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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Economy & business fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about economy & business. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

7,096 published reviews in this topic

המשרוקיתEconomy & business

מדינת ישראל היא כמעט היקרה בעולם לליטר דלק

Publisher’s rating: נכון

The review checked MK Yinon Azoulay’s statement in a Radio North interview that Israel was “almost the most expensive in the world” for a litre of fuel. The comparison concerned fuel prices in countries around the world, rather than the separate question of how much of Israel’s pump price came from tax. The review reports that Israeli fuel had reached 7.05 shekels per litre at the start of March, its highest level in seven years, and that Azoulay made the statement amid an expected price increase. For its international comparison, the investigation used the latest figures then available from Global Petrol Prices, dated 21 February—before the latest Israeli price increase. It says the site covered about 160 countries and found only five with higher fuel prices than Israel: the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Denmark. Israel was therefore sixth among the countries compared, with a price about 8% below the Netherlands, the leader, and 76% above the median. The review also cautions that the data were expressed in dollars, making the comparison subject to exchange-rate effects. The wording “almost the most expensive” is supported by that ranking: Israel was close to the top, but not first. The review notes that Hong Kong, which it says is not classified as a country, had a higher price than the Netherlands; it also says other non-country entities listed had lower prices than Israel. The review separately reports that taxes made up 59% of Israel’s fuel price at the time, and cites a 2020 International Energy Agency comparison in which Israel had the highest tax share among OECD countries. Those tax findings provide additional context, but the international price ranking is the evidence directly bearing on Azoulay’s claim.

Vishvas NewsEconomy & business

व्हाट्सअँप वर एक मेसेज सध्या व्हायरल होत आहे. हा मेसेज ऍमेझॉन ह्या वेबसाईट च्या नावाने व्हायरल होत आहे. ह्या मेसेज मध्ये दावा करण्यात येत माह्ये कि महिला दिनाच्या निमित्ताने ऍमेझॉन हि कंपनी महिलांना मोफत भेटवस्तू देत आहे.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

Fact CrescendoEconomy & business

Claim: annamalai not commented this about petrol price hike

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a news card circulating on social media that attributed a promise about petrol prices to Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai. The card said petrol prices would not rise and included the statement that people could hit the party with sandals if prices did rise. The review describes this in the setting of speculation that fuel prices might increase after assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and other states. [The source reports that the card said: “பெட்ரோல் விலை உயராது. தேர்தல் முடிந்தால் பெட்ரோல் விலை உயரும் என்ற பயம் அனாவசியமானது. இனி பெட்ரோல் விலை உயர்ந்தால் எங்களை செருப்பால் கூட அடியுங்கள் – தமிழ்நாடு பாஜக தலைவர் அண்ணாமலை” and that it was shared on social media.] To check the card, the publisher compared its design, watermark and Tamil font with News 7 Tamil’s usual cards and reviewed cards the outlet had published on March 7. It found no matching card among them. The review also says it contacted Sukitha, the digital division head responsible for News 7 Tamil’s cards; she confirmed the circulating card was fake. The outlet had also posted the card on its social media accounts with a “FAKE” stamp. [The review states: “அந்த நியூஸ் கார்டின் டிசைன், பின்னணி வாட்டர் மார்க், தமிழ் ஃபாண்ட் என எதுவும் நியூஸ் 7 தமிழ் வெளியிடும் வழக்கமான நியூஸ் கார்டு போல இல்லை. எனவே, இந்த நியூஸ் கார்டு பற்றி ஆய்வு செய்தோம். நியூஸ் 7 தமிழ் மார்ச் 7ம் தேதி வெளியிட்ட நியூஸ் கார்டுகளை பார்வையிட்டோம். அதில் நாம் ஆய்வுக்கு எடுத்துக்கொண்டது போன்று நியூஸ் கார்டு இல்லை.”] The review separately searched for evidence that Annamalai had made the attributed statement and says it found no such report. It did find reporting that he had criticized price increases for some Aavin dairy products and liquor in Tamil Nadu, but that was a different subject and did not substantiate the petrol-price quote. Together, the card comparison, News 7 Tamil representative’s confirmation and lack of reporting of the alleged remark support the review’s conclusion that the card was fabricated and the attribution was false. [The source says: “அவரும் இது போலியானது என்று உறுதி செய்தார். மேலும், இந்த நியூஸ் கார்டு போலியானது என்று தங்கள் சமூக ஊடக பக்கங்களில் ‘FAKE’ முத்திரையுடன் பதிவிட்டிருந்தனர்.” It also says: “அண்ணாமலை இப்படி ஏதும் பேட்டி அளித்தாரா என்று தேடிப் பார்த்தோம். நமக்கு அப்படி எந்த ஒரு செய்தியும் கிடைக்கவில்லை.”]

FACTLYEconomy & business

Telangana government has raised huge loans from the World Bank

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The post linked Telangana’s debt position to large loans from the World Bank and specifically suggested that World Bank borrowing funded the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project. The review examined both parts of that allegation, using Telangana’s 2021–22 budget, an RBI study of state budgets, and the Union government’s reply in the Lok Sabha about Kaleshwaram project funding. It reports that these sources do not show Telangana borrowing directly from the World Bank. For the state’s overall debt, the review gives budget figures of ₹1,94,957.74 crore in outstanding debt at the end of March 2020 and an estimate of ₹2,86,804.64 crore by the end of the 2021–22 financial year. It says the budget identified open-market borrowing, corporations, banks, central-government loans and provident-fund loans among the sources, with no external-agency borrowing listed. It also says the RBI study’s breakdown did not list World Bank loans for Telangana. The article distinguishes these direct state borrowings from development-policy loans that the review says were transferred through the relevant central ministry rather than directly to the state. For Kaleshwaram, the review says the budget described loans raised through project-related corporations, including KIPCL and TSWRIDCL. It also reports that the Union government told the Lok Sabha that a little over ₹86,000 crore had been sanctioned for construction as loans from corporations and consortia of nationalized banks. On that evidence, the review concludes that the alleged World Bank funding—both for Telangana’s debt generally and for Kaleshwaram specifically—is not supported.