Care2 Healthy Living | Do You Have a Vitamin E Deficiency? Top 10 Food Sources of Vitamin E
Do You Have a Vitamin E Deficiency? Top 10 Food Sources of Vitamin E
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By: Michelle Schoffro Cook
June 1, 2018
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Follow Michelle at @mschoffrocook
Since vitamin D was discovered, vitamin E has largely been ignored, yet the nutrient is no less essential to our health. It is required for healthy reproduction, skin, vision, blood and brain. Like other antioxidants, it plays a critical role in protecting us from aging and disease by neutralizing free radicals.
Because vitamin E is necessary for so many aspects of our body, there can be a wide range of signs or symptoms of deficiency. It is not necessary to have all of the following symptoms; because these symptoms can indicate other health issues, it is important to consult with your physician if you have any symptoms.
Signs or Symptoms of Vitamin E Deficiency
Blood clots or the tendency to form blood clots
Coordination Problems
Cardiac arrhythmia
Dementia
Dry hair, split ends or thinning hair
Eye/visual problems
Eye twitching
Impotence or low sexual drive in men
Immune system problems, particularly among older adults
Loss of muscle mass
Menstrual pain in women
Muscle weakness
Neuropathy (Nerve pain)
Numbness and tingling (peripheral neuropathy—a vitamin E deficiency has been linked to the breakdown of nerve cells known as the Purkinje neurons, impairing their ability to transmit signals)
Night blindness
Poor coordination
Vision deterioration
Vitamin E Deficiencies Linked to Other Medical Conditions
Some of the medical conditions that can cause a vitamin E deficiency include:
Celiac disease
Chronic pancreatitis
Cystic fibrosis
Liver disease
Newborns and premature babies are also at risk of a vitamin E deficiency
Conditions Improved by Increased Vitamin E Intake
While any of the above conditions may be improved by increasing your vitamin E intake, research also shows that it may help fight Alzheimer’s disease, preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy that was previously known as toxemia), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and prostate cancer.
Food Sources of Vitamin E
There are many excellent plant-based foods that contain vitamin E as most nuts, grains and seeds contain the nutrient. Here are some of the best:
Sunflower seeds—Just one ounce of sunflower seeds contains 10 milligrams of vitamin E. Raw, unsalted sunflower seeds are best.
Almonds—One ounce of almonds contains 7.3 milligrams of vitamin E. Like other nuts and seeds, it is best to choose raw, unsalted varieties.
Hazelnut Oil—One tablespoon of hazelnut oil contains 6.4 milligrams of vitamin E.
Sunflower Oil—One tablespoon of sunflower oil contains 5.6 milligrams of vitamin E. Choose unrefined options as most sunflower oil is heavily refined and heated above the smoke point during processing, making it an unhealthy option. Choose cold-pressed oil instead.
Almond Oil—One tablespoon of almond oil contains 5.3 milligrams of vitamin E. Choose cold-pressed oil.
Hazelnuts—One ounce of hazelnuts contains 4.3 milligrams of vitamin E. Choose cold-pressed oil.
Pine nuts—One ounce of pine nuts, also known as pignolia nuts, contains 2.7 milligrams of vitamin E.
Avocado—One half an avocado contains 2.1 milligrams of vitamin E.
Red Peppers—One red sweet bell pepper contains 1.9 milligrams of vitamin E.
Brazil nuts—One ounce of Brazil nuts contains 1.6 milligrams of vitamin E.
Supplementing with Vitamin E
Food is always the best way to obtain any nutrient; however, sometimes higher amounts are needed than can be obtained by diet alone. There are many different vitamin E options on the market. Ideally, choose one that says “mixed tocopherols” on the label.
If you are vegan or vegetarian you’ll want to pay attention to the label of the products you select as many are sources from fish. Most nutritionist recommend between 400 and 800 IU of vitamin E. Since many drugs interact with vitamin E be sure to check with your doctor or pharmacist before supplementing with this nutrient.
Related Stories:
The Vitamin Supplement that May Help Treat IBS
How to Get Vitamin B12 on a Vegan Diet
Top 5 Vitamins That Protect Against Cancer
Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM is the publisher of the free e-newsletter World’s Healthiest News, the Cultured Cook, co-founder of BestPlaceinCanada, and an international best-selling and 20-time published book author whose works include: The Cultured Cook: Delicious Fermented Foods with Probiotics to Knock Out Inflammation, Boost Gut Health, Lose Weight & Extend Your Life.
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23 comments
Christine D
Christine Dabout an hour ago
Considering that list of foods that are rich in Vitamin E, I doubt that I am deficient. I agree with Janette Jorgensen that measurements comparable to International Units (IUs) would have been more helpful.
SEND
RK R
RK Rabout an hour ago
Scary and ScarEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Thanks for the info.
SEND
Janette Jorgensen
Janette Jorgensenabout an hour ago
I am having difficulty understanding how many milligrams we would need to eat in order to fulfill the recommended dose of Vitamin E per day - you speak of these amounts in milligrams while recommended doses which you do describe (Most nutritionist recommend between 400 and 800 IU of vitamin E) are in International Units. That being said I am grateful for your article.
SEND
Cathy B
Cathy B1 hours ago
Thank you.
SEND
Janet B
Janet B1 hours ago
Thanks
SEND
Kate G
Kate G1 hours ago
good info
SEND
Lisa M
Lisa M2 hours ago
Thanks.
SEND
Lisa M
Lisa M2 hours ago
Thanks.
SEND
Danuta W
Danuta W4 hours ago
Thanks for posting
SEND
natasha p
natasha p4 hours ago
ty
SEND
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Saturday, 2 June 2018
Yesteryear's Gravy Train's Engine Was Named 'Sole-Sourcing'. Today's is: 'Restrictive-Tendering'
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
- George Santayana (1863-1952)
The biggest contributory factor to the insidious high-level corruption slowly destroying our country, is the need for political parties to fund election campaigns - and maintain the loyalty of the party activists who do most of the legwork needed to get their parties into power, in between elections.
The conundrum for us as a people, is how to fund political parties from the public purse - and free political parties from the tight embrace of wealthy crooks - in a nation in which regardless of the party in power, clever schemes are regularly organised by a powerful few to siphon off vast sums of taxpayers' cash, in return for regular kickbacks to fund political parties, and obtain the buy-in of politicians from across the spectrum.
Only extraordinary measures will kill the grand corruption impoverishing millions in Ghana. A case in point: When President Mills became our president, a number of oil company executives rushed to meet with him, with the sole aim of obtaining his 'buy-in', to ensure that the one-sided advantages they had obtained at the expense of the Ghanaian people, would not be halted by his administration.
If Mills had done what President Akufo Addo did with Kwesi Nyantakyi - instead of complaining to the American ambassador at the time - and seized the opportunity to have them arrested, prosecuted and jailed for attempting to bribe him, and then declared that henceforth all oil and gas agreements in Ghana would be based on the production-sharing model, today, would we not have sufficient oil revenues to provide free education and free healthcare for all Ghanaians in need of both, but unable to pay for it? Food for thought.
We have a good and honest leader in President Akufo- Addo. Let us support him by watching those around him, and in his party's upper echelons, with hawk-eyes. It is time all those from our nation's decent-minded, well-off and apolitical middle-class demographic, who abhor the greed and deceipt involved in high-level corruption, took a stand and threw their weight behind their compatriots (especially from the more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media) risking life and limb fighting to halt the brutal gang-rape of Mother Ghana from resuming yet again.
To do so, they must get off the fence and start speaking out against the powerful figures who are clearly determined to get a new secret gravy train rolling again in Ghana. Yesteryear's gravy train's engine was named "Sole-Sourcing". The name of the engine of today's gravy train is: "Restrictive-Tendering." We will need the vigilance and fearlessness of the Kwesi Pratts, the Kweku Baakos, the Anas Amereyaws, the Ace Ankomahs, the Sydney Casely-Hayfords (and other equally patriotic individuals too numerous to list here), to derail it. Hmmm, Oman Ghana, eyeasem o - asem kesie ebeba debi ankasa.
- George Santayana (1863-1952)
The biggest contributory factor to the insidious high-level corruption slowly destroying our country, is the need for political parties to fund election campaigns - and maintain the loyalty of the party activists who do most of the legwork needed to get their parties into power, in between elections.
The conundrum for us as a people, is how to fund political parties from the public purse - and free political parties from the tight embrace of wealthy crooks - in a nation in which regardless of the party in power, clever schemes are regularly organised by a powerful few to siphon off vast sums of taxpayers' cash, in return for regular kickbacks to fund political parties, and obtain the buy-in of politicians from across the spectrum.
Only extraordinary measures will kill the grand corruption impoverishing millions in Ghana. A case in point: When President Mills became our president, a number of oil company executives rushed to meet with him, with the sole aim of obtaining his 'buy-in', to ensure that the one-sided advantages they had obtained at the expense of the Ghanaian people, would not be halted by his administration.
If Mills had done what President Akufo Addo did with Kwesi Nyantakyi - instead of complaining to the American ambassador at the time - and seized the opportunity to have them arrested, prosecuted and jailed for attempting to bribe him, and then declared that henceforth all oil and gas agreements in Ghana would be based on the production-sharing model, today, would we not have sufficient oil revenues to provide free education and free healthcare for all Ghanaians in need of both, but unable to pay for it? Food for thought.
We have a good and honest leader in President Akufo- Addo. Let us support him by watching those around him, and in his party's upper echelons, with hawk-eyes. It is time all those from our nation's decent-minded, well-off and apolitical middle-class demographic, who abhor the greed and deceipt involved in high-level corruption, took a stand and threw their weight behind their compatriots (especially from the more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media) risking life and limb fighting to halt the brutal gang-rape of Mother Ghana from resuming yet again.
To do so, they must get off the fence and start speaking out against the powerful figures who are clearly determined to get a new secret gravy train rolling again in Ghana. Yesteryear's gravy train's engine was named "Sole-Sourcing". The name of the engine of today's gravy train is: "Restrictive-Tendering." We will need the vigilance and fearlessness of the Kwesi Pratts, the Kweku Baakos, the Anas Amereyaws, the Ace Ankomahs, the Sydney Casely-Hayfords (and other equally patriotic individuals too numerous to list here), to derail it. Hmmm, Oman Ghana, eyeasem o - asem kesie ebeba debi ankasa.
The Guardian/Press Association: Facebook scraps 'outdated' trending news section
The Guardian
Facebook
Facebook scraps 'outdated' trending news section
Company says the feature, which was blamed for the rise of fake news, was unpopular
Press Association
Fri 1 Jun 2018 19.27 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Jun 2018 19.41 BST
Shares
73
Facebook's trending news section displayed on a screen
Facebook’s trending news section aimed to offer users a quick look at popular stories, but it was plagued with problems. Photograph: Richard Drew/AP
Facebook is shutting down its ill-fated trending news section after four years, according to a company executive.
The company says the tool is outdated and unpopular. It also proved problematic in ways that hinted at Facebook’s later problems with fake news, political balance and the limitations of AI in managing the human world.
When Facebook launched “trending” in 2014 as a list of headlines appearing at the side of the main news feed, it aimed to steal users from Twitter by offering them a quick look at the most popular news stories.
It aligned with the pledge just a year earlier by Facebook chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to make Facebook a “personal newspaper” for users. But at that time fake news was not a popular term and no foreign country had been accused of trying to influence the US elections through social media, as Russia would be.
Advertisement
Trending news that year included the death of Robin Williams, Ebola and the World Cup.
Facebook is testing new features, including a breaking news label that publishers can add to stories to distinguish them. Facebook also wants to make local news more prominent.
Facebook’s head of news products, Alex Hardiman, said the company is still committed to real-time news. But instead of letting Facebook’s moderators make editorial decisions, there has been a subtle shift to let news organisations do so.
According to the Pew Research Centre, 44% of US adults get some or all of their news through Facebook.
Problems with the trending section emerged in 2016, when the company was accused of bias against conservatives, based on comments by an anonymous former contractor.
Sign up to the Media Briefing: news for the news-makers
Read more
The contractor claimed Facebook downplayed conservative issues and promoted liberal causes.
Zuckerberg met prominent rightwing leaders at the company’s headquarters in an attempt at damage control. Yet two years later, Facebook still has not been able to shake the notion of bias.
