Western Mail
Storms warning amid ‘first meaningful rain’
THUNDERSTORM warnings have been issued across parts of Wales and England as water companies could be forced to reduce the amount they take from the River Severn to prevent parts of it drying out in the ongoing drought. It comes as parts of the UK were...
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Wales sets new net zero target of 2040
THE Welsh Government has set a target of hitting net zero by 2040 – 10 years before the rest of the UK. Cabinet minister Llŷr Grufydd announced the ambition and said the new Plaid administration had started work on Wales’ first Climate and Nature...
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Farewell Bonnie
BONNIE TYLER was remembered as “a star, but never a diva” at a funeral that included renditions of some of her biggest hits. Fans applauded and shouted “goodbye” as the singer’s white coffin, etched with symbols including a microphone and a treble...
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‘A LOCAL GIRL DONE WELL’
HUNDREDS of Bonnie Tyler fans gathered to pay their respects to the late singer in Swansea over the weekend. On Saturday, the Skewen superstar’s coffin was brought home and serenaded through the streets by crowds of fans. And yesterday, hundreds of...
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Military called in to battle wildfires
THE fire service have called in the military to strengthen their response to the wildfires burning across the nation. People across Wales have been evacuated from their homes as the fires creep towards residential areas. Prime Minister Andy Burnham...
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Arrest after homes destroyed in blaze
AWOMAN has been arrested on suspicion of arson after five homes were destroyed by a devastating fire in Newbridge on Wednesday afternoon. The blaze led to 32 properties being evacuated but no injuries were reported. Yesterday afternoon Gwent Police...
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ALL EYES ON THE DEEPEST SOLAR ECLIPSE IN DECADES
THOUSANDS of people across Wales had their eyes fixed on the skies yesterday for the most dramatic solar eclipse visible in the UK since 1999. Hundreds of people gathered at Cardiff Bay barrage with heavy traffic in the Penarth area as people tried to...
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Rugby player died after holiday punch
AWELSH rugby player died after being punched in the head by a security guard while on holiday in Turkey, an inquest opening has heard. Scot James, from Maesteg, died at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital on Sunday, July 26, following an alleged assault at a...
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Why did Wales fall out of love with Labour?
“WE’RE f**ked”. The bluntness of the statement from a senior Labour figure stopped me in my tracks. I’d asked how they saw the party’s chances on May 7 when Wales went to the polls. It was neither the sentiment nor the delivery that shocked me, but...
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MS SIÂN GWENLLIAN: THE TRAGEDY THAT TAUGHT ME SO MUCH
SIÂN GWENLLIAN spent a long time getting to the Senedd, and in the 10 years since being elected to it for the first time, she has become someone who gets stuff done, maybe without glory or without becoming a household name, but behind the scenes. She...
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THE PICTURE THAT SHOWS JUST HOW CLOSE MASSIVE WILDFIRE CAME TO HOMES
DEVASTATING images of a wildfire which has been burning for days shows how dangerously close flames came to engulfing homes in the valley below. The blaze at Llanwonno in the Rhondda has spread to an area the size of over 500 football pitches. Images...
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Universities in Wales set for major review
A WHOLESALE review of university funding and organisation has been announced by the Welsh Government. The review comes as institutions in Wales grapple with a combined operating deficit of more than £97m even after years of cuts and job losses. An...
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MOUNTAIN FIRES ‘DELIBERATE’
FIRES are are believed to have been deliberately started on a mountain where crews have been tackling a blaze since the weekend. The fire at Llanwonno, near Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley, began on Saturday afternoon and emergency services remain at...
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Benefits cheat kept dead mum in freezer
ASON hid the body of his mother in a freezer for more than three years after her death in order to receive her pension and benefits totalling £78,000 while living in her home. He hoodwinked the authorities for years, despite repeated attempts to...
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Residents ‘deserve answers’ after flood
FIRST Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth says residents affected by flooding in Gwaelod-y-Garth “deserve answers” after he paid a visit to the village on Saturday. He met some of those whose homes were damaged after a sudden torrent of water tore through the...
