Did the UAE freeze a French fighter jet deal after France arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?! Take a look at the viral claims and video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : UAE froze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest!
People are sharing news reports and/or an Al Jazeera video, which purportedly claim that the UAE just froze its contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France, over its arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.
Firstpost : #FPWorld: Following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended the deal with France for 80 warplanes, according to a report.
Financial Express : UAE cancels $20 billion Rafale deal with France despite Telegram CEO’s release
Kim Dotcom : The French Govt just lost $17 billion over the arrest of Pavel Durov. The UAE froze a deal to purchase 80 Rafale fighter jets and says that the arrest of Pavel Durov is outrageous. Pavel is a citizen of the UAE and a close friend of the Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan Al Maktoum.
Chuck Callesto : SHOCK REPORT: ⚠️United Arab Emirates government look to have FROZEN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS worth of contracts with France after the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov..
Zlatti71. : The UAE has frozen a contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France: Durov’s arrest has angered the sheikhs.
– The United Arab Emirates took drastic measures by freezing a contract to purchase 80 French fighter jets following the arrest of Pavel Durov.
– The creator of Telegram, who is personally acquainted with the son of the UAE Prime Minister, found himself at the center of an international scandal that has infuriated the sheikhs to the limit.
– Experts believe that by its actions, France has made a serious mistake, provoking the anger of influential allies. Now, Paris is paying for its rashness, and the future of the deal, as well as the trust of the UAE, hangs by a thread.
Suppressed News. : BREAKING: The UAE has frozen a contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France worth at-least $10B as a response to Telegram Owner Pavel Durov’s arrest as it has angered the sheikhs.
Mete Sohtaoğlu : 📹📸 #UAE- The United Arab Emirates has frozen its contract to purchase 80 Rafale fighter jets from France worth a staggering €17 billion over the arrest of Telegram owner Pavel Durov
Truth : UAE did not freeze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest!
This appears to be yet another example of Russian propaganda, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No evidence UAE froze French fighter jet deal
Let me start by pointing out that there is no evidence that the United Arab Emirates froze its 2021 deal to purchase 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets.
If that actually happened, it would have been announced by the UAE authorities, and condemned by the French government. As a public-listed company, Dassault would also have to issue a statement on such a shocking development. It would also have resulted in widespread coverage by the mainstream media.
Yet, none of that happened. This fake news appears to have proliferated mainly through Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter).
Fact #2 : Al Jazeera video is fake
The viral Al Jazeera video, which claims that the UAE has frozen its contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France, is fake. Al Jazeera never created, nor posted, this video.
The last time Al Jazeera ever posted about any arms deal between the UAE and France, was on 4 December 2021, when it reported on the UAE and France signing an arms deal involving 80 Rafael fighter jets and 12 military helicopters.
To be clear – Al Jazeera never made or posted the viral video below, or its contents:
The UAE has frozen the contract actions for the purchase of 80 fighter aircraft from France. This comes after the arrest of businessman Pavel Durov in Paris.
It is known that the UAE Prime Minister vetoed the continuation of action on the contract. Experts believe that the contract freeze is directly related to the arrest of UAE citizen Pavel Durov.
Pavel Durov had direct contact with the son of Emirati Prime Minister Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. Thanks to the influence of Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Pavel Durov was granted UAE citizenship in 2021.
80 Rafale F4 fighter aircraft were due for delivery in 2027. The estimated value of the contract is about $10 billion. Amid the scandal surrounding Pavel Durov, the contract has been frozen. That could be a serious image blow for the French military-industrial complex.
Political analyst Marwan Bishara is sure that such a decision by the UAE is a consequence of a political mistake by the French government.
“Detaining a businessman who assets are based in the UAE on far-fetched charges that cast a shadow over the entire UAE is a sure way to spoil diplomatic relations between France and the UAE.”
Marwan Bishara emphasises that the UAE leadership has not been notified of France’s intentions regarding their citizen.
Fact #2 : Fake Al Jazeera report started in Telegram
Ironically, this fake Al Jazeera report appears to have originated in Telegram. According to Maria Dubovikova (archive) who traced this hoax, here is the timeline on 27 August 2024 (Moscow Time):
20:29 : Russian Telegram group Condottiero posted (translated) – “The UAE unilaterally suspended the contract for the purchase of 80 French fighter jets due to Durov’s arrest. Additionally, the Sheikhs are considering a complete blockade of trade operations with France, including in the defense sector.”
20:35 : Russian Telegram group Topaz posted (translated) – “The United Arab Emirates have frozen the contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. They are also considering the possibility of a complete blockade of military-technical cooperation with France.”
By 11 PM (23:00), a fake video appeared on X, mimicking an Al Jazeera news video with this information. This video was never on the Qatari outlet’s platforms.
The fake news then spread outside of Russian Telegram channels, after being shared by Western opinion leaders like Kim Dotcom, Candace Owens, Chuck Callesto, etc.
Fact #3 : No evidence Marwan Bishara ever mentioned Pavel Durov
I could also find no evidence that Marwan Bishara ever commented on Pavel Durov, or his arrest by French authorities, or any response by the UAE government or leaders.
In fact, Marwan Bishara has not written any opinion piece for Al Jazeera for more than half a year – his last piece was posted on 24 November 2023, and it was about the Gaza war.
Fact #4 : UAE to receive Rafale F4 fighter jets only in 2027
There is also the inconvenient fact that Dassault is only expected to ship its first Rafale F4 fighter jet to the UAE in 2027, which is 3 years away. So there is nothing to freeze, so to speak.
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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US flag hilariously fall at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : US flag hilariously fell at the 2024 Paris Olympics!
Some people are sharing a video on WhatsApp, TikTok, Douyin and X (formerly Twitter), which suggests that the US flag hilariously fell at the 2024 Olympics, causing people to laugh and applaud!
Translated : After taking too many performance enhancers, the flag itself felt embarrassed and didn’t want to stay up. The audience cheered and rejoiced…
Overlay on video : 看到最后有国旗掉落后观众的反应！
Translated : See the audience’s reaction after the flag fell at the end
Truth : US flag did not fall at the 2024 Paris Olympics!
This is yet another example of fake news about the 2024 Paris Olympics, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : US flag did not fall at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Let me start by quickly pointing out that the US flag did not fall, or fly away, at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
If that actually happened, it would have been reported by the mainstream media, or shared widely on social media. Yet, there has been no legitimate media reporting of such an incident. Neither has there been any major outcry on social media.
In fact, this video appears to be only shared by Chinese netizens on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), or on Western platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter).
Fact #2 : Viral video was recorded in 2012 Olympics
The viral video is genuine, but it was not recorded in France, during the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was actually recorded at the 2012 London Olympics on 4 August 2012 – 12 years ago.
The incident occurred after American tennis star Serena Williams defeated Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova, thus winning the Olympic singles gold medal. As the flags of the United States, Russia, and Belarus (whose Viktoria Azarenka won the bronze medal) were being raised, the strong wind blew the US flag off its metal pole, and it fell on to the crowd below.
As US media outlet NPR reported at that time, Olympic staffers quickly retrieved the American flag, which was later carried around with Serena Williams as the medalists walked to each side of the court to pose for photos.
Fact #3 : Chinese netizens appear to share this video every 4 years
Even though this video was recorded 12 years ago, Chinese netizens appear to repost it at every Olympic Games – apparently to suggest that the American flag was falling at each Olympic Games.
For example, just 3 years ago, Chinese netizens shared the same video, claiming that it showed the US flag falling at the last Olympics in Tokyo:
Tokyo Olympics, the US national flag fell down. The US’s luck has come to an end. Everyone applauded. The one who hates the American most is actually the Japanese.
It is very likely that Chinese netizens will share this same video in 2028, claiming that the US flag fell down at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Interestingly, some of these Chinese netizens are sharing this video on Western platforms that are banned in China. It would suggest that they have Chinese government permission to use those banned platforms, or VPNs (which are essentially outlawed for personal use in China).
Fact #4 : This Is Just CCP Propaganda
Ultimately, this appears to be nothing more than than yet another example of propaganda created or promoted by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and/or pro-CCP netizens. Here are some other examples I fact-checked recently:
As always, please be skeptical whenever you see such videos circulating on WhatsApp or social media platforms.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Are the Chinese warranted in their outrage and constant drama at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Should the Chinese be outraged at 2024 Paris Olympics?!
Many Chinese citizens and netizens worldwide are outraged at what they believe were genuine insults and examples of Sinophobia and blatant racism at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Chinese swimmers, in particular, were under heavy scrutiny and testing, which many Chinese netizens felt were excessive, while other people felt were justified. After all, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Olympics, and some of them later tested positive for clenbuterol.
In this article, we will go through the viral claims and videos, and find out if their outrage and constant drama at the 2024 Paris Olympics are warranted, or not.
Chinese outrage + drama at 2024 Paris Olympics fact checked!
Claim : Kyle Chalmers + Jack Alexey disrespected Pan Zhanle
Verdict : Unlikely
Right after he smashed the men’s 100m freestyle world record, Pan Zhanle told Chinese media outlet CCTV (China Central Television) that he was motivated to beat Chalmers and Alexy after they disrespected him:
Unfortunately, no one else could verify Pan’s claims. Not even the Chinese coaches spoke up about the “grave insult” of being splashed by Jack Alexy while standing at the pool side. There is also the inconvenient fact that people standing by the pool side, can and do, get splashed whenever a swimmer does a flip turn…
On top of that, Kyle Chalmers was seen congratulating Pan Zhanle for winning the gold medal, after beating him by a full second. Chalmers even defended Pan against doping concerns. You can read more about this drama in our earlier fact check article.
Claim : Western media tried to give Pan Zhanle drugged water
Verdict : False
Chinese netizens are sharing a Douyin video, or its screenshot, which claims that a “Western media person” tried to sabotage Pan Zhanle by offering him water containing drugs after he won the gold medal. That is a completely fabricated story.
If that actually happened, it would have been reported widely and investigated as a crime. It would also have been severely criticised by China, and the Chinese media outlets.
However, there has been no official complaint, and neither Pan Zhanle nor the Chinese Olympics contingent ever claimed that there was an attempt to sabotage his win by giving him water containing drugs. There was also no report of such a crime by the IOC, the French police, or the mainstream media.
You can read more about this ridiculous claim in our fact check article.
Claim : Leon Marchand refused to shake hands with Chinese coach
Verdict : Just a misunderstanding
This video has gone viral on social media, with many netizens (not just Chinese) criticising French swimmer Leon Marchand for refusing to shake the hand of Chinese swimming coach, Zhu Zhigen.
According to Beijing Youth Daily reporter, Song Xiang (source), Leon Marchand apologised to the Chinese swimming team. He explained that he wasn’t fully paying attention, and thought that Coach Zhu Zhigen was just helping him with the rope. He didn’t realise that the coach was offering a handshake, as he was bending down to slip under the retractable stanchion.
According to Chinese journalist Li Jingling (archive), Leon Marchand apologised twice to the Chinese swimming team, and personally apologised to Zhu Zhigen, saying that he didn’t mean to neglect the coach. Both men hugged and exchanged gifts. So it appears that, while Leon Marchand did indeed ignore the Chinese coach’s handshake as seen in the viral video, it was just a misunderstanding.
Claim : British women divers refused to acknowledge Chinese rivals
Verdict : False
This video clip has gone viral on Chinese social media, and in certain Chinese diaspora groups, claiming to show how British women divers discriminate against their Chinese rivals, by ignoring them and hugging the North Korean women instead.
The truth is the Chinese and British divers had already finished their dives earlier, and were waiting for the North Korean women to finish theirs. Any congratulations (or hugs) between the British and Chinese women would have happened before the North Korean women dived.
After the North Korean women finished their dives, the results were announced – they won the silver medal – their country’s first diving medal ever. That was why the British women went over to hug them. It was a historic moment.
Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the full, unedited video, so I cannot “prove” that the British women divers did not “diss” the Chinese women divers. However, I can prove that there is no animosity between the British and Chinese women divers. In fact, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Quan Hongchan have a history of hugging each other!
It appears that, being petite, Quan Hongchan enjoys hugging and being carried like that. That could explain why she had her partner, Chen Yuxi, hug her the same way in that viral video. In fact, Chen Yuxi actually continued hugging her and carrying her out of the pool area!
You can read more about this ridiculous claim in our fact check article.
Claim : Western reporter intentionally knocked into Chinese athlete Verdict : False
This video has also gone viral, with people claiming that it shows a Western reporter intentionally bumping Chinese table tennis champion Wang Chuqin in a racist attack.
The foreign reporter deliberately bumped into our athletes. Look at the reporter’s face. He deliberately bumped into Wang Chuqin. Do you know how difficult it is for our athletes now? This is the racism in the bones of Westerners.
The woman was not a reporter. She was a Swedish photographer, which can be confirmed by her grey vest that says “PHOTO 1717”. She can also be seen lugging two large and heavy cameras – one with a long monopod attached, and the other held up to her face.
Two different videos with alternate angles show that the female photographer was swerving to avoid two men coming from the front. They also show that she was looking through the viewfinder of her camera, which was pointed to the left, when she bumped into Chinese table tennis star, Wang Chuqin.
The videos also showed that the photographer was startled when she bumped into Wang Chuqin, and quickly said “Oh, sorry” before swerving away and continuing on her way. Clearly, it was all just an accident, and it was not a racist attack on a Chinese athlete by a Western reporter.
You can read more about this ridiculous claim in our fact check article.
I will keep adding more cases as they appear. For certain, there will be more to come, as it looks like the 2024 Paris Olympics is turning into a circus of drama surrounding Chinese athletes!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did a Western reporter intentionally bump Chinese table tennis champion Wang Chuqin in a racist attack at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Western reporter bumped Chinese athlete in racist attack!
People are sharing a video which they claim shows a Western reporter intentionally bumping Chinese table tennis champion Wang Chuqin in a racist attack at the 2024 Paris Olympics!
磊哥聊政经 (translated) : The foreign reporter deliberately bumped into our athletes. Look at the reporter’s face. He deliberately bumped into Wang Chuqin. Do you know how difficult it is for our athletes now? This is the racism in the bones of Westerners.
MyNarcissus (translated) : That’s her! This Olympic Games interview number is 1717. A female journalist from Sweden. Deliberately slamming our heads hard for no reason.
From her photo showing the work of the interview number, it can be seen that under normal circumstances, the appearance of the Swedish female reporter No. 1717 is still “a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, and she does not look like a kind person at first glance.”
舞吧🇨🇳池威 (translated) : This is the so-called civilization of the West! Look at their true faces. Just like the cameraman who destroyed Wang’s racket, the shamelessness of Western countries is completely without bottom line. The so-called Western civilization is just a joke.
卓球動画 : She deliberately bumped into Wang Chuqin. #tabletennis abletennis🤬🤬 #olympics
Wisdom in Buddhism : That is intentional, she should be arrested for assault, permanently banned at Olympic is justified! She does that kind of dirty tactics is a black eye on #Olympic organization and #France!
Wisdom in Buddhism : This is very serious, #Chinese embassy & Olympic organization must take strong action on this assault & attack on #Chinese athlete at #Olympic!
Truth : Western reporter did not bump Chinese athlete in racist attack!
This is yet another example of fake news about the Olympic Games, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : She is a photographer, not a reporter
I should start by pointing out that the woman is not a reporter. She is a Swedish photographer, which can be confirmed by her grey vest that said “PHOTO 1717”. She was also lugging two large and heavy cameras – one with a long monopod attached, and the other held up to her face.
This photographer was allegedly banned from the Field of Play (FOP) for one game, but even if that’s true – it is unknown whether the temporary ban was issued because she bumped into the Chinese athlete, or some other infraction.
I am aware of her identity, which confirms that she is an accredited photographer working at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fact #2 : She was swerving to avoid two other men
In the viral video (above), the female photographer appears to swerve right to “intentionally” bump into the Chinese athlete – table tennis champion, Wang Chuqin. However, a different video (below), which shows two different angles, tell a different story.
This different video shows that Wang Chuqin had just ended an interview. He bent down to pick up his lanyard, and turned right into the photographer. Just before the video switches to a different angle, you can see that the photographer was swerving to avoid two men approaching on her left – one with a blue shirt, and one with a black shirt.
When the angle switches again, you can see the two men (wearing blue and black shirts respectively) that the photographer was trying to avoid, walking along the left side of the narrow lane. If she did not swerve right, she would have walked into those men.
