Tag Archives: EU

Did EU Legalise Child Porn As WEF Pedophilia Agenda?!

Did the EU just legalise child porn as part of the WEF agenda to normalise pedophilia?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : EU Legalises Child Porn As WEF Pedophilia Agenda!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims or suggests that the EU just legalised child porn as part of the WEF agenda to normalise pedophilia!

Here is an excerpt of the long and (intentionally?) rambling article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

EU Legalizes Child Porn As WEF Agenda To Normalize Pedophilia Accelerates

Germany has decriminalized bestiality and child pornography, Spain now encourages pedophiles to parade their naked victims around the streets, and France does not have an age of consent law anymore.

That’s right – Europe has fallen under the influence of Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum and the shameless campaign to normalize pedophilia and other perversions in the western world.

According to Schwab, the EU’s push to normalize pedophilia and legalize sexual relations with children must now be adopted with the same enthusiasm in the US.

Possession and distribution of child pornography is no longer a crime in Germany, after the Federal cabinet voted to change the criminal law provisions regarding child sexual abuse material.

Pedophiles found in possession of child pornography will now be charged with misdemeanors, rather than crimes, meaning they will not face prison time for their crimes against children, as the normalization of pedophilia continues to pick up speed in the Western world.

German news outlet Tagesschau reported on the sickening news, explaining that lawmakers downgraded possession of child porn to a misdemeanor in part because there are too many pedophiles to send to prison.

You can be sure that was music to Klaus Schwab’s ears. The WEF co-founder declared the change in law a small step for Germany, but a giant leap for mankind. But the good news for the Davos crowd this week did not end there.

In Spain, another EU country, pedophiles are now being openly embraced by sections of the far-left population who are encouraging men in relationships with extremely young girls to parade their victims in the street – all in the name of tolerance and diversity.

The footage, taken at an annual carnival in Torrevieja, shows the so called ‘Osadía troupe’ marching with several naked children.

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Recommended : Did Germany Just Decriminalise Child Pornography?!

Truth : EU Did Not Legalise Child Porn As WEF Pedophilia Agenda!

This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Child Pornography Is Still Illegal In Germany

The People’s Voice article claimed or suggested that Germany has decriminalised bestiality and child pornography. That’s utter nonsense.

Bestiality and the possession or distribution of child porn remain crimes in Germany.

Fact #2 : Klaus Schwab Did Not Call To Normalise Pedophilia

The People’s Voice article claimed or suggested that Klaus Schwab called for the US to adopt the EU’s push to normalise pedophilia. That’s also nonsense.

Not only did the EU not push to normalise pedophilia, Klaus Schwab never called for the US to normalise pedophilia. The People’s Voice article provided no evidence to back up its claim.

Fact #3 : WEF Screenshot Is Fake

The cover image used by The People’s Voice article has a screenshot which purportedly shows the World Economic Forum (WEF) posting on X (formerly Twitter) that:

Minor-Attracted People deserve equal rights.

That is most definitely a fake screenshot, because there is no such post on X by the World Economic Forum. Yet again, The People’s Voice article provided no evidence that such a post ever existed.

Fact #4 : Germany Partially Reversed Increased Punishment

In July 2021, Germany actually increased the punishment for distributing child pornography, with a prison sentence of between 1 and 10 years. Previously, those convicted of the crime would face imprisonment of between three months and 5 years.

However, the German government soon realised that the minimum sentence of one year was problematic in practice. It meant that even parents and teachers who forward these child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to the police would face at least one year of prison!

The minimum 1 year sentence also meant the automatic classification as a crime, which means prosecutors and the courts cannot simply stop proceedings, as they would with misdemeanours. They would have to prosecute even people reporting child pornography to the fullest extent of the law!

That led investigators, courts, and even state justice ministers to push for a reduction in the sentencing guidelines.

As such, the German Federal Cabinet voted on Wednesday, 7 February 2024, to reduce the minimum sentence, from one year to six months. This would give prosecutors and the courts greater flexibility to address each claim proportionally.

As German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann explained, the new upper limit of 10 years would stay in place, but there will be a new minimum sentence:

In particular, people who receive such material involuntarily — for example in the context of a WhatsApp parents’ group — risk a minimum sentence of one year. The same also applies in the case of teachers who have discovered child pornographic material on students’ cellphones and have forwarded it to alert the affected parents.

This completely refutes claims by The People’s Voice article that the child pornography is no longer a crime in Germany. Even after this new law is passed with its reduced minimum sentence, it will still have a longer prison time than the original 3 months to 5 year sentencing guidelines.

Fact #5 : German Parliament Has Not Approved The Law

The German Federal Cabinet’s decision to amend the law does not immediately change it, as the The People’s Voice article appears to suggest.

Even though the German government urgently wants to implement the amended law, it has not been approved by the Bundestag – the German parliament. Until the new law is approved, the existing law continues to be in effect.

Recommended : Was King Charles Just Exposed For Raping Children?!

Fact #6 : The People’s Voice Source Clearly Explained Reasons

The People’s Voice article printed quotes from the German news service, Tagesshau, as “evidence”.

However, the Tagesshau article (machine translation) clearly states that the punishment was only partially reversed, which completely refutes The People’s Voice‘s claim that Germany has decriminalised child pornography.

Cabinet partially reverses increased punishment

The penalties for possession and distribution of child pornography are to be partially weakened. One reason: Until now, parents who forwarded images to highlight grievances also had to be punished.

After criticism from practice, the Federal Cabinet has decided to change some points in the criminal law provisions that came into force in July 2021 on the distribution of depictions of sexual abuse against children. Among other things, according to the draft law, the minimum penalty for disseminating such material will be reduced from one year to six months and for obtaining and possessing it from one year to three months.

Anyone reading even the title can clearly understand that child pornography has not been decriminalised in Germany. Why on Earth would anyone claim otherwise???

Fact #7 : Osadia Troupe Did Not March With Naked Children

The People’s Voice article suggested or claimed that the Osadia Troupe marched with naked children at the annual Torrevieja Carnival in Spain. That’s not true.

The Osadia Troupe featured adult performers in children’s costumes, while children paraded with them.

There is no evidence any of this children participating in the parade were naked, and those making such claims have not provided even a shred of evidence.

Viral videos that claimed or suggested that there were naked children used blurring or pixelation to imply nudity, but that’s simply not true. Even the adults were not naked – they were wearing lingerie.

Fact #8 : Cover Photo Was Taken In New York In 2015

The People’s Voice article used a cover photo of a little boy kissing an adult man at an LGBT parade. That is a most curious choice, as the photo has nothing to do with Germany or Spain, or pedophilia or child pornography.

That photo was taken by Kathy Willens of the Associated Press, on 28 June 2015, during the Heritage Pride March in New York. It shows Rafael Gondim kissing his 5 year-old son Gabriel King, who was being carried by his husband, Courtney King.

Nothing in that photo showed pedophilia, or child pornography. It is also completely unrelated to the Osadia Troupe parade at the 2024 Torrevieja Carnival in Spain.

Fact #9 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Fake News

The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.

Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:

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

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

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Is Seafood In Europe Highly Radioactive According To IAEA?!

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Is seafood in Europe highly radioactive according to the IAEA?! Is that why Europe did not ban the import of Japanese seafood?!

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

Claim : Seafood In Europe Is Highly Radioactive According To IAEA

Pro-CCP activists, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing and promoting a video, which claims to show that seafood in Europe is highly radioactive, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The person speaking on the video then suggests that is the reason why Europe did not ban Japanese seafood after the release of treated Fukushima waste water…

European seafood is completely inedible. Why do I say so? Let’s look at this website.

Does the IAEA know about this website? If you don’t know, check it out yourself.

Let’s take a look. There are tests for nuclear contamination in waters around the world.

You know that part of the ocean? It’s called the Sea of Japan. You can see it. The sea pollution around the Japanese islands is very serious.

There are no problems in the waters near Russia. There are no problems in the waters around us [China].

And then we go to the Western Hemisphere. See here? Everyone knows where this is, right?

Did you see it? The entire waters of Europe were wiped out. Almost nothing was spared. Did you see it?

Stop eating Atlantic salmon. Stop eating seafood imported from Europe. Do not eat any seafood. It is absolutely terrifying. So scary.

Now you must know – Why doesn’t Europe ban the import of Japanese seafood? Because the seafood quality and water quality are better than theirs

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IAEA-Europe-radioactive-seafood-wumao-video.mp4?_=1

Truth : AIEA Never Labelled Seafood In Europe As Radioactive!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created or promoted by pro-CCP supporters and/or the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded Of IAEA MARIS Website

Let me just point out the video was recorded of the IAEA MARIS (Marine Radioactivity Information System) website, specifically its Explore (Beta) feature. You can actually try it out for yourself.

In the IAEA MARIS website, simply click on Explore (Beta) at the top, and you will see a globe with coloured hexagonal markings all over it. By default, it looks at radioactive sampling of seawater across the world, which is precisely what the video shows.

Fact #2 : Coloured Hexagons Show Sample Count

The speaker on that viral video suggests that the larger number and red colour of the markers denote higher radioactivity. That is misleading and completely false.

The truth is – the colour of each hexagon is the indicator of the number of samples taken in the area covered by the hexagon. In fact, it’s clearly stated by the Sample count label at the lower right corner of the map.

In addition, if you hover over any coloured hexagons, you can see the number of samples taken at that site.

In other words – the IAEA MARIS map shows that Europe and Japan are highly monitored for radioactivity, while countries like Russia and China lack monitoring for seawater radioactivity.

Interestingly, the viral video has a large yellow background for the English translation that conveniently covers up the “Sample count” label for most of the video. Coincidence?

Fact #3 : Radioactive Samples Cover Many Decades

What the viral video will also not tell you is that the seawater samples taken for radioactivity tests cover many decades – from as far back as 1957, and as recent as 2021. That means the data shown on that map covers 64 years!

If you click on the Sampling year option on the left, you can select a particular year, and you will see that there are relatively few samples taken each year.

Fact #4 : IAEA MARIS Shows Tritium Radioactivity Too

The IAEA MARIS website actually shows radioactivity measurements for tritium taken by those samples in Bq/m3 units. But interestingly, the video chose to (misleadingly) use the sample count option to “show” radioactivity.

If you want to try it out in the Explore (Beta) section of the IAEA MARIS website, simply click on Measurements under Analysis options.

You will see that several areas in Europe have high levels of tritium – over 10K-50K Bq/m3, but those were taken in the 90s and early 2000s.

More importantly, the IAEA MARIS map shows that radioactivity off the coast of Japan was low. Perhaps that’s why the viral video chose to use the sample count option instead…

Fact #5 : This Is Just CCP Propaganda

This is just ultimately just another example of CCP propaganda, created / spread by pro-CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).Here are other examples:

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

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

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Peter McCullough Testified To EU Parliament On Vaccine Safety?!

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Did Dr. Peter McCullough testify to the EU Parliament on COVID-19 vaccine safety on 13 September 2023?!

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

Updated @ 2023-10-06 : Added a link, and other small changes.
Originally posted @ 2023-09-18

Peter McCullough Testified To EU Parliament On Vaccine Safety?!

People are sharing Twitter (X) and Rumble videos of Dr. Peter McCullough, claiming that he testified about the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines to the EU Parliament on 13 September 2023:

Blake 🔮 : Must Watch: Dr. Peter McCullough Calls For Complete Stop To All COVID Injections – Not Safe For Human Use (9/13/23):

@P_McCulloughMD testifies in the European Parliament to end all COVID vaccinations.

“I submit to you the COVID-19 vaccines and all of their progeny & future boosters are not safe for human use.”

World Council for Health (WCH) : In a session focused on the @WHO, Dr Peter McCullough (@P_McCulloughMD) delivered a powerful speech to the EU Parliament ahead of his upcoming WCH event in Bath, UK with Dr Tess Lawrie on Tuesday.

William Sumner Scott : The EU decided to allow Dr. Peter McCullough to make his presentation of the dangers of the covid – 19 vaccines. Bottom line, do not take any more of them.

America Out Lout : Dr. McCullough delivered a speech to the European Union Parliament on September 13, 2023, in a session dedicated to the World Health Organization and Pandemic response.

Peter McCullough Testified At EU Parliament : What I Discovered

Don’t be surprised if you did not see any EU Parliament announcement about banning COVID-19 vaccines, after Dr. Peter McCullough’s damning testimony to them.

Such a tremendous testimony should have made international news, shouldn’t it? After doing some research, this was what I discovered…

Fact #1 : Hearing Was About New WHO Proposed Rules

Like me, you probably thought that the EU Parliament invited Dr. Peter McCullough to testify about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

However, the event was actually billed as an “Expert hearing with Q&A” on “Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules“.

The new WHO rules they are referring to are really proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) that WHO member states themselves have drafted and negotiated since December 2021.

Fact #2 : It Was Not An Official European Parliament Event

If you check the European Parliament website, you will not find this event listed at all. You also won’t find it in the European Parliament’s list of official events for September 2023:

Hearings : A committee is permitted to organise a hearing with experts, where this is considered essential to its work on a particular subject. No hearings were held in August or September 2023.

Workshops : Workshops are organised by the policy departments and enable members to put questions to and exchange views with experts on subjects associated with parliamentary business or subjects of current interest. No workshops were held in September 2023.

Other Events : All other public events organised as part of committee activities involving external speakers or experts. Only one event was scheduled for September 2023 – the 13th meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europe on 20 September 2023.

As far as I can tell – the Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules event was not an official European Parliament event. It appears to consist of allotted time for the speakers to speak to the attendees and a livestream from within a European Parliament room, similar to the earlier International COVID Summit III.

Perhaps that was ultimately the purpose of this event – to give those speakers the patina of European Parliamentary approval? Perhaps that was all they wanted.

Fact #3 : The Event Was Held At De Madariaga S7 Room

It took some digging, but I managed to trace the location of this event. It was not held in the grand plenary hall where the 705 Members of the European Parliament meet, of course.

Rather, the Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules event took place from 2:30 PM until 4:30 PM at the S7 room in the Salvador de Madariaga (SDM) building.

This is a different, secondary building across the river from the main Louise Weiss building, with many rooms available for MEPs to use.

This appears to be a smaller version of the earlier International COVID Summit III event.

Fact #4 : Event Was Hosted By ECR + ID Parliamentary Groups

The Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules event appears to be sponsored or hosted by several European Parliament Members from the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists), and the Identity and Democracy (ID) groups.

MEP Christine Anderson, Identity and Democracy – Germany
MEP Mislav Kolakušić, Non-attached Member of the European Parliament – Croatia
MEP Ivan Vilibor Sinčić, Non-attached Member of the European Parliament – Croatia
MEP Cristian Terheş, European Conservatives and Reformists – Romania
MEP Virginie Joron, Identity and Democracy – France

That explains how this event was held within the European Parliament building, even though it was not an official or sanctioned event. This is similar to the earlier International COVID Summit III event.

Obviously, speaking to those five MEPs do not constitute speaking to the European Parliament itself, since 700 other MEPs were not in the room, and it wasn’t even an official event!

On top of that, the event banner shows that they were not there as official representatives of the European Parliament, but as “hosting MEPs”…

Fact #4 : European Parliament Had Plenary Session At That Time

While it may appear that Dr. Peter McCullough and the other people at the event were speaking to the European Parliament itself, the truth is – the European Parliament was in the midst of a 4-day plenary session from 11-14 September 2023.

At the same time that Dr. McCullough was giving his “testimony” in the S7 room in the Salvador de Madariaga building across the river, the European Parliament itself was in the grand plenary hall in the Louise Weiss building for issues (itinerary) like:

Topical debate (Rule 162) – Reviewing the protection status of wolves and other large carnivores in the EU
Presentation by the Council of its position on the draft general budget – 2024 financial year
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020
Opening of negotiations of an agreement with the United States of America on strengthening international supply chains of critical minerals
Report with recommendations to the Commission on amending the proposed mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context

Fact #5 : All Hosting MEPs Attended Plenary Session!

The Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules event was hosted by five MEPs. However, the video does not actually show them present in the McCullough testimony video.

When I checked the attendance register, I was surprised to see that all five MEPs attended the plenary session on 13 September 2023 at the Louise Weiss building across the river!

Christine Anderson
Mislav Kolakušić
Ivan Vilibor Sinčić
Cristian Terheş
Virginie Joron

It is possible that those five MEPs may have taken time off from the plenary session to drop by the unofficial event they hosted – a roundtrip would take 30-40 minutes by car.

But there is currently no evidence that I can find to show that those MEPs were actually present during Peter McCullough’s testimony.

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

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

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

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

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

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Is there a secret agreement between the EU and Japan to re-export contaminated seafood to other countries?! Here is what you need to know!

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

People are sharing this message on WhatsApp and social media, claiming that there is a secret agreement between the EU and Japan to re-export contaminated seafood to other countries!

There is also a secret agreement between EU and the Japs for the EU to re-export the Jap contaminated sea products to other countries eg China, Asia, the Middle East, etc.

Above exposes that just before the Japanese discharges toxic nuclear wastes into the sea, the EU has decided to abolish the checking on imported (contaminated) Japanese seafood products! It’s clear that in the EU there is corruption and it’s also possible that they will secretly re-export the Japanese products to other countries! Thus China has also decided to suspend seafood imports from a number (12) of EU countries!

Thus, in order to ‘con’ the world, the EU simply re-labelled the Jap contaminated products as EU products and re-export them to other countries outside Europe!

It’s obvious that the Japs are paying EU regularly a considerable amount of bribes ( billions of Euros) for this service!

The greed of the whiteman & the evil Japs know no bounds. Do you want to gamble with the lives of your loved ones by consuming these radioactive products from Japan ❓Switch to local fresh fishes.

No Evidence EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood!

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

Fact #1 : EU Lifted Final Fukushima Food Import Restrictions

This claim appears to be based on a 13 July 2023 decision by the European Union (EU) to lift its remaining restrictions on food imports from Japan after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The EU placed a strict maximum radioactivity level of 100 Bq/kg on food from Japan since June 2011, requiring pre-export testing of food products for radioactivity.

