Free Republic

The German economy ministry is considering expropriation of Gazprom and Rosneft units in the country amid concerns about security of energy supply, business daily Handelsblatt reported on Thursday, citing government sources. The discussions between top ministry officials and Chancellor Olaf Scholz aim to prevent massive power cuts if either of these companies, which are systemically important for Germany, gets into difficulties, the newspaper reported. Both companies are irreplaceable on the German energy market with Gazprom Germania operating large gas storage facilities and Rosneft Deutschland being a key player in the petrol, diesel and kerosene refinery markets, Handelsblatt reported.

Explanation: Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly constellation Corvus, two large galaxies are colliding. Stars in the two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, very rarely collide in the course of the ponderous cataclysm that lasts for hundreds of millions of years. But the galaxies' large clouds of molecular gas and dust often do, triggering furious episodes of star formation near the center of the cosmic wreckage. Spanning over 500 thousand light-years, this stunning view also reveals new star clusters and matter flung far from the scene of the accident by gravitational tidal forces. The remarkably...

UCLA is facing a new free speech controversy after its Director of Race and Equity, Jonathan Perkins, tweeted that he (like many) hoped Justice Clarence Thomas would die rather than recover from his recent illness. UCLA recently disciplined a student for controversial statements, but has stood by the right of Perkins to express such hateful viewpoints. Ironically, Perkins’ office has long posted anti-free speech positions to justify censorship and speech codes. Perkins is a lawyer (with a J.D. from the University of Virginia) and previously worked in the General Counsel’s office of Harvard University. When news spread of the hospitalization...

-In response to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, many countries have introduced total bans on Russian crude. -As a result, Russia has been forced to sell its oil at a heavy discount. -The steep discount is making it impossible for India and China to resist. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, several countries have introduced sanctions on the country, restricting trade and stopping Russian energy imports. This has led to severe oil and gas shortages worldwide. But some governments are using this situation as an opportunity to establish a closer relationship with Russia while demand for its huge oil and...

The Russian military has presented documents showing Ukraine’s interest in using drones to deliver weaponized pathogens developed in US-funded biolabs. Names of US officials involved in the biolabs projects, and the role the current US president’s son played in the program, were also made public during the special briefing on Thursday. One of the key pieces of evidence was a letter from the Ukrainian company Motor Sich to the Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar Makina – makers of the Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci UAVs – dated December 15, 2021. The Ukrainians specifically asked if the drones could carry 20 liters of...

Body camera footage shows the shocking moment a female police officer laughed as she taunted a mentally-ill 70-year-old who locked herself in the bathroom during a manic episode. The recently shared video, edited down from 90 minutes of body camera footage released last year by the Tulsa Police Department, purports to show female police officer Ronni Carrocia banging on a bathroom door as she laughed and told one of her colleagues: 'This is going to be fun.' An Emergency Medical Service worker told the officers when they arrived at the scene of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Tulsa, Oklahoma,...

An outbreak of the deadly strain of bird flu is quickly spreading across the U.S. The risk to humans is low, but bird flu could wreak havoc in the nation’s poultry industry ahead of Easter. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on Wednesday that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in five new states.◾A non-commercial, mixed-species backyard flock (non-poultry) in Berkshire County, Massachusetts;◾A non-commercial, mixed-species backyard flock (non-poultry) in Johnson County, Wyoming;◾A commercial poultry flock in Johnston County, North Carolina;◾A non-commercial, backyard chicken flock (non-poultry) in Franklin County, Ohio;◾And a...

March 31 (Reuters) - A key part of the yield curve inverted on Thursday, according to Tradeweb data, as the two-year U.S. Treasury note yield rose above the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield. That part of the yield curve inverted on Tuesday for the first time since September 2019. An inversion of the two-year, 10-year part of the curve is viewed by many as a signal a recession is likely to follow in one to two years.

Vladimir Putin today threatened to turn off Europe's gas supplies from tomorrow if countries refuse to pay in roubles. The Russian President, announcing a decree in televised remarks, said foreign buyers would have to 'open rouble accounts in Russian banks' which can be used to pay for 'gas delivered starting from tomorrow'. 'If such payments are not made, we will consider this a default on the part of buyers, with all the ensuing consequences. Nobody sells us anything for free, and we are not going to do charity either - that is, existing contracts will be stopped,' he said. The...

