Your hourly fact checks

All English Fact Checks

4 questions answered...: 4 questions answered about the testing of instant noodles by the Nigerian Food and Drug Administration after Asia scare After Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (Nafdac) announced that it would test locally made noodles, claims that the popular Indomie brand of noodles had been banned have gone viral online. Nafdac's move on 2 May 2023 followed a recall of Indomie's "specia (Source: Africa Check)

Misleading: UN is not calling for decriminalization of sex with children A report by a nongovernmental organization taking a human rights perspective on laws criminalizing conduct relating to sex, drug use, HIV and sexual and reproductive health has been mischaracterized online as a United Nations endorsement of decriminalizing sex with children. The  (Source: Reuters)

False: ‘133 million registered voters’ argument for 2020 election recirculates During the 2020 U.S. presidential election, there were 158 million ballots cast out of 168 million registered voters. Posts online are falsely claiming that there were only 133 million registered voters, and that President Joe Biden could not have secured 81 million votes. The cl (Source: Reuters)

False: NASA did not announce a 100-foot fissure at Yellowstone volcano The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has not announced that a 100-foot crack opened at Yellowstone National Park, contrary to claims online suggesting that a disaster is imminent. The text in one post dating to April 19 (here) reads, “NASA Just Announced A 100 (Source: Reuters)

False: A video of two men taking out cash stuffed inside a spare tyre linked with BJP and 2023 Karnataka Elections. A video of two men taking out bundles of cash stuffed in a tyre is doing rounds on social media with people claiming that the BJP is illegally smuggling money to cover election expenses in Karnataka which is going to the polls on May 10.Spokesperson of INC Karnataka Lavanya Balla (Source: Alt News)

False: Prakash Raj has asked people to not vote for the Congress in the upcoming Karnataka elections. A 2019 video of actor and politician Prakash Raj is being shared on social media to claim that he is asking people to not vote for the Congress in the Karnataka elections.BOOM found that the video is from 2019 and unrelated to the upcoming state elections.Voting for the Karnataka (Source: BOOM Live)

Missing Context: Prakash Raj urged Karnataka voters to not waste their vote on the Congress in upcoming state polls. Authors Vasudha Beri Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joi (Source: Newschecker)

False: Ahead of Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress releases its manifesto that promises seven “Muslim-only” schemes. Authors Kushel HM Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.ClaimAhead of Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress releases its manifest (Source: Newschecker)

False: BBC News tweeted to show support to The Kerala Story and called it based on true events while stating that thier documentary on PM Modi was based on lies. The user however later tweeted saying, "Follow me for more satire."(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here. We also received a query about this claim on our WhatsApp tipline.)Did BBC News really tweet this?: No such tweet was made by BBC News, this is a fabricated s (Source: WebQoof - The Quint)

Mostly False: Drinking cold water in hot environment causes stroke Is drinking cold water during summer not good for health?Drinking cold water in hot environments doesn't cause strokes, but it may cause discomfort. The body has natural mechanisms to protect against temperature changes, but it's best to rest before consuming anything too cold. I (Source: Thip Media)

False: New Delhi (Vishvas News): Amid the ongoing political campaign for the Karnataka Assembly election, an alleged graphic plate of NDTV is becoming increasingly viral on social media. The post is being shared with the claim that Congress is going to win the Karnataka polls this time with a huge majority.: NDTV pre-poll Vishvas News found in its investigation that most of the opinion poll figures in the alleged NDTV graphic are wrong. NDTV is yet to conduct its poll. A fake picture of an opinion poll is being shared after editing.New Delhi (Vishvas News): Amid the ongoing political campaign for  (Source: Vishvasnews)