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This video of Sachin Tendulkar endorsing an online game is digitally manipulated & fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 6, 2024
An alleged video clip from News18 Rajasthan features Sachin Tendulkar discussing the online game ‘Skyward Aviator.’ This video is circulating on social media, suggesting that Sachin is endorsing the game. In the video, Sachin discusses how the game keeps him motivated and helps him earn money while playing. This article aims to fact-check the authenticity of the video.
Claim: A video clip from News18 showcasing Sachin Tendulkar discussing the online game ‘Skyward Aviator.’
Fact: The viral video was digitally created by combining two distinct videos and potentially employing technologies such as deep fake to create the illusion that the individuals discussed the game. Previously, a similar digitally manipulated video featuring Sachin promoting the same game circulated widely. However, Sachin distanced himself from the video, denouncing it as fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Initially, the video begins with the News18 Rajasthan news reader introducing the online game ‘Skyward Aviator,’ followed by Sachin discussing the game. However, neither News18 nor Sachin mentioned any such online game, concluding that the video is a product of digital manipulation, potentially utilizing technologies such as deep fake.
A reverse image search on one of the screenshots from the viral video directed us to a News18 news clip featuring the same newsreader dressed identically. In this clip, the newsreader is holding a black remote or mobile device in her right hand, mirroring the scene in the viral video. However, the original clip pertains to PM Modi’s visit to Kerala and not the online game as depicted in the manipulated video.
प्रधानमंत्री मोदी आज केरल को 4 हज़ार करोड़ रुपये की परियोजनाओं की सौग़ात देंगे..कोचीन शिपयार्ड लिमिटेड में ‘न्यू ड्राई डॉक’ और ‘इंटरनेशनल शिप रिपेयर का उद्घाटन करेंगे..#PMModi #PMModiInKerala #PMModiRoadShow @jaspreet_k5 pic.twitter.com/GxF9PZc3xH
Further, a specific keyword search on YouTube led us to a video of a News18 interview with Sachin Tendulkar. In this interview, Sachin is observed sitting in identical attire and background as seen in the manipulated video. However, it’s essential to note that Sachin discusses various topics during the interview but not the purported online game ‘Skyward Aviator.’
Therefore, these reports indicate that the viral video was digitally created by combining two distinct videos and potentially employing technologies such as deep fake to create the illusion that the individuals discussed the game.
Previously, a similar digitally manipulated video featuring Sachin promoting the same game circulated widely. However, Sachin distanced himself from the video, denouncing it as fake.
These videos are fake. It is disturbing to see rampant misuse of technology. Request everyone to report videos, ads & apps like these in large numbers.
Social Media platforms need to be alert and responsive to complaints. Swift action from their end is crucial to stopping the… pic.twitter.com/4MwXthxSOM
Factly debunked numerous digitally fabricated videos promoting online games, trading apps, and similar content. Articles debunking these videos by following the links provided here, here, and here.
To sum it up, a digitally fabricated video is being shared as Sachin Tendulkar promoting an online game.

created: February 6, 2024


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Sachin Tendulkar did not make comments regarding Modi pressurizing him to contest against Congress - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 14, 2019
There is a famous quotation ‘with great power come great responsibility’ but now it is ‘with more fame comes more fake news’. Sachin Tendulkar, the well known former cricket player has now become the victim of Fake News. A post is being shared on Facebook with the claim that Sachin commented on contesting against the Congress in the elections. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Sachin: “Irrespective of the amount of pressure from Modi, I will not fight elections against the Congress party. There is no question of me campaigning for Modi.”
Fact: Sachin did not make these comments. No credible source was found which can confirm that the comments were made by Sachin. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched for the posted comments on Google, it was found that Sachin did not make those comments. Any comments made by Sachin on political parties will be reported by all the major newspapers but nothing was found on the internet. No such comments were also found on his Twitter account.
Also, similar comments were found to be viral some time back. But then, the comments were against the Congress. At that time, India Today wrote a fact-check article debunking the claim that Sachin opposed Congress requests.
Hence, it can be concluded that Sachin Tendulkar did not make comments regarding Modi’s pressure on him. It is a fake post.

source: news-factly

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Sachin Tendulkar hasn’t said that Prophet Muhammed is the greatest person ever. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 9, 2020
A post is being shared on social media claiming it as the statement of Legendary Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar about Prophet Muhammed. Amidst the ongoing tensions in France,  this post is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim:  Sachin Tendulkar’s statement about Prophet Muhammed
Fact:  Legendary Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has never made a statement about Prophet Muhammed in any of his press meets or on his official social media handles. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for any such statement by Sachin Tendulkar about Prophet Muhammed, we could not find any such statement being made by him in any press conference or an interview. We also searched his official social media handles with the keywords ‘Prophet Muhammed’ and couldn’t find any post praising Prophet Muhammed on his Twitter and Facebook handles. Secondly, there is no report by any media house about his alleged statement. All this proves that he never made such a statement and it is fictional.
To sum it up, Sachin Tendulkar never made a statement on Prophet Muhammed.

created: November 9, 2020


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Sachin Tendulkar - MP Progress Report Infographic - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 13, 2015
Sachin Tendulkar might be a legend when it comes to cricket. But as his MP Progress report shows, he seems to have come a cropper when it comes to performance in parliament. His attendance so far has been dismal and on an average, he is getting paid Rs 6.3 lakh per day of attending parliament. This is more than what the BCCI used to pay him as match fee for a day of playing cricket

created: February 13, 2015


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How safe are our Income Tax Returns? CIC order raises serious questions about privacy
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 12, 2017
A latest CIC order involving the Income Tax department raises some serious questions about the privacy of the IT returns filed by tax payers.
At a time when there is a fierce debate over privacy of citizens in the wake of Aadhaar being made mandatory for many schemes and even for filing Income Tax (IT) returns, a recent order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) raises some serious questions about the privacy of the IT returns filed by tax payers.
IT Returns of the Appellant downloaded by a third party
The appeal in the CIC was filed by one Mr. Badal Satapathy of Bhubaneshwar. He had earlier filed an application under the RTI act with the IT department seeking information on 08 points including the details about the data security/sharing policies practiced by the income Tax Department, and the grounds on which the financial details filed by an IT assesse could be made available to a third party/public. The appellant contended that his ITR details for the Financial Years 2005 to 2011 were downloaded on 19th December 2012 by the owner of two different USER IDs and shared with a third party without his consent. He also sought to know if the above mentioned activity attracts penal provisions under Indian Penal Code/ IT Act,1961.
The RTI application makes rounds and transferred from one to another 16 times
During the course of the appeal hearing, it was revealed that the appellant was notified of the transfer of his RTI application 16 different times. The original application was transferred to the Central Public Information officer (CPIO) in the office of DGIT(Systems), New Delhi. Later it was transferred to the CPIO in the office of ADG(Systems)-3. Subsequently it was transferred to the CPIO in the office of ADG(S)-1, New Delhi and ITO, Jeypore. Thereafter, it was transferred to the CPIO in the office of CIT-TDS, Ghaziabad.  Dissatisfied by the response of the CPIO, the Appellant made a first appeal.
The IT Department has very often denied disclosure of IT Returns to a 3rd Party
During the course of the hearing, the CIC observed that the IT department, the Supreme Court and various High Courts have often denied disclosure of IT returns. The Supreme Court in  Girish Ramchandra Deshpande vs. Central Information Commission & ors held that the details disclosed by a person in his income tax returns are “personal information” which stand exempted from disclosure under clause (j) of Section 8(1) of the RTI Act, unless involves a larger public interest.
The same was reiterated by many High Courts including the Bombay High Court which held that the records relating to Income Tax are held by the Department in a fiduciary capacity, hence the Department owes a bounden duty to ensure that personal and confidential information of a tax payer was held in the safest and secure manner.
As a matter of fact, the IT department has itself routinely denied disclosure of IT returns on multiple occasions citing the court judgments and Sec 8(1)(j) of the RTI act. They often cite privacy” and data held in “fiduciary capacity” as the reasons for denying information.
‘Revamping IT Systems to ensure maximum Data Privacy’ says IT Department
When the IT department was asked about the mechanism in place to protect the privacy of the assessee, it was mentioned that the IT Department was in the process of revamping their system software to ensure maximum data privacy.  A new module was proposed to be inducted which is undergoing trials currently. The department added that the new software would address most of the issues pertaining to data security. In other words, the department accepted that the current system was not fool proof.
The CIC had in fact observed that the record keeping in the IT department was in an outdated format and not upgraded utilizing the modern technological tools. The CIC in its order directed the IT Department to investigate the root cause of the leakages of confidential data filed by the Tax Payers and plug the loopholes. The CIC gave 30 days for the investigation.
It is ironic that the IT department which regularly denies disclosure of IT returns citing the privacy clause of the RTI act does not seem to have the necessary mechanism in place to protect the privacy of the tax payers.
Featured Image: How safe are our Income Tax Returns


