Western Mail
Car wash people smugglers jailed
PEOPLE smugglers based at a car wash in Wales who acted as “travel agents” for migrants who were smuggled into Europe by lorry and boat have both been jailed for 19 years each. Dilshad Shamo, 41, and Ali Khdir, 40, made several thousands of pounds by...
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We won’t bend to London, says Plaid leader
APLAID Cymru government will not bend to Westminster’s will, the party leader has promised. Speaking at the launch of Plaid’s Senedd election manifesto yesterday, Rhun ap Iorwerth said there will be “no more saying no to Wales” if his party forms a...
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JAC’S BACK, SO WHO GETS LEFT OUT?
ANEW road to relieve congestion on the M4 around Newport is now firmly back on the political agenda. The two parties leading in the polls are both going into May’s Senedd election in favour of building a road to take traffic away from the Brynglas...
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Cardiff Airport wins £205m subsidy row
THE Welsh Government has seen off a legal challenge from Bristol Airport over plans to provide £205m of subsidy support to Cardiff Airport. The ruling is a major boost for the Rhoose airport as it seeks to expand its passenger numbers and grow non...
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Warning as e-bike fires hit record high
E-BIKE and e-scooter fires reached a record high last year, an investigation has found, leading to riders being warned about online marketplaces. Fire brigade figures obtained by the Press Association show 432 e-bike blazes were recorded across the UK...
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‘You’ve really got to make friends with vegetables’
CHEESE used to be one of Diane Morgan’s great loves – but just four weeks after going vegan, the comedian feels very differently. Best known for playing Philomena Cunk on Charlie Brooker’s Wipe series and the spinoff Cunk mockumentaries, Diane says...
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Union questions cost of school watchdogs
ATEACHERS’ union has questioned the value of what it estimates are tens of millions of pounds spent on education watchdogs in Wales amid a crisis in schools funding. The NASUWT official for Wales claimed there is “little accounting for what that money...
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GIFTS FROM THE KING
THE King yesterday distributed Royal Maundy gifts at the annual service, as it was held in Wales for only the second time. Charles, accompanied by the Queen, attended St Asaph Cathedral yesterday for the ceremony, which was last held in Wales in...
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No jobs in Wales for new paramedics
NEWLY-QUALIFIED paramedics in Wales have been advised to apply for jobs across the border or abroad because of a hiring freeze. The Welsh Ambulance Service said that it was facing a “difficult financial and operational landscape” as it confirmed that...
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GREENS WILL BE THE KINGMAKERS IN WALES – POLANSKI
THE leader of the Greens has said his party will be kingmakers in next month’s Senedd election. Speaking at the campaign launch in Jacob’s Market, Cardiff yesterday, Zack Polanski said the Green Party will be open to negotiations with other political...
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COURT REJECTS CARDIFF CITY £100m CLAIM FOR DAMAGES OVER SALA DEATH
CARDIFF City FC’s claim for compensation against Nantes following the death of Emiliano Sala in a plane crash has been thrown out by a French court. The tribunal of Nantes, announcing its decision yesterday, ordered Cardiff to pay more than £400,000...
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Labour’s time is up, claims Plaid leader
THE battle for power in the Senedd is heating up as Plaid Cymru claims Labour is out of the running to win the May 7 election. The party’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Labour’s time is up, they are now out of the picture – this campaign will be a...
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WRU chair says he’ll stand down this summer
WELSH Rugby Union chairman Richard Collier-Keywood is to step down in July. Collier-Keywood, who was facing an EGM vote to oust him next month, will depart at the end of his term this summer. The news is a surprise development in Welsh rugby’s...
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Schools ‘in survival mode’ over funding
ONE IN FOUR Welsh schools are overspent, with a combined national deficit of £72m, official figures show. The eye-watering sum comes as headteachers warn they are “in survival mode”, with job cuts, increased class sizes and reduced subject choices in...
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Son jailed for hammer murder of own mother
ATEENAGER who murdered his mother with a hammer and recorded his attack on a dictaphone has been jailed for a minimum of 22 years and six months. Tristan Roberts, 18, later “boasted” online about the fatal attack on Angela Shellis, a 45-year-old...
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A&E waits linked to nearly 1,000 deaths
ALMOST 1,000 people died in Wales last year due to long waits in accident and emergency (A&E), according to new analysis. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said that on average 18 people died each week due to delays in A&E. The RCEM says...
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Brace for long-term Iran war, warns PM
BRITAIN must be prepared for the Iran war to continue “for some time”, the Prime Minister has said. Sir Keir Starmer told MPs yesterday it was “hard to answer” how long the crisis would continue and that he had warned his team not to fall into the...
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BELLAMY TIPS JOHNSON TO FIRE FOR WALES
JEREMIAH Azu is ready to turn his attentions to the summer season after losing his grip on the men’s 60 metres title at the World Indoor Championships. The Welsh sprinter won a surprise gold medal in Nanjing last year but had to settle for an agonising...
