22/07/2014 BBC Wales Today


22/07/2014

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- so it's goodbye from me - and on BBC One we

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The air link between North and South Wales sees a drop of 43%

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Is it time to stop the ?1 million subsidy?

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I find it very useful for business meetings and cutting down on time

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for travel. It's more cost effective.

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A new report warns it faces serious decline because

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The human brain and how scientists here make a major

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And is it so long Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire?

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The call to have one single National Park authority.

:00:41.:00:46.

Good evening from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

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Olympic silver medallist Fred Evans is out of the Games after having

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Rythmic gymnast Frankie Jones is given the honour of carrying

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Falling passenger numbers and poor value for money for the taxpayer.

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That's the conclusion from a committee of Assembly Members

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on the air link service between Cardiff and Anglesey.

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A report by the Public Accounts Committee says several improvements

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will need to be made to if the subsidised service is to continue.

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Here's our political reporter, James Williams.

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Time to check for this afternoon 's Cardiff to Anglesey flight but with

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fewer of us doing so could be the final for the service? At its height

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in 2009 the flight had around 14,700 passengers but now the 18 seater

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service is readily running at less than half full as passenger numbers

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have dropped by around 43% in the last five years. But for some, it's

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a valued service. It saves time when you are travelling to various

:02:21.:02:30.

meeting. In terms of lifestyle as well as business style, it is a

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significant to a lot of people that use the flight. We are all hoping it

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stays for the future. Up till April last year around 65,000 passengers

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used the service which has received more than ?9 million in subsidy.

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This is not value for money according to the assemblies Public

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Accounts Committee. It's all very well having a service but I think

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it's the extent of the public subsidy and in the current economic

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climate, the cuts to the health service and social services, we have

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to make sure we're getting value for money. This report states we are not

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convinced as a committee for Welsh Government is getting value for

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money. Launched in 2007, the flight was stabbed -- was named after the

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Assembly Member for Anglesey. The report says a strong marketing

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campaign is needed to reverse the decline in passenger numbers. But

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what do the people on Anglesey think of the flight that cats travelling

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time I more than four hours? Any improvements you can make to

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Anglesey is worth it. It would attract more tourists. It's a good

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idea but it needs to be expanded to Scotland and be more of a regional

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thing. We live in a country that is quite small geographically but has

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very long journey times between the north and the South. It is very

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important that people in the North can come down to the capital. But

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the current contract is due to end in December. The Welsh Government

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has said today it has started afresh tendering process, suggesting that

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is the political will for a new service to take flight.

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Gwent Police is the only force in Wales and one of only three

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in the UK to be criticised for the way it's dealing with budget cuts.

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Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary said that

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while more officers may need to be cut to save money, the force could

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be putting crime fighting at risk as it tries to find savings.

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Gwent Police say they have already saved ?28 million pounds

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in the last five years, but have another ?20 million to save

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Patrolling the streets of Newport as budget cuts bite. Across the Gwent

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area like other parts of Wales and England the police force your have

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been receiving less and less money from the UK government since 2010.

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But in the last 12 months inspectors say there has been a notable decline

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in the Gwent force's response to crime. Her Majesty 's Inspectorate

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Constabulary says it's concerned that by simply not replacing staff

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as they leave to save money it may mean the service the force provides

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could suffer. It also says Gwent Police was not recording how long it

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took at officers -- its officers to respond when somebody calls with an

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emergency. But do people in Newport Quay where the response times are

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monitored at all? I think they should keep a record on how long

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they take to get to certain people. I don't think they are doing their

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job right. You never see anybody around. When we ask them to come to

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the store they respond quickly. When policing expert says Gwent could

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look at what neighbouring forces are doing to finances. Gwent should be

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looking at what other forces have done in order to crack this

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conundrum. To try and do these reforms in a context where there is

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no more money really does sharpen the nature of the challenge. It is