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‘Safe Shop India’ e-commerce company executive is now falsely portrayed as the Kodagu District Collector - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 27, 2020
A video of a woman being greeted by a group of men and women is shared on social media claiming it as the felicitation video of Kodagu district collector. In the post, it is claimed that people of Kodagu district felicitated her for the measures implemented in controlling COVID-19 virus spread in Kodagu district. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Felicitation video of Kodagu district collector for controlling COVID-19
Fact: This video shows ‘Safe Shop India’ e-commerce company associate Naziya Begum being greeted by her company staff. She is not the collector of Kodagu district in Karnataka. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search, similar visuals of a group of men and women greeting a woman were found in a video posted by a YouTube user on ‘20 February 2020’. This video is uploaded on YouTube with the title ‘Mrs. Naziya Mam Diamond Lady Safe Shop India’. Similar visuals were found in another video, describing the woman as Naziya Begum of ‘Safe Shop India’. On searching for official sources using these keywords, a video was found published in the ‘Safe Shop India’ official Facebook page about the success story of their Associate Naziya Begum. The same woman in the post can be seen in the video describing her success story in ‘Safe Shop India’ company.
‘Safe Shop India’ is an e-commerce company which sells fashion, health and Lifestyle products. Other videos of ‘Safe Shop India’ staff greeting Naziya Begum by bowing down in front of her and offering flowers can be seen here and here.
We also found that several customers filed complaints against this firm in consumer complaints forum. In 2019, eleven Safe Shop India company executives were reportedly arrested by the Hyderabad Police for luring public to join their business with an investment of 10,000 rupees and fooling them with the offers of commission.
Earlier, when the same video went viral on social media claiming it as the felicitation video of the alleged Hathras rape victim, FACTLY published a fact-check article about it. It can be read here.
To sum it up, a ‘Safe Shop India’ e-commerce firm executive falsely portrayed as the Kodagu district collector.

created: October 27, 2020


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Saga of an Unkept Promise - More than 10000 Railway Level Crossings are still Unmanned - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 25, 2016
Accidents at Railway Level Crossings have claimed many lives over the years. According to the latest data provided by the Ministry of Railways, more than 10000 level crossings in the country are still unmanned and only 156 of them were manned in the last six months.
The Supreme Court is currently hearing a PIL filed by one Mr. Ajay Gautam after 26 school children were killed in an accident at a Railway Level Crossing in Telangana in 2014. Accidents at unmanned railway level crossings (LCs) have claimed many lives over the years. While successive railway ministers have spoken about eliminating the unmanned railway crossings, not much progress is visible. According to data provided by the Ministry of Railways, more than 35% (more than 10000) of the railway level crossings are still unmanned.
More than a half of the Level Crossings are Unmanned in Western & South Eastern Zones
More than half of the level crossings are unmanned in South Eastern Railway headquartered at Kolkata and Western Railways headquartered at Mumbai. Of the 16 railway zones, more than 35% of the LCs are unmanned in each of the 9 zones. Less than 10% of the LCs are unmanned only in two of the 16 zones, West Central & Eastern Railway. The percentage of unmanned LCs is more than the national average in nine of the sixteen railway zones.
Of the 29487 level crossings across the country, 19047 are manned and 10440 are unmanned. More than half of the unmanned LCs are from the four zones; Western, North Western, Northern & North Eastern. Western Railways has 2087 unmanned LCs and the three other zones have more than 1000 unmanned LCs. Only two zones (Eastern & West Central) have less than 100 unmanned LCs.
15 accidents in 6 months
In the six month period from August 2015 to January 2016, a total of 15 accidents occurred at level crossings across eight different zones. 26 people were killed and 15 were injured in these accidents. Four of these accidents were in the Northern Zone while both North Eastern & North Western Zones accounted for three accidents each. These three zones accounted for 2/3 of all the accidents and all these three zones have more than 1000 unmanned level crossings.
Only 156 Level Crossings manned in Six months
In the six month period from August 2015 to January 2016, only 156 unmanned level crossings were manned across 11 zones. Of these 156, 38 LCs were from East Coast & 30 from South Western. At this rate, it will take more than 30 years to man all the unmanned level crossings.
An Empty Promise?
Despite assurances to the Supreme Court, the Railways seem to have done very little to address this issue. In Feb, 2015 the counsel for the Railways told the Supreme Court that remedial measures will be taken up at 3500 railway crossings during 2015-16. But the current data indicates that this promise was not kept.
In fact, the Supreme Court has recently imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the Ministry of Railways for failing to file the progress report about the status of unmanned railway crossings. One only hopes that this year’s budget goes beyond the empty promise.
Featured Image: sixtybolts | Flickr

created: February 25, 2016


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Saina Nehwal world no1 Badminton player - Infographic
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 30, 2015
Saina Nehwal created history on Saturday, becoming the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the world No 1 ranking after her closest challenger for the spot, Spain’s Carolina Marin, lost in the India Open Super Series semi-finals in New Delhi. She went on to win her maiden Indian Open badminton championship.


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Saint Luke’s Hospital notice recommending alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 14, 2020
A user has sent a photo to FACTLY’s WhatsApp number and asked about the authenticity of the notice in the photo which is in the name of Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City. The photo of the same notice is being shared (archived) on social media since March 2020. In the notice, it was written that Saint Luke’s Hospital research showed consuming alcoholic beverages may help reduce the risk of infection by COVID-19. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Saint Luke’s Hospital recommends alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Fact: Saint Luke’s Hospital authorities have clarified that the notice is not authentic; it is fake. Also, in one of its documents, ‘WHO – Europe’ has said that ‘consuming alcohol will not destroy the virus, and its consumption is likely to increase the health risks if a person becomes infected with the virus’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the notice given in the post, it was found that Saint Luke’s Hospital authorities have already clarified regarding this issue in March 2020. They have also clarified the same on their social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter). In another tweet, Saint Luke’s Hospital authorities have said that ‘vodka has no impact on the coronavirus’. So, fake notice with false claims is being shared in the name of Saint Luke’s Hospital.
Yes, that information is false. Vodka has no impact on the coronavirus. The best thing you can do is wash your hands and practice good health etiquette such as making sure you stay home when you are sick. Thank you for spreading the word.
Also, in one its documents, ‘WHO – Europe’ has said that ‘consuming alcohol will not destroy the virus, and its consumption is likely to increase the health risks if a person becomes infected with the virus. Alcohol (at a concentration of at least 60% by volume) works as a disinfectant on your skin, but it has no such effect within your system when ingested.’ It ends the report with the suggestion – ‘under no circumstances should you drink any type of alcoholic product as a means of preventing or treating COVID-19 infection’.
To sum it up, the notice of Saint Luke’s Hospital recommending alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection is fake.
Did you watch our new video?


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Sale of Carry Bags at Retail Stores - An explainer
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 19, 2019
There have been multiple cases of big retail stories being fined by the Consumer forums for charging consumers for branded carry bags. But, what do the rules say about explicit pricing of these carry bags?
In April this year, Bata was penalized Rs. 5,000 by the District Consumer Forum in Chandigarh for charging a consumer 3 rupees for the paper carry bag. The practice of selling these carry bags was treated as an unfair trade practice by the consumer forum. In a similar case, Lifestyle was also penalized Rs. 10,000 in January 2019 by the same consumer forum. Similar cases were also reported across the country. The Telangana Consumer forum has also penalized big retail stories in multiple cases. But, what is the crux of the issue? Here is an explainer.
Branded carry bags & the issue of Unfair Trade Practice
All the above mentioned orders by the various consumer fora have concluded that the practice of selling carry bags (plastic or otherwise) is an unfair trade practice. Such unfair & restrictive trade practices are covered under Section 2(1)(r) and 2(1)(nn) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Hence, any consumer who has been charged for branded carry bags can approach the relevant consumer forum in their jurisdiction with a formal written complaint. The procedure for filing complaints can be found on the websites of the respective state consumer forum.
The Plastic Waste Management Rules
The other issue is with plastic carry bags. In order to deal with the issue of plastic waste & reduce its usage, the Government of India notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. These rules super-ceded the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011. Among other things, the 2016 rules broadly mandated the following.
What about unbranded (plain) plastic carry bags?
Of particular interest from these rules is Rule 15 that talks about explicit pricing of plastic carry bags. In the 2016 rules, this is the provision that mandates registration with the local body (like municipalities, municipal corporations etc.), for any retailer or vendor wanting to provide plastic carry bags. The minimum registration fee was fixed at Rs. 4,000 per month or Rs. 48,000 per year. The rules also mention that such registered shopkeepers shall display at prominent place about the sale of such plastic carry bags. Further, the rules bar unregistered vendors from providing plastic carry bags. The local bodies are supposed to utilize this amount exclusively for sustainability of waste management.
While these rules were notified in 2016, there is no information on any local body having opened up these registrations. While state pollution control boards did notify these rules, there is no visible mechanism of registration at the local body level.
The 2018 amendment removed explicit pricing of plastic carry bags
In 2018, the government amended the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 based on the recommendations of a committee setup for the purpose of deliberating issues/challenges faced in implementation of these rules. In the amended rules, Rule 15 about explicit pricing of plastic bags has been omitted.  Hence vendors & retailers are not supposed to explicitly price plastic carry bags.
So, what is the status now?
Here is a summary of the current status and what you as a consumer can do.
Charging for Branded Carry Bags (Plastic or Paper): Multiple consumer forums have concluded that this is an unfair trade practice. Hence, any consumer who has been charged for branded carry bags can approach the relevant consumer forum in their jurisdiction with a formal written complaint. The procedure for filing complaints can be found on the websites of the respective state consumer forum.
Charging for Unbranded (plain) Plastic Carry Bags : Since the rule that allowed explicit pricing of carry bags (Rule 15) is now removed through the 2018 amendment, retailers or vendors cannot charge for even unbranded plastic carry bags. If any vendor or retailer is still charging for unbranded plastic carry bags, consumers can protest and appraise the vendors of the rules or consumers can can approach the relevant consumer forum in their jurisdiction with a formal written complaint. The procedure for filing complaints can be found on the websites of the respective state consumer forum.
Charging for Unbranded (plain) paper Carry Bags : Paper bags per se are not covered in the plastic management rules. And none of the consumer forum decisions were about unbranded paper bags. But then, even might be treated as a restrictive trade practice if one approaches the consumer forum. So the best way to tackle this is also to approach the consumer forum.
It also remains to be seen if decisions of the consumer forums stand scrutiny in the courts.


