Tag Archives: Qatar

Do you now need ETA to travel to the UK?!

Do you now need ETA – Electronic Travel Authorisation – to travel to the UK?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2024-09-12
Originally posted @ 2023-09-02

Claim : You now need ETA to travel to the UK!

A video clip called New UK travel requirements has gone viral on WhatsApp and social media. It warns that people who travel to the UK on or after 15 November 2023, must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

This has led some people who already booked their flights to the UK to panic, as they were not aware of such requirements.

Truth : UK is rolling out ETA over time

Here is what you need to know about the UK ETA programme, and what countries are affected.

UK ETA video is genuine

First, I would like to point out that the video is genuine, and was originally posted by the UK Home Office on 9 March 2023.

It appears to have been edited and shared by Homely Stay UK on WhatsApp and social media, where it was shared without context, leading to mass panic.

UK will soon require ETA for non-visa travellers

The warning is, of course, true – the United Kingdom will soon require non-visa travellers to apply and pay for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

The ETA scheme is part of the UK’s plan to fully digitise its borders by 2025. But note that the ETA only applies to travellers who currently do NOT require a visa to travel to the UK.

An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will soon be a requirement for people who do not need a visa to come to the UK. It will give you permission to travel to the UK, and it will be electronically linked to your passport.

You’ll need an ETA to:

come to the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or study
come to the UK for up to 3 months on the Creative Worker visa concession
transit through the UK – including if you’re not going through UK border control

Once it is fully implemented, these travellers will not require an ETA to travel to the UK:

a British or Irish passport
permission to live, work, or study in the UK
a visa to enter the UK

Only Qatar was affected in November 2023

What the video does not reveal is that only travellers from Qatar must have an ETA to travel to the UK from 15 November 2023 onwards.

No other country is affected by this 15 November 2023 deadline, only Qatar. So stop panicking!

If you’re from another country : You do not need to apply for an ETA now. More nationalities will be added to the scheme later.

Even if you are a resident of Qatar, there is no need to panic – you can only apply for an ETA from 25 October 2023 onwards.

UK will roll-out ETA through 2024-2025

The United Kingdom will slowly roll out its ETA programme throughout 2024-2025.

From 22 February 2024 onwards, travellers from these six countries in the Middle East will need an ETA to travel to the UK:

Bahrain
Jordan
Kuwait
Oman
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates

Even travellers from these countries do not need to apply until 1 February 2024 onwards.

All non-visa travellers from all other countries will need an ETA by 2025. On 10 September 2024, the UK government finally revealed its schedule for 83 new countries to apply for ETA in 2025.

How much does UK ETA cost?

Each traveller will require his or her own ETA, including children and babies. Each ETA will cost £10 per applicant.

How long does each ETA last?

Your ETA will last for 2 years, and can use it to make multiple visits to the UK. However, you should know that having an ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK.

In addition, the ETA is not transferrable to a new / renewed passport. If your passport expires in less than 2 years, you will need to get a new ETA for your new / renewed passport.

How to apply for UK ETA?

You can apply for your UK ETA through the UK government ETA application portal, or using the UK ETA mobile app which you can download from the App Store and Google Play Store.

You will need to take and upload a photo of the passport you will use to travel to the UK, and scan your face. You will also need to take and upload a photo of yourself, and answer some questions.

You will then have to pay for your UK ETA application using a credit card, a debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.

Please note that you will need to complete your UK ETA application within 20 minutes, or it will time out and you will need to start the whole process over again.

You will usually get a decision within 3 working days, but there may be delays if the UK government needs to make further checks

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Did Andy Delort Collapse From Vaccine Death Spiral?!

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Did French-Algerian footballer Andy Delort collapse from the vaccine death spiral during a soccer match in Qatar?!

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

Updated @ 2024-05-01 : Refreshed with new information
Originally posted @ 2024-01-28

Claim : Andy Delort Collapsed From Vaccine Death Spiral!

Right after news broke that Andy Delort collapsed suddenly during a soccer match in Qatar, some people immediately suggested that the French-Algerian professional footballer collapsed from the COVID-19 vaccine death spiral!

DiedSuddenly : The Andy Delort collapse was one of the many bizarre collapses that we’ve been seeing the last couple of years.

William Makis MD : Rotational Seizures in COVID-19 Vaccinated – 18 VIDEOS of the “Vaccine DEATH SPIRAL”

Jan.6, 2024 – Scary scene in Qatar as Umm Salal’s Andy Delort collapsed to the ground in convulsions 10 minutes after he scored a goal – French player was treated on the pitch and watched the second half of the Qatar Cup final on the bench

These have been called “rotational seizures”, and the proper medical term is “gyratory seizures”. They used to be very rare.

