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James Howells, 39, took council to court to try to force it to let him search site for hard drive thrown away by accidentA computer expert's decade-long battle to recover a 600m bitcoin fortune he says has been lost in a council dump has been halted by a judge.James Howells, 39, launched a legal case to force Newport city council to allow him to search the site to retrieve a lost hard drive containing the bitcoins. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedAn NHS trust is preparing to cancel operations, urgently discharge 140 patients and restrict admissions to help it cope with extreme winter pressures".The Gloucestershire acute trust declared a critical incident" on Wednesday as hospitals in England asked patients seeking medical help to come alone to reduce overcrowding in A&E. Continue reading...

Ministers condemn Conservative attempt to block child wellbeing and schools bill with shameful' amendmentCabinet ministers have ramped up attacks on Conservative bandwagon jumping" over child rape gangs during furious exchanges in the Commons as the government easily saw off a Tory attempt to force a new inquiry.Amid continued pressure, No 10 appeared to slightly soften its position on the idea of a second inquiry into grooming gangs, echoing the words of the safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, in saying Keir Starmer was open to hearing the views of victims. Continue reading...

Discovery comes almost a week after Aziz Ziriat and Sam Harris went missing in DolomitesA body has been found in the search for Aziz Ziriat and Sam Harris, two British hikers who have been missing in the Dolomites for nearly a week, Italy's alpine rescue service said.The body, which has not yet been identified, was found buried beneath snow at about 2,600-metres above sea level in the area of the Conca pass in the Adamello nature park. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands of people evacuated in southern California as winds whip blazes. Plus, the rise in flaking' out of social plansGood morning.California has deployed more than 1,400 firefighters in its attempts to quell the unprecedented" wildfires that have ripped through the state's south, said the California governor, Gavin Newsom. The fires, which have been fueled by a windstorm, have forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes, including in affluent neighborhoods in Los Angeles.What are the Santa Ana winds? They're common during the winter months in southern California, and have driven many of the state's worst fires. They cause a drop in humidity, driving up fire risk, particularly as many areas already face drought. Continue reading...

Attitudes to North Korea are key to understanding President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt to impose martial law and its aftermathAs South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol remains barricaded in his residence facing arrest, his descent from star prosecutor to isolated leader reveals a deeper story about a cold war-era ideology that continues to shape - and shake - South Korean politics.The scenes outside his residence might look familiar to audiences who followed Trump-era politics: supporters waving American flags claiming democracy is under threat, decrying fake news", rallying against alleged election fraud, and calls to make Korea great again". Continue reading...

Sales of fizzy drink from London hoped to raise money and send a message to big firms investing in armed trade'Gaza's healthcare is on the brink of total collapse", according to the UN, because of the targeting of hospitals by Israel. While it is still impossible to say how much time and money it will take to rebuild, one Palestinian activist has plans to piece one small part of it back with the help of a soft drink.Osama Qashoo, the creator of Gaza Cola, hopes to use profits from his Coca-Cola alternative, recently launched in London, to rebuild al Karama hospital, which used to stand in northern Gaza. It's been reduced to rubble for no just reason, like all of these hospitals in Gaza," according to the 43-year-old film-maker, human rights advocate and, now, fizzy-drink maker. Continue reading...

Spending on streaming subscriptions and physical sales hits 2.4bn as industry recovers from piracy and CD slump Analysis: The UK music industry is reporting record revenues. The reality is much gloomierMusic lovers spent a record 2.4bn on streaming subscriptions and physical music last year as the UK music industry finally recovers from the digital revolution that ushered in rampant online piracy and the slow death of the CD.Subscriptions to streaming services such as Spotify, Amazon and Apple, and the revival in the popularity of vinyl, with sales increasing for 17 consecutive years, fuelled a 7.4% rise in music revenues to 2.38bn last year, according to the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). Continue reading...