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Salman Rushdie never made these comments about Muslims; They were falsely attributed to him - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 18, 2022
In the context of recent attack on Novelist Salman Rushdie, a post attributing to him is being widely shared on social media. The post claims that Salman Rushdie has made these damaging comments about Muslims all over the world. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Author Salman Rushdie made these damaging comments on Muslims – “𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂, 𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒂, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎, 𝒃𝒐𝒎𝒃 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒔, 𝒑𝒐𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒊𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒎.”
Fact: Salman Rushdie, through a tweet, clarified that he never made any such comments about Muslims. Moreover, there is no mention of any such comments in his books, interviews, and speeches regarding this. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE
Upon searching the web with relevant keywords, we found a tweet by Salman Rushdie in which he clarified that he never made any such comments on Muslims. He also urged Twitter to take down the post which is being falsely attributed to him.
This is a fake tweet, which seems to be circulating. I have never said anything of this sort. @Twitter @jack please note and take this down. https://t.co/1lmg6ISg3f
Moreover, we searched his books, speeches and interviews and couldn’t find any such statement by him anywhere. However, according to media reports, Rushdie’s book ‘The Satanic Verses’ has been banned in Iran since 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous. A year later, Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death. A bounty of over $3 million was also offered for anyone who kills Rushdie.
In an interview with Sekhar Gupta in 2013, when asked about the future of Islamic world, Salman Rushdie replied, “Here’s a simple fact. The world of Islam has to enter the modern world. It has to learn how to live in the modern world. This world in which information is free, in which people do not live according to, let’s say, the cultural codes of Arabia in the 7th century. And you can see that there’s a great desire among the young people. At some point, in order to thrive, those countries have to modernise their ideas, their thinking, their institutions and they have to offer their people more liberty”
To sum it up, though Salman Rushdie is critical about Islamic fundamentalism, he never made such comments about Muslims as in the viral post.


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Salmonella outbreak in the US is linked to onions but there is no evidence of 650 deaths - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 2, 2021
A post with a link to a website is being widely shared on social media claiming that 650 people died because of a disease that spread due to eating onions. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: 650 died in the USA because of a disease that spread due to eating onions.
Fact: A recent salmonella outbreak linked to onions was reported in the United States but there were no deaths reported because of this outbreak. According to the figures posted by the CDC on 29 October 2021, there were 808 illnesses and 157 hospitalizations, and no deaths reported. The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections linked to whole, fresh onions. Onions linked to the outbreak are being recalled for possible contamination. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
Upon opening the link given in the post, an article with the headline that says 650 people have died in a hospital is found. However, if one reads the full article, nowhere it has been mentioned that so many people have died, except in the headline. In fact, the first paragraph in the article says that no one had died yet. “In the US, more than 650 people in 37 states were sickened by an outbreak of salmonella bacteria caused by onions. The US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention said that about 129 people are currently hospitalised, and no one has died so far.”
On 20 October 2021, the CDC had released a media statement about a ‘Food Safety Alert’. According to the CDC, there was a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections in the United States, where whole onions were identified as the source of the outbreak. The CDC had advised people not to eat certain types of onions. “CDC advises people who have unlabelled whole red, white, or yellow onions at home to throw them away and not eat them. People should not eat, and businesses should not sell or serve, whole onions that were imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed by ProSource Inc.” No deaths have been reported in relation to the outbreak; 652 people had been reported sick but only 129 had been hospitalized.
According to the latest figures posted on 29 October 2021 by the CDC, there were 808 illnesses and 157 hospitalizations. Still, there were no deaths reported.
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), along with the CDC, is investigating this outbreak linked to whole, fresh onions. “FDA’s traceback investigation is ongoing but has identified ProSource Produce, LLC (also known as ProSource Inc.) of Hailey, Idaho, and Keeler Family Farms of Deming, New Mexico, as suppliers of potentially contaminated whole, fresh onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.” Onions linked to the outbreak are being recalled for possible contamination.
To sum it up, the Salmonella outbreak in the US is linked to onions but there is no evidence that 650 people died because of the outbreak recently.

created: November 2, 2021


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Satirical article shared as 'Budweiser employee acknowledging pissing into beer tanks' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 3, 2020
A screenshot of an article with the title ‘Budweiser employee acknowledges having been pissing into beer tanks for 12 years’ is doing the rounds on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Budweiser employee acknowledged to have been pissing into beer tanks for 12 years.
Fact: A satirical website ‘Foolish Humor’ first posted such information. The content of the articles on that website is solely for ‘Entertainment’ and is based on ‘Fiction’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched on Google with the keywords seen in the screenshot, many websites were found to have carried the story that a Budweiser employee Walter Powell (mentioned in the article that the name was changed maintain anonymity) acknowledged to have been pissing into beer tanks at a Budweiser brewery for 12 years. But the story was first found to be published by a website ‘Foolish Humor’ on 08 May 2020.
In one looks at the article, at the bottom of the page,  it is mentioned that the website is a ‘Humorous’ page and its sole purpose is ‘Entertainment’. Also, the content on the website is based on ‘Fiction’ and it doesn’t correspond to reality.
When the photo in the article was subjected to reverse image search, an article of ‘Times Union’ published in 2013 was found in the results. The photo had credits to ‘Associated Press’ and had the description that the person in the photo is Nick Mills, General Manager of a Budweiser Brewery in Lysander, New York.
To sum it up, an article published by a satirical website ‘Foolish Humor’ is shared as Budweiser employee acknowledged to have been pissing into beer tanks for 12 years.
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Satirical article shared as former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal’s arrest for possession of child pornography - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 3, 2023
A post is being shared on social media claiming that former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal was taken into custody by the FBI for possession of child pornography. Sharing a link to an article, this post claims that the executive was charged with collecting child abuse material from Twitter and other social media platforms. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal was arrested for possession of child pornography.
Fact: The article shared in the post is a satirical one. A satirical website named ‘Vancover Times’ published this article by providing a disclaimer at the bottom informing it to be a satirical article. Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal was not arrested for any possession of child pornography. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched to check whether former CEO Parag Agrawal was arrested for possession of child pornography, we could not find any news reports confirming this information. If Parag Agrawal was arrested for possession of child pornography, it would have been widely reported.
The post shared an article published by a website named ‘Vancover Times’. Informing Parag Agrawal’s arrest for possession of child pornography, this article provided a note at the bottom stating it is a satirical article. This website even updated the article by adding a note, “Fact-checkers wasted their time “fact-checking” this obvious satire article. To ease confusion, the article has been added to the satire section, and a note has been added to the bottom of the article”. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the article shared in the post is a satirical one.
To sum it up, this article reporting former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal’s arrest for possession of child pornography is a satirical one.

created: January 3, 2023


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Satirical article shared as milkman fathered over 800 children in California - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 17, 2022
Several websites published a news report alleging that in a recent DNA test conducted by the FBI officials, a milk delivery man was found to have fathered over 800 children in California. According to the article, FBI officials performed DNA tests and scientifically confirmed Randall (Randy) Jeffries, a milk delivery man in Southern California, as the father of over 800 children in San Diego, California. This article claims that Randall (Randy) Jeffries had several illegal marital affairs with housewives whom he supplied milk during his young age in San Diego. This article credited the news to the ‘Daily News’ news website. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Milk delivery man fathered over 800 children in San Deigo, California.
Fact: This news report referred to a satirical article published by the ‘Daily News Reported’ website on 24 December 2021. The ‘Daily News Reported’ publishes only fictional & satirical stories. Further, this article shared a photo from a stock website and referred to him as Randall (Randy) Jeffries. The man seen in the photo is not Randal Jeffries and the story shared in the article does not report a real incident. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the details of the incident using keywords on Google, we found that this news report was first published by the ‘Daily News Reported’ website on 24 December 2021. But no other mainstream news website has published articles reporting this news on their website. If any such incident had taken place, several news websites would have published articles or videos reporting the incident. Also, we could not find a single article mentioning a person named Randal Jeffries.
When we searched for further details on the ‘Daily News Reported’ website, it is found out that the ‘Daily News Reported’ is a satirical publication that publishes only fictional & satirical stories on its website. In the ‘About Us’ section on the website,  it is mentioned that all the names used in the stories are invented names, except in cases when public figures are being written about. It is emphasized that any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the article shared in the post reports a satirical story published by the ‘Daily News Reported’ website, and does not depict a real incident.
On reverse image search of the alleged milkman photo shared in the article, we found that the picture was taken from a stock photo website. Reporting a similar claim, a video was published referring to several different persons as the father of the 800 children. In our research, we found that all the photos shared in this video were taken from different stock photo websites. They can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, this news article reporting that a DNA test revealed that a  milk delivery man fathered over 800 children in California is a satirical one and does not represent a real incident.

