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…
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 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.
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.
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,.
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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:
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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.
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.
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:
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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.
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 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…
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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:
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
OPPO just gave up on its custom chip aspirations, and has abruptly down its Zeku chip design division!
OPPO Shuts Down Its Zeku Chip Design Division!
OPPO has finally given up on its custom chip aspirations! The Chinese smartphone brand is shutting down its Zeku chip design division, which it established only a few years ago.
OPPO announced the decision abruptly in a short statement, and said that “the company will properly arrange related matters and continue to deliver great products and service to users worldwide“.
Due to the uncertainties in the global economy and the smartphone industry, we have to make difficult adjustments for long-term development. Therefore, the company has decided to cease the operation of Zeku.
This decision comes after rumours swirled that OPPO is preparing to withdraw from France, and even the whole of Europe by 30 June 2023. OPPO had earlier pulled its phones from Germany due to a legal spat with Nokia in 2022, and now OPPO France employees and partners claim that they were told to stop selling OPPO phones.
While OPPO finished Q1 2023 on a strong note – as the world’s 4th largest smartphone brand, its total shipments dropped 8%. That is better than the industry average – the global smartphone market shrank by 13% that quarter. It appears that OPPO believes global demand for smartphones will continue to be weak for quite some time to come…
Zeku started in 2019 by designing co-processors for imaging and other components in OPPO smartphones, but have not been able to develop a full SoC. Its biggest success was, arguably, the MariSilicon X neural processing unit (NPU) which it introduced in December 2021.
Finalised after three years of research and development, the OPPO MariSiliconX was fabricated on the 6 nm process technology. It was designed as a dedicated imaging NPU, to accelerate AI noise reduction algorithms, and deliver greater dynamic range and better colour reproduction.
That NPU has been used in many OPPO flagship smartphones, including the latest OPPO Find N2 Flip. After that, Zeku introduced MariSilicon Y in late 2022 – a wireless audio SoC.
Despite Zeku not being able to deliver a full mobile SoC, OPPO was expected to invest more in chip design, both as a way to differentiate from other brands, as well as a way to avoid getting cut off chip supplies due to rising US-China tensions.
So the decision came as a surprise, especially when Zeku was still looking to hire more than 100 positions a month ago on LinkedIn!
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.
Truth : Viral Video Does NOT Show Pension Riot Damage In France!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS shared on WhatsApp, Telegram and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video
First, let me just point out that the viral video clip was recorded in Paris, but is not new.
The original video was recorded on Saturday, 24 December 2022, and is therefore unrelated to the 2023 protests over pension reforms in France.
It appears to have been recorded and posted by Rémy Buisine, a French journalist.
Fact #2 : The Riot Occurred After Attack On Kurdish Cultural Center
The riot captured in the video video occurred one day after a man opened fired at the Ahmet-Kaya centre – a Kurdish cultural centre on Rue d’Enghien in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. The gunman also fired at a hairdresser’s and a restaurant on that street. One woman and two men were killed, and at least three other people were seriously injured.
The gunman was a 69 year-old retired train driver who has been described as a “white supremacist” who had recently been released from detention while awaiting trial for a sabre attack on two Sudanese refugees at a refugee camp in Paris a year ago.
In response, the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F) called for people to gather at the Republic Square for a protest. Protesters later clashed with riot police near the scene of the shootings.
Fact #3 : This Riot Was Much Smaller Than 2023 Pension Reform Protests
This December 2022 riot appears to be very violent, with several cars overturned and at least one car on fire. However, it was a short-lived riot, and involved only hundreds of Kurds near the location of the shooting in Paris.
The 2023 pension reform protests are much larger, involving over a million strikers and demonstrators all over France, and has been ongoing since January 19. While they set fire to garbage and damaged some storefronts, there appears to be less violence and damage.
Fact #4 : This Is Just Another Example Of Pro-Russia Propaganda
This appears to be yet another example of fake news created to mock France for its support of Ukraine, and mislead people about the carnage Russia is wreaking in its invasion of Ukraine.
Here is just the latest dozen the other Russian and Chinese propaganda articles and videos that I looked at so far:
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Inglourious Basterds star Melanie Laurent just die suddenly at the age of 40?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Melanie Laurent Just Died Suddenly At 40 Years Old!
A website called MediaMass is claiming that people were just fooled into believing that the beautiful French actress and Inglourious Basterds star Melanie Laurent just died suddenly at the age of 40!
Rumors of the actress’s alleged demise gained traction on Friday after a ‘R.I.P. Mélanie Laurent’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the French actress’s passing:
“At about 11 a.m. ET on Friday (March 24, 2023), our beloved actress Mélanie Laurent passed away. Mélanie Laurent was born on February 21, 1983 in Paris. She will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”
Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 40-year-old actress, director and singer was dead.
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated to generate income from page video views and advertising, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No Legitimate Media Outlet Reported Her Death / Hoax
Celebrity death hoaxes are a dime a dozen, because it’s an easy way for unscrupulous websites to generate page views and advertising money.
That has led legitimate media to publish fact checks countering those fake claims of celebrities dying in car accidents and other causes of death.
In Melanie Laurent’s case, no legitimate media – in France, or anywhere else in the world, reported on her death, or even fake claims of her sudden and unexpected death. That’s because none of that ever happened.
Fact #2 : No Social Media Buzz On Melanie Laurent’s Death
Some may think that Melanie Laurent is French, or she’s not a big enough star to warrant media attention. That’s nonsense, of course, but guess what – there is no social media buzz on her death as well!
Whether on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok or Instagram, no one is wishing her family condolences or commiserating over her early and unexpected death.
Heck, even antivaxxers who seem to always claim that all deaths are caused by the vaccine did not claim that Melanie Laurent just died suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccine.
That’s because no one – except perhaps Mediamass, claimed that there are rumours that Melanie Laurent just died suddenly at the age of 40!
Fact #3 : Melanie Laurent Death Hoax Is A Fake Fact Check
This Melanie Laurent death hoax is, ironically, just another fake fact check article by MediaMass Project.
News of actress Mélanie Laurent’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the March 2023 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the actress best known for her role in Inglourious Basterds is alive and well.
Where as some trusting fans believed the post, others were immediately skeptical of the report, perhaps learning their lesson from the huge amount of fake death reports emerging about celebrities over recent months. Some pointed out that the news had not been carried on any major French network, indicating that it was a fake report, as the death of an actress of Mélanie Laurent’s stature would be major news across networks.
On Saturday (March 25) the actress’ reps officially confirmed that Mélanie Laurent is not dead. “She joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. She’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,” they said.
Some fans have expressed anger at the fake report saying it was reckless, distressing and hurtful to fans of the much loved actress. Others say this shows her extreme popularity across the globe.
Their claim of a viral R.I.P. Mélanie Laurent Facebook page is false. There is no such Facebook page. It is their standard fake fact check spiel for fake celebrity deaths.
The statement from Melanie Laurent’s unnamed rep confirming that she is not dead is exactly the same as statements from other celebrities whose reps MediaMass claimed were victims of death hoaxes, like Justin Bieber and Tom Hanks.
Hidden in the description page for the MediaMass Project is a disclaimer that they are a “satire” website. That’s the usual “cover” for websites peddling fake news.
Regardless of their reasons, anything posted by MediaMass.net must be considered as fake news, until proven otherwise.
Fact #4 : This Is Just Fake Celebrity News
This is yet another example of fake celebrity news created to generate page views and money through advertising, just like these examples:
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 Western countries collude to strike Turkey with an earthquake, and evacuated their embassies and ambassadors before it happened?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Western Ambassadors Evacuated Before Turkey Earthquake!
Conspiracy theorists are claiming that Western countries colluded to strike Turkey with an earthquake, and evacuated their embassies and ambassadors before it happened!
UPDATED: List of the countries with leading ambassadors that left Turkey 24 hrs before the earthquakes struck.
1. USA 2 Canada 3. Britain 4. Germany 5. Belgium 6. Italy 7. Holland 8. France 9. Denmark 10. Australia
Coincidence? 👀
The earthquake was caused by a DEW (Direct Energy Weapon) that beamed onto the fault lines. 2 anomalies suggest that the earthquake was man-made. 1) Quakes of such magnitude are usually deep – around 30km deep. These were shallow, about 10 km.
2) There were 2 high magnitude quakes one after another – 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. Very unusual. There were hardly any other aftershocks between or after the second quake. Turkey has been trying to leave NATO, and has also been blocking Finland’s and Sweden’s entry into NATO. The quakes were a warning to Turkey to behave or else.
Another anomaly was that 15-20 minutes before the first quake, all the underground gas and oil pipelines in that region were shut off.
No Evidence Western Ambassadors Evacuated Before Turkey Earthquake!
This is just FAKE NEWS created by conspiracy theorists to capitalise on the massive earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023.
Fact #1 : No Evidence Western Ambassadors Evacuated Before Earthquake
While conspiracy theorists confidently rattle off the list of eight countries, they did not actually provide any evidence that those countries evacuated their ambassadors.
There is no evidence, whether from credible media reports, or even social media posts, that any ambassador fled Turkey just before the earthquake hit.
Fact #2 : Six Of The Embassies Refuted The Claim
Reuters reached out to all eight embassies in Turkey about these claims that they were evacuated before the earthquake, and six responded.
Representatives of the embassies of Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherland, and France, told Reuters by email that the allegations are false. The US and Belgian embassies in Turkey have yet to respond.
Fact #3 : Western Ambassadors Seen In Turkey After Earthquake
Several Western ambassadors were seen in photos taken soon after the massive earthquake hit Turkey (here, here, here, here, here, and here).
Fact #4 : Embassies Temporarily Closed Over Terror Threats
The viral claims are sometimes linked to an article by Arab News, which point to the closure of Western embassies three days before the earthquake hit Turkey and Syria.
However, anyone who bothered to read the article would realise that those countries temporarily closed their embassies or issued travel warnings, following a series of far-right protests in Europe, which included several incidents of burning copies of the Quran.
That decision to temporarily close the embassies came right after Turkish police arrested 15 Daesh suspects who were accused of targeting consulates and non-Muslim houses of worship.
The closure of the embassies had nothing to do with the earthquake that came three days later. There is also no evidence that any ambassador or embassy employee was evacuated from Turkey over these security threats.
I should also point out that the US embassy in Turkey did not close over these perceived terror threats.
Fact #5 : Directed Energy Weapons Did Not Cause Earthquake
There is no evidence that Western countries used Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) to cause the earthquake on February 6, 2023.
Directed Energy Weapons is a “catch-all” term referring to weapons that use energy, instead of projectiles, like laser, microwave, particle beams, and sound beams.
While it sounds impressive, directed energy weapons are nowhere near powerful enough to cause earthquakes. Their power also decreases exponentially with range, so they can only be used at relatively close ranges.
Fact #6 : Only Turkey + Iran Claim To Have Directed Energy Weapons
Quite a number of countries are developing directed energy weapons, including China, the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
However, only Turkey and Iran claim to have actually deployed such weapons, with Turkey claiming the first use of directed energy weapons in combat, when it used its ALKA directed-energy weapon to shoot down a Wing Loong II UAV in Libya in August 2019.
The ALKA directed energy weapon has a peak power output of 50 kW, and is designed to destroy drones using its laser at up to 500 m distance, and electromagnetic systems at up to 1 km distance.
The claim that there were “hardly any other aftershocks” is nonsense. A total of 2,109 aftershocks were recorded from 6 to 12 February. By 20 February, over 6,000 aftershocks were recorded.
On top of that, over 320 of those aftershocks had a magnitude of 4.0, with 25 of them recorded within six hours of the main tremor.
Fact #8 : Turkey Is Not Trying To Leave NATO
The claim that Turkey is trying to leave NATO is nonsense.
On January 23, 2023, a Turkish politician called Ethem Sancak said that Turkey might leave NATO in 5-6 months over provocative actions by other NATO members.
However, two days later, a spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, Omer Celik, refuted the claim:
We face such things in every election (calls for ending Turkey’s membership of NATO). These are not the things that we will worry about. Those who call for terminating Turkey’s membership of NATO do not talk sense.
This is out of the question. We are one of the founding countries of NATO. They have no right to say such things. What they say would be a luxury for NATO.
I should point out that leaving NATO would automatically open the door for Finland and Sweden to be accepted as a member state, as Turkey is the only country objecting to their ascension.
That is one of the many reasons why Turkey won’t be leaving NATO quite so soon, even if they are thinking about it – Turkey would lose its veto leverage over Finland and Sweden.
