Tag Archives: Poland

Did Brooklyn Couple Steal Palestinian Couple’s Home?!

Did a couple from Brooklyn steal a home that was once owned by an elderly Palestinian couple?!

Take a look at the photo that Michael Moore made viral, and find out what the FACTS really are!

Updated @ 2024-04-06 : Updated after photo went viral again
Originally posted @ 2021-05-24

Claim : Brooklyn Couple Stole Palestinian Couple’s Home!

People keep sharing this photo as evidence that Americans / Israelis are stealing Palestinian homes, every time there is a conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

It notably went viral in May 2021, after Michael Moore posted it (archive) on his Facebook wall, and it has gone viral every few months since then, and most notably after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

If someone took/stole your home right now, and moved you out because a theocracy ordered it — or what if this same theocracy bulldozed your home and tossed you out into a field and told you and your children to GTF outta here — what would YOUR response be?

What would you have the moral right to do about it? And to be perfectly clear, I don’t care if it was a Christian Fascist German soldier in 1941 forcibly removing you from your home, or an American bank in 2008 forcibly removing you and kicking you to the curb while taking your home — it’s gut-check time, folks (and yes, I mean you too, fellow pacifists):

What would you have the moral and human right and DUTY to do about it, to respond to it, to stop it? And would the rest of the world just stand by and let you suffer as it so often does?

When do we all just put a stop to this, to grind the gears of the machine to a complete halt and replace the plutocracy (we’re not a democracy), the theocracy (you’re not a democracy), and any racial, religious or corporate supremacy with TRUE democracy, FULL human rights, and love?

Truth : Brooklyn Couple Did Not Steal Palestinian Couple’s Home!

This is a rather iconic photo – a Palestinian couple looking at what used to be their ancestral home, now occupied by an Israeli couple. We decided to investigate the photo, and here was what we found…

Fact #1 : The Photo Was Taken In Israel

This photo is genuine, and was taken in the village of Ijzim, about 30 minutes south of Haifa in Israel.

Just to be clear, Ijzim is not in the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip – territory under partial or full Palestinian control.

Fact #2 : The Photo Was Taken In 2020

Despite what people may say, this photo was not taken recently. It was taken and published in May 2020. The last time the elderly Palestinian couple was in Ijzim was 72 years prior to the photo.

Fact #3 : Ijzim Was Depopulated In 1948

Israel captured Ijzim during the 1948 War, and the majority of the villagers fled or were expelled during the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe). The Israelis quickly demolished the Arab houses to make way for permanent Jewish settlements.

Photo credit : Fred Csasznik – Front cover of The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem by Benny Morris, Cambridge University Press 1989.

Fact #4 : Palestinians No Longer Own These Lands

While the Nakba can be argued as morally wrong, this is not an uncommon practice whenever a country annexes or conquers a region.

For example, the Soviet Union expelled Germans from East Prussia after World War 2, and gave the southern part to Poland, while Lithuania was given the northern part.

Today, East Prussia is part of Poland and Lithuania – both members of the European Union and NATO. Germans who were expelled between 1945 and 1949 can visit their ancestral homes, but they cannot claim ownership over those lands.

More directly – there is no evidence the elderly Palestinian couple have any paper to prove their prior ownership of the land on which their home used to be.

Fact #5 : The House Was Not Their Home

The house in the photo is not the same house that the elderly Palestinian couple used to live in. That house, which belonged to the Palestinian man’s father, was demolished during the Nakba, and a new home was built on the land.

So it is factually wrong to say that the elderly Palestinian couple was looking at “the house they once lived in“. The house they were looking at is completely different from the house they once lived in.

That does not mean that the Palestinian couple has no right to feel hurt over their loss. It was, after all, where they once lived. But whether they are entitled to that land that they abandoned more than 70 years ago is another question altogether.

Fact #6 : It Was Part Of An Al-Jazeera Project

For those who doubt the authenticity of the photo, I can confirm that it is genuine and was taken as part of an al-Jazeera project.

In May 2020, Najwan Simri of Al Jazeera took an elderly Palestinian couple to visit their original homes and to meet their current Israeli residents. Here is the Al Jazeera video clip, as well as an English translation.

Some towns and cities inside the Green Line will become the hope of those in the diaspora. But they will also become a station of refuge for others.

