Free Republic

Rice growers in Valencia are warning that your paella might be doomed before it hits the pan – not because of your cooking skills, but due to unclear labelling on imported rice sold as if it were local. EU trade rules and lax origin labels are fuelling claims of ‘fake’ paella rice, as Asian and South American imports increasingly find their way into Spanish supermarkets. Valencian rice farmers say EU trade rules are ruining paella Valencia, the birthplace of paella, is home to traditional short-grain rice varieties like bomba, prized for their unique cooking properties. But local farmers claim that...

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has scrapped over $500 million (€432 million) in federal vaccine funding, announcing a pivot towards developing a so-called “universal vaccine” designed to mimic natural immunity. In a statement on August 6, 2025, Kennedy confirmed that the US Department of Health and Human Services will cancel 22 vaccine development projects (all using mRNA technology) in favour of “safer, broader vaccine strategies.” The move, affecting major players like Pfizer and Moderna, has sparked fierce backlash from public health experts across the US. Kennedy claimed the goal is a new, all-in-one jab that could offer protection...

Hold on to your vikingahjälmar, because Sweden’s Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, has sparked a national debate after casually admitting that he often consults artificial intelligence tools – including ChatGPT and the French chatbot LeChat – to get a “second opinion” on political questions. Speaking to the business newspaper Dagens Industri on August 5, Kristersson said: “I use it myself quite often. If for nothing else than for a second opinion. What have others done? And should we think the complete opposite? Those types of questions.” He also revealed that his colleagues in the centre-right coalition government make use of AI...

Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington this week for a summit which could advance a much-anticipated peace agreement between the two. The meeting would send a strong signal to Moscow regarding the two countries' commitment to finding a solution without Russia. The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia are set to meet US President Donald Trump for a peace summit in Washington on Thursday and Friday, which could advance a much-anticipated peace deal between the two countries. After almost four decades of bitter conflict, Baku and Yerevan might finally settle for peace in the region...

A new study sheds light on ChatGPT's alarming interactions with teens.ChatGPT will tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders, and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked, according to new research from a watchdog group. The Associated Press reviewed more than three hours of interactions between ChatGPT and researchers posing as vulnerable teens. The chatbot typically provided warnings against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalised plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets, or self-injury. The researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate...

Over a year ago, the Netherlands reported numerous sperm mega-donors within the country, leading to fears of accidental incest. The number of these mega-donors seems to keep growing, with the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NVOG) now admitting at least 85 men have fathered 25 or more children. The most infamous Dutch sperm mega-donor is Jonathan Meijer, who is believed to have over 1,000 children and was the subject of a Netflix documentary last year. Meijer had been ordered to stop donating sperm, though he appeared not to have complied, just moving his sperm donation business outside of the...

MPs are to summon Elon Musk to testify about X’s role in spreading disinformation, in a parliamentary inquiry into the UK riots and the rise of false and harmful AI content, the Guardian has learned. Senior executives from Meta, which runs Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok are also expected to be called for questioning as part of a Commons science and technology select committee social media inquiry. The first hearings will take place in the new year, amid rising concern that UK online safety laws risk being outpaced by rapidly advancing technology and the politicisation of platforms such as X....

German men are being shamed into urinating while sitting down by a gadget which is saving millions of women from cleaning up in the bathroom after them.