In late 2016, Facebook fired the human editors who worked on trending topics and replaced them with software that was supposed to be free of political bias.
Instead, the software algorithm began to pick out posts that were getting the most attention, even if the information was bogus.
In early 2017, Facebook made another attempt to fix the trending section by including only topics covered by several news publishers. The idea was that coverage by just one outlet could be a sign that the news is fake.
The problems underscore the difficulty of relying on computers, or even AI, to make sense of the messy human world without committing obvious, sometimes embarrassing and occasionally disastrous errors.
Facebook appears to have concluded that trying to fix the headaches caused by the trending section was not worth the meagre benefits the company, users and news publishers saw in it.
“There are other ways for us to better invest our resources,” Hardiman said.
The breaking news label that Facebook is testing with 80 news publishers will let outlets such as the Washington Post add a red label to indicate that a story is breaking news.
“Breaking news has to look different than a recipe,” Hardiman said.
Another feature, called Today In shows people breaking news in their area from local publishers, officials and organisations. It’s being tested in 30 markets in the US.
Hardiman said the goal is to help “elevate great local journalism”.
The company is also funding news videos, created exclusively for Facebook by publishers it would not yet name. It plans to launch this feature in the next few months.
Facebook says the trending section was never popular. It was available only in five countries and accounted for less than 1.5% of clicks to the websites of news publishers.
While Facebook got attention for the problems the trending section had – perhaps because it seemed popular with journalists – neither its existence nor its removal makes much difference in regards to Facebook’s broader problems with news.
Hardiman said that ending the trending feature feels like letting a child go but Facebook’s focus is prioritising trustworthy, informative news that people find useful.
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Facebook scraps 'outdated' trending news section
Company says the feature, which was blamed for the rise of fake news, was unpopular
Press Association
Fri 1 Jun 2018 19.27 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Jun 2018 19.41 BST
Shares
73
Facebook's trending news section displayed on a screen
Facebook’s trending news section aimed to offer users a quick look at popular stories, but it was plagued with problems. Photograph: Richard Drew/AP
Facebook is shutting down its ill-fated trending news section after four years, according to a company executive.
The company says the tool is outdated and unpopular. It also proved problematic in ways that hinted at Facebook’s later problems with fake news, political balance and the limitations of AI in managing the human world.
When Facebook launched “trending” in 2014 as a list of headlines appearing at the side of the main news feed, it aimed to steal users from Twitter by offering them a quick look at the most popular news stories.
It aligned with the pledge just a year earlier by Facebook chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to make Facebook a “personal newspaper” for users. But at that time fake news was not a popular term and no foreign country had been accused of trying to influence the US elections through social media, as Russia would be.
Advertisement
Trending news that year included the death of Robin Williams, Ebola and the World Cup.
Facebook is testing new features, including a breaking news label that publishers can add to stories to distinguish them. Facebook also wants to make local news more prominent.
Facebook’s head of news products, Alex Hardiman, said the company is still committed to real-time news. But instead of letting Facebook’s moderators make editorial decisions, there has been a subtle shift to let news organisations do so.
According to the Pew Research Centre, 44% of US adults get some or all of their news through Facebook.
Problems with the trending section emerged in 2016, when the company was accused of bias against conservatives, based on comments by an anonymous former contractor.
Sign up to the Media Briefing: news for the news-makers
Read more
The contractor claimed Facebook downplayed conservative issues and promoted liberal causes.
Zuckerberg met prominent rightwing leaders at the company’s headquarters in an attempt at damage control. Yet two years later, Facebook still has not been able to shake the notion of bias.
In late 2016, Facebook fired the human editors who worked on trending topics and replaced them with software that was supposed to be free of political bias.
Instead, the software algorithm began to pick out posts that were getting the most attention, even if the information was bogus.
In early 2017, Facebook made another attempt to fix the trending section by including only topics covered by several news publishers. The idea was that coverage by just one outlet could be a sign that the news is fake.
The problems underscore the difficulty of relying on computers, or even AI, to make sense of the messy human world without committing obvious, sometimes embarrassing and occasionally disastrous errors.
Facebook appears to have concluded that trying to fix the headaches caused by the trending section was not worth the meagre benefits the company, users and news publishers saw in it.
“There are other ways for us to better invest our resources,” Hardiman said.
The breaking news label that Facebook is testing with 80 news publishers will let outlets such as the Washington Post add a red label to indicate that a story is breaking news.
“Breaking news has to look different than a recipe,” Hardiman said.
Another feature, called Today In shows people breaking news in their area from local publishers, officials and organisations. It’s being tested in 30 markets in the US.
Hardiman said the goal is to help “elevate great local journalism”.
The company is also funding news videos, created exclusively for Facebook by publishers it would not yet name. It plans to launch this feature in the next few months.
Facebook says the trending section was never popular. It was available only in five countries and accounted for less than 1.5% of clicks to the websites of news publishers.
While Facebook got attention for the problems the trending section had – perhaps because it seemed popular with journalists – neither its existence nor its removal makes much difference in regards to Facebook’s broader problems with news.
Hardiman said that ending the trending feature feels like letting a child go but Facebook’s focus is prioritising trustworthy, informative news that people find useful.
Topics
Social networking
Social media
Digital media
news
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google+
promoted linksfrom around the web
Recommended by OutbrainAbout this Content
How To Play The U.S.A Megamillions From Africa? How To Play The U.S.A Megamillions From Africa? www.24lottos.com
How To Play the U.S Mega Powerball Lottery Ticket From Your Mobile? 24lottos
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The Guardian/Ruppert Neate: Chinese firms pile in to sponsor World Cup 2018 amid Fifa fallout
The Guardian
Business
Chinese firms pile in to sponsor World Cup 2018 amid Fifa fallout
Brands seize chance to push products after western firms pull out over bribery scandal
Rupert Neate @RupertNeate
Fri 1 Jun 2018 16.11 BST
Last modified on Sat 2 Jun 2018 00.05 BST
Shares
69
A man looks at his mobile phone in front of a billboard on a business street in Beijing
The dominating presence of Chinese brands at the World Cup comes despite the national team failing to qualify. Photograph: AFP/Getty
Football fans heading to the World Cup this summer are going to get an education in Chinese TVs, mobile phones, electric scooters and Mongolian dairy products.
As western companies, including Sony, Johnson & Johnson and BP’s Castrol, have pulled out of sponsoring the tournament after the Fifa bribery and corruption scandal, Chinese firms have secured an unprecedented presence at Russia 2018.
When Russia kicks off against Saudi Arabia in the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on 14 June, fans will be treated to a seven-minute advert for Mengniu Group’s inner Mongolian milk and drinkable yoghurt.
The commercial will be aired during each of the 64 games in the tournament. Spectators fancying an ice-cream will have to pick from unfamiliar names such as Mood for Green, Ice+ or Suibian SuiXinGuo, after Mengniu secured exclusive rights to sell sweet treats including yoghurt drinks in the stadiums.
Other unfamiliar names to get to grips with during the month-long tournament include: Vivo, a mobile phone firm producing China’s version of the iPhone at a fraction of the price; the TV and fridge maker Hisense; the electric scooter company Yadea; and Dalian Wanda, a conglomerate controlled by the multibillionaire Wang Jianlin.
The dominating presence of Chinese brands comes despite the country’s national team failing to qualify for Russia 2014 or the previous World Cup in Brazil.
Simon Chadwick, professor of sports enterprise at Salford University, said: “As Fifa is now seen as a toxic brand that many western companies do not want to be associated with, China is seizing the opportunity.
“The Chinese view of ethics and governance is different to western standards, and it is very easy for Chinese companies to say ‘Fifa has moved on’. And, that they were not backing the Sepp Blatter-era regime and are supporting a clean Fifa under Gianni Infantino [who replaced Blatter in 2016].”
Chadwick said the lack of demand from western companies to sponsor the World Cup in Russia, and Qatar in 2022, has left Fifa “desperate for cash, and Chinese companies spotted the opportunity for a relatively cost-effective way to get their brands in front of billions of global eyeballs”.
Sign up to the Media Briefing: news for the news-makers
Read more
Wang, the fifth-richest person in China with a $23.4bn (£17.6bn) fortune, according to Bloomberg’s billionaires index, said: “Two or three years ago, Chinese and Asian companies probably wouldn’t even have had a chance to sponsor Fifa even if we wanted to. But because some western companies dropped out, we got the opportunity.”
Wanda, which owns the British luxury yacht builder Sunseeker, the Hollywood studio that made Godzilla and The Hangover as well as a stake in Atlético Madrid, has signed up as a Fifa partner – the highest level of sponsorship – alongside Coca-Cola, Visa, Adidas and Russia’s Gazprom for the next four World Cups.
“If more Chinese brother companies become Fifa sponsors like Wanda, we will join forces to advance the interests of China soccer,” Wang said.
Chadwick said the Chinese companies’ Fifa sponsorship deals were encouraged by President Xi Jinping to help fuel his dream of turning China into a “world football superpower” by 2050.
“China wants to host the the World Cup, China wants to win the World Cup, and I speculate they also want a Chinese president of Fifa,” Chadwick said. “Rescuing Fifa financially with these sponsorship deals will help the chances of achieving those dreams immeasurably.”
After TV rights sales, sponsorship is Fifa’s biggest income stream and was worth $1.6bn for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The loss of sponsors and the struggle to sign deals after the bribery scandal dragged Fifa to a record $369m loss in 2016.
Jon Tibbs, founder and chair of JTA, a sports reputation management company, said it was sensible of Chinese firms to use football for promotion. “As the traditional western brands get cold feet and face consumers’ pressure, it is inevitable that Fifa turns to new markets,” he said.
“For Chinese brands seeking new markets it is relatively very easy and prestigious to partner with Fifa. It is widely believed that China will bid for the 2030 World Cup, obviously if there are a large number of Chinese sponsors helping to prop up Fifa that is a very good starting point.”
Sam Burne James, news editor of PR Week, said Fifa was “certainly seen as toxic” by many British brands, and Boris Johnson’s comparison of the World Cup under Vladimir Putin to the 1936 Olympic Games under Hitler had not helped.
“If you look at few tournaments back, most of the brands would be recognisable to western audiences, now several of them are unheard of – and that shift will continue,” he said.
“Chinese companies get two things from sponsoring the World Cup. The first is access to western audiences that they will sooner or later be trying to win over, as their companies expand. The other is a cosmopolitan veneer to their brands, which they hope will resonate with their sizeable domestic markets.”
Vivo, founded nine years ago, paid €400m (£350m) for a six-year deal that included Russia 2018, Qatar 2022 and the Confederations Cup.
It has signed up the Brazilian footballer José Roberto Gama de Oliveira - better known as Bebeto – and Holland’s Ruud Gullit to front its World Cup campaign – and its advertising campaign video, launched this week, sums up the opportunity the Chinese corporate sponsors are trying to grab: “The world is watching,” Vivo said. “This is our moment.”
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China (Football)
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Business
Chinese firms pile in to sponsor World Cup 2018 amid Fifa fallout
Brands seize chance to push products after western firms pull out over bribery scandal
Rupert Neate @RupertNeate
Fri 1 Jun 2018 16.11 BST
Last modified on Sat 2 Jun 2018 00.05 BST
Shares
69
A man looks at his mobile phone in front of a billboard on a business street in Beijing
The dominating presence of Chinese brands at the World Cup comes despite the national team failing to qualify. Photograph: AFP/Getty
Football fans heading to the World Cup this summer are going to get an education in Chinese TVs, mobile phones, electric scooters and Mongolian dairy products.
As western companies, including Sony, Johnson & Johnson and BP’s Castrol, have pulled out of sponsoring the tournament after the Fifa bribery and corruption scandal, Chinese firms have secured an unprecedented presence at Russia 2018.
When Russia kicks off against Saudi Arabia in the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on 14 June, fans will be treated to a seven-minute advert for Mengniu Group’s inner Mongolian milk and drinkable yoghurt.
The commercial will be aired during each of the 64 games in the tournament. Spectators fancying an ice-cream will have to pick from unfamiliar names such as Mood for Green, Ice+ or Suibian SuiXinGuo, after Mengniu secured exclusive rights to sell sweet treats including yoghurt drinks in the stadiums.