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going to be quite difficult for senior management teams to deliver

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this. The Inspectorate points out the huge amount of planning Gwent

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Police have to do for the NATO summit at the Celtic Manor in

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September could have an effect on their ability to address some of the

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issues they have raised today. Nobody from the police and crime

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Commissioners office was available for interview today but in a

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statement they said they were confident in the leadership of the

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force. Hundreds of thousands

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of visitors flock to the It's one of Wales's most popular

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tourist attractions along with They attract millions of visitors

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every year and are now under review. It's possible that Snowdonia, Brecon

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Beacons and Pembrokeshire Coast will Our Environment Correspondent ,Iolo

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ap Dafydd, is at the The review has yet to be launched

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formally, but John Griffiths the Natural Resources Minister has told

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me here at the show that it will As well as possibly merging

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the park authorities, they'll consider whether members

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should be elected in future. They were established in the 1950s

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to enhance and protect some of our most striking landscapes. Speaking

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here at the Royal Welsh Show, the Natural Resources Wales the said the

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reviews will start within weeks. We are looking at the governance, where

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the Finn might be direct elections for the councillors that sit on the

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national parks. Whether there might be one national park for the whole

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of Wales. Most complaints made about national parks tend to be about

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planning issues. This man is part of a company that leases this island

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near Tenby. He wants to turn historic fort a tourist attraction

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with a cafe and a shop and underwater cameras but the plans

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have been rejected. The National Park authority wants to promote the

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park and it does that well but when it comes to planning they are

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stifling economic development. In our case, it takes three and a half

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years to get into that -- this planning stage. There has been some

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local opposition. Following an appeal, the planning Inspectorate is

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assessing his case. The suggestion of stripping planning powers away

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from the parks and transferring them to new councils was made by the

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Williams commission. That review into reorganising local councils

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publishes wreck -- published its recommendations last January. The

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question that needs to be asked is whether this will create a better

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service? The majority of services delivered by the three national park

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authorities are local services. Local services that have grown out

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of the political that particular character of the three parks. They

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were mixed feelings in Llanelwedd today. I think they should keep it.

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It's up to the individual areas to keep their own environment. If they

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can work together as one it will mean less costs. If there is a

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merger, the government will look to cut costs and the planning

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application process is bound to be scrutinised as well as the National

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Park's annual contribution to the Welsh economy.

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We can expect a range of theories during the next year but the one

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thing we do know is that lots of people will have a view. 12 million

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people every visit the National Parks in Wales and they know they

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spend a lot of money in those parks. Any changing of the brand name may

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be viewed with certain trepidation. Plans to set up Wales' first

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"software university" are being prepared by businesses,

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which are concerned about skill BBC Wales has learned

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a team based at an office in Newport is already designing two-year degree

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courses for the project. Here's our Economics Correspondent,

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Sarah Dickins. Without the software industry many

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of the daily things we take Paying for a meal, learning an

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instrument, finding your way around The shortage of graduates with the

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right skills is holding back the economy. In Wales the university

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systems as a total Arab putting around 300 year and we need 3000 to

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stand still. That is a definite need to get software engineers better

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educated and you can do that by offering a fast course, so two-year

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courses, and have a very high industrial collaboration content to

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the course. They would not be a campus and funding could be

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controversial. The choice is between public money, or privately run for a

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charitable contribution. Eysys, set up in Cardiff two

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and a half years ago, now employs It?s just taken

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on 5=five new people but wanted 10 and offers students work experience,

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and in this case a job. I'm doing software development in

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Cardiff. There are four people on the course this year. It's a new

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course and we develop software, deal with customers and fix bugs.

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We have more projects than staff. Our biggest meeting each week is our

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resource meeting. We want to grow our business here and we don't want

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to be looking overseas to bring people in. We are happy to take

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Welsh graduates if we can find the skill sets here.

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The Software university would be more like industry.