Fact #9 : Gas + Oil Pipelines Shut Down After Earthquake
The claim that gas and oil pipelines were shut down 15-20 minutes before the earthquake struck is false. Oil and gas pipelines were shut down after the earthquake, not before.
If they were shut down before the earthquake, that would imply that the Turkish government was in cahoots with the dastardly Western governments using directed energy weapons to punish them for wanting to leave NATO which would deprive Turkey of its ability to blackmail Finland and Sweden.
Can you now see how idiotic such a conspiracy theory sounds, when you lay out the trail of nonsense in the open?
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Are Nazis from Japan fighting for Ukraine against Russia?!
Take a look at the viral photos, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Nazis From Japan Are Fighting For Ukraine Against Russia!
The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are sharing photos of what they suggest are Nazis from Japan in Ukraine, helping to fight against Russia!
Japanese Nazis are fighting in Ukraine
Team Japanese in Ukraine
Anarchy is alive and in Ukraine
Note : I placed the misleading overlay to prevent the photos from being further abused.
Truth : Nazis From Japan Are Not Fighting For Ukraine Against Russia!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Photos Are Unrelated
After investigating the viral screenshot, I was able to confirm that they consist of two sets of photos that are unrelated.
The first set of photos, which show four soldiers in Ukraine, was posted by @rattionyade on February 10, 2023.
The second photo is completely unrelated to the first set of photos, and was posted by @xenovampiro (as well as other people) on February 12, 2023.
Fact #2 : Rising Sun Flag Is Not Japanese Nazi Flag
The Rising Sun flag is not the Japanese version of Germany’s Nazi flag. This is actually the Imperial Japanese Navy ensign called Jyūrokujō-Kyokujitsu-ki (十六条旭日旗) that was adopted on May 15, 1870 – over 150 years ago!
The Imperial Japanese Navy used it until the end of World War 2 in 1945. However, it was readopted and has been used by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force on all its ships since June 30, 1954.
Fact #3 : Japanese Nazi Flag Photo Was From 2014
The photo showing men carrying Japanese Rising Sun and Nazi Germany flags was not taken recently, or even in Ukraine.
It is unknown who took this photo, but it was possibly a photographer from the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, as the photo was posted by Asahi Shimbun editorial board member Itaru Tominaga (@tanutinn) on Twitter on August 2, 2015, with the description:
東京での日本の国家主義者のデモンストレーション。
彼らは安倍首相と彼の保守的な政治を支持している。
Japanese nationalist demonstration in Tokyo. They are supporting PM Abe and his conservative administration.
On further investigation, I found out that Tominaga deleted the tweet because it was misleading when he posted it – it was taken almost a year ago, on April 20, 2014 – the 125th anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler.
On that day, about 40 Japanese protestors marched through the busy entertainment area of the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo, bellowing racist chants about South Korea and China. While the Asahi Shimbun article is no longer available online, you can download a copy here.
In short – this viral photo was taken in Tokyo, Japan, on 20 April 2014, and had nothing to do with Ukraine or the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Fact #4 : Ukraine Has Foreign Volunteer Battalions Since 2014
Informal volunteer military groups were formed in spring 2014, from local militias and paramilitary groups, in response to the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
The Ukraine Ministry of Defence later formed 32 volunteer battalions called “Territorial Defence Battalions”, and the Ukrainian parliament voted on 6 October 2014 to allow foreign fighters to join the military. In December 2014, President Petro Poroshenko promising Ukrainian citizenship to foreign fighters who signed up to fight.
Ironically, volunteers from Russia formed the largest group of foreign fighters in Ukraine! Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, about 3,000 Russian citizens signed up to fight for Ukraine.
Fact #5 : Volunteers From 60 Countries Now Fighting For Ukraine
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian government established the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine.
By 6 March 2022, more than 20,000 volunteers from 52 countries signed up to fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. So it would not be surprising to find volunteers from Japan fighting for Ukraine.
@rattionyade, who posted the viral photo on the left, appears to be one of the Japanese volunteers fighting for Ukraine, as he often posts about his life in Ukraine.
Back in November 2022, it was revealed that volunteers from 60 countries are now fighting for Ukraine. Here are some of the units that were formed from those volunteers:
Canadian Brigade : Ukrainian-Canadian volunteers, including former servicemen from Canada
Norman Brigade : veterans from Canada, the United Kingdom, United States, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, France, South Africa, and Poland.
Freedom of Russia Legion : former servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as other Russian and Belarusian volunteers.
Russian Volunteer Corps : formed from Russian volunteers who have been fighting for Ukraine since 2014.
Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion : Mostly Chechen volunteers who fought in the First Chechen War and Second Chechen War against Russia.
Pahonia Regiment : Belarusian volunteers
Fact #6 : Russia Also Has Foreign Volunteer Forces
Foreigners have also signed up to fight on the Russian side, either as members of the Russian diaspora, for ideological reasons, or as mercenaries hired by the Russian government.
Serbian foreign fighters : International Brigade, Seventh Brigade, Serbian-Hussar Regiment, Ural Unit, First Slavic Unit, Batman Unit, Rezanj Unit, Jovan Šević Detachment
Spanish foreign fighters : Carlos Palomino International Brigade, DKO (Volunteer Communist Unit), Interunit
White nationalists, neo-Nazis, fascists and Christian extremists from Europe and North America : Continental Unity, Orthodox Dawn Battalion, Legion of Saint Istvan.
Syrian Arab Army : 25th Special Mission Forces Division
Fact #7 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda
This appears to be yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), or pro-CCP netizens.
Here is just the latest dozen the other wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far:
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The painting of a young woman breastfeeding an old man in prison has gone viral.
Take a look at the viral claim and find out what the facts really are!
Viral Claim About Woman Breastfeeding Old Man In Prison
This photo of a classical painting is being shared on WhatsApp, social media platforms like Facebook, and even Reddit, together with this claim:
This painting of a young woman breastfeeding an old man in a prison cell was sold for 30 million Euros. The painting may look perverse but the story behind is from historical records.
The poor man was sentenced to “death by starvation” for stealing a loaf of bread during the reign of Louis XIV in France. The woman was his only daughter and the only visitor to his cell. She was allowed to visit him daily but was frisked thoroughly such that no food was taken in.
When after 4 months the man still survived with no weight loss, the authorities were perplexed and started spying on her in the cell and to their utter astonishment found her to breastfeed her father to the fullest sharing her baby’s milk. The judges then realizing the compassion and love of the woman for her father, pardoned the father and set him free.
This piece of history brings into focus how deep is a woman’s compassion in our daily lives that men often tend to overlook.
Roman Charity : Why Woman Breastfed Man In Prison!
As inspiring as the story is, this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : That’s Roman Charity By Jules Joseph Lefebvre
The photo is of an oil painting on canvas called La Charité romaine (Roman Charity) by French painter, Jules Joseph Lefebvre.
Fact #2 : Roman Charity By Lefebvre Was Never Sold
The La Charité romaine (Roman Charity) painting by Jules Lefebvre was never sold for 30 million Euros.
It was purchased by the French government in 1864 for 1,500 francs, and displayed at the Melun Museum in 1865.
The French government later donated the painting to the Melun City Hall at 16 rue Paul-Doumer, where it can be seen in the wedding hall.
In the photo taken by Stephane Asseline in 2003, you can see the words Donné par l’état (Donated by the state) engraved into the frame.
Fact #3 : Roman Charity Is A Story Of Cimon And Pero
The real Roman Charity story is about Cimon who was convicted of a serious but unspecified crime, and sentenced to die of starvation.
Even though the prison guards were instructed not to provide him with water or food, Cimon surprisingly survived for more than a month. He was weak but not close to dying. The claim that he survived for more than FOUR months though is a tall tale.
One day, the guards reportedly discovered that his daughter Pero (some accounts describe her as his wife) had been breastfeeding her father. She had been allowed to visit her father once a day, and was able to feed him with her breast milk, keeping him alive that way.
What happened after that is not known. Some say that Pero’s love for her father convinced the court to pardon and release Cimon. But others claim that she was given a death penalty for what she did.
Fact #4 : There Are Many Roman Charity Paintings
There are actually many paintings showing a young woman breastfeeding an old man in prison, all variations of the Roman Charity story.
These four examples from Peter Paul Rubens (1612), Jan Janssens (1620-25), Dirck Van Baburen (1623) and Pieter van Mol (1640), all predate the Jules Lefebvre painting by over 200 years.
Arguably, the Jules Lefebvre painting of Roman Charity is more famous because it was the first depiction of Pero with a baby.
The original versions of the tale did not mention that she brought her baby to prison while visiting her father. So it isn’t surprising to see that earlier works only showed Pero and Cimon alone.
Fact #5 : Roman Charity Story Predates King Louis XIV
The story that the old man was sentenced to death by starvation for stealing bread during the reign of King Louis XIV is nonsense.
The story of Roman Charity goes way back to the days of Ancient Rome. It was first told in Factotum ac dictum memorabilium (Nine Books of Memorable Acts and Sayings of the Ancient Romans) by Ancient Roman historian Valerius Maximus.
A painting in the Temple of Pietas not only depicted the scene back then, wall paintings and terracotta statutes excavated in Pompeii suggest that it was common in the first century.
As I pointed out in the Fact #4 above, Western artists had already painted Roman Charity hundreds of years before Jules Lefebvre, or King Louis XIV’s reign from 1643 to 1715.
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.
Take a look at the viral video of President Macron with his dancing teacher who became his wife, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : This Was President Macron With His Dancing Teacher / Wife 30 Years Ago!
People are sharing this video which claims to show a young Emmanuel Macron dancing with his teacher, who would end up becoming his current wife, Brigette Macron.
This is a 30 year old Television clip. This video is interesting not only because of the dance sequence, but because, this young boy is the current president of France, & the Lady dancer, his teacher …. is his current wife …Interesting!!! Isn’t it? 🤷🤷♀ 🤷🤷♀ 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Truth : That Was Not President Macron With His Dancing Teacher / Wife!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Brigitte Did Not Teach Macron Dancing
Brigitte Auzière (born Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux on 13 April 1953) first met Emmanuel Macron at the La Providence High School in 1998, when she was a 40 year-old teacher, and he was a 15 year-old student and a classmate of her daughter, Laurence.
She was not his dancing teacher, but taught him literature and was in charge of the theatre class that he attended. Brigitte divorced her husband, André-Louis Auzière, in January 2006 and married Macron in October 2007.
Fact #2 : Brigitte + Emmanuel Macron Never Participated In Dance Contests
As far as I can tell – Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron never participated in any dancing contest.
So it would be quite impossible for them to appear in a dance competition 30 years ago.
Fact #3 : Viral Video Was Recorded In 2016
The viral video, which people claimed was Emmanuel Macron dancing with his teacher Brigitte, was not recorded 30 years ago.
It was posted on the SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance) YouTube channel on 6 September 2017, but featured on another YouTube channel on 13 July 2016.
Fact #4 : Music Was From 2014
You can also date the video using the music. It was certainly not 30 years old, but a much more recent – Toca Toca (Radio Edit) by Fly Project was published on YouTube on 14 May 2014.
Fact #5 : Viral Video Is Of Jenna Johnson + Jake Monreal
The viral video does not show Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron dancing in a competition.
The two dancers are Jenna Johnson and Jake Monreal, who were competing in “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation” on July 11, 2016.
The YouTube video had the title “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation – Jenna and Jake’s Ballroom Performance“.
In that video, Jenna and Jake performed a Cha Cha routine which was choreographed by Jean Marc Genereux, to “Toca Toca (Radio Edit)“.
Fact #6 : Jenna Johnson Is A Professional Dancer
Jenna Johnson (born April 12, 1994) is an American professional dance and choreographer, who was one of the mentors in that dance competition.
She competed with Jake Monreal in 2016, and made it to the Top 8 before elimination on August 1, 2016. She returned to the show in Season 14 to mentor Kiki Nyemchek, and made it to Top 4.
Fact #7 : Jake Monreal Is A Professional Dancer
Jake Monreal (born September 24, 2003) is now a 19 year-old professional dancer, who began dancing at the age of 10. At that time the video was recorded, he was just 12 years old.
Jake would become a professional dancer for Dancing with the Stars Junior in 2018.
Fact #8 : Just Another Example Of Fake News About Politicians
This is just another example of fake news created about politicians, and shared on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Here are some other examples I fact checked:
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.
