Tuesday 13 October 2026 · Edition of the day

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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
2
Average plausibility
81%
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.
RegionAllGlobalAfricaNorth AmericaSouth AmericaAsia-PacificEuropeMiddle East
TopicAllPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusinessScienceHealth
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. [1]Al Jazeera · Published 12 Oct 2026 · aljazeera.com
  2. [2]The Guardian · Published 13 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com
02ScienceSouth 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. [1]The Guardian · Published 13 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com