17/04/2014 BBC Wales Today

in Ukraine. That is all from the BBC News at six. It is goodbye from me

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story.

The son of one of the miners who died at Gleision speaks of the

moment he knew his father wouldn't get out of the mine alive.

It was meant to offer exhibitions and demonstrations on rural life.

This failed heritage centre cost millions in public money.

A report says it was flawed from the start.

Also tonight, should council profits from parking charges be ploughed

back to improve our roads? With the state of the roads, I think it is

absolutely appalling. Good evening. In tonight's sport - the latest on

the spying row. Cardiff City's lawyers tell the Premier League

their defeat to Crystal Palace should not stand over allegations

their team was leaked in advance. On the eve of the world Snooker

Championships, I will be asking whether there is a crisis in Welsh

snooker after some of our best players failed to qualify for the

showpiece event. And we're in for a weekend of two

halves. Some fine sunshine for the start of the Easter weekend but

becoming more unsettled from Sunday. Good evening. The son of one of the

four men who died when a mine flooded in the Swansea Valley has

told a court he knew straightaway there was no chance of them

surviving. Andrew Daniel Giles was working on the surface when the

disaster happened at the Gleision colliery more than two years ago.

Cemlyn Davies has more. Yes, the memorials are for the men

who died when the Gleision cholerae flooded in 2011. The mine itself is

hidden by the trees on the mountain side behind me. This is an area

where generations of men have worked underground - sons, fathers,

grandfathers often mining side by side. Andrew Daniel Giles and David

Powell were one an example of that. The 15th of September 2011 and

rescuers worked frantically at the Gleision mine, hoping to save the

lives of four men trapped underground. But their efforts were

in vain. David Powell, Garry Jenkins, Philip Hill and Charles

Breslin all drowned after 650,000 gallons of water poured into the

area where they were working. 275 metres into the mountain. In court

this morning, Mr Powell also on record what happened on the day his

father and his colleagues died. -- recalled. He told the jury he was

working on the surface when a minor, Nigel Evans, came running out of the

mine shaft calling on him to call the police and mine that -- mine

rescue. He said, I could not speak for long, I knew my father was down

there, I was in shock. The court then heard how Mr Giles and Mr Evans

both went into the mind to the main entrance. Asked what he saw, Mr

Giles told the jewellery the water level was so much, I knew

straightaway there was no chance for them. Mr Giles said when he returned

to the surface he found Malcolm Fyfield had managed to escape. He

said the mine manager was shaking, looking like a ghost, White has

anything. He also had one of the other colliers lamps with him. This

map which has been shown in court shows the size and complexity of the

Gleision mine. This is where they would enter the mind. At the bottom

of the main drift is heading one. This is where Garry Jenkins' body

was later found. The other three miners as well as Malcolm Fyfield

were working in this area. This is where the men preached old workings,

releasing enough water to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool. Mr

Giles told the court he had previously accompanied Mr Fifield

into the mind to check the water level. They have not been able to

get far enough but as to Giles said he could hear it. He said it was

like a waterfall. Mr Joss confirmed he later told police the mine

manager was a really tidy guy who he got on with well. Malcolm Fyfield

denies four counts of manslaughter through gross negligence and the

trial continues. I should also note of course that the operators also

deny four counts of corporate and slaughter. The trial is expected to

resume next Thursday. It cost the taxpayer more than ?3

million, but was closed within four years of opening. Tonight, there's

criticism that the Cywain Heritage Centre in Bala received public

funding based on unrealistic assumptions about its financial

viability. Matthew Richards reports. The Cywain Centre was designed to

offer exhibitions and demonstrations on rural life as well as a sculpture

park and a cafe. But it struggled to match the visitor numbers it had

predicted when it applied for and received millions of pounds of money

through the Welsh Government. Having used a ?3.4 million of public money,

the centre closed in 2011, less than three and half years after it was

opened. The Wales Audit Office said that defenders failed to properly

assess the risks associated with a project like this. The case was

prompted by a BBC Wales investigation. The Wales Audit

office says its recommendations echo those they've given in the past.

Those areas in which we make recommendations are firstly around

better sharing of information on the risks that individual Project 's

face and secondly that the funders have a continued responsibly be to

ensure the best possible outcome for the public purse. The Welsh

Government says it has already made improvements to its monitoring of

projects after those earlier criticisms from the Wales Audit

Office and that ?4 billion of European investment since 2000 has

made a difference here. But some argue the Cywain Centre isn't the

only example of wasted money. Economic regeneration money should

be in some way separated from political involvement because I

think the reason this happened in Bala and it has happened all over

Wales, we have this sort of investigation -- investment because

the powers of -- that be decide that something needs to be done to show

that we care about this community or location. That is a critical

decision, not an economic one. -- political decision. The buildings

and land have been handed over to a private estate. It's previously told

us it's been forced to pick up the pieces since the centre closed.