Olga Taran refutes claims of Kremlin and crypto ties to her Russian billionaire husband, Vyacheslav Taran, who died in a helicopter crash!
Earlier : Russian Billionaire Vyacheslav Taran Dies In Helicopter Crash!
Russian billionaire Vyacheslav Taran died in a helicopter crash in rather mysterious circumstances on Friday, November 25, 2022.
On that fateful day, he was flying from Lausanne, Switzerland in a single-engined H130 helicopter back to his home in Monaco, when it crashed near the resort town of Villefranche-sur-Mer in good, clear weather.
He was supposed to be travelling with another unidentified passenger on this flight, but that passenger cancelled at the last minute.
Both Vyacheslav Taran, 53, and the 35 year-old French helicopter pilot were killed in the crash.
The deputy public prosecutor of Nice who visited the crash scene, said that the fault of a third party could not yet be ruled out.
Vyacheslav Taran is the co-founder of the trading and investment platform, Libertex, as well as the founder and CEO of the Forex Club group of companies.
As I noted earlier, Taran’s unexpected death will likely spur conspiracy theories, coming just two days after Tiantian Kullander died in his sleep, and just weeks after Nikolas Mushegian apparently drowned after tweeting about an alleged plot by the CIA and Mossad to murder him.
It also seems to be a dangerous time for Russian businessmen, who are dying in mysterious circumstances both in Russia, and overseas. Just in September alone:
28 September 2022 : Pavel Pchelnikov allegedly shot himself on the balcony of his Moscow apartment.
21 September 2022 : Anatoly Gerashchenko died after falling down a flight of stairs in Moscow.
10 September 2022 : Ivan Pechorin fell from his boat and drowned at Cape Ignatyev in Vladivostok.
1 September 2022 : Ravil Maganov – the chairman of Lukoil, “fell out of a window” in the Kremlin Hospital.
Olga Taran Refutes Kremlin + Crypto Links To Husband’s Death!
Vyacheslav Taran’s wife – Olga Taran – who is the Editor-in-Chief of HelloMonaco, spoke out just days after the accident against the allegations that her husband was involved with the Kremlin, or was a Russian spy.
She also pointed out that Vyacheslav left Russia in 2008, and supported Ukrainian charities since 2014.
As you know, Viacheslav Taran died in a tragic helicopter crash last week. I have lost a loving husband and a father of three of our children. It is intolerably painful for me to realize that we will never see him again. But, it is even more difficult to stay silent when someone is spreading lies about my beloved Viacheslav.
The Ukrainian news website UNIAN.net published a story that my husband allegedly was a billionaire and was involved in money laundering for Russian elites and on top of that they claimed him to be a Russian spy. All of this is outrageous and manifests an absolute and utter lie. My husband never had any connections to the Russian government or any political affiliations. He left Russia to pursue and focus on his business interests back in 2008.
Moreover, since 2014 my late husband has constantly supported charitable foundation Changeonelife.ua and since the very first days, when the war broke down, Viacheslav with his friends created Pristaniste.me a charitable foundation for Ukrainian refugees in Montenegro which accepted first refugees on 5th of March, 2022 and still is actively helping the Ukrainians in need.
This attack is unfair to Viacheslav who always actively supported supported Ukrainian people through his charity foundations, especially children who lost their parents.
Furthermore, I urge all Western journalists who cite UNIAN.net to stop spreading the lies (Will Steward and Rachael Bunyan from Daily Mail, Aliki Kraterou from The Sun). My children have already been bullied because of these accusations and I am concerned for their safety.
I understand that you do not know Viacheslav personally and reading these cynical articles one may consider them to be true, but everyone who knows Viacheslav, including the entire Monaco community knows it to be an absolute lie.
Please do not tarnish his good name and memory. We still have not received Viacheslav’s body due to the investigation and each day brings unbearable pain.
Olga Taran later issued another statement, refuting that her husband’s death was anything “mysterious”, or related to the recent deaths of crypto entrepreneurs like Tiantian Kullander and Nikolai Mushegian.
She pointed out that cryptocurrency was simply one of the markets he invested in, and that he was not a “crypto billionaire” because he invested more into blockchain and cryptocurrency than he ever got out of it.
Following the tragic death of Vyacheslav Taran, a devoted husband and loving father of three, we have been greatly distressed by the publication of false and inaccurate information that has tarnished his name and we would like to set the record straight.
Vyacheslav Taran was a successful businessman and serial entrepreneur, who was also an investor in various fintech startups, including some that worked with cryptocurrencies. He was definitely not a “crypto billionaire” and one might argue that he invested more in blockchain and crypto technology than he ever got out of it.
We categorically deny that he was involved in any way with the Russian Intelligence services or the Russian government in any capacity and we also categorically deny that he was involved in money laundering for Russian “elites” or in any other illegal activity. These are completely unfounded fabrications and outright lies, which have compounded our grief at this very difficult time.
Vyacheslav Taran was born in Russia but had lived and worked overseas since 2008, before settling in Monaco with his family more than a decade ago.
The circumstances surrounding the accident are still being investigated, mainly because of the nature of the accident. It is obviously a lengthy process, as is any investigation into accidents involving any type of aircraft. There is nothing “mysterious” about it and everyone should wait until the investigation is fully completed before jumping to conclusions or speculating about crazy conspiracy theories. We fully support the authorities in their investigation and eagerly await their findings being made public in due course.
Our beloved Vyacheslav was also a great philanthropist, having contributed to numerous charity organisations and was the co-founder of the Change One Life Foundation, which to this day has helped more than 30,000 orphaned children find families and live fulfilling lives.
Above all, he was a loyal and supportive friend, husband and father and we would politely request that his memory is not dishonoured by false information or baseless speculation.
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 nine countries just issue travel warnings against the US because of the rising violence there?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : 9 Countries Issued Travel Warning On US Violence!
The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are now promoting articles claiming that nine countries just issued travel warnings against the US because of the rising violence there!
Even Chinese state propaganda outlet Global Times wrote about these new travel warnings of US violence. Here’s an excerpt:
As the conflict between Americans with different political demands becomes increasingly violent, some countries close to the US have expressed concerns about the safety of their citizens in the US, reflecting their growing lack of confidence in Washington’s political system and governance capability.
A CNN report on Sunday observed the rare phenomenon that nine countries – Australia, New Zealand, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Canada, and Israel – have issued various levels of travel warnings against the US due to increasing violence in the country.
It is worth noting that these nations are all US neighbors or closest allies that know the country quite well and have relatively frequent and close exchanges with it. Therefore, it says a lot about how chaotic US society is when they warn their citizens about the risks of traveling to the US.
The fact that these countries worry about violence, especially gun violence, seriously put into question the stability of US society.
The root cause behind such chaos is that Washington’s political system, especially the electoral system – the core of the so-called US democratic framework – is no longer effective in alleviating the problems through governance. More and more people are starting to realize that no matter how many elections are held, almost no social issues in the US can be solved.
Elections have failed to improve the lives of US citizens, especially those who are already dissatisfied with society. With no confidence in elections, these people can easily seek to use violence to vent their anger and discontent in an indiscriminate way that threatens the lives of innocent people.
In that case, it should not be surprising if more of US’ close friends upgrade warnings to their citizens about traveling to the US. Perhaps even helmets and bullet-proof vests will soon become suggested must-have items to those who want to visit the country.
Truth : Those Travel Warnings On US Violence Are Not New!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and pro-CCP netizens.
In the following sections, I will share with you what exactly did those nine countries advise, and show you why they are nothing more than common sense advice.
Yes, the US has a gun violence problem, but those nine countries did not advise its citizens against travelling to the US.
Fact #1 : CNN Report Was Not Referring To New Travel Advisories
The CNN report that Global Times and other media outlets referred to was not a “news report”, but a travel article called “What travel warnings do other nations give their citizens about US violence?”
Anyone who reads the article would have noted that the writer, Forrest Brown, did not state that these travel advisories were new.
He was writing to show the people of America what other countries think of them, and was not specifically
American travelers — at least those of the cautious variety — might be familiar with the US State Department’s travel advisories.
The agency monitors the world for potential trouble and issues warnings from “Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions” to “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” alerting would-be visitors to terrorism threats, war, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, high crime rates and other personal security issues.
But have you ever wondered how other countries’ governments caution their citizens about coming to the United States? What kind of reputation does America have?
Fact #2 : Australia Advised Normal Safety Precautions
Australia did not change its travel advisory for the US, which remains at “Exercise normal safety precautions in the United States of America“. Here are its advice with regard to crime:
Avoid areas where demonstrations and protests are occurring due to the potential for unrest and violence. Monitor the media for information and updates. Follow the instructions of local authorities, and abide by any curfews in place.
Violent crime is more common than in Australia. Gun crime is also prevalent. If you live in the US, learn active shooter drills.
Thieves target travellers. Take care in crowded areas and on public transport. Conceal your valuables, and don’t leave items unattended in your car.
There is a heightened risk of terrorist attacks in the US. Be alert, particularly in public places and at events.
Fact #3 : Canada Advised Normal Security Precautions
Canada also did not change its travel advisory for the US, which remains at “Take normal security precautions“. Here are its advice with regard to crime:
Criminal incidents associated with drug trafficking are more frequent at the border with Mexico, in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.
Petty crime, such as pickpocketing and purse snatching, occurs, particularly in urban centres and tourist locations.
Within large urban areas, violent crime more commonly occurs in poor neighbourhoods, particularly from dusk to dawn. It often involves intoxication.
Incidents of violent crime are mainly carried out by gangs or members of organized crime groups but may also be perpetrated by lone individuals. Although violent crime rarely affects tourists.
The rate of firearm possession in the US is high. It’s legal in many states for US citizens to openly carry firearms in public.
Incidences of mass shootings occur, resulting most often in casualties. Although tourists are rarely involved, there is a risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Fact #4 : UK Advised Sensible Precautions
UK did not appear to change its travel advisory for crime in the US since 9 June 2022, where it asked people to take “sensible precautions”:
Take sensible precautions to protect yourself and your property against petty crime.
Violent crime, including gun crime, rarely involves tourists, but you should take care when travelling in unfamiliar areas. Avoid walking through less travelled areas alone, especially at night.
Incidents of mass shooting can occur, but account for a very small percentage of homicide deaths.
Crime associated with the illegal drugs trade is a major issue in Mexican states bordering Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.
Fact #5 : Israel Says There Is No Travel Threat
Israel did not change its travel advisory for the US, which remains at Threat Level 01 (No Travel Threat). It only asked that its citizens take “basic precautionary measures”.
Fact #6 : France Calls US Among The Safest Countries To Visit
France did not change its travel advisory for the US. In fact, it called “the United States of America is among the safest countries” to visit.
It does, however, tells its citizens to be wary of gun violence and crimes in very specific locations like :
Boston : gun violence and crime in certain localised areas.
New York : petty and medium crime, as well as assaults in the subway
Washington : ordinary crimes like thefts and assaults at night
Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta : certain areas to be avoided at night
New Orleans : many cases of pickpocketing and assaults
Florida : petty crime in tourist areas
Fact #7 : Germany Did Not Change Its Travel Advisory On US Crime
Germany did not change its travel advisory on US crime recently, only on “entry by land via Canada or Mexico”. It tells its citizens to be wary of gun violence and common crimes:
Pickpocketing, muggings and car break-ins occur in many metropolitan areas in the United States, but the danger varies greatly depending on the town and even within a large city depending on the neighborhood.
In poorer neighborhoods, risks for travelers increase, especially after dark, as well as in some tourist areas and on public transport. Shop robberies have increased noticeably in some cities in recent months.
It is easy to obtain guns in the United States , leading to increased use of firearms and occasional killing sprees. The number of arms and ammunition purchases has increased significantly during the COVID-19 crisis.
Fact #8 : Mexico Does Not Even Have Travel Advisory For US!
Anyone who read the CNN article would have known that Mexico (currently) does not have any travel advisory for the US. The CNN research team had to dig up a May 2021 travel advisory, which stated that:
historical racial and ethnic tension, including opposition to immigration, have led to attacks by violent extremist groups
citizens are advised to avoid large crowds, and should always carry a copy of their Mexican passport and an official photo ID
Fact #8 : Japan Warns Its Citizens About Gun Crime
As Japan is a gun-free nation, its government warned its citizens visiting the US that “one of the main security concerns in the United States is gun crime“, with advice on how to get out of an active shooter situation:
Find security exits in a new place and have an evacuation plan
Escape regardless of whether others agree or not
Hide in a room and barricade the door using heavy furniture
Keep quiet and mute cell phones
Fact #9 : New Zealand Was Worried About Terrorism Threat
New Zealand did not change its travel advisory on US crime for quite a long time, with the threat level remaining at Level 2 of 4 (Exercise increased caution), due to the “threat of terrorism”.
