Did US President Joe Biden arrogantly snub Chinese President Xi Jinping by pretending to understand Mandarin as he spoke during the China-US Summit?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Ignored Xi Jinping At US-China Summit!
Pro-CCP activists, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing and promoting a CGTN video, together with a message which claims that US President Joe Biden arrogantly ignore Chinese President Xi Jinping as he spoke during the China-US Summit in Woodside, California!
Did you observed that the US delegation wear earphone except Biden and Blinken to listen to the translation. Do they really understand mandarin? Or they are only being arrogant and do not bother to listen to Xi speaking?
This is typical of all angmor sai (Caucasian shit) behaviour and attitude !?
Joe Biden Did Not Ignore Xi Jinping At US-China Summit!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created or promoted by pro-CCP supporters and/or the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Chinese Delegation Did Not Wear Headphones
First, let me just point out that the Chinese delegation, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, did not wear any headphones or earphones during the opening remarks of the China-US summit meeting that was held in Woodside, California on Wednesday, 15 November 2023.
Perhaps the entire Chinese delegation understood English, and did not require translation. Xi Jinping is said to understand English, even though there is no footage of him actually speaking in English.
Former president Donald Trump actually mocked Xi’s command of the English language, recalling that he managed to say the word, “repeat”:
He looked at me, and he goes, “Repeat”. I didn’t know he spoke English actually. <people laughs>
He said, “Repeat”. I said, what did you just say? Repeat?
So he spoke a little more English than I though, cause he never said “Hello”, but he said “Repeat”.
But unlike the thin-skinned CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), Americans don’t seem to care that the Chinese delegation did not wear headphones. They probably have more important things to argue about (like whether Travis Kelce will cheat on Taylor Swift) than petty nonsense like this.
The CGTN video itself only showed President Xi Jinping giving his opening remarks at the 2023 China-US summit at Woodside, with English subtitles.
Most of the US delegation appears to be wearing black wired headphones, to listen to the English translation of his remarks. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were the only ones who did not appear to wear any headphones.
While pro-CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are claiming that the two men were arrogantly pretending to listen to Xi Jinping speaking in Mandarin, the truth is – they were both wearing wireless earphones.
What was not shown in the CGTN video was the portion just before Xi Jinping spoke. It showed both Joe Biden and Antony Blinken each putting on a single wired earphone.
The White House video (link) showed the opening remarks of both President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping opening remarks. After Biden finished speaking, he welcomed President Xi Jinping, and handed “the floor” to him:
I look forward to beginning this discussion, and I welcome you, and the floor is yours, Mr. President, and again, welcome back.
Joe Biden can then be seen plugging a small wired earphone into his right ear. As the view switches to show the Chinese delegation, it also shows Antony Blinken putting a similar wired earphone into his right ear.
At the end of the White House video, Antony Blinken was seen removing his earphone, while Joe Biden still had his earphone on.
To be clear – both President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were listening to the translation of President Xi Jinping’s opening remarks. They certainly did not insult President Xi Jinping or the Chinese delegation by pretending to understand Mandarin.
This is just ultimately just another example of CCP propaganda, created / spread by pro-CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).Here are other examples:
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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Truth : Video Does Not Prove Japanese Food Is Radioactive At All!
This is yet another example of FAKE VIDEOS circulating on WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : The Viral Video Is Several Months Old
Let me just start by pointing out that the viral video is several months old, coming to our attention in the middle of July 2023. The video was certainly recorded and distributed on WhatsApp, TikTok and other social media platforms in early July, if not earlier.
At that time, Japan had not yet released treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power station into the Pacific Ocean. So it is impossible for the video to show radioactive food caused by the release of Fukushima nuclear plant’s treated water.
The Fukushima Nuclear Power Station (NPS) only started releasing its ALPS-treated and diluted water into the sea on the afternoon of Thursday, 24 August 2023 – about 6 weeks after the video first went viral on WhatsApp and social media platforms.
The viral English and Chinese messages tied to this video are misleading. The man in the video never once mentioned that this food product was from Fukushima, or mentioned the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
With help from Yuh Hui and Adrian Tung, here is the English translation of what the man actually said in the viral video:
This is a radiation monitoring device.
Now, there is Japanese food that I placed on a bench over there. Now, I will walk towards it, and see how much radiation it has.
As I approach the Japanese food, the radiation reading goes up. Now, I place the device here (on the food). See how the radiation reading is very high. This is food from Japan.
See how the device gives a “beep beep” sound, and the screen turns red. The radiation reading is more than 400.
If you ever go to Japan, try not to eat the food there, or buy any food souvenirs for your relatives and friends. It will be terrible if they get radiation poisoning!
This food was given to me by a friend who bought it from Japan. I’m not going to eat it. I will accept it and will throw it away later.
Fact #3 : That Was An EMF Meter, Not A Geiger Counter
The man claimed in the viral video that he was using a radiation monitoring device. The truth is – he was just the ST1393 EMF Meter, which anyone can buy from Amazon for just $31.39. Here are other purchase options :
The ST1393 EMF meter is designed to detect and measure the electromagnetic radiation produced by magnetic and electric fields. It is not designed to detect nuclear radiation like alpha and beta particles, as well as gamma rays.
To detect ionising radiation from nuclear sources, he needs to use a Geiger counter, not an EMF meter.
As the manufacturer advertises, the ST1393 EMF testers is used to detect “electric field radiation” and “magnetic field emission” from mobile phones, hair dryer, computer, TV, printer, etc. It does NOT detect nuclear radiation!
Fact #3 : EMF Meter Likely Measured Static Electricity
In the video, the EMF meter was seen registering between 292 V/m and 441 V/m. That was the measurement of a static electric field, not nuclear radiation.
If you look closely, the meter says the unit is V/m (volts per meter), and the type is Electric Field. Nuclear radiation is measured in units like Becquerel (Bq) or Curie (Ci) or Sievert (Sv) or Rem (One Sv = 100 rem).
The EMF meter was very likely measuring the static electricity on the Japanese food product’s plastic polymer packaging. If the man tests other plastic packaging, he would likely register similar levels of static electricity.
In case you are worried about the “high” static electricity produced by Japanese food packaging, here are some common static electricity levels:
Natural electric field in atmosphere : 100 V/m
Electric field during thunderstorms : Up to several thousand V/m
Walking on non-conducting carpets : Up to 500,000 V/m
High voltage DC power lines : Up to 20,0000 V/m
Inside DC-powered electric trains : Up to 300 V/m
In other words – you do NOT need to worry about a few hundred volts per meter of static electricity!
Fact #4 : Induction Cooker Not Source Of Electric Field
Some sharp-eyed folks have pointed out that the man placed the Japanese food item on an induction cooker, and posited that the increase in electric field “radiation” was due to EM radiation from the induction cooker.
I have to point out that while it appears to be an induction cooker, it could potentially be a radiant cooker which come in similar designs, with a black glass top. You can only tell them apart when they are operating – the radiant cooker’s heating element will glow red, while induction cookers won’t.
In any case, an induction cooker works by inducing an electromagnetic field to transfer energy to a magnetic pan / pot. So the EMF meter should have registered a magnetic field as well.
Since the video showed no magnetic field, the induction cooker was not powered and would not have affected the results.
Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is a form of radiation, but it is not the same as nuclear radiation.
EM radiation is wide-ranging, and includes everything from visible light to radio waves, microwaves, infrared to X-rays. It is emitted by everything from the sun to computers and smartphones.
Nuclear radiation, on the other hand, consists mainly of Alpha particles, Beta particles, and Gamma rays, that are produced as a result of a nuclear reaction, or radioactive decay.
It is like comparing bicycles with cars. They are both vehicles (radiation), but a bicycle (electromagnetic radiation) is different from a car (nuclear radiation). Getting hit by a bicycle is also very different than getting hit by a car!
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Was the 3rd batch of treated Fukushima water just proven to be radioactive with radionuclides including carbon-14, cobalt 60, strontium-90 & others?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Treated Fukushima Water Is Still Radioactive!
Pro-CCP netizens, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing this message on WhatsApp and social media platforms:
东京都政府公布的排放前测试结果显示，日本第三批福岛核污染水含有碳14、钴60、锶90等放射性核素。日本电力公司（东京电力公司）。
The 3rd batch of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water schedule to be released during Japan’s 3rd round of ocean discharge is reported to contains radionuclides including carbon-14, cobalt 60, strontium-90 & others, according to pre-discharge test results released by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
第一轮排放时间为8月24日，第二轮排放时间为10月5日。钴60和锶90将对人类健康和环境产生重大影响。
The 1st round of discharge was on August 24 & 2nd round discharge on October 5. cobalt 60 & strontium-90 will significantly impact human health & the environment.
让我们看看西方主流媒体是否会报道这一事实，或者可能像他们一直在做的那样，以隐藏在某处的小字印刷或根本不报道这一事实。尽管CGTN之前也有不少批评中国问题的报道，但声称CGTN是中共的喉舌是这些西方主流媒体的常见说法。
Let’s see whether the western main stream media will report this fact or maybe report this in small print hidden somewhere or none at all as they had been doing. Claims of CGTN being China Communist Party (CCP) China’s mouthpiece are common narrative by these western main stream media despite many reports from CGTN criticizing China’s problems before.
Truth : Treated Fukushima Water Far Below Radioactive Limits
This is yet another example of MISINFORMATION surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station (NPS), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Only Chinese Media Are Reporting A Problem
One of the first things I did was to look up any problems related to the third batch of waste water released by the Fukushima NPS. Interestingly, this topic appears to have been addressed by three Chinese state media outlets:
Xinhua : Multiple radionuclides detected in Fukushima nuke wastewater planned for 3rd round of ocean discharge
China Daily : Multiple radionuclides detected in Fukushima nuke wastewater planned for 3rd round of ocean discharge
CGTN : TEPCO: Multiple radionuclides detected in Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water in third round of ocean discharge
They all appear to have the same content, because they appear to have been syndicated from Xinhua.
No other news media from any other country in the world – not just from Western countries – have reported any problem with the TEPCO report.
Fact #2 : TEPCO Report Showed No Issues
TEPCO actually has a dedicated portal that publishes testing data and other updates on the ALPS-treated water at the Fukushima NPS.
The 10 July 2023 analysis of ALPS-treated water from the K4-A tank mentioned in the Xinhua, China Daily and CGTN articles, is actually available for the public to read in English.
Anyone who reads through it will quickly realise that the report clearly states that:
39 radionuclides were confirmed not to be significantly present.
29 radionuclides were confirmed to be 74% less than discharge standard.
the amount of tritium was 130,000 Bq/L, but dropped to less than 1,500 Bq/L after dilution.
Yes, radionuclides other than tritium were found to be present in the ALPS-treated water. However, they were all found to be insignificant, or far below the discharge standard, and this was before the water was diluted.
In other words – the TEPCO report on the 10 July 2023 analysis showed that it was complying with regulations.
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency also conducted an independent analysis of the 10 July 2023 ALPS-treated water sample through its Okuma Analysis and Research Center.
Its separate and independent analysis (PDF download) confirmed that:
nuclides other than tritium which have been purified to below the regulatory limit by ALPS treatment.
the concentrations of 29 nuclides was 26% of regulatory limits
the concentrations of 39 nuclides were “not significantly present”
tritium level was around 130,000 Bq/L in the undiluted water.
That is likely why no other news media has reported on any problems with this report – because it did not reveal any actual problem with the ALPS-treated water…
Yes, the Fukushima water is still radioactive after being filtered and treated, but the amount of radionuclides are far below regulatory limits.
Fact #4 : Fukushima Will Release Less Tritium Than Chinese Nuclear Plants
Perhaps pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) would do well to understand this English idiom – People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
What Chinese citizens and perhaps, most people around the world, may not realise is that Chinese nuclear power stations routinely discharge many times more tritium than the Fukushima NPS.
In fact, an official Chinese government report actually revealed that the Qinshan nuclear power plant discharged over 14X more tritium than what the Fukushima NPS will discharge.
If the release of tritium and other radionuclides are such a danger, perhaps we should all be demanding that the regulatory standards be TIGHTENED for ALL nuclear power plants across the world.
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Truth : Viral Video Does Not Show Bangkok Mall Shooting!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Video Was Posted In Douyin
I traced the video that was posted to Douyin – China’s version of TikTok. The original poster (OP) is a Douyin user called Master ho (@yzz945201314), and here is the direct link to the video.
Fact #2 : Video Was Posted In August 2023
Master ho posted the video on 9 August 2023. The Siam Paragon mall shooting in Bangkok only occurred on 3 October 2023 – almost two months later.
So there is simply impossible for the viral video to be of the Siam Paragon mall shooting in Bangkok.
Fact #3 : Video Was Recorded In Phuket In June 2023
Even though the viral video was only posted to Douyin in August, it was originally recorded more than a month earlier – on Friday, 28 June 2023.
It was also not recorded in the Siam Paragon Mall in Bangkok. Rather, it was recorded in the Domestic Terminal of the Phuket International Airport.
If you look carefully at the video, you will notice the airport check-in counters, and people carrying luggages. The video was obviously recorded at an airport, and not a mall.
Fact #4 : Siam Paragon Shooter Was Only Armed With Pistol
The Siam Paragon mall shooter was an unnamed 14 year-old teenager from the nearby private secondary school – The Essence.
The boy was only armed with a modified Glock 9mm pistol, and did not have any long guns with him.
The shooter in the viral video was not only armed with a handgun, he also had what looked like an automatic rifle.
Fact #5 : It Was An Active Shooter Drill
The viral video does not show any actual crime, or gun violence taking place. It was an emergency security drill to simulate a response to an “active shooter” in the Phuket International Airport. In the photo above, you can even see a man taking photos or videos of the drill!
The drill was called “Full-scal exercise of Phuket International Airport Emergency Plan (PEMEX 2023), and conducted on the second floor of the Domestic Terminal, at around 11 PM – -after boarding for the final departing domestic flight had cleared the area.
The exercise was designed to simulate the coordinated response of security and anti-terrorism personnel to an active shooter taking hostages in the domestic terminal area. Thai agencies and personnel that took part in this PEMEX 2023 exercise included:
Thai Provincial Police Region 8
Sakhu Police
Phuket Airline Operations Committee (AOC)
Airports of Thailand ground service company (AOTGA)
Airports of Thailand private security company (AOT AVSEC)
Vachira Phuket Hospital
Phuket Provincial Public Health Office
Subdistrict Administrative Organisations (OrBorTor) for Mai Khao, Sakhu, and Thepkrasattri.
The truth is – anyone who analyses the video will realise that there are many “issues” with this video:
the gunshots do not sound like real gunshots
gunshots ring out even when the gunman isn’t shooting
none of the victims are bleeding
the person recording the video is bravely standing up to record the video for almost 2.5 minutes
the person recording the video can be heard laughing at around 0:18 in the video
at around 1:30, another man can be seen recording the scene from the upper floor
Fact #7 : OP Likely Reposted From A Different Source
The Douyin poster, Master ho, does not appear to be the person recording the video. He mistakenly labelled the location as Songkhla Airport – more accurately known as the Hat Yai International Airport in the Songkhla Province.
泰国宋卡机场发生枪击事件，听说是演习农 因 因 因
A shooting incident occurred at Songkhla Airport in Thailand. It was said that it an exercise.
However, he clearly stated in the description, and his subsequent comments, that it was just a drill.
Whoever copied this video from his Douyin account is certainly aware that the video was of an airport drill, and posted almost 3 months earlier.
The only conclusion we can draw from this is that – whoever copied the video to share in October 2023, is intentionally trying to mislead people.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was there mass looting at London’s Oxford Street, as part of a crime wave in Western countries?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Mass Looting At London’s Oxford Street!
Pro-CCP netizens, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing a video which appears to show mass looting at London’s Oxford Street, with claims that this is part of a crime wave in Western countries!
Looting London, Oxford St
Also happens in US,France and Australia.Now,also in Sweden.
Truth : There Was No Mass Looting At London’s Oxford Street!
