Were Chinese missiles really found to be filled with water, instead of fuel?! Take a look at the astonishing claim, and find out if it’s even plausible!
Claim : Chinese Missiles Were Filled With Water!
Bloomberg recently published a story on the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF), suggesting that Chinese President Xi Jinping purged its leaders after missiles were found to be filled with water instead of fuel, and that missile silos had improperly functioning lids.
Here is an excerpt from the Bloomberg story (archive):
US intelligence indicates that President Xi Jinping’s sweeping military purge came after it emerged that widespread corruption undermined his efforts to modernize the armed forces and raised questions about China’s ability to fight a war, according to people familiar with the assessments.
The US assessments cited several examples of the impact of graft, including missiles filled with water instead of fuel and vast fields of missile silos in western China with lids that don’t function in a way that would allow the missiles to launch effectively, one of the people said.
The US assesses that corruption within the People’s Liberation Army has led to an erosion of confidence in its overall capabilities, particularly when it comes to the Rocket Force, and also set back some of Xi’s top modernization priorities, the people said. The graft probe has ensnared more than a dozen senior defense officials over the past six months, in what may be China’s largest crackdown on the country’s military in modern history.
AsiaTimes then published an article, calling claims that there were water in Chinese missiles “a fake story” (archive).
Water in Chinese missiles’ tanks is a fake story
The idea that water is substituted for fuel is preposterous: Corrosion-prone rockets are kept empty until needed
The story is technically naive when it comes to China’s missiles. China does not keep its liquid-fueled rockets filled with propellant. This means they are empty sitting in silos. If fuel was stored in a rocket booster the internal tanks and plumbing would soon be ruined by corrosion. The military fuels them if there are warning conditions requiring loading the missiles with fuel.
So did Bloomberg publish a fake story on Chinese missiles being filled with water, instead of fuel? Is that even plausible? Let’s find out…
Unless you are working in the upper echelons of the Chinese government or the PLARF, it is quite impossible to know the truth. However, here are the reasons why claims that Chinese missiles were found to be filled with water is plausible.
Fact #1 : PLARF Also Operates Cruise Missiles
First, I should point out that the Bloomberg story never identified what kinds of Chinese missiles were found to be filled with water, instead of fuel.
Most people jump to the conclusion that it must be referring to their ballistic missiles. But that is not necessarily the case.
The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force also operates over 300 cruise missiles like the Dongfeng 100 (DF-100), and Chang Jian 10 (CJ-10). Those missiles are mostly liquid-fuelled, being powered by jet engines that run on jet fuel.
The report doesn’t … specify what types of missiles are implicated. I’d note, for example, that the PLARF operates 300+ cruise missiles, which are mostly liquid-fueled.
– Masao Dahlgren, fellow at the Missile Defense Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Siphoning fuel is a common form of military corruption, and there is much less security over these cruise missiles. So it would be plausible for corrupt individuals to replace fuel in these cruise missiles with water.
Fact #2 : Liquid Fuelled Rockets Are Kept Empty
The AsiaTimes article is correct that liquid-fuelled rockets are generally kept empty, as liquid rocket fuel is both toxic and corrosive. Hence, these rockets are only fuelled when they are needed (for tests, exercises, or security alerts).
The Chinese Dongfeng 5 (DF-5) ICBM, for example, requires 30 to 60 minutes to fuel up, which is why it is due to be replaced by the solid-fuelled DF-41 rocket.
However, it is plausible that some of these rockets might have water left in their propellant tanks, after they were fuelled during tests or training exercises, and then defuelled and washed with water.
It is also plausible that water was found in the Post-Boost Vehicle (PBV) found on ballistic missiles with multiple warheads. The PBV uses onboard rocket motors to deliver multiple warheads onto different trajectories, allowing a single ballistic missile to hit multiple targets.
These rocket motors are almost always liquid fuelled. So it is plausible that some of these PBV rocket motors were found to contain water, instead of fuel. Such a scenario could be due to gross negligence, as @LIM49Spartan explained (archive) on X (formerly Twitter):
I’ve had some time to think about the Chinese “filled with water” claims; and I think I know what happened. Every modern ICBM has what’s called the “Post-Boost Vehicle”; which aims and releases the warheads following ICBM burnout.
Virtually all PBVs use some form of liquid hypergolic propellants — there are only a few exceptions, such as the USN’s Trident PBVs which use a series of solid propellant gas generators to avoid hypergolics on a submarine. (They also have much less delta V)
Finished PBVs have to pass a variety of quality checks before they’re released to the field. You’ve got to first check whether the entire system is leakproof, and then make sure that it can withstand launch vibrations.
I suspect that everyone tests their PBVs with non-toxic surrogate liquids for initial system pressure tests and when they’re placed on shake/rattle/roll tables to check if they’re leakproof under launch vibrations.
Otherwise, you find out there’s a problem with the PBV when the testing room is now on fire and full of toxic, corrosive and flammable materials. And to pass the shake testing, your surrogate has to approximate very closely the density/etc of flight materials.
I think what happened was that some PBVs finished their acceptance tests and through paperwork errors, were never actually drained, dried, and refilled with flight propellants.
They were in turn shipped to PLARF bases where they were weighed and found within acceptable flight mass + had the paperwork saying they were full of hypergols; and were accepted by the PLARF with no tests; b/c draining samples of hypergols is dangerous.
