Free Republic

Britain’s post-Brexit trade deal with the United States could lead to even higher rates of obesity through the import of American foods high in fat and sugar, children’s doctors have warned. US “hostility” towards measures aimed at promoting healthier eating habits, such as traffic light labelling, is also a major threat to the government’s anti-obesity drive, it has been claimed. {snip} Recent research by the Harvard University school of public health pinpointed free trade deals involving the US as a key factor in a process of “nutrition transition” – from a traditional native diet to a much more western one...

China is testing driverless tanks which could be equipped with artificial intelligence, a state-run newspaper reported on Wednesday, as the country continues with its military modernisation programme. State television showed images this week of the unmanned tanks undergoing testing, the Global Times reported. Footage showed a Type 59 tank being driven by remote control, in what the paper said was the first time a Chinese-made unmanned tank has been shown in a public forum. The Type 59 tank is based on an old Soviet model first used in China in the 1950s and has been produced in large numbers and...

“My son was killed on 5th of May 2017 in a clash with the Turkish army. I learned of his death from the news. On a social media site called “kanlıkule”, the photos of my son’s disintegrated body were shared. In the photos, a special operation’s soldier stood with his foot on top of my son’s body. My wife and I went to Hakkari to meet with the army commander to request my son’s body 20 days later. The commander said that they threw his body into the river. I said ‘commander, I want my son’s body. If you can’t...

America's top nuclear commander described a grim scenario for U.S. forces facing off against a new breed of high-speed weapons that Russia and China are developing. "We don't have any defense that could deny the employment of such a weapon against us," Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. This means that, as of now, the U.S. has to rely on deterrence against these so-called hypersonic weapons, he said. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., then asked the general to explain what a hypersonic weapon is and what it does.

Shortened title. Full title: Exclusive: Peter Schweizer Reveals Joe Biden’s Son’s Massive Deal with Chinese Company ‘Trying to Steal’ America’s Nuclear Secrets Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute and author of the new book Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends, joined SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight on Monday to detail the involvement of Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden’s second son, in a China-backed private equity firm’s investment in a Chinese atomic energy company indicted for “nuclear power conspiracy against the United States.”

After years of government-linked slaughter, torture, abuse, and hatred against embattled European-descent farmers in South Africa, the radical government might have finally gone too far by openly vowing to steal their land without compensation. Now, it seems, the world is taking notice. Whether it is too little, too late remains to be seen. Australian authorities, for one, are speaking out, while also seeking ways to bring in the persecuted farmers before the situation deteriorates further. Even establishment-controlled media outlets, which were obsessed with South Africa under the Apartheid system but now pretend not to see it, have been forced to...

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was placed in custody on Tuesday as part of an investigation into allegations he received millions of euros in illegal campaign financing from the regime of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. A judicial source with direct knowledge of the case told The Associated Press that Sarkozy was being held at the Nanterre police station, north-west of Paris. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Sarkozy has vehemently and repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the case, which involves funding for his winning 2007 presidential campaign. Though...

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has congratulated his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on his win in the presidential election in a telephone call on Tuesday, the Kremlin press service reported. Apart from that, according to the Kremlin press service, the two leaders discussed further contacts between the two countries and topical international issues. READ ALSO US elite use Kremlin List to fight Trump and settle political scores, Russia's PM says Lavrov warns US against provocations aiming to break down Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong-un Trump agrees Russia must provide unambiguous answers about Skripal incident Russian expert believes...

... After 67 years, that day has arrived: Turkey, which for half a century was a stalwart ally in the Middle East while proving that a Muslim-majority nation could be both secular and democratic, has moved so far away from its NATO allies that it is widely acknowledged to be defiantly supporting the Islamic State in Syria in its war against the West. Since Islamist strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power in 2003, Turkey has taken a harshly authoritarian turn, embracing Islamic terrorists of every stripe while picking fights it can’t finish across the region - including an escalating...

As with many leftist writers in Europe and the United States, the author appears to glory in their ignorance of weapons and weapon technology. The short spear improvised from a kitchen knife, above, is not a “makeshift bayonet”. A bayonet is a blade that is to be attached to a firearm for use in hand to hand fighting. There is no firearm associated with the blade in the picture above.  From walesonline.com: Police raided a home and found two loaded crossbows and a makeshift bayonet.Officers entered a house in Sandfields , Port Talbot on Saturday afternoon, following a complaint...

