:00:07. > :00:09.Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's top story:
:00:09. > :00:12.Questions over the relationship between Labour and Naz Malik, the
:00:12. > :00:22.head of a ethnic minority charity under investigation for alleged
:00:22. > :00:30.
:00:31. > :00:33.financial irregularities and Tonight's other headlines.
:00:34. > :00:39.Reginald Gill falsely told women they had cancer and that he could
:00:39. > :00:42.cure them. He's been found guilty of sexual assault and fraud.
:00:42. > :00:48.A multi-million pound revamp for this listed town hall, but a row's
:00:48. > :00:52.blown up over the disabled access. Pedal power - hopes that plans to
:00:52. > :00:55.create Britain's first velorail track will boost tourism.
:00:55. > :00:58.In tonight's sport: Gatland's gamble pays off -
:00:58. > :01:06.Priestland and Roberts will start against Ireland and the Welsh fans
:01:07. > :01:16.are descending on Dublin. I think we are going to lose but I
:01:17. > :01:18.
:01:18. > :01:21.think we will get very close. Good evening. There are questions
:01:21. > :01:24.tonight over the links between the Welsh Labour Party and the chief
:01:24. > :01:27.executive of a charity currently under investigation by the Welsh
:01:27. > :01:29.Government. The All-Wales Ethnic Minority Association, or AWEMA is
:01:29. > :01:37.being investigated over claims of bullying and financial
:01:37. > :01:40.mismanagement. Here's our Political Correspondent, Tomos Livingstone.
:01:40. > :01:44.Naz Malik - the charity chief executive at the centre of a
:01:44. > :01:48.growing list of allegations. The boss of AWEMA faces claims of
:01:48. > :01:51.bullying and financial mismanagement. This is Mr Malik's
:01:51. > :01:57.son, a former Labour candidate campaigning with the First Minister
:01:57. > :01:59.- a photo taken by Naz Malik, himself a party activist. The Welsh
:01:59. > :02:03.Government says it's investigating and says the charity should have
:02:03. > :02:12.been marked as "high risk" in the past. But is the investigation
:02:12. > :02:16.thorough enough? I think there is very real concern because it is the
:02:16. > :02:19.Labour government in Wales that has been asked to look at the
:02:19. > :02:23.allegations around the organisation and we need to make sure that this
:02:23. > :02:27.is not Labour looking after one of their own. The allegations are very
:02:27. > :02:31.serious and it has trouble me greatly that the independent report
:02:31. > :02:34.that was commissioned, the editor has not been asked for his
:02:34. > :02:37.conclusions from the Welsh Government's own investigation.
:02:37. > :02:39.independent report said Mr Malik should be suspended. That didn't
:02:39. > :02:47.happen. According to the charity's chair, Rita Austin, for cost
:02:47. > :02:54.reasons. It would have incurred the charity an enormous extra expense
:02:54. > :03:02.that I could not justify on the very strong grounds that I already
:03:02. > :03:05.had, as had the trustees, a clear admission. A clear admission or not,
:03:05. > :03:08.some of those at the centre of the story are puzzled that no-one from
:03:08. > :03:12.the Welsh Government or the police has been in touch. They include
:03:12. > :03:15.staff who claim they were bullied by Mr Malik. And they also include
:03:15. > :03:23.Paul Dunn, the author of the independent report who conducted a
:03:23. > :03:31.lengthy taped interview with Mr Malik. One of the things I have
:03:31. > :03:34.that evidence is not only statement from staff but statement and a
:03:34. > :03:38.recording of my interview with the chief executive in which he makes a
:03:38. > :03:43.whole series of comments and admissions. I think that counts as
:03:43. > :03:50.evidence. The police say they're waiting for the Welsh Government to
:03:50. > :03:56.finish their investigation. Mr Malik is still in his post and says
:03:57. > :04:02.it would be inappropriate for him to comment.
:04:02. > :04:06.Welsh Labour have told us that investigations are ongoing. They
:04:06. > :04:11.claim Andrew RT Davies attempt to muddy the waters with Syria and
:04:11. > :04:16.innuendo is motivated by a desire for a quick headline.
:04:16. > :04:18.He falsely told two women they had cancer and that he could cure them.
