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Turkey weighing citizens in public to fight obesity, critics slam the move as fat shaming
Turkey is tipping the scales in its war on obesity.
The country has launched a nationwide campaign to measure citizens’ weight in public spaces to combat its rising obesity rates — a move critics argue amounts to public fat shaming and government overreach.
The initiative, called «Learn Your Ideal Weight, Live Healthy» campaign, will see around 10 million people assessed between May 10 and July 10. If they are deemed overweight, they will be directed to health centers to receive nutritional counseling and monitoring by dietitians, according to Turkish Minute.
The controversial move aims to raise awareness about chronic weight dangers and to promote healthier lifestyles.
Turkey has launched a nationwide campaign to measure citizens’ weight in public to combat its rising obesity rates — a move critics argue amounts to public fat shaming and government overreach. (Turkish health ministry via Instagram/@amasyasm)
OBESITY MOST PREVALENT IN THESE 3 SOUTHERN CITIES
Turkish Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu introduced the initiative earlier this month, stating that health personnel would take measurements in public areas across all 81 provinces, Turkish media reported.
Various images posted to social media by Turkey’s health ministry show health officials taking people’s height measurements before guiding them onto weighing scales at so-called check points in public spaces.
Individuals have their body weight and height measured to calculate their body mass index (BMI), a simple calculation used to assess whether a person has a healthy body weight for their height.
If someone has a BMI of 25 or higher, they will be referred to the health centers.
The initiative has drawn backlash, with critics slamming it as invasive, stigmatizing and essentially amounting to fat shaming in public. Other detractors argue that the government is not addressing broader contributing factors such as soaring food prices, stagnant wages and limited access to affordable nutrition.
Turkish health officials measure people’s BMI as part of a program to tackle obesity. (Turkish health ministry via Instagram/@amasyasm)
FRESH FOOD CONSUMPTION COULD HELP SOLVE DIET-RELATED ILLNESS: EXPERTS
Gökben Hızlı Sayar, a Turkish psychiatrist and academic, likened the stations to fat check points and said she was forced to get measured.
«I got caught in a fat car showdown in Üsküdar Square, she wrote on X last week. «Luckily, they reprimanded me a little and let me go. When I saw the radar, I warned 3 fat people who were going that way to flash their headlights at each other. Today is the day of unity, my fat brothers.»
The health minister, however, said the goal is to inform the public and make them healthier.
In an effort to lead by example, Memişoğlu himself was measured and revealed that he is over the limit, although it wasn’t clear by how much.
«Which dietitian should I go to?» he humorously said to reporters before later adding, «turns out I’m a little over. It’s up to me now, I’ll be walking every day,» Turkish Minute reported.
A man gets his height measured in public. Height and weight are used to determine BMI. (Turkish health ministry via Instagram/@amasyasm)
Memişoğlu also posted video of himself walking, writing, «it’s time to get down to business, we’ll walk every day.»
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Turkey has a population of around 85 million people and around 32.1% are considered obese, according to the World Health Organization. Anyone over a BMI of 30 is considered obese.
That rate is still lower than in the United States, where the most recent studies by the CDC show obesity among adults at 40.3%.
Experts link the rate in Turkey to rising fast-food consumption, economic barriers to healthy food and urbanization reducing physical activity levels, according to Turkey Today.
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Russian missile strike kills 10 in Ukraine as Trump says ‘hatred’ between countries complicating peace deal
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A Russian ballistic missile strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, killed at least 10 people, including two children, and wounded 16 others Saturday, officials said.
The strike was part of a broader overnight assault in which Russia launched 29 missiles and 480 drones targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with damage reported in Kyiv and at seven other locations across the country, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy called for an international response following the attack.
«There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life. I thank everyone who will not remain silent. Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine’s residential and critical infrastructure, and therefore support must continue,» he said in a post on X.
The ruins of an apartment building burn following a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday. (Andrii Marienko/AP Photo)
«We count on active work with the European Union to guarantee greater protection for our people,» he added. «I am grateful to everyone who helps strengthen our protection.»
Preliminary Ukrainian data showed air defense systems downed 19 missiles and 453 drones, while nine missiles and 26 strike drones hit 22 locations.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted Ukrainian military factories, energy facilities and air bases.
TRUMP SAYS ‘HATRED’ BETWEEN PUTIN, ZELENSKYY BLOCKING UKRAINE PEACE DEAL
Ukrainian firefighters work at the scene of an apartment building following a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday. (Andrii Marienko/AP Photo)
Speaking Saturday at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Florida, President Donald Trump said the «hatred» between Russia and Ukraine was complicating efforts to reach a peace deal.
