What is the Donald Trump dirty dossier, what are the allegations against him and what is fake news?
AN explosive "dirty dossier" on Donald Trump's alleged links to Russia has shocked the world after it was leaked before being verified.
The unsubstantiated report contains deeply damaging material that could be used to blackmail the president-elect - and was released just days before his inauguration.
But what exactly is the "dirty dossier" and how has Trump reacted to the allegations?
What is the Donald Trump dirty dossier?
It is a 35-page report consisting of memos compiled before and after the November 8 election.
It was written by former British MI-6 intelligence agent Christopher Steele, 52, who fled his Surrey home soon before his identity was made public.
He is apparently now in hiding after becoming “terrified for his safety” after he was named in the US.
The 52-year-old's research which was initially funded by anti-Trump Republicans, and later by Democrats.
He is the director of Orbis Business Intelligence, based in West London.
A furious Trump let rip at a press conference following the report's coverage, slamming it as "fake news".
He said: “Does anyone believe that story? I’m also a germaphobe, by the way. Believe me.
“I think it is a disgrace that information was let out. It is all fake news. It is phony stuff. It didn’t happen."
What are the allegations against Donald Trump?
The report includes unverified claims that Trump let prostitutes perform a "degrading sex act" in a Moscow hotel room.
He is also said to have been offered — but not taken up — real estate deals linked to the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia.
The latest allegation to hit Trump since the report was published by Buzzfeed, is that US intelligence agencies were investigating the existence of more than one sordid tape allegedly involving Trump.
BBC foreign correspondent Paul Wood claimed last night that CIA sources had told him there was “more than one tape” and the material was “sexual”.
Mr Trump is due to be sworn in as the 45th US President on January 20.
What is fake news?
Fake news can look legitimate, but the stories behind the headlines are entirely fictional.
In the run up to the US election articles headlined, “Hillary Clinton’s Discarded BlackBerry Turns Up In Goodwill Thrift Store” and “Yoko Ono: ‘I had an affair with Hillary Clinton in the ’70s'” were being displayed alongside genuine reports on social media sites and search engines.
One report, which appeared prominently on Google, falsely claimed that Donald Trump had won both the popular and electoral college vote in the hours following the election.
Compelling headlines can make these stories hugely popular.
Often fake news websites will have similar URLs to genuine news organisations in a bid to give themselves greater credibility.
But, while established media outlets are signed up to codes of practice as well as being subject to checks and measures, fake sites are largely unaccountable.
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