created: January 17, 2022


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Satirical & fictional article shared as Florida man arrested for using a lost US nuke to power his home - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 18, 2022
An image of purported CNN news article featuring the images of a man and a scuba diver under water is being widely shared with the headline “Florida man arrested for using a lost US nuke to power his home for more than 27 years”. A similar post can be seen here. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: CNN news article reporting the arrest of a Florida man for using a lost US nuke to power his home for more than 25 years.
Fact: This article was published on various satirical websites from 2015 which admitted that this story is completely fictional. CNN or other news outlets never reported any such news. The first photo shows a Trump supporter who was charged for harassment in 2016 in New York. The scuba diver’s photo was originally published by the German news outlet DW in 2014 in an article about various munitions (non-nuclear) that were deteriorating in the Baltic Sea. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
First, we searched CNN’s website and its social media accounts for this news but couldn’t find any. We also searched if other news outlets have reported any such incident but found none. However, we found that this post was actually shared by the user named ‘Ifunny_News’ on meme-sharing website iFunny on 13 April 2022. The bio of this page says, “Almost all my stuff is fake”.
In fact, this fictional story of a man finding a lost nuclear warhead was published in a satirical and fictional story website ‘worldnewsdailyreport.com’  in 2015.
Moreover, the photo of a man featured in the viral post shows ‘Todd Warnken’, a supporter of former US President Donald Trump, who is charged with misdemeanour aggravated harassment in 2016, reported The Guardian.
The image of scuba diver under water is from an article published on DW news website in 2014. The article talks about pollution caused by munitions (dropped during WWII) that were deteriorating in the Baltic Sea. Also, the article did not mention that any of these weapons were nuclear.
Further, according to Wikipedia and Washington post, Florida Man is an internet meme, first popularized in 2013, referring to an alleged prevalence of male persons performing irrational or absurd actions in the US state of Florida. Internet users typically submit links to news stories and articles about unusual or strange crimes and other events occurring in Florida, with stories’ headlines often beginning with “Florida Man…” followed by the main event of the story.
To sum it up, a satirical & fictional article is being shared as Florida man arrested for using a lost US nuke to power his home.

created: November 18, 2022


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Satirical message about Government imposing lockdown from 29 Feb to 31 Feb 2021 is shared as real - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 26, 2021
A message is being circulated on social media claiming that the Government of India has decided to impose a complete lockdown all over the country for 3 days from 29 Feb to 31 Feb 2021. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Government of India has decided to impose a complete lockdown from 29 Feb to 31 Feb 2021.
Fact: The message in the photo is just a joke. The days 30 and 31 never occur in February. 2021 is not a leap year to have the 29 day in February. The Government of India did not release any statement about the new complete lockdown restrictions to be imposed in the country. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
By observing this message with a little attention, we could easily understand it as a sarcastic message. First of all, days 30 and 31 never occur in February, and 2021 is not a leap year to have the 29 day in February. Also, in the photo, it is clearly mentioned as a joke not to be taken seriously.
The Government of India did not release any statement about the new complete lockdown restrictions in the country. Amid the rising COVID-19 cases, the Government sent high-level teams to 10 states and Union territories that have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases. A few State Governments in the country extended the lockdown restrictions with some relaxations after the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in their states. News articles published on extended lockdown restrictions can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, this message about the Indian Government imposing a complete lockdown from 29 Feb to 31 Feb 2021 is a joke.

created: February 26, 2021


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Satirical news - ‘Irish sheep going on a sex craze after drinking Viagra’ is being shared as real - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 13, 2019
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that around 80,000 Irish sheep got affected after drinking Viagra mixed water and went on a crazy uncontrollable sex drive for a week. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Irish sheep after drinking Viagra went on a week-long uncontrollable sex drive.
Fact: The news was taken from the ‘World News Daily Report’, a satirical news website. So, the news published by it should not be taken seriously. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the article link (archived) given in the post, the details about the incident can be read. When searched about the incident on Google, it can be found that even the major newspapers like Outlook India (archived), Dainik Jagran (archived) and Asianet News Hindi (archived), have published the same news.
But, it can be found in the search results that the ‘World News Daily Report’ was the first one to publish the news. It posted the article on its Facebook account on 26 November 2019 (two weeks before Indian media agencies picked it up). Also, the article in ‘Outlook India’ attributes the information to the ‘World News Daily Report’.
In the ‘About’ section of ‘World News Daily Report’, it can be seen that it is a satirical news website. It calls itself “an independent satirical media organization dedicated to covering news and events from around the world in a completely ludicrous manner”. The same can also be read on its website. So, the news published on this website should not be taken seriously.
Also, talking to ‘Mail Online’, a Pfizer spokeswoman has confirmed that the story is fictitious and is based on a satirical report.
To sum it up, a piece of satirical news – ‘Irish sheep going on a sex craze after drinking Viagra’ is being shared as real.
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created: December 13, 2019


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Satirical Piece from 2019 Misinterpreted as Genuine News on Modi's Alleged ₹15 Lakh Pledge - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 20, 2023
A newspaper clipping, bearing the headline “₹15 Lakhs will be deposited into everyone’s account,” is being widely shared on social media with the claim that this is an old newspaper article from 2013-14, which reported on Narendra Modi’s alleged election promise to retrieve Indian black money from abroad and deposit ₹15 lakh into the bank account of every Indian once BJP comes into power. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: An old news paper clip from 2013-14 that reported about the Narendra Modi’s alleged election promise to deposit ₹15 lakh into the bank account of every Indian once BJP comes into power.
Fact: This is a satirical article published by Navbharat Times on 20 March 2019 on the occasion of Holi. It does not report on Narendra Modi’s alleged election promise during 2014 election campaign. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of the viral video led us to clearer versions (here and here) of the same paper clip, posted in 2019. Upon examining the newspaper’s header, we discovered that the article was published in the Navbharat Times Mumbai Edition on 20 March 2019, coinciding with Holi. The article concludes with a disclaimer stating, “Don’t mind, it’s Holi,” suggesting that the piece is satirical.
The article fictitiously talks about Modi depositing ₹15 lakhs into every account, with opposition leaders protesting with the ECI. In this fictitious scenario, the then Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, supports the initiative and says the money transfer begins even before the 2019 General elections’ code of conduct is implemented.
During the same Holi period in 2019, Nav Bharat Times published another satirical article, claiming that money would be deducted if people didn’t vote. FACTLY debunked this misinformation when social media users shared the satirical article as real news, omitting the disclaimer.
Clarification published by Navbharat Times regarding the misleading item published by them as a Holi prank pic.twitter.com/E6ezFvx7hA
Nav Bharat Times also published a similar satirical article in 2016 (here and here) about Modi depositing ₹15 lakhs into bank accounts. Additionally, in an interview, the Deputy News Editor at Nav Bharat Times stated that they have a tradition of publishing satirical news in their paper every Holi. He said that it includes a disclaimer under each article and clarified that they are not responsible if users share the article as real news without the disclaimer.
Regarding Narendra Modi’s Rs 15 Lakh remark on Black Money:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment during an election rally leading up to the 2014 general election has been a hot topic in discussions about black money. Modi stated that if all the black money stashed abroad were repatriated, every poor person would receive between 15 to 20 lakh rupees. Although this comment was intended to illustrate the magnitude of black money hidden abroad, the opposition has repeatedly questioned the logic behind such an estimate. This led BJP President Amit Shah to clarify that Modi’s remark was a ‘Political Jumla’ and should not be taken at face value. Click here to read more about this issue.
To sum it up, a satirical piece from 2019 is being mistakenly circulated as a legitimate news article, reporting Modi’s purported election pledge of depositing ₹15 lakh into each bank account.

created: December 20, 2023


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Satirical story of a young man drinking his blood after blood donation is shared as real - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 22, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that a young man who went for blood donation drunk his own donated blood out of anger that he was not given a juice packet after the blood donation. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A young man drank his own donated blood out of anger as he was not given a juice packet after the blood donation.
Fact: The story shared in the post was published by the ‘Pehchan Faridabad’ website in July 2020. This story originated from a satirical article published by ‘The Fauxy’ three years ago. It is not a real story. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for this news story using relevant keywords on the internet, we found that the photo shows a screengrab from an article published by the ‘Pehchan Faridabad’ website on 24 July 2020. ‘Pehchan Faridabad’ in the article reported that a man named Chuttan Pandey drunk his own blood out of anger that he was not given a juice packet after the blood donation. This article reports that Chuttan Pandey had accepted blood donation for Parle G biscuits and juice and that when he felt cheated for not providing juice after blood donation, he drank his own blood.
When searched for further sources using relevant keywords, the same story was found in an article published by ‘The Fauxy’ three years ago. The news story published by the ‘Pehchan Faridabad’ website originated from this article published by ‘The Fauxy’.
A disclaimer provided on ‘The Fauxy’ website states, “Fauxy is a satirical web portal. The material published on this website is based on fiction. Readers are advised not to consider articles in the fauxy to be factual or true” (when translated the text from Hindi to English). Also, the image shared in these articles show a very old picture of medical students donating blood during a blood donation drive organised in Amritsar, in May 2013. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the news story shared in the post is originated from a satirical article published by ‘The Fauxy’.
To sum it up, satirical story of a young man drinking his donated blood for not being provided juice after donation is shared as real.

created: November 22, 2022


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Satirical story of a woman impregnated with the help of a used condom is being shared as real - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 19, 2022
A social media post which claims that a hotel cleaner in Los Vegas got impregnated with the help of a used condom is being widely shared across the social media platforms. The post further claims that the condom was used by a billionaire and later, woman fought a legal battle after having children and claimed a share of the billionaire’s property. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: A hotel cleaner in Los Vegas got impregnated with the help condom used by a billionaire and claimed a share in his property.
Fact: The story is totally fictional and not based on facts. The story was initially shared by a satirical website in 2019. The website clearly stated that it is a news parody and satire website. There are no official reports or news reports related to the viral story, implying that it is a fictional story. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The purported story shared through the viral post is fictional rather than inspired by any real incident. As, we could not find any credible reports of such an incident. If any such incident had indeed happened, the mainstream media would have reported it, however, we could not find accounts of any such incident.
Further internet search led us to a blog named ihlayanews, which shared the story initially in 2019. However, a disclaimer posted by an author of this page implies that content of the website is not based on facts but fiction/news parody/satire.
The Facebook page of this website also displays a disclaimer saying that ‘it is a news parody and satire website’.  Furthermore, the word ‘Ihlaya’ means ‘joke’ in Afrikaans. Thus all these implies that the viral story is nothing but a parody.
To sum it up, a satirical story saying a woman impregnated with the help of a used condom is being shared as real.


