Western Mail
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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TV STRICTLY STAR AMY TO UNDERGO A SECOND MASTECTOMY
STRICTLY Come Dancing professional dancer Amy Dowden has announced she is to undergo “another mastectomy this week”. The 35-year-old said the surgery was “not to treat a new cancer diagnosis” but came after an appointment with her “incredible” medical...
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DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.
Plans for licensed premises in your neighbourhood could be hidden from view if new government proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices get the green light.
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Ex-Wales hockey coach jailed for his wife’s murder
AHOCKEY coach who stabbed his interior designer wife six times and claimed she had taken her own life has been jailed for at least 21 years for her murder. Mohamed Samak, 43, a former Egyptian international hockey player and coach who worked with the...
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KING STRIPS ANDREW OF TITLES AND ROYAL LODGE RESIDENCE
THE King has begun the formal process to strip the titles from Prince Andrew, who will move out of his Windsor home to Sandringham. Buckingham Palace said Andrew has agreed to leave Royal Lodge as his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein...
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Medics fighting to find work in Wales
AFTER years of studying and hundreds of hours working for free for the NHS to qualify resident doctors in Wales say there are no jobs and they’re struggling to make ends meet. It comes at the same time almost half of junior doctors in Wales told the...
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Hurricane Melissa slams into Jamaica with winds of 185mph
BRITISH tourists are locked down in their hotels as Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history, last night made landfall in Jamaica with 185mph winds. As many as 8,000 British citizens are in the Caribbean country, with...
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INJURED FALETAU OUT OF AUTUMN SERIES
TAULUPE Faletau will miss the autumn internationals. The star No.8 was yesterday ruled out of next month’s Tests with a knee injury. It is a major blow to new Wales head coach Steve Tandy ahead of the clashes against Argentina, Japan, South Africa and...
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FALETAU A MAJOR INJURY WORRY FOR WALES COACH TANDY
STEVE Tandy is sweating on the fitness of Taulupe Faletau after the star No. 8 limped out of Cardiff’s game against Edinburgh on Saturday. Faletau left the Arms Park field just minutes into the United Rugby Championship clash with Edinburgh, which the...
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Plaid Cymru celebrate historic election victory
PLAID Cymru’s celebrations are continuing after a historic election win in Caerphilly. After an event outside Caerphilly Castle yesterday morning, leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and newly elected Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle headed for the Senedd, where he...
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SIX FOUND GUILTY OF RIOTING IN ELY
SIX men have been found guilty of rioting in Cardiff, two years ago. The incident broke out following the deaths of Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, who were killed in a crash while riding an electric bike in the Ely area of the city. Lee...
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Woman ‘shot dead in gang turf war’
AWOMAN was shot dead when a turf war between rival gangs turned violent, a court heard. Joanne Penney, 40, was killed as she opened the door of a flat on March 9 this year. Cardiff Crown Court heard Ms Penney was shot at almost point-blank range in...
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RHYS CARRE IN STUNNING WALES RETURN AMID SHOCK CALL-UPS
WALES have revealed how Rhys Carre is available for Test selection, having previously appeared to have been captured by the 25-cap rule. The 27-year-old, who has 20 caps for his country, has not played for Wales since February 2023, having fallen out...
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JAC’S ALL LINED UP FOR RETURN
JAC Morgan is just days away from a return to action. Ospreys head coach Mark Jones is hopeful Morgan will return to action for this weekend’s Welsh derby against the Dragons at Rodney Parade. Morgan, who is likely to be named as Wales skipper when...
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A BORN LEADER
SHE worked with a young local man who was excellent at painting shop signs. We had ornate pillars bordering both windows which we highlighted with a gold leaf design. The result was quite stunning. This shop was in a far better position than our old...
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Teenager targeted girls for explicit pictures
A YOUNG man befriended children aged between 10 and 16 on social media, gained their trust and then convinced them to send him explicit photos and videos before blackmailing them in order to make sure they carried on. Cory Jones, 19, from Ynyswen,...
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Minister derails Wales’ £4.6bn hopes
AUK Government minister who said “something is amiss” with Wales missing out on HS2 funding has confirmed the nation will not receive a multi-billion-pound windfall. Peter Hendy, UK minister of state for rail, gave evidence to the Senedd’s...
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WALES HEROINE JESS TO HANG UP BOOTS
WELSH football’s most-capped player Jess Fishlock has announced her international retirement. The 38-year-old, who’s also the nation’s record goalscorer, has confirmed she will play her final game for Wales against Australia at the Cardiff City...
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Budget failure ‘to cost Wales billions’
MARK Drakeford has thrown down the gauntlet to opposition parties, warning failing to pass the Welsh budget would result in cuts of up to £7bn and thousands of job losses. The finance secretary dangled an olive branch, with £380m on the table to find...
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Couple in court over groundsman’s death
AMAN crushed to death by a quadbike while working on a Welsh estate was not given proper training by his employer before being ordered to use the vehicle, a court has heard. Former Ministry of Defence chief Nicholas Prest, 71, and his wife Anthea, 70,...
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TWO ARRESTED AFTER PRISON DEATH OF DEPRAVED SINGER
TWO MEN have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins at HMP Wakefield. The paedophile rock star was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences. He was attacked with a knife on Saturday...
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S4C GIVES HUGE PAYOUT TO FORMER BOSS IT SACKED
S4C is to give a huge payout to the former boss it sacked. The Welsh language broadcaster’s former CEO Sian Doyle has agreed a settlement after a lengthy legal process between her, the channel, and its former chairman Rhodri Williams. The settlement...
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Tata calls for fair deal as EU plans to slash imports
TATA Steel’s UK boss has warned of a “difficult” future ahead amid EU plans to slash tariff-free steel import quotas, prompting an urgent call for the UK to create a “level playing field”. Rajesh Nair, chief executive of Tata Steel UK, urged UK...
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ALLEGED STALKER ‘CALLED ME MUM,’ KATE McCANN TELLS COURT
AN EMOTIONAL Gerry McCann has told a jury that an “incessant” alleged stalker who claims to be Madeleine McCann has damaged efforts to find his missing daughter. Mr McCann and Madeleine’s mother Kate both gave evidence from behind a curtain as they...
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WOMEN ‘BANGED ON DOOR’ OF MADELEINE McCANN PARENTS’ HOME, STALKING TRIAL TOLD
AWOMAN accused of stalking the McCanns turned up at their family home and signed a letter addressed to them as Madeleine, a court has heard. Jurors heard that Julia Wandelt, 24, from Lubin in south-west Poland, who claimed to be the missing girl, with...
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