that are on so 1000000 people, including 1600000 children in bangladesh is northeast, have been cut off by floods and are without fresh drinking water, putting them at risk of water born diseases. turnville chaudry al jazeera shirley shocker, and these cillit. now heavy rainfall in indian administered kashmir as triggered land slides and flash flooding across the region. people living in low lying areas or near the rivers, winode to move to safer locations. the regions largest river has breached its danger mark the flood warnings now and place for the capital srinagar ah and let's take you through some of the headlines here. now. jesse are now afghan, a sans taliban government has appealed for more international aid. after the worst, earthquake in 20 years struck a remote region in the southeast. at least 1500 people have been killed and many more aged men. mazda posed lead on sang suit. she has been moved to solitary

confinement in prison. the 77 year old has been under house arrest since her removal from office in the que last year. germany is stepping up its gas emergency plant saying it's facing a supply crisis. it's economy minister says the government can't rule out gas rationing because of dwindling deliveries from russia. the u. k. foreign secretary says the global grain crisis is urgent and needs to be solved within next month. less trust is in turkey to discuss ways to free up ukraine's black seaports to allow grain to be shipped out. peyton is weapon, ising hunger. he's using feed security as a callous to of war. he's blocked ukrainian ports and is stopping 20000000 tons of grain being exported across the globe, holding the well to ransom. i'm here in turkey to discuss the plan to get the grain out. thousands of indigenous protesters have marched through ecuador capital,

quito with tempt dave and nationwide strike demanding low prices for fuel and food . dozens of been arrested. final reports into the so called states capture scandal is criticized president through ram. opposed for not doing enough to stop b as of corruption. the judicial commission investigated a string of allegations against its predecessor jacobs. duma, including inappropriate business dealings around opposed to previously served as the deputy authorities in bangladesh of intensified efforts to deliver food and drinking water. millions of people cut off by flooding in the northeast about the quarter of the countries now on the water. the un is worried about the threat of water born diseases. although i have lines, the news continues here, after people and power, and of course is always our website al jazeera dot com. so you can stay tuned

outside of the conflict in the ukraine. how concerned should we be about this on to build them? we bring the stories independently, the rapidly changing the world. we live in. the one become russia, new dollars, it becoming rushes, you don't counting the cost. on al jazeera, me when bitcoin and other crypto currency 1st period. well, over a decade ago, few people could have mentioned how widespread they become. now these various forms of digital money are in common use, if not yet universally understood. but where exactly do they come from? who uses them? and what for better or worse might be the long term consequences. we sent reporter rory challenge in search of answers. i

the, in any well to create a currencies. money's got strange. the 13 years and big coins, creation of being a roller coaster ride own from the financial crashes, money liberation from central banks. bitcoin is a person to person electron catch system. think of them like token the buy. thanks very much. now of course, this is just a problem. crypto currencies are purely digital and we access them in a digital wallet. we can send them anywhere in the world in a flash. if a business accepts it,

you can buy goods and services. you can think it's built on the block chain, a decentralized database of transactions that's transparent and secure, but bitcoin can get pretty wild crypto currencies have no controller except the markets. people have made fortunes and lost them, their value can go way, way, way up. oh come crushing. oh no. but where does it come from? what does it cost the planet? is it the future of money or the useful has money? it's all. my name is rory challenge, and i want to find out who's my 1st destination. pennsylvania, the u. s. states that is fully embraced crit bitco, and he's going to take over the, well, it'll have to conquer america. and it's making good progress. recent survey suggest about a face of american adults that already bought into crypto. so now that i'm here,

i've got to get some right. this is shane bites inside is a man who's trying to make buying bitcoin as easy as possible. eyes. hey, rory lets me to. i don't mean to like very much. so the machines. yes they are. you want to use one i do because i don't have, i have any back going. so what do i do? this is a brave you opening. first is click on the screen. get it started. yeah. you're going to buy the coin. you select how much you want to buy. so here we go. 10 bucks . lots of the big spenders just in there. so that's that answer. and then you can look on your wall and you can see you've got to pick one who says pending. yep, that's it. i mean, you got it. every grill has been buying and selling bitcoin since the early days. now he runs a company that makes crypto currency atm sick. when solves one of the problems that we've faced for years and years and years, which is the government controls money and you have a central authority controlling money. and so what that means is that people,

you know, they just print it, the value it, and you can't count on anything. i don't know how many dollars are going to print next year, but i know exactly how many big points are going to be issued. so can we call that currency, should we call it? can't say it's the best currency the just on the planet. but a tendency needs to be spindle, and i'm going to put this to the test. 50 is supposedly one of the most crypto friendly places in the states. the man is talking about the city having its own digital coin. basketball team is sponsored by crypto dot com. so using my new bitcoin here should be easy. a checkout coin map, a website that says it shows every business in the world that takes coin for the philly area as a list of only around 20 pick up the phone and start calling them. 1 6 1 1 ringback oh, good afternoon, ms. calling this payment. yeah. you doing?

