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Anti-abortion activists are holding their annual ‘March for life’ rally this Friday, January 20. It is the first such march since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which guaranteed access to abortions in the US. The decision was a huge victory for many conservatives who had long claimed abortion access should be left up to individual states. But for pro-life activists, overturning Roe was just a first step.

Thanks to political games and the fossil fuel lobby, Washington is shooting itself in the foot on clean energy

According to a recent South China Morning Post report citing the China Silicon Industry Association, last month, major Chinese solar panel makers Longi Green, TCL Zhonghuan, and Tongwei sliced their prices by as much as 27% on the back of cuts in raw material costs.

This is set to benefit the world and mainly Europe, as the continent diversifies its energy portfolio amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and attendant disruptions of the gas supply from Russia. 

China is a world leader in solar panel production. It supplies more than 80% of the world’s photovoltaic panels, according to information from the International Energy Agency. In its 14th five-year plan period from 2021 to 2025, Beijing is expected to add at least 570 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar power ahead of its carbon neutrality goal set for 2060. It is expected at that time that non-fossil fuel energy sources will account for over 80% of the country’s energy portfolio. 

Likewise, the 27-member European Union has set a similar goal for 2050. With that, the EU plans to diversify its portfolio away from fossil fuels, and the conflict in Ukraine has accelerated such plans. Estimates suggest that the bloc added a record-shattering 41.4GW of solar power in 2022, which is 47% more than the previous year, and is projected to add another 53.6GW this year to up its total capacity to 262GW. China’s lowered prices will save the EU a considerable chunk of change as it expands its green energy transition, given the fact that the bloc imports around 50% of its panels from China. 

The SCMP cited Frank Haugwitz, founder of the Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory, as saying that China’s lower prices will also spur “fresh demand, not only in Europe but also in other important markets across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.” But there’s one key country that won’t benefit from China’s world-leading solar panel exports: The United States. And that’s entirely because of sanctions that Washington imposed on Chinese solar panels and the outright ban on solar energy components from China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region over forced labor allegations. 

The US has yet to provide one shred of concrete evidence to back up its human rights scare campaign in Xinjiang – and the majority of the international community, including every major Muslim country, hasn’t bought into it. So unprovable are these allegations that the US State Department’s own attorneys have cast doubt that any legal action against China over genocide allegations rattled off by some US officials would even be possible. 

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China breaks ground on massive desert solar and wind power base

In effect, the US is stifling its own green energy development through self-imposed roadblocks, e.g., the sanctions against Chinese solar panels and polysilicon, and casting serious doubts about whether or not Washington could ever reach its own carbon neutrality goals. The US has, through these sanctions, blocked itself from major global supply chains in the solar industry – and it is highly doubtful that domestic manufacturing could ever compensate for this loss. 

Climate change is a serious international issue that demands a robust, collective response from the global community. Each and every species on our planet is at threat due to anthropogenic climate change. Organized human life as we know it is at stake. According to a September 2021 report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US is at particular risk from the deleterious effects of climate change due to the country’s dilapidated infrastructure, and minority communities are at particular risk. 

Of course, the size and power of the fossil fuel lobby are immense. They are one of the kingmakers in Washington. In the 2017-18 midterm cycle, it outspent the renewable lobby 13 to one in races, and is undoubtedly a significant force behind the anti-Chinese drive. As the world’s leader in green tech, China is essentially the blob’s main adversary as it struggles to find its footing in a world quickly moving past dirty energy supplies.

The risks posed by climate change are not abstract or far-off concepts since climate change continues to spur record-breaking heat waves, deadly hurricanes, and other extreme weather events that, within the US alone, are endangering millions, have at times knocked out entire regional power grids, and are already killing hundreds yearly. Given these stakes, the US has a duty to its citizens to diversify its energy portfolio toward renewables and build protective infrastructure that can mitigate these events. 

READ MORE: British farmers eye replacement for crops – Guardian

Policymakers in Washington are doing their constituents a disservice by keeping up these bogus sanctions against China. Beijing’s central role as a major solar panel producer cannot be denied, and China’s perceived identity as a central US geopolitical adversary is irrelevant. Time is of the essence. In order for the US to promptly do its part in joining the global fight against climate change, and also secure the life and well-being of its citizens, it must lift the sanctions it has imposed on China’s solar panel industry.

Tehran’s warning comes after the European Parliament urged blacklisting the Revolutionary Guards

The Iranian parliament has warned EU countries against designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, threatening to retaliate and treat European countries and their militaries in a similar fashion. 

Ahmad Naderi, a member of the Presidium of the Iranian Parliament, announced on Friday that Iranian lawmakers had prepared a draft amendment to the country’s legal code that would designate EU member countries as terrorist organizations. 

