22/02/2017 BBC Wales Today


22/02/2017

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A reminder of the day's main story... The

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Welcome to Wales Today, our top stories tonight -

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Christine and Roger Solik from the Cynon Valley were brutally

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Their family tell us of their devastation.

:00:09.:00:19.

Described as wonderful parents to their four children, relatives are

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dealing with the shock of the news and I getting used -- ready to fly

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out to South Africa. Are BBC license fee payers in Wales

:00:28.:00:31.

being short-changed? BBC Scotland is today given more

:00:32.:00:33.

money and a brand new channel. If Debra Poole re-marries she'll

:00:34.:00:36.

lose her police widow's pension, she tells us why she's campaigning

:00:37.:00:39.

for the rules to be changed. I'm being made to choose

:00:40.:00:44.

between love and money. The Duchess of Cornwall is right

:00:45.:00:48.

on cue during a visit to And he's back in the starting line

:00:49.:00:56.

up, can George North repeat last season's performance

:00:57.:01:05.

against Scotland this Saturday? The family of a couple found

:01:06.:01:24.

brutally murdered in South Africa say they are "devastated"

:01:25.:01:28.

by the news of their deaths. The bodies of Christine

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and Roger Solik, originally from the Cynon Valley,

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were found in a river around James Williams has spent

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the day in Mountain Ash where some of their family members

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still live, he sent us this report. Inseparable and a relationship to

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aspire to. It is to be used from four loving children to their

:01:57.:02:01.

parents. Christine and Roger Solik. Born and bred in the mountain ash

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area of the Cynon Valley. I have spoken to Christine's brother and

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sister where they are consoling their mother and they are devastated

:02:11.:02:14.

by the news and finding it difficult to comprehend it was only last month

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they saw Christine who had returned home to bury her father. A tight

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knit community mourns. People are shocked by the news we have heard,

:02:27.:02:30.

the brutality and the senselessness of the killings and the thoughts the

:02:31.:02:35.

community out with the family. My office managers know the family and

:02:36.:02:40.

she's has spoken to them already and they said they are devastated which

:02:41.:02:45.

is understandable. Married in the Valleys, it was however South Africa

:02:46.:02:49.

where the need their life. Moving there in 1981. Work, family and

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retirements would follow before enjoying their final days in the can

:02:56.:03:00.

to's Kwazulu-Natal province. In a town not far from the mountains.

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Police suspect they were kidnapped from their home last Friday.

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Christine's body was found later that day in a river, bound and

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murdered 50 miles from their home in a gated community. Later, the couple

:03:17.:03:22.

's car was found abandoned in another area. Roger, 66 and

:03:23.:03:28.

suffering from Parkinson's disease, would not be found until Monday.

:03:29.:03:33.

Over a mile from where Christine's body was discovered. With around 51

:03:34.:03:38.

murders a day in South Africa violence is not uncommon. But

:03:39.:03:41.

elements of this case seem unusual. There is a lot of shock and the

:03:42.:03:47.

police are taking it seriously because it isn't normal in these

:03:48.:03:51.

kind of cases the people would be taken away from their home,

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kidnapped, and then killed somewhere else. That is unusual and so the

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police are focusing on trying to find out what the motive is here

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because it is not normal that happens. There is an awful lot of

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detail in this case to come out that hopefully will make things a bit

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more clear because people are not only frightened but very baffled by

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how this has happened. From a small town in South Africa to a small town

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in the South Wales Valleys. That shock at the murder of Christine and

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Roger Solik continues to reverberate.

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The Foreign Office has said tonight that they'll support the family

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Yes, they have. A spokeswoman at the heart of the Foreign Office has said

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they are working closely with the local police and are happy to assist

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the family. The local police have said they are working around the

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clock to try to catch the killers. I have been here all day and I've been

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talking to Christine's family. They are devastated. Earlier this evening

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had an opportunity to speak to her mother. She told me Christine and

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Roger had been wonderful parents to their four lovely children and I

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asked what was Christine like? She says she was chatty, just like her.

