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Electric car batteries could be used to boost power storage in the future, injecting electricity into the grid during times of scarcity or storing electricity during periods of excess, a new study found Tuesday. Renewable energy is essential for the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below two degrees Celsius, but the need to scale up quickly and the intermittency of wind and solar have raised concerns about meeting electricity demand. One way to help solve this problem is boosting the storage capacity of electricity grids, so that even when there is no sun or wind energy...

Globalists, such as Tom Friedman, Klaus Schwab and Barack Obama, along with a lot of greenie billionaires, have expressed admiration for China and its development as a world power for years. Now, China is returning the compliment. According to PJMedia's Catherine Salgado: Chinese Communist Party (CCP) state propaganda outlet Global Times praised the “Davos Spirit” in a tweet, claiming, “China’s ideals and achievements also made the Davos Spirit more dazzling.” The tweet further said that China is excited to find “more like-minded friends at the WEF.” Editorial: The #Davos Spirit with openness and cooperation as core is also resonating with...

Eva Kaili is the name on everyone's lips in Brussels.The Greek MEP was considered, until her arrest on 9 December, a rising star among the ranks of the socialist group (S&D). Known as media-friendly and approachable, Kaili was first elected to the European Parliament in 2014, running with the centre-left PASOK party, and was re-elected in 2019.In January 2022, the 44-year-old was named one of the parliament's 14 vice presidents, a culmination of her legislative work in digital topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and blockchain.Since her shocking detainment, Kaili has been expelled from PASOK, suspended from the S&D group...

The German chancellor celebrated the government's ability to evade an economic crisis or gas shortage this winter. His remarks came at the opening of a second LNG terminal in northern Germany.

Police in riot gear began evicting climate activists Wednesday from a condemned village in western Germany that is due to be demolished for the expansion of a coal mine. Some stones and fireworks were thrown as officers entered the tiny hamlet of Luetzerath, which has become a flashpoint of debate over the country’s climate efforts, on Wednesday morning. Police spokesman Andreas Mueller said the attacks on officers were “not nice” but noted that most of the protest so far had been peaceful. He said police would stick to their tactic of trying to avoid any escalation by offering to let...

Ireland is in the midst of a “medical workforce shortage”, according to the Irish Medical Organization’s Chairman of the Consultant Committee, Dr. Matthew Sadlier. “We are facing an international, global medical workforce shortage,” he said on RTÉ’s Drivetime. “We are competing against countries like Australia and Canada for doctors and frankly we are losing those competitions in being able to recruit doctors.” Dr. Sadlier said it is “increasingly difficult” to recruit junior doctors and there are many vacant consultant posts. He added that if the solution is to make the doctors already in the system work longer hours, that will...

The EU just slapped Facebook parent company Meta with a nearly half-billion-dollar fine, but that’s the least of the company’s worries in Europe. Mark Zuckerberg’s data-hoovering social media colossus will have to write the EU a $413-million check for violating user privacy in EU member countries. For a company that made nearly $40 billion in 2021 alone, even a fine as large as that — which Meta will certainly contest — won’t force the company to change its ways. “More significantly,” reports France24, “European regulators dismissed the legal basis Meta had used to justify gathering users’ personal data for use...

Data published Wednesday by a respected environmental think tank indicates Germany likely missed its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions again last year, despite a big effort by the new government to expand the renewable energy use. Agora Energiewende think tank said in a report that the country released the equivalent of 761 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the main planet-warming gas, in 2022. This was slightly below the previous year but still above Germany’s target of cutting emissions by 40% by 2020. While Germany met its target in 2020, that was largely due to the pandemic-related economic downturn....

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said mistakes were made on all sides in the handling of Brexit, but vowed to be “flexible and reasonable” when attempting to solve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol. He conceded that the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol is “too strict” and said he understands unionist concerns that the treaty has made them feel less British. Mr. Varadkar, who became Taoiseach for a second time in December, has become deeply unpopular within some sections of unionism and loyalism who claim he was an instrumental figure in the creation of the contentious protocol. His name and image have...

Croatia on Sunday switched to the euro and entered Europe's borderless zone - two steps Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic called a "historic moment" for his country that joined the European Union nearly a decade ago. At midnight, the Balkan nation bid farewell to its kuna currency and became the 20th member of the eurozone. It is also now the 27th nation in the passport-free Schengen zone, the world's largest, which enables more than 400 million people to move freely around its members. "It is the season of new beginnings. And there is no place in Europe where this is more...