Other unfamiliar names to get to grips with during the month-long tournament include: Vivo, a mobile phone firm producing China’s version of the iPhone at a fraction of the price; the TV and fridge maker Hisense; the electric scooter company Yadea; and Dalian Wanda, a conglomerate controlled by the multibillionaire Wang Jianlin.
The dominating presence of Chinese brands comes despite the country’s national team failing to qualify for Russia 2014 or the previous World Cup in Brazil.
Simon Chadwick, professor of sports enterprise at Salford University, said: “As Fifa is now seen as a toxic brand that many western companies do not want to be associated with, China is seizing the opportunity.
“The Chinese view of ethics and governance is different to western standards, and it is very easy for Chinese companies to say ‘Fifa has moved on’. And, that they were not backing the Sepp Blatter-era regime and are supporting a clean Fifa under Gianni Infantino [who replaced Blatter in 2016].”
Chadwick said the lack of demand from western companies to sponsor the World Cup in Russia, and Qatar in 2022, has left Fifa “desperate for cash, and Chinese companies spotted the opportunity for a relatively cost-effective way to get their brands in front of billions of global eyeballs”.
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Wang, the fifth-richest person in China with a $23.4bn (£17.6bn) fortune, according to Bloomberg’s billionaires index, said: “Two or three years ago, Chinese and Asian companies probably wouldn’t even have had a chance to sponsor Fifa even if we wanted to. But because some western companies dropped out, we got the opportunity.”
Wanda, which owns the British luxury yacht builder Sunseeker, the Hollywood studio that made Godzilla and The Hangover as well as a stake in Atlético Madrid, has signed up as a Fifa partner – the highest level of sponsorship – alongside Coca-Cola, Visa, Adidas and Russia’s Gazprom for the next four World Cups.
“If more Chinese brother companies become Fifa sponsors like Wanda, we will join forces to advance the interests of China soccer,” Wang said.
Chadwick said the Chinese companies’ Fifa sponsorship deals were encouraged by President Xi Jinping to help fuel his dream of turning China into a “world football superpower” by 2050.
“China wants to host the the World Cup, China wants to win the World Cup, and I speculate they also want a Chinese president of Fifa,” Chadwick said. “Rescuing Fifa financially with these sponsorship deals will help the chances of achieving those dreams immeasurably.”
After TV rights sales, sponsorship is Fifa’s biggest income stream and was worth $1.6bn for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The loss of sponsors and the struggle to sign deals after the bribery scandal dragged Fifa to a record $369m loss in 2016.
Jon Tibbs, founder and chair of JTA, a sports reputation management company, said it was sensible of Chinese firms to use football for promotion. “As the traditional western brands get cold feet and face consumers’ pressure, it is inevitable that Fifa turns to new markets,” he said.
“For Chinese brands seeking new markets it is relatively very easy and prestigious to partner with Fifa. It is widely believed that China will bid for the 2030 World Cup, obviously if there are a large number of Chinese sponsors helping to prop up Fifa that is a very good starting point.”
Sam Burne James, news editor of PR Week, said Fifa was “certainly seen as toxic” by many British brands, and Boris Johnson’s comparison of the World Cup under Vladimir Putin to the 1936 Olympic Games under Hitler had not helped.
“If you look at few tournaments back, most of the brands would be recognisable to western audiences, now several of them are unheard of – and that shift will continue,” he said.
“Chinese companies get two things from sponsoring the World Cup. The first is access to western audiences that they will sooner or later be trying to win over, as their companies expand. The other is a cosmopolitan veneer to their brands, which they hope will resonate with their sizeable domestic markets.”
Vivo, founded nine years ago, paid €400m (£350m) for a six-year deal that included Russia 2018, Qatar 2022 and the Confederations Cup.
It has signed up the Brazilian footballer José Roberto Gama de Oliveira - better known as Bebeto – and Holland’s Ruud Gullit to front its World Cup campaign – and its advertising campaign video, launched this week, sums up the opportunity the Chinese corporate sponsors are trying to grab: “The world is watching,” Vivo said. “This is our moment.”
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The Guardian/Lucy Mangan: Does ‘peak prosecco’ spell the end of bubbly slogan tees and fizzy crisps?
The Guardian
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Does ‘peak prosecco’ spell the end of bubbly slogan tees and fizzy crisps?
Prosecco sales are slowing – let’s hope the ridiculous merchandise is on the wane, too. No one needs wine-themed doormats, clocks or lip balm
Lucy Mangan
Lucy Mangan @LucyMangan
Fri 1 Jun 2018 15.21 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Jun 2018 18.53 BST
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Prosecco slogan doormat
Or go home and drink to forget …
Though I speak, as both my friends will attest, as an unparalleled fan of the stuff, I find myself crumpling with relief at the news that we appear to be hitting peak prosecco. Although nearly 36m gallons were sold in the past 12 months of the cheaper, pretty-much-as-tasty and certainly-as-effective alternative to champagne that has come to dominate parties, supermarket aisles and the luxury wine market over the past decade, this represents a much smaller increase in sales than any year since 2011; just 5%, when producers have been used to bubbly double-digit growth.
No pain, no prosecco tote bag
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No pain, no prosecco tote bag
My relief stems from the hope that – while we will remain awash with the effervescent elixir itself – we may start to see the end of the surrounding merchandise. It has been getting ridiculous. You can’t move – especially if you’ve had a few – for the things.
Push ups + prosecco vest
Push ups + prosecco vest
On Etsy, Notonthehighstreet and any other creatively unsupervised site, tote bags and T-shirts proclaiming your penchant abound. As golf is the spoiling of a good walk, so are slogans the ruination of innumerable perfectly fine tops. “But first prosecco” is at least admirably succinct – and as good a philosophy as any to sport across your chest if sport across your chest a philosophy you must. But even if you squint at it through a third glass, “Be there in a prosecco” barely makes the cut as legitimate wordplay. Gym gear announcing “Push ups + prosecco” is too cavalier an approach to health and safety for my taste, and alternatives reading “No pain, no prosecco” are wrong on 17 levels.
I’ll be there in a prosecco T-shirt
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I’ll be there in a prosecco T-shirt. Photograph: River Island
I own a T-shirt that reads “Espresso then prosecco”. I don’t know how. I wear it, too. This is the way the world ends.
Oliver Bonas prosecco lip balm
Oliver Bonas prosecco lip balm
And yet, the clothes are not the worst of it. Oliver Bonas sells a “Prosecco pong” game (it’s like beer pong, but the glasses are posher and you play it with – you may be ahead of me here – prosecco) for £15 and a prosecco lip balm (£6, reduced – further fuel for my peak marching hopes – to £4). I got one for Christmas. It tasted of despair.
A prosecco o’clock clock
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A prosecco o’clock clock
You can buy customisable clocks and choose the hour whose numeral should be replaced with the ribtickling legend “Prosecco o’clock”. You can buy a doormat on whose unforgiving coir is writ “Come in if you have prosecco”, though within the reader-visitor’s mind this is most likely to translate as “Go home and drink to forget”.
M&S prosecco crisps
M&S prosecco crisps
And finally, you can buy prosecco crisps. Yes. Last Christmas Marks & Spencer sold prosecco-flavoured crisps scattered with edible gold stars. I ate them in my T-shirt, through my lip balm and tears. They were tangy, like a grownup Skip. I would buy them again, and this is why I drink.
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Shortcuts
Does ‘peak prosecco’ spell the end of bubbly slogan tees and fizzy crisps?
Prosecco sales are slowing – let’s hope the ridiculous merchandise is on the wane, too. No one needs wine-themed doormats, clocks or lip balm
Lucy Mangan
Lucy Mangan @LucyMangan
Fri 1 Jun 2018 15.21 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Jun 2018 18.53 BST
Shares
21
Comments
173
Prosecco slogan doormat
Or go home and drink to forget …
Though I speak, as both my friends will attest, as an unparalleled fan of the stuff, I find myself crumpling with relief at the news that we appear to be hitting peak prosecco. Although nearly 36m gallons were sold in the past 12 months of the cheaper, pretty-much-as-tasty and certainly-as-effective alternative to champagne that has come to dominate parties, supermarket aisles and the luxury wine market over the past decade, this represents a much smaller increase in sales than any year since 2011; just 5%, when producers have been used to bubbly double-digit growth.
No pain, no prosecco tote bag
No pain, no prosecco tote bag
My relief stems from the hope that – while we will remain awash with the effervescent elixir itself – we may start to see the end of the surrounding merchandise. It has been getting ridiculous. You can’t move – especially if you’ve had a few – for the things.
Push ups + prosecco vest
Push ups + prosecco vest
On Etsy, Notonthehighstreet and any other creatively unsupervised site, tote bags and T-shirts proclaiming your penchant abound. As golf is the spoiling of a good walk, so are slogans the ruination of innumerable perfectly fine tops. “But first prosecco” is at least admirably succinct – and as good a philosophy as any to sport across your chest if sport across your chest a philosophy you must. But even if you squint at it through a third glass, “Be there in a prosecco” barely makes the cut as legitimate wordplay. Gym gear announcing “Push ups + prosecco” is too cavalier an approach to health and safety for my taste, and alternatives reading “No pain, no prosecco” are wrong on 17 levels.
I’ll be there in a prosecco T-shirt
I’ll be there in a prosecco T-shirt. Photograph: River Island
I own a T-shirt that reads “Espresso then prosecco”. I don’t know how. I wear it, too. This is the way the world ends.
Oliver Bonas prosecco lip balm
Oliver Bonas prosecco lip balm
And yet, the clothes are not the worst of it. Oliver Bonas sells a “Prosecco pong” game (it’s like beer pong, but the glasses are posher and you play it with – you may be ahead of me here – prosecco) for £15 and a prosecco lip balm (£6, reduced – further fuel for my peak marching hopes – to £4). I got one for Christmas. It tasted of despair.
A prosecco o’clock clock
A prosecco o’clock clock
You can buy customisable clocks and choose the hour whose numeral should be replaced with the ribtickling legend “Prosecco o’clock”. You can buy a doormat on whose unforgiving coir is writ “Come in if you have prosecco”, though within the reader-visitor’s mind this is most likely to translate as “Go home and drink to forget”.
M&S prosecco crisps
M&S prosecco crisps
And finally, you can buy prosecco crisps. Yes. Last Christmas Marks & Spencer sold prosecco-flavoured crisps scattered with edible gold stars. I ate them in my T-shirt, through my lip balm and tears. They were tangy, like a grownup Skip. I would buy them again, and this is why I drink.
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The Guardian/Kirchgaessner, Tono, & Rankin: Italy vows to 'send home' undocumented immigrants
The Guardian
Italy
Italy vows to 'send home' undocumented immigrants
Far-right interior minister insists he will keep campaign pledge to deport around 500,000 people
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome, Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo, Jennifer Rankin in Brussels
Fri 1 Jun 2018 15.20 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Jun 2018 22.00 BST
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Matteo Salvini has vowed to take a tougher approach on immigration.
Matteo Salvini has vowed to take a tougher approach on immigration. Photograph: Flavio Lo Scalzo/EPA
Italy’s interior minister, the far-right firebrand Matteo Salvini, has declared that one of the new populist government’s top priorities will be to “send them home”, signalling that he intends to keep a campaign promise to round up hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Italy.
The political chaos that has engulfed Italy in recent weeks has centred on questions about whether the government, which was sworn in on Friday and is led by the virtually unknown prime minister Giuseppe Conte, will take a tough line on Italy’s fiscal commitments in Brussels.
But Salvini’s rise to power, from talk-radio host on his party’s show to his appointment to one of Italy’s most powerful government positions, with oversight of domestic security, civil rights, immigration and asylum and elections, could force more dramatic change.
Advertisement
Hours after the government was approved by the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, Salvini said Italy was going to take a tougher approach.
“Open doors in Italy for good people and a one-way ticket for those who come to Italy to create commotion and think they will be taken care of. ‘Send them home’ will be one of our top priorities,” he said.
Salvini, who is head of the far-right League, a nationalist party that used to favour secession, campaigned on a pledge to deport about 500,000 migrants living illegally in Italy.
While the rhetoric caused concern among migration experts and humanitarian groups, it was seen as a highly unrealistic agenda, because Italy did not have the resources or legal flexibility to pursue costly mass deportations.