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Probe starts amid flooding clean-up
AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a Welsh village was flooded with water, mud and rocks after a blast at a nearby quarry. Residents in Gwaelod-y-Garth, a small village on the outskirts of Cardiff, were forced to evacuate and have been left...
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Drought declared across the whole of Wales
THE whole of Wales is now in drought, as the UK struggles with extreme heat, wildfires and dry conditions that experts warn may linger until the autumn. The UK has endured its fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures topping 35°C. Natural...
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Second body found in kayakers search
ASECOND body has been found in a major search for two missing men who had last been seen heading towards a Welsh beach. Connor Parfitt and Simon Wilson vanished more than a week ago after being seen heading to a Gwynedd beach, near a Haven holiday...
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Friends died after fall from balcony at hotel
TWO Welsh men died on holiday after falling roughly 20 feet when a wooden handrail collapsed on a hotel balcony at a Canary Islands apartment, an inquest has heard. In October 2025 shopkeeper Darren Silcox, 56, from Cwmbran, and family friend Nicholas...
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Man tried to stab his ex-partner to death
AMAN tried to murder his former partner when he stabbed her multiple times in broad daylight in a town park. James McKenna, 57, targeted Joanne Sidaway in Carmarthen Park on the afternoon of January 29 this year. He had previously been to the same...
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AEROBATICS LIGHT UP SKY
TENS of thousands of spectators remained on Swansea Bay beach on Saturday night to enjoy the inaugural Wales Airshow Afterburn which formed a new twilight finale to the annual event. The sunset spectacular featured the roar of an RAF Typhoon,...
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HELICOPTER JOINS WALES’ WILDFIRES BATTLE
APOPULAR beauty spot is now being used as a vital water source for firefighters. Access to one of South Wales’ most popular beauty spots has been closed until further notice as emergency services continue to tackle a major wildfire that has been...
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Drought officially declared in Wales
TWO parts of Wales have become the first areas in the UK to officially declare drought status this summer following successive scorching heatwaves, widespread wildfires, and record-low river flows. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) confirmed yesterday...
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Health alert as wildfires rage on
HEALTH alerts have been issued as two major wildfires continue to blaze in the north and south of the country. A fire burning on the mountains surrounding Blaenavon has entered its fifth day, with firefighters battling a blaze stretching across more...
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Burnham tells team to cut cost of living
ANDY Burnham has told ministers he will lead a “cost-of-living Government” after announcing an £850 million tax cut on electricity bills. From October 1 electricity bills will be VAT free, saving households about £45 a year as part of the new Prime...
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Burnham brings his own new order
WELSH Secretary Jo Stevens has left her job as new Prime Minister Andy Burnham appoints his Cabinet. The Cardiff East MP is one of a number of major figures to lose their jobs in government as the former Greater Manchester mayor promised to deliver...
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Arrests after man’s death at campsite near Royal Welsh Show
A MAN has died and three others have been arrested following an incident at a campsite near the Royal Welsh showground. The incident took place at Penmaenau Farm caravan park. The farm is the biggest campsite used by Royal Welsh visitors each year,...
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Burnham: I have a plan to bring back hope
ANDY BURNHAM declared “I have a plan” to give people “hope back” and set a political direction that is “distinctively Labour” as he officially became the party’s new leader. He said he was “ready to lead” as he took the governing party’s reins at a...
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‘SEND IN THE HELICOPTERS’
ATWO-KILOMETRE-WIDE wall of fire is sweeping across open countryside in north Wales. The wildfire in the Rhinogydd mountains near Harlech first started on Sunday but reignited on Wednesday and continued to rage through yesterday across 2,000...
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Eight men charged in ‘grooming gang’ probe
EIGHT men have been charged with more than 30 offences as part of an investigation into groupbased child sexual exploitation. Detectives from Gwent Police carried out a targeted operation on July 14 to arrest them. It included activity in Newport,...