Gyratory seizures (GSs) have been rarely described in generalized as well as in focal epilepsies. They were defined as a rotation around the body axis during a seizure for at least 180 degrees

The mechanisms of generation are unknown

These “gyratory seizures” or “vaccine death spiral” are now much more common after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

Remnant Man : Another soccer player (Andy Delort) collapses on the field.

Why is it mainly soccer players that are collapsing from the vax?

Idarnold : Andy Delort collapses 👀 NOT normal

Show less

Andy Delort s’écroule sur le terrain et sème la panique dans le stade à Doha 😰 ! Rien de grave on espère 🇩🇿#teamdz #delort #qsl pic.twitter.com/QVkDgnn197

— La Gazette du Fennec (@LGDFennec) January 6, 2024

Truth : Andy Delort Did Not Collapse From Vaccine Death Spiral!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to blame all athlete deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccine activists…

Fact #1 : Andy Delort Had An Epileptic Seizure

Andy Delort (أندي ديلور, born on 9 October 1991) is a French-Algerian professional footballer who is a striker for the Qatar Stars League club Umm Salal, and the Algeria national team.

On the evening of Saturday, 6 January 2024, Umm Salal was playing against Al-Arabi in Qatar, when Andy Delort scored the opening goal. Then he started spinning in a circle at the 16th minute before collapsing onto the pitch, and convulsing in an epileptic fit.

He was quickly attended to by a medical team, but recovered within a few minutes. He walked off the field, and the game continued. Andy Delort did not need to be hospitalised, and he watched the rest of the game from the substitutes’ bench.

He even sent out an Instagram story at that time, stating “Thank you all for your messages. Everything is back to normal.” (“Merci à tous pour vos messages. Tout est rentré dans l’ordre.“)

Andy Delort later issued this message to his fans:

Hello to the whole RMC team! It’s Andy Delort to tell you that everything is going very well. I had a little bit of fatigue. We did the tests, it’s going very well. Don’t forget that we’re going to start against at Rothern’s with shows where we’re going to talk about everything and nothing, but especially football. See you soon friends, big kisses and long live Ligue 1!

To be clear – Andy Delort did not die after collapsing. Neither was he hospitalised. He only suffered an epileptic seizure, and recovered within minutes on his own.

ديلور عاد بشكل عادي بعد إصابته وسقوطه المفاجئ … سلامات pic.twitter.com/Z3OzMBCE5E

— 🇩🇿 Osmani Kamel (@kamouk16) January 6, 2024

Fact #2 : Vaccine Death Spiral Does Not Exist

The “vaccine death spiral” does not exist. Like “Turbo Cancer“, “Turbo AIDS“, or even “Vaccine AIDS“, the term “vaccine death spiral” was simply made up by anti-vaccine activists to scare you.

In fact, many cases of “vaccine death spiral” turned out to be just normal cases of seizures that did not result in death.

Fact #3 : Gyratory Seizures Existed Long Before Vaccines

I should point out that gyratory seizures, defined as a rotation around the body axis during a seizure for at least 180 degrees, have been documented long before COVID-19 vaccines were invented.

As William Makis himself pointed out, it was described in the 2005 Dobesberger et. al paper called Gyratory seizures revisited.

That paper revealed that 12 out of 277 patients suffered gyratory seizures, from 1998 to 2004 – that’s 15 to 21 years before the pandemic! All those patients had existing, intractable (difficult or impossible to control) epilepsies, and had been referred for “presurgical evaluation”.

Fact #4 : Seizures Are Not Side Effect Of COVID-19 Vaccines

To be clear – seizures, gyratory or not, are not a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines. There is no plausible or known pathogenesis for any vaccine to cause gyratory seizures.

Naturally, people claiming or suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines cause seizures, are unable to detail how it is possible, or provide any actual evidence. They want to convince us it’s true, but are too baffled to explain how, or show us any evidence.

In contrast, tens of billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, and extended monitoring over the last 3 years have shown that they do not cause seizures.

Fact #5 : Unknown If Andy Delort Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Despite suggestions that Andy Delort was fully-vaccinated, there isn’t any actual evidence that he ever received the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is possible that Andy Delort was unvaccinated against COVID-19, because the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in France, Algeria, or even Qatar.

