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World's Largest Plant Capturing Carbon Dioxide From Air Starts In Iceland

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="World's Largest Plant Capturing Carbon Dioxide From Air Starts In Iceland" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-09/nolf3aac_iceland-carbon-dioxide-plant_625x300_09_September_21.jpg" title="World's Largest Plant Capturing Carbon Dioxide From Air Starts In Iceland" /></div>
A facility for capturing carbon dioxide from air. (Reuters File)
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Reykjavik:
The world's largest plant designed to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and turning it into rock started running on Wednesday, the companies behind the plant said.
The plant, named Orca, after the Icelandic word "orka" meaning "energy", consists of four units, each made up of two metal boxes, similar in appearance to the containers used for maritime transport.
Constructed by Switzerland's Climeworks and Iceland's Carbfix, when operating at capacity the plant will draw 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air every year, according to the companies.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that equates to the emissions from about 870 cars.
To collect the carbon dioxide, the plant uses fans to draw air into a collector, which has a filter material inside.
Once the filter material is filled with CO2, the collector is closed and the temperature is raised to release the CO2 from the material after which the highly concentrated gas can be collected.
The CO2 is then mixed with the water before being injected at a depth of 1,000 metres into the nearby basalt rock where it is petrified.
Proponents of so called carbon capture and storage (CCS) believe these technologies can become a major tool in the fight against climate change.
Critics however argue that the technology is still prohibitively expensive and might take decades to operate at scale.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/worlds-largest-plant-capturing-carbon-dioxide-from-air-starts-in-iceland-2534731">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/worlds-largest-plant-capturing-carbon-dioxide-from-air-starts-in-iceland-2534731</a>

news world World's Largest Plant Capturing Carbon Dioxide From Air Starts In Iceland

A facility for capturing carbon dioxide from air. (Reuters File) Reykjavik: The world's largest plant designed to suck carbon dioxi...

Who To Blame For Taliban Takeover? Former Afghan Envoy Points Finger At Kabul

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Who To Blame For Taliban Takeover? Former Afghan Envoy Points Finger At Kabul" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-09/dvm800n8_roya-rahmani-reuters-650_625x300_09_September_21.jpg" title="Who To Blame For Taliban Takeover? Former Afghan Envoy Points Finger At Kabul" /></div>
Roya Rahmani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Washington (File)
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Washington:
Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the United States who left her post in July, is clearly horrified by the Taliban takeover of her country. But she is not surprised.
In an interview, Rahmani accused the former U.S.-backed government in Kabul of a failure to lead the country and of widespread corruption that ultimately paved the way for the Taliban's victory last month.
She also warned the United States, still smarting from its defeat, that the rise of the Taliban would have far-reaching geopolitical consequences.
"I, as an Afghan, was not surprised by the fact that the Taliban took over Afghanistan the way they did and how quickly they did, partly because of the lack of leadership by the Afghan government that was in place at the time," Rahmani said.
President Joe Biden acknowledged he and other officials were aware of the risk that the Afghan government could collapse following the U.S. military withdrawal.
But they say they were caught off-guard by the speed of the Taliban victory, a miscalculation that helped lead to a chaotic U.S. military airlift of U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans. Thirteen U.S. troops and scores of Afghans were killed in a suicide bombing during the operation.
Biden, in a speech last month, accused Afghan troops of lacking "the will to fight" for their country's future.
Rahmani saw things differently.
"It was not the Afghan forces, that they were not willing to fight for their freedom and for protection of their people. It was the leadership that was corrupt. And they handed over, basically, the country to the Taliban," she said, without providing specific allegations.
In particular, Ashraf Ghani's decision to abandon the presidency and leave Afghanistan on Aug. 15 was "extremely disappointing and embarrassing," she said.
Ghani said on Wednesday he left because he wanted to avoid bloodshed. He denied allegations he stole millions of dollars on his way out.
"Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life," Ghani said.
Rahmani, who is 43, left the job as ambassador to the United States after nearly three years in the role. During her posting she wrestled with what she believed was a politically-motivated case over an embassy construction project.
She denied any wrongdoing and an anti-corruption court found flaws in the case, sending it back even before the Afghan government crumbled.
"I invite any investigative body to look at all the documents," she said.
But Rahmani's accusations of broad corruption and mismanagement in Kabul carry echoes of warnings by current and former U.S. officials for years. Experts say corruption was steadily eroding ordinary Afghans' faith in the U.S.-backed government and even turning some of them to the Taliban.
Rahmani described being cut out of discussions between Washington and Kabul, including during the Trump administration. Neither capital appeared to be fully preparing for consequences of the U.S. withdrawal, she said.
She warned of geopolitical shifts that will impact the United States and its allies.
Pakistan - a prickly U.S. ally that is close to the Taliban - will have gained leverage in its dealings with the Washington, she said.
"I believe that the United States will be facing a new Pakistan," she said, while cautioning the Taliban's takeover will have ripple effects on India, China, Turkey and beyond.
LAUDS AFGHAN WOMEN PROTESTERS
The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, girls could not attend school and women were banned from work and education. Religious police would flog anyone breaking the rules and public executions were carried out.
The Taliban have urged Afghans to be patient and vowed to be more tolerant this time.
But Rahmani says the Taliban's decision to exclude women from all of the top government positions announced on Tuesday was proof that dark times may be ahead for women.
On Tuesday, a group of Afghan women in a Kabul street had to take cover after Taliban gunmen fired into the air to disperse hundreds of protesters.
"I salute all the brave women of Afghanistan. It is quite risky to do what they are doing," Rahmani said. "And it's also an indication to the rest of the world that they have everything to lose at this point."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/who-to-blame-for-taliban-takeover-former-afghan-envoy-points-finger-at-kabul-2534729">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/who-to-blame-for-taliban-takeover-former-afghan-envoy-points-finger-at-kabul-2534729</a>

