By Sarah van Gelder | ( Yes! Magazine ) | – – A new report finds public ownership is the best way for cities and towns to meet renewable energy and efficiency targets. Mayors across the country have vowed to deliver on the goals of the Paris climate accord in defiance of President Trump’s decision […]
Archives for July 2017
25% of Australian Homes have gone Solar and other Green Triumphs this Week
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Renewables continue to take the world by storm, which is good news for the climate. Because of less expensive and more efficient technology, about one quarter of all Australian households now have solar panels. This process is uneven, with a rush to put them up recently […]
Human Rights Defenders Are Still Behind Bars in Turkey
By Zara Rahman | ( GlobalVoices.org) | – – Eight of Turkey’s most respected human rights defenders were arrested last week, along with two information technology trainers from Sweden and Germany. All ten of those arrested are still in police custody but have not been charged with any crime. The group had gathered for digital […]
Saudi Bloc: Qatar’s Al Jazeera can Stay, it Just has to Report as We Say
TeleSur | – – Al Jazeera said it rejects any “external intervention” and reiterates its “independence and professional editorial stance.” The four Arab countries currently boycotting Qatar are set to drop their demand that the Al Jazeera Media Network be shut down, a United Arab Emirates minister said. The closure of the Qatar-based broadcaster and […]
Who are the Trumps’ Russian Fixers? Meet Rinat Akhmetshin
By Mike Eckel | ( RFE/RL) | – – WASHINGTON — As recently as last year, Rinat Akhmetshin could be seen regularly pedaling through downtown Washington, D.C., nattily dressed, with a pocket square and heavy-framed thick glasses, riding a retro hipster orange bicycle. He also showed an affinity for vintage motorcycles, which he parked for […]
Trump & Macron Consult on Syria Cease Fire in Shadow of Don Jr. Scandal
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – French President Emmanuel Macron and his American counterpart Donald J. Trump consulted on a number of bilateral issues on Wednesday, including cooperation in Syria and Iraq. Trump says he was in France to attend Bastille Day and commemorate the centenary of the entry of the US […]
Trump’s Worst Collusion Isn’t With Russia — It’s With Corporations
By Peter Certo | (Otherwords.org) | – – The billionaires who backed Trump are making out a lot better than Putin. I’ve always been a little skeptical that there’d be a smoking gun about the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia. The latest news about Donald Trump, Jr., however, is tantalizingly close. The short version […]
Does Sunni Fragmentation after ISIL threaten Iraq’s Future?
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – As the date for a Baghdad summit on unity nears, the cracks are showing. It seems the country’s Sunni politicians can’t even get together to discuss their possible unity, in post-Islamic State Iraq. In mid-July, there is to be a conference in Baghdad for Sunni […]
What good is our Nat’l Security State if we’re afraid to Leave Home?
By William J. Astore | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – Has there ever been a nation as dedicated to preparing for doomsday as the United States? If that’s a thought that hasn’t crossed your mind, maybe it’s because you didn’t spend part of your life inside Cheyenne Mountain. That’s a tale I’ll get to soon, […]