Tag Archives: Danger

MPH Free Books : Don't Fall For This Scam!

MPH Free Books : Don’t Fall For This Scam!

Is MPH giving away free books on financial planning and stocks?! Find out what’s going on, and warn your family and friends!

Updated @ 2023-09-26 : Added a new version of this scam
Updated @ 2023-08-14 : Added new versions of this scam

Originally posted @ 2023-05-20

 

Watch Out For MPH Free Books Scam!

Scammers are running Facebook advertisements that claim MPH is giving away free books because it has either achieved 500,000 fans, or is shutting down its bookstores!

🎉To celebrate MPH Books breaking 500,000 fans in Malaysia, thank you for your support
👋MPH Books specially prepares best-selling books on financial planning and stocks to give to everyone for free. I hope everyone has to help!
limited quantity available. (Free shipping)

📢📢 Sorry everyone, I have to say goodbye to everyone
Due to the continuous decline in store performance, the store cannot continue to operate normally
👋👋So the head office decided to close the store and give away the remaining financial and stock books in the store to everyone for free. I hope everyone has to help!
📣📣Finally, thank you again for your long-term support and trust. The book donation activity is the only feedback activity we can do at present!
limited quantity available. (free shipping available)

Recommended : PDRM Warning : Watch Out For MyBayar Scam!

 

MPH Free Books Scam : What You Need To Know!

This MPH free book scam is being promoted heavily on Facebook in May 2023, so please alert your family and friend!

Fact #1 : MPH Did Not Close Bookstores In 2023

MPH closed many of its physical stores since June 2020, as it shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns to an online store with a “digitally-driven omnichannel business model”.

MPH has not announced closing down any further bookstores in 2023.

Fact #2 : MPH Reported These Pages / Ads As Fake

MPH is aware of these fake advertisements being run by scam Facebook pages, posting this scam alert on May 9, 2023:

⚠️𝐅𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓!⁣⚠️⁣⁣

Hey readers, we noticed that irresponsible parties have been impersonating the MPH brand by creating fake pages and ads to confuse and lure our customers to share their data.⁣⁣⁣

Please note that MPH is not associated in any way with these pages and we DO NOT run any free book giveaways nor do we request customers to PM us your personal details.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our followers and customers for updating us about these pages. We sincerely thank YOU for your continuous support!⁣

Stay vigilant & protect yourself from scams!⁣⁣

#fakepagesalert #scammeralert

Recommended : Bantuan Tunai Rakyat Malaysia 2023 Scam Alert!

Fact #3 : MPH Is A Business, Not A Charity

Please do NOT be naive. MPH is a business, not a charity. Just because it hits 500,000 fans in Malaysia, it’s not going to give away its books.

Heck, why should it give away books even if it’s closing down its bookstores? It would be more logical for MPH to offer discounts to clear its books, so it won’t lose so much money.

In fact, MPH itself pointed out in its scam warning – “we DO NOT run any free book giveaways“. Why should they? They are a corporation whose business is not make money, not a charity to give you free books!

Fact #4 : Giveaways Were Not Posted In Official Website / FB Page

If MPH was really giving away free books, it would have posted the offer on:

These scams are being run off fake Facebook pages that are brand new, and have nothing to do with the real MPH:

  • MPH Group Publishing
  • MPH Book
  • MPH English Bookstore

Fact #5 : MPH Does Not Use WhatsApp To Communicate

MPH offers a multitude of contact options by email or telephone number. What it does not have is a WhatsApp account. So when scammers message you to collect your “free books” by messaging a WhatsApp number, be warned!

Please add librarian Gek Tiang’s Whatsapp message ”Pm“ to get free stock books (free shipping) Whatsapp: https://xxxx.xx/601170131707

Recommended : How A University Student Lost RM22K In Online Job Scam!

Fact #6 : Scammers Will Try To Scare You

Scammers will try to scare you into contacting them, by telling you that stock is running out. Just ignore them!

There are only 3 free places left, which have been reserved for you, please add and leave a message as soon as possible Whatsapp : https://xxxx.xx/601170131707

There are many friends who have claimed it, please tell us whether you have added it successfully! If you do not add or reply, it means that you will give up the quota by default and automatically transfer it to the next friend. Thank you for your understanding!

Fact #7 : One Victim Lost RM480K To Investment Scam!

In November 2022, a 60 year-old housewife from Port Dickson fell for a similar “free book” scam, and lost almost RM480,000.

After being offered the free book on Facebook, she was asked to join a WhatsApp group called Family Discussion, where she was asked to convinced to “invest”.

The WhatsApp group administrator instructed her to download an application called Forza, and open a savings account. She was then asked to deposit money into certain bank accounts, and upload the slips using that Forza app as proof.

The lady withdrew her savings and borrowed from her children and friends to invest RM476,100. However, when she wanted to withdraw the interest paid by the company, her account was blocked. The group administrator told her that she would need to deposit an additional RM427,200 to withdraw the interest.

That was when the lady realised she had been scammed, and lodged a police report. By then, it was too late – she had already lost every sen she “invested”.

Please help us FIGHT SCAMMERS 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.

 

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Traffic Lights Now Have CCTV Cameras To Catch Drivers?!

Do traffic lights in Malaysia now have CCTV cameras to catch drivers crossing the white line?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Traffic Lights Have CCTV To Catch Drivers!

People are sharing a photo of a JPJ (Road Transport Department) traffic offence fine issued to a driver called Koh Chip Wee.

They claim that he was fined after a CCTV camera at the traffic light caught him stopping his vehicle over the white line. This example warns motorists that they could be fined RM2,000 or jailed for up to 6 months for this offence:

It’s a RM 2K fine or 6 months jail for waiting across the white line at traffic lights monitored by cameras, the notices hv already started going out by post… Cheers

Other people are sharing the photo with this audio message of a man warning people that traffic lights in Kuantan, Pahang, now have CCTV cameras that are designed to catch motorists who stop over the white line.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/WhatsApp-Audio-2023-09-14-at-15.28.40.mp3?_=1

Recommended : Did JPJ Stop Issuing Physical Road Tax For Most Drivers?!

 

Truth : Traffic Lights Do Not Have CCTV To Catch Drivers!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : You Can Be Fined For Stopping Over White Line

First, let me just confirm that this part is true – motorists may be fined up to RM2,000, or jailed for up to 6 months, if they are caught stopping any part of their vehicles on any zebra crossing, including crossing that unbroken white line at any traffic light.

Mana-mana individu yang melakukan kesalahan boleh dikenakan denda tidak melebihi RM2,000 atau dipenjarakan selama tempoh tidak melebihi enam bulan.

Any individual who commits an offense may be fined not exceeding RM2,000 or imprisoned for a period not exceeding six months.

In other words – this is a serious offence, with serious consequences. You must stop your vehicle before the unbroken white line at all traffic lights.

Most of us motorists never think about this. So this is a timely warning. Please SHARE this warning with your family and friends!

Read more : PDRM Warns It’s Illegal To Stop On Zebra Crossing!

Fact #2 : Traffic Lights Currently Do Not Have CCTV Cameras

The traffic lights currently do not have any CCTV cameras installed to catch drivers crossing the white line, or committing any other traffic offences.

That device you see on many traffic lights these days is an active infra-red sensor. Such infra-red sensors are used to determine the presence of vehicles, for traffic control.

If the sensor does not detect the presence of a vehicle waiting, the traffic light for that lane may skip a turn to allow vehicles using other lanes to go through the junction for a longer period of time.

In the viral photo, the angle of the photo taken indicates that it was not taken by any camera attached to the traffic light. The photo was taken from behind the vehicle and even shows the traffic light itself.

Fact #3 : Driver Was Fined For Running A Red Light

The motorist in this case was not fined for stopping his vehicle over the white line at the traffic light.

If you look closely at the notice, you can see that he was actually fined for running a red light. In addition, he was only fined RM300 for the offence, not RM2,000.

Kesalahan : Gagal mematuhi isyarat merah pada isyarat lalulintas

Offence : Failed to obey red light at traffic light

Recommended : Warning – PDRM Parking Fine Scam Alert!

Fact #4 : Only Known Traffic Light CCTV Camera Was A Test

The only known CCTV camera (with AI technology) that was installed for the purpose of catching traffic offences started operating in Miri on 4 July 2023.

This AI Violation Detection CCTV camera is designed to automatically monitor and record driver behaviour at the intersection, including:

  • collecting data on vehicle speed and details
  • automatically detecting and recording speeding vehicles
  • recording driver offences like using mobile phones, smoking, and not wearing seatbelts while driving

However, this CCTV camera with AI technology was installed as a proof-of-concept trial that will only last 6 months.

The trial period would be six months and the results will be presented to the ministry to decide on the next course of action.

It may be just a matter of time before such cameras are deployed in Malaysia, and other countries around the world. But right now, there really are no CCTV cameras installed at traffic lights to catch drivers committing traffic offences like stopping over the white line.

 

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.

 

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Go Back To > Travel | Money | Tech ARP

 

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Yasuhiro Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

Did former Japanese MP Yasuhiro Sonoda die from cancer, after drinking treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power station?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-17 : Some minor updates.
Updated @ 2023-09-13 : Added new fact check video, and other minor updates.
Updated @ 2023-09-10 : Updated article with proof Yasuhiro Sonoda is still alive!

Originally posted @ 2023-09-01

 

Claim : Yasuhiro Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water!

People are sharing videos and photos of Yasuhiro Sonoda drinking ALPS-filtered water from the Fukushima nuclear power station in WhatsApp groups and social media, claiming that the former Japanese MP eventually died from cancer!

How is Yasuhiro Sonoda, a Japanese official who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago, now? Why did he disappear?

At the end of October 2011, Yasuhiro Sonoda, the then Japanese cabinet minister, poured half a glass of water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in front of media reporters in order to prove that the treated Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water was “drinkable and no problem”. The treated nuclear-contaminated water of Units 5 and 6 was “drinked twice.”

In December 2014, Yasuhiro Sonoda’s social platform stopped updating; in June 2015 , Sonoda Yasuhiro announced his retirement; at the beginning of 2018, Japanese media said that Sonoda Yasuhiro had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma; in August 2020, Sonoda Yasuhiro died of illness in Melekeok, the capital of Palau.

JERRY GOODE : 🚨☢️ 🇯🇵: Japan MP Yasuhiro Sonoda’s hands shook as he downed a glass of Fukushima Nuclear Contaminated Water in front of reporters and cameras.  NOW HE IS MISSING!  What happened to him?💀

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

 

Truth : Yasuhiro Sonoda Did Not Die After Drinking Fukushima Water!

This appears to be another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Drank Fukushima Water In 2011

First, let me just give you a quick overview of Yasuhiro Sonoda and why he became viral in 2023.

Born on June 9, 1967, Yasuhiro Sonoda (園田 康博 / そのだ やすひろ) was elected to the House of Representatives in the Diet (Japanese Parliament) in 2003, as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan.

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the 44 year-old MP sought to ease concerns over the safety of the treated water. In response to a challenge by freelance journalist Yu Terasawa, he promised to drink the treated waste water.

I don’t want it to be seen as some kind of performance, but if that’s the best way to prove that the water is safe then I would gladly drink it right here, in front of you, any time.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) prepared a bottle of water from Fukushima Daiichi reactors no. 5 and no. 6, which was filtered and treated using its Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.

Then, at an October 31, 2011 press conference, Yasuhiro Sonoda filled a glass with the ALPS-treated water before polishing it off in two gulps. Even so, he pointed out that the data was more important than the demonstration:

I am aware that just drinking [the treated water] doesn’t in itself mean that safety has been confirmed. The best way to do that is to present data to the public.

Recommended : Fukushima Radioactive Water : What Makes It Different?

Fact #2 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Retired From Politics

The viral messages suggested something nefarious after Yasuhiro Sonoda stopped posting on his Twitter account in 2014. The truth is – he stopped tweeting after he lost elections for the second time.

After that infamous demonstration, Yasuhiro Sonoda lost his seat during the 46th House of Representatives election on December 16, 2012. He subsequently lost again in the 47th House of Representatives election on December 14, 2014.

His last Twitter post was on the night before he lost his election, showing a video of his last campaign speech on December 13.

The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper would later publish a news article (no longer available online) on June 14, 2015, stating that Yasuhiru Sonoda announced his withdrawal from politics.

Fact #3 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Is Still Alive!

After leaving politics in June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda receded from the limelight. However, there is no evidence he is dead.