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Satirical video is shared as a 1956 public service announcement predicting COVID-19 Pandemic - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 5, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the 1956 Public service announcement, alerting the global citizens about the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This post claims it as the 65 years old recording that predicted the future plague that is going to originate from an Asian country. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A 1956 Public Service Announcement (PSA) predicting the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020.
Fact: This video was created in Feb 2020 by Max Patrick Schlienger, a satirist who identifies himself as ‘Ramses the Pigeon’. This video was created with a mash-up of old Hollywood short films. Schlienger described this video as a ‘satirical piece’ that was created with an intention to lampoon the anti-science perspectives about the COVID-19 virus. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots shared in the post, the extended version of this video was found published in ‘Ramses the Pigeon’ YouTube channel on 01 March 2020. This video was published on YouTube with the title ‘1950’s PSA: “Avoiding the Future Plague”’. The description of the video states “It’s hilarious to look back on what people from the 1950s thought the future would be like. Archival and public domain footage were acquired from Archive.org. Also, yes, I only threw this together because I wanted to have a video upload on February 29.”. ‘Ramses the Pigeon’ shared this video on his Twitter handle with a similar description.
Max Patrick Schlienger, who identifies himself as ‘Ramses the Pigeon’, created this video in Feb 2020. In a Reddit post, Schlienger explained this video as a ‘satirical piece’ that was created with an intention to lampoon the anti-science perspectives about the COVID-19 virus.
In our further research, it is found out that a few clips in the footage were taken from old Hollywood short films. A scene of a household Robot helping a woman to clean her home is taken from the 1940 film ‘Leave It to Roll-oh’. Similarly, a few scenes in the footage found to exist in the film Tornado (1956). From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post is a satirical video created with a mash-up of old Hollywood films.
To sum it up, a satirical video created in February 2020 is being shared as a 65 years old PSA predicted the COVID-19 Pandemic.


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Satirical video shared as arrest of a woman for hoarding curd without paying GST on it - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 30, 2022
A news clip is being shared on social media claiming that the Ghaziabad police have taken a woman into custody for hoarding curd without paying GST on it. This post claims that Ghaziabad Police have seized a large bowl of curd from a woman named Kulfi Devi and found her guilty of eating paneer made with the milk on which the GST was unpaid. In the wake of the 47th GST GST Council recommendations proposing the withdrawal of tax exemptions on pre-packed curd and other milk items, this video is being widely shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Ghaziabad police arrested a woman for hoarding curd without paying GST on it.
Fact: The video shared is a satirical spoof published by the ‘Fake It India’ YouTube channel on 22 July 2022. ‘Fake It India’ stated that it publishes satirical videos on current events, day to day life situations highlighting the problems faced by the common man living in India. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing the video carefully, one could see the ‘Fake It इंडिया’ watermark on the video. When we searched for the details of this video using relevant keywords on the internet, we found the same video published on the ‘Fake It India’ YouTube channel on 22 July 2022. This YouTube channel described it as a satirical or funny video on GST.
A disclaimer provided in the video states, “The video and its contents are fictional and intended to be satirical and humorous. The video is only for entertainment purposes and is not a source of facts or real information. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental or is intended purely as a satire, parody or spoof of such persons and is not intended to communicate any true or factual information about that person. We do not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of the content or its genuineness and hereby disclaim any and all warranties, express or implied relating to the video”.
The description in the ‘About’ section of the ‘Fake It India’ states, “Videos in Fake it India give a funny and satirical take on current events, day to day life situations highlighting the problems faced by common man living in India. Viewers are advised to take these videos with a pinch of salt”. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post is a satire.
To sum it up, a satirical video is being shared as arrest of a woman for hoarding curd without paying GST on it.


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Neither Satochi tablet nor this Blood Sugar Control ring advertised as a treatment for diabetes is approved by the FDA - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 1, 2022
Update (01 November 2022):
Another product that controls blood sugar levels is being marketed through a Facebook post. According to the post, it is a blood sugar control ring that uses magnetic acupressure therapy, stimulating the pancreas to promote insulin production. Let’s fact-check this claim.
Acupressure is an ancient alternative medical treatment. To understand if there is any evidence to prove the efficacy of this product in controlling blood sugar levels, we searched on the internet with relevant keywords. In a fact-check by AFP on the blood sugar control rings, Dr. Sudipa Sarkar, who said this product is ‘not something that’s been approved by the FDA (U.S Food and Drug Administration).’
Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association, said, “I am not aware of any evidence or way in which a ring like this could actually help people control their blood glucose. It’s unfortunate that claims like this are out there, and it distracts people from far more effective evidence-based treatments. Talking with a healthcare professional about a treatment plan for you should be your first step in controlling your blood glucose,” Gabbay said.
FDA has warned people to beware of illegally marketed diabetes treatments. They released an advisory on their website, warning ‘ consumers not to use such products for many reasons. For example, they may contain harmful ingredients or may improperly be marketed as over-the-counter (OTC) products when they should be marketed as prescription products. Illegally marketed products carry an additional risk if they cause people to delay or discontinue effective treatments for diabetes. Without proper disease management, people with diabetes are at a greater risk for developing serious health complications.’ The complete advisory can be read here.
To sum it up, FDA has not approved any such blood sugar control ring to treat diabetes.
Published (27 October 2022):
A post is being shared on social media, which is an advertisement video for a product named Satochi. According to the video, it is an effervescent tablet that improves insulin levels naturally.
Claim: Satochi, a tablet advertised as a treatment for diabetes, is approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
Fact: The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for protecting public health by regulating human drugs and biological products, among various other products, devices and drugs. Satochi, the tablet that is advertised through the viral post, is not approved by the FDA. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We clicked on the ordering link given in the post and were led to a website on which the Satochi tablet is available for buying. The product is claimed as a nutritional supplement solution to stabilise blood sugar. On the website, it is mentioned that Satochi is licensed and FDA-certified. It also contains three different certificates as proof, but none of those has FDA mentioned on them.
According to the certificates, the company’s name is Lallemand –SALUTAGUSE PÄRMITEHAS AS, which according to its website, is a Canadian company that produces yeasts and bacteria. The pharma wing of Lallemand has the rights to a drug known as PMBL® sublingual tablets. We did not find the details of the Satochi tablet on their website.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for protecting public health by regulating human drugs and biological products, among various other products, devices and drugs. FDA’s website contains the database of the drugs approved by them, and the Satochi tablet is not on their list of approved drugs. This means, contrary to what the viral post claims, Satochi is still not approved by the FDA.  According to the FDA’s website, ‘New drugs and biological products for people must be FDA approved before they are marketed in interstate commerce. This means that a company must demonstrate that its drug or biological product is safe and effective for the intended use and that it can manufacture the product to federal quality standards.’
The FDA’s website also mentions that ‘but not all those products(human drugs, biological products etc.) undergo premarket approval — that is, a review of safety, quality, and effectiveness by FDA experts and agency approval before a product can be sold to consumers. In some cases, the FDA’s enforcement efforts focus on products after they are already for sale. That is determined by Congress in establishing the FDA’s authorities. Even when FDA approval is not required before a product is sold, the agency has legal regulatory authority to act when safety issues arise.’  FDA says that a manufacturer can use the phrase ‘FDA Approved’ as a labelling piece or in an advertisement only when they have received a letter stating that the product has been approved. To learn more about a drug’s development and approval process by the FDA, click here.
To sum it up, the effervescent tablet Satochi which is being promoted as a treatment for diabetes is not approved by the FDA.