Migration experts contacted by the Guardian are nevertheless alarmed by Salvini’s promotion. They fear that the rights of asylum seekers, migrants and refugees will be dramatically eroded in a country that is already struggling to accommodate and integrate the new arrivals into Italian communities.
Calogero Santoro is the head of Girasoli, a non-profit organisation that promotes the integration of migrants and refugees in local communities in Sicily. He said: “Fake news about migrants have spread all over Italy during the last campaign. My concern is the future of asylum seekers, people who are eligible for a refugee status. What will happen to them under [Salvini’s] League?”
Santoro added: “This is what scares me. The previous government’s deal with Tripoli is making the lives of these people harder and harder in Libya and now Salvini could make their life impossible in Italy too.”
Santoro was referring to an agreement between Italy and Libya in which Italians helped to train Libyan coast guards, who have stopped migrant boats and taken people fleeing to Europe back to camps in Libya. The agreement has been condemned by human rights advocates. Multiple reports have described inhumane conditions, rape and other physical abuse.
Migration experts are also worried by the possibility that Salvini could reduce funding for reception centres – which have already been criticised by human right groups for poor conditions – and make life even more inhospitable for migrants.
“My fear is that Italy’s reception centres will be transformed into little Calais ‘Jungles’ that will make migrants invisible to the public,” said Fulvio Vassallo, an expert on asylum law from the University of Palermo.
Salvini has also suggested he would seek to convert reception centres into detention centres and divert funds to be used for mass deportations. Under current rules, every migrant who is deported by plane must be escorted by two Italian agents, at an estimated cost of €3,000 (£2,600) per migrant. A recent study by L’Espresso found that Salvini’s plan to deport 500,000 migrants would cost roughly €1.5bn.
Pierre Vimont, a French career diplomat, who works at the Carnegie Europe thinktank, said Italy’s government could be in violation of international and EU refugee law if it follows through with its pledge to send hundreds of thousands of migrants back to their country of origin, potentially breaching the Geneva convention.
“If the new Italian government says: ‘I don’t care, I don’t want to accept any refugees’, they may be in contradiction and in violation of this international convention,” he said, referring to the principle of non refoulement, which forbids states from sending refugees back to areas where they may be in danger.
Vimont, who led European negotiations on an EU-Africa fund aimed at deterring migrants, said it was “a bit ludicrous” for the government to think they had the answers to problems that had eluded other European governments for 20 years.
“The whole problem about the populist approach is that it is pretending and has convinced the electorate that things can be managed quickly and that quick solutions can happen just like that. And on migration more than anything else, this has never been the case,” Vimont added.
Sandro Gozi, Italy’s former Europe minister, said the EU had given ammunition to anti-immigration populist parties by not helping Italy deal with large numbers of arrivals. “Europe could and should have done more,” Gozi told the Guardian in a recent interview. “The fact that the Italians feel they have been left alone has fuelled the populists’ agenda.”
The EU has spent more than two years trying to overhaul its asylum law, known as the Dublin regulation. Deep divisions remain over proposals for relocation of refugees from one EU state to another. Central and eastern European states, led by Poland and Hungary, say they could never accept mandatory quotas, while southern states, such as Greece and Italy, argue that they are being left to bear the brunt.
The issue is heading for a crunch point in June, after a deadline was imposed by the European council president, Donald Tusk, to reach an agreement or abandon mandatory quotas altogether.
“Delays in the implementation of the relocation mechanism have been politically devastating,” Gozi said. “Not because relocation would have solved in itself the migration crisis, but because it showed the Visegrád Group did not want to pay any price.”
Bulgaria, which is handling negotiations, is trying to move countries towards a compromise but Mediterranean states are unhappy about a perceived climbdown on compulsory quotas. “We are going backwards on solidarity and responsibility,” said an EU diplomat.
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Italy
Italy vows to 'send home' undocumented immigrants
Far-right interior minister insists he will keep campaign pledge to deport around 500,000 people
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome, Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo, Jennifer Rankin in Brussels
Fri 1 Jun 2018 15.20 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Jun 2018 22.00 BST
Shares
1,955
Matteo Salvini has vowed to take a tougher approach on immigration.
Matteo Salvini has vowed to take a tougher approach on immigration. Photograph: Flavio Lo Scalzo/EPA
Italy’s interior minister, the far-right firebrand Matteo Salvini, has declared that one of the new populist government’s top priorities will be to “send them home”, signalling that he intends to keep a campaign promise to round up hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Italy.
The political chaos that has engulfed Italy in recent weeks has centred on questions about whether the government, which was sworn in on Friday and is led by the virtually unknown prime minister Giuseppe Conte, will take a tough line on Italy’s fiscal commitments in Brussels.
But Salvini’s rise to power, from talk-radio host on his party’s show to his appointment to one of Italy’s most powerful government positions, with oversight of domestic security, civil rights, immigration and asylum and elections, could force more dramatic change.
Advertisement
Hours after the government was approved by the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, Salvini said Italy was going to take a tougher approach.
“Open doors in Italy for good people and a one-way ticket for those who come to Italy to create commotion and think they will be taken care of. ‘Send them home’ will be one of our top priorities,” he said.
Salvini, who is head of the far-right League, a nationalist party that used to favour secession, campaigned on a pledge to deport about 500,000 migrants living illegally in Italy.
While the rhetoric caused concern among migration experts and humanitarian groups, it was seen as a highly unrealistic agenda, because Italy did not have the resources or legal flexibility to pursue costly mass deportations.
Migration experts contacted by the Guardian are nevertheless alarmed by Salvini’s promotion. They fear that the rights of asylum seekers, migrants and refugees will be dramatically eroded in a country that is already struggling to accommodate and integrate the new arrivals into Italian communities.
Calogero Santoro is the head of Girasoli, a non-profit organisation that promotes the integration of migrants and refugees in local communities in Sicily. He said: “Fake news about migrants have spread all over Italy during the last campaign. My concern is the future of asylum seekers, people who are eligible for a refugee status. What will happen to them under [Salvini’s] League?”
Santoro added: “This is what scares me. The previous government’s deal with Tripoli is making the lives of these people harder and harder in Libya and now Salvini could make their life impossible in Italy too.”
Santoro was referring to an agreement between Italy and Libya in which Italians helped to train Libyan coast guards, who have stopped migrant boats and taken people fleeing to Europe back to camps in Libya. The agreement has been condemned by human rights advocates. Multiple reports have described inhumane conditions, rape and other physical abuse.
Migration experts are also worried by the possibility that Salvini could reduce funding for reception centres – which have already been criticised by human right groups for poor conditions – and make life even more inhospitable for migrants.
“My fear is that Italy’s reception centres will be transformed into little Calais ‘Jungles’ that will make migrants invisible to the public,” said Fulvio Vassallo, an expert on asylum law from the University of Palermo.
Salvini has also suggested he would seek to convert reception centres into detention centres and divert funds to be used for mass deportations. Under current rules, every migrant who is deported by plane must be escorted by two Italian agents, at an estimated cost of €3,000 (£2,600) per migrant. A recent study by L’Espresso found that Salvini’s plan to deport 500,000 migrants would cost roughly €1.5bn.
Pierre Vimont, a French career diplomat, who works at the Carnegie Europe thinktank, said Italy’s government could be in violation of international and EU refugee law if it follows through with its pledge to send hundreds of thousands of migrants back to their country of origin, potentially breaching the Geneva convention.
“If the new Italian government says: ‘I don’t care, I don’t want to accept any refugees’, they may be in contradiction and in violation of this international convention,” he said, referring to the principle of non refoulement, which forbids states from sending refugees back to areas where they may be in danger.
Vimont, who led European negotiations on an EU-Africa fund aimed at deterring migrants, said it was “a bit ludicrous” for the government to think they had the answers to problems that had eluded other European governments for 20 years.
“The whole problem about the populist approach is that it is pretending and has convinced the electorate that things can be managed quickly and that quick solutions can happen just like that. And on migration more than anything else, this has never been the case,” Vimont added.
Sandro Gozi, Italy’s former Europe minister, said the EU had given ammunition to anti-immigration populist parties by not helping Italy deal with large numbers of arrivals. “Europe could and should have done more,” Gozi told the Guardian in a recent interview. “The fact that the Italians feel they have been left alone has fuelled the populists’ agenda.”
The EU has spent more than two years trying to overhaul its asylum law, known as the Dublin regulation. Deep divisions remain over proposals for relocation of refugees from one EU state to another. Central and eastern European states, led by Poland and Hungary, say they could never accept mandatory quotas, while southern states, such as Greece and Italy, argue that they are being left to bear the brunt.
The issue is heading for a crunch point in June, after a deadline was imposed by the European council president, Donald Tusk, to reach an agreement or abandon mandatory quotas altogether.
“Delays in the implementation of the relocation mechanism have been politically devastating,” Gozi said. “Not because relocation would have solved in itself the migration crisis, but because it showed the Visegrád Group did not want to pay any price.”
Bulgaria, which is handling negotiations, is trying to move countries towards a compromise but Mediterranean states are unhappy about a perceived climbdown on compulsory quotas. “We are going backwards on solidarity and responsibility,” said an EU diplomat.
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The Guardian/Agence France.Presse: Russian pilot found after three decades missing in Afghanistan
The Guardian
Russia
Russian pilot found after three decades missing in Afghanistan
Military veterans group says man whose plane was shot down wants to return to Russia
Agence France-Presse Moscow
Fri 1 Jun 2018 21.19 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Jun 2018 22.49 BST
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Afghan guerrillas who fought Soviet forces, pictured in 1980.
Afghan guerrillas who fought Soviet forces, pictured in 1980. Photograph: AP
A Russian pilot who was missing presumed dead after his plane was shot down three decades ago during the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan has been found alive and wants to come home, according to a military veterans group.
“He is still alive. It’s very astonishing. Now he needs help,” the head of the Russian paratroopers’ union, Valery Vostrotin, told RIA Novosti state news agency on Friday.
Soviet soldier presumed dead found living in Afghanistan
Read more
Vostrotin, who heads the Russian side of a Russian-US joint commission on prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action, declined to name the pilot for reasons of confidentiality.
The man was shot down in 1987 and was likely now to be over 60, the deputy head of veteran’s organisation Battle Brotherhood, Vyacheslav Kalinin, told the news agency.
He suggested the pilot could be in Pakistan, where Afghanistan had camps for prisoners of war, and said he wanted to return home.
RIA Novosti reported that 125 Soviet planes were shot down in Afghanistan during the course of the war between 1979 and 1989. When Soviet troops pulled out in 1989, about 300 soldiers were listed as missing. Since then, 30 have been found and most returned to their home countries.
The Kommersant business daily reported that only one Soviet pilot was shot down in 1987, naming him as Sergei Pantelyuk from the southern Russian Rostov region, who went missing along with his plane after taking off from Bagram airfield, now a US air base, north of Kabul.
The head of a local veterans’ organisation said his mother and sister were both alive and the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid traced Pantelyuk’s 31-year-old daughter who was born months before her father went missing.
Afghan village built on a Soviet dream collapsing into deadly power vacuum
Read more
Senator Frants Klintsevich told RIA Novosti that this was far from the only such case. He said he had met a former Soviet soldier on a trip to Afghanistan a few years ago who refused to give his name and spoke Russian with difficulty and said it was too late for him to go back.
Former Soviet soldier Bakhretdin Khakimov, who was interviewed by AFP in 2015, was one of those who opted to remain in Afghanistan. He was seriously wounded and was nursed back to health by local people and then converted to Islam. He told AFP: “I stayed in Afghanistan because Afghans are very kind and hospitable people.”
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Russia
Russian pilot found after three decades missing in Afghanistan
Military veterans group says man whose plane was shot down wants to return to Russia
Agence France-Presse Moscow
Fri 1 Jun 2018 21.19 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Jun 2018 22.49 BST
Shares
246
Afghan guerrillas who fought Soviet forces, pictured in 1980.
Afghan guerrillas who fought Soviet forces, pictured in 1980. Photograph: AP
A Russian pilot who was missing presumed dead after his plane was shot down three decades ago during the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan has been found alive and wants to come home, according to a military veterans group.