all right, thank you very much, bye. as we move through the list a similar story now. okay, well, do you guys accept bitcoin as payment there? now we do not know did, did you ever we used 2 years ago and then what happens, why did you stop? the technology was too hard to maintain regularly and has the staff isn't sure what bitcoin really is. so just not feeling like using it, just like the coins evangelists may say, is the feature of money, but the vast majority of business is listed as accepting it. don't until do you guys accept bitcoin as payments you do? they invited us down for lunch. this is the some pay food truck, the home, so they say some of the best barbecue sandwiches in town. what can i get? so we have bristol pork and chicken. jessica and her partner began accepting bitcoin in 2015 and say unlike others,

they will continue to do so. can i pay with that card? yes. or this next amazing. thank you very, very much. a lot of the people that were accepting the coin in the city and they stopped, you know, they saw how to cycle and how it kept fluctuating. and i think it really scared a lot of people away. but we kept at it. yeah. why? i don't know, it's just something we believe in. we just believe that crypto was the future. do you worry at all about the security of it or the whether it's a scam and anyway, i worry more about the dollar than i do bitcoin. i do believe it's going to be the currency of the world, but if it is bit going, has a long way to go. few american seem to be spending it for most is just another investment. but where does big coin come from anyway? i'm heading into the pennsylvania countryside to find out when i get their future

finance is a little money than i imagined. i jeff, i nice to meet, you know, say or what does that noise? what you're hearing are the klein miners the, the big one is in the next line line and you can see all the little fans in there. there's a little computer on each one of those fans. jeff campbell is the lead engineer stronghold digital mining. it has 12000 specialized computer processes. we're looking for $200.00. this is a long number and everybody in the world is working on the same equation. they're all trying to find the same number. and if you get it, if you get it, you get 6.25 bit calling right now. and how often do you get it? every 10 that had somebody on in the world find that number. his high tech lottery says to function, mine is race to verify the newest transactions made everywhere on the big coin network. the winner is rewarded in bitcoin. it's an entirely digital process,

and it used to be done by amator enthusiasts on home computers. these days, it's big business, and the u. s. does more of it than anywhere else. worldwide, we're going through more combinations of numbers and there are grains of sand on the earth. so you can say it's profitable if you can find that grain as those profits are putting in bigger and bigger, operates as a 21st century gold rush. but here's the catch. bitcoin was designed on a system called proof of work. the more processes get thrown at it, the heart of the algorithms become, the harder the algorithms become more computers and needed. it's an energy guzzling arms race. and this is how strong holes operation gets his power, their own dedicated power station. it burns fossil fuels, coal waste, with all the greenhouse gas emissions that entails stronghold ceo greg beer takes

me into the hissing, roaring heart of the beast. i think vocals me the only kind of brute industrial power is just going to make something that you can't even touch the digital currency that kind of played around and then in the spare it is after the old world industrial mates near world. but what's the environmental cost of all this cambridge university says, bitcoin pumps out as much c o $2.00 per year as a country like the check republic and consumes as much energy as the whole of highlands. then greg tells me something astounding when we started the project. 4 or 5 years ago, the mining economics for bitcoin were really enough to support the plant. thanks for the state of pennsylvania in a, in a bipartisan way, modified the rules

a bit to allow us to earn more of a, what's called the renewable energy credit. and that isn't that plus higher power prices was a port is running today. so pennsylvania not only called coal waste, an alternative energy source, it actually subsidizes stronghold to burn this stuff to make bitcoin. how can this be? oh, because of this in the toxic legacy of nearly a century of coal mining coal fat, the furnace is a pennsylvania is once mighty steel industry. and this waste, sprawling across the state in foster sly keeps, is the low quality material left over from the mining acid and poisonous heavy metals. leach out at them, bill spends his strong whole digital mining chairman. i feel as if america had in the world had a party here. and then we woke up the next morning with the residual garbage

leftover and they're having to clean up after the party like the state of pennsylvania. he wants these heaps gone. he says he's using the states alternative energy incentives and the profits from big coin mining to make that happen. but coal is the dirtiest source of power there is. and coal waste is especially inefficient. so i asked bill the obvious question. do you think that the c o 2 emissions are a justifiable byproduct of clearing this landscape? i absolutely do. and what i'm asking you is just stop a minute. look at this. i understand where people say it's not perfect, but how many things in life are perfect. i, i mean, rory, i mean don't let perfect be the enemy. very good. so do you consider yourself an environmentalist?

