Electric Cargo Ship That Drives Itself

Freedomist Editor August 26, 2021

World’s first autonomous, 7MWh electric cargo ship to make voyage with zero crew onboard

From electrek.co
2021-08-25 17:40:43
/u/thispickleisntgreen
Excerpt:

A Norwegian company called Yara International claims to have created the world’s first zero-emission ship that can also transport cargo autonomously. The Yara Birkeland electric cargo ship was first conceptualized in 2017 but now looks to make its first voyage with no crew members onboard later this year in Norway.

Yara International is a Norwegian company that was founded in 1905 to combat the rising famine in Europe at the time. The company created the world’s first nitrogen fertilizer, which remains its largest business focus today.

In addition to its perpetual battle against hunger, Yara focuses on emissions abatement and sustainable agricultural practices. While the company wants to continue finding success in feeding the planet, it believes it can also do so sustainably.

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Airbnb Offers 20,000 Afgan Refugees Shelter

Paul Collier August 25, 2021

Airbnb plans to temporarily house 20,000 Afghan refugees

From www.cnbc.com
2021-08-24 18:37:22

Excerpt:

Families begin to board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, August 23, 2021.

Sgt. Samuel Ruiz | U.S. Marine Corps | via Reuters

Airbnb is planning to start housing 20,000 Afghan refugees around the world free of charge, the company’s CEO, Brian Chesky, said Tuesday.

The refugees will be housed in properties listed on Airbnb’s platform and the stays will be funded by Airbnb, Chesky said on Twitter, without specifying exactly how much the company plans to spend on the commitment or how long refugees will be housed for.

The U.S. said Monday it has evacuated roughly 48,000 people from Afghanistan in recent days, while thousands are still trying to escape, fearing reprisals from the Taliban militants now in power.

The main exit point is Kabul airport, where huge crowds have been gathering in the sweltering heat. The Taliban has set an airlift deadline of Aug. 31 and there are concerns many who want to…

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An EPA Rule Banning Chlorpyrifos Might Destroy Michigan Farming

Freedomist Editor August 25, 2021

EPA ban on chlorpyrifos devastating for Michigan farmers – Michigan Farm News

From www.michiganfarmnews.com
2021-08-24 19:32:42

Excerpt:

A surprise decision from the EPA to ban the use of chlorpyrifos on food is sending shockwaves through Michigan’s agricultural community and leaving growers concerned for their crops.

The EPA revoked all tolerances for the widely used pesticide last week, citing a decision to a Ninth Circuit’s Court of Appeals order directing the agency to issue a final rule in response to the 2007 petition filed by an anti-pesticide group.

The decision broke from the longstanding procedural safeguards provided by Congress and supported by science, denying farmers, retailers, and the public the opportunity to have their voices heard, according to Michigan Farm Bureau President Carl Bednarski, a Tuscola County crop producer.

Now, growers who depend on chlorpyrifos to help ensure their safe, nutritious crops grow reliably are being left with few — if any — options to keep insects from decimating their fruits and vegetables and row crops, despite sound science backing the safety of its use.

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Biden Pentagon Says It Will Obey Taliban August 31st Deadline

Freedomist Editor August 25, 2021

Pentagon says no change in plan to complete Afghan evacuation by Aug. 31

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com
2021-08-24 15:28:55

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said on Tuesday there had been no change so far in its plan to meet President Joe Biden’s evacuation deadline for Afghanistan by the end of the month and that it intends to withdraw the US troops by then.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Pentagon believes it has the ability to get all Americans who want to leave out of Afghanistan by August 31.
“We’re absolutely still aiming towards the end of the month,” Kirby said, while adding that the Pentagon may need additional bases to house evacuees from Afghanistan.
Kirby further said “several thousand” Americans have been evacuated from Afghanistan but declined to give a more specific figure. He also said he was unable to provide the percentage of Americans in Afghanistan who have now been evacuated.
“The president’s direction has been to complete this withdrawal, this evacuation, by the 31st of August. That is the direction that we are operating under and therefore, that is driving a lot of our plans,”…

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Eritrea Shows No Signs In Letting Up Efforts to Seize Tigray from Ethiopia

Freedomist Editor August 25, 2021

U.S., EU warn of influx of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray

From www.reuters.com
2021-08-24 14:32:00

Excerpt:

LONDON (Reuters) – The United States and European Union are raising alarm over the recent deployment of troops from Eritrea to Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where nine months of war have killed thousands of people and sparked a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Forces from Ethiopia’s rebellious Tigray recaptured much of the territory in June, in a major setback for Ethiopia’s government. But the new Eritrean deployments, which come months after Ethiopia said foreign troops were pulling out, raise the prospect of an escalation of fighting.