“He is still alive. It’s very astonishing. Now he needs help,” the head of the Russian paratroopers’ union, Valery Vostrotin, told RIA Novosti state news agency on Friday.
Soviet soldier presumed dead found living in Afghanistan
Read more
Vostrotin, who heads the Russian side of a Russian-US joint commission on prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action, declined to name the pilot for reasons of confidentiality.
The man was shot down in 1987 and was likely now to be over 60, the deputy head of veteran’s organisation Battle Brotherhood, Vyacheslav Kalinin, told the news agency.
He suggested the pilot could be in Pakistan, where Afghanistan had camps for prisoners of war, and said he wanted to return home.
RIA Novosti reported that 125 Soviet planes were shot down in Afghanistan during the course of the war between 1979 and 1989. When Soviet troops pulled out in 1989, about 300 soldiers were listed as missing. Since then, 30 have been found and most returned to their home countries.
The Kommersant business daily reported that only one Soviet pilot was shot down in 1987, naming him as Sergei Pantelyuk from the southern Russian Rostov region, who went missing along with his plane after taking off from Bagram airfield, now a US air base, north of Kabul.
The head of a local veterans’ organisation said his mother and sister were both alive and the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid traced Pantelyuk’s 31-year-old daughter who was born months before her father went missing.
Afghan village built on a Soviet dream collapsing into deadly power vacuum
Read more
Senator Frants Klintsevich told RIA Novosti that this was far from the only such case. He said he had met a former Soviet soldier on a trip to Afghanistan a few years ago who refused to give his name and spoke Russian with difficulty and said it was too late for him to go back.
Former Soviet soldier Bakhretdin Khakimov, who was interviewed by AFP in 2015, was one of those who opted to remain in Afghanistan. He was seriously wounded and was nursed back to health by local people and then converted to Islam. He told AFP: “I stayed in Afghanistan because Afghans are very kind and hospitable people.”
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Dr. Mercola: The Most Venomous New Thug Against Humanity?
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Harvest of Greed — The Merger of Bayer and Monsanto
June 02, 2018 • 5,342 views Edition: English
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Story at-a-glance
“Harvest of Greed” investigates a number of the many issues and concerns brought about by the merger of Monsanto and Bayer AG
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) approved the merger in April 2018, following the EU’s approval in March. DOJ has also given the Dow-DuPont merger the green light, and the Federal Trade Commission recently approved ChemChina’s acquisition of Syngenta
The Bayer-Monsanto entity is now the largest seed and pesticide company in the world, controlling more than 25 percent of the global seed and pesticide supply. In all, just three companies now dominate the global seed and pesticide market
Farmers are concerned about what the merger might do to prices and quality, as less competition inevitably tends to lead to price hikes, while reducing incentive for innovation
The merger will also give the subsequent entity even more power to pressure and manipulate governments into accepting the unacceptable risks posed by GMOs and toxic pesticides
By Dr. Mercola
The featured documentary, “Harvest of Greed,” investigates a number of the many issues brought about by the merger of Monsanto and Bayer AG. The merger was initially announced in May 2016, when Monsanto accepted Bayer’s $66 billion takeover offer — the largest all-cash buyout on record.1,2,3
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) approved the merger in April this year,4 following the European Union’s (EU) approval in March. As a condition of the DOJ’s approval, Bayer will sell some of its assets to BASF — its German competitor — before the finalization of the merger.
This includes its soybean, cottonseed and glufosinate weed killer businesses, which overlap with Monsanto’s and were antitrust sticking points. Combined, Bayer and Monsanto used to control nearly 60 percent of the American cottonseed market. Monsanto also owns the rights to 80 percent of corn and 90 percent of soybeans grown in the U.S.5 The EU also demanded Bayer eliminate about $7.4 billion-worth of its various firms “to ensure fair competition.”6
Mega-Entity Now Controls Large Portion of Global Seed Supply
This new entity is now the largest seed and pesticide company in the world, controlling more than 25 percent of the global seed and pesticide supply. In all, just three companies now dominate the global seed and pesticide market.7 (In addition to the Bayer-Monsanto merger, the DOJ has also given the Dow-DuPont merger the green light, and the Federal Trade Commission recently approved ChemChina’s acquisition of Syngenta.)
The Bayer-Monsanto merger generated deep concerns right from the start, and anti-competition regulators were urged to investigate the takeover. Bernie Sanders went on record saying the takeover poses “a threat to all Americans” and needed to be blocked.8 He also urged the DOJ to “reopen its investigation of Monsanto’s monopoly over the seed and chemical market.” Farmers have also expressed concern over what the merger might do to prices, as less competition inevitably tends to lead to price hikes.
As just one example, the price of a bag of seed corn has risen from $80 to $300 over the past decade alone — a price hike attributed to the consolidation of seed companies and reduced competition. The merger of Bayer and Monsanto is predicted to make matters worse. Farmers also worry that consolidation will result in lower quality products by reducing incentive for innovation. Organic farmers have their concerns as well. As noted by Food and Power:9
“For Kristina Hubbard, director of advocacy and communications for the Organic Seed Alliance, the merger presents a particular threat to organic farmers. She notes that the National Organic Program’s regulations on organic seeds generally dictate that growers must use organic seeds to grow their crops. But there is an exception granted for non-organic seed when ‘an equivalent organically produced variety is not commercially available.’
Acceptable non-organic seeds are generally owned by the giant seed companies. ‘That exemption is important because currently the supply [of organic seeds] isn’t sufficient to meet the diverse and regional needs of all organic farmers,’ she says. With continued consolidation in the seed industry, she says farmers that rely on those non-organic seed options may find themselves faced with even fewer options as the merged companies cut down on research and development.”
Bayer-Monsanto Merger Unlikely to Benefit Anyone but Its Shareholders
Bayer AG’s CEO, Werner Baumann, has stated that “it is not our plan or our ambition or our intent to prevent farmers from having choice."10 But the history of Monsanto and Bayer both suggest it would be naïve to believe him. As noted by Mark Connelly, an agriculture analyst at the investment group CLSA Americas, “These companies want to make more money, they want to raise prices. No company in this industry needs these deals in order to innovate.”11
Indeed, there can be little doubt that the Bayer-Monsanto merger will give the subsequent entity even more power to bully farmers into paying more and pressuring and manipulating governments into accepting the unacceptable risks posed by genetically engineered (GE) crops and mounting use of ever more toxic pesticides.
One example of Monsanto’s strong-arm tactics included in the film is that of India, where more than 300,000 farmers have committed suicide due to farm-related debt. When the government attempted to regulate the price of seed — the main cause leading to these debts — Monsanto sued the Indian government.
Between 1997 and 2014, Monsanto also sued 147 farmers for “improperly reusing patented seeds.”12 They never lost a single case, even in cases where organic fields were contaminated or cross-pollinated with unwanted GE seeds.
Billions Against Bayer
In response to the announcement of the merger in 2016, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) launched a boycott against Bayer. The “Billions Against Bayer” campaign is essentially a continuation of the successful “Millions Against Monsanto” campaign. Following the DOJ’s April approval of the merger, OCA renewed its call for consumers around the world to join the boycott. You can follow the campaign and get the latest news updates on Facebook.13 As noted in a September 2016 press release:14
“Two of the world’s most foul corporate criminals will be one. Monsanto will pack up its headquarters and head overseas. The much-maligned Monsanto name will be retired. But a corporate criminal by any other name — or size — is still a corporate criminal.
This merger only heightens the urgency, and strengthens our resolve, to hunt down the corporations that are poisoning everything in sight. We will follow them to the ends of the earth, if need be. We will expose their crimes. We will end the toxic tyranny. We will become the Billions Against Bayer. And we will need your help …”
Even many Bayer employees are leery of the merger. While both companies have checkered pasts, Bayer has managed to escape the brunt of the kind of criticism, if not hatred, leveled at Monsanto over the years.
According to the featured documentary, Bayer claims the merger has widespread support among its staff, yet when Bayer employees were approached under the promise of anonymity, the general consensus was one of dismay at inheriting Monsanto’s tarnished reputation. Such fears are likely to come true sooner rather than later. Activists in Argentina, for example, promise Monsanto’s ill reputation cannot be washed clean but will now transfer over to Bayer.
Glyphosate — A Toxic Legacy
Both Bayer and Monsanto insist that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup and other herbicide formulations, is “a very safe product when used properly.” In the video, Bayer CEO Werner Baumann stresses that more than 3,000 studies support the chemical’s safety. Yet numerous studies have reached the converse conclusion, showing it poses toxic risks to soil, animals and humans.
“The things you hear in the public debate are ultimately based on misinformation about the risks of this product,” Baumann says. “So, we think glyphosate, even if it does belong to our company, is a good product, and its license should be renewed.”
At the end of 2017, the EU did indeed renew its approval of glyphosate for the next five years,15 but the process was not without its critics, such as Martin Häusling, member of the Green Party and the European Parliament, who noted that many of the studies exonerating glyphosate were funded by Monsanto itself, while independent research keeps finding problems.
Indeed, scientists have discovered it not only may be carcinogenic,16 but may also affect your body’s ability to produce fully functioning proteins, inhibit the shikimate pathway (found in gut bacteria) and interfere with the function of cytochrome P450 enzymes (required for activation of vitamin D and the creation of nitric oxide and cholesterol sulfate).
Glyphosate also chelates important minerals, disrupts sulfate synthesis and transport, interferes with the synthesis of aromatic amino acids and methionine, resulting in folate and neurotransmitter shortages, disrupts your microbiome by acting as an antibiotic, impairs methylation pathways, and inhibits pituitary release of thyroid stimulating hormone, which can lead to hypothyroidism.
Recent Government Tests Show Roundup Is More Toxic Than Glyphosate in Isolation
Most recently, toxicology testing17 by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) concluded the Roundup formula is actually far more toxic than glyphosate alone.18 The NTP testing was done by request from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassification of glyphosate as a Class 2A probable carcinogen three years ago.19
At the time, the IARC noted concerns about glyphosate formulations possibly having increased toxicity due to synergistic interactions. As it turns out, that’s exactly what the NTP testing found. According to the NTP’s summary of the results, glyphosate formulations “significantly altered” the viability of human cells by disrupting the functionality of cell membranes.
Mike DeVito, acting chief of the NTP Laboratory commented on the results saying, “We see the formulations are much more toxic. The formulations were killing the cells. The glyphosate really didn’t do it.”
Internal documents from Monsanto, obtained through previous Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, reveal Monsanto’s own employees have not been convinced the product is harmless either. For example, in a 2002 email, Monsanto executive William Heydens said, “Glyphosate is OK but the formulated product … does the damage.”20
Monsanto Charged With Crimes Against Humanity
October 16, 2016 (on World Food Day), Monsanto was put on trial for “crimes against nature and humanity” at a tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. The steering committee21 included Vandana Shiva, Corinne Lepage (former environment minister of France), Giles-Eric Séralini (toxicologist researching toxicities of GMOs and glyphosate), and Olivier De Schutter (former U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food), among others. The legal opinion on the evidence presented at the tribunal was delivered April 18, 2017. As reported by Corporate Europe Observatory:22 “The tribunal concluded that:
Monsanto has violated human rights to food, health, a healthy environment and the freedom indispensable for independent scientific research
‘Ecocide’ should be recognized as a crime in international law
Human rights and environmental laws are undermined by corporate-friendly trade and investment regulation”
When asked if Bayer will continue Monsanto’s underhanded business practices, Baumann said the new entity will be managed “according to our standards,” adding that “Bayer stands for transparency, reliability and a different style of debate.”
Monsanto — A Destroyer of the Natural World
In addition to GE seeds and its flagship product, Roundup, Monsanto has also been a leading producer of Agent Orange, PCBs, DDT, recombinant bovine growth hormone and aspartame — the history of which is summarized in “The Complete History of Monsanto, ‘The World’s Most Evil Corporation,’”23 originally published by Waking Times in 2014.24
Monsanto also made its mark on history by participating in the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb, thereby becoming a “war horse” ally to the United States government — an alliance that still holds today. As noted in “The Complete History,” article:
“To add insult to world injury, Monsanto and their partners in crime Archer Daniels Midland, Sodexo and Tyson Foods write and sponsor The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009: HR 875.25 This ‘act’ gives the corporate factory farms a virtual monopoly to police and control all foods grown anywhere, including one’s own backyard, and provides harsh penalties and jail sentences for those who do not use chemicals and fertilizers. President Obama … gave his approval.