The EU only made this decision after finding that there was not even a single case of non-compliance over 12 years of monitoring food imports from Japan.

No non-compliances at the entry into the Union with those maximum radionuclide levels have been observed at import in the Union since June 2011, providing evidence that the control system put in place and the controls performed by the Japanese authorities are effective.

Let me repeat this – Japan has, not even once, exported any contaminated food items to the EU in the past 12 years.

Fact #2 : EU Progressively Reduced Fukushima Food Import Restrictions

It is also important to point out that the EU has reviewed its food import restrictions on Japan every two years, and has progressively lifted those restrictions .

In its last review on September 2021, the restrictions were only limited to wild mushrooms, some fish species, and wild edible plants from the prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi,, Gunma, Yamanashi, Yamagata, Iwata, Shizuoka, Ibaraki, Nagano, and Niigata.

In other words, the EU had been progressively lifting food import restrictions on Japan, and only lifted its remaining restrictions on 13 July 2023. It was not like they suddenly lifted all food restrictions on that day.

Fact #3 : China Did Not Suspend EU Seafood Imports

On 24 August 2023, China announced an immediate blanket ban on all seafood imports from Japan. However, the import ban does not affect non-seafood food imports from Japan like vegetables, fruits, or canned food.

There is no evidence that China suspended seafood imports from 12 EU countries over fears of radioactive seafood being re-exported from Japan.

Fact #4 : There Is No Evidence Of Any Secret EU + Japan Re-Export Plan

There is also no evidence at all that the European Union (EU) has any secret plan to re-export contaminated seafood from Japan to other countries.

Of course, you may be thinking – how would I know since this is a secret agreement? Well, where is the evidence there is such a secret agreement?

Did the viral message include any evidence of such an agreement between the EU and Japan? No. So why should YOU believe some random claim circulating on WhatsApp / social media, with zero evidence to back it up?

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!

Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

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

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

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

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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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Why Did Johnny Depp Faint + Cancel Budapest Concert?!

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Did Johnny Depp faint and cancel his Budapest concert because he was “overexcited” from last night’s party?!

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

Claim : Johnny Depp Faint + Cancel Concert From Overexcitation!

People are sharing a Music Mundial article which claims that Johnny Depp fainted in his Budapest hotel, and cancelled the Hollywood Vampires concert that day, because of “overexcitation” from last night’s party!

Here is the viral Music Mundial article. Please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

The cause of Johnny Depp’s fainting at a Budapest hotel has been found

The prestigious actor Johnny Depp worried all his fans after he was found unconscious in his hotel room in the Hungarian capital, the actor even had to cancel several of his obligations he had pending with his band, ‘Hollywood Vampires‘, due to his health status. His fans started worrying about his health, and a wave of questions about the situation flooded the social networks.

The news alarmed not only his fans but also the production team that works with him, while also pointing out that Madonna had coicidentially suffered a very similar incident some time ago. However, the real cause of the actor’s unexpected fainting was due to an ‘overexcitation‘ from a party Depp had the night before, according to the Hungarian media reports.

Johnny Depp had spent a very agitated night of partying, involving unhealthy amounts of liquor during multiple hours, and this would have been precisely what lead him to faint. “What we heard was that he was overexcited and could not even leave the hotel, we also heard that they had called a doctor in case his status worsen” said Alice Cooper, one of the members of Johnny Depp’s musical group.

After this incident, which did not become a major situation, the actor and all the members of the band had to cancel a show that had been scheduled to take place in Budapest. The tickets that were bought to the event were reimbursed to the buyers, and though the concert never took place, everyone was glad that the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor did not have any major problems.

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No Evidence Johnny Depp Fainted + Cancelled Concert From Overexcitation!

This is yet another example of celebrity FAKE NEWS created by Music Mundial to generate page views, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Hollywood Vampires Cancelled Concert At Last Minute

First, let me just give you a quick overview of what happened with Johnny Depp and his celebrity band, Hollywood Vampires, in Budapest.

On July 18, Hollywood Vampires announced that it was forced to cancel the concert just hours before it kicked off:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, The Vampires will be canceling tonight’s show in Budapest.

All tickets (General and VIP, including Meet & Greet) will be refunded in full.

We love and appreciate all of the fans who traveled from near and far to see us rise, and we’re truly sorry.

Sincere apologies, The Hollywood Vampires
Johnny, Alice, Joe, Tommy, Glen, Buck & Chris

Fact #2 : Johnny Depp Was Seen One Hour Before Cancellation

Approximately an hour before The Hollywood Vampires cancelled its concert in Budapest, Johnny Depp was seen walking in public, with a drink in his hand.

Obviously, Johnny Depp did not collapse and faint in his hotel after being “overexcited” from partying last night!

He may have been found unconscious in his room later – this rumour has not yet been confirmed. But if he fainted, it would have been because of some other cause – drinking, substance abuse, etc – after he returned to his hotel; and not because of last night’s excesses.

Ironically, Music Mundial posted the same photos showing Johnny Depp walking with a drink in his hand, essentially refuting its own claim!

Fact #3 : No Evidence For Alice Cooper Quote

There is no evidence that Alice Cooper ever said that Johnny Depp was “overexcited” from a very agitated night of partying. I can find no reference to any such quote by Alice Cooper, but I found a single reference by a blog site euro ES Euro:

“What we heard was that he was overexcited and he couldn’t even leave the hotel. We also heard that they had called a doctor to see if something more serious had happened,” the Blikk tabloid quoted “a person with information about the case” as saying yesterday afternoon.

‘‘Everything was set, the stage was set. It didn’t even occur to us that there might be a problem, especially since the band members had also done a scheduled sound adjustment that afternoon.and. Nobody even thought about the fact that Johnny Depp would not participate, a colleague also installed his microphone, ”a source close to the band explained to the Hungarian medium.

However, that exact quote was never attributed to Alice Cooper. In fact, if Alice Cooper did indeed speak out about Johnny Depp, it would be odd for him to refer to his own band as “they”. He would have said, “we”.

Fact #4 : This Is Just Music Mundial Fake News

Needless to say – Music Mundial offered NO EVIDENCE to back up its claim that Johnny Depp was found unconscious in his hotel because he was “overexcited” from a night of partying.

This appears to be nothing more than yet another example of fake news posted by Music Mundial. Here are examples of Music Mundial fake news that I looked into recently:

Everything Music Mundial posts should be considered as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

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Why Mislav Kolakušić called WHO terrorist organisation!

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Mislav Kolakusic – a Member of the European Parliament, just called WHO a terrorist organisation!

Find out why Kolakusic called WHO a terrorist organisation, and what the facts really are!

Mislav Kolakusic : WHO Is A Terrorist Organisation!

People are sharing video clips on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok which shows Mislav Kolakusic – a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) calling the WHO (World Health Organisation) a terrorist organisation.

The Gateway Pundit also posted an article on Mislav Kolakusic declaring the WHO as a terrorist organisation, which are being shared by anti-vaccination activists and conspiracy theorists.

The MEP said that while voicing his opposition to an upcoming agreement which would allegedly give WHO the “sole authority to declare pandemics and acquire vaccines and drugs”. Here is a transcript of his video.

I would like to briefly make the people aware of the upcoming danger for humanity.

The World Health Organization wants all countries to sign an agreement on handing over the authority to declare a pandemic, procure vaccines, and drugs.

It will be healthier and safer for humanity to sign an agreement with the Colombian drug cartel. They know all about drugs for sure.

During the COVID pandemic, World Health Organization only told lies. It should be declared a terroristic organization.

They lied. That there is a new and unknown virus, that it is possible to make an effective vaccine, that the vaccine is 82% effective, that is protects against serious illness and deaths. That all of course were foolish and lies.

Today, World Health Organisation is more dangerous for humanity than the World Economic Forum. Thank you.

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https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/zln2axoXs58gAHnn.mp4?_=2

Truth : Mislav Kolakusic Is Wrong, WHO Is Not Terrorist Organisation

This is yet another example of MISINFORMATION created and spread by politicians and/or conspiracy theorists / anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : It Was Not A Deep Fake Video

First, let me just point out that this is not a deep fake video. Mislav Kolakusic (Mislav Kolakušić) did indeed call for the WHO to be declared a terrorist organisation.

That video came from his official press conference which he posted on his Twitter account on May 22, 2023. It has been viewed by over 1.1 million people to date.

Fact #2 : Mislav Kolakusic Is A Controversial Politician

Mislav Kolakusic was elected as a Croatian independent Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in May 2019. Since then, he has been a controversial politician.

In January 2022, he compared COVID-19 vaccine mandates with capital punishment, claiming that tens of thousands of people died from vaccines citing data from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In response, the EMA said that the cited EudraVigilance data was a public, self-reporting system (like VAERS) which require investigation to prove a causal link. Even more damning, the EudraVigilance data did not report deaths, contradicting Kolakusic’s claims.

In March 2022, Kolakusic criticised Canada’s response to vaccine mandate protests, saying that Canada now resembled more like a “dictatorship of the worst kind”.

In October 2022, Kolakusic claimed that there was a lack of disclosure of vaccine ingredients, saying, “no one in the world, except maybe 2 or 3 people, knows what it contains”, and called it “the biggest corruption scandal in the history of mankind”. However, we do know what COVID-19 vaccines contain, and there has not been any evidence of any corruption scandal surrounding any COVID-19 vaccine so far.

Fact #3 : No Evidence WHO Lied About COVID-19 / Vaccines

There is no evidence that the WHO lied about the COVID-19 pandemic or the COVID-19 vaccines. The truth is:

SARS-CoV-2 was a new coronavirus when it was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and
the COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing deaths and hospitalisation.

In fact, the world has reopened up after many people were vaccinated against COVID-19, preventing massive waves of hospitalisations and deaths.

Mislav Kolakusic notably did not offer any evidence that the WHO lied, when he called for it to be labelled as a terrorist organisation.

Fact #4 : WHO Agreement Was Initiated By World Leaders

Mislav Kolakusic’s claims are based on a WHO agreement which started with not with WHO itself, but its member states, which wanted to amend the existing International Health Regulations to strengthen the world’s preparedness against future global pandemics.

The International Health Regulations (IHR) were first adopted by member states in 1969, empowering the WHO to monitor global diseases. Those regulations have since been revised over the years, including in 2005 – after the SARS outbreak.

On 1 December 2021, world leaders agreed to kickstart the process to draft and negotiate an agreement or convention to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response“.

Fact #5 : Recommendations Came From WHO Member States

The proposed recommendations came from WHO member states, and not WHO itself. Among the more than 200 recommendations on how to better prepare for the next pandemic were:

sharing of data and genomic sequences on emerging viruses
a plan for equitable vaccine distribution
a ban on wildlife markets
incentives for reporting new viruses or variants

Fact #6 : Some Countries Don’t Want A Binding Agreement

The European Union has proposed that the changes be adopted as a new treaty, which would be binding. This is perhaps what Mislav Kolakusic was so agitated about, but this was an EU proposal, not a WHO proposal.

The United States, on the other hand, has opposed a binding treaty. India and Brazil are similarly reluctant about adopting a treaty.

The EU proposed the treaty and is its biggest backer, with support from Britain, Indonesia, Kenya and others.

The United States will take part in the talks but has opposed a binding treaty. India and Brazil have also voiced reservations.

With so many member countries involved, securing agreement is likely to be tricky.

Fact #7 : No Country Is Signing Over Its Sovereignty To WHO

The zero draft (PDF download) of the proposed WHO agreement on preparing for future pandemics even addresses the issue of national sovereignty on Article 4 (3):

3. Sovereignty – States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to determine and manage their approach to public health, notably pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of health systems, pursuant to their own policies and legislation, provided that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to their peoples and other countries. Sovereignty also covers the rights of States over their biological resources.

Anyone who read the zero draft can clearly see that even the “draft” has clarified that no country is signing over its national sovereignty to the WHO.

Fact #8 : WHO DG Dismissed Sovereignty Claim In May 2022

On May 17, 2022, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus dismissed the claim that countries signing up for this new agreement would be giving up their sovereignty.

The accord process is led by Member States with their own Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (called INB), representing all regions of the world. The INB has now started a two-year process that includes global public hearings with all stakeholders. This represents the world’s opportunity to plan together, detect pathogens quicker, share data broadly and collectively respond more effectively to the next diseases X or known pathogens.

Unfortunately, there has been a small minority of groups making misleading statements and purposefully distorting facts.

I want to be crystal clear. WHO’s agenda is public, open and transparent. WHO stands strongly for individual rights. We passionately support everyone’s right to health and we will do everything we can to ensure that that right is realized.

The first ever World Health Assembly, which took place soon after the WHO Constitution entered into force in 1948, was a watershed event in global public health. And like the proposed pandemic preparedness accord, this did not mean WHO usurped nations’ sovereignty; in fact it strengthened countries’ ability to fight diseases together.

WHO is an expression of Member States’ own sovereignty and WHO is entirely what the sovereign 194 Member States want WHO to be.

Every year, these sovereign governments come together at the World Health Assembly to set the health agenda for the world. Individually we can’t beat pandemics; our best chance is together.

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Did US Intentionally Release COVID Virus In Wuhan?!

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Did the US government intentionally release the COVID-19 virus in Wuhan, to trigger a global pandemic so that people will accept vaccines?!

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

Claim : US Intentionally Released COVID Virus In Wuhan!

People are sharing an article by The Standard newspaper in Hong Kong, in which David Martin claimed that the US government intentionally released the COVID-19 virus in Wuhan, to trigger a global pandemic so that people will accept vaccines!

The article is being shared not only by anti-vaccination activists and conspiracy theorists, but also pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) as “evidence” that the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by the United States, and not China.

Here is an excerpt from the article. It’s long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

US ‘intentionally released Covid virus in Wuhan’ EU summit told

The Covid-19 coronavirus was “intentionally released” by the United States in Wuhan, China, with the target to trigger a global pandemic to raise public acceptance of vaccines, a US businessman specializing in patent auditing said.

David Martin, the founding chairman of M Cam asset management company, said at an International Covid Summit organized by the European Parliament in Brussels earlier this month that the US was responsible for the making of both coronaviruses causing the outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome – or SARS – in 2003 and the Covid-19 pandemic in the past three years.

The third edition of the summit featured speakers from anti-lockdown advocates to medical academia to discuss the global pandemic response. The speakers shed light on the possibility that the coronavirus which caused the pandemic was man-made, instead of naturally occurring.

In his speech, Martin said: “The pandemic that we alleged to have happened in the last few years did not happen overnight. In fact, the very specific pandemic using the coronavirus began at a different time.”

He said that in 1965, scientists discovered the coronavirus as a model of a pathogen – an agent that causes disease. They also found out that coronaviruses can be modified.

“Later we started learning how to modify a coronavirus by putting them in animals such as dogs and pigs,” Martin said, adding that such a practice became the basis for US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s first coronavirus spike protein vaccine in 1990.

But very soon the medical sector and drug makers found out that the vaccines did not work.

“Because the coronavirus is a malleable model, it mutates,” Martin said. “Every medical publication concluded that coronaviruses escape vaccines because it modifies and mutates too rapidly for a vaccine to be developed.”

In 2002, a university in North Carolina initiated a study to develop an “infectious replication defective,” which Martin interpreted as “a weapon to target individuals, but not have collateral damage.”

Characterizing the project as having “mysteriously preceded SARS by a year,” Martin said the coronavirus that caused the highly deadly infection was not from China and that it was “engineered” instead of naturally occurring.

On Covid-19, Martin said the coronavirus – named as SARS-CoV-2 by the World Health Organization – was poised for human emergence in 2016, with a preview about an “accidental or intentional release of a respiratory coronavirus” from a laboratory in Wuhan.

He said the purpose of the coronavirus “release” was to boost global acceptance on universal vaccination.

Explaining the common concern among the medical industry, Martin said: “Until an infectious crisis is very real, present and at the emergency threshold, it is often largely ignored.

“To sustain the funding base beyond the crisis, we need to increase the public understanding of the need for medical countermeasures, such as the pan-influenza, or pan-coronavirus, vaccine. A key drive is the media and the economics will follow the hype.

“We [pharmaceutical firms] need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issue. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process,” he said.

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Truth : US Did Not Release COVID-19 Virus In Wuhan!

This appears to be yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter, and here are the reasons why!

Fact #1 : International COVID Summit III Was Not Organised By EU Parliament

The article wrongly states that the International COVID Summit III was organised by the European Parliament.

As I explained in my previous article, the International COVID Summit III was not an official EU Parliament event. It appears to be a private conference organised by COVID-19 conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination activists.

Held in the Anna Lindh room of the European Parliament, it was not an official EU or European Parliament event, and only 5 MEPs attended as “co-hosting members” of the event.

In other words – the speakers at this event was only “testifying” to the few attendees in the room, and to the event’s livestream, not to the European Parliament.

You can read all about the ICS3 in my earlier article, Why International COVID Summit III Criticised Vaccine!

Fact #2 : This Was The First International COVID Summit

The article also wrongly called it the “third edition of the summit”. The first International COVID Summit, and International COVID Summit 2 do not appear to exist!

What actually existed were the Global COVID-19 Summit, and the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit, but they are both completely unrelated to this International COVID Summit III. Those were official events involving heads of states and governments, as well as heads of international organisations, NGOs, and industries across the world.

So why would this International COVID Summit jump to its “third” iteration, when this was really the first time it was held? Could it be trying to mislead people into thinking that it was the third version of the Global COVID-19 Summit?!

Fact #3 : Coronavirus Was First Isolated In 1930s

David Martin said that the first coronavirus as a model of a pathogen was isolated in 1965. Well, I have no idea what he meant by “as a model of a pathogen”, but that’s wrong on several counts.

first coronavirus sample (IBV) was isolated in 1930s
second coronavirus sample (MHV) was isolated in 1947
third coronavirus sample (B814) was isolated in 1961
fourth coronavirus sample (229-E) was isolated in 1966
all four virus samples were determined to be from same group, and named “coronavirus” in 1967

You can read more about this in my earlier article – Did US + UK Create COVID-19 As Bioweapon?!