Fact #3 : The photographer apologised to Wang Chuqin
Some netizens who noted that the photographer was swerving to avoid the two men have, however, said that she was still rude for not apologising to Wang Chuqin. That’s not accurate either.
In yet another video taken from a different angle, you can see that the photographer was actually looking into the eyepiece of her camera (which was pointed to her left), and was surprised when she bumped into the Chinese athlete.
The photographer can be seen immediately saying, “Oh, sorry”, before quickly swerving out of his way.
I should point out that Wang Chuqin did not appear to complain about being bumped by this photographer. Neither did he appear to suggest that the photographer never apologised to him.
Regardless of whether you think the photographer was careless or simply being a lettuce, it is obvious that she did not intentionally bump into Wang Chuqin. That was most definitely not a racist attack.
All of the video evidence show that the photographer was likely trying to get a shot of someone to her left, and swerved right to avoid the two incoming men, when she slammed into Wang Chuqin who, coincidentally, just started walking away from his interview.
What is clear is that it was all just an accident, and it was not a racist attack on a Chinese athlete by a Western reporter. Her startled face when she bumped into him says it all.
To the people who are cursing her and even doxing her, your actions are a reflection of your character, not hers. Everyone makes mistakes, and that was obviously just an accident. She did not do anything to deserve your pent-up animosity towards white people, or Westerners.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did British women divers refuse to hug the Chinese gold medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : British women divers refused to hug Chinese gold medalists!
People are sharing a video which apparently shows British women divers refusing to hug their Chinese rivals who just won the gold medal. Instead, they walked past them to hug the North Korean women who just won the silver medal.
Sohu (translated) : The British team deliberately bypassed the Chinese diving team and only hugged the North Korean team. Who noticed Quan Hongchan’s reaction?
So when Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi finished the game first, they stood firmly in the first place.Ranked second is a pair of North Korean combinations.And ranked third is the British combination.The British combination won the bronze medal by a narrow margin over the Canadian combination with the last jump.
After confirming the bronze medal, the British combination celebrated wildly.After that, the British combination’s behavior was unexpected. They ran to hug the runner-up North Korean combination, but did not hug the Chinese combination Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi.
You know, the Chinese team was standing in the middle at the time. The British team went to hug the North Korean team and needed to pass by the Chinese team, but they did not choose to hug the Chinese team, but bypassed us. It was obviously intentional.
On WhatsApp : The British women divers got bronze medal, went past the Chinese gold medal winners n congratulated the North Korean divers without acknowledging the Chinese, racism at its best
LaiTimes : Laugh out to tears! The United Kingdom team ignored Quan Hongchan Chen Yuxi and hugged the North Korean team members, and the comment area couldn’t laugh
At the end of the game, when the top three winners of the competition were at the end of the race, there was a ridiculous incident.
The video shows that Quan Hongchan stared at the third-place athlete walking past her and hugging the second athlete, Quan Mei’s expression was confused at the time, so cute, and then she dragged Chen Yuxi next to her with her hand, whispering, Chen Yuxi also felt very embarrassed, the flip-flops on her feet were in the holes, and she lowered her head and held back a smile.
雁过留声 : It has been proven that standing at a high position is lonely. When you are isolated by others, don’t think it’s your fault; it’s just that others are envious of what they cannot reach. Live your own wonderful life. If you don’t feel lonely, then it is others who are lonely. If you are not embarrassed, then it is others who are embarrassed.
Truth : British women divers did not refuse to hug Chinese gold medalists!
This is yet another example of fake news about the Olympic Games, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : British + Chinese women divers were waiting
This video was actually recorded at the end of the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving event, which is why they were all still in their (wet) swimsuits.
The Chinese and British women divers had already finished their synchronised dives earlier, and were waiting at the side for the North Korean women to finish. Any congratulations (or hugs) between the British and Chinese women would have happened before the North Korean women dived.
Fact #2 : There is no animosity between British + Chinese women divers
Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the full, unedited video, so I cannot “prove” that the British women divers did not “diss” the Chinese women divers.
However, I can prove that there is no animosity between the British and Chinese women divers. In fact, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Quan Hongchan have a history of hugging each other!
It appears that, being petite, Quan Hongchan enjoys hugging people, and being carried like that. That could explain why she had her partner, Chen Yuxi, hug her the same way in that viral video. In fact, Chen Yuxi actually continued hugging her and carrying her out of the pool area!
After the North Korean women finished their dives, the results were announced – they won the silver medal – their country’s first diving medal ever.
That was why the British women went over to hug them. It was a historic moment.
On the other hand, the Chinese pair of Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan were strong favourites to win the gold. After all, Chen Yuxi won the gold medal with Zhang Jiaqi in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Pan Zhanle win his gold medal because Kyle Chalmers and Jack Alexy disrespected him at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Jack Alexy + Kyle Chalmers disrespected Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!
Right after he smashed the men’s 100m freestyle world record, Pan Zhanle told Chinese media outlet CCTV (China Central Television) that he was motivated to beat Chalmers and Alexy after they disrespected him:
On the first day, after the 4×100 free relay, I went to say hi to Kyle [Chalmers] and he ignored me
Including [Jack] Alexy from the American team – while we were training, [Jack] Alexy splashed our coaches on the side of the pool with water while he was doing a flip turn.
I felt that they looked down upon us, can I say this? And today I finally beat them all.
Pan Zhanle’s accusations triggered great indignation amongst Chinese netizens, and no amount of glee that the young Chinese star swimmer beat the two Westerners who disrespected him. That’s a great tale of sweet revenge for the people in China, but is there any actual evidence to back his claims?
No evidence Jack Alexy / Kyle Chalmers disrespected Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!
Let’s dissect Pan Zhanle’s claims about Jack Alexy and Kyle Chalmers disrespecting him, and see where the facts stand…
Fact #1 : No one else saw Jack Alexy splash Chinese coaches
According to Pan Zhanle, Jack Alexy appeared to “deliberately” splash water on the Chinese coaches while he was doing a flip turn.
As anyone who has watched relay swimming can tell you – people standing next to the touchpad are likely to get splashed whenever a swimmer does a flip turn. But how does any swimmer “deliberately” target who they splash when they do the flip turn???
For his part, Jack Alexy was surprised by Pan’s allegations, and pointed out that doing turns was a normal part of training:
I can honestly tell you I don’t know when that happened. Doing turns is part of anyone’s work process. When I heard that, I was pretty surprised.
Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn’t. No one else could confirm or verify Pan’s account. Not even the Chinese coaches, who were allegedly splashed by Alexy, spoke up about the “grave insult” of being splashed while standing at the pool side.
Perhaps those Chinese coaches understood that getting splashed with water is, literally, an occupational “hazard” of all swimming coaches…
Fact #2 : Kyle Chalmers congratulated Pan Zhanle earlier
It is more clear-cut when it comes to Kyle Chalmers though, because he actually had good memories of Pan before being accused of being disrespectful:
I find it a bit weird, I gave him a fist pump before the relays. And then my focus went to my teammates and my own racing. We had a laugh together at warm down last night, but no issues from my end.
But here’s the clincher. Just before Pan Zhanle made those claims in the CCTV interview, Kyle Chalmers actually congratulated him on winning the gold medal and beating him by a full second – okay, 1.08 seconds to be exact!
Does that look like Kyle Chalmers was disrespecting Pan Zhanle with that hand shake? More so when Chalmers actually spoke up two days earlier about how Pan idolised him:
Pan, the Chinese boy, straight before we walked out said: ‘You’re my idol and I love, love, love watching you”. So that was kind of crazy.
So Kyle Chambers not only acknowledged Pan Zhanle as a fan, he also congratulated Pan on his win, before being accused of being disrespectful.
On top of that, Kyle Chalmers defended Pan Zhanle, when he was asked whether he thought that the race was fair, in light of recent Chinese doping concerns.
… yeah, I trust that he’s doing everything he possibly can to be there, and [Pan] deserves that gold medal, and I did everything I possibly could to challenge for that gold medal and be on the top podium.
It would beggar belief that Kyle Chalmers would publicly defend Pan Zhanle against doping concerns if he really did not respect the Chinese star swimmer.
Fact #4 : Kyle Chalmers stayed in touch with Pan Zhanle
On Saturday, 3 August – two days after the race, Chalmers said that he had been keeping in touch with Pan Zhanle, and would would be visiting Pan in Shanghai later this year.
We’ve exchanged messages, which has been really nice. I’m supposed to be going to the world cup series and the first leg is in Shanghai. He’s looking forward to having me there and wanted to show me around, so that makes me a lot more excited about going.
He also explained again that he never disrespected the young Chinese swimmer, and could not understand what the drama was all about.
I don’t think there was any animosity. From my point of view, I spoke to him in the marshalling room before the race, after the race went straight over and shook his hand in the pool, on the podium shook his hand and then had a great conversation before we started our cool-down.
All of our conversations we’ve ever had has been positive, from world championships last year through to this year. From my point of view it’s fine. I can’t really comprehend why this is happening.
Regardless of what we may think of Pan’s accusations, Kyle Chalmers have so far, demonstrated great sportsmanship, and shown that he has been a complete gentleman about this whole drama.
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Did the Western media try to drug Pan Zhanle after he won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Western media tried to drug Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!
This message has gone viral on WhatsApp and Douyin, claiming that the Western media tried to drug Chinese star swimmer Pan Zhanle after he won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics!
Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle won the gold medal in the men’s 100m freestyle yesterday with a world record-breaking 46.40 seconds, beating his Western opponents. Just after the game, a Western media person enthusiastically offered Pan Zhanle water to drink; fortunately, Pan Zhanle’s coach found it and stopped him in time. Later, the Chinese team detected doping in the water!
What does this mean? This means that if Pan Zhanle accidentally drank the water handed over by the Western media, and was summoned for a urine test later, he would definitely be found to contain doping in his urine! That means Pan Zhanle has no excuses, not only will his gold medal in the final be revoked, he will even face the misfortune of being banned by the International Swimming Federation for a long time!
Think about it, Western media, athletes and those evil leaders, in order to stop China’s progress, are simply unscrupulous to the point of being outrageous! Hateful! Shameful! Hateful!
Translation : Western media enthusiastically offered water to Pan Zhanle to drink. Pan Zhanle’s coach found out and stopped him in time. Later, excitement was detected in the water. Only the United States and other countries can do such despicable means.
Truth : Western media did not try to drug Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!
This is yet another example of fake news circulating on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No one tried to drug Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!
Let me just start by quickly pointing out that no one tried to sabotage Pan Zhanle with a glass or bottle of water containing drugs.
If that actually occurred, it would have been a major scandal. The Chinese contingent and the IOC would have lodged a police report, and launched a major investigation into who did it and why. There would have been extensive coverage all over the world, and in particular, by the Chinese media.
Even Pan Zhanle, who isn’t shy about throwing about controversial claims, never said he was almost drugged by anyone. Neither did the Chinese Olympics team, who would have been furious about such an attempt.
Yet, there has been no coverage by any reputable media outlet, not even in China. Heck, there hasn’t even been any outrage amongst Chinese netizens over this terrible crime. That’s because it never happened. The story was completely fabricated!
Fact #2 : There was no evidence of any attempt to drug Pan Zhanle
The entire event was not only recorded and streamed on live TV, there were thousands of people watching Pan Zhanle win his gold medal, and then receive it on the podium with Kyle Chalmers of Australia and David Popovici of Romania.
If someone actually tried to drug him right after he won his gold medal, it would have been recorded by the many cameras at the Paris La Defense Arena, or witnessed by the Chinese and Olympic officials there. Yet, there is no photo of the Western media member who offered Pan Zhanle the drugged water?
What about the drugged water that Pan Zhanle almost consumed? If it existed, it would have been tested, and the Chinese contingent and IOC made aware of its contents. Yet, there is not even a photo of that glass or bottle of water, never mind an actual test report of its contents!
The Chinese swimming contingent has come under additional scrutiny at the 2024 Paris Olympics, due to the 2021 doping scandal in which 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Olympics.
While the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accept the Chinese explanation that the swimmers ate contaminated food at their hotel, it raised questions of its impartiality and whether Chinese swimmers were competing fairly.
As such, Chinese swimmers like Pan Zhanle were subjected to more stringent testing in Paris. Pan Zhanle pointed out that he took 21 doping tests from May to July, before the Paris Olympics.
I cooperated with all the testing procedures and stayed confident that I am competing fair and clean.
Unlike other Chinese swimmers, he didn’t gripe about the additional tests, saying that he didn’t feel that “there was any difference or influence (on his performance)”.
In other words, it would be quite impossible for Pan Zhanle to suddenly test positive for drugs right after winning his gold medal. It would have been picked up days, weeks, and months earlier.
I should also point out that Pan Zhanle was not part of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in 2021, before the Tokyo Olympics.
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Did Mel Gibson criticise the Paris Olympics and the Pope for mocking his Christian faith?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Mel Gibson criticised Olympics + Pope for mocking his faith!
People are sharing a post (archive) by excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who claimed that Mel Gibson sent him a message criticising the Paris Olympics for mocking his Christian faith!
Just received a message from Mel Gibson @MelGibsonFilmsabout the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games #JO2024 in Paris:
“That the Olympic ceremony in France mocked my faith. Who do they think they are that they can do this? Giving the gold medal to a biological male in women’s swimming had already made me boycott the games, but this offense has sealed the deal. Who conceived & designed that display?
It’s telling that the Ayatollah in Iran condemns this disgusting offensive display & yet our apostate, schismatic excuse for a pope says nothing, but we know that the last 11 years is just Halloween for Jorge Bergoglio.”
That claim was shared by many people, and even reposted as news. Here are some examples:
AMG-News : Bombshell Message from Mel Gibson About the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris!
Camille Moscow : Mel Gibson @MelGibsonFilms à propos de la cérémonie d’ouverture des Jeux Olympiques #JO2024 à Paris :
« La cérémonie olympique en France s’est moquée de ma foi. Pour qui se prennent-ils pour pouvoir faire ça ? Donner la médaille d’or à un homme biologique en natation féminine m’avait déjà fait boycotter les jeux, mais cette offense a scellé l’affaire. Qui a conçu cet monstruosité ?
Il est révélateur que l’ayatollah d’Iran condamne cette offensive répugnante alors que notre apostat et schismatique pape ne dit rien, mais nous savons que les 11 dernières années n’ont été que Halloween pour Jorge Bergoglio.»
Truth : Mel Gibson did not publicly criticise Olympics or Pope for mocking his faith!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the 2024 Paris Olympics, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Mel Gibson Did Not Publicly Criticise Paris Olympics Or Pope
First, let’s start by pointing out that Mel Gibson did not publicly criticise the 2024 Paris Olympics, or Pope Francis, over the recent “Last Supper controversy“.
If that actually happened, it would have been reported worldwide. Not only is Mel Gibson a celebrity and a Hollywood veteran, such criticism would have been explosive.
Yet, no legitimate media reported on Mel Gibson’s outrage against both the Olympics and Pope Francis, even though it would have generated a lot of views. Not even celebrity blogs reported on it. That’s because it never happened.
While he is a notably devout Catholic, and would likely disapprove of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, there is no evidence he publicly posted his criticism of the Olympic Games and/or Pope Francis on social media.
It appears that Archbishop Carlo Vigano mistakenly claimed that Mel Gibson messaged him, because Mel Gibson does not have any social media account.
The controversial message that Vigano received was sent by @MelGibsonFilms – an unofficial fan page for the actor-director. @MelGibsonFilms clearly stated that they are not Mel Gibson in its description:
Mel is awesome, I am not him •I•AM•NOT•MEL•GIBSON• insta:melgibson_fanpage
@MelGibsonFilms also pinned a tweet from February 2023, in which they clarified that Mel Gibson isn’t on social media, and that this was merely a Mel Gibson fanpage.
Please read bio. I am not Mel this is a fanpage dedicated to him. Mel is not on ANY social media. No official pages. All are fan dedicated pages or fake pages pretending. I have always been super open about this. God bless 🙏🏻
On top of that, @MelGibsonFilms actually informed Archbishop Vigano in his post that they are just a fan page, and have “no association” with Mel Gibson.
Please for the sake of clarity, this is a fan page run by a fan of Mel. I am not Mel and have no association with him. Thank you and god bless 🙏🏻
So let me repeat – Archbishop Vigano did not receive any message from Mel Gibson publicly criticising the 2024 Paris Olympics or Pope Francis.