With this Act, Monsanto claims that only GM [genetically modified] foods are safe and organic or homegrown foods potentially spread disease, therefore must be regulated out of existence for the safety of the world … As further revelations have broken open regarding this evil giant’s true intentions, Monsanto crafted the ridiculous HR 933 Continuing Resolution,26 aka Monsanto Protection Act, which Obama robo-signed into law as well.
This law states that no matter how harmful Monsanto’s GMO crops are and no matter how much devastation they wreak upon the country, U.S. federal courts cannot stop them from continuing to plant them anywhere they choose. Yes, Obama signed a provision that makes Monsanto above any laws and makes them more powerful than the government itself.”
Bayer Also Has a Long, Dark, Destructive History of Genocide
Despite having a far “cleaner” public reputation than Monsanto, Bayer is really just more of the same. Founded in Germany in 1863 by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Wescott, it too has a long, sordid history of creating poisons and mass destruction.27 During World War II, Bayer (then I.G. Farben) produced Zyklon B gas, used in the Nazi gas chambers to eradicate 11 million people whose only crime was to be born a Jew.
According to Alliance for Human Research Protection, the company was also “intimately involved with the human experimental atrocities committed by Mengele at Auschwitz.”28 In one case, Bayer purchased 150 healthy female prisoners from the camp commander of Auschwitz for use as test subjects for a new sleep drug. All the test subjects died, and another order for prisoners was placed.
While some of its board members ended up being arrested and tried for their crimes against humanity, others escaped and helped create the Federal Reserve.29 If you think the passing of time might have made this corporate entity kinder, safer and gentler, think again.
In 2003, it was revealed Bayer sold blood-clotting medicine tainted with the HIV virus to Asian, Latin American and Europe in the mid-1980s.30 The drug, Factor VIII concentrate, was worth millions of dollars, and the company continued to sell the tainted drug for a year after the contamination was discovered. In Hong Kong and Taiwan alone, more than 100 hemophiliacs contracted HIV and died after using the medicine.
Bayer’s drug Trasylol — used to control bleeding during surgery — was also eventually found to be responsible for at least 1,000 deaths each month for the 14 years it was on the market.31 In 2006, documents proved Bayer hid evidence showing unfavorable results from the drug in order to continue selling it. Lawsuits have also been filed against Bayer for the untimely death of 190 young women taking their birth control pill Yaz, which raises your risk of blood clots by 300 percent.
Bayer Unlikely to Shift Public Perception of GMOs and Toxic Agriculture
Between 2006 and 2007, Bayer was also responsible for contaminating U.S. rice imports with three unapproved varieties of GE rice under development by Bayer CropScience. Bayer also makes neonicotinoid pesticides, suspected of being responsible for mass die-offs of bees around the world, thereby threatening the global food supply, and made the plastic chemical bisphenol-A, now known to have a dangerous impact on the human endocrine system.
In short, Bayer’s history is just as dark and unethical as Monsanto’s, if not more, and some have rightfully referred to the merger of these two destructive behemoths as a “marriage made in hell.”32 While change is possible, it seems improbable that this new Bayer-Monsanto mega-entity will radically change, and based on their combined histories, the world better get ready for a monumental fight.
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Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.
If you want to use an article on your site please click here. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.
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If you want to use an article on your site please click here. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.
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Friday, 1 June 2018
An Open Letter To Facebook About Attempts To Hack Into Three Facebook Accounts Associated With Kofi Thompson
Dear Facebook,
For some extraordinary reason, I am unable to access the three Facebook accounts I am associated with: 'The Big Issue Ghana Facebook page'; 'Kofi Thompson Facebook page'; and 'Akyem Juaso Nature-Resource Reserve Facebook page'.
One wonders whether an attempt is underway to hack into the said three Facebook accounts. The question is: If I have asked for two-step verification whenever the need arises for Facebook to contact me about problematic issues such as log-in difficulties, why has no official Facebook message with a code number not been sent directly to my phone, but rather came via my email account?
Knowing what the greedy folk who are destroying our nation by engaging in egregious high-level corruption are like, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it turns out that the attempt to hack into my Facebook accounts result from a desire by unknown parties to prevent me posting an article I wrote today (entitled: "Who Born Dog? Hon. Kennedy Adjapong, Leave Anas Amereyaw and Kweku Baako Alone!"), from being posted on the walls of my three Facebook pages, as is normally the case, when articles written by me are posted on wwwghanapolitics.blogspot.com.
Incidentally, it is an article that specifically mentions Kwesi Nyantakyi, the current president of the Ghana Football Association, Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako and Hon. Kennedy Adjapong, all of whom are criticised in it for habouring ambitions to 'own' our country as part of their stealth-wealth-creation-strategies. Notwithstanding
Alas, many of Ghana's vampire-elites simply cannot tolerate being publicly criticised by ordinary folk - but that notwithstanding, some of us will continue to speak truth to power regardless of the shenanigans powerful individuals resort to, when criticised harshly openly - especially on heavily patronised global social media platforms such as yours.
Finally, in light of all the above, do please send my two-step verification code number to the given phone number on my three Facebook pages' accounts sections.
Thanks.
Kind regards,
Kofi Thompson.
For some extraordinary reason, I am unable to access the three Facebook accounts I am associated with: 'The Big Issue Ghana Facebook page'; 'Kofi Thompson Facebook page'; and 'Akyem Juaso Nature-Resource Reserve Facebook page'.
One wonders whether an attempt is underway to hack into the said three Facebook accounts. The question is: If I have asked for two-step verification whenever the need arises for Facebook to contact me about problematic issues such as log-in difficulties, why has no official Facebook message with a code number not been sent directly to my phone, but rather came via my email account?
Knowing what the greedy folk who are destroying our nation by engaging in egregious high-level corruption are like, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it turns out that the attempt to hack into my Facebook accounts result from a desire by unknown parties to prevent me posting an article I wrote today (entitled: "Who Born Dog? Hon. Kennedy Adjapong, Leave Anas Amereyaw and Kweku Baako Alone!"), from being posted on the walls of my three Facebook pages, as is normally the case, when articles written by me are posted on wwwghanapolitics.blogspot.com.
Incidentally, it is an article that specifically mentions Kwesi Nyantakyi, the current president of the Ghana Football Association, Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako and Hon. Kennedy Adjapong, all of whom are criticised in it for habouring ambitions to 'own' our country as part of their stealth-wealth-creation-strategies. Notwithstanding
Alas, many of Ghana's vampire-elites simply cannot tolerate being publicly criticised by ordinary folk - but that notwithstanding, some of us will continue to speak truth to power regardless of the shenanigans powerful individuals resort to, when criticised harshly openly - especially on heavily patronised global social media platforms such as yours.
Finally, in light of all the above, do please send my two-step verification code number to the given phone number on my three Facebook pages' accounts sections.
Thanks.
Kind regards,
Kofi Thompson.
Care2 Healthy Living/Michelle Schoffro Cook: Massive Study Yields Exciting Findings about Gut Health and the Microbiome
Care2 Healthy Living | Massive Study Yields Exciting Findings about Gut Health and the Microbiome
Massive Study Yields Exciting Findings about Gut Health and the Microbiome
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By: Michelle Schoffro Cook
May 31, 2018
About Michelle
Follow Michelle at @mschoffrocook
Gut health could be the biggest trend in the health field right now. Everywhere I turn people are discussing the importance of their gut health and how it is linked to their overall health, as well as the benefits of probiotics. And, for good reason: a growing body of research shows that what happens in our gut expands well beyond the gut.
Now new research shows that the health of your gut is significantly influenced by what you eat. A new study assessed 15096 fecal samples provided by 11336 people, published in the journal of the American Society for Microbiology, found some exciting facts about gut health and the microbiome, which is the total of all the microbes in a living being.
We each have a microbiome and no two microbiomes are alike, although there can be some similarities between them. The microbiome is a sort of microbial fingerprint. And, thanks to the new research, we have greater insight into the effect of diet on our microbiome. Here are some of the findings from this exciting study:
1) Plant-based diets produce the most diverse microbiomes. Diverse microbiomes seem to confer health benefits. Consider people who struggle to lose weight: earlier research in the journal Beneficial Microbes shows that they tend to have less diverse strains of beneficial bacteria and a lower ratio of beneficial microbes to harmful ones.
2) Eating more than 30 types of plant foods weekly yields the most diverse microbiome. In other words, it’s important to eat a plant-based diet but also one that has tremendous diversity. So, expand your horizons when it comes to trying new vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and grains. Your microbiome will thank you. And, who knows? You might even discover a new favorite food.
3) There is a lower incidence of bacterial resistance in those who eat the greatest variety of plant foods weekly. This is great news since more and more varieties of harmful bacteria like E. coli and MRSA are, not only becoming more prevalent, they are also becoming resistant to the typical drug treatment: antibiotics. This is an astounding discovery on its own. We tend to assume that all of a certain variety of bacteria have the same level of potency against humans, but the research shows that people who eat a large variety of plant-based foods are less likely to be host to these disease-causing, resistant bacteria. People who ate more than 30 types of plant foods weekly had less resistance to antibiotics.
4) The gut bacteria of people suffering from mental health issues, including: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder were more similar to others suffering from mental disorders than to those who do not suffer from mental disorders. While the scientists conducting the study did not draw any conclusions, there may be a possible connection between gut health and mental health. Certainly other research suggests that is indeed the case. Research in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found a link between gut bacteria and increased activity in brain pathways that improve brain health and reduce depression risk.
How can you reap the benefits of this exciting research?
There are endless ways to boost the variety of plant-based foods you consume, but the following ones should help you get started:
1) Start by replacing meat in your diet with plant-based options. Start with Meatless Mondays but don’t hesitate to go meatless the rest of the week as well.
2) The next time you pass by that odd-looking fruit or vegetable in the produce section of your grocery store, add it to your cart. It’s easy enough to find recipes for lesser-known foods using a quick Internet search. And, most importantly, add the food to your diet.
3) Instead of just snacking on almonds or another nut, branch out to try Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, etc. Choose raw, unsalted varieties.
4) Rather than just add a can of kidney beans to your soup, stew, or chili, opt for bean varieties you are less familiar with. That could include: chickpeas, lentils, pinto beans, Romano beans, black beans, navy beans, etc.
5) The next time a snack attack strikes, choose a piece of fruit or a bowl of mixed berries.
6) When you have a craving for salty foods, choose traditionally-fermented pickles, pickled green beans, pickled beets or other foods with live cultures. Not only will you be getting a wider variety and a greater quantity of plant-based foods, you’ll also help expand the beneficial microbes you consume. Be sure to choose pickled foods that state “live cultures” or “unpasteurized” on the label.
Related Stories:
Is Your Diet Destroying Beneficial Gut Bacteria?
The Surprising Natural Remedy for Anxiety
The Crucial Link Between Gut and Brain Health
Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM is the publisher of the free e-newsletter World’s Healthiest News, the Cultured Cook, co-founder of BestPlaceinCanada, and an international best-selling and 20-time published book author whose works include: The Cultured Cook: Delicious Fermented Foods with Probiotics to Knock Out Inflammation, Boost Gut Health, Lose Weight & Extend Your Life.
New York Times - California Today/Adam Nagourney and Charles McDermid: ‘The World Is Looking to Us,’ Gavin Newsom Says
New York Times
California Today
Friday, June 1, 2018
NYTimes.com »
‘The World Is Looking to Us,’ Gavin Newsom Says
By ADAM NAGOURNEY AND CHARLES MCDERMID
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a candidate for governor, is pushing universal health care in California in the week before the state's primary election.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a candidate for governor, is pushing universal health care in California in the week before the state's primary election. Gregory Bull/Associated Press
Good morning.
With less than a week to go until the primary, two Democratic candidates for governor — Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles — are engaged in border-to-border bus trips.
Mr. Newsom’s tour took him to a labor hall in Burbank on Wednesday. For those of you who couldn’t make it, here are some excerpts from his 16-minute speech, condensed and edited for clarity.
