Tag Archives: India

Did Bill Gates Order Govts To Replace Farmers With AI Bots?!

Did Bill Gates and the WEF just order world governments to replace human farmers with AI smart farming bots?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Bill Gates Ordered Governments To Replace Farmers With AI Bots!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claimed or suggested that Bill Gates and the WEF just ordered world governments to replace human farmers with AI smart farming bots!

Bill Gates Urges Govt’s To Replace Farmers With AI ‘Smart Farming’ Bots

Bill Gates and the World Economic Forum have escalated their war on food, ordering world governments to replace human farmers with AI-controlled so-called “smart farming.”

According to Bill Gates, who suddenly and unexpectedly became America’s largest owner of farmland last year, farmers are now part of the “useless class” of humans and need to be phased out and replaced with controllable AI technology to fight climate change and improve the state of the world.

But unfortunately for Gates, we have stone-cold proof that he is not “supporting” work on agriculture for the benefit of the world at large.

On the contrary, Gates is attempting to seize control of the global food supply and hold humanity to ransom, for his own benefit and the benefit of his globalist collaborators.

The world’s leading billionaire eugenicist is currently in India, the scene of some of his most brutal crimes against humanity including barbaric medical experiments on orphaned children that would have made Nazi scientist Josef Mengele blanch.

Gates has been meeting with WEF-compliant politicians during his trip, praising India’s world-leading digital ID system that has been forced on the population against their will by the elites.

While the digital ID is not mandatory, citizens are unable to access many basic goods and services if they refuse to comply with the invasive technology.

Gates has also praised India’s experiments with his AI-driven “smart farming,” writing in Gates Notes that world governments must follow India’s lead in embracing his new technology.

In Gates’ vision of the future, the world government will have total control over every farm on the planet. Gates’ “smart farming” technology is designed to replace farmers, not “support” them.

Gates isn’t only trying to bring the government into everybody’s home and workplace. He’s trying to radically depopulate the world and replace human farmers with AI-controlled technology.

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Truth : Bill Gates Did Not Order Governments To Replace Farmers With AI Bots!

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

Fact #1 : Bill Gates + WEF Did Not Order Governments To Replace Farmers

Let me start by pointing out that Bill Gates and/or the World Economic Forum (WEF) did not order world governments to replace farmers with AI smart farming robots.

If that actually happened, it would have been reported worldwide by the mainstream media. It would have also created a firestorm of criticism by right-wing conservatives, human rights activists, etc. Yet nothing of the sort happened – that’s because it’s all made up.

Frankly, the idea is ludicrous. There are no AI-controlled smart farming robots that can replace all farmers!

Needless to say, The People’s Voice article offered no evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim that Bill Gates and/or the WEF ordered world governments to replace human farmers with AI-controlled smart farming robots!

Fact #2 : India Did Not Use Bill Gates’ AI Smart Farming Technology

The People’s Voice article claimed that Bill Gates praised India’s experiments with his AI-driven “smart farming” technology in his March 2024 Gates Notes on his trip to India. That’s utter nonsense.

Bill Gates only spoke about India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and how it allowed Indian government agriculture experts send advice and real-time updates to 6.5 million farmers using phones. As a result – farmers were losing 90% less of their crops to pests than they used to!

Smart faming: I got to see India’s DPI in action when I toured an agricultural monitoring center in Bhubaneswar. At this facility, government agriculture experts send advice and real-time updates to 6.5 million farmers via phone. Since this center opened, local farmers are losing 90 percent less of their crops to pests than they used to.

To be clear – Bill Gates did not develop India’s DPI, or its smart farming concept.

Fact #3 : Bill Gates Did Not Even Mention AI

On top of that, Bill Gates did not even mention AI or Artificial Intelligence even once in his post on his trip to India!

So why would any claim that he wants world governments to “follow India’s lead in embracing” his “AI-driven smart farming” technology???

Fact #4 : Farmers are Already Using Robots

While the article suggests a dystopian future where a single person can use a fleet of drones to manage an entire farm, the truth is – it is the future, and it is a better future for all.

For one thing – most people would prefer not to work in 3D (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) jobs like farming, resulting a shortage of labour in the agriculture industry. That’s why many farmers in the developed world already use robots, drones, and other smart systems to help them manage their farms with minimal manpower!

Such technologies also help empower independent farmers. By improving the farm’s production while reducing its costs, it helps them remain in business, and fend off large agro businesses.

Fact #5 : Bill Gates Screenshot Is Fake

The cover image used by The People’s Voice article and video has a screenshot which purportedly shows Bill Gates posting on X (formerly Twitter) that:

AI is superior to humans in every conceivable way.

That is most definitely a fake screenshot, because there is no such post on X by Bill Gates.

If he actually posted that AI is (already) superior to humans in every conceivable way, it would have been reported by the worldwide media. But of course, that didn’t happen, because he never posted it.

Yet again, and unsurprisingly, The People’s Voice article provided no evidence that such a post ever existed!

Fact #6 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Fake News

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

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

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

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

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

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Did Bill Gates Say India’s Digital ID Must Be Mandatory In US?!

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Did Bill Gates say that India’s digital ID must become mandatory in the United States?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Bill Gates Says India’s Digital ID Must Become Mandatory In US!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claimed or suggested that Bill Gates said that India’s digital ID must become mandatory in the United States!

Bill Gates Says India’s Digital ID Must Become Mandatory in America

Bill Gates has called for the digital ID system in India to become mandatory in America and other Western nations as a matter or urgency.

Gates recently announced on his blog that he is visiting India, and made sure to boast that the Gates Foundation is involved in what he calls “efforts that are saving millions of lives.”

Infowars.com reports: This is a reference to India’s production of another of Gates’ “passions” – vaccines. As for DPI, Gates expressed his “admiration” for the country’s massive biometric identity DPI component, Aadhaar, and the fact that over 12 billion transactions are processed by it.

And, the Microsoft founder has another “passion” – agriculture. He made sure to note that he would be visiting a monitoring center where agriculture meets Aadhaar. More whopping numbers: the government uses the center in Odisha that has a registry of 7.5 million farmers to give them “real-time guidance,” Gates said.

It sounds like a surveillance state dream, at least as far as the “right” infrastructure is concerned: “Officials can keep track of who is growing what,” Gates continued, but he says this is done for the sake of providing those farmers with “advice.”

It has almost become a rule that projects like DPI effectively get tested in developing countries, orchestrated by globalist financial institutions like the World Bank.

Gates mentions that the developments around the implementation of DPI in Odisha are monitored by the World Bank, as well as Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, ostensibly in order for the example to be replicated there.

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Truth : Bill Gates Did Not Say India’s Digital ID Must Become Mandatory In US!

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

Fact #1 : Bill Gates Never Said India’s Digital ID Must Implemented In US

Let me start by pointing out that Bill Gates never said that India’s digital ID must be implemented in the United States, never mind made “mandatory”.

If Bill Gates actually suggested making India’s digital ID mandatory in the United States, it would not only have been reported widely by the mainstream media, and lambasted by people who don’t like such ideas. Yet, there was no such report, not even some social media outrage.

That’s because that never happened. The People’s Voice article, unsurprisingly, offered no evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim.

The source of this nonsensical claim is a blog post by Bill Gates on his (upcoming) trip to India, called “India’s innovations are still changing the world“. Nowhere in that post does he mention implementing India’s digital ID, or making it mandatory in the United States.

Fact #2 : Aadhaar Is Not Mandatory In India

Aadhaar (आधार), India’s digital ID system, provides a 12-digit unique identity number based on the persons biometrics – 10 fingerprints, 2 iris prints, and a photo of the person’s face, as well as demographic data.

However, Aadhaar is not mandatory, and is an “opt-in” system, because it was developed to help provide targeted delivery of financial aid and other subsidies, benefits and services to the people of India.

In fact, the Supreme Court of India issued an interim order on 23 September 2023, that “no person should suffer for not getting Aadhaar“, and that the government cannot deny a service to a resident who does not possess Aadhaar, as it is voluntary and not mandatory.

Fact #3 : US Federalism Makes It Difficult For National ID

The United States of America is one of the few developed countries to not have a national identity card. It’s not for a lack of trying – there have been proposals to nationalise its ID cards.

Anyone, including Bill Gates, can call for a national identity card, whether digital or physical. So what? It’s not the first time anyone has suggested it, and it won’t be the last time either.

However, the United States was founded upon the idea of federalism, so attempts to create a national identity card have failed so far. As a result, Americans have to resort to using a number of documents to prove their identity or citizenship.

Fact #4 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Fake News

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

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

Please Support My Work!

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

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

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

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

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Is Bill Gates recruiting 2M Indians to control Internet using AI?!

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Is Bill Gates planning to recruit and train two million Indians to control the Internet using AI?!

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

Claim : Bill Gates To Recruit Indians To Control Internet Using AI!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which suggests that Bill Gates announced plans to recruit and train two million Indians to control the Internet using AI (artificial intelligence)!

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

Bill Gates Recruiting 2 Million Strong Army To ‘Seize Control of Internet’ Using AI

Bill Gates has announced plans to recruit and train a two million strong army of Indians to use AI to “control the internet” and police social media, forums, and private conversations for “misinformation” which will subsequently be shut down using advanced AI tools.

According to Gates, “misinformation” is a new “pandemic” for which he feels responsible for finding a cure. Gates appears willing to spare no expense in his mission to control the flow of information on the internet, vowing to employ a vast, highly trained army of “information warriors” to reshape the global narrative.

Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced Gates’ plans to recruit and train the information army at a Microsoft CEO Connection event in Mumbai on Wednesday.

“We are devoted to equip 2-million-plus people in India with AI skills,” said Nadella, “that is, really taking the workforce and making sure that they have the right skills in order to be able to be a part of this domain.”

According to Gates’ right-hand-man, AI is providing the globalist elite with the tools necessary to completely brainwash the masses with globalist propaganda.

“With AI, now we have a new capability of making sense of digitalization…a new reasoning engine, which is the neural reasoning engine, which we can apply to an increasingly digitized world. So, these two things, a new user experience and a new reasoning engine pretty much completely revolutionized the entire tech stack,” the Microsoft chairman said.

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Truth : Bill Gates Is Not Recruiting Indians To Control Internet Using AI!

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

Fact #1 : Bill Gates Did Not Announce Plans To Recruit 2 Million Indians

Let me start by pointing out that Bill Gates did not announce any plans to recruit and train two million Indians to use artificial intelligence (AI) to control the Internet.

The People’s Voice offered no evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim, and there is no report by any legitimate media outlet that Bill Gates announced any such plan.

Fact #2 : Microsoft Isn’t Recruiting 2 Million Indians Either!

The People’s Voice article claimed that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the plan by Bill Gates to recruit and train two million Indians to use artificial intelligence to control the Internet. That is also not true.

Satya Nadella only announced that Microsoft will support India’s goal of a self-sufficient AI workforce, by training 2 million people through its ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA initiative. However, Microsoft is not recruiting those two million Indians to work for them.

Under this initiative, Microsoft will collaborate with the Indian Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, as well as state governments in India, to offer fundamental and advanced AI training to students and job seekers in rural areas.

Microsoft will also offer comprehensive AI technical training to young women through instructors at higher education institutions in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, so they can obtain certifications in cloud, AI and cybersecurity.

Fact #3 : Satya Nadella Is Microsoft CEO, Not Bill Gates

As its Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, it is Satya Nadella who decides what Microsoft does, not Bill Gates.

For people who are unaware, Bill Gates handed over day-to-day operations at Microsoft more than 15 years ago. He also stepped down as Microsoft Chairman, when Satya Nadella was appointed as CEO in February 2014 – 10 years ago!

If Microsoft decides to hire 2 million Indians to “take over the world” like Pinky and the Brain, that would be Satya Nadella’s decision, not Bill Gates.

Fact #4 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Publishing Fake News

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

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

Please Support My Work!

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

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

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

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

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Did mRNA Vaccines Trigger Severe Nerve Damage?!

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Was the mRNA vaccines just shown to trigger severe nerve damage, including multiple sclerosis?!

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

Claim : mRNA Vaccines Trigger Severe Nerve Damage!

The Children’s Health Defense (CHD) activist group, which is chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., just posted an article suggesting that Brazilian researchers uncovered two cases of serious nerve damage in patients who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

This was what was posted on the CHD page on X (formerly Twitter):

Children’s Health Defense : 🚨 COVID vaccine triggers nerve damage, MS

Brazilian researchers have uncovered two cases of serious nerve damage in patients who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

Here is an excerpt from the CHD article (archive). Please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

COVID vaccine triggers nerve damage, MS

Multiple Sclerosis and Optic Neuritis triggered by COVID-19 mRNA;
Neuroimmunology Reports, Jan. 1, 2024.

Brazilian researchers have uncovered two cases of serious nerve damage in patients who received messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines.

The first case involved a 25-year-old woman presenting weakness on her right side plus lower limb pain, sensory impairment, difficulty walking and bladder trouble one week after the shot. These symptoms, plus imaging tests, led to a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The patient was hospitalized, treated with steroids and released with a prescription for dimethyl fumarate, an MS drug. No mention was made of her current status.

The second case was an 8-year-old boy who, 12 days after his vaccination, developed blurred vision in both eyes. Examination revealed optic disk swelling and brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed three brain lesions.

Symptoms completely resolved after five days of steroid treatment.

The authors of the case studies concluded: “Diseases or symptoms triggered or linked to this new vaccine technology must be reported and studied.”

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No Evidence mRNA Vaccines Trigger Nerve Damage!

Let’s take a closer look at the various claims in the article, and find out what the facts really are!

Fact #1 : It Was A Case Presentation

Let me start by pointing out that the Brazilian paper in question was a case presentation submitted to Neuroimmunology Reports, called Multiple Sclerosis and Optic Neuritis triggered by COVID-19 mRNA by Moretti, Fabiani, et. al.

You can read it in full here.

Fact #2 : Paper Did Not Conclude mRNA Vaccines Cause Nerve Damage

If you read the conclusion, you will note that the authors never actually concluded that mRNA vaccines causes nerve damage. The authors only pointed out that such cases should be reported, and that “more studies are still needed”. Here is the relevant quote from the paper, with my emphasis underlined.

Diseases or symptoms triggered or linked to this new vaccine technology must be reported and studied, contributing to worldwide databases.

More studies are still needed on the association between neurological complications and the vaccine against COVID-19. Long-term monitoring is needed if the vaccine can cause or trigger neurological disorders.

Fact #3 : Paper Says Vaccine Benefits Outweigh The Risks

Anyone who reads the conclusion will also realise that the authors actually pointed out that the benefits of vaccinating against COVID-19 outweigh the risks. On top of that, they said that no neurological condition is an absolute contraindication for vaccinating against COVID-19.

Overall, the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of neurological complications, and, to date, no neurological condition is an absolute contraindication for vaccination against COVID-19.

Fact #4 : AstraZeneca Vaccine Is A Virus Vector Vaccine

With all due respect to the authors, the editors and the peer-reviewers, I should point out that the first case report does not involve any mRNA vaccine.

The first case involved the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which is a virus vector vaccine. It is not an mRNA vaccine.

ChAdOx1 was not the vaccine’s name either. Rather, ChAdOx1 was the name of the modified chimpanzee adenovirus the Oxford-AstraZeneca used as its vector.

Fact #5 : First Patient Already Had Multiple Sclerosis

What may not be obvious, but was mentioned in the paper, was that the first patient – who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, already had multiple sclerosis (MS).

The authors pointed out that she already met the 2017 McDonald’s criteria for multiple sclerosis. That meant that this patient had prior MRI-detected lesions, or oligoclonal bans in the spinal fluid, or prior clinical symptoms of MS.

This is because a key requirement for the diagnosis of MS is Dissemination In Time (DIT) – there must be evidence of damage, at different times, and to different parts, of the central nervous system (source).

In fact, the authors pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccination only triggered the symptoms, but did not actually cause multiple sclerosis. Here’s the relevant quote, with my emphasis underlined.

The female patient met the McDonald’s (2017) criteria for multiple sclerosis, and the vaccine only triggered the symptoms.