A French nanny was beaten, killed and thrown on a bonfire after her employers accused her of being “in league” with a former popstar boyfriend, a court heard. “Big hearted” Sophie Lionnet, 21, was starved, mistreated and violently assaulted after she went to live with mother-of-two Sabrina Kouider and Ouissem Medouni, the Old Bailey heard. The pair, who are also French, allegedly confronted Miss Lionnet with “outlandish” allegations and kept her a prisoner in their home in Wimbledon, south west London.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday reported on allegations that the human rights violations and abuses in southeast Turkey are massive and serious, calling on the Turkish government for full and unfettered access to be able to directly, independently and objectively assess the human rights situation in the region.In a 28-page report issued on Tuesday, the OHCHR recommended that Turkey “renew efforts to secure a peaceful end to the situation; and to ensure that every loss of life that occurred in the course of security operations is duly investigated, and that perpetrators...

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. The Turkish operation in Syria code-named “Olive Branch” is an act of disrespect towards the territorial integrity of sovereign state of Syria, since the Turkish troops freely invaded the Syrian territories and carries out military operations under the pretext of fight against terrorism, ARMENPRESS reports turkologist, Dean of YSU Faculty of Oriental Studies Ruben Melkonyan said during a press conference on March 20.“Erdoğan’s steps have domestic and external components. The external component is, naturally, increasing Turkey’s influence in the region and the reinforcement of its position as a key regional power. Turkey tries to show that in...

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The United Nations asked the Turkish government on Tuesday to end the state of emergency in place since July 2016 and grant its human rights office access to the country’s Kurdish-populated region where “massive and serious” human rights violations occurred. A report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the violations committed by security forces “included killings, torture, violence against women, the excessive use of force, destruction of housing and cultural heritage, prevention of access to emergency medical care, safe water and livelihoods, and severe restrictions of the...

I received today an email with an attached so-called “legal letter” from a senior producer at Al Jazeera Media Network. One need look no further than the letterhead, “Confidential” marking and warnings at the bottom of that attachment to recognize that, quite apart from its content, this email is intended to threaten and intimidate. It asked for my prompt written response to several allegations about me and my organization, the Center for Security Policy. Those allegations are clearly defamatory. These unfounded charges say more about the purported “experts” who have made them than about those they are smearing. According to...

The meeting will be led by Facebook's deputy general counsel as CEO Mark Zuckerberg remains silent on the data scandal. ====================================================================================================================== Facebook is holding an open meeting for all employees following allegations that data belonging to its users was harvested by Cambridge Analytica. The company's chief executive and founder Mark Zuckerberg has not commented on the scandal nor made a public appearance since the story broke. Mr Zuckerberg will not be present to lead Tuesday's meeting, which instead will be chaired by Facebook's deputy general counsel, Paul Grewal. Cambridge Analytica is accused of illegally harvesting the personal data of 50...

The probes follow a weekend of turmoil for Facebook after reports that Cambridge Analytica gained access to the data of more than 50 million users. Shares of Facebook are down 3.5 percent down after falling as much as 8 percent on Monday. UK officials are also investigating the alleged mishandling of data. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether the use of personal data from 50 million Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica violated a consent decree the tech company signed with the agency in 2011, Bloomberg reported Monday. The probe follows a weekend of turmoil for the social media...

The Turkish army has banned entry to the Afrin center after they invaded. Civilians trying to return to their homes are being arrested. With the invaders entering, looting and pillaging has taken hold in Afrin, while the same forces have banned entry to the city. Turkish soldiers and their collaborator gangs hold the entrances and exits of the city and are barring civilians from entering. Reports say young people who coulndn’t leave Afrin or who wish to come back are forced to choose between two inhumane options, prison and joining the FSA. Many young men are being held on these...

Scottish YouTube personality Count Dankula — real name Mark Meechan — was found guilty at Glasgow Sherrif Court Tuesday of a hate crime, and potentially faces two months in prison after recording a video of his girlfriend’s dog doing Nazi salutes. Reporting from inside the courtroom, journalist and street organiser Tommy Robinson said Meechan had been found guilty of being “Grossly Offensive” under the Communications Act of 2003 and will be sentenced this afternoon. The case is over a 2016 YouTube video made by Meechan and published on his comedy Count Dankula page of his girlfriend’s dog Buddha raising its...

The Chinese government warned this weekend that it will use “military pressure” against the United States if it does not “correct its mistake” of passing the Taiwan Travel Act, a law that encourages Taiwanese government officials to visit America and vice versa. China considers Taiwan a secessionist province with no legitimate federal government. The United States operates under the “One China” policy as interpreted in the Taiwan Relations Act, which recognizes the existence of only one nation called “China” but also maintains friendly relations with the sovereign government of Taiwan. While China has incessantly objected to any ties between Taipei...