“I am of the humble opinion that in an economy as large, with a population as diverse and extraordinary as ours, with the natural instincts to lead, with the ability to redirect existing resources in a more resourceful way, that we could cover every single citizen and every single resident in this state, regardless of income, and provide universal health care. Regardless of pre-existing conditions, your ability to pay, or your immigration status. We can lead the nation in that conversation.
“In so many ways, the world is looking to us. This is California. I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else. Eat your heart out, Texas. California is a special place: a majority-minority state; 27 percent of this state foreign born. The state has brought in 112,000 refugees in the last 15 years: 1,454 Syrian refugees. No other state has taken more Syrian refugees, Mr. Trump. It’s a point of pride.
“There was a guy running for re-election as governor by the name of Pete Wilson. Not too many years ago — 1994. He was out there promoting Prop. 187: Xenophobia, nativism was front and center in our political debate. He was not only promoting his own candidacy for governor, he was on his way to announce his bid to be president of the United States. Pete Wilson wins his re-election walking way. Prop. 187 wins, overwhelmingly.
“But it is a cautionary tale isn’t it — California? Because today’s headlines are about the Republican Party being third-party status in California. Donald Trump, you may want to pay attention to that. Mitch McConnell, you may want to pay attention to that. You guys are walking off the same cliff Pete Wilson walked the Republican Party off of in the state of California in 1994.”
California Online
(Please note: We regularly highlight articles on news sites that have limited access for nonsubscribers.)
• Of California’s 53 congressional seats, only 14 are held by Republicans. And seven of those Republican districts favored Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrats hope to flip these districts to win back control of the House. [The New York Times]
• Antonio Villaraigosa, whose rise in California was seen as the embodiment of increasing Latino influence, is now in a fight for his political life. “He needs to over perform with his base,” a Republican strategist said, “and that would be Los Angeles voters and Latinos.” [Los Angeles Times]
• “The world changes.” That was Senator Dianne Feinstein explaining her recent embrace of more liberal positions on the death penalty and recreational marijuana as she campaigns for re-election. Her challengers in the June 5 election include Kevin de León, the former State Senate Democratic leader. [The Sacramento Bee]
• Alarm over the election of Donald Trump spurred dozens of first-time candidates to run for Congress. Some of those candidates now present a problem for the Democratic Party. [Listen to ‘The Daily’]
• Rick Caruso, a West Los Angeles billionaire, was elected chairman of the U.S.C. board of trustees while he oversees an investigation into the widening scandal involving a longtime campus gynecologist. [Los Angeles Business Times]
• Immigration as political salvation: From Texas to California, Republican backers of an immigration petition are making life tough on Speaker Paul Ryan. [The New York Times]
• California is underreporting hate crimes to the F.B.I., state lawmakers and the public, state auditors said. Even with the undercounting, the state’s reported hate crimes increased by more than 20 percent from 2014 to 2016. [A.P.]
• Google blamed Wikipedia for search results that said the ideology of the California Republican Party included “Nazism.” The House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, called the results a “disgrace.” [CBS]
Protesters blocked tech company commuter buses in the Mission District of San Francisco on Thursday.
Protesters blocked tech company commuter buses in the Mission District of San Francisco on Thursday.
Richard Jacobsen/Associated Press
• Cries of “techsploitation” in San Francisco. Anti-Google protesters dumped scooters in front of private buses for tech workers. Scooters have become the latest flash point of anger against the tech industry in its hometown. [The New York Times]
• California’s electric utility companies will spend nearly $768 million on charging infrastructure for electric cars, trucks and buses, under a series of proposals approved by state regulators. [The San Francisco Chronicle]
• The State Senate approved a bill that would create a state bank for marijuana businesses. The proposed bank would also increase security at marijuana dispensaries, where stockpiles of cash can tempt thieves. [High Times]
Members of the Compton Cowboys out for a ride through the streets of Compton, Calif.
Members of the Compton Cowboys out for a ride through the streets of Compton, Calif.
Walter Thompson Hernandez/The New York Times
• “Streets raised us, horses saved us.” Here are some reader responses to a Times article on the Compton Cowboys, a group of African-American men who ride horses in one of the poorest areas in the U.S. [The New York Times]
• In memoriam. Ted Dabney, 81, a San Francisco native who helped lay the groundwork for the modern video game industry as a co-founder of Atari in Sunnyvale in the 1970s. [The New York Times]
• And the Warriors won in overtime. Golden State held off LeBron James, his 51 points, and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers to take the opening game of the N.B.A. finals, 124-114. Game 2 is Sunday (we double-checked). [The New York Times]
And Finally ...
Fish Face, a poke restaurant in the Warehouse Artists Lofts Public Market in Sacramento.
Fish Face, a poke restaurant in the Warehouse Artists Lofts Public Market in Sacramento.
Drew Kelly for The New York Times
As a travel destination, Sacramento gets no respect.
But the state’s oldest incorporated city — founded in 1849, the year before California joined the union — remains a lush oasis of bougainvillea and palms, prolific fruit trees and mighty oaks.
It also has a thriving cultural scene and architectural character all its own, including neighborhoods of midcentury modern homes, Craftsman Bungalows and ornate Victorians.
Unlike California’s glittering, glamorous coastal cities, Sacramento, located in the Central Valley, has an earnest, small-town affect and a welcome lack of pretension.
Read the full article here.
California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com.
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.
California Today
Friday, June 1, 2018
NYTimes.com »
‘The World Is Looking to Us,’ Gavin Newsom Says
By ADAM NAGOURNEY AND CHARLES MCDERMID
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a candidate for governor, is pushing universal health care in California in the week before the state's primary election.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a candidate for governor, is pushing universal health care in California in the week before the state's primary election. Gregory Bull/Associated Press
Good morning.
With less than a week to go until the primary, two Democratic candidates for governor — Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles — are engaged in border-to-border bus trips.
Mr. Newsom’s tour took him to a labor hall in Burbank on Wednesday. For those of you who couldn’t make it, here are some excerpts from his 16-minute speech, condensed and edited for clarity.
“I am of the humble opinion that in an economy as large, with a population as diverse and extraordinary as ours, with the natural instincts to lead, with the ability to redirect existing resources in a more resourceful way, that we could cover every single citizen and every single resident in this state, regardless of income, and provide universal health care. Regardless of pre-existing conditions, your ability to pay, or your immigration status. We can lead the nation in that conversation.
“In so many ways, the world is looking to us. This is California. I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else. Eat your heart out, Texas. California is a special place: a majority-minority state; 27 percent of this state foreign born. The state has brought in 112,000 refugees in the last 15 years: 1,454 Syrian refugees. No other state has taken more Syrian refugees, Mr. Trump. It’s a point of pride.
“There was a guy running for re-election as governor by the name of Pete Wilson. Not too many years ago — 1994. He was out there promoting Prop. 187: Xenophobia, nativism was front and center in our political debate. He was not only promoting his own candidacy for governor, he was on his way to announce his bid to be president of the United States. Pete Wilson wins his re-election walking way. Prop. 187 wins, overwhelmingly.
“But it is a cautionary tale isn’t it — California? Because today’s headlines are about the Republican Party being third-party status in California. Donald Trump, you may want to pay attention to that. Mitch McConnell, you may want to pay attention to that. You guys are walking off the same cliff Pete Wilson walked the Republican Party off of in the state of California in 1994.”
California Online
(Please note: We regularly highlight articles on news sites that have limited access for nonsubscribers.)
• Of California’s 53 congressional seats, only 14 are held by Republicans. And seven of those Republican districts favored Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrats hope to flip these districts to win back control of the House. [The New York Times]
• Antonio Villaraigosa, whose rise in California was seen as the embodiment of increasing Latino influence, is now in a fight for his political life. “He needs to over perform with his base,” a Republican strategist said, “and that would be Los Angeles voters and Latinos.” [Los Angeles Times]
• “The world changes.” That was Senator Dianne Feinstein explaining her recent embrace of more liberal positions on the death penalty and recreational marijuana as she campaigns for re-election. Her challengers in the June 5 election include Kevin de León, the former State Senate Democratic leader. [The Sacramento Bee]
• Alarm over the election of Donald Trump spurred dozens of first-time candidates to run for Congress. Some of those candidates now present a problem for the Democratic Party. [Listen to ‘The Daily’]
• Rick Caruso, a West Los Angeles billionaire, was elected chairman of the U.S.C. board of trustees while he oversees an investigation into the widening scandal involving a longtime campus gynecologist. [Los Angeles Business Times]
• Immigration as political salvation: From Texas to California, Republican backers of an immigration petition are making life tough on Speaker Paul Ryan. [The New York Times]
• California is underreporting hate crimes to the F.B.I., state lawmakers and the public, state auditors said. Even with the undercounting, the state’s reported hate crimes increased by more than 20 percent from 2014 to 2016. [A.P.]
• Google blamed Wikipedia for search results that said the ideology of the California Republican Party included “Nazism.” The House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, called the results a “disgrace.” [CBS]
Protesters blocked tech company commuter buses in the Mission District of San Francisco on Thursday.
Protesters blocked tech company commuter buses in the Mission District of San Francisco on Thursday.
Richard Jacobsen/Associated Press
• Cries of “techsploitation” in San Francisco. Anti-Google protesters dumped scooters in front of private buses for tech workers. Scooters have become the latest flash point of anger against the tech industry in its hometown. [The New York Times]
• California’s electric utility companies will spend nearly $768 million on charging infrastructure for electric cars, trucks and buses, under a series of proposals approved by state regulators. [The San Francisco Chronicle]
• The State Senate approved a bill that would create a state bank for marijuana businesses. The proposed bank would also increase security at marijuana dispensaries, where stockpiles of cash can tempt thieves. [High Times]
Members of the Compton Cowboys out for a ride through the streets of Compton, Calif.
Members of the Compton Cowboys out for a ride through the streets of Compton, Calif.
Walter Thompson Hernandez/The New York Times
• “Streets raised us, horses saved us.” Here are some reader responses to a Times article on the Compton Cowboys, a group of African-American men who ride horses in one of the poorest areas in the U.S. [The New York Times]
• In memoriam. Ted Dabney, 81, a San Francisco native who helped lay the groundwork for the modern video game industry as a co-founder of Atari in Sunnyvale in the 1970s. [The New York Times]
• And the Warriors won in overtime. Golden State held off LeBron James, his 51 points, and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers to take the opening game of the N.B.A. finals, 124-114. Game 2 is Sunday (we double-checked). [The New York Times]
And Finally ...
Fish Face, a poke restaurant in the Warehouse Artists Lofts Public Market in Sacramento.
Fish Face, a poke restaurant in the Warehouse Artists Lofts Public Market in Sacramento.
Drew Kelly for The New York Times
As a travel destination, Sacramento gets no respect.
But the state’s oldest incorporated city — founded in 1849, the year before California joined the union — remains a lush oasis of bougainvillea and palms, prolific fruit trees and mighty oaks.
It also has a thriving cultural scene and architectural character all its own, including neighborhoods of midcentury modern homes, Craftsman Bungalows and ornate Victorians.
Unlike California’s glittering, glamorous coastal cities, Sacramento, located in the Central Valley, has an earnest, small-town affect and a welcome lack of pretension.
Read the full article here.
California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com.
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.
Who Born Dog, Hon. Kennedy Adjapong? Leave Anas Amereyaw and Kweku Baako Alone!
"O, to be king of Equatorial Guinea for just a day!" That was what when he was conspiring with others to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea, the UK-based Lebanese businessman, Ely Calil, is said to have stated.
What Ely Calil (who died yesterday apparently after a fall in his Holland Park mansion in London) meant, was that he would sign enough oil and gas contracts within a 24-hour period, were he absolute monarch of Equatorial Guinea for even that short period, to enable him set himself up as a very, very, very wealthy man, for the rest of his natural life. Bloody nerve. Bloody fool.
Truth be told, it is that selfsame yearning for untold wealth at the expense of poor nations, which drives so many dubious characters into the murky world of politics, in our country today. The Kwesi Nyantakyis, Kennedy Adjapongs, Bernard Antwi Boasiakos, and others of their ilk, all seek to 'own' and 'control' our nation, as part of their stealth-wealth-creation strategy.
