Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Biden is hosting a 3-day summit with leaders of 49 African countries plus the head of the African Union Commission, and Wednesday was the second day of meetings. The African continent is just enormous. European and North American mapmakers typically use a projection that enlarges the northern hemisphere (giving […]
In Iraqi Kurdistan, Yazidi girls box their way to a new future after Daesh terror
By Roshan De Stone | – ( Middle East Monitor) – After the 2014 Daesh genocide which left them reeling from the effects of mass abduction and rape, Yazidi refugee girls are rebuilding their lives with the help of boxing, art and music classes. Emma Loffhagen and Charline Bou Mansour report from Iraqi Kurdistan In […]
In Sign of Turkey-Israel Thaw, a Joint Project is inked to build the World’s Largest Wave Power Plant on Black Sea
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has had a rocky relationship with Israel, which Turkey has long recognized and with which it does substantial trade. Erdogan’s acerbic comments about the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza have drawn equally sharp retorts from Israeli politicians. Still, about a month ago […]
Rapid Move to Wind and Solar Power would Save the world $12 Trillion: Oxford Study
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A transition away from fossil fuels to renewable sources of power by 2050 will save the world $12 trillion, according to a new study published in Joule by Oxford researchers Rupert Way, Matthew C. Ives, Penny Mealy, and J. Doyne Farmer. Oxford’s press release points out that the paper foresees […]
UN: 11,000 Boys and Girls have been Killed or Wounded in the Yemeni War that the US backed
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – UN News reports that 11,000 boys and girls are estimated to have been killed or wounded by direct violence in the Yemen War that has been going on since the Saudi air assault of spring 2015. The figure was released by Catherine Russell, the head of the UN children’s fund, […]
At Arab Summit, China’s Xi calls for End to Israeli Settlements and Quick Establishment of Palestinian State With East Jerusalem as Capital
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – China’s trade with the Arab world was over $330 billion in 2021, and will likely be a third larger this year, given the high price of petroleum. The largest single source of oil for China is Saudi Arabia. It imports significant amounts of petroleum, as well, from Oman, Kuwait and […]
Russia’s Ukraine War and Energy Crisis have Scared the World into Turbocharging adoption of Wind, Solar for Power
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A new report by the International Energy Agency suggests that the 2022 global energy crisis, caused in part by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, has had the effect of greatly accelerating the world’s rush to green energy. The IEA suggests that its estimates for the pace of the transition to […]
Xi announces “New Era” in China-Saudi Relationship with $30 bn. in Deals, as Arabs Seek to Offset Dependence on Washington
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al Jazeera reports that Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz on Thursday signed an agreement with visiting Chinese Premier Xi Jinping at the Yamama Palace regarding a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries. Xi announced that his visit to the kingdom would inaugurate a “new era” in the relationship of […]
Women’s Revolt in Iran reaches Household of Leader Khamenei, as his Sister denounces “Despotic Caliphate”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Badri Hosseini Khamenei, the sister of Iran’s clerical Leader Ali Khamenei, just issued a public broadside against him on her son’s web site, denouncing him as a dictator who is entangled in a web of high-level corruption and disgraceful thuggery. Thus, the women’s revolt in Iran, which has been led […]