Here lives a family uprooted from a nearby village. We had an appointment with Hajjeh Im Samir to accompany her there. Her [ailing] husband insisted on coming with us because he said the air of Ijzim is the best cure.

Despite its beauty, the road there seems desolate as if it gets you to the place but doesn’t take you there. Eagerly, Im Samir organizes our tour for us and tells us the names of the [Palestinian] owners of the houses.

Our first stop is God’s house. Its stones have been preserved as they were. Alone, the colors of its locked doors change each time the dryness of the seasons intensifies.

Here, Abu Samir does not stay in the car because this stop [station] is the location for which he has most longed in order to banish the other stations of his life. “This was our house, my father’s house. After the ‘48 wars, the Jews occupied it.”

After a few minutes, the residents of the house come out to [the gate]. They ask us what we want. We say, this is the owner of the house; how do you feel living in a house built on the wreckage of his house? [The answer] Frankly, I don’t feel anything. I am very happy. Living here is very enjoyable.

How strange is the distance between the owner of the house and he who is occupying it. How strange is the irony between he who has to stand inside the gate and he who must stand outside the gate. How strong Abu Samir is! For other uprooted people have refused to accompany us [on our tour]. One of them told us that he cannot bear to glimpse through the window of his father’s house a foreigner living there.

And that [glimpse] could possibly be of a strange symbol, like [what is glimpsed through the window] of a stolen [Palestinian] school converted into a temple with an emblem [the flag of Israel] that is not as old as the memory of the stones of the school.

And so, an extreme picture! It is said that the passage of time helps in forgetting, but, in the Palestinian case, it seems that the equation of time is different and that the years are merely a number. Rather, the longer the banishment of the Palestinians is, the more they remember.

– This is Najwan Simri, reporting from the depopulated village of Ijzim for Al Jazeera.

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Fact #7 : No Evidence The Couple Was From Brooklyn

The most authoritative source for this photo was Al Jazeera, and even they did not identify the Israeli couple, much less confirmed that they were from Brooklyn, New York City.

Despite my extensive searching, I could find no source to back up this claim. None of the earlier posts using this picture – in May to June 2020 – even mentioned that the Israeli couple were from Brooklyn.

Therefore, it is highly likely that their Brooklyn origin is completely bogus, and was added much later.

Many detractors have pointed out that this is of no importance. If that is true, then I ask – why lie about this? Why claim, without evidence, that the couple was from Brooklyn?

IMHO, it must have been important for the people who added this “Brooklyn” connection to tie this “occupation” of Palestinian land to the Americans. Hence, the necessity to claim that the Israeli couple was from the United States.

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Leopard Tanks Russia Destroyed Were Just Tractors!

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Russia proudly declared that its forces destroyed eight Leopard tanks, but guess what – they were apparently just farming tractors!

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

Russia : Our Troops Destroyed Eight Leopard Tanks!

On Tuesday, 6 June 2023, the Russian Defence Ministry proudly announced that its troops destroyed eight Leopard tanks while fighting off a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The Russian Ministry of Defence released a video on Telegram, showing three of those Leopard tanks being destroyed as evidence.

Кадры уничтожения иностранной бронетехники, в том числе танков Leopard

Footage of the destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks

The 47-second video shows missile strikes on two vehicles in the distance, from the gunner’s perspective.

While the Russian Ministry of Defence did not mention whether its troops destroyed the newer Leopard 2 tanks, or the much older Leopard 1 tanks, Ukraine has only received Leopard 2 tanks, so killing eight of them would be a tremendous coup.

https://youtu.be/FYOjjJIJXDM

Truth : Leopard Tanks Russia Destroyed Were Just Tractors!

The Russian government has done nothing but lie from before it invaded Ukraine until today, and this is no different.

Those Leopard tanks that it allegedly destroyed were really just farming equipment! That’s why they don’t appear to be moving in the video clip. Just sitting still in the open fields like sitting ducks.

Ironically, it was not the Ukrainians or Western government officials who exposed this new example of Russian government fake news, but pro-Russian military bloggers!

Just hours after the Russian Ministry of Defence triumphantly released its video showing at least two Leopard tanks being blown up, the video was thoroughly debunked by the pro-Russian Telegram channel, Military Informer.