Naderi specified that the law would apply to any and all EU states – as well as their armed forces, organizations and institutions –that include the IRGC on a list of terrorist groups. 

The announcement comes after the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Wednesday calling on the EU and its member states to blacklist the IRGC, which it accuses of terrorist activities, violently repressing protests, and supplying drones to Russia. The designation would mean that it would become a criminal offense for anyone in the EU to belong to, associate with, or donate funds to the IRGC. Its assets in the bloc would also be frozen.

The IRGC is an elite branch of Iran’s Armed Forces which, according to various estimates, boasts between 190,000 and 250,000 active personnel. The group is responsible for both internal and border security and wields control over vast segments of the country’s economy.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned the “emotional” approach of the European Parliament, labeling its resolution “inappropriate and incorrect.” 

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Iran warns EU against ‘shooting itself in the foot’

“Unfortunately, we witnessed the issuance of a draft of an emotional, harsh and unprofessional resolution by the European Parliament, which is in conflict with political rationality and civility,” the minister said, noting that should the EU follow through with the recommendation, it would end up “shooting itself in the foot.” 

The recent spike in tensions between Tehran and the West comes after a wave of protests and riots sparked by the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody in September. Amini was arrested for wearing an “inappropriate” hijab and died due to alleged mistreatment while in custody. 

The US, EU, and a number of other countries imposed a series of sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities they claim were responsible for the violent crackdown on the protests.  

Tehran has refuted claims that Amini’s death was the result of police brutality and has insisted that the unrest in the country was incited from abroad and that Washington and Brussels were using sanctions as a tool to stir up more social tension in the country.

Judge says case is ‘completely frivolous’ factually and legally, calls Trump a ‘mastermind’ of abuse of judicial system.

Sweden is bracing for demonstrations Saturday that could complicate its efforts to persuade Turkey to approve its NATO accession.

Kiev’s backers haven’t come to a “unanimous opinion” on the matter, according to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius

Key NATO nations failed to reach an agreement on Friday about delivering Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said. The issue was discussed at a meeting of Western military donors to Kiev at the US Ramstein air base in Germany.  

There was “no unanimous opinion” on sending the German-made tanks to Kiev, Pistorius told journalists, adding that “all the pros and cons must be weighed carefully.” It is still unclear if such a decision would be made in the near future, he stated.

The impression that Germany was “standing in the way” of a “solid coalition” willing to send tanks to Ukraine is “wrong,” Pistorius noted. According to the minister, many NATO members share Berlin’s opinion that “there are good reasons for the delivery and good reasons against [it].”

Germany is, however, preparing to potentially deliver the tanks rapidly if the go-ahead is given, Pistorius stated. He announced that he had ordered a nationwide tank inspection to determine the number of pieces of the equipment the country has in stock both in the German Armed Forces – the Bundeswehr – and at industrial warehouses. 

The Defense Ministry is also now expected to check if the equipment in storage is compatible with the German-made tanks used by other nations, according to Pistorius. This is preparation for a day “that may come,” the minister explained.

Pistorius dodged a question about whether Berlin would grant re-export permits to Poland and other countries that may seek to send German-made tanks to Ukraine. That is a decision for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to make, he said. 

Germany has long been reluctant to supply heavier arms to Kiev, arguing that it would like to avoid becoming a direct party to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Berlin has also insisted that it would not make such decisions unilaterally, adding that coordination with other NATO members, especially the US and France, was important. 

Most recently, Berlin denied receiving any official re-export requests from other nations that have Leopard 2 tanks in inventory. Sending them to Ukraine without Berlin’s permission would be “illegal,” the German government warned. 

Poland has announced plans to send Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, while Finland and the Netherlands have also mulled doing so. Ukraine has repeatedly requested such equipment.

Russia has stated it is not concerned about such potential deliveries, adding that Western tanks would hardly change the situation on the battlefield. “Those tanks can burn and they will burn like the rest [of the weapons],” the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said earlier this week.

The Netherlands will consider delivering the planes if Kiev asks for them, ANP reported

The Netherlands would consider delivering US-made F-16 jet fighters to Ukraine to aid its fight with Russia if Kiev formally requested the aircraft, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Thursday, as quoted by the ANP news agency. Kiev’s pleas for Western-designed planes have so far been ignored. 

Hoekstra reportedly said at a parliamentary debate that the government would view such a request with “an open mind.” He added that the country saw “no taboos” regarding certain military equipment but would only donate the weapons if Ukraine asked for them.

Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine in late February, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-15 Minsk peace accord. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has since been requesting NATO to provide his country with fighter planes and other heavy weapons.