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Online and applied learning and campus negotiations are

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continuing about which universities would accredit its degrees.

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The first trail course would start in September.

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I'm in Glasgow getting ready for the start of the Commonwealth Games.

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And the temperature in Llanelwedd reached 24C today.

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There's plenty more dry and very warm weather to come.

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Scientists from Cardiff University say they've made a

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"huge jump" in understanding the causes of schizophrenia

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by identifying over 80 genes that could play a part in the illness.

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It's hoped the discovery could eventually lead

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to the development of new treatments which could benefit tens

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Our health correspondent, Owain Clarke, has the details.

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24 million people around the world have a schizophrenia diagnosis.

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Over 220,000 of them live in Wales and England.

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It's a serious mental disorder which often develops early

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in life when someone's in their teens or early twenties.

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But it can have a devastating and lifelong effect on how someone

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My experience that got me the diagnosis was hearing and seeing

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things. They were things that I found very frightening. They would

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make me want to run away and escape. If someone tried to stop me

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escaping, I would flatten them. This offers us a chance, rather than to

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consider schizophrenia as a whole, we can look at the individual impact

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on different people 's lives. The new research led by experts

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at Cardiff University also involved more than 300 scientists

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around the world. They looked at around 80,000 DNA

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samples. Around half were

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from people who had schizophrenia By analysing

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the differences they found over 100 genes that can be linked to

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the disease, 83 of them new. We have been able to provide over

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100 solid foundations for the rest of the neuroscience community to

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focus on. So instead of I guess this molecule is involved, now it is I

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know this molecule is involved. So it's a very solid foundation.

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So this ground-breaking study gives scientists hundreds of new clues

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in the search for new and perhaps more specific treatments.

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If they're found, the personal and social benefits

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could be enormous because the burden of schizophrenia is substantial.

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Some estimate around a third of the money for mental health

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It's no wonder then that the experts are describing today's

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Hospitals in Wales have the lowest number

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of beds in Europe for patients with acute life-threatening illnesses.

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That's according to a report written for Welsh ministers.

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It says inappropriate use of these beds also contributed to cancelled

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operations, and patients leaving critical care when it was unsafe.

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Ministers say more beds would be provided by better use of resources.

:17:15.:17:21.

The Conservative MP Guto Bebb says Conwy County Borough Council needs

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to explain its decision to pay a senior officer

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a redundancy package after he'd said he was going to retire.

:17:28.:17:30.

A council report last year said that the head of education,

:17:31.:17:33.

Geraint James, was due to retire this summer.

:17:34.:17:37.

But he was given a redundancy package during a reorganisation.

:17:38.:17:40.

The authority says legal advice indicates it acted properly.

:17:41.:17:48.

A scheme aimed at easing congestion at peak times

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on a stretch of the M4 at Port Talbot will start on 4th August.

:17:51.:17:54.

During the six-month trial, the westbound on-slip of Junction

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41 will shut twice a day during the week.

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There had been plans to completely close the junction during the trial,

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but this was changed after complaints by traders.

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Scottish companies should relocate to Wales if Scotland

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becomes independent, according to some business leaders here.

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Cardiff's Business Council has written to companies like RBS,

:18:16.:18:19.

Standard Life and Scottish Widows to make the case

:18:20.:18:22.

for a Welsh move if there's a yes vote in September's referendum.

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Here's our business correspondent, Brian Meechan.

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The docks in Cardiff were built by the Marquess of Bute, the economic

:18:35.:18:40.

links between Scotland and Wales has a long history. The development

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helped fuel the iron industry. Links remain significant today but the

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Cardiff business Council has thrown down a challenge to Scottish

:18:51.:18:55.

businesses to relocate here. Plenty of business is famously done over a

:18:56.:18:58.

round of golf and the Cardiff business council is keen to tell

:18:59.:19:03.