:04:18. > :04:21.Today, 77-year-old Reg Gill, from Carmarthenshire, was found guilty
:04:21. > :04:25.of sexual assault and fraud. It follows an undercover investigation
:04:25. > :04:28.by BBC Wales' X-Ray programme. Jenny Rees reports from Swansea
:04:28. > :04:35.Crown Court. Leaving court today a guilty man.
:04:35. > :04:39.Reg Gill was still making no apology to his victims.
:04:39. > :04:42.Do you have any comments to your victims? Would you like to say
:04:42. > :04:46.anything? This wasn't the first time he'd
:04:46. > :04:49.been in court. Eight years ago, he was sentenced to 12 months in
:04:49. > :04:53.prison for selling a machine like this - it's an Ifas, or High
:04:53. > :04:57.Frequency Therapy machine. It's not licensed for any medical treatment.
:04:57. > :04:59.He sold it to Stephen Hall, from Flintshire. He'd been diagnosed
:05:00. > :05:04.with incurable pancreatic cancer and was told the machine could
:05:04. > :05:08.treat it. Mr Gill also advised him to stop taking his morphine. He
:05:09. > :05:11.died some weeks later. Last year, a team from BBC Wales's X-Ray
:05:11. > :05:21.programme went to Reg Gill's home in Cwmduad, in Carmarthenshire,
:05:21. > :05:27.
:05:27. > :05:32.after hearing he was still offering A few weeks later, Dyfed-Powys
:05:32. > :05:35.Police arrested Gill after being contacted by two women.
:05:35. > :05:40.Mr Gill used a probe to sexually assault two female clients at the
:05:40. > :05:43.treatment room in his home. He told both that they had cancer. One of
:05:43. > :05:46.the victims, who can't be named, said she was told the cancer had
:05:46. > :05:50.migrated through her body to both her breasts and her larynx. She
:05:50. > :05:52.said she felt as though her world had fallen away. Then Mr Gill said,
:05:52. > :05:56."Don't worry, I can fix that". Today, 77-year-old Gill was
:05:56. > :06:06.convicted of nine sex offences and two fraud charges. His wife Leila
:06:06. > :06:07.
:06:07. > :06:10.was found guilty of one charge of sexual assault and fraud. Both
:06:10. > :06:14.victims have shown a lot of courage in coming forward and report in
:06:14. > :06:18.this matter to the police because they have exposed them as the
:06:18. > :06:28.fraudulent practitioners of alternative therapy that they are.
:06:28. > :06:29.
:06:29. > :06:32.The couple have been bailed and will be sentenced at a later date.
:06:32. > :06:35.The Chief Medical Officer has today issued advice on how to stay safe
:06:35. > :06:38.and warm, with the Met Office predicting the big freeze is set to
:06:38. > :06:41.stay until the weekend. Temperatures last night fell to -11
:06:41. > :06:43.centigrade in parts of Powys, making it the coldest night of the
:06:43. > :06:47.winter so far. Forecasters are also warning of snow tomorrow, although
:06:47. > :06:50.it's expected to turn to sleet and rain later in the day. And, of
:06:50. > :06:53.course, we'll have a full forecast for you later in the programme.
:06:53. > :06:56.The boyfriend of a pregnant teenager who was murdered at her
:06:56. > :07:00.flat in Newport has told the jury that the man accused of killing her
:07:00. > :07:03.was like a brother to him. 18-year- old Ryan Mayes, who was the father
:07:03. > :07:06.of Nikitta Grender's unborn baby, also denied that he'd invited Karl
:07:06. > :07:09.Whant to have sex with Nikitta. Mr Whant had claimed he had consensual
:07:09. > :07:13.sex with her hours before she died. He denies murder.
:07:13. > :07:16.A new woodland has been planted in the Upper Vyrnwy valley - the
:07:16. > :07:19.largest in Wales for 20 years. The 140 hectare Cyffin Woodland will
:07:19. > :07:21.have oak, ash and cherry trees, and will count towards the Welsh
:07:21. > :07:26.Government's target of creating 100,000 hectares of new woods over
:07:26. > :07:29.the next 20 years. It's a row over whether people with
:07:29. > :07:32.disabilities should be able to use the front door of Merthyr's old
:07:32. > :07:37.town hall, even if that means what planners fear will be an unsightly
:07:37. > :07:40.ramp outside a historic listed building. Today, local councillors
:07:40. > :07:48.held a site visit as they weigh up options for a multi-million pound
:07:48. > :07:53.scheme to revamp the hall. Caroline Evans has more.