Islamabad (AFP) – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday accused the United States of meddling in Pakistan's politics -- a claim quickly denied by Washington -- as a debate on a no-confidence motion against him in parliament was postponed. No Pakistan premier has ever seen out a full term, and Khan is facing the biggest challenge to his rule since being elected in 2018, with opponents accusing him of economic mismanagement and foreign-policy bungling. The government is also battling to contain a rise in militancy by the Pakistan Taliban, which on Wednesday announced an offensive against security forces during Ramadan,...

Babylon Bee published a prophetic post the other day Disney Unveils Exciting New 'Sodom And Gomorrah' AttractionORLANDO, FL—In a bold statement against Florida's recently passed bill which prohibits teachers from discussing inappropriate sexual topics with kindergarteners, Disney World has unveiled its latest attraction: "Sodom & Gomorrah." "We here at Disney stand proudly with those who seek to indoctrinate small children in gender ideology," said CEO Bob Chapek. "That's why we've decided to unveil this exciting new thrill ride—and allow kids of all ages to ride it!" While waiting in line, small children and their parents will be educated by a...

[Catholic Caucus] Liberation Theologian: Pope Francis Under Attack from ‘White Supremacists’Left-wing Brazilian liberation theologian Leonardo Boff said Wednesday that for the past nine years Pope Francis “has been receiving furious attacks from traditionalist Christians and white supremacists, almost all from the North of the world, the U.S. and Europe.” Mr. Boff, known for his impassioned indigenism and disdain for European Christianity, also claimed that an unidentified shadowy group of financiers invested millions of dollars to “depose” Francis from the papacy, “as if the church were a company and the pope was its CEO.” Pope Francis has been “persecuted,” Boff insists,...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials are funneling more money to rural water projects in several states as the Biden administration looks to put a dent in growing infrastructure needs amid drought and climate change. The U.S. Interior Department announced Thursday that $420 million will be spent on projects in New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. The work includes construction of water treatment plants, pipeline connections, pump systems and reservoirs to provide drinking water to rural and tribal communities. The West is experiencing a more than 20-year megadrought. Scientists say the region has become much warmer...

A gay couple from Indiana were filmed hyperventilating after being chased in their car and pulled over by an armed cartel while birdwatching in Mexico. In February 2020 YouTubers Aaron Payzant and Logan Howard decided to hop in their car and drive from Indiana to Mexico to photograph exotic birds - only to find themselves chased down by a truck full of armed drug runners while on a dirt road near Tabasco. Payzant was filmed shouting: 'Oh my God. They have guns! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,' while imploring Howard, who was driving, to speed off. His boyfriend began hyperventilating with panic...

Famous DC insider Roger Stone, known for his own wild escapades, confirms GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s report of drug-fueled sex orgies of Republican and Democrat elites.

OH THERE ARE SOME KNEE-SLAPPERS IN HERE ALL RIGHT

- Russian troops that took over the Chornobyl nuclear power plant have transferred control back to Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. - The IAEA said those Russian troops moved two convoys toward Kremlin-allied Belarus, while a third convoy left the nearby city of Slavutych, also toward Belarus. - The agency added that it “has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.” Russian troops that took over the Chornobyl nuclear power plant last month have transferred control back to Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy...

Investors in GameStop are back on board a volatile roller coaster more than a year after the so-called "meme stock" phenomenon nabbed headlines in early 2021. While GameStop's recent highs are not nearly as close to the surge last year (when its stock hovered around $400 a share at one point), experts have said the company's stock price far exceeds what the retailer is actually worth. "It's hard to make this argument that the price is worth more than $80," said Kevin Mullally, an assistant professor of finance in the College of Business at the University of Central Florida. On...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday blamed the recent killings of a Daytona Beach couple on President Joe Biden's immigration policies and on what he called "soft on crime" enforcement efforts of local prosecutors. Haitian national Jean R. Macean, who was in the U.S. illegally, confessed to the murders of the Daytona Beach couple, the Florida State Attorney's office announced Tuesday. Macean was indicted on first-degree murder charges 20 days after he was charged with killing Terry, 48, and Brenda, 55, Aultman.

"I SERIOUSLY expect that a series of new highly virulent and highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 (SC-2) variants will now rapidly and independently emerge in highly vaccinated countries all over the world and that they will soon spread at high pace. I expect the current pattern of repetitive infections and relatively mild disease in vaccinees to soon aggravate and be replaced by severe disease and death. Unfortunately, there is no way vaccinees can rely on assistance from their innate immune system to protect against coronaviruses as their relevant innate IgM antibodies are increasingly being outcompeted by infection-enhancing vaccinal Abs, which are continuously...