False Claim About Bill Gates Calling to 'Depopulation by Vaccines' Resurfaces
A photo showing a newspaper, 2011 edition of Ireland-based newspaper The Sovereign Independent, claiming that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates wants to reduce the world population through "forced vaccination" has resurfaced online.
The front page headline says, “Depopulation Through Forced Vaccination: The Zero Carbon Solution”.
An archive can be seen here.
(Source: Threads/Screenshot)
(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)
What's the truth?: This claim is false. This article incorrectly suggests that Gates wants to depopulate the world through vaccinations.
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It links this to Gates' speech in 2010, wherein he stated that vaccinations can reduce child mortality, which in turn will lead to reduced birth rates, population growth and lesser carbon emissions
How did we find out the truth?: We performed a keyword search and found that the viral cover image is of the fourth edition of the Ireland-based newspaper, The Sovereign Independent, which was published in 2011.
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According to a note by its editor Dave Derby, the first edition was published in 2009. However, this newspaper is not available online now.
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We noticed that the paper often shared conspiracy theories in 2011.
What did the article claim?: We accessed the archived version of this newspaper's June 2011 version, which can be seen here.
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It mentioned an old quote from Gates about the population in the wrong context.
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Plus, the article was attributed to Rachel Windeer.
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The quote was picked up from a 2010 TED Conference (transcript can be seen here), which reads, “The world today has 6.8 billion people. That’s headed up to about nine billion. Now, if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by, perhaps, 10 or 15 percent.”
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But in this speech, “Innovating to Zero”, Gates discussed ways the world could bring down carbon emissions and suggested that one of the ways was by reducing population growth through improving healthcare.
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This statement was picked up by the newspaper and shared out of context. In reality, Gates suggested that population growth can be reduced by 10 to 15 percent, so he was not talking about the population itself.
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Moreover, he also points out other factors, such as the services used by every individual, which require heavy energy and carbon emissions.
Conclusion: An old newspaper carrying a misleading claim about Bill Gates calling to reduce population by using vaccination has gone viral again.
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India's water will be now be utilised for the country: PM Modi
New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed on Tuesday that India's water will no longer flow outside the country but will be utilised in the nation's interest, remarks which were clearly aimed at Pakistan following his government’s decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Addressing the ABP Network's ‘India@2047’ Summit, Modi highlighted his government’s focus on interlinking of rivers, noting that water used to be a source of conflict among states, before hinting at India’s move against Pakistan as he cited ongoing discussion around water.
“Pahle Bharat ke haq ka pani bhi bahar ja raha tha. Ab Bharat ka pani Bharat ke haq mein bahega. Bharat ke haq mein rukega. Aur Bharat ke hee kaam aayega. (Earlier, the water which rightfully belonged to India was going outside the country. Now India's water will flow and stop in the country's interest, and will be used for India),” he said in Hindi as the audience cheered.
Modi, however, made no direct reference to Pakistan or any other comment on the rising tensions between the two countries following the terror strike that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.
Speaking about the finalisation of the India-UK free trade agreement, Modi said it is a historic day and this pact between two big and open market economies will mark a new chapter in the development of the two countries.
“This will boost economic activity in India and will open new ways and opportunities for Indian businesses and MSMEs,” he said, adding that it will help the youth.
The prime minister said India is not only carrying out reforms, but by actively engaging with the world, it is also making itself a vibrant trade and commerce hub.
“For taking big decisions and achieving objectives, it is important to give primacy to national interest and believe in the capability of the country,” he said.
The prime minister focused on the country’s growth and development under his government’s nearly 11 years of rule, saying it has served the poor and deprived sections of society while prioritising development as it has been solely driven by the interest of the country.
“We are moving from a GDP-centric approach to progress based on Gross Empowerment of People (GEP),” he said, citing a host of welfare schemes, including for housing and health insurance, for different sections of society.
His government has combined tradition with development and technology, he said, adding that if India tops in digital transactions, then it has also taken yoga and ayurveda to the world.
When people look at the country now, they can proudly say “democracy can deliver”, he said, adding that their trust was running low before his government took over as he slammed the previous regimes for being beholden to extraneous interests, including vote bank compulsions.
Referring to the new Waqf law, Modi said the need for the reforms was felt for decades but to satisfy a vote bank even this noble work was defamed.
“Now the amendments have been made which in the real sense will help poor Muslim mothers and sisters and poor Pasmanda Muslims,” he said, while also touching on his government’s decision to ban triple talaq.
It harmed innumerable Muslim women but was allowed to continue, he said.
In his address, he said the biggest dream of this changing India is to become ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
“The country has the capabilities, resources and the willpower for it,” he said.
“For decades, a counterstream prevailed in the country. There was a time when, before taking a big decision, it was thought - ‘what would the world think? Will we get votes or not? And decisions and big reforms languished due to such reasons,” Modi said, adding that a country does not move forward like this.
It advances when the basis of decisions is ‘Nation First’, he stressed.
In the last decade, India has moved forward with this mantra, and the results are there for all to see, he said.
“Our government has taken decisions which had been languishing and did not see the light of day due to a lack of political willpower,” he said.
Modi said direct benefit transfer weeded out 10 crore fake beneficiaries, saving Rs 3.5 lakh crore.
India, he noted, has begun doing well in sectors where it was not traditionally strong. He spoke about India’s rising defence exports, with over 100 countries being supplied with its defence products, and its emergence as an exporter of electronic products as well.