created: November 1, 2022


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Saudi Arabia is not the only country in the world that does not have a permanent river - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 8, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that does not have a river flowing within it. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Saudi Arabia is the only country not having a permanent river flowing within it.
Fact: A significant number of desert countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Libya, Yemen and a few very small islands and states like the Bahamas, Malta and Monaco do not have permanent rivers flowing within them. Saudi Arabia is not the only country that does not have a permanent river. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched to check the details of the countries that do not have permanent rivers, we found the details in articles published by the ‘World Atlas’ and the ‘Graphic Maps’ websites. According to the list provided by these websites, 19 different countries in the world do not have permanent natural rivers. A significant number of desert countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Libya, Yemen and a few very small islands and states like the Bahamas, Malta and Monaco do not have a permanent river flowing within them.
When we searched for further sources, we found details of the total renewable surface water resources available in different countries across the globe on the ‘Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) website. According to the ‘AQUASTAT’ survey results provided on the FAO website, Arab countries like UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and a few island countries like the Bahamas, and Bahrain have less total renewable surface water resources compared to Saudi Arabia.
FAO in an article stated the ten poorest countries in terms of water resources per inhabitant are Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Maldives, Malta, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The ‘Assessment of water resources and water availability in the world’ published by Prof I. A. Shiklomanov also stated that the freshwater resources in a few other Arab countries are very much lesser than that of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a desert country with no permanent rivers or lakes and very little rainfall. But there are over a dozen countries that do not have permanent rivers like Saudi Arabia.
To sum it up, Saudi Arabia is not the only country in the world that does not have a permanent river.

created: August 8, 2022


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Saudi Arabian government hasn’t made Yoga mandatory in their schools - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 17, 2019
On Facebook, a few users are sharing a post with a video about Yoga and are claiming- “Muslim Country #Sudhi_Arabia announced #Yoga is mandatory in all the schools. Anyone can promote #Yoga in Saudi Arabia”. Let’s try to verify the claims made in the post.
Saudi Arabia has made Yoga mandatory in all the schools. Anyone can promote Yoga in Saudi Arabia.
Fact: Saudi Arabia has only approved Yoga as a sports activity in their country. This allows any Saudi citizen to practice or propagate it by getting a licence from the government. So, the claim made in the post stands False.
In the video posted, the news reporter mentions that Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Trade and Industry has listed Yoga as a sports activity and now it can be practiced or propagated by anyone after getting a licence. But in this news video, nothing was spoken about the Saudi government making Yoga mandatory in the schools. When looked for further details of this news, it was found that the news channel has broadcasted this news bulletin on November 14, 2017. Many newspaper articles( Saudi Gazette, India Today) even reported the same that the Saudi government has listed Yoga as a sports activity in their country. When researched further if any such decision about making Yoga mandatory in the schools was taken in recent times, no such news was reported. So, the claim that the Saudi government has made Yoga mandatory in their schools is false.
To conclude, the Saudi Arabian government has approved Yoga as a sports activity in their country. It hasn’t made it mandatory in all the schools.
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Saudi Arabia’s Football team denied the rumours of players being rewarded Rolls Royce cars by Saudi Prince MBS - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 28, 2022
Update (09 December 2022):
Another post is being shared on social media claiming that Saudi Players were ordered to return the Rolls Royce Cars that were said to be gifted by the Saudi Crown Prince after the victory against Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022. This post credited the information to Qatar’s AFCON Trophy. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Saudi players were asked to return Rolls Royce cars gifted after the victory against Argentina on 22 November 2022.
Fact: Saudi Arabia’s Football team and management denied the rumours of players being gifted with Rolls Royce cars after their victory against Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022. If Rolls Royce cars were not gifted to players in the first place, there is no question of returning them. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A few Facebook pages were sharing these posts in a satirical manner after the news of the Saudi Prince donating Rolls Royce cars to Saudi players were reported by a few news websites after the Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina on 22 November 2022. Saudi Arabia’s Football team and management denied these rumours of players being gifted with Rolls Royce cars after their victory against Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022. If Saudi Players were not gifted Rolls Royce cars in the first place, then there is no question of returning them. The Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) tournament in Qatar will be held next year in 2023.
Published (28 November 2022):
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has promised each Saudi Football player a Rolls Royce car for defeating Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022. In the wake of Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup’s Group C opening match held on 22 November 2022, this post is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud promised each Saudi Football player a Rolls Royce car for defeating Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Fact: Saudi Arabian player Saleh Alshehri, Head Coach Herve Renard and the Saudi Football team management have denied these rumours of each player getting rewarded with a Rolls Royce car for defeating Argentina in the FIFA World Cup. The Saudi Arabian government did not issue any public statement announcing Rolls Royce Cars as gifts for their football players after the victory over Argentina. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the details of the claim made in the post, we found that lately, several news websites have published articles reporting that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has promised each Saudi Football player a Rolls Royce Phantom car for defeating Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Those articles can be seen here, here and here.
However, Saudi Football player Saleh Alshehri, during a press meet held ahead of the Poland vs. Saudi Arabia match on 26 November 2022, confirmed to the media that the rumours of Saudi Arabia’s players receiving Rolls Royce cars for their victory over Argentina are false.  Confirming these rumours as false, Saleh Alshehri said, “We are here to serve our country and do the best. So, that’s our biggest achievement.”
Saudi Arabian Football Team Head Coach Herve Renard too denied these rumours of players being promised Rolls Royce cars by the Saudi Royal family. Reporting these details, several news websites published articles. They can be seen here and here. The Saudi Government did not issue any statement announcing each Saudi Football player a Rolls Royce after their victory over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022. FACTLY sent an e-mail to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sports for further clarification regarding these rumours. We will update the article once we receive a response from the Saudi Government.
To sum it up, Saudi Arabia’s Football team denied the rumours of players getting rewarded Rolls Royce cars for defeating Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022.

created: November 28, 2022


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Saudi government did not support Nupur Sharma for her remarks against Prophet Muhammad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 26, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that the Saudi Arabian government had condemned the brutal killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and acknowledged Nupur Sharma’s remarks against Prophet Muhammad as true. This post claims that the Saudi Government slammed the two Muslims who brutally killed Kanhaiya Lal and said, “because of the acts of a few Muslims, the whole Muslim community was getting infamous”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Saudi Arabian Government condemned the brutal killing of Kanhaiya Lal and acknowledged Nupur Sharma’s remarks about Prophet Muhammad were correct.
Fact: The Saudi Government did not make any statement acknowledging Nupur Sharma’s remarks against Prophet Muhammad as correct. Neither the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi nor the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry had made a statement against the two Muslims who brutally killed Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the Saudi Government had made any such statement acknowledging BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks about Prophet Muhammad as correct, we could not find any such statement on the official website of the Saudi Arabia Government. Neither the Saudi Foreign Ministry nor the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi had made issued such a statement. If the Saudi Government had acknowledged Nupur Sharma’s remarks as true, several news websites would have published articles reporting that information. But we could not find a single news article reporting such information.
On 06 June 2022, the Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a press release condemning BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks against Prophet Muhammad. Reporting this press statement issued by the Saudi Government, several news websites published articles in June 2022. They can be seen here and here. Following this press statement, Saudi Arabia did not issue any other press release related to Nupur Sharma’s remarks against Prophet Muhammad or about Kanhaiya Lal’s murder in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
#Statement | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its condemnation and denunciation of the statements made by the spokeswoman of the #Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (#BJP), insulting the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. pic.twitter.com/VLQwdXuPuq
Following Kanhaiya Lal’s brutal murder in Udaipur, prominent Muslim organisations and clerics across the country have condemned the act calling it, “brutal, unpardonable and against the tenets of Islam”. But the Saudi Government did not issue any statement condemning or supporting the act of killing a Hindu tailor in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
To sum it up, the Saudi government did not issue any statement acknowledging Nupur Sharma’s remarks against Prophet Muhammad as correct.


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Saudi Prince did not lose millions and wives in gambling. It’s a satirical post - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 21, 2019
A post with a video is being shared on Facebook by users claiming that a Saudi prince has lost money and wives in gambling. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
A Saudi prince has lost $350 million and 5 wives in poker.
Fact: The source for this video is a satirical page. The news clippings shown in the video are also taken from the same satirical page. So, there is nothing to be taken seriously. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the news is searched on Google with the keywords “Saudi prince lost millions and wives”, a link to ‘World News Daily Report’ article can be found in the search results. The screenshots shown in the video are also taken from the same article. The article consists of all the information described in the video but at the bottom of the webpage, there is a description of the page. The description reads: “World News Daily Report assumes all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content. All characters appearing in the articles in this website – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any person, living, dead or undead, is purely a miracle.”  So, the news reported on the page need not be taken seriously.
To sum it up, the Saudi prince did not lose millions and wives in gambling. It’s a satirical post.
Did you watch our Facebook live on Fake News (Misinformation)


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Savarkar was denied admission to the bar at Gray’s Inn because of his involvement in Political activities - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 14, 2023
A social media post praising Savarkar claims that despite appearing for the exam and completing his studies, the British authorities denied Savarkar the barrister degree and law practice because Savarkar refused to take the oath of allegiance/loyalty to the British Empire. The post further states that in the British Raj, it was mandatory to take such an oath to get the degree of advocacy and permission to practice. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: British authorities denied Savarkar the barrister degree and law practice, because Savarkar refused to take the oath of allegiance/loyalty to the British Empire.
Fact: Savarkar was denied admission to the bar at Gray’s Inn because of his involvement in political activities. Historical documents endorsed the same view. Biographies of Savarkar also mentioned it is his involvement in political activities cost him admission to the bar. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Born in 1883 in Bhagur village, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar received his early education at the nearby Shivaji High School before joining Ferguson College in Poona in 1902. Subsequently, he obtained a scholarship and embarked on his journey to England, where he pursued law at Gray’s Inn College.
While it is true that Savarkar passed his examination for the bar at Gray’s Inn and was denied admission as claimed in the viral post, however, it is not because of his denial to take an oath to the British empire, but because of his involvement in political activities. According to the historical documents available on the India Culture portal, in July 1909, benchers at Gray’s Inn College postponed the admission of Savarkar to the bar, considering his active participation in seditious activities, back in India.
Even in the biography of Savarkar, Vikram Sampath endorsed that it is his involvement in political activities that cost Savarkar entry to the Bar at Gray’s Inn. He went on to write that Curzon Wiley, an official of the British Indian Government, had personally written to the benchers of the Gray’s Inn dissuading them from calling Savarkar to the Bar. He even provided a plethora of information about Savarkar’s undesirable activities.
The English Heritage portal of the UK highlighted that Savarkar was called to the bar in 1910. However, we could not find any additional evidence to corroborate this.  But the available evidence suggests that viral contestation about Savarkar’s bar entry is not true.
To sum it up, Savarkar was denied admission to the bar at Gray’s Inn because of his involvement in Political activities.