As a former Member of Parliament, his death would have been announced by the Japanese media. Yet, there is no mention of his passing. The viral messages certainly offered no evidence to back up their claims.

But more importantly, Kyodo News reached out to Yasuhiro Sonoda himself via telephone on 2 September 2023, and confirmed that he is still alive! Mr. Sonoda denied that he died from cancer.

Sonoda said, “I would like to once again apologize to those who experienced the earthquake and the people of Fukushima Prefecture,” regarding the spread of false rumors caused by his actions at the time.

園田氏は当時の自身の行動がきっかけでデマが広がったことについて「震災を経験された人や福島県の人にあらためておわびしたい」と語った。

Recommended : FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food Fact Check!

Fact #4 : No Evidence Yasuhiro Sonoda Has Multiple Myeloma

There is also no evidence that Yasuhiro Sonoda was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a type of white blood cell cancer.

There has been no media report of such a diagnosis. Neither did Yasuhiro Sonoda mention it publicly. In fact, the viral messages also offered no evidence to back up this claim.

Unless Yasuhiro Sonoda or his family publicly reveals that he is suffering from multiple myeloma, or any kind of cancer for the matter, anyone who says that is likely lying to you.

Fact #5 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Was ACD CEO

Yasuhiro Sonoda kept a low profile after leaving politics. However, Taiwanese fact checking website, MyGoPen, discovered that Yasuhiro Sonoda became CEO and the company’s first Representative Director of ACD. Co. Ltd. in March 2018.

ACD Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of the Japanese airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), which focuses on the cross-border e-commerce platform called ANA Overseas Shopping. This was confirmed by a June 17, 2019 CoinON interview with Sonoda as ACD CEO.

It is unlikely for him to be appointed both CEO and the first Representative Director of ACD if he was already dying from multiple myeloma in 2018.

Fact #6 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Retired From ACD In 2020

It appears that the claim that Yasuhiro Sonoda went to Palau at the end of 2019 for palliative care is false. He was still CEO of ACD Co., Ltd until his retirement on 14 March 2020.

On 1 November 2020, ACD Co., Ltd. issued a press release announcing that Yasuhiro Sonoda retired as Representative Director and President on 14 March 2020, and was replaced by Hiromichi Furui.

The fact that ACD announced his retirement in November 2020 also suggests that Yasuhiro Sonoda was still alive at that time. The viral message claimed that he died in August 2020.

Recommended : EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood?!

Fact #7 : Palau Never Announced Yasuhiro Sonoda’s Death

There is no evidence that the Bureau of Health for the Republic of Palau ever announced the 2020 death of Yasuhiro Sonoda from multiple myeloma.

A quick check of the Palau National Government website showed no such announcement about the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda.

The websites promoting this claim did not provide a link to the announcement. Suspicious, isn’t it?

Fact #8 : Ngerulmud Is The Capital Of Palau

I should point out that Melekeok is a state, and not the capital of Palau. The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. Before 2006, the capital of Palau was Koror City.

Fact #9 : MIT Does Not Have A Hospital / Medical School

MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of the top private universities in the United States, with five schools in Science, Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Management, and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.

MIT, however, does not have any schools of law or medicine. It also does not run any hospitals. Therefore, it is impossible for Yasuhiro Sonoda to seek medical treatment at the MIT Medical School, or the MIT Hospital as claimed.

Recommended : The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

Fact #10 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Go Back To > Fact Check | HealthTech ARP

 

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Did Toxic Fukushima Water Kill Fish In Indonesia?!

Did the toxic Fukushima waste water just kill thousands of fish in Indonesia?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Toxic Fukushima Water Killed Fish In Indonesia!

People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show thousands of fish in Indonesia killed by the toxic Fukushima waste water. It’s paired with warnings like this:

ALERT: TOXIC SEA WATER HAS ARRIVED AT INDONESIA.

Fishermen are catching more dead fishes than live ones.

Jangan makan ikan dulu. Limbah racun dari jepang sdh masuk ke indonisia.

Don’t eat fish yet. Toxic waste from Japan has entered Indonesia.

日本“毒水” 相信已漂到印尼水界. 食海产可要小心。

Recommended : Did Fukushima Water Kill Thousands Of Fish In Penang?!

 

Truth : Fukushima Water Did Not Kill Fish In Indonesia!

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 : This Happened In Tuban, East Java

The viral video appears to be recorded on Tuesday, 12 September 2023, at the beach in front of Hotel Purnama, along the Tuban-Semarang road in Tuban, East Java, Indonesia.

Fact #2 : Fish Were Caught, Not Found Dead

The fish seen in the video were not found dead on the beach, or in the sea. Rather, they were caught by fishermen in the area.

In fact, you can see one of the fishing boats at about 0:26 in the video. The fisherman was merely dropping off his catch at the beach, to be collected by the white Bintang Novelita pickup truck seen at 0:13 in the video.

Fact #3 : Only One Type of Fish Was Caught

If you look carefully at the video, you will notice that it only shows one species of fish. Known locally as Jamal Roti or Manyung, it is a marine catfish from the Ariidae family.

This is actually the spawning season for this catfish, which not only causes them to gather, they also rise to the surface, making it easy for fishermen to catch them.

The fishermen caught about 2 tons of this catfish that day. A week earlier, they caught one ton of the same fish.

If there was any contamination killing fishes in the area, there would be an assortment of different fish species, not just one particular fish species.

Recommended : Did Yasuhiro Sonoda Die After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

Fact #4 : Jenu Police Refuted Viral Claim

On Wednesday, 13 September 2023, Jenu Police Chief Rialto confirmed that the large number of fish were not stranded on the beach, but caught by local fishermen.

Fact #5 : Tuban Fisheries Service Refuted Viral Claim

On Wednesday, 13 September 2023, the head of the Tuban Regency Livestock, Fisheries and Food Security Service, Eko Arif Yulianto confirmed that the Manyung catfish were spawning at that time. He appealed to the public to stop believing in unverified information.

Fact #6 : Tuban DKP2P Fisheries Refuted Viral Claim

On Thursday, 14 September 2023, the head of the Tuban DKP2P Fisheries Division, Lingo Indarto, publicly refuted the claim that the fish were killed from the Fukushima waste water.

The fishermen in the video, was identified as called Sutrisno from Karangsari. He said that the fish were all caught at sea, and were healthy and fresh.

Mr. Linggo called for netizens to stop believing in unverified rumours, as they can cause great losses to the fishermen. He is also coordinating with the East Java Province Maritime and Fisheries Service to fight this fake news.

Fact #7 : No Dead Fishes Were Reported En-Route

For the Fukushima waste water to reach Tuban, it would need to travel some 7,000 kilometres past southern Japan, the Philippines, the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi, Bali and Surabaya.

Yet no dead fish were reported elsewhere. How is that possible if the Fukushima waste water is so toxic? Did the evil Japanese design the waste water to only kill fish in Tuban?

Recommended : Did Yasuhiro Sonoda Die After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

Fact #8 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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.

 

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Are Elderly Tourists Banned From Group Tours In China?!

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.😀😀😀😀😀

Recommended : Are Japanese Airports Empty After Chinese Boycott?!

 

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.

Recommended : Did BMW Mini Give Ice-Cream Only To Foreigners In China?!

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.

Recommended : Chinese Nuclear Plants Release More Tritium Than Fukushima?!

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.

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Florida Anti-Vaccine Advice Slammed As Dangerous!

Former Florida surgeon general Dr. Scott Rivkees and the CDC just publicly slammed the state’s advice against getting the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine!

Find out what he said, and what’s going on!

 

Florida Recommends Against 2023 Updated COVID-19 Vaccines!

Just one day after the CDC recommended that everyone 6 months and older should get the new 2023 updated COVID-19 vaccines, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo issued a statement recommending against people under 65 getting the updated vaccine.

In his statement, Ladapo claimed that getting the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines make it easier for people to get infected, while running risk of getting cardiac problems. Instead of getting the new COVID-19 vaccines, Ladapo recommends staying physically active outdoors, and eating more vegetables

As the federal government makes new boosters for COVID-19 available, the Florida Department of Health (Department) reminds health care providers of their obligation to remain up to date with the current literature related to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

Recommended : 2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccines : What You Need To Know!

 

Former Surgeon General Slams Florida Vaccine Advice!

Former Florida surgeon general Dr. Scott Rivkees just publicly slammed the DeSantis administration and Dr. Joseph Ladapo for advising people against getting the updated 2023 COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Scott Rivkees preceded Dr. Joseph Ladapo as the state surgeon general, resigning in September 2021 after being shunned by Ron DeSantis for encouraging COVID-19 precautions when the Florida governor wanted virtually no preventive measures.

When the current Florida surgeon general issued that advice against getting the updated COVID-19 vaccine, he spoke up against it to USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida.

Dr. Rivkees, who is a pediatrician and now a professor at the Brown University School of Public Health, pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be “very safe” and “very effective”.

Rates of COVID vaccination are lower in Florida than they had been. I think the cumulative effect of this anti-vaccine messaging is being felt.

COVID is a vaccine preventable disease. These vaccines are very safe and very effective.

Recommended : New Study Proves Pfizer Vaccine Causes Turbo Cancer?!

 

CDC Labels Florida Vaccine Advice As Dangerous!

The CDC also publicly criticised both Florida governor Ron DeSantis and his surgeon general Joseph Ladapo for advising against getting the updated 2023 COVID-19 vaccine, with CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen calling their comments “dangerous“.

Vaccination against COVID-19 remains the safest protection for avoiding hospitalizations, long-term health challenges, and death.

As we head into the fall and winter seasons, it is important that Americans get the updated COVID-19 vaccine. They are proven safe; they are effective, and they have been thoroughly and independently reviewed by the FDA and CDC.

Public health experts are in broad agreement about these facts, and efforts to undercut vaccine uptake are unfounded and dangerous.

Recommended : 2023 COVID-19 Vaccines Have “A Lot Of Red Flags”?!

The US FDA has also stated publicly that the new 2023 COVID-19 vaccines have been thoroughly reviewed and tested for safety:

The public can be assured that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.

We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated.

– Peter Marks, Director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

And please protect yourself and your loved ones, by vaccinating against COVID-19 and other preventable diseases!

 

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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.

 

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Mexico Did It Photo : Can It Infect Your Phone With Virus?!

Can the “Mexico Did It” photo infect your phone with a virus in just 5 seconds?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-13 : Revised for a new wave
Originally posted @ 2022-11-07

 

Claim : “Mexico Did It” Photo Will Infect Your Phone With A Virus!

The warning about the “Mexico Did It” photo or image that will infect your phone with a virus keeps going… viral on WhatsApp and social media.

There are two versions so far – in English, and in Spanish.

FYI: They are going to publish an image that shows how Covid 19 is cured in Mexico and it is called “Mexico did it”, do not open it because it enters the phone in 5 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. It’s a virus. Pass it on to your friends and family. Now they also said it on CNN and BBC. DO NOT OPEN IT

Pass it on

Van a publicar una imagen que muestra como el Covid 19 se cura en Mexico y se llama “Mexico lo hizo” no lo abran porque entra al telefono en 5 segundos y no se puede frenar de ninguna forma. Es un virus. Pasenlo a sus familiares y amigos. Ahora lo dijeron tambien en CNN y BBC

Recommended : Can Morocco Earthquake Seismic Wave Card Hack Your Phone?!

 

Truth : There Is No “Mexico Did It” Photo / Virus!

This is just another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media like Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Viral Message Has Been Circulating Since 2021

The viral message about the “Mexico Did It” photo or virus has been circulating on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter since April 2021.

Fact #2 : This Is A Modified Version Of “Argentina Is Doing It”

This viral message is actually a modified version of an earlier fake message, which claims that a video on WhatsApp called “Argentina is doing it” will hack your phone in 10 seconds.

It just replaces Argentina with Mexico, a video with a photo, and changes it from a 10-second hack into a 5-second virus attack.

Those two fake news are, in turn, probably based on the even older fake claim that hackers are using greeting photos and videos to hack your phone.

Read more : Can Greeting Photos + Videos Hack Your Phone?!

Fact #3 : There Is No “Mexico Did It” Photo / Virus

There is no such thing as a “Mexico Did It” image or photo. Neither is there a virus called “Mexico Did It“.

There is also no known virus that can infect your phone with a virus simply using a photo or image.

Fact #4 : CNN + BBC Never Reported On Such A virus

It’s been over 2.5 years since this fake story first appeared on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, but neither CNN nor BBC has ever reported on a “Mexico Did It” virus.

