US military to close 15 bases in Europe

American Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has confirmed that the United States plans to close 15 military bases across Europe. The Pentagon claims that the move will save $500 million a year and will allow the government to shift its attention towards Asia. 

The United States currently has 60,000 troops stationed in Europe, mostly in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The number will remain the same as the US plans to implement rotations in troop training programs. Most of the closures will affect small bases established during the Cold War. 

This news is a sign that the United States is anticipating that tensions in Asia may boil over soon. Considering recent tensions with North Korea, China, and Russia it is only common sense to focus defense efforts in the region for the time being. 

Parisian Terrorist Attack at Charlie Hebdo office

On January 7th three Islamist gunmen opened fire at the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly newspaper. Satirists had depicted the prophet Mohammed in caricatures since 2011. These caricatures have gone as far as to depict the prophet in the nude. The massacre result in 12 casualties and eleven wounded. During the attack, gunmen were heard to have shouted Allahu akbar or "God is the greatest" and "the Prophet is avenged." Currently, French police are closing in on the shooters responsible for the attack. 

Prior to the attack on Wednesday, the magazine's office was fire-bombed and their website was hacked in 2011. In 2012 after the magazine published an illustration of Mohammed in the nude, French riot police surrounded the office in order to protect against a possible attack. 

In an time of growing Islamophobia in Europe as a result of a rise in immigrant populations from the Middle East, criticisms of the religion have become more frequent. Whether an individual perceives the depiction of Mohammed as bigoted or an expression of free speech, the massacre was certainly not justified. Individuals worldwide of French heritage and otherwise have expressed support for the magazine through peaceful demonstrations sporting the phrase "Je suis Charlie" or "I am Charlie." Even if the magazine was expressing Islamophobic views, individuals in nations that protect free speech (such as France) should be able to vocalize their views without having their lives threatened. 

Draghi comments "drag" euro to lowest level since 2010

The value of the Euro has fallen to its lowest level since the middle of 2010, following comments from Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB). In a newspaper interview, Draghi hinted again that the bank might soon start a policy of quantitive easing in an attempt to stimulate the eurozone economies. He aims to stop the continued fall in the general level of prices for European goods. After his comments were made public, the euro fell 0.4% to $1.2034.

The ECB also plans to inject cash into the banking system in order to stimulate the economy and push prices higher. They plan to take action in early 2015 according to a recent interview.

Consumer inflation has not been at the ECB's target level of just below 2% since the start of 2013, and has been falling since a 3% peak late in 2011. The eurozone's low inflation has been attributed to undermining growth and has prompted ECB stimulus measures. Greece also continues to avoid its austerity measures and may exit the eurozone if it continues to do so.

Naturally, if the Euro continues to plummet it will not only have a negative impact on the American economy, but the global economy as well.

Sweden protest occurs after three mosque fires in one week

Swedish anti-racism campaigners have staged a large rally in central Stockholm after three arson attacks on mosques. Demonstraters rallied for support through leaflets saying phrases such as "Don't touch my mosque" at the 1,000 strong rally outside parliament. Outside of Stockholm, a petrol bomb was thrown at a mosque in Uppsala (located in eastern Sweden).

In late December, a mosque was set ablaze in Esloev (located in southern Sweden) and earlier an arson attack on a mosque in Eskilstuna injured five people. On Friday anti-racism rallies also took place in the cities of Malmo and Gothenburg. The cultural problem is so prominent that in Stockholm Sweden's Culture Minister Alice Bah Kuhnke said the government would launch a national campaign to attempt to counter modern Islamophobia. Kuhnke's campagin aims to educate Swedish citizens about the reality of Islam in order to curb prejudice.

Thus far, the Swedish police force has yet to make any arrests in response to the arson attacks. Kuhnke made a statement describing the attacks as an attempt to intimidate and diminish muslim citizens and that the community cannot let itself be intimidated. Immigration has become a major Swedish concern as of late as a result of the fact that Sweden accepts more asylum seekers per capita than any European country. Anti-immigration Swedish democrats aim to cut the number of asylum seekers brought into Sweden by 90%.

This social prejudice is an example of modern bigotry plaguing Europe as a whole. Anti-semitism is also rising in nations such as France and Germany. The fact that these cultural attacks are occurring in arguably the most liberal region of the world speaks to the resurgence of ethnocentrism in the digital age.

New EU energy rules for domestic electronics

The European Union has ruled that new networked devices such as modems and internet-connected televisions must switch themselves off when not in use. Supporters cite that while many consumer electronics are always connected to the internet even while users are sleeping, utilizing up to 100 watts a night.

Plans for new devices aim to limit consumption to a fraction of what they would have previously. The European commission claims that the move will save an average of £32 a year. The decision originates from the EU's "Ecodesign" initiative which aims to cut costs and reduce environmental toll. The limitation would also likely cut carbon emissions significantly.

Critics of the measure argue that such decisions limit consumer choice. Despite the criticism, the decision will cut costs for consumers in nations facing economic turmoil (such as the P.I.I.G.S. nations) as well as decrease the region's carbon footprint. This decision leads to a greater degree of innovation and efficiency- not a limitation of consumer options. Even if fewer products will be on the market as a result of the measure, consumers should not be concerned as these individuals should purchase the best available products anyway, considering the financial benefits. Optimistically other nations across the earth will eventually adopt similar legislation as climate change and financial hardship are practically omnipresent globally.