Man seeks to buy landfill to search for Bitcoin treasure
A Welsh man is seeking to buy a local landfill to look for a hard drive containing a multi-million-dollar Bitcoin fortune that he believes is buried there. Computer engineer James Howells lost a High Court case against the Newport city council last month, which denied him permission to excavate the dump.
The hard drive containing Howells' Bitcoin wallet was lost in 2013 when his then-partner mistakenly discarded it during an office cleanup. The wallet contained 8,000 coins. That year, Bitcoin value spiked, with the total value of the hard drive's contents jumping from about $106,400 in January to over $9 million in December, prompting Howells to start trying to retrieve the device. Today, the tokens believed to be buried are worth over $775 million.
The Newport City Council has consistently refused Howells' requests to excavate the site, citing environmental concerns and legal restrictions. The council stated that the landfill is nearing the end of its operational life and will be capped in the 2025-26 financial year, with plans to build a solar farm on part of the land. The council also argued that the hard drive became its property once it entered the landfill, a claim upheld by the court.
READ MORE:
Cryptocurrencies record largest ever single-day fall
In a statement published on Monday by multiple British news outlets, Howells, 39, said he was
'potentially interested in purchasing the landfill site'
and has discussed the option with investment partners. Late last month he also lodged an appeal at the Royal Court of Appeal in London.
The landfill in question holds more than 1.4 million tonnes of waste. In a 2021 interview, Howells said he believed that despite spending nearly a decade layered with soil and other trash, the hard drive may still be usable thanks to its anti-corrosive properties.
The judge said however there was
'no realistic prospect'
of Howells succeeding at trial.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
5 days ago
- Russia Today
Russia's Sber launches Bitcoin-linked bonds
Russia's largest lender, Sber (formerly Sberbank), has introduced structured bonds tied to Bitcoin, according to an announcement on the bank's website. The new financial product tracks both the price of the top cryptocurrency and the dollar-to-ruble exchange rate. Sber says the bond is currently available to a limited pool of qualified investors on the over-the-counter market. The bank noted that the new bond offers potential returns from Bitcoin's price movement in dollars and from the dollar's appreciation against the ruble. According to the bank, investors will not need to open cryptocurrency wallets or use unregulated foreign platforms to buy the new bond, as all transactions will be conducted in rubles 'within Russia's legal and infrastructure systems.' The bank added that it plans to expand its offerings, with full listings on the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) expected soon. '[This] will ensure transparency, liquidity and convenience for a wide range of qualified investors,' the bank said. It announced that a Bitcoin futures product will launch in the lender's SberInvestments app on June 4, following its listing on MOEX. The move follows guidance from the Bank of Russia, which on May 28 authorized financial institutions to offer crypto-linked derivatives, securities, and digital assets to qualified investors. The central bank specified, however, that these instruments must not involve the actual delivery of crypto tokens, and proposed a pilot program limiting direct crypto transactions to specific investor categories. Both MOEX and the St. Petersburg Exchange later said they plan to introduce futures products linked to cryptocurrency prices. Several financial organizations, including T-Bank and Alfa Bank, also started offering products tied to digital assets shortly after the regulator's announcement. Russia has taken a cautious but gradually evolving approach to cryptocurrencies. While digital assets are not recognized as legal tender in the country, the government has moved to regulate their use. A law passed last year banned advertising cryptocurrencies to the general public and limited services facilitating crypto transactions. Another measure classified digital currencies as property, making them subject to income tax. At the same time, the country legalized crypto mining, though it remains restricted in energy-deficient regions until 2031. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called crypto regulation a 'promising area,' urging the creation of legal and technological infrastructure for its domestic and cross-border use. However, the central bank has remained skeptical. In March, the head of the regulator, Elvira Nabiullina, called cryptocurrencies 'very volatile' and urged for their use as a payment method to be banned. She noted, however, that she supports the limited use of cryptocurrencies as an investment tool.