This is yet another example of misinformation and propaganda created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by anti-West netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Video Originated In TikTok
First, the video originated in TikTok, with the poster describing it as a “mass looting stunt” that was planned on social media:
Chaos erupts on Oxford Street amid reports of ‘mass looting stunt’ planned on social media #london #oxfordstreet #clash #chaos #looting #stunt #shopping #shops #uk #news #fyp #foryoupage
Fact #2 : It Only Targeted JD Sports
The so-called looting did not occur at multiple stores at London’s Oxford Street. Rather, it only targeted one store – the JD Sports outlet nearest to Oxford Circus.
There are actually three JD Sports outlets along Oxford Street, but the outlet at 197-203 Oxford Street is the closest to Oxford Circus.
This was not the typical looting that has been going on in certain cities like San Francisco, for example.
The truth is – this was initiated by posts on TikTok and Snapchat calling on users to take part in an “Oxford Circus JD Robbery” at 3 PM on Wednesday, 9 August 2023.
The TikTok and Snapchat posts encouraged yobs (British slang for louts) to follow the dress code of balaclavas and gloves, with the warning – “Don’t come if you can’t run. Don’t come if you’re loud. Don’t come with any weapons“.
London mayor, Sadiq Khan, even issued a warning about the TikTok craze:
I am worried about this nonsense we have seen on TikTok encouraging people to go to Oxford Street.
The viral TikTok and Snapchat posts caught the attention of the Metropolitan Police, which sent dozens of police officers to proactively prevent the “mass looting” event, should it actually take place.
We are aware of online speculation about opportunities to commit crime around Oxford Street. There will be a significant number of our officers in the area over the next 24 hours.
Mounted police officers on horses patrolled Oxford Street, while police officers formed human shields around shops. In the end, hundreds of teenagers gathered outside the JD Sports outlet, but no actual looting took place.
Just after 3 PM, two young men were detained outside McDonald’s near JD Sports. By 8 PM, the Metropolitan police issued 34 dispersal orders and arrested nine people.
Four people were arrested on suspicion of breaching the dispersal order, one person was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal, one person arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, and one person was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence.
Earlier in the afternoon, officers arrested two people in Essex for conspiracy to commit robbery following online social media posts.
However, no actual looting took place at JD Sports or any other store along Oxford Street that day.
Fact #5 : Most People Were There To Take Photos / Videos
While several people were arrested at the “mass looting” event, it appears that most people were there to take photos or videos of any looting that might actually occur due to the “TikTok craze”.
When British media interviewed people at the scene, many said that they were just there to record the “event”:
Harry, 14, from Islington : I’m not here to steal anything, I’ve been raised better than that. I just want to record it.
CJ, 16, from Hertfordshire : We’re not here to steal stuff – there’s loads of famous people making videos. We just saw loads of police and want to see what it’s about.
Many teenagers shared the photos and videos they took on TikTok and Snapchat, some of which appear in the video above.
Fact #9 : This Is Just CCP Propaganda
This is really nothing more than yet another example of CCP propaganda created / promoted by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false in most instances. So please watch out for such false claims. Here is just the latest dozen,.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Find out why many Western countries repeatedly voted against a UN resolution calling for global action against racism and discrimination!
Updated @ 2023-09-29 : Refreshed after message went viral again Originally posted @ 2023-04-30
Claim : The West Voted Against UN Anti-Racism Bill!
Pro-CCP netizens, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are claiming that many Western countries like the US, the UK, and Canada voted against a UN resolution calling for global action against racism and discrimination!
UN introduced a bill that called for global action against racism and discrimination
Here’s Why The West Voted Against UN Anti-Racism Bill!
At first glance, it is easy enough to see why some netizens actually believe that Western countries are being hypocrites, with many sharing comments like these:
Hypocrites who tell you you have freedoms but actually you don’t. But you still think you do.
But the truth is – this is just another example of misinformation and propaganda created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by anti-West netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : It Was A 2020 UN Resolution Against Racism
First, let me just give you some context on the resolution (not a bill) in question.
The claim refers to the 2020 UN resolution called A global call for concrete action for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
This resolution is not new, and has actually been introduced and voted on every year since 2014.
Fact #2 : It Was A Non-Binding Resolution
That UN anti-racism resolution is also non-binding, which means countries are not compelled to abide by it.
Fact #3 : Many Western Countries Voted Against UN Racism Resolution
Let me confirm that most Western countries voted No to that 2020 UN resolution against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.
Total voting membership : 193
Members voting Yes : 106
Members voting No : 14
Members abstaining : 44
Members who did not vote : 29
Countries that voted No that year were Australia, Canada, Czechia (Czech Republic), Congo, France, Germany, Guyana, Israel, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Netherlands, Slovenia, United Kingdom, and United States.
If this UN resolution seems familiar, that is because it is similar to the Anti-Nazi resolution that Russia has submitted every year since 2012, and one which many Western countries consistently voted against, or abstained from voting.
Like this anti-racism UN resolution, that anti-Nazi resolution was hypocritical in nature. Russia did not introduce it to fight Nazism or neo-Nazis, but to justify its annexation of Crimea in March 2014, and its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia claims that it had to invade Ukraine to “denazify” it, and is using that UN resolution to justify its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to European Voice before the vote, Lithuania’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius, said that “no one should doubt that we are condemning fascism”, but, he continued, “under cover of this condemnation, Russia is pursuing its own agenda”.
Fact #4 : Western Countries Were Against Durban Declaration
Western countries have long boycotted the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), and the resulting Durban Review Conference that was called to implement it.
Even though the DDPA ostensibly has laudable goals – to eliminate “racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”, it is being used to promote anti-Semitism, impose restrictions on free speech, and does not address discrimination against the LGBT community.
Our concerns about the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) are well-known, including its unfair and unacceptable singling out of Israel and its endorsement of overbroad restrictions on freedom of expression that run counter to the U.S. commitment to robust free speech. But we will always stand ready to work with others in the effort to combat racism, bigotry, and racial discrimination.
After another vote on the same resolution in 2021, the Biden Administration reiterated that the United States remain opposed to the DDPA and its “restrictions on freedom of speech and expression“.
As in previous years, we deeply regret that we cannot support this resolution, which does not genuinely focus on countering racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Among our concerns are the resolution’s endorsement of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action (DDPA), the outcome of the Durban review conference and its endorsement of overbroad restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.
We reject any effort to advance the “full implementation” of the DDPA. We believe this resolution serves as a vehicle to prolong divisions , rather than providing an inclusive way forward for the international community to counter the scourge of racism and racial discrimination.
The United States also opposed the UN anti-racism resolution which called for UN States to implement Article 4 of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
And why is Article 4 of the CERD so offensive to the United States? After all, it calls for UN States to declare an offence punishable by law “all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred”, amongst other things.
That’s because the United States Constitution provides the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly and association, and this includes even offensive beliefs like Nazism and racism.
As Nicholas Hill, the Deputy US Representative for ECOSOC explained on November 12, 2021, when the United States voted No on the similar Anti-Nazi UN resolution :
The United States Supreme Court has consistently affirmed the constitutional right to freedom of speech and the rights of peaceful assembly and association, including by avowed Nazis, whose hatred and xenophobia are vile and widely scorned by the American people. We nevertheless firmly defend the constitutional rights of those who exercise their fundamental freedoms to combat intolerance and express strong opposition to the odious Nazi creed and others that espouse similar hatreds.
For these reasons, the United States has voted against each new version of this resolution since 2005 and is, again, compelled to vote “No” on this resolution, and calls on other States to do the same.
Fact #6 : Western Countries Do Not Want To Pay Reparations
The United States also objected to the resolution because it called for “former colonial powers” to provide reparations. That is arguably one of the reasons why so many Western nations voted against the resolution, or at least abstained against it.
We also reject the resolution’s call for “former colonial Powers” to provide reparations “consistent with” the DDPA.
Regardless of the harm colonialism has done in the past, reparations have nothing to do with eliminating racism today and in the future, does it?
Fact #7 : Western Countries Are Less Homogenous Than China
Since the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) appears to be pushing this narrative, I should point out that Western countries are much less homogenous than China.
Most Western countries have a mix of different races, with a significant number of foreign immigrants. Hence, incidents of racism can appear to be more common, simply because their societies are less homogenous than China’s.
According to the China National Bureau of Statistics, there were 2.77 million foreigners living in China at the end of 2019. That may sound like a lot, but that is less than 0.2% of its population of 1.4 billion!
China proudly declares that it has many ethnic groups, but some 91.5% of its native population are Han Chinese. The 55 ethnic minorities constitute a mere 8.5% of its population.
In other words – China is an extremely homogenous society, so there are very few opportunities for racism. It doesn’t mean the Chinese are not racist. It just means that they just don’t have enough engagement with other races to show their tolerance or intolerance to different looks, cultures and beliefs.
Fact #8 : Western Countries Are More Equitable Than China
I should also point out that Western countries are more open to foreign immigrants, with many of them ending up in positions of political and economic power.
The United States, for example, allow foreigners who become its citizens to run for public office, and many do:
Mazie Hirono from Japan : Lieutenant Governor, US Representative, and US Senator for Hawaii
Pramila Jayapal from India : US Representative for Washington, and Washington State Senator
Young Kim from South Korea : US Representative for California
Ted Liu from Taiwan : US Representative for California
Ilhan Omar from Somalia : US Representative for Minnesota
Victoria Spartz from Soviet Union : US Representative for Indiana
It is the same even in business, where many foreign immigrants were able to rise to the top of their industries:
Sundar Pichai from India : CEO of Google
Satya Nadella from India : CEO of Microsoft
Elon Musk from South Africa : CEO of SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter
Jensen Huang from Taiwan : CEO of NVIDIA
Dr. Lisa Su from Taiwan : CEO of AMD
Even though there are many examples of racism in the United States, it remains far more equitable than China, where foreign immigrants do not have the same opportunities as the native Chinese.
Try asking your local pro-CCP activist to name any foreign immigrant who has rose to prominence in politics or business in China, and watch as they gape in stunned silence.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a central committee that consists of 205 full members, and 171 alternate members. Everyone of those 376 central committee members are Chinese natives – there are no foreign immigrants or their children. Not even a token immigrant just for show.
When the CCP Central Committee and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) proudly released their list of top 100 outstanding private entrepreneurs in 2018 – they were all Chinese natives as well. No foreign immigrants or their children were in the list.
This is really nothing more than yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false in most instances. So please watch out for such false claims. Here is just the latest dozen,.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did large crowds of Canadians protest Trudeau and Zelensky at the Royal York Hotel, forcing them to run away?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Major Canadian Protest Of Trudeau + Zelensky!
People are sharing a video showing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaving the Royal York Hotel, claiming that they were hounded by protestors who chased them away with insults:
Circulating on WhatsApp : BIG BREAKING NEWS – PM Justin Trudeau and Ukraine PM Zelensky had to run away from Royal York Hotel after massive crowd of Canadians greeted & chased them with “F*ck You, F*ck You, Get out of our country” slogans🔥🔥 This is a historic insult to the PM of any country in the history of this world. These 🐖s deserve it.
Kat Canada : TORONTO: Trudeau and Zelensky leave Royal York Hotel as an even bigger crowd of protesters shout “F**K YOU” “GET OUT OF OUR COUNTRY”
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Kyle Becker : “Get out of our country, Zelensky! Pay for your own f***ing war!”
Ukrainian President Zelensky is *ROASTED* coming out of the Royal York Hotel after meeting with Canadian PM Trudeau
Truth : Canadian Protest Of Trudeau + Zelensky Was Small
Let’s take a look at what went on before and during the viral video…
Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded On 22 September 2023
The video appears to be recorded by Dacey Media on Friday night, 22 September 2023, just outside the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
Fact #2 : There Was Only One Guy With A Megaphone
While it may sound like many people were protesting Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, and/or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there does not appear to be many protestors.
The video actually shows a single person shouting using a megaphone. Perhaps 2-3 other protestors could be seen in the video. The other people standing around them appear to be bystanders, or just people walking past.
Fact #3 : Most Canadians Were There To Greet Zelenskyy
According to Toronto Sun reporter, Joe Warmington, most people who gathered outside the Fairmont Royal York hotel were there to greet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It was Zelensky, donned in his famous green battle fatigues, that the crowd was most excited to catch a glimpse of. And he didn’t disappoint.
The crowd clearly appreciated seeing Zelenskyy as well and could be heard chanting “stand with Ukraine.”
In the viral video, you can see that most people were holding their smartphones up to take photos or videos of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he came out.
He also shared that there was a group of anti-Trudeau protestors:
The Prime Minister also waved at onlookers and soaked up applause from the crowd — many tourists in for the weekend — while ignoring the taunts from a couple of dozen anti-Trudeau protesters.
The photo he took that day though only shows a few anti-Trudeau protestors.
Fact #5 : Zelenskyy Was Attending Round Table Discussion
While it has been claimed that Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau was meeting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the Royal York Hotel, or vice versa, that was not exactly the case.
Zelenskyy was at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel to take part in a roundtable discussion with Canadian business leaders at 6:30 PM. Justin Trudeau attended the roundtable with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Fact #6 : They Were Leaving For A Rally At Fort York
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau did not flee the hotel because of a protest. Neither did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy left the Royal York Hotel with Justin Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland to attend a reception and rally at Fort York at 8:30 PM.
As this photo shows, many people were obviously very enthusiastic about meeting the Ukrainian leader at the Fort York event.
This may come across as peculiar to people in China and Russia, but Canadians enjoy the freedom of expression, which includes the right to protest peacefully.
If you look at the video, you will see police officers standing nearby to ensure that everything stayed peaceful. They were not there to block or prevent the protest or heckling. They were also not there to arrest the protestors.
Would a similar protest be possible in Russia or China? Can you imagine Russians heckling Vladimir Putin, without getting arrested by the police? Can you imagine Chinese netizens freely shouting similar insults at Xi Jinping? Of course, not.
The very fact that Canadians can shout insults at their own Prime Minister without fear, with the Prime Minister and the Canadian police ignoring all of that, is testament to the freedom of speech in Canada.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Were the French people just caught urinating on an African child, while filming their vile act?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : French People Were Caught Urinating On African Child!
People are sharing a video on WhatsApp and Facebook, claiming that the French people were just caught urinating on an African child after the French ambassador in Mali was expelled!
On WhatsApp : Lets make this go viral until the people responsible for this human rights abuse are arrested and prosecuted. This is the filth of France, the ugliest scandal of the twenty-first century!!!
The inhuman and shocking scene of two men and a woman urinating on an African child, in one of the French villages, and the child, completely stripped of clothes, lying face down on the ground, while numbers of The French men and women, whose country has always shocked the world with the sophistication of their civilization, are watching this obscene, dirty, and abnormal act, without any sign of intervention from any of them!!!
This was after the state of Mali expelled the French ambassador. The French arrested one of the Malians in a French village and urinated on him publicly. Africa must wake up to see the true, ugly face of France.
We regret the ugliness and horror of the scene, but where are the human rights advocates in this? It is unfortunate that globally Black Africans are associated with misfortune everywhere.
Truth : French People Did Not Urinate On African Child!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video
First, let me start by pointing out that this incident did not occur in 2023. The video was actually recorded on January 17, 2013. So it is more than ten years old!
Fact #2 : There Was No African Child / Woman
The child / woman who was being peed on in the viral video is not an African child or woman.
That is actually Guatemalan performance artist, Regina José Galindo, who covered her body in black coal.
Born on 27 August 1974, Regina was 39 years old when that video was recorded, and is 49 years old in 2023.
Fact #3 : Video Was Recorded In Brazil
The video was not recorded in Mali, but thousands of kilometres away, in São Paulo, Brazil.
To be specific, the video was recorded at Departamento de Artes Cênicas (CAC) – the Department of Performing Arts, which is part of the School of Communications and Arts (ECA) of the University of São Paulo.
The video is actually a 2013 performance called Piedra (Spanish for stone), which aims to expose the history of violence against Latin American women, and address the exploitation of the female workers of Brazil’s colossal coal mining industry.