Fact #4 : Vaccines Work Even When Virus Mutates

All viruses can mutate when they replicate, just like how all animals evolve through reproduction. Just because a virus mutates does not mean that vaccines stop working.

Vaccines are training programs that teach our immune system how to identify the actual virus, and make its own antibodies against it. It’s like training your army by showing them how the enemy soldiers look like and behave, so they can train and prepare for war.

The vaccines do not stay in your body to fight the COVID-19 virus. They only teach your immune system how to do that, and they do that regardless of whether the virus has mutated or not.

As viruses evolve, they may get better at evading the antibodies that your immune system developed to defeat them. But that doesn’t mean they are immune. The antibodies may not be as effective, but they will still offer some protection, reducing the risk of severe disease and death.

This isn’t just theory. During the pandemic, the first vaccines only targeted the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. But it continued to offer robust protection against the Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants that came after.

Fact #5 : No Evidence US Released COVID-19 Virus In Wuhan

Claims that the US released the COVID-19 in Wuhan to create the pandemic has been circulating since 2020, but until today – there has been ZERO EVIDENCE of that.

Pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) accused US soldiers like Maatje Benassi of spreading the COVID-19 virus while participating in the 2019 Military World Games. They even spread a fake video (see below), claiming to show an American soldier spreading the COVID-19 virus in a subway in Wuhan.

However, all of those claims have long been proven to be completely false. More importantly, David Martin himself did not offer any actual evidence that the US released the COVID-19 virus, intentionally or otherwise, in Wuhan.

Fact #6 : Most COVID-19 Vaccines Developed By Foreign Companies

The claim that the US government would create a pandemic to drive demand for vaccines is ludicrous. For one thing – big pharmaceutical companies are public-listed companies, and many are based outside of the United States.

More importantly – most COVID-19 vaccines were developed by foreign companies:

Only the Moderna Spikevax vaccine was developed in the United States
The Pfizer COMIRNATY vaccine was developed by German company, BioNTech
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was developed by Oxford University, and AstraZeneca is a UK company.
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was developed by Janssen Vaccines in the Netherlands.
The Sinovac, Sinopharm, CanSino COVID-19 vaccines were developed in China.

So the conspiracy theory that the United States created the COVID-19 pandemic for profit is absurd…

Fact #7 : Vaccines Are Cheaper Than Cures

I should also point out that prevention is always better and CHEAPER than the cure. Vaccines may seem expensive, and a way for Big Pharma to make billions of dollars. But vaccines are still better and CHEAPER than the cures.

Vaccines prevent you from developing severe COVID-19, thus negating your need to be hospitalised – which is expensive. Sure, Big Pharma now has drugs to treat COVID-19, like PAXLOVID, but they are much more expensive.

When it comes to dollars and common sense, vaccines are cheaper and better because they prevent hospitalisation. Big Pharma would make far more money selling you everything from expensive new drugs like PAXLOVID, or machines and drugs to keep you alive in the ICU!

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Why International COVID Summit III Criticised Vaccine!

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Find out why the International COVID Summit III held at the European Parliament criticised the COVID-19 vaccines!

International COVID Summit III Is Official EU Parliament Event?!

People are sharing TikTok and Rumble videos of the International COVID Summit III, claiming that it is an official European Parliament conference criticising COVID-19 measures like lockdowns and vaccines!

FLCCC Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pierre Kory, presents “The Global War on Ivermectin” to the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on day one of the International COVID Summit III.

International Covid Summit III – part 1 – European Parliament, Brussels 05.03.2023
International Covid Summit III – part 2 – European Parliament, Brussels 05.03.2023

EU Parliament COVID Conference Slams Pandemic Response

Speakers did not rule out the possibility that the pandemic was orchestrated by powerful outside actors, with various medical professionals from across Europe describing their first-hand experiences of negative health effects from vaccines.

International COVID Summit III : What Is That Really?!

Don’t be surprised if you never heard of the International COVID Summit III, especially when it’s been labelled as an official conference organised by the European Parliament!

Even I never heard of it, but after doing some research, this was what I discovered…

Fact #1 : This Was The First International COVID Summit

Interestingly, this conference was called International COVID Summit III, but I could find no reference to the two previous two conferences – the first International COVID Summit, and International COVID Summit 2 do not appear to exist!

What actually existed were the Global COVID-19 Summit, which was held on September 22, 2021; and the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit which was held on 12 May 2022.

Both Global COVID-19 Summit 1 and 2 involved heads of states and governments, as well as heads of international organisations, NGOs, and industries across the world. There does not appear to be a third Global COVID-19 Summit yet.

Fact #2 : It Was Not An Official European Parliament Event

It is easy to see why people would believe the claim that the International COVID Summit III was an official European Parliament event. The videos and screenshots show a liberal use of the European Parliament logo, and accompanying statements suggest the same.

However, if you check the European Parliament website, you will not find International COVID Summit III listed at all. You also won’t find it in the European Parliament’s list of official events for May 2023:

Hearings : A committee is permitted to organise a hearing with experts, where this is considered essential to its work on a particular subject.

In May 2023, only one hearing was scheduled and has not yet occurred – Public Hearing on “Legal Migration; the skills and talent package”.

No workshops were held, or are scheduled for May 2023.

Other Events : All other public events organised as part of committee activities involving external speakers or experts.

There are two events scheduled for May 2023 – both on 23 May 2023. The first is called “LIBE to hold exchanges with two data protection authorities“. The second is “Exchange of views on the migrant shipwreck off to the Italian coasts“.

As far as I can tell – the International COVID Summit III was not an official European Parliament event.

Fact #3 : The Summit Was Held In Room PHS 1A2

It took some digging, but I managed to trace the location of this event. It was not held in the grand plenary hall where the 705 Members of the European Parliament meet, of course.

Rather, the International COVID Summit III took place in Room PHS 1A2 in the Paul-Henri SPAAK building – one of the many rooms available for MEPs to use.

Interestingly, this room (officially Room 1A002) was named as the Anna Lindh Room in September 2003, in honour of Sweden’s murdered foreign minister.

Fact #4 : The Summit Was Hosted By ECR + ID Parliamentary Groups

The International COVID Summit III appears to be sponsored by several European Parliament Members from the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists), and the Identity and Democracy (ID) groups.

That explains how this “summit” or “conference” was held within the European Parliament building, even though it was not an official or sanctioned event.

From the event itinerary, it appears that just five European Parliament Members attended the International COVID Summit III:

MR. IVAN VILIBOR SINČIĆ, Non-attached Member of the European Parliament – CROATIA
MRS. FRANCESCA DONATO, Non-attached Member of the European Parliament – ITALY
MR. MISLAV KOLAKUŠIĆ, Non-attached Member of the European Parliament – CROATIA
MRS. CHRISTINE ANDERSON, Identity and Democracy – GERMANY
MR. CRISTIAN TERHEȘ, European Conservatives and Reformists – ROMANIA

Obviously, speaking to those five MEPs do not constitute speaking to the European Parliament itself, since 700 other MEPs were not in the room, and it wasn’t even an official event!

On top of that, the event banner shows that they were not there as official representatives of the European Parliament, but as “co-hosting members” of the event…

Fact #5 : It Was All Talk, No Action

The International COVID Summit ran for about 9 hours, from 9 AM until 6 PM, and featured a long list of the usual suspects. But despite many of them giving bombastic testimony, the summit / conference ultimately resulted in nothing.

Because it was not an official European Parliament meeting or event, it had absolutely zero effect. The summit organisers did not even think of asking the attendees to pass a motion or action plan of any kind.

From what I can tell – the entire “summit” consisted of allotted time for the speakers to speak to the attendees and a livestream, from within a European Parliament room.

Perhaps that was ultimately the purpose of this event – to give those speakers the patina of European Parliamentary approval? Perhaps that was all they needed. After all, people are already claiming on social media that those speakers were testifying to the European Parliament.

But if you made it this far, you already know that this is not true at all. Sadly, most people will not know that.

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Apple MFI plan to limit speed, power on USB-C leaked!

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Apple may be planning to limit data transfer and charging speed on USB-C ports used in its devices, by introducing MFI certification!

Earlier : Apple Forced To Adopt USB-C Port!

Apple has been hesitant about moving to the superior USB-C port for years, limiting it to Mac computers and iPad tablets.

The 12-inch MacBook was the first Mac computer to get USB-C in 2015, while the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablets made the switch from Lighting to USB-C in 2018. However, Apple stubbornly refused to migrate its iPhones to USB-C.

The choice to stick with their proprietary Lightning port was taken out of their hands on October 4, 2022, when the European Parliament voted decisively to adopt the USB-C (USB Type C) port as the new standard for all portable devices.

By the end of 2024, all portable devices sold in the EU must come with a USB-C charging port. This directive is more or less directed at Apple, which is the only brand that continues to use its own proprietary Lighting connector.

Apple MFI plan to limit speed, power on USB-C leaked!

Now that the EU is firmly forcing everyone to use USB-C, Apple will start using the USB Type C port in its upcoming iPhone 15 models.

However, Apple apparently isn’t going to give up its lucrative side gig of selling its users MFI (Made for iPhone) cables and accessories at exorbitant prices.

According to ShrimpApplePro, who accurately leaked on the iPhone 14, Apple will introduce MFI for its USB-C cables and accessories.

And even worse – cables that lack MFI certification will have their data and charging speeds limited.

Yeah usb-c with MFI is happening

Foxconn already in mass production accessories like EarPods and cables

Cables w no MFI will be software limited in data and charging speed

MFI-certified cables have a small authenticator chip to verify that they are “certified” to work with Apple devices. If you use cables that lack this authenticator chip, you will get the “This accessory is not supported” warning on your Apple device.

Apple gets paid for every authenticator chip, so MFI cables and accessories are priced at a premium, even if they work just as well as non-MFI cables and accessories.

Apple is already expected to limit the iPhone 15 base model, and iPhone 15 Plus, to USB 2.0 data transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbps (60 MB/s), while Pro models will get the much higher transfer rates of 20 Gbps (USB-C 3.2) or even 40 Gbps (Thunderbolt 3).

People may not bat an eye at Apple limiting data transfer speeds to differentiate their Pro models from the non-Pro models, but limiting battery recharging speeds for non-MFI cables should ruffle some feathers. After all, there is technically no good reason why Apple cannot allow their devices to benefit from faster charging using non-MFI cables.

Naturally, Apple benefits financially from introducing MFI for USB-C. It will force Apple users to pay the notorious “Apple tax” on top of the “Apple premium” they paid for their Apple devices.

Imagine if Apple introduces MFI for USB-C and phases that in for future Mac computers and iPad tablets, as well as the upcoming iPhone 15 smartphones. Even those who have been happily using regular, non-MFI USB-C cables will have to switch them to MFI cables, and for what?

There is really no discernible benefit for Apple users to use MFI-certified cables over regular USB-C cables. It’s not like they will give your Apple devices magical powers. If there is any reduction in transfer rate or charging speed, it will only happen because Apple intentionally chose to make it so.

Of course, this leak may turn out to be true, and Apple may not be quite so evil as to foist the MFI tax on its loyal users. But I fear that Apple believes its users are more loyal than discerning, and will yet again, quietly pay for MFI cables just because Apple said so.

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Is Biden Admin signing over US sovereignty to WHO?!

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Is the Biden Administration negotiating to sign over US sovereignty to the World Health Organization (WHO)?!

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

Claim : Biden Admin Is Going To Sign Over US Sovereignty To WHO!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The Epoch Times, which claims that the Biden Administration is negotiating a deal to give WHO authority over US pandemic policies!

Here is an excerpt of the very long article, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

The Biden administration is preparing to sign up the United States to a “legally binding” accord with the World Health Organization (WHO) that would give the Geneva-based United Nations health agency the authority to dictate America’s policies during a pandemic.

Despite widespread criticism of the WHO’s response to the COVID pandemic, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joined with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in September 2022 to announce “the U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue.” Together, they developed a “platform to maximize the longstanding U.S.–WHO partnership, and to protect and promote the health of all people around the globe, including the American people.”

These discussions and others spawned the “zero draft” (pdf) of a pandemic treaty, published on Feb. 1, which now seeks ratification by all 194 WHO member states. A meeting of the WHO’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body is scheduled for Feb. 27 to work out the final terms, which members will then sign.

Written under the banner of “the world together equitably,” the zero draft grants the WHO the power to declare and manage a global pandemic emergency. Once a health emergency is declared, all signatories, including the United States, would submit to the authority of the WHO regarding treatments, government regulations such as lockdowns and vaccine mandates, global supply chains, and monitoring and surveillance of populations.

Centralized Pandemic Response

“They want to see a centralized, vaccine-and-medication-based response, and a very restrictive response in terms of controlling populations,” David Bell, a public health physician and former WHO staffer specializing in epidemic policy, told The Epoch Times. “They get to decide what is a health emergency, and they are putting in place a surveillance mechanism that will ensure that there are potential emergencies to declare.”

The WHO pandemic treaty is part of a two-track effort, coinciding with an initiative by the World Health Assembly to create new global pandemic regulations that would also supersede the laws of member states. The World Health Assembly is the rule-making body of the WHO, comprised of representatives from the member states.

“Both [initiatives] are fatally dangerous,” Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law, told The Epoch Times. “Either one or both would set up a worldwide medical police state under the control of the WHO, and in particular WHO Director-General Tedros.

“If either one or both of these go through, Tedros or his successor will be able to issue orders that will go all the way down the pipe to your primary care physicians.”

Physician Meryl Nass told The Epoch Times: “If these rules go through as currently drafted, I, as a doctor, will be told what I am allowed to give a patient and what I am prohibited from giving a patient, whenever the WHO declares a public health emergency. So they can tell you you’re getting remdesivir, but you can’t have hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin. What they’re also saying is they believe in equity, which means everybody in the world gets vaccinated, whether or not you need it, whether or not you’re already immune.”

Regarding medical treatments, the accord would require member nations to “monitor and regulate against substandard and falsified pandemic-related products.” Based on previous WHO and Biden administration policy, this would likely include forcing populations to take newly developed vaccines, while preventing doctors from prescribing nonvaccine treatments or medicines.

Circumventing Senate, Constitution?

A key question surrounding the accord is whether the Biden administration can bind the United States to treaties and agreements without Senate consent, which is required under the Constitution. The zero draft concedes that, per international law, treaties between countries must be ratified by national legislatures, thus respecting the right of their citizens to consent.

However, the draft also includes a clause that the accord will go into effect on a “provisional” basis as soon as it’s signed by delegates to the WHO and would, therefore, be legally binding on members without being ratified by legislatures.

“Whoever drafted this clause knew as much about U.S. constitutional law and international law as I did, and deliberately drafted it to circumvent the power of the Senate to give its advice and consent to treaties, to provisionally bring it into force immediately upon signature,” Boyle said. In addition, “the Biden administration will take the position that this is an international executive agreement that the president can conclude of his own accord without approval by Congress and is binding on the United States of America, including all state and local democratically elected officials, governors, attorney generals, and health officials.”

There are several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that may support the Biden administration’s position. They include State of Missouri v. Holland, in which the Supreme Court ruled that treaties supersede state laws, while other decisions, such as United States v. Belmont, ruled that executive agreements without Senate consent can be legally binding, with the force of treaties.

There are parallels between the WHO pandemic accord and a recent Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) global tax agreement, which the Biden administration signed on to, although Republicans say has “no path forward” to legislative approval. In the OECD agreement, punitive terms are built in that allow foreign countries to punish American companies if the deal isn’t ratified by the United States.

As with the OECD tax agreement, administration officials are attempting to appeal to international organizations to impose policies that have been rejected by America’s voters. Under the U.S. Constitution, health care doesn’t fall under the authority of the federal government; it’s the domain of the states. The Biden administration found this to be an unwelcome impediment to its attempts to impose vaccine and mask mandates on Americans when courts ruled that federal agencies didn’t have the authority to do so.

“To circumvent that, they went to the WHO, for either the regulations or the treaty, to get around domestic opposition,” Boyle said.

According to the zero draft, signatories would agree to “strengthen the capacity and performance of national regulatory authorities and increase the harmonization of regulatory requirements at the international and regional level.” They will also implement a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach at the national level” that will include national governments, local governments, and private companies.

The zero draft stated that the new accord is necessary because of “the catastrophic failure of the international community in showing solidarity and equity in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.”

A report from the WHO’s Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (pdf) characterized the WHO’s performance as a “toxic cocktail” of bad decisions. Co-Chair Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the BBC it was due to “a myriad of failures, gaps, and delays.” The solutions proposed by that report, however, didn’t suggest more local autonomy or diversified decision-making, but rather greater centralization, more power, and more money for the WHO.

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Truth : Biden Admin Is NOT Going To Sign Over US Sovereignty To WHO!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about the Biden Administration, and the WHO, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : WHO Member States Want To Better Prepare For Future Pandemics

This claim is based on WHO member state discussions in 2022, to amend existing International Health Regulations to strengthen the world’s preparedness against future global pandemics.

On 1 December 2021, world leaders agreed to kickstart the process to draft and negotiate an agreement or convention to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response“.

Fact #2 : Recommendations Came From WHO Member States

The proposed recommendations came from WHO member states, and not WHO itself. Among the more than 200 recommendations on how to better prepare for the next pandemic were:

sharing of data and genomic sequences on emerging viruses
a plan for equitable vaccine distribution
a ban on wildlife markets
incentives for reporting new viruses or variants

Fact #3 : Biden Administration Does Not Want A Binding Agreement

The European Union proposed that the changes be adopted in the form of a new treaty, a measure backed by Britain, Indonesia and Kenya, among other countries.