Russia Today
25-04-2025
- Russia Today
Outsourcing war: British mercenaries now run America's front lines
The British-American private military company Group 4 Securitas (G4S) has evolved far beyond its original mission of providing security for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine's critical infrastructure. Today, it resembles a quasi-state, complete with its own armed forces, prison systems, and global reach. G4S secures US embassies around the world, guards airports, government agencies, and military installations for both Washington and London, and even monitors sections of the US border. It also manages prisons notorious for abuse, torture, and killings. British-American firms now dominate roughly 90% of the global PMC market, and experts say that outsourcing warfare to private contractors has become the preferred tool of foreign policy. It's easier – and more politically palatable – to fight through intermediaries. G4S earns the lion's share of its revenue from contracts with multinational corporations and government agencies in the US and UK. Its former CEO, Ashley Martin Almanza, previously served as CFO of the British energy giant BG Group, a major supplier of liquefied natural gas to China. In 2016, BG merged with Royal Dutch Shell – another UK-based energy titan and the world's largest oil and gas company. Since 2016, G4S has been protecting employees and assets of the Barash Gas Company in Iraq – a joint venture between the Iraqi government and Shell, which owns a 44% stake. This is one of the largest gas infrastructure projects in the country. Over the past three years alone, G4S has raked in more than $100 million from contracts securing US embassies worldwide. Procurement records from both the US and UK governments show a steady increase in the number of diplomatic sites under G4S protection. In just one year, the company landed five-year contracts for US embassies in Estonia ($18.8 million), Hong Kong ($35 million), Luxembourg ($29 million), and Côte d'Ivoire ($12.6 million). The US Bureau of Diplomatic Security counts on G4S to safeguard American facilities in South Africa through 2025. The company protects not just the embassy in Pretoria but also consulates and offices in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. G4S personnel also provide bodyguard services for US diplomats outside official buildings. The bodyguard contract alone is worth $9.5 million. The total value of security services in South Africa exceeds that tenfold. Notably, some contract obligations – amounting to $3 million – were paid for but never fulfilled by G4S, according to oversight reports. G4S also protects American embassies in the UK, France, India, Madagascar, Morocco, Botswana, Denmark, and Qatar, as well as across South America, including Peru and Paraguay. The company also operates in Canada. One of its more recent assignments involves the US Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, where G4S was hired for $8.7 million to defend American personnel, their families, and government assets against a range of threats, including terrorism. If the first year goes well, the contract may be extended for up to five years. Following the targeted killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, Iranian investigators accused G4S of providing intel to the Pentagon regarding his location prior to the drone strike. At the time, G4S was contracted to protect Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport. According to global arms expert Darko Todorovski, Western PMCs are deeply embedded within their countries' military and foreign policy frameworks. These companies operate under intelligence agency oversight and are awarded government contracts via institutions like the US State Department or the UK's Foreign Office. Todorovski points out several advantages of relying on PMCs: they can be deployed quickly, typically boast higher professionalism than traditional forces in volatile regions, and aren't beholden to local elites or religious factions. Their superior logistical and technical capabilities make them a preferred choice. Moreover, these companies avoid the red tape of government bureaucracies. 'Their use doesn't stir public outrage the way regular troops do. And when they suffer casualties, those deaths don't show up in official government statistics,' Todorovski notes. The boundary between PMCs and traditional armies has grown increasingly faint. Many G4S recruits are military veterans. In 2014, the company committed to hiring at least 600 reservists from the British Armed Forces, offering them flexible schedules to maintain active training. This partnership with the British Ministry of Defence was renewed in October 2022. 'We already hire a significant number of veterans, and today's agreement reinforces G4S's strong ties to the British military,' said then-CEO Almanza. Even the US military depends on G4S. Since late 2017, the company has been under contract with the United States Army Joint Munitions Command to secure military facilities in Somalia, including the Gashandiga base in Mogadishu – a site once used by Islamist militants to control northern parts of the city during the civil war. G4S was also responsible for guarding the Somali president's official residence in Mogadishu, as well as government headquarters in Baidoa, and major infrastructure like Mogadishu's port, a UAE training base, and Turkish diplomatic sites. Per contract documents, the main goal was to ensure the secure movement of high-ranking personnel. Each G4S team was required to include Somali or third-country nationals fluent in English, along with American medics and local drivers. Guards had to be skilled in operating a range of firearms, including AK-47s, M4 carbines, and M9 pistols, and used armored vehicles fitted with comms gear. The pay disparity was staggering. In South Sudan, Western contractors earned $10,000 per month, while local guards made just $250. With roughly 800,000 employees, G4S maintains its own rapid response units – essentially private strike teams supported by in-house intelligence operations. Many Western PMCs now have access to reconnaissance aircraft, satellite data, and cutting-edge surveillance tools. 