Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV): Covid-19 like Health Crisis Speculations in China 

After the COVID-19 pandemic, China is once again making headlines, this time due to a potential new viral outbreak.  A respiratory virus called Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is reportedly causing a rise in infections in China. Videos showing what appear to be overcrowded hospitals are spreading quickly across social media, fueling speculation of a new health […]

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Video of Siyaram Baba Falsely Viral As 188-Year-Old Man Found In Cave

Recently, a video featuring a very old and frail man has been doing rounds online, capturing the attention of viewers around the globe.  The video claims to show a 188-year-old man accidentally found in a cave in India, sparking widespread curiosity and disbelief. Fact Crescendo received fact-check requests regarding this video clip via our WhatsApp Tipline […]

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Old Image from Sri Lanka Viral as Demonstrators Sleeping in Sheikh Hasina’s Bedroom

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on Monday following intense protests against job quotas. Student activists had called for a march to the capital Dhaka on Monday after clashes across the country on Sunday killed nearly 100 people, reports Reuters. Demonstrators even stormed and looted the presidential residence. Social media is […]

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Did PM Modi Say Maratha Community Snatched reservation from OBCs from Back Door? 

A clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing an election rally is going viral with a claim that he said the Maratha community in Maharashtra snatched reservation from the OBC quota from back door.  After activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s agitations and hunger strike, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council unanimously passed a bill on 20 February […]

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No, Congress Did Not Promise ‘Muslim Chief Justice of India’ In The Manifesto

As the Lok Sabha election’s second phase concludes, several social media posts are gaining traction, targeting the Congress party over their manifesto.  Particularly, one featuring a screenshot of a newspaper article alleging that the Congress manifesto includes promises favouring the Muslim community.  These alleged promises range from the appointment of a Muslim person as the […]

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Did CM Eknath Shinde Eat Non-Veg On The Day Of Ram Navami? Read The Fact

A recent viral photograph showing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde having lunch has sparked controversy, with claims circulating that he ate non-veg on the auspicious day of Ram Navami. Fact Crescendo received this image with fact-check requests on our WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770). We found that the viral claim is false. CM Shinde was having a vegetarian […]

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Media Regulation: What’s Inside the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill 2023

The new law aims to simplify the registration process and promises to empower publishers and streamline media registration In a landmark move, Rajya Sabha passed the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023. The new legislature is set to replace the century-old Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which governed the registration of newspapers […]

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Traffic Police Assaulting A Man in Aurangabad Viral In The Name Of Various Cities

A clip showing a traffic police officer assaulting a man has sparked a controversy on social media. The viral clip has been linked to multiple cities, including Mumbai and Surat, prompting intense criticism of those respective city’s authorities.  Fact Crescendo received this video with fact-check requests on our WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770). We confirmed that the video […]

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EXPLAINED: What is Arcturus? Is Conjunctivitis a Symptom of XBB.1.16 Variant?

A new coronavirus subvariant, XBB.1.16, known as Arcturus, has raised concerns among global health authorities. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified this variant as a “variant under monitoring,” indicating its potential to spread and cause infections.  Arcturus has gained traction in India causing a surge in cases and prompting the reinstatement of mask mandates in […]

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Old Image Revived As Mandatory Saffron Scarf At Uttaranchal University Convocation

An image of a group of students has been going viral with a claim that the Uttaranchal University in Uttarakhand has instituted a mandatory dress code for students at the convocation ceremony, requiring them to wear a saffron-coloured scarf instead of black gowns and caps. Fact Crescendo received the claim on our WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770) with fact-check […]

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Was K. S. Shastri Vice Chancellor when PM Modi Awarded MA Degree?