Said PBVs go on combat duty with the PLARF for six to seven years, before being downloaded for inspection as they’re now past the “warranty period”. They’re drained at this point by the PLARF and they find that they’re full of surrogate liquids, not actual hypergols.
As the amount of liquid propellants in these post-boost vehicles are relative small, and these PBVs are sealed inside the ballistic missiles, they are unlikely to be siphoned by corrupt PLARF officers.
However, it does not preclude corruption by high-level PLARF officers to cover up mistakes made by manufacturers, that may have been exposed by external audits on these missiles.
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Are Chinese students being harassed by US government, with some having their visas revoked and given a 5-year ban?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Chinese Students Are Being Harassed + Banned From US!
CCP supporters, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing and promoting a video, which claims that Chinese students trying to enter the United States are being harassed, with some having their visas revoked and given a 5-year ban!
Here is a transcript of what was said, or posted, in the viral video, which may be AI-generated:
Can China-US Student Exchanges Survive Geopolitics?
Chinese reporter : Do you think Chinese students are spies?
US Ambassador to China : Chinese students are welcome in the United States.
But the harsh reality endured by Chinese students is the opposite of welcoming.
The Chinese embassy in the US has exposed a story illustrating how US border control officials systematically harass Chinese students. Extensive checks on every electronic device.
A Yale PHD candidate recently endured an 8-hour interrogation as authorities probed his study connection with the Chinese government. Despite finding no evidence, they revoked his student visa anyway for five years.
And Canada is not better, as the Canadian Federal Court has stretched the definition of espionage out so far that, in its application, a Chinese student has been barred from entering Canada simply because his field of study is microfluids, a promising high-tech field in health.
If you are a Chinese student who studies abroad in a field of innovation, the sad fact is you risk being called a spy.
Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric that you are entering a “free society”. You are entering an anti-China society.
Truth : US Is Blocking Entry To Chinese Students With PLA Links
This appears to be yet another example of propaganda created or promoted by CCP supporters and/or the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Not All Chinese People Live In China
First, let me just point out that there are people of Chinese ethnicity all over the world, many in Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia; as well as Western countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
There are also millions of Chinese people living in the Republic of China – Taiwan, which is not governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that is controlling mainland China.
To be clear – the video is referring only to students from the People’s Republic of China, and not Chinese students from other countries.
Fact #2 : China Still Sends The Most Students To US
I should also point out that, even in 2023, students from China continue to be the largest group of foreign students pursuing education in the United States.
The US State Department granted more than 600,000 international student visas in the 2023 fiscal year, of which 289,526 visas were awarded to students from China (source).
In other words, the statistics belie the claim that the United States isn’t welcoming students from China. The vast majority of students from China do not have any issue entering the United States.
Fact #3 : It Was Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Complaint
Although the video claimed that the Chinese embassy in the US “exposed” the story, I cannot find any evidence of that. Instead, it appears that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin first spoke about it during a regular press conference in Beijing on Thursday, 4 January 2024.
That was later posted (archive) on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affair’s official page on X (formerly Twitter). The Chinese Embassy in US then shared the short statement, with a comment the next day – 5 January 2024 (archive):
The US’ interrogation, harassment and deportation of Chinese students goes against both its promise and the shared desire of Chinese and Americans to have more friendly exchanges. We hope the US can ensure the lawful rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars and take… https://t.co/biHxGGLxkw
Fact #4 : Presidential Proclamation 10043 Blocks PLA-Associated Students
What the viral video does not mention is that these few students were interrogated on entry, and then blocked or banned from entering the United States, because they were deemed to be associated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
On 29 May 2020, then President Donald Trump issued Presidential Proclamation 10043 (PDF), which prohibits students from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from obtaining F visas, or J visas, if they are associated with the People’s Liberation Army.
It was issued at that time because the US government determined that the PRC was using “some Chinese students, mostly post-graduate students and post-doctorate researchers, to operate as non-traditional collectors of intellectual property“, in particular those who “are or have been associated with the PLA“.
In September 2020, more than 1,000 Chinese students had their visas cancelled by Presidential Proclamation 10043. Regardless of the merits of this Presidential Proclamation, it is limited to a relatively small number of students from China, who have been determined to have some association with the PLA.
Fact #5 : Visas Can Be Revoked At Any Time
Even though these postgraduate students have a valid student visa, it can be revoked at any time, even upon entry into the United States, as stated in the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act:
After the issuance of a visa or other documentation to any alien, the consular officer or the Secretary of State may at any time, in his discretion, revoke such visa or other documentation. Notice of such revocation shall be communicated to the Attorney General, and such revocation shall invalidate the visa or other documentation from the date of issuance… There shall be no means of judicial review …
This isn’t a uniquely American law either. Other countries, including China, retain the right to revoke any visas they may have issued, at any time they wish.
Brief Introduction of Visa for China (Mainland Only) 2023-05-14 20:19
In accordance with international law and practice, any sovereign state is entitled to decide on whether or not to allow a foreign citizen to enter or exit from its territory, and whether to issue a visa, decline a visa application or to cancel an issued visa in accordance with its national laws.
Chinese consular officials are entitled to decide on the type, number of entries, validity and duration of each stay of a visa to be issued based on Chinese laws and regulations. Consular officials reserve the right to decline a visa application or revoke an issued visa.
Fact #6 : US Conducts Warrantless Search At Border
Sadly, the US constitutional rights against “unreasonable searches and seizures” stops at the border. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has broad authority to search and seize electronic devices at the border.