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After hue & cry, SBI revises penalty for non-maintenance of Monthly Average Balance
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 26, 2017
After hue & cry about hefty charges for non-maintenance of Monthly Average Balance (MAB), SBI has revised penalty amount for non-maintenance of MAB along side revising MAB criteria.
After hue & cry about hefty charges on non-maintenance of Monthly Average Balance (MAB), the largest bank in the country, State Bank of India has revised penalty amount. These will be applicable from 01st October, 2017.
Revised criteria for Monthly Average Balance (MAB) in Savings Bank Accounts
Penalty for Non-maintenance of Monthly Average Balance (MAB) in Savings Accounts
SBI has exempted the following categories of savings accounts from the MAB requirement
Penalty for Non-maintenance of Monthly Average Balance (MAB) in Current Accounts
Explanation of Terms
Here is a brief snapshot of the other charges as on date.
50 cheque leaves free per year, thereafter Rs 3 + ST (per leaf)
If QAB >= Rs 25,000
50 cheque leaves free per year, thereafter Rs 2 + ST (per leaf)
If QAB >= Rs 1,00,000
Free
Senior Citizens
Free (irrespective of QAB)
thereafter Rs 2 + ST (per leaf)
thereafter Rs 3 + GST (per leaf)
From 14 days-upto 6 months –
Rs 255 (individual)
Rs 1019(non – individual)
After 6 months but before 12 months –
Rs 153 (individual)
Rs 509 (non- individual)
After 14 days
Rs 500 + GST (individual)
Rs 1000 + GST (non-individual)
Rs 200 + GST  (non-individual)
Regd/Speed post/courier Rs 36
Regd/Speed post/courier – Actual Expenditure (Min Rs 50 + GST)
From Rs 5,000 – 10,000 (Rs 56)
From Rs10,000 – Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 112)
From Rs 1 Lakh – 5 Lakh (Rs 225)
From Rs 5 Lakh – 10 Lakh (Rs 253)
Above Rs 10 Lakh (Rs 281- Max)
From Rs10,000 – Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 100 + GST)
Above Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 200 + GST)
From Rs10,000 – Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 4)
From Rs 1 Lakh – 2 Lakh (Rs 12)
Above Rs 2 Lakh (Rs 20)
From Rs10,000 – Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 2 + GST)
From Rs 1 Lakh – 2 Lakh  (Rs 3 +GST)
Above Rs 2 Lakh (Rs 5 + GST)
Above Rs 5 Lakh (Rs 45)
Above Rs 5 Lakh (Rs 10 + GST)
From Rs 1,000 – 10,000 (Rs 2)
From Rs10,000 – Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 4)
From Rs 1 Lakh – 2 Lakh (Rs 12)
From Rs 1,000 – 1,00,000 (Rs 5 + GST)
From Rs 1 Lakh – 2 Lakh (Rs 15 + GST)
Beyond 3 Transactions in a month (Rs 50 per Transaction)
Beyond 3 Transactions in a month (Rs 50 per Transaction + GST)
From Rs 5,000 – 10,000 (Rs 41)
From Rs10,000 – Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 51 minimum or Rs 3 per thousand)
From Rs 1 Lakh – 5 Lakh (Rs 306 minimum or Rs 3 per thousand)
From Rs 5,000 – 10,000 (Rs 50)
From Rs10,000 – Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 60 minimum or Rs 5 per thousand)
Above Rs 1 Lakh (Rs 600 minimum or Rs 4 per thousand)
Maximum Rs 2000
Semi-Urban/Rural – Rs 800
Semi-Urban/Rural – Rs 1000 + GST
Semi-Urban/Rural – Rs 1800
Semi-Urban/Rural – Rs 2000 + GST
Semi-Urban/Rural – Rs 5000
Semi-Urban/Rural – Rs 7000
Semi-Urban/Rural – Rs 7000 + GST
thereafter Rs 100 per visit
thereafter Rs 100 per visit + GST
Global – Nil
Gold –Nil
Platinum – Rs 306
Global – Nil
Gold – Rs 100 + GST
Platinum – Rs 300 + GST
Global – Rs 150
Platinum – Rs 200
Global – Rs 175 + GST
Platinum – Rs 250 + GST
Pride/Premium – Rs 350 + GST
Global – Rs 204
Gold – Rs 200
Platinum – Rs 200
Featured Image: SBI revised charges

created: September 26, 2017


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SBS Bank: A New Zealand Bank Trusted by Customers and Partners Alike - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 7, 2022
In the ever-evolving banking industry, trust is a currency of immeasurable value. Among the financial institutions that have earned the unwavering trust of customers and partners in New Zealand, it is SBS Bank https://newzealandbanks.co.nz/sbs/ that stands as a beacon of reliability and integrity. With a history that dates back to 1869, SBS Bank has consistently proven to be a reliable banking partner in the country.
One of the cornerstones of SBS Bank’s success is its unwavering commitment to a customer-centric approach. The bank recognizes that trust is built through transparency, accountability, and putting the customer’s interests first. They offer a wide range of banking and financial services, all designed to meet the unique needs of their customers. SBS Bank focuses on providing personalized solutions, understanding that each customer’s financial journey is unique.
SBS Bank understands that it is deeply intertwined with the communities it serves. They actively engage with their local communities, not only as a financial institution but as a responsible corporate citizen. This involvement fosters a sense of trust and loyalty among their customers and partners. SBS Bank’s contributions go beyond banking services; they support community events, sponsor local initiatives, and work toward the betterment of society.
The trust placed in SBS Bank extends to its partners, both individual and corporate. The bank has established strong relationships with various organizations, businesses, and professionals, cementing its reputation as a reliable financial partner. Whether it’s supporting small businesses, working with legal or accounting firms, or collaborating with non-profit organizations, SBS Bank consistently proves itself to be a trusted ally.
SBS Bank’s ability to adapt to the changing landscape of banking while maintaining the trust of its customers and partners is remarkable. They have invested in technology and digital banking solutions to make banking more convenient and accessible while keeping customer data and transactions secure. The bank ensures that it remains at the forefront of innovation, making it a reliable choice for those who seek modern and reliable banking services.
Ethical banking practices are at the core of SBS Bank’s operations. This institution has a strong ethical stance on issues such as responsible lending and sustainable financial services. They prioritize responsible investing, ensuring that the funds entrusted to them are used in ways that align with environmental and social sustainability. This commitment to ethical practices further solidifies trust among their customers and partners.
SBS Bank is known for its exceptional customer service. They understand that trust is not just about the financial transactions but also the human interactions. The bank’s staff is known for their professionalism, friendliness, and a genuine willingness to assist customers. This commitment to providing the best service possible is a significant factor in building trust.
SBS Bank’s financial stability is a key element of its trustworthiness. It has consistently demonstrated prudent financial management, maintaining a strong balance sheet and capital position. This stability is crucial in assuring customers and partners that their assets and investments are safe and secure.
In the dynamic world of banking, trust is the foundation upon which strong and enduring relationships are built. SBS Bank’s long history, customer-centric approach, community engagement, and commitment to ethical banking practices have made it a trusted institution in New Zealand. Its strong partnerships, innovation, exceptional customer service, and financial stability further enhance its reputation as a bank that can be relied upon. SBS Bank’s unwavering commitment to trust, whether it’s with individual customers or corporate partners, sets a benchmark for the banking industry in New Zealand. It is a testament to the fact that trust, once earned, can be an institution’s most valuable asset.
notionvc: 9952dea1-bffb-4069-a8ad-e18de6a879e1


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SC Judges Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala are not in this photo with Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 5, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media with the following claim – “See with whom the Supreme court judges who passed verdict are having lunch with. Rinita Mazumdar The 2 SC judges, #SuryaKant and #Pardiwala with the naxal gang. Pranab Roy is there. Then there is Radhika Roy”. Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala were part of the bench which reportedly held Nupur Sharma “single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country”. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of SC Judges Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala with Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy.
Fact: SC Judges Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala are not there in the posted photo. The persons present in the photo are – Prannoy Roy, Radhika Roy, P Thiaga Rajan, Brinda Karat, Prakash Karat, Mrs. and Mr. N Ram, and Dipali Sikand. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On running the posted photo through Google Reverse Image Search and using some keywords, the same photo was found to be uploaded by ‘Mindescapes’ on their social media channels. ‘Mindescapes’ posted the same photo on their Twitter account on 03 July 2022 with the following description – “A Chef’s Table session with Finance Minister – Tamil Nadu, Mr. P. Thiagarajan, Dr. Prannoy Roy and Mrs. Radhika Roy, Mrs. Brinda Karat and Mr. Prakash Karat, Mrs. and Mr. N. Ram and Dipali Sikand.”
A Chef's Table session with Finance Minister – Tamil Nadu, Mr. P. Thiagarajan, Dr. Prannoy Roy and Mrs. Radhika Roy, Mrs. Brinda Karat and Mr. Prakash Karat, Mrs. and Mr. N. Ram and Dipali Sikand. #ExperienceMindEscapes #ChefsTable #Nilgiris #GreatMindsMeet pic.twitter.com/pPrBGZh4Ij
Dipali Sikand (who can be seen in the photo beside Prakash Karat) is the founder of ‘Mindescapes’.
There is no mention of SC Judges Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala in the posts made by ‘Mindescapes’. Also, they cannot be seen in the posted photo. The details of Judges Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala can be found on the Supreme Court website.
To sum it up, SC Judges Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala are not in this photo with Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy.