'They work with corporations that provide satellite imagery, which has been used by PMCs in Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan,' Todorovski explains. Alexander Artemonov, a defense analyst at the Eurasia Heritage Foundation, estimates G4S maintains a fighting force of 250,000–280,000, equal to the number of troops Russia deployed in Donbass. The rest of the workforce consists of support staff, prison guards, and logistical teams. G4S's arsenal includes everything from AK-47s and Glock 17s to MP5s, sniper rifles, Uzi submachine guns, and even Israeli Hermes 450 drones. Their operatives have access to anti-personnel mines, grenade launchers, and portable anti-air systems. For mobility, they rely on armored Land Cruisers, Humvees, and military-grade carriers like the Cougar and RG-33. G4S has also assumed control of prison facilities traditionally run by governments. In the UK, the company managed two immigration detention centers and six prisons, including those in Oakwood and Birmingham. In 2018, the Birmingham facility was returned to government control after inspectors uncovered appalling conditions: inmates roamed freely while staff locked themselves in offices; cells were filthy, infested with rats, and reeked of bodily fluids. Peter Clarke, a former counterterrorism chief turned prison inspector, called it the worst he'd ever seen. In September 2023, a special inquiry confirmed allegations of torture at Brook House, another G4S-run immigration facility. The public was horrified by reports of detainees being brutalized. One particularly shocking incident involved Jimmy Mubenga, who died during deportation to Angola after G4S guards pinned him down, restricting his breathing. Witnesses say he cried out, 'I can't breathe.' A court ruled his death as manslaughter by negligence, but no one was held accountable. Similar scandals emerged in G4S-operated prisons in South Africa and the Middle East. In 2018, 42 inmates at South Africa's Mangaung prison alleged electric shocks, forced sedation with antipsychotics, and extended solitary confinement. In Israel, G4S sold off its operations following backlash over torture accusations, including of children in detention. Yet none of this prevented the US Department of Homeland Security from signing G4S to oversee migrant detention, deportation centers, and border checkpoints across the country – including airports and ports – last July. Todorovski argues that Britain has revived the age-old tradition of mercenary warfare. 'Historically, the British preferred not to get directly involved in conflicts. They've always used intermediaries,' he said. Now, the US has taken the lead. Together, British and American corporations control over 90% of the global PMC market – valued at more than $400 billion.
Russia Today
25-04-2025
- Russia Today
Brits no longer confident in future
UK consumer confidence has dropped to its lowest point since 2023, driven by soaring bills, tax increases and fears that US tariffs could push living costs even higher for British households, a survey published on Friday has shown. The consumer confidence index fell by four points to -23 in April, according to the latest update from data company GfK, marking the lowest level in 17 months and well below economists' expectations of a decline to -21. The index, which averages responses to key sentiment questions, ranges from -100 to +100. Positive scores reflect consumer optimism, while negative readings indicate a prevailing sense of pessimism. The index is closely monitored by the British government and the Bank of England for early warning signs on the economy since the early 1970s. The drop represents a stark warning for the UK economy and reflects how British consumers were hit by a mix of domestic tax hikes, surging household bills, and growing concerns over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The country faces a 10% tariff on most goods and 25% on steel, aluminum and automotive exports to the US. Washington and London are currently negotiating a new trade agreement, with Trump having paused the imposition of tariffs for 90 days. While the UK has been spared the worst of the levies imposed by Trump earlier this month, households have become much more downbeat about the outlook for the British economy. 'Consumers have not only been grappling with multiple April cost increases in the form of utilities, council tax, stamp duty, and road tax, but they are also hearing dire warnings of renewed high inflation on the back of the Trump tariffs,' said Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK. April's reading of -23 marks the lowest level since the Labour Party assumed office last summer, according to the survey. The UK's energy regulator, Ofgem, announced a 6.4% increase in the energy price cap effective from April 1, raising the average annual energy bill for a typical household from £1,738 ($2,172) to £1,849 ($2,311). The cost of living crisis fueled by high interest rates and rising energy prices has taken a toll on British households over the past two years, forcing millions of families to cut spending. Meanwhile, manufacturers have been slashing production in response to a downturn in orders from domestic and export markets, multiple previous surveys showed.