Despite what people are claiming on social media, the United States has opposed a binding treaty. India and Brazil are similarly reluctant about adopting a treaty.

The EU proposed the treaty and is its biggest backer, with support from Britain, Indonesia, Kenya and others.

The United States will take part in the talks but has opposed a binding treaty. India and Brazil have also voiced reservations.

With so many member countries involved, securing agreement is likely to be tricky.

Fact #4 : Future WHO Agreement May Not Be Binding

The zero draft of the proposed WHO agreement on preparing for future pandemics was released on 1 February 2023, and was the focus of the article by The Epoch Times.

If you download and read the zero draft, you will realise that the WHO is still calling it a “convention, agreement, or other international instruments“, clearly showing that member countries have not decided whether they want it to be binding or otherwise.

In the third point noted on the very first page of the draft, it was even pointed out that this is just a draft that is being used for “commencing negotiations“, and that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed“.

The INB (Intergovernmental Negotiating Body) further agreed that the zero draft would be considered at its fourth meeting as a basis for commencing negotiations at that meeting, it being understood that the zero draft will be without prejudice to the position of any delegation and following the principle that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”.

So it is ludicrous for anyone who read the first page of the zero draft to claim that the Biden Administration is planning to sign away US sovereignty to the WHO.

Fact #5 : Zero Draft Specifically Addressed Sovereignty

The zero draft of the proposed WHO agreement on preparing for future pandemics even addresses the issue of national sovereignty on Article 4 (3):

Anyone who read the zero draft can clearly see that even the “draft” has clarified that no country is signing over its national sovereignty to the WHO.

Fact #6 : WHO DG Dismissed Sovereignty Claim In May 2022

On May 17, 2022, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus dismissed the claim that countries signing up for this new agreement would be giving up their sovereignty.

Unfortunately, there has been a small minority of groups making misleading statements and purposefully distorting facts.

WHO is an expression of Member States’ own sovereignty and WHO is entirely what the sovereign 194 Member States want WHO to be.

Every year, these sovereign governments come together at the World Health Assembly to set the health agenda for the world. Individually we can’t beat pandemics; our best chance is together.

Fact #6 : WHO Treaty Cannot Bypass US Senate Ratification

The claim that the Biden Administration is using the WHO treaty to bypass US senate ratification is nonsense.

The US Constitution gives the Senate the sole power to approve, by a two-thirds vote or more, all international treaties (binding agreements) negotiated by the executive branch.

[The President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;

In other words, the Biden Administration can negotiate any agreement it wants with other WHO member countries, but it must still seek ratification by the two-thirds of the US Senate.

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EU Orders All Brands To Use USB-C, Including Apple!

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It’s official – the EU has ordered all brands to standardise on the USB-C connector for all mobile chargers, including Apple!

EU Orders All Brands To Use USB-C, Including Apple!

On Tuesday, October 4, 2022, the European Parliament voted decisively in favour of adopting the USB-C (USB Type C) port as the new standard for all portable devices.

The directive passed with an overwhelming vote of 602 MEPs in favour, and just 13 against (with 8 abstentions), and now heads to the EU Council for the formality of a final approval.

Once the Council signs off on the directive, it will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU’s Official Journal. Member states will then have 12 months to transpose the new directive, and another 12 months after that transposition period, to apply the new rules.

Once these new rules are enforced, consumers will be able to use and share chargers since all portable devices use the same charging port.

The EU expects the directive to greatly reduce e-waste, and help consumers save up to €250 million a year on purchasing chargers of different standards.

In the EU, chargers alone account for about 11,000 tonnes of e-waste every year. So this directive will help to cut down on the environmental impact of disposing of so many old or unused chargers.

Details Of EU Directive On USB-C Standardisation

Here is my quick round-up of the new EU directive on standardising portable devices and laptops on the USB Type C charging port.

All Devices Must Come With USB-C Charging Port

What this means is that by the end of 2024, all portable devices sold in the EU must come with a USB Type C charging port.

Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, operating with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port.

Small devices like smartwatches and health trackers that cannot fit a USB-C port are exempted from this requirement.

This directive is more or less directed at Apple which persists in using its own proprietary Lighting connector for its devices – everything from iPhone, iPad, AirPods and even its wireless keyboard and mouse.

The only way for Apple to get around this is to switch their new devices to wireless charging before the end of 2024.

All Devices Must Support USB-C Fast Charging Standards

Also important is the fact that the EU is going to force all brands to adopt USB-C fast charging standards.

While the legislation won’t stop manufacturers from implementing special fast charging capabilities, it will ensure that their chargers and devices support USB-C fast charging standards as a minimum.

All devices that support fast charging will now have the same charging speed, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger.

USB-C Mandate To Extend To Laptops In 2026

On top of that, the directive also requires laptops to standardise on the USB Type C charging port by spring 2026.

This new directive will not please Apple MacBook users who just celebrated the return of the MagSafe connector, but it will be a great advantage for consumers.

Once enforced, everyone will be able to use their laptop’s USB-C charger to also recharge their other devices, because they all have the same USB Type port!

Dedicated Labels

The directive also requires brands to use dedicated labels to help consumers decide if their existing chargers will support their new devices, or if they need to purchase a new charger.

This will hopefully prevent consumers from being hoodwinked into purchasing a new charger with every new device, when their existing chargers will work just as well.

Dedicated labels will inform consumers about the charging characteristics of new devices, making it easier for them to see whether their existing chargers are compatible.

Buyers will also be able to make an informed choice about whether or not to purchase a new charging device with a new product.

Wireless Charging To Be Standardised Too

The directive also commanded the European Commission to tackle wireless charging interoperability by the end of 2024.

It highlighted the risk of brands using proprietary wireless charging technologies to “lock in” users, replicating what Apple did with its Lightning connector for wired charging.

Like with wired charging, the EU wants wireless charging to be interoperable as well.

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Did EU Torture + Kill Hundreds Of African Refugees?!

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Did the European Union torture and kill hundreds of African refugees?!

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

Claim : The EU Tortured + Killed Hundreds Of African Refugees!

The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) netizens are sharing a picture of African refugees apparently lying dead, together with this message.

This is massacre within NATO and European Union borders. African immigrants are being tortured and killed in numbers to prevent them from seeking refuge in Europe. This is not for Ukrainians. Do you remember how they treated Arabs and other Asians? Recorded 100 deaths yesterday alone.

For those who condemn Russian actions to restore equality and humanity across the globe let them think again.
Please share it widely and quickly before the West (read the WORST) remove this video from their Facebook.

Truth : The EU Did Not Torture + Kill Hundreds Of African Refugees!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by pro-CCP netizens and websites, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : The Incident Happened In Africa, Not Europe

The viral photo was not taken in Europe, but in Morocco, Africa, of what is now known as the 2022 Melilla Incident.

The 2022 Melilla Incident occurred on Moroccan soil, at the border fence separating Morocco from the autonomous Spanish city of Melilla.

Fact #2 : 2,000 Migrants Attacked The Border Fence

On June 24, 2022, about 2,000 African migrants attacked and tried to break through the Melilla border fence.

Security forces from both Morocco and Spain tried to disperse them, but ended up fighting them for two hours.

Fact #3 : Hundreds Of Migrants Did Not Die

The wumao claim that hundreds of refugees died is easily proven false.

Several refugees died in the stampede when they stepped on each other while trying to flee, while five fell and died trying to scale the fence. In the end…

At least 37 migrants died
At least 63 migrants were injured
Two Moroccan gendarmes (police officers) were killed
140 Moroccan officers were wounded, five seriously
49 Spanish Civil Guards were lightly injured

The wumao intentionally used a picture that shows most of the migrants lying down, instead of other pictures that show them sitting down after being detained.

While it may look like the migrants are dead, they are very much alive. If you look closely at the viral photo, you can see some of them sitting up.

Fact #4 : Individuals In The Photo Were Detained, Not Killed / Tortured

The wumao took the picture from Association Marocaine des Droits Humains – Section Nador (AMDH Nador), and edited out their watermark, so you cannot find the original post.

They did that to avoid people finding out that the migrants in the viral picture were not killed or tortured, from the AMDH Nador’s post :

They are currently in custody at Nador central police station. Given the large number of detained migrants and the heavy charges they may face prosecution, AMDH Nador wishes to mobilize more lawyers to defend them and ensure fair trials.

Unfortunately for them, I managed to trace the source of the viral photo, although the Rafah / Pafah Orient bus in the photo threw me off for a while.

Fact #5 : Moroccan Authorities Were Responsible

The wumao also did not want you to find out that it was the Moroccan authorities that were responsible for tackling the refugees that day.

If you traced the photo also posted a video showing part of the migrants’ effort to storm the Melilla border fence, in which they stated that the Spanish authorities just “quietly observed” the Moroccan authorities at work :

The video that shows it all. At the moment when the Moroccan authorities were playing the role of gendarme by prohibiting asylum seekers from arriving in Melilla using very violent practices, the Spanish authorities crossed their arms and quietly observed that they getting the dirty job done.

Fact #6 : China Wants To Divert Attention From Xinjiang

The wumao is creating fake news like this, not just to support Russia, but also to divert attention from its oppression of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.

No, it’s not all kumbaya in Xinjiang, no matter what pro-CCP netizens keep claiming. That’s just Chinese propaganda.

Fact #7 : This Is Chinese Propaganda

This is really nothing more than yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

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Did Dutch Gov Close Farms To Fight Climate Change?!

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Did the Dutch government just close thousands of farms and cattle ranches to fight climate change?!

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

Claim : Dutch Government Closed Farms To Fight Climate Change!

People have been sharing videos of angry farmers blocking roads with their tractors, claiming that they are protesting the closure of farms and cattle ranchers by the Dutch government.

Such videos are now being spread in pro-CCP groups as “evidence” of corrupt Western governments, or how Western governments oppress the common people.

28 June 2022
As the Dutch government closed dozens of farms and cattle ranches to reduce nitrogen by 30%.
Angry and hungry farmers blocked the roads nationwide
Corrupt Dutch govt trying to artificially create food shortage.

Following politicians’ decision to close dozens of farms and cattle ranches to reduce nitrogen to comply with absurd EU rules on nitrogen pollution, angry Dutch farmers have issued an ultimatum and are threatening to block the country’s airports, ports and distribution centers.

The Dutch government wants to close 17,000 farms out of 50,000 by 2030 to reduce Nitrogen emissions. Their “leaders” have bought into the climate change hysteria during a time of impending global food shortages. These bozos have a few screws missing.

Truth : Dutch Government Did NOT Close Farms To Fight Climate Change!

These posts appear to be an intentional “misunderstanding” of the facts surrounding these Dutch farmers’ protests.

These protests have been covered extensively, and so have the Dutch government’s proposal. So it seems incredulous that people would continue to lie about this issue.

Fact #1 : Dutch Government Did NOT Close Any Farm / Cattle Ranch

Let’s start with the most basic fact – the Dutch government did not close any farm or cattle ranch. This is complete and utter nonsense.

There are no laws in the Netherlands that would permit the Dutch government to forcibly take over, or shut down, any farm or cattle ranch.

This kind of blatant lie can only perpetuate in the minds of conspiracy nutcases, and Chinese netizens because only authoritarian governments (like the CCP in China) are capable of such actions.

Seizing and closing farms and cattle ranch may be possible for the government in China, but not in the Netherlands.

In fact, the Dutch government has offered BUY OUT (not close) farms near nature reserves.

Fact #2 : Dutch Farmers Have Been Protesting Since 2019!

What many of these “concerned netizens” (intentionally?) do not tell you is that Dutch farmers have been protesting against such climate change laws since 2019.

Dutch farmers protest in October 2019

Fact #3 : The Government Was Complying With A Court Order

This issue actually started way back in May 2019, the Dutch Administrative Court of the Council of State (the highest administrative body in the Netherlands) ruled that the Dutch government breached EU rules on protecting nature reserves from ammonia and nitrous oxide.

The Dutch Administrative Court suspended permits for all construction projects that pollute the atmosphere with nitrogen compounds, stalling the building of new homes, roads and airport runways… as well as the expansion of dairy, pig and poultry farms.

Fact #4 : Dutch Government Tried Other Measures First

To comply with the court order, the Dutch government tried other measures first.

For example, in 2020, they cut the maximum speed limit on roads in the Netherlands from 130 km/h to just 100 km/h for most of the day, to reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

The government also allocated more money to help farmers reduce emissions from pigs, and changed the composition of animal feed.

Fact #5 : Dutch Farms Produce A Lot Of Pollution

The problem is partly caused by Dutch farmers themselves. Their farms are highly concentrated, with four times more animal biomass per hectare than the EU average.

Dutch agriculture is responsible for 40% of the nitrogen pollution in the Netherlands. The entire construction sector, for example, is only responsible for 0.6% of nitrogen emissions.

Thanks to its large livestock sector, and intensive use of fertiliser, the Netherlands – the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter – is also one of the top greenhouse gas emitters in Europe.

Fact #6 : Only Farms Near Nature Reserves Are In Danger

Depending on their proximity to nature reserves (Natura-2000 areas), Dutch farms will have to reduce their nitrogen emissions by 12% to 70%.

Those located in or close to the Natura-2000 areas will be particularly hard-hit by the new nitrogen limits :

40% of the nitrogen sensitive Natura-2000 areas must be below the critical deposition value (< 255 mole per hectare) in 2025,
50% of the nitrogen sensitive Natura-2000 areas must be below the critical deposition value in 2030, and
74% of the nitrogen sensitive Natura-2000 areas must be below the critical deposition value in 2035.

Fact #7 : Provincial Government To Formulate Emission Reduction Plan

While the Dutch government came up with the plan to reduce nitrogen emissions to meet EU requirements, it is up to the Dutch provinces to develop the necessary measures to hit those targets.

Provincial governments have a year to formulate their own plans, to meet the pollution reduction targets.

Fact #8 : This Is Part Of EU Natura 2000 Conservation Efforts

This isn’t just a Dutch issue, it is actually part of the EU effort to protect the Natura 2000 network of vulnerable and endangered plant and animal habitats.

The Natura 2000 sites cover some 18% of the European Union land area, and 8% of its marine territory.

Fact #9 : Dutch Government Is Financing Agricultural Reforms

To help farmers meet those targets, the Dutch government has earmarked an extra €24.3 billion (about US$25.6 billion) to finance agricultural reforms and their existing buy-out programs.

Farmers who accept the government buy-out program can still open a new farm at a less sensitive location, as long as they substantially reduce nitrogen emissions.

Fact #10 : Protests Are ALLOWED In Real Democracies

What Chinese netizens may not be aware is that protests are not only common, they are allowed in real democracies.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, for example, defended the farmers’ right to protest, but reminded them not to break the law :

Freedom of speech and the right to demonstrate are a vital part of our democratic society, and I will always defend them.

But … it is not acceptable to create dangerous situations, it is not acceptable to intimidate officials, we will never accept that.

With the exception of a few farmers setting bales of hay on fire outside town halls and near roads, and attacking police officers, the majority of farmers have protested the proposed plan peacefully.

So what the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are deriding as chaos, is really just people expressing their real freedom of speech, which includes the right to protest. Try that in China, and see what that gets you.

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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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Travellers To Europe Must Apply + Pay For ETIAS From 2023!

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It’s official – travellers to Europe must start applying and paying for ETIAS from 2023! Here is what you need to know…

Travellers To Europe Must Apply For ETIAS From 2023!

The European Commission has just announced the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for all travellers to the Schengen States.

Slated to start in May 2023, ETIAS is meant to “identify security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks” amongst visa-exempt travellers.

EU travellers are exempt from ETIAS, and will continue to have freedom of movement throughout the EU, and the freedom to spend as much time as they want in any state in the Schengen zone.

ETIAS will only be obligatory for travellers from countries that currently do not require a visa to travel to the EU – about 60 countries including the US and the UK.

Travellers who currently need a visa to enter the EU will still need to apply for a visa. They will not be allowed to use ETIAS.

How Does ETIAS Work For Travellers To Europe?

Travellers will need to apply for ETIAS through a “largely automated IT system”, with approval granted “within minutes” for about 95% of applicants. But that could drag out to a month for “very exceptional cases”. Those who have their application denied will be allowed to appeal.

While applying for ETIAS will be quicker, done online, and requires no biometric information, there is a cost attached.

Every traveller aged 18 to 70 will need to pay an ETIAS fee of €7 (about US$7.40, £6, A$10.60, S$10.20, RM32.50). It is currently unknown if ETIAS will be free or cheaper for other age groups.

Applicants will be required to submit their data in the online application, which is said to take only “10 minutes” :

Unspecified personal data
Travel document (passport or equivalent document)
Member State of first intended stay
Background questions relating to previous criminal records, presence in conflict zones, orders to leave the territory of a Member State or third countries, return decisions issued.
Identity of the person / company assisting the applicant in the application process (if necessary)

The ETIAS system will automatically check the information provided against several EU databases, and approve or transfer it to ETIAS National Units for manual processing.

Once approved, the ETIAS will be valid for 3 years, or until the expiry date of the passport. So if possible, travellers should definitely renew their passports before applying.

But note that the ETIAS can be revoked at any time, if the conditions for that travel authorisation are no longer met by the applicant.

ETIAS : Selected FAQs

Here are selected FAQs on the European Travel Information and Authorisation System for those who want to learn more.

What is the difference between a Schengen visa and an ETIAS travel authorisation?

The ETIAS authorisation is not a visa. Nationals of visa liberalisation countries will continue to travel the EU without a visa but will simply be required to obtain a travel authorisation via ETIAS prior to their travel. ETIAS will be a simple, fast and visitor-friendly system, which will, in more than 95% of cases, result in a positive answer within a few minutes.

An ETIAS travel authorisation does not reintroduce visa-like obligations. There is no need to go to a consulate to make an application, no biometric data is collected and significantly less information is gathered than during a visa application procedure.