In March, Poland proposed to transfer its Soviet-era MiG-29 jets to the US so that Washington could later donate them to Ukraine. But the Pentagon rejected the idea at the time as “high risk” and lacking “a substantive rationale.”

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Pentagon wants Kiev‘s backers to ‘dig deeper’  

“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said last year. 

Slovakia had also considered transferring its MiG-29 to Ukraine, but the deal has not yet been finalized. Slovakian Foreign Minister Ratislav Kacer said last month that his country was still negotiating the delivery with Kiev, as well as with the US and other NATO members. 

Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to Zelensky, said in September that North Macedonia would provide Kiev with unnamed planes. Regional media reported at the time that the jets in question may have been four Su-25 aircraft. 

Moscow has repeatedly said the “flooding” of Ukraine with foreign arms would not alter the course of the conflict and only lead to more deaths. Russia also said that its forces would treat foreign weapon systems in Ukraine as legitimate targets.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had said his country might obtain its own atomic weapons

South Korea is still committed to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, President Yoon Suk-yeol insisted on Thursday. Earlier this month he had asserted that Seoul could acquire its own arsenal if the North continued developing its own atomic force.

Yoon assured the Wall Street Journal that South Korea’s “realistic and rational option is to fully respect the NPT regime,” referring to the landmark 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear arms and relevant technologies.

The president also noted that he was “fully confident about the US’s extended deterrence,” a policy under which Washington provides South Korea with a “nuclear umbrella” to defend it against military threats.

By reiterating commitment to the NPT regime, Yoon stepped back from his statement of last week, when he said that South Korea “may deploy tactical nuclear weapons or come to possess its own nuclear weapons” in a short time if “the [North Korean nuclear] problem becomes more serious.” Later, his office clarified that he did not actually have plans to do so.

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US ally threatens to acquire nuclear weapons

When asked to comment on those remarks from Yoon, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby referred to the later clarification, adding that Washington and Seoul are seeking to improve extended deterrence capabilities.

The South Korean leader also told the Journal that Seoul was “preparing a stronger joint planning and joint execution in operating the US nuclear assets on the Korean Peninsula.”

Earlier this month, Washington and Seoul voiced conflicting positions on joint nuclear exercises. While Yoon Suk-yeol said that the two countries were in “talks on joint planning and exercises involving US nuclear assets to counter North Korea’s nuclear threats,” President Joe Biden denied that claim.

Washington withdrew nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula in 1991 as part of its global nuclear arms reduction efforts.

Speculation increased about South Korea possibly acquiring a nuclear arsenal after the North intensified its test missile launches, with US officials warning that Pyongyang might also test another nuclear weapon.

North Korea insists that its launches are a response to US-South Korean drills, which it views as a national security threat.

At least 54 high-profile media personalities are connected to groups the tycoon helped finance, MRC Business has claimed

Billionaire George Soros has links to dozens of prominent media figures in the US and beyond via organizations he funded, a conservative US watchdog claims. 

In the last report of a three-part investigation, published on Tuesday, MRC Business examined the ties of the Budapest-born liberal mogul, coming to the conclusion that he “cemented himself as one of the most powerful influencers in global politics through his incredible influence in the media.” 

MRC Business said that it had uncovered at least “54 major figures in journalism and activist media who are connected to Soros-funded organizations.” The list includes CNN’s chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour, NBC News anchor Lester Holt, and Cesar Conde, the NBCUniversal News Group chairman, who oversees the outlets NBC News, MSNBC, and CNBC. 

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Study reveals George Soros’ global media ties

Many of the 54 individuals play prominent roles in institutions funded by Soros. For instance, Amanpour is a senior adviser at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which received $2.75 million from the mogul between 2018 and 2020, while Holt is listed as a board member in the same organization. Conde is a trustee at the Aspen Institute, which received over $1 million from the billionaire between 2016 and 2020.

According to MRC, in total Soros has funneled over $32 billion into his organizations in a bid “to spread his radical ‘open society’ agenda on abortion, Marxist economics, anti-Americanism, defunding the police, environmental extremism and LGBT fanaticism.” These efforts have paid off, allowing him to “help indoctrinate millions with his views on a day-to-day basis”, the group claims.  

MRC has previously claimed that Soros has financial ties to at least 253 media organizations globally, funding them through his non-profit groups and enabling him to reach viewers and listeners in virtually every corner of the world.  

Commenting on the report, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted on Thursday that such revelations could be compared to a “nuclear bombshell.” Should it be proven that the leading US media outlets “received money for adjusting their coverage, all US democracy could be wrapped up in their Constitution and thrown out into the garbage heap of history,” she said.

Moscow says its troops have seized Klishchiivka as they press their offensive in the eastern region of Donetsk.