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: 4
Average plausibility: 79%
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

01ScienceSouth America

Deadly storms hit Mexico’s Pacific coast as reported toll rises

Two outlets report deaths from Simon and Rachel, but their reports published on successive days give different totals.

Al Jazeera reported two deaths on 12 October as Hurricane Simon and storm Rachel battered Mexico’s coast. The Guardian reported at least five deaths on 13 October, alongside flash flooding and damage to homes, roads and electricity infrastructure. It also reported helicopter rescues of dozens of people by security forces.

What holds up

✓Both outlets report that Simon and Rachel struck Mexico’s coast and caused deaths.
✓The Guardian’s summary specifically reports flooding, infrastructure damage and helicopter rescues; these details are not independently corroborated in the supplied Mexico coverage.

What doesn't yet

?The reported death toll differs: two in Al Jazeera’s 12 October item and at least five in the Guardian’s 13 October item. The timing may explain the difference, but the summaries do not establish this.
?The supplied items do not identify the authority compiling the casualty totals or provide a complete breakdown by storm.

Ask before you share

→What is the latest casualty total from the relevant authorities?
→Do the different totals cover the same places, storms and reporting period?

Sources & original reporting

[1]Al Jazeera · Published 12 Oct 2026 · aljazeera.com
[2]The Guardian · Published 13 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com

02BusinessSouth America

Businessman taken into US custody in Venezuela-linked case

BBC and Guardian reports describe a detention linked to alleged financial wrongdoing involving Venezuela.

The BBC reported that the US detained Álvaro Pulido, who is accused in a multi-billion Venezuelan money-laundering scheme. The Guardian reported that a fugitive businessman accused of bribing senior Venezuelan officials for state contracts had been taken into US custody. The BBC said US officials had offered $10m for information leading to Pulido’s arrest.

What holds up

✓Both outlets report a US detention involving a businessman accused of Venezuela-linked financial wrongdoing.
✓The BBC names Álvaro Pulido and reports a previously offered $10m reward.

What doesn't yet

?The supplied summaries describe allegations, not findings of guilt, and include no response from the accused.
?The Guardian excerpt does not name the businessman; the precise relationship between its bribery allegations and the BBC’s money-laundering description is not explained.

Ask before you share

→Do custody records confirm that both reports concern the same person and proceedings?
→What charges and supporting evidence have been made public, and how has the accused responded?

Sources & original reporting

[1]BBC News · Published 12 Oct 2026 · bbc.co.uk
[2]The Guardian · Published 12 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com

03PoliticsSouth America

Bolivia investigates Evo Morales over alleged links to 2009 killings

The attorney general has announced an investigation into alleged involvement in killings and torture of Europeans.

The Guardian reported that Bolivia’s attorney general announced an investigation into former president Evo Morales over alleged involvement in the murder and torture of European citizens in 2009. The allegations concern the shooting of three Europeans in Santa Cruz and torture of two others. The excerpt describes a police raid on a hotel in the city.

What holds up

✓The Guardian attributes the announcement of an investigation to Bolivia’s attorney general.
✓The report identifies the underlying events as killings and alleged torture in 2009, rather than a new incident.

What doesn't yet

?Morales’s alleged involvement is not established by the supplied material, which provides no supporting evidence or response from him.
?Only one item covers the investigation, and its truncated excerpt does not explain the procedural status beyond the announcement.

Ask before you share

→What evidence links Morales personally to the events under investigation?
→Has Morales responded, and have formal charges been brought?

Sources & original reporting

[1]The Guardian · Published 12 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com

04ScienceSouth America

Argentina temporarily closes tourist access to Iguazu Falls after heavy rain

The Guardian reports a precautionary closure as the Iguazu River flowed at six times its normal rate.

Argentinian authorities temporarily closed tourist access to Iguazu Falls after heavy rainfall, according to the Guardian. Its summary says national park officials acted as a precaution after the Iguazu River reached six times its normal flow. The report links the heavy rain to El Niño.

What holds up

✓The Guardian reports a temporary restriction on tourist access and attributes the precautionary action to national park officials.
✓The item reports heavy rainfall and elevated river flow as the immediate circumstances behind the closure.

What doesn't yet

?The six-times-normal flow figure is single-sourced; the excerpt supplies neither the measurement period nor the baseline.
?The El Niño attribution is not supported by meteorological evidence within the supplied excerpt, which also gives no exact closure or reopening times.

Ask before you share

→What do park officials currently say about access and reopening?
→Which river measurements and meteorological analysis support the flow figure and El Niño attribution?

Sources & original reporting

[1]The Guardian · Published 13 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com