Browse content similar to 31/12/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Good evening. Welsh rugby has been plunged into huge uncertainty this | :00:00. | :00:16. | |
evening. The four regions have refused to renew a legal agreement | :00:17. | :00:20. | |
with the Welsh Rugby Union by today's deadline. The so-called | :00:21. | :00:22. | |
Participation Agreement sets out how the professional game is run and | :00:23. | :00:25. | |
includes key issues such as finances and international player release. | :00:26. | :00:28. | |
The regions say its financial terms aren't good enough, and the | :00:29. | :00:30. | |
uncertainty over which tournaments they'll be playing in, is too great. | :00:31. | :00:39. | |
Gareth Lewis reports. Time is finally up for the Welsh | :00:40. | :00:43. | |
regions to put pen to paper. That deadline has passed without ink | :00:44. | :00:48. | |
being spilt. But behind the scenes plenty of bad blood is being shed. | :00:49. | :00:51. | |
The regions released a statement this afternoon saying they remained | :00:52. | :00:54. | |
totally committed to working with the WRU and reaffirmed their | :00:55. | :00:56. | |
commitment to the Rugby Champions Cup, a proposed European Cup run by | :00:57. | :00:59. | |
the Six Nations committee, which they say would generate an extra ?12 | :01:00. | :01:07. | |
million. If no agreement can be reached on that tournament by the | :01:08. | :01:11. | |
end of January, the regions will pursue further competition options. | :01:12. | :01:14. | |
It's an open secret they're considering joining the English | :01:15. | :01:19. | |
Premiership. The WRU issued a statement of their own. The union | :01:20. | :01:25. | |
and chief executive Roger Lewis have been tight lipped over the past | :01:26. | :01:27. | |
couple of months, but their intentions could now become clearer | :01:28. | :01:31. | |
after a board meeting on Thursday. They could cut the regions' funding | :01:32. | :01:34. | |
from next season, in effect put them out of business, and even set up new | :01:35. | :01:42. | |
teams. The Blues' players have been preparing for tomorrow's match | :01:43. | :01:45. | |
against the Dragons with a bold statement of their own for a cancer | :01:46. | :01:49. | |
charity but they're caught in the middle. For the players themselves, | :01:50. | :01:51. | |
this problem is particularly acute. For the rugby playing public, it is | :01:52. | :02:00. | |
administration. But for the players, these are their incomes. There are | :02:01. | :02:04. | |
contracts up for renewal and without a participation agreement, none of | :02:05. | :02:08. | |
this can be solved. In the next four week 's, I think it will be a very | :02:09. | :02:16. | |
interesting man for Welsh rugby. As are the fans - who have spoken with | :02:17. | :02:20. | |
a collective voice with their sides under threat. And the players. More | :02:21. | :02:29. | |
questions than answers, as Welsh rugby enters a potentially turbulent | :02:30. | :02:32. | |
New Year. We have just had this statement from the Welsh Rugby | :02:33. | :02:35. | |
Union, it says it is confident that Welsh professional sides will | :02:36. | :02:39. | |
continue to take part in tournaments sanctioned by them but it did not | :02:40. | :02:48. | |
specify which teams. It added it will discuss options on Thursday. A | :02:49. | :02:51. | |
deal allowing Swansea City and the Ospreys to play at the Liberty | :02:52. | :02:54. | |
Stadium is being investigated by the European Commission. Swansea Council | :02:55. | :02:57. | |
has been asked to give details of funding arrangements at the venue, | :02:58. | :03:01. | |
which it owns. Both clubs pay a nominal rent but contribute more | :03:02. | :03:04. | |
than a million pounds in annual running costs. It's part of a | :03:05. | :03:06. | |
Europe-wide inquiry into state aid in sport. | :03:07. | :03:18. | |
The singer Katherine Jenkins has received an OBE in the New Year | :03:19. | :03:22. | |
Honours, for her services to music and charity. Actress Ruth Jones and | :03:23. | :03:25. | |