That’s because the US Supreme Court has concluded that “routine” border searches are “not subject to any requirement of reasonable suspicion, probably cause, or warrant‘ (source).
This isn’t limited to students from China, or even foreigners as a whole. The power to search electronic devices at the border also extends to US citizens and permanent residents!
Fact #7 : West Has More Freedom Than China
The truth is these visa woes affect only a small percentage of students from China, in particular postgraduate students who have some kind of association with the People’s Liberation Army.
This does not mean that Western countries have less freedom than China – a notably authoritarian country with severe censorship and restrictions on freedom of speech, assembly and religion. Never mind the right to criticise their leaders, people in China don’t even have freedom to access YouTube or Facebook or Instagram!
So it is truly laughable that anyone would use this student visa restriction as “evidence” that Western countries are not a “free society”. Being a “free society” does not mean having an “open border”.
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.
A video of a woman collapsing after running on a treadmill has gone viral.
Take a look at the viral video, and find out why she did not die from the COVID-19 vaccine!
Claim : Woman On Treadmill Died Suddenly From Vaccine!
People are sharing a video of a woman collapsing after running on a treadmill, claiming or suggesting that she just died suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccine!
Truth : Woman On Treadmill Did Not Die Suddenly From Vaccine!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded In China
Let me start by pointing out that the video was recorded on 9 May 2023, in Guangzhou, China. It is important to note that China exclusively uses its own COVID-19 vaccines, instead of Western vaccines.
These Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are based on older technologies – the most common are the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines, which use old inactivated virus vaccine technology that some anti-vaccine proponents claim are “much safer” than mRNA vaccines used in Western countries.
The truth is – all approved COVID-19 vaccines have successfully completed their clinical trials, proving that they are both safe and effective. They also continue to be monitored for safety and efficacy.
Fact #2 : The Woman Did Not Die
I should also point out that that the unnamed woman did not die. The woman actually regain her composure within two minutes of resting on the floor. So claims that she “died suddenly” are false.
Fact #3 : The Woman Had Low Blood Sugar
In that incident, a gym fitness coach who was passing by noticed that the woman was unsteady on the treadmill. He quickly stepped in to support and guide her off the treadmill to sit down on the floor. The video cuts off at that point.
It was revealed later that the woman was exercising on an empty stomach, leading to a drop in her blood sugar level. She recovered her composure within two minutes of resting.
The fitness coach, who was identified as Mr. Liu, advised people to maintain a balanced diet, and engage in appropriate exercise for safer and more effective workouts.
The incident was even covered by USA Today (source) on 25 May 2023.
Fact #4 : Unknown If Woman Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19
While China has a high COVID-19 vaccination rate of just over 87%, it was not mandatory. That’s why a significant percentage of the population – just under 13% remain unvaccinated.
It is unknown if the woman on the treadmill was vaccinated against COVID-19. People who claim that the woman in the video was vaccinated against COVID-19 certainly offered no evidence.
Fact #5 : COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Days
Even if the woman on the treadmill was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, it does not mean she suffered any vaccine side effect. After all, she would have received her doses more than two years ago!
She cannot possibly be suffering from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not many months later.
Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.
Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.
The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.
Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.
Fact #6 : People Have Collapsed Long Before COVID-19 Vaccines!
While anti-vaccine activists often claim that such collapses have never, or rarely, happened, before the COVID-19 vaccines were introduced, that’s really not true.
People have been collapsing for all sorts of reasons – hypotension, hypoglycaemia, vasovagal syncope, prolonged standing, dehydration, seizures, etc.
In fact, the infamous Died Suddenly movie actually showcased people who collapsed even though they were not vaccinated against COVID-19!
Florida Gators star, Keynote Johnson, who collapsed during a basketball game
Austrian journalist, Rosa Lyon, who collapsed on TV three months before COVID-19 was discovered!
Fact #7 : Many Deaths + Collapses Had Nothing To Do With Vaccines!
In addition, many people whose collapses and deaths were blamed on the COVID-19 vaccine were actually unvaccinated.
Footballer Christian Eriksen was unvaccinated when he collapsed during a game
Ohio Republican rep Kris Jordan died suddenly even though he was unvaccinated, and anti-vaccine.
Celebrity Aaron Carter was unvaccinated when he suddenly died in his bathtub.
Actress Kirstie Alley whose death was blamed on “turbo cancer” was unvaccinated.
MMA fighter Stephan Bonnar whose sudden death was blamed on vaccines, was unvaccinated and died from a drug overdose.
Canadian musician Shane Macaulay is unvaccinated and anti-vaccine, but had his viral seizure blamed on COVID-19 vaccines!
There are other examples, but you get the drift – it’s best not to blame the COVID-19 vaccine for every single collapse, injury, or death.
The truth is – tens of billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have already been administered worldwide, and they have proven to be safe and effective for the vast majority of people who took them.
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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 seafood in Europe highly radioactive according to the IAEA?! Is that why Europe did not ban the import of Japanese seafood?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Seafood In Europe Is Highly Radioactive According To IAEA
Pro-CCP activists, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing and promoting a video, which claims to show that seafood in Europe is highly radioactive, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The person speaking on the video then suggests that is the reason why Europe did not ban Japanese seafood after the release of treated Fukushima waste water…
European seafood is completely inedible. Why do I say so? Let’s look at this website.