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‘Match days are incredible – you can get fresh seafood with rosé!’
GEORGE North has opened up on his “incredible” new life in France, with the Welsh rugby legend getting stuck into the French lifestyle and culture with his wife Becky and their children. It is nearly two years since the 33-year-old left Welsh rugby to...
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Covid-hit NHS came ‘close to collapse’
IT WAS only the “superhuman” efforts of NHS workers in Wales and around the UK that prevented the health services from collapsing during Covid, the inquiry into the pandemic has concluded. Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett’s report into how the...
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Steffie’s parents watched her ‘fade away and did nothing’
THE parents of a woman who died in an emaciated state left her to “fade into insignificance”, a court has heard. Steffie Davies, 32, was found dead by paramedics who were called to her home in Pandy, Wrexham, in May 2023, Mold Crown Court heard...
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Hospital used tools unsterilised in ops
AMAJOR failing at a Welsh hospital led to 21 patients undergoing operations with unsterilised surgical tools. The Western Mail can today reveal the procedures took place at Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital across two days – February 25 and 26 this year...
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Horse trainer guilty of assaulting walker
ACHAMPION horse trainer could be jailed after he was convicted of assaulting a dog walker who was on his land late at night. Richard Williams, 54, repeatedly struck Martin Dandridge, 72, with a hockey stick during a night-time assault. Mr Dandridge,...
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No charges over four Army barracks deaths
THE father of a Welsh soldier found dead at an Army barracks has expressed his fury after a sixyear criminal probe into allegations of abuse at the barracks failed to result in a single charge. Cheryl James, 18, from Llangollen, was one of four...
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Reform and Plaid neck and neck – poll
REFORM UK and Plaid Cymru are projected to be tied on 28 seats each in May’s Senedd election with Labour just behind on 26, latest polling shows. The gap between Reform, which launched its manifesto for Wales in Newport on Thursday, and main...
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Reform pledge to cut income tax in Wales
NIGEL FARAGE pledged to slash the number of people working for the Welsh Government and to cut income tax as he launched Reform UK’s manifesto in Wales. The party leader spoke at an event in Newport to announce his party’s pledges ahead of the vote on...
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MP’s husband held in China spy probe
AFORMER Labour special adviser and one-time Welsh police and crime commissioner candidate has been named as one of three men arrested on suspicion of spying for China. David Taylor, the husband of Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid, was special adviser to...
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MEE SET FOR WALES START – BUT FITNESS FEARS FOR WAINWRIGHT
ELLIS Mee is set to be brought back into Wales’ starting XV to face Ireland on Friday but Aaron Wainwright could yet be ruled out in a hammer blow. Head coach Steve Tandy is expected to make three changes when he announces the side today with Mee, Dan...
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Woman died in crash after drivers’ race, court hears
A20-YEAR-OLD woman was killed in a crash after the driver of the car she was travelling in became involved in a “race” which saw him reach speeds of 80mph in a residential area, a court has heard. The driver was left with “life-changing injuries”,...
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Evacuation plan from Middle East
UK OFFICIALS are drawing up plans to evacuate UK nationals from the Middle East as the death toll grows amid continuing Iranian and Israeli strikes. Some 76,000 British nationals are understood to have registered their presence in the Middle East –...
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Plaid leader reveals plans for government
PLAID Cymru party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth revealed his plans for government as he addressed party members in the keynote speech at the Plaid Cymru party conference in Newport and hailed the May elections a “generational opportunity”. The man the polls...
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PRESENTS FOR A PRINCESS
THE Prince and Princess of Wales made an unscheduled stop to meet well-wishers standing in heavy rain during a visit to Powys ahead of St David’s Day. William and Kate had travelled to The Hanging Gardens, a community hub focused on resilience and...
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CRAZY DAY SNOOP DOGG CAME TO TOWN
“IACTUALLY went through a few shooting drills with him yesterday”. If the idea of Leon Britton taking Snoop Dogg for a spot of training feels surreal enough, this admission to a member of the gathered press outside the Swansea.com Stadium was merely an...
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DRUID’S CALL FOR MUSEUM OF WELSH MYTHS
AWELSH druid has called on ministers to establish a national museum celebrating Welsh mythology. Deborah Rose Hālani said such a facility would thrust Wales on to the global stage while instilling a national sense of belonging. She envisages an...
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LAUREN IN BAFTA SUCCESS DELIGHT
ONE Battle After Another was the big winner at the 2026 Bafta Film Awards, where British films Hamnet and I Swear also received plaudits. Paul Thomas Anderson’s film about a washed-up revolutionary searching for his missing teenage daughter won six...
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WRU set to face bombshell EGM
THE Welsh Rugby Union is to face a seismic extraordinary general meeting (EGM), with a vote of no confidence in chair Richard CollierKeywood set to be held. Yesterday, it was confirmed that the Central Glamorgan Rugby Union, which represents clubs in...
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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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