In fact, many people who were injured or died suddenly were actually unvaccinated, like Kris Jordan, Aaron Carter, Kirstie Alley, Stephan Bonnar, Shane Macaulay, David Wayne Burleson, and Kaden Clymer.

Until and unless he (or his family) reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Andy Delort was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us know that.

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

Even if Andy Delort was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, he would have received his doses more than two years ago!

He cannot possibly have suffered from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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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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Grant Wahl : His Wife Reveals True Cause Of Death!

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We now know why Grant Wahl suddenly collapsed and died while covering World Cup 2022 in Qatar, after his wife revealed his true cause of death!

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

Claim : Grant Wahl Died Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!

Right after news broke that Grant Wahl died suddenly while covering World Cup 2022 in Qatar, anti-vaccination activists immediately claimed that the renown American sports writer died from COVID-19 vaccine sudden adult death syndrome (SADS)!

Here are some examples on social media:

Let’s be frank- The Covid 19 vaccine killed Grant Wahl. #diedsuddenly

Grant Wahl was a big/vocal proponent of COVID vaccines. It’s all over his timeline. Another 💉💉💉💉SADs? RIP Grant

Thank god @GrantWahl was vaccinated and boosted. I can’t imagine how bad it would’ve been if he had a heart attack and died while unvaccinated. 🤡🌎
#vaccine #vaccinated #vaccineinjuries

Grant Wahl : His Wife Reveals True Cause Of Death!

I wrote earlier about how Grant Wahl did not die from the so-called “vaccine sudden adult death syndrome”, which does not even exist but is a fixation of anti-vaccination activists.

This was confirmed by Dr. Celine Gounder, who is not only Grant Wahl’s wife, but is also an infectious disease expert who worked in the Biden administration’s COVID-19 Taskforce.

If the COVID-19 vaccines were dangerous in any way, Dr. Grounder would be aware, and would not have allowed her husband to be vaccinated.

While anti-vaccination activists are mocking both Wahl and Dr. Grounder, the very fact that he was fully-vaccinated shows that they walked the talk, not like some anti-vaccination activists who turn out to be fully-vaccinated.

On Wednesday, December 14, 2022, Grant Wahl’s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, revealed his true cause of death.

The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on Grant Wahl, and determined that he died from “the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemoperricardium“.

As Dr. Celine Gounder noted, there was nothing “nefarious” about his death, and it had nothing to do with COVID-19 or the COVID-19 vaccines.

His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death.

To be clear – Grant Wahl’s true cause of death was a ruptured aneurysm, compounded by blood compressing his heart.

Grant Wahl did not die from any vaccine side effect. The rupture of an aortic aneurysm is a medical emergency that cannot possibly be caused by the COVID-19 vaccines.

An ascending aortic aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge caused by a weakness in the wall of the heart’s main artery (aorta).

In many cases, an aortic aneurysm does not present with any symptoms, so people are often unaware they have one until it ruptures.

However, the chest pains that Grant Wahl experienced in the days leading to his collapse and sudden death could have been warning symptoms of an aortic aneurysm. His wife said as much:

The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms.

While anti-vaccination activists claim that aortic aneurysms are uncommon, they are the 13th leading cause of death in the United States.

CDC statistics attribute about 10,000 deaths in the year 2019 (before the pandemic started) to aortic aneurysms or dissections, with men accounting for 59%.

Once an aortic aneurysm ruptures, it causes life threatening blood loss. In Grant Wahl’s case, it was so severe he immediately collapsed and died very quickly.

Sadly, Grant Wahl will not be the last person whose sudden death was abused and misused 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 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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Did Grant Wahl Die Suddenly From Vaccine SADS?!

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Did renown American sports writer Grant Wahl die suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine SADS?!

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

Updated @ 2022-12-15 : Added Grant Wahl’s real cause of death.
Updated @ 2022-12-12 : Added more details about Grant Wahl’s sudden death.
Originally posted @ 2022-12-10

Claim : Grant Wahl Died Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!

Here are some examples on social media:

All these rumors flying around about Grant Wahl. Might as well add this one. Grant was vaccinated and many people who were considered healthy have “died suddenly” since that vaccine was forced on people.

Grant Wahl was a big/vocal proponent of COVID vaccines. It’s all over his timeline. Another 💉💉💉💉SADs? RIP Grant

Soccer Journalist Grant Wahl dead at 48. His wife Celine Gounder is an epidemiologist, medical journalist & infectious disease physician. Grant was outspoken about the vaccine & even shared his vaccination status online. #StoptheShots #SuddenDeath #VaccineDeath #PfizerGate

Truth : Grant Wahl Did Not Die Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!