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Members of both families are going to leave the UK and fly to South

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Africa on Saturday ahead of Tuesday's funeral service in Cape

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Town. In South Africa they will meet Christine and Roger's children who

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released their statement saying please keep them in force and

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prayers. -- thoughts. The BBC has been accused

:05:31.:05:34.

of insulting Wales after it announced a new Television

:05:35.:05:36.

channel and funding for Scotland It comes a day AFTER it

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confirmed an ?8.5 million Our Arts and Media Correspondent,

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Huw Thomas, has been taking a look This is an argument

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about the BBC's priorities This morning, in Glasgow,

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the BBC revealed it's investing ?19 million of new money in Scotland

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recruiting 80 journalists, and launching a brand new channel

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with a nightly news programme featuring local and world news

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from a Scottish perspective. It'll also spend ?20 million

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to increase the number of programmes that are made in Scotland and shown

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across the UK. Now this has proved controversial

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today because it comes just a day after the announcement that

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an extra ?8.5 million would be coming to Wales,

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mainly for new dramas, Not all good news for those who'd

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been calling for an extra And politicians from different

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parties are saying it's unfair. It is clear to me, whatever Scotland

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wants to do and how it wants to arrange its programming,

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that is fine for the BBC. But as one of the devolved

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nations, license payers in Wales should get the same deal as

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licence payers in Scotland. The BBC denies that accusation,

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saying the new money it's spending in Wales will be

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"transformational". It says spending on programmes made

:06:58.:07:00.

in Wales like Doctor Who and Casualty meant it was already way

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ahead of Scotland in making There's also the money the BBC

:07:04.:07:07.

spends on Welsh language output, including much

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of the budget for S4C. At the end of the day, this boils

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down to what the audience wants. Viewers in Scotland have different

:07:16.:07:19.

needs to those in Wales, and the different choices being made

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require different levels of funding. Bosses at Aberthaw power station

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in the Vale of Glamorgan say cleaner coal from overseas will be used

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in future to ensure emissions EU judges ruled the plant

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was pumping out illegal levels of air pollution,

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and had to change Our environment correspondent

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Steffan Messenger has had rare access to see what the future holds

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for one of Wales's This is the route we are

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putting new investment on. This huge site capable of powering

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three million UK homes is at a By 1967 this industrial wilderness

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will begin to look like this. At the time it was built,

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it was hailed as one of the most advanced power stations in the world

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designed to use Welsh coal which takes longer to

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burn than alternatives. But as well as carbon emissions that

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process produces toxic nitrogen oxide gases

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which can harm people's health. In September last year

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the European Court of Justice ruled that Aberthaw was pumping out double

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the legal amount. Several years ago this stockroom

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would probably have held With the introduction

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of new legislation we have to change our diet

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across from low volatile coal, the indigenous Welsh coals

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across to highly volatile coal which, unfortunately,

:08:49.:08:50.

is only available outside of the UK. The plant operator, RWE is investing

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?5 million in upgrading its boilers and conveyor belts

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to handle coal from places It is also cutting its

:08:56.:08:59.

operating hours focusing on supplying electricity only at times

:09:00.:09:03.

of peak demand, It means that from the end

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of the month the vast majority of deliveries from Welsh

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opencast mines will end. For the people who work this

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is a really poignant scene, the penultimate delivery of coal

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from Tower Colliery here to It is happening because the UK

:09:20.:09:22.

is shifting its energy mix away from burning fossil fuels like

:09:23.:09:26.

coal towards more low carbon energy generation, renewable

:09:27.:09:31.

energy and new nuclear power plants like the one

:09:32.:09:34.

that is planned on Anglesey. The Westminster government wants

:09:35.:09:36.

to see all coal fired power stations But that is still eight years away

:09:37.:09:40.

and in the meantime, Aberthaw's manager believes it has

:09:41.:09:47.

an important role to play. Although there has been

:09:48.:09:51.

periods this year when coal generation has fallen

:09:52.:09:53.

to zero in the summer, when the margins are tight the UK

:09:54.:09:55.

very much needs the capability That is where we see our future

:09:56.:09:58.

for the next few years. Not everyone agrees

:09:59.:10:06.

as this protest at It is going to close as a result of

:10:07.:10:18.

government policy and the fact it is very old. Isn't it time to start

:10:19.:10:21.

thinking beyond that rather than eking out a few little bits of extra

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profit from an ageing asset? For the 200 or so staff

:10:25.:10:26.

it is a challenging time. But Aberthaw's managment team say

:10:27.:10:29.

the changes being put in place will mean they can keep generating

:10:30.:10:33.

power here until at least 2021. A man from Pontypridd

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been jailed for 28 days for filming and livestreaming

:10:40.:10:42.

a court case on Facebook. 39-year-old David Davies,

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from Llantwit Fardre, broadcast the footage on Monday

:10:46.:10:51.

as a witness gave evidence He was arrested when he returned

:10:52.:10:54.