A coroner has said smoke from a fireworks display was not to blame

for a major crash on the M5 motorway that killed seven people, including

a couple from Newport. Anthony and Pamela Adams were among those who

died in 2011 during the pile-up involving 34 vehicles near Taunton

in Somerset. It happened next to a fireworks display at a rugby club,

but there was also thick fog in the area.

Everyday is still a mountain to climb every day is still a struggle

to get through. Most you feel you have lost part of your identity. It

is my mum and my dad. It is not easy. The recommendations are a

positive step forward. That is what we were looking for. Moving on and

making sure this does not happen to anybody else.

Two police officers have been convicted of theft in an undercover

sting by their own force. Detective Sergeant Stephen Phillips stole ?250

from a house in Neath which had been rigged with secret police cameras.

Detective Constable Jason Evans took two writing pens. Police sources say

the operation was carried-out amid ongoing concerns about alleged

misconduct. They'll be sentenced next month.

Wales's biggest bus operator is in talks to close a depot and cut its

fleet in Wales by 10%, after a reduction in funding from the Welsh

Government. Stagecoach say the Brynmawr depot, which employs 77

staff, could close in July. Some routes will be scrapped, and others

will be less frequent, with Monmouthshire and Blaenau Gwent

worst hit, the firm say. The Welsh Government says they are

disappointed and say they will continue to work with the industry

to deliver a sustainable bus industry.

Councils here made almost ?9 million last year from car parking. A report

from the RAC foundation says the money raised through charges,

permits and fines should be used to improve our roads.

This is what leukaemia looks like...

The people behind the research say the aim should be managing

congestion, not raising cash. If a profit rises at the end of the day,

as part of that traffic management operation, then so be it. Drivers

want to know that money is going back into the network. But it is

being spent on transport services. It should be not that should not be

seen as a revenue raiser. Cardiff Council came out on top. They made

?6.2 million from parking last year. And ?2.6 million of that was profit.

Cardiff was followed by Swansea Council. They turned a profit of 1.2

million and Carmarthen came third with just under ?500,000 profit. The

body that represents councils in Wales denies it is profiteering. The

local authorities are faced with major financial difficulties and

this is one of the areas where they can generate some income to try and

sustain local services. If we do not generate income, then some of the

things local authorities do would cease altogether. The people parking

in the capital today, they failed to see the benefits. The council should

be looking at the state of the roads. I think it is absolutely

appalling. What are they doing with the money? Is it the best way to

raise money? Should they be spreading it around and charging can

council tax # when parking is not monitored, it is argued it leads to

chaos. If we have a parking free for all,

with people parking for free, the environment becomes quite

unpleasant. The other thing with free parking is it often encourages

people who are going to work to drive and park all day for free, and

go to work. The motorists may feel that the only thing getting bigger

are the profits. It's the most common form of blood

cancer, affecting tens of thousands of people. Now, scientists at

Cardiff University believe they've made a significant breakthrough in

the treatment of the most prevalent strain of leukaemia. Carwyn Jones

has this exclusive report. This is what leukaemia looks like,

magnified many times over - a debilitating and sometimes deadly

cancer. Analysing the disease has been the life's work of Professor

Chris Pepper at Cardiff University's School of Medicine. His team has

been focusing on the most common strain of blood cancer - chronic

lymphocytic leukaemia. What he's examining here are cancer cells

circulating in the bloodstream. But look closely and you'll see that

some of the cells stick to the walls of the blood vessels and then burrow

through them. That's when the cancer cells divide and spread to areas

like the lymph nodes and bone marrow. What scientists here have

now discovered is the exact molecule that makes the cancer cells behave

in the way they do. This molecule plays a critical role in determining

whether those Juma cells can escape the blood vessels and go back to the

tissues, the solid tissues, where they divide and become a problem for

the patient. Those findings are significant and they could change

the lives of patients with leukaemia. Actors Richard Harrington

and Mark Lewis Jones lost a close friend to the disease two years ago.

It is about second-guessing what the disease is going to do next. How it

will mutate and to get there before the disease has a chance to decide

for itself what it is going to do. There are some strains of leukaemia

they have decided that does not need the aggressive treatment any more

not only comes from the research they are doing in Cardiff. And key

to that research is this model, which the team has designed from

scratch. It replicates how the cancer cells behave in the human

body. Very different to if they were simply in a dish or an incubator. By

understanding the biology of the disease, scientists believe they now

know how to treat it. This could be what changes the lives

of thousands of leukaemia patients in Wales and countless more

throughout the rest of the world. This drug prevents cancer cells from

growing and spreading. It is already in clinical development and looks

set to be licensed by the end of the year. I confidently predict for you

today that within ten years and probably five years, this disease

will become much less of a clinical problem and public people like me

will not be working on this disease for very much longer. Chronic

lymphocytic leukaemia affects more than 20,000 people in the UK. By

targeting specific molecules in the human body, the drugs pioneered by

Cardiff University have the potential to stop the disease in its

tracks. It's taken two decades of research, but scientists here are

confident that their work has finally led to a breakthrough.

