Free Republic

Russia’s former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit who was fired by President Vladimir Putin has shot himself dead, Russian authorities said Monday. According to Kremlin-controlled media, Starovoit was found dead with a gunshot wound in Odintsovo near Moscow. Officials said they believe it was a suicide. “The circumstances of the incident are being established. The main version is suicide,” Russia’s Investigative Committee Official Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement, as speculation swirled in Moscow.

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have reportedly discussed replacing Ukraine’s current ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, during their most recent phone call on Friday, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter. According to the report, Zelenskyy has asked Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to begin consultations with US officials regarding a potential successor. Among the leading candidates to replace Markarova are high-profile Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and Energy Minister German Galushchenko.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on any country aligned with the BRICS group of nations, which includes Russia, delivering a potential economic blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The bloc—which also consists of Brazil, India, China, South Africa and five other emerging economies—held a summit over the weekend in which it condemned Trump's "indiscriminate" import tariffs and the Israeli-U. S. strikes on Iran. Trump posted on Truth Social late on Sunday that "any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10 percent Tariff," adding: "There will...

Moscow struggles with drone attacks as turmoil grips civilian aviation sector. Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Transport Minister Roman Starovoit early Monday, according to a decree published by the Kremlin. The government provided no official explanation for Starovoit's firing, but it comes after Ukrainian drone attacks over the weekend sparked turmoil for Russian air traffic, with stranded passengers stuck in airports as flights were canceled. According to Russia's federal air transport agency and the Russian transport ministry, Russian airlines canceled 485 flights, while 88 flights had to be redirected and 1,900 flights were delayed in the period from Saturday to...

Researchers have shown how a low-carbohydrate diet can worsen the DNA-damaging effects of some gut microbes to cause colorectal cancer. They found that a unique strain of E. coli bacteria, when paired with a diet low in carbs and soluble fiber, drives the growth of polyps in the colon, which can be a precursor to cancer. A low-carb diet paired with a strain of E. coli that produces the DNA-damaging compound colibactin—led to the development of colorectal cancer. The researchers found that a diet deficient in fiber increased inflammation in the gut and altered the community of microbes that typically...

Protest in France has tapered off since the Yellow Vests mass demonstrations in late 2018 and early 2019 but this week a spirited nationwide protest by farmers emerged. Larg conglomerates and global businesses the target of farmers anger since their policies threaten the ability of French farmers to make a living... French political leader Florian Philippot ("Les Patriots") saying that deal with the South American countries: "will kill our agriculture"... As the protests spread to highways in the Paris area Friday Prime Minister Gabirel Attal appearing at a cattle farm. He announced measures including the cancellation of a planned tax...

Our respiratory systems are lined with a thin fluid layer called mucus on the inside. The mucus protects us from inhaling harmful and unwanted airborne agents from germs to pollutants due to its unique gel-like texture imparted by proteins called mucins. By extension, over- or under-secretion of mucins can lead to abnormal respiratory mucus—a pathological manifestation in many respiratory diseases like chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and asthma, among others. Although multiple clinically approved drugs are available that can combat abnormal respiratory mucus, many of them cause unwanted and potentially serious side effects. Researchers repurposed an available drug called meclofenamate to...

The mucus in the airways is not as sticky, and inflammation in the lungs is significantly reduced: Triple combination therapy can achieve these positive, lasting effects in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Researchers have just recently published their findings. According to their research, this form of medication improves the symptoms of CF in many patients. Two years ago, a research group showed that combination therapy involving three drugs—elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor—is effective in a large portion of patients with cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease, meaning that the treatment noticeably improves both lung function and quality of life. Now, the team...

To efficiently infect human cells, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is able to use a receptor called Neuropilin-1, which is very abundant in many human tissues including the respiratory tract, blood vessels and neurons. The breakthrough discovery was made by a German-Finnish team of researchers led by neuroscientists Mika Simons, Technical University of Munich, Germany and virologist Giuseppe Balistreri, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland. Why is the new coronavirus so infectious? "That SARS-CoV-2 uses the receptor ACE2 to infect our cells was known, but viruses often use multiple factors to maximize their infectious potential"...

Beware of the blob—this time, it's for real. As sea temperatures have risen in recent decades, enormous sheets of a mucus-like material have begun forming more often, oozing into new regions, and lasting longer, a new Mediterranean Sea study says. Up to 124 miles (200 kilometers) long, the mucilages appear naturally, usually near Mediterranean coasts in summer. The season's warm weather makes seawater more stable, which facilitates the bonding of the organic matter that makes up the blobs. Now, due to warmer temperatures, the mucilages are forming in winter too—and lasting for months. Until now, the light-brown "mucus" was seen...

Before seeking out Dr. Richard Burt of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Kathy Hammons could barely care for her children as a result of the effects of lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself. She had been on oxygen for two years, was constantly fatigued, and was overweight from the steroids used to control her disease. "I would say before this option, they [lupus patients] hit a brick wall," Burt said. "They had nothing more, no further treatments." Burt's pioneering research, however, offered a new option. His breakthrough procedure uses a patient's stem cells to treat extremely severe cases...

MIAMI (AP) -- Devotees of a Miami man who claims to practice a traditional African religion say they were sickened when they drank the mucus of a giant African snail. Federal authorities in January raided Charles L. Stewart's home after receiving complaints. Stewart has not been criminally charged, but prosecutors and state and federal wildlife agencies are investigating. The giant African snail is prohibited in the U.S. without special approval.

Beware of the blob—this time, it's for real. As sea temperatures have risen in recent decades, enormous sheets of a mucus-like material have begun forming more often, oozing into new regions, and lasting longer, a new Mediterranean Sea study says (sea "mucus" blob pictures). And the blobs may be more than just unpleasant. Up to 124 miles (200 kilometers) long, the mucilages appear naturally, usually near Mediterranean coasts in summer. The season's warm weather makes seawater more stable, which facilitates the bonding of the organic matter that makes up the blobs (Mediterranean map). Now, due to warmer temperatures, the mucilages...

Former "Moonlighting" star Cybill Shepherd is way too picky!

Giant Balls of 'Snot' Explain Ocean MysteryBy Bjorn Carey LiveScience Staff posted: 10 June 2005 06:22 am ET Scientists have discovered giant sinking mucus "houses" that double the amount of food on the sea floor. The mucus houses, or "sinkers," are produced by tadpole-like animals not much bigger than your index finger. As sinkers drop to the sea floor, small sea critters and other food particles get stuck to the mucus and end up on the bottom of the ocean. For years scientists have observed loads of life at the bottom of the ocean. But they weren’t able to find...