«It’s so great that, you know, Ukraine, Russia, you’d think there would be a little bit of camaraderie, [but] there’s not. And the hatred is so great. It’s very hard for them to get there. It’s very, very hard to get there. So we’ll see what happens,» Trump said. «But we’ve been close a lot of times and one or the other would back out.»
«But we’re losing, you know, they’re losing, you know, doesn’t really affect us very much because we’ve got an ocean separating. I’m doing it as a favor to Europe, and I’m doing it as a favor to life because they’re losing 25,000 souls,» Trump added. «Think of that every month. 25,000. Last month, 31,000. Both sides, 31,000 people died, mostly soldiers.»
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Firefighters tackle a fire in an multi-story apartment building following a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday. (Andrii Marienko/AP Photo)
Last month, Zelenskyy told Fox News that Russia is trying «to play with the president of the United States» and stalling U.S.-brokered efforts to end the war.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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volodymyr zelenskyy,ukraine,russia,wars,military,world
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GOP senators say Trump’s strikes ‘significantly degraded’ Iran but emphasize attacks not ‘forever wars’
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PALM BEACH, Fla. — One week into the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, two Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee say the military operation has «degraded» Tehran’s ability to strike back.
But in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital, senators Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Budd of North Carolina emphasized the fighting will not lead to U.S. involvement in «forever wars» in the volatile Middle East.
«Our military is doing a great job,» Scott said. Pointing to Iran, he added, «They want to destroy America. We’ve got to stop them.»
Budd highlighted that «we have significantly degraded Iran’s ability to shoot back at us. … Their capacities are degraded. We’ve had great success.»
Budd and Scott spoke while attending an economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent conservative group that pushes for fiscal responsibility.
President Donald Trump, who called for Iran’s «unconditional surrender,» said Saturday that Tehran will be «hit very hard» and warned the U.S. is considering «areas and groups» not previously considered as targets.
Over the past week, Operation Epic Fury has widened in scope as Iran has retaliated against a growing number of nations in the region. This week, the Republican-controlled House and Senate, in separate votes nearly entirely along party lines, rejected moves by Democrats to restrict the president’s ability to steer the fighting.
WHAT COULD COME NEXT IN THE ATTACKS ON IRAN
The president said Thursday in an interview with Axios he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial strikes against Iran a week ago.
And there are concerns among many on the right that the strikes against Iran could lead to prolonged American military involvement in the region, which Trump has repeatedly campaigned against during his three runs for the presidency.
It’s been one week since the U.S. and Israeli launched military strikes against Iran. (Contributor/Getty Images)
«Trump doesn’t want to be in forever wars. Every time I’ve talked to him, he doesn’t want that,» Scott said. «But I think what we do want to make sure we don’t have another Ayatollah that wants to … chant ‘Death to America’ and ‘death to our allies’ and try to destroy us.»
Budd added that «we’re not up for forever wars. We want to get in, get this thing done, get out and have peace for our country and the rest of the region.»
The latest Fox News national poll indicated that American voters are divided on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran even as a majority sees the country as a security risk.
Sixty-one percent of those questioned viewed Iran as a danger to the U.S., according to the survey conducted Feb. 28-March 2. But that concern did not translate into majority support for the current U.S. military action, as 50% approved and 50% disapproved.
Support for the attacks was lower in national polling from other news organizations.
But the Fox News poll and the other surveys indicated widespread support among Republicans.
«Trump’s doing the right thing. He’s saving American lives by making sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile. So, he’s doing the right thing,» Scott emphasized.
Budd added, «I’m very excited [about] what President Trump’s done. … The goal is American prosperity and American safety, and that’s what President Trump wants.»
Oil prices have shot up since the start of the fighting, instantly resulting in higher costs for gasoline across America. That’s a major concern for Republicans as they aim to keep control of the House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections.
A driver refuels a vehicle at a Wawa gas station in Media, Pa., March 2, 2026. Oil and gas prices have shot up in the past week amid the strikes against Iran. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
«Hopefully it’s all going to be short term. Hopefully … the demolition of the Iranian military will happen quickly and actually will get lower oil prices,» Scott said.
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Budd acknowledged «we are going to have some short-term disruptions.»
But the senator was optimistic that «very soon we’ll have gas prices much cheaper than ever before. We were already on that pathway. President Trump is all about stability. He’s all about the price of oil.»
donald trump,war with iran,iran,ted budd,republicans,middle east foreign policy,defense
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