Does the IAEA know about this website? If you don’t know, check it out yourself.
Let’s take a look. There are tests for nuclear contamination in waters around the world.
You know that part of the ocean? It’s called the Sea of Japan. You can see it. The sea pollution around the Japanese islands is very serious.
There are no problems in the waters near Russia. There are no problems in the waters around us [China].
And then we go to the Western Hemisphere. See here? Everyone knows where this is, right?
Did you see it? The entire waters of Europe were wiped out. Almost nothing was spared. Did you see it?
Stop eating Atlantic salmon. Stop eating seafood imported from Europe. Do not eat any seafood. It is absolutely terrifying. So scary.
Now you must know – Why doesn’t Europe ban the import of Japanese seafood? Because the seafood quality and water quality are better than theirs
Truth : AIEA Never Labelled Seafood In Europe As Radioactive!
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 : Video Was Recorded Of IAEA MARIS Website
Let me just point out the video was recorded of the IAEA MARIS (Marine Radioactivity Information System) website, specifically its Explore (Beta) feature. You can actually try it out for yourself.
In the IAEA MARIS website, simply click on Explore (Beta) at the top, and you will see a globe with coloured hexagonal markings all over it. By default, it looks at radioactive sampling of seawater across the world, which is precisely what the video shows.
Fact #2 : Coloured Hexagons Show Sample Count
The speaker on that viral video suggests that the larger number and red colour of the markers denote higher radioactivity. That is misleading and completely false.
The truth is – the colour of each hexagon is the indicator of the number of samples taken in the area covered by the hexagon. In fact, it’s clearly stated by the Sample count label at the lower right corner of the map.
In addition, if you hover over any coloured hexagons, you can see the number of samples taken at that site.
In other words – the IAEA MARIS map shows that Europe and Japan are highly monitored for radioactivity, while countries like Russia and China lack monitoring for seawater radioactivity.
Interestingly, the viral video has a large yellow background for the English translation that conveniently covers up the “Sample count” label for most of the video. Coincidence?
What the viral video will also not tell you is that the seawater samples taken for radioactivity tests cover many decades – from as far back as 1957, and as recent as 2021. That means the data shown on that map covers 64 years!
If you click on the Sampling year option on the left, you can select a particular year, and you will see that there are relatively few samples taken each year.
Fact #4 : IAEA MARIS Shows Tritium Radioactivity Too
The IAEA MARIS website actually shows radioactivity measurements for tritium taken by those samples in Bq/m3 units. But interestingly, the video chose to (misleadingly) use the sample count option to “show” radioactivity.
If you want to try it out in the Explore (Beta) section of the IAEA MARIS website, simply click on Measurements under Analysis options.
You will see that several areas in Europe have high levels of tritium – over 10K-50K Bq/m3, but those were taken in the 90s and early 2000s.
More importantly, the IAEA MARIS map shows that radioactivity off the coast of Japan was low. Perhaps that’s why the viral video chose to use the sample count option instead…
Fact #5 : This Is Just CCP Propaganda
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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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.
Guangzhou appears to have reinstated the Health Code, requiring patients and their caregivers to test negative for COVID-19 before being admitted to a hospital!
Guangzhou Patients Must Be COVID Negative For Admission?!
The city of Guangzhou has apparently reinstated the Chinese COVID-19 Health Code requirements from 2 December 2023 onwards.
In a video translated and posted by Jennifer Zeng (archive), the Deputy Director and Spokesperson for the Guangzhou Health Commission Zhang Yi appears to announce an immediate requirement for patients and their caregivers to present a Green Health Code, in order to enter all types of medical institutions.
Effective immediately, patients visiting all levels and types of medical institutions in Guangzhou City and its districts must present a green health code for entry. Dec 2, Guangzhou, Guangdong.
Zhang Yi : From now on, all levels & types of medical institutions in Guangzhou City & its districts for outpatient and emergency department visits will require a green health code for entry.
Bizarrely, patients and their caregivers are expected to undertake PCR nuclei tests for COVID-19, and show a negative test result within the past 24 hours to gain admission!
Zhang Yi : Newly admitted inpatients and their accompanying personnel must present a negative nucleic acid test result from within the past 24 hours for admission.
Less controversially, she called on fever clinics to operate at their maximum capacity, and conduct nucleic acid (PCR) tests on patients.
Zhang Yi : Fever clinics should operate to their fullest capacity. The role of the previously established 114 standardised fever clinics should be fully utilised.
Strengthen the staffing of medical personnel in fever clinics, optimise the waiting area settings and consultation process.
Conduct nucleic acid testing for visiting patients, and implement graded & categorised diagnosis and treatment.
Not Only Guangzhou Patients Must Be COVID Negative For Admission?
China has been experiencing a surge of respiratory illnesses that have alarmed many people, especially when it appeared to cause pneumonia in many children.
The WHO called on China to provide more information, after health monitoring groups like the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in north China.
China responded within 24 hours, stating that it has not detected any new or usual pathogens causing this surge of respiratory illness, with clusters of pneumonia being blamed on a bacteria – Mycoplasma pneumoniae which has been circulating since May, as well as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus that have been circulating since October.
While the negative COVID-19 test looks really bizarre, it is possible that the Chinese government has instituted this requirement to prevent these patients, who are already suffering from pneumonia, from being infected with COVID-19 as well.
