From misinformation around Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia to a deepfake video of the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden and an old video being peddled as recent to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to Manipur, here are all the viral pieces of fake news that we debunked this week.
1. Did Putin Receive XI Jinping on Airport but Not PM Modi? No, Claim Is False!
A claim is circulating on the internet that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport, upon his arrival in Russia, even though he had greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport during the latter's visit.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy shared this on his X page and wrote, "Putin did not come to the airport to meet Modi? Xi had been given to Putin."
The claim is false because President Putin did not meet with the two leaders at the airport. Denis Manturov, the first deputy prime minister of Russia, greeted PM Modi warmly during his most recent visit.
On the other hand, when the Chinese President visited Russia in 2023, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko welcomed him.
This shows that a higher-ranking official greeted PM Modi.
Read our story here.
2. People Did Not Chant Go Back Rahul Gandhi’ in Manipur, Video Is From Assam
A viral video is circulating on social media platforms, showing a group of people chanting "Go back Rahul Gandhi" and heckling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The video is being shared with the claim that it is from Gandhi's recent visit to Manipur.
However, the claim is false as this video is not from Manipur but from Assam and dates back to January 2024.
Read our fact-check here.
3. Deepfake Video of Joe Biden Talking About Pistachios Goes Viral as Real
A video of the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden talking about ‘magical pistachio' is going viral on social media.
In the video, he talks about a magical pistachio and talks about how, once, he got lost in a grocery story and a glowing magical pistachio helped him find his way out.
But, this video is a deepfake. The original video is from 2022 and shows Biden delivering a Christmas message.
Read our story here.
4. Is US VP Kamala Harris Ineligible to Run For President? No, Viral Claim is False
On social media, a picture of US Vice President Kamala Harris' birth certificate which lists Alameda County, California, as her birthplace went viral.
Social media users wrote that Harris is not qualified to serve as President of the United States since she was born in the United States to non-American parents.
The claim is false. As per American laws, a person born to immigrants in the United States has the right to run for public office and is considered a citizen by birthright under American law, so long as they have lived in the nation for the previous 14 years.
Read our story here.
5. Scripted Video From Bangladesh Shared With a False Communal Spin
A video showing a man with two women with one’s face covered is being shared on social media platforms. In the video, the man is hitting on the stomach of one of the women.
The claim is false as the video is scripted. The video originates from Bangladesh and was uploaded on a YouTube channel called Peace TV BD in January. The channel's bio reads, "We also present the basis on the viral topic in this channel !!"
Read the full story here.
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