Western Mail
Father murdered by boys in racist attack
TWO teenage boys have been locked up for life for murdering a father who died after being stabbed in the heart during an unprovoked racist attack. Marcus Staniforth, 17, and a 16-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, approached Kamran...
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New £50m deal to boost defence jobs
THOUSANDS of skilled workers in Wales will be involved in the design, testing and manufacture of innovative technologies thanks to a landmark new defence deal. Speaking at Cardiff Castle yesterday, UK Defence Secretary John Healey stressed the...
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CHARLOTTE: I’VE SEEN A LOT OF SUFFERING
CHARLOTTE Church says her outlook on life has been shaped by seeing “a lot of suffering”. Perhaps in response, the Welsh singer-songwriter founded The Dreaming in 2023, a retreat space in rural Wales, focusing on nature, community and sound. “There’s...
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HAWKINS WARNS OF SCOTS’ CENTRE THREAT
UP UNTIL 40-odd years ago, the notion of conceding 40 points in a Test match was something Wales was distinctly unfamiliar with. The national team would go 373 matches at Test level, spanning over a century between 1881 and 1987, before that 40-point...
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TANDY CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY
THERE has been very little to be positive about for Wales over the past fortnight following two heavy defeats in the opening two rounds of the Six Nations. Things don’t get much easier for Wales, who welcome a Scotland side who put in a sensational...
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‘STICK WITH US’
DEWI Lake made an impassioned plea for fans to stick with the Wales team following their heavy Six Nations defeat to France yesterday. A crowd of 57,444 were at the Principality Stadium to see Steve Tandy’s side fall to a 54-12 defeat. It was the...
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CARRE PRIMED TO EXPLODE FOR WALES
WALES are hopeful of getting a permanent defence coach in place by the summer, having conceded 34 tries in Steve Tandy’s first five matches in charge. From the start of the autumn, Wales have shipped just shy of 50 points-a-game, with their defence...
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‘The light inside him dimmed and his cheeky smile faded’
A TEENAGE soldier found hanged in his barracks having been under stress faced an “impossible working environment”, his family have said. Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment Trooper Jack Burnell-Williams, 18, was found dead at Hyde Park Barracks in...
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Top restaurant’s failings revealed
THE full details behind Wales’ best restaurant’s damning food hygiene rating have been revealed. It cites flies, cross-contamination risks, “significant hazards not identified”, dirty facilities, broken equipment and misinformation, among other...
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WALES READY TO TEAR UP THE SCRIPT – WAINWRIGHT
AARON Wainwright insists Wales can spring a Twickenham upset and believes the visitors have the muscle to go toe-to-toe with England’s pack. Wales are rank outsiders for their Six Nations opener at the Allianz Stadium Twickenham today with England...
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Farage names leader for Reform in Wales
NIGEL Farage has named a former Reform UK councillor in England as the party’s new leader in Wales. Dan Thomas, the former leader of Barnet council in greater London, is to be the party’s leader in Wales. Thomas led Barnet council as a Conservative...
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Ospreys to be axed from elite – meeting minutes revealed
SWANSEA council has launched early stage legal action against the WRU and Y11 Sport and Media as it published bombshell minutes of a meeting during which it says it was confirmed the Ospreys will cease to be a professional rugby region after next...
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Massive overhaul of water industry in Wales planned
THE Welsh Government has published major long-term plans for stronger regulation of the water industry which it says will make rivers cleaner. The plans would mean setting up a new dedicated Welsh economic regulator for water in Wales, which would...
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Pressure mounting on Mandelson to quit Lords
DISGRACED peer Peter Mandelson is facing calls to remove himself from the House of Lords after further revelations about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Mandelson should no longer sit in the Lords...
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SNOOP’S WELSH FOOTBALL DREAM
MUSIC megastar Snoop Dogg says he wants to make Swansea City a global commercial force and propel them back to the Premier League. The hip-hop artist completed a high-profile move for a minority stake in the Swans over the summer, following on from...
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Tory boss in brutal message to Welsh members
KEMI Badenoch issued an uncompromising message to Welsh Conservatives thinking about joining Reform as she visited Wales, telling them they were “welcome to leave”. In an interview with WalesOnline in Cardiff Bay, the leader of the UK Conservative...
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Welsh Labour voters turn against PM - poll
KEIR Starmer’s popularity in Wales has hit a new low, with nearly three-quarters of people saying he is doing a bad job, poll findings show. People in Wales are overwhelmingly negative about the performances of the Labour administrations in both...
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Scale of violence in Wales’ schools revealed
TEACHERS are kicked, bitten and have shoes hurled at them in the classroom, driving some to quit the profession and making it more difficult to recruit staff, a report reveals today Violence and inappropriate behaviour are frequently seen in schools,...
