United Kingdom

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Although King Charles III will, like his predecessors going back to Henry VIII, be styled “Defender of the Faith,” he intends the phrase to be understood in a pluralistic rather than exclusivist manner. Harriet Sherwood at The Guardian reports that before Charles takes the oath on Saturday, the Archbishop of […]

Islam

Why London’s first Ramadan Lights Celebration has been so Important for Muslims Everywhere

The Conversation

By Farouq Tahar, University of Sheffield | – (The Conversation) – On March 21 2023, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Hamza Taouzzale, lord mayor of Westminster, stood on Coventry Street in central London and switched on the capital’s first ever Ramadan illuminations. Every evening throughout the holy month, 30,000 coloured lights have lit […]

Canada

Germany Welcomes G7 Goals: 150 GW in New offshore Wind, 1,000 GW of Solar by 2030, and no more Coal

Clean Energy Wire

Sören Amelang ( Clean Energy Wire ) – The German government and NGOs have welcomed the first G7 commitment to concrete targets for the rollout of renewables, but environmentalists also warned that the rich nation’s inclusion of carbon capture and storage (CCS) could lead to a “huge greenwashing show”. Following a meeting of climate, energy […]

Climate Crisis

Scotland, aiming at 40 GW of Offshore Wind, has just installed the Deepest Fixed-bottom Wind Turbine in the World

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The small country of Scotland, with a population of about 4.5 million, has forged ahead with renewable energy at a much faster pace and to greater effect than most other industrialized countries. Virtually all of its electricity consumption can now be met from wind, solar, or hydro, though because it […]

China

Deaf to History’s Questions: A Tale of Two Elizabeths, One Joe, One Donald, and Us

Andrew J. Bacevich

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Britons mourned the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and understandably so. The outpouring of affection for their long-serving monarch was more than commendable, it was touching. Yet count me among those mystified that so many Americans also professed to care. With all due respect to Queen Latifah, we decided way […]

Inequality

Can a Right-Wing Indian-British Billionaire Save the Conservative Party from Instability and Growing Unpopularity?

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

London (Special to Informed Comment) – In a further display of chaos within the UK Conservative Party and British government, Britain has appointed its third prime minister within less than two months. It followed Liz Truss’ forced resignation after 44 days of being Britain’s Prime Minister, which may have bemused many observers. While the Conservative […]

Climate Crisis

Tax Cuts for the Rich, Fracking and Harsh Discipline undid UK’s Liz Truss, in Warning to Conservative Parties Everywhere

Farhang Jahanpour

Oxford (Special to Informed Comment) – The British Prime Minister Liz Truss was forced to step down on Thursday 20th October only after 44 days in office, making her tenure the shortest in British history. It is important to point out that she was elected by only 81,326 Tory members and not by nearly 50 […]

Europe

As Falls Russia, So Falls the World: Exceptionalism Goes Global

John Feffer

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Here’s a nightmare scenario: Unable to recruit enough soldiers from the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin takes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un up on his recent offer to send 100,000 North Koreans to join the Russian president’s ill-fated attempt to seize Ukraine. Kim has also promised to send North Korean workers to […]

Featured

World’s largest Offshore Wind Farm Operational in UK, offering Lower Energy Prices, as Tories Scoff

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Danish wind energy company Orsted reported recently that its massive 1.3 gigawatt offshore wind farm, Hornsea 2, off the Yorkshire coast, has gone fully operational. It joins its sister project, Hornsea 1, which generates 1.2 gigawatts. A further, even bigger such facility, Hornsea 3, will have a nameplate capacity […]