These “Leopard tanks” were identified as John Deere 9000 and 700 series combine harvesters, which are commonly used in Ukraine.

And this “Leopard tank” was identified as a John Deere 4830 sprayer tractor. Also commonly used in Ukraine.

The Russian military military bloggers even highlighted the tractor’s wheels, which the Leopard tanks do not have.

A detailed comparison of the silhouettes of vehicles from the DoD video with agricultural vehicles, to which these silhouettes are most similar.

These are American combine harvesters John Deere 9000 and 700 series, as well as tractor-sprayer John Deere 4830. This equipment is quite popular in Ukraine.

Why it was necessary to give out frames with an erroneous defeat of agricultural equipment for an actual video of the defeat of the Leopards, we do not know.

It is unknown what ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) were used to destroy these farming machines of death (to wheat and insects), but those missiles likely cost more than the tractors that got blown up.

Just in case there’s any confusion, this is what the real Leopard 2 tank looks like, and its silhouette. As you can see, its 120mm Rheinmetall smoothbore cannon does not have a muzzle that bends downwards. Neither does it have four large wheels.

Another pro-Russian military channel also fumed about this ridiculous claim, “Why the fuck did they pass these off as Leopards?”

This pathetic propaganda effort notably comes after the same Russian Ministry of Defence announced that it “stopped” the Ukrainian counteroffensive, killing 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers and 109 armoured vehicles, including the eight Leopard tanks.

Wagner Group head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, even publicly called it “absurd science fiction“, and sarcastically suggested that this meant that “we [Russian forces] have already destroyed the entire planet five times over“.

Prigozhin also quipped that the war can now end because Russia has “no one left to fight“, and he would now get a tattoo of Defence Minister Sergei Shogun, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov “to mark this wonderful occasion“. What a burn!

Just in case you are wondering, this is not a photo of a Leopard 2 tank destroyed by Russian forces. It’s actually a Leopard 2A4 tank that was reportedly involved in a training accident somewhere in Poland. It apparently collided with another Leopard tank, causing a barrel strike that lifted the turret right off the chassis.

Ultimately, the viral video is just another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:

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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 US Send Nuclear AEGIS Missiles To Ukraine?!

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Did the United States just send nuclear capable AEGIS missiles to Ukraine?!

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

Claim : US Sent Nuclear Capable AEGIS Missiles To Ukraine!

US Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently claimed that the US government sent nuclear capable AEGIS missiles to Ukraine!

In 2019 actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky ran as the peace candidate winning the Ukrainian presidency with 70% of the vote. As Benjamin Abelow observes in his brilliant book, “How the West Brought War to Ukraine,” Zelensky almost certainly could have avoided the 2022 war with Russia simply by uttering five words — “I will not join NATO.”

But pressured by NeoCons in the Biden White House, and by violent fascist elements within the Ukrainian government, Zelensky integrated his army with NATO’s and allowed the U.S. to place nuclear-capable Aegis missile launchers along Ukraine’s 1,200-mile border with Russia.

These were provocations that senior U.S. diplomats like post-WWII foreign policy architect George Kennan, former U.S. Defense Secretary Bill Perry, and former U.S. ambassador to Moscow Jack Matlock had long described as “red lines” for Russian leadership. Let’s face it, the Neocons wanted this war with Russia, just as they wanted war with Iraq.

He followed up by explaining that it’s because the AEGIS system is compatible with Tomahawk missiles which carry nuclear warheads.

The Aegis system advertises its tubes as compatible with Tomahawk missles which carry hydrogen bomb warheads with explosive power 10x the size of the Hiroshima bomb.

Truth : US Did Not Send Nuclear AEGIS Missiles To Ukraine!

This is another example of MISINFORMATION shared by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : AEGIS Is An Anti-Ballistic Missile System

Let me begin by pointing out that AEGIS is a missile defence system that is designed to defend against short to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

In other words, AEGIS is not an offensive weapon. It is a defensive surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.

Fact #2 : AEGIS Is Not Nuclear Capable

As a defensive missile system, there is no need for AEGIS missiles to be nuclear-capable. Hence, there are no nuclear-capable AEGIS missiles or AEGIS missile launchers.

It is ludicrous for any missile defence system to use nuclear-tipped missiles since they would necessarily intercept incoming ballistic missiles in mid-flight.

