--- title: "India MEA calls BRICS leaders' illness reports fake" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/india-mea-calls-brics-leaders-illness-reports-fake" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/india-mea-calls-brics-leaders-illness-reports-fake" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/india-mea-calls-brics-leaders-illness-reports-fake.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/india-mea-calls-brics-leaders-illness-reports-fake" category: "Politics" area: "India" published: "2026-09-17T06:25:27.533Z" source_reported: "2026-09-17T05:49:00.000Z" updated: "2026-09-17T06:25:27.533Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 40 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-17T06:15:24.222510+00:00" --- # India MEA calls BRICS leaders' illness reports fake *Ministry of External Affairs debunks social media claims of world leaders falling sick after summit* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. The central claim is attributed to the MEA, and two independent outlets published full reports. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. The reports clearly separate fact from comment and provide specific details about the MEA's statement. - Hype 40 of 100, lower is better. Headlines use phrases like 'Fake alert' and 'debunks reports' which are lively but not sensational. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied reports claiming world leaders fell ill after the BRICS Summit. - The MEA described these social media claims as 'fake' and 'malicious' in a post on X. - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office confirmed he withdrew from public engagements due to ill health after returning from the summit. - Unverified reports also suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping left the summit early for medical reasons. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has rejected reports circulating on social media that world leaders fell ill after attending the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The ministry's fact-checking unit posted on X, calling the claims 'fake' and 'malicious'. These statements followed confirmation from the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that he had withdrawn from public engagements due to ill health after returning from the summit. Unverified reports also claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping had departed the summit early for medical reasons. ## Coverage disagreement While the Ministry of External Affairs stated it cautioned against 'malicious' posts on social media platforms, Latestly reported that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office confirmed his illness post-summit, while claims regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping were unverified. The MEA issued a 'fake alert' regarding these posts. ## What the coverage left out None of the centre or right-rated reports mentioned that South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile was also recovering from a minor medical procedure, leaving both of South Africa's top leaders away from public engagements. This detail was present in the full reports from Live Mint and Hindustan Times. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 29% (2) - Right: 71% (5) 2 of 9 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-17T06:15:24.222510+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 4 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-17T07:15:19.321Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The two centre-rated reports, Live Mint and Hindustan Times, both led with the Ministry of External Affairs debunking reports of world leaders falling ill after the BRICS Summit and calling the claims 'fake'. Both reports detailed the MEA's post on X cautioning against 'malicious' social media posts. They also both reported that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office confirmed he had withdrawn from public engagements due to ill health after returning from the summit. Both also mentioned unverified reports about Chinese President Xi Jinping leaving the summit early for medical reasons. Hindustan Times also included details about the BRICS Summit's declaration and condemnation of unilateral trade measures. ### Right - The five right-rated reports, Times of India, Latestly, vz.ru, Tribune India, and Moneycontrol, all highlighted that the MEA rejected claims of leaders falling sick after the BRICS Summit. Times of India and Tribune India used the phrase 'Fake alert' in their headlines, as did Latestly and Mathrubhumi (unrated). Latestly noted that while South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office confirmed his illness, claims about Xi Jinping were unverified. Vz.ru reported that the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied social media rumours and recorded its rebuttal on X to combat 'fairies', transmitting TASS. Moneycontrol mentioned the MEA's comments came amid reports of Ramaphosa's withdrawal from public engagements. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 7 - unknown: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/fake-alert-mea-rejects-claims-of-leaders-falling-sick-after-brics-summit-in-delhi/articleshow/134302761.cms) — ‘Fake alert’: MEA rejects claims of leaders falling sick after Brics summit in Delhi - [Latestly](https://latestly.com/india/news/did-world-leaders-fall-ill-after-brics-summit-2026-in-india-mea-fact-check-calls-the-viral-claim-fake-7607837.html) — Did World Leaders Fall Ill After BRICS Summit 2026 in India? MEA Fact Check Calls the Viral Claim Fake | 📰 LatestLY - [vz.ru](https://vz.ru/news/2026/9/17/1452202.html) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India Has Called the BRICS Report a Fairy. - [Tribune India](https://tribuneindia.com/news/india/fake-alert-mea-debunks-reports-of-world-leaders-falling-ill-after-brics-summit-in-india) — Fake alert: MEA debunks reports of world leaders falling ill after BRICS Summit in India - The Tribune - [madhyamam.com](https://madhyamam.com/india/mea-denies-reports-world-leaders-falling-sick-brics-1555239) — Fake Alert’: MEA Denies Reports of World Leaders Falling Sick After BRICS Summit - [Live Mint](https://livemint.com/news/india/mea-debunks-reports-of-brics-leaders-falling-ill-after-india-summit-calls-claims-fake-11789618621274.html) — MEA debunks reports of BRICS leaders falling ill after India summit; calls claims fake - [Mathrubhumi](https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/mea-fake-alert-brics-summit-world-leaders-sick-reports-s5zbqy8p) — ‘Fake alert’: MEA debunks claims of leaders falling sick after BRICS Summit - [Moneycontrol](https://moneycontrol.com/news/india/world-leaders-fell-sick-after-brics-summit-mea-calls-reports-fake-issues-warning-14031702.html) — World leaders fell sick after BRICS Summit? MEA calls reports ‘fake’, issues warning - [Hindustan Times](https://hindustantimes.com/india-news/fake-alert-mea-denies-reports-of-world-leaders-falling-sick-after-brics-summit-xi-jinping-ill-101789616239196.html) — ‘Fake alert’: MEA denies reports of world leaders falling sick after BRICS Summit ## Questions **What did India's Ministry of External Affairs say about reports of world leaders falling ill?** India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed reports claiming world leaders fell ill after attending the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The MEA's fact-checking unit labelled these social media claims as 'fake' and 'malicious' in a post on X. **Were any world leaders confirmed to be ill after the BRICS Summit?** Yes, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed he had withdrawn from public engagements due to ill health after returning from the BRICS Summit. Reports also circulated claiming Chinese President Xi Jinping left the summit early for medical reasons, but these were unverified. **Which outlets reported on the MEA's debunking of the illness claims?** Reports on the MEA debunking the claims were published by Live Mint, Hindustan Times, Times of India, Latestly, vz.ru, Tribune India, madhyamam.com, Mathrubhumi, and Moneycontrol. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/india-mea-calls-brics-leaders-illness-reports-fake. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "India MEA calls BRICS leaders' illness reports fake", https://mediabias.news/politics/india-mea-calls-brics-leaders-illness-reports-fake