Tesla will no longer accept bitcoin over climate concerns, says Musk

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57096305

Tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using bitcoin due to climate change concerns, its CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet.

Bitcoin fell by more than 10% after the tweet, while Tesla shares also dipped.

Tesla's announcement in March that it would accept the cryptocurrency was met with an outcry from some environmentalists and investors.

The electric carmaker had in February revealed it had bought $1.5bn (£1bn) of the world's biggest digital currency.

But on Thursday, it backtracked on its previous comments.

"We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel," Mr Musk wrote.

"Cryptocurrency is a good idea… but this cannot come at great cost to the environment."

He also said the electric carmaker would not sell any of its bitcoin, and intends to use it for transactions as soon as mining shifts to using more sustainable energy.

Supporters of bitcoin point out that the mainstream financial system, with its millions of workers and computers in air-conditioned offices, also uses large amounts of electricity, which is usually produced with fossil fuels.

Sydney casinos to ban cash after money laundering scandal

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57096238

Regulators said The Star and Crown Sydney, which is yet to be opened, agreed to the unusual move on Thursday.

It comes after an inquiry earlier this year found it was likely criminal activity had occurred at Crown Resorts' casinos in other Australian cities.

Crown has been under immense pressure to reform its gambling operations following the inquiry.

It found Crown had been "facilitating money laundering, exposing staff to the risk of detention in a foreign jurisdiction and pursuing commercial relationships with individuals" connected to criminal groups.

The findings have prevented the company - which is majority-owned by billionaire James Packer - from securing a licence to operate its newly-built A$2.2bn (£1.2bn; $1.7bn) Sydney casino.

A commitment to ban cash is the latest move by Crown designed to help it secure a gaming licence.

The Independent Gaming and Liquor Authority (ILGA) said Crown would ban cash in its Sydney gaming operations but did not specify a timeline. The rule would also apply to Crown's casinos in Melbourne and Perth, local media reported.

ILGA said The Star was also "moving towards cashless gaming". A company spokesman told the BBC: "This will be a gradual transition with the customer in mind, with an implementation timeline still to be determined."

If enforced, both casinos would require gamblers to use cards linked to their identity and a bank or other financial institution, said ILGA.

The regulator said both casinos had also pledged to stop their international junkets - paid-for trips - which have also been seen as a source of illegal activity.

#moneylaundering

Memphis' cracked I-40 bridge creates headache for traffic, shipping

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/memphis-cracked-i-40-bridge-creates-headache-traffic-shipping-n1267187

Repairs to the bridge over the Mississippi River that links Arkansas and Tennessee could take months.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridge_failures

Hernando de Soto 'M' bridge (this guy was actually pretty brutal. he pillaged and killed everything in sight.) - https://www.notablebiographies.com/De-Du/de-Soto-Hernando.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto_Bridge

US Air Force to conduct exercises with over 100 aircraft in Alaska in June

https://tass.com/world/1289093

It was noted that around 1,500 service members are expected to fly, maintain and support more than 100 aircraft from more than 20 units during this iteration of the exercise

*http://www.astropixels.com/almanac/almanac21/almanac2021akst.html - new moon to full moon