In the Piedra performance, Regina painted her body black and crouched into a petrified metal position. Every 10 minutes, a male-bodied “audience member” would approach Galindo, unbutton their pants and pee on her as she remained deathly still.
The obvious nonchalant attitude and ease in which these male-bodied actors could defile the artist’s body parallels the wide-spread apathy regarding the safety and care of women’s bodies. The public aspect of the performance only “further underscores the myopic nature of everyday actions that propel repetitive structural violence.”
In presenting her body as an insignificant piedra (Spanish for stone), Galindo is suggesting a quality of disposability, with the female body vulnerable (like a stone) to violent abuse.
Piedra : The history of humanity has remained inscribed on the bodies of Latin American women. On their bodies— conquered, marked, enslaved, objectified, exploited, and tortured—one can read the terrible stories of power and struggle that shape our past. Bodies are fragile only in their appearance. It is the female body that has survived conquest and slavery. Like a stone, it has stored the hatred and rancor of memory in order to transform it into energy and life.
Fact #4 : This Video Is Being Abused By Different Parties
This video is, unfortunately, being abused by different parties to drive narratives that are contrary to what actually happened.
Some African netizens are sharing it to fan the deeply-rooted anti-French sentiment in West Africa, after a series of military coups in Mali, Niger, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.
On the other hand, pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are using the video to fan anti-West sentiments in Africa (where China is making inroads), and draw attention away from criticisms of their “re-education” activities in Xinjiang.
As you have seen – the truth is they were all lying / misrepresenting the video. Here are other examples you may have seen on WhatsApp or social media platforms recently:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US government steal $50 trillion worth of gold and oil from Iraq?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-09-19 : Refreshed with updated info Originally published @ 2022-04-12
Claim : US Gov Stole $50 Trillion Of Gold + Oil From Iraq!
People are sharing photos of US soldiers posing with gold bars, as evidence that the United States sold gold and oil from Iraq worth tens of trillions of dollars!
These photos was revived on the 20th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and then on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as part of the information warfare surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is also being shared and promoted on pro-CCP and pro-Russia groups on social media, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.
Here the US thieves in Iraq. Bringing democracy aka stealing a country’s gold. Same thing they want to do in Russia. But Russia is no Iraq or Libya.
The #US ransacked and plundered the whole of #Iraq. Banks, museums, all of their gold reserves. The US is the biggest gang of thiefs in the whole history. They have raped most of the planet in the last 50 years. #Ukraine #UkraineRussianWar #UkraineRussiaWar #Russia #Putin #NATO
🇺🇸 “liberates” gold & oil while 🇷🇺 liberates humans.
#Denaƶification & #Demilitarization of #UkroNaƶiLand
Truth : US Gov Did Not Steal Gold + Oil From Iraq At All!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or propagated to deflect criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : US Did Not Steal $30 Trillion Of Iraqi Oil
Claims that the US stole $30 trillion worth of oil from Iraq are false. The United States did lose track of 8.7 billion dollars worth of Iraqi funds though.
After the invasion of Iraq concluded, Iraqi oil was sold to help fund the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI). Other sources of funds include surplus funds (about USD 10 billion) from the UN Oil-For-Food Program, and the sale of seized Iraqi assets.
The United States did not truck away Iraqi oil, as claimed. In July 2010, the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) discovered that the US Department of Defense could not account properly for USD 8.7 billion of DFI funds.
This led the Iraqi Parliament to request the United Nation’s help in demanding that the US return $17 billion of “oil money” that it said was stolen from the Iraqi people :
All the indications are that the institutions of the United States of America committed financial corruption by stealing the money of the Iraqi people, which was allocated to develop Iraq, (and) that it was about $17 billion.
… Our committee decided to send this issue to you … to look into it and restore the stolen money.
Stealing $30 trillion worth of oil would require 1.7 billion oil trucks, or 46,000 of these trucks every day for 100 years!
Fact #2 : US Spent $60 Billion To Reconstruct Iraq
There is no evidence that the unaccounted money was repatriated to the United States, or officially taken by the United States.
Even assuming that it was not poor accounting and all of the $8.7 billion was truly stolen, that is a far cry (0.029%) from the $30 trillion that was “allegedly” stolen.
It is also rendered ludicrous by the fact that the United States spent US$60 billion in the reconstruction of Iraq – almost 7X of what it allegedly stole.
Also consider the fact that Iraqi oil production only reached 4.4 million barrels per day in 2016. Assuming an average sale price of USD 60 per barrel, it would take them 311 years to sell enough oil to make $30 trillion.
Fact #3 : US Did Not Steal $20 Trillion Of Iraqi Gold
The United States also did not steal gold from Iraq, certainly not $20 trillion worth of gold!
All those photos of US soldiers with Iraqi gold bars are genuine, but they only show them taking photos with the gold they seized in Iraq.
The Iraqi gold bars (as well as currency and other valuables) that US soldiers seized were transported to the US Army’s headquarters in Kuwait.
There, they were examined by the Secret Service and/or the US Department of Treasury to determine their authenticity and value, before being returned to the Central Iraqi Treasury or the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI).
This is a picture of Lt. Col. Scott Schmidt, who was in charge of the 230th Finance Battalion. The battalion’s job was to seize Iraqi assets like currency, gold bars and other valuables.
Fact #4 : The Entire World Does Not Have So Much Gold!
In 2003, Iraq had under 6 tonnes of gold reserves, worth less than $70 million. So how can the United States possibly steal 20 trillion dollars worth of gold from Iraq? $20 trillion worth of gold would weigh at least 1,714,285 tonnes in 2003.
Guess how much gold mankind has ever mined in history? Only 208,874 tonnes as of February 2023 – which is just 12% of what people are claiming that the United States stole from Iraq.
As of January 2023, the value of all the gold in the world is only USD 13 trillion – less than 2/3 of what the conspiracy theory claims the United States stole from Iraq… and that’s only because gold prices have gone up tremendously since 2003.
Even with the much higher gold price, it would take an additional 90 years of mining gold before the entire world has $20 trillion worth of gold for the US government to steal.
Now that you know the truth, please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check out!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did former Japanese MP Yasuhiro Sonoda die from cancer, after drinking treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power station?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-09-17 : Some minor updates.
Updated @ 2023-09-13 : Added new fact check video, and other minor updates.
Updated @ 2023-09-10 : Updated article with proof Yasuhiro Sonoda is still alive! Originally posted @ 2023-09-01
Claim : Yasuhiro Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water!
People are sharing videos and photos of Yasuhiro Sonoda drinking ALPS-filtered water from the Fukushima nuclear power station in WhatsApp groups and social media, claiming that the former Japanese MP eventually died from cancer!
How is Yasuhiro Sonoda, a Japanese official who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago, now? Why did he disappear?
At the end of October 2011, Yasuhiro Sonoda, the then Japanese cabinet minister, poured half a glass of water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in front of media reporters in order to prove that the treated Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water was “drinkable and no problem”. The treated nuclear-contaminated water of Units 5 and 6 was “drinked twice.”
In December 2014, Yasuhiro Sonoda’s social platform stopped updating; in June 2015 , Sonoda Yasuhiro announced his retirement; at the beginning of 2018, Japanese media said that Sonoda Yasuhiro had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma; in August 2020, Sonoda Yasuhiro died of illness in Melekeok, the capital of Palau.
JERRY GOODE : 🚨☢️ 🇯🇵: Japan MP Yasuhiro Sonoda’s hands shook as he downed a glass of Fukushima Nuclear Contaminated Water in front of reporters and cameras. NOW HE IS MISSING! What happened to him?💀
Finally solved the case, Yasuhiro Sonoda is dead, died of multiple myeloma in 2020.
In June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda announced his retirement. Early 2018.Due to physical discomfort, got checked up in Japan, and diagnosed with multiple myeloma. At the end of 2018, he received treatment at MIT Medical School in the United States, but failed. At the end of 2019, he went to Palau to recuperate (waiting to die). In August 2020, he died in Melekeok, the capital of Palau, due to multiple myeloma and his whole body decomposed.
INF.News : …many years later, the Health Bureau of the Republic of Palau announced a regrettable news: Yasuhiro Sonoda passed away in Palau in 2020 due to his body gradually decomposing due to multiple myeloma.
Why did the Republic of Palau choose to announce such news at such a critical time when Japan discharged nuclear wastewater into the sea? The answer is actually quite simple: Protest.
The Republic of Palau chose to announce the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda at this critical moment, not only to express their dissatisfaction with the Japanese government, but also to alert the global community to the risks associated with nuclear energy.
Truth : Yasuhiro Sonoda Did Not Die After Drinking Fukushima Water!
This appears to be another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Drank Fukushima Water In 2011
First, let me just give you a quick overview of Yasuhiro Sonoda and why he became viral in 2023.
Born on June 9, 1967, Yasuhiro Sonoda (園田 康博 / そのだ やすひろ) was elected to the House of Representatives in the Diet (Japanese Parliament) in 2003, as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan.
After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the 44 year-old MP sought to ease concerns over the safety of the treated water. In response to a challenge by freelance journalist Yu Terasawa, he promised to drink the treated waste water.
I don’t want it to be seen as some kind of performance, but if that’s the best way to prove that the water is safe then I would gladly drink it right here, in front of you, any time.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) prepared a bottle of water from Fukushima Daiichi reactors no. 5 and no. 6, which was filtered and treated using its Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.
Then, at an October 31, 2011 press conference, Yasuhiro Sonoda filled a glass with the ALPS-treated water before polishing it off in two gulps. Even so, he pointed out that the data was more important than the demonstration:
I am aware that just drinking [the treated water] doesn’t in itself mean that safety has been confirmed. The best way to do that is to present data to the public.
The viral messages suggested something nefarious after Yasuhiro Sonoda stopped posting on his Twitter account in 2014. The truth is – he stopped tweeting after he lost elections for the second time.
After that infamous demonstration, Yasuhiro Sonoda lost his seat during the 46th House of Representatives election on December 16, 2012. He subsequently lost again in the 47th House of Representatives election on December 14, 2014.
His last Twitter post was on the night before he lost his election, showing a video of his last campaign speech on December 13.
The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper would later publish a news article (no longer available online) on June 14, 2015, stating that Yasuhiru Sonoda announced his withdrawal from politics.
Fact #3 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Is Still Alive!
After leaving politics in June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda receded from the limelight. However, there is no evidence he is dead.
As a former Member of Parliament, his death would have been announced by the Japanese media. Yet, there is no mention of his passing. The viral messages certainly offered no evidence to back up their claims.
But more importantly, Kyodo News reached out to Yasuhiro Sonoda himself via telephone on 2 September 2023, and confirmed that he is still alive! Mr. Sonoda denied that he died from cancer.
Sonoda said, “I would like to once again apologize to those who experienced the earthquake and the people of Fukushima Prefecture,” regarding the spread of false rumors caused by his actions at the time.
Fact #4 : No Evidence Yasuhiro Sonoda Has Multiple Myeloma
There is also no evidence that Yasuhiro Sonoda was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a type of white blood cell cancer.
There has been no media report of such a diagnosis. Neither did Yasuhiro Sonoda mention it publicly. In fact, the viral messages also offered no evidence to back up this claim.
Unless Yasuhiro Sonoda or his family publicly reveals that he is suffering from multiple myeloma, or any kind of cancer for the matter, anyone who says that is likely lying to you.
Fact #5 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Was ACD CEO
Yasuhiro Sonoda kept a low profile after leaving politics. However, Taiwanese fact checking website, MyGoPen, discovered that Yasuhiro Sonoda became CEO and the company’s first Representative Director of ACD. Co. Ltd. in March 2018.
ACD Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of the Japanese airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), which focuses on the cross-border e-commerce platform called ANA Overseas Shopping. This was confirmed by a June 17, 2019 CoinON interview with Sonoda as ACD CEO.
It is unlikely for him to be appointed both CEO and the first Representative Director of ACD if he was already dying from multiple myeloma in 2018.
Fact #6 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Retired From ACD In 2020
It appears that the claim that Yasuhiro Sonoda went to Palau at the end of 2019 for palliative care is false. He was still CEO of ACD Co., Ltd until his retirement on 14 March 2020.
On 1 November 2020, ACD Co., Ltd. issued a press release announcing that Yasuhiro Sonoda retired as Representative Director and President on 14 March 2020, and was replaced by Hiromichi Furui.
The fact that ACD announced his retirement in November 2020 also suggests that Yasuhiro Sonoda was still alive at that time. The viral message claimed that he died in August 2020.
The websites promoting this claim did not provide a link to the announcement. Suspicious, isn’t it?
Fact #8 : Ngerulmud Is The Capital Of Palau
I should point out that Melekeok is a state, and not the capital of Palau. The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. Before 2006, the capital of Palau was Koror City.
Fact #9 : MIT Does Not Have A Hospital / Medical School
MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of the top private universities in the United States, with five schools in Science, Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Management, and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
MIT, however, does not have any schools of law or medicine. It also does not run any hospitals. Therefore, it is impossible for Yasuhiro Sonoda to seek medical treatment at the MIT Medical School, or the MIT Hospital as claimed.
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Former Japanese MP Yasuhiro Sonoda did not die from cancer, and is still alive, after drinking ALPS-filtered water from the Fukushima nuclear power station!
Claim : Japan MP Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water!
People are sharing videos and photos of Yasuhiro Sonoda drinking the treated Fukushima waste water in WhatsApp groups and social media, claiming that the former Japanese MP eventually died from cancer!
How is Yasuhiro Sonoda, a Japanese official who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago, now? Why did he disappear?
At the end of October 2011, Yasuhiro Sonoda, the then Japanese cabinet minister, poured half a glass of water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in front of media reporters in order to prove that the treated Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water was “drinkable and no problem”. The treated nuclear-contaminated water of Units 5 and 6 was “drinked twice.”
In December 2014, Yasuhiro Sonoda’s social platform stopped updating; in June 2015 , Sonoda Yasuhiro announced his retirement; at the beginning of 2018, Japanese media said that Sonoda Yasuhiro had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma; in August 2020, Sonoda Yasuhiro died of illness in Melekeok, the capital of Palau.
JERRY GOODE : 🚨☢️ 🇯🇵: Japan MP Yasuhiro Sonoda’s hands shook as he downed a glass of Fukushima Nuclear Contaminated Water in front of reporters and cameras. NOW HE IS MISSING! What happened to him?💀
Finally solved the case, Yasuhiro Sonoda is dead, died of multiple myeloma in 2020.
In June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda announced his retirement. Early 2018.Due to physical discomfort, got checked up in Japan, and diagnosed with multiple myeloma. At the end of 2018, he received treatment at MIT Medical School in the United States, but failed. At the end of 2019, he went to Palau to recuperate (waiting to die). In August 2020, he died in Melekeok, the capital of Palau, due to multiple myeloma and his whole body decomposed.
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INF.News : …many years later, the Health Bureau of the Republic of Palau announced a regrettable news: Yasuhiro Sonoda passed away in Palau in 2020 due to his body gradually decomposing due to multiple myeloma.
Why did the Republic of Palau choose to announce such news at such a critical time when Japan discharged nuclear wastewater into the sea? The answer is actually quite simple: Protest.
The Republic of Palau chose to announce the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda at this critical moment, not only to express their dissatisfaction with the Japanese government, but also to alert the global community to the risks associated with nuclear energy.
Truth : Japan MP Sonoda Did Not Die After Drinking Fukushima Water!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…
Born on June 9, 1967, Yasuhiro Sonoda (園田 康博 / そのだ やすひろ) was elected to the House of Representatives in the Diet (Japanese Parliament) in 2003, as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan.
After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the 44 year-old MP sought to ease concerns over the safety of the treated water. In response to a challenge by freelance journalist Yu Terasawa, he promised to drink the treated waste water.
I don’t want it to be seen as some kind of performance, but if that’s the best way to prove that the water is safe then I would gladly drink it right here, in front of you, any time.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) prepared a bottle of water from Fukushima Daiichi reactors no. 5 and no. 6, which was filtered and treated using its Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.