The resulting explosion would cause massive destruction to the ground below, which would likely be in the territory of the defending country!

Fact #3 : There Are No AEGIS Missile Systems In Ukraine

AEGIS missile systems are complex and require extensive training, and are only deployed by American and NATO forces. They are also primarily based on ships, although NATO decided to develop the land-based AEGIS Ashore in 2014.

The first AEGIS Ashore site was deployed operationally in Deveselu, Romania, in 2016, while the second site was opened in Redzikowo in Poland, in 2022. There are no other AEGIS Ashore systems in the world, and certainly none in the Ukraine.

It takes many years to develop an AEGIS Ashore site. Even if the US government decided to setup an AEGIS Ashore site in Ukraine today, it wouldn’t be operational for many more years to come!

Note : The AEGIS Ashore facility is behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This launcher to his left is the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) launcher that was emplaced during AEGIS Ashore construction.

Fact #4 : AEGIS Is Not Compatible With Tomahawk

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seems to be confusing the AEGIS missile system, with the Tomahawk cruise missile. They are both different systems. The AEGIS missile defence system is not compatible with the Tomahawk cruise missile system.

What he does not appear to understand is that ships that carry the AEGIS systems (AEGIS ships) use the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) which was upgraded to be backward compatible with other missiles. This allows the ships to use a standard canister launching system for different missiles.

Originally, the Mk 41 VLS was designed to fire the RIM-66 Standard missile used by the AEGIS system. But for greater flexibility, the launching system was upgraded to accommodate the larger canister used by Tomahawk missiles. The current Mk 41 VLS now accommodates a variety of different missiles:

RIM-66 Standard
RIM-67 Standard
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3
RIM-174 Standard ERAM
RGM-109 Tomahawk
RUM-139 VL-ASROC
RIM-7 Sea Sparrow
RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM)
Joint Strike Missile

While the launcher itself supports different missiles (which are stored in their own containers), the actual systems controlling those missiles are different. An AEGIS system for example, cannot fire Tomahawk missiles out of Mk 41 VLS launchers.

Fact #5 : There Are No Operational Nuclear Tomahawk Missiles

It is true that Tomahawk cruise missiles were originally designed to accept nuclear warheads, but they were withdrawn long ago, and are no longer in service:

BGM-109A Tomahawk Land Attack Missile – Nuclear (TLAM-N) had a W80 nuclear warhead, but was retired from service by 2013.
BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) had a W84 nuclear warhead, but was withdrawn from service in 1991 to comply with the INF Treaty.

There are currently no Tomahawk missiles with nuclear warheads in active service. So the claim that US deployed nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles anywhere is nonsense.

Fact #6 : There Are Easier Ways To Attack Russia With Missiles

With heavy fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine, it doesn’t make sense for the US to deploy Tomahawk missiles, nuclear capable or otherwise, in that country.

For one thing, it would be taken as casus belli by Russia. Even if it chose not to escalate the war, it is easier for Russia to attack the AEGIS / Tomahawk missile launchers in Ukraine.

But more importantly, there are easier ways to hit Russia with Tomahawk missiles than deploying them in Ukraine, where Russian forces (including air defences) are deployed in great numbers.

It would be far easier and safer for the United States / NATO to attack Moscow (for example) using Tomahawk or other missiles deployed in Latvia or Estonia, which are both NATO members.

Fact #7 : Robert F. Kennedy Jr Admitted He Was Wrong

Almost a week after he made those false claims, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. finally admitted that he was wrong. But even his correction reasserted the false claim that Russian fears of AEGIS precipitated the 2023 invasion of Ukraine.

Latvia and Estonia are NATO members, where AEGIS Ashore missile systems can potentially be installed, and Tomahawk systems deployed. Attacking Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, does not change that calculus.

This only goes to show how ill-prepared he is to be Commander-in-Chief of the United States.

ERRATA: Apologies for my earlier tweet reporting that the U.S. had installed nuclear-capable Aegis Missile systems in Ukraine. This was incorrect. The U.S. installed the Aegis batteries in Romania and Poland.

