E: 31/10 (DAILY) Headline or Hoax – Win £10 (freebirthdatelottery.com)

Midnighter

https://www.freebirthdatelottery.com/october-2025-headline-or-hoax/

Friday 25th October

A runaway ostrich halted traffic on a busy road on sioux falls, south dakota

Answer: Real - https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/ostrich-loose-south-dakota-video-b2603177.html

One-Eye

https://www.freebirthdatelottery.com/october-2025-headline-or-hoax/

Sunday 26th October

A record-length hairball was surgically removed from a 9-year-old's stomach

Another tricky one. The world record seems to be THIS - a 210cm hairball removed from a 14-year-old in India 5 months ago. The quiz could be referring to THIS - a 9-year-old in Norwich a year ago. So it could be a British record or the question dates from before the Indian case. I am tempted to go REAL for this one.

One-Eye

https://www.freebirthdatelottery.com/october-2025-headline-or-hoax/

Monday 27th October

World's largest ice cream sundae built in Dubai Mall (10 tonnes)

This is a HOAX

Other ice cream "events" have taken place at Dubai Mall, but the largest sundae was 25 tonnes built in Edmonton, Canada in 1988.

One-Eye

https://www.freebirthdatelottery.com/october-2025-headline-or-hoax/

Tuesday 28th October

UK scientists train bees to detect fake news

This is a HOAX

...although "Researchers plan to use 'honeybee verification' as a tool for journalists" may be true at the Daily Mail.

One-Eye

https://www.freebirthdatelottery.com/october-2025-headline-or-hoax/

Wednesday 29th October

Italy bans pineapple on pizza with jail time for repeat offenders

This is a HOAX

One-Eye

https://www.freebirthdatelottery.com/october-2025-headline-or-hoax/

Thursday 30th October

UK hospitals prescribe Laughter Therapy instead of antibiotics

This is a HOAX

There are trials of "comedy-on-prescription" but the aim is to reduce prescriptions of antidepressants. There is no way it could replace antibiotics.

One-Eye

https://www.freebirthdatelottery.com/october-2025-headline-or-hoax/

Friday 31st October

World Death Rate Holding Steady At 100 Percent

A very tricky one. The statement is true simply because every living thing inevitably dies. The report originates with The Onion in 1997. The Onion is an American satirical magazine roughly similar to our Private Eye, so the report is true but not serious. I tossed a coin and have gone for HOAX


ETA 1st Nov - They have said this is REAL giving a link to The Onion article. I think they don't realise that The Onion report was a joke. The Onion report quotes "WHO Director General Dr. Gernst Bladt". The WHO DG at the time was Hiroshi Nakajima, and I think that Gernst Bladt is a joke name similar to Private Eye's Herbert Gusset.