Scottish businesses that it's not just golf courses that is on offer

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here in Wales. With an enterprise zone in the capital targeted towards

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financial service companies, the council believes the country can

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prove a real attraction away from the uncertainties of Scottish

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independence. You have to have the full offer and it comes down to the

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quality of the staff, they imply meant issues are right up there on

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the agenda, and we have been working with universities to make sure the

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graduates and that we are getting the right skills. The council has

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written to companies including standard life after it warned it

:19:46.:19:51.

might have to leave due to uncertainty over issues including

:19:52.:19:52.

the future currency and independence. Many companies in

:19:53.:20:00.

Scotland are relaxed about independence and the Scottish

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government's has already said corporation tax will be lower than

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UK levels to help firms. Business groups in Scotland question the

:20:09.:20:12.

council 's tactic -- tactics. If we focus on broadening our business

:20:13.:20:24.

case -- base, that is how we deal with the sort of long-term economic

:20:25.:20:28.

issues we are struggling here -- with here. The business group has

:20:29.:20:36.

blinded its flag for Wales. It's only after the referendum result

:20:37.:20:43.

that is Mrs in Scotland will decide whether the grass you're really is

:20:44.:20:44.

greener. Team Wales are making final

:20:45.:20:48.

preparations ahead of the Commonwealth Games

:20:49.:20:50.

which starts on Thursday. Let's get the latest from Claire

:20:51.:20:52.

in Glasgow. Good evening

:20:53.:20:54.

and welcome to Scotland. But we start with news of a real

:20:55.:20:55.

blow for Team Wales tonight, with Olympic silver medallist Fred Evans

:20:56.:21:01.

is out of the Games after having his accreditation refused, based on

:21:02.:21:08.

checks completed by the Home Office. Ashleigh Crowter has been

:21:09.:21:11.

following the latest developments. Fred Evans is one of Wales' top

:21:12.:21:28.

amateur boxers. A European champion and an Olympic silver medallist. The

:21:29.:21:33.

Commonwealth games authorities refused to give him the

:21:34.:21:35.

accreditation he needs to get into the boxing venues. The problem is a

:21:36.:21:41.

recent criminal conviction. He admitted assaulting somebody in a

:21:42.:21:45.

lap dancing club earlier this year and was fined more than ?400. When

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that came out in the Home Office checks, the authorities decided not

:21:53.:21:55.

to issue him with accreditation. Team Wales wanted him to be here and

:21:56.:21:59.

think his rehabilitation would be best served by taking part in the

:22:00.:22:05.

games. They tried to change the decision and use legal experts but

:22:06.:22:12.

that has not been successful. So Wales is without another major medal

:22:13.:22:15.

contender on the eve of the games. Well, in the last few minutes, Welsh

:22:16.:22:20.

boxing's Performance Director has Glasgow 2014 have enlisted the Home

:22:21.:22:34.

Office to do various home checks and they have a criteria for criminal

:22:35.:22:39.

convictions and Fred has raised the flag and has had a criminal

:22:40.:22:47.

conviction in April and that has caused him to be declined

:22:48.:22:50.

accreditation. How much of an embarrassment is this just a few

:22:51.:22:55.

days before competition starts? It's not an embarrassment. A lot of

:22:56.:23:01.

agencies have worked hard -- worked hard over the last few weeks. We

:23:02.:23:09.

have taken it as far as we can because we believed in Fred. It is

:23:10.:23:16.

certainly not an embarrassment. Fred is a fantastic athlete.

:23:17.:23:20.

Well that news a real blow, but it's onwards and upwards for Team Wales.

:23:21.:23:24.

They've announced that rhythmic gymnast Frankie Jones will carry

:23:25.:23:26.

The 23-year-old, who won silver in Delhi, will retire after the Games

:23:27.:23:30.

but during her career she's been credited with putting gymnastics

:23:31.:23:33.

Earlier, at the lively athlete?s village, she told Tomos Dafydd

:23:34.:23:36.