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‘Powerless’ Morgan under fire over speech
FIRST Minister Eluned Morgan faced fierce criticism in the Senedd over her speech demanding more powers for her government. Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth accused her of being powerless to influence her Labour colleagues at Westminster, while...
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Ex-police boss blasts ‘cover-up’ in shamed officer case
SOUTH Wales Police has been accused of “abusing” its powers to shield disgraced officers from open justice. It comes after the force cited “embarrassing” details as a reason for blocking the Western Mail from naming an officer who was sacked over...
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More police on the streets – Mahmood
SHABANA Mahmood has vowed to get more police officers out of back offices and on to the streets as part of her radical overhaul of policing in England and Wales. In reforms set to be announced today, the Home Secretary will pledge to cut “red tape”...
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Eluned doubles down on ‘separatists’ attack
ELUNED Morgan has claimed “every decision” would be “a road to independence” if Plaid Cymru or the Green Party to lead the next Welsh Government from May. The First Minister yesterday doubled down on branding the two parties as “separatists”, claiming...
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First Minister seeks new deal for Wales
THE First Minister has claimed that people in some areas of Wales have been treated as second-class compared to other parts of the UK. Eluned Morgan made the comment during a speech at the Institute for Government in Westminster yesterday as she...
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‘FRUSTRATION, ANGER & FEAR’ – OSPREYS STILL SEEK ANSWERS, SAYS COACH JONES
OSPREYS head coach Mark Jones says the players and staff at the region are still looking for answers after Monday’s bombshell WRU announcement that Y11 are the preferred bidders to take over Cardiff Rugby. Where that leaves the Ospreys remains to be...
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Hospital department a ‘savage workplace’
ABOMBSHELL report lays bare details of bullying, sabotage and weak leadership in a department at Wales’ biggest hospital. The internal report – which focuses on the sterilisation and decontamination unit at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales –...
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15,000 ‘missing’ women at risk of cancer
WALES is facing a breast cancer screening crisis, with take-up rates of potentially life-saving checks the lowest in the UK. It comes as a petition signed by more than 4,000 people thrusts Wales’ breast cancer screening programme into the spotlight...
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Hospitality ‘set up to fail’ in Wales
ALEADING hotelier claims the hospitality industry is being “set up to fail” by government policies. With business rates set to soar, Steven Hesketh detailed the extraordinary pressures facing his two properties in Wrexham. He fears the upshot will be...
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GABBY: MY FINAL DAYS WITH ‘WARRIOR’ DAD
SPORTS broadcaster Gabby Logan has described her father Terry Yorath as “a kind-hearted and generous man” with a “wicked sense of humour” as she paid tribute to the former footballer who died aged 75 earlier this week. In a post on Instagram, she...
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He sold poison to help people kill themselves
AMAN who assisted suicide by selling a substance online for £100 to vulnerable people has been jailed for 14 years after what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind in the UK. Miles Cross, 33, set up a business sourcing a chemical from...
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Ex-teacher admits being fake admiral
AMAN posed as one of the most senior officers in the British Armed Forces for years, attending Remembrance Day events wearing medals he had never earned. Former teacher Jonathan Carley wore the uniform of a Rear Admiral and a prestigious honour, the...
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Defiant PM’s pledge ‘to defeat division’
SIR Keir Starmer has insisted he will still be Prime Minister this time next year, cautioning that repeated changes in leadership are not in the “national interest”. Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg in his first interview of 2026, the Labour...
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‘Beloved’ mum-offour killed in crash
ALOVING mum-of-four has died after being involved in a serious collision on a major Valleys road, police have confirmed. A total of five people were taken to hospital following a crash between a car and a van on the A4119 bypass at Williamstown, near...
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IT’S A RECORD AT NEW YEAR SWIM
THERE was a record turnout at the UK’s biggest festive charity swim event as more than 3,000 turned up at Saundersfoot’s New Year’s Day Swim. Planned by the Saundersfoot Festivities Committee, the event has grown over the years as it celebrated its...
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Snow warning in chilly start to 2026
SNOWFALL is expected across much of the UK in a chilly start to the new year, forecasters have said. The Met Office has issued a 12-hour yellow snow and ice warning for 15 parts of Wales. The yellow weather warning comes into force at midnight and...
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How Blair rejected further powers for Wales
FORMER Prime Minister Tony Blair and his cabinet were critical of the performance of the devolved administration in Cardiff Bay and opposed to giving it further powers, recently-released cabinet papers show. The former Labour leader thought devolution...