There have been controversies and debates surrounding the educational qualifications of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Recently, the Gujarat High Court fined Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ₹ 25,000 for using the Right to Information (RTI) to obtain PM Modi’s degree.  Now, a claim is circulating on social media alleging that Gujarat University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor K. S. Shastri […]

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Old Video From Hyderabad Viral As Police Arresting Rioters in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar 

Communal clashes erupted during Ram Navami celebrations in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad). An argument between the two groups turned into stone pelting and setting police vans on fire. The police have lodged an FIR for arson and rioting against 500 people. Now a video clip depicting police arresting a couple of people is making […]

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EXPLAINED: Why Elon Musk and Experts Want to Pause AI Research for Six Months?

The race to create smarter, more capable artificial intelligence (AI) systems is accelerating, but some prominent scientists and tech industry leaders are calling for a pause.  In an open letter released on Wednesday, more than a thousand signatories from various fields and countries, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, urged a six-month moratorium on the […]

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EXPLAINED: Why is Atiq Ahmed in Prayagraj Court? What is Umesh Pal Kidnapping case?

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his younger brother Ashraf Ahmed were produced Tuesday before a special court in Prayagraj. An MP/MLA court held Atiq guilty in the 2007 Umesh Pal kidnapping case. All the other seven accused, including Ashraf, have been acquitted. In a highly televised event, Ahmed was transferred to Naini jail in the Prayagraj […]

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OPS vs NPS: Why Are Government Employees Demanding Old Pension Scheme?

Calling for the reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), lakhs of employees of the Maharashtra government went on indefinite strike from 14 March. Employees including government hospitals, schools, colleges, municipalities, Zilla Parishad, MHADA, and Tehsildar offices in all 36 districts have participated in this strike.  Nearly 35 unions representing state government employees decided to […]

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Bajrang Dal Members Were Not Arrested For Rescuing Bihari Workers in Tamil Nadu

Over the last few days, rampant disinformation about fatal attacks on Hindi-speaking migrant workers in Tamil Nadu is going viral online. Countering the false narrative, the Tamil Nadu government and police have taken strict action against fake news peddlers. In continuation to this misinformation trend, a video of a group wielding swords and machetes is […]

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Explained: What is Influenza A (H3N2) Virus; What are the Treatments and Symptoms

Fears are mounting across the country due to the spread of Influenza A subtype H3N2 virus with Covid-like symptoms that causes respiratory issues.  Hospitals across the country are reporting a sharp increase in the number of patients seeking treatment for flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and body aches. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) […]

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Juice Jacking Attack: Can Your Phone Be Hacked Via Malicious Charger?

As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, online scams have reached new levels of complexity and sophistication. Gone are the days of easily identifiable schemes of phishing emails or fake websites; they now come in the form of well-crafted deceptions that even the most tech-savvy could find themselves falling for. One such ‘sophisticated trickery’ has been claimed […]

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Sanjay Raut Shared Old Video As Recent Halla Bol Protest March Organised By MVA

Mahavikas Aghadi, the coalition of Shivsena (Uddhav Thackeray group), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Indian National Congress (INC), took out a ‘Halla Bol’ protest march on 17 December in Mumbai.  It was organized against the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state on various issues including Governor BS Koshyari’s controversial remark on Chhatrapati […]

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Video of Bengaluru Airport Viral As Donyi Polo Airport in Arunachal Pradesh

A video of a beautiful bamboo interior is going viral in the name of Itanagar’s Hollongi Airport in Arunachal Pradesh. It has been doing rounds on social media as the state-of-the-art visuals of newly-developed Donyi Polo Airport in Hollongi, Itanagar. Fact Crescendo received the video on our WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770) with fact-check requests. We found […]

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False Claim Viral That Father Danced at Funeral of his Daughter Killed in Iran Protest

The death of a young girl Mahsa Amini in police custody has sparked massive protests all over Iran. Amini was arrested earlier this month by the so-called morality police for allegedly not wearing the hijab (dress code for women) properly.  UN condemned the violent crackdown against hijab protests. 41 protesters have been killed by Iran’s […]

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Misinformation Runs Faster Than Cheetah; Round Up of Misleading Claims About Project Cheetah

