Tuesday 13 October 2026 · Edition of the day

The Skeptic's Daily

The day's biggest stories, taken apart. For each one: what is actually established, what is only asserted, the questions worth asking — and a plausibility score for the central claim, given everything currently known.

Stories: 3
Average plausibility: 62%
How to read the score: It rates how well the core claim is evidenced — not how important the story is, nor whether it is good or bad news.

RegionAll Global Africa North America South America Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East

TopicAll Politics Conflict & Security Business Science Health

01Conflict & SecurityAfrica

Ethiopian government forces enter Adwa, France 24 reports

The reported advance follows a rebel withdrawal from the Tigray town.

France 24 reports that Ethiopian government forces entered Adwa, a key Tigray town near the Eritrean border. Its summary says the advance followed a rebel withdrawal and describes government forces as tightening their grip on Tigray.

What holds up

✓The supplied France 24 item specifically names Adwa as the town entered.
✓The report describes the sequence as a rebel withdrawal followed by a government advance.

What doesn't yet

?No other supplied item corroborates the entry into Adwa.
?The summary gives no sourcing, timing within the day, casualties or evidence of continuing control.

Ask before you share

→Who independently witnessed or verified the entry into Adwa?
→Does entry into the town mean sustained control, and what happened to civilians?

Sources & original reporting

[1]France 24 · Published 12 Oct 2026 · france24.com

02Conflict & SecurityAfrica

Rights group alleges deadly strikes on Egypt–Sudan border mining camp

BBC News reports claims that dozens of gold prospectors were killed, with neither government commenting.

BBC News reports a rights group's allegation that strikes killed dozens of gold prospectors at an artisanal mining camp on the Egypt–Sudan border on Saturday. The summary says neither Egypt nor Sudan had commented on the alleged strikes.

What holds up

✓BBC News attributes the deaths to a rights group's account rather than presenting official confirmation.
✓The supplied summary explicitly records the absence of comment from Egypt and Sudan.

What doesn't yet

?The rights group is unnamed in the extract, which supplies no casualty documentation or independent corroboration.
?The extract does not establish who carried out the alleged strikes or provide a precise location.

Ask before you share

→What witness accounts, medical records or imagery substantiate the deaths?
→Who conducted the alleged strikes, and what evidence supports that attribution?

Sources & original reporting

[1]BBC News · Published 11 Oct 2026 · bbc.co.uk

03Conflict & SecurityAfrica

BBC investigation says mourners killed by Kenyan police were away from scuffles

Africa Eye cites analysis of 1,500 videos and images from Raila Odinga's memorial.

BBC Africa Eye reports that mourners killed by Kenyan police at former prime minister Raila Odinga's national farewell were not part of the violence. It says its analysis of 1,500 videos and images placed those killed far from the scuffles.

What holds up

✓The BBC identifies a substantial visual evidence base: 1,500 videos and images.
✓Its stated finding concerns the victims' location and non-participation in violence, rather than denying that scuffles occurred.

What doesn't yet

?The supplied material contains only the investigation's summary, not the footage or reconstruction.
?No police response, victim count or independent assessment of the findings is included.

Ask before you share

→How were the footage, locations and sequence of events verified?
→What evidence links each death to police action, and how have police responded?

Sources & original reporting

[1]BBC News · Published 11 Oct 2026 · bbc.co.uk