Then, at an October 31, 2011 press conference, Yasuhiro Sonoda filled a glass with the ALPS-treated water before polishing it off in two gulps.
The viral messages suggested something nefarious after Yasuhiro Sonoda stopped posting on his Twitter account in 2014. The truth is – he stopped tweeting after he lost elections for the second time.
After that infamous demonstration, Yasuhiro Sonoda lost his seat during the 46th House of Representatives election on December 16, 2012. He subsequently lost again in the 47th House of Representatives election on December 14, 2014.
His last Twitter post was on the night before he lost his election, showing a video of his last campaign speech on December 13. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper would later publish a news article (no longer available online) on June 14, 2015, stating that Yasuhiru Sonoda announced his withdrawal from politics.
After leaving politics in June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda receded from the limelight. However, there is no evidence he is dead. As a former Member of Parliament, his death would have been announced by the Japanese media. Yet, there is no mention of his passing. The viral messages certainly offered no evidence to back up their claims.
In fact, Yasuhiro Sonoda became CEO and the company’s first Representative Director of ACD. Co. Ltd. – a subsidiary of the Japanese airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), in March 2018. It is unlikely for him to be appointed both CEO and the first Representative Director of ACD if he was already dying from multiple myeloma in 2018.
Yasuhiro Sonoda remained CEO of ACD Co., Ltd until his retirement on 14 March 2020. On 1 November 2020, ACD Co., Ltd. issued a press release announcing that Yasuhiro Sonoda retired as Representative Director and President on 14 March 2020, and was replaced by Hiromichi Furui.
The fact that ACD announced his retirement in November 2020 also suggests that Yasuhiro Sonoda was still alive at that time. The viral message claimed that he died in August 2020.
But more importantly, Kyodo News reached out to Yasuhiro Sonoda himself via telephone on 2 September 2023, and confirmed that he was still alive! Mr. Sonoda denied that he died from cancer.
Sonoda said, “I would like to once again apologize to those who experienced the earthquake and the people of Fukushima Prefecture,” regarding the spread of false rumors caused by his actions at the time.
Melekeok is a state, and not the capital of Palau. The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. Before 2006, the capital of Palau was Koror City.
MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, does not have any schools of law or medicine. It also does not run any hospitals. Therefore, it is impossible for Yasuhiro Sonoda to seek medical treatment at the MIT Medical School, or the MIT Hospital as claimed.
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Does a viral video show terrifying mutant creatures created by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Nuclear Radiation Created These Mutant Creatures!
People are sharing a video on TikTok and WhatsApp, which claims to show that mutant creatures created by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as a warning of what the release of treated Fukushima waste water will create!
On TikTok : How frightening are the mutations caused by nuclear contamination #tiktokusa #usa #science #foryou #horror #contamination
Here is a transcript of the video:
This is a dog that has been contaminated by nuclear radiation. Pay attention. It has only one eye positioned right in the center displaying an extremely eerie mutation that gives it a profoundly unsettling appearance.
What’s even more chilling is the discovery of a group of creatures under the bridge. They hang themselves beneath the structure featuring eerie teeth in their central sections. To this day, the exact species remains undetermined. However, the extraction of their blood confirms that they have been subjected to nuclear contamination.
All of this took place in 1986, the third year after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Radioactive substances contaminated the entire sky resulting in widespread nuclear pollution across the region. By the third year of the nuclear contamination, the local wildlife had undergone severe mutations.
Three years later, scientists returned to the area and one creature without a head caught their attention. Its appearance resembled that of a headless deer with the head seemingly missing.
Now the mass before their eyes coiled into a slow undulating motion has puzzled scientists. Some speculate that they are mutated forms of animals while others suggest they might be plants affected by nuclear contamination. However, it’s certain that there is a faint consciousness within them.
What can be confirmed is that they’ve endured nuclear contamination. What exactly these entities are might not matter. But it’s likely that in the not so distant future, with Japan’s release of nuclear contaminated water, more similar organisms could come into our view.
Truth : Nuclear Radiation Did Not Create These Mutant Creatures!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : That Was A Baby Goat, Not A Dog
The dog with one eye isn’t even a dog. It was a baby goat that was born with one eye. The kid – that’s what a baby goat is called – was born on May 10, 2017, in the Indian state of Assam.
While the condition is rare, it is not unheard of. In fact, the condition is known as cyclopia, and occurs in the womb when the developing brain fails to separate into two hemispheres. As a result, the skull only forms a single eye socket.
Most animals born with cyclopia do not survive long after birth. A similar case in the past only survived for 10 hours. This cyclops goat, however, has survived longer than expected.
Needless to say, the cyclops goat has nothing to do with Chernobyl, and was not born this way because of radioactive contamination.
Fact #2 : Those Are Rabbit-Ear Barnacles
The alien-like creatures hanging under the bridge isn’t actually unknown mutants created by nuclear contamination.
They are just rabbit-ear barnacles (Conchoderma auritum), which are found all over the world. These barnacles look like that all the time, and were not created by nuclear radiation.
I cannot trace the source of the headless moose / deer video (yet), but I managed to get a higher resolution video that runs longer.
If you look closely at the video, you can see that its ears. The headless moose / deer actually has a head. It is simply looking away from the camera, which makes it appear like it is headless.
Perhaps the moose or deer was looking for a potential predator in that direction. Needless to say – a headless moose or deer was never found at Chernobyl, or anywhere else in the world.
Fact #4 : That Was A Horsehair Worm!
The mysterious tangle is not a mutant creature or plant that was created by nuclear contamination.
It has been identified by multiple experts, including University of New Mexico parasitologist Ben Hanelt, as a horsehair worm – a nematode-like parasite from the phylum Nematomorpha.
Also known as Gordian worms, these parasites pose no danger to humans, as they target insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and cockroaches.
The viral video was recorded by Huang Meilan in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on 29 August 2017. It shows a single horsehair worm which appears to be tangled in plastic mesh or plant material.
Needless to say, it has nothing to do with Chernobyl or nuclear contamination.
Fact #5 : Chernobyl Is Not Comparable To Fukushima
Now, I should also point out that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is not comparable at all to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. You can read a detailed study about this, but here is a quick summary:
Chernobyl dispersed 10X more radioactive elements (radionuclides) than Fukushima.
Even then, over 80% of released radionuclides in Fukushima were blown offshore into the Pacific Ocean.
Environmental impact of Chernobyl is much greater than that of Fukushima.
Highly contaminated area around Fukushima is much smaller than Chernobyl.
In contrast with Chernobyl, no one died from acute radiation in Fukushima.
A 2011 study confirmed that animals living near Chernobyl have 20X more genetic mutations than normal. However, these mutations are not turning those animals into completely new species.
If such long-term exposure to nuclear radiation have not made those animals glow in the dark, or give them extra limbs, or change them into new species, it is unlikely that the far less impactful Fukushima nuclear disaster will create any new animal species.
Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release
Japan isn’t going to just release the radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.
The ALPS uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water, leaving only tritium and carbon-14. Tritium and carbon-14 are radioactive forms of hydrogen and carbon, which makes them difficult to separate from water.
The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean. The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.
I should also point out that the level of tritium in the treated waste water is many times LOWER than the waste water released in other nuclear power plants, including the Qinshan NPP in China.
Fact #7 : Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Happened In 1986
The fake video claimed that these mutant creatures were seen in 1986 – 3 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. That would not be possible as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in April 1986.
Fact #8 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Are Japanese airports now empty after Chinese tourists boycotted Japan over the release of the radioactive Fukushima waste water?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Japanese Airports Now Empty After Chinese Boycott!
People are sharing a TikTok video which claims that Japanese airports are now empty after Chinese tourists boycott Japan over the release of the radioactive Fukushima waste water!
Chinese tourists start boycotting Japan and Japanese international airport is so empty. 80% tax free stores are shutting down and hundreds employees are losing jobs. Also planned flights are cancelled because of not enough travellers to make airplane take off.
Japanese airports losing Chinese tourists How desolate is it? It feels like it’s really getting “cold”! Flights are almost always late! There is no huge purchasing power of the Chinese people For Japan’s airports and tourism industry It’s basically equivalent to a devastating blow 80% of shops in the airport have been closed Even go bankrupt Only a few stores are left to hold on. Japan’s largest duty-free shop facing the Chinese has closed down In the past, all the shops in Japanese airports basically spoke Chinese. Moreover, it is overcrowded and even the checkout line has to wait for half an hour. Now I can’t even see a ghost Not a single passenger said anything You can’t even see the staff One of the busiest airports in the world It’s basically cold in Japanese airports now When I took this video This should be the busiest time However, I became the only customer in the whole place My friend used to work at a Japanese airport All are now unemployed Japan is not opening up the country Estimate Japan’s tourism industry And the aviation industry is really going to die.
Japanese Airports Are Not Empty + There’s No Chinese Boycott!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No Evidence Japanese Airports Are Empty
First, let me just point out that the viral video does not actually show any evidence that Japanese airports are now empty because Chinese tourists boycotted Japan over the release of the Fukushima treated waste water.
There are many videos showing empty Japanese airports like Narita and Haneda during the COVID-19 pandemic. The viral TikTok video could easily be a mishmash of those videos.
Unfortunately, the TikTok video creator covered up the video with text too much for me to trace the original videos. But it looks like a compilation of different videos.
Fact #2 : Chinese Account For 10% Of Travellers To Japan
Even if there is an unofficial Chinese travel boycott to Japan, it wouldn’t make Japanese airports empty, or force shops to close.
While that makes Chinese tourists the second largest group of foreign tourists to Japan, a complete boycott wouldn’t make Japanese airports look like a ghost town, or force their shops to close down.
Fact #3 : At Least Part Of Video Was Recorded On 12 October
Although the TikTok video creator tried to mask any identifiable features in the video, he/she let something slip.
If you look closely at the date on the flight information display that showed flight cancellations, the date was 12 October.
The year is not listed, but it is only 6 September 2023 today, and the Fukushima-Daiichi NPS only started to release its waste water on 24 August 2023.
Unless the TikTok video creator has a time machine, he/she used at least one video recorded on 12 October from past years. It may not even be as recent as the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
For example, many airlines cancelled flights in or out of Japan from 11-13 October 2019, when Super Typhoon Hagibis hit Japan.
Fact #4 : Subtitles Suggest Video Was Before Japan Reopened Borders
On the other hand, the final three Chinese subtitles in the video suggest that the video was recorded before Japan reopened its borders on 11 October 2022.
Japan is not opening up the country Estimate Japan’s tourism industry And the aviation industry is really going to die.
日本在不开国 估计日本的旅游业 和航空业真的要完蛋
Fact #5 : No Evidence Of Chinese Travel Boycott
In any case, there is no evidence of any Chinese travel boycott, whether official or unofficial. Many airlines are still flying people from China to Japan.
I checked to see how many flights there are from Chinese cities to a single airport from 11 September to 17 September 2023.
Instead of seeing a dearth of flights since there is a Chinese boycott, I counted no less than 158 flights from Chinese cities to Narita International Airport over 1 week!
That’s an average of 22.5 flights per day from China to Narita International Airport. And that’s just one airport in Japan. What boycott???
Fact #6 : Many Narita Airport Shops Do Not Open 24/7
The viral TikTok video appears to show that the Dior and LEGO stores are shuttered and closed at the Narita International Airport. But did they really close down as the video claims?
The truth is – not all shops inside the Narita or Haneda airports open 24/7. Dior at Narita Airport, for example, opens from 7:30 AM until 9 PM daily. The LEGO Store at Narita Airport only opens from from 9 AM until 7 PM.
If you land late at night, you will be able to record a similar video showing both shops closed. Does that mean that they shut down because of a Chinese boycott? Obviously, not.
Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Do Chinese nuclear power stations really release 10X more tritium than the Fukushima-Daiichi NPS?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Chinese Nuclear Plants Release 10X More Tritium Than Fukushima!
People are sharing articles claiming that Chinese nuclear power stations actually release 10X more tritium than the Fukushima-Daiichi NPS! Here are some excerpts:
The Japan Times : Tritium in Chinese nuclear wastewater above Fukushima levels
The amount of radioactive tritium in wastewater from Chinese nuclear plants, recorded at 13 of the nation’s monitoring points in 2021, surpassed the maximum allowable annual amount of the material contained in treated water set to be released from the Fukushima No. 1 plant, according to public data.
NHK World : 13 China plants released more tritium in 2021 than Fukushima annual total plan
Chinese statistics show that 13 nuclear power plants in China each released more radioactive tritium into the ocean in 2021 than the planned amount to be released from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in one year.
Chinese nuclear energy sector data show the Qinshan power plant in Zhejiang Province released 218 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2021. That is about ten times the maximum amount of tritium to be discharged from the Fukushima Daiichi plant in a year.
Kyodo News : Tritium at 13 China monitoring points above Fukushima water level
The amount of radioactive tritium in wastewater from Chinese nuclear plants, recorded at 13 of the nation’s monitoring points in 2021, surpassed the maximum allowable annual amount of the material contained in treated water set to be released from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, according to public data.
The Qinshan nuclear plant in the eastern Zhejiang Province discharged around 218 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2021, roughly 10 times the maximum annual release set for the Fukushima water at 22 trillion becquerels, according to the data from a yearbook on the Chinese nuclear power industry.
In addition, this infographic has gone viral on social media, showing how four Chinese nuclear power stations are discharging 4X to 6.5X more tritium than the Fukushima NPS.
Truth : Chinese Nuclear Plants Release MORE Tritium Than Fukushima!
This is a rare example of viral TRUE NEWS about the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : The Articles Are By Mainstream Media
First, let me just point out that many of those articles being shared are by Japanese mainstream media outlets.
While the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are promoting the perception that these Japanese media outlets are biased, they provided zero evidence to back up those claims.
Unlike your typical Twitter troll, or conspiracy websites; these are major media outlets that can be easily sued by the Chinese government if they posted misinformation. Yet, the Chinese government has done nothing. Why is that?
Fact #2 : Japan Previously Published Similar Data In March 2022
Interestingly, this data isn’t even new. The Japanese government, for example, published a summary of the annual tritium discharge of several nuclear power stations around the world on 31 March 2022.
In its summary, the Japanese government maintained that the target tritium level of the treated waste water to be discharged at Fukushima would not exceed 22 trillion Becquerels per year.
This level would be higher than what the Brunswick NPS in North Carolina, the United States, but lower than many other nuclear power stations in France, China, South Korea, and Canada.
In fact, Fukushima would release 10X less tritium than the Darlington NPS in Canada, and 1/500th of the tritium released annually by the La Hague reprocessing plant in France.
Fact #3 : Latest Data Was From China Nuclear Energy Yearbook 2022
The news report did not mention where the data came from, but after much digging, I found an 18 August 2023 IAEA circular (PDF download), which revealed the source:
[N]umerous operating nuclear facilities around the world, including nuclear reactors in the People’s Republic of China, discharge more tritium on an annual basis than the tritium contained in ALPS treated water from FDNPS.
For instance, the amount of tritium to be released annually from FDNPS is approximately 1/10 (one-tenth) of the amount of tritium released from Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in the People’s Republic of China.
The source of that information…. <drumroll please…> was the China Nuclear Energy Yearbook 2022.
Fact #4 : Data Is Backed By Official Chinese Report
Unfortunately, the China Nuclear Energy Yearbook 2022 does not appear to be available online. However, I was able to locate an official Chinese government report for the IAEA that was published in July 2017.
The report, titled The People’s Republic of China Fourth National Report for the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, can be downloaded here – PDF download.
The official Chinese report clearly shows that the Qinshan nuclear power plant discharged an average of 319 trillion Becquerels per year into the Hangzhou Bay.
That is about 14.5X higher than the amount of tritium the Japanese government is limiting for the discharge of treated waste water at Fukushima.
Qinshan NPP
Tritium
Discharge Limit
Tritium
Discharge *
2014
87.988 %
307.958 trillion Bq
2015
96.847 %
338.9645 trillion Bq
2016
88.589 %
310.0615 trillion Bq
* Calculated from the discharge in %, based on the annual tritium discharge limit of 3.5E+14 for heavy water reactors in China.