Even so, Jennifer Zeng reported (archive) that the Chinese Health Code requirement is not just being reactivated in Guangzhou, but for the entire Guangdong province, as well as the Beijing, Sichuan, Fujian, Shaanxi, and Zhejiang provinces!
The health code is a mobile app used by the CCP during the three-year COVID pandemic to control people’s movements. If your health code turns red or yellow, you can’t go anywhere.
But it’s not just Guangzhou. From what we know so far, Beijing, Sichuan, Fujian, Guangdong, Shaanxi, and Zhejiang Province are also implementing it.
So it is possible that the Chinese government at least suspects that some of these cases of respiratory illnesses may be due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
To be clear – this reimplementation of the Chinese Health Code appears to be limited to patients attempting to seek medical assistance in clinics and hospitals. It does not appear that the Health Code is being reimplemented to restrict other types of movement in China.
However, reports of a surge in respiratory illnesses, and this (partial) reimplementation of the Health Code requirement will likely put a damper on the revival of the Chinese tourism industry. The Chinese government recently implemented visa-free travel for 6 new countries in an effort to boost tourism.
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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.
From tomorrow onwards, citizens from 6 countries will start enjoying visa-free travel to China for 15 days! Here is what you need to know!
China Offers Visa-Free Travel For 6 New Countries!
China will start offering visa-free travel to 6 additional countries on a trial basis, starting on 1 December 2023.
On Friday, 24 November 2023, China announced that citizens from these 6 countries will enjoy visa-free travel for up to 15 days:
France
Germany
Italy
The Netherlands
Spain
Malaysia
These six countries will join Singapore, Japan, and Brunei, whose citizens already enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 15 days.
According to Chinese government spokesperson Mao Ning, China has taken this step to help “promote the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world“.
This visa-free travel for those 6 countries, however, is a trial that will last from 1 December 2023 until 30 November 2024. This trial program may or may not be extended after that.
China Visa-Free Travel To Hopefully Revive Tourism
Travellers to China are generally required to apply for a visa. China is hoping that offering visa-free travel to certain favoured countries will help to revive its tourism industry that has been hard-hit by strict COVID-19 measures in the past 3 years.
China had the world’s strictest COVID-19 measures, maintaining them long after the rest of the world reopened. Even when the Chinese government decided to reopen its borders, it required inbound travellers to quarantine, which discouraged travel
It was only in March 2023 that China began issuing all types of travel visas again, and in July that it restored the 15-day visa-free travel for Singapore, Japan and Brunei. In August, China finally scrapped all COVID-19 test requirements for inbound travellers.
With visa-free travel removing the onerous application for a Chinese travel visa, it is likely that there will be tourists and business visitors who will take opportunity of the one-year trial to visit China. The only question is whether it is a surge, or merely a tiny bump.
After all, potential travellers would need to worry about the lack of access to essential apps like Google Maps, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. as well as popular apps like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. There is also the risk of being detained in China, and prevented from returning home.
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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.
Do new DARPA documents confirm that the COVID-19 coronavirus was created in China by EcoHealth Alliance at the Wuhan Institute of Virology?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : New DARPA Docs Confirm COVID-19 Was Created In China!
People are sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter), which claimed or suggested that new DARPA documents confirm that the COVID-19 coronavirus was created in China by EcoHealth Alliance at the Wuhan Institute of Virology!
The video attached to the post shows an American attorney, Thomas Renz, calling for criminal investigations.
Jack Straw : #BREAKING NEWS: DARPA Unclassified documents confirm SARS-CoV-2 was created by EcoHealth Alliance at the Wuhan Institute of Virology coordinated by Peter Daszak. It was designed to be deliberately virulent and humanized resulting in 6.5 million deaths. Anthony Fauci was involved.
{Matt} $XRPatriot : #BREAKING NEWS: DARPA Unclassified documents confirm SARS-CoV-2 was created by EcoHealth Alliance at the Wuhan Institute of Virology coordinated by Peter Daszak. It was designed to be deliberately virulent and humanized resulting in 6.5 million deaths. Anthony Fauci was involved.
The story was also covered by Leading Reports:
Leading Reports : Newly Unclassified DARPA Docs Confirm SARS-CoV-2 Was Created by EcoHealth Alliance at the Wuhan Institute of Virology
Truth : No DARPA Docs Confirm COVID-19 Was Created In China!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created / circulating on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Video Was Posted In December 2022
Let me start by pointing out that the video isn’t “breaking news”. It was actually posted by many Twitter users (example) in December 2022.
Fact #2 : DARPA Docs Not Mentioned In Video
If you watch the video, Thomas Renz does not actually mention any new DARPA documents, much less claim that they prove that the COVID-19 coronavirus was created in China by EcoHealth Alliance at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Fact #3 : No Evidence COVID-19 Was Created
Despite attempts to obfuscate its origins, the overwhelming evidence shows that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in Wuhan, China.
That said – it is still unknown where the SARS-CoV-2 virus came from, or how it started infecting humans.
It remains plausible that this novel coronavirus may have accidentally leaked from a lab – the Wuhan Institute of Virology remains suspect. It also remains plausible that the virus may have evolved in an animal vector that made the jump to humans due to close contact.
However, there is currently no evidence that the COVID-19 coronavirus was intentionally created by EcoHealth Alliance at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, much less designed to be virulent.
It is uncertain what new DARPA documents people are alluding to. The Tom Renz video certainly said nothing about old or new DARPA documents, much less claim that they proved that the COVID-19 coronavirus was created in China.