During a hearing on anti-semitism today, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) claimed that those who “espouse hate” are not protected under the First Amendment, and called for the federal government to be “more aggressive” in its efforts to combat hateful rhetoric. Senator Cardin serves as the Chair of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is also referred to as the Helsinki Commission. […] On Dec. 13, the Helsinki Commission held a hearing entitled, “The Alarming Rise of Anti-Semitism and Its Threat to Democracy.” During the hearing, Cardin stated, “If you espouse hate, if you espouse violence, you’re...

ZDF, German public TV, suggests that Germans bathe once a week or less. Weeks ago, the Instagram site of WDR kugelzwei presented some tips that save heat and energy for citizens to consider: showering only once a week. WattsUpWithThat reports. The propaganda video suggests using a sink to wash in lieu of a shower and even taking common baths. The public baths were infamous in Greece and Rome for sexual decadence. VIDEO AT LINK................ The clip suggests you’d save time getting ready, and people would learn to be more tolerant of body odor. I don’t know about you, but I...

The US, Japan, Taiwan and India also recently announced mandatory testing, as China deals with a Covid surge. But the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the surge was "not expected to impact" the EU. In a statement, the ECDC said: High levels of Covid in China are anticipated given the country's low immunity and recent relaxation of its rules But higher immunity in the EU means a Covid surge in China is not expected to impact the bloc The Covid-19 variants circulating in China are already circulating in the EU Potential imported infections from China are "rather...

Nearly half of the passengers on two recent flights from China to Milan tested positive for COVID-19, Italian health officials said on Wednesday. About 38 percent of passengers on one flight into Milan’s Malpensa Airport tested positive for COVID-19, as did about 52 percent of those on a second flight, according to local officials in Italy’s Lombardy region. Italy will begin testing all new arrivals from China and sequencing the tests for new variants amid China’s surge in COVID-19 cases, Italy’s health minister said on Wednesday. “The measure is essential to ensure surveillance and detection of possible variants of the...

Hospital ‘does not advocate for termination, that is just the lived experience’, says Prof Fergal MaloneAbout 95 per cent of parents whose babies are diagnosed with Down syndrome at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin choose to have an abortion, according to the master of the hospital. Prof Fergal Malone says the Rotunda strives to be non-directive in its counselling to affected parents. “The 95 per cent who choose to travel do reach that decision themselves. We very much do not advocate for termination,” he said. “The reality is that the vast majority choose to terminate. I don’t have a view...

Saxo Bank’s “outrageous predictions” for 2023 include a ban on meat production, skyrocketing gold prices and Britain voting to “un-Brexit.” The Danish bank’s annual report, published earlier this month, expects global economies to shift into “war economy” mode, “where sovereign economic gains and self-reliance trump globalisation.” The forecasts, while not representative of the bank’s official views, looked at how decisions from policymakers next year could impact both the global economy and the political agenda. Gold to hit $3,000Among the bank’s “outrageous” calls for next year, Saxo Head of Commodity Strategy Ole Hansen predicted the price of spot gold could exceed...

President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians to have “patience and faith” in a defiant Christmas address after a deadly wave of Russian strikes pounded the southern city of Kherson. Ten months into Russia’s war on Ukraine, Zelensky spoke of endurance and pushing through to the end, while acknowledging that “freedom comes at a high price.” He urged the nation to stand firm in the face of a grim winter of energy blackouts, the absence of loved ones and the ever-present threat of Russian attacks. Zelensky’s message came after Ukrainian officials said Russia had launched deadly rocket strikes into downtown Kherson...

As it turns out, not freezing to death and not murdering the economy is actually more important than meeting “climate goals.” This is weird…. After “leading the way” for the climate communists, Germany now faces a freezing winter and ballooning energy crises — they’re at the precipice of an economic meltdown, so they’re bringing back their coal. See what Bloomberg had to say: Germany is set to boost its reliance on coal as it battles an unprecedented energy crisis — even at the expense of its ambitious climate goals. …coal is making a comeback as countries seek to prevent soaring...

At least three people were killed and four others injured in a shooting in central Paris on Friday, the local mayor said. An unidentified 69-year-old man opened fire at the Ahmet-Kaya Kurdish cultural center in the city’s 10th arrondissement, Le Parisien reported. The mayor of the arrondissement, Alexandra Cordebard, said three people died and four others were injured in the barrage of gunshots, which rang out in the Rue d’Enghien, a street lined with small shops and cafes, CNN reported.

The HSE’s Chief Operations Officer has warned that Ireland is dealing with a “triple wave of viruses” as new advice is issued to the public. Listing the issues at hand, Damien McCallion said that there are 600 people are in the hospital with COVID, 300 patients have the flu and 250 children are in hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he described the situations as a “unique position that we have never had before”. He went on to say that having all three illnesses spiking at the same time means the healthcare system is under...