Fact #5 : Image-Based Malware Is Possible, But…

Digital steganography is a method by which secret messages and other data can be hidden in digital files, like a photo or a video, or even a music file.

It is also possible to embed malicious code within a photo, but it won’t be a full-fledged malware that can execute by itself.

At most, it can be used to hide the malware payload from antivirus scanners, which is pretty clever to be honest… but it cannot hack your smartphone by itself.

Recommended : Can Restaurant Menu QR Code Hack Your Phone?!

Fact #6 : Image-Based Malware Requires User Action

In January 2019, cybercriminals created an online advertisement with a script that appears innocuous and would pass any malware check.

However, the image itself has an “almost white” rectangle that is recognised by the script, triggering it to redirect the user to the cybercriminals’ website. Once there, the victim is tricked into installing a Trojan disguised as an Adobe Flash Player update.

Such a clever way to bypass malware checks, but even so, this image-based malware requires user action.

You cannot get infected by the Trojan if you practice good “Internet hygiene” by not downloading or installing anything from unknown websites.

Fact #7 : Malicious Code Executes Immediately

If you accidentally download and trigger malware, it will execute immediately. It won’t take 5 seconds, as the hoax message claims.

Generally, malware won’t wait a few seconds before it infects your devices. Waiting will only increase the risk of detection.

Unless the malware creator designed it to only infect your phone when you are sleeping (like the early hours of the morning), it pays to execute immediately.

Now that you know the facts, please SHARE this article with your family and friends, and 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.

 

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Can Morocco Earthquake Seismic Wave Card Hack Your Phone?!

Can the Seismic Wave Card containing photos of the recent earthquake at Morocco hack your phone?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Morocco Earthquake Seismic Wave Card Can Hack Your Phone!

This warning about the Seismic Wave Card containing photos of the recent earthquake at Morocco has gone viral on WhatsApp:

They are going to upload some photos of the Moroccan earthquake on WhatsApp. The file is called Seismic Waves CARD, don’t open it and see it, it will hack your phone in 10 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. Share the information with your family and friends.
DO NOT OPEN IT. They also said it on TV

他们将在WhatsApp上上传一些摩洛哥地震的照片。该文件称为地震波CARD,不要打开或看到它,它会在10秒内破解您的手机,并且无法以任何方式停止。与您的家人和朋友分享信息。
不要打开它。他们还在电视上说过

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

 

Truth : There Is No Morocco Earthquake Seismic Wave Card!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and here are reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Is No Seismic Wave Card!

First, let me just point out that there is no such thing as a Seismic Wave Card.

The Seismic Wave Card is an Internet hoax that keeps getting recycled for every earthquake that comes along, like these examples show:

They are going to upload some photos of the Cariaco earthquake on Whatsapp. The file is called Waves Seismic CARD, do not open or see it, it will hack your phone in 10 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. Pass the information on to your family and friends. DO NOT OPEN IT. They also said it on TV.

They are going to upload some photos of the Calvario earthquake on WhatsApp. The file is called CARD Seismic Waves. Do not open them or see them, they hack your phone in 10 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. Pass the information on to your family and friends. Don’t open it. They also said it on TV.

Fact #2 : Photos Are Shared Directly On WhatsApp

There is no need to open any file, or install any app, to view photos on WhatsApp. You simply click to view photos shared by other people on WhatsApp.

Of course, people may sometimes share high-resolution photos in ZIP or RAR files, because WhatsApp greatly reduces the resolution of photos shared on its platform.

Those ZIP or RAR files may be opened using apps like WinZip (Android | iOS) or RAR (Android) or Unarchiver (iOS). However, you should be wary if you are asked to download and install any app.

Unless you know what you are doing, it’s best to only view photos and videos directly inside WhatsApp, and not download any compressed files at all.

Recommended : Can Greeting Photos + Videos Hack Your Phone?!

Fact #3 : Seismic Waves Card Is Not A Browser Hijacker

Seismic Waves Card appears to be falsely labelled as a browser hijacker by at least one “cybersecurity” website:

The scam message known as Seismic Waves Card is notorious for its disruptive behavior while surfing the web. Generally, scams like this, and other like Mintnav and Lookaside fbsbx, are crafted to meddle with your browser’s settings, replacing homepages and default search engines to promote affiliated sites and generate advertising revenue.

This transgression doesn’t end here; they siphon sensitive data and create vulnerabilities in your system’s security framework, providing a gateway for more perilous threats, such as malware and phishing schemes, to invade.

The protracted presence of Seismic Waves Card in your system exponentially escalates the risk of serious compromises, emphasizing the dire necessity for its immediate removal. Recognizing the malicious potential of such unwanted apps is essential in maintaining a secure and safe digital environment. Stay vigilant and prioritize your cybersecurity.

There is no evidence that a malware or browser hijacker called Seismic Waves Card exists. The article itself does not offer any evidence to prove its existence. In fact, the article and its guide on how to “remove” the malware appears to be generic, and may possibly be AI-generated.

Fact #4 : Image-Based Malware Is Possible, But…

Digital steganography is a method by which secret messages and other data can be hidden in digital files, like a photo or a video, or even a music file.

It is also possible to embed malicious code within a photo, but it won’t be a full-fledged malware that can execute by itself.

At most, it can be used to hide the malware payload from antivirus scanners, which is pretty clever to be honest… but it cannot hack your smartphone by itself.

Recommended : Can Restaurant Menu QR Code Hack Your Phone?!

Fact #5 : Image-Based Malware Requires User Action

In January 2019, cybercriminals created an online advertisement with a script that appears innocuous and would pass any malware check.

However, the image itself has an “almost white” rectangle that is recognised by the script, triggering it to redirect the user to the cybercriminals’ website. Once there, the victim is tricked into installing a Trojan disguised as an Adobe Flash Player update.

This is an incredibly clever way to bypass malware checks, but even so, this image-based malware requires user action.

You cannot get infected by the Trojan if you practice good “Internet hygiene” by not downloading or installing anything from unknown websites.

Fact #6 : Malicious Code Executes Immediately

If you accidentally download and trigger malware, it will execute immediately. It won’t take 10 seconds, as the hoax message claims.

There is really no reason for malware to wait before it infects your devices. Waiting will only increase the risk of detection.

Whether the malware serves to take over your device, steal your information or encrypt it for ransom, it pays to do it at the first opportunity.

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.

 

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Japan MP Sonoda Still Alive After Drinking Fukushima Water!

Former Japanese MP Yasuhiro Sonoda did not die from cancer, and is still alive, after drinking ALPS-filtered water from the Fukushima nuclear power station!

 

Claim : Japan MP Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water!

People are sharing videos and photos of Yasuhiro Sonoda drinking the treated Fukushima waste water in WhatsApp groups and social media, claiming that the former Japanese MP eventually died from cancer!

How is Yasuhiro Sonoda, a Japanese official who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago, now? Why did he disappear?

At the end of October 2011, Yasuhiro Sonoda, the then Japanese cabinet minister, poured half a glass of water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in front of media reporters in order to prove that the treated Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water was “drinkable and no problem”. The treated nuclear-contaminated water of Units 5 and 6 was “drinked twice.”

In December 2014, Yasuhiro Sonoda’s social platform stopped updating; in June 2015 , Sonoda Yasuhiro announced his retirement; at the beginning of 2018, Japanese media said that Sonoda Yasuhiro had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma; in August 2020, Sonoda Yasuhiro died of illness in Melekeok, the capital of Palau.

JERRY GOODE : 🚨☢️ 🇯🇵: Japan MP Yasuhiro Sonoda’s hands shook as he downed a glass of Fukushima Nuclear Contaminated Water in front of reporters and cameras.  NOW HE IS MISSING!  What happened to him?💀

Finally solved the case, Yasuhiro Sonoda is dead, died of multiple myeloma in 2020.

In June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda announced his retirement.
Early 2018. Due to physical discomfort, got checked up in Japan, and diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
At the end of 2018, he received treatment at MIT Medical School in the United States, but failed.
At the end of 2019, he went to Palau to recuperate (waiting to die).
In August 2020, he died in Melekeok, the capital of Palau, due to multiple myeloma and his whole body decomposed.

[/su_expand]

INF.News : …many years later, the Health Bureau of the Republic of Palau announced a regrettable news: Yasuhiro Sonoda passed away in Palau in 2020 due to his body gradually decomposing due to multiple myeloma.

Why did the Republic of Palau choose to announce such news at such a critical time when Japan discharged nuclear wastewater into the sea? The answer is actually quite simple: Protest.

The Republic of Palau chose to announce the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda at this critical moment, not only to express their dissatisfaction with the Japanese government, but also to alert the global community to the risks associated with nuclear energy.

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

 

Truth : Japan MP Sonoda Did Not Die After Drinking Fukushima Water!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…

Born on June 9, 1967, Yasuhiro Sonoda (園田 康博 / そのだ やすひろ) was elected to the House of Representatives in the Diet (Japanese Parliament) in 2003, as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan.

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the 44 year-old MP sought to ease concerns over the safety of the treated water. In response to a challenge by freelance journalist Yu Terasawa, he promised to drink the treated waste water.

I don’t want it to be seen as some kind of performance, but if that’s the best way to prove that the water is safe then I would gladly drink it right here, in front of you, any time.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) prepared a bottle of water from Fukushima Daiichi reactors no. 5 and no. 6, which was filtered and treated using its Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.

Then, at an October 31, 2011 press conference, Yasuhiro Sonoda filled a glass with the ALPS-treated water before polishing it off in two gulps.

Recommended : Fukushima Radioactive Water : What Makes It Different?

The viral messages suggested something nefarious after Yasuhiro Sonoda stopped posting on his Twitter account in 2014. The truth is – he stopped tweeting after he lost elections for the second time.

After that infamous demonstration, Yasuhiro Sonoda lost his seat during the 46th House of Representatives election on December 16, 2012. He subsequently lost again in the 47th House of Representatives election on December 14, 2014.

His last Twitter post was on the night before he lost his election, showing a video of his last campaign speech on December 13. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper would later publish a news article (no longer available online) on June 14, 2015, stating that Yasuhiru Sonoda announced his withdrawal from politics.

After leaving politics in June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda receded from the limelight. However, there is no evidence he is dead. As a former Member of Parliament, his death would have been announced by the Japanese media. Yet, there is no mention of his passing. The viral messages certainly offered no evidence to back up their claims.

In fact, Yasuhiro Sonoda became CEO and the company’s first Representative Director of ACD. Co. Ltd. – a subsidiary of the Japanese airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), in March 2018. It is unlikely for him to be appointed both CEO and the first Representative Director of ACD if he was already dying from multiple myeloma in 2018.

Yasuhiro Sonoda remained CEO of ACD Co., Ltd until his retirement on 14 March 2020. On 1 November 2020, ACD Co., Ltd. issued a press release announcing that Yasuhiro Sonoda retired as Representative Director and President on 14 March 2020, and was replaced by Hiromichi Furui.

The fact that ACD announced his retirement in November 2020 also suggests that Yasuhiro Sonoda was still alive at that time. The viral message claimed that he died in August 2020.

Recommended : EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood?!

But more importantly, Kyodo News reached out to Yasuhiro Sonoda himself via telephone on 2 September 2023, and confirmed that he was still alive! Mr. Sonoda denied that he died from cancer.

Sonoda said, “I would like to once again apologize to those who experienced the earthquake and the people of Fukushima Prefecture,” regarding the spread of false rumors caused by his actions at the time.

園田氏は当時の自身の行動がきっかけでデマが広がったことについて「震災を経験された人や福島県の人にあらためておわびしたい」と語った。

I should also point out that many claims in the viral messages are easily proven false:

  • A quick check of the Palau National Government website showed no such announcement about the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda.
  • Melekeok is a state, and not the capital of Palau. The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. Before 2006, the capital of Palau was Koror City.
  • MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, does not have any schools of law or medicine. It also does not run any hospitals. Therefore, it is impossible for Yasuhiro Sonoda to seek medical treatment at the MIT Medical School, or the MIT Hospital as claimed.

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

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
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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.

 

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Did Fukushima Water Kill Thousands Of Fish In Penang?!

Did the radioactive Fukushima waste water just kill thousands of fish in Penang?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Fukushima Water Killed Thousands Of Fish In Penang!

People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show that thousands of fish floating on the water, after being killed by the radioactive Fukushima waste water!