Whereas, as a general rule, a Schengen visa procedure can take up to 15 days, and can in some cases be extended up to 30 or 60 days, the online ETIAS application only takes a few minutes to fill in. Only in very exceptional cases, could the ETIAS procedure take up to 30 days. The validity will be for a period of three years, significantly longer than the validity of a Schengen visa. An ETIAS authorisation will be valid for an unlimited number of entries.

The ETIAS travel authorisation will be a necessary and small procedural step for all visa-exempt travellers which will allow them to avoid bureaucracy and delays when presenting themselves at the borders. ETIAS will fully respect this visa-free status; facilitate the crossing of the Schengen external border; and allow visa free visitors to fully enjoy their status.

What will visa-exempt travellers have to do before their travel?

Travellers will have to complete an online application via a dedicated website or an application for mobile devices. Filling in the application should not take more than 10 minutes and should not require any documentation beyond a travel document (a passport or other equivalent document). In case of an inability to apply (due to age, literacy level, access to and competence on information technology etc.) applications may be submitted by a third person.

An electronic payment of a €7 fee for each application will be required for all applicants between the ages of 18 and 70. The electronic payment methods will take into account technological advancements in the visa-free countries in order to avoid hindering visa-free third country nationals who may not have access to certain payment means.

The automated assessment process will start after the fee collection is confirmed. The vast majority of applicants (expected to be more than 95% of all cases) will be given automated approval which will be communicated to them within minutes of payment. If there is a hit against any of the searched databases or an undecided outcome of the automated process, manual handling of the application will take place by a Central Unit in the European Border and Coast Guard Agency or by a Member State team. This can prolong the response time to the visa-exempt third country national by up to 96 hours. In very exceptional circumstances further information may be asked of applicants and further procedural steps may be necessary, but in all cases a final decision shall be taken within four weeks of their application.

Of the roughly 5% of applications which produce a hit, it is expected that 3-4% will receive a positive decision after ETIAS Central Unit verifies the data, with the remaining 1-2% being transferred to ETIAS National Units for manual processing. After the decision applicants will be given a response by email with a valid travel authorisation, or a justification for the refusal.

What happens if a person has been refused travel authorisation from ETIAS?

If the travel authorisation is refused, the applicant retains the right to appeal. Appeals can be launched in the Member State that has taken the decision on the application and in accordance with the national law of that Member State. The applicant will be informed which national authority is responsible for the processing and decision on his or her travel authorisation, as well as information regarding the procedure to be followed in the event of an appeal. If the traveller considers their treatment to have been unfair, he/she is also given the right to seek redress or request access to the information through the national authority.

What is the validity of an ETIAS travel authorisation?

The validity of the travel authorisation will be three years (or until the expiry date of the travel document).

What are the obligations for the carriers?

Prior to boarding, air and sea carriers, as well as carriers transporting groups overland by coach will have to verify the status of the travel document required for entering the Schengen Area, including the requirement to hold a valid ETIAS travel authorisation. A transitional period is foreseen for carriers transporting groups overland by coach during which it will not be obligatory for them to check the presence of a valid travel authorisation.

What will happen at the border crossing point?

Upon arrival at a Schengen area border crossing point, the border guard will electronically read the travel document data, thereby triggering a query to different databases, including a query to ETIAS in the case of visa-exempt travellers. If there is no valid ETIAS travel authorisation, the border guards will refuse entry and record the traveller and the refusal of entry in the Entry Exit System.

If there is a valid travel authorisation, the border control process will be conducted and the traveller may be authorised to enter the Schengen area if all entry conditions are fulfilled or refused access as provided by the Schengen Border Code.

What databases will be checked by ETIAS?

When verifying and assessing the information submitted by visa-exempt travellers, the system will automatically cross-check each application against:

A. the existing EU information systems:

the Schengen Information System (SIS),
the Visa Information System (VIS),
Europol data,
the Eurodac database (once the Eurodac recast is in place),

B. future EU information systems:

the Entry/Exit System (EES),

C. Interpol databases:

the Interpol Stolen and Lost Travel Document database (SLTD),
the Interpol Travel Documents Associated with Notices database (TDAWN),

D. a dedicated ETIAS watch list and specific risk indicators.

How will ETIAS ensure and guarantee the respect for fundamental rights and data protection?

Personal data recorded in ETIAS will not be kept for longer than is necessary for its purpose. Data shall be stored for:

the period of validity of the travel authorisation or,
five years from the last decision to refuse, revoke or annul the travel authorisation.

The data could be stored for an additional period of no more than three years after the end of the period of validity of the travel authorisation if the applicant freely and explicitly consents to keep his or her data longer. After the expiry of the data retention period, the application file and personal data will be automatically deleted from the ETIAS Central System.

Member States’ law enforcement authorities and Europol will have access to ETIAS, under strictly-defined conditions, for the prevention, detection or investigation of terrorist offences or other serious criminal offences. The designated authorities and Europol should only request access to ETIAS when they have reasonable grounds to believe that such access will substantially help them in carrying out their duties.

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Chipmakers Brace For Noble Gas Shortage, After Russia Cut Supply!

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Chipmakers worldwide are bracing for a noble gas shortage, after Russia cut supplies! Here is what you need to know…

Chipmakers Brace For Noble Gas Shortage, After Russia Cut Supply!

On June 2, 2022, the Russian government issued a decree stating that export of noble gases will be subject to Moscow’s approval until December 31, based on the recommendations of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

This effectively cuts or limits the export of critical noble gases to “unfriendly” countries, and was a direct response to the fifth round of sanctions imposed by the European Union in April.

Russia and Ukraine were leading producers of noble gases since the days of the Soviet Union, and jointly supplied about 30% of the chipmaking industry’s supply of neon gas.

Both countries were closely intertwined in their noble gas supply to the world. Russia produced raw neon gas as a byproduct of its steelworks, and sent it to Ukraine for purification. That ceased with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

How Badly Will Russia Noble Gas Cut Affect Chipmakers?

Noble gases like neon, argon, xenon and helium are critical in the production of microelectronics that power everything from computers to smartphones and cars.

Neon, in particular, plays a critical role in the optical lithographic process used to etch patterns on silicon wafers, creating circuits in semiconductor chips.

The state-of-the-art excimer pulsed laser used to create semiconductors, for example, requires an argon-fluorine-neon mixture, up to 95% of which is made up of exceptionally pure neon gas.

That’s why about 70% of the world’s supply of neon gas (about 540,000 tonnes) is used by the semiconductor industry.

Fortunately, Russia’s decision to cut noble gas supplies may have less impact that they assumed, because chipmakers prepared for such an eventuality.

The semiconductor industry used to rely on Ukraine and Russia for about 80% to 90% of their neon gas supply, but they started diversifying their noble gas supplies after Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014.

Over the last 7-8 years, they managed to cut down their dependence on Ukraine and Russia to about 30%. And the industry generally maintains gas reserves that would last 3-6 months.

China is the main beneficiary of reduced noble gas supply from Russia. Since the war started, Chinese noble gas producers said that their daily order enquiries have jumped 5X to 6X.

For now, the semiconductor industry does not need to reduce production, but the reduced market supply will mean noble gas prices will remain elevated for some time to come.

Needless to say – this will increase the cost of semiconductors, the cost of which will be passed onto consumers.

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Azovstal Photos Show What’s Really Inside Its Bunkers!

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Many people claim that Ukraine is hiding NATO’s biological warfare lab and headquarters in the bunkers under Azovstal.

Take a look at the real photos of Azovstal, and find out what’s really inside its bunkers!

Claim : Azovstal Has NATO Bio Warfare Lab + Officers!

Pro-Russian and pro-CCP websites and groups keep claiming that Azovstal conceals a NATO biological warfare lab, which is why the Ukrainians fought so hard to defend Azovstal – they simply cannot let Russia find out that NATO had been developing illegal biological weapons in the bunkers!

They even shared schematics of what they claimed was the NATO biological laboratory hidden under the massive Azovstal metallurgical plant.

If a biological weapons lab is not enough, they also claim that NATO also has a secret headquarters under Azovstal, hosting soldiers who would have attacked Russia…

Azovstal Photos Show What’s Really Inside Its Bunkers!

When Russia invaded Ukraine, one of the first cities they attacked was Mariupol, which they quickly surrounded in just 3 weeks.

Due to heavy attacks and bombardment, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians retreated to the massive Azovstal metallurgical plant, which had over 30 Soviet-era bunkers.

After almost 3 months of constant bombardment and attacks, civilians were evacuated and the Ukrainian defenders were ordered to surrender.

One Ukrainian soldier, Orest (Орест), had been documenting life at the Azovstal metallurgical plant throughout their ordeal.

On the day he left the massive complex (20 May 2022), he left his photos on a public Google Drive, with this message (and its English translation) :

Ну от і все. Дякую з прихисток Азовсталь – місце моєї смерті і мого життя.

Well, that’s all. Thank you from the shelters of Azovstal – the place of my death and my life.

Доречі, поки я буду в полоні, залишу вам фото в найкращій якості, відправляйте їх на всі журналістські премії і фотоконкурси, якщо щось виграю, після виходу буде дуже приємно. Дякую всім за підтримку. До зустрічі ❤️

By the way, while I am in captivity, I will leave you photos in the best quality, send them to all journalistic awards and photo contests, if I win something, it will be very nice after the release. Thank you all for your support. See ❤️

These 24 photos will show you what it was really like inside the tunnels and bunkers, and prove once and for all just how absurd and false those claims of NATO facilities under Azovstal really are.

The extent of the devastation is clear in this photo of a Ukrainian soldier standing inside one of the many Azovstal factory buildings.

The Soviet-era bunkers may have been hardened against a nuclear attack, but Russian forces cut electricity and water supply to the complex. So most of the bunkers were dark or lit only by lamps powered by car batteries.

Most of the bunkers were not only dark and damp, they were cold and heated by wood fire. Hardly what you would expect from a “NATO biological warfare lab”, right?

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More Photos From The Azovstal Bunkers!

Many of the photos show what the sheltering Ukrainian soldiers were doing while off-duty.

What’s notable is how dreary and low tech the bunkers look – all concrete, with dirt floors and minimal lighting.

It’s amazing that these soldiers and the civilians sheltering in these same bunkers managed to hold out for so long!

Many of the Ukrainian soldiers can also be seen with various injuries, or getting treated for their wounds.

But what’s obvious from these photos are the lack of medical supplies, sanitation or even proper light.

You have to wonder – is this how a NATO biological warfare laboratory looks like?

And where are the NATO officers that so many people claim were hiding in the bunkers?

Will people stop creating and spreading fake news about the Azovstal tunnels and bunkers? I seriously doubt it.

They will just jump to the next fake news… and the next Azovstal…

Despite their injuries, the Ukrainian soldiers seem to be in remarkably high spirits, for people who have had to endure daily bombardments and attempts by Russian soldiers to root them out from the Azovstal bunkers.

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

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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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Touch ‘n Go eWallet Is Now Back On Apple App Store!

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The Touch ‘n Go eWallet app was quietly restored to the Apple App Store, as quietly as it was removed earlier!

Here is what we know so far…

Touch ‘n Go eWallet Is Now Back On Apple App Store!

Apple quietly removed the Touch ‘n Go eWallet (TNG eWallet) from the App Store in the first week of May 2022.

The TNG eWallet download page earlier stated “App Not Available – The app is currently not available in your country or region“.

It was also removed from the App Store search listing. The Boost eWallet now appears, instead of the TNG eWallet.

Even though the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app is no longer available in the Apple App Store, you can continue to use it if you had already installed it earlier.

The TNG Digital team stated that they are working to resolve the issue with Apple, and confirmed that the app that is installed in your iPhone will continue to work with all features fully-functioning.

Fortunately, the Touch ‘n Go eWallet (TNG eWallet) app was quietly restored to the Apple App Store on 11 May 2022.

Was Touch ‘n Go eWallet NFC Feature Removed For Apple Users?

Neither Apple nor Touch ‘n Go eWallet stated why the TNG eWallet app was removed from the App Store.

At that time, believed Apple removed it because of the recently-added NFC top-up feature for physical Touch ‘n Go cards.

That’s because Apple Pay is the only mobile wallet / eWallet allowed to use the iPhone and iPad’s NFC capabilities for contactless payments.

That limitation has resulted in an antitrust charge by the European Union :

The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that it abused its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets on iOS devices. By limiting access to a standard technology used for contactless payments with mobile devices in stores (‘Near-Field Communication (NFC)’ or ‘tap and go’), Apple restricts competition in the mobile wallets market on iOS.

The Commission takes issue with the decision by Apple to prevent mobile wallets app developers, from accessing the necessary hardware and software (‘NFC input’) on its devices, to the benefit of its own solution, Apple Pay.

However, the newly-approved Touch ‘n Go eWallet version 1.7.73 continued to feature the NFC reload option.

Therefore, it seems more likely that Apple removed the app earlier due to the Face Verification feature in the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app.

In fact, the new Touch ‘n Go eWallet version 1.7.73 now lacks the Face Verification feature. Their FAQ also stated that :

Face verification is being upgraded for iOS users, this feature will be temporarily disabled. Kindly use your PIN as alternate authentication.

The previous version of Touch ‘n Go eWallet could have contravened this App Store Review Guidelines rule :

2.5.13 Apps using facial recognition for account authentication must use LocalAuthentication (and not ARKit or other facial recognition technology) where possible, and must use an alternate authentication method for users under 13 years old.

But at least Apple iPhone users can rest assured that they will continue to get the latest Touch ‘n Go eWallet app. They just have to live without the Face Verification feature for now…

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EU Air Travel : Face Mask + Physical Distancing Not Required!

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You will not longer be required to wear a face mask, or physically distance, during air travel to and from EU countries!

Here is what you need to know…

EU Air Travel : Face Mask + Physical Distancing Not Required!

On 11 May 2022, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) issued a joint statement, dropping their recommendation for the mandatory wearing of a face mask as well as physical distancing in airports and on flights.

From Monday, 16 May 2022 onwards, you will no longer be required to wear a face mask at airports, or onboard a flight across the European Union.

However, travellers with respiratory symptoms (coughing or sneezing) are strongly recommended to wear a face mask.

Airports are also no longer required to strictly implement physical distancing. Rather, they should adopt “a pragmatic approach”, and avoid imposing distancing requirements if they “will likely lead to a bottleneck”.

Airport operators are also not required to impose physical distancing if they are “not required at national or regional level”.

That said, they are still asking airport operators to encourage physical distancing where possible, particularly in the meet and greet areas and around baggage carousels.

Face Mask + Physical Distancing Not Required In EU, But Still Recommended!

While the EU will no longer require you to wear a face mask, or impose strict physical distancing during air travel, they are both still highly recommended to prevent COVID-19.

Here are selected excerpts from the latest EASA and ECDC guidelines (PDF) for air travel in the European Union :

Medical Face Masks

Medical face masks (hereafter referred to also as ‘face masks’) are among the most efficient means to prevent the transmission of SARS-COV-2 including existing VOCs. As such, the wearing of masks should be considered in crowded indoor and outdoor settings, including air travel.

If the departure or destination States require wearing of face masks in public transport, aircraft operators should require passengers and crew to wear a face mask beyond 16 May 2022.

In other cases, starting 16 May 2022, aircraft and aerodrome operators should continue to encourage passengers and crew members, as part of their pre-flight communications as well as during travel through signage and announcements, to wear a face mask during flight as well as in the airport as a way to protect themselves and others and that they should respect others’ decision to wear or to not wear a mask.

In their communication, operators should highlight that people at high risk for severe COVID-19 are advised to wear an FFP2 respirator mask during the flight for their own protection. Experimental studies indicate that respirators are more effective than medical face masks both in limiting the release of infectious respiratory droplets when worn by the infectious source and in limiting the exposure when worn by the exposed person.

People with respiratory symptoms (coughing or sneezing) are strongly recommended to wear a medical face mask irrespective of the requirements on that particular flight.

Physical Distancing

Physical distancing, alongside the proper wearing of face masks, has proven among the most effective non-pharmaceutical interventions to prevent SARS-CoV-2 (including VOCs) transmission. Physical distancing should be encouraged in all airport areas, the arrival terminal (with a particular focus for the meet and greet area) and around the baggage carousels. Signage and communication material should continue to encourage physical distancing where possible.

However, implementation experience has shown that in some cases, strict physical distancing measures in the aviation environment (airport and aircraft) is not operationally feasible and creates additional unintended bottlenecks in other areas, increasing the exposure times and leading to operational delays touching the flight time limitation requirements and, consequently, flight safety. Physical distancing could therefore be added to the use of face masks where operationally feasible and where it does not result in additional crowding in other areas. If physical distancing measures cannot be implemented, the use of face masks should be encouraged for passengers.

PPE For Airline / Airport Crew + Staff

Airport operators, aircraft operators and service providers/suppliers should provide the necessary PPE to their staff members and ensure that they are trained in its appropriate use:

— Staff members who interact with passengers directly (e.g. cabin crew members, security check agents, assistants for passengers with reduced mobility, cleaning staff, etc.) should be encouraged to properly wear a medical face mask or, where available and the legal framework permits, a higher-standard face mask (e.g. FFP2/N95/KN95 respirators).

— Staff should be encouraged to practise respiratory hygiene at all times as well as frequent hand hygiene, either via appropriate hand-washing or by applying an alcohol-based hand disinfectant. The use of a protective gown or a one-use plastic apron can be considered for tasks that may expose staff to splashes.

— Flight crew members should be encouraged to wear a face mask whenever interacting with, or in the proximity of, other people. Once they are in the flight compartment and the door is closed, flight crew members may remove their masks subject to their operator’s policy and mutual agreement. Furthermore, the flight’s crew members should remove their masks for emergency situations and whenever requested by appropriate authorities for official purposes such as identification or alcohol testing.

— Aircraft operators should have on board one or more Universal Precaution Kits (UPKs. Such kits should be used by crew members who are assisting passengers with COVID-

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Why Was Touch ‘n Go eWallet Removed From App Store?!

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The Touch ‘n Go eWallet app was just removed from the Apple App Store!

