European Union

Ruining the Planet: Not only are the German Far Right Scary Racists, they’re Climate Denialists to Boot

By Rachel Waldholz | – Der Spiegel: ( Clean Energy Wire) – Right-wing populist parties could make major gains in the coming European elections, with many of them bringing a new climate scepticism to the chamber and making it harder to pass ambitious climate policies, Annika Joeres and Susanne Götze report in Der Spiegel. Parties […]

Featured

75% of Scotland’s Electricity Now Green; & All Cars Electric by 2032

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Scotland added another 6% of green energy in 2018, so that nearly 75% of its annual gross electricity consumption came from renewables, chiefly wind, solar and hydro. Scotland’s population is 5.4 million. The increase in green energy came mainly from new offshore wind. New offshore wind also allowed the UK […]

Donald Trump

Trump and Don Jr. Wage Scathing War of Words on . . . Conservatives of Britain and Germany?

AFP

By Shaun TANDON | – Washington, DC (AFP) – President Donald Trump is once again tearing up the diplomatic norm of treading lightly in allies’ domestic politics, with his team attacking Britain’s beleaguered leader over Brexit and irritating Germany. Trump, who has slaughtered so many sacred cows in US politics, has shown no compunction over […]

Featured

Spain’s Socialists aim for 75% Renewables in Ten Years (at 40% Today)

Juan Cole

Spain is already getting 40% of its electricity from renewables, but its Socialist government hopes to nearly double that proportion in a little over a decade. Spain’s Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez and his cabinet have approved a draft proposal to get t 74% of the country’s electricity from renewables by 2030, a little over […]

European Union

Morocco Produced 35% of its Electricity from Renewables in 2018

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Morocco produced 35% of its electricity last year from wind, solar, and hydroelectric sources, putting it on track to its goal of getting 42% from green sources by 2020. It had a further goal of 52% renewables by 2030, but now hopes to go even faster. In contrast, the US […]

Antisemitism

French Neo-Nazis Desecrate Jewish Cemetery with Swastikas in Alsace

AFP

Strasbourg (AFP) – Around 80 graves have been daubed with swastikas at a Jewish cemetery in eastern France, local officials said, hours ahead of nationwide marches on Tuesday against a rise in anti-Semitic attacks. The damage was discovered on Tuesday morning at a cemetery in the village of Quatzenheim, close to the border with Germany […]

Donald Trump

Leader of Free World Angela Merkel Rips Bark off Trump for humiliating German Auto Industry

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In a major speech on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed anxiety that the world’s ‘security architecture’ is unraveling. “What we see as an overall architecture underpinning our world as we know it is a bit of a puzzle now; if you like, it has […]

Greece

Greece’s Muslim Minority Complain of “Marginalization”

AFP

Komotini (AFP) – Outwardly, Komotini looks like other Greek cities, but there is a major difference: it has nine mosques whereas there are none in Athens. The northeastern city has existed from the second century and was captured by Ottoman-era Turkey in the 14th. It was an important hub connecting the capital city of Constantinople, […]

European Union

Europe declares independence of Trump, Creates Channel for Iran Trade

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In what French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called “an important geo-political gesture,” France, Germany and the UK have swung into action with the backing of the European Union to set up a mechanism, called Instex, which will permit European firms and banks to continue to trade with Iran without […]