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Fears after politician killed in ‘targeted attack’
THE First Minister has shared condolences over the death of veteran politician Ann Widdecombe. The 78 year-old was killed in a “targeted attack”, counter-terrorism police investigating her death have said. In the Senedd yesterday, Rhun ap Iorwerth...
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‘YOU FEEL HELPLESS’– RESIDENTS TELL OF WILDFIRE DRAMA
AWOMAN has recounted the harrowing moment she awoke to a fierce blaze raging across the mountainside above her Welsh home. A major incident was declared in Conwy on Sunday evening following a devastating fire at Sychnant Pass, which continued to burn...
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Thousands of deaths linked to heatwaves
MORE than 2,700 people died from heat-related causes during May and June’s record hot spells, as climate change makes heatwaves more deadly, experts estimate. Researchers from Imperial College London, the Met Office, and the London School of Hygiene...
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Murder probe arrests after teenager’s death
WITNESSES to a horrific incident in which one man died and another was injured have described the harrowing scenes which led police to launch a murder investigation. Five people have now been arrested and are currently in police custody as part of an...
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Burnham says he’s ready to listen to Wales
ANDY Burnham has issued a promise to the people of Wales as his path to be the next leader of UK Labour and Prime Minister becomes clearer. The former Greater Manchester Mayor is so far the only MP who has announced their intention to stand to replace...
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LAST WOMAN TO BE HANGED IN UK GRANTED CONDITIONAL PARDON
A WELSH glamour model who was the last woman to ever be executed in the UK is set to receive a conditional pardon despite the fact she admitted murdering her lover more than 70 years ago. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the pardon will replace...
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WELSH SCHOOL BOWLED OVER BY PRINCE VISIT
THE Prince of Wales played bowls with a group of schoolchildren in west London at the same time his brother, the Duke of Sussex, made his first public outing during his five-day trip to the United Kingdom. William was joined by five Team Wales...
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JUDGE CRITICISES PYLONS FIRM IN LAND ACCESS CASE
AN ENERGY firm trying to erect lines of electricity pylons throughout Wales has been criticised by a judge over its treatment of farmers whose land it wished to enter. The criticism of Green GEN Cymru was described by lawyers acting on behalf of 500...
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Tinder swindler in £70k romance scam
ACONMAN from Wales took tens of thousands of pounds from victims by claiming he was a former special forces soldier-turnedmulti-millionaire cancer sufferer, a court has heard. Joseph Gibson forged a pack of lies, including that he had served in the...
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Teen mowed down and killed mum-of-3
A19-YEAR-OLD man who killed a mum-of-three after driving into her outside a social club in Cardiff has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years. Kian Bateman, 19 but 18 at the time of the murder, deliberately drove into...
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Unis face challenge as rankings decline
UNIVERSITIES in Wales have been warned they face a challenge to maintain their position in the international market as the UK’s advantage begins to erode. Three of the five Welsh universities rated in the prestigious QS World Rankings 2027 saw their...
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PLAYERS SETTLE MATCH FEES DISPUTE WITH WRU
WALES’ squad have resolved their dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union over match fees ahead of their Nations Championship opener against Fiji. Yesterday’s press conference for the Cardiff fixture on Saturday was cancelled as talks took place between the...
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Sextortion-scam teen took own life
AWELSH teenager took his own life after falling victim to a sextortion blackmail scam online linked to a large scale operation in Africa, his inquest has heard. Cai Davies, from Pontypridd, took his own life aged just 18 years old after he had sent...
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Ex-Welsh MP pleads guilty to gambling on date of election
CRAIG WIlliams, a former Welsh MP and close aide to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has admitted placing three bets on the date of the General Election in 2024 based on confidential information. Williams, 41, who was Tory MP for both Montgomeryshire and,...
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MARKET TOWN MURDER PROBE
A22-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man died in a quiet market town. Emergency services were called to Church Street in Welshpool, Powys, after the victim was found injured at 1.15am yesterday. Despite the efforts of...