Syrians are suspicious after allegations of complicity with the brutal Assad regime during 14 years of civil warThe UN special envoy for Syria will urge the security council to back a transition to a pluralist democratic Syria, but faces resistance within the country. The interim government fears the lifting of sanctions will be tied to excessive demands imposed by the west, with suspicion of the UN deeply embedded after what are seen as its failures during 14 years of civil war.Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country's de facto leader, has told Gulf and western states that his group, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), long ago transformed itself from a Salafi jihadi group in Idlib province to a technocratic force willing to accommodate all Syrians. Continue reading...

ASA acts on poster campaign by Wahed, urging people to join a money revolution', after receiving 75 complaintsThe UK's advertising watchdog has banned a campaign by an online investment company predominantly targeting Muslims that featured images of euros and US dollars and the words The United States of America" in flames alongside a call to join the money revolution".Wahed Invest Ltd, an online investment platform, ran six posters on various Transport for London (TfL) services, including the London Underground and on buses, last September and October. Continue reading...

Mark Zuckerberg says time to get back to our roots' around free expression but opponents argue ordinary citizens should be very concerned'

Alleged arsonist Travis Bird, 51, charged with nine offences over Tuesday's blaze and another three grassfires at nearby Attenborough park

Economists had predicted a November annual CPI inflation figure within the Reserve Bank of Australia's preferred 2% to 3% target range

Fire quickly consumed hundreds of acres in the Pacific Palisades, an affluent community north of Santa Monica

Privately owned Cessna 208 Caravan 675 plane was carrying seven people when it crashed off Western Australia coast

Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who fled in exile to Spain in September, says son-in-law was seized by hooded men'Venezuela's Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who the opposition says won a July presidential election against incumbent Nicolas Maduro, has said that his son-in-law was seized by hooded men" in Caracas.This morning my son-in-law Rafael Tudares was kidnapped," said Gonzalez on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Anti-money laundering officials ask banks for information on UK minister and seven of her family membersAnti-money laundering officials in Bangladesh have demanded bank account details for Tulip Siddiq, the UK anti-corruption minister, in the latest escalation of the inquiries into her family's financial interests.The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), which investigates money laundering and suspicious transactions, wrote to the country's main banks on Tuesday asking them to provide account details for Siddiq and seven of her family members. Continue reading...

Quake damaged buildings in Shigatse and could be felt hundreds of kilometres away in Nepal and the Indian state of Bihar

Cuts will be deep', media reporter writes, after paper faced scrutiny for halting endorsement of Harris in OctoberDozens of employees are expected to be laid off at the Washington Post in the coming week in what is another of several tumultuous episodes in recent months for the storied title, according to a report by the media reporter Oliver Darcy.The layoffs are slated to hit the Jeff Bezos-owned ... newspaper's business division, I'm told. One person familiar with the matter said that the cuts will be deep, impacting many dozens of employees," Darcy, the former CNN reporter, wrote in his newsletter Status. Continue reading...

Federal government to fund 80% of upgrades with state paying for 20%, despite previously vowing to split infrastructure projects 50-50

Bushwalker's discovery in Springbrook national park leaves Queensland police with a lot of questions we need answers for'

Police say Tatura owner is devastated after theft of more than 150 dolls stolen last month

Less than half of Americans planned to get Covid vaccine in 2024, and slightly more than half planned to get flu shotThe amount of acute respiratory illness causing Americans to seek healthcare is at a high level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).In an update issued on Friday, the CDC announced that in addition to Covid-19 activity increasing from low levels in most areas across the US, seasonal influenza activity continues to increase and is elevated across most of the country. Continue reading...

Husband of actor Aubrey Plaza was known for writing and directing Life After Beth and co-writing I Heart HuckabeesIndependent director and screenwriter Jeff Baena - who was known for quirky hits such as Life After Beth and was the husband of that film's star, Aubrey Plaza - has died, according to reports. Baena was 47.The Los Angeles medical examiner said that Baena died on Friday at his home in that city at about 10.39am local time. Officials did not immediately provide Baena's cause or manner of death. Continue reading...

Marcus Fakana from north London was convicted of having sex with British girl, now 18, when they were on holidayProtesters have marched through central London calling for the release of a teenager in prison in Dubai for having sex with a 17-year-old British girl.Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham in north London, was jailed last month after being convicted of having sex with the girl, who has now turned 18, when they were on holiday in September. Continue reading...

