As speculation over who will be named the next James Bond reaches fever pitch, Paapa Essiedu is warning film fans not to bet on him being cast as the super-spy.

More than 400 wildfires are raging across Canada, and misinformation about the blazes is spreading as well, particularly on TikTok. As Media Matters for America (MMFA) noted in a recent analysis, videos on TikTok claiming the fires were started intentionally by helicopters, arsonists, and “directed energy weapons” have garnered millions of views this month, with the false ideas in these videos then spreading to other social media platforms. Only a few of the most viral false videos have been taken down, the analysis notes. Further scrutiny of such claims provides easy evidence to the contrary, with Canadian officials attributing the fires to a combination of lightning strikes, human accidents, and dry, climate crisis-fueled conditions across the country. “We are already seeing one of the worst wildfire seasons on record,” Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said in a statement earlier this month. “We must prepare for a long summer.” Other videos about the fires featured clips from a controlled burn by fire officials, as well as what was actually a 2015 wildfire, MMFA found. The Independent has contacted TikTok for comment. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes including large numbers in Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Hundreds of firefighters have arrived from countries like Australia, New Zealand, the US, South Africa, Chile, Costa Rica and France to assist the exhausted Canadian crews. As The Independent has previously reported, misinformation spreads quickly on TikTok during ongoing disasters, thanks in part to public distrust of government officials and an increasingly anti-science bent in US politics. “Social media can be helpful. It alerts people to a situation. It’s a way for widespread dissemination,” Dr Erin Haynes, professor of preventive medicine and environmental health at the University of Kentucky told The Independent in March in the wake of the Ohio train derailment disaster. “But because of that it allows widespread dissemination of false information, so it can go both ways. You have to be very cautious when using social media. Fact-check, find the source of that information.” Read More Canadian wildfire smoke gives Minnesota city the worst air in the US Satellites capture Canadian wildfire smoke pouring into US Midwest Wildfire smoke from Canada might be a problem ‘all summer’

RJ Davis scored 27 points while No. 17 North Carolina built a huge lead and then held off a second-half push by No. 10 Tennessee for a 100-92 win on Wednesday night in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge

Lawmakers in California's state Assembly have voted to put a measure before voters next March that would overhaul the way counties are funding mental and behavioral health programs

TL;DR: As of May 20, iPhone 14 Pro users can snag a six-piece Apple-compatible accessory

In his four and a half years in office, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has placated Pemex

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The Streamy Awards is an annual event presented by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter

Thousands of supporters of Niger's coup leaders gathered on Friday near a French military base on the outskirts of the...

Apple announced its second product event of the season, a month after introducing its new iPhone 15 lineup. New iMacs are likely.

Dick's Sporting Goods warned Tuesday that retail theft is damaging its business and would lead to lower annual profits.