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A WELSHMAN IN NEW YORK
PLUS: 7-DAY TV GUIDE AND 8 PAGES OF PUZZLES IN TODAY’S SUPER MAGAZINE
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‘BRILLIANT TO HAVE JAC BACK’
JAC MORGAN will make his first Wales appearance since November against the Barbarians at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham tomorrow. The 26-year-old is one of eight changes to the starting XV which beat Italy in the final round of the Six Nations. There is...
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‘Innocent victim in a drug war’
SIX people have been jailed for life for murdering a woman who was shot dead when a turf war between rival gangs turned violent. Joanne Penney, 40, right, was shot in the chest at almost point-blank range by Marcus Huntley, 21, after she opened the...
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Teenager arrested in murder inquiry after girl’s body found
A TEENAGE boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a missing 14-yearold girl was found in south Wales. The teenager, named only as Lilly by Gwent Police, was discovered in the Duffryn Park area of Blaina at around 10.10pm on...
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‘Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first’
ANDY Burnham appears on course to enter 10 Downing Street within weeks after an emotional Sir Keir quit yesterday morning. The Prime Minister acknowledged he had lost the support of his MPs and promised an “orderly handover of power” to his successor...
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THE HEAT IS ON...
THE Met Office has warned that this week’s heatwave across Wales is becoming a “severe weather event” as temperatures are set to soar well above 30°C this week, with some areas potentially reaching a sweltering 38°C. A second amber extreme heat...
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Burnham promises new path for Britain
ANDY Burnham told the Labour Party his election was “a final chance to change” as he laid down what appeared to be a direct challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The outgoing Greater Manchester mayor said he wanted to “lay out a new path for...
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Patient died of overdose after drug prescribed by mistake
APATIENT was wrongly given morphine when discharged from hospital and died of an overdose two days later. The patient was given the drug without being made aware of the risks or given guidance on using it safely. An inquiry by the ombudsman has said...
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Rail crash tragedy failures laid bare
AN INVESTIGATION into the first fatal head-on train collision to cause a person’s death in the UK in 25 years has criticised Transport for Wales’ processes and training. The report found that the Welsh Government-owned transport authority TfW did not...
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Science teaching in Wales’ schools under fire
WEAK teaching, curriculum planning and assessment “often” limits pupils’ progress in science at schools across Wales, a damning report from education watchdog Estyn says. Science teaching and quality of science provision “remains too variable” in...
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TWO PLAYED KEY ROLES IN RIOT, COURT TOLD
TWO people accused of playing leading roles in the Ely riot appeared in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday. Matthew Evans, who used an aerosol can as a makeshift flamethrower to torch a car, and “prolific missilethrower” Cameron Carter both...
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UK set to ban social media for under-16s
SIR Keir Starmer has vowed to “call time on a system that’s failing our kids” ahead of his expected announcement of an under-16s social media ban. The Prime Minister will announce sweeping reforms to protect children online at a press conference...
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EX-WALES ACE KENNY JACKETT DIES, AGED 64
MULTIPLE failings and system breakdown caused the death of a man wrongly injected with insulin during his operation, an inquest has found. No-one intended to kill greatgrandfather Donald Gough at Wales’ biggest hospital, coroner David Regan concluded...
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HISTORIC PUB HIT BY BLAZE
A300-YEAR-OLD village pub was ravaged by fire yesterday. Fire crews were called to the scene of the blaze at the award-winning Hare & Hounds in Aberthin, Cowbridge. The pub’s owners said yesterday there were still working out what comes next following...
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Our agony – mum of teenager who lost leg after stabbing
THE distraught mother of a teenager who is in hospital in a critical condition after an alleged stabbing at Barry Island has told how her son’s life has changed forever. The 17-year-old had to have part of his leg amputated after being stabbed during...
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Power supply delay for steelworks plan
THE opening of Tata’s new electric arc furnace at the Port Talbot steelworks could be delayed by up to 12 months, bosses have said, although they say they are hopeful that time can be reduced. The £1.25bn scheme aims to build one of the largest...