I should point out that multiple sclerosis patients often suffer such relapses of symptoms that are triggered by anything from viral infections to stress. Certain vaccinations involving live viruses or bacteria can also trigger a relapse.

Since the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (Vaxzevria) uses a modified chimpanzee virus, it is plausible that it may trigger symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients.

Fact #6 : Multiple Sclerosis Can Cause Optic Neuritis

The second patient in the Brazilian case presentation developed optic neuritis – inflammation of the optic nerve. Optic neuritis is most commonly seen in multiple sclerosis patients.

Even though this 8 year-old boy is not known to have multiple sclerosis, the authors noted that a brain MRI showed three small acute hypertension lesions in his brain. Such brain lesions developing in multiple places over time (Dissemination in Time, DIT) are highly suggestive of multiple sclerosis, as per the McDonald criteria.

In other words – it is possible that this patient may also have multiple sclerosis that may not have been previously diagnosed, whose symptoms was triggered by the vaccine – just like in the first case.

Fact #7 : COVID-19 Infection Can Cause Optic Neuritis

I should also point out that past COVID-19 infections can cause optic neuritis. In fact, this January 2022 case study published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology detailed three patients who developed optic neuritis weeks or months after recovering from mild COVID-19 infections.

The authors noted that in those three patients, demyelinating lesions were identified in two cases, while the third case was found with serum anti-myelin antibodies.

Patient 1 suddenly lost vision in his left eye two weeks after recovering from mild COVID-19.
Patient 2 lost vision in his left eye six months after recovering from mild COVID-19.
Patient 3 lost vision in his left eye twice, two weeks after recovering from mild COVID-19, and then again four weeks later.

All three patients recovered their vision, but as you can see – COVID-19 infections can potentially cause optic neuritis long after recovery. It is plausible that the second patient in the Brazilian case presentation may have had a prior COVID-19 infection (before his vaccination).

That is why we cannot draw conclusions from any of these case reports / presentations. They all need to be investigated to determine their actual cause.

Fact #8 : Both Patients Recovered

It is also important to note that neither patients mentioned in this Brazilian case presentation died.

The first patient recovered partially after treatment with methylprednisolone, and was discharged with the treatment of dimethyl fumarate.

The second patient was also treated with methylprednisolone, and experienced a complete recovery, with no further treatment.

Methylprednisolone is often used in symptomatic attacks of multiple sclerosis. Dimethyl fumarate is also a treatment of multiple sclerosis.

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

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

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

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

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

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Did Qatar Airways Pilot Die From Vaccine Mid-Flight?!

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Did the pilot of Qatar Airways flight QR579 die suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccine during the flight?!

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

Claim : Qatar Airways Pilot Died From Vaccine Mid-Flight!

Some people are suggesting or claiming that the pilot of Qatar Airways flight QR579 died suddenly mid-flight due to a COVID-19 vaccine injury or SADS!

William Makis MD : BREAKING NEWS: Another PILOT has died inflight!!

Aug.16, 2023 – Quatar Airways QR579 (DEL-DOH) Delhi to Doha, Quatar diverted to Dubai as 51 year old senior pilot collapsed inflight and died!

2nd pilot death & 4th collapse THIS WEEK! #DiedSuddenly #cdnpoli #ableg

Stew Peters : ANOTHER pilot #DiedSuddenly, MID FLIGHT. Qatar Airlines vaxxed all their pilots, evidently.

#PureBloods will rule the world one day soon.

Jack Straw : BREAKING NEWS: Another PILOT has died inflight!!

Aug.16, 2023 – Quatar Airways QR579 (DEL-DOH) Delhi to Doha, Quatar diverted to Dubai as 51 year old senior pilot collapsed inflight and died! 2nd pilot death & 4th collapse THIS WEEK!

No Evidence Qatar Airways Pilot Died From Vaccine Mid-Flight!

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 : Qatar Airways Pilot Was Passenger Aboard QR579

First, let me just point out that the pilot who died aboard Qatar Airways flight QR579 was not the senior pilot for that flight. He was aboard the flight as a passenger.

To be clear – Qatar Airways flight QR579 was never in any danger during the tragic incident. It was not one of its two pilots who had a medical emergency and died.

Fact #2 : He Died Onboard Qatar Airways QR579

On August 16, 2023, Qatar Airways flight QR579 took off from Delhi, heading towards Doha. 30 minutes into its flight, the Airbus A350-900 aircraft suddenly turned left and headed for Dubai International Airport (DXB), where it landed 30 minutes later.

Later, it was reported that the aircraft with the registration of A7-ALM diverted to Dubai due to a medical emergency – a senior pilot who was travelling as a passenger, suddenly fell critically ill onboard.

Despite a swift response and medical assistance onboard flight QR579, he could not be saved. He was declared dead on arrive at Dubai International Airport.

Fact #3 : The Pilot Allegedly Died From Cardiac Arrest

The Qatar Airways pilot was a 51 year-old man of Indian origin, who had flown SpiceJet’s inaugural flight in 2005:

The pilot had worked with Alliance Air and spent 17 years in SpiceJet. He had operated SpiceJet’s first flight, Delhi-Ahmedabad, on May 23, 2005. Last year he had joined Qatar Airways where he was flying the Boeing 777.

A colleague who worked with the pilot for several years expressed shock, stating that “He was very fit and his untimely demise has come as a big shock for everyone who knew him“. That quote is being used to claim or suggest that the pilot “must have” died from a COVID-19 vaccine injury of some sort.

There is no evidence that his death has anything to do with COVID-19 vaccines. And certainly, people pushing those claims offered ZERO evidence to back up their “expert opinions”.

Officially, Qatar Airways has not commented on the death of the pilot. But India’s Zee News reported that the pilot was ascertained to have died from cardiac arrest.

While it is likely that the pilot died from sudden cardiac arrest, I would caution that the pilot’s official cause of death remains unknown.

Until and unless his family and/or Qatar Airways or the Dubai authorities reveal his official cause of death, any claim that he died from this or that cause should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Fact #4 : Cardiac Arrest Is Common

While anti-vaccination activists claim that there is a sudden surge of “untimely deaths” from cardiac arrest, it has long been a major cause of death… long before the COVID-19 vaccines were invented.

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.

A 2012 study discovered that people in Southern India who died from sudden cardiac arrest were 5-8 years younger compared to people in the western hemisphere.

10% of all deaths in Southern India were caused by sudden cardiac death
almost half were 60 years-old or younger
many were diagnosed with heart disease
over 80% had at least one risk factor for coronary artery disease – hypertension, diabetes, or smoking
they were generally 5-8 years younger than similar cases in the western hemisphere

Fact #5 : Unknown If Qatar Airways Pilot Was Vaccinated

Despite suggestions that the Qatar Airways pilot was fully-vaccinated, there isn’t any actual evidence that he ever received the COVID-19 vaccine. We don’t even know his name, much less his COVID-19 vaccination status!

Qatar Airways also never mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for its pilots or its aircrew. Instead, pilots and aircrew were offered two options – get vaccinated, or undergo a COVID-19 test every few days.

[H]ow did Qatar Airways achieve 100 per cent crew vaccination without threatening dismissal against vaccine-hesitant workers?

Unlike the United States, cabin crew in Qatar weren’t immediately prioritised for the vaccine and supply issues meant that Qatar hasn’t had a surplus of vaccines that are going to waste either.

But when crew did become eligible, they had a simple choice – get vaccinated or have an invasive COVID-19 test every few days to prove your negative status.

That said – the pilot is likely fully-vaccinated. He only joined Qatar Airways in 2022. Previously, he was with SpiceJet. While it is unknown whether SpiceJet has a vaccine mandate for its aircrew, SpiceJet is promoting the fact that its crew members and ground personnel are fully-vaccinated and masked.

Even so, I should point out that COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in India, and the pilot may possibly have left SpiceJet over the vaccination mandate (if there’s one). So it is still possible that the pilot was not vaccinated against COVID-19. We simply do not know his vaccination status for sure. Heck, we don’t even know his name!

Until and unless the pilot’s family (or Qatar Airways) reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that the unnamed pilot was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us have any evidence of that.

Fact #6 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if the Qatar Airways pilot was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, he would have received his doses more than a year ago! It is quite impossible for him to suffer from vaccine side effects, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.

Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.

Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.

The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.

Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.

Fact #7 : Claims Of COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries Often Proven False

Most claims of sudden deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false. Here is the latest dozen of other false sudden death claims!

Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next death or tragedy…

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Did Gopeng-Tapah Landslide Crush Three Cars?!

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Did a sudden landslide at the Gopeng-Tapah road crush three cars in a shocking viral video?!

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

Claim : Gopeng-Tapah Landside Just Crushed Three Cars!

People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show a sudden landslide at the Gopeng-Tapah road crushing three cars in a shocking video!

Kejadian tanah runtuh di jalan Gopeng – Tapah pada 04-Jul-2023. 😱😱

Landslide incident on the Gopeng – Tapah road on 04-Jul-2023. 😱😱

Gopeng tapah

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Gopeng-Tapah-fake-landslide-video.mp4?_=1

Truth : There Was No Gopeng-Tapah Landslide!

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

Fact #1 : Incident Occurred In India

The tragic incident happened at around 5:11 PM on Tuesday, 4 July 2023. However, it did not occur on the Gopeng-Tapah road, in Perak, Malaysia.

This video actually shows a landslide that crushed cars that were queuing up on. the Kohima-Dimapur National Highway in Nagaland, India.

Three cars were crushed, killing two people dead, while three people were seriously injured.

The incident was confirmed by the Nagaland Director General of Police Rupin Sharma, who posted the same video that day, with this warning:

Today 04/07/2023

Massive #Rockslide and #Landslide on #Kohima_Dimapur main highway.

Pls stay away till road is cleared and traffic resumes.

#NagalandPolice on the Spot.

Fact #3 : Perak Police Chief Refuted Viral Claims

On Friday, July 7, 2023, Perak Police Chief Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri refuted the viral claims that the video showed a landslide crushing cars on the Gopeng-Tapah road. He said that a check by the police confirmed that the incident happened overseas.

The incident did not happen in Perak but overseas.

Fact #4 : This Is Just Another Fake Video

This is just another example of fake videos misappropriated to create controversies. Here are some other recent examples you may have seen recently:

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Is Sweden Hosting First European Sex Championship?!

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Is Sweden going to host the first European Sex Championship, after officially recognising sex as a sport?!

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

Claim : Sweden Is Hosting First European Sex Championship!

The Internet is abuzz with media outlets claiming that Sweden just recognised sex as a sport, and is going to host the first European Sex Championship on June 8, 2023, in the city of Gothenburg.

The Times of India, one of the most popular and reputable newspapers in India, even claimed that knowledge of the Kamasutra will help determine the winner!

Sweden will soon host the European sex championship

Sweden has formally recognised sex as a sport and will stage its first-ever sex tournament the following week. The contestants in the sex tournament will have daily sexual encounters that might last up to six hours.

A panel of judges will select the winners of the sex competition, and the audience will also weigh in on the choices.The European Sex Championship will begin on June 8 and last for six weeks.

Participants will engage in sexual activity everyday for 45 to one hour depending on the length of their bouts. The couple’s chemistry, their understanding of sex, their degree of endurance, etc. will all be taken into account when deciding who will win in the end.

The Sanskrit text “Kamasutra,” which deals with sex and sexuality, will also be taken into consideration while making decisions, and participants will receive points based on their understanding of it.

Show less

Even South Africa’s IOL media outlet reported breathlessly about how the sex matches will last 45 to 60 minutes, and span several weeks!

Sex tournament: Sweden becomes the first country to make sex a sport

While other countries may regard sex as a taboo subject, Sweden has become the first country in the world to register sex as a sport.

It is also revealed that under the supervision of the Swedish Sex Federation, there will be a European Sex Championship scheduled to take place on June 8.

The matches will reportedly last 45 to 60 minutes and span several weeks.

It is revealed that the contestants will be from different European countries and will compete in 16 different disciplines to show their talents.

Radio Mirchi reports that the judges will look at seduction, body massages, exploring erotic zones, prelude, oral sex, penetration, endurance, physical appearance, pose execution, creativity in position changes, and the number of orgasms within a given time to determine who wins.

Show less

Truth : Sweden Is Not Hosting First European Sex Championship!

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

Fact #1 : Sweden Did Not Officially Recognise Sex As Sport

Anna Setzman, spokesperson for the Swedish Sports Confederation called the claim that Sweden officially recognised sex as a sport, or that Sweden is hosting the first European Sex Championship as “false”.

The Swedish Sports Confederation has drawn attention to the fact that in some parts of the international media news is currently being spread that a sex federation has become member of the Swedish Sports Confederation. It is false information with the aim of smearing Swedish sports and Sweden. These are vigorously denied.

Fact #2 : Swedish Man Applied For Sex To Be A Sport

All this drama about Sweden officially recognising sex as a sport started with a Swedish man called Dragan Bratic, who owns several strip clubs. He wanted sex to be classified as a sport, and submitted an application to the Swedish Sports Confederation in January 2023.

Dragan Bratic claimed that he had already registered a sex sports organisation called Swedish Sex Federation, and is calling for Sweden to host a sex championship that will last for six weeks.

We are registered, have an organisation number and it’s perfectly okay to train and compete in sex, then it’s a sport like any other.

The incorporation of sexual orientation as a part of sporting tactics will be a ground-breaking development among European countries.

Fact #3 : Swedish Sports Confederation Rejected His Application

The Swedish Sports Confederation confirmed that an individual who claimed there was a sex federation and applied for membership. However, his membership was rejected in May, as the Chief of the Swedish Sports Confederation Björn Eriksson explained:

It [The application] doesn’t meet our requirements and I can inform you that this application has been rejected. We have other things to do.

But don’t lose heart, if you are a sex sports enthusiast. Eriksson left the door open for Bratic to try again:

Due to the fact that the application was incomplete, the applicant association was instructed to supplement the application and thus remedy the deficiencies.

The applicant association has not complied with the order and the deficiencies are such that the application cannot be examined in substance [and] the application must therefore be rejected without examination on the merits.

Fact #4 : Swedish Sex Federation To Continue With Competition

Even though Sweden did not officially declare sex as a sport, and is not going to host the first European Sex Championship, the Swedish Sex Federation is still going to go ahead with its sex competition.

This year they accept e-sport as a sport. Is sitting in front of computer and playing video games more sport than healthy physical activity that prolongs life? We will let you to make your own conclusion.

European Championship in Sex exists, and it is starting on June 8th in Sweden. Is it a sport or not… it is not that important. Euro-vision is also a competition, but it is not a sport.

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

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Did Pentagon Just Get Hit By A Large Explosion?!

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Was the Pentagon just hit by a large explosion?! Take a look at the viral photo, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Pentagon Was Just Hit By A Large Explosion!

A photo of an explosion at the Pentagon has gone viral on social media, with multiple “blue check” Twitter accounts, an Indian media outlet and Russian state media sharing it!

RT : Reports of an explosion near the Pentagon in Washington DC

Bloomberg Feed : Large Explosion near The Pentagon Complex in Washington D.C. – Initial Report

⚠️BREAKING – Initial Reports of a Large Explosion near The Pentagon Complex in Washington D.C.
A Fire is currently Burning at the Location of the Blast with Fire and Rescue Crews arriving On-Scene.

Initial Reports of a Large Explosion near The #Pentagon Complex in #Washington D.C.
A Fire is currently Burning at the Location of the Blast with Fire and Rescue Crews arriving On-Scene.

Truth : Pentagon Was Not Hit By A Large Explosion!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created using AI technology, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Was No Pentagon Explosion

First, let me just confirmed that there was no explosion at the Pentagon yesterday or today. The Pentagon did not come under attack, as many people have claimed.

For one thing – no legitimate media outlet has reported on such an explosion. No, propaganda outlets like Russia Today (RT) do not count.

This incident has shown just how unreliable RT really is – it was the only state media agency to post the fake photo. RT deleted the photo hours later, but did not appear to apologise for the “mistake”.

Furthermore, police and fire officials in Arlington, Virgina, have confirmed that the viral photo is fake, and that there was no incident at the Pentagon. No explosion. No fire. No smoke.