the Assembly's Presiding Officer, Rosemary Butler, were also awarded. | :03:26. | :03:27. | |
Here's our Arts and Media Correspondent, Huw Thomas. | :03:28. | :03:39. | |
It is her voice that has made her an international singing star but it is | :03:40. | :03:43. | |
her dedication to charity as well as to music that have made Acra won an | :03:44. | :03:48. | |
OBE in the New Year 's Honours, and award she said made her feel | :03:49. | :03:50. | |
incredibly humble. Dash-macro one. Ruth Jones will collect an MBE for | :03:51. | :04:05. | |
services to entertainment. I am genuinely comp demented, very | :04:06. | :04:10. | |
shocked and delighted -- complemented. Tina Selby has been | :04:11. | :04:17. | |
knitting hat is for the Armed Forces. From her home in Penarth in | :04:18. | :04:20. | |
the Vale of Glamorgan, she has posted almost 15,000 woolly hats to | :04:21. | :04:28. | |
regiments in Afghanistan. A letter arrived in the middle of November in | :04:29. | :04:33. | |
a white envelope with Cabinet office, I thought I am in trouble | :04:34. | :04:38. | |
for sending hats out to a war zone. But it said that I had been awarded | :04:39. | :04:41. | |
a British Empire medal, unbelievable. Margaret Williams has | :04:42. | :04:47. | |
also worked tirelessly to work help others. The charity ensures that | :04:48. | :04:54. | |
children in North Wales can get help. I am absolutely thrilled and | :04:55. | :05:00. | |
gobsmacked, over the moon. I find it bizarre because I am me. For | :05:01. | :05:04. | |
services to culture, broadcasting and culture, Geraint Talfan Davies | :05:05. | :05:12. | |
has made and OBE. He led the BBC in the 1990s and has since chaired the | :05:13. | :05:16. | |
Arts Council and Welsh National Opera. There are more than anything | :05:17. | :05:20. | |
is to do in Wales. Luckily, I have been able to get involved and I have | :05:21. | :05:29. | |
had the advantage of working with very talented people. The assembly | :05:30. | :05:34. | |
's presiding officer is made a Dame in the New Year 's Honours, as well | :05:35. | :05:39. | |
as chairing debates, Rosemary Butler has campaigned to increase the | :05:40. | :05:42. | |
number of women in Welsh public life. In an interview recorded by | :05:43. | :05:46. | |
her office, she vowed to continue to strive for better representation. I | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
think we have achieved a lot but there is certainly a lot more to do. | :05:52. | :05:54. | |
I am hoping that people coming behind me will carry on without | :05:55. | :05:59. | |
work. -- with that work. Celebrities, charity workers and | :06:00. | :06:03. | |
exceptional individuals across Wales have been honoured today and all | :06:04. | :06:06. | |
enter the New Year with something to sing about. | :06:07. | :06:08. | |
Time now for the weather forecast. Good evening. A very unsettled end | :06:09. | :06:18. | |
to 2013. A few clear spells but also some blustery showers. Tonight, | :06:19. | :06:24. | |
scattered showers, likely to be heavy at times. If you are heading | :06:25. | :06:30. | |
out for New Year's Eve, an increasing chance of blustery | :06:31. | :06:35. | |
showers through the night. A deep area of low pressure to the | :06:36. | :06:39. | |
south-west of the UK pushes into the early hours, bringing further fronts | :06:40. | :06:43. | |
from the Atlantic. The Met Office is again warning of heavy rain and | :06:44. | :06:47. | |
strong winds tomorrow. A very wet and windy morning. Even more rain on | :06:48. | :06:54. | |
high ground. Gale force winds across the coast. Eventually, easing, | :06:55. | :07:01. | |
showers and drier spells later. But with river levels already high, and | :07:02. | :07:04. | |
increased risk of localised flooding. A decent day on Thursday. | :07:05. | :07:12. | |
But then with more rain, Thursday night into Friday, a changeable end | :07:13. | :07:17. | |
to the week and it is looking unsettled into the weekend. | :07:18. | :07:21. | |
That's Wales Today. Have a good evening and from all of us on the | :07:22. | :07:24. | |
programme, Happy new Year. Good night. | :07:25. | :07:31. |