:07:53. > :07:57.There is no doubting the historic importance of the old town hall in
:07:57. > :08:02.Merthyr Tydfil. For 90 years, it was the focal point for royal
:08:02. > :08:06.visits, parades and elections in the town. This man stood here to
:08:06. > :08:11.address the people when he was elected the first Labour MP in
:08:11. > :08:16.Wales in 1,900. Now, after years of disrepair, it is about to be
:08:16. > :08:19.restored to its former glory. But now, councillors must decide
:08:19. > :08:23.whether to keep the building exactly as it was built or install
:08:23. > :08:29.a ramp at the front so that everyone can coming through the
:08:29. > :08:33.main door. Opinion is divided. think it is essential. I don't
:08:33. > :08:41.think it makes any difference to the face of the lovely town hall. I
:08:41. > :08:44.don't think it would the face it in any way. I would leave it as it is.
:08:44. > :08:51.The alternative would be to put Iran at the side entrance but that
:08:51. > :08:56.is not acceptable say disability rights campaigners. You consider
:08:56. > :09:01.the history of the building and its role in equality, in the
:09:01. > :09:04.emancipation of women, we are talking in the 21st century about a
:09:04. > :09:09.simple solution we disabled people can go through the front door like
:09:09. > :09:16.everyone else. Today, councillors paid a site visit to make up their
:09:16. > :09:20.minds. It is a big decision. Members to take notice of the
:09:20. > :09:26.rights of professional officers but members also use commonsense and
:09:26. > :09:29.look at things themselves. When this building was opened in 1898,
:09:29. > :09:33.it's proved so popular that officials had to request locks be
:09:34. > :09:37.put on the doors to stop people coming in. It has held a special
:09:37. > :09:42.place in the heart of the town ever since. What happens to the outside
:09:42. > :09:46.of it now should be decided in the next few weeks.
:09:46. > :09:50.Still ahead: Priestland and Roberts are fit to
:09:50. > :09:53.play - we look ahead to Wales' Six Nations opener.
:09:53. > :10:03.And it's been used as a cowshed but could this, in fact, be the oldest
:10:03. > :10:05.
:10:05. > :10:09.Could using pedal-power on disused railways be a way of boosting
:10:09. > :10:14.tourism? Velo-Rails are pedalo-type vehicles which allow small groups
:10:14. > :10:17.to make their way through picturesque areas. A project is now
:10:17. > :10:19.up and running to turn part of a disused track between Blaenau
:10:19. > :10:25.Ffestiniog and Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd into Britain's first Velo-
:10:25. > :10:30.Rail track. Its backers say it's clean, healthy
:10:30. > :10:33.and will provide a boost to tourism. Velo-Rails can already be found in
:10:33. > :10:43.France and other parts of mainland Europe and the hope is that it will
:10:43. > :10:44.
:10:44. > :10:47.soon be a feature of a small part of Gwynedd. We hope that this
:10:47. > :10:50.project will attract more visitors to the area and keep them in the
:10:50. > :10:54.town long enough to explore and relax and hopefully spend a little
:10:54. > :10:59.bit of money. This scheme should tie in perfectly with the other
:10:59. > :11:03.projects we have ongoing. The one thing that is missing is something
:11:03. > :11:05.for families to do for the day. plans to bring them to this line
:11:05. > :11:09.between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Trawsfynydd have involved a number
:11:09. > :11:13.of local organisations. School children have got involved to clear
:11:13. > :11:20.the route. And today came a test- run of what is hoped will become
:11:20. > :11:26.Britain's first Velo-Rail track. Fantastic views, a bit hard work on
:11:26. > :11:30.the thighs, but it was my workout for the day. It is only a short
:11:30. > :11:35.journey but I think it is a fascinating project. It is easy on
:11:35. > :11:38.the way down, a bit more difficult on the way back up. The project is
:11:38. > :11:43.part of a �4 million investment with money from Gwynedd Council and
:11:43. > :11:47.the Welsh Government. It will also see improvements to facilities for
:11:47. > :11:52.other activities such as mountain biking. The old track bed has got
:11:52. > :11:56.to stay here for a while so we want to protect it for the future. This
:11:56. > :12:00.is a low-impact way of making use of that asset. There is still a lot
:12:00. > :12:03.to be worked through with the community. No firm start date has
:12:03. > :12:06.been set for the Velo-Rail but those involved in the project hope
:12:06. > :12:10.they are on track to be up and running by September.