“The United States is concerned that large numbers of (Eritrean Defence Forces) have re-entered Ethiopia, after withdrawing in June,” U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement on Monday.

Those remarks came as Treasury Department announced sanctions against a leading Eritrean official it accused of human rights abuses during the war in Tigray. Eritrea said the allegations are baseless.

EU diplomats meanwhile wrote in an internal…

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China Creates Closer Ties With Turkmenista Through Natural Gas Deal

Freedomist Editor August 25, 2021

Turkmenistan Strikes Natural Gas Deal With China’s CNPC – U.S. News & World Report

From www.usnews.com
2021-08-24 18:15:00

Excerpt:

The government of Nicaragua has sought to shut down the country’s oldest LGBTQ rights group.

Confidencial, an online newspaper that is critical of the government, reported the Interior Ministry has asked the National Assembly to “annul the legal non-profit status” of Fundación Xochiquetzal and 14 other non-governmental organizations. Assemblyman Filiberto Rodriguez on Aug. 18 introduced a bill that would dissolve the 15 NGOs for “holding activities outside the law and acting expressly against the law.”

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Nicaragua Turns on the LGBTQ Community

Ivo Fysic August 25, 2021

Nicaragua seeks to shut down country’s oldest LGBTQ rights group – Washington Blade

From www.washingtonblade.com
2021-08-24 18:57:43

Excerpt:

The government of Nicaragua has sought to shut down the country’s oldest LGBTQ rights group.

Confidencial, an online newspaper that is critical of the government, reported the Interior Ministry has asked the National Assembly to “annul the legal non-profit status” of Fundación Xochiquetzal and 14 other non-governmental organizations. Assemblyman Filiberto Rodriguez on Aug. 18 introduced a bill that would dissolve the 15 NGOs for “holding activities outside the law and acting expressly against the law.”

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Zimbabwe Props Up Cryptocurrency with IMF Develipment Loan

Zimbabwe Props Up Cryptocurrency with IMF Curency Development Loan

Parker Davis August 25, 2021

Zimbabwe to Use More Than Half of IMF Funds to Prop Up Currency – Bloomberg

From www.bloomberg.com
2021-08-24 18:33:36

Excerpt:

Zimbabwe will use more than half of the $961 million allocated by the International Monetary Fund in the form of special drawing rights to support its beleaguered currency.

The government abandoned a 1:1 peg between a precursor of the reintroduced Zimbabwe dollar and the greenback in February 2019. The currency now trades at 85.82 to the U.S. dollar and even lower on the black market, a plunge that’s made it difficult for the government to get it accepted locally, and it’s generally not tradable outside the country.

“For the support of the currency we want to hold back about $500 million,” Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe’s finance minister, said in an interview on Tuesday.

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China Won’t Protect Its Citizens’ Crypto Investments

Freedomist Editor August 25, 2021

Chinese court rules crypto ‘not protected by law’ · TechNode

From technode.com
2021-08-24 12:04:51
Zhanhang Ye
Excerpt:

A court in China ruled that cryptocurrency investments are “not protected by law.” Yunnan authorities barred hydropower plants from supplying power to crypto miners. Lympo will start auctions of a series of sports star NFTs on Aug. 30. China’s eastern city of Suzhou completed a digital yuan trial on autonomous buses.

A high court from China’s northern Shandong province said in a statement that cryptocurrency investments are “not protected by law” after reviewing a recent case. In the case, the plaintiff sued three other people after losing access to RMB 70,000 ($10,805), which he invested in a crypto account. The account was shut down due to Chinese authorities banning payment services for crypto transactions in 2018. (

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Erdogan Won’t Let Afghanis Escape Taliban

Freedomist Editor August 25, 2021

Turkey reinforces border to block Afghans fleeing Taliban

From www.brisbanetimes.com.au
2021-08-24 03:19:16

Excerpt:

Migrants who are spotted getting through at the border are returned to the Iranian side, though most return and try again, according to security forces.

“No matter how many high-level measures you take, there may be those who evade them from time to time,” Bilmez said.

Roads leading from the border are lined with checkpoints. Migrants who make it through are hidden by smugglers in houses – often dirty, ramshackle buildings underground or in deep dried riverbeds –waiting to be moved to western Turkey.

Afghan migrants sit in the countryside in Tatvan, in Bitlis Province, eastern Turkey, last week.Credit:AP

On Saturday police captured 25 migrants, mostly Afghans, behind a dilapidated building in Van’s Hacibekir neighbourhood.

“We thought we will have facilities here, we will earn to support our parents. There, there are Taliban to kill us,” said 20-year-old Zaynullah, one of those detained. He said he arrived in Turkey two days earlier after travelling on foot for 80…