@PFPAOfficial and the ACFD are aware of a social media report circulating online about an explosion near the Pentagon.

There is NO explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon reservation, and there is no immediate danger or hazards to the public.

Fact #2 : That Is Not The Pentagon

Anyone who has seen the facade / side profile of the Pentagon will immediately realise that the photo does not show the famous building.

The fake building looks like like a university than the Pentagon, which has a flat, sloping roof without a triangular Gable roof.

The facade of the Pentagon is also almost flat and uniform, with uniform, same-sized windows throughout.

Fact #3 : The Photo Was AI Generated

The viral photo appears to be created using an AI image generator. If you look closely at the photo, you will see many discrepancies that suggest it was AI-generated:

The facade of the building is distorted, with some windows merging together.
The fence suddenly turns into crowd barriers, both of which have distortions with holes too.
The lamp post appears to be distorted and cut off from its base, literally floating sideways.

Not shown below, but the concrete walkway also gradually fades into grass, which is another sign it was AI-generated.

Fact #4 : Twitter Blue + Gold Accounts Helped Spread Fake Photo!

It is important to point out that while this viral photo tricked many people into thinking it was real, it was the new Twitter Blue and Twitter Gold accounts that helped it go viral.

The photo went viral because multiple Twitter Blue accounts shared the fake photo. Because many people still believe that blue check Twitter accounts are “verified” and therefore trustworthy, they shared it out too.

Elon Musk is responsible for this debacle, by allowing any Tom, Dick and Harry to purchase a blue check to masquerade as a “verified” Twitter account. That was how the fake Bloomberg Feed account was able to trick so many people to share this fake photo.

On top of that, Russian state media – RT (Russia Today) boosted the fake photo by reposting it on its Twitter Gold account, which is a paid and verified account. Even though RT finally deleted the tweet hours later, more than 38,000 people had already viewed the post, and many shared it because they believed RT verified the news.

Fact #5 : Indian News Channel Helped Spread Fake Photo

It also did not help that Republic TV – a right-wing, English language news channel in India, broadcasted a “Live & Breaking” news of the Pentagon explosion using nothing more than that fake photo!

To top it off, they even invited Professor Madhav Nalapat – “an international affairs expert” to opine on the fake explosion!

To be fair – Republic TV relied on RT to verify that news, with a chyron saying, “RT REPORTS EXPLOSION NEAR PENTAGON“. That ought to teach them for relying on Russian state media for facts…

Republic TV claims the Pentagon was just hit by a massive explosion! 😲🤔

Here is my fact check : https://t.co/GndMXdMr4I #TechARP #Pentagon #Explosion #Military #USDOD #UnitedStates #Facts #FactsMatter #FactCheck #Hoax #Fake #FakeNews #AIGenerated #AI #ArtificialIntelligence pic.twitter.com/XaqglBsV3T

— Dr. Adrian Wong (@DrAdrianWong) May 24, 2023

Fact #6 : This Is Just AI-Generated Fake News!

This is yet another example of fake photos / videos / news created by artificial intelligence. Here are some other examples I fact checked recently:

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

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

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Indian Robot Dancers @ Shanghai Disneyland?!

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Did China create these amazing Indian robot dancers at the Shanghai Disneyland?!

Watch the viral clip for yourself, and find out what the FACTS really are!

Claim : China Created Indian Robot Dancers At Shanghai Disneyland!

Here is the video that people are sharing on WhatsApp and social media platforms. It is often paired with a short explanation in English.

Watch this dance carefully. Dancing at Disneyland in Shanghai. These two are not human dancers, *But two robots made in China. *The duration of the dance h is only five minutes. But the waiting time to buy tickets to see this dance is 4 hours. Tickets to see this dance cost 499 yuan, which is equivalent to 75 dollars. Robots’ facial expressions are so perfect that it’s hard to distinguish them from real people.

Did China create these amazing Indian robot dancers at the Shanghai Disneyland?! 😮

Here are the facts : https://t.co/CvhSNWhgNf #TechARP #ShanghaiDisneyland #Disneyland #Disney #China #Wumao #India #Dancer #Dance #Classical #Facts #FactsMatter #FactCheck #Robot #Robotics #Fake pic.twitter.com/p5XrLK7GAn

— Dr. Adrian Wong (@DrAdrianWong) May 19, 2023

They Are NOT Indian Robot Dancers At Shanghai Disneyland!

The agility and grace of these dancers are amazing, but they are NOT Indian robot dancers created by China for Shanghai Disneyland!

The less gullible would point out that it is something you would only expect from human Indian dancers, and they would be right.

Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video From 2017

While this video has only started circulating in April-May 2023, the original video was posted on YouTube in August 2017 – more than 5 years ago!

The original video is called “Vahana Alarippu: Bharatanatyam Dance | Best of Indian Classical Dance”, and is 23 seconds longer than the viral video, with a different audio track.

Fact #2 : Those Are Professional Indian Classical Dancers!

The two dancers are professional Indian classical dancers called Sophia Salingaros and Isha Parupudi.

It is unknown where this dance actually took place. The description did not mention a location. But it is more than certain that this dance did not occur at the Shanghai Disneyland!

Fact #3 : 499 Yuan Was Old Entry Price To Shanghai Disneyland

The fake story claimed that the ticket to watch this performance costs 499 Yuan – about US$73 / £55 / RM303. That would be ridiculously exorbitant for a single show.

In truth, that was the cost of an entry ticket to the Shanghai Disneyland when it first opened in February 2016.

Since 6 June 2018, it has been priced at 399 Yuan (off-peak), 575 Yuan (peak) and 665 Yuan (peak holiday).

In 23 June 2023, Shanghai Disneyland raised prices again, with a Regular ticket at 435 Yuan. Regular Plus ticket at 545 Yuan, Peak ticket at 659 Yuan, and Peak Plus ticket at 769 Yuan.

Fact #4 : Disneyland Does Not Charge Extra To Watch Certain Shows

Anyone who has been to Disneyland knows that the entry fee is pricey. That’s because it covers all rides and shows inside Disneyland.

You only need to pay for food and drinks, and arcade games. Or if you opt to purchase Disney Fastpasses (Fastpass, FastPass+, MaxPass) to bypass long queues at popular rides or shows.

Otherwise, all rides and shows are free to enjoy once you enter Disneyland.

Fact #5 : That Is The Third Fake Video Of Shanghai Disneyland Robot Dancers!

This is actually the third fake video of robot dancers at the Shanghai Disneyland. It’s absurd how people keep passing off videos of real dancers as robot dancers!

This one circulated earlier, claiming to be of a female robot dancer that handily beats all Japanese made-robots. In truth, the fake news creator took the video clip from the 2018 World Dance Sport Federation Championship in Lithuania…

And this video was taken from a Chinese Ballroom Dance Federation (CBDF) competition

Who Would Create Fake Story About Indian Robot Dancers?

With China’s aggressive foreign stance in recent years, it is not uncommon to see such fake stories and fake videos being created and shared.

Some believe it’s part of a concerted attempt to burnish China’s image overseas. Others believe the many fake stories are being created to drown out the negative coverage of China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative, and their aggressive moves in the South China Sea.

Whatever the reasons may be, it is our duty as global citizens to stop the proliferation of such fake stories.

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

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

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Did Texas Mall Killer Target Only Chinese People?!

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Did the Texas mall gunman, Mauricio Garcia, target only people of Chinese descent because he was anti-Asian?!

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

Claim : Texas Mall Killer Targeted Only Chinese People!

People are sharing a photo of an Asian family, together with a photo of them lying dead on the ground, claiming that the Texas mall gunman was targeting only people of Chinese descent, because he was anti-Asian!

This is the post I received. The whole family of Chinese descent were killed in Texas by a gunman .. What a pity . Don’t go to US bro . The killer said he wants to kill all Asian people .

Out of respect to the deceased and their families, I will not be sharing the photo that shows them lying on the floor after being shot dead.

Instead, let me share with you this photo by Jon Raedle of Getty Images which conveys the deep grief of yet another American community traumatised by senseless gun violence.

Truth : Texas Mall Gunman Did Not Kill Chinese People At All!

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

Fact #1 : Viral Photos Were From 2023 Texas Mall Shooting

The two viral photos were from the recent mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, which happened on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

Let me give you some context on this shooting, since mass shootings happen so often in the United States, it’s easy to mix up the details.

At 3:36 PM that day, 33 year-old Mauricio Martinez Garcia got out of his silver Dodge Charger, and started shooting at a crowd in the parking lot before making his way into the mall.

Armed with three guns and protected by a ballistic vest, he shot 15 people in just three to four minutes using an AR-15 style rifle.

The Allen Police Department was notified at 3:40 PM, but fortunately, there was an officer who was already at the mall on a different call. He engaged the shooter and killed him within minutes of hearing the gunshots. Otherwise, many more people would have been killed or injured.

Fact #2 : No Chinese People Were Killed

The claim that he killed an entire Chinese family is nonsense – no Chinese people were killed in the Texas mall massacre.

Out of the 15 people Mauricio Garcia shot, eight were killed while seven were wounded, with three in critical condition. None of them are known to be of Chinese ethnicity.

Here is what we know so far about the eight people who were killed in the Texas mall mass shooting:

Three Members Of The Cho Family

Three members of a Korean American family were killed – husband Cho Kyu Song, 37, and his wife, Cindy Cho (nee Kang Shin Young), 35, as well as three year-old James Cho.

Their eldest son, William Cho, who just celebrated his sixth birthday four days before the tragedy, is the only surviving member of their family. He was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries, but his family members have recently confirmed that the schoolboy has been moved out of the ICU.

Two Members Of The Mendoza Family

Daniela Mendoza, 10, and her 8 year-old sister, Sofia, were killed by Mauricio Garcia. Their mother, Ilda Mendoza, remains in critical condition.

The two sisters are elementary school students at the Wylie Independent School District. Daniela was in fourth grade, while her sister was in second grade.

Christian LaCour

20 year-old Christian LaCour worked as a security guard at Allen Premium Outlets, who died while trying to save lives.

According to City of Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey, he evacuated one individual to safety, and was shot while “courageously remaining to help others”.

Aishwarya Thatikonda

27 year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda moved from Hyderabad, India, to Dallas five years ago to pursue her master’s degree at the Eastern Michigan University, and then worked for the last two years as a Project Engineer at Perfect General Contractors. She was just a few days away from turning 28.

Her friend who was shopping with her that day was injured in the shooting, but is currently in a stable condition in the hospital.

Elio Cumana-Rivas

32 year-old Elio Cumana-Rivas was the final victim to be identified on Monday, 8 May 2023.

Hailing from Venezuela, he worked as a delivery man in Texas to support his family back home.

Fact #3 : Mauricio Garcia Appears To Be A Neo Nazi

It is currently unknown why Mauricio Garcia decided to commit that senseless act of violence, but initial investigation showed that he was a neo-Nazi with mental health issues.

His profile on the Russian social media website, Odnoklassniki / OK.RU, included language praising Hitler, and references to neo-Nazi websites like The Daily Stormer. He posted multiple photos of his tattoos, which include the Nazi swastika and the SS sig runes. He also shared photos of people dressed in Nazi attire, with the caption, “My kind of people”.

Many of his posts also referred to his mental health. When he enlisted in June 2008, the Army quickly discharged him three months later before he could even complete his initial entry training for “mental health reasons”.

He also made a lot of misogynistic posts, complaining about women and making remarks common in the incel (involuntary celibate) community. He also praised the incel gunman who was responsible for the 2014 mass murder spree in Isla Vista, California.

Three weeks before the shooting, he posted more than two dozen photos of the Allen Premium Outlets, including details of the mall’s peak times. On 21 April, he posted a photo of the vest he would eventually wear on the day of the shooting – it had a Right Wing Death Squad (RWDS) patch.

In his final post, he lamented what his family might say about his actions, and wrote that no psychologist would have been able to fix him.

Fact #4 : This Is Shameless Chinese Propaganda

This is yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) or pro-CCP netizens. Only they are so callous as to abuse a tragedy just to promote their agenda. Shameless. Truly shameless.

All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false… in every instance. So please watch out for such false claims. Here is just the latest dozen,.

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

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

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Are Rohingyas using chemicals to freshen old vegetables to sell?!

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Are Rohingyas using chemicals to make old vegetables look fresh, so they can sell to unsuspecting customers?!

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

Claim : Rohingyas Use Chemicals To Freshen Old Vegetables For Sale!

People are sharing a video of a man showing how he freshens old vegetables by dipping them into a chemical solution, so he can sell them as fresh vegetables!

The video has gone viral on social media, and is being shared on WhatsApp with messages like these:

The Rohingas population there is huge and they sell veggies like that
I’ve been to selayang market with H

Rohingas are protected by the UNCHR. They even have a big international school

The Rohingas do not buy the veggies

The foreigners and Malaysians buy the veggies
Especially the small biz people
Because it’s cheap

Watch how vegetables are made fresh by using chemicals in 105 seconds. That’s why arbuda (cancer) is growing. In 105 seconds, vegetables and fruits are freshened by cancer-causing chemicals.

THIS TECHNIQUE IS USED BY THE ROHINGYAS IN SELAYANG MARKETS WHO SOLD VEGETABLE ON THE ROADSIDES.

Are Rohingya refugees using chemicals to turn old vegetables into fresh vegetables?! 😱

Here is my fact check : https://t.co/J4pUhR2wNi #TechARP #Rohingya #Vegetable #Chemical #Food #FoodSafety #Safety #Danger #Facts #FactCheck #Hoax #Fake #FakeNews #Agriculture #Viral #Video pic.twitter.com/XUNFL7H0ul

— Dr. Adrian Wong (@AdrianTechARP) March 29, 2023

Claim : Rohingyas Are Not Using Chemicals To Freshen Old Vegetables!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by people to cast aspersions on the marginalised Rohingyas who are refugees in Malaysia, and many other countries, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Is An Old + Edited Video

First, let me just point out that this is an old video that was edited for length, from its original run time of 4 minutes 7 seconds to just 1 minutes 42 seconds.

The earliest version appeared to have been uploaded to YouTube on 23 July 2021, by a Telugu channel called Mana Family Trends. Back then, it went viral on WhatsApp as well.

The shorter edited video first appeared on LinkedIn in middle of March 2023. It went viral there, and was reposted to Twitter on Friday, 17 March 2023, where it blew up.

Fact #2 : Original Video Did Not Refer To Rohingyas

The original video, and the newer but shorter video, did not refer to the Rohingyas in their description or titles.

See how dried leafy vegetables are made by dipping them in chemicals / వాడిపోయిన ఆకు కూరలు కెమికల్లో ముంచితె ఎలా తయారవుతున్నాయో చూడండి

This is 105 sec live video of how vegetables and fruits are freshened by washing them in chemicals. In just a minute, the vegetables look fresh. This is the reason for the increase in critical illnesses nowadays.

A two minute real life horror story. 😱

Fact #3 : The Video Was Recorded In India

The video was recorded in India, and not Malaysia. So it has absolutely nothing to do with the Rohingya refugees here in Malaysia.

Fact #4 : It Appears To Be A Spreader Sticker Activator Demonstration

The video does not show farmers freshening their old vegetables by dipping them into a chemical bath.

Rather, the video appears to show a salesperson from an agrochemical company demonstrating the wetting effect of a spreader sticker activator.

Spreader sticker activator is meant to be mixed with other chemicals, because it is inert and works as an adjuvant (see Fact #5). Therefore, you won’t see anyone dip their produce into the spreader sticker activator, as seen in the viral video, except in demonstrations like this.

Fact #5 : Many Agrochemical Products Contain Spreader Sticker Activator

Spreader Sticker Activator is a silicone-based chemical compound that is mixed with pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers to boost their performance by:

reducing surface tension, to allow for rapid wetting and absorption
improving the adhesion of those chemicals
opening the pores for faster absorption

By using a sticker spreader activator, you can use less chemicals and yet, they are more effective and last longer, saving you money. Hence, many agrochemical products already come with sticker spreader activator mixed in as an adjuvant.