It’s now a tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all 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 : Grant Wahl Had Acute Distress Before Collapsing

Grant Wahl (born December 8, 1974) was covering the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands with other journalists on Friday, December 9, 2022, when he suddenly fell back in his seat during extra time.

Univision journalist, Rafael Cores, who was seated next to him, wrote that Grant was working on his laptop just before he suddenly collapsed.

I’m in shock. I was sitting next to him tonight. He was working on his story on his laptop, it was about 4 minutes before the end of the extra time. He was laughing at a joke we saw on Twitter only minutes earlier. I can’t believe it. My deepest condolences to @GrantWahl’s family

The journalists around him quickly removed chairs and called for medical assistance. A team of medics and a journalist with CPR training administered CPR and cardiac massage on Wahl for about 20 minutes.

Shockingly, the billion-dollar Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar did not have a single defibrillator available, and they were not able to resuscitate Wahl, who was later taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead – a day after his 48th birthday.

Tom Glancy, a special correspondent for Britain’s Sunday Times, was also seated next to Grant Wahl, and he tore into Qatari officials over Wahl’s death:

We all turned around to see a man in terrifying distress just behind us, clearly suffering some form of attack or seizure. We bellowed for a medic.

Why wasn’t there a defibrillator? That was the question we kept asking each other, as the medics pumped and pumped to no avail.

At this billion-dollar state-of-the-art stadium, which has a VIP suite so lavish it includes a bedroom, which will host the World Cup final, why was there no defibrillator to hand?

Many minutes passed, and we kept expecting it to come. But it never did.

Jornalista recebe massagem cardíaca na tribuna após passar mal durante Holanda x Argentina. Ele foi retirado das tribunas de imprensa carregado em uma maca #genacopa pic.twitter.com/LOeC8jgmxA

— ge (@geglobo) December 9, 2022

Fact #2 : Grant Wahl Was Sick Days Earlier

A day before he died, Grant Wahl spoke on his podcast – Futbol with Grant Wahl – how he was feeling sick, after weeks of little sleep and high stress.

What he thought was a common cold became severe on December 3, when he started experiencing chest pain.

He tested negative for COVID-19 and sought medical help, but was told that he probably had a case of bronchitis and was given antibiotics and cough syrup.

My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you.

What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.

I didn’t have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.

Fact #3 : Grant Wahl’s Cause Of Death Was Ruptured Aortic Aneurysm

On Wednesday, December 14, 2022, Grant Wahl’s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, revealed his cause of death.

As Dr. Celine Gounder noted, there was nothing “nefarious” about his death, and it had nothing to do with COVID-19 or the COVID-19 vaccines.

The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him.

His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death.

Fact #4 : Grant Wahl Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Grant Wahl was vaccinated against COVID-19, receiving his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on April 7, 2021. He announced that he was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, on May 12, 2021.

Wahl appeared to suffer no ill effects from the vaccinations, announcing, “Thrilled to get my 1st Pfizer Covid vaccine dose. Science!” and then “Fully vaxxed. LFG“.

Anti-vaccination activists usually like to blame myocarditis – a known rare side effect of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, but that generally affects teenagers and young adults in their early 20s.

Also, if Wahl had myocarditis, he would have had symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness, and would not be able to endure the gruelling job of covering Qatar World Cup 2022 as a journalist!

Fact #5 : His Wife Served On The Biden COVID-19 Taskforce

Grant Wahl’s wife is Dr. Celine R. Gounder, a infectious disease expert who worked in the Biden administration’s COVID-19 Taskforce.

On Friday, December 9, 2022, she tweeted that she was grateful for the support shown to her, but was in complete shock.

I am so thankful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl’s soccer family & of so many friends who’ve reached out tonight.

I’m in complete shock.

I should point out that if the COVID-19 vaccines were dangerous in any way, Dr. Grounder would be aware, and would not have allowed her husband to be vaccinated.

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, 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 #7 : Claims Of Celebrities Injured By COVID-19 Vaccine Proven False

This is yet another example of anti-vaccination activists abusing celebrity deaths / injuries to create and propagate FAKE NEWS about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

So far, claims of celebrity deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false at every instance. 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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Is FIFA Giving Free 50GB Data For World Cup 2022?!

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Is FIFA offering 50 GB of free mobile data to stream World Cup 2022 matches with no interruptions?!

Take a look at the viral offers, and find out why they are just scams!