news world Who To Blame For Taliban Takeover? Former Afghan Envoy Points Finger At Kabul

Roya Rahmani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Washington (File) Washington: Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's first female amba...

Bill Gates-Linked Fund Buys Control Of Four Seasons Hotels For $2.2 Billion

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Bill Gates-Linked Fund Buys Control Of Four Seasons Hotels For $2.2 Billion" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-09/ptmpcdfg_four-seasons-reuters-650_625x300_09_September_21.jpg" title="Bill Gates-Linked Fund Buys Control Of Four Seasons Hotels For $2.2 Billion" /></div>
A view of the Four Seasons Hotel is seen in Cairo, Egypt December 17, 2020.
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New York, United States:
Microsoft founder Bill Gates' investment fund reached a deal to acquire a controlling stake in the luxury hotel chain Four Seasons for $2.2 billion, the companies announced Wednesday.
Under the deal, Cascade Investments, a private investment firm holding Gates' assets, will increase its holding in Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts to 71.25 percent from 47.5 percent by purchasing half of the stake belonging to Kingdom Holding Company of Saudi Arabia.
The transaction means the Canadian company overall has an enterprise value of $10 billion, Four Seasons said in the news release.
Founded in 1960 by Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons now has 121 hotels and resorts, and 46 residential properties in 47 countries. 
The company entered public markets in 1997 but undertook a transaction to go private in 2007 under an agreement between Cascade, KHC and Sharp, who now holds five percent of the company.
Gates has been in the spotlight after he and Melinda French Gates announced in May they were divorcing after 27 years. 
He has been under scrutiny over his association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors.
Gates described his ties with Epstein as a "huge mistake" in an August interview with CNN.
KHC, which was founded in 1980 and became publicly listed in 2007, holds interests in other luxury hotel brands, including the Savoy Hotel in London and The Plaza in New York. It also has investments in ride sharing, e-commerce, petrochemicals and health care.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bill-gates-linked-fund-buys-control-of-four-seasons-hotels-for-2-2-billion-2534711">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bill-gates-linked-fund-buys-control-of-four-seasons-hotels-for-2-2-billion-2534711</a>

news world Bill Gates-Linked Fund Buys Control Of Four Seasons Hotels For $2.2 Billion

A view of the Four Seasons Hotel is seen in Cairo, Egypt December 17, 2020. New York, United States: Microsoft founder Bill Gates' ...

Brazil Court Calls Jair Bolsonaro Threats "Attack On Democracy"

