Bitcoin 1bn seized from silk road account by us government

Published 7 January 2019 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing After years at the heart of government, Mark Drakeford today starts in the top job. BBC Wales' political correspondent Daniel Davies has spoken to friends, colleagues and opponents of the Welsh Labour leader about his politics, personality and the sort of first minister he will be. Mark Drakeford's political awakening came early. Nationalist fervour swept his home town of Carmarthen when Gwynfor Evans was elected as Plaid Cymru's first MP in 1966. At grammar school, Mr Drakeford remembers groups of pupils marching around chanting political slogans. English-only road signs lay piled on the ground, torn down the night before. The political climate fired the imagination of the young Drakeford, a clarinet-playing cricket fan. Trashing road signs was, he thought, a "fantastic thing to be doing", he told me. … [Read more...] about Mark Drakeford: From Latin degree to Wales’ leader

By Rachel Flint Published 15 August 2021 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic There are fears rules making it easier for pop-up campsites to open during the Covid pandemic have led to a "free-for-all", harming rural communities. Landowners can open campsites for up to 56 days without planning permission, after rules were relaxed. While owners say the sites are boosting tourism, some residents claim their communities have been damaged after campsites "sprang up overnight". The Welsh government said the rules were helping the tourism sector. With more people holidaying within the UK this summer, because of Covid rules on travel abroad, demand for camping in parts of Wales has risen , with reports of popular sites being booked up for months. During the pandemic the Welsh government temporarily relaxed planning … [Read more...] about Covid: Pop-up campsite rules ‘harming communities’

Published 26 April Share close Share page Copy link About sharing An angler says urgent action is needed to clean up the River Severn after finding "shocking" levels of pollution. Glyn Marshall, who also campaigns to protect rivers, said Severn Trent Water was not removing phosphate at its treatment plant at Diglis, Worcester. He fears pollution will lead to algae growth and wildlife dying. Severn Trent said its permit did not require it to remove phosphate at the site, but the plant was being upgraded to allow it to do this by May 2026. Mr Marshall, 65, said data from the river sewage map showed untreated waste went into the Severn at Diglis 81 times last year. "The residents of Worcester need to realise that what's going into our local river is horrible and it's not getting any better," he said. The river had become increasingly polluted and one example was reduced … [Read more...] about Worcester angler calls for pollution action to ‘save’ River Severn

By Paul Pigott Published 16 April Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A lifeboat volunteer said he spent days in hospital after contracting a parasitic infection linked to sewage after a river training exercise. David Deveney suffered giardiasis after spending two hours in the River Severn and said an investigation found an 80% chance it came from human sewage. Sewage was spilt into Welsh rivers more than 95,000 times and for more than 791,000 hours last year, figures show. The illness has not been categorically linked to sewage or spills in Wales. Both the River Severn and River Wye, which end in the Severn Estuary, run through Wales and England. Welsh Water, which provides water and wastewater services to most households in Wales, said the spills had "a limited impact" on Welsh rivers. Mr Deveney, a lifeboat training manager with the Severn Area Rescue … [Read more...] about River pollution: Rescuer infected with sewage-linked parasite

Almost $12 million dollars was lost to pokie machines across South Canterbury in 2021, and Timaru machines gobbled up most of that, according to Department of Internal Affairs figures. More than $10m, which equates to $28,000 a day, was spent on pokie machines in Timaru alone. This figure is the amount lost to machines, also known as gaming machine profit (GMP), and does not include any winnings paid out to gamblers. In Timaru, $10,150,461 was lost at 166 pokie machines across 13 venues, 11 of which are located in medium to medium high deprivation areas. That loss was up by $1.5m on 2020. READ MORE: Pokies gradually on the way out in Mackenzie District Ruapehu District Council tackles 'huge' level of gambling harm Pokie machine 'sinking lid' on the table as Lower Hutt reviews gambling Wellington council poised to start ditching 'dirty money' pokie machines Timaru tops figures for annual per person spend on pokies for the whole Canterbury region, averaging … [Read more...] about South Cantabrians lost almost $12m to pokies in 2021