yesterday and sentenced Cameras are not allowed in courts

:10:55.:10:58.

in Wales and England. The number of cancer cases in Wales

:10:59.:11:04.

has risen by nearly ten percent There were just over

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19,000 diagnoses in 2015, Public Health Wales says the main

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reason for the increase The Charity Commission has

:11:14.:11:21.

launched an investigation Capricorn Animal Rescue

:11:22.:11:27.

near Mold looks after injured But welfare and financial concerns

:11:28.:11:33.

were highlighted by a BBC Wales The Charity Commission

:11:34.:11:38.

says it decided to act following complaints from the public

:11:39.:11:43.

and former volunteers. It is a relief really,

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I think that is the main feeling, relief that someone is being looked

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into and hopefully changes will It is quite concerning they have

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frozen their bank account knowing the animals

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are still in that rescue. But we know there is a lot of people

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there ready to come in We are just grateful somebody has

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paid attention and done something. The commissioner who advises Welsh

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ministers on sustainability says plans for a new M4 relief road

:12:13.:12:15.

should not go ahead. Sophie Howe, the Future

:12:16.:12:17.

Generations Commissioner, believes the plan is "ill

:12:18.:12:20.

conceived" and not the most The Welsh Government wants to build

:12:21.:12:23.

the new motorway south of Newport to ease congestion,

:12:24.:12:27.

at a cost of ?1.1 billion. A public inquiry on the project

:12:28.:12:32.

starts next week. There are calls tonight for police

:12:33.:12:37.

widows to be granted a pension for life even if they

:12:38.:12:42.

re-marry or live with a new partner. New legislation from the Home Office

:12:43.:12:45.

means only the spouses of officers Debra Poole moved from Cardiff

:12:46.:12:48.

to Ceredigion with her husband Russell when he retired

:12:49.:12:58.

from the police service. It was their dream to have a quieter

:12:59.:13:00.

life so bought this smallholding in Sarnau near Cardigan

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after he finished working. Russell had been a hard-working

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and decorated officer Debra was just 47 when he died

:13:06.:13:09.

from cancer nearly 15 years ago and was left to bring up

:13:10.:13:15.

three young children. She receives a widow's

:13:16.:13:17.

pension of around ?900 each month which is vital

:13:18.:13:20.

for her with her younger But if she remarried or lived

:13:21.:13:22.

with a new partner Debra would I will be made to choose

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between love and money. He quite often put his life

:13:28.:13:33.

on the line for the job, and I'm not saying he never thought

:13:34.:13:39.

anything about it, that was his job. But he also paid 11% of his pay

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every month for his pension Debra wants the regulations

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to change and on this More than a 115,000 people

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have signed a petition. They want the rules to be

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brought into line with Northern Ireland which grants all

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police widows a pension for life. The Home Office says new legislation

:14:04.:14:06.

brought in last year means the spouses or partners of officers

:14:07.:14:10.

who die on duty will retain their The system changed a little bit

:14:11.:14:14.

for England and Wales from the 1st of April 2015 but there is no

:14:15.:14:19.

retrospective change in it. There is a retrospective change

:14:20.:14:23.

in Northern Ireland where, if widows or widowers have remarried

:14:24.:14:27.

they have been able to get Clearly, people get into a situation

:14:28.:14:30.

where is it going to be a future happiness for them or is it

:14:31.:14:36.

going to be how much money they have That is an unfair decision

:14:37.:14:39.

for people to make. That is where Debra finds herself,

:14:40.:14:43.

unable to do what her husband wanted after his death and move

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on with her life. You're watching Wales

:14:47.:14:50.

Today from the BBC. He's the only change in the starting

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line up on Saturday, can George North repeat last year's

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success against Scotland? It was against the rules,

:14:58.:15:03.

why more Welsh will now be The Duchess of Cambridge has been

:15:04.:15:08.

in Torfaen visiting a project which helps young people in care

:15:09.:15:19.

with mental health problems. It's her first visit to Wales

:15:20.:15:22.

as the official patron Is not as you might expect on a

:15:23.:15:43.

royal visit. But this mental health project in Pontypool is aligned with

:15:44.:15:47.

a caused the Duchess of Cambridge has chosen to champion. Children's

:15:48.:15:53.

mental health. Foster carers and pen is told about the expert support

:15:54.:15:58.

they received from staff here. The charity Action for Children has been

:15:59.:16:00.

commissioned for the past 12 years to provide the service by Torfaen

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council and the local health board. Lots of our children from difficult

:16:05.:16:09.

his studies and backgrounds and for them to have the pitches come and

:16:10.:16:15.

celebrate with them the changes they have made to their lives is

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important. Craig was one of the first people to meet the Duchess of

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Cambridge today. He was taken into care. He told me he used to get

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angry at school and storm out of class. I was getting into trouble

:16:29.:16:33.

loads of times but now I am just settling down really well. I have

:16:34.:16:41.

been doing anger management. It means you don't go out of class? You

:16:42.:16:47.

do more work in school. What was of like meeting the Duchess of

:16:48.:16:51.