:12:10. > :12:16.On track for the Six Nations now. Here's Claire with a look ahead to
:12:16. > :12:19.Sunday. Good evening. Fly-half Rhys
:12:19. > :12:22.Priestland and centre Jamie Roberts have been passed fit to face
:12:22. > :12:25.Ireland in Wales' Six Nations opener. They flew to Dublin with
:12:25. > :12:28.the squad this afternoon ahead of Sunday's match, which is a repeat
:12:28. > :12:30.of the World Cup quarter-final in Wellington that Wales won 22-10. In
:12:30. > :12:33.a moment, we'll hear the thoughts of former Ireland captain Simon
:12:33. > :12:43.Easterby, but first Ashleigh Crowter on Warren Gatland's first
:12:43. > :12:51.
:12:51. > :12:54.The knee looked in good nick today. The Scarlets Number 10 was a key
:12:54. > :13:04.man in the World Cup alongside Jamie Roberts. He has also been
:13:04. > :13:04.
:13:04. > :13:10.given the all-clear after missing the last six weeks. The first parts
:13:10. > :13:20.of last week in Poland was more rehabilitation. I feel refreshed
:13:20. > :13:32.
:13:32. > :13:37.and am mentally raring to go. For a young player, he has been
:13:37. > :13:46.told to go out and enjoy himself. Shane had a huge amount of
:13:46. > :13:56.experience. We are still working on aspects of Alex's game. He is young
:13:56. > :14:09.
:14:09. > :14:19.Ireland Today suffered a late blow. Keith Earls withdrew from the team
:14:19. > :14:27.because his newborn daughter is not well. Three of Ireland's provinces
:14:27. > :14:36.have made the kept this year. That has given them confidence.
:14:36. > :14:40.brings players into camp in a good form. When you're playing with
:14:40. > :14:45.teams that have got to the semi- final of the World Cup, you know
:14:45. > :14:50.you're up against it. It today, there was already a trickle of
:14:50. > :14:59.support in Dublin. I think they will struggle. We have to get
:14:59. > :15:04.behind the boys. Wales captain Sam Warburton took a few hours out have
:15:04. > :15:11.come to answer questions from youth players. They gave him a great
:15:11. > :15:16.start on his rugby journey. That is what Wales need in the Six Nations.
:15:16. > :15:24.If we get a win there, we have three home games afterwards. It
:15:24. > :15:34.puts us in a great position. Wales had to Dublin in confident mood.
:15:34. > :15:49.
:15:49. > :15:59.They are sure they can beat Ireland Former British Lions, Ireland and
:15:59. > :16:00.
:16:00. > :16:07.Scarlets flanker Simon Easterby is here to share his thoughts. Warren
:16:07. > :16:13.Gatland was desperate to hold on as long as he could to select Jamie
:16:13. > :16:17.Roberts and Rhys Priestland. Ireland are out for revenge
:16:17. > :16:25.following the World Cup. What is the Mold. They seem incredibly
:16:25. > :16:30.confident. They do and rightly so. They have three sides in the
:16:30. > :16:37.European qualifiers. It makes a huge difference. They will go to
:16:37. > :16:47.camp feeling good about themselves. On the whole, they feel great about
:16:47. > :16:53.themselves. Going to play in Ireland, it has been a happy
:16:53. > :16:59.hunting ground in the past. Do you see Sunday's game as a totally
:16:59. > :17:05.different encounter to the World Cup? I do. They will be things they
:17:05. > :17:08.want to replicate. Ireland will look to try and counter on the good
:17:08. > :17:14.things Wales did in that match. Wales were by far the better team
:17:14. > :17:20.on that day and you cannot argue about that. But the Six Nations is
:17:20. > :17:26.a different kettle of fish. It brings its own pressures. You know
:17:26. > :17:34.both camps very well. Give us a prediction. It is very difficult. I
:17:34. > :17:37.love the Welsh and the fact we have a lot of scarlets boys in there.