According to former top NATO military planner Col. Douglas Macgregor and historian Benjamin Abelow, the Russian government’s fear that the U.S. was about to install the same systems in Ukraine was one of several national security anxieties that motivated Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Russia had been deeply concerned that new U.S. missile systems, deployed as close as 400 miles from Moscow, could increase the chance that, in a crisis, the U.S. might believe it could carry out a decapitating preemptive first strike.

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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 Trump Just Avert World War III, With Putin’s Help?!

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Did Donald Trump just prevent World War III, with Russian President Putin’s help?!

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

Claim : Trump Just Averted World War III, With Putin’s Help!

On 16 November 2022, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote an article claiming that Donald Trump just prevented World War III

It is really long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

It was President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday who urged the U.S. military to change its defense posture to Defcon-3 “Roundhouse” after hearing that Russian missiles splashed down in Poland and killed at least two people, but he rescinded that order after receiving an impassioned telephone call from Vladimir Putin and examining photographs of the wreckage.

When news of the attack, or accident, broke, Trump at once reached out to Marine Corps General David H. Berger, who, in accordance with the Insurrection Act of 1807, took charge of the nation’s nuclear command codes when Trump ceded provisional authority of the country to the military prior to departing Washington in January 2021. As Real Raw News has previously reported, White Hats, not the Biden regime, have sole access to the codes controlling the country’s nuclear triad, and sources say this still holds true; otherwise, Biden would have already sparked nuclear Armageddon.

Mar-a-Lago sources told RRN that although Trump immediately suspected a False Flag, he asked Gen. Berger to raise the nation’s alert level, just in case.

Minutes after speaking to Gen. Berger, Trump received a call from none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin, who insisted that any ordnance that might have struck Poland were not of Russian origin and were not launched from Russian soil.

Real Raw News reported last February, March, April, and May that Trump and Putin have kept an open line of communication since the latter began his “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine. The reason Putin speaks to Trump and not Biden is that Putin still acknowledges Trump as the lawful President of the United States.

Putin sent Trump images of the damage, including a picture of what appeared to be a metal fragment of the missile. He admitted it was a Russian-built S-300 air defense missile, which was developed by the Soviet Union and later exported to foreign countries, including Ukraine, and pointed out that mangled remnants had been stamped with Ukrainian writing, which would not be present on any of Russia’s current stockpile.

Putin suggested two possibilities: Either a Ukrainian-owned S-300 accidentally hit Poland, or Ukraine fired on Poland to trigger a False Flag war.

A beleaguered President Trump, exhausted from months of campaigning for midterm candidates, handling daughter Tiffany’s wedding, and preparing his own presidential announcement speech, had his military advisors evaluate images and video of the missile strike. They affirmed Putin’s assertions—the missile indeed belonged to Ukraine.

Trump then phoned Gen. Berger and told him to stand down, deescalating the nation’s defense condition and preventing the globe from being enveloped in a cloud of radioactive ash.

“White Hats are working to ascertain if this was an accident or an attempt to ignite a nuclear war,” our source said. “This really could have gone sideways, had cool heads not prevailed.”

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Truth : Trump Did NOT Avert World War III, With Putin’s Help!

The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.

Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website

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

To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.

This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.

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

Fact #2 : No Legitimate Report Of Trump Working With Putin To Avert War

Only Real Raw News has published this fantastical account of Donald Trump working with Russian president Vladimir Putin to avert World War 3. That’s because Michael Baxter / Tuffin made it up as usual.

In fact, everyone else reported that it was US President Joe Biden who calmed everyone down by stating that preliminary information suggested that the missile did not originate from Russia.

How likely is it for a one-man operation like Real Raw News to have a scoop on this “story” that never happened?

A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter

Fact #3 : DEFCON Level Is Controlled By Sitting US President

Michael Baxter / Tiffin is apparently unaware that the DEFCON level is primarily controlled by the sitting US President, and the current US Secretary of Defense.

That would be President Joe Biden, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Not former President Donald Trump.

Only in his fevered mind would the US military take orders from a former US President, especially an infamously erratic and ignorant one like Donald Trump.

Fact #4 : US Has Been At DEFCON 3 Since October 2022

Real Raw News falsely claimed that Donald Trump asked the US military to increase its defense posture to DEFCON 3, and then rescinded it, insinuating that the United States is now at DEFCON 4.

Michael Baxter / Tiffin is apparently unaware that the United States increased its defense posture from DEFCON 4 to DEFCON 3 in October 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. The US remains at DEFCON 3 today.