When it comes to crime, it offered the same common sense advice as other countries:
Petty crime such as theft and pickpocketing can occur, particularly in urban centres, tourist locations and on public transport.New Zealanders should stay alert to their surroundings, stay vigilant on public transport and avoid leaving belongings unattended, including in rental vehicles.
You should avoid crossing the border by car into Mexico from Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. There have been increased incidents of crime associated with drug trading.
There is a higher incidence of violent crime and firearm possession than in New Zealand. In many states, it is legal for United States citizens to openly carry firearms in public. However, crime rates vary considerably across cities and suburbs and incidents rarely involve tourists. New Zealanders should take care when travelling in unfamiliar areas.
Active shooter incidents occur in the United States.
Ultimately, this is just another example of Chinese propaganda propagated by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and pro-CCP netizens.
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Russian crypto billionaire Vyacheslav Taran has died after his helicopter crashed near Monaco!
Russian Crypto Billionaire Vyacheslav Taran Dies In Helicopter Crash!
Russian billionaire Vyacheslav Taran is now the third cryptocurrency entrepreneur to die under mysterious circumstances in recent weeks.
Vyacheslav Taran is the co-founder of the trading and investment platform, Libertex, as well as the founder and CEO of the Forex Club group of companies..
On Friday, 25 November 2022, he flew from Lausanne, Switzerland in a single-engined H130 helicopter back to his home in Monaco, when it crashed near the resort town of Villefranche-sur-Mer in good, clear weather.
He was supposed to be travelling with another unidentified passenger on this flight, but that passenger cancelled at the last minute.
Both Vyacheslav Taran, 53, and the 35 year-old French helicopter pilot were killed in the crash.
The deputy public prosecutor of Nice who visited the crash scene, said that the fault of a third party could not yet be ruled out.
Taran’s unexpected death will likely spur conspiracy theories, coming just two days after Tiantian Kullander died in his sleep, and just weeks after Nikolas Mushegian apparently drowned after tweeting about an alleged plot by the CIA and Mossad to murder him.
It also seems to be a dangerous time for Russian businessmen, who are dying in mysterious circumstances both in Russia, and overseas. Just in September alone:
28 September 2022 : Pavel Pchelnikov allegedly shot himself on the balcony of his Moscow apartment.
21 September 2022 : Anatoly Gerashchenko died after falling down a flight of stairs in Moscow.
10 September 2022 : Ivan Pechorin fell from his boat and drowned at Cape Ignatyev in Vladivostok.
1 September 2022 : Ravil Maganov – the chairman of Lukoil, “fell out of a window” in the Kremlin Hospital.
Libertex Group On Death Of Co-Founder, Vyacheslav Taran
In an official statement, the Libertex Group confirmed its co-founder’s death, and described Taran as “kind-hearted, polite and humble”.
It is with great sadness that Libertex Group confirms the death of its co-founder and Chairman of Board of Directors, Vyacheslav Taran, after a helicopter crash that took place en route to Monaco on Friday, 25 November 2022.
The Board of Directors of Libertex Group and company employees extend their most heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the Taran family. Vyacheslav is survived by his wife Olga and three children.
Vyacheslav Taran was a fintech entrepreneur and a published author, with long-standing experience in the financial industry. In 1997, he co-founded what was to eventually become the trading and investing platform Libertex.
A well-known and highly respected businessman, described as kind-hearted, polite and humble by everyone who was fortunate enough to know him, Taran was a true visionary. His vision and direction have made Libertex what it is today: his “dream company to work for” that he often described to colleagues in speeches and internal memos as “a company whose services and products I use myself and am willing to recommend to my relatives and friends.”
Taran was also devoted to giving back to the community and always rushed to help those in need, particularly children. He co-founded Change One Life, a charitable foundation helping children from orphanages and child-care institutions to find families and live fulfilling lives. To this day, Change One Life has helped more than 30,000 orphaned children.
Vyacheslav Taran will be missed more than words can express, and everyone at Libertex will eternally be grateful for what he has accomplished.
We kindly ask that during this difficult and extremely painful time, the family’s privacy is respected.
Libertex Group would also like to extend its condolences to the family of the pilot.
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.
The owner of Kalypso Media – Simon Hellwig – has suddenly died at 46, leaving the company in hands of co-managing director Dr. Anika Thun.
Kalypso Media Owner Simon Hellwig Dies At 46… 🙁
On Tuesday, October 18, 2022, Kalypso Media announced that its owner and joint Managing Director, Simon Hellwig, has suddenly passed away. In his place, co-managing director Dr. Anika Thun will continue to run Kalypso Media.
Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek founded Kalypso Media in 2006, and the company is best known for its strategy game titles, including the Tropico and Railway Empire series.
From its humble beginnings in Worms, Germany, Kalypso Media has since expanded into England, France and North America. It also owns five development studios including Realmforge Studios, Gaming Minds Studios, Bulwark Studios, Claymore Game Studios and Nine World Studios.
Before the antivax ghouls come out to blame his sudden death on the COVID-19 vaccines, let me just say it right now – there is NO EVIDENCE that Simon Hellwig died from vaccine-induced sudden death – SADS / VDS / VIDS or whatever you want to call it.
While Kalypso Media did not state Simon Hellwig’s cause of death, its official statement is framed by black ribbons, which are often used as a symbol of skin cancer / melanoma awareness. So it seems quite likely that Simon Hellwig died from melanoma or skin cancer.
Official Statement By Kalypso Media On Death Of Simon Hellwig
Here is the official statement by Kalypso Media on the death of its co-founder and owner, Simon Hellwig.
Bracknell, UK – (18th October 2022) – Kalypso Media Group are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Simon Hellwig, company owner and joint Managing Director.
As was always planned for Simon’s succession and the future of the business, Dr. Anika Thun will continue to lead as Managing Director with the support of senior management and the entire company group. Simon leaves behind a hugely successful business and legacy that we, as a group, endeavour to maintain. Simon’s vision was clear and we are committed to fulfilling it and continuing the growth of the company in honour of his legacy.
Simon co-founded Kalypso Media in 2006 and oversaw its notable growth. Now proudly standing at over 200 global employees at offices across Germany, England, France, Japan and North America, the group currently includes the digital label Kasedo Games and five development studios: Realmforge Studios, Gaming Minds Studios, Claymore Game Studios, Nine Worlds Studios and Bulwark Studios.
Simon’s business acumen and affection for the video games industry began from an early age. Whilst others were developing homemade games in their bedrooms, Simon instead would buy and sell them to magazines. His love of one of the earliest play-by-mail strategy games, Gladius et Pilum, not only combined his interests in gaming and history but also established a lifelong passion for historical strategy games.
This enthusiasm for the industry culminated in his diploma thesis ‘Development of a Business Plan for the Foundation of a Company in the Entertainment Software Industry’ which would go on to define the expectations and aims of the Kalypso Media Group. These goals were met and exceeded over the last sixteen years, in which Simon and his team grew Kalypso to become a name in the industry that continues to stand for quality strategy and simulation games.
Kalypso Media has lost an enormously well-respected leader and friend. Throughout his sixteen years at the helm, Simon consistently inspired those around him through his dedication to his team, the business and the wider industry. His brilliant vision and his endless enthusiasm knew no bounds and he will be immensely missed by his Kalypso Media family and friends within the industry. As a family business, Anika and Simon were united as partners in every way and this loss is immeasurable. Our thoughts are with all those who were dear to him.
Our deepest condolences to Simon Hellwig’s family, and the Kalypso Media team.
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.
When Mikaben suddenly collapsed and died on stage, anti-vaccination activists immediately claimed that he was a victim of vaccine sudden death!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Mikaben Died From Vaccine Sudden Death!
Right after news broke that Mikaben collapsed and died on stage, anti-vaccination activists immediately claimed that the 41 year-old Haitian singer died from vaccine-induced sudden death (SADS / VIDS)!
Here is a selection of social media posts accompanying links or articles on his death:
Michael ‘Mikaben’ Benjamin, a 41-year-old Haitian Singer Collapses on Stage, Dies Suddenly of Suspected Cardiac Arrest During Concert in Paris.
Cardiac deaths been booming since the introduction of the Covid vaccine, but they will tell you it’s the climate. 🤦🏾♂️
Michael Benjamin, a 41 year old Haitian singer, collapses on stage and dies 🙁
This is happening globally Did you know that on average, 33 athletes a year die from medical causes, this year, we hit 1000+ @PierreKory
Where is the media? The silence is deafening #Vaccine
Singer Mikaben Dead at 41 After Collapsing During Performance in Paris
Truth : Mikaben Did NOT Die From Vaccine Sudden Death!
It’s now a tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all celebrity deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why, and what we know so far…
Fact #1 : Mikaben’s Cause Of Death Was Cardiac Arrest
Haitian singer, Mikaben (born Michael Benjamin on June 27, 1981) collapsed during a concert at the Accor Arena in Paris, and passed away on Saturday, October 15, 2022.
After finishing a performance with the Haitian kompa band CaRiMi, Mikaben was walking to the back of the stage when he suddenly collapsed hard onto the stage.
Emergency medical services tried but failed to revive him, as reported by the Accor Arena team (with English machine translation) :
Hier soir lors du concert de Carimi, l’un des chanteurs, Michael Benjamin, Mikaben de son nom d’artiste est décédé suite à un malaise survenu sur scène et malgré l’intervention des secours.
Last night during the Carimi concert, one of the singers, Michael Benjamin, known professionally as Mikaben died following a malaise on stage and despite the intervention of the emergency services.
On Tuesday, October 18, 2022, a representative for Mikaben confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the singer died of a cardiac arrest.
There is no evidence that Mikaben’s sudden death had anything to do with COVID-19 vaccines. He died from a cardiac arrest, not the vaccine.
Fact #2 : Mikaben Was Perfectly Healthy Until His Sudden Collapse
Videos recorded during the CaRiMi concert showed that the Haitian artist was in good health as he sang for his fans.
That rules out the possibility (and false claims) that he was suffering from myocarditis caused by the COVID-19 vaccines.
Yes, mRNA vaccines can cause myocarditis, but Mikaben would be breathless and be experiencing chest pains and fatigue. He would hardly be in a condition to sing at a concert.
The video of his collapse showed that he was walking normally towards the band when he suddenly collapsed, like a switch had been turned off – a classic sign of a cardiac arrest.
Fact #3 : Sudden Cardiac Arrest Is Common + Often Fatal
Despite what anti-vaccination activists may claim, COVID-19 vaccines do NOT cause sudden cardiac arrest. People have been dying from sudden cardiac arrest long before COVID-19 vaccines were invented!
In fact, sudden cardiac arrest in relatively young adults is common, especially during strenuous activities and they are often fatal.
Approximately 356,000 adults suffer from sudden cardiac arrest every year in the United States, 90% of which are fatal. Globally, roughly 8.3 million people will suffer from sudden cardiac arrests every year.
That’s why many states in the United States enacted laws requiring automated external defibrillators (AED) to be made available in health clubs, gyms, schools, and other public places.
Mikaben’s wife, Vanessa Fanfan, was understandably distraught. She mourned the loss of her husband in a series of Instagram posts, including a video of Mikaben dancing with her.
Oh mon Dieu, Heavenly Father, I know you don’t make mistakes and you won’t give us what we can’t bare but…this pain is very heavy. Help me please oh merciful Lord. #monMikaseigneur #mytruelove❤️ #myotherhalf❤️ #thefatherofmykids #mybestfeiend I WILL NOT QUESTION YOU GOD. PLEASE HELP ME, I’M DROWNING IN THIS SORROW
She also warned his fans about fraudulent GoFundMe accounts set up in Mikaben’s name.
Be aware of fraudulent GoFundMe accounts set up on Mikabens’ behalf. These accounts were not set up or authorized by the family.
If Mikaben did indeed die from COVID-19 vaccination, his wife would have mentioned it in her Instagram posts, if not be outraged by that.
But at no point in time did she ever blame the COVID-19 vaccines for her husband’s deaths.
Fact #5 : Mikaben Was Likely Fully Vaccinated
It is currently unknown if Mikaben was vaccinated against COVID-19, because the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in Haiti, despite what anti-vaccination activists may claim.