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DVLA worker altered records in £1.3m swindle
ATRUSTED DVLA employee abused his position with the agency to alter or delete vehicle records to boost their value and to issue new identities for stolen or crashed cars, a court has heard. Matthew Holloway accessed computer and paper-based systems to...
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Apocalyptic scenes in steel plant blaze
ALARGE fire at the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot is said to have caused “substantial damage to a vital production line”. Concerns have been raised about the impact of the devastating fire on jobs and Tata’s downstream operations across Wales because...
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History of Wales is vital for all pupils – academics
TOO many children leave school with “at best limited knowledge and understanding of the history of their own nation”, many of Wales’ leading academics write in an open letter to the Welsh Government. The historians, educationalists and individuals...
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FROM OLYMPIC RINGS TO WEDDING RINGS FOR LAUREN
OLYMPIC gold medallist and boxing world champion Lauren Price has married her partner Carlie Jones at a stunning ceremony in Wales. The happy couple tied the knot at Sant Ffraed House in Abergavenny on Saturday on a day filled with love and laughter...
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RUGBY MOURNS DEATH OF COACHING GREAT KEAR
FORMER Wales coach John Kear has passed away at the age of 71. The celebrated former rugby league coach, who also led England, Sheffield, Hull, Wakefield, Batley, Bradford and Widnes, had provided commentary on the Challenge Cup final for the BBC on...
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STUDENT UNABLE TO FLY HOME AFTER HORROR INDIA GAP YEAR CRASH
AUNIVERSITY student suffered serious brain injuries in a horror gap year scooter accident in India just days before she was due to fly home. Olivia North, from Aberystwyth, is believed to have hit a pothole and was left unable to remember her beloved...
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Unis face more job losses as deficits mount
UNIVERSITIES in Wales are more than £97m in operating deficit with matters likely to get worse before they get better and more job cuts likely. The financial blackhole has swelled by £20m, compared to the £77m deficit in 2023-24, although some of the...
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OVER IN A FLASH
CARAVANS were struck and trains punched out of service as a thunderstorm descended on north Wales on Wednesday night. Lightning strikes were so numerous that Anglesey was entirely obscured on weather maps showing where they had struck. But the wild...
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DAME SIÂN SET TO RETURN TO STAGE
DAME Siân Phillips is to return to the stage as she joins Welsh National Theatre’s production of Samuel Beckett’s Rockaby. The Olivier and Tony-nominated star, who is 93, has a career that’s spanned more than eight decades across the West End,...
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BRIER BREAKS 44-YEAR-OLD 200m RECORD
HANNAH Brier underlined her status as the fastest Welsh woman of all time, breaking her country’s long-standing 200m record with a time of 22.79 seconds at the Stratford Speed Grand Prix in London. The Welsh record had been held for 44 years by...
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WARMEST MAY DAY ON RECORD IN WALES
THE UK has recorded its alltime hottest May temperature as a part of London hit 34.8°C. The high was at Kew Gardens, the Met Office said shortly after 4pm on the bank holiday. Yesterday was also the hottest May day ever in Wales as temperatures of...
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THE AWARDS WINNERS
WITH the regular rugby season now over, it’s a natural time to reflect on who has impressed over the course of the year. Cardiff might still have a United Rugby Championship quarter-final left to play – with their season still having another 80 minutes...
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‘WE LOST OUR CONNECTION WITH PEOPLE’
IN 2021 Ken Skates secured 10,448 votes in the Senedd election. Of those who turned out 43% voted for him. That was up from five years previously when he got 35% of the vote. Yet just a few weeks ago, in the new-look Fflint Wrecsam constituency –...
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TANDY’S BEST WALES TEAM TO FACE FIJI
WALES begin their summer campaign against the Barbarians, but the real business starts with Fiji in the opening match of the inaugural Nations Cup. With the Barbarians clash falling outside World Rugby’s official international window, the Test against...
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