Fact #5 : Only US President Has Authority Over Use Of Nuclear Weapons

Real Raw News falsely claimed that Marine General David H. Berger has control of the nuclear launch codes.

Only the sitting US President has the authority to order the use of nuclear weapons. That command though must be authenticated by another high-ranking official, like the Vice President or Secretary of Defense.

Once authenticated, the order goes to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and to the US Strategic Command, and so on.

In no scenario ever, do nuclear weapons come under the authority of a lowly general from the US Marine Corps.

US Strategic Command is, after all, a separate unified command under the direct control of the US Department of Defense.

Fact #6 : Donald Trump Claimed The Missile Originated From Russia

Real Raw News falsely claimed that Donald Trump worked with Vladimir Putin to ascertain that the missile came from Ukraine, thus averting World War III.

The truth is – it was President Biden who said that “preliminary information” suggested that the missile that hit Poland did not originate from Russia.

I don’t want to say that until we completely investigate. But it is … it’s unlikely, in the minds of the trajectory, that it was fired from Russia. But we’ll see. We’ll see.

Then minutes later, Donald Trump announced that he would be running for President in 2024, and immediately claimed that the missile came from Russia.

Even just today a missile was sent in probably by Russia to Poland, 15 miles into Poland.

If anyone averted a war between Russia and NATO, and possibly World War III, it was President Biden, not Donald Trump.

Fact #7 : Missile Landed In Poland, Not Russia

It is also hilarious that Real Raw News readers actually swallowed Michael Tuffin’s bullshit claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Donald Trump photos of the missile fragments.

Hello? The S-300 missile landed in Poland, not Russia! So the photos could not have originated from Putin or the Russians. They would have to be taken by the Polish authorities!

Fact #8 : US + Poland Confirmed Ukraine Origin Of Missile

US and Polish officials rushed to investigate the origin of the missile, and soon evaluated that it could only come from a Ukrainian missile battery that was trying to intercept a Russian missile.

From the information that we and our allies have, it was an S-300 rocket made in the Soviet Union, an old rocket and there is no evidence that it was launched by the Russian side. It is highly probable that it was fired by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense.
– Polish President Andrzej Duda

We have seen nothing that contradicts President Duda’s preliminary assessment that this explosion was most likely the result of a Ukrainian air defense missile that unfortunately landed in Poland.
– US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson

Donald Trump had ZERO INPUT into this. He not only did not defuse the situation, he inflamed it by insisting that the missile came from Russia.

The Russians, including President Vladimir Putin also had no involvement in the investigation.

Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE 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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WHO Convenes Emergency Meeting On Monkeypox Outbreak!

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The WHO has convened an emergency meeting on the monkeypox outbreak that has spread to 56 countries!

Here is what you need to know…

WHO Convenes Emergency Meeting On Monkeypox Outbreak!

On 23 June 2022, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened an emergency committee meeting under Article 48 of the International Health Regulations to discuss the current monkeypox outbreak.

Chaired by Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele and Dr. Nicola Low, this emergency WHO meeting on monkeypox is only open to members and advisors of the Emergency Committee.

The findings of this emergency meeting would be conveyed to the Director-General of WHO, on whether the outbreak should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern, and also on potential recommendations on how to address it.

This meeting comes as an NGO called World Health Network (unrelated to WHO) issued a press release describing the current monkeypox outbreak as a “pandemic”, urging “immediate and effective action” from country and global health authorities.

This led to a bit of confusion, as their names and acronyms were similar (WHO vs WHN). To be clear, WHO has not declared a monkeypox pandemic.

Read more : What You Must Know About Monkeypox!

Over 4,000 Monkeypox Cases Confirmed In 56 Countries!

Discovered in 1958, the first human infection was only reported in 1970, and there were only like 400 cases from 1970 to 1986.

Monkeypox became more common over time, with 2000 cases per year reported between 2011 and 2014, and several outbreaks in the US (2003 and 2021), UK (2018 and 2021), and Singapore (2019)..

However, nothing has come close to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak which has now affected at least 56 countries outside of endemic African countries, with over 4,000 cases!