However, I believe Mikaben was likely fully-vaccinated because Wyclef Jean shared that he hung out with Mikaben when they were in New York together for the Bayo musical tour in May 2022.
Bayo concert producer Michael Brun brought Wyclef Jean as a special guest, and he later brought Mikaben and the other artists out for a jam session.
Although COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory in the United States, travellers are required to be fully-vaccinated to enter, although there are exemptions to that rule.
Unless his family reveals his vaccination status, we will never know for sure, but it is highly likely that Mikaben was fully-vaccinated.
Fact #6 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days
Even if Mikaben was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, he definitely received his vaccine doses many months ago.
He cannot possibly have died from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not many months later.
Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.
Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days.
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 Celebrities Injured By COVID-19 Vaccine Proven False
This is yet another example of anti-vaccination activists abusing celebrity deaths / injuries to create and propagate FAKE NEWS about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
So far, claims of celebrity deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false at every instance.
Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next celebrity tragedy…
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Acclaimed South Korean visual artist Kim Jung Gi just died of a heart attack, not vaccine-induced sudden adult death syndrome!
Claim : Kim Jung Gi Died From COVID-19 Vaccine SADS!
Right after news broke that Kim Jung Gi died suddenly in Paris, anti-vaccination activists quickly claimed that the acclaimed visual artist and Guinness World Record holder died from vaccine-induced Sudden Adult Death Syndrome!
Here is a selection of social media posts accompanying links or articles on his death:
The covid jab killed Kim Jung Gi. Should not have had to spell it out for you. Use your brain.
Ima say it now. Not disrespectful at all. But the vaccine might have killed Kim jung gi. This vaccine making people have sudden deaths for no underlying health conditions
The prospect of Kim Jung Gi’s life being cut short by pulmonary issues as a result of being injected with the covid mRNA injection should infuriate you. But it doesn’t.
Truth : Kim Jung Gi Died Of Heart Attack, Not SADS!
It’s becoming a tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all celebrity deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why… and the current facts that we know so far.
Fact #1 : Kim Jung Gi Died Of Heart Attack
47 year-old Kim Jung Gi was at the airport in Paris on 3 October 2022, when he complained of chest pains.
The Guinness World Record holder (for longest drawing by an individual) had just concluded an exhibition of his work, and was waiting to to board a flight to New York for Comic Con.
He was transported to a nearby hospital for surgery, but passed away. His death was announced by his collaborator Hyun Jin Kim on his official social media account:
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we inform you of the sudden passing of Kim Jung Gi. After finishing his last schedule in Europe, Jung Gi went to the airport to fly to New York, where he experienced chest pains and was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery, but sadly passed away.
October 3, 2022
After having done so much for us, you can now put down your brushes. Thank you Jung Gi.
October 5, 2022 Hyun Jin Kim
The Daniel Maghen Gallery, where Kim Jung Gi was exhibiting in Paris, also confirmed in an Instagram post that his cause of death was a heart attack.
It is with a great sadness that we inform you of the death of Kim Jung Gi on Monday evening in Paris. The South Korean artist died after a heart attack at the age of 47.
His sudden disappearance contrasts with the immense happiness he brought us. We are speechless.
Daniel Maghen, the entire gallery team, and particularly Olivier Souillé, who had accompanied him for ten years, are terribly affected by his loss.
All our thoughts are turned to his family, his wife and his two children, his friends, his collaborators Kim Hyun Jin, Boin Lee, Jean-Christophe Caurette… and his fans, for whom his disappearance will leave a great void.
Neither his family, his friends nor people working with Kim Jung Gi ever claimed that the renowned artist died from the COVID-19 vaccine, or the sudden adult death syndrome (also known as the sudden arrhythmic death syndrome).
Some Indian / Pakistani blogs like NewsWizal and PassengerNews24 claimed that Kim Jung Gi was not vaccinated against COVID-19, “according to South Korea’s intelligence service”.
Never mind the fact that South Korean intelligence services are not keeping track of their citizens’ vaccination status, or the fact that they somehow have access to foreign intelligence reports, they appear to be confusing the South Korean artist with a female South Korean actress.
It is currently unknown if Kim Jung Gi was vaccinated against COVID-19, because it is not mandatory in South Korea, despite what anti-vaccination activists may c laim.
However, Kim Jung Gi is likely fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, as he was about to fly to New York when he died.
The United States currently require non-residents to be fully-vaccinated to travel to the US. While it is possible to travel to the United States with a vaccine exemption, it is more than likely that Kim Jung Gi was fully-vaccinated.
Fact #3 : Kim Jung Gi Was Well Before Complaining Of Chest Pains
Kim Jung Gi appeared to be in good health, during his exhibition at the Daniel Maghen Gallery, and on the way to the airpot.
That tells us that he isn’t suffering from vaccine-induced myocarditis, which would have left him breathless and fatigued, with cardiac symptoms like chest pain, irregular heart beat, etc.
His complaint of sudden and severe chest pain is a classic symptom of a heart attack. If he suffered a cardiac arrest, he would have just collapsed, which was what happened to Coolio just days earlier.
He also did not suffer from pulmonary issues as claimed by some anti-vaccination activists, which would have resulted in breathing difficulties.
Fact #4 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days
Kim Jung Gi likely received his COVID-19 vaccinations months ago.
He cannot possibly have died 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.
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 #5 : COVID-19 Vaccines Do NOT Cause SADS
It is ludicrous to claim that COVID-19 vaccines cause sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS), because SADS was first documented in 1977 – long before COVID-19 vaccines were invented!
Despite what anti-vaccination activists may tell you – SADS is not a new vaccine-related syndrome.
SADS is an inherited problem with your heart’s electrical system, which produces an abnormal heart rhythm that leads to a cardiac arrest. That’s why it can be prevented by implanting a cardioverter-defribillator.
SADS also occurs at a rate of 0.12 to 0.21 per 100,000 people every single year. In other words, approximately 9,000 to 16,000 people die from SADS every single year, before the COVID-19 vaccines were invented.
The UK Office for National Statistics data on Sudden Adult Deaths from 2016 to 2020 also showed NO INCREASE in SADS cases, demonstrating that COVID-19 vaccines did not increase the prevalence of SADS.
Note : There is no 2021 data until sometime in December 2022. The 2020 data was only released on 22 December 2021.
Vaccination in the United Kingdom started on 8 December 2020, with over a million doses administered by end of the month. Despite (false) claims that the vaccines cause SADS, that did not result in an increase in SADS cases.
Years
Sudden Adult Death
Syndrome Cases
2016
116
2017
63
2018
53
2019
87
2020
115
Fact #6 : Deaths / Injuries From COVID-19 Vaccines Can Be Proven
Despite anti-vaccination activists chalking up celebrity deaths to the vaccine; death or injury from rare vaccine adverse effects like anaphylaxis, myocarditis and VITT can be proven.
Anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) from Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines happens within minutes. That’s why people are asked to wait for 15-30 minutes after getting the vaccine. People who get an anaphylactic shock will require an epinephrine shot to quickly relieve it.
Vaccine-induced myocarditis has distinct histopathology findings that are different from typical myocarditis, so a pathologist will be able to determine if the myocarditis was caused by the vaccines or otherwise.
Vaccine-induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT) is very specific to the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. It is also easily differentiated by its unique combination of blood clots in large veins of the brains, abdomen and lungs, together with low platelet counts leading to bleeding tendencies.
COVID-19 vaccines underwent massive clinical trials, and were only approved after they were proven to be safe and effective.
In addition, they were constantly monitored after they received their approvals, which picked up rare side effects after they were administered to billions of people.
Anti-vaccination activists have often claimed that those who received the vaccine would die. Yet, the opposite was true – the vaccines are not only safe, they are effective in protecting people from getting hospitalised or dying from COVID-19.
Even prominent antivaxxer Steve Kirsch is healthy and well, despite being fully-vaccinated against COVID-19!
Fact #8 : Claims Of Celebrities Injured By COVID-19 Vaccine Proven False
This is yet another example of anti-vaccination activists abusing celebrity deaths / injuries to create and propagate FAKE NEWS about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
So far, claims of celebrity deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false at every instance.
Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next celebrity tragedy…
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The WHO has convened an emergency meeting on the monkeypox outbreak that has spread to 56 countries!
Here is what you need to know…
WHO Convenes Emergency Meeting On Monkeypox Outbreak!
On 23 June 2022, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened an emergency committee meeting under Article 48 of the International Health Regulations to discuss the current monkeypox outbreak.
Chaired by Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele and Dr. Nicola Low, this emergency WHO meeting on monkeypox is only open to members and advisors of the Emergency Committee.
The findings of this emergency meeting would be conveyed to the Director-General of WHO, on whether the outbreak should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern, and also on potential recommendations on how to address it.
This meeting comes as an NGO called World Health Network (unrelated to WHO) issued a press release describing the current monkeypox outbreak as a “pandemic”, urging “immediate and effective action” from country and global health authorities.
This led to a bit of confusion, as their names and acronyms were similar (WHO vs WHN). To be clear, WHO has not declared a monkeypox pandemic.
Over 4,000 Monkeypox Cases Confirmed In 56 Countries!
Discovered in 1958, the first human infection was only reported in 1970, and there were only like 400 cases from 1970 to 1986.
Monkeypox became more common over time, with 2000 cases per year reported between 2011 and 2014, and several outbreaks in the US (2003 and 2021), UK (2018 and 2021), and Singapore (2019)..
However, nothing has come close to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak which has now affected at least 56 countries outside of endemic African countries, with over 4,000 cases!
Country
Confirmed
Cases
Suspected
Cases
Total
Spain
918
100
1,018
United Kingdom
793
–
793
Germany
676
–
676
France
330
–
330
Portugal
328
–
328
Canada
223
45
268
United States
173
–
173
Netherlands
167
–
167
Italy
85
–
85
Belgium
77
1
78
Switzerland
52
–
52
Ireland
28
–
28
Ghana
18
–
18
Brazil
11
6
17
Israel
16
–
16
Australia
13
–
13
Denmark
13
–
13
Sweden
13
–
13
UAE
13
–
13
Austria
12
–
12
Poland
12
–
12
Mexico
9
–
9
Slovenia
9
–
9
Hungary
7
–
7
Czech Republic
6
–
6
Uganda
–
6
6
Romania
5
–
5
Argentina
4
–
4
Finland
4
–
4
Malta
4
–
4
Norway
4
–
4
Somalia
–
4
4
Chile
3
–
3
Colombia
3
–
3
Greece
3
–
3
Iceland
3
–
3
Bulgaria
2
–
2
Latvia
2
–
2
Morocco
1
1
2
Bahamas
–
1
1
Cayman Islands
–
1
1
Fiji
–
1
1
Georgia
1
–
1
Gibraltar
1
–
1
Haiti
–
1
1
Libya
–
1
1
Lebanon
1
–
1
Luxembourg
1
–
1
Serbia
1
–
1
Singapore
1
–
1
South Africa
1
–
1
South Korea
1
–
1
Uruguay
–
1
1
Venezuela
1
–
1
Zambia
–
1
1
TOTAL
4,049
170
4,219
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.
Over 560 monkeypox cases have now been confirmed in at least 25 countries outside of Africa!
Find out if the monkeypox outbreak could become a new pandemic we have to worry about!
Over 560 Monkeypox Cases Confirmed In 25 Countries!
People are now worried about the rapid spread of monkeypox globally. although the WHO has said that it is unlikely to become a pandemic like COVID-19.
Discovered in 1958, the first human infection was only reported in 1970, and there were only like 400 cases from 1970 to 1986.
Monkeypox became more common over time, with 2000 cases per year reported between 2011 and 2014, and several outbreaks in the US (2003 and 2021), UK (2018 and 2021), and Singapore (2019)..
However, nothing has come close to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak which has now affected at least 25 countries outside of Africa, with over 560 cases!
Country
Confirmed
Cases
Suspected
Cases
Total
United Kingdom
179
–
179
Spain
120
–
120
Portugal
96
–
96
Canada
26
37
63
Germany
33
–
33
Netherlands
26
–
26
France
17
–
17
United States
15
–
15
Italy
14
–
14
Belgium
9
–
9
Czech Republic
5
–
5
Switzerland
4
–
4
UAE
4
–
4
Sweden
3
–
3
Ireland
2
1
3
Argentina
2
–
2
Australia
2
–
2
Denmark
2
–
2
Israel
2
–
2
Slovenia
2
–
2
Austria
1
–
1
Finland
1
–
1
Malta
1
–
1
Mexico
1
–
1
Thailand
1
–
1
TOTAL
568
56
617
Monkeypox Cases May Increase, But Unlikely To Become Pandemic
On 30 May 2022, the World Health Organisation’s top monkeypox expert, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, gave a public briefing on the 2022 monkeypox outbreak.
