Brussels will sketch out its 2030 green targets next week, and there’s a strong possibility that its renewable energy goals will be more suggestion than mandate. In March, the European Commission will vote on a plan for 2030, and the mood is decidedly less optimistic than it was when targets for 2020 were put in place, thanks to rising electricity costs.

When it comes to passing massive trade deals with Europe and the Pacific, Obama’s biggest obstacle may not be France or Japan, or even his Republican opponents in the House, but his allies in the Democratic Party. A number of Democratic senators and congressman reacted negatively to efforts to fast-track the legislation through Congress, and there are now questions as to whether the measure will have the votes to pass. Is Obama losing influence in his own party?

A mysterious report claiming that China plans to invade an island in the South China Sea that is controlled by the Philippines emerged over the weekend. The report, translated from “Chinese media” and appearing at a site called China Daily Mail, appears to threaten the Filipino forces occupying Pag-asa Island. Pag-asa is known as Zhongye Island in China and Beijing claims the Philippines has illegally occupied it for years. At about a tenth of a square mile, the island is one of the larger ones in the Spratly Island group and is the only one with an airstrip long enough to accommodate larger planes. It has a civilian population of 300 souls.

Britain’s shale prospects got a lot brighter today, after 10 Downing sweetened the deal local communities will get for playing host to drilling operations. Local councils could now reap nearly $3 million per well—a number that could overcome what has been to this point strident NIMBY opposition.

The political gridlock that has gripped Washington over the past few years may have one small upside: For the third year in a row, the lobbying industry is losing profits. Most struggling companies are losing business due to the linger effects of the recession, but with lobbyists, the problem appears to stem from the inability of Congress to get much of anything done.

Tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets of Bangkok today to put pressure on Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra were largely unopposed by government forces. Mainstream coverage of the story is a bit garbled, but The Diplomat has a comprehensive look at the situation that is well worth your time.

Between offers made by Israeli leaders and the hints—especially on Jerusalem—from Sharon’s thinking, it seems clear that there is an implicit Israeli bottom line for peace. The question for Secretary Kerry’s negotiations is this: is he trying to find a way to get the Palestinians to accept this old formula with a few minor modifications or is he trying to get the Israelis to put more on the table?

We hope our readers had a productive return to reality in the first full week after the holidays. Here are some stories you may have missed in the past week that are well worth your time this Sunday afternoon.

Late last week, 7,500 gallons of a coal-processing chemical leaked into West Virginia’s Elk River. That river supplied water for the state’s capital, Charleston, and in the aftermath of the spill, more than 300,000 people are without clean water. Fracking could prevent accidents like this one, but don’t expect any green to admit that.

The appeal of telework for small businesses is readily apparent: office space is an expense many can’t afford, so teams coordinate remotely from houses and coffee shops. It also allows firms to pursue the best talent available, without regard to spatial limitations (something the TAI team takes advantage of). But large enterprises are getting on board with telework as well. Small or large, public or private, the economic, social, and even health rationale for telework are manifest.