Nuclear sudah sampai pantai Penang… Mati penang

Nuclear [contamination/radiation] has arrived at Penang beaches. Penang is dead.

If it is true, horrible japanese

The Japanese is helping America to depopulate the world

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

 

Truth : Fukushima Water Did Not Kill Thousands Of Fish In Penang!

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 : This Happened On 26 August 2023

The viral video appears to be recorded on Saturday, 26 August 2023, when thousands of fish were found dead along the shores of Teluk Bahang in Penang.

Fact #2 : Fukushima Only Started Releasing Waste Water On 24 August

The Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station only started releasing its treated waste water on Thursday, 24 August 2023.

As the crow flies, Penang is over 5,400 kilometres away from Fukushima. Even if the radioactive waste water is a missile, it would need to fly non-stop at over 110 km/h to reach Penang in time to kill the fish two days later. And this is only possible if the Fukushima waste water can actually FLY OVER Pattani in Thailand and Kedah to reach Penang!

If the evil Japanese people fired the Fukushima waste water like a homing torpedo at Penang, it would need to travel some 7,000 km to reach Teluk Bahang. That radioactive torpedo will need to “swim” non-stop at 145 km/h or 78 knots to kill fish in Penang two days later.

Fact #3 : No Dead Fishes Were Reported En-Route

For the Fukushima waste water to reach Penang, it would need to travel past southern Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, southern China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sabah and Sarawak, before going around Singapore, and past Johor, Melaka, Selangor and Perak.

Yet no dead fish were reported elsewhere. How is that possible if the Fukushima waste water is so toxic? Did the evil Japanese design the waste water to only kill fish in Penang?

Recommended : Did Yasuhiro Sonoda Die After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

Fact #3 : Fish Were Killed By Red Tide Bloom

On the day the fishes were found dead in Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS) deputy director Dr. Annette Jaya Ram spotted pink tide in Teluk Bahang.

CEMACS later confirmed that the thousands of fish found dead were likely killed by the red tide bloom. CEMACS director Professor Datuk Dr. Aileen Tan said on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, that several fish that they retrieved were found to be in a state of asphyxiation with their mouths wide open.

We found them deprived of oxygen, resulting in unconsciousness or death due to suffocation.

She also said that while the algae is not known to have any direct toxicity or toxic effects, it was possible that the fish died due to high levels of discharge by the plankton.

It is more intense this time compared to April because it happened during neap tide (compared to spring tide in April). The blooms were not drifted or carried away by the tides or waves this time.

Fact #4 : DOE Confirmed Fish Were Killed By Algal Bloom

The Department of Environment (DOE) issued a statement on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, confirming that the thousands of fish found dead were killed when the algal bloom deprived them of oxygen.

Several samples were taken and initial analysis found that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water was at 1.59mg/L to 2.09mg/L for depths between 1m (and) 4m.

Investigations found that it does not fulfil Class 2 of Marine Water Quality Standard to support aquatic life.

DOE Director General Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said that observations from two monitoring stations at Teluk Bahang suggested that the algal bloom was not caused by pollution.

Recommended : Singapore Just Found NEW Radioactive Food From Japan?!

Fact #5 : Algal Bloom Species Was Identified

On Wednesday, 30 August 2023, the Penang Fisheries Department identified the algal bloom as caused by Noctiluca scintillans, a species of marine dinoflagellates that is also known as sea sparkle.

Preliminary results of the analysis carried out by the Batu Maung Fisheries Research Institute found that the algae is non-toxic. It is from the Noctiluca scintillans species and is not dangerous to humans.

The department also pointed out that the very high density of algal in the water can cause fish to die, due to a decrease in dissolved oxygen.

Fact #6 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | TravelTech ARP

 

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Nuclear Radiation Created These Mutant Creatures?!

Does a viral video show terrifying mutant creatures created by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Nuclear Radiation Created These Mutant Creatures!

People are sharing a video on TikTok and WhatsApp, which claims to show that mutant creatures created by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as a warning of what the release of treated Fukushima waste water will create!

On TikTok : How frightening are the mutations caused by nuclear contamination #tiktokusa #usa #science #foryou #horror #contamination

Here is a transcript of the video:

This is a dog that has been contaminated by nuclear radiation. Pay attention. It has only one eye positioned right in the center displaying an extremely eerie mutation that gives it a profoundly unsettling appearance.

What’s even more chilling is the discovery of a group of creatures under the bridge. They hang themselves beneath the structure featuring eerie teeth in their central sections. To this day, the exact species remains undetermined. However, the extraction of their blood confirms that they have been subjected to nuclear contamination.

All of this took place in 1986, the third year after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Radioactive substances contaminated the entire sky resulting in widespread nuclear pollution across the region. By the third year of the nuclear contamination, the local wildlife had undergone severe mutations.

Three years later, scientists returned to the area and one creature without a head caught their attention. Its appearance resembled that of a headless deer with the head seemingly missing.

Now the mass before their eyes coiled into a slow undulating motion has puzzled scientists. Some speculate that they are mutated forms of animals while others suggest they might be plants affected by nuclear contamination. However, it’s certain that there is a faint consciousness within them.

What can be confirmed is that they’ve endured nuclear contamination. What exactly these entities are might not matter. But it’s likely that in the not so distant future, with Japan’s release of nuclear contaminated water, more similar organisms could come into our view.

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

 

Truth : Nuclear Radiation Did Not Create These Mutant Creatures!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : That Was A Baby Goat, Not A Dog

The dog with one eye isn’t even a dog. It was a baby goat that was born with one eye. The kid – that’s what a baby goat is called – was born on May 10, 2017, in the Indian state of Assam.

While the condition is rare, it is not unheard of. In fact, the condition is known as cyclopia, and occurs in the womb when the developing brain fails to separate into two hemispheres. As a result, the skull only forms a single eye socket.

Most animals born with cyclopia do not survive long after birth. A similar case in the past only survived for 10 hours. This cyclops goat, however, has survived longer than expected.

Needless to say, the cyclops goat has nothing to do with Chernobyl, and was not born this way because of radioactive contamination.

Fact #2 : Those Are Rabbit-Ear Barnacles

The alien-like creatures hanging under the bridge isn’t actually unknown mutants created by nuclear contamination.

They are just rabbit-ear barnacles (Conchoderma auritum), which are found all over the world. These barnacles look like that all the time, and were not created by nuclear radiation.

Recommended : Did Yasuhiro Sonoda Die After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

Fact #3 : Headless Moose / Deer Has A Head!

I cannot trace the source of the headless moose / deer video (yet), but I managed to get a higher resolution video that runs longer.

If you look closely at the video, you can see that its ears. The headless moose / deer actually has a head. It is simply looking away from the camera, which makes it appear like it is headless.

Perhaps the moose or deer was looking for a potential predator in that direction. Needless to say – a headless moose or deer was never found at Chernobyl, or anywhere else in the world.

Fact #4 : That Was A Horsehair Worm!

The mysterious tangle is not a mutant creature or plant that was created by nuclear contamination.

It has been identified by multiple experts, including University of New Mexico parasitologist Ben Hanelt, as a horsehair worm – a nematode-like parasite from the phylum Nematomorpha.

Also known as Gordian worms, these parasites pose no danger to humans, as they target insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and cockroaches.

The viral video was recorded by Huang Meilan in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on 29 August 2017. It shows a single horsehair worm which appears to be tangled in plastic mesh or plant material.

Needless to say, it has nothing to do with Chernobyl or nuclear contamination.

Recommended : Singapore Just Found NEW Radioactive Food From Japan?!

Fact #5 : Chernobyl Is Not Comparable To Fukushima

Now, I should also point out that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is not comparable at all to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. You can read a detailed study about this, but here is a quick summary:

  • Chernobyl dispersed 10X more radioactive elements (radionuclides) than Fukushima.
  • Even then, over 80% of released radionuclides in Fukushima were blown offshore into the Pacific Ocean.
  • Environmental impact of Chernobyl is much greater than that of Fukushima.
  • Highly contaminated area around Fukushima is much smaller than Chernobyl.
  • In contrast with Chernobyl, no one died from acute radiation in Fukushima.

A 2011 study confirmed that animals living near Chernobyl have 20X more genetic mutations than normal. However, these mutations are not turning those animals into completely new species.

If such long-term exposure to nuclear radiation have not made those animals glow in the dark, or give them extra limbs, or change them into new species, it is unlikely that the far less impactful Fukushima nuclear disaster will create any new animal species.

Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release

Japan isn’t going to just release the radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.

The ALPS uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water, leaving only tritium and carbon-14. Tritium and carbon-14 are radioactive forms of hydrogen and carbon, which makes them difficult to separate from water.

The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean. The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.

I should also point out that the level of tritium in the treated waste water is many times LOWER than the waste water released in other nuclear power plants, including the Qinshan NPP in China.

Recommended : Chinese Nuclear Plants Release More Tritium Than Fukushima?!

Fact #7 : Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Happened In 1986

The fake video claimed that these mutant creatures were seen in 1986 – 3 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. That would not be possible as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in April 1986.

Fact #8 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

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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.

 

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Chinese Nuclear Plants Release More Tritium Than Fukushima?!

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.

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.

Recommended : Singapore Refutes WSJ Radioactive Japan Food Podcast!

 

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.

Recommended : Did Yasuhiro Sonoda Die After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

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 approximately1/10 (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.

Recommended : EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood?!

Fact #5 : Data Backed By Chinese Study

I was also able to locate a 2019 study (PDF download) conducted by Chinese scientists called “Analysis on the emission of tritium from Qinshan nuclear power base of china in recent ten years“.

Interestingly, this study showed ten years of data that showed how much the Qinshan power station was releasing, not only into the Hangzhou Bay water, but also into the air!

Qinshan NPP Tritium In
Gaseous
Effluents
(trillion Bq)
Tritium In
Liquid
Effluents
(trillion Bq)
Total Tritium
Effluents
(trillion Bq)
2007 46.0629 84.220 130.2829
2008 56.564 93.381 149.945
2009 35.835 74.210 110.045
2010 40.387 76.010 116.397
2011 41.245 87.790 129.035
2012 39.636 87.690 127.326
2013 57.196 114.990 172.186
2014 84.799 137.560 222.359
2015 74.300 147.650 221.95
2016 117.900 179.200 297.100

Regardless of the source – official Chinese IAEA report, or the Chinese study, it is obvious that the Qinshan nuclear power plant releases many times more tritium into the sea and the air, than what Fukushima will release into the sea.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Is There An Ebola Outbreak At Burning Man 2023?!

Are people being quarantined at the Burning Man 2023 festival because of an Ebola outbreak?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : There Is An Ebola Outbreak At Burning Man 2023!

Messages claiming that there is an Ebola outbreak at the Burning Man 2023 festival have gone viral on social media.

UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance : EBOLA OUTBREAK BURNING MAN

Ebola outbreak confirmed at Black Rock City, NV. It is recommended that all Burning Man attendees remain in their dwellings until further notice. Current State of Emergency in progress. Learn more: bit.ly/NjMkIRjjH

Died Suddenly : 🚨Developing Story🚨

We are getting reports that there has been a confirmed Ebola Outbreak on the ground at The Burning Man Festival in Nevada.

Attendees have been told to shelter in place allegedly due to all of the flooding, and one attendee has been pronounced dead without a cause of death given.

TrueAnon : How I found out about it. Staying put for now, but reallllllly freaked out

“Yo just figured you should hear from me first. Darrel is crazy sick with something that has him coughing up really coagulated blood. Medic showed up wearing a full suit. No idea where he is now. I would stay inside your camper.”

Recommended : Do You Now Need ETA To Travel To The UK?!

 

Truth : There Is No Ebola Outbreak At Burning Man 2023!

This appears to be another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on Twitter, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Burning Man Closed To Traffic

First, let me just give you a quick summary of what’s going on at the Burning Man 2023 festival.

The 2023 Burning Man festival started on Sunday, August 27, 2023. However, it was suddenly hit by heavy rainfall on Friday, September 1. Several months of rainfall inundated the area that day.

The heavy rainfall flooded the playa and turned the ground into ankle-deep mud. It quickly became impossible to drive any vehicles on the muck. Even worse – it continued to rain and drizzle over the next few days.

As a result, the organisers closed all roads leading into and out of the Burning Man area, and told attendees to conserve food, water and fuel.

The gate and airport in and out of Black Rock City remain closed. Ingress and egress are halted until further notice.