I was also able to locate a 2019 study (PDF download) conducted by Chinese scientists called “Analysis on the emission of tritium from Qinshan nuclear power base of china in recent ten years“.
Interestingly, this study showed ten years of data that showed how much the Qinshan power station was releasing, not only into the Hangzhou Bay water, but also into the air!
Qinshan NPP
Tritium In
Gaseous
Effluents
(trillion Bq)
Tritium In
Liquid
Effluents
(trillion Bq)
Total Tritium
Effluents
(trillion Bq)
2007
46.0629
84.220
130.2829
2008
56.564
93.381
149.945
2009
35.835
74.210
110.045
2010
40.387
76.010
116.397
2011
41.245
87.790
129.035
2012
39.636
87.690
127.326
2013
57.196
114.990
172.186
2014
84.799
137.560
222.359
2015
74.300
147.650
221.95
2016
117.900
179.200
297.100
Regardless of the source – official Chinese IAEA report, or the Chinese study, it is obvious that the Qinshan nuclear power plant releases many times more tritium into the sea and the air, than what Fukushima will release into the sea.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Claim : Singapore Found NEW Radioactive Food From Japan!
This message is being actively promoted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens on WhatsApp and social media:
Singapore said it found radioactive contamination in four samples of vegetables imported from Japan and has extended the ban to food from two more Japanese prefectures.
Singapore’s Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority said radioactive contamination was found in Mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley), Nanohana (rapeseed plant), Mizuna (Japanese mustard) and perilla leaf samples.”
More Countries Ban Import of Japanese Food – With more countries detecting radioactive contamination in food imported from Japan, efforts to prevent it spreading through the global food chain have gained a new urgency (Wall Street Journal, 8/24/2023)
Truth : Singapore Did Not Find NEW Radioactive Food From Japan!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created or promoted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : WSJ Podcast Is Genuine But Outdated
First, let me just confirm that the Wall Street Journal podcast and transcript is genuine, and was posted on 24 August 2023, at 6:42 PM (local time).
However, that was just an audio clip and transcript of an old WSJ article (now removed) that was originally posted on 25 March 2011 – more than 12 years ago!
Fact #2 : Podcast Was Released Same Day As Wastewater Release
It is unknown why the Wall Street Journal chose to publish this podcast and transcript from their old 2011 story, but it was released on the same day the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station started releasing its treated wastewater.
If there was any detection of radioactive food from Japan, it would have happened at least a day or two earlier, and would not have anything to do with the release of the treated wastewater from the Fukushima NPS.
On 3 September 2023, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) issued a public announcement (PDF download) to refute the Wall Street Journal podcast which claimed that it found new samples of radioactive vegetables fin Japan.
SFA stated that it had not found any new contaminated vegetables from Japan. Neither did the SGA ban any food products from any Japanese prefectures recently.
The SFA also stated that it monitors all food imports, and will take action if any food imports were found to be unsafe or unsuitable for consumption.
Clarification on circulating article/podcast regarding import of Japanese food products
In response to media queries regarding a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article/podcast titled “More Countries Ban Import of Japanese Food”, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has clarified that it has not found samples of contaminated vegetables from Japan or banned food products from any Japanese prefectures recently. The WSJ podcast has referred to a media release by the former Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in 2011. This has since been overtaken by events.
We wish to reiterate that SFA adopts a science-based approach towards assessing food safety risks. Food imported into Singapore is subjected to SFA’s surveillance and monitoring regime, which includes radiation surveillance and enforcement actions will be taken should any food imports be found to be unsafe or unsuitable for consumption.
Fact #4 : Singapore AVA Announcement Was From 2011
The announcement by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore was not posted in August 2023, but over 12 years ago – on 24 March 2011 (PDF download).
DETECTION OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS IN FOUR SAMPLES OF VEGETABLES FROM JAPAN – AVA SUSPENDS IMPORT OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FROM ADDITIONAL TWO PREFECTURES
Radioactive contaminants have been detected in four samples of vegetables from Japan. The contaminated samples were imported from the affected prefectures of Tochigi and Ibaraki, as well as Chiba and Ehime which are outside the affected areas. The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) will extend its suspension on the import of all fruits and vegetables to include Chiba and Ehime with immediate effect.
Issued by Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority On 24 Mar 2011
Fact #5 : Singapore Did Not Ban Japanese Food Imports
Despite the release of the Fukushima waste water, Singapore has not initiated any new import ban of food from Japan.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that there will be “no immediate ban on seafood from Japan” following the release of the treated Fukushima wastewater.
Fact #6 : Singapore Has Not Detected Radioactive Food From Japan
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that its surveillance of the safety of food from Japan has been satisfactory. It has not detected any radioactive contaminant in food imports from Japan since 2013.
In fact, Singapore lifted pre-export tests and Certificate of Origin requirements on approved food imports from the Fukushima prefecture on May 28, 2021.
Even so, the SFA continues to closely monitor food imports from Japan to ensure that they comply with Singapore’s food safety requirements.
Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the United States staying quiet about the release of Fukushima nuclear waste water because BlackRock is the largest shareholder of TEPCO?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : BlackRock Is The Largest TEPCO Shareholder!
This message is being actively promoted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens on WhatsApp and social media:
Who is behind the discharge of Fukushima NUCLEAR CONTAMINATED water?
In the war of aggression against China in the year 1900, it was not the Japanese government that first initiated the conflict with China, but a certain company. To put it bluntly, it was a Japanese company now renamed as ‘Tepco‘.
Many people may not know about Tepco, which is responsible for the discharge of nuclear sewage in Japan. Tepco is actually an “American company” like South Korea’s Samsung.
The largest shareholder of Tepco is BlackRock of Wall Street, and the second largest shareholder is also The pioneer of Wall Street, and Japan’s own Nomura Asset Management is only the third largest shareholder…
So can you understand why the Americans are silent in this incident? Because the affairs of Japan are the affairs of the United States. The decisions of the Japanese government and Japanese companies are the decisions of the United States.
The United States launches any form of “war” against China, whether it is a trade war, a technological war, a biological war or an environmental war… Japan They are all loyal lackeys and pawns.
The whole world is already at war.
US is using Japan in a proxy war by getting Japan to dump nuclear wastes near China and then ban all Jap seafood to make US absolutely safe from radiation.
Truth : BlackRock Is Not Even Top 10 TEPCO Shareholder!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created or promoted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No Japanese Company Attacked China In 1900
In the first paragraph, the viral message claimed that an unnamed Japanese company attacked China in a “war of aggression in the year 1900”. That appears to be utter nonsense.
The Qing dynasty and the Empire of Japan fought the First Sino-Japanese War from 1894 to 1895. It was only 42 years later that the Empire of Japan would attack the Republic of China.
However, there is no evidence that any Japanese company ever attacked China in the year 1900.
Fact #2 : TEPCO Was Never Renamed
The viral message also claimed that TEPCO was renamed from that unnamed Japanese company which attacked China in the year 1900.
TEPCO – the Tokyo Electric Power Company, was only established in 1951 when the Allied occupation forces privatised Japan’s electricity sector.
Since its establishment on May 1, 1951, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has never been renamed. So the claim in the viral message that TEPCO was renamed is false.
Fact #3 : Japanese Government Is Largest TEPCO Shareholder
The viral message also claimed that BlackRock is the largest shareholder of TEPCO. That’s not true.
The Japanese government is the largest and majority shareholder of TEPCO, with almost 55% ownership through the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation.
BlackRock isn’t even in the list of top 10 TEPCO shareholders (as of end of FY2021)! Take a look:
Top 10 TEPCO Shareholders
Equity Share
(%)
Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation
54.74
The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd.
6.28
Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd.
1.77
TEPCO Group Employees’
Stock Sharing Organization
1.50
Tokyo Metropolitan Government
1.20
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
1.01
STATE STREET BANK WEST CLIENT
– TREATY 505234
0.75
Nippon Life Insurance Company
0.74
JP MORGAN CHASE BANK 385781
0.56
JP JPMSE LUX RE BARCLAYS
CAPITAL SEC LTD EQ CO
0.55
TOTAL
69.12
Fact #4 : Second Largest Shareholder Is Not Pioneer Of Wall Street
The viral message claimed that the second largest shareholder of TEPCO stock is “The pioneer of Wall Street” but does not mention which American company it was referring to.
In any case, the second largest shareholder is The Master Trust Bank of Japan – a Japanese trust bank. Certainly not an American company.
Fact #5 : Fukushima Is Releasing Waste Water Off Japanese Coast
The viral message also claimed that Japan is dumping its nuclear wastes near China. That’s false.
TEPCO is actually releasing the treated waste water from its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station about 1 km off the coast of Japan.
Fukushima is also located on the east coast of Japan. Not is the waste water being released on the far side of Japan, it is being released AWAY from China.
The viral message also claimed that the United States banned Japanese seafood. That is also false.
In fact, the US FDA deactivated its Import Alert #99-33, which banned certain Japanese food products, in September 2021.
The US FDA has not reactivated that import ban. Neither has it ordered a new ban. That’s because it tested 51 samples for radionuclide contamination, and found no detectable levels of radioactive caesium.
Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is there a secret agreement between the EU and Japan to re-export contaminated seafood to other countries?! Here is what you need to know!
Claim : EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood!
People are sharing this message on WhatsApp and social media, claiming that there is a secret agreement between the EU and Japan to re-export contaminated seafood to other countries!
There is also a secret agreement between EU and the Japs for the EU to re-export the Jap contaminated sea products to other countries eg China, Asia, the Middle East, etc.
Above exposes that just before the Japanese discharges toxic nuclear wastes into the sea, the EU has decided to abolish the checking on imported (contaminated) Japanese seafood products! It’s clear that in the EU there is corruption and it’s also possible that they will secretly re-export the Japanese products to other countries! Thus China has also decided to suspend seafood imports from a number (12) of EU countries!
Thus, in order to ‘con’ the world, the EU simply re-labelled the Jap contaminated products as EU products and re-export them to other countries outside Europe!
It’s obvious that the Japs are paying EU regularly a considerable amount of bribes ( billions of Euros) for this service!
The greed of the whiteman & the evil Japs know no bounds. Do you want to gamble with the lives of your loved ones by consuming these radioactive products from Japan ❓Switch to local fresh fishes.
No Evidence EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : EU Lifted Final Fukushima Food Import Restrictions
This claim appears to be based on a 13 July 2023 decision by the European Union (EU) to lift its remaining restrictions on food imports from Japan after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The EU placed a strict maximum radioactivity level of 100 Bq/kg on food from Japan since June 2011, requiring pre-export testing of food products for radioactivity.
The EU only made this decision after finding that there was not even a single case of non-compliance over 12 years of monitoring food imports from Japan.
No non-compliances at the entry into the Union with those maximum radionuclide levels have been observed at import in the Union since June 2011, providing evidence that the control system put in place and the controls performed by the Japanese authorities are effective.
Let me repeat this – Japan has, not even once, exported any contaminated food items to the EU in the past 12 years.
Fact #2 : EU Progressively Reduced Fukushima Food Import Restrictions
It is also important to point out that the EU has reviewed its food import restrictions on Japan every two years, and has progressively lifted those restrictions .
In its last review on September 2021, the restrictions were only limited to wild mushrooms, some fish species, and wild edible plants from the prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi,, Gunma, Yamanashi, Yamagata, Iwata, Shizuoka, Ibaraki, Nagano, and Niigata.
In other words, the EU had been progressively lifting food import restrictions on Japan, and only lifted its remaining restrictions on 13 July 2023. It was not like they suddenly lifted all food restrictions on that day.
Fact #3 : China Did Not Suspend EU Seafood Imports
On 24 August 2023, China announced an immediate blanket ban on all seafood imports from Japan. However, the import ban does not affect non-seafood food imports from Japan like vegetables, fruits, or canned food.
There is no evidence that China suspended seafood imports from 12 EU countries over fears of radioactive seafood being re-exported from Japan.
Fact #4 : There Is No Evidence Of Any Secret EU + Japan Re-Export Plan
There is also no evidence at all that the European Union (EU) has any secret plan to re-export contaminated seafood from Japan to other countries.
Of course, you may be thinking – how would I know since this is a secret agreement? Well, where is the evidence there is such a secret agreement?
Did the viral message include any evidence of such an agreement between the EU and Japan? No. So why should YOU believe some random claim circulating on WhatsApp / social media, with zero evidence to back it up?
It is easy to claim that the EU is willing to help the Japanese re-export their contaminated seafood to other countries, but it’s really not logical.
For one thing – it is prohibitively expensive to export all those seafood to any European Union country, for re-export to China, Asia and the Middle East. It would also be quite impossible for EU countries to mask the Japan-native seafood species, and claim that they were caught in Europe!
Finally, such activities would be easily exposed by any importing country simply conducting radioactivity screening of imported food products.
Fact #5 : Japan Seafood Exports Are Only Worth €2.4 Billion
The claim that Japan is paying the EU billions of euros every year to re-export radioactive Japanese seafood is also not logical.
For one thing – the global export value of Japanese seafood in 2022 is only 387 billion yen, or about $2.6 billion / €2.4 billion.
Even if Japan exclusively exports ALL of its seafood to the EU to re-export to unsuspecting countries, it does not make financial sense to pay the EU a “bribe” of billions of euros to export only €2.4 billion worth of seafood!
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant caught releasing black radioactive water into the ocean?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Fukushima Released Black Radioactive Water Into Ocean!
A video showing black water being discharged into the ocean has gone viral, with people claiming that it shows nuclear waste being disposed into the Pacific Ocean by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
👆Footage of the release of the Fukushima nuclear waste water into the sea. Apparently more than 7,000 liters are to be discharged from 24/8 and through the next 17 days…. The Japs are evil, look at the blackness of the fluids discharged!!
The Truth About Viral Fukushima Black Radioactive Water Video!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral Video Was Not Edited
First, I should confirm that the viral video is genuine, and was not edited, or created by generative AI software.
For one thing – the viral video was recorded on June 25, 2020 – more than 3 years before the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started releasing its radioactive waste water on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Fact #3 : Viral Video Was Recorded In Mexico
On top of that, the viral video was not even recorded in Japan! It was recorded from the balcony of a hotel in the famous beach resort town of Acapulco in Mexico, just off the Icacos Beach.
If you look carefully at the video, you can see leisure boats, beach chairs and the hotel’s swimming pool. This was obviously NOT recorded at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which is filled with gigantic water tanks holding radioactive waste water.
The black water being discharged into the ocean was not radioactive water, but rather – smelly sewage!
Mexican state officials said that the high-pressure stream of raw sewage may have come from a broken sewer line, which potentially overflowed due to heavy rainfall in the last few days.
According to a witness, the filthy discharge lasted about 25 minutes, and was extremely smelly:
The constant outflow of black water lasted approximately 25 minutes, which came with a lot of pressure. They were very stinking waters, they made me nauseous.
Fact #5 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release
To be clear – TEPCO isn’t going to just release the radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.
The ALPS uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water, leaving only tritium and carbon-14. Tritium and carbon-14 are radioactive forms of hydrogen and carbon, which makes them difficult to separate from water.
The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean.
The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.
Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water To Be Released Over 30 Years
Most people are not aware that nuclear power plants around the world regularly release waste water containing higher tritium levels than the treated waste water from Fukushima.
Of course, TEPCO will be releasing A LOT MORE waste water than those power plants, having accumulated over 1.3 million tonnes over the last 12 years or so.
That’s why TEPCO will gradually release the treated Fukushima waste water into the Pacific Ocean over an extended period of 30 years.
According to molecular pathology expert Gerry Thomas, who worked with Japanese scientists on radiation research, and advised the IAEA on the Fukushima reports:
The water released will be a drop in the ocean, both in terms of volume and radioactivity. There is no evidence that these extremely low levels of radioisotopes have a detrimental health effect.
This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Here is what you need to know about the FDA import alert 99-33 on Japanese food over radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant!
Updated @ 2023-08-25 : Updated the article Originally posted @ 2023-03-21
Claim : FDA Issued Import Alert 99-33, Banning Japanese Food!