Fact #6 : Spreader Sticker Activators Are Considered Biologically Inert

Spreader sticker activators are considered to be biologically inert, and are therefore not registered by the US EPA. There is also no OSHA hazard classification.

There is currently no evidence that spreader sticker activators can cause cancer, or any other disease.

That said, its safety profile is based on the fact that only a small amount is mixed with other chemicals. It is not meant to be applied alone to plants, never mind used to soak them.

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Is WHO Planning To Take Control Of Internet?!

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Is the WHO (World Health Organization) planning to take control of the Internet, for the “benefit of humanity”?!

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

Claim : WHO Plans To Take Control Of Internet!

People are sharing an article by NewsPunch, which claims that the WHO (World Health Organization) is planning to take control of the Internet, for the “benefit of humanity”!

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

WHO Moves Forward With Plans To Take Total Control of the Internet ‘For the Benefit of Humanity’

The World Health Organization (WHO) this week held a meeting to advance the international pandemic treaty — a legally binding instrument that will grant the global health agency total control over the internet to censor anything it deems to be “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.

Specifically, WHO member states are instructed to “tackle false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation, including through promotion of international cooperation” and manage “infodemics…through effective channels, including social media.” Infodemics is a term that the WHO uses to describe “too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak.”

Additionally, Article 16 (“Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches at the national level”) recommends that WHO member states collaborate with non-state actors and the private sector when carrying out their obligations under the treaty.

As the treaty has progressed, it has faced increased political pushback from elected officials in member states, with US Republican Senators recently introducing a bill that would require the treaty to be approved by two-thirds of the Senate.

But despite this pushback, the Biden administration committed to the international pandemic treaty on the first day of the recent WHO meeting.

And the WHO is continuing to discuss the treaty and plan for its future. The global health agency has another meeting to discuss the treaty scheduled for April 3 to April 6, plans to present the treaty to its decision-making body, the World Health Assembly (WHA), in May, and hopes to finalize the treaty by May 2024.

The WHO intends to adopt the treaty under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution through an international lawmaking process where a group of mostly unelected diplomats vote on the treaty.

If the treaty passes, WHO member states will be required to “raise financial resources for effective implementation” of the treaty and commit to allocating at least 5% of their annual health expenditure to “pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery.” Additionally, the treaty tells member states to commit an undisclosed amount of their gross domestic product (GDP) to “international cooperation and assistance on pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery.” This equates to billions of dollars in annual expenditure for many WHO member states and hundreds of billions of dollars per annum for some.

This WHO push to crack down on speech via this international pandemic treaty is being made in tandem with another WHO effort that targets “misinformation” and “disinformation” — proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005).

Like the treaty, these proposed amendments will be legally binding under international law if finalized. The amendments include provisions for the WHO to “counter misinformation and disinformation” at “the global level” and to develop member states’ capacities to gain “leverage of communication channels to communicate the risk, countering misinformation and dis-information.”

In a report that was released alongside the proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), the WHO suggested it would use its new misinformation and disinformation targeting powers to go after content that could “undermine public trust in health agencies and impede public confidence in, and compliance with, governmental or WHO guidance.” It also called for “a balance between ensuring more accurate scientific information on one hand and freedom of speech and the press on the other.”

Show less

Truth : WHO Is NOT Planning To Take Over Internet!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about the World Health Organization – WHO, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : NewsPunch Is A Fake News Website

Like Real Raw News, NewPunch is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.

It was founded as Your News Wire in 2014, before being rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news spread on Facebook that year.

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

Fact #2 : WHO Member States Want To Amend IHR

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

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

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

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

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

In other words – this agreement is being formulated by WHO member states, and not the WHO itself.

Fact #3 : WHO Is Not Planning To Control Internet

If you read the zero draft of the proposed WHO agreement, you will realise that the WHO is not planning to control the Internet. This is explicitly stated in Article 17, which refers to “Parties” that are the member states.

The Parties commit to increase science, public health and pandemic literacy in the population, as well as access to information on pandemics and their effects, and tackle false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation, including through promotion of international cooperation.

As you can see, under the agreement, each individual country will commit to increase KNOWLEDGE about science and public health, as well as combat “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.

Not only does the article clearly state that it is up to each country (not the WHO) to implement its policies, it does not mention anything about controlling the Internet.

The only people who need to worry about Article 17 of this proposed WHO agreement are those who peddle “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.

Fact #4 : No One Can “Take Over” The Internet

The Internet is not some kind of organisation that the WHO can “take over”, even if it wants to. The Internet is a global system of networks, literally a “network of networks” connecting the networks in each country to each other.

Until today, there is no centralised control of the Internet – no one sets the rules or policies, or even technical implementations. It is up to each country to adopt its own policies, although to ensure interoperability, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the domain name system (DNS), while the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) helps to standardise and improve technical aspects of the Internet.

Due to its autonomous nature, no one can control the Internet, never mind take over control. Individual countries and organisations can control its own networks, limiting or filtering access as they wish, but they cannot do so for other networks.

Fact #4 : Many Countries Do NOT Want A Binding Treaty

The claim that this is a binding treaty is, currently, false.

While the European Union, Britain, Indonesia and Kenya have proposed that the changes be adopted in the form of a binding treaty, the United States, India and Brazil opposed that idea.

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

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

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

Fact #6 : Future WHO Agreement May Not Be Binding

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

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

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

So it is ludicrous for anyone who read the first page of the zero draft to claim that this is a binding treaty.

Fact #7 : WHO Agreement Must Be Ratified By Member Countries

The claim that the proposed WHO agreement will be voted on by “mostly unelected diplomats” is nonsense.

First of all, the agreement was drafted and amended by member countries themselves. The WHO is only facilitating this agreement. It is not the one creating the agreement.

Secondly, even after member countries agree on a final WHO agreement, it must be approved and adopted by each individual country. This is clearly stated in Article 33(1) with my emphasis in bold:

The WHO CA+ shall be subject to ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by States, and to formal confirmation or accession by regional economic integration organizations. It shall be open for accession from the day after the date on which the WHO CA+ is closed for signature. Instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation or accession shall be deposited with the Depositary.

Fact #8 : All Treaties Require US Senate Ratification

The move by Republican Senators to introduce a bill that would require the WHO treaty to be approved by two-thirds of the Senate is nothing more than political drama, because it is already the law of the land.

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

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

In other words, the bill by Republican senators is irrelevant political theatre. If the WHO agreement is a binding treaty, the US Constitution already requires two-thirds of the US Senate to ratify it.

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

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Did Sushmita Sen Get Heart Attack From Vaccine?!

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Did Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen almost die 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 : Sushmita Sen Suffered Heart Attack From COVID-19 Vaccine!

After Sushmita Sen revealed that she almost died from a heart attack, people immediately claimed that the Bollywood actress suffered from a COVID-19 vaccine injury!

Steve Kirsch : She’s vaccine injured. Big heart is telltale sign.

Wishing the lovely Sushmita Sen well.
But is she vaxed? Is there a link to the Covid vax and this alarming high rate of young ppl suffering attacks?
A few yrs back it was Puneeth Rajkumar!
#SushmitaSen

And ohso…………………..”suddenly” 💔😪 *Bollywood*
Sushmita Sen reveals she suffered heart attack a few days ago, underwent angioplasty

Truth : Sushmita Sen Did Not Get Heart Attack From Vaccine!

It’s now 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…

Fact #1 : Sushmita Sen Survived Her Heart Attack

Sushmita Sen (born 19 November 1975) is an Indian actress and model who rose to fame after she won the Miss Universe 1994. She then went on to star in many movies as an actress, winning awards along the way.

On 2 March, 2023, Sushmita Sen revealed on Instagram and Facebook that she suffered a heart attack a few days earlier, and survived.

She had angioplasty done, and a stent inserted. She also suggested that her cardiologist confirmed that she had an enlarged heart – cardiomegaly.

“Keep your heart happy & courageous, and it’ll stand by you when you need it the most Shona” 🤗👏❤️ (Wise words by my father @sensubir ) 😍

I suffered a heart attack a couple of days back…Angioplasty done…stent in place…and most importantly, my cardiologist reconfirmed ‘I do have a big heart’ 😉😄❤️

Lots of people to thank for their timely aid & constructive action…will do so in another post! 🤗❤️🙏

This post is just to keep you (my well wishers & loved ones) informed of the good news …that all is well & I am ready for some life again!!! 😇😁🤗❤️🎶💋

I love you guys beyond!!!! #godisgreat #duggadugga 🤗❤️🙏

In a live chat session later, Sushmita Sen told her fans that she is fine after her angioplasty, but shared that 95% of one of her main coronary arteries was blocked“.

She also thanked everyone around her for their quick and prompt action that saved her life when she suffered her heart attack, naming most of them individually. She said she wrote down their names to ensure she did not miss any of them.

She also addressed social media comments about whether physical exercise actually helped people with their health at all.

I know a lot of you will stop going to the gym and say, ‘see, going to the gym did not help her.’ But that is not good. It did help me. I survived a very, very big heart attack.

It was a massive heart attack, with 95 % blockage in one of my main artery. I survived because I kept an active lifestyle. I am very lucky to be on the other side. It doesn’t put fear in me, instead, I now have a feeling of promise to look forward to something.

Fact #2 : Sushmita Sen Has Long History Of Smoking

While Sushmita Sen is a fitness icon, she also has a long history of smoking. In fact, she is often seen smoking in public.

Smoking and vaping are one of the biggest risk factors in developing heart disease, as Dr Mohit Tandon, Consultant Non Invasive Cardiologist at the Fortis Escorts Hospital in New Delhi explained:

Smoking and vaping have emerged as one of the strongest risk factors in increasing the incidence of heart attacks in the younger demographic, be it men and women.

If you smoke one pack of cigarettes per day, it can more than double the risk of you having a heart attack. And if you think vaping is less harmful, you will be astonished to know that vaping can increase the risk of heart attacks by 34 per cent. E cigarettes contain nicotine which increases heart rate and BP.

Then there is substance abuse which increases the risk of heart-related deaths in the young due to decreased blood supply to the heart or arrhythmias. These continue to be stressors even if you have a regulated fitness routine.

Fact #3 : Sushmita Sen Has Addison’s Disease

Sushmita Sen was diagnosed with Addison’s disease in 2014, an autoimmune disease where the adrenal glands cannot produce enough of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. She has been dependent on steroids ever since.

Patients with Addison disease have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, especially if they are women. A Swedish study published in June 2019 showed that women with Addison’s disease had significantly higher risk of developing ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but not men. The risk of cardiovascular disease increased with greater steroid doses used to treat Addison’s disease.

The risk of IHD but not CeVD is increased in AAD, especially in women. The risk of CVD independently correlated with greater glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement doses in women. Our data suggest that close monitoring and early treatment of risk factors for CVD, among women in particular, might be warranted.

Although relatively rare, patients with Addison’s disease can also develop dilated cardiomyopathy, causing the heart to enlarge (cardiomegaly).

Fact #4 : Unknown If Sushmita Sen Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19

It is currently unknown if Sushmita Sen was vaccinated against COVID-19, as she never publicly mentioned her vaccination status.

She may not even be vaccinated, as the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in India.

Until and unless she reveals her COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who claims that Sushmita Sen was vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine is likely lying to you.

Fact #5 : COVID-19 Vaccines Cannot Cause Heart Attacks

Just in case there is any doubt, COVID-19 vaccines cannot cause a heart attack. But neither can COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from getting heart attacks, or dying from them.

An acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or a heart attack, occurs when blood supply to the heart muscle is abruptly cut off, usually due to a blockage of one or more coronary arteries.

That’s why Sushmita Sen underwent angioplasty and had a stent inserted – because at least one of her coronary artery was 95% blocked by atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis not only takes years to develop, there is no evidence COVID-19 vaccines can possibly cause arteriosclerosis.

Heart attacks are also very common. People have had heart attacks long before COVID-19 vaccines were invented.

Fact #6 : Claims Of Celebrities Injured By COVID-19 Vaccine Proven False

So far, claims of sudden deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false at every instance. 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 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!

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

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

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BitiCodes Scam Alert : Fake Celebrity Endorsements!

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You may have seen celebrities endorsements of BitiCodes or Biti Codes circulating on Facebook and Instagram, but they are all FAKE.

Find out why there are so many fake celebrity endorsements of Biticodes / Biti Codes, and how they are doing it!

BitiCodes / Biti Codes : Fake Celebrity Endorsements

BitiCodes or Biti Codes claims to be “the crypto industry’s most accurate AI auto-trading app“, which “works by automatically placing trades… using trading bots to strengthen your chances of making a profitable trade.”

If you never heard of it, you won’t be alone, because it’s mainly promoted via advertisements on Facebook, Instagram, etc. They are also promoting it through Google Ads like these examples, which will often appear in completely legitimate websites.

Clicking on those advertisements will lead to legitimate-looking articles from local or crypto publications, often with a celebrity endorsing Biticodes / Biti Codes.

Here in Malaysia, people will see Biticodes being endorsed by the likes of local politicians like Lim Guan Eng or Dr. Mahathir. But those in the cybersecurity industry will quickly realise that these articles are familiar because they are almost exact copies of scam articles used in the previous Bitcoin Revolution scam.

Looking for reviews of Biticodes or Biti Codes is pointless, because they appeared to have paid for advertorials in legitimate media outlets, which are (intentionally?) wrongly listed as “reviews”. Only at the very bottom do they include a disclaimer that it was a sponsored post.

Outlook India

Biticodes Reviews : Today we’ll be talking about one platform called Biticodes that you can use to make an extra source of income. It’s safe, and you do not need to worry about anything. It may help you earn good money in very less time.

Disclaimer : This is sponsored review content posted by us. All the information about the product is taken from the official website (and not fact-checked by us). Contact customer care phone number given on product’s official website for order cancellation, return, refund, payment, delivery etc. related issues. Must consult any financial specialist before investing in BitiCodes Auto-Trading Software.

Tribune India

Biticodes is real or scam review 2022 : With an astonishing success rate of 90%, BitiCodes has what it takes to be your go-to platform for cryptocurrency trading. It can execute multiple deals per second – a rate that even the most experienced cryptocurrency traders would be hard-pressed to match.

Disclaimer : The views and opinions expressed in the above article are independent professional judgment of the experts and The Tribune does not take any responsibility, in any manner whatsoever, for the accuracy of their views. Biticodes are solely liable for the correctness, reliability of the content and/or compliance of applicable laws. The above is non-editorial content and The Tribune does not vouch, endorse or guarantee any of the above content, nor is it responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified.

In other words, those are NOT legitimate reviews, and the media outlets did not even test Biticodes / Biti Codes. Their disclaimers show that their “reviews” were paid content, written by Biticodes / Biticodes.

Avast Explains How BitiCodes Scam Works

In an August 2022 article, the cybersecurity company explained how the BitiCodes (also known as TeslaCoin) scam works:

The scam encourages people to pay to create an account and invest into a fraudulent crypto investment platform. There are two ways the campaign reaches potential victims: Through Facebook ads and email. Ultimately, victims can end up losing at least $250.

At the bottom of the page is a webform requesting site visitors to enter their name, email address, and phone number in order to register for the platform. The victim receives an email from a bot sparking a conversation in the victim’s language.

After a brief example exchange, the bot sends a link to a payment gateway, and asks the victim to transfer $250 in order to activate their trading account. Another scenario involves the bot emailing potential victims with steps to login to a cryptocurrency broker page, and after a few more emails, the bot sends a link to a payment gateway, asking the victim for a $250 initial investment.

I also investigated the articles and the BitiCodes website, and noticed that they are all using highly-suspicious domains and links:

celesteal.xyz/biticodes for the BitiCodes website (registered 23 Nov. 2022)
thedailypressbriefing.com/my for the BTC-News website (registered 29 Jan. 2023)
saveontaxesthisyear.tax for the BTC-News website (registered 6 Feb. 2023)

As you can see, the domains are not only completely unrelated to the article / websites, they are almost brand new! And if you go to their domain root, nothing loads. That is not how legitimate websites function. If you do a WHOIS lookup, you will discover that the owners of these domains are hidden.