Country	Confirmed Cases	Suspected Cases	Total
Spain	918	100	1,018
United Kingdom	793	–	793
Germany	676	–	676
France	330	–	330
Portugal	328	–	328
Canada	223	45	268
United States	173	–	173
Netherlands	167	–	167
Italy	85	–	85
Belgium	77	1	78
Switzerland	52	–	52
Ireland	28	–	28
Ghana	18	–	18
Brazil	11	6	17
Israel	16	–	16
Australia	13	–	13
Denmark	13	–	13
Sweden	13	–	13
UAE	13	–	13
Austria	12	–	12
Poland	12	–	12
Mexico	9	–	9
Slovenia	9	–	9
Hungary	7	–	7
Czech Republic	6	–	6
Uganda	–	6	6
Romania	5	–	5
Argentina	4	–	4
Finland	4	–	4
Malta	4	–	4
Norway	4	–	4
Somalia	–	4	4
Chile	3	–	3
Colombia	3	–	3
Greece	3	–	3
Iceland	3	–	3
Bulgaria	2	–	2
Latvia	2	–	2
Morocco	1	1	2
Bahamas	–	1	1
Cayman Islands	–	1	1
Fiji	–	1	1
Georgia	1	–	1
Gibraltar	1	–	1
Haiti	–	1	1
Libya	–	1	1
Lebanon	1	–	1
Luxembourg	1	–	1
Serbia	1	–	1
Singapore	1	–	1
South Africa	1	–	1
South Korea	1	–	1
Uruguay	–	1	1
Venezuela	1	–	1
Zambia	–	1	1
TOTAL	4,049	170	4,219

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Eurovision: Did Polish Presenter Give Nazi Salute To Ukraine?!

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Did Polish presenter Ida Nowakowska give a Nazi salute to Ukraine at Eurovision 2022?!

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

Claim : Polish Presenter Gave Nazi Salute To Ukraine @ Eurovision!

People are sharing a video clip or screenshots that appears to show Polish presenter Ida Nowakowska giving a Nazi salute after announcing that Ukraine won 12 points from Poland!

The video clip is being shared on Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram with messages like this :

🇵🇱Poland’s representative at Eurovision made a Nazi gesture and shouted the Nazi salute at the end of his political speech

Ukraine wins Eurovision then they throw a Sig Heil Nazi salute on global television
Yes this really happened. I keep telling you all UKRAINE HAS A HUGE NAZI PROBLEM
Last year over 100,000 soccer (football) fans in Kiev did the Sig Heil and waved Nazi flags
Keep being brainwashed

Truth : Polish Presenter Did NOT Give Nazi Salute To Ukraine @ Eurovision!

The truth is – this is yet more FAKE NEWS created by Russia or pro-Russia netizens, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Invasion Of Poland Started World War 2

First, let me point out that it was the invasion of Poland by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union on 1 September 1939 that started World War 2.

Approximately 6 million Polish citizens – over 20% of its population – died during the occupation by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, including 3 million Jews.

So it would be ridiculous for a Polish presenter to give a Nazi salute.

If she really did so, you can be assured that it would have been extensively covered in the world’s media.

You won’t see anyone mention this because it never happened.

Fact #2 : Ida Nowakowska Was Giving A Victory Sign

The screenshots that appear to show Ida Nowakowska giving the Nazi Seig Heil salute were intentionally chosen to mislead you.

If you watch the video clip, you will see that she was really giving a victory sign, while saying, Slava Ukraini!

This is no different from what countless people do when celebrating a victory, like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Conclusion – Nowakowska was giving a victory salute to Ukraine, not a Nazi salute.

Fact #3 : There Are Neo-Nazis All Over The World

The truth is – many countries have neo-Nazis. That includes Ukraine. However, what is untrue are the claims that Ukraine is full of Nazis. Very few people in Ukraine are Nazis, or neo-Nazis.

It is true that some Ukrainian football fans unfurled a Nazi flag and did the Sieg Heil salute in Kiev during Euro 2012. However, they were a small but highly-visible minority.

Ukraine has a neo-Nazi political party called Svoboda, but it only garnered 2.15% of the popular vote in the 2019 election results.

Even the neo-Nazi Azov battalion was small, even after it was absorbed into the Ukrainian National Guard and expanded into a regiment. Only 10% to 20% of its members identify themselves as Nazis.