Selfless, patriotic and public-spirited individuals who care passionately about Mother Ghana, and consequently work for the common good at all material times (and cannot be bought - because their consciences aren't for sale at any price) - are a threat to the abovementioned power-hungry, greedy-brigade-members, who fund political parties solely as a sure-banker-building-block in their quest for untold wealth at the expense of our nation and its people.
It is for that reason that some of those blockheaded rogues secretly seek the destruction of the reputations of the independent-minded and principled Kweku Baakos and Anas Amereyaws of Ghana's (mostly-corrupt) media world. The irony is that were political parties in Ghana funded with taxpayers' cash, for example, the baleful influence of arrogant characters such as the Kwesi Nyantakyis, Kennedy Adjapongs, Bernard Antwi Boasiakos, and their ilk, would never be countenanced by any of our nation's political parties. Food for thought.
Anas Amereyaw's and Kweku Baako's sterling contributions to the nation-building effort in our democracy, are of more value to our nation and its people, than anything the vulgar and boastful Kennedy Adjapongs, Kwesi Nyantakyis, and Bernard Antwi-Boasiakos have ever done in their entire sodden lives and will ever do. Are they not really in politics solely for their own selfish ends? Hypocrites. It is time they left the Kweku Baakos and Anas Amereyaws in our midst alone. Haaba. To use a famous Ghanaian pidgin English phrase: "Who born dog?"
What Ely Calil (who died yesterday apparently after a fall in his Holland Park mansion in London) meant, was that he would sign enough oil and gas contracts within a 24-hour period, were he absolute monarch of Equatorial Guinea for even that short period, to enable him set himself up as a very, very, very wealthy man, for the rest of his natural life. Bloody nerve. Bloody fool.
Truth be told, it is that selfsame yearning for untold wealth at the expense of poor nations, which drives so many dubious characters into the murky world of politics, in our country today. The Kwesi Nyantakyis, Kennedy Adjapongs, Bernard Antwi Boasiakos, and others of their ilk, all seek to 'own' and 'control' our nation, as part of their stealth-wealth-creation strategy.
Selfless, patriotic and public-spirited individuals who care passionately about Mother Ghana, and consequently work for the common good at all material times (and cannot be bought - because their consciences aren't for sale at any price) - are a threat to the abovementioned power-hungry, greedy-brigade-members, who fund political parties solely as a sure-banker-building-block in their quest for untold wealth at the expense of our nation and its people.
It is for that reason that some of those blockheaded rogues secretly seek the destruction of the reputations of the independent-minded and principled Kweku Baakos and Anas Amereyaws of Ghana's (mostly-corrupt) media world. The irony is that were political parties in Ghana funded with taxpayers' cash, for example, the baleful influence of arrogant characters such as the Kwesi Nyantakyis, Kennedy Adjapongs, Bernard Antwi Boasiakos, and their ilk, would never be countenanced by any of our nation's political parties. Food for thought.
Anas Amereyaw's and Kweku Baako's sterling contributions to the nation-building effort in our democracy, are of more value to our nation and its people, than anything the vulgar and boastful Kennedy Adjapongs, Kwesi Nyantakyis, and Bernard Antwi-Boasiakos have ever done in their entire sodden lives and will ever do. Are they not really in politics solely for their own selfish ends? Hypocrites. It is time they left the Kweku Baakos and Anas Amereyaws in our midst alone. Haaba. To use a famous Ghanaian pidgin English phrase: "Who born dog?"
RenewEconomy/Giles Parkinson: The rapidly changing dynamics of Australia’s grid
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The rapidly changing dynamics of Australia’s grid
By Giles Parkinson on 1 June 2018
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
The politics may not change much, but Australia’s electricity grid is changing before our very eyes – slowly and inevitably becoming more renewable, more decentralised, and challenging the pre-conceptions of many in the industry.
The latest National Emissions Audit from The Australia Institute, which includes an update on key electricity trends in the National Electricity Market, notes some interesting developments over the last three months.
+ Renewables-rich South Australia became a net electricity exporter for first time;
+ 12 new wind and solar farms totalling 1050MW of capacity were added to the grid, including 500MW of large-scale solar, trebling the amount of large-scale solar in the system;
+ The continued rapid uptake of rooftop PV by homes and businesses kept a lid on grid demand, even if overall consumption showed a rise, and;
+ Electricity generation emissions in the NEM fell again, but only slightly.
The most surprising of those developments may be the South Australia achievement, which shows that since the closure of the Hazelwood brown coal generator in March 2017, South Australia has become a net exporter of electricity, in net annualised terms.
Lead author Hugh Saddler notes that this is a big change for South Australia, which in 1999 and 2000, when it had only gas and local coal, used to import 30 per cent of its electricity demand.
The fact that wholesale prices in South Australia were higher in other states – then, as they are now – has nothing to with wind and solar, but the fact that it has no low-cost conventional source and a peaky demand profile (then and now).
“The difference today is that the state is now taking advantage of its abundant resources of wind and solar radiation, and the new technologies which have made them the lowest course sources of new generation, to supply much of its electricity requirements,” Saddler writes.
He notes that way back in the 1950s, when the local supply problem was first recognised, the then Electricity Trust of South Australia undertook a study into the feasibility of wind generation, about half a century before it was actually built.
Other things to note about the flows between states is that Victoria was about equal on imports and exports with its three neighbouring states, despite the closure of Hazelwood, while NSW continues to import around 10 per cent of its needs from Queensland.
This has nothing to do with the lack of supply in NSW. Its coal generators continued to deliver only around two-thirds of the time, it’s just that NSW plants are older and more expensive than the ones in Queensland.
Another interesting point is that gas-fired generation has increased in the last year or two in South Australia as a result of the Northern closure, but is still below the levels of a decade ago.
But because it is expensive, this is likely to spur more investment in storage.
As for rooftop solar, Saddler notes that the share of residential solar in the grid is still relatively small but it is the most steadily growing generation source in the NEM. (See red line in chart below).
That line is expected to grow steadily. By 2040, or perhaps 2050, the share of distributed generation, which includes rooftop solar, battery storage and demand management, is expected to reach nearly half of all Australia’s grid demand.
Saddler, says, however, that the increase in large-scale solar over the last few months is a significant milestone in Australia’s transition towards clean electricity generation. (See very top graph).
“Firstly, they are a concrete demonstration that the construction cost advantage, which wind enjoyed over solar until a year or two ago, is gone.
“From now on we can expect new capacity to be a mix of both technologies. Indeed, the Clean Energy Regulator states that it expects solar to account for half of all (new renewable) capacity by 2020.”
As for the change in emissions, this graph above tells the story, the brown line is key – there was another slight fall in the latest period.
But Australia – thanks to the closure of coal-fired generators and their replacement with wind and solar – has cut emissions by 18 per cent from the electricity grid in a decade.
Sadly, the government target is just a 26 per cent reduction from 2005 levels by 2030. Most of the rest of the target will be met over the next two years when the build-out of more wind and solar to meet the renewable energy target is completed.
Then what?
inShare
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Australian Federal Government • Featured • Governments electricity, grid, large-scale, NEM, rooftop solar
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The rapidly changing dynamics of Australia’s grid
By Giles Parkinson on 1 June 2018
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
The politics may not change much, but Australia’s electricity grid is changing before our very eyes – slowly and inevitably becoming more renewable, more decentralised, and challenging the pre-conceptions of many in the industry.
The latest National Emissions Audit from The Australia Institute, which includes an update on key electricity trends in the National Electricity Market, notes some interesting developments over the last three months.
+ Renewables-rich South Australia became a net electricity exporter for first time;
+ 12 new wind and solar farms totalling 1050MW of capacity were added to the grid, including 500MW of large-scale solar, trebling the amount of large-scale solar in the system;
+ The continued rapid uptake of rooftop PV by homes and businesses kept a lid on grid demand, even if overall consumption showed a rise, and;
+ Electricity generation emissions in the NEM fell again, but only slightly.
The most surprising of those developments may be the South Australia achievement, which shows that since the closure of the Hazelwood brown coal generator in March 2017, South Australia has become a net exporter of electricity, in net annualised terms.
Lead author Hugh Saddler notes that this is a big change for South Australia, which in 1999 and 2000, when it had only gas and local coal, used to import 30 per cent of its electricity demand.
The fact that wholesale prices in South Australia were higher in other states – then, as they are now – has nothing to with wind and solar, but the fact that it has no low-cost conventional source and a peaky demand profile (then and now).
“The difference today is that the state is now taking advantage of its abundant resources of wind and solar radiation, and the new technologies which have made them the lowest course sources of new generation, to supply much of its electricity requirements,” Saddler writes.
He notes that way back in the 1950s, when the local supply problem was first recognised, the then Electricity Trust of South Australia undertook a study into the feasibility of wind generation, about half a century before it was actually built.
Other things to note about the flows between states is that Victoria was about equal on imports and exports with its three neighbouring states, despite the closure of Hazelwood, while NSW continues to import around 10 per cent of its needs from Queensland.
This has nothing to do with the lack of supply in NSW. Its coal generators continued to deliver only around two-thirds of the time, it’s just that NSW plants are older and more expensive than the ones in Queensland.
Another interesting point is that gas-fired generation has increased in the last year or two in South Australia as a result of the Northern closure, but is still below the levels of a decade ago.
But because it is expensive, this is likely to spur more investment in storage.
As for rooftop solar, Saddler notes that the share of residential solar in the grid is still relatively small but it is the most steadily growing generation source in the NEM. (See red line in chart below).
That line is expected to grow steadily. By 2040, or perhaps 2050, the share of distributed generation, which includes rooftop solar, battery storage and demand management, is expected to reach nearly half of all Australia’s grid demand.
Saddler, says, however, that the increase in large-scale solar over the last few months is a significant milestone in Australia’s transition towards clean electricity generation. (See very top graph).
“Firstly, they are a concrete demonstration that the construction cost advantage, which wind enjoyed over solar until a year or two ago, is gone.
“From now on we can expect new capacity to be a mix of both technologies. Indeed, the Clean Energy Regulator states that it expects solar to account for half of all (new renewable) capacity by 2020.”
As for the change in emissions, this graph above tells the story, the brown line is key – there was another slight fall in the latest period.
But Australia – thanks to the closure of coal-fired generators and their replacement with wind and solar – has cut emissions by 18 per cent from the electricity grid in a decade.
Sadly, the government target is just a 26 per cent reduction from 2005 levels by 2030. Most of the rest of the target will be met over the next two years when the build-out of more wind and solar to meet the renewable energy target is completed.
Then what?
inShare
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Sungrow adds 4.8kWh PowCube battery to Australian...Battery storage,News & Commentary,one step
Australian banks double down on global fossil...Climate,Coal,Governments,Other Good Stuff,Renewables
Hyundai jumps back into booming Australian solar...CleanTech Bites,one step,Solar
Why car dealers don’t want to sell electric...Featured,Smart Transport
Why there will be no new petrol cars sold in...Other Good Stuff,Smart Transport
Recommendations powered by plista
Australian Federal Government • Featured • Governments electricity, grid, large-scale, NEM, rooftop solar
« Previous Post
RenewEconomy Free Daily Newsletter
Email Address
From Our Partners At SolarQuotes
Live Australia Electricity Generation Data
OpenNEM
Upcoming Events
Sponsored Links
Renew Economy Jobs Board
Press Releases
GoodWe awarded EuPD Research Top Brand PV Seal for the Netherlands
Victron Energy aims for large-scale storage projects with new MultiPlus-II battery inverter-charger
Boost for clean energy start-ups with new Brisbane base thanks to the CEFC and EnergyLab
Energy Regulator to put networks under the microscope
Putting a stop to energy discounting that leaves consumers worse off
Follow Us
Popular Articles
Why so many people are so desperate for Tesla and Musk to fail
Queensland's biggest solar farm starts generating to grid
ICE lobby strikes out against car emissions standards
Mars goes 100% solar for all six Australian factories
Renewables smash records in 2017, but 2018/19 will be bigger
Popular Tags
AEMO ARENA Australia battery storage carbon emissions CEFC China clean energy climate climate change climate policy coal cop21 electricity electric vehicle electric vehicles emissions energy energy efficiency energy storage EV EVs fossil fuels Gas Germany global warming India NEM nuclear policy renewable energy renewable energy target renewables RET rooftop solar smart energy solar solar energy solar farm solar PV south australia Tesla wind wind energy wind farm
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