Vigano only received the controversial message from an unofficial Mel Gibson fan page, because Mel Gibson is not on social media!
Let me end by pointing out that the controversial tableau that many Christian conservatives are calling a parody of The Last Supper, was not a parody of that famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci.
Rather, the tableau showed the pagan celebration of Bacchanalia, with the Greek god Dionysus in attendance. As Thomas Jolly – the Paris Olympics 2024 artistic director explained:
It’s not my inspiration and that should be pretty obvious. There’s Dionysus arriving on a table. Why is he there? First and foremost because he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology and the tableau is called ‘Festivity’.
He is also the god of wine, which is also one of the jewels of France, and the father of Séquana, the goddess of the river Seine. The idea was to depict a big pagan celebration, linked to the gods of Olympus, and thus the Olympics.
You will never find in me, or in my work, a desire to mock or denigrate anyone. My aim was to create a ceremony that heals and a ceremony that reconciles, but also a ceremony that reaffirms the values which are those of our Republic of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity freedom, and absolutely not to mock anyone.
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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.
Does a viral video show Christians in France praying in the streets to protest the Paris Olympics over its Last Supper parody?! Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Christians in France prayed in streets to protest Paris Olympics!
Some people are sharing a video, while claiming that it shows Christians in France praying in the streets to protest the Paris Olympics over its Last Supper parody!
Donald J. Trump News :Thousands of Christians in France gathered together in a breathtaking display of faith and unity.
Who else thinks we need more of this? The mainstream media does not want you to SHARE this!
Graham Allen : Christians have TAKEN TO THE STREETS to praise JESUS over the Olympics. GOD IS FAR FROM DEAD…
US Civil Defense News : 🚨Update: Christians in Paris take to the streets in protest to the Paris Olympics openly Satanic opening ceremony!!
Machiavelli : Thousands of Christians gathered today for unity and prayer in Paris. Do you all stand with them?
The Christians seen in the video were not praying in protest of the Paris Olympics in 2024. Rather, they were celebrating The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In fact, the video appears to have been “stolen” from the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes, which posted the original video on X and Facebook on 15 August 2022, with this caption:
Belle et heureuse fête de l’Assomption à tous. En union de prière avec tous les catholiques du monde. Que la Vierge Marie resplendisse dans vos cœurs 🙏
Translated : Beautiful and happy Assumption Day to all. In union of prayer with all the Catholics of the world. May the Virgin Mary shine in your hearts 🙏
The viral video is obviously unrelated to the recent Paris Olympics Last Supper controversy. Why would anyone misuse / misappropriate this video to suggest otherwise???
Fact #3 : Paris Olympics Apologised For Controversy
The Paris Olympics 2024 organisers have publicly apologised for the controversy, even while it continues to deny that the scene had anything to do with The Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci.
Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance.
Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really, really sorry.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the Paris Olympics mock Christians with a “woke” Last Supper parody featuring drag queens?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Paris Olympics mock Christians with Last Supper parody!
Some people are claiming or suggesting that the Paris Olympics mocked Christians with a “woke” Last Supper parody featuring drag queens!
EvenasaJew, I aminfuriatedbythisoutrageousinsult to Jesus and Christianity… How do you feel about it as Christians?
Visegrád 24 : Gratuitous blasphemy at the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris.
The Art of Purpose : The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics feature Trannies and drag queens re-creating the last supper. What is wrong with the French?
Michael Clary : The opening ceremony of the Olympics making fun of Christ and the Last Supper. Is anyone out there still denying that LGBTQ is a demonic cult?
Truth : Paris Olympics did not mock Christians with Last Supper parody!
This is yet another example of misinformation being propagated on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : It Was Not A Parody Of The Last Supper
Let me start by pointing out that The Olympic Games already stated that its opening ceremony show was an “interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus“. In other words, the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics did not feature a “woke” parody of The Last Supper, with drag queens.
The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.
The official Olympics account on X posted this before the controversy and baseless claims blew up on social media, so it is pretty interesting to see that many people are unaware…
After the controversy blew up, Thomas Jolly – the Paris Olympics 2024 artistic director who created that tableau, said that it had nothing to do with Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper painting, telling the news channel BFMTV on Sunday, 28 July that:
It’s not my inspiration and that should be pretty obvious. There’s Dionysus arriving on a table. Why is he there? First and foremost because he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology and the tableau is called ‘Festivity’.
He is also the god of wine, which is also one of the jewels of France, and the father of Séquana, the goddess of the river Seine. The idea was to depict a big pagan celebration, linked to the gods of Olympus, and thus the Olympics.
You will never find in me, or in my work, a desire to mock or denigrate anyone. My aim was to create a ceremony that heals and a ceremony that reconciles, but also a ceremony that reaffirms the values which are those of our Republic of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity freedom, and absolutely not to mock anyone.
Jolly also said that his intention was to capture France in all its diversity because "in France, we have the right o love each other, as we want, with whoever we want, in France we have the right to believe and not to believe. In France, we have many rights."
Fact #2 : The Scene Had Nothing To Do With The Last Supper
The screenshots being shared on social media appear to be cropped (intentionally?) to make them appear similar to The Last Supper painting.
But if you watch the opening ceremony, or look at the unedited photos, you will quickly realise that it doesn't really depict The Last Supper painting.
For one thing - the "table" wasn't even a table at all. Rather, it was the catwalk on which models showed off the latest fashion by France's most promising young designers. In addition, the scene had dozens of performers, not just 13 men representing Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples - including women, at least one child, and at least one drag queen.
The show also featured the Greek God Dionysus painted blue, and covered in flowers and fruit. He was even seen sitting on a platter of flowers with a gigantic steel cover over him. That certainly does not look like Jesus Christ, if you ask me... even in the most artistic imagination! Of course, the blue Dionysus was somehow (miraculously) missing in those controversial screenshots and photos!
Ultimately, it looks like the controversy was fuelled by the mischievous, or simply fortuitous, cropping of the photos or screenshots, that make them appear to be similar to The Last Supper painting.
Fact #3 : The Last Supper Was Artistic Interpretation
I should point out that no one actually knows what the real last supper that Jesus Christ had with his twelve disciples actually looked like. The famous painting that everyone compared the Paris Olympics opening show to, was a mural painting by Leonardo da Vinci, who lived almost 1,500 years after the birth of Jesus Christ.
Needless to say - Leonardo da Vinci did not witness the actual last supper of Jesus Christ, and his disciples. The Last Supper was therefore, da Vinci's artistic interpretation, and does not actually show what happened. After all, who would actually sit like that in real life - only on one side of an extremely long table???
If the Paris Olympics was somehow based on The Last Supper, then it would be mocking da Vinci's painting, and not the event itself.
If anyone should be insulted, it would be fans of Leonardo da Vinci, and not Christians per se... unless they actually believe that Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples really sat only on one side of a table for their last supper together???
Or do they believe Leonardo da Vinci travelled back in time, and actually witnessed the scene to accurately depict it in his famous painting? Interesting...
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Donald Trump mock dead US soldiers, referring to them as “suckers” and “losers” to his inner circle?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Trump Mocked Dead US Soldiers As “Suckers”, “Losers”!
People are sharing a video by The Daily Show, which claimed that Donald Trump mocked dead US soldiers, and referred to them as “suckers” and “losers” to his inner circle!
On X (formerly Twitter), some Community Notes referred to a Snopes fact check as “evidence” that Donald Trump never mocked fallen American soldiers as “suckers” and “losers”.
So who is correct? Did Donald Trump really mock dead US soldiers as “suckers” and “losers”, or is that yet another example of fake news circulating on social media?
Trump Likely Mocked Dead US Soldiers As “Suckers”, “Losers”!
Let’s take a closer look, and find out why Donald Trump likely mocked dead US soldiers as “suckers” and “losers” to his inner circles…
Fact #1 : Snopes Did Not Debunk It As Fake News
Let me start by pointing out that Snopes did not actually debunk the claim as “fake news”, as some X Community Notes have suggested.
The Snopes article merely pointed out that it was “unable to independently verify the claim“.
In short – Snopes neither confirmed, nor debunked, the claim that Donald Trump mocked fallen US soldiers as “suckers” and/or “losers” to his inner circle.
Fact #2 : Trump Cancelled WW1 Memorial Visit
The controversy stem from then President Donald Trump’s visit to Paris in 2018, where he and First Lady Melania Trump were supposed to pay their respects at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in Belleau, France.
At the last minute, the White House said that the planned visit had been “canceled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather“. President Trump spent that Saturday afternoon watching television in the US ambassador’s residence instead, while his Chief of Staff, General John F. Kelly visited the cemetery on his behalf.
Jeffrey Goldberg, the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic then famously reported that Trump declined to visit the cemetery because of how his hair would look, and because “it’s filled with losers”. He allegedly referred to dead Marines as “suckers” for getting killed.
When President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, near Paris, in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision, saying that “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true.
Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.
Trump vehemently denied The Atlantic‘s account, but what is indisputable is that Donald Trump did not attend the planned trip to the World War 1 memorial, and was replaced by John Kelly.
John F. Kelly (L) and General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. paying respects at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, November 2018. Photo credit : Francois Mori, Associated Press
Fact #3 : Trump Claimed He Called Melania At Home…
Bizarrely, when Donald Trump denied The Atlantic‘s account, he claimed that he “called home” to tell Melania Trump how upset he was for not being able to visit the cemetery.
I called home, I spoke to my wife and I said ‘I hate this. I came here to go to that ceremony.’ And to the one that was the following day which I did go to. I said I feel terribly. And that was the end of it.
That would be quite a feat since Melania Trump was not at “home” in the United States. She was not only in France with Trump, she was in fact scheduled to visit the cemetery with him that afternoon!
In addition, both Donald and Melania Trump attended a state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron later that evening. Did he forget that as well?
Instead of calling home, Donald Trump would have been able to directly express his deep sadness to Melania at not being able to pay his respects to the men who sacrificed their lives in World War I. If he actually called home – who was he speaking to???
Fact #4 : The Atlantic Story Was Corroborated
I should point out that The Atlantic sourced the story from “four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day“.
In addition, the Associated Press independently corroborated the 2018 cemetery comments with “a senior Defense Department official with firsthand knowledge of events and a senior U.S. Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump’s comments”, with our emphasis in bold.
The defense officials said Trump made the comments as he begged off visiting the cemetery outside Paris during a meeting following his presidential daily briefing on the morning of Nov. 10, 2018.
Staffers from the National Security Council and the Secret Service told Trump that rainy weather made helicopter travel to the cemetery risky, but they could drive there.
Trump responded by saying he didn’t want to visit the cemetery because it was “filled with losers,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Perhaps that’s why the famously litigious Donald Trump did not sue The Atlantic, or Jeffrey Goldberg? He also did not sue the Associated Press for confirming what The Atlantic posted!
Fact #5 : John Kelly Confirmed The Atlantic’s Account
On 3 October 2023, Trump’s former Chief of Staff John, John F. Kelly, confirmed a number of damning stories about his former boss, including calling dead US soldiers “suckers” and “losers”.
When CNN asked John Kelly to give his opinions on Donald Trump, in light of comments made by other former Trump officials, this was what he said (our emphasis in bold):
What can I add that has not already been said?
A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’
A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’
A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family – for all Gold Star families – on TV during the 2016 campaign, and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.
A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women.
A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about.
A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – in expectation that someone will take action.
A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.
There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.
While John F. Kelly never actually said that he directly heard then President Donald Trump make those comments, he appears to confirm the Atlantic’s account that Trump mocked dead US soldiers, and called them “suckers” and “losers”.
I should point out that there is no known audio or video recording of Donald Trump calling dead US soldiers “suckers” or “losers”. However, Trump has a long history of disparaging military veterans, especially those who served in Vietnam.
For example, numerous Trump officials confirmed that the then-President resisted an official funeral and lowering the flags after the death of Senator John McCain of Arizona, a Vietnam War hero whose military service he had disparaged.
When Donald Trump later claimed that he never called John McCain “a loser”, and would swear on that, his own Twitter post, and a video recording, showed him doing exactly that.
On Memorial Day 2017, President Donald Trump visited the Arlington National Cemetery with John Kelly, whose son, Robert Kelly, is buried there. While standing by Robert Kelly’s grave, Trump turned to his Kelly and remarked, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
Based on his long history of lying, and disparaging military veterans, it seems more likely than not, that Donald Trump did indeed mock US soldiers, and more likely than not called them “suckers” and “losers”.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did WHO DG Tedros arrange for Robert Fico to be shot after failing to convince him to continue with the Pandemic Treaty?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : WHO DG Had Robert Fico Shot Over Pandemic Treaty!
People are sharing a video of Meryl Nass, who appeared to suggest that WHO DG Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus may have ordered the failed assassination of Robert Fico, after failing to convince its populist Prime Minister to continued with the Pandemic Treaty!
“[F]irst Tedros was there [in Slovakia], and then someone tries to assassinate him [PM Robert Fico]…I can’t guarantee you the two things are related, but it is extraordinary that every major newspaper claimed immediately that the assassination was the result of a ‘lone wolf.'”
Physician and writer Dr. Meryl Nass (@NassMeryl) describes during a May 16 Children’s Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) roundtable discussion with Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) et al. how it had been reported that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had visited Slovakia and tried to talk the country’s prime minister, Robert Fico, out of “breaking consensus” for the WHO’s so-called “Pandemic Treaty” and International Health Regulation (IHR) amendments before the PM was the victim of an assassination attempt.
“It had been reported, actually, that Tedros, the Director-General of the WHO, had gone to Slovakia and had tried to talk him out of quote-unquote ‘breaking consensus for the documents,” Nass tells the roundtable participants.
“So, first Tedros was there, and then someone tries to assassinate him [Fico]…I can’t guarantee you the two things are related, but it is extraordinary that every major newspaper claimed immediately that the assassination was the result of a ‘lone wolf.’ And how they knew that—they obviously didn’t know that—but they obviously were all instructed to say that.”
Truth : WHO DG Did Not Have Robert Fico Shot Over Pandemic Treaty!
This is yet another example of fake news circulating on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why!
Fact #1 : Dr. Tedros Did Not Fly To Slovakia To Meet Robert Fico!
Let me start by pointing out that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did not fly to Slovakia to speak with Prime Minister Robert Fico, in an attempt to convince him to continue with the Pandemic Treaty.
In fact, the last time Dr. Tedros flew to Slovakia was in June 2022 – almost two years ago, when he attended the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, with Zuzana Čaputová, the President of the Slovak Republic.
Fact #2 : WHO DG Tedros Was In Paris + Geneva
Robert Fico was shot by a gunman while greeting people outside the House of Culture in Handlova, at around 2:30 PM local time on Wednesday, 15 May 2024.
A day before Fico was shot, WHO DG Tedros was in Paris, attending the Summit for Clean Cooking in Africa. He even posted photos of a high-level dialogue hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron that day!
After that, a WHO spokesperson confirmed that Dr. Tedros flew back to WHO headquarters in Geneva, where he posted his condemnation of the attempt assassination of Robert Fico, before hosting Francophone ambassadors in Geneva.
It would be a miraculous feat for Dr. Tedros to be in two places at the same time. Needless to say, neither Meryl Nass, nor the people sharing her video / claims, ever provide any evidence WHO DG Tedros was in Slovakia in May 2024…
Fact #3 : Robert Fico Did Not Reject WHO Pandemic Treaty
Claims that Robert Fico was shot because he rejected the WHO Pandemic Treaty is nonsense. Robert Fico did not recently formally and/or publicly reject the WHO Pandemic Treaty, as some people have claimed or suggested.
It was Peter Kotlár, the Slovak Government Plenipotentiary for the COVID-19 pandemic, who formally and publicly rejected the “current version” of the WHO Pandemic Treaty on 10 May 2024. Even that was not a final, conclusive rejection of the WHO Pandemic Treaty.
While Robert Fico himself appear to speak out against the WHO Pandemic Treaty, he did not actually say that he was rejecting the WHO Pandemic Treaty. He only said that the SMER party will not support expanding the powers of the WHO, at the expense of the state’s right to tackle future pandemics.
In other words, it very much sounds like he’s okay with WHO gaining more powers, as long as Slovakia still retains the right to tackle future pandemics its own way.
Fact #4 : Fico’s Ministers Called It Politically Motivated
In addition, claims that media outlets were instructed to claim that the shooting was committed by a lone wolf is equally nonsensical.
