Monday 26 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
86%
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
01ScienceEurope

Storms bring deaths, power cuts and disruption to northern Europe

Reports support widespread damage from Boelo and Austen, but death tolls and outage totals reflect different reporting times and areas.

BBC’s October 26 report says two men were killed by falling trees and 90,000 UK properties lost power during Storm Boelo. AFP and Al Jazeera describe one death in Scotland and more than 150,000 homes without electricity across Britain, France and Germany after storms Boelo and Austen. Other October 26 coverage also reports two deaths, while earlier BBC reporting says most affected Northern Ireland properties had their power restored.

What holds up

  • ✓BBC and News of Bahrain both report two men killed by falling trees. News of Bahrain identifies separate incidents near Castle Douglas and in north London; AFP and Al Jazeera support the Scottish death but mention only one fatality.
  • ✓The widespread power cuts are well supported. Yahoo’s October 26 report attributes the 90,000 customers still without power to the Energy Networks Association, while AFP and Al Jazeera attribute the three-country total of more than 150,000 homes to national authorities.
  • ✓AFP describes fallen trees and power cables blocking Scottish roads and rail lines. BBC’s earlier Northern Ireland report attributes the roughly 12,500-property outage figure and subsequent restoration to the local electricity network.

What doesn't yet

  • ?The one-death and two-death accounts may reflect updates rather than a genuine contradiction, but the excerpts do not establish the reporting sequence. They also do not clearly establish whether both deaths should be attributed specifically to Boelo rather than the two-storm period.
  • ?The 90,000 and 150,000 outage figures cover different places and reporting times; they are not competing estimates of the same total. Likewise, a count of customers still disconnected is not the same as everyone who lost power during the storms.
  • ?Several accounts share AFP-style wording or repeat the same authorities’ figures, so more websites do not mean more separate checks. These snippets and excerpts are not full-article verification, and the Castle Douglas location appears in only one of the cited excerpts.

Ask before you share

  • →Have police confirmed both deaths, their locations and which storm was involved?
  • →For each outage figure, what area and reporting time does it cover, and does it count current outages or everyone affected?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]BBC News · Published 26 Oct 2026 · bbc.co.uk
  2. [2]Afp · Published 26 Oct 2026 · afp.com
  3. [3]BBC News · Published 25 Oct 2026 · bbc.co.uk
  4. [4]Yahoo · Published 26 Oct 2026 · uk.news.yahoo.com
  5. [5]Al Jazeera · Published 26 Oct 2026 · aljazeera.com
  6. [6]Newsofbahrain · Published 26 Oct 2026 · newsofbahrain.com
02ScienceAsia-Pacific

Singapore agency estimates large geothermal resource potential

EMA puts preliminary geothermal potential at more than 60 times annual electricity use, without establishing how much can actually be tapped.

Singapore’s Energy Market Authority says a non-invasive survey indicated high-temperature geothermal resources several kilometers underground that may be suitable for generating electricity. CNA and other outlets report an initial resource estimate exceeding 60 times Singapore’s annual electricity consumption. EMA plans further studies to check that estimate and determine whether development is practical.

What holds up

  • ✓EMA’s own announcement confirms the survey findings and plans for further studies. CNA, The Straits Times, AsiaOne and Singapore Business Review consistently report the estimate of more than 60 times annual electricity use.
  • ✓The reporting clearly distinguishes potential from usable supply. Lianhe Zaobao says further work must validate the estimate and establish how much energy can actually be extracted.

What doesn't yet

  • ?The reports largely draw on the same EMA announcement and commissioned survey; several outlets repeating those findings do not amount to separate scientific checks. The supplied excerpts do not provide the underlying data or a full technical review.
  • ?The Straits Times describes what the resources could potentially generate, while EMA emphasizes an initial resource estimate. Neither establishes 60 years of deliverable electricity: extraction costs, technology and practical limits remain unresolved.

Ask before you share

  • →What assumptions and uncertainty ranges underpin the estimate, and what field testing will validate it?
  • →How much electricity could plants reliably deliver after accounting for extraction costs, safety and Singapore’s limited space?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]CNA · Published 26 Oct 2026 · channelnewsasia.com
  2. [2]Ema · Published 26 Oct 2026 · ema.gov.sg
  3. [3]Zaobao · Published 26 Oct 2026 · zaobao.com.sg
  4. [4]Straitstimes · Published 26 Oct 2026 · straitstimes.com
  5. [5]Asiaone · Published 26 Oct 2026 · asiaone.com
  6. [6]Sbr · Published 26 Oct 2026 · sbr.com.sg