 Canadian dollars (Can), but the number is closer to Can$90,000 according to the Ontario Ministry of Education, or Can$87,000 according to provincial teachers’ unions.

Zip ties on windshield wipers not linked to human trafficking, North American police say

Published on 6 December 2019 at 00:24

Social media publications shared thousands of times claim that human traffickers attempt to kidnap their victims after wrapping the windshield wipers of cars parked in public spaces with zip ties. This allegedly allows criminals to abduct drivers while their attention is focused on removing the zip ties. This is not the case, representatives of several police departments in North America say, though awareness of one’s surroundings is always recommended.

This image shows a handmade miniature, not the world’s smallest bird

Published on 27 November 2019 at 16:16

A photo showing a tiny bird perched on a person’s index finger was shared at least 46,000 times on social media in various languages. The posts claim that the bird is the world’s smallest, but this is false. The photo shows a miniature made by a Bulgarian artist and the bird she reproduced is a chickadee, which is not the smallest in the world.

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