Claim : FIFA Is Giving Free 50GB Data For World Cup 2022!

People are sharing viral offers for 50 GB of free mobile data to stream World Cup 2022 matches without interruption. Here are some examples :

* FIFA is giving people around the world 50GB of data for free to watch the 2022 Cartel [Qatar] World Cup.*
* I Have Received Mine.*
* OPEN THIS*

* FIFA memberi orang di seluruh dunia 50GB data secara percuma untuk menonton Piala Dunia Kartel [Qatar] 2022.*
* Saya Telah Menerima Milik Saya.*
* BUKA INI*

FREE 50GB DATA PLAN FOR ALL NETWORKS

PERCUMA PELAN DATA 50GB UNTUK SEMUA RANGKAIAN

Truth : FIFA Is Not Giving 50GB Free Data For World Cup 2022!

This is yet another SCAM circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why you must avoid it!

Fact #1 : FIFA Is Not Offering Free Mobile Data

First, let me just say it out loud and clear – FIFA is not offering free mobile data anywhere in the world, just to watch World Cup 2022 matches.

FIFA makes its money through sale of television, marketing and licensing rights for World Cup 2022, so there is simply no reason for it to provide free mobile data to stream the matches.

Fact #2 : FIFA Would Never Give You Anything Free

Please do NOT be naive. No one is going to give you free data just to participate in a survey!

FIFA is a corporation whose business is to make money, not a charity to give you free data.

Fact #3 : They Do Not Use Official FIFA Domains

Genuine FIFA promotions would be announced on the official website at www.fifa.com, or their official social media accounts:

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/fifaworldcup/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/fifacom
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/fifaworldcup/

They would never run contests or promotions via dodgy domains like “subsidy.buzz”, “50g.kxoe1.xyz”, “50gb450.xyz”, or “zlqxt.top”.

Once you see those random domains, click delete. Or just ignore. DO NOT CLICK.

Fact #4 : They Are Advertisement Scams

After you click on the link, you will be redirected through a series of hidden advertisements before you arrive at the “offer page”.

The offer page will ask you a series of simple questions. Regardless of your answers, you will be congratulated and told you won the 50 GB free data plan for three months.

You will be asked to key in your mobile number to receive the free mobile data, but you will never receive anything. In one variant, you are even redirected to more advertisements, including a video advertisement.

Fact #5 : Brands Won’t Ask You To Forward The Contest

To get that free 50 GB data for three months, you are asked to share the “contest” with 12 friends or groups on WhatsApp.

That’s a clear sign of a scam. No brand will insist that you must share their contest or free offer with WhatsApp friends of groups.

Please do not click to forward their offer to your family and friends. They will not appreciate being scammed with your help!

Fact #6 : They Can Potentially Be Dangerous

Similar scams in the past have more dangerous variants, where you are asked to :
a) install an app, which is really a malware to keep sending you advertisements
b) enter your banking or credit card details, ostensibly to prove your identity or some other excuse

Needless to say – proceeding with this step will open you up to great risk of monetary loss. DO NOT PROCEED!

If you install their malware, you will start receiving promotions, some of which will ask you to send an SMS to receive expensive free gifts like laptops and smartphones.

If you proceed to send the confirmation SMS messages, you will be subscribed and billed for international premium SMS services.

This is VERY DANGEROUS. Never agree to download and register for any unknown app from a website.

Always download your apps from an official App Store like Google Play Store (for Android smartphones) and Apple App Store (for iPhones).

Fact #7 : They Are Just Another Example Of Online Scams

These are just more examples of online scams offering freebies.

Now that you know the facts, please WARN your family and friends!

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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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The Brief Kiss That Got Lightyear Banned In 14+ Countries!

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Take a look at the scene that got the Disney-Pixar movie, Lightyear, banned in 14 countries, and likely China too!

Lightyear Movie Banned In 14 Countries + Maybe China Too!

Lightyear – the long-awaited Toy Story prequel from Disney-Pixar – has been banned in 14 Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and quite likely China too!

The ban started in the UAE, whose Media Regulatory Office of the Ministry of Youth and Culture announced on 13 June 2022 that Lightyear was banned from screening in all cinemas for “its violation of the country’s media content standards“.

A Variety report claimed that the UAE initially approved Lightyear for release, but revoked the licence after social media posts accused the movie of insulting Muslims and Islam.

That ban was then followed by other countries. The current list includes, but is not limited to :

United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Indonesia
Malaysia
Singapore
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Kuwait
Bahrain

Although not confirmed yet, it is very likely that Lightyear will also not be allowed to screen in China.