For one thing – the gunman, who was later identified as 71 year-old Juraj Cintula from Levice, was immediately detained by Fico’s security detail.
Then, both Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok called the shooting “politically motivated,” with Šutaj Eštok saying that “the suspect made the decision to do it shortly after the presidential election,” which ended just last month – on 6 April 2024.
Juraj Cintula frequented events organised by the pro-Russian paramilitary group, Slovenski branci (Slovakian Recruits), and praised the group and its anti-immigration stance multiple times on social media.
There is no evidence that Juraj Cintula was inspired to shoot Robert Fico because he was against the WHO Pandemic Treaty. In fact – none of those who made those suggestions or claims ever provided any evidence to back them up!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did NATO troops from France and Germany engage Russian troops in battle at Chasiv Yar, Ukraine?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : NATO + Russian Troops Engaged In Battle In Ukraine!
People are claiming that NATO troops from France and Germany just engaged Russian troops in battle at Chasiv Yar, Ukraine.
US Civil Defense News : 🚨Update: Reports that NATO (French and German) troops entered the battle to defend Ukraine near the Chasov Yar, Ukraine! This is bad news.
SilencedSirs : 🇺🇦🇷🇺🇫🇷🇩🇪 BREAKING: French and German forces have engaged in a fierce battle near Chasov Yar against Russian paratroopers. Unlike earlier reports of uncommitted mercenaries, these are highly trained, motivated #NATO troops. Initial encounters indicate they are likely from the French Foreign Legion, with reports suggesting their first casualties number up to 7. This deployment comes as part of France’s covert operations to bolster Ukrainian defenses, with plans to send approximately 1,500 legionnaires. #Ukraine #NATO #French
Lukyluke31 (translated) : 🇫🇷🇩🇪⚡️🇷🇺 French and German mercenaries engaged in combat with units of the 98th 🇷🇺 Div. near Chasov Yar
▶️ Except that they are *NOT* the usual mercenaries, but professional soldiers from NATO countries
– Colonelcassad source
Truth : NATO + Russian Troops Did Not Engage In Battle In Ukraine!
This is yet another example of fake news about the Ukraine War, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No Evidence Of Battle Between NATO + Russian Troops
First, let me just point out that there is zero evidence of any battle between NATO and Russian troops at Chasiv Yar, Ukraine. There is also no evidence that 7 NATO soldiers died in that battle!
If such a battle actually occurred, Russia would have officially protested against the direct involvement of NATO troops in battle against its forces. After all, Russia has already threatened action against any NATO troops in Ukraine.
Yet, there was no official condemnation by Russia over this alleged battle with NATO troops from France and Germany. Unsurprisingly, none of those who made these claims ever provided any evidence.
There was also no photographic evidence of the battle, or NATO soldiers fighting Russian forces at Chasiv Yar. That’s because it never happened.
Fact #2 : Photo Was Posted At Least 9 Years Ago
This photo showing French Foreign Legion soldiers posing next to a helicopter, is being shared as “evidence” that NATO troops were deployed to fight against Russian forces. Allegedly, this photo was taken at or near Chasiv Yar.
However, this photo isn’t new. In fact, a Russian forum posted it (archive) on 1 December 2014 – over 9.5 years ago! That may not even be the oldest example of this photo, but it was the oldest I found so far.
The truth is – this photo was not taken in Ukraine, and has nothing to do with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or NATO troops fighting against Russian forces in Chasiv Yar.
The claim of NATO soldiers engaged in battle with Russian forces appear to be based on a single Russian source – Colonelcassad on Telegram, who posted on 5 May 2024 (translated):
French and German mercenaries entered the battle near the Chasov Yar
It is reported from the ground that in the forestry area, on the southern approaches to Chasov Yar, in a shooting battle, the paratroopers encountered groups of mercenaries. However, now these are no longer the same tik-tok soldiers of foreign countries who came to Ukraine to earn money and, at the first threat to their lives, fled from their positions, packed their bags and went back. Now trained, highly motivated and ideological fighters, in other words, professional military personnel of NATO countries, are entering the battle.
The first reports (based on radio interceptions) about the arrival of foreign mercenaries in Chasov Yar arrived about a month ago, but then it was completely unclear what kind of units they were. We dare to assume that the paratroopers met with representatives of the French Foreign Legion, who, according to Military Chronicle, had previously been transferred to Slavyansk. Apparently, the unit, which was originally planned to be used in the defense of Slavyansk (in the event of a front breakthrough), is now involved in the defense of Chasov Yar, where the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is worsening every day.
If this is indeed the case, then yesterday the French Foreign Legion suffered its first losses (up to 7 people)!
It was posted in Russian, hence the Russified name, Chasov Yar, instead of the official Ukrainian name, Chasiv Yar.
However, Colonelcassad provided no evidence to back up his claims. Where is the drone footage? Where are the photos and/or videos of the battle or the 7 dead NATO soldiers???
His claims were never corroborated by other sources, and certainly not by Russian media, or the Russian government.
Fact #5 : French Foreign Legion Soldiers Were Allegedly Deployed
Colonelcassad referred to an earlier report that French Foreign Legion soldiers were allegedly deployed to Slavyansk – a city approximately 50 km away from Chasiv Yar.
That report was based on a single report by the Russian Weapons Telegram channel, which stated (translated):
⚡️The first company-tactical units of the French Foreign Legion are deployed in the Slavyansk and Kramatorsk operational directions. It is this fact that may be responsible for the multiple intensification of high-precision rocket and artillery strikes of the Tornado-S MLRS on the logistics hubs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk, Seversk and Kramatorsk.
The Russian Weapons Telegram channel not only provided no evidence to back up its claim, it shared a photo that was taken more than 9.5 years ago (see Fact #2 above)!
So there is no actual evidence that any French Foreign Legion contingent was deployed to Slavyansk.
Fact #6 : French Troops Were Allegedly Only Military Advisors
In any case, Russian Weapons did not claim that those French Foreign Legion soldiers were there to fight against Russian forces. In fact, it only claimed that those soldiers were likely there as foreign advisors to help with Ukrainian rocket and artillery strikes.
It would, therefore, make sense that those soldiers were allegedly deployed to Slavyansk – some 50 km away, and not the frontlines at Chasiv Yar.
Fact #7 : No Germans Troops Were Allegedly Deployed
On top of that, Russian Weapons only mentioned French Foreign Legion soldiers were allegedly deployed to Chasiv Yar.
There was no mention of any German troops, although it is possible that there might be Germans in the French Foreign Legion. French Foreign Legion soldiers are mostly foreigners, with the exception of its commission officers.
That said – German nationals serving under the French Foreign Legion would be considered as French soldiers. On top of that, Legionnaires may apply for French citizenship after three years of service, or upon being wounded in battle.
In any case, there are no known sources claiming that actual German troops were deployed to Slavyansk or Chasiv Yar in Ukraine. So why would anyone quote Russian Weapons and suggest that there were German troops as well???
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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did French-Algerian footballer Andy Delort collapse from the vaccine death spiral during a soccer match in Qatar?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2024-05-01 : Refreshed with new information Originally posted @ 2024-01-28
Claim : Andy Delort Collapsed From Vaccine Death Spiral!
Right after news broke that Andy Delort collapsed suddenly during a soccer match in Qatar, some people immediately suggested that the French-Algerian professional footballer collapsed from the COVID-19 vaccine death spiral!
DiedSuddenly : The Andy Delort collapse was one of the many bizarre collapses that we’ve been seeing the last couple of years.
William Makis MD : Rotational Seizures in COVID-19 Vaccinated – 18 VIDEOS of the “Vaccine DEATH SPIRAL”
Jan.6, 2024 – Scary scene in Qatar as Umm Salal’s Andy Delort collapsed to the ground in convulsions 10 minutes after he scored a goal – French player was treated on the pitch and watched the second half of the Qatar Cup final on the bench
These have been called “rotational seizures”, and the proper medical term is “gyratory seizures”. They used to be very rare.
Gyratory seizures (GSs) have been rarely described in generalized as well as in focal epilepsies. They were defined as a rotation around the body axis during a seizure for at least 180 degrees
The mechanisms of generation are unknown
These “gyratory seizures” or “vaccine death spiral” are now much more common after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
Remnant Man : Another soccer player (Andy Delort) collapses on the field.
Why is it mainly soccer players that are collapsing from the vax?
Truth : Andy Delort Did Not Collapse From Vaccine Death Spiral!
It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to blame all athlete deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccine activists…
Fact #1 : Andy Delort Had An Epileptic Seizure
Andy Delort (أندي ديلور, born on 9 October 1991) is a French-Algerian professional footballer who is a striker for the Qatar Stars League club Umm Salal, and the Algeria national team.
On the evening of Saturday, 6 January 2024, Umm Salal was playing against Al-Arabi in Qatar, when Andy Delort scored the opening goal. Then he started spinning in a circle at the 16th minute before collapsing onto the pitch, and convulsing in an epileptic fit.
He was quickly attended to by a medical team, but recovered within a few minutes. He walked off the field, and the game continued. Andy Delort did not need to be hospitalised, and he watched the rest of the game from the substitutes’ bench.
He even sent out an Instagram story at that time, stating “Thank you all for your messages. Everything is back to normal.” (“Merci à tous pour vos messages. Tout est rentré dans l’ordre.“)
Andy Delort later issued this message to his fans:
Hello to the whole RMC team! It’s Andy Delort to tell you that everything is going very well. I had a little bit of fatigue. We did the tests, it’s going very well. Don’t forget that we’re going to start against at Rothern’s with shows where we’re going to talk about everything and nothing, but especially football. See you soon friends, big kisses and long live Ligue 1!
To be clear – Andy Delort did not die after collapsing. Neither was he hospitalised. He only suffered an epileptic seizure, and recovered within minutes on his own.
The “vaccine death spiral” does not exist. Like “Turbo Cancer“, “Turbo AIDS“, or even “Vaccine AIDS“, the term “vaccine death spiral” was simply made up by anti-vaccine activists to scare you.
In fact, many cases of “vaccine death spiral” turned out to be just normal cases of seizures that did not result in death.
Fact #3 : Gyratory Seizures Existed Long Before Vaccines
I should point out that gyratory seizures, defined as a rotation around the body axis during a seizure for at least 180 degrees, have been documented long before COVID-19 vaccines were invented.
As William Makis himself pointed out, it was described in the 2005 Dobesberger et. al paper called Gyratory seizures revisited.
That paper revealed that 12 out of 277 patients suffered gyratory seizures, from 1998 to 2004 – that’s 15 to 21 years before the pandemic! All those patients had existing, intractable (difficult or impossible to control) epilepsies, and had been referred for “presurgical evaluation”.
Fact #4 : Seizures Are Not Side Effect Of COVID-19 Vaccines
To be clear – seizures, gyratory or not, are not a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines. There is no plausible or known pathogenesis for any vaccine to cause gyratory seizures.
Naturally, people claiming or suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines cause seizures, are unable to detail how it is possible, or provide any actual evidence. They want to convince us it’s true, but are too baffled to explain how, or show us any evidence.
In contrast, tens of billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, and extended monitoring over the last 3 years have shown that they do not cause seizures.
Until and unless he (or his family) reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Andy Delort was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us know that.
Fact #6 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days
Even if Andy Delort was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, he would have received his doses more than two years ago!
He cannot possibly have suffered from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.
Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.
Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.
The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.
Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.
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Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating 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.
Is French First Lady Brigitte Macron a transgender woman who was really born a man?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2024-03-17 : Added more details about Brigitte Macron and Jean-Michel Trogneux. Originally posted @ 2024-03-15
Claim : French First Lady Brigitte Macron Was Born A Man!
Some people are claiming that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was born a man, who later transitioned into a transgender woman!
Candace Owens : Stop everything and watch this! Not a joke or an exaggeration to say that barring political assassinations, this is likely the biggest scandal that has ever happened in politics in human history.
I looked into this expecting it to be an insane conspiracy theory and it is anything but. It took 3 years of research for the journalists to unpack this series. It would take 3 seconds for Macron to dispel these rumors and yet they seem unable to. The implications are WILD.
Candace Owens : This episode is blowing up so I just want to say—After looking into this, I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man. Any journalist or publication that is trying to dismiss this plausibility is immediately identifiable as establishment.
I have never seen anything like this in my life. The implications here are terrifying. I do not intend to let up on this story and I am calling on other journalists to look into this explosive story and report accordingly.
Jim Ferguson : Alert: Is the first lady of France actually a man! Is Macron Gay.
According to a researcher, Brigitte Macron was born as Jean-Michel Trogneux, a man. But president Macron’s wife said she was being targeted by a transphobic rumor and she would file a complaint.
The source of this information on Brigitte Macron’s past life was in articles published in September in the journal Faits et Documents citing extensive evidence of a massive cover-up about a trans figure in the Elysee.
France’s first lady dismissed it as a conspiracy theory.
On French social networks the hashtag #JeanMichelTrogneux has been trending for several weeks now. On November 7, the Twitter account “Le journal de la macronie”, launched the quest for finding Brigitte’s “lost brother” who has disappeared without a trace.
The hashtag has generated close to 80 000 mentions, in particular on “anti-tax and far-right accounts”, noted the Visibrain site. A Russian television station has demanded an investigation into the rumours.
The journalist Natacha Rey, who is the author, said she had firm evidence that the first lady was born Jean Michel Trogneux, a transgender male. Rey has been researching the shady past of Brigitte and the curious disappearance of her alleged “brother”.
Jean Michel Trogneux was last spotted in the company of the highly controversial Joseph Doucé (since found murdered) in the late eighties of the previous century, around the time when Brigitte appeared, said Rey. The pastor was the first advocate of gay marriages and trans surgery and head of a pedophile ring. Many suspect that Doucé had played a role similar to that of Jeffrey Epstein: Blackmailing those in power.
• The Dailey mail posted an article claiming Brigitte Macron IS NOT a man. Weird….
• Two photos were released as “proof”
1. The first photo, the boy in the photo looks like Brigitte
2 The second photo looked way too new to look like a 70 year olds childhood photo. —— turns out it was a picture of his daughter.
🔴 It turns out a 3 year Investigation took with journalists working with genealogist’s and what they found was explosive.
– Brigitte Macron was born a man named Jean Michel – Jean Michel lived as a man for 30 years, fathered 5 children, and transitioned at the age of 30 to Become Brigitte.
🔴 “Brigitte” is unable to produce ANY PHOTOS of the first thirty years of her life outside what the daily mail published.
• There are NO photos of her and her brother at all,
🔴 According to the genealogists, Jean Michel existed for 30 Years, and then DISAPPEARED when Brigitte then came into existence
🔴 Sometimes Brigitte tells story’s that don’t add up… the math isn’t mathing.
• for example, she recalled living alone during Neil Armstrong moon landing in 1969. — the problem with that is that she would have been 16 years old. — if she is Jean Michel, who is 8 years older, making her 24 at the time.
• What about the story of her ex husband that she had three kids with? — her ex husband doesn’t exist. They can’t find him anywhere. — the MSM trying to prove he exists, they kept “accidentally” showing photos of different men.
🔴 Brigitte Macron sued two of the journalists… for what exactly? —— for violation of Privacy and fundamental personal rights, plus illicit use of her image. —— the journalists were punished with fines and a police visit and raid of her home. —— they interrogated the journalists, told them to produce a list of journalists they were in contact with
This is yet another example of fake news created or promoted by conspiracy theorists, and here are the reasons why, with the help of Nicolas Faure and Jonathan Moadab!
Fact #1 : Emmanuel Macron Called Rumours False + Fabricated!
After Candace Owens made those claims on her Daily Wire show, French President Emmanuel Macron called them “false and fabricated“.
The worst thing is the false information and fabricated scenarios. People eventually believe them and disturb you, even in your intimacy.
He also said that the transgender claims about his wife were typical of misogynistic online attacks that women have to put up with. These transgender attacks on Brigitte Macron as similar (example | example | example) to what Michelle Obama has been subjected to.
Fact #2 : Brigitte Macron Family Photo Shows Her As A Girl
Conspiracy theorists claim that Brigitte is the boy on the far left in this Trogneux family photo. But that’s actually her brother – Jean-Michel Trogneux. Brigitte Trogneux is really the little girl sitting on the lap of her mother, Simone Pujol.