Cambridge? Really good but nervous. Nerve wracking. Is she any good that

:16:52.:17:00.

Paul? A bit. Not as good as you. Things have improved so much he is

:17:01.:17:03.

considering going back to his birth family, proof the life changing

:17:04.:17:07.

event of been taking into care doesn't have to affect life chances.

:17:08.:17:16.

They were a fair few questions from these 80 roles. A quick hug and then

:17:17.:17:21.

onto next engagement. The Queen Mother charity's Payton and her last

:17:22.:17:25.

year, the Duchess of Cambridge picking up today where she left off.

:17:26.:17:27.

Some MPs have tried it but it's been against the rules until now.

:17:28.:17:30.

Last year the government said the translation

:17:31.:17:38.

costs would be too high, but now the rules are changing

:17:39.:17:41.

to allow Welsh to be spoken in some debates.

:17:42.:17:43.

It's a campaign that's gone on for years,

:17:44.:17:46.

as our parliamentary correspondent, David Cornock reports.

:17:47.:17:49.

Can I tell the member of the House, there are standards of dress

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Ond mae'r heniaith yn y tir ac alawon hen yn fyw.

:17:55.:18:14.

The honourable gentleman will do the Hansard writers the great

:18:15.:18:21.

courtesy of providing them with the text of which

:18:22.:18:25.

he has just eloquently read to the House.

:18:26.:18:29.

Nearly every rule that Parliament has is broken in some way

:18:30.:18:32.

Theoretically, the rule is the language of Parliament is

:18:33.:18:37.

English but, of course, when Her Majesty signs off bills

:18:38.:18:40.

Last year, the government said allowing MPs to speak Welsh

:18:41.:18:47.

at Westminster would be too expensive so why

:18:48.:18:49.

Every single penny of the additional cost incurred will be

:18:50.:18:55.

within the current budget of the House.

:18:56.:18:56.

The fact that we have been sensible about our approach, we have

:18:57.:18:59.

looked at what this actually means from a fiscal point of view, means

:19:00.:19:02.

we can reflect the legal status of the Welsh language

:19:03.:19:05.

without bearing any further cost to the taxpayer.

:19:06.:19:09.

The change will apply only to the Welsh grand committee,

:19:10.:19:12.

a forum for the 40 Welsh MPs that has few powers and rarely meets.

:19:13.:19:16.

In fact, the Welsh grand hasn't met for a year

:19:17.:19:19.

but the next time its members gather here at Westminster their

:19:20.:19:23.

debates will, for the first time, be bilingual.

:19:24.:19:26.

The change of heart has been widely welcomed.

:19:27.:19:29.

Often, I have been in Welsh grand debates where

:19:30.:19:31.

the majority of people attending the debate would be Welsh speakers.

:19:32.:19:35.

Late on a Thursday afternoon in Westminster Hall, the majority of

:19:36.:19:38.

people you'd speak Welsh to if conversing in private.

:19:39.:19:42.

It will be natural for most of us to have a chance to debate in Wales

:19:43.:19:46.

and I think it is a welcome step forward.

:19:47.:19:48.

But don't expect to hear Welsh used much of the chamber of

:19:49.:19:52.

either the Commons or the House of Lords.

:19:53.:19:54.

There, Norman French remains the language of choice for special

:19:55.:20:00.

Rugby and George North will return to Wales' starting line-up

:20:01.:20:07.

for Saturday's Six Nations clash against Scotland at Murrayfield.

:20:08.:20:10.

He's recovered from a leg injury, that sidelined him for Wales' 21-16

:20:11.:20:14.

loss to England earlier this month and replaces Alex Cuthbert.

:20:15.:20:18.

It's the only change, with Wales boss Rob Howley retaining

:20:19.:20:21.

a back row of Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty.

:20:22.:20:26.

Taulupe Faletau is on the bench again.

:20:27.:20:28.