Urfan Sharif said to have been treated for injuries to his neck and face after attack in his cell in Belmarsh prisonPolice are investigating reports that the father of the schoolgirl Sara Sharif had his throat cut in an assault by fellow inmates while in prison for her murder.Urfan Sharif, 43, is said to have been attacked in Belmarsh prison, south London, by two men who rushed into his cell with a weapon made from a tuna tin lid, according to the Sun. The assault is said to have happened on New Year's Day and caused injuries to his neck and face that are understood to have been treated in prison. Continue reading...

No evidence of physical trauma on Greta Marie Otteson and Arno Els Quinton, who were found in separate roomsThe bodies of a British woman and her fiance have been discovered in separate rooms at a tourist villa in Vietnam, police said.The victims were named locally as Greta Marie Otteson, a 33-year-old Briton, and Arno Els Quinton, a 36-year-old South African, who were staying at the complex in Hi An in the central Quang Nam province. Continue reading...

Keith Lees, 72, evaded warrant for almost 18 months in relation to alleged murder, and is accused of trying to bite police

Business department raised issue of patent box benefit after meeting that took place last June, documents showKemi Badenoch instructed her department to write to the Treasury about a potential tax break after an intervention from Dyson, documents have revealed.In the minutes of a meeting during her time as business secretary last June, seen by the Guardian, it said Ian Robertson, a board member at the vacuum cleaner and air-filter maker, lobbied Badenoch on the patent box tax benefit that had worked very successfully but now that corporation tax has risen but the patent box has not losing [sic] its effectiveness". Continue reading...

Police continue investigation into child's body found after firefighters put out blaze in Boort

Most of the bosses, released from prison on furlough or for good behaviour, have never disavowed Cosa NostraFamilies of victims killed by the Sicilian mafia have expressed fears that more than 20 senior mobsters released over the last three months may now return to the neighbourhoods they once controlled.The majority of these bosses, some of whom held leadership roles in the main mafia families of Sicily's capital, Palermo, have never disavowed Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia, and have always refused to cooperate with the judicial authorities. They have been released on furlough or for good behaviour. Continue reading...

Boss of bicycle maker says discounting after Covid boom means sad state of affairs' in global market is likely to go onThe boss of Brompton Bicycle has predicted that 2025 will be another year of turmoil for the bike industry after profits at the British folding bicycle maker dived by more than 99% amid a wave of discounting by rivals.Profits fell from 10.7m to 4,602 in the year to the end of March 2024 - less than the cost of Brompton's top-of-the-range T Line Explore bike - as riders sought cheaper options during a cost of living squeeze. Continue reading...

Experts say lack of competition in Australia's airline market is a likely factor behind prevalence of delays

Fans started gathering from 8.30am and by late afternoon the crowd had swelled to fill the outdoor space, which has a capacity of about 8,000

Revellers left disappointed after false reports of display in social mediaThousands of people gathered in the centre of Birmingham on New Year's Eve despite a police warning that the announcement of a fireworks display was false.Police and the city council had urged revellers not to travel after false reports there would be a spectacular show in Centenary Square. Continue reading...

Specialists raise alarm over companies such as Moneyful promoting easy money' in exchange for personal detailsConsumers struggling to pay bills over the festive season have been urged not to sign up with companies that offer money in exchange for personal details in order to open multiple betting accounts in their name.Fraud prevention and consumer specialists raised the alarm after the Guardian highlighted one such company, Kent-based Moneyful Ltd, which promoted the chance to make easy money" over the festive period. Continue reading...

Ex-security minister says assassination ordered by Trump set off chain of events that led to revolution in SyriaDonald Trump's decision to sanction the assassination of an elite Iranian commander triggered a chain of events that has revealed Iran as a paper tiger and led to the overthrow of Basher al-Assad, a former UK security minister has said.Tom Tugendhat, now on the Conservative backbenches and intending to focus on foreign policy, also predicted the Iranian regime would collapse in a few years. He said that if handled properly, Syria could become the economic powerhouse of the Middle East within a decade. Continue reading...