Regardless of whether BitiCodes / Biti Codes itself is legitimate, you should avoid any article that do not tally with the official website, or with irrelevant domains.

Don’t fall for the scam. Avoid these BitiCodes / Biti Codes advertisements and fake celebrity endorsements.

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

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

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

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Is Biden Admin signing over US sovereignty to WHO?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Centralized Pandemic Response

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

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

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

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

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

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

Circumventing Senate, Constitution?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fact #2 : Recommendations Came From WHO Member States

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fact #4 : Future WHO Agreement May Not Be Binding

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

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

Fact #5 : Zero Draft Specifically Addressed Sovereignty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fact #6 : WHO Treaty Cannot Bypass US Senate Ratification

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

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

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

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

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Can Mobile Phone Spark Stove Fire / Explosion?!

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Can our mobile phone spark a gas stove fire or explosion?!

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

Claim : Mobile Phone Can Spark Stove Fire / Explosion!

People are sharing this video on WhatsApp and social media, warning that our mobile phone can spark a gas stove fire or explosion!

This video shows an Indian lady using her mobile phone in her kitchen. She places a pot on the stove, and proceeds to turn on the gas.

You can see the stove light up and suddenly, the Indian lady is on fire and does two pirouettes before falling to the ground.

I have no idea who actually created the video, but it has two Symcon Foundation logos, and the narrator mentions the Symcon Foundation in Mysore, India as well.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mobile-Phone-Stove-Fire-Symcon-Foundation-Video.mp4?_=2

Truth : Mobile Phone Cannot Spark Stove Fire / Explosion!

This is yet another mobile phone causes gas stove fire / explosion hoax, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : It Won’t Happen Without A Gas Leak / Defective Gas Tank

A gas explosion cannot happen without a gas leak, or a defective gas tank.

Even if you are holding a sparkler or a candle with an open flame, turning on the gas stove won’t set you afire, because… LGP gas is heavier than air!

Liquified petroleum gas (LPG) is a mix of butane and propane gas. Butane is just over 2X heavier than air, while propane is a little over 1.5X heavier than air.

As long as the sparks or open flame is higher than the gas source, it won’t set the stove on fire if you just turn on the gas.

For there to be an explosion, there has to be a gas leak as significant amounts of gas has to leak before it becomes combustible.

Fact #2 : Our Mobile Phone Don’t Create Sparks

Even if there is a gas leak, using a mobile phone won’t spark a fire or explosion, as the mobile phone does not create sparks during use or when it rings.

The electrodynamic speakers in your phone vibrate to produce sound waves. They do not generate sparks.

Think about it – how popular would mobile phones be if their speakers emitted sparks into our ears?

Without a source of sparks or an open flame, it is not possible for your mobile phone to spark any fire or explosion.

Fact #3 : Authorities Confirm Mobile Phone Do Not Pose Fire Hazard

The US FCC, US NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and the Petroleum Equipment Institute have all confirmed that mobile phones do not pose a fire hazard.

US FCC : In these stories, a fire was reportedly ignited or an explosion occurred when an individual’s phone rang and was answered. Supposedly, an electrical spark from the phone ignited the fires or caused the explosion. These reports are not supported by any documentation that the fire and/or explosion was caused by the wireless phone – or that the incidents even occurred.

US NFPA : The wireless industry has done studies on the potential for wireless phones to create sparks that could possibly ignite flammable materials. The studies generally conclude that while it may be theoretically possible for a spark from a cell phone battery to ignite gas vapor under very precise conditions, there is no documented incident where the use of a wireless phone was found to cause a fire or explosion…

Fact #4 : Static Is The Real Hidden Danger

Fire incidences blamed on mobile phones can often, if not always, be traced back to static electricity.

Our bodies can get “charged” with static electricity, if we wear rubber-soled shoes or slippers. Or when we walk on a rug. The risk increases when the air is cold and/or dry. The lower the humidity, the higher the voltage of a static discharge.

Sparks are created when an electrostatic discharge occurs – this is what causes the petrol station fires that people blame on mobile phones. Similarly, static electricity in your kitchen can create sparks that may ignite if there is a gas leak in the kitchen.

No Risk, But Bad Idea To Use Mobile Phone In Kitchen!

While your mobile phone will not spark fires, you should still avoid using it whenever you’re in your kitchen, or even at the petrol station.

Using your phone at the petrol station or kitchen is dangerous because it can distract you from dangers in an environment with flammable liquids.

It’s really the same reason why you are not allowed to use a mobile phone while driving. Your mobile phone may not cause your car to explode, but you could get distracted and cause an accident!

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Did Man Using Bluetooth Get Electrocuted Near Train?!

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Did a man using Bluetooth earphones get electrocuted by the high tension power cable of an electric train?!

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

Claim : Man Using Bluetooth Got Electrocuted Near Electric Train!

A video showing a man getting electrocuted and falling onto train tracks has gone viral, together with a message that claims that it happened because he was using Bluetooth earphones too close to the train tracks!

As the Bluetooth was activated on the mobile phone, the current came from the high tension cable of the track and reached the brain through the ear phones

And what happened next? See it yourself

Avoid using Bluetooth on the railway platform while travelling and standing “close to the train track” on the platform. 16/12/22

Truth : Man Near Electric Train Was Not Electrocuted Using Bluetooth!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and shared on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Incident Happened On 7 December 2022

First, let me just confirm that the video is genuine, and was recorded by a CCTV camera at the Kharagpur railway station in West Bengal, India, on 7 December 2022.

It did not happen on 16 December 2022, as the fake viral message claimed.

Fact #2 : Man Was A Train Ticket Inspector

The man was not a train passenger wearing Bluetooth earphones. He was a ticket inspector – a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) to be precise.

There was no mention of the ticket inspector wearing headphones or earphones of any kind in the incident report. As he was working on the job, he would not have been wearing any earphones, much less Bluetooth earphones.

Fact #3 : He Was Hit By A Falling Live Wire

While the ticket inspector was speaking to another person, an electrical cable that was in contact with the Overhead Equipment (OHE) live cable fell on him.

He was electrocuted by that loose cable, with sparks coming off his shoes and head. The ticket inspector fell backwards onto the rail tracks as the other person ran away in fright.

Fortunately, there were no passing trains, and after a few seconds, onlookers (who were probably stunned) came to help him. Miraculously, the man was taken to the hospital, and survived with only burn injuries!

If you look carefully at the video, you can see the cable when it sparks up on touching the ticket inspector’s head.

Fact #4 : Railway Official Confirmed Live Wire As The Cause

Chennai railway official, Ananth Rupanagudi, confirmed the incident, and explained that it was a freak accident that occurred because a long piece of cable fell on the man’s head.

A freak accident – a long piece of loose cable, taken by a bird somehow came in contact with the OHE wire and the other end came down and touched a TTE’s head. He suffered burn injuries but is out of danger and under treatment – at Kharagpur station yesterday afternoon! #Accident

He also revealed that the cable was very long – about 6 to 8 metres in length, and it was touching the OHE live cable on the other end.

Fact #5 : Incident Had Nothing To Do With Location / Bluetooth

To be clear, this incident had nothing to do with the man “standing close to the train track”. It also had nothing to do with using Bluetooth earphones.

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology. It is simply not possible for anyone using Bluetooth devices to get electrocuted by nearby power cables, even if they are exposed.

Now that you know the truth, please help to SHARE this fact check article so other people won’t be fooled by this fake news!

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Is Omicron XBB 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant?!

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Is the Omicron XBB variant 5X more virulent than the Delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus?!

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

Claim : Omicron XBB Is 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant!

This message has gone viral on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook particularly in India, claiming that the Omicron XBB variant is 5X more virulent than the Delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus!

Note : It’s rather long, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

XBB variant

Let’s pay attention to the following information:

Everyone is advised to wear a mask because the new variant of the COVID-Omicron XBB coronavirus is different, deadly and not easy to detect correctly.

The symptoms of the new virus COVID-Omicron XBB are the following:

1. There is no cough.
2. There is no fever.

There will only be a limited number of these others:

3. Joint pain.
4. Headache.
5. Pain in the neck.
6. Upper back pain.
7. Pneumonia.
8. There is usually no appetite.

COVID-Omicron XBB is 5 times more virulent than the Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate than it.

It takes less time for the condition to reach extreme severity and sometimes there are no obvious symptoms.

Let’s be more careful!

This strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region and directly affects the lungs for a relatively short period of time.

Several patients diagnosed with Covid-Omicron XBB were classified as febrile and pain free, but x-rays showed mild chest pneumonia.

Nasal swab tests are often negative for Covid-Omicron XBB, and cases of false negative nasopharyngeal tests are increasing.

This means that the virus can spread in the community and directly infect the lungs, causing viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory distress.

This explains why the Covid-Omicron XBB has become something very contagious, highly virulent and lethal.
Caution, avoid crowded places, keep a distance of 1.5 m even in open spaces, wear a double-layer mask, wear a suitable mask, wash hands frequently, even if everyone is asymptomatic (no coughing or sneezing).

This wave of Covid-Omicron XBB is deadlier than the first wave of Covid-19. So we have to be very careful and take several reinforced precautions against the coronavirus.Maintain vigilant communication with your friends and family.

Do not keep this information to yourself, share it with other family members and friends.

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Truth : Omicron XBB Variant Advice From Singapore Is Fake News!

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

Fact #1 : XBB Is An Omicron Subvariant

First, let me just clarify a common misconception. XBB is technically not a COVID-19 variant. It is a subvariant of the Omicron variant.

As per WHO definition, XBB is a recombinant subvariant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sublineages of the Omicron variant. In other words – XBB is a mix of the BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants of Omicron.

Fact #2 : Omicron XBB Is Detected Like Any Other COVID-19 Variant

The viral message falsely claims that XBB is not easily detected.

XBB is nothing more than a subvariant of Omicron. It is just as easily detected by the same PCR or RTK tests as the original Omicron variant.

Fact #3 : Omicron XBB Symptoms Similar To Other Omicron Variants

The viral message falsely claims that XBB infections do not present with cough or fever.

XBB is just one of the many Omicron subvariants that include BA.5, BA.2.75, BJ.1, and BA.4.6. While they have changes to their spike protein, they have similar symptoms to the Omicron variant.

They are just different versions of the Omicron variant, and present with common symptoms like cough, fever, sore throat, cold, body aches.

Fact #4 : Omicron XBB Is Not 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant

The viral message falsely claims that XBB is 5X more virulent than the Delta variant.

On 27 October 2022, the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) reported that there is no “substantial differences in disease severity for XBB infections”.

In other words – XBB infections produce similarly mild disease to Omicron. That is not surprising, because XBB is after all an Omicron subvariant.

The Delta variant (B.1.617.2), which caused havoc in mid 2021, causes more severe disease than any other COVID-19 variants, particularly in people who were not vaccinated.

An April 2022 study published in Nature showed that Omicron variant infections had 2X to 5X fewer fatalities than Delta variant infections.

Fact #5 : Omicron XBB Does Not Skip The Nasopharynx

This COVID-19 variant skips the nasopharynx and attacks the lungs directly is an old hoax that keeps getting rehashed for the variant of the day.

You may recall when Delta variant was the hot topic, people claimed that this is the variant that skips the nasopharynx and infects the lungs directly.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is immobile, and travels through droplets and aerosols that we breathe in. It is not a homing missile that goes in search of a particular target.

As the air we breathe passes through the nasopharynx before it reaches the lungs, that is where most of the virus ends up, and that is why we swab the nasopharynx to detect COVID-19.

Fact #6 : Nasal / Nasopharyngeal Swab Test Will Still Pick Up XBB

The false claim that nasal / nasopharyngeal swab tests will turn up negative also keeps getting rehashed for the variant of the day.

People too earlier claimed that the nasal / nasopharyngeal swab tests would turn up negative for the Delta variant. It was nonsense then, it’s nonsense today.

Nasal or better still, nasopharyngeal swab, to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus still works for the XBB subvariant.

Fact #7 : Indian Ministry of Health Call This Fake News

As of November 2022, Omicron XBB accounts for 65.6% of COVID-19 cases in India, where this viral message has recently gone viral.

This led to the Indian Ministry of Health posting an official notice, calling it fake and misleading.

#FakeNews

This message is circulating in some Whatsapp groups regarding XBB variant of #COVID19.

The message is #FAKE and #MISLEADING.

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

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

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

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

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

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Can COVID-19 Vaccines Give You Eye Worms?!

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Can COVID-19 vaccines give you eye worms?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : COVID-19 Vaccines Can Give You Eye Worms!

People are now sharing a video showing a worm or worms crawling in a person’s eye, together with comments like this!

I don’t blame the people that took the MRNA gene therapy disguised as a vaccine under the cover of a changed definition . I blame Government for allowing it to happen #CovidVaccines

#truthaboutMRNAVACCINES
#MRNAVaccinesAreALethalBioweapons
#VaccineSideEffects
#VaccineInjuries
#VaccineDeaths
#StoptheShotsNOW
#StoptheShots
❌💉❌💉❌💉👈

Where are the provaxxers???
if this is indeed from the darling vaccine you so advocated what r u saying here Zile/Sello?? People beginning to turn to them zombies?,u should know better Fana nd Brett pit showed us with world war z…

@LightbringerKai

Say no to COVID vaccines 💉 #CovidVaccines pic.twitter.com/apIbdK4Osm

— ROYALACCOUNT (@KillyWarwick) December 18, 2022

Truth : COVID-19 Vaccines Do NOT Give You Eye Worms!

This is one of the more bizarre examples of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why!

Fact #1 : The Video Shows Ocular Filariasis

The viral video shows ocular filariasis – a worm infestation of a man in Karnataka, India, who sought treatment at the New Medical Centre in Kundapur.

While the video appears to show multiple eye worms, it’s actually just one worm that is 15 cm long. Dr. Srikanth Shetty physically removed that worm, as it could potentially damage the man’s eyesight.

The worm was later identified as a filarial nematode (parasitic worm) of the Wuchereria bancrofti species.

In addition to that worm in his eyeball, the man also had parasitic worms in his blood, which was treated with medication.

Fact #2 : Wuchereria Bancrofti Spreads Via Mosquito Bites

Wuchereria bancrofti is one of three parasitic worm species (the other two being Brugia malayi and Brugia timori) that are capable of infecting humans and causes lymphatic filariasis.

All three parasitic worms spread through mosquito bites, not COVID-19 vaccines. Wuchereria bancrofti is the most common of the three parasitic worm species, and infects over 120 million people globally.

To be clear – there is no possible way for COVID-19 vaccines to infect people with such parasitic worms.

Wuchereria bancrofti has only two hosts – humans as the definitive host, while mosquitoes serve as. the intermediate host. It can only infect human beings through mosquito bites, commonly from the Culex, Anopheles, Mansonia and Aedes species.

Fact #3 : The Video Was Published In October 2018

It is not known when the Indian patient was treated, or when the video was recorded. However, we know that it was published sometime in early October 2018, and went viral at that time.

That is more than 2 years before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and more than 3 years before the first COVID-19 vaccines were approved.

In other words – this video has nothing to do with COVID-19, or the vaccines created to protect us against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Fact #4 : Wuchereria bancrofti Existed Long Before COVID-19

Unlike the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a novel (new) coronavirus, Wuchereria bancrofti is literally an ancient parasitic worm.

Wuchereria bancrofti has been infecting people since time immemorial, with infections being documented in Ancient Greek and Roman texts!

So Wuchereria bancrofti infections have nothing to do with COVID-19, or the vaccines created to protect us against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Fact #5 : Anti-Vaccination Claims Have All Proven False So Far

This is yet another example of anti-vaccination activists abusing old videos or unrelated diseases to create and propagate FAKE NEWS about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

So far, claims of deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false at every instance. Here is the latest dozen of other false COVID-19 vaccine claims!

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

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

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

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

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Did Megha Thakur Die Suddenly From Vaccine SADS?!

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Did TikTok star Megha Thakur die suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine SADS?!

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

Claim : Megha Thakur Died Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!

Right after news broke that Megha Thakur died, anti-vaccination activists immediately claimed that the 21-old TikTok star died from vaccine-induced sudden death (SADS / VIDS / VDS)!