This message has gone viral on and off over the years, being shared again and again on WhatsApp, and social media. It’s long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a notice
A week ago, the US law came into force: 🎯 FDAIssued Alert No. 99-33, prohibiting the following 🅾️ Japanese food entering the US: 📎 Fresh milk, 📎 Butter, 📎Milk powder, 📎Baby milk powder, and others 📎Dairy products; 📎Vegetables, sweet potatoes, salt, and other products 📎Rice, 📎 Whole wheat; 📎Fish; 📎Meat and poultry; 📎Clams; 📎 sea urchin; 📎Citrus pomelo fruits; 📎 Apples, kiwis and other fruits.
❌The reason is radionuclide contamination. Japan finally admits that its inability to control Fukushima’s daily discharge of millions of tons of radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean has caused many people to suffer from cancer or Disease has seriously affected human beings and the ecological environment around the world. I can’t imagine it! ❌Don’t eat Japanese food. 💢In the coastal waters of the United States, it was found that the radioactivity value is getting higher and higher. Try not to go to Japan, preferably not. 💢The Australian government has stopped visa issuance for Japanese, 💢 The US also stopped Japanese immigration to the US. At present, the situation in Japan is more serious than we imagined. More than 70% of the entire Japanese territory is polluted. Japan’s radioactive material has flowed into the ocean, and the affected area of the ocean is getting wider and wider. It is more serious than imagined. The Japanese government is afraid of causing panic, and they will give up or lie to inform the surrounding people. Japanese seafood, mushrooms do not eat. After the last earthquake, radioactive material from the damaged Japanese nuclear power plant began to flow into the ocean or surrounding areas, and began to find ❌Deformed seafood and plants ❌ Mutated mushrooms ❌ mutated fish, ❌Varied seafood, Foods exposed to radioactive substances will be induced within 1-2 years after eating 🅾️Esophageal cancer 🅾️Lymphoma 🅾️ Leukemia, etc., especially for young children, pregnant women will have a greater impact. Neighboring countries have stopped seafood trade with Japan: It is prohibited to import 📎herring, 📎shells, 📎shiitake mushrooms from Japan. The fish caught in the waters near Japan had 380 times the radioactivity. From now on, never eat Japanese seafood or sashimi. Since the nuclear explosion of the tsunami in Japan, a survey of Chinese tourists to Japan who have traveled to Japan and eaten Japanese food many times shows that there are strange diseases of varying degrees, and they are on the rise! And Japan’s radioactive nuclear-contaminated local products are all supplied to foreign tourists! Japan eats food imported from other countries! Dear friends and compatriots For the health of your loved ones and the next generation, please share it in your WeChat space, and immediately boycott all nuclear-contaminated food in Japan. Do not buy! Remember!
The Truth About FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : FDA Issued Import Alert #99-33 In March 2011
On March 11, 2011, Japan was hit by a massive tsunami triggered by a 9-magnitude earthquake off its Pacific coast. The force of the tsunami greatly damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, contaminating the surrounding area with radioactive material.
The Government of Japan determined that certain food products in affected prefectures were therefore not fit for human consumption, due to the risk of contamination by the radioactive material. They banned those food products from sale within Japan, and for export.
The US FDA responded by issuing Import Alert #99-33 – “Detention Without Physical Examination of Products from Japan due to Radionuclide Contamination.”
This part of the viral post is true, but everything else is false.
Fact #2 : FDA Import Alert #99-33 Was Limited To Certain Prefectures
The FDA Import Alert #99-33 did not ban the import of all Japanese food products, as the viral post claimed.
It only targeted Japan’s own restrictions at the prefecture level, using Section 801(a)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act:
FDA-regulated products are subject to refusal and will be refused admission into the United States if the products appear to be forbidden or restricted for sale in the country in which they were produced or from which they were exported.
Fact #3 : FDA Cancelled Import Alert #99-33 In September 2021
On September 21, 2022, the US FDA deactivated (cancelled) Import Alert #99-33. Since then, there has been no ban on any food product from the five affected prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki.
Now, after an extensive analysis of Japan’s robust control measures that include decontamination, monitoring and enforcement; after reviewing the results of 10 years of sampling food products from Japan; and after determining a very low risk to American consumers from radioactive contaminated foods imported from Japan, FDA has decided that the IA is no longer necessary to protect public health and therefore should be deactivated.
Despite this cancellation of the import ban more than a year ago, the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) continues to spread this fake story on WhatsApp, as well as social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Fact #4 : Australia Did Not Stop Issuing Visa To Japanese Travellers
Australia never suspended visa issuance for Japanese travels over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.
Fact #5 : US Did Not Suspend Japanese Immigration
The United States never suspended immigration of Japanese citizens over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.
Fact #6 : Japan Did Not Supply Contaminated Food To Tourists
This claim has been repeatedly promoted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and is categorically false.
Japan did not reserve their contaminated food supply for consumption by tourists, while importing food for their own citizens. Neither did Chinese tourists to Japan suffer “strange diseases of varying degrees”.
Those are just lies created by the wumao to scare Chinese citizens into boycotting Japan and Japanese food products.
Fact #7 : Fukushima Radiation Only Affected A Small Area Of Japan
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident did not affect 70% of Japanese territory.
The Government of Japan established a 30 kilometre no-fly zone, and a 20 kilometre exclusion zone, around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Aerial survey of the radioactive caesium levels in May 2012 show that only a small part of Japan was affected.
Fact #8 : Harmful Radionuclides Were Removed From Wastewater
Both fresh water and seawater were used to cool down the melting nuclear fuel rods and spent fuel rods stored at the facility.
Measures were quickly taken to block the seepage of the contaminated wastewater into the sea and water table. For example, TEPCO poured a 60 cm-thick concrete wall covering 70,000 square meters of ocean seabed.
There were occasional accidental discharges of radioactive wastewater, but generally the radioactive wastewater was stored in massive storage tanks and treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS).
ALPS removed harmful radionuclides like caesium and strontium from the wastewater, leaving only tritium – a mildly radioactive and far less harmful hydrogen isotope.
Fact #9 : Decontaminated Wastewater Used To Keep Reactors Cooled
The water treatment system became fully-functional, together with water recycling systems on 3 July 2011.
The decontaminated wastewater thereafter is being 100% reused to keep the reactors cooler, so no additional volume of contaminated water would be generated.
Fact #10 : Excess Decontaminated Wastewater To Be Released
A large amount of treated wastewater remain at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, and on April 13, 2021, the Government of Japan announced that the treated wastewater would be released in 2023.
The US FDA says that the treated wastewater presents an “extremely low” health risk even if consumed, which is rather minimised because it’s being discharged into the vast ocean.
According to scientific experts from interagency advisory teams and FDA representatives to the US Advisory Team for Environment, Food and Health, the release of the treated wastewater will have “no effect on the safety of foods imported from Japan“.
In other words, the FDA considers food from Japan to be perfectly safe to import and consume, even after the treated wastewater is released into the ocean.
This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Hong Kong just ban all food imports from Japan, after the Fukushima nuclear plant started releasing radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Hong Kong Just Banned All Food From Japan!
People are sharing a video clip on TikTok and WhatsApp, claiming that Hong Kong just banned all food imports from Japan, after the Fukushima nuclear plant started releasing radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean!
The video just shows images of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, fishing boats, seafood, and Japanese food products, with this warning:
STOP BUYING ALL JAPANESE FOODS, Japan Starts Dumping its Nuclear Waste into Ocean on Thursday 24/8/23
HK has prohibited all Japanese Foods, including Vegetables, Fruits, Seaweed and Canned Food.
According to the Voice of the Greater Bay Area, the Japanese government announced that it will discharge Fukushima nuclear contaminated water enters sea
The Hong Kong SAR Government and the Macao SAR Government have decided from August 24, 2023, ban imports from Fukushima Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Shinju Prefecture, Nagano and Saitama Prefecture. A total of 10 prefectures including Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo
Truth : Hong Kong Did Not Ban All Food From Japan!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Hong Kong Did Not Ban All Food From Japan
Let me just start by pointing out that Hong Kong did not ban ALL food imports from Japan.
It would be illogical to do that since the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant only goes into the Pacific Ocean, and does not affect land produce, for example.
Fact #2 : Hong Kong Only Banned Some Seafood From Japan
On 22 August 2023, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee ordered Environment Secretary Tse Chin-wan and relevant departments to immediately activate import controls on some seafood from Japan.
Environment Secretary Tse Chin-wan then announced an indefinite ban on some seafood imports starting on Thursday, 24 August 2023 – when the Fukushima nuclear power plant is expected to begin releasing its treated waste water.
Fact #3 : Macau Banned Live + Fresh Food
In tandem with Hong Kong, Macau also ordered an import ban on food from Japan. But instead of banning just seafood, Macau is banning live and fresh food products, food products of animal origin, sea salt and seaweed.
While this appears to be more wide-ranging than the seafood-only ban by Hong Kong, it only covers “live and fresh” food products, and does not appear to cover dried foods or canned food products.
Fact #4 : Only 10 Prefectures Are Affected
In addition, the limited food import ban by Hong Kong and Macau only affects 10 prefectures in Japan:
Tokyo,
Fukushima,
Chiba,
Gunma,
Tochigi,
Ibaraki,
Miyagi,
Niigata,
Nagano, and
Saitama
All forms of seafood from these ten prefectures will be banned from being imported into Hong Kong, regardless of whether they are frozen, chilled, or dried. It does not include vegetables, fruits, or canned food.
When it comes to Macau, only live and fresh food products from these ten prefectures will be banned from being imported.
Fact #5 : Even China Only Banned Seafood From Japan
Just in case you think that it was China that banned all food imports from Japan, that is also untrue.
On 24 August 2023, China announced an immediate blanket ban on all seafood imports from Japan.
While the Chinese ban is much wider – covering the entirety of Japan, it is still limited to seafood, and does not affect non-seafood food imports from Japan.
Just like the Hong Kong ban, the Chinese ban does not include vegetables, fruits, or canned food.
Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release
To be clear – TEPCO isn’t going to just release radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.
The ALPS uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water, leaving only tritium and carbon-14. Tritium and carbon-14 are radioactive forms of hydrogen and carbon, which makes them difficult to separate from water.
The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean.
The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was Joe Biden confused and stuttering in a viral MSNBC interview with Nicolle Wallace?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Was Confused + Stuttering In Viral Interview!
People are sharing a video of US President Joe Biden looking and sounding confused during an MSNBC interview. It has gone viral in MAGA groups, and is being promoted by pro-Russian and pro-CCP groups, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) .
OMG! President Of The United States? 🤦🏻♂️🫣🤣🤣
What’s wrong with him? What’s he rumbling about? 🤔😥🤦🏻♂️
Truth : Joe Biden Was Not Confused / Stuttering In Viral Interview!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about Joe Biden, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Joe Biden Interview Aired On June 30, 2023
First, let me just point out that Nicolle Wallace from MSNBC interviewed Joe Biden in the viral interview on June 30, 2023. You can watch the full MSNBC interview here.
During that interview, Nicolle Wallace asked President Biden about the US Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action, as well as his administration’s foreign policy and other plans.
Fact #2 : Viral Video Was Fabricated
While the MSNBC interview did occur, the viral Joe Biden interview that has been circulating in MAGA, pro-CCP and pro-Russian groups is a complete fabrication.
President Joe Biden never spoke like that in the MSNBC interview. The original MSNBC interview proves that beyond doubt.
Fact #3 : Viral Video Was Likely A Deep Fake Video
The viral video appears to have modified using AI deep fake technology to change how and what Joe Biden said in the viral video. It does not appear to be done by editing and splicing parts of the interview.
For one thing, some of the words he said in the viral video do not appear in the original video. The background in the viral video also appear consistent even when Joe Biden was stuttering in the viral video.
All that suggest that AI deep fake technology was used to change what Joe Biden said in the viral interview video, and how he said it.
If President Joe Biden really looked and sounded confused, or stuttered repeatedly during the MSNBC interview, it would have been international news, not just limited to the United States.
All of the mainstream media would have covered it. Even if they didn’t, you can count on right-wing news outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, or One America News Network, to cover his confusion and stuttering 24/7.
Yet, not a single mainstream media outlet reported on this major embarrassment for President Joe Biden? That’s because it never happened.
Fact #5 : This Is Just Fake News About Joe Biden
This is just ultimately just another example of political fake news to smear Joe Biden, and here are other examples:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Germany just publicly accuse the US of blowing up Nord Stream 2 at the United Nations?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-08-05 : Updated with a new YouTube channel. Originally posted @ 2023-05-01
Claim : Germany Accuses US Of Blowing Up Nord Stream 2!
People are sharing a YouTube video which shows the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, publicly accusing the US of blowing up Nord Stream 2 at the United Nations!
Fierce and powerful recent speech of German Chancellor on Americans blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline, the aggressive using of Ukraine to start a war against Russia . ‘ We are the baddies’
BREAKING NEWS!!! Germany Accuses US Of Blowing Up Nord Stream 2. Bravo – finally 👍👏
How To Be A Hypocrite Show How The Actions Of The West Divides The World Instead Of Bring It Together
Truth : Germany Did Not Accuse US Of Blowing Up Nord Stream 2!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by pro-Russia activists, and promoted / shared by pro-Russian vatniks, the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Olaf Scholz Was Denouncing Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine
I traced the video to a speech German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave at the United Nations General Assembly’s 77th session on 20 September 2022
In the original, unedited video, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not accuse the US of blowing up the Nord Stream 2 pipelines. Instead, he denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
There is no justification whatsoever for Russia’s war of occupation against Ukraine. President Putin is waging this war with one single objective: to seize Ukraine. Self-determination, political independence do not count for him.
And there’s only one word for this – this is imperialism, plain and simple. The return of imperialism is not only a disaster for Europe, but also a disaster for our global peaceful order.
If we want this war to end, then we cannot be indifferent to how it ends. Putin will only give up his war and his imperialist ambitions if he realizes that he cannot wi.
This is why we will not accept a peace dictated by Russia. This is why we will not accept any pretentious referenda. And this is why Ukraine must be able to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.
Fact #2 : It Features A Fake “Satire” Voice-Over
The video is real, but the original audio was replaced by a fake male “satire” voice-over. The original, unedited video features a female interpreter, which you can view below.
The fake video creator actually mentioned this in the video’s title, but intentionally made the extra long to reduce visibility of that disclaimer. The fake news creator also mentioned the use of a fake voice-over in the description:
BREAKING NEWS!!! Germany Accuses US Of Blowing Up Nord Stream 2. (Satire Interpreter Voice)
How To Be A Hypocrite Show How The Actions Of The West Divides The World Instead Of Bring It Together. Satire Interpreter Voice To Show What The Rest Of The World World Prefer.
This goes to show just how many people don’t bother to even read the title. Of course, when it comes to pro-Russia and pro-CCP netizens, who cares? If it is anti-America, it must be true.
Fact #3 : It Was Posted By A New “Parody” YouTube Account
The viral video was posted by a new YouTube account created on March 15, 2023.
So far, this YouTube channel – AlienJacket, posted six anti-Western videos – five of which are fake “parody” videos.
The only non-parody video is of Zambian politician Fred M’membe criticising the United States at China’s recent “democracy forum” – the the Second International Forum on Democracy.
Despite being reported as misinformation, YouTube allowed the video to chalk up over 103,000 views over 3 months… and counting.
Fact #4 : It Was Reposted By MVO Channel
Perhaps impressed by how many views the fake video that AlienJacket created drew, a new YouTube channel called MVO Channel reposted the video in May 2023.
Again, YouTube left the video untouched, despite being reported as misinformation…
Fact #5 : Unknown Who Destroyed Nord Stream 2 Pipelines
It is currently unknown who destroyed the Nord Stream 2 pipelines. As far as plausible reasons go, many countries had plausible reasons to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines:
US : To prevent allies in Europe from being held hostage by their reliance on cheap Russian gas.