Here is a summary of the key points Dr. Lewis shared in that public session :
She does not expect the monkeypox outbreak to turn into another pandemic like COVID-19.
There are still many unknowns about this outbreak, including how exactly it is spreading.
The suspension of mass smallpox immunisation decades ago may have resulted in increased transmission.
Vast majority of current cases seen in gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.
There is a higher proportion of people with fewer visible lesions that are more concentrated in the genital region, and sometimes nearly impossible to see. This is a danger because they are infectious even though their lesions are not visible.
There is a window of opportunity to shut down the outbreak so it does not become endemic in new areas.
Fortunately, the 2022 monkeypox outbreak appears to be of the less virulent West African strain, because there is no proven treatment.
The smallpox vaccine can offer up to 85% protection against monkeypox, and certain antiviral treatments can be attempted.
But otherwise – hospitals can only offer supportive treatment as the patient isolates for 2-4 weeks until the disease resolves.
Monkeypox primarily spreads through close contact, but can spread through respiratory droplets. However, it is far less contagious and is not airborne like COVID-19.
Infected people are also not considered contagious until they start showing symptoms, which limits transmission. This is unlike COVID-19 which is often spread by people who are asymptomatic.
The best way to describe its ability to infect people would be to understand its R0 (Reproduction Number, pronounced as R naught) – how many people an infected person is expected to pass the disease along to.
The ancestral COVID-19 virus has an R0 of between 2 to 3, which increased to 8 with the Omicron variant. That’s really contagious – every infected person will (on average) transmit the virus to 8 other people.
On the other hand, past outbreaks of monkeypox had an R0 of less than one. That means even though there may be clusters of several cases, even outbreaks, the cases die out on their own.
Virus
R0
Measles
12 to 18
Omicron COVID-19
8
Smallpox
5 to 7
Ancestral COVID-19
2 to 3
H1N1 (2009)
1.5 to 2.5
Monkeypox
<1
Monkeypox fortunately does not spread very efficiently between humans. Generally, you need to have skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, or come into contact with his/her bodily fluids, to get infected.
The people most at risk would be close contacts of the infected person, like family members or healthcare workers taking care of them.
Transmission is really happening from close physical contact, skin-to-skin contact. It’s quite different from COVID in that sense.
– Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Infectious Disease Epidemiologist
It’s not as highly transmissible as something like smallpox, or measles, or certainly not Covid. It does not spread easily from person to person, the risk to the general public is low.
– Anne Rimoin, infectious disease epidemiologist at University of California.
That is why it is very unlikely to become a pandemic, although if it spreads to susceptible rodent populations, it could become endemic in those areas.
There is also the fact that the monkeypox is so closely related to the smallpox virus, the smallpox vaccine offers 85% protection against monkeypox infections.
In fact, one smallpox vaccine – JYNNEOS – was approved in the United States to serve as protection against monkeypox. Even though there is no public access to this vaccine, that can quickly change.
Several countries, including the United States, have strategic reserves of smallpox vaccines, which can be deployed in a monkeypox outbreak.
Countries have also started purchasing smallpox vaccines :
19 May 2022 : Spain’s Ministry of Health announced that it was in the process of purchasing thousands of doses of smallpox vaccines
24 May 2022 : CDC announced that the US is in the process of releasing some JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine doses for people who are “high risk”.
25 May 2022 : the German government announced that it was buying 40,000 doses of the JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic.
26 May 2022 : the UK Health Security Agency announced that it purchased 20,000 doses of the JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic.
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.
Monkeypox primarily spreads through close contact, but can spread through respiratory droplets. However, it is far less contagious and is not airborne like COVID-19.
Infected people are also not considered contagious until they start showing symptoms, which limits transmission. This is unlike COVID-19 which is often spread by people who are asymptomatic.
The best way to describe its ability to infect people would be to understand its R0 (Reproduction Number, pronounced as R naught) – how many people an infected person is expected to pass the disease along to.
The ancestral COVID-19 virus has an R0 of between 2 to 3, which increased to 8 with the Omicron variant. That’s really contagious – every infected person will (on average) transmit the virus to 8 other people.
On the other hand, past outbreaks of monkeypox had an R0 of less than one. That means even though there may be clusters of several cases, even outbreaks, the cases die out on their own.
Virus
R0
Measles
12 to 18
Omicron COVID-19
8
Smallpox
5 to 7
Ancestral COVID-19
2 to 3
H1N1 (2009)
1.5 to 2.5
Monkeypox
<1
Monkeypox fortunately does not spread very efficiently between humans. Generally, you need to have skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, or come into contact with his/her bodily fluids, to get infected.
The people most at risk would be close contacts of the infected person, like family members or healthcare workers taking care of them.
Transmission is really happening from close physical contact, skin-to-skin contact. It’s quite different from COVID in that sense.
– Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Infectious Disease Epidemiologist
It’s not as highly transmissible as something like smallpox, or measles, or certainly not Covid. It does not spread easily from person to person, the risk to the general public is low.
– Anne Rimoin, infectious disease epidemiologist at University of California.
That is why it is very unlikely to become a pandemic, even though it is really abnormal for so many outbreaks to occur simultaneously.
There is also the fact that the monkeypox is so closely related to the smallpox virus, the smallpox vaccine offers 85% protection against monkeypox infections.
In fact, one smallpox vaccine – JYNNEOS – was approved in the United States to serve as protection against monkeypox. Even though there is no public access to this vaccine, that can quickly change.
Several countries, including the United States, have strategic reserves of smallpox vaccines, which can be deployed in a monkeypox outbreak.
We have already worked to secure sufficient supply of effective treatments and vaccines to prevent those exposed from contracting monkeypox and treating people who’ve been affected.
– Dr. Raj Panjabi, White House Pandemic Office.
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.
Does NATO have a secret headquarters under the Azovstal plant in Ukraine, where they produce biological weapons?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Secret NATO Headquarters Under Azovstal Exposed!
People are sharing schematics of a secret NATO headquarters under the Azovstal plant, where they claim biological weapons are being produced in Ukraine.
It was actively promoted by Russian political scientist, Sergei Markov, Russia Today, and several Italian TV channels including PiazzaPulita on La7 and Rai 1, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Online posts often included this long story, which is rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts.
What is the secret of Azovstal? In Mariupel there is a secret building with a depth of 30 m underground and on multiple floors.
This building is located under the Azovstal plant, which includes the secret headquarters of the North Atlantic, with the code number (pit_404). For the production of biological weapons, within a highly fortified and protected system, in which 240 foreign scientists of different nationalities are present.
In addition to a number of NATO officers from America…
Germany, Canada, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Greece, and soldiers from the French Fifth Corps.
They are protected by the Rinat Azov battalion, which is the most dangerous battalion in the Nazi army. They are all professional killers, snipers and … criminals who cannot leave Ukraine, as they are wanted in most countries of the world for many crimes, and they are 3000 fighters.
This headquarters is run by the Metabiota Corporation of Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and his direct partner, Vladimir Zelensky.
French intelligence tried to evacuate those in special operations, but they failed many times, which led to the release of French intelligence chief Eric Vida from his position as a result of this chain failure.
They assigned the task to the American General Roger Cloute … so his helicopter was shot down before taking off and he was arrested, as he was under follow-up from the GRU in the General Staff and the Russian Foreign Intelligence.
Macron tried a lot to communicate with Putin to secure a safe passage for them, but they were refused and..
Putin’s insistence on bringing them alive or dead. We have a sequel after their arrest…
Truth : There Is No Secret NATO Headquarters Under Azovstal!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and shared by not only pro-Russia activists, but also the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Here are the facts behind the two viral schematics, and why this is just fake news…
Fact #1 : Azovstal Plant Complex Was Created By Soviet Union
The massive Azovstal plant complex was created in the 1930s, as a priority construction project by the Soviet Union.
They spent 292 million rubles to create the massive steel plant complex that would be capable of producing 4 million tons of pig iron a year.
That target was partly demanded by Soviet leaders to beat the Americans whose Gary steel plant was “only” capable of smelting 3 million tons a year.
Fact #2 : Azovstal Bunkers Were Built By Soviet Union
The fake news creators used this infographic from the Daily Mail UK as “evidence” that the Azovstal tunnels were created by NATO.
Ironically, the infographic specifically pointed out that the bunkers and tunnels under the Azovstal plant complex were built by the Soviet Union, to “safeguard the steel plant’s 40,000 workers in the event of a nuclear attack”.
These bunkers and tunnels were built many decades earlier by the Soviet Union, not NATO.
Credit : Daily Mail UK
Fact #3 : No Evidence Of NATO Facility Called PIT-404
There is no evidence of any NATO facility called PIT-404 ever existed.
The fabulous fact checkers at MythDetector.ge did a great job of tracing the origin of this PIT-404 claim to an April 4, 2022 post in the Russian forum, strategium.ru.
In that post, a user called sojnyshkotanya claimed that there is a bio-laboratory under Azovstal, and mentioned PIT several times in reference to Azovstal.
sojnyshkotanya also noted that the best route for the evacuation of Western officials from that facility is from Mariupol to Samsun – a distance of 404 miles.
That was the most likely origin of the name and story of the mysterious PIT-404 underground NATO facility that produces biological weapons.
Fact #4 : PIT-404 Schematic Was From A Board Game!
The image that people are sharing as the PIT-404 NATO facility schematic was actually taken from a board game called Blackout: Journey into Darkness by Richard T. Boardwater.
This board game was pitched on Kickstarter in 2016 as a game for 1-4 people who try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by monsters, where humans now have to survive in bunkers.
You can see its bunker graphic under the Beneath The Surface section of their Kickstarter pitch), with the following description :
Beneath the crumbling cities, a vast network of subterranean pathways exists. These vast underground chambers are vital to the Brood’s survival. With these tunnels, The Brood emerged to feed on mankind after the great fall. It is these same tunnels they continue to thrive unmolested. Many of the nomadic Unification kill teams have attempted to cleanse these zones but all have been unsuccessful, for the network beneath the surface is vast.
Doesn’t sound like a NATO facility, does it?
The game ultimately didn’t achieve its fundraising goal and was not greenlit, but its bunker design has now found everlasting fame as the (non-existent) PIT-404 NATO facility in the fevered dreams of Russian and Chinese conspiracy theorists.
Fact #5 : PiazzaPulita Admitted Their Mistake
On 22 April 2022, PiazzaPulita admitted that they were wrong to claim that the Blackout bunker schematic was of the Azovstal steel factory bunkers.
As far as I can tell, Sergei Markov – the Russian political scientist and former Putin advisor – has yet to admit his mistake…
Fact #6 : Metabiota Is Not Owned By Hunter Biden Or Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The fake story claimed that “this headquarters is run by the Metabiota Corporation of Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and his direct partner, Volodymyr Zelensky“. That’s utter nonsense.
Metabiota is a private company owned by 21 venture capitalist companies, one of which is Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners – a private equity firm partly owned by Hunter Biden.
So no, Metabiota is not owned by Hunter Biden. Neither is it owned by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The fact that the fake news creators got the name Volodymyr wrong, suggests that they are not Russian. Quite likely, this fake news was created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Fact #7 : French General Eric Vidaud Failed To Predict Russian Invasion
French General Eric Vidaud was fired at the end of March 2022 for failing to predict Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – in sharp contrast with other Western Allies.
Vidaud, who led the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DRM) was asked to step down, after an internal defence ministry investigation criticised “insufficient briefings” and “failure to master the issues”.
The fact that the fake news creators got the name Vidaud wrong, suggests that they are not Russian. Quite likely, this fake news was created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Left : Gen. Eric Vidaud | Right : Lt. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier
Fact #8 : US General Roger Cloutier Jr. Was Not Captured
US Lieutenant General Roger L. Cloutier Jr. was not shot down in his helicopter, and captured by Russian forces in Mariupol.
A NATO spokesperson, Brian Andries said that Cloutier is currently commanding NATO Allied Land Command in Izmir, Turkey and has not been to Ukraine since July 2021.
The fact that the fake news creators got the name Cloutier wrong, suggests that they are not Russian. Quite likely, this fake news was created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Variants of this FAKE NEWS are now being shared in pro-Russia and pro-CCP websites.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out!
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.