Here is a selection of social media posts accompanying links or articles on her death:

Fans believe Western University student, Megha Thakur, died after taking Pfizer vaccine

“Vaccinated TikTok Star Megha Thakur “Dies Suddenly” at 21 Following Recent Heart Attack” Another VAX fatality?

Megha Thakur had over 1 million followers on TikTok and was a student of @WesternU. She had received a booster shot to attend Western University and right after her death her university proceeded to dropped their vaccination mandate.

Recommended : Died Suddenly : More Lies In Antivax Video Exposed!

No Evidence Megha Thakur Died 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 : Megha Thakur Died In Early Morning Hours

Megha Thakur (born July 17, 2001) was a TikTok star and YouTuber, who originated from Indore, India, but migrated to Brampton in Ontario, Canada when she was just an infant.

According to an Instagram post by her parents, Megha Thakur suddenly and unexpectedly passed away in the early morning hours of Thursday, November 24, 2022.

It is with heavy hearts we announce the light of our life, our kind, caring, and beautiful daughter, Megha Thakur, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away on November 24, 2022 in the early morning hours.

Megha was a confident and independent young woman. She will be dearly missed. She loved her fans and would have wanted you to know of her passing. At this time, we request your blessings for Megha. Your thoughts and prayers will be with her in her onward journey

– Megha’s loving parents

Fact #2 : Megha Thakur’s Cause Of Death Is Unknown

Megha Thakur’s parents did not reveal her cause of death. They also did not claim that she died from her COVID-19 vaccination.

Until and unless an autopsy is conducted, or her family publicly reveal her cause of death after an autopsy, anyone who claims that Megha Thakur died of this or that cause is most likely lying to you.

Fact #3 : Megha Thakur Had Physical + Mental Health Issues

Even though we do not know her cause of death, it should be noted that Megha Thakur had her share of physical and mental health issues.

On July 17, 2022, Megha posted a TikTok video in which she revealed that she suffered a heart attack, which she blamed on anxiety and stress.

I have really bad anxiety, which turned into stress, which turned into a heart attack. So I’ve been dealing with that.

In response to a fan’s question, Megha Thakur confirmed that she did indeed have a heart attack, and she had been taking time for her mental and physical health.

thank you 🫶🏽 I’ve been taking the time for my mental and physical health and love y’all so much for still being here

Fact #4 : Megha Thakur Was Depressed For Years

Megha Thakur did not just deal with anxiety and stress. She was also depressed for many years, as she revealed in an October 11, 2020 Instagram post:

It was awful, I didn’t want to be alive anymore, and nearly lost my life. Too many people choose suicide over their betterment because mental health awareness is not at all where it should be.

You need to seek out ways to improve your mental health literacy to help yourself and others – regardless of how much you think you already know.

It may be world mental health day, but today will not be the only day I speak on this. Remember to take care of yourself too. You are important.

Fact #5 : Megha Thakur Was Likely Fully-Vaccinated

Megha Thakur never posted about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but it is very likely she was fully-vaccinated, as Western University (where she studies) requires “students, employees and visitors to be vaccinated to come to campus“.

She lived on campus for the first year, and would have received two doses of the vaccine last year.

Anti-vaccination activists are blaming a recent booster dose for her death, but there is no evidence she received one.

Western University’s deadline for getting a booster dose was January 9, 2023. So it is possible that Megha Thakur never received a booster dose since she lived off-campus.

If she stayed on-campus, then she would be required to get a booster dose before moving into her residence in October 2022.

However, Megha Thakur only lived on-campus, in Delaware Hall, in her first year, before moving to Saugeen to work in her second year.

Fact #6 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if Megha Thakur received a booster dose, she would have been vaccinated more than 2 months ago.

She cannot possibly have died from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not many weeks 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.

Fact #7 : COVID-19 Vaccines Cannot Prevent Other Causes Of Death

COVID-19 vaccines are designed to protect us against severe illness and death from COVID-19, by teaching our own immune system how to create antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

They, however, cannot protect us against other causes of death, whether it’s a heart attack, SADS or even other viruses. Hence, fully-vaccinated people can and will die from other causes of death.

It is therefore ludicrous for anti-vaccination activists to blame all deaths of fully-vaccinated people on the vaccine. Did they really expect the COVID-19 vaccine to be an elixir of immortality? Please grow up.

Fact #8 : 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 TTS 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.

Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) 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.

Fact #9 : 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. Here is the latest dozen of other false celebrity claims!

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!

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Apple To Move MORE iPhone Production Out Of China!

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Apple has accelerated its plans to leave Zhengzhou in China, where the massive iPhone City manufacturing zone is located!

Apple To Move MORE iPhone Production Out Of China!

As anti-government protests continue across China, Apple is accelerating its plans to leave Zhengzhou – where the massive iPhone City manufacturing zone is located!

Apple CEO Tim Cook is now eyeing Vietnam and India as new manufacturing hubs to replace Zhengzhou, where Foxconn workers earlier fled amidst repeated protests.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple now plans to move to 45% of iPhone production to factories in India, and ramp up production of its MacBooks, Apple Watches and AirPods in Vietnam.

Those moves come with serious challenges as Apple faces having to deal with different regional government bureaucracies in India.

Meanwhile, Vietnam only has 10% of China’s population, and can only handle a 60,000 person factory – far smaller than the 300,000 person “iPhone City” in Zhengzhou.

So Apple is still considering switching to other suppliers in China – Luxshare Precision Industry Co. and Wingtech Technology Co., although these alternate plans may be jeopardised by the Chinese government’s persistence with its Zero COVID policy.

Apple Earlier Planned To Move iPhone Production Out Of China!

While Apple had been planning the move for months due to the Chinese government’s insistence on Zero COVID policy, the recent uprisings at its Zhengzhou manufacturing hub has accelerated those plans.

In November, iPhone City in Zhengzhou erupted in violent protests by Foxconn employees over strict Zero COVID policies and pay disputes, prompting a lockdown.

This forced Foxconn to offer $1,400 to quit their jobs, and later, a $1,800 bonus to stay. Even so, manufacturing at Zhengzhou is down to about 20% of its capacity.

Foxconn has tried to shift some of its production to its Shenzhen factory, but it cannot make up the shortfall, which is reported to be as much as 6 million iPhone Pro smartphones.

Things got so bad the Chinese government even called on military veterans and CCP members to work at the iPhone City factories as volunteers!

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Why Siddhaanth Surryavanshi Died In Gym Workout!

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Find out if the viral claims about why Indian actor, Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi, died during his gym workout are true!

Claim : Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi Died From Vaccine Sudden Death!

Right after news broke that Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi collapsed and died while exercising at the gym, anti-vaccination activists immediately claim that the Indian television actor died from vaccine-induced sudden death (SADS / VIDS / VDS)!

🇮🇳L’acteur indien Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi (46 ans) est décédé subitement alors qu’il s’entraînait dans une salle de sport. Il laisse sa femme, ses 2 enfants et ses fans adorateurs

SADS Et pourtant, c’est pas difficile à comprendre:
💉💉💉=☠️ ▶️ 🪦

🇮🇳 Indian actor Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi (46) died suddenly while training at a gym. He leaves behind his wife, 2 children and adoring fans

SADS
And yet, it is not difficult to understand:
💉💉💉 = ☠️ ▶️ 🪦

Another 💔 while working out in gym. Will ppl still continue to sleep n not raise questions for these sudden deaths?? #Newnormal #RIP

This Actor, Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi, he is up-to-date now, and he just learned the difference between Real Science and Junk Science.

Truth : Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi Did NOT Die From Vaccine!

It’s becoming a tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all celebrity deaths or injuries 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 : Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi Died From Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi (born 15 December 1975) and also known as Anand Suryavanshi, suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness while working out in a gym at around 11 AM on Friday, 11 November 2022.

He was rushed to the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri, Mumbai, where doctors tried but failed to revive him for 40 minutes, and he was declared dead.

While earlier reports stated that Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi died of a heart attack, the cause of death was later determined to be sudden cardiac arrest.

In other words – he did not die from a COVID-19 vaccine side effect. Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi died from cardiac arrest.

Fact #2 : Alesia Raut Never Blamed Vaccine For His Death

His wife, model Alesia Raut, posted on Instagram about Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi’s death, sharing a photo of their first picture together.

In her tribute to him, she only spoke of his love for her and his two kids. She never once mentioned, or blamed, the COVID-19 vaccine for his death.

Therefore, it is really odd that anti-vaccination activists would claim that Siddhaanth died from the COVID-19 vaccine. Do they know better than his own wife?

Fact #3 : Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi Is Likely Vaccinated

As far as I’m aware, Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi did not share any photos of his COVID-19 vaccination, or share when he got vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, it is very likely that Siddhaanth is fully-vaccinated, as he stated on 6 January 2022, that he was looking forward to getting his daughter, Diza, and his son, Mark, vaccinated against COVID-19.

He also encouraged other Indian citizens to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.

Instead of panicking or hoarding stuff, groceries etc, we should be kind and be thoughtful about others. I take this opportunity to urge people to complete their vaccinations. And the good news is that the vaccine for kids is now available! I feel relaxed and sorted that my children will soon be safe and get their vaccines.

Fact #4 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi was vaccinated against COVID-19, he would have received all of his doses many 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.

Fact #5 : Cardiac Arrest Is A Common Cause Of Sudden Death

Anti-vaccination activists falsely claim that healthy people do not suddenly die from cardiac arrest.

The truth is – people have been dying from cardiac arrest since time immemorial, long before any vaccine was invented.

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.

In Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi’s case, he was performing strenuous exercise in a gym, which is when cardiac arrest occurs most frequently.

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.

Fact #6 : COVID-19 Vaccines Cannot Prevent Other Causes Of Death

COVID-19 vaccines are designed to protect us against severe illness and death from COVID-19, by teaching our own immune system how to create antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

They, however, cannot protect us against other causes of death, whether it’s a heart attack, cardiac arrest or even other viruses. Hence, fully-vaccinated people can and will die from other causes of death.

Fact #7 : Claims Of Celebrities Dying From 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. Here is the latest dozen of other false celebrity claims!

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!

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

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Indonesia Bans Sale Of Cough Syrups + Liquid Meds!

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Indonesia has stopped the sale of all medical and cough syrups, and liquid medication after 99 children died, amidst an unexplained spike in acute kidney injuries.

Indonesia Bans Sale Of Cough Syrups + Liquid Meds!

On Thursday, October 20, 2022, Indonesia banned the sale of all syrup and liquid medication, including cough syrups.

This decision follows the deaths of 99 children, and 206 cases of acute kidney injuries in children, mostly under 6 years of age.

As a precaution, the ministry has asked health workers in health facilities not to prescribe liquid medicine or syrup temporarily.

We also ask that drug stores temporarily stop all sales of non-prescription liquid medicine or syrup until our investigations are completed.

– Indonesia Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril

Indonesia Ban Of Cough Syrups + Liquid Meds : What’s Going On?!

Just a week ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) linked four cough syrups made in India to the deaths of more than 60 children who suffered acute kidney failure in The Gambia, West Africa.

WHO suspected that the four cough syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited of India, contained “unacceptable amounts” of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can damage the brain, lungs, liver and kidneys.

India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organizatio immediately shut down Maiden Pharmaceuticals’ factory in New Delhi where these cough syrups were made.

In view of the seriousness of the contraventions observed during the investigation and its potential risk to the quality, safety and efficacy of the drugs being produced, all the manufacturing activities of the firm (are) being stopped with immediate effect.

The cough syrups that killed so many children in The Gambia though were not sold in Indonesia, according to the Indonesian food and drugs agency.

However, Indonesian Health Ministry Budi Gunadi Sadikin said today (Thursday, October 20) that the same toxic substances – diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol – were detected in syrups found in the homes of some of the affected children.

He added that the number of acute kidney failure cases could be higher than reported, so his health ministry was taking the conservative approach by banning the sale of all medical syrups and liquid medication.

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India Seizes US$678 Million Of Xiaomi Assets!

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India just seized US$678 million of Xiaomi assets, over claims it made illegal remittances to foreign entities by masquerading them as royalty payments.

Here is what you need to know…

India Seizes US$678 Million Of Xiaomi Assets!

On Friday, September 30, 2022, an Indian appellate authority confirmed an April order by the Enforcement Directorate of India to seize Rs 55.51 billion (US$678 million).

The Enforcement Directorate found that Xiaomi made illegal remittances under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), to foreign entities by masquerading them as royalty payments.

The Competent Authority appointed under Section 37A of the Foreign Exchange Management Act has confirmed the seizure order of Rs. 5551.27 Crore dated 29.04.2022 passed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) against Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited under the provisions of FEMA.

The Company started its operations in India in the year 2014 and started remitting the money from the year 2015. The Company has remitted foreign currency equivalent to INR 5551.27

The Authority, while confirming the seizure of Rs 5,551.27 crore, held that ED is right in holding that foreign exchange equivalent to Rs 5,551.27 crore has been transferred out of India by Xiaomi India in an unauthorised manner and is held outside India on behalf of the group entity in contravention of Section 4 of the FEMA.

It was the Enforcement Directorate’s finding that the payment of royalty was a mechanism to (illegally) transfer foreign exchange our of India – a “blatant violation” of FEMA requirements.

This is the highest amount of seizure order in India which has been confirmed by the authority till date.

Xiaomi India is the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Xiaomi Group in China, and sells and distributes mobile phones under the Mi brand name.

Chinese companies are facing headwinds in India, due to political tensions that arose from a border clash between the two countries in 2020.

Since then, India banned more than 300 Chinese mobile apps, and tightened rules for Chinese companies.

Xiaomi Pushes Back Against Seizure Of Assets In India!

On Sunday, October 2, 2022, Xiaomi India issued a statement, pushing back against the seizure of its assets.

It clarified that more than 84% of its remittances were royalty payments made to Qualcomm Group, to pay for intellectual property used in its Indian version of smartphones.

It also asserted that all royalty payments were limited to sales done by Xiaomi India, and confirmed by the Qualcomm Group.

Finally, it stated that since it does not own or hold any assets outside of India, Section 4 of FEMA would not apply to its remittances.

We have studied the order from the Competent Authority and are disappointed with the decision as none of the factual and legal contentions raised by us has been addressed. We believe our royalty payments and statements to the bank are all legitimate and truthful. We would like to clarify few points regarding our royalty payments:

a) Xiaomi India is an affiliate and one of the Xiaomi Group companies, which entered into a legal agreement with Qualcomm Group (USA) to license IP for manufacturing smartphones. Both Xiaomi and Qualcomm believe that it is a legitimate commercial arrangement for Xiaomi India to pay Qualcomm royalty.

b) Of the entire IN 5551.27 Crore Xiaomi India paid to foreign entities, more than 84% were royalty payments made to Qualcomm Group (USA), a third party US listed company, towards the in-licensed technologies, including Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and IPs used in our Indian version of smartphones.

c) These technologies and SEPs are used across the entire global smartphone industry. Without these technologies, our smartphones would not have worked in India.

d) All royalty payments made by Xiaomi India were only related to sales done by Xiaomi India, and not for any other countries or regions. This has also been confirmed by the Qualcomm Group (USA).

e) These royalty payments were made via RBI approved and mandated banking channels and are legitimate commercial arrangements.

Moreover, we would like to clarify that Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited does not own or hold any assets outside India. Hence, as per our understanding, the Section 4 of FEMA does not even apply in this situation.

We will continue to use all means to protect the reputation and interests of the Company and our stakeholders. We remain committed to working with various authorities to resolve the issue.

Although Xiaomi states that it will “use all means” to protect its reputation and interests, it is hard to see what the company itself can do.

Perhaps it was an indirect threat of bringing the Chinese government into this fray. Whether China will step into what’s really a regulatory dispute remains to be seen…

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Are Robbers Pretending To Be Home Affairs Officers?!

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Is there a gang of robbers pretending to be Home Affairs officers from the government?!

Find out what’s going on, and what the FACTS really are!

Claim : Robbers Are Pretending To Be Home Affairs Officers!

People are sharing messages warning of a gang of robbers pretending to be Home Affairs officers, together with a picture purportedly of one of these robbers.