No driving is permitted except emergency vehicles. If you are in [Black Rock City], conserve food and water, and shelter in a warm space.

More updates to come. Stay safe!

Fact #2 : There Was No Quarantine At Burning Man

Even though the roads in and out of Burning Man were closed, and people were told to shelter in place, there never was a quarantine. That’s because there is no outbreak of any disease, Ebola or otherwise.

People who wanted to leave the Burning Man festival could still do so. They just had to hike their way through the thick mud.

While some 72,000 people remained on site, quite a number of people hiked their way out. DJ Diplo and Chris Rock, for example, managed to hitchhike a ride on the back of a pickup truck after hiking out.

Just walked five miles in the mud out of Burning Man with Chris Rock and a fan picked us up.

If there really was an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man, there would have been a strict quarantine, and no one would have been allowed to simply walk out of the area.

People at the Black Rock Desert site also would not be allowed to socialise. Yet, people there continue to gather and socialise.

Recommended : Did Yasuhiro Sonoda Die After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

Fact #3 : Burning Man Organisers Dismissed Ebola Claims

On Sunday, 3 September 2023, the Burning Man organisers issued a press release dismissing the rumours of an Ebola outbreak:

The online rumors of transmissible illnesses in Black Rock City are unfounded and untrue.

Fact #4 : Bureau of Land Management Dismissed Ebola Claims

The Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the Black Rock Desert site, also issued a statement, dismissing the rumours of an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man 2023.

[We] can confirm the event entrance was closed for the year because unusual rainfall caused muddy conditions where there was a full stop on vehicles, and not for an Ebola outbreak. We have heard no information of any participants with Ebola.

Fact #5 : Burning Man Death Still Under Investigation

The claims of an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man 2023 was also partly fuelled by reports that a man died there.

On Friday, 1 September 2023, a man died at the Burning Man festival, which was confirmed by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office the next day.

On Sunday, 3 September, Burning Man confirmed confirmed the death in a press release, stating that the cause was “unrelated to the weather”.

Our emergency services department reached a call for service extremely quickly for a male, approximately 40 years old, and could not resuscitate the patient.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the death, and has not announced the man’s cause of death. However, that does not mean that it was Ebola. Obviously, if it was Ebola, the area would have been placed under strict quarantine!

Recommended : Is Biden Admin Bringing Back FULL COVID Restrictions?!

Fact #6 : Burning Man Attendees May Get To Leave By Today

Burning Man attendees who were caught knee-deep in the mud may get to leave by today – Monday, 4 September 2023.

The organisers earlier said that “the roads in Black Rock City remain too wet and muddy to officially open them for Exodus on Sunday 9/3.

They now say that they “expect to start Exodus on Monday morning 9/4 as long as the conditions improve“.

Obviously, this is only possible because there is no Ebola outbreak, and the ground is drying up enough to support the movement of vehicles!

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

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Name : Adrian Wong
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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.

 

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Singapore Just Found NEW Radioactive Food From Japan?!

Did Singapore just detect more radioactive food from Japan, after the release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power station?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-04 : Added Singapore Food Agency’s announcement
Originally posted @ 2023-09-03

 

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)

Recommended : The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

 

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.

Recommended : Fukushima Waste Water Release : Should You Worry?!

Fact #3 : Singapore Food Agency Refuted WSJ Podcast!

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.

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

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.

Recommended : Truth About FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food!

Fact #6 : Singapore Has Not Detected Radioactive Food From Japan

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that its surveillance of the safety of food from Japan has been satisfactory. It has not detected any radioactive contaminant in food imports from Japan since 2013.

In fact, Singapore lifted pre-export tests and Certificate of Origin requirements on approved food imports from the Fukushima prefecture on May 28, 2021.

Even so, the SFA continues to closely monitor food imports from Japan to ensure that they comply with Singapore’s food safety requirements.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Singapore Refutes WSJ Radioactive Japan Food Podcast!

The Singapore Food Agency just refuted a podcast by the Wall Street Journal that it found new radioactive food samples, and extended its ban on food imports from Japan!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Singapore Found New Radioactive Food From Japan!

This message (with a link to the WSJ podcast) went viral 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)

Recommended : Singapore Just Found More Radioactive Food From Japan?!

 

Singapore Refutes WSJ Radioactive Japan Food Podcast!

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!

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.

Recommended : Fukushima Waste Water Release : Should You Worry?!

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.

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

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

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) had earlier stated that there will be “no immediate ban on seafood from Japan” following the release of the treated Fukushima wastewater.

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.

To be clear, Singapore has not initiated any new import ban of food from Japan.

Recommended : The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | HealthTech ARP

 

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Did Study Show COVID Vaccines Cause VAIDS In Children?!

Did an official study show that COVID-19 vaccines cause VAIDS in children?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Study Show COVID-19 Vaccines Cause VAIDS In Children!

People are sharing an article by The Expose (formerly Daily Expose), which claims that an official study just showed that COVID-19 vaccines cause VAIDS (Vaccine-Induced Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) in children!

Here is an excerpt from the really long article, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

A new study shows covid injections cause VAIDS in children

Recommended : New Study Proves Pfizer Vaccine Causes Turbo Cancer?!

 

Truth : Study Did Not Show COVID-19 Vaccines Cause VAIDS In Children!

This is just another example of FAKE NEWS from the notorious fake news website, The Expose, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : The Expose Is A Notorious Fake News Website

Like Real Raw News and NewsPunch, Daily Expose is a website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money. It was later rebranded as The Expose.

Founded in November 2020 by Jonathan Allen-Walker – a mechanic from Lincolnshire, The Expose / Daily Expose is infamous for publishing COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from Daily Expose / The Expose. Here are some of its stories that I personally debunked earlier:

Everything posted by The Expose / Daily Expose must be considered fake news, until proven otherwise.

Fact #2 : Study Did Not Mention AIDS / VAIDS

You can read the study, which was conducted by Australian scientists, here – BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination in children alters cytokine responses to heterologous pathogens and Toll-like receptor agonists.

Anyone who reads through this study will note that it does not mention AIDS, VAIDS, or even immunodeficiency.

So the claim that this study showed that COVID-19 vaccines cause VAIDS is utter nonsense. The study has nothing to do with AIDS, VAIDS, or immunodeficiencies of any kind.

Recommended : Did CDC Alter Death Certificates To Remove Vaccine Deaths?!

Fact #3 : It Was A Laboratory Study On Blood Samples

I should also point out that this study was conducted in the laboratory, using blood samples from 29 children.

To be clear – no children were found to have developed any side effect or disease from their COVID-19 vaccinations.

Again, the claim that this study showed that COVID-19 vaccines cause VAIDS is utter nonsense.

In addition, because this is an in vitro (laboratory) study, it does not necessarily mean it accurately reflects what happens in our bodies. This research will need need to be verified and replicated in animal and human studies.

The study authors also pointed this out in their paper, noting that:

There are currently no data on the clinical effects of COVID-19 vaccination-related heterologous effects in children.

Fact #4 : Study Showed Changes In Cytokine Response

The study does not show any actual changes in the children’s immunity against viral or bacterial infections, because it was only evaluating the cytokine response in their blood samples.

A whole blood stimulation assay was used to investigate in vitro cytokine responses to heterologous stimulants (killed pathogens, Toll-like receptor ligands) and SARS-CoV-2 antigens.

The study showed that there was a decrease in cytokine response to bacterial and viral stimulants one month after vaccination. But that changed six months post-vaccination – there was increased cytokine response to bacterial stimulants.

In addition, it should be noted that while the study showed “evidence of temporal associations between BNT162b2 vaccination and altered heterologous effects”, there was “no consistent correlation between BNT162b2 vaccination-induced anti-RBD IgG antibody titre at V2 + 28 and cytokine responses”.

Recommended : Did FDA just admit Pfizer vaccine has Graphene Oxide?!

Fact #5 : COVID-19 Vaccines Do Not Cause AIDS

To be clear – there is no medical disease called VAIDS – Vaccine-Induced Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. It appears to be something made-up by anti-vaccination activists to scare people.

AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Nothing else causes AIDS. Certainly no vaccine, not even the COVID-19 vaccine, causes AIDS.

Robert Charles Gallo – one of the two scientists who independently discovered that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was responsible for AIDS, said in response to the 2021 claim by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that COVID-19 vaccines cause AIDS:

[I]t’s hard to believe anyone would claim that the covid-19 vaccine causes AIDS. We know what causes AIDS.

Perhaps your president wanted to say that, immediately after vaccination, HIV can become a little more active, which is true of any foreign antigen. Or that vaccines might activate immune cells, but that doesn’t have any meaning, and it doesn’t last long.

I don’t know what your president said. So I don’t want to be too critical. But it is obvious that neither the covid-19 vaccine nor any other vaccine causes AIDS.

Recommended : Did CDC Say COVID Vaccines Cause AIDS + Cancer?!

Fact #6 : HIV Is Different From SARS-CoV-2

Just to be clear, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a completely different virus from SARS-CoV-2 – the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

HIV viruses are single-stranded retroviruses from the Lentivirus genus, and are transmitted through sexual contact, or transfer of blood and bodily fluids.

SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded coronavirus from the Betacoronavirus genus, and is airborne, mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets and aerosols.

There is no conceivable way for COVID-19 vaccines, or even COVID-19 infections, to cause AIDS…. or to create a new form of AIDS. That’s nonsense.

Everything posted by The Expose must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this article out, and supporting our work!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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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.

 

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EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood?!

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.

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

 

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.

Recommended : The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

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?

Recommended : Fukushima Waste Water Release : Should You Worry?!

Fact #5 : EU Seafood Re-Export Plan Not Logical

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!

Recommended : Did Hong Kong Just Ban All Food From Japan?!

Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Fukushima Radioactive Water : What Makes It Different?

Is the radioactive water being discharged from the Fukushima nuclear plant really different from waste water from other nuclear plants?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Fukushima Radioactive Water Is Different From Normal Nuclear Waste Water!

People are sharing a Greenpeace article, as evidence that the radioactive water from Fukushima is not the same as normal nuclear waste water, but far more toxic and dangerous. Here is an excerpt from that Greenpeace article:

How is Fukushima wastewater distinguished from other nuclear plants?

Recommended : Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

 

What Makes Fukushima Radioactive Water Different?

The Greenpeace article makes for a compelling read, but here are the reasons why it is no longer accurate.

Fact #1 : Greenpeace Posted This In April 2021

First, it is best to note that this Greenpeace article was written in April 2021 in reaction to the Japanese government’s publication of its plan to eventually discharge the Fukushima radioactive waste water into the ocean.

The problem is that article was written almost 2.5 years before Japan actually initiated its plan to release the treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Since then, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese government have provided additional data to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its evaluation of the proposed plan to discharge treated radioactive waste water into the ocean.

Fact #2 : IAEA Released A Comprehensive Report

Right after announcing its waste water release plan in April 2021, the Japanese government requested that the IAEA conduct a detailed review of that plan, to ensure that it meets the relevant international safety standards.

The IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi accepted and established a task force to review the Japanese government’s plan to release the treated radioactive waste water. The task force was made up of top specialists from within the IAEA, and advised by internationally-recognised external experts from across the globe.

After two years of work, the IAEA publicly released its comprehensive report (PDF download) on 4 July 2023. The IAEA concluded that the plan to release treated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea was “consistent with IAEA Safety Standards“.

Fact #3 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered

It is true that the Fukushima waste water is different from normal nuclear waste water in that it has come into direct contact with radioactive material. Hence, it has many more radionuclides than normal nuclear waste water.

However, the heavily-contaminated waste water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is not going to be released directly into the ocean.

Instead, it will be filtered and treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.

Recommended : Fukushima Waste Water Release : Should You Worry?!

Fact #4 : Fukushima Water Tanks Keep Leaking!

The Greenpeace article correctly points that there is a lot of radioactive water being stored at Fukushima Daiichi. In fact, there is currently about 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive water is stored in over 1,000 gigantic tanks!

Obviously, this is not a sustainable solution for TEPCO in the long-term, as they have to keep building new tanks, and old tanks will eventually leak. Or the water may be accidentally released.

  • In August 2013, TEPCO revealed that 300 metric tonnes of highly-radioactive water leaked from a storage tank.
  • In October 2013, TEPCO revealed that another tank was leaking, and some of the highly-radioactive water may have reached the ocean.
  • In February 2014, TEPCO revealed that a valve left open by mistake allowed about 100 tonnes of highly-radioactive water to overflow from a storage tank.
  • In October 2016, about 32 litres of highly-radioactive water leaked from a seam in a water tank.