Of course, they claim that the little girl is really Christine Haquin or Nathalie Farcy – one of her cousins. They can’t seem to decide who. They also cannot explain why would the Trogneux family included a niece in a family portrait!
In any case, those theories are easily dismissed – Christine Haquin was born in 1957, while Nathalie Farcy was born on 23 September 1959. In other words, they were born about 2-5 years after this photo was taken (circa 1954/1955).
The conspiracy theory claims that Brigitte Macron is really Jean-Michel Henri Trogneux – the boy on the far left in the photo above, and that he disappeared in the 1980s.
That’s not true, because Jean-Michel’s birth certificate shows that he was born on 11 February 1945, while a newspaper cutting shows that Brigette Trogeneux was born a girl on 13 April 1953 – more than 8 years later!
Jean-Michel Trogneux was also seen on television together with Emmanuel Macron. French journalist Jonathan Moadab also tracked Jean-Michel to his house.
Fact #4 : Brigitte Macron Married Her First Husband In 1975
The conspiracy theory claims that Brigitte Macron only became a transgender woman when she was 30 years old. That’s not possible.
Born Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux on 13 April 1953, she married her first husband, André-Louis Auzière, on 22 June 1974 – when she was 21 years old.
According to the conspiracy theory, Brigitte would have been a man when she married Auzière (also a man). That’s not possible, because France did not permit same sex marriage in the 1970s. In fact, France only legalised same-sex marriage on 18 May 2013 – almost 39 years later!
In addition, Jean-Michel married Véronique Christine Dominique on 24 November 1980 – more than 5 years later, and Brigitte attended as a witness!
Fact #5 : Brigitte Macron Gave Birth To Three Children
On top of that, Brigitte Macron gave birth to three children – Sébastien Auzière, Laurence Auzière-Jourdan, and Tiphaine Auzière (photo below). That would not be possible if she was born a biological male.
Transgender women can change their looks, and develop breasts. They, however, lack both ovaries and uterus, and cannot give birth to children. So this claim is utter nonsense.
Fact #6 : Brigitte Macron Won Libel Case On Transgender Rumour
It appears that these transgender rumours were started with the release of a so-called “three-year investigation” by a small, far-right publication called Faits et Documents (Facts and Documents) in September 2021.
However, it only went viral, when two women – Amandine Roy, a clairvoyant, and Natacha Rey, a so-called freelance journalist, made those claims in a YouTube video in December 2021.
In February 2022, Brigitte Macron and her three children, as well as her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, filed a libel lawsuit against the two women. Brigitte and her brother, Jean-Michel, also filed a (criminal) complaint for libel.
On Tuesday, 14 February 2023, the judicial court in Lisieux convicted the two women of libel, and fined them €2,000 each. Those fines were later reduced on appeal, but they both remain convicted of libel.
Fact #7 : Viral Photos Were Edited
Some people are sharing photos which they claim show Jean-Michel Trogneux, before she transitioned into Brigitte Trogneux. They are not genuine.
The viral photos were edited from a photo that was taken by Abaca Press on 4 June 2019, showing Brigitte Macron meeting with players and staff at Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, southwest of Paris, during the French women national football team’s preparation for FIFA World Cup 2019 in France.
Finally, I should point out that Candace Owens provided no actual evidence that Brigitte Macron was born a man, beyond the debunked claims from years ago… and her claim that Brigitte Macron was unable to produce any photos of herself in the first 30 years of her life.
Guys, how easy to debunk this – if you say Candace, no, actually you lived as a man for 30 years, I’ve lived 30 years: I’m going to show you every photo of every year that I’ve lived. Here’s me in college right, here’s me while I was pregnant with my children. Here’s me and my husband on our wedding day.
There would be so many photos that Brigitte should have at her disposal if this is false. Nope – they’re just calling everybody wrong and backwards and transphobic. Just produce the photos.
Instead, the only photos they have produced that are circulating in the media are the photos that I just showed you. And, as I said, the first photo she looks more like the Jean-Michel who she claims is actually her brother, who she won’t just present to the public. If that is in fact your brother, please just go on a walk with him so we can capture it.
It must be a Millennial “thing” (Candace Owens was born in 1989) to take photos of everything, all the time, to share with the world on social media. It’s easy for people today to demand – “photo, or it didn’t happen”.
The thing is – Brigitte Trogneux was born in 1953, and she was not fortunate enough back in those “good old days” to own a smartphone, or have access to social media. Even digital cameras were not common until the late 1990s.
Frankly, even if Brigitte Macron shared any photo she took as a child, conspiracists will likely insist that the photos were doctored, or of a different girl. Hence, the onus lies with the accusers to prove their claims.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was Brigitte Macron really born a man called Jean-Michel Trogneux?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Brigitte Macron Was A Man Called Jean-Michel Trogneux!
Some people are claiming that French First Lady Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman who was born a man called Jean-Michel Trogneux!
These rumours started with the release of a so-called “three-year investigation” by a small, far-right publication called Faits et Documents (Facts and Documents) in September 2021. However, it only went viral, when two women – Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey, made those claims in a YouTube video in December 2021.
These claims were revived in March 2024, by American conservative commentator Candace Owens on her Daily Wire show.
Candace Owens : Stop everything and watch this! Not a joke or an exaggeration to say that barring political assassinations, this is likely the biggest scandal that has ever happened in politics in human history.
I looked into this expecting it to be an insane conspiracy theory and it is anything but. It took 3 years of research for the journalists to unpack this series. It would take 3 seconds for Macron to dispel these rumors and yet they seem unable to. The implications are WILD.
Candace Owens : This episode is blowing up so I just want to say—After looking into this, I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man. Any journalist or publication that is trying to dismiss this plausibility is immediately identifiable as establishment.
I have never seen anything like this in my life. The implications here are terrifying. I do not intend to let up on this story and I am calling on other journalists to look into this explosive story and report accordingly.
It then went viral again, with many right-wing conservatives and conspiracy theorists repeating them, or sharing her video.
Proven : Why Brigitte Macron Is Not Jean-Michel Trogneux!
This is yet another example of fake news created or promoted by conspiracy theorists, and here are the reasons why, with the help of Nicolas Faure and Jonathan Moadab!
French journalist Jonathan Moadab started his own investigation in 2021, when those rumours first went viral. At first, he believed that Brigitte could really be Jean-Michel, but he soon found out that they are two different people from the same family!
Fact #1 : Brigitte Trogneux’s Birth Was Announced In Newspaper!
Let me start by pointing out that after Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux was born on 13 April 1953, her family announced it in the local newspaper:
SOCIAL NOTEBOOK
Anne-Marie, Jean-Claude, Mary-vonne, Monique and Jean-Michel TROGNEUX have the great joy of announcing the birth of their little sister Brigitte.Amiens, 1, rue Delambre.
CARNET MONDAIN
Anne-Marie, Jean-Claude, Maryvonne, Monique et Jean-Michel TROGNEUX ont la grande joie de vous annoncer la naissance de leur petite sœur Brigitte. Amiens, 1, rue Delambre.
The newspaper announcement specifically stated that her name was indeed, Brigitte at birth, and that she was born a female. You will also note that it mentioned her brother – Jean-Michel.
The carnival should have stopped for anyone who bothered to dig a bit deeper into this story, but no… this photo must be fake, or the Trogneuxs or Macrons must have used a time machine to go back to 1953 and pay for that fake announcement to be printed!
Fact #2 : Jean-Michel Trogneux Was Born Earlier + Still Alive!
In January 2022, Jonathan Moadab obtained an extract from Jean-Michel’s official birth certificate, showing that he was born as a male, at 4 o’clock on 11 February 1945. That’s 8 years before his sister, Brigitte Trogneux!
In addition, he found that Jean-Michel Trogneux was listed on the French electoral roll in 2022, which confirms that he still exists as a separate person from Brigitte Macron (née Trogneux).
But of course, these can be faked, right? The Illuminati and the New World Order can make short work of such documents, no?
Fact #3 : Jean-Michel Trogneux Married After Brigitte!
The supplementary update in the birth certificate extract also stated that Jean-Michel Henri Trogneux married and subsequently divorced Véronique Christine Dominique in 1980 and 1987 respectively.
Jean-Michel, therefore, cannot possibly be Brigitte Trogneux since his sister married her first husband, André-Louis Auzière, on 22 June 1974 – more than 5 years earlier!
Fact #4 : Brigitte Trogneux Witnessed Her Brother’s Wedding!
On top of that, Moadab obtained a copy of this administrative document, which appears to show that Brigitte attended her brother’s wedding to Véronique Christine Dominique!
Could both Jean-Michel and Brigitte Trogneux have attended the wedding as the same person at the same time? That would be quite the miracle!
Fact #5 : Jean-Michel Trogneux Did Not Disappear!
The conspiracy theory claims that Jean-Michel Henri Trogneux disappeared in the 1980s. That’s not true. While Jean-Michel Trogneux is a very private person, he was actually seen on television with French President Emmanuel Macron!
Jonathan Moadab asked two different friends of Jean-Michel Trogneux, who never met each other, to confirm that that man in the video was Jean-Michel Trogneux. Both persons “vigorously stated that Jean-Michel Trogneux existed, and that he was the man in those images“.
Finally, Jonathan Moadab went to Jean-Michel Trogneux’s house, and rang his doorbell. Naturally, Jean-Michel was not happy to see him, and asked him to leave. But he actually met the man himself, and confirmed that he does indeed exist.
Fact #6 : Jean-Michel + Brigitte Won Their Libel Lawsuit!
In February 2022, Jean-Michel Henri Trogneux joined his sister Brigitte Macron, and her three children, in filing a libel lawsuit against the two women who made those transgender claims. They also also filed a (criminal) complaint for libel.
Obviously, it would not be possible for Jean-Michel to jointly file the lawsuit with Brigitte Macron, if they are one and the same person!
On Tuesday, 14 February 2023, the judicial court in Lisieux convicted the two women of libel, and fined them €2,000 each. Those fines were later reduced on appeal, but they both remain convicted of libel.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the WEF just pass a new law to criminalise criticism of mRNA technology?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : WEF Passed Law To Criminalise Criticism Of mRNA!
People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claimed or suggested that France just passed a new law to jail people for opposing mRNA vaccines!
Here is an excerpt of the long and (intentionally?) rambling article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
WEF Passes New Law To Criminalize Criticism of mRNA
Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum have pulled the levers to criminalize criticism of mRNA as world governments continue to clamp down on basic freedoms we once took for granted.
According to the global elite, anyone who dares to raise questions about the efficacy or safety of the elite’s experimental mRNA gene therapy vaccines must be sent to prison for three years and fined tens of thousands of dollars.
World Economic Forum Young Global Leader President Emannual Macron has passed a new law in France which will send you to jail for 3 years if you dare to criticize mRNA “vaccines” or “gene therapy.”
According to the new law, which was passed quietly, without debate, through the French parliament last week, criticism of mRNA or other treatments which have been deemed “suitable” based on current “medical knowledge” can lead to a 3 year prison sentence and up to a $48,400 fine.
Article 4 of the tyrannical new law, or Article Pfizer as it is being referred to by freedom fighters in the legislature, is the most aggressive move by the global elite to criminalize dissent since the dark days of the Covid pandemic and the draconian response by governments operating in lockstep around the world.
Ominously, during the discussion of this fascist law that eliminates informed consent, warnings were parroted that “the next pandemic is coming” and mRNA technology is the only solution.
Truth : WEF Did Not Pass Law To Criminalise Criticism Of mRNA!
This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : WEF Cannot Pass Any Law
Let me just start by pointing out that the World Economic Forum (WEF) cannot pass any law in any country. It is merely an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focuses on public-private sector collaboration.
The WEF has no power over world leaders, beyond its lobbying and influencing efforts. The WEF may be an influential lobbying organisation, but it cannot pass laws in any country.
Fact #2 : Only French National Assembly Passed Article 4
The controversial bill that has gotten anti-vaccine activists so riled up is called The Bill To Strengthen The Fight Against Sectarian Excesses And Improve The Support Of Victims. You can read the bill as it was presented to the Senate on 15 November 2023.
What particularly incensed them was Article 4 of that bill, which many are calling “Article Pfizer“. It failed the first vote on Tuesday, 13 February, but passed in the National Assembly with a vote of 116 to 108 on Wednesday, 14 February 2024.
To be clear – Article 4 was not passed by the French government, but by the National Assembly of the French Parliament. The full bill, which is not yet the law, was also passed by the National Assembly, and not the WEF, or the French government.
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:
mRNA deniers are dangerous – and must be imprisoned!
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, or that the WEF just passed a law to criminalise criticism of mRNA technology.
Fact #4 : French Bill Does Not Involve mRNA Vaccines
Regardless of what one may think of the new French bill or its Article 4, it does not have anything to do with the criticism of mRNA vaccines in France.
To the best of my knowledge – mRNA vaccines were not even mentioned once in the entire bill, or Article 4 itself! In fact, none of those who claimed that mRNA vaccines are involved ever provided any evidence they were mentioned in the bill!
If that’s true, you have to wonder – why do some people claim that the French bill, or its Article 4, would imprison anyone who criticises or refuses to accept mRNA vaccines???
Fact #5 : Article 4 Targets Health Disinformation
As the La Chaîne parlementaire (LCP)explained, Article 4 of the bill made it a crime to incite the “abandonment of care” in France.
Specifically dedicated to therapeutic-type excesses, this Article 4 creates a new crime aimed at punishing “the provocation to abandon or refrain from following medical-therapeutic or prophylactic treatment“, as well as “the provocation to adopt practices presented as having a therapeutic or prophylactic purpose“, when these incentives may be “particularly serious” for physical or mental health.
In other words – Article 4 of this French bill makes it a crime to convince or encourage people not to accept reasonable medical treatment or prophylactic treatments (like vaccines), or to undertake treatments that can cause serious physical or mental harm.
Why would anyone want to continue letting unscrupulous people promote fake cures, or mislead people about proven medical treatments and prophylactics???
Fact #6 : French Bill Targets Self-Declared “Gurus”
As LCP explained in a separate article, the overall bill targets “sectarian excesses in the digital space and the new gurus 2.0“, pointing out that the COVID-19 pandemic enabled many of these “gurus” to take advantage of social networks to promote sectarian excesses:
The text also stresses that “the health crisis has been an ideal ground for these new sectarian excesses. New forms of “gurus” or self-proclaimed master thinkers act online, taking advantage of the vitality of social networks to federate real communities around them.”
In other words – if the bill passes and becomes law, it only endangers self-proclaimed “gurus” and cults that use social media and the Internet to snare their victims.
There does not seem to be any provision in the law to fine or imprison people in France who criticise mRNA vaccines, or pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer.
Fact #7 : Article 4 Was Amended Before Passage
According to LCP, Article 4 was amended after it first failed to pass, to include these amendments:
a crime would not be committed “when proof of the free and informed consent of the person is provided”
whistleblowers of such crimes would be protected as “the information reported or disclosed by the whistleblower under the conditions provided for in Article 6” of the aforementioned law “does not constitute a provocation“
In other words, these gurus would not be guilty of any crime if the people they convince to go against proven medical treatments acknowledge that they provided their free and informed consent.
While many people claim that the bill or its Article 4 were passed into law, that is simply not true. As of 20 February 2024, this bill, and its Article 4, has not become law in France.
After the amended Article 4 passed on 13 February, the entire bill passed in the National Assembly the next day – on 14 February 2024, with an overwhelming 151 to 73 vote. Even so, that does not make the bill a law yet.
For one thing – that was only the first reading in the National Assembly. The bill now goes to the Senate for its approval or amendments, before returning to the National Assembly for its second reading if there are any amendments.
Only after the final bill is approved by both houses, can it then be sent to the President of France for his signature. Assuming there is no request for a constitutional review, the bill only becomes law once the French President signs it, and the Prime Minister countersigns it, and it is sent to the Journal Officiel for publication.
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:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did France just pass a new law to jail people for opposing mRNA vaccines?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : France Passed Law To Jail Opposition To mRNA Vaccines!
People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claimed or suggested that France just passed a new law to jail people for opposing mRNA vaccines!
Here is an excerpt of the long and (intentionally?) rambling article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
France: Opposition To mRNA Injections Carries Penalty Of Up To 3 Years In Jail
The French government has passed a law that considers oppostion to treatments, that they deem “therapeutic, to be a “sectarian aberration”. This of course includes mRNA-LNP (lipid nanoparticles) injections.
