Free Republic

Asian economies are dramatically increasing imports of discounted Russian crude amid global supply disruptions. A temporary U.S. sanctions waiver is enabling more Russian oil to flow into global markets. The shift risks boosting Moscow’s war revenues while exposing the limits of Western energy sanctions. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, several major world powers introduced strict sanctions on trade with Moscow. .. However, some countries, such as India and China, have used these sanctions as an excuse to buy discounted crude and gas from Russia, in a bid to reduce costs and boost energy security. Imports of Russian...

China imported approximately 836 tonnes of silver in March, the highest monthly total ever recorded, as demand from the country’s solar manufacturing sector and retail investors simultaneously overwhelmed domestic supply, according to Chinese customs data reported by Bloomberg. The March figure is 78% above February’s 470 tonnes — itself a record for that month — and runs 173% above what March typically sees — the 10-year seasonal average for the month sits at around 306 tonnes. Year-to-date imports through March now stand at approximately 1,626 tonnes, the highest on record for the first quarter. Solar panel manufacturers — China dominates...

An avid New Jersey outdoor buff slipped off a trail and froze to death while hiking New York’s highest peak with her dog — after it took rescuers more than six hours to find her in bitter single-digit temperatures, officials said Wednesday. Brianna Mohr, 21 — who posted breathtaking Instagram photos of herself on remote adventures — called 911 while clinging to the side of Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks at 3 p.m. Thursday, according to police. But rescuers couldn’t find Mohr, of Brick, until after 9 p.m., at which point she had died of hypothermia, New York State Police...

The Trump Justice Department is ramping up its efforts against Colorado to get Tina Peters released from state prison. In October 2024, Tina Peters, the former Mesa County, Colorado, Clerk, was found guilty of three charges and sentenced to nine years in prison. She was jailed for preserving evidence from the 2020 elections that she was told to delete, despite laws to preserve records for a length of time. The nasty leftist judge berated her, insulted her, and told her she had “white privilege!” Tina, a 70-year-old Gold Star Mother in poor health, is now serving nine years in prison...

America is desperate for rare earth minerals. China was supplying the US with around 70% of all such minerals, but they’re not going to supply them to an enemy nation to create weapons. As I mentioned yesterday, this is precisely why America is desperate to access Ukraine. I received a few comments asking why the US has not begun digging, and unfortunately, they are unable to reach those crucial minerals due to the ongoing war. It is estimated that Ukraine holds 5% of the world’s critical raw materials. Ukrainian officials believe they have 19 million tonnes of graphite reserves and...

Economic warfare is dismantling free trade and turning friends into foes. This has nothing to do with trade tariffs, as the issue is the tariffs we are placing on nations for the sole purpose of political policy. The US is threatening India with sanctions if it continues to purchase Russian oil, and the Kremlin is using that to its advantage. “We believe that sovereign countries should have, and have the right to choose their own trade partners, partners in trade and economic cooperation. And to choose those trade and economic cooperation regimes that are in the interests of a particular...