Regardless of what we may think about the release of radioactive water into the ocean, it doesn’t appear to be practical to keep all that water in tanks that will eventually leak. Or even worse – get discharged all in one go, if there is another earthquake!

It is arguably much safer to treat and discharge the water, instead of risking these inevitable leaks of highly-radioactive water.

Fact #5 : Expected Exposure 1000X Lower Than Limit

For the purpose of the IAEA review, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan selected a dose constraint of 0.05 mSv (millisieverts) per year for someone exposed to the ALPS-treated water.

That is 20X lower than the “average accumulated background radiation dose of an individual for 1 year, exclusive of radon, in the United States“. In other words – very conservative.

The IAEA task force and TEPCO also assessed the exposure risk from within a 10 km x 10 km area surrounding the discharge point. Again, very conservative – because no one really would be foolish enough to fish from that area!

In the end, the amount of extra radioactivity that one might get from swimming in ALPS-treated water and ingesting seafood exposed to ALPS-treated water is less than 0.01 microsieverts. That’s about 5,000X lower than the NRA limit!

The IAEA report, however, is even more conservative in its evaluation:

[I]n all cases the doses are very low and more than 1000 times lower than the dose constraint of 0.05 mSv per year. 

Recommended : Truth About FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food

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.

 

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Bantuan Rakyat Malaysia Scam Alert!

Watch out for the Bantuan Rakyat Malaysia scam on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and Twitter!

Find out how this scam works, and WARN your family and friends!

 

Bantuan Rakyat Malaysia 2023 Scam Alert!

These scam messages about Bantuan Tunai Rakyat (BTR) 2023, or Bantuan Percuma Kerajaan Malaysia 2023, is going viral on WhatsApp, Telegram, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

CARA SEMAKAN TARIKH BAGI PENERIMA BANTUAN RM600 DIKREDITKAN SETIAP BULAN

Untuk mereka yang layak, anda boleh lakukan semakan dengan mengikuti cara yang diterangkan.

Baca Cara Semakan Bantuan 👇
https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/

SHARE INFO ini kepada rakan-rakan dan saudara mara untuk manfaat semua

HOW TO CHECK THE DATE FOR RECIPIENTS OF ASSISTANCE RM600 CREDIT EVERY MONTH

For those who are eligible, you can check by following the described method.

Read How to Check Help 👇
https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/

SHARE this INFO to friends and relatives for the benefit of all

As one lady shared in the video below, she got tricked by the scammers, who took over her Telegram account to send the same scam message to all of her contacts!

While she claimed that she did not click any link, I will show you how she got scammed…

Recommended : Beware Of Telegram Screenshot Hack + Scam!

 

Bantuan Rakyat Malaysia Scam : How Does It Work?

Warning : To show you how the scammers work, I will share the links they use. I will highlight those dangerous links in red. Do NOT go to those links.

Super Long Link

To trick people into clicking on the scam links, the scammers intentionally use a misleading and very long URL, so you are less likely to notice the domain.

This is the scam link : https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/

Note how the scammer used a long list of descriptive keywords – “bantuan“, “rakyat“, “malaysia“, “lynk“, which helps to mislead people, and make it more difficult for them to notice that the domain is “eu.org“.

Obviously, eu.org is not a Malaysian government domain (which ends with .gov.my), and it has nothing to do with Malaysia or financial aid. This domain also has nothing to do with the European Union.

EU.org provides free subdomains, and so scammers use it to not only run their scams, but to give their scams a more “legitimate-looking domain”.

Pro Tip : Always check the domain of a link before you click on it. Avoid super-long links like this because they are often used to mask the domain name.

Recommended : Will Scanning RFID Bar Codes Hack Your Phone?!

Fake Telegram Invitation

After clicking to go to https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/, you will be taken to what looks like an invitation to join a Telegram group. But in reality, it is a fake Telegram invitation.

A real Telegram invitation will have a link like this – https://t.me/XXXXXXXX. But this scam page has the link – https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/my.php.

Also, a real Telegram invitation can detect if you are using Windows / Mac or Android / iOS, and suggest that  the right download for your device.

The invitation also has a glaring typo – the link says Massage Now, rather than Message Now. Hilarious!

In any case, a real Telegram invitation will not ask you to Message Now. Rather, it will allow you to either View In Telegram, or Preview channel in the web browser itself.

Recommended : Bantuan Tunai Rakyat Malaysia 2023 Scam Alert!

Fake Telegram Login Page

If you click on Join Group, you will be taken to this Telegram login page. Even though it offers you a list of countries to select from, the only option is Malaysia.

WARNING – THIS IS A SCAM PAGE. This is what is known in cybersecurity as a “phishing attack”.

First of all, Telegram invitations will never ask you to log into your Telegram account. It will simply launch the Telegram app and load the group for you.

Secondly, if you look at the link, it leads to the same scam domain, specifically https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/my.php.

Do NOT log into your Telegram account in this page.

Recommended : Scam Alert : How Fake Job Syndicates Operate!

If you log into your Telegram account using this phishing page, then the scammers will gain access to your Telegram account, and take it over for their own use.

They can then use your Telegram account to send the same scam message, or worse, cheat your family and friends of their money!

Recommended : Can Restaurant Menu QR Code Hack Your Phone?!

The lady in the viral video likely logged into this phishing page, thus giving the scammers control of her Telegram account. That was likely how they were able to message everyone on her contact list.

She also likely did not enable Two-Step Verification in Telegram, which would let her recover her account even after scammers have gained access.

That is why people who were hit by this scam had to call and inform their relatives and friends, or publicly post about it to warn all of their contacts.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to warn all of their contacts, and inevitably, someone will get cheated of their hard-earned money. That’s why these scams are so popular – they really work, and scammers are making a ton of money!

Help us fight against these scammers. SHARE this article out, and WARN your family and friends!

 

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.

 

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Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

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!!

Give seafood a miss in the future!

Japan latest news..

Recommended : The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

 

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.

However, the video has nothing to do with the discharge of radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Fact #2 : Viral Video Was Recorded In June 2020

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.

Recommended : Did Hong Kong Just Ban All Food From Japan?!

Fact #4 : That Was Sewage, Not Radioactive 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.

Recommended : Truth About FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food

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).

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Warning – PDRM Parking Fine Scam Alert!

Scammers are targeting motorists with the PDRM parking fine scam! Make sure you warn your family and friends!

Here is what you need to know about the PDRM parking fine scam!

 

PDRM Parking Fine Scam Email

People are getting emails warning them that they just committed a parking violation, while offering them a cheap fine if they pay quickly.

Fines Inquiry and Payment

Dear recipient,

We are writing to draw your attention to a recent traffic violation in Malaysian jurisdiction.

Our traffic enforcement staff have observed your vehicle parked in a no-parking zone. This contravenes section (no. 2016-691] of the Road Traffic Act.

The fine is set at MYR 50. Payment of the fine is required within 7 days of the date of notification, to avoid further legal consequences.

If the fine is not paid within the time limit, you may be subject to legal action, resulting in an increase in the original fine.

Payment deadline: [08/26/2023]

Methods of payment accepted:

Cordially,

Malaysian Police Department

Recommended : Bantuan Tunai Rakyat Malaysia 2023 Scam Alert!

 

PDRM Parking Fine Email Is A Scam!

These PDRM parking fine emails are scam emails. This was confirmed by PDRM itself.

On 7 August 2023, the Cyber Crime division of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) posted an alert warning motorists not to fall for the MyBayar scam.

These emails are designed to scare its victims into action. Hence, it offers a very cheap way to quickly “settle the problem”. However, if you take a breath, and analyse the email CAREFULLY, you will see many problems with it.

  • Letter is from PDRM : The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) will never write to you by email.
  • Letter is in English : The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) will never write to you in English.
  • Typo in the name : The fake email used My Bayar PDRM, instead of MyBayar PDRM.
  • Lack of name and personal details : The fake email refers generically to “Dear recipient“, without listing your full name and MyKad number.
  • Lack of vehicle details : The fake email doesn’t mention the vehicle make and plate number.
  • Lack of location details : The fake email does not mention where the offence occurred, or even when it occurred.
  • Fine is much too low : PDRM traffic fines are never as low as RM50. The cheapest fine is RM150 for Category 4 offences, but you can pay as low as RM70 within 15 days.
  • No such law : The fake email refers to the Road Traffic Act. There is no such act in Malaysia. The proper name is the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333).
  • No such section : If you look at the Malaysia Road Transport Act 1987 (PDF download), you will see that there is no such thing as Section 2016-691.

The email appears to be from My Bayar PDRM (typo in the name), but if you inspect the email address, you will see that it was sent by “in-to-no-reply@silverbackgames.xxx” or “hello@sooqr.com” or some other email address.

Obviously, this email did not originate from an official PDRM email address! This should immediately tell you that this is a fake or scam email!

Recommended : How A University Student Lost RM22K In Online Job Scam!

If you click on the Pay My Fine link in the scam email, you will be taken to a fake My Bayar PDRM website (with the same typo in the name).

You may notice that you now have 7 days to pay the RM 50 fine, instead of just 5 days in the email. Odd, isn’t it?

Also odd is the fact that the page does not mention your name, your MyKad number, your vehicle type and model, or even its plate number! The page also doesn’t mention where the offence took place, or the time you were caught committing said offence.

Do NOT proceed after this point… This is a scam website!

But if you have itchy fingers, and click on the Pay The Fine button, you will be asked to pay for the RM50 fine using your debit or credit card.

Needless to say, PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR DEBIT / CREDIT CARD DETAILS!!!

If you provide these scammers with your debit / credit card details and TAC / OTP numbers, they will be able to charge ANY AMOUNT they want to your credit card, or withdraw ANY AMOUNT they want from your bank account!

Recommended : Wedding Invitation Scam : Don’t Install APK File!

It’s even worse if you are asked to log into your bank account to pay the fine. DO NOT DO THAT!

If you provide them with your bank login and password, as well as OTP/TAC number, these scammers will be able to transfer money out of your bank account!

Please note – this is a scam! This is a phishing attack to gain access to your credit card and/or bank account.

Regardless of how you get any notification from PDRM about any traffic offence you may have committed, you should always check the status through these official MyBayar PDRM options:

Please SHARE this warning with your family and friends!

 

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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.

 

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FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food Fact Check!

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:
🎯 FDA Issued 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.

Recommended : The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

 

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.

Recommended : Did Hong Kong Just Ban All Food From Japan?!

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.

Recommended : Fukushima Waste Water Release : Should You Be Worried?!

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.

Recommended : Did US Refuse WHO Investigation Of Fort Detrick?!

This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and 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.

 

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Did Hong Kong Just Ban ALL Food From Japan?!

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.

The video clip is also shared with messages like this example:

Confirmed HKG [Hong Kong] yesterday announced the ban on food from Japanese, both raw and pre-prepared.

Recommended : The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

 

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.

Recommended : Truth About FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food

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.

Recommended : Fukushima Waste Water Release : Should You Be Worried?!

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!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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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.

 

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Fukushima Waste Water Release : Should You Worry?!

Japan will start releasing tons of treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant!

Take a look at the viral warnings, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Fukushima Waste Water Will Contaminate Japanese Food!

People are now sharing articles about the impending release of radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, with warnings about contaminated Japanese food!

Circulating on WhatsApp : Must avoid seafood from Japan 😭.

@ElysiusThor : RADIOACTIVE ☢️ CONTAMINATION ALERT:

Avoid consuming any Japanese seafood imports. Japan will start dumping their 1million ton of radioactive ☢️ waste water into the ocean this Thursday. Keep your family safe from radiation-laced Japanese seafood products.

Circulating on WhatsApp : Good luck to shashimi lovers

Japan to release Fukushima waste water into the ocean starting on Thursday

Recommended : The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

 

No Evidence Fukushima Waste Water Will Contaminate Japanese Food

The decision of the Japanese government to release the radioactive Fukushima waste water is an emotionally-charged event that has triggered condemnation by many people all over the world.

It doesn’t help that there is now a wave of warnings about contaminated Japanese food on social media and instant messaging platforms.

Take some deep breaths and CALM yourself down. Then consider what we know so far about all these warnings.

Fact #1 : Japan Approved Release Of Fukushima Waste Water

On Tuesday, 22 August 2023, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida approved the release of the radioactive waste water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, at a meeting of Cabinet ministers involved in the plan.