And another achievement for Welsh medicine today. A heart surgeon at

the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff has been short listed for

the prestigious Asian Woman of Achievement Award. Past winners

include the actress Meera Syal and Shami Chakrabarti, the human rights

campaigner. Indu Deglurkar is the only nominee from Wales and

specialises in high-risk aortic surgery.

In surgery, it is a bit of a struggle. It has been a field that

has always had men in great numbers and right from the outset, why do

you want to going to a male mini did field? The way that I look at it, it

is not a male dominated field, it is a field predominantly consisting of

men. Once you get in there and show that you can do high-quality work,

you can hold your own. And all the best to Indu. The winner

will be announced in June. And there's plenty still ahead

before seven o'clock. The 19th century Eisteddfod Crown spotted for

sale on eBay. And we can look forward to some sunshine this

weekend but there will be some rain around too - join me later for a

full forecast. Football and snooker. Claire is here

with tonight's sport. Good evening. We start with the

spying row between Cardiff City and Crystal Palace. The BBC has learned

that Cardiff have written to the Premier League saying, the result of

the match between the teams earlier this month should not be allowed to

stand. The Bluebirds allege their opponents broke rules, in attempting

to obtain their starting line-up before the match. The BBC's Sports

Editor David Bond has seen the letter and joins me now. What

exactly are Carding alleging happened before the match? What they

are alleging is that essentially Crystal Palace were leaked the full

details of Cardiff 's line-up for that much back on April five. At

least 24 hours, perhaps even earlier, but 24 hours before that

match to place. They say specifically that the Crystal Palace

manager Tony Pulis was aware of attempts to obtain that information

and he was aware of the team 17 before -- sometime before the

deadline when teams are to be exchanged. They are alleging there

has been a serious breach of rules. And not just in the spirit of the

game, saying this is the breakdown in the trust and the faith between

clubs, but that Crystal Palace obtained an unfair sporting

advantage by getting that confidential information. The

Premier league are obviously investigating now. What impact could

their findings have on the league as things stand?

Or they are saying at the moment is that they are treating the matter

seriously. They are trying to assess whether there is a case to answer.

That could take a few days yet. You have to break it down into three

issues. There is the first question about the good faith issue between

the two clubs. Has there been a breakdown in the sort of Premier

league chairmen 's charter which requires all clubs to act in good

faith to each other? Then there is the question as to how the club

officials have acted. Who leaked the information to Crystal Palace? Work

Crystal Palace guilty of breaches of confidence by trying to contact

Cardiff officials? At the third much bigger and more difficult issue is

whether the outcome of the match was actually affected. How much does it

help one team if they know the opposing line-up in advance of the

match? I think that is quite a bit debating point. Many people in

football shrug and say this kind of thing goes on all the time. But the

Premier league will certainly take a dim view that officials at either

club were involved in this sort of behaviour, I think.

We will watch with interest. Swansea City Head Coach Garry Monk has

played down reports of a training ground bust-up among his players

before last weekend's defeat to Chelsea. Monk says nobody has been

disciplined and insists the matter is now closed.

It is an incident that has been blown out of all proportion.

Handbags. All over and done with. No problems whatsoever. And then it

gets blown out of proportion. We have a good idea of the source it

has, from. Trying to unsettle us at this time. Gareth Bale described it

as his dream come true and many Real Madrid fans are still in dreamland

after the Welshman's stunning solo goal won the Spanish Cup against

Barcelona. With the match tied at 1-all, Bale

ran half the length of the pitch to score the winner with five minutes

to go and seal his first major trophy since his World Record move

last year. Whatever happens now during the rest

of the season, the summer, he will be part of Real Madrid legend, at

least for the coming years. This goal will get replayed and replayed

on Spanish television, not just for days to come but for weeks to come.

For many years, the World Snooker Championships has been a real treat

for Welsh sports fans. We've become used to seeing our best players,

like Ray Reardon and Mark Williams, dominating the sport. But this year,

our top professionals have struggled. Wales doesn't have a

single player in the world's elite top 16 for the first time in almost

40 years. On the eve of this year's World Championships, Ashleigh

Crowter's been asking if Wales is still a great snooker nation.