In a tweet, Dr. Kat Lindley pointed out: “It will not tolerate any criticism of the therapeutic treatments which will be recommended or made obligatory by the state….Any person who dares to openly criticize these therapies will be liable to fines and imprisonment.”
Violators face a 45,000 euro fine and up to three years in prison for daring to question “the science.”
InfoWars reports: Known as Article 4, the highly illiberal law prohibits residents and citizens from saying anything bad about “therapeutic” treatments like mRNA shots that are either mandatory or just recommended by the French government.
Truth : France Did Not Pass Law To Jail Opposition To mRNA Vaccines!
This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Only National Assembly Passed Article 4
Let me start by pointing out that the controversial bill that has gotten anti-vaccine activists so riled up is called The Bill To Strengthen The Fight Against Sectarian Excesses And Improve The Support Of Victims. You can read the bill as it was presented to the Senate on 15 November 2023.
What particularly incensed them was Article 4 of that bill, which many are calling “Article Pfizer“. It failed the first vote on Tuesday, 13 February, but passed in the National Assembly with a vote of 116 to 108 on Wednesday, 14 February 2024.
Fact #2 : French Bill Does Not Involve mRNA Vaccines
Regardless of what one may think of the new French bill or its Article 4, it does not have anything to do with the criticism of mRNA vaccines in France.
To the best of my knowledge – mRNA vaccines were not even mentioned once in the entire bill, or Article 4 itself! In fact, none of those who claimed that mRNA vaccines are involved ever provided any evidence they were mentioned in the bill!
If that’s true, you have to wonder – why do some people claim that the French bill, or its Article 4, would imprison anyone who criticises or refuses to accept mRNA vaccines???
As the La Chaîne parlementaire (LCP)explained, Article 4 of the bill made it a crime to incite the “abandonment of care” in France.
Specifically dedicated to therapeutic-type excesses, this Article 4 creates a new crime aimed at punishing “the provocation to abandon or refrain from following medical-therapeutic or prophylactic treatment“, as well as “the provocation to adopt practices presented as having a therapeutic or prophylactic purpose“, when these incentives may be “particularly serious” for physical or mental health.
In other words – Article 4 of this French bill makes it a crime to convince or encourage people not to accept reasonable medical treatment or prophylactic treatments (like vaccines), or to undertake treatments that can cause serious physical or mental harm.
Why would anyone want to continue letting unscrupulous people promote fake cures, or mislead people about proven medical treatments and prophylactics???
Fact #4 : French Bill Targets Self-Declared “Gurus”
As LCP explained in a separate article, the overall bill targets “sectarian excesses in the digital space and the new gurus 2.0“, pointing out that the COVID-19 pandemic enabled many of these “gurus” to take advantage of social networks to promote sectarian excesses:
The text also stresses that “the health crisis has been an ideal ground for these new sectarian excesses. New forms of “gurus” or self-proclaimed master thinkers act online, taking advantage of the vitality of social networks to federate real communities around them.”
In other words – if the bill passes and becomes law, it only endangers self-proclaimed “gurus” and cults that use social media and the Internet to snare their victims.
There does not seem to be any provision in the law to fine or imprison people in France who criticise mRNA vaccines, or pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer.
Fact #5 : Article 4 Was Amended Before Passage
According to LCP, Article 4 was amended after it first failed to pass, to include these amendments:
a crime would not be committed “when proof of the free and informed consent of the person is provided”
whistleblowers of such crimes would be protected as “the information reported or disclosed by the whistleblower under the conditions provided for in Article 6” of the aforementioned law “does not constitute a provocation“
In other words, these gurus would not be guilty of any crime if the people they convince to go against proven medical treatments acknowledge that they provided their free and informed consent.
While many people claim that the bill or its Article 4 were passed into law, that is simply not true. As of 20 February 2024, this bill, and its Article 4, has not become law in France.
After the amended Article 4 passed on 13 February, the entire bill passed in the National Assembly the next day – on 14 February 2024, with an overwhelming 151 to 73 vote. Even so, that does not make the bill a law yet.
For one thing – that was only the first reading in the National Assembly. The bill now goes to the Senate for its approval or amendments, before returning to the National Assembly for its second reading if there are any amendments.
Only after the final bill is approved by both houses, can it then be sent to the President of France for his signature. Assuming there is no request for a constitutional review, the bill only becomes law once the French President signs it, and the Prime Minister countersigns it, and it is sent to the Journal Officiel for publication.
Fact #7 : 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:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did France just pass a new “Article Pfizer” law to ban and criminalise any criticism of mRNA vaccines?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : France Passed “Article Pfizer” Law To Ban mRNA Criticism!
People are sharing articles and/or a screenshot on X (formerly Twitter), which appears to show that France just passed a new “Article Pfizer” law to ban and criminalise any criticism of mRNA vaccines!
Dr. Kat Lindley :France: any criticism of mRNA platform punishable with up to 3 years imprisonment and 45,000 euros.
“Article 4 is central to the new law, which was first deleted but then reinstated. This creates a new criminal offense and criminalizes the “ request to stop or refrain from therapeutic or prophylactic medical treatment” as well as “the request to use practices that are presented as therapeutic or prophylactic ”. This means that any resistance to mRNA treatment (and other corporate medical methods) can be criminalized in the future.”
Died Suddenly :DEVELOPING: France has passed a new law which will send you to jail for 3 years if you criticize mRNA ‘vaccines’ or ‘gene therapy’
According to the law, which was passed quietly and secretly through the French parliament on Wednesday, advisement against mRNA or other treatments which are deemed ‘suitable’ based on current ‘medical knowledge’ can lead to a 3 year prison sentence and up to a $48,400 fine.
Article 4 of the new law, or Article Pfizer as it’s being referred to by freedom fighters in the legislature, is a prejudgment of “alternative medicine” and a threat to whistleblowers.
Ominously, during what little debate was fielded before the passage of this fascist law that eliminates informed consent, warnings were parroted that “the next pandemic is coming” and mRNA technology is the only solution.
What are they planning for the world?
Wall Street Silver : It is now illegal to criticize or refuse mRNA drugs in France.
BNN : In an unprecedented move that has sparked widespread debate across France and beyond, the French parliament has recently passed a law that introduces severe penalties for those opposing mRNA LNP injections or other treatments recommended by the state based on current medical knowledge
tkp (translated) : France: Criticism of mRNA will be punishable in the future
A new criminal offense in France could in future land people in prison who encourage people to withhold appropriate medical treatment (according to “science”). The law was pushed through the National Assembly on Wednesday. Critics call the law “Article Pfizer.”
Bret Weinstein :France has now criminalized objections to the mRNA platform, exposing those targeted to ruinous fines and imprisonment. It’s obvious lunacy, and that it’s happening in a Western nation should alarm us all
This madness must be defeated, in France, at the WHO, everywhere it arises
Yesterday the French Government adopted article 4 into law.
This law means person/s can be fined up to €45,000 or in-prisoned up to 3 years for any criticising or opposing mRNA Lipid Nanotechnology injections or treatment.
This will also apply in future to mandatory vaccinations. We keep warning you – it’s coming….
Truth : France Did Not Pass “Article Pfizer” Law To Ban mRNA Criticism!
This is yet another example of fake news circulating on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : French National Assembly Passed Article 4 On 14 February 2024
Let me start by pointing out that the controversial bill that has gotten anti-vaccine activists so riled up is called The Bill To Strengthen The Fight Against Sectarian Excesses And Improve The Support Of Victims. You can read the bill as it was presented to the Senate on 15 November 2023.
What particularly incensed them was Article 4 of that bill, which many are calling “Article Pfizer“. It failed the first vote on Tuesday, 13 February, but passed in the National Assembly with a vote of 116 to 108 on Wednesday, 14 February 2024.
Fact #2 : French Bill Does Not Involve Pfizer / mRNA
Regardless of what one may think of the new French bill or its Article 4, it does not have anything to do with Pfizer or the criticism of mRNA vaccines in France.
To the best of my knowledge – neither Pfizer nor mRNA vaccines were mentioned even once in the entire bill, or Article 4 itself! In fact, none of those who claimed that Pfizer and mRNA vaccines are involved ever provided any evidence they were mentioned in the bill!
If that’s true, you have to wonder – why do some people claim that the French bill, or its Article 4, would fine or imprison anyone who criticises or refuses to accept mRNA vaccines???
As the La Chaîne parlementaire (LCP)explained, Article 4 of the bill made it a crime to incite the “abandonment of care” in France.
Specifically dedicated to therapeutic-type excesses, this Article 4 creates a new crime aimed at punishing “the provocation to abandon or refrain from following medical-therapeutic or prophylactic treatment“, as well as “the provocation to adopt practices presented as having a therapeutic or prophylactic purpose“, when these incentives may be “particularly serious” for physical or mental health.
In other words – Article 4 of this French bill makes it a crime to convince or encourage people not to accept reasonable medical treatment or prophylactic treatments (like vaccines), or to undertake treatments that can cause serious physical or mental harm.
Why would anyone want to continue letting unscrupulous people promote fake cures, or mislead people about proven medical treatments and prophylactics???
Fact #4 : French Bill Targets Self-Declared “Gurus”
As LCP explained in a separate article, the overall bill targets “sectarian excesses in the digital space and the new gurus 2.0“, pointing out that the COVID-19 pandemic enabled many of these “gurus” to take advantage of social networks to promote sectarian excesses:
The text also stresses that “the health crisis has been an ideal ground for these new sectarian excesses. New forms of “gurus” or self-proclaimed master thinkers act online, taking advantage of the vitality of social networks to federate real communities around them.”
In other words – if the bill passes and becomes law, it only endangers self-proclaimed “gurus” and cults that use social media and the Internet to snare their victims.
There does not seem to be any provision in the law to fine or imprison people in France who criticise mRNA vaccines, or pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer.
Fact #5 : Article 4 Was Amended Before Passage
According to LCP, Article 4 was amended after it first failed to pass, to include these amendments:
a crime would not be committed “when proof of the free and informed consent of the person is provided”
whistleblowers of such crimes would be protected as “the information reported or disclosed by the whistleblower under the conditions provided for in Article 6” of the aforementioned law “does not constitute a provocation“
In other words, these gurus would not be guilty of any crime if the people they convince to go against proven medical treatments acknowledge that they provided their free and informed consent.
While many people claim that the bill or its Article 4 were passed into law, that is simply not true. As of 16 February 2024, this bill, and its Article 4, has not become law in France.
After the amended Article 4 passed on 13 February, the entire bill passed in the National Assembly the next day – on 14 February 2024, with an overwhelming 151 to 73 vote. Even so, that does not make the bill a law yet.
For one thing – that was only the first reading in the National Assembly. The bill now goes to the Senate for its approval or amendments, before returning to the National Assembly for its second reading if there are any amendments.
Only after the final bill is approved by both houses, can it then be sent to the President of France for his signature. Assuming there is no request for a constitutional review, the bill only becomes law once the French President signs it, and the Prime Minister countersigns it, and it is sent to the Journal Officiel for publication.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
From tomorrow onwards, citizens from 6 countries will start enjoying visa-free travel to China for 15 days! Here is what you need to know!
China Offers Visa-Free Travel For 6 New Countries!
China will start offering visa-free travel to 6 additional countries on a trial basis, starting on 1 December 2023.
On Friday, 24 November 2023, China announced that citizens from these 6 countries will enjoy visa-free travel for up to 15 days:
France
Germany
Italy
The Netherlands
Spain
Malaysia
These six countries will join Singapore, Japan, and Brunei, whose citizens already enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 15 days.
According to Chinese government spokesperson Mao Ning, China has taken this step to help “promote the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world“.
This visa-free travel for those 6 countries, however, is a trial that will last from 1 December 2023 until 30 November 2024. This trial program may or may not be extended after that.
China Visa-Free Travel To Hopefully Revive Tourism
Travellers to China are generally required to apply for a visa. China is hoping that offering visa-free travel to certain favoured countries will help to revive its tourism industry that has been hard-hit by strict COVID-19 measures in the past 3 years.
China had the world’s strictest COVID-19 measures, maintaining them long after the rest of the world reopened. Even when the Chinese government decided to reopen its borders, it required inbound travellers to quarantine, which discouraged travel
It was only in March 2023 that China began issuing all types of travel visas again, and in July that it restored the 15-day visa-free travel for Singapore, Japan and Brunei. In August, China finally scrapped all COVID-19 test requirements for inbound travellers.
With visa-free travel removing the onerous application for a Chinese travel visa, it is likely that there will be tourists and business visitors who will take opportunity of the one-year trial to visit China. The only question is whether it is a surge, or merely a tiny bump.
After all, potential travellers would need to worry about the lack of access to essential apps like Google Maps, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. as well as popular apps like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. There is also the risk of being detained in China, and prevented from returning home.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
China just announced that citizens from 6 countries will enjoy visa-free travel for 15 days! Here is what you need to know!
China : Visa-Free Travel For 6 Countries!
On Friday, 24 November 2023, China announced that citizens from these 6 countries will enjoy visa-free travel for up to 15 days:
France
Germany
Italy
The Netherlands
Spain
Malaysia
These six countries will join Singapore, Japan and Brunei, whose citizens already enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 15 days.
According to Chinese government spokesperson Mao Ning, China has taken this step to help “promote the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world“.
This visa-free travel for those 6 countries, however, is a trial that will last from 1 December 2023 until 30 November 2024. This trial program may or may not be extended after that.
Travellers to China are generally required to apply for a visa. China appears to be trying out this visa-free travel option to revive its tourism industry that has been hard-hit by strict COVID-19 measures in the past 3 years.
China had the world’s strictest COVID-19 measures, maintaining them long after the rest of the world reopened. Even when the Chinese government decided to reopen its borders, it required inbound travellers to quarantine, which discouraged travel
It was only in March 2023 that China began issuing all types of travel visas again, and in July that it restored the 15-day visa-free travel for Singapore, Japan and Brunei. In August, China finally scrapped all COVID-19 test requirements for inbound travellers.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did a new study just show that hydroxychloroquine lowers COVID-19 deaths?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Study Shows Hydroxychloroquine Lowers COVID-19 Deaths!
Some people are sharing an article by The Epoch Times, which claimed / suggested that a new study showed that hydroxychloroquine is associated with lower COVID-19 deaths. Here is an excerpt from that article by The Epoch Times:
Hydroxychloroquine Associated With Lower COVID-19 Mortality: Study
People who received hydroxychloroquine were less likely to die than those who did not, according to a new study.
Just 0.8 percent of patients at a facility in France who received hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and an antibiotic died, compared to 4.8 percent of patients who did not receive the drug combination, French researchers reported on Nov. 1.
“This study represents the largest single-center study evaluating HCQ-AZ in the treatment of COVID-19. Similarly, to other large observational studies, it concludes that HCQ would have saved lives,” Dr. Didier Raoult, with Aix-Marseille Universite in Marseille, and his co-authors wrote.
The paper was published in the journal New Microbes and New Infections. It was released as a preprint earlier this year, but withdrawn because authors said they have changed their “analytic strategies.” Researchers examined records from 30,423 patients with COVID-19 who were treated at another institution in Marseille, IHU Méditerranée Infection. They included all adults who tested positive for COVID-19 and who were treated in the hospital as an inpatient or an outpatient between March 2, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021.
Most of the patients received off-label prescriptions of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin (AZ), a common antibiotic. Of the set, 23,172 patients received the drug combination. The other 7,030 did not.
Among those who received the drugs, 191, or 0.8 percent, died. Among those who did not, 344, or 4.8 percent, passed away. Those who received HCQ and AZ were more likely to survive regardless of whether they were inpatients or outpatients. The biggest effect was recorded in outpatients aged 50 to 89.
Truth : Study Does Not Show Hydroxychloroquine Lowers COVID-19 Deaths!
Let’s take a closer look at the new French study, and find out why it does not show that hydroxychloroquine really lowers COVID-19 deaths!
Fact #1 : Only First Study Was Withdrawn
First, I should point out that The Epoch Times article appears to be conflating two different studies of the same database of COVID-19 patients in France.
Early Treatment with Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin: A ‘Real-World’ Monocentric Retrospective Cohort Study of 30,423 COVID-19 Patients
by Matthieu Million et. al. (archive link)
Preprint posted on 4 April 2023
Withdrawn on 7 June 2023
Outcomes after early treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin: An analysis of a database of 30,423 COVID-19 patients
by Philippe Brouqui et. al. (archive link)
Article posted on 30 October 2023
The first study was not peer-reviewed and was withdrawn by its authors who said that it should not be cited as reference for the project. The second study is by a different set of authors (with some from the first study), but was not withdrawn.