Here is what we know so far…

Touch ‘n Go eWallet Removed From Apple App Store!

Apple quietly removed the Touch ‘n Go eWallet (TNG eWallet) from the App Store a few days ago.

The TNG eWallet download page now states “App Not Available – The app is currently not available in your country or region“.

It was also removed from the App Store search listing. The Boost eWallet now appears, instead of the TNG eWallet.

Interestingly, the download page in the official Touch ‘n Go eWallet website is also not functioning, with a 404 error – Page not found.

It is however still available in the Google Play Store, so Android users can still download it just fine.

Even though the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app is no longer available in the Apple App Store, you can continue to use it if you had already installed it earlier.

This does not mean the removal is to be taken lightly. Until the app is restored to the App Store, you will no longer be able to update the app.

Over time, you may lose out on new features. But more importantly, you will no longer receive security and fixes.

Why Was Touch ‘n Go eWallet Removed From App Store?!

Neither Apple nor Touch ‘n Go eWallet stated why the TNG eWallet app was removed from the App Store.

However, I believe Apple removed it because of the recently-added NFC top-up feature for physical Touch ‘n Go cards.

That’s because Apple Pay is the only mobile wallet / eWallet allowed to use the iPhone and iPad’s NFC capabilities for contactless payments.

That limitation has resulted in an antitrust charge by the European Union :

If this was the reason for the TNG eWallet app’s removal, it will be yet another example of Apple’s egregious anti-competitive nature, and yet another strike against their walled garden.

If they continue to lock down the NFC feature on the iPhone / iPad to force the use of Apple Pay, they will invite more anti-trust actions, and possibly turn people to the Android platform.

Unfortunately, there’s really nothing much Apple users can do.

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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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Did Italian Court Rule Vaccine Mandate As Unconstitutional?!

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Did an Italian court rule that vaccine mandates are unconstitutional because fatal side effects are too risky?!

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

Claim : Italian Court Ruled Vaccine Mandate As Unconstitutional!

People are sharing articles from websites like News Punch, claiming that an Italian court just ruled vaccine mandates as unconstitutional, because their fatal side effects are too risky!

The article includes a transcript from a RAIR Foundation USA video. It is rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…

Italian Court Rules Vaccine Mandates Unconstitutional: ‘Fatal Side Effects Too Risky’

An Italian court has ruled that Italy’s mandatory Covid vaccination program is ‘unconstitutional’ due to the “serious or fatal adverse effects” posed by the experimental jabs.

Sicily’s Court of Administrative Justice stated that any death due to the jab is enough to render the mandate completely illegal in Italy.

RAIR Foundation USA Video Transcript

I have good, excellent news.

Let’s wait for more people to connect, and we are ready to start.

All right, this is a very important ruling.

It is the ruling made by the Court of Administrative Justice of Sicily.

The Court has forwarded the case to the Constitutional Court, concerning the unconstitutionality of mandatory vaccination imposed, in this specific case, on the medical staff.

But the explanatory statements affect mandatory vaccination in its entirety.

According to the Court of Administrative Justice of Sicily, mandatory vaccination is unconstitutional.

This 53-page ruling will surely put pressure on the Constitutional Court.

The latter will not be able to preserve the mandatory vaccination and the Government’s stances, unless it makes a politicized ruling.

They already acted upon it, nominating Giuliano Amato, a politician, as president of the Constitutional Court. Frankly, they couldn’t have provided better explanatory statements.

A very interesting part is the data from Eudravigilance, which is the pharmacovigilance database of the European Union.

Whose data are really shocking.

The ruling says: “The data which have been collected by the European database reveal that by the end of January 2022, 570 million Pfizer doses had been administered within the EU, so far.

In relation to them, 582,000 cases of adverse effects were reported, 7,000 of which had a fatal outcome.”

That was Pfizer. As for AstraZeneca, “among 69 million doses, 244,000 cases of adverse effects were reported, 1,447 of which had a fatal outcome.”

Then they mention Moderna, too. 139 million doses, 150,000 adverse reactions, 834 of which had a fatal outcome.

Then Janssen. 19 million doses, 40,766 cases reported, 279 of which were fatal.

“Most of the aforementioned side effects are undoubtedly mild.

But among those effects, there are also serious pathologies which in some cases are likely to compromise the vaccinated patient’s health irreversibly,” and that is exactly the point.

Causing disability, or in the most unfortunate cases, death.

So therefore it is doubtful whether such medical products, whose data about the adverse reactions are being collected, fulfill the aforementioned constitutional requirement.”

And then they wrote nine spectacular lines.

And I wonder what Giuliano Amato will write about those lines.

Since he is a politicized person, and in line with the Government’s stance.

“It is true that the cases of serious adverse effects turn out to be a small portion.”

Please, listen to this: “nevertheless, the criterion set by the Constitutional Court,”

“The criterion set by the Constitutional Court for compulsory medical treatments to be enforced is not likely to include a quantitative evaluation.

So the lawfulness of a mandatory vaccination is to be excluded, if it uses products whose effects on the vaccinated patients’ health exceed the threshold of normal tolerability.

Which cannot include the risk of serious or fatal adverse effects, even if these are small portion in relation to the vaccinated population.”

So, even if they are few, one fatal effect suffices to make this inadmissible.

“And even in the case we accept the risk of — albeit rare — fatal adverse effects, this criterion would have sensitive ethical implications.”

For instance, who would determine the percentage of disposable citizens?

It is indisputable. Otherwise it results in Nazism.

It is indisputable. If the Constitutional Court rules against this judgment, it means its members are servants of politics.

They are politicians, not jurists. A jurist cannot but reach the same conclusion as this ruling.

If the members of the court rule differently, it means they are not ignorant, of course, but surely someone extremely biased and politicized.

Someone to dismiss faster than the speed of light.

So we should challenge them on this matter, and on the duty to state grounds.

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Truth : Italian Court Did NOT Rule Vaccine Mandate As Unconstitutional!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS that anti-vaccination activists are concocting to mislead people about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Italy Only Has A Limited Vaccine Mandate

First, I need to point out that Italy only has a limited vaccine mandate.

Since 15 October 2021, it has been mandatory for workers in both private and public sectors, who are 50 years and older, to present a valid COVID pass.

This does not affect younger employees, and is not exactly a vaccine mandate, because the COVID pass only requires :

at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, OR
proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken in the previous 48 hours, OR
proof of having recently recovered from COVID-19.

Technically, you can refuse to get the vaccine and receive the COVID pass, as long as you keep testing negative for COVID-19.

Fact #2 : Italian Court Did Not Rule Vaccine Mandate Unconstitutional

If you translate the court judgement to English, you will quickly realise that the Italian court did not rule the vaccine mandate as unconstitutional.

In fact, the court document clearly states that the judge suspended the trial, and sent the documents to the Italian Constitutional Court for their decision instead.

Fact #3 : Italian Court Did Not Call Vaccine Side Effects Too Risky

The Italian court certainly did not claim that the “fatal side effects” of the vaccine are “too risky”.

In fact, the court document pointed out that “undoubtedly, most of the side effects, listed in the database, show modest and transient symptoms”.

Fact #4 : Court Photo Was From 2013

The picture that is often used to convey the “importance” of this court finding was misappropriate, and does not show the Administrative Justice Court for Sicily.

That is a local court for Sicily, which has a single judge. The presiding judge for this case was Maria Abbruzzese.

The photo was actually taken in Rome, on 1 August 2013, and shows Chief Justice Antonio Esposito of the Italian Supreme Court reading the verdict of the Mediaset trial involving former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Fact #5 : Correlation Is Not Causation

I also have to point out that correlation does not imply causation. In other words, just because something after vaccination, it does not mean it was caused by the vaccine.

For example, if you get pregnant after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, does it mean that the vaccine made you pregnant? Of course, not.

There is also the fact that many events can result in the same “side effect”.

For example, the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are known to cause anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) in rare cases. However, anaphylactic reactions can also occur due to a peanut allergy or a bee sting.

That is why every reported case must be examined to determine if it is actually related to the vaccine.

Fact #6 : EudraVigilance Data Have Yet To Be Verified

The EudraVigilance system is not an open system like VAERS, or the UK Yellow Card system, which makes it less susceptible to abuse.

However, EudraVigilance data and reports cannot be considered “evidence” of side effects of any particular drug or vaccine, because :

they may contain duplicated information and/or reports
the reported event may be caused by an illness, like a COVID-19 infection for example,
the reported event may be caused by a different drug taken by the patient at the same time
they have not been assessed by the EMA to ascertain if it’s even “biologically plausible”

In fact, the EudraVigilance website specifically warns against using their data as “evidence” of a drug / vaccine’s side effects :

The information on this website relates to suspected side effects , i.e. medical events that have been observed following the use of a medicine, but which are not necessarily related to or caused by the medicine.

Information on suspected side effects should not be interpreted as meaning that the medicine or the active substance causes the observed effect or is unsafe to use. Only a detailed evaluation and scientific assessment of all available data allows for robust conclusions to be drawn on the benefits and risks of a medicine.

They even created a dedicated page on COVID-19 vaccines to warn against using their data to draw any conclusions about a vaccine’s side effects.

Fact #7 : Vaccines Proven Safe + Effective

Irrespective of what’s argued in any court, the approved COVID-19 vaccines have all been proven safe and effective.

Not only did they undergo and passed very large clinical trials, almost 12 billion doses have been administered worldwide in the past 1.5 years.

Despite scaremongering by anti-vaccination activists, ongoing pharmacovigilance monitoring show that they are safe and effective for the vast majority of people who received them.

Fact #8 : COVID-19 Infections Are Far Riskier Than Vaccines

In addition to the aforementioned anaphylaxis risk, pharmacovigilance surveillance picked up rare severe side effects like VITT, myocarditis and pericarditis.

But what anti-vaccination activists don’t tell you is that COVID-19 infections cause similar side effects, but at much higher rates.

Take myocarditis for example. Anti-vaccination activists love to tell us how they put our children’s lives at risk. But they conveniently leave out the fact that your child is hundreds of times more likely to develop myocarditis from a COVID-19 infection than from three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine!

Myocarditis Risk	Per Million People	vs Sinovac	vs AstraZeneca	vs Pfizer
COVID-19	450	+300x	+214x	+167x
3x Pfizer	2.7	+1.8x	+1.3x	Baseline
3x AstraZeneca	2.1	+1.4x	Baseline	-0.2x
3x Sinovac	1.5	Baseline	-0.3x	-0.4x

Now that you know the facts, please help to fight fake news – SHARE this article out!

And please protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating them against COVID-19!

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Was Azov Battalion Caught Executing Civilians In Viral Video?!

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Was the Ukrainian Azov Battalion caught executing civilians and dumping them in mass graves?!

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

Claim : Azov Battalion Caught Executing Civilians In Viral Video!

People are sharing a video showing a few soldiers executing blindfolded civilians with their hands tied behind their backs, and dumping their bodies into a mass grave.

The video is accompanied by this message, which claims that it shows the Ukrainian Azov battalion executing innocent civilians :

🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦UKRAINE.. Bloody, cruel and brutal, the Ukrainian Azov Battalion killed civilians dump them in mass graves. 🤦🏻‍♂️Russia & the World must destroy the Ukrainian Azov battalion. 👊🏼

Suddenly, US, UK, EU, NATO, international human rights organizations have all keeping quiet and disappeared. 😠 😡 🤬 🤬 🤬

Truth : Azov Battalion Did Not Execute Those Civilians In Viral Video!

This is yet another example of pro-Russia FAKE NEWS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded In Syria In 2013

Anyone who watched the video would have immediately realised that neither the soldiers nor the civilians look like Ukrainians.

That’s because the video was not recorded in Ukraine in 2022, but in Tadamon, Syria on 16 April 2013 – 9 years ago!

The video was recently leaked to the Guardian by a Syrian militia recruit, who stole it from a laptop belonging to the Syrian government.

Fact #2 : al-Assad Government Committed That Atrocity

The video actually shows Syrian soldiers kicking civilians who were blindfolded and tied up into a pit filled with tyres, before shooting them.

In the end, at least 41 men lay dead in that mass grave in the Damascus suburb of Tadamon, Syria.

After the Guardian broke the story and released the video on 27 April 2022, the US State Department strongly condemned the Tadamon massacre on 29 April 2022 :

We strongly condemn the atrocities depicted in a recently released video, which appears to show blindfolded, unarmed civilians being shot point-blank by an Assad regime official before falling into a mass grave in Tadamon, Syria, during a 2013 massacre that reportedly killed hundreds of Syrian civilians. The video, which suggests additional evidence of war crimes committed by the Assad regime, is yet another harrowing example of the horrors that the Syrian people have endured for more than a decade.

Credit : The Guardian

Fact #3 : Killer Was Identified As Syrian Major Youssuf

That war crime was eventually traced to Branch 227 of the Syrian military intelligence service under the al-Assad regime, by a Syrian activist who called herself “Anna Sh”.

Amjad (Amgd) Youssuf – a major in Branch 227 – admitted to Anna Sh that he was the man seen in the video executing those civilians.

I killed a lot. I took revenge.

Fact #4 : Russia Actively Supports al-Assad Government

I should point out that the Russian government not only provides the al-Assad government with military support, they actively provide air support to the Syrian military, which includes launching airstrikes on Syrian civilians.

The Russian government has also notably declined to condemn the al-Assad government for their role in executing Syrian civilians in the Tadamon massacre.

It is likely that the creator of this fake news is attempting to cover up Russian complicity in that atrocity, by falsely pinning the recently-leaked video on the Azov battalion.

Fact #5 : Russians Were Caught Executing Civilians

This is not the first time fake news was created to cover up the fact that Russian forces were caught executing Ukrainian civilians, the most notable of which was the Bucha massacre.

After the Ukrainians evicted Russian forces from the town of Bucha, they found bodies of civilians who appeared to have been executed in cold blood and left on the road.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Russian Ministry of Defense immediately claimed that the footage of the bodies was “staged” by Ukrainians who placed them there after Russian forces left Bucha.

Unfortunately for the Russians, satellite photos taken weeks before their withdrawal showed that the Russians executed those civilians while they were in full control of the town.

A satellite image from Maxar showed that the bodies were already there as early as 11 March, with this clearer picture taken on 19 March. The Russians only left Bucha on 30 March.

Russian forces was also caught on satellite creating massive graves at Bucha, which were later found to contain bodies of hundreds of Ukrainian civilians.

So it is likely that they left these bodies on the streets of Bucha as a warning to the town residents, much like how Nazis in World War 2 would sometimes hang bodies in the streets of the towns they conquered.

Fact #6 : Azov Battalion Is Small

Pro-Russian netizens are incessantly harping about the right-wing, neo-Nazi Azov battalion, as if they are the Ukrainian version of Nazi Germany’s Waffen-SS.

The truth is – the Azov battalion has always been few in numbers, with a disproportionate reputation to its size.

The Azov battalion was formed as a volunteer group in May 2014, by members of the right-wing Patriot of Ukraine and neo-Nazi Social National Assembly (SNA) political parties, to fight against pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk.

With only about 500 members, the Azov battalion helped the Ukrainian armed forces recapture the city of Mariupol from pro-Russian separatists.

After that success, they were integrated into the Ukrainian National Guard, and reorganised as a regiment on 11 November 2014 with about 2,500 members.

Not only does the Azov regiment constitute a very small proportion of the Ukrainian National Guard, only about 10% to 20% of its members identify themselves as Nazis, according to Andriy Diachenko, the Azov Brigade spokesperson.

According to Anton Shekhovtsov, a Vienna-based Ukrainian expert on Russia’s connections to Europe’s far-right :

Azov’s history is rooted in a volunteer battalion formed by the leadership of a neo-Nazi group. But it is certain that Azov has depoliticised itself. Its history linked to the far-right movement is pretty irrelevant today.

Many pro-Russian and pro-CCP netizens are sharing the video and fake message on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter and Facebook.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out!

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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 Malaysia Going To Supply Russia With Semiconductors?!

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Is Malaysia preparing to break Western sanctions, and supply Russia with electronics and semiconductors?!

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

Claim : Malaysia Preparing To Supply Russia With Semiconductors!

People are sharing a GizChina article that claims that Malaysia is preparing to supply Russia with electronics and semiconductors against Western sanctions!

Here is what the article says… It’s long so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…

It looks like Malaysia is prepping to supply electronics and semiconductors to Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. This piece of information has been confirmed by the Malaysian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Bala Chandran Tharman.

He announced that the Southeast Asian country will consider any requests from Russia for providing electronics, as well as semiconductors. Notably, this comes at a time when Western countries are sparing no effort to single out Russia after its gratuitous attack on Ukraine.

Aside from this, Multiple Asian tech giants have been imposing sanctions in a bid to isolate Russia. Following in the footsteps of Huawei, Chinese company BOE recently clarified it does not have a production line in Russia. However, there are still some countries that aren’t willing to wreak havoc on their relationship with Russia.

Now, Malaysia said it will not shy away from supplying electronics and semiconductors to Russia if it needs them. To recall, Bala Chandran even confirmed that Malaysian financial institutions will join the Russian financial messaging system, provided they meet specific criteria.

Tharman told Sputnik (via The Edge Market) that all partner countries that are doing business with Russia are now looking into opportunities to take the business forward. Now, Bala Chandran said Malaysia will investigate Russia’s request for semiconductors and electronics.

Aside from this, he pointed out that the Malaysian economy is market-driven. So, the country will unhesitatingly take any request for products from Russia into consideration. However, Bala Chandran clarified that he isn’t aware of any ongoing conversations at the government level.

Last month, Taiwan said that Malaysia can play a vital role in ending the global shortage of auto semiconductors, and specifically ease the challenge related to auto semiconductors packaging. Notably, the ambassador said he is glad people consider Malaysia as a potential high-tech equipment supplier to Russia.

Furthermore, he even hinted at a potential business-to-business association with the Russian Federation. Malaysia is a major exporter of semiconductors, offering a volume of $8.7 billion every year.