It came as such a shock last night when I found out. Some athletes in

:23:37.:23:58.

the past have said it has been a distraction, playing a part in the

:23:59.:24:02.

opening ceremony. You will be competing within hours so is it

:24:03.:24:07.

going to be a distraction? It is quite an early finish so I can get

:24:08.:24:11.

in and get back to bed and back to business. If you had to be there

:24:12.:24:16.

until midnight, I am not sure I would be able to do it. It is quite

:24:17.:24:20.

an early finish so it's not too bad. You have spoken in the past about a

:24:21.:24:25.

problem with a few injuries. Are you training through the pain to be here

:24:26.:24:31.

in Glasgow? I am used to it now. It's been quite a few years of

:24:32.:24:35.

management but I am in the best shape I've been in for a while. I've

:24:36.:24:43.

had great support from the physio. There is another welcoming ceremony

:24:44.:24:48.

at the athletes village. Can we expect a medal this time around?

:24:49.:24:52.

It's hard to tell because it is stage a strong field. -- such a

:24:53.:24:56.

strong field. Tomorrow night,

:24:57.:25:05.

we'll be looking ahead to the Games Just behind me,

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you can see they've rigged fireworks They're planning to open the Games

:25:08.:25:11.

with a bang! Well, fingers crossed

:25:12.:25:19.

for more sunshine here in Glasgow. Let's return to the Royal Welsh Show

:25:20.:25:21.

now and join Derek. I understand it?s been

:25:22.:25:24.

a lovely day back home too. It certainly has. Welcome back to

:25:25.:25:35.

Llanelwedd. Tomorrow is a big day for the

:25:36.:25:42.

Royal Welsh Show. It?s Welsh cobs day and with me is

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Yargo, a stallion from Caerphilly So good luck to him and his owner,

:25:46.:25:49.

Rhys. Weatherwise today,

:25:50.:25:52.

it's a bit cloudy this afternoon If you're coming to the Show

:25:53.:25:54.

tomorrow, it?ll be dry again. A few clouds in the afternoon

:25:55.:25:58.

and very warm. The temperature rising to a peak

:25:59.:26:05.

of 25C with an easterly breeze. The cloud inland will

:26:06.:26:09.

tend to melt away. Meanwhile, some low cloud and sea

:26:10.:26:19.

fog may roll onto the coast of Lowest temperatures,

:26:20.:26:24.

15C in Whitland. Tomorrow's chart shows high pressure

:26:25.:26:29.

over Scandinavia and that's Tomorrow,

:26:30.:26:34.

more fine weather and sunshine. Any low cloud and mist first

:26:35.:26:38.

thing will soon vanish. A few clouds will develop

:26:39.:26:41.

in the afternoon Warmer than today in the north

:26:42.:26:43.

and west. The temperature in Aberystwyth

:26:44.:26:48.

rising to 26C with Tomorrow evening, the heat and

:26:49.:26:50.

humidity may be enough to trigger one or two heavy and thundery

:26:51.:26:56.

showers in the south and west. Otherwise, a dry end to the day

:26:57.:26:59.

and staying dry overnight. On Thursday,

:27:00.:27:02.

once again plenty of fine weather. Very warm or hot with

:27:03.:27:05.

an east or north-easterly breeze. Later in the day, a few showers will

:27:06.:27:11.

break out in the south and west. These may be heavy with thunder but

:27:12.:27:14.

the showers will be hit and miss As for the outlook,

:27:15.:27:18.

Friday will be dry and very warm. Sunny spells and the chance

:27:19.:27:22.

of a shower. From the Royal Welsh Show,

:27:23.:27:27.

it?s back to you, Jamie. We'll have an update for you here

:27:28.:27:38.

at 8:00pm and again after the BBC News

:27:39.:27:40.

at 10:00pm. From all of us on the programme,

:27:41.:27:43.

good evening.

:27:44.:27:44.

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