The authors have withdrawn this manuscript because analytic strategies for this project have changed. Therefore, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as reference for the project.
Despite claims that the French study showed that hydroxychloroquine was “associated” with lower COVID-19 mortality (deaths), that was not what the study actually showed.
Instead of looking at COVID-19 deaths (mortality), the study authors chose to look at “all-cause mortality”. This is odd, because they had access to their medical records and pharmacy files, and a wealth of information including :
age range and gender
whether the patient was treated as outpatient / inpatient, or had ICU treatment
whether the patient received HCQ (hydroxychloroquine), AZ (azithromycin), or IVM (ivermectin)
COVID-19 virus variant
time of death
vaccination status
co-morbidities like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, cancer, etc.
Why did this study look at “all-cause mortality” instead of “COVID-19 mortality”? Are we interested in whether hydroxychloroquine can cure COVID-19, or are we trying to see if it can cure common causes of death?
I’m sure it would be interesting to know that hydroxychloroquine may potentially be an elixir of immortality against common causes of death like heart disease, cancer, sepsis, stroke, accidents.
But the study, as it stands, does not tell us anything about hydroxychloroquine lowering the risk of COVID-19 deaths.
For some reason, the study authors chose to only look at all-cause mortality within the first six weeks of a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Why six weeks? Do COVID-19 infections magically disappear after that? Not that we know of…
Why set a cut-off point at all? Why not just look at whether the patient survived COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin or regular treatment, period?
Fact #4 : RCTs Show Hydroxychloroquine Don’t Work
The study itself also pointed out that major randomised controlled trials (RCTs) like the RECOVERY and SOLIDARITY trials show that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) does not reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients.
It attempts to dismiss both trials as “late treatment trials” as randomisation occurred upon hospital admission, and that they used very high doses of HCQ – four times higher than the “recommended dose”.
The problem is – the French study does not itself show that their patients were receiving HCQ much earlier, or that they were even receiving the “recommended dose” of 600 mg.
There is no recommended dose of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. Its use in the RCT and French studies were “off-label”. So I really have no idea where this 600 mg dose is based on. The study authors did not appear to justify the use of this 600 mg “recommended dose”.
Even though the study claims that all 30K+ patients took 600 mg of HCQ per day, there is really no way to be sure of that because it was a retrospective study, and not a randomised controlled trial. In fact, there’s no way to know if they even took the drugs regularly, if at all.
Fact #5 : Study Shows Ivermectin Don’t Work
Interestingly, the French study actually showed that ivermectin slightly increased the risk of dying from ALL-CAUSES of death. I wonder why the study authors did not point that out…
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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.
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.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Find out why many Western countries repeatedly voted against a UN resolution calling for global action against racism and discrimination!
Updated @ 2023-09-29 : Refreshed after message went viral again Originally posted @ 2023-04-30
Claim : The West Voted Against UN Anti-Racism Bill!
Pro-CCP netizens, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are claiming that many Western countries like the US, the UK, and Canada voted against a UN resolution calling for global action against racism and discrimination!
UN introduced a bill that called for global action against racism and discrimination
Here’s Why The West Voted Against UN Anti-Racism Bill!
At first glance, it is easy enough to see why some netizens actually believe that Western countries are being hypocrites, with many sharing comments like these:
Hypocrites who tell you you have freedoms but actually you don’t. But you still think you do.
But the truth is – this is just another example of misinformation and propaganda created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by anti-West netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : It Was A 2020 UN Resolution Against Racism
First, let me just give you some context on the resolution (not a bill) in question.
The claim refers to the 2020 UN resolution called A global call for concrete action for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
This resolution is not new, and has actually been introduced and voted on every year since 2014.
Fact #2 : It Was A Non-Binding Resolution
That UN anti-racism resolution is also non-binding, which means countries are not compelled to abide by it.
Fact #3 : Many Western Countries Voted Against UN Racism Resolution
Let me confirm that most Western countries voted No to that 2020 UN resolution against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.
Total voting membership : 193
Members voting Yes : 106
Members voting No : 14
Members abstaining : 44
Members who did not vote : 29
Countries that voted No that year were Australia, Canada, Czechia (Czech Republic), Congo, France, Germany, Guyana, Israel, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Netherlands, Slovenia, United Kingdom, and United States.
If this UN resolution seems familiar, that is because it is similar to the Anti-Nazi resolution that Russia has submitted every year since 2012, and one which many Western countries consistently voted against, or abstained from voting.
Like this anti-racism UN resolution, that anti-Nazi resolution was hypocritical in nature. Russia did not introduce it to fight Nazism or neo-Nazis, but to justify its annexation of Crimea in March 2014, and its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia claims that it had to invade Ukraine to “denazify” it, and is using that UN resolution to justify its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to European Voice before the vote, Lithuania’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius, said that “no one should doubt that we are condemning fascism”, but, he continued, “under cover of this condemnation, Russia is pursuing its own agenda”.
Fact #4 : Western Countries Were Against Durban Declaration
Western countries have long boycotted the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), and the resulting Durban Review Conference that was called to implement it.
Even though the DDPA ostensibly has laudable goals – to eliminate “racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”, it is being used to promote anti-Semitism, impose restrictions on free speech, and does not address discrimination against the LGBT community.
Our concerns about the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) are well-known, including its unfair and unacceptable singling out of Israel and its endorsement of overbroad restrictions on freedom of expression that run counter to the U.S. commitment to robust free speech. But we will always stand ready to work with others in the effort to combat racism, bigotry, and racial discrimination.
After another vote on the same resolution in 2021, the Biden Administration reiterated that the United States remain opposed to the DDPA and its “restrictions on freedom of speech and expression“.
As in previous years, we deeply regret that we cannot support this resolution, which does not genuinely focus on countering racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Among our concerns are the resolution’s endorsement of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action (DDPA), the outcome of the Durban review conference and its endorsement of overbroad restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.
We reject any effort to advance the “full implementation” of the DDPA. We believe this resolution serves as a vehicle to prolong divisions , rather than providing an inclusive way forward for the international community to counter the scourge of racism and racial discrimination.
The United States also opposed the UN anti-racism resolution which called for UN States to implement Article 4 of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
And why is Article 4 of the CERD so offensive to the United States? After all, it calls for UN States to declare an offence punishable by law “all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred”, amongst other things.
That’s because the United States Constitution provides the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly and association, and this includes even offensive beliefs like Nazism and racism.
As Nicholas Hill, the Deputy US Representative for ECOSOC explained on November 12, 2021, when the United States voted No on the similar Anti-Nazi UN resolution :
The United States Supreme Court has consistently affirmed the constitutional right to freedom of speech and the rights of peaceful assembly and association, including by avowed Nazis, whose hatred and xenophobia are vile and widely scorned by the American people. We nevertheless firmly defend the constitutional rights of those who exercise their fundamental freedoms to combat intolerance and express strong opposition to the odious Nazi creed and others that espouse similar hatreds.
For these reasons, the United States has voted against each new version of this resolution since 2005 and is, again, compelled to vote “No” on this resolution, and calls on other States to do the same.
Fact #6 : Western Countries Do Not Want To Pay Reparations
The United States also objected to the resolution because it called for “former colonial powers” to provide reparations. That is arguably one of the reasons why so many Western nations voted against the resolution, or at least abstained against it.
We also reject the resolution’s call for “former colonial Powers” to provide reparations “consistent with” the DDPA.
Regardless of the harm colonialism has done in the past, reparations have nothing to do with eliminating racism today and in the future, does it?
Fact #7 : Western Countries Are Less Homogenous Than China
Since the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) appears to be pushing this narrative, I should point out that Western countries are much less homogenous than China.
Most Western countries have a mix of different races, with a significant number of foreign immigrants. Hence, incidents of racism can appear to be more common, simply because their societies are less homogenous than China’s.
According to the China National Bureau of Statistics, there were 2.77 million foreigners living in China at the end of 2019. That may sound like a lot, but that is less than 0.2% of its population of 1.4 billion!
China proudly declares that it has many ethnic groups, but some 91.5% of its native population are Han Chinese. The 55 ethnic minorities constitute a mere 8.5% of its population.
In other words – China is an extremely homogenous society, so there are very few opportunities for racism. It doesn’t mean the Chinese are not racist. It just means that they just don’t have enough engagement with other races to show their tolerance or intolerance to different looks, cultures and beliefs.
Fact #8 : Western Countries Are More Equitable Than China
I should also point out that Western countries are more open to foreign immigrants, with many of them ending up in positions of political and economic power.
The United States, for example, allow foreigners who become its citizens to run for public office, and many do:
Mazie Hirono from Japan : Lieutenant Governor, US Representative, and US Senator for Hawaii
Pramila Jayapal from India : US Representative for Washington, and Washington State Senator
Young Kim from South Korea : US Representative for California
Ted Liu from Taiwan : US Representative for California
Ilhan Omar from Somalia : US Representative for Minnesota
Victoria Spartz from Soviet Union : US Representative for Indiana
It is the same even in business, where many foreign immigrants were able to rise to the top of their industries:
Sundar Pichai from India : CEO of Google
Satya Nadella from India : CEO of Microsoft
Elon Musk from South Africa : CEO of SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter
Jensen Huang from Taiwan : CEO of NVIDIA
Dr. Lisa Su from Taiwan : CEO of AMD
Even though there are many examples of racism in the United States, it remains far more equitable than China, where foreign immigrants do not have the same opportunities as the native Chinese.
Try asking your local pro-CCP activist to name any foreign immigrant who has rose to prominence in politics or business in China, and watch as they gape in stunned silence.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a central committee that consists of 205 full members, and 171 alternate members. Everyone of those 376 central committee members are Chinese natives – there are no foreign immigrants or their children. Not even a token immigrant just for show.
When the CCP Central Committee and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) proudly released their list of top 100 outstanding private entrepreneurs in 2018 – they were all Chinese natives as well. No foreign immigrants or their children were in the list.
This is really nothing more than yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false in most instances. So please watch out for such false claims. Here is just the latest dozen,.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Were the French people just caught urinating on an African child, while filming their vile act?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : French People Were Caught Urinating On African Child!
People are sharing a video on WhatsApp and Facebook, claiming that the French people were just caught urinating on an African child after the French ambassador in Mali was expelled!
On WhatsApp : Lets make this go viral until the people responsible for this human rights abuse are arrested and prosecuted. This is the filth of France, the ugliest scandal of the twenty-first century!!!
The inhuman and shocking scene of two men and a woman urinating on an African child, in one of the French villages, and the child, completely stripped of clothes, lying face down on the ground, while numbers of The French men and women, whose country has always shocked the world with the sophistication of their civilization, are watching this obscene, dirty, and abnormal act, without any sign of intervention from any of them!!!
This was after the state of Mali expelled the French ambassador. The French arrested one of the Malians in a French village and urinated on him publicly. Africa must wake up to see the true, ugly face of France.
We regret the ugliness and horror of the scene, but where are the human rights advocates in this? It is unfortunate that globally Black Africans are associated with misfortune everywhere.
Truth : French People Did Not Urinate On African Child!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video
First, let me start by pointing out that this incident did not occur in 2023. The video was actually recorded on January 17, 2013. So it is more than ten years old!
Fact #2 : There Was No African Child / Woman
The child / woman who was being peed on in the viral video is not an African child or woman.
That is actually Guatemalan performance artist, Regina José Galindo, who covered her body in black coal.
Born on 27 August 1974, Regina was 39 years old when that video was recorded, and is 49 years old in 2023.
Fact #3 : Video Was Recorded In Brazil
The video was not recorded in Mali, but thousands of kilometres away, in São Paulo, Brazil.
To be specific, the video was recorded at Departamento de Artes Cênicas (CAC) – the Department of Performing Arts, which is part of the School of Communications and Arts (ECA) of the University of São Paulo.
The video is actually a 2013 performance called Piedra (Spanish for stone), which aims to expose the history of violence against Latin American women, and address the exploitation of the female workers of Brazil’s colossal coal mining industry.
In the Piedra performance, Regina painted her body black and crouched into a petrified metal position. Every 10 minutes, a male-bodied “audience member” would approach Galindo, unbutton their pants and pee on her as she remained deathly still.
The obvious nonchalant attitude and ease in which these male-bodied actors could defile the artist’s body parallels the wide-spread apathy regarding the safety and care of women’s bodies. The public aspect of the performance only “further underscores the myopic nature of everyday actions that propel repetitive structural violence.”
In presenting her body as an insignificant piedra (Spanish for stone), Galindo is suggesting a quality of disposability, with the female body vulnerable (like a stone) to violent abuse.
Piedra : The history of humanity has remained inscribed on the bodies of Latin American women. On their bodies— conquered, marked, enslaved, objectified, exploited, and tortured—one can read the terrible stories of power and struggle that shape our past. Bodies are fragile only in their appearance. It is the female body that has survived conquest and slavery. Like a stone, it has stored the hatred and rancor of memory in order to transform it into energy and life.
Fact #4 : This Video Is Being Abused By Different Parties
This video is, unfortunately, being abused by different parties to drive narratives that are contrary to what actually happened.
Some African netizens are sharing it to fan the deeply-rooted anti-French sentiment in West Africa, after a series of military coups in Mali, Niger, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.
On the other hand, pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are using the video to fan anti-West sentiments in Africa (where China is making inroads), and draw attention away from criticisms of their “re-education” activities in Xinjiang.
As you have seen – the truth is they were all lying / misrepresenting the video. Here are other examples you may have seen on WhatsApp or social media platforms recently:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did African migrants just riot and destroy the historical Alcazar Library in Marseille, France?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : African Migrants Just Destroyed Alcazar Library!
People are sharing a video of the historical Alcazar Library burning, after being allegedly destroyed by African migrants who were rioting in France.
Stew Peters : The Alcazar Library in Marseille is the largest library in France, containing an archive of one million historically significant documents.
African migrants just TORCHED it.
Christian Pilgrim : WATCH: Rioters have burned down the largest library in France.
The Alcazar library in Marseille included an archive of one million historically significant archives.
VVC Watch : The Alcazar Library in Marseille is the largest in France, containing an archive of one million historically significant documents. African migrants just TORCHED it. #vvcwatch
Some also claim that the video shows the National Library in Paris on fire, not the Alcazar library.
Truth : African Migrants Did Not Destroy Alcazar Library!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : People Were Rioting Over Nahel Merzouk
First, I should quickly point out that the June 2023 riots in France had nothing to do with migrants in France, whether they are African or otherwise.
People in France were not rioting over migrant rights, but rather, the death of Nahel Merzouk – a 17 year-old French youth of Moroccan and Algerian descent, who was shot and killed by the police in Nanterre on 27 June 2023.
That morning, two Paris Police Prefecture motorcycle police officers saw Nahel Merzouk driving a Mercedes-Benz A Class AMG with a Polish licence plate at high speed in a bus lane.
They tried to flag it down, but Nahel continued to flee, committing several traffic offences in the process. But he was eventually forced to stop due to traffic congestion.
That was when the two police officers got off their motorcycles and ordered him to turn off the engine. When Nahel started to pull away again, one of the police officers fire a shot at him because he claim Nahel was about to run him over. The car continued for a distance before crashing into street furniture.
However, a 50-second video was later released, showing that neither police officers were in danger of being run over by Nahel. A passenger in Nahel’s vehicle also testified that the police officer hit Merzouk with the butt of his gun several times, and the third buttstroke made Nahel release the brake pedal, causing the car to move forward as it was an automatic car.
Those revelations caused a great public outcry and outrage, that quickly turned into protests and riots in many parts of France.
Fact #2 : Rioters Attempted To Set Alcazar Library On Fire
On the night of Thursday, June 29, 2023, rioters attempted to set the Alcazar library in Marseille on fire. They broke some of its windows, and tried to set its entrance on fire.
However, the rioters did not succeed in entering the Alcazar library, or set it on fire. Its entrance was only lightly torched. It was boarded up the next day.
There is also no evidence that the rioters who tried to set the Alcazar library on fire were migrants, or Africans.
Fact #3 : Viral Video Is Of Manila Central Post Office Fire
The video that went viral on social media does not show the Alcazar Library on fire. Rather, the video showed the Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) which caught fire on Sunday, May 21, 2023.