Moreover, Malaysia’s electronics sector incorporates more than 6 percent of the country’s GDP. Since Malaysia is a trade state, the ambassador claims that the country’s business sector will acknowledge products’ demand and supply in the global market.

The country will actively respond to the requirement of electronic gadgets, respond, and semiconductors in the global market. To recall, both Malaysia and Vietnam do not support sanctions on Russia. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Western countries imposed harsh sanctions on Moscow.

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Truth : Malaysia NOT Preparing To Supply Russia With Semiconductors!

The truth is – GizChina made up this story, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Mahathir Is No Longer Prime Minister Of Malaysia

GizChina does not seem to be aware that Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has not been the Prime Minister of Malaysia since he stepped down on 24 February 2020.

They hilariously used the photo of Dr. Mahathir with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was taken at the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore, in 2018.

Mahathir wasn’t even mentioned in their article. They could have used a photo of the Malaysian Ambassador to Russia, Bala Chandran Tharman…

Please don’t tell them they thought that this was a picture of the Malaysian Ambassador to Russia with Putin…

Fact #2 : GizChina Offered No Evidence

GizChina offered ZERO evidence that Malaysia is preparing to go against Western sanctions, and supply Russia with semiconductors.

The writer, Vinay Patel, claimed that “this piece of information has been confirmed by the Malaysian ambassador to the Russian Federation, Bala Chandran Tharman“.

However, he offered no evidence to back up that claim. There was no link to any statement, or a quote of Bala Chandran confirming that Malaysia would be supplying Russia with semiconductors.

Fact #3 : Bala Chandran Did Not Say Malaysia Will Supply Russia With Semiconductors

Despite other sources claiming that Bala Chandran made that claim to RIA Novosti and Sputnik News, I could find no reference in their official websites.

The only legitimate news source I could find was a Bernama report on 23 April 2022, which stated :

In another development, Bala Chandran believes Malaysia would consider an opportunity to sell semiconductors and electronics to Russia.

“The Malaysian industry is market-oriented and I am absolutely sure that any request from the Russian party concerning such products will be considered,” the ambassador said.

He stressed that he was not aware of any current talks on the issues between the two countries.

Bala Chandran, as far as I can tell, never said that Malaysia would go against Western sanctions, and actually supply Russia with semiconductors.

He only said that “Malaysia would consider” the “opportunity to sell semiconductors and electronics to Russia“.

This is no different from a lady telling you that “she would consider” going out on a date with you. That could possibly happen, but it does NOT mean she actually agreed to go out on a date with you.

Fact #4 : Malaysia Is A Democracy With A Market Economy

Bala Chandran also pointed out that the Malaysian market is “market-oriented“. Malaysia has a market economy, and is not controlled by the government.

Malaysia is also a democratic country, not an autocratic / authoritarian state like China, where the government has massive power to control private / public enterprises.

In short, the Malaysian government cannot and does not dictate who Malaysian companies should sell to. Even if Malaysia wanted to sell semiconductors to Russia, it cannot simply order companies to do so.

Bala Chandran also clarified, he isn’t aware of any ongoing conversations at the government level. In other words, the Malaysian government itself has made no effort to sell or market semiconductors to Russia.

Fact #5 : Malaysia Does Not Own Semiconductor Companies

Malaysia has a number of homegrown semiconductor companies that provide critical support to multinational corporations like Intel, AMD, Agilent, Renata, Osram, Infineon and Broadcom.

However, they are private and public-listed companies and not owned by the Malaysian government, or beholden to it. Practically all of them have ties to Western companies that have to comply with Western sanctions against Russia.

Therefore, the Malaysian government cannot dictate who these companies should supply their products and services to. It can only say that “any request from the Russian party concerning such products will be considered“, and nothing more.

Fact #6 : Even Chinese Companies Are Avoiding Russia

Despite China coming out against economic sanctions imposed on Russia, Chinese companies are studiously avoiding breaking Western sanctions.

Even Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, explicitly said that “China is not a party to the crisis, nor does it want the sanctions to affect China.”

Companies placed under US sanctions, for example, will have all of their US assets and banned from trading with US companies.

If China does not dare to break Western sanctions against Russia, do you really expect Malaysia to break them? Do you expect private and public-listed companies to break Western sanctions?

As a warning shot, Singapore electronics wholesaler Alexsong Pte Ltd. was placed under US sanctions for facilitating “transactions that helped Russia evade sanctions“.

The truth is, for most companies, the Russian market is much too small to risk losing access to Western markets, capital and technologies.

Variants of this FAKE NEWS are now being shared in pro-Russia and pro-China websites.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out!

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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 Western Countries Just Steal $600 Billion From Russia?!

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Did Western countries just steal US$600 BILLION from Russia?!

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

Claim : Western Countries Just Stole $600 Billion From Russia!

Pro-China groups and supporters are sharing this post on social media and WhatsApp, claiming that Western Countries took opportunity of the Ukraine War to steal US$600 billion from Russia.

It’s a long post, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Good morning. Happy Monday
Those who have read English literature would be familiar with the saying ” A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet”.

What they may not know is that thievery by any other name ,as in sanction, is also thievery.

Of course the West would want to sanitize and justify their actions by avoiding the term “thievery” when they stole Afghanistan’s US$ 7 billion last year. Today they are stealing US$600 billion from Russia’s Central Bank apart from other assets belonging to Russian individuals.

Such acts are reminiscent of their thievery habit which was rampant during the days of Queen Elizabeth-1 when pirates from England would lie in wait and would pounce on home bound Spanish galleons ladened with gold and silver also stolen from the Caribbeans and Americas. They committed these acts with no sense of shame or guilt because the natives, from whom the precious metals came from, were regarded as soulless and subhuman and therefore acts of all kinds committed against them were guiltless.

Sadly ,500 years have gone by but the descendents of the Europeans , England included , continue to practice their thievery habit under the ruse of ” law based order ” except that the “trophies” are sitting in their vaults and are waiting to be whisked away by the stroke of a pen.

Which other nation is next on their target list after Russia? China is a huge temptation to the West because China’s vault in the West is filled to overflowing. USA is finding ways to goad China to fire the first shot at Taiwan and with that USA would label China as the aggresor and would then unleash sanctions against China. Top of their target list is the US $ 1 trillion it owes China.

The world should know that today’s pirates are no different from the pirates of yesteryears . They are motivated only by the sights of precious assets belonging to others even though they prowl around and brandish flags of democracy, human rights, freedom and other pretenses.

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Truth : Western Countries Did Not Steal $600 Billion From Russia!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : US Did Not Steal US$7 Billion From Afghanistan

The US government did not steal US$7 billion from Afghanistan.

This false claim is based on an executive order by the Biden Administration to freeze approximately US$7 billion worth of US-based assets owned by Afghanistan’s central bank – Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB).

The US Feds are holding onto those assets, so they are not actually being taken or used by the US government.

US$3.5 billion will be allocated for “the benefit of the Afghan people”.
Another US$3.5 billion will be held, as they are subject to “ongoing litigation by US victims of terrorism”.

In essence, the Biden Administration is blocking the Taliban government from using the assets to purchase what they don’t believe would be in “the benefit of the Afghan people”. Chief on their mind would be weapons, and financing of terrorist activities.

One may argue that the Taliban is the Afghan government of the day – as reprehensible as they may be, and therefore have the right to access all of that money.

That may well be true, but it does not mean that the US government stole the money. After all, they did not take or use it for their own purposes.

I should also point out that the US contributed at least $130 billion to Afghanistan, so it would seem silly for them to “steal” $7 billion from Afghanistan, wouldn’t it?

Fact #2 : US + Allies Froze $400 Billion Of Russian Assets

Right after Russia invaded Ukraine, the US and its European allies sanctioned Russia’s central bank, preventing it from accessing most of its foreign reserves.

Russia had built up about $630 billion worth of foreign currency and gold reserves in various countries, but the US government and its allies froze about $400 billion of those reserves.

So right off the bat, the claim that the US government stole $600 billion from the Russian bank is wrong.

Not only did the wumao writer (intentionally?) get the figure wrong, it was not just the US government. The European Union also sanctioned the Russian central bank.

Fact #3 : Russian Reserves Were Frozen, Not Seized

The foreign currency and gold reserves of the Russian central bank were FROZEN, not seized.

That blocks the Russian central bank from accessing them in any way, but does allow the US government or any other country to take control of those assets, or use them.

For a Western government to seize any frozen asset, they would have to first prove that the assets are linked to a crime. Until that happens, they too cannot access those assets.

These cases need to be built, there has to be a showing of some sort of underlying theory of forfeiture, there has to be a reason that they are forfeited. The mere fact that somebody the United States has said is a target owns this asset isn’t enough to form a basis of seizure under U.S. law.

That’s the difference between “law-based order” where everyone follows the same rules, and “autocratic order” like in China, where the government can and have arbitrarily seized assets belonging to individuals that have fallen out of favour.

Fact #4 : Only Assets Of Sanctioned Individuals Were Frozen

The post falsely claimed that assets belonging to Russian individuals were also stolen.

Not only were they not stolen, only assets belonging to sanctioned individuals were frozen. The assets of other Russian individuals were not affected.

Chinese netizens need not be overly concerned about their money stashed in Western banks.

Even if China decides to do something similarly evil like Russia, and invade another country, Western banks will only be forced to freeze the assets of those in power, like Chinese President Xi Jinping, for example.

Fact #5 : English Piracy Has No Relevance To Spanish Abuses

The viral post falsely claimed that English pirates attacked Spanish galleons filled with gold and silver, because they looked down on the native people of the Caribbeans and Americas.

That’s an astonishingly silly claim. Pirates attacked Spanish galleons because they were after the cargo, not because they had something against the native people.

Whatever the pirates may think of the native people is irrelevant. They were not remotely interested in the abuses that the Spanish conducted in their theft of gold and silver from the Incas.

This is no different from how robbers are only interested in taking your money, and not at all interested in whether you earned your money through hard work, or stole it from someone else.

Fact #6 : Russian Assets Only Frozen After Invasion Of Ukraine

The viral post falsely suggested that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was planned by the West, as a way to steal Russia’s money.

Not only was the money not stolen at all, Western countries had repeatedly threatened sanctions if Russia invaded Ukraine.

The West tried to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine. Russia explicitly chose to ignore their threats, and invade Ukraine.

Fact #6 : China Has Publicly + Unilaterally Threatened Taiwan

The viral post falsely suggested that the West is planning to target China next for its riches, by goading China to shoot first at Taiwan.

That’s another silly claim. The West does not need to goad China to do something that it is already doing – repeatedly provoking tensions with Taiwan, even publicly threatening military action.

China and its 50 Cent Army have also been actively creating and disseminating fake news and threats not just against Taiwan, but against other countries and Western nations.

Fact #7 : US Cannot Refuse To Repay Its Loans

The writer falsely claimed that the US will sanction China’s ownership of $1 trillion worth of US debt if China attacks Taiwan. That’s nonsense.

China has steadily purchased US Treasury securities as an investment, and a way to push down the value of the renminbi (RMB).

These securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States, and is considered one of the world’s lowest-risk investments, because they have never defaulted on a payment.

If the United States defaults and refuses to pay China what it’s owed, it would suffer a massive hit to its reputation and credit rating, and the yield rate of its debt would skyrocket.

Even though China owns $1.065 trillion worth of US debt (as of October 2021), that is only 3.68% of the $28.9 trillion US national debt.

It would be idiotic for the US to risk over 96% of its rock-solid bonds, by refusing to repay China for its ownership of those bonds.

This fake news appears to be part of the disinformation campaign conducted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Please SHARE this fact check with your family and friends, so they know the truth!

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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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How To Add MySJ Vaccine Certificate To Apple Wallet + Health

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Find out how to add your MySejahtera vaccine certificate to Apple Wallet and Apple Health!

Here is what you need to know!

Apple Wallet + Health Now Support MySJ Vaccine Certificate!

When Apple released iOS 15.4, it included support for the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) in both Apple Wallet and Apple Health.

This allows you to store your EUDCC in Apple Wallet, and verifiable versions of your COVID-19 vaccinations, lab results and recovery records in Apple Health.

Happily, the EU officially accepted the MySejahtera digital COVID-19 certificate, connecting Malaysia to the EUDCC trust framework on 4 April 2022.

Now that’s done, you can add your MySejahtera vaccine certificate to both Apple Wallet and Apple Health!

How To Add MySJ Vaccine Certificate To Apple Wallet + Health!

In this video, we will show you how to add your MySejahtera vaccine certificate to both Apple Wallet and Apple Health.

For those who prefer a pictorial guide, here are the steps :

Step 1 : Please make sure you update to iOS 15.4 or newer. We highly recommend upgrading to the latest iOS 15.4.1.

Step 2 : Open MySejahtera and look for the QR codes :
a) Go to MySejahtera > Profile
b) Scroll down to your digital COVID-19 certificate
c) Tap on the Show QR button
d) Take screenshots of the QR codes, or photos of them using another phone. Please make sure each screenshot or photo only has a single QR code.
You can also find these QR codes in the PDF version of your vaccine certificate.

Step 3 : You will now need to scan the QR codes. There are three ways to do it.

Option A : Use Camera App

Use this method if you took photos of the QR codes using a different phone, or you printed the QR codes.

Open the Camera app.
Aim the rear camera at one of the QR codes in your MySejahtera vaccine certificate.
The Camera app will recognise the QR code and ask you if you wish to add to Wallet & Health.
Tap on the notification.
Tap on the Add to Wallet & Health option.
Tap Done.

Option B : Use Photos

Use this method if you took screenshots of the QR codes. But please make sure each screenshot only has one QR code.

Open the Photos app.
Tap on the screenshot of your QR code to open it.
Tap on the QR code in the image, and hold.
Tap on the notification “Open in Health“.
Tap on the Add to Wallet & Health option.
Tap Done.

Option C : Use Wallet

Use this method if you took photos of the QR codes using a different phone, or you printed the QR codes.

Open the Wallet app.
Tap on the Get button.
Tap on the Scan Code option to launch the Camera app.
Aim the rear camera at one of the QR codes in your MySejahtera vaccine certificate.
The Camera app will recognise the QR code and ask you if you wish to add to Wallet & Health.
Tap on the notification.
Tap on the Add to Wallet & Health option.
Tap Done.

Step 4 : Repeat Step 3 for all of the QR codes in your MySejahtera vaccine certificate, and you are done!

You should now see all of your MySejahtera vaccine certificate QR codes in your Apple Wallet. If you have three QR codes, all three should appear.

This will allow any health authority to quickly check and verify all of your COVID-19 vaccinations.

This is similar to showing them your digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate in MySejahtera.

You will also find your MySejahtera vaccination details in Apple Health, under Immunisations.

If you tap on Immunisations, you will see a list of your COVID-19 vaccinations, including the type of vaccine and when you received them.

I hope you found my guide useful. Please feel free to share it out!

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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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EU Officially Accepts Malaysia Digital COVID Certificate!

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The EU has officially accepted the MySejahtera digital COVID certificate from Malaysia!

Here is what you need to know!

EU Officially Accepts Malaysia Digital COVID Certificate!

On 4 April 2022, the EU Ambassador to Malaysia, Michalis Rokas, announced that Malaysia has officially been connected to the EU Digital COVID Certificate trust framework.

Some great news: The EU 🇪🇺 has accepted Malaysia 🇲🇾 @officialmosti
request for establishing the equivalence between EU’s Digital Covid Certificate and Malaysia’s MySejahtera.

This decision was actually agreed during the EU Commission Implementing Decision 2022/534 on 1 April 2022, but only took effect after it was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, L 105 on 4 April 2022.

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/534 of 1 April 2022 establishing the equivalence, for the purpose of facilitating the right of free movement within the Union, of COVID-19 certificates issued by Malaysia to the certificates issued in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/953 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

EU Accepts Malaysia Digital COVID Certificate : What Does It Mean?

But what exactly does it mean by this EU decision to accept Malaysia’s MySejahtera digital COVID certificate?

To help you understand what this means, I created this FAQ :

What Is The EU Digital COVID Certificate?

The EU Digital COVID Certificate is a digital verification system that certifies that the person has

been vaccinated against COVID-19, or
received a negative test result *, or
recovered from COVID-19

The EUDCC basically confirms that the person does not have COVID-19, or has immunity against COVID-19.

* Validity : 72 hours (PCR tests), 48 hours (rapid antigen tests)

It is basically the European Union equivalent of the MySejahtera digital COVID-19 certificate issued by Malaysia.

Does It Mean Malaysians Will Receive The EUDCC?

No, Malaysians will not receive the Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC), which is the EU equivalent of the MySejahtera digital COVID-19 certificate.

The EUDCC is used only by residents in the 27 EU countries, and a few non-EU countries that are in the Schengen Area, or have an open border with the EU :

Iceland
Liechtenstein
Norway
San Marino
Switzerland
Vatican City

If you have been fully-vaccinated with an EU-authorities vaccine, you may request for an EUDCC, but that’s a separate matter altogether.

So The EU Accepts The MySejahtera Certificate?

Yes. European Union countries will accept the MySejahtera digital COVID-19 certificate as equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

This is reciprocal – Malaysia will also accept the EUDCC as equivalent to the MySejahtera digital COVID-19 certificate.

This means that holders of certificates issued by these two countries will be able to use them under the same conditions as holders of an EU Digital COVID Certificate.

At the same time, the two countries agreed to accept the EU Digital COVID Certificate for travel from the EU to their countries.

What Are The Advantages Of Connecting To EUDCC?

The instant Malaysia is connected to the EU Digital COVID Certificate system, all MySejahtera digital COVID-19 certificates are automatically valid in the EU.

Malaysian travellers to the EU will be exempted from travel-related testing or quarantine across the entire EU+ are, including all Schengen Member States, and the four Schengen Associated States – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Is This Necessary For Free Movement In EU?