Not even Russia, which suffered greatly in World War 2, is spared from neo-Nazi influence. On 12 April 2022, Artem Severiukhin – a 15-year old Russian karting champion gave a Nazi salute at the European Championship in Portugal.

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

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

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

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Did Putin Force EU Countries To Pay For Gas In Rubles?!

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Did Russian President Vladimir Putin force EU countries to pay for their gas in rubles?!

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

Claim : Putin Forced EU Countries To Pay For Gas In Rubles!

People are sharing a comic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a story of how he cleverly forced EU countries like Poland, Austria and Bulgaria to pay for gas in rubles.

12 hours ago: Russia shuts down the gas pipeline to Poland and Bulgaria for refusing to pay with the ruble.

10 hours ago: Poland agrees to pay the price of gas with ruble.

6 hours ago: Austria and Bulgaria agree to pay the price of gas in rubles.

5 hours ago: The European Commission licensing European countries to buy gas with ruble.

Truth : Putin Did NOT Force EU Countries To Pay For Gas In Rubles!

The truth is this is just more pro-Russian propaganda and FAKE NEWS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : EU Countries Have Gas Contracts With Gazprom In USD / Euros

First, we need to establish the fact that EU countries like Poland, Austria and Bulgaria have existing gas contracts with Russian energy company Gazprom.

On 23 March 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian central bank, government and Gasprom to demand that “unfriendly countries” must pay for their gas in rubles.

However, as those existing gas contracts are specifically stipulated to be paid in US dollars or Euros, it would be a material breach of contract.

Fact #2 : Poland Refuses To Pay For Gas In Rubles

Gazprom stopped exporting gas to Poland on 27 April 2022, after Poland refused to pay for the gas in rubles.

The Polish state gas company PGNiG, has an existing contract with Gazprom to provide 53% of its gas imports to be paid in Euros. They described the suspension of gas supply as a breach of contract, and said that they will take steps to reinstate the gas supply.

However, Poland continues to refuse to pay Gazprom in rubles.

Fact #3 : Poland Does Not Need Russian Gas

The Polish deputy foreign minister said that Poland has “taken some decisions many years ago to prepare for such a situation“, and can cope without gas from Gazprom.

Poland also formally commissioned a new gas interconnection with Lithuania on 5 May 2022, eventually providing billion cubic metres of LNG per year.

Fact #4 : Bulgaria Refuses To Pay For Gas In Rubles

Gazprom also stopped exporting gas to Bulgaria on 27 April 2022, because Bulgaria refused to pay for the gas in rubles.

Bulgarian Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said that Gazprom will be in breach of its contract if it stops supplying gas.

However, Bulgaria continues to refuse to pay Gazprom in rubles.

Fact #5 : Bulgaria Does Not Need Russian Gas

Despite relying on Gazprom for 90% of its gas supply, Bulgaria said that it had taken steps to find alternative sources, and that no restrictions on gas consumption was currently required.

Interestingly, Bulgarian gas network operator Bulgartransgaz said that Gazprom was still supplying gas to Bulgaria…

Fact #6 : Austria Refuses To Pay For Gas In Rubles

Austria publicly denounced the fake news that they agreed to pay for Russian gas in rubles. In a Twitter post, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said :

Before the fake news of Russian propaganda is spread further here. Of course, OMV will continue to pay for gas delivery from Russian in euros.

Fact #7 : EC Did Not Licence Payment For Gas In Rubles

The fake news also falsely claimed that the European Commission licensed European countries to buy gas from Russia with the ruble.

There is no such “licence”.

In fact, the European Commission has specifically stated that EU companies must pay for Russian gas in euros or US dollars to avoid breaching sanctions.

Fact #8 : GazpromBank Is Converting Payments To Rubles

In an effort to comply with existing contracts, as well as Putin’s decree, Gazprom has been working with EU companies to come up with a workaround :

EU companies will deposit their payment in euros or US dollars at GazpromBank.
Gazprom agrees that payment has been legally completed.
GazpromBank converts the euros or dollars into rubles.
GazpromBank transfers the payment in rubles to Gazprom.

This workaround was considered legal by the EC, as both Gazprom and GazpromBank are currently not subject to EU sanctions.

Many pro-Russian and pro-CCP netizens are sharing this fake story on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter and Facebook.

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

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

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

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

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