An attorney, Todd Callender, has gone viral after claiming that your COVID-19 vaccination will void your life insurance contract!
Take a look at his claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Todd Callender : COVID-19 Vaccination Will Void Your Life Insurance!
People are sharing a video of Todd Callender, an attorney, who claimed on a TruNews interview that getting the COVID-19 vaccination will void your life insurance contract!
Death By ‘Suicide’: Life Insurance Companies Will Likely Deny Most COVID Jab Claims
Attorney Todd Callender: “The court specifically found that participation in clinical trials is so hazardous that it voids the coverage of the insurance contract. ‘You should have known.’ They treated it, for purposes of the law, as a suicide. The court is saying, ‘Participating in a phase three clinical trial is suicide.’ That’s the conclusion.”
Here is a short transcript of what he said in the video for your reference.
He quotes an unspecified court case that happened “three weeks ago“, where “the judge looked at this and effectively told the person who took the experimental shot – who died – called it a suicide“.
He then goes on to say, “He characterised it as a suicide because you knew, or should have known, that you were taking part in a highly dangerous activity called the Phase 3 clinical trial, and therefore you voided the coverage under the contract. The insurance company does not have to pay that contract.”
Truth : COVID-19 Vaccination Will NOT Void Your Life Insurance!
This is yet another example of anti-vaccination FAKE VIDEOS that anti-vaccination activists are concocting to mislead people about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No Judge Ruled Death From Vaccine As Suicide
Oddly enough, Callender did not specify where this court case occurred, or the exact details of the case that he claimed would be a landmark case.
That’s because – there is no such court case. There is no known court case in which a judge ruled that a person who died after receiving COVID-19 vaccination was considered a suicide.
Fact #2 : Fake Story Originated As Court Case In France
This fake story appears to originate with a right-wing, anti-vaccination German website, which posted a story about a French millionaire who died from the vaccine and had his life insurance voided.
That website claimed that it was originally published by the family’s lawyer, Carlo Alberto Brusa, on his Facebook page.
However, Brusa’s Facebook page has ZERO post about any court case, going all the way back to 27 December 2020 – when COVID-19 vaccinations first kicked off in France.
As far as anyone can tell – this story was completely FABRICATED.
There are several articles and videos – all referencing the Greek or German website, which leads us back to Brusa. And yet, there is ZERO evidence :
that a French millionaire actually died from his COVID-19 vaccination.
that any insurance company refused to pay a life insurance policy, because the insured died from COVID-19 vaccination.
that any French court ruled that a death from vaccination is considered a suicide.
of any case or court document regarding the case
If a French court did indeed rule that dying from a COVID-19 vaccine is considered a suicide, it would have been HUGE NEWS with major legal implications, and covered worldwide!
These articles were first posted in January 2022, and more than 3 months later, no one else covered it except for a few small anti-vaccination websites?
That’s because it never happened.
Fact #4 : Vaccines Only Get EUA After Clearing Phase 3 Trials
Callender falsely claimed that the life insurance was voided because that person was considered to have participated in a Phase 3 clinical trial.
That’s not possible, because COVID-19 vaccinations can only be given to the public, AFTER the vaccine has successfully completed its Phase 3 clinical trial, and received either an emergency use authorisation or full approval from a health authority like the US FDA or EMA.
Phase 3 trials, incidentally, ended in 2020 for both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, and they both received their EUA in December 2020.
I should also point out that the Pfizer vaccine received its full FDA approval on 23 August 2021, while the Moderna vaccine received its full FDA Approval on 31 January 2022.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also renewed the authorisation for these vaccines :
Moderna Spikevax : 4 October 2021
Pfizer COMIRNATY : 3 November 2021
AstraZeneca Vaxzevria : 9 November 2021
Johnson & Johnson Janssen : 3 January 2022
So none of those COVID-19 vaccines are experimental. They have all passed their clinical tests, and have been approved.
The COVID-19 vaccines were proven safe and effective in the massive Phase 2/3 trials that involved hundreds of thousands of volunteers.
These COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials are much larger than the usual clinical trials for new drugs or vaccines.
On top of that, they continue to undergo post-marketing surveillance, to catch very rare side effects like myocarditis (risk of less than 1 in million).
With so much clinical data, there is no way any insurance company or court can say that the vaccines are dangerous, or experimental.
Fact #6 : COVID-19 Vaccination Will Not Affect Life Insurance
Insurance companies and regulators across the world have come out to publicly state that these claims are FALSE.
They also publicly stated that COVID-19 vaccination will not affect your life insurance.
American Council of Life Insurance (ACLI)
We said it before and, unfortunately, we must say it again because misinformation about life insurance claims and the COVID-19 vaccine continues to spread.
Policyholders should rest assured that nothing has changed in the claims-paying process as a result of COVID-19 vaccinations. Life insurance policies are very clear on how they work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a claim. A policyholder’s decision to receive or not receive a vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them. Nothing has changed in life insurers’ claims paying process.
Policyholders should reach out to their life insurance companies, agents or financial professionals for their COVID-related questions. They will be happy to help.
Insurance Control and Resolution Authority of France (ACPR)
The conditions of the death of the insured have no effect on the payment to the beneficiary of the sums paid on a life insurance contract.
Exclusion clauses are provided for contractually…In practice, the risks targeted by the exclusions are not very diversified and, to our knowledge, no contract contains clauses which would make it possible to exclude as a cause of death, the aftermath and consequences of vaccination, or more generally of taking medical treatment, on the prescription of a doctor.
Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA)
Contrary to misinformation being shared online, receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will have no effect on the ability to obtain coverage or benefits from life insurance or supplementary health insurance.
The CLHIA is aware of misinformation that is being spread through social media claiming that individuals who get the vaccine will not be able to get life insurance or may be denied their disability or life insurance benefits. These claims are incorrect and have no basis in fact whatsoever.
Association of British Insurers (ABI)
There are some claims being made that having the Covid-19 vaccine will impact your life insurance cover. This is false.
Receiving a vaccination against Covid-19 will not impact your insurance cover, be it life insurance, private medical insurance or other forms of insurance.
Financial Services Council of Australia (FSC)
The Financial Services Council (FSC) is today reassuring Australians that taking a COVID-19 vaccine will not invalidate life insurance policies despite false rumours suggesting otherwise.
FSC CEO Sally Loane said the false rumours, which have been circulating on social media, incorrectly suggest the COVID-19 vaccine is an “experimental medical treatment” and therefore having the vaccine is a “self-inflicted injury” which could void life insurance policies.
“To be clear – the COVID-19 vaccine is not experimental treatment. Receiving approved treatment from a qualified medical professional at an approved medical facility is not a self-inflicted injury,” Ms Loane said.
“One of the main reasons why people hold life insurance policies is to provide peace of mind for themselves and their families. The FSC would like to reassure Australians that when they get vaccinated, their life insurance will be there for them, completely unaffected.
“This scare mongering is wrong, it is entirely inappropriate and it needs to stop immediately.”
In other words, insurance companies in the United States and across the world will not deny payment of a life insurance in the event someone dies from a COVID-19 vaccine.
These statements were posted MONTHS ago… so I have to ask Todd Callender – why do you lie?
Now that you know the facts, please help to fight fake news – SHARE this article out!
And please protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating them against COVID-19!
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.
Dr. Peterson Pierre has gone viral with his claim that getting the COVID-19 vaccine will void your life insurance.
Take a look at his claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Dr. Pierre : COVID-19 Vaccine Will Void Your Life Insurance!
People are sharing a video of Dr. Peterson Pierre, claiming that getting the COVID-19 vaccine will void your life insurance.
He quotes a court case in France, and claims that the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) said that life insurance policies may deny payment for people who die from COVID-19 vaccines.
Here is a transcript of his video for your reference. But feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…
So in France, there was an elderly, wealthy businessman who got a life insurance for millions of dollars. He got the COVID-19 vaccine and he died.
So the life insurance company is not paying out, because they decided that the COVID-19 vaccine is a medical experiment, and death from a medical experiment is not a covered entity.
Furthermore, even the judge says that the side effects from the vaccine are well known, they’ve been made public. There’s absolutely no way that this gentleman could not have known the side effects. He willingly chose to get the vaccine, and he died as a result, and because it was a choice, they’re calling it a suicide.
And suicides, along with deaths from experimental drugs, are not covered in life insurance.
I know what you’re thinking. Oh, that happened in France. That will never happen in the US.
I’m sorry to tell you but the American Life Insurance Council has also said that life insurance policies may deny payment if you die from the COVID-19 vaccine because they are experimental drugs.
There you go. This is something we thought might happen. We are seeing it happen. You might want to check your policy.
Truth : COVID-19 Vaccine Will NOT Void Your Life Insurance!
This is yet another example of anti-vaccination FAKE VIDEOS that anti-vaccination activists are concocting to mislead people about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, and here are the reasons why…
Dr. Pierre identifies himself as a doctor with the AFLDS – America’s Frontline Doctors.
AFLDS is a right-wing American political organisation that is well-known for creating and propagating COVID-19 misinformation.
Everything associated with AFLDS should never be trusted, until proven true. Yes, they are that bad.
Fact #2 : The Story Was Made Up
I traced the provenance of this story from a Greek website, to a right-wing, anti-vaccination German website, which claimed that the story was originally published by the family’s lawyer, Carlo Alberto Brusa, on his Facebook page.
However, Brusa’s Facebook page has ZERO post about any court case, going all the way back to 27 December 2020 – when COVID-19 vaccinations first kicked off in France.
As far as anyone can tell – this story was completely FABRICATED.
Fact #3 : There Was No Such Case In France
There are several articles and videos – all referencing the Greek or German website, which leads us back to Brusa. And yet, there is ZERO evidence :
that a French millionaire actually died from his COVID-19 vaccination.
that any insurance company refused to pay a life insurance policy, because the insured died from COVID-19 vaccination.
that any French court ruled that a death from vaccination is considered a suicide.
of any case or court document regarding the case
If a French court did indeed rule that dying from a COVID-19 vaccine is considered a suicide, it would have been HUGE NEWS with major legal implications, and covered worldwide!
These articles were first posted in January 2022, and more than 2 months later, no one else covered it except for a few small anti-vaccination websites?
That’s because it never happened.
Fact #4 : COVID-19 Vaccines Are Not Experimental
Dr. Pierre falsely claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines are experimental.
COVID-19 vaccines are no longer experimental, after they receive either an emergency use authorisation or full approval from a health authority like the US FDA or EMA.
That only happens if they successfully complete their Phase 3 trials, and undergo a stringent review process. So it is not possible to use an experimental vaccine for mass vaccination.
I should also point out that the Pfizer vaccine received its full FDA approval on 23 August 2021, while the Moderna vaccine received its full FDA Approval on 31 January 2022.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also renewed the authorisation for these vaccines :
Moderna Spikevax : 4 October 2021
Pfizer COMIRNATY : 3 November 2021
AstraZeneca Vaxzevria : 9 November 2021
Johnson & Johnson Janssen : 3 January 2022
So none of those COVID-19 vaccines are experimental. They have all passed their clinical tests, and have been approved.
The COVID-19 vaccines were proven safe and effective in the massive Phase 2/3 trials that involved hundreds of thousands of volunteers.
These COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials are much larger than the usual clinical trials for new drugs or vaccines.
On top of that, they continue to undergo post-marketing surveillance, to catch very rare side effects like myocarditis (risk of less than 1 in million).
With so much clinical data, there is no way any insurance company or court can say that the vaccines are dangerous, or experimental.
Fact #6 : COVID-19 Vaccine Will Not Affect Life Insurance
Dr. Pierre also falsely claimed that the American Life Insurance Council said that “life insurance policies may deny payment if you die from the COVID-19 vaccine because they are experimental drugs.”
First of all, there is no American Life Insurance Council. There is only the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI).
Secondly, the ACLI had earlier posted two statements refuting this ridiculous claim.
ACLI Statement Of 12 March 2021
A social media post appears to be behind the spread of entirely false information, suggesting a COVID-19 vaccine could be a factor a life insurer considers in the claims-paying process.
The fact is that life insurers do not consider whether or not a policyholder has received a COVID vaccine when deciding whether to pay a claim.
Life insurance policy contracts are very clear on how policies work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a benefit. A vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them.
Policyholders should rest assured that nothing has changed in the claims-paying process as a result of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Policyholders should reach out to their life insurers, agents or financial professionals for their COVID-related questions. They will be happy to help.