More than a third of 15-year-old girls and less than a quarter of boys in UK say they repeatedly get drunk, OECD saysTeenage girls are outdrinking their male peers in the UK at a greater rate than in any other European country, according to research.More than a third of 15-year-old girls in the UK report getting repeatedly drunk, compared with less than a quarter of boys the same age, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found. Continue reading...

Night skies will light up on New Year's Eve to welcome in 2025. Here's your guide to child-friendly shows plus what time and where to see the fireworks in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country

Trial conducted solely against teenager's parents as their son could not be criminally prosecuted due to his ageA Belgrade court has jailed the parents of a 13-year-old boy after he shot dead nine students and a security guard at an elementary school in Serbia's capital last year.The killings, on 3 May 2023, deeply shocked the Balkan nation, where mass shootings have been rare despite high levels of gun ownership. Continue reading...

Hill, imprisoned for 16 years for 1974 pub bombing, set up organisation helping other victims of miscarriages of justicePaddy Hill, one of six men wrongly convicted for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings who went on to set up an organisation dedicated to helping others facing miscarriages of justice, has died aged 80.Cathy Molloy, the recently retired chief executive officer of the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation (Mojo), which Hill founded, said he died peacefully at his home in Ayrshire, cared for by his wife, Tara, on Monday morning". Continue reading...

For years reporters at Syria's state news agency had to toe the line. As life in Syria grew harder, so did the their workAfter 21 years, the day Farouk feared had finally come. An envelope sealed with red wax made its way through the faded hallways of Syria's national news agency, Sana, and landed on his desk. Inside was what employees called a penalty, the contents of which could range from a reprimand from the editors to a summons to one of Syria's brutal security branches.I found a mistake before the article was published and I brought it to the editors' attention. I thought this would be a good thing but they punished me," Farouk, a journalist on Sana's foreign news desk, said under a pseudonym. Continue reading...

Warsaw's return to the European mainstream with presidency of the EU Council may not be quite what it seemsGermany's chancellor appears to be heading for defeat; France's president is mired in crisis. But while Europe's traditional power duo are in the doldrums, there is a strong, stable and pro-EU leader east of Paris and Berlin - Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk.For European officials, it's a helpful gift of the calendar that Poland takes charge of the EU Council rotating presidency from 1 January. Continue reading...

Authorities plan to question Yoon on allegations of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion after his short-lived declaration of martial lawSouth Korean law enforcement officials have requested a court warrant to arrest impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, as they investigate whether his short-lived martial law decree amounted to rebellion.The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities into the power grab that lasted only a few hours on 3 December, confirmed it requested the warrant from a Seoul court. They plan to question Yoon on allegations of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion. Continue reading...

The country has recorded 32 reported drowning deaths in December, according to Royal Life Saving Australia data

Newly released Irish archives include leaks from UK government and RUC's attempts to undermine Sinn FeinParts of the British government and disgruntled members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary were responsible for a series of major leaks during and after the establishment of the 1998 Good Friday agreement in Northern Ireland, according to claims in newly released Irish government archives.An Irish department of foreign Affairs official focusing on justice and security created a report and list of the leaks in October 2002. They included attempts to undermine Sinn Fein, the republican political party linked to the IRA, and expose the position of the then Northern Ireland secretary, Mo Mowlam. Continue reading...

Two men from Victoria and South Africa are charged with trafficking the drug into Australia

Incident at Gelan bridge in Bona Zuria Woreda claimed lives of 66 people so far', says Sidama health bureauMore than 60 people have died after a road accident in southern Ethiopia, the local health authority said on Sunday.Sidama state is in the south of Ethiopia, about 300km south of the capital Addis Ababa. Continue reading...

Temporary air restrictions in place for remainder of day because of low visibility, says air traffic control providerDisruption caused by dense fog was expected to continue at Gatwick airport until the end of Sunday - its busiest day of the holiday period.Nats, the UK's main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions were in place for the remainder of the day because of low visibility in airfields affected by fog. Continue reading...

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