It is possible that they are all referring to a letter by Major Joe Murphy, which was the basis for Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis) to demand more information from Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Lloyd Austin and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu.
However, that Major Joe Murphy disclosure was from August 2021 – more than two years ago! Even the Ron Johnson letter was sent on 12 January 2022 – more than 1.5 years earlier!
Fact #5 : Major Joe Murphy Left DARPA
Interestingly, Major Joe Murphy stated that he left DARPA before he wrote his analysis.
While his report (PDF) appears to be printed on the DARPA letterhead, his email to an unnamed Captain stated that he wrote the analysis after leaving DARPA the previous month.
I’m reaching out to communicate some information relative to COVID that I don’t believe xxxxx or your director is aware of. You probably saw earlier this week that more official documents linking NIH and EcoHealth Alliance to the Wuhan Institute of Virology were published by The Intercept. I came across additional incriminating documents and produced an analysis shortly after leaving DARPA last month. This report was routed to the DOD IG office.
Fact #6 : Major Joe Murphy Did Not Provide Any Evidence
On top of that, the major does not appear to have actually provide any DARPA documents, or other kinds of evidence, to back up his analysis.
I should point out that that Major Joe Murphy’s degrees appear to be in general and systems engineering, and not biology, virology, or immunology. Therefore, it is unknown how accurate his analysis was, since he did not appear to include any supporting documents or evidence.
On 27 October 2022, the Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Pensions posted “An Analysis of the Origins of the COVID-19 Pandemic” (PDF).
It specifically noted the March 2018 proposal by a consortium of research entities which included the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and was led by EcoHealth Alliance, to conduct research and experiments on SARS-related coronaviruses. Ultimately, DARPA chose not to fund that project.
By 2018, the WIV showed interest in finding SARS-related coronaviruses that used human ACE2 receptors to enter cells in order to determine whether SARS antibodies would effectively neutralize those viruses.
This research effort is described in a March 2018 grant proposal submitted to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) by a consortium of research entities, including the WIV, led by the U.S.-based non-governmental organization EcoHealth Alliance. The group proposed to collect and conduct genetic recombination experiments on SARS-related coronaviruses possessing specific traits making them “high-risk” for zoonotic spillover into animals and humans.
Notably, the proposal describes the WIV’s intent to search for SARS-related coronaviruses with potential to bind to human ACE2 receptors and that have naturally occurring furin cleavage sites in Yunnan Province, China.
According to the proposal, if WIV researchers were unable to find a SARS-related virus with these traits during sampling expeditions, they then proposed to manipulate the ACE2 receptors of SARS-related coronaviruses to increase binding affinity to human lung tissue and to insert furin cleavage sites at the same location where one appears in SARS-CoV-2. This proposal was not ultimately funded by DARPA.
To be clear – DARPA has never funded any actual coronavirus research by EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2018. So it is unlikely that there would be any new or old DARPA documents which would actually prove that the COVID-19 coronavirus was created at the Wuhan Institute of Virology by the EcoHealth Alliance.
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China just announced that citizens from 6 countries will enjoy visa-free travel for 15 days! Here is what you need to know!
China : Visa-Free Travel For 6 Countries!
On Friday, 24 November 2023, China announced that citizens from these 6 countries will enjoy visa-free travel for up to 15 days:
France
Germany
Italy
The Netherlands
Spain
Malaysia
These six countries will join Singapore, Japan and Brunei, whose citizens already enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 15 days.
According to Chinese government spokesperson Mao Ning, China has taken this step to help “promote the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world“.
This visa-free travel for those 6 countries, however, is a trial that will last from 1 December 2023 until 30 November 2024. This trial program may or may not be extended after that.
Travellers to China are generally required to apply for a visa. China appears to be trying out this visa-free travel option to revive its tourism industry that has been hard-hit by strict COVID-19 measures in the past 3 years.
China had the world’s strictest COVID-19 measures, maintaining them long after the rest of the world reopened. Even when the Chinese government decided to reopen its borders, it required inbound travellers to quarantine, which discouraged travel
It was only in March 2023 that China began issuing all types of travel visas again, and in July that it restored the 15-day visa-free travel for Singapore, Japan and Brunei. In August, China finally scrapped all COVID-19 test requirements for inbound travellers.
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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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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 just caught receiving almost a quarter million dollars worth of laundered Chinese money?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Caught Receiving Laundered Chinese Money!
People are sharing videos, articles, etc. that claim or suggest that US President Joe Biden just got caught receiving almost a quarter million dollars worth of laundered Chinese money!
Still No Evidence Joe Biden Received Chinese Money!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created / propagated by Republicans (and useful idiots) of the MAGA persuasion, as well as pro-Russia supporters (vatniks), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Joe Biden Has Not Been Referred For Impeachment
The Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, James Comer – a Republican from Kentucky, has publicly claimed TWICE that he has evidence of Joe Biden receiving Chinese money.
Yet, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has not yet referred President Joe Biden for impeachment proceedings, or call for a Special Council to prosecute him. What are they waiting for?
Fact #2 : There Was No Evidence Of Corruption
On both occasions, Comer only provided a scan copy of a personal cheque issued to Joe Biden by his brother, James Biden and James’ wife, Sara Biden, as “evidence” of corruption.
