European Union

Channel 4 News “Sayeeda Warsi, the minister who quit over Gaza, says she had to stand down because of the UK’s “indefensible” position. Watch her first TV interview since her exit” She said that a conservative member of parliament was on the phone with her “weeping” at the images coming out of Gaza. (Why are […]

BDS Occupied Territories

Boycott of Israel Spreads in European Civil Society over Gaza War, Could Cost $5 bn/ yr

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The ill-considered and remarkably brutal Gaza war likely will give further impetus to the Boycott, Sanction and Divestment movement by Western civil society to pressure Israel on its illegal actions toward the Palestinians. A thoroughgoing such European set of sanctions could cost Israel as much as $5 bn a year and more. […]

Climate Change

Can Norway’s Dams serve as a Huge Battery storing Europe’s Green Energy?

contributors

DW: “Norway derives almost 100 percent of its energy from hydropower. For Germany’s planned transition to renewable energy, a close partnership is crucially important, because Norwegian pumped storage power stations could balance out variations in renewable energy sources. But do Norwegians actually want to their country to become Europe’s storage battery?” DW: ” Norway: Energy […]

Apartheid

As a Sakharov laureate and a mother, I call on the EU to help save Palestinians – and Israel

contributors

By Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Via The Conversation Times are very rough for both Israeli and Palestinian families. The death toll in Gaza currently stands at around 620, 74 of whom are children. The death toll in Israel stands at 30, two of whom were civilians. Three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and murdered […]

Eastern Europe

Obama needs Europe in responding to MH17 Crash, but NSA Spying a Bar

contributors

By Simon Reich, Rutgers University The tragic circumstances surrounding the downing of Malaysian Airlines’ flight MH17 remain unclear. The three parties who might be responsible – the Ukrainians, the Russians and the rebels – all blame each other. All possess, or have the capacity to possess, the Buk surface-to-air missile system that reputedly brought the […]

Algeria

Algerian Soccer/ Football and the Black Box of French History

contributors

By Francis Ghilès Senior Research Fellow, CIDOB When Algeria qualified for the knockout stage of the World Cup by winning against Russia, the Algerian press celebrated their team’s qualification as the greatest victory ever. In France large street celebrations were accompanied by the usual firecrackers and Algerian flags and were followed by clashes between groups […]

Africa

On D-Day: Remembering the Muslim Troops who Fought the Axis

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole One of the frustrations for a world historian is the unyieldingly parochial vision of the North Atlantic common among journalists and even many historians, and consequently among the public. The 17 world leaders gathering for the D-Day commemoration should by all rights include Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Indian Prime Minister Narendra […]

Climate Change

Danish Energy Agency: 100% Renewable Denmark By 2050 Is Possible

contributors

Originally published on Renew Economy.By Sophie Vorrath A new report by the Danish Energy Agency has found it would be technically possible to construct a secure and reliable national energy system based on 100 per cent renewables by 2050. The report…

astronomy and outer space

Global warming and the vulnerability of Greenland’s ice sheet

contributors

Posted on 30 May 2014 by John Abraham News continues to emerge in the scientific literature on the future direction of the world’s largest ice sheets; they are undergoing major changes as the climate continues to warm. Among the latest, a new study…