Here are two versions of the viral warnings being shared on WhatsApp and Facebook :

High Security Alert:

Beware, one group is going from house to house pretending to be a Home Affairs Officer. They have the documents and the letterhead of the department of the home ministry and claim they have to confirm that everyone has a valid identity card for the upcoming census.

They are looting houses. Note that there is no such initiative from the government. Send this to your neighborhood group chat. They are everywhere, and they look presentable. Please alert your family and friends.

A person comes to your home and says I want to take your photo / thumbprint under some schemes. They have a laptop, a biometric machine and a list of all the names. They are showing a list and asking for all this information. It has been pointed out that all this is bogus. Don’t give them any information.

Everyone should be alert and BE AWARE‼️

Security Alert from Police: Be warned, there is a group going to homes and pretending to be officials from home affairs.

They have documents with the letterhead Department of Home Affairs and claim to be confirming that everyone has a valid ID for the upcoming elections.

They are robbing homes. Take note there is no initiative like that from the government.

Send this on your neighbourhood group chat. They are everywhere and they look presentable.

Makluman Keselamatan dari pihak Polis:

Berhati-hatilah, ada sekumpulan penyangak pergi ke rumah dan berpura-pura menjadi pegawai dari urusan rumah.

Mereka mempunyai dokumen dengan surat dari kementerian dalam negeri dan mengaku mengesahkan bahawa setiap orang mempunyai kad pengenalan yang sah untuk pilihan raya akan datang.

Mereka sebenarnya ingin merompak rumah. Perhatikan bahawa tidak ada inisiatif seperti itu dari pemerintah.

Hantar ini pada group whatsapp kejiranan anda. Mereka berada di mana-mana dan kelihatan kemas rapi seperti seorang pegawai.

安全警告：警察局警告說，有一群人逐家逐戶拍門，假裝是「Department of Home Affairs] [內政部]官員。他們持有[內政部】信箋的文件，並聲稱要確認每個人都有一個有效的身份證件，為即將舉行的選舉預備。他們其實是入屋打劫。注意，政府沒有没有這個行動。請轉發到您的鄰居，朋友群聊。這班人無處不在，看起來好大方得體。請小心。

Show less

Truth : Robbers Are NOT Pretending To Be Home Affairs Officers!

This is just FAKE NEWS created from real news, and here are the reasons why….

Fact #1 : Warning Originated In South Africa

The original warning about fake Home Affairs officers originated in South Africa, many years ago.

The South African Department of Home Affairs issued this media statement in October 2017 and April 2019 :

MEDIA STATEMENT ON ELECTIONS SCAM

Home Affairs wishes to warn members of the community of a group of individuals visiting homes and pretending to be officials from the Department.

They carry with them documents with letterheads purportedly from Home Affairs and claim to be confirming the validity of IDs for the upcoming elections. These individuals are criminals who rob households once they gain entry. There is no such initiative from the Department.

Home affairs officials are clearly identifiable by name tags. We will announce household visits through official
government channels

This warning was only issued in South Africa. No government agency from other countries issued similar warnings.

Fact #2 : Warning Transformed Into Fake News

The genuine warning by the South African Department of Home Affairs spread globally, and became fake news in other countries.

Many countries do not have a Department of Home Affairs. Neither do they have government officials going around verifying citizens’ identification cards ahead of any elections.

Even worse – some people took the initiative to modify the warning, and even added pictures of genuine government officials to make the warning look genuine.

Government agencies in many countries – United States, United Kingdom, India, Singapore, Malaysia – have labelled this warning as fake news.

Fact #3 : Malaysian Immigration Officer Was Victimised

In July 2021, a Malaysian immigration officer bore the brunt of netizen outrage when he was falsely identified as a fake Home Affairs officer – his picture was shared on social media and WhatsApp together with the warning.

The Malaysia Immigration Department and the Royal Malaysia Police announced on 13 July 2021, that the man in the photo was a genuine Immigration officer.

According to Ampang District Police Chief, ACP Mohamad Farouk Ishak, the Immigration officer was conducting an official investigation into an individual staying at a house in Pandan Indah, Ampang.

The Immigration officer introduced himself and inform the residents of the purpose of his visit. The 60 year-old Malaysian homeowner who hosted the Immigration officer during his inspection also lodged a police report over the matter.

From the picture, you can clearly see that the officer was wearing a t-shirt with the Immigration Department HQ logo, and carried an Immigration Malaysia badge as well.

Fact #4 : Fake Story Circulating Again With New Photo

In September 2022, the same fake warning went viral again on WhatsApp, this time with a new photo of two Malaysian officers who appeared to have served some kind of official paper to a homeowner.

While I cannot yet trace the provenance of this photo, or the context behind it, these officers are definitely not attempting to gain entry to the person’s home by falsely identifying themselves as Home Affairs officers.

Again, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has repeatedly announced that this story of robbers posing as Home Affairs officers is fake news.

Fact #5 : No Actual Robbery Cases Were Reported

Even though the South African Department of Home Affairs issued the warning twice, it is unknown if there are really robbers pretending to be their officers to gain entry into homes.

Ironically, acting Director-General Thulani Mavuso claimed that the South African Department of Home Affairs never actually received any complaint about such crimes :

Home Affairs has not received any complaint of this nature from members of the public. People who are aware of such an activity, depending on it veracity, are advised to report it to the police.

We reiterate our message that Home Affairs officials do not and will not come to your homes to validate IDs.

It sounds like the South African Department of Home Affairs were proactively warning people about the possibility, not reporting on actual cases.

Fact #6 : Safer For Robbers To Rob Empty Houses

Robbers generally prefer NOT to rob homes while their occupants are still inside. Not only could the occupants fight back, they would become witnesses to the crime and help the police identify them!

It would be much safer to gain entry into a house after its occupants have left.

Fact #7 : There Are Other Ways To Gain Entry

Robbers who prefer to gain entry through this method do not need to pretend to be Home Affairs officers.

They can pretend to be other government officials, like a police officer or an immigration officer. They can also pretend to be utility workers, the mailman or a deliveryman.

There is no particular advantage in pretending to be a Home Affairs officer.

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

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Was Xi Jinping Arrested In Sudden Military Coup?!

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Was Chinese President Xi Jinping just arrested and overthrown by a sudden military coup in China?!

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

Claim : Xi Jinping Was Just Arrested In Sudden Military Coup!

The Internet is abuzz with claims that Chinese President Xi Jinping was just arrested and overthrown by a sudden military coup in China.

A video showing a long line of military vehicles went viral, and some websites posted articles like “Chinese President Xi Jinping arrested, what is happening in China?”

Xi Jinping has been removed from the post of Chairman of the Chinese Military Commission. After the conclusion of the SCO conference in Uzbekistan, Jin Jinping, who returned to China, was arrested by the country’s army and kept under house arrest.

Military special forces have gathered at Shenyang Military Airport on the orders of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Li Qiaoming. Not only this, a video recording has also been released that the military vehicles of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army started invading Beijing from September 22.

These military vehicles are lined up for about 80 kilometers from Huanlai to Zhangjiakou near Beijing. The root cause of all this is the removal of Xi Jinping from the leadership of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army by senior and top officials of the Chinese Communist Party.

Even former Indian cabinet minister and BJP leader, Subramaniam Swamy, jumped on the bandwagon, posting:

New rumour to be checked out: Is Xi jingping under house arrest in Beijing ? When Xi was in Samarkand recently, the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party were supposed to have removed Xi from the Party’s in-charge of Army. Then House arrest followed. So goes the rumour.

Truth : Xi Jinping Was Not Arrested In Any Military Coup!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS that started as a rumour, but was used to generate page views for rumour / fake news websites. Here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : It Started As A Rumour

It started when China Democracy Party Chairman Wanjun Xie 谢万军 posted a video showing a very long convoy of PLA military vehicles heading to Beijing, with this message:

9月22日，中共解放军大部队开往北京。军队的车头在北京怀来，车尾在河北省张家口，行军队伍长达80公里。

On September 22, a large troop of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army left for Beijing. The front of the army was in Huailai, Beijing, and the rear was in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province. The convoy was 80 kilometers long.

Then Falun Gong practitioner and writer, Jennifer Zeng (曾錚), posted the same video, but this time, mentioning the rumour that Chinese President Xi Jinping was under arrest.

#PLA military vehicles heading to #Beijing on Sep 22. Starting from Huanlai County near Beijing & ending in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, entire procession as long as 80 KM. Meanwhile, rumor has it that #XiJinping was under arrest after #CCP seniors removed him as head of PLA

The video, however, does not actually show that the military convoy stretched out for 80 km.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Xi-Jinping-arrested-video-claim.mp4?_=3

Fact #2 : Jennifer Zeng Admitted Rumour Was Not True

Jennifer Zeng admitted a few hours later that the rumour that Xi Jinping was arrested was not true.

Someone told me that he knows the family of a #CCP admiral, the rumor about Xi’s arrest is not true.

Unfortunately, the rumour had already gone viral by then, and rumour / fake news websites capitalised on it to generate page views for the ad money.

It didn’t help that there were earlier reports of flights in and out of Beijing being cancelled…

Fact #3 : Xi Jinping Issued Two Statements The Next Day

While no photos of Xi Jinping were taken on 23 September 2022, he issued two letters on that day – a day after he was supposedly deposed and imprisoned.

While not direct evidence that Xi Jinping is not under some kind of house arrest, both statements still referred to him as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China.

Xi Jinping is likely still in quarantine, after returning from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan less than a week ago.

Fact #4 : Sun Lijun Was Sentenced To Death The Next Day

If Xi Jinping was really arrested and overthrown on Thursday, 22 September 2022, the sentencing of Sun Lijun the next day would have at least been postponed, if not cancelled.

On Friday, 23 September 2022, Sun Lijun was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, that would eventually be commuted to life imprisonment with no possibility of commutation or parole.

Officially, the former Vice Minister of Public Security was found guilty of taking more than 646 million yuan (US$90.6 million) of bribes, manipulating the stock market, and illegally possessing two firearms.

Unofficially, Sun was part of a “political clique” that challenged Xi Jinping’s authority. Xinhua reported that “Sun failed to stay true to the Party’s ideals and faith, displayed “extremely inflated political ambition and very poor political integrity,” issued groundless criticisms of the Party’s policies, and spread political rumours“.

Several members of this political clique, like former Justice Minister Fu Zhenghua and three former police chiefs of Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi provinces, also received long jail sentences.

Fact #5 : No Evidence Of Military Coup / Arrest

As much as many people would like to see Xi Jinping experience the pleasures of the Chinese prison system, there is simply NO EVIDENCE of any military coup, or Xi Jinping getting arrested.

If Xi Jinping was arrested in a military coup, the first thing the plotters would have done is publicly reveal that they not only toppled him, they have him in custody.

They would also seize control of major government institutions and the media, to secure power and ensure that Xi loyalists cannot regain power. Martial law would have been declared, with a complete lockdown of Beijing, and the military barricading government buildings.

These are all “noisy” actions that would be clearly visible, not only to the Chinese public but the entire world as well, especially in a time of smartphones and social media.

Yet, there was no mention of anything remotely close to an arrest or a coup of any kind, in any mainstream media or social media, either inside or outside of China.

It may be possible to keep a lid on such a major event in North Korea – the hermit kingdom, but not in China. Not even with the Great Firewall (防火长城).

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

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Dell 40-Nation Survey : Employees Are Greatest Asset!

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Dell Technologies just conducted a new 40+ country survey to find out things have changed after two years of accelerated digital transformation!

Take a look at their results, and find out why most businesses consider employees as their greatest asset!

Dell 40-Nation Survey : Employees Are Greatest Asset!

After two years of accelerated digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, 64% of IT leaders in Malaysia (APJ: 45%; Global: 50%) say their organisations know what it takes to digitally transform a workforce.

But after such rapid change, many employees now face the challenge of maintaining the pace. What’s more, more than two-thirds of the 10,500 respondents believe that their organisations are not able to engage with their employees properly when planning transformation programs.

The results suggest that after 2 years rapid transformation, businesses and their workforce are in need of time to recharge, reflect and refine before embarking on new or iterating projects.

The research also highlights how there is still the danger os digital transformation stalling, as 68% of Malaysian respondents (APJ: 72%; Global: 64%) believe that their employees’ resistance to change can lead to failure.

Over half or 57% of Malaysian respondents (APJ: 62%; Global: 53%) fear that they will be shut-out of the rapidly-evolving digital world due to a lack of people with the right authority or vision to capitalise on opportunities offered by new technologies, like as-a-Service models.

Most organisations around the world – including Malaysia – realise the need to digitally transform, but they find digital transformation hard, and their people don’t always embrace change.

This human-technology friction is only compounded by the pandemic and what we end up with is businesses that are more digitally resilient, but many of their people are exhausted.

Today, businesses aspiring for sustainable success need to be asking themselves how they can thoughtfully and purposefully help their people navigate further change.

– Mak Chin Wah, country manager, Malaysia and general manager, Telecom Systems Business, South Asia, Dell Technologies.

Dell 40-Nation Survey : Readiness For Digital Change

Dell and independent behavioural experts also studied survey respondents’ appetite for digital change, and they found that only 8% of the Malaysian workforce – from senior business leaders to IT decision-makers and staff – are pursuing modernisation projects (APJ: 7%; Global: 10%).

Furthermore, 40% of Malaysian respondents are slow or reluctant to embrace change (APJ: 46%; Global: 42%).

Breakthrough Benchmark	Malaysia	APJ	Global
Sprint: Will chase innovation and trailblaze technological change.	8%	7%	10%
Steady: Poised to adopt technological change, selected by others.	50%	41%	43%
Slow: Inclined to hold back and observe / deliberate.	40%	46%	42%
Still: Tend to anticipate problems and resist proposed technology innovations based on perceived risk.	4%	6%	5%

Dell 40-Nation Survey : The Way Forward

The Dell study also charts a way forward for businesses to focus on keeping pace with digital transformation:

1. Connectivity

Businesses performed tremendous feats to connect, collaborate, and conduct business online during the pandemic, but the job is not done.

Around 76% of Malaysian respondents say they need their organisations to provide the necessary tools and infrastructure to work anywhere (along with the autonomy to choose their preferred working pattern) (APJ: 78%; Global: 72%).

In fact, they worry their employees might be left behind because they do not have the right technology to shift to a highly distributed model (where work and compute are not tied to a central place, but occur everywhere).

Technology alone is not enough. Businesses also need to make work equitable for employees with different needs, interests, and responsibilities, including the 82% Malaysian employees (APJ: 78; Global: 76%) that would like their organisation to do any of the following:

Clearly define their ongoing commitment to flexible work arrangements and the practicalities of making it work – Malaysia: 54% (APJ: 46%; Global: 40%)
Equip leaders to effectively and equitably manage remote teams – Malaysia: 41% (APJ: 42%; Global: 42%)
Empower employees to choose their preferred working pattern and provide the necessary tools / infrastructure – Malaysia: 49% (APJ: 47%; Global: 44%)

2. Productivity

Every employee’s time is limited and there are now too few qualified candidates for open roles. To address these limitations, businesses can delegate repetitive tasks to automated processes and free-up employees to focus on higher-value work.

At present, 19% of Malaysian respondents say that their work is stimulating and not repetitive (APJ: 32%; Global: 37%). With the opportunity to automate more repetitive tasks, 81% of Malaysian respondents would look forward to learning new, sought-after skills and technologies, like leadership skills, courses in machine learning, or focusing on more strategic opportunities to elevate their role (APJ: 74%; Global; 69%).

However, businesses with limited budgets are concerned they will not be able to advance their workforce and compete.

3. Empathy

At their heart, businesses must build a culture, modelled by empathetic leaders, that treats people as their greatest source of creativity and value.

The research shows there is still work to do and empathy has to inform decision making – from simplifying technology for approximately half (Malaysia: 51%; APJ: 52%; Global: 49%) who often feel overwhelmed by complex technologies, to tailoring change programs to individuals’ skills (Malaysia: 54%; APJ: 50%; Global: 41%;) of employees believe their leaders do this).

