United States

Europe moves to secure gallium supply as METLEN signs US deal

Europe moves to secure gallium supply as METLEN signs US deal

On July 29, METLEN Energy & Metals announced a long-term deal to supply approximately 25% of the annual gallium output expected from its planned production facility in Greece. The agreement was ...

The world reorganises without the US: the new geography of sustainability

The world reorganises without the US: the new geography of sustainability

At the end of November 2025, as the COP30 UN climate negotiations closed in Belém, the most notable absentee was the delegation of the United States – about to formally withdraw from th...

Trump-Xi: A summit of ambiguities - one meeting, two interpretations

Trump-Xi: A summit of ambiguities - one meeting, two interpretations

Maybe it was the visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, a symbol of good harvest and prosperity in the Chinese imperial tradition. Or perhaps it was simply the international situation and economi...

US-Iran, two-week ceasefire: gas and oil prices drop

US-Iran, two-week ceasefire: gas and oil prices drop

Following more than a month of military escalation, the United States and Iran have reached an agreement on a temporary two-week ceasefire. US President Trump announced the agreement just hours befo...

US-EU tariffs: agreement reached, but the risk of energy dependence remains

US-EU tariffs: agreement reached, but the risk of energy dependence remains

From Brussels – On 26 March, the European Parliament endorsed its position on two legislative proposals giving effect to the tariff aspects of the EU-US agreement signed in July 2025. The text...

Water as a target in the Iran war

Water as a target in the Iran war

This article is part of the thematic channel The Water Observer: subscribe to our newsletter and receive exclusive contents from the world of water The recent wave of strikes in the Third Gulf War ...

Apple Wins US Greenwashing Case Over “Carbon Neutral” Claims

Apple Wins US Greenwashing Case Over “Carbon Neutral” Claims

Apple has prevailed in a major greenwashing lawsuit in the United States concerning its “carbon neutral” marketing claims for certain Apple Watch models. On 20 February, U.S. Distri...

China, Iranian oil (and Venezuelan oil)

China, Iranian oil (and Venezuelan oil)

“The international community should make clear and unequivocal voice in opposing the regression of the world to the law of the jungle.” This was how Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi resp...

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz also threatens the fertiliser supply chain

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz also threatens the fertiliser supply chain

Since Saturday, 28 February, three oil tankers have been bombed, a crew member aboard a Marshall Islands–flagged cargo vessel has been killed, and around two hundred merchant ships have been l...

Epic Gamble: The Renewed Israel-US Attack on Iran and Its Wider Impacts

Epic Gamble: The Renewed Israel-US Attack on Iran and Its Wider Impacts

It was a shock but not much of a surprise when Israeli and US air forces unloaded munitions on targets in Iran on Saturday, 28 February 2026. The buildup of US forces in the immediate vicinity ...

Conflict in Iran: reactions from the US and the energy markets

Conflict in Iran: reactions from the US and the energy markets

The peaceful weekend of the US capital, which woke up to its second day of war on a sunny Sunday, contrasts with the scenes seen in Tehran, Tel Aviv, and various capitals of the Gulf countries. Unti...

US-Israel strikes kill Khamenei: what is happening in Iran

US-Israel strikes kill Khamenei: what is happening in Iran

The Middle East entered a new and destabilizing phase on Saturday morning, 1 March, when Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in his office during the Israeli-US...

India embraces AI and joins the US's Pax Silica

India embraces AI and joins the US's Pax Silica

A human-centred approach, worldwide cooperation, and wider access to artificial intelligence technologies. The AI Impact Summit 2026 – the fourth, held this year in New Delhi from 16 to 2...

US fossil fuel lobbyists infiltrate the EU Parliament to dismantle the Green Deal

US fossil fuel lobbyists infiltrate the EU Parliament to dismantle the Green Deal

from Bruxelles - An investigation is raising straightforward questions about the democratic stability of the European Union and the role of external influences in its decision-making processes. In t...

Trump revokes scientific ruling on greenhouse gas emissions

Trump revokes scientific ruling on greenhouse gas emissions

"Today, the Trump administration repealed the endangerment finding: the ruling that served as the basis for limits on tailpipe emissions and power plant rules. Without it, we’ll be less safe, ...

2026 will be a turning point for climate litigation

2026 will be a turning point for climate litigation

In 2026, the courts will be the new battleground for the climate crisis. This is not a metaphor: Ukraine is preparing to file the first claim for climate reparations in history against Russia, ...

Critical Raw Materials, the complex European challenge

Critical Raw Materials, the complex European challenge

Strategic critical raw materials are the Achilles heel of European industrial recovery. Commonly known by the acronym CRM, they are essential for the EU's competitiveness, as well as for clean energ...

Cory Doctorow: “The creeping digitisation of society brings forth the enshittification of it”

Cory Doctorow: “The creeping digitisation of society brings forth the enshittification of it”

He was the European Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation for many years; he’s on the front lines for digital rights; an essayist, science fiction writer, and one of the most influent...

Attack on Venezuela: how did China react?

Attack on Venezuela: how did China react?

“It was a friendly meeting, reaffirming the strong bonds of friendship between China and Venezuela. In good and bad times!” The last words posted on Nicolas Maduro's social media profile...

The US pulls out of the UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The US pulls out of the UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The Trump administration has launched yet another onslaught on international law and the fight against climate change. In a deeply troubling and unprecedented move, on Wednesday 7 January, Secretary...