UK : To encourage allies in Europe to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
Russia : To stop supplying Europe without breaking its gas supply contracts, and/or to divide Europe.
Ukraine : To unite Europe against Russia.
While motive is important, it is not evidence that a country has committed the crime. There has to be actual evidence that the US / UK / Russia / Ukraine did it.
Regardless of what armchair experts may claim, there is simply no conclusive evidence YET that any of those countries are responsible for the destruction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Donald Trump just praise China in his 2024 presidential campaign speech?! Find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Donald Trump Praised China In 2024 Campaign Speech!
Pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are sharing this message on WhatsApp and social media, which claims that Donald Trump just praised China in his 2024 presidential campaign speech.
It’s very long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
😂😂😂 Trump put it well as a political speech. He may win the presidency election in 2024, knowing America have many crazy people, especially Republicans in middle of USA!
Trump delivered his next presidential midterm election speech yesterday, which is worth watching by every Chinese!
Trump’s presidential campaign speech yesterday was as follows:
What have we gained from America’s 20-year push for democracy around the world? Over the past two decades, we have vigorously promoted democracy as an international policeman and a democracy fighter. With guns and dollars, we Americans have taken down Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Gaddafi in Libya, Syria, Egypt, Ukraine, Turkey, and Greece in 20 years.
Ask what we Americans got. Our businessmen dare not go to the Middle East and Africa to do business, they dare not fly the national flag in the Brazil Olympics, and as long as they admit that they are Americans in the oil-producing regions of the Middle East, it is a direct act of death. Offended Putin, offended the EU, offended China.
The United States controls high technology, and we can’t do China in international trade. We have to abandon the WTO to engage in TPP. Look at what China has achieved in the past 20 years. Not only did they take away our No. 1 spot in the WTO, they also bought 80 percent of the world’s steel, 40 percent of oil and gas, 70 percent of soybeans, and 80 percent of copper. And gold, bought Ukrainian aircraft carriers, Israeli missiles, German machine tools and French wine. It’s all fucking bought in dollars.
They bought our food, sold us spicy strips and instant noodles, bought our steel, sold us bikini panties. Bought our oil, sold us toys. This is not the main thing. China now uses the US dollar as a guarantee for the internationalization of the renminbi. Even if the renminbi is worthless, it can be exchanged for US dollars immediately. Everyone knows that they have a lot of US dollars, more than us.
Damn, Africa was taken away by them, and that’s what happened to us. I absolutely don’t support Obama’s TPP, I want to make Democratic Obama and Hillary the biggest idiots in American history. I am your next president, please support me, we will be honorable and independent, whoever has the money will do business with whom, and we will live a good life.
In the past 20 years, the suicide rate in rural China has dropped by 90%, the illiteracy rate has dropped to less than 10%, life expectancy has increased by more than 10 years, private cars have never been in traffic jams nationwide, high-speed rail accounts for 70% of the world, and soon 500,000 people All cities have high-speed rail links, and highways are connected to more than 2,000 counties.
The longest bridge in the world, the tallest bridge, the most difficult bridge, and the Chinese people don’t take it seriously. The Chinese people are rich in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. New York, which is about to catch up with ours, is going to get divorced and scrambled. Chinese people are anxious about which country they don’t travel to.
If the Chinese don’t buy it, the world’s iron ore and oil will plummet. What’s even more annoying is that basically no terrorist activities dare to carry out in China. … America has become a hopeless country living on a huge dollar bubble… Vote for me, only I can save this bad America!
Even the President of the United States sees China this way, why do we not love our motherland? Chinese people, unite, fight for the rejuvenation of China, and build the Great Wall of Steel for the motherland!
Forward it to your friends – Chinese people must forward it! Thank you Trump for advertising us in the world for free.
Truth : Donald Trump Praised China In 2024 Campaign Speech!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Message First Appeared In Jan. 2022
This viral message does not appear to be new. The first example appeared in a Singapore forum on 19 January 2022, and appears to be a copy and paste of a WhatsApp / social media post.
The message then went viral in August 2023, after the website inf.news reposted it verbatim, with the title Look what Trump thinks of China.
Fact #2 : Trump Only Announced 2024 Presidential Bid In Nov 2022
It is impossible for that speech to be Trump’s presidential campaign speech in January 2022, when Donald Trump only announced his 2024 presidential campaign on 16 November 2022 – 9 months later.
Fact #3 : That Was Not A Donald Trump Speech
Anyone who has ever seen Donald Trump speak would immediately know that he never speaks like that in any speech. Even without looking up the speech online, it is already obvious that the viral Donald Trump speech praising China is fake.
But a quick check online confirmed that that speech was never written or uttered by Donald Trump, whether in 2022, or in 2023.
There is a lot of odd phrasing in the fake Donald Trump speech that suggest that it was really written by a Chinese native, and not a Chinese person who grew up in the US, Singapore, or even Malaysia.
I am your next president, please support me, we will be honorable and independent, whoever has the money will do business with whom, and we will live a good life.
The Chinese people are rich in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. New York, which is about to catch up with ours, is going to get divorced and scrambled.
What’s even more annoying is that basically no terrorist activities dare to carry out in China.
Fact #5 : Donald Trump Would Never Call America Bad
Regardless of what we may think of Donald Trump, he would never call America bad. He is, after all, running to be US President again!
Vote for me, only I can save this bad America!
It would be incredibly stupid to call America bad. In fact, it would have been a political scandal, with his Republican rivals and the Democrats criticising him for being unpatriotic.
Fact #6 : Donald Trump Started Trade War With China
It is also rather absurd to claim that Donald Trump would praise China, when he was the one who initiated a trade war with China.
As US President, Donald Trump ordered the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate Chinese economic practices in August 2017.
When the USTR report was released in March 2018, Trump ordered the imposition of tariffs on Chinese products, filed a WTO case against China, and imposed restrictions on Chinese investments in US high-tech sectors.
All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false… in every instance. So please watch out for such false claims. Here are other recent examples:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Ukrainian tourists attack a Russian woman with a Putin tattoo, only to end up getting beaten up instead?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ukrainians Attacked Russian Woman With Putin Tattoo!
Pro-Russian propagandists and supporters (vatniks) are promoting a video that claims to show Ukrainian tourists attacking a Russian woman because she had a tattoo of Vladimir Putin, only to get beaten up instead!
❗️A group of Ukrainian tourists attacked a Russian woman holidaying on a Turkish beach who had a tattoo of Vladimir Putin.
😂Unfortunately for the Ukrainians – the Russian woman was a master in combat sambo.
The video, which is about 1 minute and 45 seconds long, is also being shared by pro-CCP netizens, and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) on WhatsApp and Western social media platforms.
Claim : Ukrainians Did Not Attack Russian Woman With Putin Tattoo!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created to diminish support for Ukraine’s fight to defend itself against Russian aggression, and here are there reasons why..
Fact #1 : The Video Was Originally Released On Telegram
First, let me start by pointing out that the original video was released by the Telegram account @BadShofer at 8:40 PM on 25 July 2023.
Fact #2 : The Video Was Recorded In Vladivostok
The video was not recorded in a beach in Turkey, as the viral message claimed. According to @BadShofer, the video was recorded in Vladivostok (Владивосток).
Vladivostok is a Russian city located near China and North Korea, and where the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet is located. Needless to say – you won’t find Ukrainian tourists in Vladivostok!
Fact #3 : The Video Was Edited
The original video was only 53 seconds long. The viral video is much longer, but actually stops playing after 53 seconds.
The original video also had a much taller 9:16 aspect ratio. The viral video was edited to crop out the watermark at the bottom, which makes it look more squarish. This was probably done to make it more difficult for fact checkers to trace the provenance of the video.
You can watch the original clip posted by @BadShofer below, with the watermark intact.
Just in case @BadShofer may be lying / mistaken, I took a closer look at the table umbrellas sponsored by Amstel, which have these Russian words printed on them:
C УВАЖЕНИЕМ К ДРУЖБЕ И [unreadable] С 1870 ГОДА
WITH RESPECT FOR FRIENDSHIP AND [unreadable]
SINCE 1870
A red Wall’s umbrella can also be seen with this Russian word:
МОРОЖеНОЕ!
ICE-CREAM!
They help to confirm that the location of this incident was not in Turkey, but in Russia.
Fact #5 : No Evidence Woman Had Putin Tattoo
The video itself shows no evidence that the woman had any Vladimir Putin tattoo. The only thing we can be certain of is that she has tattoos on both arms.
Since the incident occurred in Russia, if the lady was really attacked for having a Vladimir Putin tattoo, that must mean he’s really not very popular in Russia these days!
Regardless of the reason for this fight, it seems certain that no Ukrainian tourists were involved! It appears to be nothing more than a couple of Russian holidayers fighting with each other.
Ultimately, the viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. However, it is being shared and promoted by Chinese netizens, and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russian missiles hit British ships that exploded and destroyed the port of Odessa in Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Russian Missiles Destroyed Port Of Odessa In Ukraine!
Pro-Russian propagandists and supporters (vatniks) are promoting a video that claims to show Russian missiles hitting two British ships carrying explosives, trigging a massive explosion that destroyed the port of Odessa in Ukraine!
BULLSEYE ! 🎯.
The port of Odessa, Ukraine, was hit by four Russian missiles that hit two British cargo ships that were just below the ground, triggering a massive EXPLOSION.
Great shot. Brits ships carrying high explosives to Ukraine . . mischief tsk tsk ! 🤔🤨😱
The video, which is about 1 minute and 55 seconds long, is also being shared by Chinese netizens in the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) in WhatsApp and Western social media platforms.
Truth : Russian Missiles Did Not Destroy Odessa Or British Ships!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Those Videos Are Over 3 Years Old!
First, let me start by pointing out that this incident did not occur in 2023. The videos were actually recorded at approximately 6 PM on Tuesday, 4 August 2020.
The explosions not only occurred 18 months before Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, they occurred almost 3 years ago!
Fact #2 : The Explosions Occurred In Beirut, Not Odessa
The massive explosions in the viral video did not occur in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, but literally – a thousand miles away, at the port city of Beirut, Lebanon.
On 4 August 2020, a fire broke out in Warehouse 12 at the port of Beirut. Warehouse 12 contained 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, as well as fireworks.
About 20 minutes later, the first explosion at the warehouse sent a large cloud of smoke billowing into the evening sky, with bright firework flashes.
Then 35 seconds later, the fire triggered a much larger explosion with a massive shock wave that rocked Beirut, and was felt as far away as Israel and Cyprus – more than 240 kilometres away!
The force of the explosion was estimated to be around 500 to 1,100 tons of TNT, with the US Geological Survey measuring the event as equivalent to a 3.3 magnitude earthquake!
Even though many Western countries have provided Ukraine with billions in dollars worth of military equipment and other forms of aid, they are not being delivered with ships. That’s because Russia has blockaded Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea.
Even though ships were allowed to enter the port of Odessa under the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, they were only allowed to transport grain and other food products, and fertiliser.
Ships involved in this initiative were inspected to ensure they would not be carrying unauthorised cargo or people. So it is impossible for any British ship to transport high explosives to the Port of Odessa.
Fact #4 : UK Aid Are Delivered By Land + Air
The United Kingdom provides billions of dollars worth of military equipment, including high explosives and ammunition to Ukraine. However, none of them are being delivered through ships due to the Russian naval blockade, as mentioned above.
Instead, the military equipment and other aid are being delivered through at least three NATO countries adjoining Ukraine. To avoid accusations that NATO is directly involved in the Ukraine War, the equipment are transported or flown to the Ukrainian border.
After that, Ukrainians either transport the equipment over the border, or take possession of them at the border.
Ultimately, the viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. However, it is being shared and promoted by Chinese netizens, and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did an Asian lady shoot dead an American bully who assaulted her at a gas station?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Asian Lady Shot American Bully At Gas Station?!
People are sharing a video showing a man approaching a lady, and opening her car door before hitting her. She drives off a short distance, causing the man to drop two items on the floor. The man catches up with the car again, and opens the door, for the lady to shoot him several times.
Pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are sharing this video as evidence of racist Americans targeting Chinese people:
‘Wow… the Chinese in America are no longer taking trash from these American rogues. Good on her!!! l read every Asian American is buying arms to protect himself/herself from these racist gangsters and bullies.
Gun rights supporters are also sharing it as an example of how guns save lives:
Patrick Parsons :Thug attacks woman at a gas station. She shoots him. #SlugsForThugs RT if you believe GUNS SAVE LIVES!
Ironically, Stew Peters believes it was a white person fighting back against black people!
Truth : No Asian Lady Shot That Man At The Gas Station!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video
First, let me start by pointing out that this incident did not occur in 2023. The video was actually recorded on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, at the Exxon gas station near Honeygo Boulevard and White Marsh Mall in Baltimore, Maryland.
Fact #2 : This Was Not A Drug Deal Gone Bad
Some websites and people are claiming that the lady was a drug dealer who tried to sell drugs (weed / marijuana) to the man’s kids at the gas station, which was why the man confronted her.
That’s not true. The shooter was not attempting to sell drugs to anyone at the gas station.
Fact #3 : That Was Not A Lady
Now, this may surprise you, but that Asian lady in the video isn’t actually a lady. It was a man with long hair tied in a ponytail.
Some websites and people falsely claimed that it was the woman’s boyfriend in the car who fired the gun. That’s not true either. There was only one person in the car.
There is also no indication the shooter was Asian, or that racism had anything to do with the incident.
A witness to the shooting, Daijuan Jett, was 10 feet away when the shooting occurred. He explained that the incident started in the gas station store, while he was queuing up to buy a drink.
The shooter (A), who is actually a man (and not a white / Asian lady), cut in front of people queuing up, causing another man (B) to speak up and ask him to get to the back of the line.
He was trying to cut in front of everyone in the line, and the victim, which was shot at—he was telling the guy that was cutting in front of everyone to get behind everyone.
Jett said that A stepped out of the line after being confronted and returned to his car. B followed him to his car, to give A a piece of his mind. That was when things went sideways.
He opened the driver’s door and let the man know…the guy that was in the car, the suspect, he grabbed a gun and just fired about five or six shots.
Fact #5 : The Victim Was Shot Twice
The victim was shot twice in his upper body, and taken to the hospital. It is unknown how he fared after the shooting.
He also appeared to be the driver of the red car seen across the shooter’s car. His car was removed from the gas station at around 10:50 PM later that night.
Fact #6 : This Video Is Being Abused By Different Parties
This video is, unfortunately, being abused by different parties to drive narratives that are contrary to what actually happened.
Pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are using the video to promote the idea that Americans are racist and violent, while gun rights supporters are promoting it as evidence that guns save lives.
As you have seen – the truth is they were all lying / misrepresenting the video. Here are other examples you may have seen on WhatsApp or social media platforms recently:
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Does a viral video show a woman smashing hundreds of bottles of alcohol in lawless US?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Woman Smashed Bottles Of Alcohol In Lawless US!
Pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are sharing this video on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) and WhatsApp, as evidence of a lawless US.
The video shows a woman smashing hundreds of bottles of alcohol, allegedly in a Walmart store in the United States. It’s accompanied by messages like this:
‘Zero dollar shopping’ can only take away all you can grab. This one, just destroy everything on site.
No wonder Walmart will close 21 stores in 12 US states and Washington DC. Four Chicago stores are among the latest to join the list.
Truth : Woman Did Not Smash Bottles Of Alcohol In US!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by pro-CCP netizens, and promoted / shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and its supporters, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Video Was Edited
First, let me just point out that the viral video clip was edited, presumably to cast a different light on the story.
The video clip was cut short so you won’t see a security officer leading her away. It was also flipped in half the video to extend the video and make it look like the woman was doing more damage than she really was, and possibly to make it harder for people to locate the source of the video.
Fact #2 : Viral Video Was Recorded In 2020
The viral video isn’t new, even though the wumao and pro-CCP netizens are suggesting it just happened. The video was actually recorded at around 2:30 PM on Thursday, 25 November 2020.
Fact #3 : Viral Video Was Recorded In The United Kingdom
While the wumao and pro-CCP netizens are promoting the video as evidence of a lawless US (as opposed to the glorious security of CCP-controlled China), the viral video was not even recorded in the United States!