Lightyear producer, Galyn Susman, said that Chinese authorities “asked for cuts”, which Disney declined to make. So she assumed that the movie would not be allowed to screen there either.

I’m assuming it will not make it to China. I know we’ve gotten requests for things to cut, Disney isn’t going to modify the material.

We’re not going to cut out anything, especially something as important as the loving and inspirational relationship that shows Buzz what he’s missing by the choices that he’s making, so that’s not getting cut

The Brief Kiss That Got Lightyear Banned In 14+ Countries!

The reasons why Lightyear has been banned in at least 14 countries, and possibly China too, is over a brief kissing scene.

In the first 30 minutes of Lightyear, Alisha Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba) – a female space ranger and a close friend of Buzz Lightyear – shares a brief kiss with her same-sex partner.

That kiss was part of a scene showing milestones in the couple’s relationship. It also shows the couple’s son, although it is not known if he was adopted or conceived through assisted reproduction.

But it was the brief kiss between two fictional characters that broke the camel’s back for censors in those countries. They demanded that the scene be cut from the film.

Normally, Disney would quietly cut such a controversial scene from the movie to comply with “local sensibilities”, since it doesn’t affect the plot.

However, Pixar employees had earlier penned a letter complaining that Disney corporate executives were censoring “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” in their projects.

We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were.

Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.

Disney caved to the pressure, and decided not to censor the kiss from Lightyear. And so, all those countries refused to grant a licence to screen the movie in theatres.

Lightyear Stars On Why Lightyear Was Banned…

Chris Evans, who voiced Buzz Lightyear in this prequel, labelled such objections as “frustrating”.

It’s great that we are a part of something that’s making steps forward in the social inclusion capacity.

But it’s frustrating that there are still places that aren’t where they should be.

He also told Variety magazine that he was frustrated that news coverage of the movie would be focused on such an issue :

It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion. That it is this kind of ‘news.’

The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm, and that this doesn’t have to be some uncharted waters, that eventually this is just the way it is.

Taika Waititi, who voices the character of Mo Morrison in the film, added :

We’re hoping for a time when we don’t even have to have this conversation. We can watch a movie and we don’t even have to bat an eyelid.

We don’t have to think ‘Oh wow, weird’. It’s not weird, it’s normal and it should be normalised.

Whenever you have these small steps that studios are making – sometimes they may feel small but also, they are steps – and it’s steps towards normalising humanity and love. I really feel sorry for countries who don’t want this film because of a tiny, weird little thing like that

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

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

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

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Lightyear Movie Banned In 14 Countries + Maybe China Too!

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The Disney-Pixar movie, Lightyear, has been banned in 14 countries, and quite possibly China too!

Here is what we know so far…

Lightyear Movie Banned In 14 Countries + Maybe China Too!

Lightyear – the long-awaited animated feature film from Disney-Pixar – has reportedly been banned in 14 Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

The ban started in the UAE, whose Media Regulatory Office of the Ministry of Youth and Culture announced on 13 June 2022 that :

The Media Regulatory Office announced that the animated film Lightyear, which is scheduled for release on 16th June, is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards.

A Variety report claimed that the UAE initially approved Lightyear for release, but revoked the licence after social media posts accused the movie of insulting Muslims and Islam.

That ban was then followed by other countries. The current list includes, but is not limited to :

United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Indonesia
Malaysia
Singapore
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Kuwait
Bahrain

Although not confirmed yet, it is very likely that Lightyear will also not be allowed to screen in China.

Lightyear producer, Galyn Susman, said that Chinese authorities “asked for cuts”, which Disney declined to make. So she assumed that the movie would not be allowed to screen there either.

I’m assuming it will not make it to China. I know we’ve gotten requests for things to cut, Disney isn’t going to modify the material.

Why Lightyear Was Banned In Those Countries…

In Lightyear, the character of Alisha Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba) shares a brief kiss with her same-sex partner.

That’s it – a little kiss between two fictional characters. Unfortunately, it was a kiss too far for those countries.

Normally, Disney would quietly cut such a “controversial” scene from the movie to comply with “local sensibilities”, since it doesn’t affect the plot.

However, Pixar employees had earlier penned a letter complaining that Disney corporate executives were censoring “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” in their projects.

We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were.

Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.

Disney caved to the pressure, and decided not to censor the kiss from Lightyear. And so, all those countries refused to grant a licence to screen the movie in theatres.

Lightyear Stars On The Movie Ban By 14+ Countries