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Brazil Court Calls Jair Bolsonaro Threats 'Attack On Democracy'" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-07/qck12e3o_brazil-president-jair-bolsonaro-coviidpositive_625x300_07_July_20.jpg" title="Brazil Court Calls Jair Bolsonaro Threats 'Attack On Democracy'" /></div>
Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly hit out at the high court (File)
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Braslia, Brazil:
Brazil's Supreme Court hit back Wednesday at criticism and threats by President Jair Bolsonaro, warning him against trying to violate its rulings and accusing him of an "attack on democracy."
Bolsonaro has repeatedly hit out at the high court, which has ordered investigations of him and his inner circle, notably over accusations of systematically spreading fake news from within the government.
The far-right leader upped his rhetoric at huge Independence Day rallies by his supporters Tuesday, vowing not to respect rulings by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has jailed several Bolsonaro allies and ordered the president investigated himself.
"The Supreme Court will not tolerate threats to the authority of its decisions," said Luiz Fux, chief justice of the 11-member court.
"Besides representing an attack on democracy, such an attitude constitutes a 'crime of responsibility'," he said -- an impeachable offense.
Bolsonaro portrayed himself at Tuesday's rallies as the victim of hostile high court judges and electoral authorities, whom he accuses of attacking him and blocking his agenda.
Hardline supporters urged the military to intervene against the other branches of government to give Bolsonaro unfettered power, and the president himself warned of ominous "consequences" if the Supreme Court stood in his way.
"This court will never accept threats to its independence," Fux shot back.
"No one will close this court."
Bolsonaro sought to flex his political muscle with Tuesday's rallies, at a time when polls place him on track to lose Brazil's October 2022 elections to leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Firing up his supporters with vows to defend their "freedom," he railed against the high court and renewed his attacks on Brazil's electronic voting system, which he insists -- without evidence -- is plagued by fraud.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/brazil-court-calls-jair-bolsonaro-threats-attack-on-democracy-2534710">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/brazil-court-calls-jair-bolsonaro-threats-attack-on-democracy-2534710</a>

news world Brazil Court Calls Jair Bolsonaro Threats "Attack On Democracy"

Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly hit out at the high court (File) Braslia, Brazil: Brazil's Supreme Court hit back Wednesday at critic...

Some Afghans Evacuated From Kabul Struggle To Find Help In US

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Some Afghans Evacuated From Kabul Struggle To Find Help In US" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-09/h8kdapsg_fahima-reuters-650_625x300_09_September_21.jpg" title="Some Afghans Evacuated From Kabul Struggle To Find Help In US" /></div>
Fahima is now staying with her sister, who has lived in the United States
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Alexandria:
After Fahima, 30, stepped off a plane at Dulles international airport in Virginia on Aug. 26th, she asked an immigration official what would happen to her next. He shrugged, she said, and told her to find a lawyer.
Like many among the thousands of Afghans who were hurriedly evacuated by the U.S. military from Afghanistan last month, Fahima is now facing an uncertain future in the United States.
"I was a little confused," Fahima said through an interpreter. "I didn't know that we had to talk to a lawyer and do all these things by ourselves. I thought the American government was going to take care of this."
The next day, Fahima was picked up at a convention center near the airport by her older sister Hakima, whose own experience as a refugee resettling in the United States four years ago was markedly different and underscores the challenges now facing recent arrivals like Fahima.
When Hakima arrived in 2017, she received the traditional benefits of a resettled refugee, such as cash assistance, health insurance and food stamps. Because Fahima was evacuated without a visa, she entered the country on urgent humanitarian grounds, a temporary reprieve that doesn't come with the same resettlement resources or path to citizenship.
"We don't know how she is eligible for any resettlement services," said Hakima, 37. "We haven't received any instruction or services," she said in an interview.
Both sisters asked to be identified only by their first names to protect their family in Afghanistan.
"The problem is people had to come on a short notice with nothing but clothes on their back," due to the nature of the rescue operation, said Erol Kekic, senior vice president at Church World Service's Immigration and Refugee Program. The lack of benefits "is a huge issue," he said.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the vast majority of special immigrant visa (SIV) applicants and other vulnerable Afghans are transferred to military bases upon arrival, where they receive help applying for work permits and with applications for immigration statuses they may be eligible for. There are about 45,000 Afghans at military bases in the United States, he said.
Afghan parolees will also be eligible for a State Department program that provides limited relocation assistance.
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
In Afghanistan, Fahima worked as an administrator for a U.S. organization and had a pending refugee application, she said. When the Taliban took over, she rushed to the airport in Kabul, fearing for her life. She sent her sister text updates when she got through the gate and eventually onto a plane first to Qatar, then Europe and a few days later, to the United States. Their parents and brother remain in Kabul.
Hakima, who works for a think tank in Washington, D.C., took Fahima back to her two-bedroom apartment, which she shares with a roommate. Hakima, Fahima and her cousin, who also recently arrived from Afghanistan, share Hakima's room in a high-rise in Alexandria, Virginia.
At dinner, the women discuss their living situation. Hakima's lease ends in October and she started looking at three-bedroom apartments, but found her income from the think tank wouldn't cover the rent. Hakima has started looking for a second job.
Fahima has been searching for English classes at a nearby community college as well as jobs online, but doesn't know what she needs to do to be allowed to work or study. The humanitarian parole status under which she entered the United States does not confer work privileges, but she can apply for a work permit, a process that takes time, said Church World Service's Kekic.
Hakima has looked into getting Fahima a lawyer, but said she worries about the cost.
"I have to support my family in Afghanistan, too," said Hakima. "I have to consider everything." But she is happy to have her sister with her.
Fahima has stayed close to home since arriving, she said, sleeping in and going for walks nearby.
On Fahima's walks she marvels at the greenery and how empty the streets are compared to Kabul. But most of the days she spends at home, helping with cooking and cleaning, and waiting for her parents in Kabul to wake up so she can call them.
Last week, the sisters got some news that made them hopeful. Their brother had found somebody who said they could smuggle his family and their parents to neighboring Tajikistan for $1,100 per person. A dangerous trip, but they feel they have no choice.
"We're trying to get them out to any country which is safe," Fahima said.
While they wait to see whether their parents make it out of Afghanistan, Hakima wants to make sure Fahima is not putting her own life on hold. She tells her to leave the house and meet people.
"It takes time finding friends, she doesn't know anybody here," she said. "We all need our friends and our connections."
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/some-afghans-evacuated-from-kabul-struggle-to-find-help-in-us-2534702">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/some-afghans-evacuated-from-kabul-struggle-to-find-help-in-us-2534702</a>