i absolutely consider myself an environmentalist. bill and his colleagues firmly convinced that doing what is best for this area. i have a feeling people campaigning against climate change. i going to disagree who i'm on my way to meet one has another coal waste power station. right? makes like stack chimney. there are plenty of bitcoin miners who say their operations a green, but most tend to seek out the cheapest energy, whatever it source. this is russell's who works for the clean air council. the interesting thing about big coin is you could do it in the cleanest way possible or you can do it in the dirty way possible. and as long as there are government subsidies to do it in the dirtiest way possible people. ready keep burning coal

waste to generate the coin was supposed to be moving towards the next 0 future, reducing carbon emissions to nothing by 2050. how does that fit with big caught in its huge energy consumption? it does not the introduction of crypto currency and its energy consumption is such a massive step backward for environmental efforts efforts to confront climate change. russell says several states in the us or considering banning bitcoin mining, but not pennsylvania globally. as a growing list of countries that have already outlawed it, china being the most significant. one of the other things i've heard about big coin. it's a haven for criminals. crypto links crime says to record levels in 2021, up 79 percent from the year before. i want to know what's behind this. galvis.

greek is a former f b i. agents who now works for a company investigating crypto crime. criminals are using crypto. the very same reason why the vast majority of crypto users use it for that speed, liquidity, and cross border nature. what are the kind of crimes that we see around crypto? they're doing everything in this virtual asset world that they were doing in the regular world, particularly scans and frauds, make up the largest category of elicit use of crypto. but you don't think this actually is a problem with crypto itself. you know, there's nothing inherently evil or bad about crypto itself is just simply another method for value transfer. criminals stole $14000000000.00 in crypto currencies last year. or we see any kind of state involvement. and this we have seen, elicit use of hacking by north koreans, for example. in fact, they're responsible for hacking over a $1000000000.00 in exchange hacks in the past. but galvis also says the transparent nature of crypto is block chain ledger actually gives investigators

a treasure trove of data to work with. so for example, if there was an elicit transaction where a little lady was scammed out of her money and they, and she said, no, i paid them bitcoin. well they, they can look at that transaction and see where that woman's bitcoin went to. and from there they can then engage legal process to either freeze that account or seek recovery from that victim. and that's why that's so important. ah, my next stop is london, one of the wells financial hubs. i want to see what government and central banks think of this brave new wealth. easier said than done. we are the central banks, both in the united states and here in england to talk to us about that said know why. while many central banks are undecided what to do about technology designed to break the control of money, i've come to meet harriet baldwin, a british conservative n p, a former investment banker, and

a member of the treasury select committee which examines government's economic policy. do you think the central bank should be scared to correct that kind of things? i think they're all looking at it. i think it's gonna be important to coordinate the approach amongst the developed world. central banks. i think, you know, there is also the risk that these currencies could end up being the, you know, the hewlett bulbs of the 21st century 15. if i was, you mean it could be a bubble. people could be buying something for way above the value that someone else will pay in the future to take it. or they could lose a lot of money in the process and end up with something that they discover. it's actually just lines of code and doesn't have intrinsic value, but there's no one else will accepted payment. does crypt, currency development poses threats to financial stability? it could be potentially, if it becomes a much more significant size in the well financial markets at the moment. all the evidence we've had on the treasury select committee is that it's still

a very small proportion of the world's asset base. and so therefore, we intel that it doesn't pose a threat to financial stability at this level. but what happens when a nation state does jump with both feet into this weird new world? now the dominating point on the line. oh no. oh, i've come to a country that's boldly gone when no other his dead and turned itself into a unique fiscal petri dish. ah, if the signs, big white beach now this, this is where the experiment started. ro, salvador free is back. a clique of crypto converts began transforming the surf town of els on take. they persuaded people to join a local circular economy based on bitcoin. but all of el salvador is

bitcoin beach. now, last summer, the countries president, i at b kaley rushed through a law that elevated bitcoin to legal tender alongside the u. s. dollar. no other government has taken such a gamble with national finances and i'm interested to hear what the founders of bitcoin beach think of it all. roman martinez is one of them is beautiful. god dream that started super small now is more bigger than our salvador and mainly people around the world dreaming with our country. am i telling patricia annis? missionary, 7 to portion of southern people were on blankets. and that means they've got new bank account right now. bank account, any kind of financial service a now since speaking a ride in our community will start to seen people say, be modern people transacting digital people, receiving and making digital payments. people buying an asset for the 1st time

people sending money from all saba to the us from the u. s. each other, because b is the one telling her that she manages ever hot. you know, these are the big claims, and i want to find out if the coin really has transformed this country. because beach seems the obvious place to start. but at the place i stop for lunch. crypto isn't welcome. if you're going to pay me, pay me with money because i want to go to the grocery store. i want to go pay my debts. i want to make sure that it's being done. do you even consider it to be money? no. what is it? it's a fools, aaron. i asked at several other places to some accept it, but plenty don't. ah,