ACLI Statement Of 16 September 2021
We said it before and, unfortunately, we must say it again because misinformation about life insurance claims and the COVID-19 vaccine continues to spread.
Policyholders should rest assured that nothing has changed in the claims-paying process as a result of COVID-19 vaccinations. Life insurance policies are very clear on how they work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a claim. A policyholder’s decision to receive or not receive a vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them. Nothing has changed in life insurers’ claims paying process.
Policyholders should reach out to their life insurance companies, agents or financial professionals for their COVID-related questions. They will be happy to help.
In other words, insurance companies in the United States will not deny payment of a life insurance in the event someone dies from a COVID-19 vaccine.
These statements were posted MONTHS ago… so Dr. Pierre knowingly misled you about what the ACLI said. So I have to ask Dr. Pierre – why do you lie?
Fact #7 : It’s The Same In France + Around The World
Just in case you are wondering – insurance companies in France and around the world do NOT :
consider COVID-19 vaccines “experimental”
deny payment in the event someone dies from a COVID-19 vaccine
Insurance companies and associations worldwide have stated that COVID-19 vaccinations do NOT impact life insurance claims.
They also do not call deaths from getting a COVID-19 vaccine “suicide”.
Insurance Control and Resolution Authority of France (ACPR)
The conditions of the death of the insured have no effect on the payment to the beneficiary of the sums paid on a life insurance contract.
Exclusion clauses are provided for contractually…In practice, the risks targeted by the exclusions are not very diversified and, to our knowledge, no contract contains clauses which would make it possible to exclude as a cause of death, the aftermath and consequences of vaccination, or more generally of taking medical treatment, on the prescription of a doctor.
Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA)
Contrary to misinformation being shared online, receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will have no effect on the ability to obtain coverage or benefits from life insurance or supplementary health insurance.
The CLHIA is aware of misinformation that is being spread through social media claiming that individuals who get the vaccine will not be able to get life insurance or may be denied their disability or life insurance benefits. These claims are incorrect and have no basis in fact whatsoever.
Association of British Insurers (ABI)
There are some claims being made that having the Covid-19 vaccine will impact your life insurance cover. This is false.
Receiving a vaccination against Covid-19 will not impact your insurance cover, be it life insurance, private medical insurance or other forms of insurance.
Financial Services Council of Australia (FSC)
The Financial Services Council (FSC) is today reassuring Australians that taking a COVID-19 vaccine will not invalidate life insurance policies despite false rumours suggesting otherwise.
FSC CEO Sally Loane said the false rumours, which have been circulating on social media, incorrectly suggest the COVID-19 vaccine is an “experimental medical treatment” and therefore having the vaccine is a “self-inflicted injury” which could void life insurance policies.
“To be clear – the COVID-19 vaccine is not experimental treatment. Receiving approved treatment from a qualified medical professional at an approved medical facility is not a self-inflicted injury,” Ms Loane said.
“One of the main reasons why people hold life insurance policies is to provide peace of mind for themselves and their families. The FSC would like to reassure Australians that when they get vaccinated, their life insurance will be there for them, completely unaffected.
“This scare mongering is wrong, it is entirely inappropriate and it needs to stop immediately.”
Now that you know the facts, please help to fight fake news – SHARE this article out!
And please protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating them against COVID-19!
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 court in France rule that a millionaire’s death from the COVID-19 vaccine is considered a suicide?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : French Court Ruled Millionaire’s Vaccine Death As Suicide!
People are sharing videos and articles claiming that a French court recently ruled that a millionaire’s death from the COVID-19 vaccine is considered a suicide!
Apparently, the French businessman insured his life for millions of euros, but when he died from his COVID-19 vaccination, the insurance company refused to pay up, claiming that he died from taking an experimental vaccine.
So his family sued, and the French court allegedly ruled in favour of the insurance company, stating that the deceased knew about the side effects of the experimental vaccine. Therefore, his death is, in fact, a suicide.
Here is the example that everyone has been sharing, or quoting in videos. It’s very long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts.
In France, the court equated vaccination with suicide, taking the side of an insurance company that refused to pay money to the family of an insured millionaire who died from vaccination.
The case caused a huge resonance in society. An elderly businessman who died from vaccination, which was officially confirmed, insured his life for several million. However, after his death, the relatives were left with nothing, writes Unser Mitteleuropa.
In France, the case of a wealthy elderly Parisian businessman who insured his life for many millions and died from COVID-vaccination caused a great resonance. The insurance company refused to pay money to the relatives of the deceased, and the court found the company to be right. At the same time, the insurance company argued its refusal precisely by the fact that death occurred as a result of the vaccination: taking experimental drugs and treatments (including vaccination against coronavirus) is excluded from the policy. The judge’s verdict is as follows:
“The side effects of an experimental vaccine are being made public, and the deceased could not have professed ignorance when voluntarily taking the vaccine. There is no law or regulation in France requiring him to be vaccinated. Therefore, his death is, in fact, a suicide. The Court recognizes the qualification of an insurer who legally regards participation in the third phase experiment, the lack of evidence of which has not been proven, as the voluntary assumption of a fatal risk not covered by the contract, taking into account the declared side effects, including death is covered and legally recognized as suicide. The family filed an appeal. However, the insurer’s defense is recognized as reasonable and contractually justified, since this well-known risk of death is legally considered suicide, the client was notified and agreed to voluntarily risk his life without being forced to do so.
The insurance company noted that suicide, like death from an experimental drug, is not an insured event. The lawyer for the family of Carlo Alberto Brusa published the case materials on social networks and expressed his outrage at such a decision. It appears that insurers will now stop paying out life insurance policies on a large scale, as the death risk from vaccination effectively blocks their contract, rendering it void.
After the publication of similar cases in France, something similar was heard from the United States. Paul Graham, Senior Vice President for Policy Development at the American Life Insurers Council, says:
“Life insurance companies may refuse to pay out for vaccinated people because Covid vaccines are “medical experiments. When deciding on the payment of damages, it is taken into account whether the insured has received a COVID vaccine. Life insurance contracts are very clear on how policies work and what reasons, if any, can lead to a denial of payment. The COVID-19 vaccine is not one of them. An assessment of an applicant’s insurance capacity is not affected by an individual’s immunization status.”
The publication notes that, upon request, domestic insurance companies promise not to make benefits dependent on the appropriate vaccination status, both for those who have been vaccinated and for those who have not been vaccinated. But everyone knows that vaccination campaigners are calling for the unvaccinated to be penalized in terms of costs if they stay in the hospital. The information from France in the article refers to the referenced sources and to information provided by Nicole Delepin, former Head of Pediatric Oncology Medicine at Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, on the Riposte Laïque website.
Truth : French Court Did NOT Rule Millionaire’s Vaccine Death As Suicide!
This is yet another example of anti-vaccination FAKE NEWS that anti-vaccination activists are concocting to mislead people about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : It Was Based On A Single German Article
I traced the provenance of this fake story to a right-wing, anti-vaccination German website called Unser Mitteleuropa, literally Our Central Europe.
It claimed that the story was published by the family’s lawyer, Carlo Alberto Brusa, on his Facebook page. However, Unser Mitteleuropa did not provide any link to that story, or any actual court documents.
I scrolled through Brusa’s Facebook page all the way back to 27 December 2020 – when COVID-19 vaccinations first kicked off in France – and could not find a single reference to any court case he might have been working on.
There was no post about any French court calling his client’s vaccine death “a suicide”. Only a ton of posts and videos for his anti-lockdown, anti-vaccination Reaction 19 movement.
Fact #2 : There Is No Such Case In France
As far as I can tell – this entire story is completely made-up. Completely fabricated.
No French millionaire actually died from his COVID-19 vaccination.
No insurance company refused to pay life insurance because of death from vaccination.
No French court ruled that a death from vaccine is considered a suicide.
There is no document of such a case, except for two unrelated letters (see Fact #3)
None of these articles or videos mentioned the name of the dead millionaire, the insurance company, or the which court or judge presided over the case.
If a French court did indeed rule that dying from a COVID-19 vaccine is considered a suicide, it would have been HUGE NEWS, and covered world-wide!
Unser Mitteleuropa first posted their article on 12 January 2022, and more than 2 months later, no one else covered it except for a few small anti-vaccination websites?
That’s because it never happened.
Fact #3 : Life Insurance Letters Unrelated To Case
Instead of actual court documents proving that the French court indeed ruled that the (non-existent) man’s death from (non-existent) vaccine death was “a suicide”, the article shared two completely unrelated letters from German insurance companies.
In the first, Techniker Krankenkasse said that any potential side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine are not covered by their health insurance (this is not life insurance), as the vaccination is provided by the state authorities and so, any side effects would be covered by the state authorities.
In the second letter, Die Haftpfichtkasse wrote that their accident insurance (again, not life insurance) does not cover any potential side effects from COVID-19 vaccination. It is, after all, an accident insurance policy.
Fact #4 : COVID-19 Vaccines Are Not Experimental
These fake stories are based on the claim that COVID-19 vaccines are experimental, which is completely bogus.
COVID-19 vaccines are no longer experimental, after they receive either an emergency use authorisation or full approval from a health authority like the US FDA or EMA.
That only happens if they successfully complete their Phase 3 trials, and undergo a stringent review process. So it is not possible to use an experimental vaccine for mass vaccination.
I should also point out that the Pfizer vaccine received its full FDA approval on 23 August 2021, while the Moderna vaccine received its full FDA Approval on 31 January 2022.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also renewed the authorisation for these vaccines :
Moderna Spikevax : 4 October 2021
Pfizer COMIRNATY : 3 November 2021
AstraZeneca Vaxzevria : 9 November 2021
Johnson & Johnson Janssen : 3 January 2022
So none of those COVID-19 vaccines are experimental. They have all passed their clinical tests, and have been approved.
Fact #5 : COVID-19 Vaccines Proven Safe
The COVID-19 vaccines were proven safe and effective in the massive Phase 2/3 trials that involved hundreds of thousands of volunteers.
These COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials are much larger than the usual clinical trials for new drugs or vaccines.
On top of that, they continue to undergo post-marketing surveillance, to catch the very rare side effects like myocarditis (risk of less than 1 in million).
With so much clinical data, there is no way any insurance company or court can say that the vaccines are dangerous, or experimental.
Fact #6 : COVID-19 Vaccination Does Not Affect Life Insurance
COVID-19 vaccination does not affect life insurance payment.
The Insurance Control and Resolution Authority of France (ACPR) said that, “the conditions of the death of the insured have no effect on the payment to the beneficiary of the sums paid on a life insurance contract.“
There are only two possibilities for the denial of a life insurance claim :
if the insured commits suicide, or
if the beneficiary is convicted of voluntarily causing the death of the insured.
The ACPR also clarified this issue to French newspaper Libération, stating :
Exclusion clauses are provided for contractually…In practice, the risks targeted by the exclusions are not very diversified and, to our knowledge, no contract contains clauses which would make it possible to exclude as a cause of death, the aftermath and consequences of vaccination, or more generally of taking medical treatment, on the prescription of a doctor.
In other words, insurance companies in France cannot deny payment of a life insurance in the event someone dies from any vaccination, or medical treatment.
Fact #7 : Insurance Companies Are Not Denying Life Insurance Claims
Insurance companies and associations have stated that COVID-19 vaccinations do NOT impact life insurance claims. They have never called deaths from getting a COVID-19 vaccine “suicide”.
Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA)
Contrary to misinformation being shared online, receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will have no effect on the ability to obtain coverage or benefits from life insurance or supplementary health insurance.
The CLHIA is aware of misinformation that is being spread through social media claiming that individuals who get the vaccine will not be able to get life insurance or may be denied their disability or life insurance benefits. These claims are incorrect and have no basis in fact whatsoever.
American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI)
Insurance companies pay death benefits on policies, when the insured dies, regardless of the cause of death, except in very narrow and limited circumstances.
Life insurance policy contracts are very clear on how policies work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a benefit. A vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them.
Manulife
The COVID-19 vaccination in no way negatively impacts your current insurance policies or valid Group Benefits coverage, nor does it factor into new insurance applications you may apply for with us.
Allianz
Your Allianz life insurance policy does not contain a specific policy exclusion for COVID-19.
However, there is an exclusion which may apply if your claim relates to overseas travel. By this we mean, we will not pay any benefits to the extent a claim arises because you didn’t follow advice issued by the government relating to an overseas location.
Now that you know the facts, please help to fight fake news – SHARE this article out!
And please protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating them against COVID-19!
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.