October 20, 2023 Press Release
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today announced the committee obtained bank records revealing a $200,000 direct payment from James and Sara Biden to Joe Biden in the form of a personal check.
November 1, 2023 Press Release
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today released a video and bank records memorandum revealing how Joe Biden received $40,000 in laundered China money from the account of his brother, James Biden, and his sister-in-law, Sara Biden, in the form of a personal check.
Neither personal cheques from his brother or his brother’s wife are actual evidence that President Joe Biden received “laundered Chinese money”. They are only evidence that Joe Biden received money from his brother, and his brother’s wife.
If that is the bar for evidence of corruption and/or receiving “laundered Chinese money”, then many of us who received money from our relatives are guilty of corruption and/or receiving laundered foreign money. That sounds stupid? Yes, that’s exactly how stupid the so-called “evidence” against Joe Biden really looks.
Fact #3 : Cheques Were For Personal Loan Repayment
The two cheques clearly stated that they were to pay Joe Biden for a (personal) loan. You know – the kind family members often give out to their brothers or sisters who are in financial trouble. The words “Loan repayment” was even stated clearly in the front of the two cheques.
I should point out that Comer was not able to prove that these were not loan repayment cheques. He only said he would view the $200,000 cheque as “troubling” even if it was for a loan repayment, because it came on the same day James Biden received $200,000 from a struggling health company he did business with.
Wow! Imagine that – it was “troubling” for Comer to see someone receive repayment for a personal loan he made out to his own brother, just because it appears that his brother received the money from a company he did business with.
Fact #4 : Joe Biden Loaned His Brother Money
James Comer also claimed that he did not “believe” that Joe Biden actually loaned his brother money.
When Democratic members of his committee and a lawyer for James Biden said that the committee has documents to prove that Joe Biden did indeed loan $200,000 to James Biden, Comer declared that the Democrats were “lying”, and said that “at the end of the day, there’s no document that shows there was a loan”.
CNN fact checker Daniel Dale revealed on 31 October 2023, that they were able to obtain the same banking records that Comer’s committee received, and they showed that President Joe Biden loaned his brother $200,000 less than two months prior to the James Biden “loan repayment” cheque for the same amount.
The banking records that both CNN and Comer’s committee had access to showed that Joe Biden sent a $200,000 wire transfer to James Biden on January 12, 2018. James Biden then issued the $200,000 loan repayment cheque on March 1, 2018.
The top Democrat on Comer’s committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, even wrote to rebuke Comer, pointing out that there is “clear evidence that this transaction was a short-term, interest-free loan between brothers“.
[T]he bank records provided to the Committee clearly show that President Biden had $200,000 wired to his brother on January 12, 2018.
Despite this clear evidence that James Biden received a loan from his brother on January 12, 2018, and paid him back 48 days later with a check for the same amount marked ‘loan repayment,’ you continue to misrepresent the facts.”
In short – Comer’s committee appears to have documents showing that there was a loan from Joe Biden to James Biden, so the loan repayment was legitimate, and not actual evidence of corruption or money laundering.
Fact #5 : Joe Biden Was A Private Citizen At That Time
This may seem like a small point, but it is an important one to make. These personal loans and loan repayments between Joe Biden and his brother all occurred in 2017-2018.
At that time, Joe Biden was not President. Heck, he was not even a Presidential candidate – he did not announce his 2020 Presidential bid until April 25, 2019.
In other words – there is simply no question of Joe Biden abusing the power of his office (he had none at that time) to enrich himself with foreign money.
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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 : 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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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 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:
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!
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 WhatsApp just implement new cyber crime rules to help the government monitor and record your calls and messages?! Find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-10-08 : Updated after message went viral again. Originally posted @ 2023-07-03
Claim : WhatsApp Has New Cyber Crime Rules!
People are sharing this warning about WhatsApp implementing new cyber crime rules, to help the government monitor and record all calls and messages!
Truth : WhatsApp Does Not Have New Cyber Crime Rules!
And here is why this is nothing more than yet another Internet hoax :
Fact #1 : Only China Can Do This
The only country that has accomplished most of what was shared above is China, but it took them decades to erect the Great Firewall of China.
It’s not just the massive infrastructure that needs to be created, it also requires legislation to be enacted, and considerable manpower and resources to maintain such a system.
That’s why China is leaning heavily on AI and cloud computing capabilities to automatically and quickly censor information it deems “sensitive”.
However, no other country has come close to spending the money and resources on a similar scale, although Russia, Cuba, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Belarus have imported some surveillance technology from China.
All three Facebook-owned apps now run on the same common platform, which provides end-to-end encryption.
End-to-end encryption protects messages as they travel through the Internet, and specifically prevents anyone (bad guys or your friendly government censor) from snooping into your conversations.
That is also why all three apps are banned in China…
Fact #3 : Governments Generally Have No Control Over Those Apps
Outside of authoritarian countries like China and Russia, governments generally have little to no control over social media and instant messaging apps. Even then, their control is generally limited to banning access if they don’t get their way.
The ability to keep conversations and messages safe and private is key to the success of instant messaging apps, in particular. So WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal would never allow governments access to user messages or voice calls, never mind record and monitor them for governments!
In fact, by implementing end-to-end encryption, these companies themselves do not have access to your messages and calls.
Fact #4 : WhatsApp Does Not Have Three Check Marks!
WhatsApp messages only have two ticks / check marks to notify users about the status of their messages:
: The message was successfully sent. : The message was successfully delivered to the recipient’s phone or any of their linked devices. : The recipient has read your message.