news world Some Afghans Evacuated From Kabul Struggle To Find Help In US

Fahima is now staying with her sister, who has lived in the United States Alexandria: After Fahima, 30, stepped off a plane at Dulles i...

The Elite are Building Remote Doomsday Mansions

Multiple mainstream journalists spread fake news based on a doctored video to suggest that French President Emmanuel Macron was so loved on his arrival in French Polynesia that he was completely smothered in garland necklaces.
Turns out the entire thing was a scam based on a hoax video, but many journalists have refused to delete their viral tweets.
“On Monday, Illuminati Reptilien, a French satirical Twitter account known for the creation of doctored video shorts, posted an eight-second video of officials in French Polynesia officials draping the president in traditional garland necklaces,” reports <a href="https://sputniknews.com/viral/202107271083472529-journalists-from-cnn-wapo-nyt-and-other-outlets-duped-into-sharing-doctored-photo-of-macron/">Sputnik</a>. “The final seconds of the video show Macron standing alongside other officials totally covered in flowers from his head down to his knees.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="5.7058823529412">
Calmez vous sur les colliers de fleurs enfin ! 😂 <a href="https://t.co/Y2mkmUWm8x">pic.twitter.com/Y2mkmUWm8x</a>
— Illuminati Reptilien (@IllumiReptilien) <a href="https://twitter.com/IllumiReptilien/status/1419750726503477253?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
Despite the fact that the video was a total hoax, it was amplified and reported as serious news by over a dozen journalists.
Frida Ghitis, a CNN and Washington Post contributor, tweeted about the flower-draped Macron, “My God! Macron over-garlanded in Polynesia.”
He eventually deleted the tweet, but others didn’t, including Noga Tarnopolsky, an Israel-based journalist who writes for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Daily Beast.
“President Macron is turned into a human wreath during his official welcome to French Polynesia,” tweeted Tarnopolsky, receiving over 36,000 likes for the post.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="6.971098265896">
President Macron is turned into a human wreath during his official welcome to French Polynesia. <a href="https://t.co/7q9fiULEUN">pic.twitter.com/7q9fiULEUN</a>
— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) <a href="https://twitter.com/NTarnopolsky/status/1419763212443164676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
Another Israeli journalist dubbed Macron, “The walking flower visiting French Polynesia.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="5.6">
Macron 'the walking flower' visiting French Polynesia. <a href="https://t.co/sfvwASNFjb">pic.twitter.com/sfvwASNFjb</a>
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmichaiStein1/status/1419772572095426563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
“Others, including Newsweek deputy opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon, The Guardian, New Statesman and Politico contributor Pauline Bock, BBC Radio 1 host Ali Plumb, The Daily Beast editor at large Molly Jong-Fast, and CNN senior global affairs analyst Bianna Golodryga were similarly duped,” reports Sputnik.
Imagine if Trump meme makers had published a similar doctored video that showed the former president receiving such adulation.
They’d be scorned, outed and potentially deplatformed for the joke, but mainstream journalists can get away with it with no consequences whatsoever.
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source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/09/08/the-elite-are-building-remote-doomsday-mansions/">https://summit.news/2021/09/08/the-elite-are-building-remote-doomsday-mansions/</a>

revolution summit The Elite are Building Remote Doomsday Mansions

Multiple mainstream journalists spread fake news based on a doctored video to suggest that French President Emmanuel Macron was so loved on ...