:17:37. > :17:41.Don't forget, Ireland Wales this Sunday on BBC One Wales kick off at
:17:41. > :17:44.3pm. The Wales Under 20s kick things off tonight. They take on
:17:44. > :17:47.their Irish counterparts in Athlone, the home side coached by former
:17:47. > :17:51.Wales Coach Mike Ruddock. You can watch the game on Scrum V Live on
:17:51. > :17:55.BBC 2 Wales from 7pm. Football. Swansea City travel to
:17:55. > :17:57.West Brom tomorrow, who are just below them in the table. The Swans
:17:57. > :18:01.were comfortable 3-0 winners when they met at the Liberty in
:18:01. > :18:11.September and they're out to try and claim their second away win of
:18:11. > :18:12.
:18:12. > :18:20.the season. We have to have the fort to the floor in every game to
:18:21. > :18:26.gain points at this level. Our preparation is always thorough and
:18:26. > :18:29.we try to make sure we get some points. In the Championship,
:18:29. > :18:32.Cardiff City welcome Blackpool and ahead of their Carling Cup final at
:18:32. > :18:39.Wembley are offering a discount on their shirts when Liverpool ones
:18:39. > :18:47.are traded in! The manager had a bit of a family issue with that one.
:18:47. > :18:50.By boy had to hand in his Liverpool strip this week. That is life.
:18:50. > :18:53.The frozen weather is playing its part in disrupting some of the
:18:53. > :18:57.weekend's fixtures. The Dragons' LV clash with Saracens tonight is off
:18:57. > :18:59.because of a frozen pitch. Ffos Las Racecourse is poised to offer the
:18:59. > :19:04.only turf racing in Britain tomorrow, provided the track can
:19:04. > :19:09.pass a morning inspection. The course is still covered with
:19:09. > :19:11.protective sheets to try to minimise the frost.
:19:11. > :19:16.Experts are hoping they've discovered what could be Wales'
:19:16. > :19:22.oldest house. It's been used as a cow shed, but part of its timber
:19:22. > :19:25.frame is thought to be from the 14th Century. It is hoped the
:19:25. > :19:35.building in Llanrwst could be older than the current record-holder, a
:19:35. > :19:35.
:19:35. > :19:38.guest house in the Wye Valley built Ned Scharer and his wife Sophie
:19:38. > :19:41.already knew their house was old. They run a company which uses
:19:41. > :19:44.traditional and modern techniques to preserve historic buildings.
:19:44. > :19:49.They are busy restoring the grade 2 listed Plas Tirion, taking care to
:19:49. > :19:52.protect its features. But a lowly cow shed nearby could be the much
:19:52. > :20:01.older building. So they called in experts who've been dating old
:20:01. > :20:06.Welsh houses to study its unusual timber frame. They knew it was
:20:06. > :20:12.really early. It is made of a couple of he which trees basically
:20:12. > :20:20.leaning up against each other. That indicates it is early. It could
:20:20. > :20:27.indicate it is a crude building. When you look at the timber, you
:20:27. > :20:32.can see that it has been blackened by the smoke of a fire burning day-
:20:32. > :20:35.in and day-out. But when? It is indeed. While some parts of Plas
:20:35. > :20:45.Tirion make it fairly obvious when they were built, others are more
:20:45. > :20:50.coy about their age. We will have counted the rings on tree-trunks to
:20:50. > :20:55.see how old they are. Experts have drilled through the beans here to
:20:55. > :20:59.date the tree and find out where and in what season it was felt. The
:20:59. > :21:02.results should be known by the end of March, but Ned says whether or
:21:02. > :21:10.not it clinches the title of Wales' oldest house, the building is
:21:10. > :21:16.already worth celebrating. This is interesting regardless of that.
:21:16. > :21:19.Secretly, it would be good to become the oldest dated house in
:21:19. > :21:22.Wales but reality is it is interesting regardless of that.