He instructed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s operators, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) to get ready to release the waste water from Thursday onwards, if weather and sea conditions permit.

At the cabinet meeting, Kishida said that the release of the waste water is an essential step to decommissioning the nuclear plant, and continue with the recover of the Fukushima prefecture after the 11 March 2011 disaster.

Fact #2 : IAEA Approved Release Of Fukushima Waste Water

The International Atomic Agency (IAEA) conducted a safety review of Japan’s plans to release treated water into the Pacific Ocean.

After nearly two years of work, the IAEA released a report (PDF download) on 4 July 2023. The IAEA concluded that the plan are “consistent with relevant international safety standards“, and would have “negligible radiological impact on people and the environment“.

Fact #3 : Fukushima Uses Water To Cool Fuel Rods

Now, it is necessary to understand WHY there is even radioactive waste water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

After the plant’s cooling systems were destroyed by the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, three of its nuclear reactors melted down. The reactors were also damaged by explosions caused by the release of hydrogen gas.

To prevent further damage to the reactors, TEPCO has been pumping water to cool the nuclear fuel rods. The water, which is now contaminated with radioactive elements, is then stored in massive tanks.

Recommended : Truth About FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food

Fact #4 : Fukushima Water Tanks Keep Leaking!

Currently, about 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive water is stored in over 1,000 gigantic tanks at the nuclear plant.

Obviously, this is not a sustainable solution for TEPCO in the long-term, as they have to keep building new tanks, and old tanks will eventually leak. Or the water may be accidentally released.

  • In August 2013, TEPCO revealed that 300 metric tonnes of highly-radioactive water leaked from a storage tank.
  • In October 2013, TEPCO revealed that another tank was leaking, and some of the highly-radioactive water may have reached the ocean.
  • In February 2014, TEPCO revealed that a valve left open by mistake allowed about 100 tonnes of highly-radioactive water to overflow from a storage tank.
  • In October 2016, about 32 litres of highly-radioactive water leaked from a seam in a water tank.

Regardless of what we may think about the release of radioactive water into the ocean, it doesn’t appear to be practical to keep all that water in tanks that will eventually leak.

It is arguably much safer to treat and discharge the water, instead of risking these inevitable leaks of highly-radioactive water.

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.

Recommended : Truth About FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food

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 report:

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.

Fact #7 : Tritium Has Short Half-Life

Tritium has a short radioactive half-life of 12.32 years. What this means is that tritium will rapidly degrade:

  • only half the amount would remain after 12.32 years
  • a quarter will remain after 24.64 years

In other words, some of the waste water in Fukushima now has half the amount of tritium than was originally present when it was collected 12 years ago!

And if water collected in August 2023 was only released at the end of the 30 year discharge timeline, only 18.5% of its original quantity of tritium would remain in the water.

This is part of the reason why tritium paint is no longer used in premium watches to provide illuminated dials – its brightness keeps halving every 12 years!

Recommended : Heavy Gadget Use Killing Kids With Radiation?!

Fact #8 : Tritium + Carbon-14 Occur Naturally

Both tritium and carbon-14 emit very low levels of radiation through beta radiation, which has low penetrating power – it can be stopped by nothing more than a layer of clothing or aluminium foil!

But more importantly, both tritium and carbon-14 occur naturally in the environment, and only pose a risk to human life if consumed in large quantities.

Unless you plan to drink a lot of undiluted Fukushima waste water to prove a point, you are unlikely to suffer radiation poisoning.

Fact #9 : Waste Water Will Be Discharged Into Ocean

Finally, let me end by simply pointing out that the Fukushima waste water isn’t going to be used to irrigate Japanese farms. So there is no risk to Japanese farm produce.

There is also no evidence that the treated waste water will contaminate Japanese seafood as the treated Fukushima waste water will be released into the ocean, which will further dilute the concentration of the tritium and carbon-14 nucleotides.

Fact #10 : Contaminated Fish Mostly Limited To Fukushima Area

There have been reports that fish living near the drainage outlets at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was found to have radioactive caesium 180X higher than Japan’s safety limit.

However, that contamination cannot be from the discharge of the treated waste water (which has not occurred and would not contain radioactive caesium), but is mostly caused by untreated contaminated water that has been leaking from the nuclear plant for many years now.

In other words, the discovery of such contaminated fish is evidence that the waste water should be treated, instead of being left untreated in storage tanks to risk further leaks.

TEPCO installed nets in January 2016 to contain contaminated fish inside the area. However, these nets have apparently failed, allowing contaminated fish to escape. That’s why regular sampling is now conducted in the area to detect such leaks.

Since contaminated water flowed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station port immediately after the accident, Tepco has periodically removed fish from inside the port since 2012 using fishnets that have been installed to prevent the fish from escaping the port.

However, when a black rockfish with radioactive concentrations that exceed regulatory standards was caught off the coast of Soma [about 50km north of the plant] in January 2022, we began sampling again within this area in conjunction with the installation of more nets to prevent fish from leaving the port.

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
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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.

 

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Media Prima / Nielsen Fake Job Scam Alert!

Please watch out for the Media Prima Digital / Nielsen fake job scam! Don’t forget to warn your family and friends!

 

Media Prima / Nielsen Job Scam : How They Reel You In…

Scammers are targeting people through WhatsApp, offering an easy way to make extra money through a part-time job you can do online.

I am Shirley , a permanent employee at Media Prima Digital Company in the recruitment department. The HR department sent me this number and asked me to contact you to get you to a job opportunity.

I just want to share some work-from-home freelance job information offer .You don’t have to spend a lot of time on the job.I can explain if you are interested

The job appears to be very simple – just use your Instagram account to follow Media Prima Digital’s brand partners, to boost their follower count and exposure.

Our job is to use Instagram to follow our various partner brands and work with Malaysian brand influencers to increase their exposure. We hire freelancers to work with the hope of earning extra income every day.

You don’t have to do any marketing for the brand, you just have to subscribe Brand. The salary will be paid daily using TnG or Bank transfer.

Recommended : How Fake Job Syndicates Operate!

Best of all, the scammers are promising that you can make easy money doing nothing more than help Media Prima Digital boost their brand partners on Instagram…

This job is like freelancing. You can do it from anywhere and anytime if you can use social media. RM 110-550 per day if you can do it energetically without even a little worry. You can earn up to RM 3,300-16,500 per month.

Wow! That’s more than what many people earn in Malaysia, so why the heck not, right? Just use Instagram to help big brands “cheat” on their follower counts. Unethical, but not illegal, right? And easy money to make.

The scammer will let you try one or two tasks to show you just how easy it is to make quick money. Wow – you can earn RM10 just by following one Instagram account? Easy!

Recommended : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

 

Media Prima / Nielsen Job Scam Runs On Telegram

To get paid, the scammer hands you over to the actual fake job syndicate on Telegram…

Why Telegram? Telegram is popular with scammers because it not only offers end-to-end encryption, it won’t expose their actual telephone numbers.

Go to telegram and add to our receptionist. Use this username @AD or you can easily add her using this Link. https://t.me/KL999654

After successfully adding her send her a message. (I’m a new member.) code: JZ 450032 (ML-OS)Please send me a screenshot to confirm after sending code message to her.

She will invite you to join our working group where you can accomplish many tasks and earn more salary.

Recommended : Watch Out For Telegram Phishing Attack!

This “receptionist” will quickly pay you the RM10 (the bait), to “prove” that this is a genuine operation. She will then explain what you need to do to earn RM200 to RM300 a day. That’s more than what most people make in a day!

The finance department is sending money to you, please inform me when you receive it! Now let me give you a detailed description of our part-time work

The main job is to help Instagram users follow their page. You get RM2 for completing one task. RM80+ commission per day depending on your hours. The daily income is between RM 200 and RM 300, as long as you have enough time to do it, you can join

You will get RM2-RM18 commission for completing the task and an additional RM80 salary, which will be calculated based on your working hours today, ending at 8pm

Complete a task for RM2, accumulate RM10 and you can automatically receive commission. The more tasks you do, the more commissions you earn and the higher your salary

Update the task every 20 minutes and send me screenshots when you’re done so I know how much you’ve accomplished. The timeout task has expired and does not need to be completed. Do the latest task in the group

Only RM2 per task? But okay, they are also offering a daily commission. You work it out, and decide – what the heck, you can still get a decent sum every day. So you agree to participate.

Recommended : Must You Disable Facebook Auto-Fill To Block Scams?!

After you chug along, accumulating a small but nice sum over several hours, they hit you with the scam… you have to invest your money for the next job.

Subscribe to Tasks:
In order to thank you for your support to our company we hereby announce the welfare task and strive for the quota for everyone
Subscription Rule (2-4 orders) This task is based on market demand, we are recruiting customers to transfer subscription to increase transaction flow.
Increase market turnover. 5 to 10 minutes to complete the task, such as subscribe RM100, get RM130, 30% profit.
===========================
MYR 100 Cash back MYR 130 (Newbie subscription)
MYR 200 Cash back MYR 260
MYR 300 Cash back MYR 390
MYR 600 Cash back MYR 780
MYR 1000 Cashback MYR 1300

This is when your receptionist will pressure you into at least taking the “newbie subscription” of “just RM100”. She will assure you that you will instantly get RM30 profit.

In the meantime, people in the Telegram group will publicly announce that they are buying subscriptions of RM300, RM600, etc. These are likely just accounts run by the scammers.

If you hesitate, the receptionist will tell you that you cannot proceed without subscribing to this task. If you refuse, you will also lose the money you earned earlier. This is how they trap you.

If you jump right into it, the group will likely pay you the first time, to tempt you into investing more the next time around. That’s when they take your money for good.

Recommended : How A University Student Lost RM20K In Online Job Scam!

Don’t think that you can’t really lose much on such fake job scams. One university student recently explained how he lost over RM22,000 in a similar job scam.

There’s one trick that this scammer is using. He let me start with a small investment, then proceed with stages. They force me to continue because I want to rescue the money that I put in in the previous task. So it keeps getting bigger and bigger.

So please AVOID such online job offers, and help us fight these scammers – SHARE this article out, and WARN your family and friends!

 

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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.

 

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PDRM To Conduct Roadblocks From Midnight Onwards!

The Inspector-General of Police just announced that PDRM will conduct roadblocks at strategic locations, from midnight onwards!

 

IGP : PDRM To Conduct Roadblocks From Midnight Onwards!

On Saturday, 12 August 2023, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain announced that the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) will conduct roadblocks at strategic locations nationwide, from midnight onwards!

He said that these roadblocks are part of ongoing efforts to prevent crime and ensure public safety through police omnipresence, and unrelated to the 2023 state elections.

This is part of our monthly routine to prevent crimes and is not related to the state elections. Our men will be stationed at various locations to ensure there are no untoward incidents.

Recommended : 2023 Election : Must You Wear Face Mask + Dress Properly?!

At the same time, IGP Razarudin also urged supporters of political parties not to hold any victory convoys with their vehicles.

He also said that the police will increase its presence at state palaces and residences of the Yang di-Pertua to prevent disruptions at those locations.

PDRM conducted similar roadblocks were during the 15th General Elections in November 2022.

 

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Name : Adrian Wong
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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.

 

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PDRM Warning : Watch Out For MyBayar Scam!

PDRM is warning motorists not to fall for the MyBayar scam! Here is what you need to know about the MyBayar PDRM scam!

 

PDRM Warning : Watch Out For MyBayar Scam

On 7 August 2023, the Cyber Crime division of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) posted an alert warning motorists not to fall for the MyBayar scam.

The MyBayar PDRM scam starts with an official-looking email that warns motorists that they have been caught contravening the law, and offers a cheap RM50 fine if paid within 5 days:

Last notice of contravention before prosecution

Dear recipient,

We are writing to draw your attention to a recent traffic violation in Malaysian jurisdiction.

Our traffic enforcement staff have observed your vehicle parked in a no-parking zone. This contravenes section (no. 2016-691] of the Road Traffic Act.

As a result of this infringement, a fine of MYR 50 has been imposed. This fine must be paid within 5 days of the date of this notification to avoid further legal consequences.

Failure to pay the fine within the allotted time may result in legal proceedings being taken against you, which could lead to increased fines, penalties and the possible suspension of your driving license.

Recommended : Bantuan Tunai Rakyat Malaysia 2023 Scam Alert!

 

MyBayar PDRM Scam : How Does It Work?!

Many people who received the MyBayar PDRM email might be shocked to find out that they were caught committing a traffic violation, and then relieved that it was only RM50 if they paid quickly.

