Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Morocco hosted a big energy conference with 19,000 attendees recently, at which it celebrated its partnership with Masdar, the green energy company based in the UAE, which is committed to a new solar farm that will generate 800 megawatts of electricity. Attendee Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, the UAE minister […]
Archives for April 2022
Electric Cars let German Consumers Save Huge on Gasoline, Cut Russian Oil – Greenpeace
By Edgar Meza | – ( Clean Energy Wire) – Electric vehicles can save up to 300 euros [$331] a month compared to cars with diesel and petrol engines, according to a cost analysis report by Greenpeace. Despite temporary tax cuts on fuel prices, new combustion engines are cost traps when considering high long-term fuel […]
US could have done more to prevent civilian casualties in Raqqa, report says
( Middle East Monitor ) – The United States could have done more to eliminate the chances of killing civilians in the campaign to capture the city of Raqqa in northern Syria three years ago, a newly-released report by the RAND Corporation has stated. The report released on Thursday acknowledged the impact of the US-led […]
In Victory against Coal, South African Court rules that clean Air is a Constitutional Right
By Rebecca Garland, University of Pretoria | – A court in South Africa has confirmed the constitutional right of the country’s citizens to an environment that isn’t harmful to their health. This includes the right to clean air, as exposure to air pollution affects human health. Air pollution also affects land and water systems, and […]
Israeli Archeologists find Proof of Muslim-Christian Ecumenism among Crew of Shipwreck from Dawn of Islam
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Ariel David writing at Haaretz reports on Haifa University marine archeologists who have been investigating a shipwreck that sank off the coast of early Muslim-ruled Palestine sometime between 648 and 740 A.D. The find provides some evidence for the economic robustness of this era, and for strong connections between the […]
Syrian Government, the World’s Great Torturer, outlaws Torture: If it is a Joke, it isn’t Funny
By Sara Kayyali | Syria Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division | ( Human Rights Watch ) – This is not an April Fools’ joke. Syria, where torture is routine and pervasive, has passed a law criminalizing the practice. In an announcement that might have appeared as satire, the Syrian State News Agency (SANA) […]
The latest UN report blasts Israeli apartheid re: Palestinians, Demands Countries Take Action
( Middle East Monitor ) – UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk has issued one of his strongest condemnations yet of Israeli apartheid in a report to the 49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council for Agenda Item 7; the session which, claims Israel, singles it out unfairly. Referring to various statements, including those […]
What is Ramadan and why does it require Muslims to fast?
Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University | – Intermittent fasting is now becoming popular, with many promised health benefits. But Muslims have been practising fasting in the lunar month of Ramadan for centuries. The Ramadan for 2022 will start on Saturday April 2 and go for about 30 days. It is then followed by the three-day […]
Even Oil-Rich UAE admits its Green Energy saved it nearly $200 billion, as it builds World’s Largest Solar Farm
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Even the energy minister of the United Arab Emirates, the world’s eighth largest oil producer, has admitted that the steps so far taken in the small Gulf country toward green energy have saved it $191 billion. The UAE gets about 7% of its electricity from solar panels, saving on the […]