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REES-ZAMMIT BUILDS CASE FOR WALES FULLBACK
LOUIS Rees-Zammit is ready to stake his claim for the Wales full-back berth. The 24-year-old flyer was again handed the No.15 shirt for Bristol Bears at the weekend and responded with two tries as his side recorded a 36-27 comeback victory against...
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Elections could spell end for PM – expert
SIR Keir Starmer’s future could be determined in May as a polling expert warned Labour faces nationwide losses at next year’s elections. Lord Robert Hayward said Labour was on course for defeat in the Senedd, heavy losses in English council elections...
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‘BEATLES’ LEAD BRAVE CHRISTMAS BATHERS
HUNDREDS of brave souls defied the freezing conditions once more on Christmas Day to participate in Porthcawl’s annual festive morning dip. Now celebrating its 60th year, the occasion attracted more than 1,000 participants to Coney beach, many...
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WRU BOSS: I FEEL TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EXIT OF STAR DUO
WELSH Rugby Union chair Richard Collier-Keywood says he feels responsible for the uncertainty that has seen Wales captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake sign deals in England ahead of next season. The Ospreys pair both recently agreed to join Gloucester,...
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New bid for total ban on hunting
BOXING Day hunts are poised to disappear entirely, with the process to outlaw trail hunting due to start next year. Trail hunting involves laying a scent for the hunt to pursue instead of a live animal, and was brought in to replace fox hunting, which...
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Lovers jailed for plot to murder husband
AWOMAN who plotted with her secret lover to murder her husband so they could start a new life together has been jailed for 19 years. Michelle Mills, 46, and Geraint Berry, 47, planned to kill Christopher Mills so they could continue their affair, and...
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‘You targeted me for your sexual desires... I can’t forgive or forget’
TWO women sexually assaulted by an NHS worker while he performed scans gave harrowing testimony on the devastating impact it has had on their lives as he was jailed for nine years. The women said Ieuan Crump’s sexual assaults while he carried out...
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Plaid on course to lead Wales
PLAID Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth is on course to be First Minister, a major new YouGov poll in Wales has suggested. Plaid is on course to win the largest number of seats in the Senedd next May, according to the poll of 2,500 adults in Wales. The...
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Families’ Christmas flooding heartache
MANY parts of south Wales saw flooding yesterday in the wake of torrential rain. It came after an amber warning for possible danger to life was issued. South and south-west Wales was badly hit, with 50mm to 80mm forecast widely and nearly 100mm in...
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‘I slammed my papers on the table and said: ‘Boys, nothing changes, you have no appetite for change. You will do the same things all over again’ and I walked out...’
WHEN Gareth Davies reflects on the state of Welsh rugby today, he is struck by one overriding emotion – sadness. Davies has done it all in the game. He made more than 350 appearances for Cardiff, earned 21 caps for Wales at outside-half, winning a...
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Wales braced for ‘massive’ flu surge
A“MASSIVE increase” in flu cases in Wales will hit Wales in the next few weeks, the First Minister has warned. Under-pressure health services have seen 163 hospital admissions for flu in the past week as well as 254 in-patient flu cases, 12 of whom...
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Crisis-hit schools issue funding plea
HEADTEACHERS in Wales have described how they work 12hour days, through weekends and take on extra work to top up budgets and cover for staff they can no longer afford to employ. Some have told us they are working unpaid as teaching assistants,...
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‘IT’S THE BIGGEST HONOUR I’VE HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE ‘
WELSH TV presenter Ruth Dodsworth has been awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by King Charles III during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. She was awarded the title for her services to victims and survivors of...
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Problems mount at ‘crumbling’ hospital
ACRISIS-HIT hospital’s running water was disrupted twice in around 48 hours while sewage was understood to have been leaking into a waiting room. The incidents happened last week at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales amid chronic structural...
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STRICTLY STAR’S PERFECT RESPONSE TO ONLINE ABUSE
STRICTLY Come Dancing’s Amber Davies has issued an emotional statement as she fights for her place in the semi final. Despite being scored a perfect 40 for her Charleston during Musicals Week on Saturday, the Welsh star has faced a barrage of...
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Questions remain after Starmer visit
KEIR Starmer has failed to directly answer questions about the criticism of 11 Labour Senedd Members that he is rolling back devolution. The Prime Minister would not address the issue when he was asked about it on a visit to Cardiff to promote his...
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Unpaid carers left to ‘pick up pieces’
UNPAID carers are being left to “pick up the pieces” of a broken system due to a lack of respite, unsafe hospital discharges and carers’ assessments that result in “nothing at all”. The warning came as the Senedd’s health scrutiny committee began...
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BEAUTY FIRM COLLAPSES OWING £1.9m
AWELSH beauty brand which created a global customer base via TikTok has collapsed into liquidation after experiencing financial difficulties and leaving creditors owed nearly £2m. Llantrisant-based Mallows Ltd, which traded as Mallows Beauty, was set...