There is no third check mark, as claimed by the viral message.
Fact #5 : Governments Won’t Tip You About Investigations
It is illogical for WhatsApp to inform you when the government is checking your information, or when it has started proceedings against you.
In fact, it doesn’t make sense for any government to inform you by instant messaging check marks! If the government is charging you with a crime, it will send police officers, not check marks on WhatsApp!
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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.
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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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.
Are elderly tourists now banned from joining group tours to China?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Elderly Tourists Banned From Group Tours In China!
This warning has gone viral on WhatsApp, and social media platforms, claiming that elderly tourists are now banned from group tours in China!
New Regulations of the National Tourism Administration
Dear group members, while you are still allowed to travel, take advantage of the opportunity and travel around China! Group tours are no longer allowed after the age of 80.😀😀😀😀😀
The Mainland Tourism Administration has newly regulated the provisional rules for seniors traveling in group tours. According to the “Travel Law of the People’s Republic of China” and “Travel Agency Senior Tour Service Standards”, these rules are formulated:
Article 1: The elderly refer to tourists who are over 60 years old (inclusive) on the date of travel. Article 2: Aged over 60 years old on the date of travel (including this Number) – Tourists aged 69 years old should sign a “Safety Responsibility Letter” with the travel agency. The “Safety Responsibility Letter” should state personal health conditions, communication methods, and emergency contact information, and should be signed by the tourist. Article 3: Aged over 70 years old on the date of travel (including this Number) -Tourists who are 75 years old, unless signing in accordance with Article 2 of the Rules The “Safety Responsibility Letter” must also provide a valid health certificate or physical examination report issued by a Class III A hospital within 3 months. Article 4: For those who are over 75 years old on the date of travel, in addition to signing a “Safety Responsibility Letter” in accordance with Article 2 of the rules and providing a valid health certificate or physical examination report issued by a grade 3A hospital within three months, they must also be elderly Tourist visa for adult immediate family members If you are traveling in Yu, and are accompanied by adult family members, and if you are over 80 years old on the date of travel (including your age), you are not allowed to register. Article 5: The person in charge of the company’s business department, sales department, and branch is the person responsible for the rules. If the above rules are violated.
*#Travel agencies are not allowed to accommodate people over 80 years old! * 75-79 years old, accompanied by family members + physical examination certificate! 70-75 years old, physical examination certificate + letter of responsibility! 60-69 years old Sign the safety responsibility letter!
Truth : Elderly Tourists Are Not Banned From Group Tours In China!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms, and here are there reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral Message Circulated Since 2019
First, let me just point out that the viral message isn’t new. It has been circulating since March 2019, if not earlier.
Initially, it started in Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat groups, but eventually made its way to WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
Fact #2 : National Tourism Administration Ceased In 2018
According to a Chinese fact check, the viral message could not have been issued by the National Tourism Administration of China, as it no longer existed in 2019.
As part of institutional reforms announced by the Chinese State Council in March 2018, it was replaced by the Culture and Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China Ministry of Tourism.
Fact #3 : Ministry of Culture and Tourism Has No Such Restrictions
A reporter for Jiefang Daily and Shangguan News checked the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, but could find no announcement of any restrictions on elderly tourists travelling in group tours.
The reporter also noted that there were no specific restrictions on the “travel age for the elderly” even in previous policy documents.
Fact #4 : Shanghai Tourism Hotline Confirms No Such Restriction
The reporter also called the Shanghai tourism hotline to ask about whether there were new restrictions on elderly tourists planning to join tour groups in China.
The Shanghai tourism staff told the reporter that there is currently no national guidelines that prohibit group tours for those over 80 years old.
They suggested that the requirement that elderly people need to be accompanied by family members and/or have medical certificates may be the “voluntary requirements” of some travel agencies.
In such cases, the staff recommended that elderly tourists should consider some travel agencies in Shanghai that specialise in serving the elderly as they may be more suitable, and may not have such requirements.
Fact #5 : Travel Service Standards For Elderly Do Not Have Age Restrictions
In 2016, China issued its Travel Agency Elderly Tourism Service Standards, which stipulates that if elderly tourists participate in group tours, the travel agency should:
communicate and negotiate with the insurance company on the upper age limit for travel accident insurance,
collect detailed information of the elderly tourists,
ask elderly tourists who are over 75 years old to be accompanies by adult family members, or ask their immediate family members to sign off on their travel,
discuss the potential risks of senior tourism products and the health requirements of senior tourists before traveling, and
provide oral safety reminders and produce a “Safety Notice” to ensure that elderly tourists choose appropriate senior tourism products.
However, the 2016 Travel Agency Elderly Tourism Service Standards do not restrict elderly tourists of any age from travelling in group tours.
Fact #6 : Travel Agencies Refute Claims On Age Limits
The same reporter also reached out to Chinese travel agencies like Ctrip and CYTS on these claims of group tour restrictions on elderly tourists.
The Chinese travel agencies said that there is “no hard and fast age requirement” for seniors travelling in group tours.
They pointed out that different tours have different physical requirements, some of which may require elderly tourists to be accompanied by family members, or produce medical certificates and other documents to assure the travel agencies of their fitness.
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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!
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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.
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.
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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)
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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 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!
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.
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!
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 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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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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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:
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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 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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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 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.
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!
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 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 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:
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and 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.
