Staffan Dahl

So we are back to discussing (indirect) subsidies for imported gas - hoping the EU consumer wins. In reality everyone - except the LNG-exporters - loses:

Tom here raises an interesting question while shouting into the void of social media. We have 8 months or so to destroy as much gas demand as possible in the least harmful way. Not a lot of time. What do you do?

Sánchez's defiance over the Iran conflict reflects a calculation that the geopolitical risks are manageable for Spain, the potential electoral rewards significant, and that the broad alignment with Trump’s militarism will not hold.

Saknar möjligen Ukraina i ekvationen, som ju varit ett av de kortsiktiga huvudskälen till europeiska ledare inte velat stöta sig med Trump.

Mycket bra text.

19-åring som misstänkts ha planerat attack mot kvinnliga studenter på sin skola.

Första incel-terrorist-åtalet i Frankrike.

I know its not the craziest thing said there but Ukraine joining the commonwealth?’

Eller Norges Riga.

Norges Bryssel.

Samma företag som för övrigt kritiserats för allvarliga säkerhetsbrister i EUs informationssystem för Schengen, (Schengen Information System).

Belgiska polisen kräver tillbaka 179 miljoner euro från konsultföretaget Sopra Steria för havererat nytt IT-system

Situationen är alltså långt mer allvarlig än vad regeringen tycks tro. Antagandet verkar vara att kriget kommer att vara kort, i likhet med kriget förra året (12 dagar).

Men givet att kriget har en helt annan karaktär, är detta antagande farligt optimistiskt.

US pulling non-essential staff from embassy in Beirut amid Iran tensions A source at the U.S. embassy said 50 people had been evacuated.

Jag blir lite provocerad av att regeringen inte verkar ha förberett sig alls på kriget i Iran. USA skickade hem icke-essentiell personal från sina ambassader den 23 februari. www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Spain's main opposition party demands that the govt of "pacifist" Pedro Sánchez get approval from Congress for sending a frigate to help protect Cyprus. The same party has slammed him for not letting the US use Spanish bases to attack Iran. Insane

I don't think news media should normalise the idea that countries can issue 'evacuation orders' at other countries.

France to provide armoured vehicles, operational support to Lebanese army <article data-history-node-id="434871" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/france-provide-armoured-vehicles-operational-support-lebanese-army" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/france-provide-armoured-vehicles-operational-support-lebanese-army" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">France to provide armoured vehicles, operational support to Lebanese army</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>French President Emmanuel Macron said France will support the Lebanese army and called on Israel “not to expand the war to Lebanon”.</p> <p>Macron announced on X that France would provide armored transport vehicles along with operational and logistical support to the Lebanese army, and pledged his “full support” to the Lebanese government.</p> <p>He also said France would send several tonnes of medicines and aid for tens of thousands of civilians displaced from southern Lebanon, though details of the assistance were not specified.</p> <p>“Everything must be done to prevent this country, so close to France, from once again being drawn into war,” Macron wrote. “The Lebanese have a right to peace and security – like everyone in the Middle East.”</p> <p>The announcement comes after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked Macron to intervene over Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign.</p> </div> </div> </article>

France to provide armoured vehicles, operational support to Lebanese army - https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/france-provide-armoured-vehicles-operational-support-lebanese-army

‘Veggie burgers’ are here to stay. Lab-grown ‘steaks’ never will be. A compromise that cleared the path for plant-based burgers, but banned other meaty terms, resolved a bitter food fight that pit traditional diets against food innovation.

“Veggie burgers” and “vegan sausages” can remain on European supermarket shelves, EU negotiators agreed today. However, only products made of animal flesh can use terms like “steak” or “bacon.”

Partido Popular måste tillhöra Europas sämsta oppositionspartier. Helt otroligt att de går i fällan och stöttar Trump.

Nathan Shachar: Trumps hot mot Spanien skadar inte Sánchez – tvärtom När Spanien förbjöd USA:s flygvapen att använda spanska Natobaser under Irankriget, exploderade Donald Trump.

Jag brukar ju gnälla om att Nathan Shachars texter om Spanien men den här är bra.

www.dn.se/varlden/nath...

Ja det får man nog säga.

Suddenly, its turns out that it is not smart to arrogantly shit on an ally that has learned how to down 200 Shaheds every single night and then wipe out and oil refinery or a military airfield with a handful of cheap drones.

Sverige ja men stämmer uppenbarligen inte att alla europeiska allierade ”are basically, on a massive scale, supportive of what the president is doing”.

Rutte continuing to undermine his own role in Europe.

It is also an interesting element in the discussion on the EU's mutual defence clause - it was not triggered by Cyprus, but there is now Greek, French, Spanish plus UK defence support on the way.

Next up Spain is reportedly sending a frigate to Cyprus in support of defence there.

This seems a smart move to me, signalling European solidarity and participating in defence, while still keeping distance to US/Israel offence against Iran.

Following up on this. Finland is by far the euro area country most decoupled from gas. Wholesale electricity prices in Portugal and Lithuania are largely uncorrelated with gas prices. Italy, Ireland, and Greece will be among the most negatively impacted if gas prices continue rising.

Europe's right-wing populists are a core part of the political establishment, let's not give them the outsider status they crave and abuse, @politico.eu

Will start referring to Elephant power from now.

“Have you even said please?”