:21:22. > :21:25.historians too, the building has already changed the perception that
:21:25. > :21:28.this part of Wales had little architectural merit before the 16th
:21:28. > :21:31.century. Exactly how much before is about to be revealed.
:21:31. > :21:39.Well staying indoors, the best place this weekend I think. Cold,
:21:39. > :21:42.Sue, but we're likely to miss the Last night was the coldest night of
:21:42. > :21:46.winter so far, especially in Powys. Temperatures falling to minus 11
:21:47. > :21:50.Celsius near Llanwrtyd Wells. Minus 9 in Newbridge on Wye. We could
:21:51. > :21:54.match that tonight. But there is a big change this weekend. A battle
:21:54. > :21:57.between cold Arctic air to the east and mild Atlantic air to the west.
:21:57. > :22:01.That's why we call the dividing line a front, like a battlefront
:22:02. > :22:08.between the two air masses. Today was the last of the cold bright
:22:08. > :22:11.days. We start to see changes tonight. Cold and frosty again in
:22:11. > :22:14.the east, cloud beginning to push in from the west. But it will still
:22:14. > :22:17.be a very cold night, well below freezing again in mid Wales. So
:22:17. > :22:20.that cloud brings the milder Atlantic air, a front pushes in,
:22:20. > :22:23.mostly rain from Anglesey down to Pembrokeshire, turning to snow in
:22:23. > :22:30.the hills as it pushes eastwards, 2 to 5cm possible in higher
:22:30. > :22:34.communities nearer the border. Any snow should turn to rain again
:22:34. > :22:37.later in the day. But don't take the graphics too literally. If the
:22:37. > :22:43.cold air stays in place longer, the front stalls, bringing a greater
:22:43. > :22:48.risk of snow. Timing is variable here. A snow warning is in place,
:22:48. > :22:52.but heavy snow is looking less likely. Some rain Saturday night,
:22:52. > :22:57.so an ice risk into Sunday morning. But it should turn drier with some
:22:57. > :23:02.bright spells. And less cold -5 to -8 Celsius. Turning cloudier with
:23:02. > :23:04.drizzle in the west later the day. It's looking milder in Dublin for
:23:04. > :23:10.Wales' Six Nations opener, but turning increasingly damp and
:23:10. > :23:15.drizzly through the day. Live coverage on Radio Wales and Radio
:23:15. > :23:18.Cymru and you can watch on the BBC big screens in Cardiff and Swansea.
:23:18. > :23:22.So a very changeable weekend. Cold tomorrow, turning milder on Sunday
:23:22. > :23:26.with a cloudy and dull start to next week. Finally, Rob Davies from
:23:26. > :23:28.Llanrwst took this photo this morning. The mountains towards
:23:28. > :23:38.Snowdonia are covered in snow but the eastern side of the Conwy
:23:38. > :23:40.
:23:40. > :23:43.valley is clear. More snow likely The main news again from the BBC.
:23:43. > :23:45.The Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has resigned from the Cabinet after
:23:45. > :23:48.learning that he and his ex-wife will both face charges of
:23:48. > :23:51.perverting the course of justice. It's claimed the Liberal Democrat
:23:51. > :23:57.former minister got his then wife Vicky Pryce to accept penalty
:23:58. > :24:01.speeding points on his behalf ten years ago to escape a driving ban.
:24:01. > :24:04.This morning Chris Huhne insisted again that he was innocent.
:24:04. > :24:08.John Terry has been sacked as captain of the England football
:24:08. > :24:11.team. He's due to stand trial in July on charges of racial abuse.
:24:11. > :24:14.The Football Association said it had taken the decision as it didn't
:24:14. > :24:18.want the case to dominate England's performance in the Euro 2012
:24:18. > :24:21.Championships. There are questions tonight over
:24:22. > :24:23.the links between the Welsh Labour Party and the chief executive of a
:24:23. > :24:27.charity currently under investigation by the Welsh
:24:27. > :24:29.Government. The All-Wales Ethnic Minority Association, or AWEMA, is
:24:29. > :24:39.being investigated over claims of bullying and financial
:24:39. > :24:45.
:24:45. > :24:49.Reginald kill falsely told women he had a cure for cancer.