About Us Contact us Kannada

Bengaluru, Jan 1: Witnessing a spike for the fourth consecutive day, Karnataka on Saturday reported over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases and 5 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 30,08,370 and the death toll to 38,340.

The total number of active cases is now at 9,386.

The state today registered 1,033 fresh infections, compared to 832 on Friday, 707 on Thursday and 566 on Wednesday.

There were 354 discharges today, taking the total number of recoveries to 29,60,615, a health department bulletin said.

Of the new cases, 810 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 218 discharges and 2 deaths.

While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.86 per cent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 0.48 per cent.

Of the deaths, two are from Bengaluru Urban, and one each from Mandya, Tumakuru and Uttara Kannada.

Apart from Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada accounted for the second highest of 48 new cases, Mysuru 29, Udupi 28 and Mandya 23.

Bengaluru Urban district now has a total of 12,64,428 positive cases, followed by Mysuru 1,80,304 and Tumakuru 1,21,349.

According to the bulletin, Bengaluru Urban tops the list among discharges with 12,40,149, followed by Mysuru 1,77,759 and Tumakuru 1,20,144.

Cumulatively a total of 5,65,87,422 samples have been tested in the state of which 1,19,225 were tested on Saturday alone.

To view today's health bulletin: CLICK HERE

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.

Comments

Claim: Viral video shows celebrities from all around the world taking a dip in the holy water at Mahakumbh Mela.

Fact: The viral video is AI generated, these celebrities have not visited Mahakumbh Mela.

The Maha Kumbh Mela is a major Hindu festival held every 12 years at Prayagraj, India. It began on January 13, 2025, and will continue till February 26, 2025. This event is expected to attract around 40 crore visitors, making it the world's largest religious gathering. The festival's origins are rooted in Hindu mythology, symbolising the victory of gods over demons. Devotees believe that bathing at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers cleanses sins and leads to salvation.

To accommodate the massive inflow of pilgrims, the authorities have established a temporary city spanning 4,000 hectares. This includes 150,000 tents, enhanced sanitation facilities, and improved transportation services. Security measures involve deploying 40,000 police officers and surveillance systems to ensure safety. Many foreign enthusiasts from countries like Brazil, Germany, South Africa are visiting the Mahakumbh Mela. Philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire widow of Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple also visited the Kumbh Mela and received spiritual initiation from her guru and head seer of Panchayati Akhada Shri Niranjani Swami Kailasanand Giri.

Meanwhile, a video showing many celebrities like Elon Musk, Putin, USA President Donald Trump, football players Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, actors Will Smith, John Cena, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others and taking a dip in the holy water at the Maha Kumbh Mela. We can see the celebrities taking the holy dip with other devotees in the background. The video is in circulation with the captions like ‘Is elon musk in Kumbh mela 2025?’

Others shared it with caption ‘Haters will say its edited’

Here is the archived link of the claim.

Fact Check:

The claim is False. The video is an AI generated.

When we extracted the keyframes from the viral video, and searched using Google reverse image search, we found that the video was shared by several social media users with the captions like “Elon Musk, Putin, Donald Trump and Other Celebs at Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 - AI Version *Wait For End* #MahaKumbh2025 #MahaKumbhMela2025”

Some users shared the video with captions “और बनाओ AI…. भारत वाले हैं, तुम्हारा ही कबाड़ कर देंगे”. When translated it states “Make more AI…. They are Indians, they will destroy you”

 

When we used Deepfake detector by Invid tool to check whether the video is an AI generated one, it detected the video to be having moderate evidence of being AI generated. Most of the faces in the video were found to be AI-generated. When checked the faces in the video, we found that the faces of Indian PM Modi, US president Trump and Russian President Putin to be more than 90% deepfake.

 
 

According to an article publsihed in Hindustan Times, an AI video of international celebrities at the Mahakumbh Mela is creating waves online. The AI video shows top athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi taking a dip in the Sangam, which is the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

World leaders like Donald Trump, Rishi Sunak, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin were seen in the AI video. The use of generative AI also brought Hollywood stars like Will Smith, Zendaya and Tom Holland to Mahakumbh. Meanwhile, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, was seen taking a dip in the Sangam in the AI video. The video was shared on the Instagram page ‘Artificial Budhi’ and has gone viral with 5.7 million views in a matter of a few days. People in the comments section praised how realistic it looked, but also raised concerns about ethicality.

Hence, the viral video is not an original video, it is AI generated. The claim that several celebrities from various countries are seen taking holy dip in the Sangam at the Mahakumbh Mela is False.

(This story was originally published by telugupost.com, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)

All Stories

77-year-old woman thrashed, forced to drink urine on suspicion of black magic in Amravati
77-year-old woman thrashed, forced to drink urine on suspicion of black magic in Amravati

A 77-year-old woman was allegedly thrashed, forced to drink urine and branded with an iron rod on suspicion of practising black magic in a village in Maharashtra's Amravati district, police said on Saturday.
India announces 15-member squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
India announces 15-member squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

India has announced its 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, with captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealing the details at a press conference. The squad will also play the ODI series against England as part of its preparation for the tournament.
Arnab Goswami’s Republic Bharat faces criticism for spreading misinformation, hate
Arnab Goswami’s Republic Bharat faces criticism for spreading misinformation, hate

Republic Bharat, Arnab Goswami’s news channel, has come under fire for broadcasting alleged misinformation and engaging in communal propaganda. Several recent incidents have raised questions about the channel’s credibility and accountability.

Copyright © 2025. Vartha Bharati. All rights reserved