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Scammers cannot obtain personal or bank details through the 'One-Ring' phone scam, nor can they steal SIM card information using #90 or #09 codes - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 5, 2023
An advisory message circulating on social media alarms people about the fraudulent missed calls originating from specific countries identified by the international codes +371, +375, and +381. According to the post, scammers initiate a call from an international number, allow it to ring just once, and if the recipient decides to return the call, the scammers swiftly theft the individual’s contact list as well as obtain their bank or credit card details within minutes. Additionally, the post cautions users that entering #90 and #09 codes on their phones may enable scammers to clone SIM card details, allowing them to make calls at the individual’s cost and potentially framing them as a criminal. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Scammers can access personal and bank details through missed calls from unknown international numbers. Dialling #90 and #09 codes on phone will allow scammers to access individual’s SIM card details.
Fact: The post highlights the ‘One-Ring’ phone scam, where scammers exploit the opportunity to collect commissions from high international rates or connection fees imposed on individuals for making international calls. However, the scam does not enable the theft of contact list details or bank information. Also, the scammers cannot access the SIM card details by making an individual dial #90 or #09 codes on his/her mobile phone. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
When we searched for the details of the claims made in the post, we found a similar warning message about unknown international numbers in an article published by a cybersecurity professional in 2019. The article talks about the ‘One-Ring’ phone scam using which the scammers are looting the commission from the high international rates or other connection fees charged for making international calls.
‘One-Ring’ Phone Scam
The ‘One-Ring’ phone scam, also known as the “Wangiri” scam, is a deceptive tactic used by scammers to trick individuals into making expensive international calls. The scam typically involves the scammer making brief, one-ring calls to random phone numbers. The intention is to prompt the recipient to call the number back, thinking it might be an important or missed call. However, the return call is directed to a premium-rate or international number, and the person making the call is charged exorbitant fees, a portion of which goes to the scammer.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Columbia government and many other organizations have cautioned people about this ‘One-Ring’ phone scam. The police from different states in India on multiple occasions cautioned people about this scam. However, there is no information indicating that scammers can steal contact list details and bank information from the phone through the ‘One-Ring’ phone scam. More details on how to get protected from the ‘One-Ring’ phone scam can be seen here and here.
Can dialling the #90 or #09 code allow scammers to access an individual’s SIM card details?
When we searched to check whether dialling the #90 or #09 code on a phone could allow scammers to access an individual’s SIM card, we found an article published by the FCC related to this scam. FCC called it a legacy telephone scam targeting business landline telephones served by a private branch exchange (PBX) or private automatic branch exchange (PABX).
According to the article, by dialling these codes on certain PBX and PABX business landline phones, the caller was allowed to transfer the call. But this does not affect cell phones in any way. One cannot access the individual’s SIM card details by making him dial #90 or #09 codes on his phone. The New Zealand Police and many fact-checking sites clarified that the messages or e-mails warning people about scammers accessing SIM card details by dialling a few numbers is a hoax. More details on various methods through which someone’s SIM card can be cloned can be read here and here.
To sum it up, scammers cannot obtain personal or bank details through the ‘One-Ring’ scam, nor can they steal SIM card information using #90 or #09 codes.

created: December 5, 2023


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Visuals of mob attack in Pakistan are shared as attack on Hindu homes in Telangana’s Hyderabad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 2, 2022
Following the arrest of a now suspended Telangana BJP MLA for his alleged derogatory comments on Prophet Mohammad, mild tensions were reported in the old city area in Hyderabad. Against this backdrop, a video of an angry mob attacking a house is being widely shared claiming that Muslims are destroying the Hindus homes in Telangana’s capital Hyderabad. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of an angry mob attacking houses of Hindus in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Fact: According to the media reports, this incident happened on 21 August 2022 in Pakistan’s Sindh province. A Hindu man was booked for alleged blasphemy. Knowing this, an angry mod tried to get hold of him. However, police quickly dispersed them. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched the web with relevant keywords and found several other videos matching the visuals in the viral video. Several news channels and reported this incident. They can be seen here, here, and here.
According to these reports, on 21 August 2022, a Hindu sanitary worker Ashok Kumar was booked under 295B of blasphemy over alleged desecration of Quran in Pakistan’s Hyderabad. The allegation came after a brawl with a local shopkeeper who then lodged a complaint against Ashok Kumar. Police took Kumar into their custody.
Knowing this, a huge mob gathered and tried to get hold of Kumar. Later, Sindh police dispersed the mob. However, it was later known that a Muslim woman burnt the Quran.
The FIR copy related to this incident and shared by Sindh Police can be seen here.
To sum it up, video of an angry mob trying to attack a Hindu man in Pakistan for alleged blasphemy is shared as mob attacking Hindu homes in Telangana’s Hyderabad.

created: September 2, 2022


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More than 2,57,000 schools in India are without Toilets
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 30, 2015
Multiple studies have shown that lack of toilets is one of the prime reasons for the dropout of children, especially the girl child from the school system. Other than lack of toilets, the school system also suffers from lack of other facilities like access to drinking water, electricity, play ground etc. In this piece, we will look at the statistics related to both Government & Private schools and lack of major  facilities.
Lack of Toilets
According to the Unified District Information System data for Education (U-DISE) for the year 2013-14, there are a total of 2,57,680 schools without a toilet. This comes to a total of 18% schools in the country without a toilet.
Only the top 10 states have a greater percentage of schools without toilets than the national average of 18%. Andhra Pradesh (Including Telangana) occupies the second spot with 55% schools that are without toilets. Other states in the top 10 include Arunachal Pradesh, J & K, Orissa, West Bengal among others.
There are 19 such States/UTs where the percentage of private schools without a toilet is greater than the percentage of government schools without a toilet.
Chandigarh & Delhi are the only UT & State with a toilet in every school. There are 9 such states where the percentage of schools without a toilet is less than 5%. States like Puducherry, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra & Uttar Pradesh are part of this list.
Lack of Water Facilities
A total 58,221 schools across the country do not have access to drinking water. Of this are 5% of all the government schools & 1% of all private schools. A total of 4% schools in the country fall into this category. There are seven states where one out of every 10 schools is without drinking water.
There are 14 states where the percentage of schools without drinking water facility is less than 1%. Chandigarh & Delhi again stand at the top without a single school in this list.
Lack of Major Facilities in Government Schools
The situation in Government schools is worse than that in Private schools. A half of them have no electricity and almost a half of them have no playground apart from lack of toilets and drinking water.
Data Sources:
Unstarred Question Number 329, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Answered on 25-02-2015 in the Lok Sabha.
Featured image source: waterdotorg


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Scientists have clarified that the insect depicted in this viral post is not poisonous - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 6, 2023
A social media post that shares an image of a greenish insect feeding on a leaf alleges that state horticulturists have issued a warning about this lethal insect, claiming that it can cause death through its sting. Further, the post alerts the farmers about this insect. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of a lethal greenish insect which can cause death with a  sting.
Fact: The insect depicted in the viral post is identified as the “stinging nettle slug caterpillar.” According to scientists, even if this insect comes into contact with the body, it will only cause itching and burning, with no risk of death. Further, they dismissed claims that the insect is poisonous and that a bite from it can lead to death. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The insect depicted in the viral post is identified as the “stinging nettle slug caterpillar.” According to the details provided on this website, the spines surrounding this caterpillar serve as a means of self-defense. Touching these spines poses a risk of skin ailments due to the chemicals they contain. However, there have been no reported instances of human fatalities caused by this insect.
In addition, as per news reports, Krishi Vigyan Kendra has dismissed the viral claims stating that the insect is poisonous and that a bite from it can lead to death within five minutes. According to their statement, if the insect comes into contact with the body, it will only cause itching and burning, with no risk of death. The insect is primarily observed in sugar cane fields and orchards.
ఫొటోలో కనిపిస్తున్న పురుగు విషపూరితం అని, అది మనిషిని కుట్టిన వెంటనే 5 నిమిషాల్లో చనిపోతాడని వాట్సాప్ గ్రూపుల్లో ఓ పోస్ట్  వైరల్ అవుతోంది. అయితే, అది ఫేక్ పోస్ట్ అని కృషి విజ్ఞాన కేంద్రం క్లారిటీ
ఇచ్చింది. pic.twitter.com/hu8u33aesD
Previously, Factly has debunked similar claims when certain images went viral in connection with the message. The fact-check article can be read here.
To sum it up, scientists have clarified that the insect depicted in this viral post is not poisonous