That’s how the scammers trap their victims – by offering a cheap RM50 fine, when we all know that fines for traffic offences are at least RM150, and can go all the way up to RM1,000!

Those who received this fake MyBayar PDRM email would be tempted to quickly pay the cheap RM50 fine, before it becomes a lot more expensive!

But if you take a closer look at the email, you will spot some problems with it:

  • Weird English : The email title of “Last notice of contravention before prosecution” is nonsensical.
  • Typo in the name : The fake email used My Bayar PDRM, instead of MyBayar PDRM.
  • Lack of name and personal details : The fake email refers generically to “Dear recipient“, without listing your full name and MyKad number.
  • Lack of vehicle details : The fake email doesn’t mention the vehicle make and plate number.
  • Lack of location details : The fake email does not mention where the offence occurred, or even when it occurred.
  • Fine is much too low : PDRM traffic fines are never as low as RM50. The cheapest fine is RM150 for Category 4 offences, but you can pay as low as RM70 within 15 days.
  • No such law : The fake email refers to the Road Traffic Act. There is no such act in Malaysia. The proper name is the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333).
  • No such section : If you look at the Malaysia Road Transport Act 1987 (PDF download), you will see that there is no such thing as Section 2016-691.

The email appears to be from My Bayar PDRM (typo in the name), but if you inspect the email address, you will see that it was sent by “in-to-no-reply@silverbackgames.xxx” or “hello@sooqr.com” or some other email address.

Obviously, this email did not originate from an official PDRM email address! This should immediately tell you that this is a fake or scam email!

Recommended : How A University Student Lost RM22K In Online Job Scam!

If you click on the Pay My Fine link in the scam email, you will be taken to a fake My Bayar PDRM website (with the same typo in the name).

You may notice that you now have 7 days to pay the RM 50 fine, instead of just 5 days in the email. Odd, isn’t it?

Also odd is the fact that the page does not mention your name, your MyKad number, your vehicle type and model, or even its plate number! The page also doesn’t mention where the offence took place, or the time you were caught committing said offence.

Do NOT proceed after this point… This is a scam website!

But if you have itchy fingers, and click on the Pay The Fine button, you will be asked to pay for the RM50 fine using your debit or credit card.

Needless to say, PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR DEBIT / CREDIT CARD DETAILS!!!

If you provide these scammers with your debit / credit card details and TAC / OTP numbers, they will be able to charge ANY AMOUNT they want to your credit card, or withdraw ANY AMOUNT they want from your bank account!

Recommended : Wedding Invitation Scam : Don’t Install APK File!

It’s even worse if you are asked to log into your bank account to pay the fine. DO NOT DO THAT!

If you provide them with your bank login and password, as well as OTP/TAC number, these scammers will be able to transfer money out of your bank account!

Please note – this is a scam! This is a phishing attack to gain access to your credit card and/or bank account.

Regardless of how you get any notification from PDRM about any traffic offence you may have committed, you should always check the status through these official MyBayar PDRM options:

Please SHARE this warning with your family and friends!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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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.

 

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PDRM Warning : It’s Illegal To Stop On Zebra Crossing!

PDRM is warning motorists not to stop their vehicles on any zebra crossing, or be subject to a fine of up to RM2,000, or 6 month’s jail!

 

PDRM Warning : It’s Illegal To Stop On Zebra Crossing!

The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is warning motorists not to stop their vehicles on any zebra crossing, or be subject to a fine of up to RM2,000, or 6 month’s jail!

On 28 July 2023, PDRM’s Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department (JSPT) announced that it would initiate a nationwide operation to enforce traffic laws under Op Pematuhan Peraturan Lala Lintas (Traffic Regulations Enforcement Operation).

One of the operations it is now carrying out is to enforce Rule 38 of the Road Traffic Rules 1959, which prohibits motorists from stopping their vehicles on any zebra crossing, unless it is out of their control – they are blocked by other vehicles from moving out of the way, or if it is necessary to prevent an accident.

OP PEMATUHAN PERATURAN LALU LINTAS

Jabatan Siasatan Dan Penguatkuasaan Trafik (JSPT) Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) pada 28 Julai 2023 telah mengeluarkan satu kenyataan media berhubung pelaksanaan OP Pematuhan Peraturan Lalu di seluruh negara.

Salah satu daripada operasi yang dijalankan adalah Kaedah 38 Kaedah-Kaedah Lalu Lintas Jalan (LN166/1959) – Tidak Boleh Memberhentikan Kenderaan Di Lintasan, menyatakan bahawa ;

– Pemandu kenderaan tidak boleh menyebabkan kenderaan atau mana-mana bahagian kenderaannya berhenti di dalam kawasan lintasan melainkan sama ada dia dilarang daripada bergerak oleh keadaan yang diluar kawalannya atau jika perlu baginya untuk berhenti bagi mengelakkan kemalangan.

Here is the English translation:

TRAFFIC REGULATIONS ENFORCEMENT OPERATION

The Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) on 28 July 2023 issued a media statement regarding the launch of the Traffic Regulations Enforcement Operation throughout the country.

One of the operations carried out is Rule 38 of the Road Traffic Rules (LN166/1959) – Not Allowed To Stop Vehicles At Crossings, which state that;

– The driver must not cause the vehicle or any part of the vehicle to stop in the crossing area unless he is prohibited from moving by circumstances beyond his control or if it is necessary for him to stop to avoid an accident.

Recommended : Did JPJ Stop Issuing Physical Road Tax For Most Drivers?!

To be clear – all motorists – whether they are driving a car, a van, or riding a motorcycle, should not cross the white line. If any part of their vehicle crosses the white line, that constitutes an offence.

Pengguna jalan raya diingatkan untuk mematuhi peraturan lalulintas dan tidak berhenti melebihi garisan putih kerana perbuatan ini adalah salah satu punca berlakunya kesesakan lalu lintas, berlakunya kemalangan dan juga boleh mengganggu pengguna jalanraya yang lain.

Road users are reminded to obey traffic rules and not stop beyond the white line because this act is one of the causes of traffic jams, accidents and can also disturb other road users.

 

Fine / Jail If Caught Stopping On Zebra Crossing!

JSPT is also warning that motorists may be fined up to RM2,000, or jailed for up to 6 months, if they are caught stopping any part of their vehicles on any zebra crossing.

Mana-mana individu yang melakukan kesalahan boleh dikenakan denda tidak melebihi RM2,000 atau dipenjarakan selama tempoh tidak melebihi enam bulan.

Any individual who commits an offense may be fined not exceeding RM2,000 or imprisoned for a period not exceeding six months.

In other words – this is a serious offence, with serious consequences. Most of us motorists never think about this. So this is a timely warning. Please SHARE this warning with your family and friends!

 

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.

 

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Did Tesla Cars Catch Fire + Explode After Accident?!

Did two Tesla electric cars catch fire, and explode spectacularly, after colliding in an accident?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Video Shows Tesla Cars On Fire + Exploding After Accident!

A video has gone viral on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, with people claiming that it shows two electric vehicles, or Tesla cars, catching fire and exploding spectacularly, after colliding in an accident!

AlphaFox : This is what happens when one Tesla catches on fire.

BUDA : Tesla car battery exploding #tesla #elonmusk @elonmusk $TSLA

An incredible video, showing what can happen when two EVs collide. Note that both sides of the freeway have been shut down and there are no fire apparatus present because, once a lithium battery ignites, it cannot be easily extinguished and the fumes are toxic.

Recommended : The Last Video Of Titan Sub At Titanic Wreck Fact Check!

 

Truth : Video Does NOT Show Tesla Cars On Fire + Exploding!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms, and here are there reasons why…

Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded In Moscow, Russia

First, let me start by pointing out that the viral video was recorded on the Moscow Automobile Ring Road (MKAD).

Fact #2 : Video Was Recorded In July 2013

Next, you should know that the incident did not happen recently. In fact, it actually occurred on 13/14 July 2013 – more than 10 years ago!

Although the Tesla Roadster was displayed in Moscow as early as June 30, 2010, Tesla never sold any electric cars officially in Russia. Instead, Tesla enthusiasts in Russia imported them in by themselves, through a “Tesla Club”.

Even as late as 2020, there were only about 500 Tesla electric cars in Russia, with 400 of them sold through the Russian “Tesla Club”. Therefore, it is virtually impossible for two Tesla electric cars to be involved in an accident in Russia, in 2013…

Fact #3 : Exploding Vehicle Was A Propane Gas Truck!

The truth is – the incident involved a truck that was carrying propane gas tanks. No electric vehicles were involved.

In the video above, you can see that the propane gas truck driver was speeding, and slammed into the back of a grey van / mini bus that was changing lanes to the right.

The accident caused the 36 propane gas tanks to burst and catch fire. Some of them exploded spectacularly, while others flew around like rockets!

Despite the ferocity of the fire and explosions, no one died in the accident. The truck driver can be seen running away from the exploding gas tanks.

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Did Tesla Cars Catch Fire + Explode After Accident?!

Fact #4 : There Were Firefighters

The viral video does not show any firefighters, because it is only one minute long. The original video, which is over 8 minutes long, shows Russian police and firefighters arriving on the scene within minutes.

However, it seemed safer to just let the truck burn completely, as the propane gas tanks were still exploding and flying around. In fact, a Russian police car was almost hit by one of those flying gas tanks, and quickly beat a hasty retreat!

Fact #5 : Lithium Battery Fires Are Hard To Put Out

It is true that the lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles can catch fire, and these lithium fires are notoriously hard to put out. Firefighters generally need to dump a ton of water on the burning electric vehicle for several hours.

That is why it is generally a good idea to simply let the electric vehicle burn itself out, unless the fire is threatening life or other property.

Electric vehicles will burn furiously, but they won’t explode like what was shown in the viral video. Those are, again, pressurised propane tanks exploding.

Fact #6 : Electric Vehicles Are Less Likely To Catch Fire

Electric vehicles can and do catch fire during car accidents, especially when their lithium ion battery packs are damaged or ruptured by the impact.

However, their overall fire risk is lower than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. According to AutoinsuranceEZ, ICE vehicles are 60X more likely to catch fire than an electric vehicle.

The riskiest are hybrid vehicles – they are 130X more likely to catch fire than an electric vehicle! The much higher fire risk in hybrid vehicles is likely due to the fact they have both a lithium-ion battery, and a gas tank filled with combustible fuel.

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.

 

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The Highly Radioactive Japanese Food Video Explained!

Were Japanese food products proven to be highly radioactive in a viral video?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Viral Video Proves Japanese Food Is Highly Radioactive!

People are sharing a video which claims to prove that Japanese food products are highly radioactive!

In the video, a man explains in Cantonese how he tested the radioactivity level of a Japanese food product, and found that it was highly radioactive.

It is sometimes shared with this English post, to help people understand what’s going on in the video:

Japanese foodstuffs full of radiation.

Japan has d very toxic nuclear radiation waters to be release or partially released already… be aware…fr d FUKUSHIMA Nuclear plant.

Recommended : Do Galton Boards Magically Sort Balls By Colour?!

 

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 Message Is Misleading

Let me just start by pointing out that the viral English message tied to this video is misleading. The man in the video never once mentioned that this food product was from Fukushima, or mentioned the Fukushima nuclear plant.

With help from Yuh Hui and Adrian Tung, here is the English translation of what the man said in the 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.

Recommended : Truth About FDA Import Alert 99-33 On Japanese Food

Fact #2 : 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!

Recommended : The Last Video Of Titan Sub At Titanic Wreck Fact Check!

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!

Recommended : Did Man Using Bluetooth Get Electrocuted Near Train?!

Fact #3 : 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.

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.

Recommended : Who Captured This Amazing Rainbow Photo At 30,000 Feet?!

Fact #4 : EM Radiation Is Not Nuclear Radiation

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 a whole lot different than getting hit by a car!

Recommended : Heavy Gadget Use Killing Kids With Radiation?!

Fact #5 : Japan Has Not Released Fukushima Wastewater

As of 16 July 2023, Japan has not released treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power station into the Pacific Ocean.

On Wednesday, 5 July 2023, the Nikkei newspaper reported that Japanese officials will start by explaining their plan to the local community and neighbouring countries, who are naturally concerned about the impact of the treated but still radioactive wastewater.

The soonest that Japan can reasonably start releasing the wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant is in August 2023. Therefore, the claim that Japan had already released radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant is false.

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.

 

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