Dell 40-Nation Survey : A Quick Primer

To find out how things have changed after two years of accelerated digital transformation, Dell Technologies conducted a survey across 40+ countries from all regions of the world, from August to October 2021.

Fieldwork was conducted by Vanson Bourne, and involved 10,500 senior business decision-makers, IT decision-makers and knowledge workers (employees involved in digital transformation).

In Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ), 2,900 respondents across 11 locations were surveyed. The APJ locations include Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Malaysia, 200 number of respondents were surveyed.

On 22 September 2022, Dell Technologies presented their key findings at the Dell Technologies Forum 2022, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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

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How Ice Cream (Dry Ice) Nearly Killed This Lady!

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Find out HOW dry ice used to keep ice-cream cold nearly killed this lady in India, and WHY we must all be aware of this silent danger!

Claim : Ice Cream (Dry Ice) Nearly Killed This Lady!

People are sharing this long message about a lady who was nearly killed by dry ice used to keep her ice-cream cold.

It’s very long, so feel free to skip to the next section to find out what the facts really are!

A SOCIAL WARNING TEXT FROM INDIA

Ice Cream near death
_________

Dry ice kept with Naturals ice cream can be Fatal

Please do read it, won’t take much of a time but can help saving your loved and near ones.

I Nidhi Singal Gupta on 5th August evening, around 4pm went to Naturals ice cream parlour in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, thinking I would send ice cream cartons to my brother – as a Raksha Bandhan gift.

So I got 11 cartons packed – of Naturals ice cream.

They packed my whole lot of cartons of Naturals ice cream … with Dry Ice – so it wouldn’t melt, before 18hrs – with NO warning to me !!.

They kept the 11 cartons in my car boot.

Around 5pm I started out from there and within 10 mins duration…I started to lose my breath.

As I was on self-drive – and could not move any further – I parked my car on the side of the road – and called my husband Vishal immediately.

I was so breathless & in such a semi-conscious state – that I could not explain to him where I was !!..

I could only hear the sound of his voice – but my body was still and I could not move.

My only act – which saved my life – was that I sent my Location Google Map coordinates thru WhatsApp – to my husband !

He further forwarded that to all his friends.

I was rescued in a semi – conscious state after a few minutes – by one of his friend Naynesh who was near my Location.

He got me admitted to the Moolchand Hospital Emergency.

The Dry ice – which was kept with the ice cream – creates Carbon dioxide !

There was No Warning from Naturals – that the cartons have to be properly ventilated. By fresh air & Open windows – to prevent possible gas toxicity, suffocation or death !

My car windows had been closed – and the Air conditioner had been ON.

Due to which carbon dioxide built up in the closed carv- .. and kept on rotating inside my car.

Poisoning me. I got breathless.

A Few more seconds – could have cost me my life.!!

Its a request to the Owner of Naturals ice cream.

Before selling your packed icecream and packing dry ice Carbon Dioxide – You Naturals should WARN every Purchaser of the extreme Hazards dangers of Dry Ice, Carbon Dioxide to humans, & living things – when locked & kept in closed spaces like vehicles – or closed rooms.

Hazard / Danger – To families & young children + passengers especially !!

There should also be a Prominent sticker /and a proper warning – given verbally – by your Naturals employees !! Of this Danger of Dry Ice

So that – what happened with me, doesn’t happen to (or with) anybody else !!.

I got Medical help – immediately – Luckily !

But – another person – may NOT be so Lucky – the next time !!
………………………….

Please share this
with your family & friends.

Show less

Truth : Dry Ice Nearly Killed That Lady, But It Was Exceptional

This is one of the very few viral warnings on WhatsApp that turn out to be TRUE.

Here is what you need to know about her case and the dangers of dry ice.

Fact #1 : The Incident Happened In August 2017

The viral message has been circulating for some 5 years now. The incident happened on 5 August 2017.

Nidhi Singal Gupta bought 11 cartons (not packs) of ice-cream. To ensure that they won’t melt for the next 18 hours, the ice-cream parlour workers packed the ice-cream cartons with dry ice in her car boot.

After driving for some 10 minutes, she felt breathless and Fortunately, she was found and taken to the Moolchand Hospital, where she recovered and was discharged on the same day.

Fact #2 : Dry Ice Is Frozen Carbon Dioxide

Dry ice is basically frozen carbon dioxide. Unlike normal ice, it does not “melt”, but converts into carbon dioxide gas – a process called sublimation.

Dry ice is commonly used to keep ice-cream cold because it is colder than ice, and does not melt into water, or leave any residue.

Fact #3 : Dry Ice Can Cause Frostbite + Hypercapnia

Because dry ice is super cold (−78.5 °C / −109.2 °F), it can cause frostbite injury if improperly handled.

The outgassing of carbon dioxide can cause hypercapnia – abnormally elevated carbon dioxide in the blood, if it happens in an enclosed space.

Initially, people who suffer from hypercapnia may experience headache, confusion and disorientation – just like what Nidhi Singal Gupta experienced. But in extreme cases, it could potentially kill the person.

Because carbon dioxide is colourless and odourless, people are often not aware of the danger. Dry ice should be kept tightly sealed, or exposed to open air in a well-ventilated environment.

Fact #4 : The Dry Ice Was Left Inside Hot Car For An Hour

The ice-cream that Nidhi bought for her brother was stored in the car boot, together with dry ice. Normally, this would keep any outgassing carbon dioxide within the car boot.

However, Nidhi did not immediately drive to deliver the ice-cream. Instead, she left the ice-cream with the dry ice in her car boot for an hour, before driving to her brother’s house.

In August 2017, the ambient temperature in New Delhi hit 38°C. The tremendous amount of carbon dioxide outgassing from dry ice stored in a hot car boot would likely have leaked into the car cabin itself.

That would explain why she felt disorientated and confused after driving just 10 minutes.

Fact #5 : Windows Were Closed + Air-Conditioning Was Turned On

The danger to Nidhi was compounded by the fact that all of the car windows were closed, and air-conditioning was turned on.

Carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen, and would normally “settle” to the bottom if undisturbed. However, air-conditioning in a sealed car would certainly have stirred and mixed it with the remaining air in the cabin.

This would have increased the carbon dioxide concentration in the air that she breathed in. And no fresh air was coming into the cabin, only carbon dioxide outgassing from the car boot.

Fact #6 : She Should Have Exited Her Car

While Nidhi credited sending her location to her husband as the act that saved her life, that’s not really true.

She could have saved her own life by simply exiting her car, or at least opening the door / windows. By remaining in the car, she continued to breathe in the CO2-heavy air.

If you are ever in the same situation, do NOT waste your time fiddling with your phone, or sending your location to anyone. STOP the vehicle and GET OUT right away.

Fact #7 : Dry Ice Has Killed / Almost Killed People

In August 2018, a 77 year-old woman in the state of Washington, United States, died from dry ice used to keep ice-cream cold.

Her son owned an ice-cream delivery service, and he kept four cooler boxes filled with dry ice for an upcoming delivery. His wife who didn’t know that, drove his car to send his mother home.

They were found a few blocks away several hours later, unconscious. By the time EMTs arrived, his mother was dead and his wife was in a critical condition.

In 2004, a man passed out in Alabama while driving with four large blocks of dry ice, which he bought to keep food cool in case of a power outage after Hurricane Ivan. His wife fortunately found him in time, and opened the car door.

Fact #8 : Dry Ice Is Safe, If Properly Handled

While this is a genuine case of a near-death experience with dry ice, it is generally safe to use dry ice to keep food products cold.

We must, however, understand the risks, and learn how to properly handle dry ice :

Do not handle large quantities of dry ice, unless you are properly trained.
Do not travel with large quantities of dry ice in your vehicle.
If you need to transport large quantities of dry ice, open your vehicle windows to ensure good ventilation.
If you feel disorientated while travelling with dry ice, immediately stop and exit the vehicle. If that’s not possible, open as many windows as you can.

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

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Did China Edit Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military?!

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Did China order Marvel to edit out insults of Chinese military capabilities in the movie Thor: Love and Thunder?!

Find out what’s going on, and what the facts really are!

Claim : China Edited Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military!

Some people, and an Indian website, are sharing an article about China ordering Marvel to edit out insults of Chinese military capabilities in the movie Thor: Love and Thunder?!

The article is long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

The Chinese government said in a statement on July 2 that they had to edit Marvel’s newest blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder themselves to suppress Thor’s lengthy, well-spoken monologue about why the United States shouldn’t be afraid of China’s powerless military.

“China is a feeble country that cannot support its people,” During an unrelated fight scene, Thor tells Korg. “They are weak-willed, sluggish people that the United States can easily trounce in combat. The only reason the U.S. allows them to live is out of pity and sorrow. China is a worthless, flaccid military regime that has poor and pathetic rulers asleep at the wheel. Communism does not work. Let’s go fight some more space pirates,” he added.

On why the speech was initially included, director Taika Waititi went into further detail.

“Marvel usually asks us to shoehorn in something for Chinese audiences,” Waititi said. “I thought it would be a fun wink to Chinese Thor fans if the Asgardian warrior stopped dead in his tracks, faced the camera, and broke down how China poses no threat to the United Nations and that their military is an empty threat that could easily be quashed. It’s Easter eggs like that that get the audience really feeling seen by your film.”

Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, voiced his bewilderment on China’s editing of the film.

“I’ll never understand why China makes seemingly nonsensical edits,” Feige said. “It’s just a fantasy movie about vikings, super heroes, and how China’s current missile silos couldn’t reach the West if they tried. I’ll never know why they take it so seriously, but whatever.”

Marvel revealed that China would also be removing a funny post-credits scene wherein Thor flies to Xi Jinping’s private mansion and chokes him on live television.

Truth : China Did Not Edit Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created as “satire” to go viral, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Is No Chinese Military Monologue In Thor: Love and Thunder

First, let’s start with the fact that there is no 20-minute monologue about the Chinese military in the movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Can you really, REALLY imagine Thor speaking for TWENTY MINUTES about the Chinese military in the movie? Whatever for???

Fact #2 : China Was Never Mentioned In Thor: Love And Thunder

China, and the Chinese military, were never mentioned in the movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Fact #3 : Thor: Love And Thunder Post Credit Scene Not About Xi Jinping

Thor obviously did not fly to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s private mansion to choke him on live television. There is no reference to any Chinese person in the entire movie.

In the mid-credits scene, a recuperating Zeus sends his son Hercules to kill Thor. In the post-credits scene, Foster arrives at the gates of Valhalla, where she is welcomed by Heimdall.

Fact #4 : Thor: Love And Thunder Still Not Approved In China

Thor: Love and Thunder was never approved in China, and will remained banned because of LGBTQ+ themes in the movie.

Fact #5 : It Is Up To Disney To Edit The Movie

The Chinese government may require edits for a movie to be approved for screening in China, but it is ultimately up to the distributor to comply with the requests, or reject them.

In this case, the Chinese government may request for the LGBTQ+ scenes to be edited out of Thor: Love and Thunder; but it is up to Disney to either comply with their requests, or reject them.

Rejecting the edits will naturally prevent the movie from receiving screening approval, but it is still Disney’s choice, not the Chinese government.

Fact #6 : It Was Just Satire

I traced the origin of this fake story to Hard-Drive – a satire website.

Even though there are no disclaimers on the entire website, or the article itself; their website appears to consist entirely of satirical content, and the article itself is clearly satirical.

However, it appears that some people actually thought that the story was genuine and reposted it on social media.

Times Now, which is part of the Times Group in India, even reposted the story on their online news portal, as if it’s genuine news!

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

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

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Does Malaysia Have 2nd Most Debt In Asia, After Sri Lanka?!

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Did the IMF warn Malaysia about having the second most national debt in Asia, after Sri Lanka?!

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

Claim : Malaysia Has 2nd Most Debt In Asia, After Sri Lanka!

This post about IMF warning Malaysia about having the second most national debt in Asia, after Sri Lanka, has gone viral.

People are sharing it as a warning of how Malaysia could very soon descent into the economic chaos and misery affecting Sri Lanka.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that Malaysia is in a huge economic dilemma.

The second largest debt country in Asia after Sri Lanka is Malaysia.

Good Luck to Malaysian… [sic]

马民有福了😱😭

Truth : Malaysia Does Not Have 2nd Most Debt In Asia, After Sri Lanka!

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

Fact #1 : IMF Did Not Say Malaysia Is In Economic Trouble

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) did not warn that Malaysia is in huge economic trouble.

In April 2022, it warned that Asian nations, like the rest of the world, are at risk of stagflation from being battered by the war in Ukraine and the slowdown in China from COVID-19.

The region faces a stagflationary outlook, with growth being lower than previously expected, and inflation being higher.

Inflation is now expected to rise 3.2% this year, a full point higher than expected in January.

Despite the downgrade, Asia remains the world’s most dynamic region, and an important source of global growth.
– Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf, acting director of IMF Asia and Pacific

Fact #2 : Malaysia Does Not Have Second Most Debt In Asia

The claim that Malaysia has the second highest national debt in Asia is also false.

On both the GDP percentage and per capita basis, Singapore has the second highest national debt in Asia, behind Japan. Even Sri Lanka has less debt, per capita or as a percentage of its GDP, than Singapore or Japan.

Malaysia has far less national debt than Sri Lanka as a percentage of its GDP, but twice the debt on a per capita basis.

Here is a comparison I created of countries with the highest national debt in Asia :

Country	Year	National Debt	Debt (% of GDP)	Debt Per Capita
Japan	2020	$13,054 billion	259%	$103,386
Singapore	2021	$536 billion	132.8%	$98,410
Sri Lanka	2020	$81.7 billion	101.2%	$3,726
Mongolia	2021	$14.3 billion	94.7%	$4,294
India	2020	$2,402 billion	90.1%	$1,741
China	2020	$10,115 billion	68.1%	$7,164
Malaysia	2021	$239 billion	63.4%	$8,644
Philippines	2021	$226 billion	57.5%	$2,055

Fact #3 : IMF Optimistic Malaysia Will Expand By 5.75% In 2022

In May 2022, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) actually announced that it is optimistic that Malaysia’s economy will expand by 5.75% in 2022, driven by pent-up domestic demand and continued strong external demand.

It also said that Malaysia’s high vaccination rates, and limited movement restrictions are supporting economic expansion.

Fact #4 : High Debt Is Not Necessarily Bad

While a high national debt is not ideal, it is not necessarily a bad thing either. It really depends on how much interest needs to be paid on the debt, and what the government is using it for.

Unlike individuals who will die eventually, the government of a country can last for hundreds of years. So governments do not have to pay back all of their debts within a certain amount of time.

As long as the government can keep paying interest on its debt, it can continue to borrow money to service deficits in its budget, or to invest in projects that grow the economy.

Fact #5 : How Governments Use Money Matters More

Just like how you can use borrowed money to invest in assets or splurge on liabilities, how the government uses the borrowed money matters more than how much it borrows.

If the government uses borrowed money to invest, that will spur growth that allows it to easily repay its debts while driving down the interest it pays.

But if the borrowed money is lost through corruption or wasteful projects, the government will find it harder to pay interest on the debt and may even default on payments.

Fact #6 : High Government Spending During Pandemic Is Expected

Practically every government in the world was forced to spend significantly more during the pandemic. Most run into large deficits during the pandemic because :

lockdowns reduce economic activity, reducing taxes
governments need to spend more on healthcare to combat COVID-19
governments cut taxes to support citizens and businesses
governments provide monetary support for citizens and businesses

This isn’t unique to Malaysia, but applies across the world. That’s why Malaysia’s national debt jumped significantly after January 2020.

Fact #7 : Malaysia Has Sufficient Foreign Reserves

Malaysia’s national debt increased from $228.7 billion in 2020, to $239 billion (RM 979.8 billion) in 2021 – an increase of about 4.5% year-on-year.

While this increase pushes Malaysia close to a national debt of 65% of its GDP, it is still much lower than many other countries.

More importantly, Bank Negara Malaysia reported international reserves of $116.9 billion as of 31 December 2021, which is enough to finance 7.7 months of retained imports, and is 20% higher than the total short-term external debt.

In other words, Malaysia is not anywhere close to collapsing economically, like what happened in Sri Lanka.

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

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