We all know Cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal. But do you know what’s faster than this wild cat of the jungle?  You guessed it right! Memes and Misinformation run faster than Cheetahs.  Launching the world’s first Cheetah Rehabilitation Project, the Indian government brought 8 Cheetahs from Namibia to India. They arrived on a […]

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Footage of War Thunder Video Game Passed Off As Night Bombing on Ukraine

As the Russian assaults on Ukraine intensified, a video apparently showing night bombing is claimed to be from Ukraine. Some news media websites posted this clip while reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war.  Leading daily Saamana shared this clip after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a ‘military operation’ on Ukraine. Fact Crescendo found that this is […]

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FAKE NEWS: Photoshopped Ad Going Viral Targeting Arvind Kejriwal On Gandhi Jayanti

An image supposedly showing a print advertisement issued by the Delhi government in a newspaper on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s Jayanti has become a trending topic on social media.  On the basis of this viral photo, Netizens are ridiculing Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for “self-promoting” by using a bigger picture of himself while cornering […]

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EXPLAINER: Has Live Coronavirus Been Found in Sabarmati River of Gujarat?

Findings of research conducted by IIT Gandhinagar made headlines recently and caused huge panic everywhere.  Citing this research, news media websites reported that scientists found “traces of Coronavirus” in the Sabarmati River in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat.  This led to viral messages and posts claiming “coronavirus was found in drinking water” on social […]

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Coronavirus Conspiracy: No Connection between GlaxoSmithKline and Wuhan Lab

A viral message propagates a false conspiracy theory suggesting a nexus between Wuhan lab and major global pharmaceutical companies that caused in the Covid-19 pandemic.  The message ultimately puts forward a convoluted claim that the coronavirus was created in China with the help of vaccine makers with the intension to make profits.  Fact Crescendo received […]

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No, Holding Your Breath for 20 Seconds will not help you determine if you have a Covid-19 infection

Amidst the vast misinformation online, a self-check method to know if you have Covid-19 is going viral on various social media platforms. According to this viral simple self-monitoring test, people can determine whether they have Covid-19 by holding their breath for more than 20 seconds. Fact Crescendo received many fact-check requests about this test on […]

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Does inhaling camphor, clove, ajwain and eucalyptus oil help increase the oxygen level?

With the second wave of Covid-19 creating havoc in the country, social media is flooded with unverified and unscientific home remedies.  In one such viral message, it is being claimed that to increase the oxygen level one should inhale camphor, clove, ajwain and eucalyptus oil.  Fact Crescendo received many requests about this message on our […]

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Does the List of Padma Shri Awards for 2021 not include any Bollywood star, Cricketer or Politician?

A message is doing rounds on social media claiming that not a single Bollywood celebrity, Cricketer and Politician have been included in the list of Padma Shri Awards for the year 2021. Many hailed it as a historic decision of the government to give the award only to real social workers. Fact Crescendo received several […]

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FAKE ALERT: Edited video shared as Uddhav Thackeray dissing Hindu Festivals

Amidst the growing pressure for reopening the temples in the state and the debate over the use of firecracker’s on Diwali, a video purportedly showing Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray dissing Hindu Festivals is going viral on social media.  Taking it at the face value, many people expressed their anger over Thackeray’s alleged disparaging comments about […]

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A Video from 2018 where a DMK Leader is seen assaulting a beautician is being shared as recent incident concerning a lady doctor

With the COVID-19 pandemic worsening every passing day, it has eventually created havoc in the lives of doctors and health workers. With the cases of violence against the medical fraternity becoming daily headlines, a CCTV footage of a man physically assaulting a woman is doing rounds on social media with a claim that a DMK party […]

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FACT CHECK: Did Narendra Modi take inspiration from Hitler’s alleged “Hate Me, Don’t Hate Germany” speech?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi sparked a heated debate on social media. While attacking the opponents of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he urged protesters not to damage public property; instead, burn his effigy to show their anger. Many news websites reported this speech under the title- “Hate Me, But […]

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