the large majority of people in this developing country live on subsistence incomes . how are they responding to such a huge experiment? ok, quite a is an assistant professor of latin american studies at dartmouth university in the u. s. is also a salvador. him and jorge took his round, the vibrant working class street markets of the capital san salvador. i mean so far, because it has done very little to change the dynamics of the marketplaces here in san salvador. you might see a couple of signs that say we accept big coin. but when you actually go up to the souls and ask people have to take some of the point they're like, you know, i'd appreciate if you dollars else. i what it was, government sponsored, a national digital wallet called chiva. but early tech glitches put people off many checked in to cash out a $30.00 welcoming sweetener. and haven't touched it since we spot still with a chiva sticker. i think that you noticed that when she told me that the sticker is

there only to abide by the law that they have to take it if someone shows up. so what do you think the actual uptake be going to be in, in these kinds of environments? and in the daily transactions that people knew, the current is not a president at all. in march el salvador chamber of commerce said 86 percent of businesses hadn't made any bitcoin sales. a really actually benefits were bickering . so as big quinn is laid out now, most of that with the wealth generation and the wealth distribution goes to about 0.01 percent of all big coin owners. they're the ones who have about 27 percent of all big coin worldwide. so 0.01 percent of the tiny, tiny, tiny percent owns 27 percent. exactly. and that, that those are the big coin wales. those are many of the people who are behind big

queen, booster ism and, and the ones who are creating all these different kinds of enterprises and businesses and ventures in places like el salvador. and presumably it's in the interests of going owners to keep the height going. right. i think that's exactly right in salvador, bringing people into bitcoin. it's part of this process of trying to inflate the value and trying to hit those kind of milestones that many of these lead bitcoin holders are hoping for. to me that sounds different from there, it's a, it's exactly a pyramid scheme, multi level marketing where you need more people to enter into that space and figure out to keep the value and keep the party going. when bitcoin, critics say the whole things a pyramid scheme they point to the events laid on by crypto currency firms, events like this is called heels for bitcoin. and it's hosted by a company called packs full now is a good time to buy in the salvador in women. it's hold on it and other packs for

the event 3 days later. and the star guest is el salvador was youngest. ever congresswoman 27 year old donnie, a gonzalez helped passed a bit coin law here to make big coin legal tender ari countries also want to be like us have other talking about the specific le. hello has many critics though, doesn't it, sir? the i m f is recommended that alex i will go drop it because it's just too risky. so why is it still operating our democratic country? and i mean, we have our president, aren't government, our own congress. and any, this is shown made or comments made for other institutions around the world. i mean, there they are. are people who recommend things, but it doesn't mean though, we're going to do those things. this is el salvador was tech enthusiasts, president, naya b kayley. how much his bitcoin experiments has cost hasn't been disclosed. and this secrecy concerns many to bill could be $400000000.00,

say some economists and every dip below el salvador, bitcoin purchase price hits the country's coffers, dinner of how much money has game the host. lucy, and actually this is how it works. we're waiting in the future for a have more gains are about beats going. so it's just a matter of time. this comes to the very heart of the bitcoin question. many millions of people around the world have bought into big coin, hoping to ride how wave of riches. but they're using it as a speculative investment at a risky and environmentally damaging. one of that, most people have never use it as money, and it's difficult to see why they ever should what it soaring in value. why would you want to spend it when it's plummeting in value? who would want to receive it? the thing that makes bitcoin so attractive to investors, the crazy lunch is invalid is the same thing that's holding it back from becoming mainstream currency. it's basically too exciting to be money. bitcoin needs to be

boring. at the moment, it's anything boxes. ah, lou, europe's grand capitals are littered with monuments loading their imperial pass and their museums filled with artifacts, spoils of war and occupation uprooted from their places of origin. people in power explores the heated debate around right from ownership and meets activists taking into their own ah, out of africa on a, jesse, you know, cats are airway official airline of the journey with

a full away issue. and i'm of the journey. ready too often of con, astonished, portrayed through the prism of war. but there were many of canister

thanks to the brave individuals who risk their lives to protect it from destruction . an extraordinary film, archives spanning for decades, reveals the forgotten truths of the country's modern history. the forbidden real part one, the birth of afghan cinema on a just 0. ah, this is al jazeera ah. hello, i money inside. this is denisa live from die ha, coming out in the 60 minutes. a desperate search for survivors. the taliban appeals for help after devastating earthquake in afghanistan. germany warns it may implement gas rationing as flows from russia begin to dwindle. man miles,

military rulers move to pose lead. ang, some sushi from house arrest to solitary config.