The incident also did not occur in a Walmart. The viral video was recorded at an Aldi store, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
While the wumao and pro-CCP netizens are promoting the video as evidence of rampant theft (because no one steals in CCP-controlled China?), the woman did not steal a thing!
The woman – 36 year-old Barbara Stange-Alvarez of Swingate, used her arm to sweep hundreds of bottles of alcohol off the shelves at Aldi the aisle containing bottles of alcohol, and started sweeping bottles off the shelves, before picking them up one by one to smash on the floor.
About 90 seconds into her smashing spree, she slipped and fell onto the broken glass, cutting her hand. A security officer from another store arrived and detained her until police arrived. They then took her to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, where she kicked a security guard in the shin and hurled racial insults at him.
Barbara was charged with criminal damage, racially-motivated common assault, and racially-aggravated public order offence. She was not charged with theft.
Fact #5 : The Woman Was Mentally Unwell
Stange-Alvarez later told the St. Albans Magistrates’ Court that she was “suffering from mental health issues” because she was unable to work during the pandemic. She also said she was not receiving the treatment she thought she should have.
On the day she smashed those bottles, she visited a local mental health clinic seeking help, but was unhappy with the response and “lost the plot”.
On 18 January 2022, Barbara Stange-Alvarez was given a 12-week sentence suspended for 18 months, and required to undergo mental health treatment and rehabilitation, as well as pay Aldi £5,000 in compensation, and court costs of £85.
Fact #6 : Walmart Closing 23 Stores Due To Poor Performance
The fake news creator copied the phrase “Walmart will close 21 stores in 12 states and DC. Four Chicago stores are among the latest to join the list.” from a Business Insider article, without actually reading it properly.
The article actually states that, in addition to those 12 retail stores, Walmart is also closing pick-up only stores in Illinois and Arkansas. That’s a total of 23 stores.
Theft at Walmart stores has always been an issue, as Walmart CEO Doug McMillion pointed out, but it does not mean the stores will close because of it:
Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been. Prices will be higher and/or stores will close.
Walmart has been quietly closing stores every year since 2019, because they were “underperforming” and had “poor financial performance”.
All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false… in every instance. So please watch out for such false claims. Here is just the latest dozen,.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Malaysian comedian Uncle Roger just got cancelled from Chinese social media platforms after making jokes about Xi Jinping and China!
Uncle Roger Cancelled In China After Xi Jinping Joke!
Uncle Roger just got cancelled from Chinese social media platforms after making jokes about Xi Jinping and China!
The Malaysian comedian, whose real name is Nigel Ng, said that his accounts on Bilibili and Weibo where he has 400,000 followers, were suspended due to a “violation of relevant laws and regulations“!
This crackdown by Chinese authorities came after he posted a video clip on Twitter and YouTube called “Uncle Roger about to get cancelled“.
In that video clip, which appears to be from an undated standup show, Uncle Roger cracked some jokes about China and Taiwan.
Uncle Roger : Are you from Boston?
Audience : Originally from Guangzhou.
Uncle Roger : Guangzhou, China. China, okay, China. Good country. Good country. Good country. Good country. Phew! We have to say that now, correct? All the phone listening. All the phone listening. This nephew got HUAWEI phone. They all listening.
Uncle Roger (tapping his phone) : All our phone tap into it. Long live President Xi. Long live President Xi. Phew! Uncle Roger social credit score going up. Nice.
Uncle Roger : Any niece and nephew from Taiwan?
[Audience woos]
Uncle Roger : Not a real… not a real country. I hope one day you rejoin the motherland. One China.
[Audience laughs]
Uncle Roger : No, don’t clap too hard. This not political show. No, don’t clap. Uncle Roger gonna get cancelled after tonight.
Uncle Roger (looking at audience member) : Nice. Go write good report for Uncle Roger, okay? Dear CCP, Uncle Roger good comrade. Good comrade. Don’t make him disappear, please.
Even though both Twitter and YouTube are not accessible in China, Chinese authorities apparently felt aggrieved enough to order the cancellation of Uncle Roger’s social media accounts in China.
— Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger) (@MrNigelNg) May 15, 2023
Uncle Roger Proves Chinese Cancel Culture + Rides Controversy!
Despite being cancelled on Chinese social media, and losing access to thousands of his fans, this appears to be a deliberate and incredibly smart move by Nigel Ng.
Chinese comedian Li Haoshi (who goes by the stage name, House), was just arrested and fined $2.1 million for making a joke about a Xi Jinping slogan. So Nigel Ng is well aware of the danger of criticising Xi Jinping and/or the CCP government.
Yet, he deliberately dropped the video clip on Twitter and YouTube right after the Li Haoshi controversy exploded, with the title “Uncle Roger about to get cancelled“. And the CCP government in China took his bait, and promptly cancelled him.
In one swoop, Nigel made his Uncle Roger character famous worldwide. His cancellation is now international news, exposing millions of people to his jokes and character. His 400,000 Weibo fans are now a drop in the bucket. His two video clips have now been viewed MILLIONS of times!
And thanks to his newfound fame and reach, Nigel Ng should see a huge boost in pre-order of the full video which is set to be released on June 4, 2023.
By taking Nigel’s bait, the CCP government just showed the world how it does not operate according to the rule of law. Rather, the CCP government under President Xi Jinping operates autocratically using the rule by law. Anyone who offends Xi Jinping or the CCP government in any way, will get the law thrown at them, whether it is right or not.
The controversy also highlighted the difference between CCP-controlled mainland China, and democratic Taiwan. Even though Uncle Roger in the clip called Taiwan “not a real country”, he was not cancelled in Taiwan because Taiwan not only allows free speech, it protects that right in its constitution.
Nigel Ng certainly isn’t losing any sleep over getting cancelled by the CCP government in China, because he now lives in the United Kingdom where free speech is also protected. In fact, he just doubled down by reposting the video on Twitter, with the message “for some reason this clip got a ton of views this past weekend. I wonder why” together with a pre-order link for his full video.
I should point out that this is not Nigel Ng’s first rodeo with Chinese nationalists.. In January 2021, he was severely criticised on Weibo for collaborating with Chinese-American YouTuber Mike Chen, who is well-known for his critical views of the CCP government.
Even though both did not mention politics during their vote, the social media backlash forced Nigel to apologise for the collaboration, even acknowledging that the video created a “bad social impact”. At that time, he removed all videos involving Mike Chen – which drew criticism that he was too weak.
However, it appears that Nigel Ng may have grown some cojones since then. Good for him!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US and UK governments create COVID-19 as part of a coronavirus bioweapon project since 1965?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : US + UK Created COVID-19 As Bioweapon!
People are sharing TikTok, YouTube and Rumble videos of David E. Martin at International COVID Summit III, explaining how the US and UK governments allegedly developed the coronavirus as a bioweapon since discovering it in 1965.
Some are sharing it as evidence that COVID-19 was created as a bioweapon, while pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are sharing it as evidence that the COVID-19 was created by the West, not China!
“This [covid] is an act of biological and chemical warfare perpetrated on the human race” Dr DavidMartin International Covid Summit, European Parliament:
COVID was First Isolated in 1965. Pfizer’s First Spike Protein Patent was filed in 1990. That’s Also When They Found Out That Vaccines For COVID Can’t Work. – Dr DavidMartin International COVID Summit III – European Parliament, Brussels 05.04.2023
Folks – listen to this to understand where covid came from.
Finally, we know the true culprit that created and caused the Covid-19 pandemic which killed millions, so who is the evil of the world today…..China or the USA?
No Evidence US + UK Created COVID-19 As Bio-Weapon!
This appears to be yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter, and here are the reasons why!
Fact #1 : It Was From International COVID Summit III
The viral video clip above is from the International COVID Summit III, which appears to be a private conference organised by COVID-19 conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination activists:
Held in the Anna Lindh room of the European Parliament, it was not an official EU or European Parliament event, and had only 5 MEPs attend as “co-hosting members” of the event.
David Martin said that the first coronavirus as a model of a pathogen was isolated in 1965. Well, I have no idea what he meant by “as a model of a pathogen”, but that’s wrong on several counts.
first coronavirus sample (IBV) was isolated in 1930s
second coronavirus sample (MHV) was isolated in 1947
third coronavirus sample (B814) was isolated in 1961
fourth coronavirus sample (229-E) was isolated in 1966
all four virus samples were determined to be from same group, and named “coronavirus” in 1967
The first known sample of a coronavirus was isolated and identified as a virus in 1933. That virus was called infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in 1936, but later renamed as Avian coronavirus.
The second sample of a coronavirus was discovered in 1947. At that time, it was also not known as a coronavirus, but called mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). It would later be renamed as Murine coronavirus.
In 1961, a sample was isolated from a British schoolboy who was suffering from the common cold. That sample, designated as B814, was later confirmed to be a novel (new) virus in 1965. However, it was not called a coronavirus in 1965 either.
In 1966, new samples of a different virus – designated 229-E, were collected from University of Chicago medical students suffering from the common cold. Even then, that virus was not known as a coronavirus.
Fact #3 : Coronavirus Was Identified + Named In 1967
In the video, David Martin appears to say that the “coronavirus was identified in 1965 as one of the first infectious, replicatable viral models that could be used to modify a series of to her experiences of human conditions“.
I have no idea what most of the word salad meant, including the word “replicatable”, but I can tell you that the coronavirus was only identified as a new group of viruses in 1967, not 1965.
Remember the four coronavirus samples that were collected earlier? They were new viruses, but were not known as coronavirus at that time. It was only in 1967 that an electron microscope analysis of those four different viral samples showed that all four viruses belong to the same group.
It was only in 1967, that June Almeida and David Terrell made that discovery, and called the new group of viruses “coronavirus”, based on the characteristic spikes on their surfaces that make them look like the sun’s corona.
Fact #4 : 1967 Experiment Did Not Involve Human Manipulation
In the video, David Martin appears to say that “in 1966, the very first CoV coronavirus model was used as a transatlantic biological experiment in human manipulation“.
He would later repeat this saying “in 1967 – the year I was born, we did the first human trials on inoculating people with modified coronavirus“.
He listed his source as the 1967 study called Effects of a “New” Human Respiratory Virus in Volunteers (PDF download). He may have mixed up his dates a little. In any case, his claim is wrong on multiple levels:
that was the fourth and most recent coronavirus sample – 229-E
the virus was not known to be a coronavirus at that time
the study did not involve human manipulation
What the British scientists did was give the 229-E virus to volunteers to determine :
if it causes colds, and
the serum neutralising antibody when infected with viruses of this type
There was no manipulation and no modification of the 229-E virus sample before it was given to volunteers.
Fact #5 : Biological Weapons Convention Only Began In 1975
In the video, David Martin appears to wonder, “Where were we when we actually allowed, in violation of biological and chemical weapons treaties? Where were we, as a human civilisation, when we thought it was an acceptable thing to do to take a pathogen from the United States and infect the world with it? Where was that conversation and what should have been that conversation in 1967? “.
Well, for one thing – the 1967 experiment happened long before the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) came into effect on 26 March 1975. There was no conversation to be had.
In addition, the BWC does not limit scientific experiments on viruses, so even if it had been in effect, the 1967 experiment on volunteers would not have breached its rules as it was not being developed as a bioweapon! Again, there was no conversation to be had.
Fact #6 : There Are Many Coronavirus Species
The coronavirus family consists of a multitude of different viruses, with completely different characteristics. Think of them as car models – they are all cars, but every model has a different look and different characteristics.
Hence, it is wrong to associate past coronaviruses with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Any genetic link has to be determined by its genetic code, not by when a virus was discovered!
By 2020, scientists have discovered at least 45 coronavirus species, which were classified into four different genera – Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus, Deltacoronavirus, and Gammacoronavirus.
SARS-CoV-2 is a Betacoronavirus that is most closely related to SARS-CoV-1 – the virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2002-2004. However, it was a novel (new) coronavirus when it was discovered, and was not derived / engineered / developed from SARS-CoV-1.
There is simply no evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 was developed as a bioweapon from the SARS-CoV-1, or any other coronavirus species.
What David Martin said at the International COVID Summit sounds startling, but if you analyse his word salad and sources carefully, you will realise that he has not actually offered any evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 was engineered in any way, much less developed as a bioweapon!
It is plausible that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was created in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and accidentally released in a leak of some sort, but that has never proven one way or another. It is just as plausible that it was brought into Wuhan by some yet-to-be-identified animal host.
There is currently no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 was engineered and released as a bioweapon.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did China create these amazing Indian robot dancers at the Shanghai Disneyland?!
Watch the viral clip for yourself, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : China Created Indian Robot Dancers At Shanghai Disneyland!
Here is the video that people are sharing on WhatsApp and social media platforms. It is often paired with a short explanation in English.
Watch this dance carefully. Dancing at Disneyland in Shanghai. These two are not human dancers, *But two robots made in China. *The duration of the dance h is only five minutes. But the waiting time to buy tickets to see this dance is 4 hours. Tickets to see this dance cost 499 yuan, which is equivalent to 75 dollars. Robots’ facial expressions are so perfect that it’s hard to distinguish them from real people.
They Are NOT Indian Robot Dancers At Shanghai Disneyland!
The agility and grace of these dancers are amazing, but they are NOT Indian robot dancers created by China for Shanghai Disneyland!
The less gullible would point out that it is something you would only expect from human Indian dancers, and they would be right.
Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video From 2017
While this video has only started circulating in April-May 2023, the original video was posted on YouTube in August 2017 – more than 5 years ago!
The original video is called “Vahana Alarippu: Bharatanatyam Dance | Best of Indian Classical Dance”, and is 23 seconds longer than the viral video, with a different audio track.
Fact #2 : Those Are Professional Indian Classical Dancers!
The two dancers are professional Indian classical dancers called Sophia Salingaros and Isha Parupudi.
It is unknown where this dance actually took place. The description did not mention a location. But it is more than certain that this dance did not occur at the Shanghai Disneyland!
Fact #3 : 499 Yuan Was Old Entry Price To Shanghai Disneyland
The fake story claimed that the ticket to watch this performance costs 499 Yuan – about US$73 / £55 / RM303. That would be ridiculously exorbitant for a single show.
In truth, that was the cost of an entry ticket to the Shanghai Disneyland when it first opened in February 2016.
Since 6 June 2018, it has been priced at 399 Yuan (off-peak), 575 Yuan (peak) and 665 Yuan (peak holiday).
In 23 June 2023, Shanghai Disneyland raised prices again, with a Regular ticket at 435 Yuan. Regular Plus ticket at 545 Yuan, Peak ticket at 659 Yuan, and Peak Plus ticket at 769 Yuan.
Fact #4 : Disneyland Does Not Charge Extra To Watch Certain Shows
Anyone who has been to Disneyland knows that the entry fee is pricey. That’s because it covers all rides and shows inside Disneyland.
You only need to pay for food and drinks, and arcade games. Or if you opt to purchase Disney Fastpasses (Fastpass, FastPass+, MaxPass) to bypass long queues at popular rides or shows.
Otherwise, all rides and shows are free to enjoy once you enter Disneyland.
Fact #5 : That Is The Third Fake Video Of Shanghai Disneyland Robot Dancers!
This is actually the third fake video of robot dancers at the Shanghai Disneyland. It’s absurd how people keep passing off videos of real dancers as robot dancers!
This one circulated earlier, claiming to be of a female robot dancer that handily beats all Japanese made-robots. In truth, the fake news creator took the video clip from the 2018 World Dance Sport Federation Championship in Lithuania…
Who Would Create Fake Story About Indian Robot Dancers?
With China’s aggressive foreign stance in recent years, it is not uncommon to see such fake stories and fake videos being created and shared.
Some believe it’s part of a concerted attempt to burnish China’s image overseas. Others believe the many fake stories are being created to drown out the negative coverage of China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative, and their aggressive moves in the South China Sea.
Whatever the reasons may be, it is our duty as global citizens to stop the proliferation of such fake stories.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