For decades, Wales showed the world how snooker should be played. A

small country producing a series of great champions. Wales was a

powerhouse of the world game. But this week we have seen something

that once would have been unthinkable, all of our top players

having to fight their way through the less than clamorous qualifying

rounds. For the first time in years, no Welsh player has a sufficient

world ranking to guarantee an automatic face at the showpiece

event at the Crucible. It has left people asking whether this is just a

bit poor weather snooker in Wales is in more permanent decline. It is

certainly a concern for these people working to produce the next

generation of players. There are fewer committed players than in

previous years. Entries seem to be less, that is the worrying thing.

We're not getting as many kids entering the events. I speak to

certain schools I have approached and snooker is still a little bit

frowned upon. It is seen as a misspent youth. These days, snooker

clubs are much more welcoming places to go to.

It has been a time of real change in the professional game. The chairman

of world Snooker has shaken up the sport, introducing more tournaments,

many of them in Asia. The top players are also less protected.

They now have to battle through the early rounds of each event. We are

small country but we have had a huge addition in snooker, both amateur

and professional. I think that will continue but I do not think that the

boys that are playing now are finished. Ryan Bailey is certainly

pushing up the rankings. I think they still have plenty. They find it

difficult having to travel week in week out, when they were both in

their prime a few years ago, I think they were having a lot more time

off. Body 14 might turn out to be a watershed year. Mark Wiliams lost

his qualifying match on Wednesday. Former world finalist Matthew

Stevens is another high-profile absentee after he also lost a tight

game. But there are still reasons to be optimistic and evidence of

strength in depth. Three Welsh players, Dominic Dale, Ryan Bailey

and Michael White all one tense qualifying matches.

If you are not at the Crucible, it is a real downer. It is an amazing

place to play. It may feel rather different/ snooker fans at the

Crucible this year. Mark Wiliams ' face is still on the posters but he

will not there in person. As those of us who browse car-boot

sales and internet auction sites know only too well. You never know

what's going to turn up. Well, what about a 19th century Eisteddfod

crown? Even more remarkably it was found by an army doctor in Germany

who happened to be born in the town where it was awarded. Well, today

the crown has been returned to Blaenau Ffestiniog to be reunited

with the bardic chair from the same Eisteddfod. Here's Roger Pinney.

A small ceremony and they are back together, Crown and chair. Separated

quite possibly since the year they were awarded. This woman stumbled

along the Crown whilst browsing the Internet. I could not believe it. It

was listed as ATR. I thought, that looks like an Eisteddfod crown. Have

you tried it on? I am afraid I have, yes. Does it fit? No, it is not. No

words of wisdom or anything came down from anywhere. And she bought

it for ?250. Along with the chairing ceremony, the crowning of the Bard

is one of the National Eisteddfod 's most defining ceremonies. Crowns

come in all sorts of designs. The 1898 Eisteddfod was not filmed. This

is 19 years later. 1917 in Birkenhead. Remembered for the share

one posthumous leave. But there are some folks -- photographs from 1898

and stories. The pavilion was hit by the weather, before the start. It

blew down during the winds. The local quarrymen, they all arranged

to have quarrymen from all the local quarries to come down and rebuild

the pavilion in time for the opening ceremony. After that small setback,

the event itself was quite a success. Wed his crown has been this

last 100 years or so, nobody knows, not that it matters, it is a little

bit of history come home. -- where this Crown.

We're all hoping for a bright, sunny Easter break. Any good news for us?

Well, it has been a rather cloudy day but we can look forward to more

sunshine tomorrow and Saturday. The Easter weekend is looking promising.

A dry start certainly for Friday and Saturday. Some wind and rain for

Sunday. Tonight will be cloudy at first with the odd spot of rain. But

the cloud should start to clear the north and in the overnight period

much of the country will have starry skies. Overnight lows down to two

Celsius. The pressure chart for tomorrow showing high pressure

centred over the UK. With that a very settled day. Chilly start to

Good Friday but the sun well help the temperatures to recover. Light

and variable winds. Highs of 11-13 Celsius. Tomorrow night, clear skies

and light winds so the temperatures will take a dip if you are out

camping bare that in mind a cold night into Saturday. The

temperatures getting down to one Celsius. Saturday is the next fine

day of the weekend high pressure just about remaining in charge. So

more fine sunshine but a bit breezy. Thicker cloud invading the east by

the afternoon. 12-14 Celsius. All eyes on this area of low pressure

coming in from the near continent on Sunday bringing with some wind and

rain. Western parts of Wales hanging on to the dry weather longest. Wet

and windy weather on Sunday and Monday looking more changeable for

next week. We'll have an update for you at 8pm and a full round-up after

the BBC News at Ten. From all of here, have a great Easter break.

Good evening.