Ross, how much of an impact could George North have on the weekend?

:20:29.:20:39.

Pretty big. He was a world-class player and Wales looked like a

:20:40.:20:45.

different team with him in their starting line-up. The way he took

:20:46.:20:51.

that try against Italy. He had that leg injury and it didn't stop him

:20:52.:20:56.

running from 70 yards. A good record against Scotland. He scored a try

:20:57.:20:59.

against them last year. He has scored a try in his last 56 Nations

:21:00.:21:05.

game. It is a record. If he's goes this weekend come he will be the

:21:06.:21:10.

only player out to score six consecutive tries. He is worth a try

:21:11.:21:19.

and stop he will have to be on his defensive mettle is because

:21:20.:21:23.

Scotland's back three are potent. You got Tommy Seymour,. Wales have

:21:24.:21:31.

had a long winding streets against Scotland, do you think you can make

:21:32.:21:36.

-- they can make it ten in a row? The bookies have them as favourites.

:21:37.:21:40.

People thought they were the dark horses after they win against

:21:41.:21:44.

Ireland. But they have been brought back down to earth with that defeat

:21:45.:21:48.

against France in Paris. Wales have bullied them over the years, they

:21:49.:21:52.

have not lost the Scotland since Warren Gatland took over in 2008.

:21:53.:21:56.

They have bullied them up front which is what France did last week.

:21:57.:22:00.

Those victories, there have been nine in a row, an average 15 points.

:22:01.:22:05.

They normally win quite healthily against Scotland. They have got the

:22:06.:22:09.

psychological edge. Scotland suffering with some key injuries.

:22:10.:22:14.

Greig Laidlaw is out. He is their goalkicker. Strauss, their biggest

:22:15.:22:21.

ball-carriers missing. The bookies have a marginal favourites but both

:22:22.:22:24.

teams of the best bits of victories because having lost one each come if

:22:25.:22:28.

they lose another, they are out of contention for the Six Nations. It

:22:29.:22:32.

is win or bust for both Wales and Scotland.

:22:33.:22:33.

There are weather warnings in place ahead of that game on saturday.

:22:34.:22:35.

Wet and windy overnight into tomorrow. The Met office has issued

:22:36.:22:49.

the warning is for Doris. A warning that ghosts could reach 70 to 80 mph

:22:50.:22:55.

along the North Wales coast. This is the rapidly deepening area of low

:22:56.:23:04.

pressure will stop Storm bodies -- storm Doris arriving overnight. Rain

:23:05.:23:10.

heavy at times. Overnight turning windy with another band of rain

:23:11.:23:14.

spreading in from the north-west in the early hours. Strengthening

:23:15.:23:20.

of 4-9 C. The brain is at its of 4-9 C. The brain is at its

:23:21.:23:23.

heaviest first thing tomorrow. Easing through the morning don't

:23:24.:23:30.

wind picks up. Deals as well. Reuters buzz developing later.

:23:31.:23:34.

Remaining very windy. Most of Wales covered by well a yellow warning.

:23:35.:23:42.

The white arrows are the average wind speeds. It will feel colder.

:23:43.:23:51.

Tomorrow night, the storm clears eastwards and a chance of a few

:23:52.:23:56.

wintry showers. Turning cold overnight with winds slowly easing,

:23:57.:24:00.

drier and quietly but called with a frost risk early Friday. Generally

:24:01.:24:07.

fine, bright and breezy on Friday. Cloud thickening and rain starting

:24:08.:24:10.

to arrive from the north-west later in the day. After a wet and very

:24:11.:24:16.

windy Thursday with storm Doris, fine for a time on Friday and then

:24:17.:24:21.

drain and strengthening winds spread eastwards overnight Friday into

:24:22.:24:24.

Saturday. Some dry spells is fully time on Saturday before another

:24:25.:24:29.

friend arise from the west bringing rain later Saturday and Sunday could

:24:30.:24:35.

be fine at first with rain later. There is a smartphone app where you

:24:36.:24:42.

can have an explain the forecast online.

:24:43.:24:43.

The family of a couple found brutally murdered in South Africa

:24:44.:24:47.

say they are "devastated" by the news of their deaths.

:24:48.:24:50.

The bodies of Christine and Roger Solik, originally

:24:51.:24:52.

from the Cynon Valley, were found in a river around

:24:53.:24:54.

That is Wales today. I would have a quick update at eight o'clock. They

:24:55.:25:07.

will be a full round-up after BBC News at ten.

:25:08.:25:08.

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