From pieces of misinformation shared by United States Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump's during their first presidential debate to false claims around violence in Manipur and Bangladesh, here are the top five pieces of viral misinformation that we debunked this week.
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1. Trump vs Harris Presidential Debate: Fact-Checking Claims on Jobs, Crimes & More
On 11 September, United States Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off against each other in their first presidential debate hosted by American broadcaster ABC News.
Both leaders presented their agendas for the upcoming elections and made allegations and claims. In this report, we look at the misleading and false claims made by Harris and Trump during the debate. Here's one of the claims.
For example, Harris claimed Trump left a worst unemployment rate since the great depression while leaving office in 2020.
Vice-President Harris, while targeting the Trump-led government, said in the debate, "Let's talk about what Donald Trump left us. Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression. Donald Trump left us the worst public health epidemic in a century. Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War."
According to the data available on the official website of Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, we found the unemployment rate was at 3.5 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States.
This rate then rose to a high of 14.8 percent in the month of April 2020, however, it kept gradually decreasing over the year.
It should be noted that the current US President Joe Biden was sworn to office in January 2021. At this time, the unemployment rate was 6.4 percent. This was lower than early 1980s.
You can read more about the debate here.
2. Did Interim Govt in Bangladesh Ban Ganesh Puja Celebrations in Chittagong? No!
A post is doing the rounds on social media platforms claiming that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh has banned Ganesh Puja celebrations in Chittagong.
As per recent media reports, a procession of Ganesh Chaturthi was attacked near a mosque in Bangladesh's Chittagong. Hot water was thrown on the idol of Lord Ganesh and bricks were thrown at devotees, which resulted to two people sustaining injuries.
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)
What are the facts?: There is no evidence to prove that a blanket ban on Ganesh Puja celebrations in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Additionally, Religious Affairs Advisor Dr AFM Khalid Hossain had issued a warning mentioning that disturbances at places of worship will be handled strictly.
You can read our story here.
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3. Old Video From Myanmar Falsely Shared as 'Drone Attack' by Kukis in Manipur
A video showing two men operating drones to launch bomb attacks on buildings is going viral with a claim that it shows people from the Kuki community planning an attack on the Meiteis' settlement in Manipur.
Some context: A fresh wave of violence has erupted in Manipur. Drone and rocket attacks have taken place in different parts of the states, leading to several deaths, which added fuel to the ethnic conflict that has been going on in Manipur for the last 17 months.
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
However, this video dates back to 2023 and is from Myanmar.
You can read our story here.
4. No, This Video Does Not Show Congress’ Manifesto for 2024 J&K Assembly Elections
A video of a man talking about several reforms, such as scrapping the death penalty, removing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), restoring Article 370, and more, is being shared on social media.
Those sharing the clip are claiming that it shows points from the Congress' manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
An archived version of this post can be seen here.
(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)
But this isn't true.
At the time of writing this report, the Congress had not released their manifesto for the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir elections.
However, we found all the points listed in the video mentioned in the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
You can read our story here.
5. Old Video of Woman Being Assaulted in Andhra Falsely Shared as One From Manipur
[TRIGGER WARNING: Video contains visuals of sexual assault. Discretion is advised.]
A video showing woman being harassed is being circulated online with a claim that it shows a Hindu man assaulting a woman from the Kuki community in Manipur.
(Note: We have refrained from adding any links to the video due to its disturbing nature.)
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The post was shared on 7 September.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
However, this video dates back to 2017 and is from Andhra Pradesh.
It is unrelated to the violence or unrest happening in Manipur.
In September 2017, the police took suo-motu cognisance of the matter, registered a case and arrested the accused.
You can read our story here.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
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