The fire started in its basement at 11:41 PM that night, but firefighters had trouble controlling it. It was finally controlled at 7:22 AM on May 22, and finally put out at 6:33 AM the next day, on May 23, 2023.
18 persons were wounded in the incident – 16 firefighters, a fire volunteer, and a civilian. 300 million pesos worth of assets, including national identification cards were destroyed or damaged.
Even worse was the loss of the heritage building. The Manila Central Post Office was a 97 year-old building which was a “classic example of Western architecture that existed between two world wars“.
Fact #4 : French National Library Not On Fire Either
Claims that the video shows the French National Library in Paris on fire are also false.
Elodie Vincent, a spokesperson for Bibliothèque nationale de France, confirmed in an email that the French National Library was unharmed during the Nahel protests and riots.
I should also point out that the French National Library is the largest library in France, not the Alcazar Library.
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Another Russian SAM battery tried to take down another Storm Shadow missile on yet another missile vs missile battle in the Ukraine War!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out who won this round!
Claim : Russian SAM Brings Down Storm Shadow Missile!
After the recent dramatic failure of the Russian Pantsir-S1 short range air defence (SHORAD) system in hitting the Storm Shadow cruise missile, they decided to go for Round 2!
In a now-viral video, another Russian short range air defence (SHORAD) system fired multiple missiles at an incoming Storm Shadow stealth cruise missiles the United Kingdom supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
The video was shared by a pro-Russian Telegram user called Mikhail Solomin (Михаил Соломин), who claims that “another” Storm Shadow fell “like a stone” after being shot down by high quality surface-to-air missiles, before falling apart like the European Union after Brexit.
Очередная пiрiмiга, лягушатно-наглосаксонская вундервафля пошла камнем вниз после качественной работы расчетов Панцирей, и упала в чисто поле, развалившись как евросоюз после брексита. Поскольку прошлый подобный видос уперли все возможные и не возможные паблики , как то позабыв указать на первоисточник, вешаю плашку в полвидоса.
Another frog, the frog-arrogant Saxon prodigy went down like a stone after the high-quality work of the Shells’ calculations, and fell into an open field, falling apart like the European Union after Brexit. Since the last similar vidos was blocked by all possible and not possible publics, somehow forgetting to point to the source, I hang a die in half a vidos.
A Russian poet! But did the Russians finally bag the elusive Storm Shadow? Or did Anglo-French military technology win the day again for Ukraine? Take a look!
The viral video appears to have been taken by the Russian military at possibly a frontline airfield, with a flat terrain and low buildings – all censored to hide any identifiable features.
When the 38-second video starts, you can see two long contrails, which suggest that two longer-ranged missiles had already been fired earlier.
Then you can hear five successive surface-to-air missiles (SAM) being launched from two different missile launchers, possibly Pantsir-S1 SHORAD systems like in the earlier video.
None of them were heard exploding. But just before the video cuts out, the Storm Shadow missile is seen diving towards the right side of the screen and exploding in a big fireball.
Mikhail Solomin claims that this is evidence that the Russian missiles successfully took out the Storm Shadow missile through “the high quality work of the shells’ calculations“, because it hit an empty space to no effect.
Можно сравнить масштаб ракеты, и масштабы зацензуренных фрагментов, нет там не Панциря, не складов с боеприпасами, нет ни какого крупного и интересного объекта. Она просто упала в пустое место.
You can compare the scale of the rocket, and the scale of the censored fragments, there is no Shell, no ammunition depots, no large and interesting object. She just fell into an empty space.
Mikhail also claimed that the Storm Shadow’s nose cone was intact during its dive – evidence that it was not functioning properly during its dive:
“Подъём на высоту предназначен для достижения наилучшей вероятности идентификации цели и её пробития. Во время подрыва носовой конус отбрасывается, чтобы позволить термографической камере высокого разрешения (инфракрасное наведение) наблюдать за районом поражения.” (инфа с вики) А как видно на скришоте, обтекатель на месте, пiримига-недомога.
“Climbing to a height is designed to achieve the best probability of identifying the target and penetrating it. During the explosion, the nose cone is discarded to allow a high-resolution thermographic camera (infrared guidance) to observe the affected area.” (info from wiki) And as you can see on the screenshot, the fairing is in place, the frog is unwell.
It is true that the Storm Shadow / SCALP missile has a nose cone that is ejected on reaching the target zone, to allow its high-resolution thermographic camera to scan for, and locate, the target. However, the nose cone that is ejected is only a small portion of the Storm Shadow missile’s nose.
Unfortunately, it is very hard to tell from the few frames in the video whether the Storm Shadow still has its nose cone attached. The image is just too pixelated.
What the video clearly shows though is that the Storm Shadow SCALP missile was intact, and diving down (as intended) during its terminal approach. You can even hear its turbojet engine running.
This suggests that the Storm Shadow missile was not damaged by any of the five to seven surface-to-air missiles the Russians sent to intercept it.
To avoid interception, the Storm Shadow cruise missile “hugs the terrain” at very low altitude, and only pops-up on reaching the target area. So you will only see it diving down like that at its target area.
This tells us that, whether it still has its nose cone or not, the Storm Shadow missile in this video had already reached its intended target area, and did not just fall out of the sky because it got shot at with 5-7 Russian missiles.
Due to the heavy pixelation of the terrain, it is impossible to tell if the Storm Shadow missile merely slammed into open ground, or actually hit some kind of target. If it hit nothing of significance, then one has to wonder – why did the Russians so heavily pixelate all that “empty ground”?
Besides, the Storm Shadow missile could have been targeting an underground bunker. Its BROACH warhead has an initial shaped charge that is designed to clear the topsoil and/or penetrate a bunker, before its main charge explodes inside.
However, it is impossible to know for certain, because the video was heavily censored. One has to wonder why the Russians would pixelate the video if it truly showed a malfunctioning Storm Shadow missile hitting an open field.
An uncensored video would potentially allow OSINT teams like Oryx or Bellingcat to geolocate the action, and confirm or verify that the Storm Shadow missile really hit nothing of consequence.
Ukrainian bloggers are claiming that this incident occurred near Berdyansk, and the Storm Shadow hit a Russian armoured car. However, we really cannot see any evidence of that. And frankly speaking – no one in the right mind would fire a $3.2 million long-range cruise missile at an armoured car… unless Vladimir Putin himself is inside!
Based on the current evidence, it is likely that the Storm Shadow missile at least hit its target area (if not its actual target), and this viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda. Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Avanade and Accenture have just been named 2023 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year, for the 18th time!
Avanade + Accenture: 2023 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year!
Avanade and Accenture have been named 2023 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year. This is the 18th time that Avanade and Accenture received the Global SI Partner of the Year recognition from Microsoft.
In total, Avanade and Accenture received close to 120 Partner of the Year awards across various technology and country categories throughout their history, for helping clients transform their employee and customer experiences by creating and delivering leading-edge solutions using Microsoft solutions.
Both companies were also recognised with 17 other awards including Malaysia Partner of the Year and Singapore Partner of the Year.
Dynamics 365 Sales & Marketing Partner of the Year
Low Code Application Development Partner of the Year
Automotive, Mobility and Transportation Partner of the Year
Customer Experience Partner of the Year
Malaysia Country Partner of the Year
Singapore Country Partner of the Year
Germany Country Partner of the Year
Greece Country Partner of the Year
France Country Partner of the Year
Portugal Country Partner of the Year
UK Country Partner of the Year
Denmark: Azure Core: Cloud Infrastructure Partner of The Year
Finland: GSI Growth Champion Partner of The Year
Asia Pacific: Azure Data & AI Partner of the Year
Asia Pacific: Azure Infrastructure Partner of the Year
Singapore: Financial Services Industry Partner of The Year
Japan: Energy and Resources Partner of the Year
The companies were also named finalists in the following five categories: Retail & Consumer Goods Partner of the Year; Dynamics 365 Finance Partner of the Year; Dynamics 365 Services Partner of the Year; Security Compliance Partner of the Year; Business Intelligence Partner of the Year
The unique partnership between Avanade, Accenture and Microsoft truly enables us to do what matters for our clients – building more resilience in a world of continuous change, empowering employees to embrace new ways of working, strengthening customer experience and now, guiding them on their journey to an ‘AI-first’ world.
Being recognized as Microsoft’s Global SI Partner of The Year for the 18th time is a remarkable achievement that is only possible because of our people all over the world who, every day, bring unrivalled expertise, experience and insights to help our clients solve their toughest business challenges.
Avanade + Accenture Collaborates With Microsoft On AI
Avanade, Accenture and Microsoft recently announced an expansion of their close collaboration to help organizations adopt the disruptive power of generative AI, accelerated by the cloud, to fundamentally transform their businesses.
By tapping into the new Accenture Center for Advanced AI, with its deep focus on generative AI and large language models, and the new Avanade AI Organizational Readiness Framework, the companies can help their clients take advantage of generative AI for safe and responsible innovation at scale.
Over the past year, we’ve expanded our partnership with Microsoft by helping more clients transform their organizations through the adoption of data and AI, cloud, metaverse, sustainability and other technologies.
Together with Avanade, we take great pride in helping clients accelerate change to achieve new growth and value, and we look forward to an exciting journey forward with Microsoft.
– Chris Howarth, Senior Managing Director and Accenture Microsoft Business Group Lead
Combined, Avanade and Accenture now have more than 65,000 professionals dedicated to delivering Microsoft technologies.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did former Premier League footballer Cedric Roussel die suddenly from a heart attack caused by the COVID-19 vaccine?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Cedric Roussel Died Suddenly From COVID-19 Vaccine!
Right after news broke that Cedric Roussel died suddenly while sitting on a terrace in Mons, some people immediately claimed that the former Premier League footballer died from a heart attack caused by the COVID-19 vaccine!
Died Suddenly France
Cedric Roussel mort à 45 ans : L’ancien attaquant de Premier League de Belgique décède subitement après une crise cardiaque sur la place de la ville 💉#FullyVaccinated #DiedSuddenly (juin 2023)
Cedric Roussel dead at 45: Former Belgium Premier League striker dies suddenly after heart attack in town square 💉#FullyVaccinated #DiedSuddenly (June 2023)
Belgium are mourning the death of former footballer Cedric Roussel after his sudden passing on Saturday The 45-year-old suffered a heart attack from Myocarditis after a Covid Vaccine in Belgium, with local press reporting that it happened when he had been sitting on a park bench.
RIP CEDRIC!! ANOTHER VACCINE DEATH VICTIM!! 💉 #wwfc
No Evidence Cedric Roussel Died From COVID-19 Vaccine!
It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists…
Fact #1 : Cedric Roussel Died From Heart Attack / Cardiac Arrest
Cedric Roussel (born 6 January 1978) was a Belgian professional footballer who played in the Premier League with Coventry City in 1999, and the Belgium national team in 2003. He retired in February 2015 at the age of 37, and became a real estate agent.
On 24 June 2023, Cedric Roussel was sitting on a terrace at a marketplace in Mons, Belgium, when he suddenly collapsed. Despite the best efforts of paramedics who rushed to the scene, they were unable to revive him.
Initial reports say that Cedric Roussel died from a sudden cardiac arrest, but later reports say that he died from a heart attack.
Fact #2 : No Evidence Cedric Roussel Had Myocarditis
There is no evidence that Cedric Roussel was suffering from myocarditis caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.
In fact, if he suffered from myocarditis, Cedric Roussel would not be casually sitting on a terrace enjoying a day out in Mons. He would have been experiencing chest pain and/or shortness of breath.
Fact #3 : Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis Affects Mainly Young Adults
Vaccine-induced myocarditis is not only rare, it occurs mainly in young adults and adolescent males 12 to 39 years in age. Cedric Roussel was 45 years old when he died.
To help you understand that, I created this table to show you the risk of vaccine-induced myocarditis for different age groups.
Note : Baseline refers to the typical number of myocarditis cases expected in the unvaccinated population.
Anti-vaccination activists falsely claim that young, healthy people do not suddenly collapse from cardiac arrest. The truth is many young athletes do suddenly collapse from sudden cardiac arrest, and many don’t survive unless they receive medical attention quickly.
The United States alone records over half a million cases of sudden cardiac arrest cases every year – an incidence of about 130 per 100,000 individuals per year. Many people have undiagnosed heart conditions that may not produce noticeable symptoms in daily life, but could result in sudden cardiac arrest at any time.
The risk of developing sudden cardiac arrest increases during strenuous activities, which is why many countries enacted laws requiring automated external defibrillators (AED) to be made available in health clubs, gyms, schools, and other public places.
And no, COVID-19 vaccines do NOT cause cardiac arrests, no matter what anti-vaccination activists may claim.
Neither can COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from getting cardiac arrests, or dying from them.
Fact #5 : Unknown If Cedric Roussel Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19
It is unknown if Cedric Roussel was vaccinated against COVID-19, as he never publicly mentioned his vaccination status.
Some anti-vaccination activists are sharing a photo alleging to show Cedric Roussel getting a COVID-19 vaccine. That’s actually a photo of a different Cedric Roussel!
This Cedric Roussel who posted a photo of himself getting the COVID-19 vaccine is actually a 5o year-old French politician and former Member of Parliament who served in its Committee on Cultural Affairs and Education.
Until and unless his family reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Cedric Roussel the footballer died from any COVID-19 vaccine side effect is likely lying to you.
Fact #6 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days
Even if Cedric Roussel was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, he would have been fully-vaccinated more than two years before his death!
He cannot possibly have suffered from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.
Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.
Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.
The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.
Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.
Fact #7 : Claims Of COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries Often Proven False
Most claims of sudden deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false. Here is the latest dozen of other false sudden death claims!
Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next death or tragedy…
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Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating 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.
Did Beyonce cheekily flash her fans during her recent Renaissance World Tour concert in Paris, France?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Beyonce Flashed Her Fans During Paris Concert!
People are sharing a video on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok, which claims to show Beyonce cheekily flashing her fans during her recent Renaissance World Tour concert in Paris, France!
From a fellow Virgo to another Virgo, she knew what she was doing. She wanted to show the world that moose knuckle!
Incredible …! Beyoncé shows her pussy during a concert in Paris 😅
Truth : Beyonce Did Not Flash Her Fans During Concert!
This is yet another example of celebrity FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral Beyonce Video Appears To Be Genuine
I should point out that, as far as I can tell, this is a genuine video, and is not a deep fake video. However, I’m not able to confirm if this video was recorded in Paris.
The earliest example of this video appears to have been posted to TikTok on June 1, 2023. So it is plausible that the viral video of Beyonce apparently showing off her coochie could have been recorded during her performance at the Stade de France, Paris, on 26 May 2023.
However, I can confirmed that the video was definitely recorded during Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour, which kicked off on 10 May 2023:
10-11 May : Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
14 May : King Baudoudin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium
17 May : Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
20 May : BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland
23 May : Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England
26 May : Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
29 May – 4 June : Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
Fact #2 : Video Was Recorded Off Jumbotron
More pertinent is the fact that the person recording the video did not capture Beyonce herself. Rather, the video was recorded off a Jumbotron – a large video display at the concert.
Why this is important is because the colour fidelity of the video was poor, with a purple cast to boot. It is the discolouration that made it appear as if she was cheekily showing off her coochie.
If you see other videos directly recorded of Beyonce (see our video above for an example), you will immediately see that she did not show off her coochie at any point in her performance.
Fact #3 : Beyonce Was Wearing A Bodysuit
The truth is – Beyonce was wearing a multi-coloured patterned bodysuit during her performance in the viral video.
In this photo, which accurately shows the colours and pattern of her bodysuit, you can see that it has many lines.
It was the poor colour accuracy of the video that made it look like she went “commando” and flashed her fans!
Beyonce is a consummate performer, and she would never have gone “commando” on stage. In fact, she has always worn bodysuits at her concerts for the past 13 years.
They may be cheeky and sexually suggestive, but they allow her to dance without worrying about wardrobe malfunctions on stage. So no, you won’t catch her showing her coochie at her concerts anytime soon!
Fact #5 : This Is Just Celebrity Fake News
This appears to be nothing more than yet another example of celebrity fake news circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms.
While it does not appear to be intentionally created by rumour or celebrity blogs / TikTok creators to generate views, I’m sure Queen Bey would not appreciate all those snide, misogynistic comments about her coochie…
Here are some other recent examples of celebrity fake news you may have seen on social media:
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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.