No, the MySejahtera digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate or the the EU Digital COVID Certificate are not necessary for free movement, which is a fundamental right in the European Union.

Unvaccinated individuals are still free to travel across the EU. They are just subject to restrictions like testing or quarantine.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Is Now Mandatory In Austria!

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Austria is now the first country in Europe to make it mandatory to receive a COVID-19 vaccine!

Here is what you need to know…

COVID-19 Vaccine Is Now Mandatory In Austria!

On Friday, 4 February 2022, President Alexander Van der Bellen signed into law a national COVID-19 vaccine mandate for adults in Austria.

The new law makes it mandatory for all adults in Austria to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, or get fined up to 3,600 euros (US$4,120).

This makes Austria the first country in Europe to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory, but not the first in the world.

Ecuador was the first country to make it compulsory for all individuals 5 years and above to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate In Austria : The Details

Huge Monetary Fines

Unvaccinated people in Austria are currently banned from restaurants, sports and cultural venues, but they are now liable to be fined from 600 to 3,600 euros (US$687 to US$4,120).

Unvaccinated adults in Austria will be given time until 14 March to comply with the vaccine mandate, with compliance checks beginning on 15 March 2022.

This new law will last until 31 January 2024, and unvaccinated people can receive the maximum fine of €3,600 (US$4,000) up to four times a year. These fines can be waived if the individuals get vaccinated within 2 weeks.

Exemptions To Vaccine Mandate

The new law allows for certain individuals to receive an exemption from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine :

Pregnant mothers,
Individuals who cannot be vaccinated without endangering their health,
Individuals who recently recovered from COVID – this is a temporary exemption that only lasts 180 days from the date they received their first positive PCR test result.

A police officer checks the vaccination status of a visitor during a patrol in a shopping mall in Vienna, Austria, in this file photo from January 12, 2022. © Lisa Leutner, AP

Implemented In 3 Stages

The Austrian vaccine mandate will be implemented in three stages :

All households will be informed of the new law by 15 March through an official letter delivered by post.
Austrian police will start spot-checking people’s vaccination status, and issuing fines of €600, which can increase to €3,600 for non-compliance.
Those who refuse to show proof of vaccination by a certain undetermined deadline will be automatically fined.

This vaccine mandate in Austria is on the other end of the spectrum from Denmark’s decision to remove all COVID-19 restrictions.

81% of Danes 5 years and older have been fully-vaccinated, but Austria has a pretty high vaccination too – about 75% of the eligible population has been fully-vaccinated.

However, the government argues that mandatory vaccination is the only way to further increase vaccination rates, especially in certain regions like Upper Austria where fewer than 60% of residents are fully-vaccinated.

Other countries will be closely watching to see which of these EU countries made the right decision…

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Why Denmark Is First EU Country To Lift All COVID-19 Laws!

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Denmark is the first EU country to lift all COVID-19 restrictions, fully opening up despite a massive surge in cases.

Find out why they are able to do that… again.

Denmark Is First EU Country To Lift All COVID-19 Laws!

On Tuesday, 1 February 2022, Denmark became the first country in the European Union to lift all COVID-19 restrictions… again.

Wearing of face masks is no longer mandatory on public transport, shops and standing clients in restaurant indoor areas.
Face masks will only be recommended in hospitals, healthcare facilities, and nursing homes.
The COVID-19 digital pass is no longer required to enter nightclubs, cafes, party buses, and to be seated indoors in restaurants, unless required by individual event organisers.
There will no longer be limits on the number of people allowed in indoor gatherings.
Social distancing measures will no longer be required.

The Danish government no longer considers COVID-19 to be a “socially critical sickness“, even as the country experienced a massive surge in cases.

There is one notable exception though – unvaccinated travellers, or those who were not previously infected between 11 and 180 days ago, must undergo a COVID-19 test before being allowed to enter Denmark.

Why Denmark Is Able To Lift All COVID-19 Laws!

Some antivaxxers are already touting the move by Denmark as evidence that COVID-19 is not serious. After all, they will point out – Denmark currently has the second-highest infection rate in the world.

That’s an intentionally misleading, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Denmark Has Very High Vaccination Rates

Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said that “widespread vaccination and boosters have helped the country open up again“, and it shows :

Over 81% of people 5 years and older have been fully-vaccinated.
Over 61% of people 12 years and older received their booster dose

Jens Lundgren, a professor of viral diseases at the Copenhagen University Hospital said, “We have been very successful in our national vaccine programme throughout 2021, a lot of people have received two vaccination shots, and a lot have received three doses as well, and many of those doses were provided in the fourth quarter of 2021.”

Fact #2 : Denmark Has Very Low ICU + Death Rates

Thanks to the high levels of vaccinations, Denmark has experienced very low levels of ICU usage and mortality rates.

Even though they are experiencing a massive surge in new COVID-19 cases, the number of people in ICUs have fallen to only 32.

Even people dying today is far lower than the peak in December 2020, when Denmark experienced far fewer COVID-19 cases.

Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said, “the number of hospitalizations and patients in intensive care is decreasing every day, thanks to vaccination“.

Søren Brostrøm, director-general of Denmark’s Health Authority concurred, “At the same time as infections are skyrocketing, patients admitted to intensive care actually going down. It’s around 30 people in ICU beds right now with a COVID-19 diagnosis, out of a population of 6 million.”

Fact #3 : Denmark May Reimpose Restrictions

The Danish authorities held out the possibility that COVID-19 restrictions may return, as it is too early to know whether there will be a new variant that needs to be addressed.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish radio, “I dare not say that it is a final goodbye to restrictions. We do not know what will happen in the fall, whether there will be a new variant.”

Denmark had actually lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in September 2021, but reimposed them in the first of a third wave of infections.

So it will not be surprising if they do reimpose COVID-19 restrictions should a new virulent COVID-19 variant start spreading.

Fact #4 : Denmark May Introduce A Fourth Dose

Despite the elation over the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the government has warned that Denmark could see a rise in infections in the coming weeks.

Health Minister Magnus Heunicke called on Danes to get tested regularly, so that the country could “react quickly if necessary”.

In addition to the reinstatement of COVID-19 restrictions, the Danish government may introduce a fourth vaccine dose.

I should also point out that Denmark almost exclusively uses mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. They stopped using AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines, citing the risk of rare blood clots.

We can all enjoy the same privilege as the Danes, by adopting the same common sense approach they have.

Help us reach the same goal, by vaccinating yourself and your family against COVID-19!

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Klaus Schwab: Was WEF Founder Arrested For Fraud?

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Was World Economic Forum founder, Klaus Schwab, arrested for fraud?

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

Claim : WEF Founder Klaus Schwab Was Arrested For Fraud!

Conservative Beaver is hard at work again, this time scoring yet another “exclusive”.

Apparently, he was the only one in the world who found out that Europol arrested World Economic Forum founder Professor Klaus Schwab for fraud!

Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has been arrested at his home in Cologny, Switzerland Friday and charged for multiple counts of fraud. A police source states that he was arrested on request of Europol in relation to crimes he allegedly committed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Klaus Schwab is currently in custody. His lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

According to Wikipedia: the WEF is mostly known for its annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland. The meeting brings together some 3,000 paying members and selected participants – among which are business leaders, political leaders, economists, celebrities and journalists – for up to five days to discuss global issues across 500 sessions.

According to the AP: The elite gathering typically draws hundreds of well-known government leaders, business executives, civil society advocates and artists, actors and musicians. However, Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham warned Fox News viewers in 2020 the meetings were centered around a globalist plan to “transform civil society.”

Truth : WEF Founder Klaus Schwab Was NOT Arrested For Fraud!

Just like other Conservative Beaver Exclusives, this is just FAKE NEWS. And here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Conservative Beaver Is A Known Fake News Website

The Conservative Beaver is a “news aggregator” (copy and paste) website that is known for creating fake news to generate more page views and money.

10 November 2021 : They wrote a fake story about Pfizer CEO’s wife – Myriam Bourla – dying from vaccine complications. That naturally did not happen.

5 November 2021 : They wrote a fake story about the FBI arresting Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla for fraud. It was quickly debunked by Bourla appearing on CNN and CNBC on the day of his “arrest”.

4 November 2021 : They wrote a fake story about Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe being arrested and charged with possession of child porn and cocaine. This never happened.

1 November 2021 : They wrote a fake story about an American Airlines plane crashing into the Atlantic ocean after the pilot died from a heart attack, after taking his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There was no such plane crash.

https://youtu.be/yZQZCLRO6bA

Fact #2 : Klaus Schwab Was Not Arrested

On 17 November 2021, spokesperson for both the Swiss federal police department and Europol confirmed with Reuters that both claims are FALSE.

Klaus Schwab was not arrested, never mind charged with fraud.

Fact #3 : Switzerland Is Not Part Of European Union

As a Canadian website, Conservative Beaver was apparently unaware that Switzerland is NOT part of the European Union.

Therefore, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL) does NOT have any mandate in Switzerland.

EUROPOL can only support EU member states in their own investigations into organised crime across the European Union.

Fact #4 : No Evidence Of Arrest

This may seem obvious, but it has to be pointed out that there is ZERO evidence that Klaus Schwab was ever arrested :

ZERO media coverage – whether in Switzerland, the EU or internationally.
ZERO mention in the EUROPOL Twitter feed, which is very active in listing arrests.
ZERO mention in the WEF Twitter feed, which continues to be actively posting tweets.

Do you really believe that such an arrest would have gone without notice by EVERYONE ELSE in the world, but Conservative Beaver?

The truth is – this is just a FAKE STORY created by Conservative Beaver in a few minutes, just to generate page views and money.

Everything that Conservative Beaver posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

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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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Facebook, Instagram, Messenger + Workplace Down Again!

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Just days after going down for SIX HOURS, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Workplace went down AGAIN!

Find out what happened!

Facebook, Instagram, Messenger + Workplace Down Again!

Just days after all of Facebook’s services went down for six hours, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Workplace went down AGAIN!

At around 3:22 AM on 9 October 2021, they went down again… with people reporting that they were unable to log into their accounts, or send messages.

We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and we apologize for any inconvenience.

— Facebook (@Facebook) October 8, 2021

Fortunately, this time it didn’t take down WhatsApp and it took their engineering team just under 2 hours to get those Facebook services restored.

We’re so sorry if you weren’t able to access our products during the last couple of hours. We know how much you depend on us to communicate with one another. We fixed the issue — thanks again for your patience this week.

— Facebook (@Facebook) October 8, 2021

Why Did Facebook, Instagram, Messenger + Workplace Go Down Again!

Again, Facebook blamed another faulty “configuration change” for this downtime, but did not announce any details on what actually happened.

But coming right after an extraordinarily long downtime just days earlier and public testimony by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, this new downtime may be shorter but is no less grievous.

It will feed growing opinion that Facebook has too much services under its control, and it’s dangerous and even folly to let a single company control so many social networks and communication services.

Regulators will no doubt be spurred by this new incident to look at breaking up Facebook.

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said that the major Facebook outage highlighted the danger of relying on just a few big players, underscoring “the need for more rivals”.

Even Russia jumped into the fray, stating that Russia was right to develop its own Internet platforms and social networks.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the recent 6-hour outage of Facebook services “answers the question of whether we need our own social networks and Internet platforms“.

We will be looking forward to Facebook Engineering’s explanation of what happened, and whether it involved cutting through doors to get to their servers…

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Is EU Cancelling COVID-19 Vaccination In October 2021?

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Is the EU planning to cancel COVID-19 vaccination in October, after approving FIVE therapies for the coronavirus?

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

Is EU Cancelling COVID-19 Vaccination In October 2021?

This article has gone viral on WhatsApp, claiming that the EU (European Union) is going to cancel COVID-19 vaccination in October, after approving FIVE therapies for the coronavirus!

It also claims that ivermectin has been scientifically recognised as an effective treatment and prophylaxis of COVID-19 by the Pasteur Institute.

It’s a long article, so just skip to the next section for the facts!

DISTRIBUTE TO EVERYONE who does not want to be “vaccinated”. All vaccines will no longer be justified from 20.10.2021: verified information. The European Union has approved (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/fr/ip_21_3299) 5 therapies that will be available in all hospitals in the Member States for the treatment of Covid.

These therapies have been approved by a decree of the European Council (European Parliament) and will be in force from 1/10, so they will be distributed little by little around 20/10. Vaccines were approved on a “temporary experimental basis”. But since the decree will oblige to prescribe these 5 new drugs, the use of the vaccine will cease.

So we understand why all the states said “between September it is necessary that …”. They already knew everything. You have to have patience. Do not accept any blackmail. Be patient. Now that ivermectin has been re-approved, there is no need for a vaccine. Great news. The Pasteur Institute recognizes the effectiveness of Ivermectin. One intake could eradicate all SARS covid-19 genetic material in some people. Read and share well.

The good news: Ivermectin is now scientifically recognized as an effective drug, in the prophylaxis and treatment of Covid-19 by researchers at the Pasteur Institute in France. The results of their studies were published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine on July 12, 2021, so that’s recently. Analysis of the results of other research published in the American Journal of Therapeutics strongly calls, with supporting evidence, to bridge the guidelines of health agencies and include Ivermectin as a standard of care. Macron’s government knew about it …

Be good and don’t hesitate to cheer up people who don’t want to get vaccinated

About the vaccine. I don’t know if you read French, but as of October 20, the Covid pass and vaccination will be abolished throughout the EU. A European Commission decree makes five effective drugs available, and the vaccines are said to have been “experimental and provisional.”

Click to read more...

Truth : EU Is NOT Cancelling COVID-19 Vaccination At All!

This is yet another FAKE STORY written by anti-vaxxers in their bid to discourage people from protecting themselves with the COVID-19 vaccines.

Here are the FACTS…

Fact #1 : The EU Press Release Is Available In English

It is instructive to note that the fake article offers a link to the EU press release in French, even though there is an English version.

Whoever wrote the fake article intentionally gave you the French press release, so you won’t be able to read it and discover that it’s just fake news.

Fact #2 : They Are Potential Treatments For COVID-19

If you read the EU press release in English, you will realise that what the viral article claimed is COMPLETELY FALSE.

Published on 29 June 2021, the press release only announced that the EU had identified the first five therapeutics that have “a high potential” to be approved later.

Nowhere in the press release was it stated that ANY of the five therapeutics was even approved.

Fact #3 : The EU Has Not Approved Them

The EU press release stated that these five therapeutics had a high potential to be among the three new COVID-19 therapeutics to receive authorisation by October 2021

the immunosuppressant, baricitinib
the monoclonal antibody combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab
the monoclonal antibody combination of casirivimab and imdevimab
the monoclonal antibody, regdanvimab
the monoclonal antibody, sotrovimab

However, the EU has NOT approved any of those five therapeutics for use against COVID-19, of 24 September 2021.

There was no “decree of the European Council” that approved any of these therapeutics, and that’s not how treatments are approved in Europe.

So the five therapeutics above are unlikely to be in use in October 2021, contrary to what the fake article claimed.

Fact #4 : Approval Does Not Mean Obligation

Even if any of those five therapeutics are eventually approved by the EU for use against COVID-19, there is NO OBLIGATION to administer them.

It is left to the treating doctor to decide whether to prescribe it to the patient, or not. The patient can, of course, choose to accept or refuse the treatment.

Fact #5 : COVID-19 Vaccines Will Remain In Use

Even if new treatments can be found for COVID-19, vaccines will remain in use as the first line of defence.

That’s because they PREVENT people from getting COVID-19, thereby negating the need for hospitalisation and treatment.

Therapeutics are also MORE expensive than vaccines, even without accounting for the manpower (doctors and nurses) and hospitalisation costs!

COVID-19 vaccines will remain in use in the European Union, irrespective of how many COVID-19 treatments are eventually approved.

Fact #6 : COVID-19 Vaccines Are NOT Experimental

Once the COVID-19 vaccines successfully completed their clinical trials and received their EUA, they were NO LONGER EXPERIMENTAL.

The conditions to receive the EUA is similar to that of a full approval. The only real difference is the post-study follow-up :

EUA : At least half of the participants in the studies must be followed for at least two months after vaccination.
Full FDA Approval : All of the participants in the studies must be followed for at least six months.

The EU has never called the COVID-19 vaccines “experimental and provisional”. That’s yet another lie in the fake story.

Fact #7 : Ivermectin Was NEVER Approved For Use Against COVID-19

The fake story claimed that ivermectin was just “re-approved”. That’s completely FALSE.

Ivermectin was NEVER approved by any major health authority, including the WHO, CDC, FDA, EMA or the TGA, for use against COVID-19. Never mind getting “re-approved”…

Fact #8 : Pasteur Institute Study Was Conducted On Hamsters!

The Pasteur Institute press release and the published study are both in English.

However, the fake story creator shared a link to the French biography of a French antivaxxer – Dominique Rueff instead, to mislead you.

That’s because the Pasteur Institute study DID NOT actually recognise ivermectin as an effective drug against COVID-19 in humans…

The study was conducted on hamsters, not humans
Ivermectin reduced inflammation in the respiratory tract of hamsters, with reduced symptoms.
Ivermectin reduced risk of loss of smell in hamsters.
Ivermectin did NOT have any impact on the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2.

The chief author of the study, Guilherme Dias de Melo said, “Surprisingly, we observed that treatment with ivermectin did not reduce viral replication; the models that received treatment had similar quantities of viral load in the nasal cavity and the lungs as those that did not receive treatment. Our results reveal that ivermectin has an immunomodulatory effect rather than an antiviral effect.”

Therefore, the Guilherme said that, “these data provide crucial evidence to support clinical trials in humans“.

In other words, the Pasteur Institute is only advocating for clinical trials in humans, not the use of ivermectin against COVID-19 in humans.

Antivaxxers are not interested in the truth, or even your lives. These human viruses are only interested in spreading lies and misinformation about vaccines.

Please SHARE this fact check with your family and friends, and protect yourself and your family – get vaccinated against COVID-19!

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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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