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ARMY ‘SAID A JAX VEHICLE WAS SAFE BEFORE SOLDIERS FELL ILL’
THE head of the British Army assured ministers the Ajax armoured vehicle was “demonstrably safe” weeks before its use was paused over safety concerns, MPs have been told. The Army stopped using the Ajax last week after about 30 soldiers fell ill while...
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RUGBY CLUB DEVASTATED BY BLAZE
AWELSH rugby club has been left in a “state of shock” after a devastating fire destroyed its clubhouse. Emergency services were called to Penarth RFC’s ground early yesterday morning after receiving reports that the clubhouse was “well...
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10,000 new jobs being promised
THE promise of more than 10,000 new jobs across Wales from £16bn worth of projects has been confirmed by the Welsh Government as it today stages a major investment summit. The Wales Investment Summit at the ICC Wales in Newport will be attended by...
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SIGNS OF OPTIMISM FOR WALES – JONES
SKIPPER Dewi Lake insists under-strength Wales are raring to go against South Africa in a fixture that has provoked widespread bemusement throughout Welsh rugby. Wales are without their 13 England and France-based players at Principality Stadium this...
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Reeves launches a £26bn Budget tax raid
RACHEL REEVES hiked taxes by £26bn as she faced forecasts of weaker economic growth, faster inflation and higher unemployment. The Chancellor’s measures, including a freeze on income tax thresholds which will leave 1.7 million people paying more, take...
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BIG CWTCH WELCOME FOR WILLIAM
THE Prince of Wales visited Wales yesterday, meeting members of a local community to shine a spotlight on young people living in coastal communities. Taking a stroll along Colwyn Bay, the prince chatted with members of Marine Conservation Society’s...
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FOUR NEW FACES TAKE ON THE BOKS
STEVE Tandy has called Ospreys forwards James Ratti and Garyn Phillips, Scarlets wing Ellis Mee and Cardiff hooker Evan Lloyd into the Wales squad ahead of Saturday’s clash with South Africa. Wales will be without 13 players for this weekend’s clash...
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UNSTOPPABLE
IN THE end, the 52-26 scoreline was testament to New Zealand’s second-half dominance, but there were also green shoots for Wales. Steve Tandy’s side showed a lot more in attack than they have of late, with Tom Rogers claiming a hat-trick and Louis...
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Euro 2028 will kick off in Wales
CARDIFF’S Principality Stadium will host the opening game of Euro 2028, it has been officially confirmed. The Welsh capital will be the venue for six tournament matches in total, including a last 16 tie and a quarterfinal knockout fixture The...
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NEW WELSH NHS BOSS: MY PRESCRIPTION TO MAKE SERVICE BETTER
THE new boss of NHS Wales is confident the ailing service will get better. Jacqueline Totterdell took over one of the biggest – and most scrutinised – jobs in Wales just six weeks ago, but has made some big promises to people in Wales as she begins her...
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TANDY CONSIDERS OPTIONS AS CAPTAIN MORGAN RULED OUT
STEVE Tandy is poised to send an SOS to Harri Deaves or Tommy Reffell as he plans for an autumn campaign without his inspirational captain. Wales skipper Jac Morgan has been ruled out of the rest of the autumn series after dislocating his shoulder in...
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GLIMMERS OF HOPE FOR WALES, DESPITE MORGAN INJURY
JAC Morgan is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder against Argentina. The Wales skipper was his side’s best player as the Steve Tandy era began with a 52-28 defeat at the hands of the Pumas at the...
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Six police officers face fatal crash disciplinary
SIX police officers are to face disciplinary proceedings over their handling of missing person reports following a crash which left three young people dead. Eve Smith and Darcy Ross, both 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, were found dead at the scene of the...
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REES-ZAMMIT MISSES OUT ON WALES STARTING TEAM
LOUIS Rees-Zammit has missed out on a place in the Wales starting XV against Argentina on Sunday, but Rhys Carre is set for an instant return after his Test exile. It is understood the 24-year-old winger is pushing for a place on the bench but still...
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Boss of Welsh Water defends job cuts
THE outgoing boss of Welsh Water has said executives won’t face pay cuts as the organisation sheds jobs to save money. DŴr Cymru is axing around 500 full-time-equivalent roles over the next 18 to 24 months to reduce annual spending by £50m. Peter...
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52 MISSED CHANCES TO STOP PAEDOPHILE HEADTEACHER
THERE were more than 50 “missed opportunities” to intervene and stop paedophile headteacher Neil Foden who went on to sexually abuse girls for years. A damning report catalogued the failings over several years with concerns dating back as far back as...
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