From old and fabricated visuals being falsely linked to ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 to several different videos altered together to claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi watched Gadar 2 with several other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in an auditorium, here are five pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.
1. Old Video Passed Off as Visuals of Earth as Recorded From Chandrayaan-3
A video which shows an aerial view of the Earth from space is going viral on social media platforms with a claim that the visuals were captured by Chandrayaan-3.
The claim comes amid the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 successfully landing on the Moon's surface.
However, the video dates back to October 2022 and was captured by an astronaut named Samantha Cristoforetti during their second mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It is unrelated to Chandrayaan-3.
Read our story here.
2. This Image Doesn't Show Imprints of ISRO Logo and National Emblem on the Moon
An image showing the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) logo and India's national emblem imprinted on a rough surface is going viral on social media.
The claim states that this was imprinted by the tyres of Chandrayaan-3 rover on the moon surface.
However, this image is not real and was created on Photoshop.
ISRO has not shared any official images of the rover's imprints on the moon's surface.
Read our story here.
3. Fact-Check: Unrelated Video Shared as PM Modi, BJP Leaders Watching Gadar 2
A video showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with several other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders sitting in an auditorium is going viral on the internet.
Users have claimed that PM Modi and other BJP leaders were sitting a film theatre to watch the recently-released, Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel starrer Gadar 2.
Another clip in the viral video claims that PM Modi also inaugurated the poster for the movie.
However, the viral video has been edited to make the false claim.
The visuals of PM Modi and other BJP leaders are from the party's parliament meeting held on 8 August.
Another clip in the viral video is from 9 November 2019, when PM Modi inaugurated the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in Gurdaspur.
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4. Fact-Check: Viral Claim About Zimbabwe Cricketer Heath Streak's Death is a Hoax!
X (formerly Twitter) was buzzing with news about former Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak's 'demise' at the age of 49 on Wednesday morning.
Some of the claims also mentioned the reason behind his 'death' to be cancer.
The Quint's senior sports correspondent Shuvaditya Bose spoke to Streak, who dismissed the rumours of his death.
"I am very much alive. The reports of my death are stupid and malicious. I don't know who started it and how it spread, but I am doing alright," Streak added.
Read our story here.
5. Media Outlets Falsely Claim That Singer Sonu Nigam Showed Support to Unacademy
A tweet by a verified user named Sonu Nigam on X is going viral on social media to claim that Indian singer Sonu Nigam has shared his support to the online education platform Unacademy.
Unacademy recently terminated the services of one of their tutors, Karan Sangwan, after a video of his went viral on social media where he was seen asking his students to "vote for educated candidates” lest they suffer again in life.
Along with social media users, media outlets like Bharat Times, News18 and News X shared the claim.
However, the viral tweet was not shared by singer Sonu Nigam's account but by another person who is named Sonu Nigam Singh.
The singer is not active on X and has not shared anything about Unacademy on his Instagram, Facebook or YouTube.
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 9643651818, 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.)